Issue 6, Spring 2015 - The Quadrangle

THE Volume 91, Issue 6

Q

UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924

Feb. 24, 2015

www.mcquad.org

The Diversity Issue Read. Reflect. Discuss.

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The

Opinions & editorials

Quadrangle www.mcquad.org

Letter to

Vol. 91 Issue 6 Feb. 24, 2015

Sean Sonnemann Editor-in-Chief Michelle DePinho Managing Editor/News Editor Anthony Capote Asst. News Editor Kieran Rock Managing Editor/Features Editor Ally Hutzler Asst. Features Editor Lauren Carr Arts & Entertainment Editor Lindsey Burns Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Jonathan Reyes Sports Editor Jaclyn Marr Asst. Sports Editor Daniel Ynfante Asst. Sports Editor Sean McIntyre Social Media Editor Victoria Hernández Kristie Killen Asst. Social Media Editors Kevin Fuhrmann Photography Editor Christian Roodal Asst. Photography Editor

Feb. 24, 2015

Dear Editors:

The Editor

As a professor of African-American literature and as one of the organizers of the recent Racial Justice Teach-In on campus, I was very pleased to learn that you are publishing this special issue on campus diversity. Discussions like the ones in this issue should be happening much more frequently than I imagine they do among students, faculty, and administrators. Understanding among different religious identities, different racially and ethnically defined cultures, and different sexual and gender identities is created not by paying lip service to the idea that “diversity” and “multiculturalism” are valuable parts of American life but by listening carefully and frequently to those who define themselves differently than you do. Such understanding also requires conversation about how the actual differences among us affect our psychology, our behavior, our values, and our politics.

I wish it were possible to celebrate diversity and learn about the different cultures that make up U.S. society without also discussing prejudice and even oppression, but I do not think that this is realistic, unfortunately. I am particularly concerned that students on campus who feel marginalized, who face microagressions or outright prejudice because they are different, or who believe that the College fails to address their concerns do not feel empowered to speak up. For many of my colleagues and for myself, the most successful and moving part of the teach-in was the panel in which students and alumni of color spoke bravely and eloquently about the sense of being outsiders at the College and about the difficulty of responding to subtle forms of prejudice. I very much hope that the conversation that day was not a one-time-only happening but the beginning of a productive change in how we, as a community, deal with diversity. I would love to see groups of students whose racial, ethnic, sexual, religious, or class identities that make them feel “othered” form organizations in which they talk about their common experiences and become more politically active on and off campus. Such groups are much more common and much more vocal at many other colleges than they are at Manhattan, and while our sense of community at Manhattan is to be valued, we need to stop being afraid to point out our differences and what they mean.

Another of my hopes is that students, whatever their backgrounds, will take better advantage of conversations about diversity that happen in the classroom. For students who feel they are different or discriminated against, that might mean bravely speaking about how a class discussion pertains to them personally, but the burden should not be on those students to make everyone else recognize the importance of diversity and of ongoing discrimination. Students who do not worry personally about these issues should take the opportunity to think about how much the diversity of contemporary society matters historically, socially, and politically, to listen more carefully, and to have more productive conversations about diversity after the class hour ends.

Sincerely, David Witzling Associate Professor, English Department

Kelly Burns Luke Hartman Natalie Heinitz Production Editors Daniel Molina Distribution Manager Tom Callahan Faculty Adviser A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.

The staff of The Quadrangle meets every Tuesday at 4:00 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.

Sam Martin/The Quadrangle

news

Between Two Neighborhoods, A Campus at The Crossroads

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Michelle DePinho & Sean Sonnemann Editor & Editor-in-Chief

During Manhattan College’s underdog NCAA tournament run last year, sports commentators loved to address a geographic fun fact about a school that is not normally featured on the national stage.

For those unfamiliar with the college, it is understandably confusing that an institution located in The Bronx actually shares its name with the island to its south.

While the history behind MC’s misnomer is interesting, these talking heads overlooked another facet of the college’s unique location within New York City.

Manhattan College is positioned at the border of two very different neighborhoods.

On one side of the campus gates sits Riverdale, which includes the wooded enclave of Fieldston. Complete with tony mini-mansions and its own security force, Fieldston also boasts three private schools whose tuitions rival that of the college.

On the other end lies Kingsbridge.

Cabbies scout out fares beneath the gritty elevated train running down the length of Broadway. Shoppers hustle from store to store as music blares from passing cars and sirens approach from the distant hills.

The differences between these two communities go further than just real estate curb appeal.

Rather, the appearances reflect a deeper, neighborhood-level economic disparity that has become the subject of a wider debate within the five boroughs of New York City.

As an assistant professor of sociology and director of Manhattan College’s urban studies program, Cory Blad has a vibrant case study within walking distance of his own office.

“New York has always been an economic fiction. It’s always been richer than everywhere else in the U.S.,” Blad said.

“That stratification has always existed here. However, it has gotten worse. And it’s gotten measurably worse.”

For Kingsbridge and Riverdale, key economic indicators demonstrate the extent of this issue on a local scale.

According to the latest available data from the US Census Bureau, Riverdale (roughly area code 10471) has 8.9 percent of its population living below the national poverty line.

Travel just a few blocks over to neighboring Kingsbridge (area code 10463) and that figure nearly doubles to 17.6 percent.

Similarly, the median household income for the Riverdale community is $71,798 annually. For a family in Kingsbridge that number drops to $54,258 a year.

For many neighborhoods in New York City, this widening wealth gap is tied to the hot-button issues of gentrification and the rising cost of living.

In his most recent state of the city address, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned about the potential consequences of a growing income gap and record-level real estate prices around the city.

“If we do not act—and act boldly— New York risks taking on the qualities of a gated community,” de Blasio said. “A place defined by exclusivity, rather than opportunity. And we cannot let that hap-

pen.”

But the wealth gap between Kingsbridge and Riverdale is one that has existed historically, unlike many of the economic tensions and rent hikes brought on by recent gentrification seen most visibly in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

“I don’t think you can call Riverdale a gentrified community because it’s been affluent for a while,” Blad said.

Riverdale’s longtime reputation as a suburban getaway within city limits is the product of meticulous community planning that began over a century ago. The Fieldston section of Riverdale was first acquired and developed by the family of War of 1812 veteran Major Joseph Delafield.

Years later, its quaint charm, excellent schools and manicured appearance continue to draw in residents who can afford home prices well into the millions of dollars.

For many outsiders, this description would never seemingly be a paired with a section of The Bronx, a borough which has struggled to escape its reputation as a place of widespread poverty, violence and

crime.

However, in recent years, the northernmost borough that has often been eyed by developers as one of the final frontiers of gentrification and renovation is undergoing several notable changes.

This past summer, a new 780,000 square foot enclosed mall in the Bay Plaza section of The Bronx opened to local residents and shoppers from around the city.

Additional projects include the housing redevelopment of the South Bronx (which some have already tried to rebrand with the trendy SoBro abbreviation) and the longdebated repurposing of the Kingsbridge Armory as an ice skating rink.

“It’s called the gentrification-proof borough,” Blad said. “We’ll see if that stands.”

Locally, the Riverdale Crossing shopping center on Broadway and West 238th Street will begin to test that theory when it fully opens, offering a mix of retail and dining options such as BJ’s Wholesale Club and the borough’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill.

However, unlike the often satire-

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle inducing artisanal and niche stores popping up in gentrified hotspots such as Williamsburg, more mainstream box and retail chain stores are opening their doors in The Bronx.

“The development you see all throughout lower Manhattan and into Brooklyn and even along the rivers is pedestrian, foot-traffic oriented development,” Blad said.

“These [the new retail locations] are kind of car-destination places. It’s almost suburban in that sense.”

Suburban also seems fitting to describe how the college markets its distinctive location within the city, boasting on the school website of its “bucolic campus” in the “community-minded neighborhood of Riverdale.”

Yet the school in fact resides at a junction of two contrasting neighborhoods— two communities representative of wider discussion about the future of the economic landscape in the ever-evolving five boroughs of New York City.

News

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Feb. 24, 2015

Gender Factors into the Experience of Women Engineering Students at MC Kieran Rock Editor

Manhattan College is well known for its engineering program. The school, according to US News and World Report, graduates more engineers than any other major. In 2013, 26 percent of the graduating class was part of the School of Engineering. Still, the number of female students enrolled in engineering programs at Manhattan remains around 20 percent of the total engineering enrollment.

MC’s female enrollment in these programs is reflective of national trends.

“The proportion of women enrolled in engineering schools in the United States has essentially been flat for the last 25 years,” Dean of the School of Engineering Tim Ward, Ph.D., said.

According to data from the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology, women enrollment in undergraduate engineering programs has fluctuated between 18 and 20 percent since 1990, and has actually begun to decrease since 1996, according to their study.

At MC, this discrepancy in enrollment can be seen, but is not necessarily a polarizing force in the engineering programs.

Ann Marie Flynn, associate professor of chemical engineering, said that in her time as both an engineering student and faculty member at MC she never felt out of place.

“I have always thought excellence is the great equalizer,” Flynn said. “If you’re good at something, you’ll get picked.”

Flynn acknowledged the national work that has been done to promote further female enrollment in engineering programs, but said that as the data reflects, the money that has been poured into these programs has yielded few results.

“No one is looking at engineering women’s interests,” Flynn said.

She suggested many different opportunities for schools and companies to engage with girls at a young age that would spark an interest in engineering programs.

Flynn said using new technologies such as

3-D printing to make dolls could change the way women are engaged in science and technology programs.

“I never wanted to play with robots or erector sets,” Flynn said.

For female students who are currently enrolled in engineering programs at the college, the more pressing matter is making sure they are represented within the community of engineers.

“When I chose to go to school for engineering I knew that because I am a female that I was going to be a minority,” Shannon Miller, a sophomore civil engineer, said.

Her interest in civil engineering was sparked by male figures in her life.

“My father and brother sparked my interest in engineering,” she said. “My father was a marine engineer on an FDNY fireboat and before that he worked as a firefighter with side jobs as a plumber, electrician and contractor. My brother is an ironworker who has helped to build many of NYC’s new buildings including the Freedom Tower. These men make me love the idea of civil engineering and being able to build something.”

Still, Miller is aware that being a female in an engineering program makes her a minority.

“Coming to school and being surrounded by male students and teachers I know that I have to give my schoolwork 100 percent in order to be taken seriously,” she said.

Miller is no stranger to these experiences. She trained in kickboxing for 10 years, what she described as a male dominated sport, and said that her teacher, a professional female kickboxer, helped her to train hard so that she could compete against the boys.

