Issue 13, Fall 2014 - The Quadrangle

news

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Nov. 18, 2014

Graduate Offerings Expand Continued from page 1 department, is excited for it to unfold in the 2015-16 school year. As its director, she will head a committee that reviews applications and later selects which applicants to admit to the program. Weld will also be responsible for overseeing the curriculum.

Weld said she hopes that the program will help to address the current need for teachers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. She intends for this to be accomplished by “marrying the traditional strength of Manhattan College in the STEM fields with the Lasallian heritage of concern with education,” she said.

While the program is likely to be small,

she said the program has the potential to grow.

“Expanding our program to include applied math and data analytics will prepare graduates to pursue rewarding technical careers,” Weld said.

Because Manhattan College is primarily an undergraduate institution, these new programs can introduce additional opportunities as well as some concerns for the quality of the future of undergraduate education at the college.

Provost William Clyde said he does not expect any drastic changes to occur within the school that would disrupt the focus on the current undergraduate students.

“It’s not a huge change in the people

here or the size of the school,” Clyde said.

“I think that the quality of our programming is such that it could well attract students from the outside but I don’t think that it would be overwhelming. The first line is going to be to fully serve our traditional undergraduates to get them on the way to what they need to do.”

Clyde said that in his time as provost, he has spoken with faculty members who felt the college could offer programs that undergraduates wanted to continue on to for graduate work.

Clyde said that the professors insisted that it should be made a priority and that students really wanted that option as well.

Clyde agreed and suggested they make

proposals for different graduate offerings.

“I think that seems like a potential area of growth for us that would serve our community and would fit in with what we can do.” Clyde said.

The directors and deans of all the current graduate programs also formed a graduate council that meets three times a semester to discuss the current programs in place and explore what other programs could be created and are feasible for the college to offer.

“We’re not trying to do new, wild things that have nothing to do with stuff that we already do,” Clyde said. “It’s more about extending things we are already doing that we know students are interested in.”

New Flex Plan Occhiogrosso, Offers Dining Option Staff Say Goodbye to Commuters Luke Hartman Staff Writer

Assistant Director of Student Activities, Gabrielle Occhiogrosso, announced last week she would be stepping down from her position at the end of the semester.

“It is very bittersweet, but I am leaving Manhattan College to pursue my career in higher education. I recently received my doctorate of education and I have accepted a position at the director level,” Occhiogrosso said.

However, Occhiogrosso is not going far as the director position she has accepted is at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. She will be the new Director of Student Activities, Leadership and Commuter Life.

“I will be right up Riverdale Avenue,” she said.

Occhiogrosso said that this was a very hard decision for her due to her long history and involvement at MC. She has been such an integral part of the Office of Student Activities on campus and worked as a residence hall coordinator at the college.

“I have so many memories. I do not even know where to begin.

“Watching our spirit squads at basketball games, hosting the Manzo family from Bravo, attending Broadway shows, watching students grow from freshmen year through graduation, seeing students in Locke’s, I have so many memories at MC. Most of all, I have worked with the best staff and students. I will miss them very much,” Occhiogrosso said.

When asked what her advice would be to her replacement, she said that “there is a true sense of community at Manhattan College. Get to know the students, the staff, administration, and the Brothers as much and as often as possible. I have made relationships at MC that will last me a lifetime and I can only hope the same for my replacement.”

The position for Assistant Director of Student Activities has been posted and has not yet filled for the upcoming semester.

Academic advisor in the School of Arts, Noreen Carey, will also be leaving the college.

“Noreen left because her husband Seamus Carey, a former philosophy professor at Manhattan College and now former Dean of Arts and Sciences at Sacred Heart University, took the position of President of Transylvania College in Lexington, KY. She was very sad to leave, but she has to

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Lauren Carr & Kelly Burns

A&E Editor and Asst. A&E/Production Editor

Daniel Molina/The Quadrangle

Gabrielle Occhiogrosso is leaving her position as Assistant Director of Student Activities to take on the role of Director of Student Activities, Leadership and Commuter Life at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. go with her family,” Assistant Dean of the School of Arts Diana Cruz said.

While this decision was seemingly unannounced, it is evident that Carey left on a positive note and that it was also a bittersweet goodbye for her coworkers.

“Noreen is one of the most warm and friendly people you will ever meet. She’s never afraid to laugh at herself and I know she enjoyed her time at MC and getting to know the students,” Cruz said.

However, Carey’s position has been filled. Angie Thrapsimis, former office manager for the Dean of Students has taken over Carey’s role as academic advisor in the School of Arts. She is definitely a familiar face around campus and it is clear she is excited to take on this new position.

“For those that do know her, they know she loves the students here and wants the best for them,” Cruz said.

“That is the reason she got the position.

My piece of advice would be just to come on in and say hi. The more we know you as individuals, the more we can help when you need it. You know that here in arts we enjoy talking to you about more than just classes. We want to hear all about you,” Cruz said.

While there is no set meal plan for commuters, a new service offers commuter students, as well as on campus students, money to use for on campus and off campus dining.

The new Flex Plan offers students three different options. The first option is the ‘Snacker’ which costs $100. With any amount that is put on a student’s Jasper card, they are given an additional 10 percent bonus. So if the student puts $100 on their card, they will get $110.

