The Quadrangle- Issue 7, Spring 2023

the Quadrangle

MC Welcomes Bronx Borough President Vanessa

L. Gibson for State of the Borough Address

Brianna Coppola Asst. Features Editor

Bronx Borough President Visits Campus

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson visited Manhattan College for her State of the Borough address on Wed. March 1st.

@BRONXBPGIBSON/COURTESY

MC and SUNY Announce Degree Articulation Agreement

Lauren Raziano Multimedia Editor

Manhattan College and SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) announced a transfer articulation agreement providing a seamless pathway to a bachelor’s degree for SUNY WCC students.

WCC individuals are guaranteed transfer acceptance into MC as long as they graduate with a 2.5 GPA or better and will transfer with junior standing at MC. There is a 60 credit maximum that will be applied toward completion of the articulated bachelor’s degree program.

The president of Manhattan

College, Brother Daniel Gardner, FSC, is looking forward to welcoming more students to the MC community.

“We are proud to partner with Westchester Community College and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship,” Gardner said during the signing. “We are happy to welcome these capable and academically prepared students into the learning community of Manhattan College. I’m certain that they will make distinctive and meaningful contributions to our campus.”

The initial term duration of this MC and WCC agreement is slated for four years with automatic renewals of two semesters each.

MC is offering merit-based

scholarships to encourage students to continue their degrees. According to manhattan.edu, “Scholarships are renewable as long as students maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0, maintain full-time status and have satisfactory academic progress at MC.”

Manhattan.edu also states that, “The articulation agreement has pathways available to those who earn their associate’s degree in any of 21 selected liberal arts and science programs in business, communications, environmental studies, humanities or social sciences from SUNY WCC.”

Dr. Belinda S. Miles,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Manhattan College welcomed Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson to deliver the State of the Borough Address to students in Kelly Commons. Also in attendance was the N.Y. State Attorney General, Mayor Eric Adams, the 50 precinct and several New York Comptrollers.

Gibson began her address with many thanks to all her supporters and expressed gratitude for those who have helped throughout her term. She also spoke highly of Adams and recognized the work he has done for not only the Bronx but the entire state of New York. Namely, she noted his announcement of $140 million for the Hunts Point produce market as part of community initiatives.

“Mayor Adams is a friend to the Bronx,” Gibson said. “He works hard everyday to ensure that our borough is always included and not excluded from important conversations. He has truly demonstrated his willingness to be a five borough mayor, and we look forward to our continued partnership with the mayor to get stuff done.”

Gibson also noted the impact women, especially women of color, are beginning to have in politically-charged roles. Previously, Gibson was a city council member and speaker. She was the first African American woman to serve with the first female majority in the New York City Council.

“Women and women of

color are stepping into roles we thought were never designed for us and we are showing the world what female leadership is all about,” Gibson said.

Gibson has been working with the city council to enact many legislations such as working to administer a public education program and respectful care at birth program. Gibson and her team have also worked to implement an outreach and education campaign to expose crises at pregnancy centers and much more.

Along with this, she has also tackled some climate change issues. She and many other boroughs have gotten together to support a “one billion more trees” initiative to reduce air pollution in the city.

One of Gibson’s most important tasks is making sure the youngest New Yorkers are guaranteed a good education.

“Most recently during NYC scholarship month, we shared information with all of our panelists about ways to save for college programs,” Gibson said. “It’s done to ensure that all children have the opportunity to receive high quality education through investments in scholarship programs from the South Bronx to the South Shore.”

Gibson encourages all parents of kindergarten students to enroll their children in this program to ensure their dreams are met and they have a chance at a quality education.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Jocelyn Visnov Editor-in-Chief

Kyla Guilfoil Managing Editor

Angelina Persaud News Editor

Angelica Niedermeyer Features Editor

Karen Flores Arts & Entertainment Editor

Kyla Guilfoil Sports Editor

Adrianne Hutto Production Editor

Rebecca Kranich Social Media Editor

Zoe DeFazio

Angelina Perez Web Editors

LETTER from the EDITOR

Lauren Raziano Multimedia Editor

Grace Cardinal Asst. News Editor

Brianna Coppola Asst. Features Editor

Mack Olmsted Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

Andrew Mannion

Isaiah Rosario Asst. Sports Editors

Mack Olmsted

Maizy Swift Asst. Production Editors

Mary Haley Asst. Social Media Editor

Nicholas Gilewicz Faculty Advisor

About The Quadrangle

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 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.

Join The Quadrangle

The Quadrangle’s staff holds weekly open meetings on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in Kelly Commons Room 412. All are welcome to come and join the club.

Connect with The Quadrangle

mcquad.org

@mcquad

@mcquad mcquad

Hello and happy Women’s History Month!

This past week, MC was lucky enough to receive a visit from Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. We’re very fortunate that local leaders such as Vanessa take time out of their busy schedules to visit MC and speak with Jaspers.

This week you can join female-lead organizations such as the Lasallian Women and Gender Center, LOTUS, Her Campus, Alpha Pi Phi and Sigma Delta Tau on the Quad to celebrate International Women’s Day. Organizations will be fundraising for the Concourse House, a shelter providing social services for women and children in need located in the Bronx.

If your organization or class is doing something interesting to celebrate Women’s History month and you think it might make a good story for The Quad, feel free to send us a tip at thequad@manhattan.edu.