Caitlin Hall, a freshman mechanical engineer, said she chose engineering to combine her passion for art and science.

“I loved to figure out how things functioned and I respected even the smallest of contraptions, like a stapler,” Hall said.

“Who would have ever thought of that? I want to form a mind of an engineer so one day I can be the root of what I found so

magical when I was younger.”

Female enrollment in engineering schools nationwide varies based on the types of programs offered.

“Different programs can have a lot more females in them,” Ward said. “The ones that I have seen are biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and chemical engineering. Myself and others have seen higher proportions in those programs. On our campus the highest proportion of females is in chemical engineering.”

There is not a plan to begin other programs that tend to be statistically more attractive to female applicants, as according to Ward, the resources are not available for it.

“Is there something like this at Manhattan? Not yet,” Flynn said. “But these things take money.”

The School of Engineering instead takes the approach that obtaining a good basic degree in one of their major programs can lead to a further concentrated program of study at the graduate level.

At MC, there is an active presence of women engineers on campus.

The national organization, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), has a chapter at MC. Katie Lang, the Vice President of External Affairs for the college’s chapter, said she feels their presence is an important part of the female engineering experience

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle at Manhattan College.

“It is important for women engineers to support and empower other women engineers,” Lang said. “We bring together young women engineers at Manhattan College to be role models not only to each other, but also to young girls in general.”

“Its always nice to have support groups,” Ward said. “We talk about community at Manhattan College. Community means associating with all different varieties of people that not only you can support but can support you. Society of Women Engineers is something that would be really vital to that.”

Hall also noted SWE as an important outlet and presence on campus.

“It’s good to get together with the few women engineers that there are,” she said.

“It can make one much more comfortable and welcome to the field knowing that they aren’t alone.”

While Ward said the school strives to attract a diverse group of applicants, he feels at its core that engineering and the experience of students at Manhattan College should not be adversely affected by their identity.

“As far as I’m concerned, engineering should be devoid of any type of gender, racial, ethnic or religious bias,” Ward said.

“Statics is statics, that’s just it.”

Implicit Bias Lecture Discusses Modern Day Racism and Sexism Anthony Capote Assistant Editor

Over the last 100 years, the United States has seen great change in the way Americans think about and treat African -Americans, at least, in theory.

According to a recent study, explicit actions and thoughts about race and gender inequality have diminished significantly since a similar study was conducted in 1928.

However, what psychologists have discovered is that the inadvertent, or uncontrollable actions of people towards other races and genders are still at the will of what experts call implicit bias.

Enter Michael Brownstein, Ph.D. He is a professor at John Jay College.

At John Jay, he teaches an entire course on the subject of implicit biases and how they function psychologically and

culturally.

“Implicit bias is the result of a particular way that we learn about our culture,” Brownstein said. “You can’t take the two apart.”

Brownstein defined implicit biases as uncontrolled, unfounded and inadvertent ways that people see the world.

“While most people honestly do have egalitarian views,” Brownstein said, “they still have implicit thoughts about black people that show through their actions.”

Implicit biases only began to be studied in the ’90s, which provides for a very small window, through which scientists can measure changes in implicit bias.

“Even while most Americans now oppose racism, their actions and implicit biases are still racist,” Brownstein said.

He referenced a study of police shooting tendencies, where students of the police academy are shown images of either white or black people, holding either a weapon or

a cellphone and are told to make the decision whether or not to shoot.

The study found that officers were more likely to shoot an unarmed black person, than an armed white person in the trials.

“I think people have known that they have negative attitudes that conflict with what they say they believe for a long time but haven’t been able to measure them scientifically,” Brownstein said. “A more tractable question is whether we have seen a change in implicit bias in that last 10 years since we have been able to measure them scientifically, and the answer is no.”

Of course, implicit biases can also be a good thing.

Implicit biases often dictate human action under intense stress, such as when someone who performs a heroic act is asked why he or she does so. The hero often cannot explain his or her own actions, because they simply acted upon implicit

biases that told them to step in and help the situation.

“Implicit biases are what enable us to tell the difference between a fake or forced smile, and a real one,” Brownstein said.

Because implicit biases are, for better or for worse, unconscious, they can be very difficult to test.

According to Brownstein, they must be tested by indirect means that examine a person’s subconscious connections between negative words and race or science words and gender.

Project Implicit offers many of these sorts of tests online for users who want to study their own implicit biases.

Brownstein has made it part of his life’s work to engage in helping to decrease implicit bias.

“We are still trying to figure it out,” he said, “but we know that education, motivation and knowing the right techniques are the building blocks.”

NEWS

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Level of Geographic Diversity Present in Manhattan College Student Body Increases Cara Ledwidge Senior Staff Writer

Manhattan College is often pegged as a school that mainly draws its student body from the surrounding region.

While the majority of students come from within or around New York, the trend of students coming from places other than the tri-state area is on the rise.

“We have applicants from all over the world and have seen the number of applicants from places like California, Florida, the Caribbean, and the DC, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia area grow in recent years,” Caitlin Read, director of enrollment management operations, said.

Read said that “the largest portion of our applicant pool is from New York state, followed by the Mid-Atlantic states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, then New England.”

Students have come to the college for a number of reasons, but the number of students coming from nations abroad is on the rise as well.

“Many of our international students are from Asian countries and they are often attracted to us because of our New York City location and our strong academic programs in business and engineering,” Read said.

The process through which global students become aware of Manhattan College has expanded.

“International students hear about us

from a variety of sources, some students are recruited athletes, some hear about us through college counselors and agents in their countries that we have relationships with. Other students learn about us from online college fairs, as well as word of mouth,” Read said.

An example of this process can be seen through the college’s relationships with particular countries.

“Our regional representative in the Caribbean participated in a recruiting trip to

of students from 32 states and 37 countries, according to the college website.

“I find it interesting that the number of countries that students are from is higher than the amount of states students come from,” senior Jaclyn Scheel said. “I would have never guessed that.”

As for incoming students, “We are seeing a significant increase in the number of international students who have applied to us for the fall 2015 semester,” Read said.

Many international students come to the

“International students hear about us from a variety of sources, some students are recruited athletes, some hear about us through college counselors and agents in their countries that we have relationships with. Other students learn about us from online college fairs, as well as word of mouth,” Read said.

several countries in Latin America,” Read said.

The college admissions department is very involved in reaching out to high school students abroad. Read herself is “planning to represent Manhattan College at college fairs in Hong Kong and Tokyo this May so that [she] can meet with prospective international students in person.”

The current student body is comprised

college to play on one of the nineteen Division I teams the college offers.

“Academics play a large role in a student’s decision to attend Manhattan College, even if they are recruited athletes,” Read said.

In an attempt to make sure that students feel at home with their adopted family here at Manhattan, the college arranges it so that “all international students partici-

pate in student life’s comprehensive orientation program and move-in weekend,” Read said.

Reflecting on her experiences, Naomi Kitano, who is from Japan, said, “I just love being in New York. I love the culture here, especially Broadway.”

She said she and other international students utilize the services Manhatan College offers to all students like the writing center and the tutoring center to assist in their transition.

International students like Kitano also work with Debra Demico, the international student advisor, who “does a wonderful job of helping them to feel welcome on campus as well as answering their individual questions,” Read said.

International students also turn to the resident assistants in the dormitories for support.

“I have a few residents from Puerto Rico and we really have gotten close and gotten to know one another,” Lee Hall resident assistant Ciara McGinly said. “One of our Puerto Rican residents was going to study abroad in China this semester and we had a Chinese New Year program yesterday to celebrate for them.”

“It’s amazing to see how different residents from different countries interact and bring out cool qualities in one another,” McGinley said.

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News

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Feb. 24, 2015

Students With Disabilities Find Help In Specialized Resource Center Anthony Capote Assistant Editor

John Evans is the typical English major at Manhattan College. He reads Shakespeare, Homer and Dante and has written two collections of poetry and a series of short stories.

Evans, however, has one major difference from most other students at MC – he cannot see any of the works he has ever read or written. He can only see bits of light and darkness.

“There were two big trepidations when I first came to Manhattan College. The first was travel, I wanted to make sure I didn’t fall down a couple of stairwells and wind up breaking a leg or something,” Evans said. “The second was making sure that I could do the classes with materials that I could read, that I could understand and Anne [Vaccaro] made that all possible.”

Evans often gets help from his friends and people that see him on campus, but gets most of his support from the Specialized Resource Center.

“I would say the campus is incredibly, incredibly supportive through the resource department,” Evans said. “Other areas have been supportive too but the most actively supportive is the resource department.”

The center, which is run by Anne Vaccaro, aids students with a wide range of disabilities. They provide alternate testing rooms and extra time for students with the necessary documentation and, in the case of Evans, translate all of his school materials to a format that can be read to him by special software on his computer.

“I first met [Evans] at orientation. He came with his dad and I had no reason to believe that a student that was blind would be coming to campus,” Vaccaro said. “As anyone who knows [Evans], he was lovely.”

Evans’ case is a special one. He never cared for braille, which made the approach taken by Vaccaro and the resource center incredibly personalized to his comfort and needs. “[Braille] was always very difficult for me,” Evans said. “While other kids went out to the playground to relax and have fun I sat in a dark room, smaller than a closet, sitting on an overturned garbage can trying to figure out the most difficult code on earth, which—I might add—the state of New York does not recognize as a language.” “[Evans] came with his teacher for visually impaired students, who gave me a lot of good ideas for how to help John,” Vaccaro said. “John is extremely intelligent so he is extremely low maintenance.”

Of course, not all cases require as much attention as Evans’ does.

The majority of students that receive accommodations from the Specialized Resource Center suffer from learning disabilities such as dyslexia, A.D.H.D. and autism spectrum disorder.

According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education from 2008, approximately 10.9 percent of students in secondary education deal with some sort of learning disability.

Sophomore Marisa Robbins suffers from dyslexia, one of the most common learning disabilities among college students, in addition to being a student-athlete for the track and field team. She has several different accommodations provided to her as a result.

“One of them is the note taker, so I

James O’Connor/The Quadrangle

Anthony Capote/The Quadrangle don’t have to worry about taking notes in class and messing them up,” Robbins said.

“I always take my tests outside of the class.

I get a reader and time and a half.”

The Specialized Resource Center, located on the third floor Miguel Hall, is equipped with testing rooms for students who receive extra time or help on exams.

Robbins for example, has her test questions read aloud in addition to her extra time.