This Flex Plan was put out following the opening of the new student commons where students are provided with more campus dining options. From pizza, Chinese food, cold sandwiches and even a new Starbucks, students have a bigger variety of food to choose from than ever before. With all of that in place, it seems like it would be an opportunity that commuter students would want to not miss out on. However, some of them do not see the benefits from having this in place.

“I don’t think it’s worth it because I would rather get better food outside even if I have to spend a little more,” sophomore Ebru Nayci said. “I usually go down to Broadway and buy food from there.”

“I eat at home or bring food with me,” commuter Maciej Reuter-Gargol said. “I wouldn’t put money on my card to eat here.”

If students like to buy food on Broadway, they could potentially take advantage of this flex plan. They can add money onto their card to use at their favorite places instead of pulling out cash every single time they go to make a purchase.

The college is now making it easier for students by letting them put all of that

money onto one card while also getting some added benefits.

“What a lot of schools and what we here at Manhattan College are offering is a meal plan for commuters that is optional,” Kenneth Waldhof, director of business services, said. “It’s voluntary. It's dollars that are flexible. They expire at the end of the spring semester but they can carry over from fall to spring.”

The plan is not only offered to commuters but to off-campus residents as well.

Students can add money to their account by using a new online service and that money will go directly onto their card.

Waldhof says that this new system makes it easier not only for students to add cash onto their card, but for parents as well if they wish add money for their child.

Junior Cierra Howard is a commuter and she said that she feels as though the new commuter flex plan would not save her any money and says she would rather use her credit card or cash if she had to buy food on campus.

“Everything is so expensive in the commons. The meal plans for commuters might as well not exist because it's no different from buying food on your own,” Howard said.

The option of having a solid meal plan for commuting students to eat just in Locke's is currently not available. However, a plan like that is something that Waldhof said he would consider. As for right now, he said he feels that this optional commuter plan offers more flexible.

“There's no discussion of it today but a program like this, not only from a student's standpoint but from a parents offers so much more flexibility,” Waldhof said.

“You can add more money to your card at any time and each time you would benefit from the savings that are being offered through that.”

opinions & editorials

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Should Criminal Records Be on College The Quadrangle Applications? www.mcquad.org

Jaclyn Marr

Asst. Sports Editor Everyone remembers the process of applying to colleges. Mostly basic questions fill up the pages until you get to the one that asks, “Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a felony?”

The answer to this could make or break someone’s college future, whether or not it should. Three New York colleges have removed it from their application. However, Manhattan College is not one of them. But should it be?

Out of the three, St. John’s University is significant due to its size. The school has 20,000 students on four different campuses in New York State. The other two schools are Five Towns College and Dowling College, both located on Long Island.

New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said in a statement: “An arrest or police stop that did not result in a conviction, or a criminal record that was sealed or expunged, should not – indeed must not – be a standard question on a college application. Such a question can serve only to discourage New Yorkers from seeking a higher education.”

The colleges have agreed to work with an advocacy group called the Center for Community Alternatives, led by Schneiderman, to address these points of punish-

ment and discrimination. These schools are the only three out of the 70 that were reviewed by the state attorney’s office.

Should prospective college students be punished for something that happened in high school? If it is a case of something more serious, then that is a different story.

However, most of the time it is minor and should not affect the future of someone who wants to achieve more in his or her life.

According to the Center for Community Alternatives and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, who worked together on a 59-question survey to explore the history of criminal records on college applications. Two hundred and seventy-three college institutions responded. The majority, 66 percent, collected information from their applicants’ criminal records but not all of them let it determine the application process.

The report states that private four-year schools are more likely to collect the information rather than two-year public schools. The other 38 percent do not collect any criminal record information and none of them have reported their campuses to be less safe than others.

MC is proud to be a Lasallian community. One of our major points, which are stated on our website, is to have respect for all people.

“We honor and respect the dignity of all individuals. Our mission of service, on and off campus, stems from the belief that all human beings deserve basic dignity. We eagerly explore new communities and different ways of thinking and being in order to cultivate a truly global perspective,” according to the MC website.

If Manhattan is “diverse in backgrounds, interests, talents, beliefs and opinions,” then shouldn’t we accept students and give those who need one a second chance? One mistake should not mess up the rest of a student’s future, especially one who wants and works toward getting into a college.

Another point on Manhattan’s website states our inclusive community. It repeats our welcoming of diversity and a lively community. “Manhattan College is passionately committed to policies of non-discrimination and we actively encourage an open-minded staff and student body. We’re committed to civil rights and freedom of expression for all people.”

With our Lasallian values being an important factor at our school, it would be best for Manhattan College to also remove the criminal record question from our application. It will prove that we are in fact Lasallian and that we welcome diverse students to our school.

Letter to

the Editor

RE: Live on the Air: A History of WRCM

That’s me there in the photo – spinning the black circles at WRCM, back in its glory days.

WRCM was one of the best things about my experience at Manhattan College. I started as a DJ and eventually worked up to be Program Director and then General Manager, following in a line of dedicated GMs, including Mike Ameres, Chris Williams, and others. The station was a picture of diversity. We had sports shows (Mario Nacinovich), rap, hip hop, ska, top 40, jazz, and of course the two best shows, the Metal Chick Show (mine) and the Bob Stei Show (featuring Bob Stei and me as his often sidekick, after his former sidekick the Wedge left Manhattan College).