For those who celebrated, I hope you had a fun and safe Manhatty’s Day! On page 11 you’ll find a small collection of photos picturing Jaspers showing their pride amongst a sea of green.

Listed below, you’ll find an official statement written by MC’s Train Club regarding the recent derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. This statement can also be viewed on the club’s instagram page, @m.c.trainclub.

Please note that The Quad will not be publishing next week for spring break, so our next issue will be released March 21st.

I hope you enjoy your spring break! Wherever your travels may take you, try to find some time to rest and recharge. We’ll see you back on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Jocelyn Visnov

Letter from the Manhattan College Train Club:

Editor-in-Chief

It’s not everyday that a story covering an American railroad makes headline news across the country, let alone news regarding a freight railroad. The past few months have been historic in this sense, in which the world saw two issues directly related to American freight railroading: one regarding a potential nationwide freight railroad worker strike, and now the East Palestine Ohio derailment.

At 8:55 PM on February 3rd. 2023, 51 cars of Norfolk Southern Train #32N derailed in the small town of East Palestine, OH due to a mechanical issue in one of the axles. 11 of these cars contained hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, benzene and butyl acrylate, which immediately combusted and resulted in a fireball producing smoke that traveled for miles to neighboring towns, prompting a quick evacuation of everyone within a one mile radius. 70 different emergency agencies from surrounding counties were called to try to fight the fire, but they too were soon evacuated due to chemical exposure from the burning of these hazardous materials, which resulted in letting these chemicals burn out for two days until they no longer posed an immediate threat.

Despite the magnitude of this crash being one of the worst in American history, many mainstream media companies did not cover the story until the controlled release of the hazardous materials three days after the initial derailment. This resulted in high levels of phosgene and hydrogen chloride gas into the air, which poisoned many farm animals and fish in the immediate area. While Norfolk Southern is continuing to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the town, as well as the National Surface Transportation Board to investigate exactly how the crash occurred, many sources indicate that the crash could have been prevented through the use of electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, or ECPBs. However, multiple American freight railroads lobbied against this advanced form of train brakes back in 2017 in addition to various other safety measures, including fewer crews, less time to properly inspect freight cars, and running longer trains, all in the name of saving capital costs. Such actions have resulted in poor operating conditions that led to threats of a nationwide railroad worker strike in 2022.

The Train Club is committed to informing the public of not only major rail-related current events such as these, but also to properly report on how such events occurred in the face of misinformation, andhow such travesties can be prevented. We strongly encourage increased safety regulations on all forms of transpo tation, and to establish legislation that encourages hiring more workers, better benefits, and improving existing infrastructure over stock buybacks.

From the Manhattan College Train Club (Ferroequinology) E-Board

MC Welcomes Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson for State of the Borough Address

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Another issue that Gibson emphasized was the lack of attention for small businesses in the Bronx. She explains that they are the “backbone of the borough” and “they shape our neighborhoods.”

“Anytime I ask a small business owner, ‘What are the top issues that you face on a daily basis?’ some will say, ‘It’s difficult to navigate the government’,” Gibson said. “Some say, ‘It’s difficult to find good staff’ and almost all will say getting access to capital is their biggest challenge.”

Gibson hopes to help these businesses out in any way she can, as she recognizes the impact that COVID-19 had everywhere. She plans to provide resources they need to succeed, especially financially.

Another key issue that Gibson is taking seriously is public safety. She noted how she constantly hears from residents that they do not feel safe, specifically students whether they are on or off school campuses.

She explained her reasoning for organizing a meeting

last month with the Department of Education, NYC Police Department and school safety agents to advocate against gun violence in schools. She also noted her goal to create a public safety division specifically targeted at protecting children on school campuses.

“As the former chair of the Public Safety Committee in the New York City Council, you all know that this topic is deeply personal for me,” Gibson said.

“We wanted to have a transparent conversation about the safety issues in and out of our schools. We are also working to holistically address crime in our neighborhoods. We know that these issues will not be solved overnight.”

Gibson has worked to make an impact on the Bronx and continues to fight for her community. She hopes that her initiatives will not only change the Bronx but all of the boroughs.

John Bennet, assistant vice president for student life, described the impact that this event had on MC students and faculty.

“This is why people come to Manhattan College,” Bennett said. “That’s why you go

to school in the city, we have all the resources of NYC. The fact that we could have major politicians on our college campus that you can interact with makes it known that you could do that as your job one day.”

Bennett admires the opportunities that MC is able to provide to its students and hopes more events of this magnitude will continue to happen often. He also noted how involved MC students are with their campus and student government.

“One of the things that I always go back to is that nationwide for student government, on different campuses elections usually have about 7 percent of their campus vote in student government elections,” Bennett said. “At Manhattan College, we have annually over 20 percent of our student population voting in elections.”

Elliot Babilonia, a freshman, had the opportunity to work alongside Gibson through a program from their high school called My Brother’s Keeper. The organization was created to empower young men of color.

Babilonia hosted the event, which Gibson attended, and remembered the details of what

they call a very special moment in their life.

“She came to my event,” Babilonia said. “Vanessa gave a little speech in the beginning and that wasn’t even a part of the agenda. I didn’t know she was going to give me the certificate of merit and say how much she appreciated what I was doing.”