Vaccaro and the resource center have to rely on students to report their disabilities to the office before she can do anything to help. She says, however, that more and more students are self-identifying upon entry to college, which is a good sign.

“Usually I have to assume the worst whenever I go anywhere,” Evans said. “If I assumed that people were going to come and help I probably would’ve fallen down a well years ago, but I am always astonished by how many people take time out of their day just to extend a hand.”

Watch a video version of these interviews online at mcquad.org

Features

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Multicultural Center Functions as Hub of Campus Diversity Shannell Garcia Staff Writer

In the third floor of the Raymond W. Kelly ‘63 Student Commons, glass walls encompass two sides of the relatively new Multicultural Center. Hanging on the wall is a colorful mural 30 students created during Manhattan College’s first Diversity Development Day last Spring. Painted on the mural are words of encouragement and phrases such as “Let’s Mix,” flags from various countries, a palm tree, a rainbow and the hand prints of students that helped to create it. The mural is a symbol of the foundation that has helped to create and foster this new student center.

Sitting on a table just below the mural is Debra Damico, French professor and Director of International Students and Scholar Services, whose office is one of the three that reside in the center. Next to her sits senior, Cyti Williams, a Panamanian and Jamaican commuter student who majors in sociology and is one of Damico’s students.

The two meet Tuesday mornings due to a scheduling conflict with one of their classes. But this afternoon Damico is tutoring Williams for her French class.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Damico said. “When I first came here it was a very different Manhattan College. It’s changed a lot, it’s become a lot more diverse but, that doesn’t mean that it can’t continue to become more diverse. There’s an effort being made and the school is really determined to do that. I mean look at this place, this is a wonderful thing.”

Damico has worked closely with international students for 31 years, as somewhat of a gatekeeper for students who come to the United States. Keeping check of the rules and regulations that come with being an international student and working closely with Homeland Security to make sure those requirements are met.

“I try to make it easy for them so that they don’t run into any difficulty, so that their whole stay here runs smoothly,” Damico said.

As an advisor Damico communicates with students before they arrive to the United States and helps them get situated to the new customs.

“I like to have that communication so that when they walk in the first day I feel like I know them,” Damico said. “Sometimes we have such a relationship by emailed that its like ‘oh, finally I’m seeing your face,’ you know. It’s like putting a face to the person that you’ve been communicating with all summer. So it’s kind of nice having the ability to do that.”

A large amount of the student athletes are from Europe. Other students are from South America and Asia. China currently makes up the biggest international student population.

Due to new agreements with two schools in France, one in Leon and one just outside of Paris, the school now has 17 French graduate students.

In all, there are 41 international graduate students and 103 undergraduate students. However, there are also students who come from other parts of the world who aren’t considered international as it applies to Damico’s office.

“Sometimes they’ll come to me and I’ll help them adjust and, I hate to use the word, but I try to connect people when I know there are people that have similar interests and, who are from the same coun-

Michelle DePinho/The Quadrangle try,” Damico said. “I’ll ask the person who’s been here ‘can I put you in touch with this new person who needs help with this, or interested in this, or is from your country’ so I try to help them where I can.”

Damico also encourages students to attend events and to join student organizations such as the Italian club, the Gaelic Society or the new South Asian Student Association.

Clubs and associations meet every other week in the Multicultural Center.

“I am pleased that the center is quickly becoming a place of support and advocacy for many student groups, such as students of color, first generation students, commuter students and international students,” Vice President for Student Life, Richard Satterlee said. He came up with the vision of a centralized place where students and administration can work together to promote diversity.

The center is meant to be a resource center for information about different cultures. The administration is set on making sure the students shape and define the center.

A director of multicultural affairs will soon be hired and will move into one of the three offices in the center. Students will be involved in the hiring process, overseeing interviews and looking over resumes with Emmanuel “Sonny” Ago, the assistant vice president for student life.

The director will be expected to oversee the programs, manage the space and create a leadership program for people interested in diversity. The person will also help develop a new peer mentoring program to help integrate students into the college community.

“I think the Multicultural Center and its faculty are very important part of Manhattan College as they are the ones that help promote and establish diversity throughout campus,” Saif Kaleem, sopho-

more, biochemistry major and president of the South Asian Student Association said.

“I believe that their support with the various cultural student clubs and organizations significantly benefits the students and allows individuals to feel welcomed from all backgrounds.”

Ago, who is housed in the third office in the center has the biggest involvement in the diversity of the college and the Multicultural Center. Some of his responsibilities include managing the Multicultural Center and the Diversity Committee, supervising the director of fitness and the director of international student advising and, conducting orientations for the college.

Ago also helps organize events such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage, Irish Heritage and this week’s Chinese New Year event which will be co-sponsored by Fuerza Latina. He works very closely with the various student organizations alongside John Bennett, the director of student activities.

“The vision for the multicultural center is to engage students in co-curricular activities, leadership development and dialogue as a critical part of preparing them for an increasingly interconnected world beyond Manhattan College,” Ago said.

“Through these interactions, students learn about and from one another in preparation as informed, resilient and responsible global citizens. Central to the multicultural center’s vision is the recognition of the Lasallian core principles that encourage a ‘respect for all people’ and an ‘inclusive community.’”

Since the opening of the center students and leadership have been more involved in the discussion of diversity than ever.

Part of what funds these clubs and events is a small amount of money that comes from everyone’s student activities fee at the start of each semester that is put

toward the colleges diversity fund.

“I think, you know, the college is putting their money where their mouth is.

They didn’t have to put a Multicultural Center here. That space could’ve been for something else right? But I think it shows and the students are coming and their using it. They meet here, every other week Fuerza Latina meets here, the Commuter Association Committee meets here, we have retreats out of here and they all come so people are really using it.”

As a result of the the immediate use of the center, the room hasn’t been decorated Ago said, who thought the center would take at least a year to establish. The space will soon be revamped with framed event posters and decorations.

“The multicultural center is essential for the college moving forward, considering the changing times and the melting pot of a city we live in,” Ivan Bohorquez, president of Fuerza Latina and active member of the colleges Diversity Committee said.

“Diversity attracts students, and with the proper promotion and event planning that incorporates the entire student body, it can be what makes the college attractive. Diversity above all is the appreciation of different cultures.”

On its agenda the Multicultural Center is also thinking about the diversity among faculty members. A number of faculty members have spoken about creating a committee focussed on diversity in the hiring of faculty and administration, Ago said.

“Many other schools and universities have similar centers and programs,” Satterlee said. “As we have defined what our Multicultural Center would be, however, it was important that students had a role in shaping it. I think that has happened.”

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News Feature

News Feature

Feb. 24, 2015

Manhattan College Clubs Display Diversity on Campus Fuerza Latina

LGBT Friends and Allies Claire Leaden Senior Staff Writer

Daniel Ynfante Assistant Editor

Behind every organization, club or association, there was a specific event or a moment of brilliance that ignited that proverbial light bulb in its founders’ head and convinced them that they had to create it.

For Ivan Bohórquez, it was a series of unfortunate events that led him to start Fuerza Latina, a student club at Manhattan College that tackles the issues of diversity, with a special emphasis on the Hispanic population.

In the spring semester of 2014, Bohórquez sat down and thought about all the extracurricular activities he had joined at Manhattan College and how he felt he still was not a part of the school’s community.

To make matters worse, Bohórquez felt the school’s Hispanic population needed representation.

So he gathered a team of students and together created Fuerza Latina, with the hope that they could promote diversity on campus.

One of those students Bohórquez recruited, Aleysha Taveras, vice president of Fuerza Latina, saw the opportunity to join the club as one of a kind.

“It just offered an avenue that was different,” Taveras said. “Nothing like this had been created before and it specifically speaks to things that we enjoy.”

In its brief one-year existence, Fuerza Latina has made the impact Bohórquez dreamed it would make when he created the club.

Already with close to 50 members, Fuerza Latina has organized various events including dances and community service, which has garnered the attention of several faculty members at Manhattan College.

The club has had such popularity and impact on campus that Bohórquez and

Taveras were invited to speak at the racial justice teach-in held on campus on Feb. 4.

At the teach-in, Bohórquez and Taveras discussed diversity, an issue they both have strong opinions on.

“It’s definitely a problem because we’re in New York City,” Bohórquez said, “the biggest melting pot in the world and we’re lacking programs that promote diversity. People think that diversity means minorities when in fact it refers to everybody because no two people are the same.

It’s all about appreciating the differences.”

Although Bohórquez is a proponent of highlighting all the cultural club’s differences, one of his main goals for this semester is creating a committee in which all of the presidents and vice presidents of the clubs can unite and exchange ideas.

It is an idea he has ran by his board, including Daniela Heras, vice president of communications.

“At the end of the day,” Heras said, “yeah we’re mostly Latino-based, there are Asian and Muslim communities, but we’re all trying to promote the same thing at the end of the day. There are certain things like certain holidays we’re trying to promote, certain things they’re trying to promote, but at the end of the day it’s all diversity and community.”

In addition, Bohórquez also plans to create a section of Fuerza Latina that will deal with Hispanic women’s experiences and issues and will be headed by Taveras.

Bohórquez has big plans for his club, but it is something he set out to do from the start.

“It’s not all about the fun,” Bohórquez said about the perception he wishes Fuerza Latina will have. “At the end of the day, you can’t put on a resume that you went to three Broadway shows. You have to put that you did something empowering.”

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

South Asian Student Association Claire Leaden Senior Staff Writer

Saif Kaleem, president of the new South Asian Student Association, said that food has been a main factor in word spreading through campus about the club.

“People have been saying they love Indian food,” he said, grinning. “So there’s a lot of interest in that.”

In fact, one of the club’s first events was an ice cream social with kulfi, a traditional South Asian ice cream. Though the leaders have lots of future plans, the South Asian Student Association was only just established last semester.

Kaleem, who is a sophomore, said the idea for the association was first thrown around by a few seniors during his freshman year.

“These two seniors were walking around campus their spring semester and just saw a huge number of diverse people, and what they specifically noticed was that there was a significant population of Indian, Pakistani, Bengali students, which makes up the South Asian culture,” he said.

By the time the seniors went to student government to form a club it was too late, as they were graduating, so they asked Kaleem to take over. He got in-

volved in student government this past fall and started up the association with a few other students who also noticed the growing South Asian presence on campus and felt it should be represented.

“We started the association to bring a community together and show our culture on campus,” he said. “We’ve held a few events that have gotten a big turnout.

There’s been a lot of interest. People what to learn more about it in terms of food, music, tradition.”