Every music genre could be heard on our limited airwaves. We pumped directly into every cafeteria in the building, and it was a constant battle to keep that music flowing. One time we were “turned off” in the cafeteria because Brother Scanlan didn’t like that one of the DJs had played “Losing my Religion” by REM. Often the night time and weekend DJs would get locked out of the building by security and prevented from getting to the studio. It was a sacrifice and labor of love even back them to keep things running. It makes me sad that WRCM has gone dark. My time spent at Manhattan College was the best years of my life, and WRCM was a huge part of that. I will always cherish “Carrier Current 850.”

Janine Katanic ‘95 WRCM alumni - The Metal Chick Show

Vol. 90 Issue 13 Nov. 18, 2014

Natalie E. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief Michelle DePinho Managing Editor/News Editor Michael Peyko Asst. News Editor Claire Leaden Managing Editor/Features Editor Kieran Rock Asst. Features Editor Natalie Heinitz Op/Ed Editor/Production Editor Maya Astabie Asst. Op/Ed Editor Lauren Carr Arts & Entertainment Editor Kelly Burns Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor/ Production Editor Chris Cirillo Sports Editor Jonathan Reyes Asst. Sports Editor Jaclyn Marr Asst. Sports Editor Sean McIntyre Social Media Editor James O’Connor Photography Editor Sean Sonnemann Web Editor John Abbatangelo Sam Martin Editorial Cartoonists Daniel Molina Distribution Manager Joe Cutbirth, Ph.D. Faculty Adviser The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College.

The staff of The Quadrangle meets every Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in room 412 of the Student Commons.

Contact The Quadrangle at thequad@manhattan.edu The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.

opinions & editorials

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The Fundraising Environment at MC

Anthony Capote Staff Writer

Steve Toscano, a sophomore computer engineering major, can almost always be found donating to a cause that tries to raise money at Manhattan College. He often donates as much as he can to whatever group sets up a table outside of Thomas Hall or in the Kelly Commons to fundraise for L.O.V.E. trips, student clubs or charities.

In fact, so do most students on campus, almost all of whom are certainly familiar with the neatly prepared tables, which are positioned at the base of Founder’s Bridge with assorted goodies. They’re placed behind the blinding sheen of the brightest colored construction paper the group could find that bears a message beckoning students to spend money on some worthy cause.

This is the culture of giving at Manhattan College.

“Growing up I was part of a youth groups and we did a lot of fundraisers,” said Toscano, who continued, “It makes me feel better that I have things to give and that I am giving.”

Fundraising by student organizations and charities is a huge part of any college life, but especially here at Manhattan College, where the school’s Lasallian tradition of service towards others is evident in the recognition and importance given to campus ministries and charities.

“There are so many fundraisers going on, that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all,” Toscano said, referencing some of his friends, many of whom are involved in charities themselves.

But since fundraising is such an important part of our campus culture, what are some of the guidelines? The rules? What makes a good fundraiser? The Quadrangle set out to find some of those rules and what we found is that many students often misunderstand or misinterpret the rules and

how they apply to different organizations.

The first—and perhaps greatest—misconception is that students are not allowed to sell food at fundraisers because of the College’s contract with Gourmet Dining Services. Many claim this policy results from a fear that GDS will lose revenue if forced to compete with student clubs and organizations.

“If I were a student, that would be my first reaction—it totally makes sense,” said Student Activities Director John Bennett with a chuckle. “It’s not because Gourmet Dining is afraid that they are going to lose $25 from cookies.”

Indeed most student clubs are not allowed to sell foodstuffs at fundraisers.

However, Bennett suggests a much more practical cause.

“There’s a public safety issue of food on campus, where—God forbid—if someone gets a food sickness, allergy or something isn’t cooked correctly, it can create a lot of liability issues.”

However, while many groups do not sell food, others are notorious for selling it around campus. For example, most students are aware of the signs plastered along the walls of Miguel, De La Salle and Thomas Hall, which advertise bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches and baked goods sold by Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience trips, better known as L.O.V.E. The L.O.V.E. program is part of Campus Ministry that sends students on domestic and international service trips to cater to the specific needs of a given community. Every semester the program sends out an average of 5 groups of students to work in places like Haiti, Arizona, Texas and El Salvador, to name a few.

“We give the L.O.V.E. trips $27,000 per year to operate, but beyond that they are not a club, they operate under Campus Ministry and Social Action,” said Bennett who iterated the separation between the service program and Student Activities.

Nov. 18, 2014

James O’Connor/The Quadrangle

One of the many signs on campus advertising L.O.V.E. fundraisers.

“We are not a club,” said Jenn Ed- course some get more money than others wards, the woman in charge of the but that relates more to expenses than imL.O.V.E. program, continuing, “We don’t portance, no one club is more important operate on the same guidelines as other than another,” Bennett said, regarding how organizations.” money is distributed by clubs.

Edwards went on to state “Gourmet There is certainly a great deal of conDining actually donates the food we sell,” troversy any time that money is involved listing ice cream, bread and cheese on in a conversation. Some may feel that the those lists. policies around fundraising are unfair or biAnother major issue is the question ased, however I must admit that I have not of how much student clubs can donate to seen that at Manhattan College. specific charities.

One huge contributor to this belief is Bennett said that Student Government how much is offered to students on campus implemented a rule a few years ago that for free. Not a single event on campus reclubs are allowed to donate 50 percent or quires payment – not a play, not Manhattan $500 to any charity after a fundraiser.