Afterwards, Babilonia was offered an internship with the

Office of the Bronx Borough President and they became very active in community politics.

Babilonia was also the first trans man to partake in this internship and they feel nothing but gratitude for the experience they had. Vanessa and her work means a lot to Babilonia and they aspire to be just like her and continue to help the community around them.

MC and SUNY Announce Degree Articulation Agreemeement

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

President of SUNY Westchester Community College, acknowledged the agreement as a way to encourage students to maximize their investments in themselves.

“SUNY WCC is dedicated to the continued success of our students,” Miles said at the agreement signing. “This agreement with Manhattan College provides our graduates with the opportunity to seamlessly transfer to an excellent institution where they can continue their studies and develop the skills and knowledge that will help them enter the local job market.”

Cory Blad, dean of the School of Liberal Arts, developed the Transfer Core with SUNY’s curricular requirements to allow WCC students to have 60 transfer credits.

“This means that any Associate degree earner from any SUNY campus can begin in the School of Liberal Arts as a junior and progress through a major and our core curriculum with enough flexibility to perhaps even add a minor... all in two years,” Blad wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.

Blad continued to explain the importance of transfer students as part of the population

in the MC community.

“Transfer students, particularly community college alumni, are incredibly important in several ways,” Blad wrote.

“First, they are intelligent and dedicated - having proven both qualities at other higher education institutions. Secondly, there are a multitude of reasons why a community college may be a wonderful and productive choice for many students.”

The bachelors degree program will offer other community college students in the metro area the ability to join MC.

“Creating a pathway for those who would like to continue their Bachelor’s degree simply continues the mission-driven work of Manhattan College to provide higher educational opportunities for those that seek them,” Blad wrote. “I am proud that we are now able to actively recruit WCC (and other SUNY community college) graduates to join us at Manhattan and enrich our classes and campus, the more the merrier.”

In the future, MC is looking to expand articulation agreements with other community colleges including institutions from Rockland and Nassau counties.

“The success of the WCC articulation should provide encouragement and a blueprint for moving additional agree-

ments forward,” Blad wrote. “With regards to the School of Liberal Arts, we are working on adding the entire CUNY system to our Transfer Core Pathway program and hope to extend the same opportunity to community college graduates throughout the entirety of the City and State of New York.”

Donald Gibson, dean of the O’Malley School of Business, worked with assistant dean

Aileen Farrelly to assure business majors with a continued degree path.

“We are excited about welcoming additional SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) students into our O’Malley School of Business majors,” Gibson wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.

“With their two-year AA degree, these students will enter the O’Malley School as juniors, and be able to finish their de-

gree in two years.”

Gibson hopes that this opportunity will increase the number of students who consider MC as a bachelor’s degree option.

“We don’t anticipate changes to our programs based on this agreement; rather we hope that this smooths the way for more students to think of Manhattan College,” Gibson wrote.

The 14th Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. BRONXBOROUGHPRES.NYC.GOV/COURTESY

New Student ID Cards to Include Mental Health

Kelly Kennedy Senior Writer

Manhattan College administration will be administering new student ID cards with mental health crisis hotlines printed on the back as part of a new initiative to promote wellness resources. The idea was brought to administration by two student athletes, Teddy Segmuller and Kaya Simpson.

Ronald Gray, vice president of student life, spoke about the duties of administration and the MC community to look out for the mental health of the students.

“Having access to these resources is critical,” Gray said. “We know that one out of every two students struggles with mental health, depression, anxiety, and we know that is coming out of COVID and out of the responsibilities that have increased for students over the number of years.”

The updated cards will begin rolling out this semester with the updates to the Hayden Hall ID system and continuing into fall 2023.

This new initiative is a collective effort from many across the school, particularly the Wellness and Flourishing

Council and the Student Athlete Advisory Council.

Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, dean of students and cochair of the Wellness and Flourishing Council, spoke about the origins of the initiative and the reason for the hotlines.

“We wanted to institutionalize how people got resources,” Abreu-Hornbostel said. “They [the students] wanted three numbers on the back of the ID. When everything got discussed and unpacked, it’s pretty clear that we needed to go a little broader than just the suicide hotline. So we got the sexual assault awareness number on there, as well as 911, 7333 and the general public safety number as well.”

By having these mental health and crisis hotlines on the back of every student ID card, students will have access to help and resources anywhere, at any time.

Jennifer McArdle, director of the counseling center and cochair of the Wellness and Flourishing Council, spoke about the initiative students are taking in order to promote the wellbeing of those around them.

“I think it’s just tremendous that the students are disseminating a lot of this very import-

ant information,” McArdle said. “So it’s really at the fingertips for our students. Because sometimes that’s what makes the difference for somebody in crisis- right here, right now.”

Segmuller and Simpson came to administration last fall when the process began. They recognized the need for mental health resources to be readily available to students and wanted to find a way to bring it to the campus community.

“When they approached me with the idea I was immediately thrilled with it and Dr. Abreu reached out with all the resources to get the physical part of it done,” McArdle said. “I just think it’s a wonderful first step to continue providing these resources during a mental health pandemic.”