The club’s first event was a movie night featuring voted-on hits from Bollywood, the largest movie industry in the world based in India. In addition to the movie nights and ice cream social, the leaders plan on holding a South Asian formal, complete with traditional clothing, dance performances, and Indian and Pakistani food of course.

“I want the club to establish a community with the South Asian students as well as bring that South Asian culture to Manhattan and let everyone—whether you’re South Asian or not—be a part of it and experience our culture as we’re experiencing Manhattan culture,” he said.

“I think it’s very important that South Asian students have a community to go to if they feel that they don’t fit in—that’s one way of looking at it. They can say ‘there’s a group here that I can relate to.’”

Though the college’s LGBT Friends and Allies club was only officially approved this past October, it has had a growing presence on campus for the last few years. Current president Ivan Rios started getting things moving early last year at a time when he didn’t feel he had many places to turn.

“Personally something had happened to me, so I was looking for some kind of club with people who were going through something similar to what I was going through,” he said. “But there were no clubs.

There was nothing on the campus.”

The club had actually existed at MC before, but its presence had been fading.

Rios spoke with friend and Horan Resident Director Stephanie Brooks and she helped him start the process of making it an official campus club.

“We have the counseling center but I wasn’t looking for that. I didn’t want to talk one-on-one with an adult. I wanted people my age to talk about my experiences with,” he said. “That’s how it kind of started.”

Rios said the club functions as a support group for LGBT members on campus, a place where they can “talk about how

Staff Writer

In the context of searching for international clubs around the campus one may come to know Anthony Scotti, president of the Il Circolo Dante Alighieri Italian Club.

The club currently has 60 members and the group’s main goal is to promote the Italian culture among those interested on it. Pizza, pasta, discussions and trips to Little Italy are the most popular activities the club promotes to students.

“One of our main goals is to get rid of the stereotypes people has about our culture,” Scotti said. “Italy has always been more than good food and music.”

Various topics are discussed in their monthly meeting, where they talk about projects and future ideas for the club. Last semester they had seven events, including the trips to the Feast of San Gennaro down

Muslim Student Association

[they] feel with people [their] own age who have the same experiences.” Also, as the club’s name states, friends, allies and supporters are welcome to join as well.

In fact, Rios said that future plans involve bringing all different kinds of people to the club, not only the LGBT community.

This entails a possible sex education class, though they have to speak with the dean and other school officials first, and volunteer-based events. He has been working with the school’s coordinator of community service, Kathleen Von Euw, in trying to make that happen.

Currently the club is made up of many LGBT members but also a lot of allies, and is very diverse in terms of major.

Rios can attest from personal experience and from friends that the club is serving a very important purpose on campus.

“I had a couple other friends going through the same experience, and then the club was there,” he explained. “I think it’s just important to be represented so personally I feel like I have somewhere to go and someone to turn to. So people can know, even if they don’t go to the meetings, there’s support here.”

Italian Club Daniel Molina

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on Mulberry Street, or movie screenings, including films such as Cinema Paradiso from the Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore.

Scotti also shared that the club is open to everyone in Manhattan College, not only to Italians or students of Italian descent.

Martina Caretta is a freshman student from Italy and is involved in the club, which she found eased her transition to living away from home.

“I thought it would be harder, the transition from high school to college,” she said. “It was a new country, a new language and without knowing a person. It actually feels like home right now.”

“Diversity is what makes a culture rich, and being able to keep mine alive is a great feeling,” Scotti said.

Daniel Ynfante Assistant Editor

Very few things in the world are as mesmerizing and as captivating as people praying in unison.

Islam, a religion that emphasizes prayer and produces perhaps some of the most wonderful scenes when people gather to pray in Mecca, is no exception.

At Manhattan College, Harris Ali, president of the Muslim Student Association, likes to think that there is nothing more beautiful than seeing the diverse group of students in the association gathered to pray.

“When we stand for prayer it’s really like marvelous,” Ali said. “When you see everyone like Albanians, Bengalis, Pakistanis, Syrians, they’re all standing in one line as if we’re one team, you know. We’re together.”

The messages of togetherness and comradery are what Ali plans to stress during his tenure as president.

“We never want to exclude anyone,” Ali said. “We always want to open our doors and let people in always to, you know, dissipate the misunderstandings, the confusions, like Islam and terrorism.”

Ali enters his first semester as leader of an association that has had a chapter at Manhattan College for several years and has been in place in most colleges in the

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle United States as well.

At Manhattan, the Muslim Student Association holds weekly prayers called jummah, organizes meetings to speak about student’s daily lives and problems as Muslims and organizes events in conjunction with other cultural clubs on campus that promote diversity.

Sticking with the idea of togetherness, Ali plans on working with the other cultural clubs on campus, citing the possibility of doing fundraisers together and organizing even more events.

Like the members of Fuerza Latina, Ali is not opposed to the idea of starting a committee where all the heads of the clubs meet to discuss the issues they face.

“I understand a committee where people can come,” Ali said. “The clubs bring their ideas to the table, how they can make the school better and the community better for the students. I think that would be a great, great idea.”

The creation of a committee, along with working together with the other clubs remain at the top of Ali’s list of goals for this semester, but more importantly for Ali, he wants to expand.

“We don’t want anyone to think that we’re closed,” Ali said. “That there’s secret meetings or something going on. That’s why everything is out in the open. We welcome everybody to come and spread the love.”

Opinions

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Feb. 24, 2015

Quadrangle Staff Members Reflect Victoria L. Hernández Puertorriqeuna

Anthony Capote Cubano

Me llamo Anthony Capote, yo nací en Miami.

Miami es un pueblo adonde yo nunca tenía problemas para encontrar a otros cubanos. Los cubanos viven en todas las partes de Miami y honestamente, eso es malísimo.

Al ser la mayoría en Miami, la voz de los cubanos es la única voz en el pueblo y ellos tienen todo el poder.

Mi vida entera, he querido tener otras experiencias. Yo creo en el viejo dicho que dice “ser cubano es un orgullo.” Me siento bien orgulloso de ser cubano, pero yo quería tener una experiencia diferente a la de todos mis primos y mi mama.

Por eso, yo estoy aquí, en la universidad de Manhattan, donde me siento por primera vez que soy la minoría.

Bien rápido entendí que la vida en Miami es mucho más fácil para los Latinos.

Todo en Miami está escrito en ambos idiomas, inglés y español, y la gente que viene de otros países—no sola Cuba pero la República Dominicana y los países de América del Sur—pueden pasar sus vidas entera sin aprender inglés.

Pero eso no es una buena vida. Aquí en Nueva York, los inmigrantes necesitan acostumbrarse a la vida Americana y las cosas pueden ser bien difíciles, pero cuando uno aprende a vivir en esta cultura, las cosas buenas si vienen.

Tenemos otro dicho en Cuba, “que los cubanos se encuentran.” Eso es para decir que cuando no hay mucha gente como tú, tú construyas una amistad con tus compadres.

En Miami mis compadres eran otros cubanos, y mejor todavía si todos mis amigos cubanos venían de Matanzas como mi familia. Aquí en MC, mis compadres son otros latinos.

No hay divisiones, como en Miami adonde los dominicanos quedaron con los dominicanos y los mexicanos con los mexicanos. Aquí, nosotros todos somos minorías y nos cuidamos.

Para concluir, mi último dicho cubano: “las cosas no son fácil.” Es verdad, pero con buen amigos y con la amistad, las cosas son posibles.

My name is Anthony Capote and I am a Cuban from Miami.

Miami is a place where it was never hard to find other Cubans. We lived in every part of the city, and to be honest, it was horrible.

The Cuban voice was often the only voice heard in the city and for a long time, I wanted to experience something else.

I believe in the old Cuban saying, “to be Cuban is a pride.” I am very proud to be Cuban but I wanted to know something other than what my cousins and mother had.

For that reason, I am here, at Manhattan College, where I feel for the first time in my life that I am a minority.

I learned very quickly how easy life had really been for Latinos in Miami.

There, everything was in English and in Spanish. People that emigrated from other countries—not just Cuba but the Dominican Republic and South American countries as well—can spend an entire lifetime without learning English.

But that is not a good enough life.

In New York, immigrants are forced to become accustomed to the American way of life and things can be very difficult, but when someone learns how to live in this culture, good things come.

We have another saying in Cuba, “Cubans find each other.” That is to say that when there many people like you, you build friendships with people of the same culture and heritage.

In Miami those people were all Cubans, and even better that all my Cuban friends came from Matanzas, the same province as my family. Here at MC, my kin are the other Latinos.

There are no divisions like in Miami where Dominicans stayed with Dominicans and Mexicans with Mexicans.

Here, we are all minorities and we take care of each other.

I’ll conclude with my last Cuban saying: things in life aren’t easy. That is true, but with good friends, and family, the things in life are possible.

A mis 17 años, tomé una de las decisiones más grandes en mi vida: salir de mi zona de confort.

Deseosa de vivir lo que por mucho tiempo consideré un sueño, me atreví a dar el salto y dejé el calor de mi isla y lo más importante para mí, mi familia, para ir tras mis sueños en Nueva York.

La oportunidad que tuve de venir a los Estados Unidos, la conseguí luego de noches sin dormir, arduo trabajo y sobre todo, el apoyo de quienes creyeron en mí.

La universidad de Manhattan es todo lo que esperé y más. Mi escuela superior, al igual que nuestra universidad, es lasallista por lo que los valores de fe, fraternidad y servicio siempre han estado bien inculcados en mí.

Al llegar, pude recibir la cálida bienvenida de distintos grupos en el campus y sobre todo, de los profesores. Rápidamente, me envolví en distintas actividades y comencé a hacer amistades que sin duda, han sido parte clave de mi travesía.

Cada día en Manhattan es un reto. No tan solo por las diferencias obvias sino por que a diario, se me presentan situaciones en las cuales me toca decidir qué camino tomar, y esto me ha ayudado a desarrollarme mejor tanto en el ámbito profesional como en el personal.

Considero que Manhattan al estar situado en Nueva York es un campus bastante diverso.

He conocido personas de distintas partes del mundo, que hablan diferentes idiomas pero sobre todo, con distintos ideales y creencias a las mías.

Considero esto fascinante pues me motiva a reflexionar sobre mis convicciones y me obliga a estar en la constante búsqueda de quién soy en realidad, que es lo que considero pertinente a esta etapa universitaria.

En New York he encontrado un segundo hogar porque Puerto Rico, “la isla del encanto,” siempre será mi patria, mi paraíso, claro está.

At 17 years old, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life: to leave my comfort zone.