Madness, not Springfest, nothing.

“For example, if a club raises $700, Bennett highlighted his focus on this they can donate 50 percent of that money issue by saying, “We will never let a club to a charity, but if they make $2000, they require that students spend money for an can donate $500,” Bennett said, specify- event, they can have suggested donations, ing that the rest of the money go towards of course, but never should students have the club budget, managed in a joint effort to pay for something to do on campus. You

by Student Activities and Student Gov- guys already pay enough in tuition and ernment. fees that everything you do on this campus “Every club has a budget, and of should be free to you.”

Sam Martin/The Quadrangle

arts & entertainment

Deep Tracks Sean Sonnemann Web Editor

Is the album dead? In today’s age of split-second attention spans, many music commentators and critics question if listeners still have an appetite for full-length albums. When audiences are bombarded continually with new music amidst other forms of media, do they have the time or patience to listen to a dozen or more songs?

While album sales are at an all time low (with Taylor Swift’s “1989” being a huge exception) due in a large part to the rise of streaming and piracy, there is still something to be said for keeping the format alive. Whatever method they are distributed, quality albums can deliver more than even the best single.

As a larger body of work, the album allows the artist the freedom to experiment and take risk. Not every song has to be catchy and easily appeal to a wide audience. The artist can take the time to tell a

story or set a mood, both through the lyrics and musical arrangements.

Amidst the discussion on the future of the album, Jasper Jams this week highlights some notable deep tracks. These are records that received minimal to no radio play when they were first released. An artist’s dedicated fans will know all of his or her music. The casual listener, however, is only exposed to the prominent hits from even the most critically acclaimed albums.

Here is just a handful of some hidden gems, both recent and from many years past.

1) “Dragon Days” by Alicia Keys Alicia Keys’ 2003 album “The Diary of Alicia Keys” spawned four singles. While there is no denying the magnificence of “You Don’t Know My Name” and “If I Ain’t Got You,” “Dragon Days” is unfortunately often overlooked on the album. Also be sure to check out “Wake Up” that immediately follows on the tracklist.

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2) “3-Minute Rule” by Beastie Boys This song comes from “Paul’s Boutique,” arguably a deep album in its own sense. While the New York based group rose over the years from their initial punk rock roots to hip-hop royalty, the Beastie Boys’ sophomore album did not see wide commercial success. “3-Minute Rule” features a funky old school hip-hop beat amidst the album’s diverse sounds. AdRock’s name-check of Jack Kerouac after calling out a “false fake sucker” sums up the Beastie Boys pretty well.

prefer to be called by their full names, but it just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as well. The masters of blue-eyed soul are recognized primarily for their smooth and infectious pop hits such as “Rich Girl” and “Maneater.” Yet even early on, they already had a little funk mixed in with their soft rock sound. “Had I Known You Better Then” is from their second album, “Abandoned Luncheonette.” Even as Oates takes the lead (a relative rarity for their tracks), the two still complement each other strongly.

3) “Take It All” by Adele The album “21” earned six Grammy Awards for the British singer with powerful pipes and timeless talent. “Take It All” is one of the seemingly few songs from the album that did not get a lot of airtime here in the states. The whole album fully deserves its commercial and critical success.

5) “I’ve Loved These Days” by Billy Joel Everyone knows “New York State of Mind,” “Uptown Girl” and the rest of the greatest hits from the “Piano Man.” Even with a ridiculous total of 33 Top 40 hits, Joel has a massive catalog that is worth exploring for deep tracks. This one comes from the 1976 collection “Turnstiles,” an album with the iconic cover of Joel in the subway turnstiles, fitting for the theme of mainly New York oriented songs.

4) “Had I Known You Better Then”

by Daryl Hall & John Oates Hall & Oates. As true fans know, they

Erica Dawson Closes Fall 2014 MARS Season Daniel Molina Staff Writer Outside the window, a cold and inconstant rain pours over Hayden Hall. Professor Dominika Wrozynski talks about a special ability some writers have that permits them to move easily from Chopin to Descartes back and forth, touching ideas from Freud during a breakup.

Wrozynski remarked the sincerity and level of connection that these types of authors can achieve with their readers, in mode of introduction for that night’s reader.

“She tells us something about what it means to be alive, and to live actively in a world that often presents drama all out,” Wrozynski said.

Erica Dawson, author of the books “Big-Eyed Afraid” (2007), and “The Small Blades Hurt” (2014), concluded the Major Author Reading Series (MARS) this past Tuesday in Hayden 100.

With realism in her poems, she presents a picture of what living in our society implies and how feelings such as frustration, excitation, delight or even anger are sometimes merged into our everyday lives causing each moment to be unique and unrepeatable.

She read some of her “Love Poems After Learning…” which describe some reactions after realizing that banal actions are sometimes more complex than what they seem. “Love Poems After Learning that Hair is Dead Skin,” or “Love Poems After Learning What ‘Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi’ Translates” are part of the repertoire Dawson shared with students, professors and some faculty members of Manhattan College.

Dark and sad poems as “In Black and White,” juxtapose themes as love and death

Daniel Molina/The Quadrangle

Erica Dawson speaks to students and reads some of her poetry at the last MARS event of the semester. creating an almost hilarious context about a woman’s delusions after a breakup.

After more than 30 minutes of reciting poems and telling the stories behind them, she took a space for responding some questions the audience had.