On March 22, the first step of this initiative will be taking place, where bag tags and phone stickers with the crisis hotlines written on them will be given out to students. Students can also receive these items at school sporting events. Some of these items will also include a QR code, which takes students to a LinkTree that provides a multitude of mental health resources both on and off campus.

These new mental health initiatives will also be highlighting what resources students have available to them on campus.

“This is definitely something we’re committed to because when it comes to mental health, our campus is uniquely poised to address it,” Abreu-Hornbostel said. “I’ll brag a little but we have a really excellent Counseling Center. So it’s a testament of their work, but also, it’s a testament of the way in which the institution supports their work.”

For students struggling with mental health, there are many resources on campus available to help, including the Counseling Center, the Health Center and the Lasallian Women and Gender Research Center (LWGRC) among others.

“That’s the critical thing, finding the right support for

you is important and that’s something that we want to make sure that we prioritize for our students,” Gray said.

Many members of the Manhattan College community have gotten involved in this effort to support mental health, including the LWGRC, Student Government Association and the athletic department. Abreu-Hornbostel credits students such as Alixandria James, a wellbeing ambassador, and Emilia O’Neill, a LWGRC intern, for bringing up this concern and finding a way to help the MC community.

“When students have good ideas, we want to be able to support them,” said Abreu-Hornbostel. “Don’t be timid if you’ve got something that you think is worth sharing because the campus really does surround you and help you get the vision up and going.”

Jaspers Travel to Albany for Student Advocacy

Five Manhattan College students ventured to the Legislative Office Department in Albany to voice their opinions on how financial aid has benefitted their education and why it is still needed.

The students were supervised by three groups on campus including the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Camino Program. These programs at Manhattan College provide students with the opportunity to have ample amounts of support while navigating college, while also ensuring that state funding is being distributed correctly to all students.

Costin Thampikutty, the assistant director of CSTEP, worked closely with the students to convey their personal stories with state legislators.

“I think state legislators are controlling these budgets, but they may be removed from how these decisions would actually affect students.” Thampikutty said. “Therefore, bringing students is like saying to these legislators, ‘This is the impact of your work’.”

Sepulveda attended the event along with a few other legislators as they listened to students advocate for the continuation of financial aid. Each group of students received a 30 minute time limit to share their stories with the government officials.

Yureyce Candelario, a senior, attended the event with the goal of emphasizing that in the absence of student funding, she would no longer be able to continue her education and attend a graduate program.

“We have a huge community where students benefit from those programs, and as a first generation student the resources that I have are very limited without this program,” Candelario said.

She also highlighted the importance of students using their voices to advocate for each other in order to send a message to political officials about student aid.

“I believe the importance of actually using our voice and telling our stories will help us. We will eventually, I believe, try to make an impact to keep these programs,” Candelario said.

Candelario also stated that the legislators and the senators’ responses seemed to be in favor of the decision to continue funding.

“All of us were extremely

content with the responses that we received from the senators and legislators,” Candelario said. “They all seemed to have a great response, following up after our story times with great feedback, and expressing that they wanted to stay involved with the success of all students’ lives through financial aid.”

Additionally, students voiced their opinions on Governor Kathy Hochul’s FY24 Executive Budget, which proposes a 3 percent cut from the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or $1.12 million reduction in CSTEP and STEP funding.

Despite a projected surplus in the state budget, which specifically entails that TAP is necessary for these students to continue their education through state funding, Hochul’s disagreement was evident through this proposal (Association of Program Administrators for CSTEP and STEP, Inc.).

Jared Bravo, a freshman, also attended the event and highlighted the impact CSTEP has had on his college career. He specifically focused on the resource accessibility the program provided for him.

“Without adequate state

funding CSTEP wouldn’t exist. CSTEP has been so helpful these past months,” Bravo said. “CSTEP gives me access to resources that can help me be a better student.”

Legislators and government officials were responsive to the students’ stories and each official put their name down as a supporter of increased state funding. Throughout the entirety of these meetings, government officials showed interest in those sharing their stories and opinions about state funding.

Julia Ciampa Staff Writer

Students at the Legislative Building in Albany, New York advocating for state funding. MANHATTAN.EDU/COURTESY

DiscussSuccess:LatinxStudents ComeTogethertoShare CollegeExperience

Anna Woods Senior Writer

The LWGRC and CMSA sponsored a small group discussion about college experiences as a Latinx student as part of the Discuss Success lecture series.

The series is a student-led group meeting and discussion that aims to provide a supportive space for all Latinx students to gain support from their peers. The group of about fifteen students shared personal stories about balancing school, work and family responsibilities. Commuting struggles and lack of in-campus cultural awareness were other topics of conversation. The meeting grew out of the work of Andy Ortiz, a LWGRC research scholar and co-moderator for the event, who studied intersectional obstacles impacting Latinx students.

“I was studying or doing research on how low socioeconomic status (SES) and gender roles in the Hispanic community impact students’ experiences getting into college,” Ortiz said.

He shared that he saw trends when it came to what majors Latinx students choose, many of which were STEM related.

“What I had found was that, like at Manhattan College alone, there was a significant increase of Latinx people being admitted to college. And a lot of the time more Latinos might major in what you can consider it more like bolder, more scientific fields,” Ortiz said.

He explained that socioeconomic status can impact the student’s major based on the post-graduated expected salary.