Desirous of living what for many years I considered a dream, I dared to make the jump and left the warmth of my island and the most important thing for me, my family, in order to go after my dreams in New York.

The opportunity I had of coming to the United States, I obtained after many sleepless nights, arduous work and most importantly, through the support of those who believed in me.

Manhattan College is everything I thought it would be and more. My high school, along with our college, is Lasallian, meaning that the values of faith, solidarity and service have always been instilled in me.

Arriving, I was able to receive the warm welcome of various groups on campus, and more importantly, of the professors. Quickly, I involved myself in several activities and began to build friendships that without a doubt have been a key part of my journey.

Every day at MC is a challenge. Not only because of the obvious difference but because daily, I’m faced with situations where I have to decide which path to take, and this has helped me better develop professionally and personally.

I believe that MC, being in New York, is a pretty diverse campus. I’ve met people from different parts of the world, who talk different languages but most importantly, have different ideals and beliefs than me.

I consider this fascinating because it motivates me to reflect on my convictions and it forces me to be on the constant search for who I really am, which is what I consider pertinent at this stage in college.

In New York, I’ve found a second home, because Puerto Rico, “la isla del encanto,” will always be my homeland, my paradise and that is clear.

Opinions

on Diversity at MC

Daniel Molina Mexicano

Como dice mi papá: lo que enriquece a las sociedades son los choques culturales.

Hasta la fecha hay días que me pregunto que hace un chico de 18 años, solo, por las calles de Nueva York. A base de tiempo y separación uno aprende a no ser un extraño en medio de una multitud que piensa y actúa de manera tan distinta a la de uno.

Pasé un año de mi vida en Francia y ahora que estoy en la universidad de Manhattan me doy cuenta que extrañar el hogar es lo más sano que le puede pasar a alguien.

He aprendido a ser un experto conocedor de gente y a valorar el hecho que tengo una familia que me espera en México.

A leer, escribir, y pensar en tres idiomas. Entender la manera de actuar de culturas totalmente distintas y, con esto, crecer día con día como persona.

En la universidad de Manhattan hay una comunidad diversa de personas con historias totalmente distintas que interactúan día con día en clases, clubes, actividades y trabajos. Por esto mismo me he sentido como en casa desde el momento en que llegué.

Con mucho gusto compartí con mi familia al regresar a casa que había tomado clases con compañeros vietnamitas, trabajado en El Quadrangle con boricuas y cubanos, y mis mejores amigos eran de distintos lugares de Estados Unidos.

Si alguien se ríe de tu acento, confundes una palabra con otra, o tienes hábitos distintos a los de la gente que te rodea, eso vale mucho más de lo que crees.

En un mundo como el de ahora, saber vivir y convivir con gente tan distinta es, sin duda, una de las mejores que puedes ofrecer a alguien que, en un futuro, pueda estar interesado en ti.

Like my dad says, what enriches a society is a culture shock.

Today, I still wonder what an 18-yearold kid, alone, is doing around the streets of New York City. Due to time and distance, a person starts to learn how not to be a stranger among a crowd that thinks and acts in a very different manner than theirs.

I spent one year of my life in France and, now that I am in Manhattan College, I realize that missing home is the healthiest thing that can happen to someone.

I have learned to be an expert peopleknower and value the fact that I have a family that waits for me in Mexico; to write, read and think in three different languages.

Also, to understand the way different cultures act and, with this, grow each day as a person.

In Manhattan College there is a diverse community with completely different stories that interact day by day in classes, clubs, activities and work. Because of this, I have felt at home since the moment I arrived here.

I shared with my family the moment I went back home that I had taken classes with Vietnamese students, worked on The Quadrangle with Puerto-Ricans and Cubans, and my best friends came from different parts of the United States.

If someone makes fun of your accent, if you accidentally mistake one word with another one, or if you have different habits than the ones that people around you have, that is actually much more valuable than what you may think.

In a world like today’s, knowing how to live and coexist with different people is, without a question, one of the better things you are able to offer to someone that, in a future, might be interested in working with you.

Daniel Ynfante Dominicano

En el 27 de agosto del 2013, en mi segundo día como estudiante de la universidad, me senté entre otros 14 alumnos en una clase donde yo era uno de solo dos minorías en la aula entera.

Fue en ese momento que recibí una llamada de atención. Aunque técnicamente estaba en el Bronx, en realidad no se sintió de esa manera.

Como un dominicano-americano que creció en el sur del Bronx, yo casi nunca había estado alrededor de tantos caucásicos en mi vida entera. Mi secundaria era mayormente dominicana, puertorriqueña y afro-americana y con la excepción de algunos maestros en la secundaria y algunas personas que me había encontrado en bajo-Manhattan, ni siquiera había pasado tiempo con un caucásico.

La universidad de Manhattan, aunque estaba en mi condado y en carro solo estaba a 20 minutos de mi casa era un mundo completamente diferente para mí.

Dolió cuando en febrero de mi primer año no vi en ninguna parte del campus un aviso de que era mes de la independencia dominicana. Todavía duele. Me siento como que me están subestimando.

Pero supe en lo que me estaba metiendo cuando apliqué.

Supe que iría a una escuela que aunque estaba situada en el Bronx, una área predominantemente afro-americana o hispana, yo estaría viendo pocas personas que se parecían o hablaban como yo.

Eso ha sido el caso, pero he quedado un poco sorprendido con lo que he visto en mis dos años en la universidad de Manhattan.

Ahora, no estoy diciendo que esta escuela ejemplifique la diversidad, pero si he visto una cantidad decente de hispanos, afro-americanos y asiáticos. Esto ha sido especialmente evidente en algunas de mis clases de español que han sido mayormente hispanas.

Caminando por el campus, claro, casi solo veo caucásicos, pero siempre es satisfaciente ver algunos hispanos, algunos asiáticos o algunos afro-americanos.

Pero mientras si he visto algunos, eso de ninguna manera significa que la demografía de la escuela se acerca a diversa.

Como una escuela en el Bronx, la universidad de Manhattan tiene que luchar por tener una representación similar a la del área.

Es obvio que va a ser casi imposible poder igualar el casi 90 por ciento de minorías que conforman el Bronx, como señala el último Censo de los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, eso no quiere decir que la universidad de Manhattan debiera estar conforme con el 29 por ciento que actualmente despliega.

Lo único que quiero es poder sentirme como que estoy en el Bronx cuando estoy en la universidad de Manhattan, porque por ahora, nunca me he sentido de esa manera.

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On Aug. 27, 2013, on my second day as a college student, I sat down in a class among 14 other students as one of only two minorities in the entire room.

It was at that moment that I received a wakeup call. Although I was technically in the Bronx, it certainly did not feel that way.

As a Dominican-American growing up in the South Bronx, I had rarely been around Caucasians in my entire life. My high school was mostly Dominican, Puerto Rican and African-American, and with the exception of a few teachers in high school and some people I would run into in downtown Manhattan, I had never even hung out with a Caucasian.

Manhattan College, although it was in my borough and was only a 20-minute drive away from home, was a completely new world to me.

It hurt when in February of my freshman year, I saw no mention anywhere on campus that it was Dominican Independence Month. It still hurts. I feel like I’m being overlooked.

But I knew what I was getting myself into when I applied.

I knew I would be going to a school that although was situated in the Bronx, an area predominantly African-American and Hispanic, I would be seeing very few people that looked and spoke like me.

That has been the case, but I’ve actually been surprised with what I’ve seen in my two years at Manhattan College.

Now, I’m not saying that this school exemplifies diversity, but I have seen a decent amount of Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians. This has been especially clear in some of my Spanish classes, which have been mostly Hispanic.

Walking around campus, of course, I mostly see Caucasians, but it is always satisfying to see some Hispanics, some Asians or some African-Americans.

But while I have seen some, that in no way means that the school’s demographics are nearly diverse.

As a school in the Bronx, Manhattan College must strive to have a similar representation to the area.

It is obvious that it will be close to impossible to match the almost 90 percent of minorities that make up the Bronx, as the latest U.S. Census points out. However, that doesn’t mean Manhattan College should be content with the 29 percent it currently displays.

All I want is to be able to feel like I’m in the Bronx when I’m in Manhattan College, because so far, I’ve never felt that way.

Opinions Muslim Students Reflect on Their Experience At a Lasallian Catholic College

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Feb. 24, 2015

Mohamed Koita

Mahamoud Diop

Guest Writer

Mon nom est Mohamed Koita, je viens de Cergy qui est située dans les banlieues Parisienne et ou la population est très divers. Cergy a une grande communauté musulmane ce qui m’a offert un environnement où l’Islam était très présent. Venant d’un tel environnement, ce fut un choc culturel pour moi d’aller d’un quartier avec un grand nombre de musulmans à une école Lasallienne. Malgré cela, cette expérience m’auras appris beaucoup de chose.

Venir a Manhattan College en tant qu’étudiant international fut un défi car pour la première fois je me suis retrouvé dans un environnement où je n’avais aucun moyen de communiquer avec les gens sauf en anglais exclusivement. J’ai reçu mon diplôme du lycée à Stoneridge Prep en Californie où la communauté des étudiants internationaux était dominante à l’école avec beaucoup d’élève francophone ce qui m’a rendu la tâche facile. Heureusement les étudiants internationaux à Manhattan College sont pris aux soins et sont considérer comme d’importantes parties de la vie du campus. Le service des étudiant internationaux (ISSS) à Manhattan College avec pour directeur Debbie Damico nous offre à tous un soin et les informations dont nous avons besoin pour prendre cette aventure à Manhattan College de l’avant et en profiter le plus possible. Cette incorporation des étudiant internationaux dans la vie du campus fut l’un des plus grand facteur qui m’a aider à sentir que j’appartiens à une communauté même si je viens d’un autre pays. Sentir que l’on appartient à une communauté m’a permis de m’engager et de participer aux activités du campus et de socialiser avec les autres étudiants. En y repensant, je réalise l’énorme opportunités que j’ai eu d’aller à l’école dans une ville comme NYC. Être musulman dans une école lasallienne fut une expérience intéressante. L’école fait un bon travail a reconnaître toutes les différentes croyances sur le campus et offre la possibilité à tous ces groupes de pratiquer leur religion. L’école a sa propre culture et le fait d’avoir la possibilité en tant que musulman d’avoir des discussions sur les croyances, rituelles, où relation inter-religieuses avec les “frères” ou prêtre de l’école comme frère Jacques du bureau de la Mission par exemple qui durant sa carrière s’est retrouver dans des régions dominė par des musulmans et nous a fait partager ses aventures à des événement comme la discussion inter-religieuse organiser sur le campus. Je suis maintenant un membre de l’Association des Étudiant Musulmans (MSA) à l’école en tant que coordinateur d’événement. Le MSA a offert un sentiment de communauté aux étudiants pratiquant l’Islam même si les musulmans sont une minorité sur le campus. Avec les événements actuel et les conflits au nom de la religion Islamique, je suis reconnaissant envers Manhattan College qui offre un environnement où la paix et la coexistence sont présent entre les differents groupes religieux et culturels.