“I’m aware of my level of craziness and I’m conscious about it, but I don’t care,” she responded to a student that asked if she was afraid of writing and having no

answer from any reader. “As a writer I feel that’s is okay to be me on paper, so I don’t try to hide any of that at all.”

She gave some tips to future authors, pointing out that her major advice was to read a lot and write a lot without taking in consideration the literature guidelines.

At the end of the session she took some time to speak one to one with students that had extra questions and sign copies of her

book.

The Fall 2014 MARS season successfully closed with Dawson’s participation, proving one more time that anyone who wants to, and puts some dedication and hard work to it, can become a writer, no matter what age, gender or social background he or she comes from.

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The Freshman Files

features

Nov. 18, 2014

Home Sweet Home Ally Hutzler

Marissa Piazza

The moment we have all been waiting for, or counting down to, is just around the corner.

After three months of what seemed like never­-ending reading, writing and Google­ ing, we are finally going home.

While an increase in personal space and a miraculously clean bathroom rank high on the list of reasons we are itching for the holiday weekend, what we are really looking forward to is spending time with the people who love us the most.

And, the fact that a student ID will not be required to get in the front door is just an added bonus.

“I can’t wait to go home and see my family and friends and just relax,” said freshman Jenny Nunez, who will be flying back to Florida as soon as her last class is over on Tuesday.

“For some of us Thanksgiving will be the first time being home since coming to school in August,” fellow freshman Sam Manalastas said. “It’s the first time seeing our core group of high school friends.”

But what exactly can we expect when we return? While our neighborhoods may look the same and our parents haven’t turned our bedrooms into home gyms just yet, odds are something will be different.

And more often than not, the thing that has changed the most is us.

“I am very excited to go home, but I also think that it is going to be a lot different, especially since we’ve been living in a whole different world for almost three months now,” freshman Kristen Sandmeier said.

The first semester of college is a life­ altering, independence-building, self­ finding experience. So, the first long trip home, whether it be for fall, Thanksgiving or winter break, is bound to be unusual.

“After seventeen years of the same names and faces, life at home might seem pale next to the colorful people, ideas and experiences that make up college,” Manalastas added.

Besides a slightly updated identity, what else are people bringing back home with them?

“A ton of laundry, like piles and piles of it, and some books to study for finals,” freshman Alexis Gallagher added.

Some of us are even bringing friends home for the long weekend, inviting students who live too far to travel back.

“I’m going to my friend’s house in New Jersey for the holiday,” freshman track runner said. lives in Italy and celebrated Thanksgiving while attending an American­-run middle school.

“It was still nothing compared to how people celebrate here. I’m really excited to experience it,” she said.

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to touch base with “the mother ship” before final exams, feasting on nostalgic comfort food during football halftime. It’s also a time for taking stock of our freshman experience so far.

For some of us, even though Thanksgiving means going back to our hometown, we are not really going “home” at all.

“I’m surprised how quickly I’ve become so comfortable with MC. In a way it’s my second home, I love it here,” Nunez said.

Freshman orientation is hardly the place where eager high school seniors, soon-­to-­be college freshmen might look for a future spouse, but for Phil and Melissa (née Maffei) Kuhner, their first experience at the college would be linked to a future they had never anticipated.

Phil and Melissa first met at Manhattan College's Freshman Orientation in July 2001.

While all the newcomers were busy with orientation activities throughout the day, that first night Melissa said “word spread quickly about a party occurring in one of the dorm rooms.”

Melissa and Phil had just met that day, and, knowing that Phil would make an appearance at the party, Melissa was able to convince her friend Maria to attend so she could see Phil again that night.

“I walked down the hall, into the party, said hello to Phil and we were literally in the room for two seconds before the orientation leaders knocked on the door,” she said. “Phil went to the door, let the ‘party police’ in, walked out and away from getting in trouble and left Maria and I to fend for ourselves, which later resulted in eight hours of college community service.”

While for some that first experience may have been a deal-­breaker, Melissa forgave him for the incident, but said she “still reminds him of this on a daily basis.”

Phil and Melissa both ended up living on the fourth floor in Horan Hall their freshman year.

“We visited each other’s rooms frequently and started a great friendship,” Melissa said.

While their journey started as early as the first day of orientation, Phil and Melissa never officially dated during their time at MC. “The people you meet at orientation, you have that special bond from meeting.

You’re at college for the first time developing a friendship,” said Danielle (née Russo) Wright, a classmate, close friend and roommate of Melissa.

“You never know what’s going to happen and so much changes in a short amount of time. You could see there was something there very early on. There was definitely something there more than just a friendship,” Danielle said of Phil and Melissa’s relationship.

College was a very busy time for both Phil and Melissa, and while they participated in the Honors Enrichment Program together, much of Phil’s time was committed to both baseball and engineering.

They did keep in touch after graduating in 2005, but Melissa Maffei, an English major in the School of Arts, and Phil Kuhner, a computer engineering major in the School of Engineering, were not reunited until fall of the following year.

Over a year after graduation, the two ended up at a playoff baseball game in the city with other Jasper alumni.

“Phil was there and we immediately picked up right where we left off,” Melissa said.

Phil played on the MC baseball team for four years, and Melissa remains an avid fan of the sport today. One thing they do disagree on though, is which team to root for, as Phil is a Mets fan and Melissa is a

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Phil and Melissa Kuhner/Courtesy

MC grads and married couple Phil and Melissa Kuhner with their baby son, Nicholas.