“If you’re growing up like low SES, you feel less like, ‘Oh, I’m going to take the risk and like go for acting’ because there’s very little money unless you make it big, so [instead] they’ll just be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be an engineer,” Ortiz said. “I’m going to be in STEM,’ whatever else that might look like. So seeing that, I wanted to create, Discuss Success.”

Ortiz shared the importance of groups like this, and how Latinx students often face more obstacles than their white counterparts.

“Discuss Success is majorly focused on providing a safe

space for other Latino students where we can talk about our experiences on the Manhattan College campus,” said Ortiz.

“[But also] a lot of the time you have a lot of family responsibilities, like taking care of kids, doing the dishes, and doing laundry. A lot of the time, colleges don’t really have accommodations for POC students.”.

He noted that he was not inspired to create this because of the lack of spaces for the Latinx community on campus.

“They’re not all spaces for POC people in general,” Ortiz said. “There’s Fuerza Latina, but outside of that, there’s not too much going on where we can actually just sit down and be like, ‘This is my experience. I want it to be known.’ Maybe we can use those experiences to kind of leverage change in the actual community itself,”

Senior Yuryece Candelario served as co-moderator for the discussion and shared that many students share the same feelings when it comes to thinking about how the college can best support them.

“I will say that from what I hear from other [Latinx] students, it’s that they are lacking that sense of community,” Candelario said. “They want to be more represented,”

She suggested that there be other ways to engage the community in addition to Fuerza Latina. The involvement of faculty and staff is one of her solutions.

“I know we would like to see more faculty or, you know, administrators that are actually getting involved in the community in the same way the language department does, [by] hosting events,” Candelario said.

She shared that Spanish language events help unite the community even further.

“When we have the Spanish events, we see more things are kind of connect us with our culture,” Candelario said.

As a commuter, Candelario explained that getting involved is more difficult and suggested that the wider MC community should be mindful of the timing of certain events.

“The major population of students who are Latinx are commuters,” Candelario said. “So when having these types of Latinx events, try to be mindful of the timing of these events. I heard that for many students,

you know, when they try to go home it’s pretty late at night.”

Many of those in attendance at the meeting were commuters, so Candelario and Ortiz shifted the conversation to highlight the issues that those types of students face.

“We focused on [discussing] how to create that sense of community within commuters, and within the Latinx community,” Candelario said. “We shared many experiences of things that concern us from class schedules to meeting times or resources available, and all the things that we would like to see change or we would like for the school to keep in mind when they are doing different events.”

Overall, Candelario expressed that these types of events are vital for the community and allow Latinx students to use their voices to share how the school can improve.

Ortiz stated that the response has been overwhelmingly positive and he is thrilled to have a safe space on campus to discuss pertinent issues. He

strives to maintain this safe space so students can come and see other students who are experiencing similar things.

Freshman Elliot Babilonia, who attended the meeting, praised Ortiz for creating this space as it has helped him feel more ‘seen’ on campus. He explained that seeing upperclassmen succeed was inspiring,

“Being a first generation and being, you know, a student at this private Lasallian school, I don’t really fit in, being Hispanic,” Babilonia said. “It’s been really rough just trying to get through it. Being able to talk about my experiences, you know, with other Hispanic people that are experiencing the same thing and have been through what I’ve been through. It was very inspirational and impactful for me, because I feel like I got a lot out of, you know, being surrounded by my people.”

Babilonia also expressed that these meetings have shown him what success can look like for Latinx students and named Ortiz as a role mod-

el.

“[This] gives me a role model to look up to, you know, seeing somebody succeed while being Hispanic while going to the school making it as far as to become a graduate student and while being trans,” Babilonia said.

Ortiz encourages all Latinx students to not let their past and identities limit themselves from fighting for their dreams.

“Just because you’re not white, just because you’re not privileged … doesn’t mean you don’t have the same capabilities for success,” Ortiz said. “You’ve just been societally suppressed where you have to be the third parent or balance classes and work … Your background and your own experiences don’t determine what you can and can’t do.”

The next Discuss Success group will meet in conjunction with the Rainbow Jaspers to discuss the Latinx and LGBTQ+ community towards the end of March. For questions and more information, contact eortiz02@manahttan.edu.

LWGRC and CMSA sponsored a student-led group discussion about the Latinx college experience. @MC_LWGRC/COURTESY

EAC:ExpressingStudent ConcernsonAttendance, Grading andWorkload

Maizy Swift

Asst. Production Editor

On Tuesday, Feb. 28th, the Educational Affairs Committee (EAC) held a meeting in De La Salle where Manhattan College students expressed their concerns, as well as suggestions of how to handle these issues in the future.

The point of EAC is to give students the chance to be involved with policies that may be passed at Manhattan, so that student input can be put into consideration. The major points of this meeting were workload, attendance and grade transparency.

Ali James, a senior at MC in the school of public health, is in charge of the meetings. She explained the importance of students getting involved with EAC.

“Well, as students, it’s important to know what our rights are and a lot of that is outlined in policy, so it is just important that this is a group that meets frequently as situations change,” said James. “Obviously, like with COVID, when there was a pass-fail, they [EAC] were the ones who came up with that so it’s just in terms of being able to accommodate students, and making sure that we’re protected and aware of what’s going on within our own school.”

At the meeting, many students felt as though there isn’t enough grade transparency within their classes at Manhattan.