Si je peux me permettre, je suis aussi reconnaisant de pouvoir partager mon experience en tant qu’étudiant international et musulman dans une école Lasallienne.

Si ceci pourrait être un exemple qui aide a construire une meilleure image de l’Islam et des musulmans, ce serait un de mes plus grand succès à Manhattan College.

Guest Writer

My name is Mohamed Koita, I am from Cergy, France which is located in the suburbs of Paris where the population is very diverse. Cergy has a large Muslim community which provided me with an environment where Islam was dominant.

Coming from such an environment, it was a cultural shock for me to go from a Muslim dominant neighborhood to a Lasallian school. However, this experience taught me a lot.

Coming to Manhattan College as an international student was a challenging experience as for the first time I was in an environment where I had no other way to communicate with people other than by speaking English exclusively. I received my high school diploma at Stoneridge Prep in California, where we had a dominant international student community at school with many Francophone students which made it easier for me. Fortunately international students at Manhattan College are taken great care of and are considered important contributors to the campus life. The International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at Manhattan College with Debbie Damico as a director provides us all the care and information we need about taking this college journey on and making the most of it at MC. This incorporation of the international student on the campus life in my opinion is one of the biggest factor that helped me feel like I belonged even though I was from a different country. Feeling like a member of a community helped me get more involved in the campus activities and helped me socialize more with other students. Looking back I realize the amazing opportunities I had going to school in a city like NYC.

Being Muslim in a Lasallian school was an interesting experience. The school does a great job at acknowledging every faith present on its campus and providing the ability to these other faiths groups to practice their religion. The school has its own culture. As a Muslim I was able to have conversations about faith, rituals, or interfaith events with brothers that are part of the faculty such as Brother Jacques of the Office of Mission, who through his journey has encountered Muslim dominant regiona and shared some of his experiences at events such as the interfaith discussions.

I am now a board member of the Muslim Student Association as the event coordinator. The MSA (Muslim Student Association) has offered a sense of community to the students practicing Islam even though the Muslims on campus are a minority.

With the current events and conflict going on today in the name of religions, I am grateful for Manhattan College who provides an environment of peace and coexistence among different religious groups and cultures.

If I can take a chance, I am also grateful to share my experience as an international student and a Muslim in a Lasallian school. If this can be an example to help build a positive image of Islam and Muslims, this would be one of my greatest achievements at Manhattan College.

Je viens du Mali en Afrique de l’Ouest, un pays qui est majoritairement musulman.

En grandissant, ma famille et moi avons beaucoup voyagé a cause de l’emploi de mon père. Nous avons vécu en Belgique, au Malawi, à Washington DC, pour ne en nommer quelques-uns. Tout au long de mes voyages il y avait toujours une communauté islamique, où je savais que je pouvais aller et me sentir bien accueillis. Cela étant dit, en allant étudier dans une institution catholique, je ne savais pas à quoi me attendre. Aujourd’hui, il ya tellement de stigmates contre les musulmans que je ne sais comment je serais reçu. Serais-je traité de terroriste? Serais-je capable de pratiquer ma foi? Telles étaient les pensées qui traversaient mon esprit.

Manhattan College n’était pas ce que j’ imaginais que ce serait. Bien vrai que c’est une école lasallien. Cependant, ils sont lasallien seulement en valeur. L’école fait un excellent travail de se assurer qu’ils imposent pas la foi lasallien sur les élèves d’autres religions. Je pense que Lois Harr et ailleurs le “Campus Ministry” font un travail phénoménal de créer une société diverse, accueillante, et dynamique pour tous les élèves. En tant que musulman, ce qui m’a vraiment permis d’exceller au Manhattan College est le fait que j’ai accepté la diversité sur le campus. Je suis devenu membre véhément de l’association des étudiants musulmans (MSA) et je suis aussi devenu ambassadeur du Catholic Relief Services (CRS). J’ai trouvé qu’il y avait beaucoup de similitudes entre l’islam et le catholicisme comme le traitement préférentiel pour les pauvres, les Dix Commandements, et le jeûne. En participant dans les différentes activités et clubs sur le campus j’ai non seulement eu une plus grande appréciation des autres cultures, mais aussi une appréciation plus profonde de la mienne.

Je suis très reconnaissant pour l’environnement que Manhattan College a créé. Cependant, je crois qu’il ya certaines mesures que l’école pourrait prendre pour rendre l’expérience des étudiants musulmans encore meilleure. En tant que musulmans, nous croyons fermement que nous devons s’abstenir de manger le porc.

Ainsi, croyez-le ou pas, je ne ai jamais eu, du bacon, des côtes, du jambon, ou de la pizza au pepperoni. Gardant à l’esprit que ce sont quelques-uns des aliments les plus populaires en Amérique, vous pouvez imaginer à quel point ca pourrait être difficle pour un musulman dans le Lockes. Il ya des options de nourriture pour de nombreux groupes tels que les végétaliens et végétariens dans Lockes, qui comme les musulmans ne peuvent pas manger certains aliments offerts. Après avoir discuter avec quelque membres du MSA, nous avons convenu que les musulmans ne sont pas offerts une option diversifié de nutriment. Nous sommes conscients que tout le monde ne partage pas notre point de vue sur les options alimentaires, notamment sur le porc, mais nous pensons qu’il devrait plusieurs types de nourriture pour musulmans tels que la nourriture halal. La nourriture halal est extrêmement populaire parmi les NewYorkais. Ainsi,en offrant ce dans Lockes ne fairait pas seulement plaire aux étudiants islamiques, mais à l’ensemble de l’école aussi.

I come from Mali in West Africa, a nation that is predominantly Muslim. Growing up, however, my family and I traveled quite a bit due to my father’s job. We lived in places such as Belgium, Malawi and Washington D.C, just to name a few.

Throughout my travels there was always an Islamic community, where I felt I could go and feel welcomed. That being said, coming into a Catholic institution I did not know what to expect. Nowadays there are so many stigmas about Muslims that I did not know how I would be received. Would the people be ignorant to the Islamic faith?

Would I be called a terrorist? Would I be able to practice my faith? These were the thoughts running through my mind.

Surprisingly, Manhattan College was not what I envisioned it would be. Yes, it is a Lasallian school. However they are Lasallian in value. The school does a great job of making sure it does not impose the Lasallian faith on students of others faiths.

I think Lois Harr and moreover Campus Ministry do a phenomenal job of creating a diverse, welcoming, vibrant ambiance for all students. As a Muslim, immersing myself in diversity is what truly enabled me to excel at Manhattan College. I became a vehement member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and I also became a Catholic Relief Services (CRS) ambassador. In doing so, I found there were many similarities between Islam and Catholicism, such as preferential treatment for the poor, the Ten Commandments and fasting.

Getting involved in different activities and clubs on campus not only gave me a greater appreciation of other cultures, it also made me further appreciate my own.

I am very grateful for the environment Manhattan College has created. However I feel there are certain measures the school could take to make the experience of Muslim students an even better one. We firmly believe in refraining from eating pork. Hence, believe it or not, I have never had, bacon, ribs, ham or pepperoni pizza.

Bearing in mind that these are some of the most popular foods in America, you can imagine how it might be for a Muslim in Locke’s. There are food options for many other groups such as vegans and vegetarians in Locke’s, who like Muslims cannot eat certain foods offered. Upon discussing with a couple of MSA members we agreed that Muslims are not offered a diverse option of nutriment. We are cognizant that not everyone shares our view on food options, particularly pork, but we feel there should more types of food for Muslim such as Halal food. Halal food is extremely popular amongst New Yorkers. Hence, offering it in Locke’s would not only appeal to the Islamic students but to the entire student body as well.

13 Features When Working for Inclusion is a Full-Time Job Michelle DePinho Editor

As diversity and inclusion on college campuses become topics of national discussion, buzzwords like Title IX and affirmative action are splashed across newsrooms and universities across the country.

But for Vicki Cowan, these issues are nothing new.

A 25-year veteran of the office of human resources at Manhattan College, Cowan has worked aggressively to implement diversity initiatives in hiring and oversee Title IX and Affirmative Action compliance.

Cowan juggles three related but challenging roles on campus: director of human resources, Affirmative Action officer and Title IX coordinator.

“I think the reason I was chosen is that [the work] has a lot of different aspects in it that deal with people, that deal with the employees, that deal with the students,” Cowan said. “I’ve had a lot of experience with employee relations and conflict resolution.”

She was hired in 1989 as an employment manager and Affirmative Action officer at the college, and was recently tasked with being the Title IX coordinator several years ago.

“Her knowledge, skills and abilities were a good fit to become the Title IX coordinator,” Vice President for Human Resources Barbara Fabe said. “This is an enormous responsibility and I can’t think of anyone more qualitied to do this important work.”

Title IX was passed in 1972 and “requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding,” which also covers sexual discrimination protections, equity in athletics and rights for pregnant students, according to its website. It also mandates

Vicki Cowan/Courtesy colleges receiving federal funding to designate a Title IX coordinator.

The position requires Cowan to stay on top of legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act and the Clery Act, which dictates how colleges should report campus crime statistics.

Cowan called the experience a learning curve.

“This is totally different [from my previous work] because it’s tied into legal things that we have to do,” she said. “I had to learn all these different things to make sure that we were doing the right thing.”

But Cowan isn’t the only one learn-

ing.

As of late, a hefty portion of Cowan’s work has been focused on educating the campus community on issues of sexual harassment and discrimination through programming.

She recently collaborated with Tiffany French, area coordinator for Horan Hall, on training for public safety officers.

“They’re the ones there at two o’clock in the morning,” Cowan said. “I’m just turning over but they’re the ones that are here. Their input and their training….is important.”

Community training on sexual discrimination and violence has become even

But times were not always picture perfect, her most difficult time was when her daughter was born here.

“I was all by myself, I had to go back to England, I had no friends, no social life,” she said.

But she had a true passion, “I am a teacher back in England, I taught everything.” She taught men in prison and remembers it as the best time of her life, “I loved them. I still have their gifts, I have them here with me,” she said.