Yankees fan.

While they do have loyalty to different teams, they share a common love for the sport. At the end of the impromptu reunion, Phil walked Melissa back to her car and asked her if he could call her to go out sometime. “To which I said ‘sure’,” Melissa said.

“Looking back on it now, it's funny how one of the first people I met at college wound up becoming my husband.

Never in a million years did I ever think that would happen but it's what makes our story unique,” Melissa said.

Phil proposed to Melissa on their four year dating anniversary, on Nov. 20 in 2010 at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City. Melissa and Phil were married in September of 2012, and welcomed their first child, Nicholas, in September of the following year.

The wedding ceremony took place at Sacred Heart Church in Yonkers, New York, where Melissa’s parents were married 31 years prior. The reception was held across the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey, at the Estate at Florentine Gardens.

The wedding party was filled with Jasper alumni. Danielle was the matron of honor and Melissa’s younger sister, who graduated from the college in 2013, was the maid of honor. Another bridesmaid was Maria, who was with Phil and Melissa that first night of orientation. The men in the wedding party also included former Jasper

baseball players.

“Half of the wedding party was Manhattan people—myself and two more roommates were in the wedding party too,” Danielle said. “When we all get together it is really cool to see. Everyone is married and has kids.”

Thinking back on her years in college, the advice Melissa has learned since she graduated from the school is to “make the most out of your college education and the contacts that you form in college. Really value those contacts, since those are definitely people who will help you in the long run.”

For Danielle, it is these very relationships that mean so much to her.

“Be sure to stay in touch with people and make great friendships. These are the people you’ll be in touch with forever,” she said.

“You’ll definitely have those for the rest of your life, both personally and professionally,” Melissa added.

“In college it’s easy to get caught up in the partying scene, but it’s important to remember those four years go by very fast.

The partying is fun, don’t get me wrong, I did it! But be sure to secure an internship, and make the most of your academic experience; that’s why you’re there.”

features

The Archivist

9

amy surak and the mc archives

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Amy Surak spends her time in the archives on the second floor of the library sorting through a variety of different materials and determining which ones are worth holding on to.

Kieran Rock

Asst. Features Editor Amy Surak's office is a scene of controlled chaos. Documents, books and artifacts cover every space in the room. Yet, it doesn't seem like anything is really out of place. Surak is the Manhattan College archivist and has held the position for 12 years. Every day she archives new materials from MC and other Christian Brothers schools to preserve their respective histories.

Coming to Manhattan Surak's first interaction with MC and the college's archives came before she got the job as the archivist.

“I had been working on a book on the history of Covenant House,” Surak said.

Covenant House was a Catholic-run home for youth in Chelsea, and as part of her research Surak contacted MC. “The foundation of Covenant House grew out of Manhattan College. So, as part of the research for that book I contacted people up here to get into the archives,” Surak said. “I spoke to the library director at the time and it was very challenging to get access to the archives at the time because there was no archivist here. I remember him saying casually that they needed an archivist.”

Flash forward to 2014 and Surak has been the college's archivist for 12 years. In that time her job has expanded well beyond keeping MC's history.

When Surak first arrived on campus, the archives had been housed in the fourth floor of Memorial Hall. At the time, the college was preparing the addition to the Cardinal Hayes Library and Surak's first day included a hard hat tour of the new Mary Alice and Tom O'Malley Library where the archives came to be located.

MC's Collections “Basically an archives is a repository that houses materials related to a person, a place, a thing, an institution,” Surak explained. “We appraise materials, we collect them, we process them, we preserve them,

we organize them if necessary and then we make them available for research purposes.”

“Here at the college we have nine different archives,” Surak said.

Surak collects all forms of materials and processes them to become part of the MC collection, or to be discarded if not relevant.

“All forms of recorded information.

Anything from newspapers and books and manuscripts, which are chock-full of information, to rare coins to photographs to film, whatever it is in a person or organization’s collection,” Surak said.

During her time as the archivist, Surak has begun collecting more than just MC materials.

“My job has expanded to become not just the archivist of the college, but of the Brothers of the Christian Schools,” Surak said.

As Surak explained, when the Christian Brothers came from France they landed primarily in New York and began spreading across the country. As the institution grew they separated into districts.

“I now have the district of New York, the district of Long Island and New England, and the Midwest District,” Surak said.

“If someone was interested in telling the history of Catholic education from the Mississippi over, this would be a wonderful resource to do that,” Surak said.

A Day in the Life With such an array of collections, Surak's average day is centered around preparing and organizing the material.

“Every day I get about five boxes of material and they come in from everywhere,” she said of an average day in the archives. “I came in this morning and there was one from Albany, I came in yesterday and there was one from Eatontown. The School of Arts just sent me over ten boxes the other day. So inevitably I am dealing with processing materials.”

“An average day for me,” Surak said, “is 'let's choose.'” Once she has chosen what collection to work on, Surak makes sure her work study students have a project.

Surak has about eight or nine work study students, who are typically history majors interested in a career in archives. She also has a chemical engineer and a business major working for her.

Surak's work study students come in around 10 a.m. every morning and she sets them up with a project. She also works with a graduate student from New York University who works in the MC archives as part of her graduate program.

The archive student workers primarily work independently, but Surak is always there to assist. “On a normal day everybody that is working tends to operate pretty independently, just under Amy's guidance really,” a sophomore history major Jamie Kiriakos said.