“So unfortunately in our faculty handbook, grade transparency is kind of left up to the discretion of the professors, so there’s no real, tangible policy,” James said. “For example, it simply says that faculty should

have to return exams in a timely fashion. So in that case, there’s no real guideline, it’s just all about what professors should do”

Ciara Dalton, a senior at MC who is in the School of Liberal Arts, expressed her concerns with the grading policies at Manhattan.

“I do think that it is very unfair when professors give many assignments without even grading the ones that have been completed,” Dalton said, “ There are some classes where I have submitted assignments and not even known if I was doing them correctly or to the professor’s liking because so much time went by before they graded them. Professors need to take advantage of Moodle, and not only make the assignments clear, but the grades that the students receive from them as well.”

A commonality causing student frustration with the grading policy seems to be professors’ misuse of Moodle. Christopher Belden, a junior Liberal Arts student at MC and student representative of EAC, revealed his own opinion on grade transparency.

“The biggest problem in regard to grading is transparency,” Belden explained, “I think we all have had professors who do not keep the Moodle grading book up to date. Students have a right to know their grades and the three students

reps planned to bring this issue to the committee.”

Another major topic of the meeting was attendance, and how attendance being up to the discretion of the professor simply leads to more confusion.

“In terms of attendance, a lot of students just felt that it was kind of ambiguous once again, and up to the discretion of the professor,” James said. “For some professors, they want a doctor’s note in order to have an excused absence. Then also in some schools for some professors, you’re allowed four absences, whereas for some you’re only allowed two. However, that doesn’t actually take into account the amount of times a class meets.”

James continued to explain students’ frustrations with lack of consistency within the attendance policy, and the want for more consideration when it comes to students’ lives.

Dalton also explained her experiences and frustrations with the attendance policy at Manhattan.

“I feel that attendance being left up to the discretion of the professor can lead to a lot of inequities among classes, for example, some professors are so strict about attendance that it can really affect your grade negatively and leave no room for being understanding about other outside of school events that may occur,” Dalton said. “The policies are put in place

to expect that we will abuse them rather than recognize us as adults. I definitely think that there should be policies on attendance. But they are very strict, and some students are working multiple jobs and being a student at the same time. It doesn’t leave any room for mental health and if a student can’t make a certain number of classes, but it’s still keeping up with the work, leniency should be provided.”

As far as workload, most students did not have many specific complaints, however, Belden expressed his experience with workload as a triple major student.

“Being a triple major, my workload is often overwhelming,” said Belden. “I am not quite sure that we could solve the workload problem within the college because as many of my professors point out, they are obligated to give us a certain amount of hours of work outside of class by the state.”

In the end, it is important for MC students to stay educated and aware of what changes may be occuring, as students are the main people being affected. EAC meetings occur on the first Tuesday of each month, and all students are welcome to attend to get more involved or just to share an opinion on a policy at Manhattan.

Students attend EAC meeting in De La Salle on Tuesday, February 28th 2023. ALI JAMES/ COURTESY

EAC holds meetings on the first Tuesday of every month. ALI JAMES/COURTESY

TheAmericanChemicalSociety BringsHighLevelsofDopamine toMC

Angelina Perez Web Editor

Manhattan College’s American Chemical Society shares their love for science all over campus, from their favorite elements like tungsten and cobalt to their favorite parts of the sciences. By using different opportunities to bring about interest in the advancement of chemical science, these chemists are sure to show outsiders that you do not need to be in the club to have chemistry with its members.

Vice president Nicholas Malgioglio had an epiphany his sophomore year that promoted a healthy change, resulting in his graduating with an Environmental science degree this spring.

“I wasn’t always a science guy,” said Malgioglio.

“Especially in high school, I didn’t take any science based APs so I had no scientific knowledge going into college. I switched into Chemistry my freshman year and struggled very hard. One day after a late lab my biology partner Christian, who’s now graduated, asked if we could grab lunch and told me ‘Hey, you should come by the ACS. I know we just ate, but we’re having a pizza event tonight. I was like, alright and came by and attended a few of their meetings that year and last year, they happened to have the elections and he really encouraged me a lot to run, so I did.”

Rachel Mojica, a senior biochemistry major, also reflected on the first time she interacted with the ACS on campus, unsure of the title of presidency

she would hold only a sheer amount of years later.

“When I first saw them at the club fair I thought they were lying to me that they do more than actual chemistry experiments.” Mojica said. “I wanted to see what they did so I started going to meetings. But then when I joined it was mostly like talks and they invited professors to speak about the research, which was also interesting.”

Secretary Taeef Jihaan told The Quad how his major in chemical engineering and business minor affirmed something can be brought to the table for non-science majors.

“While this club has an up-

ward and mostly focusing on chemistry majors, we also have different STEM majors such as biology, physics and engineering majors to join too,” Jihaan said. “However, we are trying to expand to the other side of campus and plan to do so with content and speakers so they can connect back to their academic journey.”

Jasmine Roman, a sophomore biochemistry major, is also trying to expand the club’s academic reputation by suggesting and implementing a new position for those who want to get involved to look forward to.