When missing England, Mars goes to the bars and enjoys watching soccer games to remind herself of England, even though she said she would not go back unless it was to take care of her parents.

All the way from India, Satnam S. Deol, owner of Short Stop Restaurant, has a story of progress since the early ’70s when he first arrived to the U.S.

He used to work in midtown, he owned a pizzeria in Harlem and another one in Brooklyn.

But before coming to the U.S., S.Deol said his life was great, but Jodi Kaur, his daughter who was raised in the Bronx, objected. “The reason why it was great was because it is his country, his culture and his language, but he had to leave in order to get job opportunities elsewhere.”

S.Deol was motivated to find these new opportunities when he left India but he did not come directly to the U.S. Since he was a sailor, he lived in different places around the world, his daughter said.

Although he came from a wealthy household, they didn’t see any job oppor-

tunities apart from their family businesses, which was a farm. His family were landowners so there was “nothing else to do apart from working the land,” S.Deol said.

S.Deol, has had a tough time speaking English but with the help of his daughter, who translates his Hindi, he managed to express that when he first came to the U.S. he had to work very long hours doing groundwork, doing dishes and deliveries.

Then he started his own businesses, bought a house and raised his kids.

S.Deol came to this country not knowing a single word of English, but “he was able to build his whole life here through hard work,” Kaur said.

S.Deol didn’t go to college but his daughter, who graduated from Northeastern University two years ago, now teaches in the South Bronx. Kaur is the first in the family to attend college.

When asked what were his favorite memories, Kaur said, “He used to be a singer and a wrestler; he played for his village. My dad is awesome” she said.

“My life is not too rich, not too poor, [It is] medium,” S.Deol said.

Coming from a whole different part of the world, Harold Severino from the Dominican Republic, works at MC’s favorite Mexican place, Burrito Box. His tanned skin color and his bright smile are characteristics of a Caribbean man. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Severino came to the U.S. when his father married an American woman.

The first difference he encountered was the education system. Back in his

more important, as colleges across the U.S. face pressure to enforce Title IX on their campuses.

“Every week you were hearing about something that was going on at another school,” Cowan said. “So, the pressure was on. We’ve always been trying to do the right thing, there’s just more of it now.”

While Cowan said her work focuses on managing Title IX issues on campus, she called public safety officers, student life administration and residence life staff the “boots on the ground” that work those cases.

While navigating Title IX compliance is a newer challenge for Cowan, her years of experience have made her adept at her position as Affirmative Action officer.

In dealing with both Title IX and Affirmative Action, Cowan has learned that while both laws aim to defray discrimination, they go about it differently.

“Affirmative Action is broader,” she said. “Are we providing opportunities of inclusiveness and diversity? What are we doing to do that? So it’s a totally different job.”

Over the years, Cowan said she has watched Affirmative Action evolve from a mandatory report to a new attitude in recruitment at the college.

“Diversity isn’t just racial diversity. It’s diversity in general,” she said. “It’s bringing different backgrounds to the college. “ To make that happen, Fabe said Cowan “works with all departments to attract, maintain, and increase a diverse group of employees at Manhattan College.”

Cowan said her experiences in her position have ultimately given her perspective.

“The biggest thing that I’ve learned is that you can give people bad news, you can say things to people that they’re not going to be happy about,” she said. “But the most important thing is that you have to treat everybody with respect and dignity.

Discovering Diversity in MC’s Backyard

Victoria Hernández Assistant Editor

Manhattan College might be a small campus, but the community that surrounds it is enormous. There are stories worth telling amongst us, even around the corner.

The people you see on a daily basis are the ones who could be leaving the most important words unspoken. Local shops and places to eat surround our campus. The food might be tasty, but the stories behind their workers are more interesting.

When entering An Beal Bocht Café, you can feel the good vibes in the place.

With a smile on her face, Anna Mars, the English waitress, talks about why she came to America, “I just wanted to,” she said.

Back in 1989, she decided to come alone after graduating college. Amongst other places to go, she has always been fascinated with the United States because of her degree in American Studies. Back then she was a nanny, but she was not fully satisfied with the life she was living.

“Life then was not nice, living in someone else’s place was not nice. I lived with only $90 a week” she said.

Now she enjoys her job, as one can clearly recognize because of her friendliness while doing it. Although she likes living in upstate New York, around 70 miles away, she really misses soccer and the endless summer back in England.

But she does not complain, “I can say I am living the American dream” she said.

home, “the school doesn’t have the same resources they have here, and what I mean by resources is computers, providing you good food. Over there they just give you like a cupcake and a cup of meal sometimes. Sometimes you got to buy your own food during the ‘recreo’ (lunchtime)” he said.

At first, he didn’t speak English. It was when he started searching for jobs and getting rejected that he then started to take English classes. “They told me you got to be bilingual.”

In his first arrival to the U.S., people did not welcome him. “I said to myself I am going to prove everybody that I can do it and I took advantages of all the opportunities we have here.”

Severino said he does miss his family, especially his mother. “That’s who you will always miss the most, your family, because you need to have the same support that you had…somebody telling you, ‘Listen you got to do this you got to get better.’ She was always giving me that support, telling me how to do things, teaching me “

Severino, who loves baseball and is currently attending Bronx community college, confess he struggled when first arriving to the U.S. “I was having family problems with my stepmother. I was only 15 years old, I had to find a job and get my own money. It was not easy.”

But he takes a positive look at the situation. “Those are things we struggle in life after all,” he said. “You just get an experience from it and learn from them.”

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Arts & Entertainment

Feb. 24, 2015

A Not-Too-Far Taste of Mexico: Cafe Frida Claire Leaden Senior Staff Writer

Many of us chose Manhattan College for its close vicinity to the city, but since we’re at the end of the subway line it’s sometimes hard to find the motivation to trek into Manhattan. Ice cold weather doesn’t help either. But, if you’re looking to emerge from hibernation for one night and enjoy a cozy meal not too far down on the 1 train, Cafe Frida is a perfect choice.

Located between 77th and 78th streets on Columbus Avenue, Cafe Frida offers tasty Mexican food and drink with a warm atmosphere that’s easy to get to for MC students. Just take the 1 train to 79th street and walk over two avenues from Broadway, about a 35 to 40 minute trip in total.

The front of the restaurant is glassenclosed, giving diners a view of the street for ideal people-watching. Icicle lights are strung across the top of the wall for a relaxed feel, along with candles atop the tables and rustic lanterns hung from the ceiling. The rest of the place is painted a bold red color, and there are red canopies of fabric draped from wall to wall, as well as other elements of Mexican-inspired décor.

For those over 21, the well-stocked bar offers a wide selection of margaritas, tequila and Mexican beers. During happy hour, which is Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., frozen margaritas are $7 (and delicious), beer and wine is $5 and tacos are $2.50 each.

Online reviews urge diners to get the guacamole as an appetizer, so I took their advice, and boy were they right. It is fresh and delicious, served in a traditional “molcajete” volcanic stone mortar and for a unique twist can be ordered as mild, medium or hot. It is a large portion for $11 too,

Claire Leaden/The Quadrangle shareable for two to four people, depending on how much you’re willing to split.

The dinner menu includes Mexican classics like quesadillas, enchiladas, a large selection of tacos and sides like plantains and rice and beans. But, if you want something a little fancier, they also have some more gourmet-style plates like the “Mixiote de Cordero,” “lamb shank marinated in guajillo sauce, avocado leaf and green olives slow-cooked in parchment paper served with hand-made corn tortillas,” which New York Magazine quotes as a must-try.

Prices are reasonable, ranging from $12 to $14 for sets of three tacos, $15 to $17 for quesadillas and enchiladas (with a choice of side) and anywhere from $20 to $30 for the bigger main course plates. For a twist on enchiladas try the “Enchiladas de Mole,” which are enchiladas covered in a delicious brown “mole poblano” sauce, a bit spicier than the regular green saucecovered enchiladas but also richer with a smokier flavor. Fried ripe plantains make a complimentary side choice.

Though I didn’t stay for dessert, the choices on that menu looked superb as

well, especially the “Platano Macho,” a “flaming fresh plantain with vanilla ice cream and Grand Marnier chocolate sauce.” On a Friday night the service was very fast and though we made a reservation, it didn’t seem particularly necessary.

They also serve Mexican-infused brunch dishes in the mornings. The music was a little loud as the night went on, but nothing we college students aren’t used to.

Follow @mcquadsports Your New Home for Manhattan College Sports!

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Swimming and Diving Teams Combine for 18 Broken Records at MAACs Jaclyn Marr Assistant Editor

Manhattan started off on a high note at the 2015 MAAC Championships last week.

Its strong performance continued for the duration of the championships. By the end of the fourth and final day, both teams combined to set 18 new school records.

“It’s really outstanding for our women’s team,” Sara Buckley said. “I feel like each year we are improving drastically and each year we see records going down at MAACs. The fact that we were able to shatter 18 this year is great for our program.”

Along with breaking 11 of the 18 records, the women’s team set new times in the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle including the 200 and 400 medley relay races in the same competition. This was the first team in program history that achieved this accomplishment.

“It was important because my freshman year I was only on one relay team,” Buckley said. “This year I was on four and we were able to break records in each of them. Comparing last year to this year, it was so self-motivating to be on four relay teams that were able to beat four records.

For the team and myself, I thought that was

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

really great for us.”

On the first night of the championships, Madison Brown, Alexandra Hutzler, Kerry Schuermann and Patricia Colton raced in the 200 medley relay to a finish that was three seconds better than the previous school record.

In the 800 freestyle, Michaela Schatz, Buckley, Audrey Corcoran and Eileen Blood broke the school mark by almost five seconds. On night two, Brown, Hutzler,

Buckley and Colton set a new record in the 200-freestyle with a 1:39.98. The previous record was a time of 1:40.91 set in 2012.

Then on the third night, Schuermann, Brown, Buckley and Hutzler set a new school best in the 400 medley relay. To finish up the championships, Buckley, Brown, Colton and Hutzler set a new record in the 400 freestyle.

The championships were a great show-

These Hispanic players have mostly come out of the Miami area, a place Rene Ruiz knows well, as he grew up there as a Cuban-American.

Ruiz’s knowledge of the Miami area has given him an upper-hand when recruiting in Florida. But he agrees with Duffy that although Florida has a huge Hispanic population, especially Cuban, that is not what he goes there looking for.

“I don’t care if the kid is American or African American down there,” Ruiz said.

“There’s just very good baseball. There’s good baseball and I got to see it firsthand because I experienced it, I played there, the level of competition. The ability to play year round is the biggest advantage of going down there.”