Surak has back logs and various collections to work on, and everyday more and more materials come into the archives. Recently, Surak received two portfolios from California which contained original photos of MC's campus that were sent to San Francisco for an exhibit. The portfolios were found under a stairwell, where they had been since 1947.

Surak was visibly excited to receive such materials, as they are something she has never seen before and make a worth addition to the MC collection. Not all materials are as exciting, and Surak makes determinations every day on what to keep and what to discard.

The Archives and the Future As Surak collects these tangible materials, there is also the digital database of the college's archives to work on. The current system that the archives uses is not conducive to the growing collections, so Surak is transferring the data onto a new system designed by archivists.

“Right now we are migrating from an old database to a new open-source sophisticated database that was created by archivist for archivists,” she explained. The migration from the old database is not easy, and Surak has backed the old data up twice to ensure it is not lost.

Surak also deals with research requests every day. She says she receives at least three a day and tries to accommodate each one.

According to Surak they range in urgency,

and often people are not willing to come look at the archives, but want her to find information that is somehow connected to their research. While she can easily pull related information, Surak thinks coming and searching the archives is the best way to research.

“Part of the enjoyment, the experience and the learning is that you could read something and near it could be something that leads you on a totally different trajectory that could be more exciting and certainly more invigorating,” Surak said.

Surak also has to deal with the legal issues surrounding some of the information in the archives.

“Part of my job is to mitigate risk and be a gate keeper and be cognizant of the laws that govern these kinds of records.”

The Archivist As she continues her work at MC, Surak is growing the collections and the archives themselves.

“I got into this [because of] that documentary, tangible aspect of archives.

You're dealing with primary source materials, this stuff hasn't been synthesized for you,” Surak said.

Her work in the archives can be tedious but the atmosphere manages to stay positive according to Kiriakos. “I can't even count how many times she drops what she's working on to help out any student that's having an issue.”

“There's always a good vibe around the work environment as a whole and even in really stressful moments Amy always manages to keep the archives a really upbeat space,” Kiriakos said.

Surak believes the collections in the archives are a rich opportunity for researchers, students and anyone interested in looking at the past.

“History is a series of filtered and subjective material handed down to you over time, but it’s somebody else's opinions. Here is an opportunity to look at it yourself and determine what you think is the right thing,” she said.

While the archives are filled with paper, books, paintings and more that might intimidate visitors, for Surak it is just another day on the job.

sports

10

Nov. 18, 2014

Jaspers Clinch Third Seed on Senior Day Daniel Ynfante Staff Writer

When the Manhattan ]volleyball team stepped onto the floor on Nov.15 against Iona, it was confronting a match with several implications.

Not only was Manhattan in dire need of a win in order to stay in the race for second place in the MAAC, but it was also the last match of the season. With a win, the Jaspers would lock up a second consecutive 20win season and would tie a school-record for conference wins at 13. As if all that was not enough, it was also Senior Day, which signaled the last home match in a Manhattan uniform for seniors Malia McGuinness, Anna Kitlar and Sarah Haselhorst.

However, the Jaspers delivered on this day with gigantic proportions and ensured that their three seniors were victorious in their final match at Draddy Gymnasium.

The Jaspers defeated the Iona Gaels in straight sets and with the win, locked up the No. 3 seed for the MAAC Tournament.

“They [the three seniors] mean so much to this program and they’ve really worked hard,” head coach Mark Jones said about his three seniors. “There’s been a lot of adversity the whole entire way, but I think they’ve been very committed to this program and working hard every year. I’m very proud of the seniors, and it’s hard to believe we still have next week at the conference tournament, but they’re going to be sadly missed.”

In the first set, Jones sent out a starting lineup that featured his three seniors. Kitlar, who just recently returned to the team after missing almost a month due to illness, joined the starting lineup for the first time since Oct. 8.

The Jaspers and Gaels were neck and neck through the first two dozen points with the Jaspers holding a 13-12 lead. A McGuinness kill led Manhattan to score 12 of the last 16 points and win the first set 25-16.

The first half of the second set was a mere image of the first half of the first set, as the Jaspers once again held a 13-12 lead.

This time, they would not go on a killer rally to end the set, as Iona kept itself within striking distance the whole time.

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

In her final home game, senior Anna Kitlar helped her team win its fifth game in a row as they prepare for the MAAC tournament.

The furthest Manhattan would run away by was four points when it led 23-19. Iona would score four of the next five points to trail 24-23, but a McGuinness kill gave Manhattan a 25-23 second set victory.

In the third set, the Jaspers looked poised to run away with it, as they got off to a 15-7 lead. Iona got back into the set cutting the lead to four at 15-11 and kept itself in the game during the next dozen points.

Manhattan held match point at 24-19 but Iona staved off defeat twice to make it 24-21. Then, as she had done over 1,000 times in her career, McGuinness went soaring in the air for what would signal her last kill at home. The kill gave Manhattan a 2521 third set victory and subsequently, a 3-0 match win.

McGuinness led the way for the Jaspers with her fifth straight double-double and 21st on the season, with 16 kills and 10 digs. Claire Van Dyk was right behind her with a double-double of her own with

13 kills and 11 digs. The other two seniors also played their parts in the win, as Kitlar wound up with five kills and a block, and Haselhorst had double-digit digs with 10.