“I’m a peer mentor coordinator,” Roman said. “So essentially, we send out applications to have people apply to be both mentees and mentors as a way of connecting underclassmen to upperclassmen who are willing to teach you how to network, learn about what classes to take, and how to get involved in research on campus. This position isn’t necessarily a position that’s based in chemistry, but more as a way to foster a community within those studying science.”

ACS is all about connections. With bringing fellow peers together, they have also branched out to the professor and the professional.

“It just sort of ties them all together and sort of creates this really well oiled machine that’s working towards the same goal,” Malgioglio said.

The ACS also connects students within the Bronx community as well.

“We attend the local elementary and middle schools and show them the science behind making putty experiments,” Malgioglio explained. “The general premise is to promote chemistry and science to kids who haven’t started thinking about what they want to do when they grow up. But possibly help connect that positive experience to science while they’re really young that might help them want to start to pursue it.”

The ACS does not just stick to one chemical experiment for the kids, but multiple holidays also drive their creative minds.

“During Halloween, we have little cute experiments for the kids like volcanoes or like lava lamps,” Mojica said. “Things that won’t hurt them but instead associate things like bubbles and colors to science and make the subject more than what they are taught in textbooks.”

With the weather starting to warm up and Earth day fast approaching, the ACS is returning to their successful event from last semester that they hosted in Jasper lawn.

“We started this tie dye event last semester where we buy shirts for students to dye and explain the chemistry behind it and how they can wash it afterwards,” said Mojica. “It’s a lot of fun and we have a bunch of designs for people to choose from.”

Students were perplexed to discover the chemicals behind the dying, unaware of how connected it can make you feel to

the world around you.

“The average person doesn’t know enough about chemistry,” Roman said. “I feel even we in the club do not know enough about it. You need an actual Ph.D. to know enough about chemistry. We don’t make anyone feel ashamed for not knowing because sometimes we won’t even know. Chemistry is comprehensive. It can be fun and we don’t we’re not going to quiz them or give them access. We just want people to come and have fun and gain information from the talk. It’s normal to be afraid of engaging with an unfamiliar subject, especially if you aren’t in the school of science, but there’s really no need to be afraid. It’s not a class, you aren’t getting graded for it.”

As their love for science continues to blossom, the ACS helps provide students with the comfort that science is everywhere and is easier to spot than you think.

“My love for chemistry is not purely because of the science behind it,” Jihann explains. “It mostly stemmed from the creative and collaborative partnerships I have gained. So if I could bring those aspects to the student body of anyone interested in interacting with us, that would be one of my biggest goals. That is what I want to see.”

For more from the ACS follow them on instagram @acsmanhattan and be on a lookout around campus for their annual Tie dye event March 21st at 4 p.m.

The American Chemistry Society’s eboard promotes their club with donuts and smiles.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Rachel Mojica ‘23, Ayanne Horsford ‘23, Samantha Diaz ‘25, Jasmine Roman ‘25). ANGELINA PEREZ/THE QUADRANGLE

Last semester’s tie dye event was hosted at the Jasper lawn.

@RACHEL MOJICA/COURTESY

Features

WelcomesManhattanCollegeBackBestBuddies

Mack Olmsted Asst. Production Editor/Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

Manhattan College is welcoming the brand new Best Buddies Club this spring semester. Best Buddies is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to creating one-to-one relationships for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

The club was chosen to be brought to MC by three freshmen, Daniella DePrizio, Lauren Rosenberg and Liana Pullara.

While looking at clubs and organizations on manhattan. edu they saw Best Buddies on the list of clubs which caught their interest, however the three of them found that the club was no longer active.

After doing some research DePrizio and Rosenberg discovered the college has never officially partnered with Best Buddies and weren’t allowed to use the name, so they decided to take it in their own hands to bring Best Buddies to MC with their faculty advisor Br. Augustine Nicoletti.

Best Buddies has been in development since November, with many meetings with student engagement and the Best Buddies organization. The

club aims to form friendships and connections with students at MC, and people with intellectual disabilities. The goal is to host events, and have one on one partners to help facilitate that friendship.

DePrizio and Rosenberg explained that there is a lack of inclusion for people with disabilities on the campus and expressed that inclusivity is a very important subject that needs to be emphasized. They believe that Best Buddies can help bring straightforward attention and help rehabilitate the campus and spread awareness.

DePrizio shares that it is important for people to understand the message of Best Buddies and walk away with the understanding of the importance of the club. She explained that the club is unique and has an important role to play.

“Specifically for the people who have IDD, I feel like [the club] could be so valuable to them, it would build confidence and self esteem and things like that, that really, in a lot of cases kind of get overlooked and they really are put down a lot more than being lifted up,” DePrizio said. “I feel like having these

one-on-one friendships could help lift them up and let them know like, ‘Hey, you have a friend’ and I honestly feel like that’s kind of what I want them to walk away with.”

Pullara stated in an email that she is looking forward to the launch of MC’s Best Buddies program and is excited for the coming years of the club.

“We are looking to create a fun safe space where fun activities can take place and where people can come together to help those in need and create long-lasting friendships,” Pullara said. “I hope that through our next four years, we can get the club up and running permanently and hopefully pass it on in the future. I’m excited to start planning events for best buddies and meet some new members of the community.”

All three founders are passionate about bringing the club to MC, for their own reasons.