In his five years at Manhattan, Ruiz has helped land numerous recruits from Miami to the team, including Carrera, Miranda and Santisteban. His recruiting in Florida has not been limited to Miami though. For the 2015 season, Ruiz recruited Paul and Adam Genners out of Jacksonville, Fla., and Gonlier out of Doral, Fla.

A common theme in Ruiz’s involvement in Florida has been the high number of recruits with Cuban descent. Carrera, Gonlier and Santisteban are three Cuban’s on the current team and Galan was another member on that list last year.

It seems the message is spreading around Florida that Cuban-Americans are having success at Manhattan College because Fabian Peña, a highly touted Cuban prospect, who came to Miami in 2011 has decided to come to Manhattan College in 2016.

Peña is a 5-foot-11, 205-pound catcher who headlines next year’s recruiting class, which also includes another Hispanic in Marc Galvan.

For Duffy, a major reason why Peña chose Manhattan was the endorsement of the school he received from fellow Cubans in Carrera, Gonlier and Santisteban.

“I always say we help facilitate the recruiting process, but they [the players] recruit themselves.” Duffy said. “If they weren’t having a good experience here, we wouldn’t be getting kids from South Florida.”

Cuban-Americans have had a good experience at Manhattan College. Also, with the recent news of improved relations between the United States and Cuba and the possibility that the embargo can one day be lifted, one can only wonder what that could mean for college baseball and the major leagues.

Ruiz is aware of what it could possibly mean to travel to Cuba without restrictions and scout players, but admitted that it will be tough for mid-major schools like Manhattan to recruit those kids.

“I think one of the biggest challenges, regardless of (travel without restrictions) opening up, is the language barrier,” Ruiz said. “(Cubans) still have to come and maintain a certain GPA and they have to afford a $52,000 institution.”

“From a cost standpoint, I don’t see it being worth it for us,” he added. “It doesn’t mean I don’t think that there’s good players there and that they can’t benefit professional teams or certain college teams. I think in our situation, just speaking about Manhattan College, I don’t see a reason to have to do that.”

Despite the high amount of Hispanics on the team, there is one glaring omission: African Americans.

However, that is not a poor reflection on Manhattan College. The lack of African Americans playing baseball has affected many colleges and the major leagues as well. African Americans made up only 2.6 percent of Division I college baseball athletes, according to a 2012 NCAA report on race and gender,

“I think one of the things that you come across with also and one of the biggest things is pace of play,” Justin Echevar-

ing all around, with multiple members of the team contributing to the successful nights.

“Compared to previous years, we are gaining a lot of depth and variety,” Buckley said. “We had a lot of great incoming freshmen as well as our current performers from all different grades. I think we are just going to continue to improve.”

“Last year it was only a few people who contributed,” Brown said. “This year it was a lot more. That shows that our recruitment has gotten better and hopefully it will continue.”

As the team finished up this impressive season, they look toward next season and the future of the program. They hope to break more milestones and find talented recruits to help their program get even better.

Buckley noted how the men’s team started out with nothing and have worked their way up.

“I think that we will definitely be able to do the same and improve in the coming years,” Buckley said.

“Hopefully we will be able to gain more talented swimmers in the future and our program will continue to get better.

We’re in that in between stage where we’re getting there but hopefully one day we’ll be in the top three at MAACs.”

America’s Pastime Has A Latin-American Flavor At Manhattan College Daniel Ynfante Assistant Editor

During the 2014 season, someone had to point out to Jim Duffy, head coach of Manhattan College’s baseball team, that he had three Hispanic assistant coaches.

At that time, Duffy was assisted by Rene Ruiz, Justin Echevarria and now former pitching coach Elvys Quezada. Duffy didn’t have a quota system to meet, but because they were legitimately qualified for their positions.

“I don’t really think about it very much,” Duffy said. “It’s not a factor in our recruiting. I’m not trying to hit a number.

I’m not trying to have so many Latin kids, or so many Caucasian kids, or so many Italian kids or Irish kids.”

“We recruit good, hard-working student-athletes that are a really good fit at Manhattan College, the institution and the culture of our baseball program,” he added.

In all of baseball, from little league; to high school; to college and then the major leagues, it is becoming increasingly difficult to look over Hispanics. They are at the front and center of the sport.

At Manhattan, that sentiment could not be any more true. Duffy’s entire coaching staff and four of his players: Jose Carrera, Ryan Gronlier, Mikey Miranda and Christian Santisteban are all Hispanic.

To some, four out of 32 players on the roster might seem like a few, but Manhattan has always had a history of having a lot of diversity on the team. This season, it just so happens that that number is not any higher.

Last year, Carrera; Miranda and Santisteban were joined by Yoandry Galan; Yony Fernandez and Elias Monsalve as fellow Hispanics. In 2013, they had another Hispanic teammate in Ramon Ortega, a two-time first team All-MAAC selection.

ria, Manhattan pitching coach, said. “(African Americans) are geared more towards football and basketball just because it’s a quicker game, more of an aggressive game, not as much standing around.”

Although the team does have a good amount of diversity, the coaching staff admitted that it can still be better and that it starts with getting some local recruits out of the Bronx.

Ruiz cited the professional mentality that exists in New York as a major barrier to the team not having any players from the Bronx. Many players in New York high schools let baseball overtake their schoolwork and when they get to major Division I programs they find it hard to balance both aspects.

In addition, Ruiz added that many New York players prefer to go to junior colleges where they can enter the major league draft after their first year. Whereas if they choose to attend a Division I school, they cannot enter until after their junior year.

Echevarria, a New York City native himself, knows the challenges that city kids face when choosing the right college. Factors such as playing time, cost of attending and the possibility of going pro all play a part.

“Like we always say when we recruit a young man: they got to want to come to Manhattan,” Echevarria said. “They got to want it as much as we want them, so to speak.”

Duffy wants local kids on the team.

For him though, it is a matter of them fitting the right qualifications that he looks for when recruiting.

“I would love to have a couple of local guys on this team,” Duffy said. “And the admissions department would like for me to have that too. But it’s not as much up to me as it is (the local kids).”

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From Seton Hall and Manhattan College to The New York Yankees

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Jonathan Reyes Editor

On Nov. 3, 2014, Elvys Quezada, former Manhattan Jaspers pitching coach, received a phone call from the New York Yankees. They wanted to hire him as the next pitching coach of their minor league rookie-ball team the Gulf Coast League Yankees.

“I was excited for the opportunity that the Yankees came calling and were interested in what I have to offer them,” Quezada said. “They were interested enough to interview me.”

This won’t be the first time Quezada will be in pinstripes though. When he was a senior for the Seton Hall Pirates in 2003, he was drafted by the Yankees in the 15th round. The New York Mets also drafted him in the 15th in 2002. He decided to forgo professional baseball the first time with the Mets because becoming the first person in his immediate family to achieve a bachelor’s degree was much more important to him.

At Seton Hall, he was coached by Phil Cundari, current Pirates pitching and associate head coach, and Jim Duffy, current Manhattan Jaspers head coach.

Quezada and Duffy’s relationship started when Quezada walked onto the Pirates his freshman year. It was Quezada’s sophomore year when Duffy had just finished up his pro-ball career and came on as a volunteer assistant for the Pirates – he was there to coach the hitters and pitchers.

He didn’t come back to the team Quezada’s junior year but did return in his senior year to work on and finish up his own education when the Pirates invited him back as a full-time coach.

When Quezada was with the Yankees in Tampa, Fla. for spring training, he remained in touch with Duffy because the Pirates participated in the Big East Baseball Conference Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. Every other season in his few years with New York, he was injured, available and nearby, so he basically became a fan of the Pirates by being around the team.

Once he hurt his groin again in 2011, he started to think about ending his playing career. At the time his son was a year-anda-half, and an injury that usually takes two weeks to recover from took a month. Being sidelined was now dragging itself deep into the season. He needed to do something because at 30 years old, having a son and having reached only as high as Double-A in the minors with the Mets, supporting his family was becoming more important than his personal dreams and aspirations.

A year later, Duffy was hired at Manhattan College, and a month in he realized he needed a pitching coach. To help him make a decision, he confided in the coaches at Manhattan and Phil Cundari, his former

colleague at Seton Hall.

“Elvys Quezada is living down in Tampa and he has just finished up with pro-ball,” Cundari told Duffy. “I don’t think he’s going back. It’s his eighth or ninth year in professional baseball. He’s battling through some injuries and he may be somebody who’s available and might be interested.”

Duffy knew Quezada had never coached before, but he admired how Quezada stayed in school when he was first drafted by the Mets because players usually become easily enamored with the idea of playing in the pros. That type of character coupled with his eight years and 441.2 innings pitched in pro-ball sums up to invaluable knowledge.

“His knowledge of the actual skill set of pitching is extremely high,” Duffy said. “Elvys [Quezada] is a very bright human being. He’s very sophisticated when it comes to mechanics and fundamentals.

The other thing is his discipline and work ethic is an example for the kids underneath

him on his staff. And he believes in what he’s doing, so he doesn’t waver.”

“I hired Elvys purely on his character, work ethic,” he added.

“It was a blessing,” Quezada said.

“At the time I was really excited for the opportunity and I definitely feel blessed with everything that has been popping up.

The only thing I can do, and I live by this motto, is to be present and allow for stuff to develop. You can’t force too much. That’s the way it just happened. Thank God.”

Quezada’s other coach at Seton Hall, Cundari, said he was one of those players that you really appreciate and love coaching because of his dedication, hard-work, intense focus and competitive drive. He’s a student of the game who’s always looking to improve and never allows whatever past mistakes, setbacks, adversities he has dealt with hold him back.

“Elvys was professional before he signed a signed professional contract,” Cundari said.

He isn’t surprised that Quezada is leav-

ing behind a culture of pitching that creates an excellence in the craft. Again, Cundari reiterated what he said: it’s a reflection of Quezada’s professionalism. He has a very good and relentless instinct. He trusts it to guide his pitchers in fundamentals in order to be competitive and successful regardless of the outcome and to respond to adversity and difficult situations. His style should make them much better for it.

“Elvys [Quezada] had a lot to do with my success,” Joey Rocchietti, former player under Quezada and current Jasper power arm, said, “because even velocity wise and mentally he helped me out a lot, changed me as a pitcher. I completely changed my philosophy and everything.”

“He has the game in his blood, in so many ways, like many of us teachers do and those good athletes do,” Cundari said. “But he’s also a progressive coach. He always thinking outside the box – he’s not limited to the information that’s out there.”