“It was a lot of fun. I mean I was really excited,” McGuinness said about playing in her final home match of her career. “I’ve been like, I wouldn’t say looking forward to this day for a while, but it’s just that it’s a big deal here and it’s really nice, especially when I was here for four years.”

Besides delivering a victory for the three seniors, Manhattan also clinched the third seed at next week’s MAAC Tournament where it will take on either Niagara or Canisisus.

“The championship is up for grabs,” McGuinness said about the MAAC Tournament. “Nobody knows who’s going to win.”

The Jaspers could have viewed ending up in third place as a letdown, but Jones believes Manhattan will be a dangerous third seed in the tournament.

“We’ve won the last five matches in a row and I think that kind of tells you what kind of team we’ve been playing like in the second half, gradually getting better,” Jones said. “I think it shows in the matches, we’ve done a few different things to really peak at the right time and I think the team is really committed to being successful.”

With the victory, Manhattan clinched its second straight 20-win season and tied a program record with 13 conference wins, which it set just last season. The team has been a model of consistency for the past five seasons, finishing at or above .500 each year.

“I think it says we have some great kids that came here, worked hard, that really wanted to be successful and I’m really proud of them,” Jones said about what the team’s accomplishments in the last two seasons say about the program. “Everything that we wanted out of them, we’re getting more than I could ever expect.”

sports

11

Inside the Numbers:

Jaspers’ Foul Woes Prove Costly Against Florida State Daniel Ynfante Staff Writer

Manhattan’s season-opening defeat against the Florida State Seminoles was one of those basketball games you only watch if you are a loyal fan of either team.

To put things simply, it was an ugly contest.

The Jaspers and Seminoles combined for 65 fouls and 42 turnovers, in what can only be categorized as a sloppy game.

But what was undoubtedly the key statistic of the day was the 80 free throws the teams combined for. Although Manhattan took its fair share of free throws—25-36— FSU took 44 trips to the line and connected 32 times.

“That affected rhythm,” head coach Steve Masiello said during the postgame press conference to Seminoles.com, in reference to the fouls. “I thought we got a little stagnant…Fouling negates your rhythm and hustle.”

Foul trouble certainly played a part in Manhattan’s defeat, as it had three players foul out of the game and had all 11 players that played pick up at least a foul. To Manhattan’s defense, the Seminoles also had their foul troubles, with 10 of the 11 players that saw action pick up at least a foul. However, in FSU’s case, none of its players fouled out.

Highlighting Manhattan’s foul woes was Carlton Allen who had as many fouls—5—as he did minutes.

The 35 fouls committed by Manhattan resulted in 44 free throw attempts for the Seminoles, something Masiello was none too pleased with.

"I might have to push my dinner plans back [because of] how long that game took," Masiello jokingly said after the game to ESPN.com. "My issue with that [foul calls] is, if it's called the same way in January, I'm ok with it. But I feel every year in college basketball this happens."

Masiello raised a real issue with college basketball officiating which altered its

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Fouls and sloppy offensive play plagued the Jaspers in its season opener. foul rules before the start of last season.

In an effort to increase scoring by making the game less physical, the NCAA decided to crack down on hand-checking from defenders and decided to more strictly define the block-charge call and what a player is allowed to do on defense in the post. One of the major alterations is that a defender is no longer allowed to place an arm or hand in the way of a player with the purpose of impeding progress.

This was a big issue for the Jaspers, who were called for several questionable fouls on the perimeter against FSU. However, the stricter enforcement of fouls is not a new issue for the Jaspers and should not be an excuse.

The Jaspers are known for playing an intense full-court press and many times a zone defense, which are defenses that tend to result in many fouls. It is just the nature of those types of aggressive defenses and it is something Manhattan will have to live with.

Daniel Ynfante/The Quadrangle

The Jaspers and Seminoles both played a sloppy game but it ended up costing the Jaspers more than the Seminoles.

But the fact remains that it is hard to win a game when you allow an opponent to get to the charity stripe more than 40 times.

The Seminoles, who scored 81 points in the game, had 40 percent of their points come from the free throw line. Quite simply, Manhattan cannot allow its opponents to feast from the free throw line.

This marked the first time the Jaspers conceded more than 40 free throws in a single game since Jan. 26, 2014 against

Quinnipiac. Manhattan gave up exactly 40 free throws in that game, which went into overtime. The game against FSU did not go into overtime, making the free throw attempts number that much more alarming.

It will be hard for Manhattan to play as sloppy as it did against FSU again. However, there will be games with high foul totals in the future; it is just what Manhattan does.

This Week In Sports On Nov. 14, the men’s cross country team finished 31st out of 39 teams, and the women’s team finished 35th out of 40 teams. Later in the evening, the women’s basketball team lost to Fairleigh Dickinson, 54-73 at home.

On Nov. 15, the volleyball team defeated Iona in three sets at home, and the men’s basketball team lost 66-81 at Florida State.

The volleyball team has secured the No. 3 seed going into the MAAC tournament. Still early in the season, both the men and women’s basketball team are now 0-1.

of the Week Malia McGuinness: She ended her final game in Draddy Gymnasium strong with 16 kills and 10 digs in the win against Iona.

Claire Van Dyk: She also posted a double-double, finishing with 13 kills and 11 digs.

Shayna Ericksen: In the first game of the season, Ericksen posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss against Fairleigh Dickinson.