DePrizio has a cousin who has a developmental disability, and she wanted to branch out and see what her cousin would have needed and what could have been helpful to her cousin on campus. Rosenberg helped out with the special olympics at her high school and wanted

to bring those experiences she learned to the club.

Pullara chose to be a part of best buddies because she wants to be a special education teacher and she believes that it is important to have experience with students with disabilities as well as being helpful to the community.

Rosenberg gives reasons on why students should join. She believes it could help boost morale and spread positivity around campus.

“I think it’s a good thing for people to walk through to help people but also for people to get involved in different ways,” Rosenberg said. “And like I said, I participated in something similar in high school, and I really enjoyed it and I made good friends there. So if I could do that again in college and involve new and more people, I think it would be great.”

Best Buddies will be having their debut event, Cards and Cookies, in partnership with the Emerging Leaders program from the Multicultural center, on April 3, Kelly 5C at 6 pm. Follow Best Buddies on Instagram @mc.bestbuddies.

The Best Buddies Club will host their first event April 3rd in Kelly Commons. BESTBUDDIES.ORG/COURTESY

From left to right, Co-Presidents Daniela DePrizio and Lauren Rosenberg with Secretary Liana Pullara. DANIELA DEPRIZIO/COURTESY

NewProgressiveActionCoalition BringsaPoliticalClubBackto CampusCommunity

The Progressive Action Coalition recently kicked off their first two meetings on campus

and are thinking about new opportunities to engage the local community alongside Manhat-

tan College’s campus community in education about political issues, discussions, advocacy about important topics and fundraising or volunteering on campus or in the community.

Kaitlyn McDonald, junior political science major, introduced this idea upon realizing there were no active politics clubs at MC anymore. Originally, there was an inactive club titled the “Politics and Government Club,” so McDonald decided to jumpstart a new group on campus with a focus on progressiveness, education and advocacy.

“I really liked the name because I really want to try to be progressive on this campus,” McDonald said. “Politics is a very important part of everybody’s lives and I want our campus to understand that, know that and be educated.”

McDonald brought this idea to Margaret Groarke, Ph.D, professor of political science, who agreed that a community engaged in these goals is important on campus.

“Students have an important role to play in being politically active on issues that they care about, so I’m happy to assist a new political club get off the ground,” Groarke wrote in an email to the Quadrangle. “I, and other faculty, are also happy to help students with other political interests and perspectives organize themselves.”

At their second meeting, a discussion occurred about opportunities members want to provide or take part in. Some ideas included inviting guest speakers on campus, volunteering at local advocacy organizations, participating in cam-

pus community building and fundraising activities.

“Our goal is to really help the Manhattan College community and to also help the community of Riverdale and the Bronx as a whole,” McDonald said. “I definitely want to do some volunteer work and get people educated that aren’t really too educated. You know, we have the primary coming up and then we have a presidential election again already next year. So, I think it’s important that everybody is as educated as they can be and taking full force.”

These goals are examples of reasons other students are passionate about the jumpstart of this coalition. One member, Fiona Mohl, a sophomore political science major, emphasizes the importance of students engaging in discussion and advocacy in our current political climate.

“It’s very important for our generation to get involved with what’s going on because a lot of our politicians nowadays are older generations that aren’t as woke or interested in the younger generations,” Mohl said. “So, we kind of have to advocate for ourselves, and that starts with having a discussion on campus and then bringing it out to the community.”

Meetings are currently scheduled for every other Wednesday at 4 p.m. and are going to be announced on their Instagram @mc_p.a.c. The Progressive Action Coalition is looking to recruit new members and create a bigger presence on campus and in the Riverdale and Bronx community.

The Political Action Coalition meets in Miguel Hall to discuss their interest in progressive politics and current events.

Nicole Fitzsimmons

Senior Writer

SociologyDepartmentgoes “Face-to-FacewithLifeWithout Parole”inaPresentationaboutthe CriminalJusticeSystem

Zoe DeFazio Web Editor

The sociology and criminology department partnered with E3MC to bring The Visiting Room to Manhattan College on March 3.

The Visiting Room is a multimedia storytelling project with interviews from over 100 inmates. The presentation conducted at MC consisted of a 30 minute film of inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary who are serving life sentences without parole. The inmates involved in the clips were all charged with second degree murder.

Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola, is the largest maximum security prison in the United States.

The prisoners within Angola vary, most of them are men and disproportionately black. Most men who are a part of The Visiting Room have already served over 20 years.

Sammie Robinson was incarcerated in 1953 at age 16 for aggravated rape. Robinson was sentenced for 10 years, but after murdering a fellow inmate

during his fifth year his 5 more years would turn into a lifetime. Robinson passed away at age 83 at Angola in 2019. He

was the longest serving inmate at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Charles Amos was incarcerated for 28 years at Louisiana State Penitentiary for murder charges. Now a free man, Amos works towards prison reform.

Amos was able to speak to the Quadrangle on his hopes towards the future of United States Prisons and the racial disparities within prison walls.

“ Most of the white counterparts had prestigious jobs, very few of them had hard labor,” said Amos. “In fact, some of them would come inside of the prison and never see the field. And what I mean by the field, is that they would never go out into the field where they are picking cotton, they wouldn’t do it. They would go straight to the office.”

The Louisiana State Penitentiary was built on top of a cotton plantation. Many incarcerated individuals still haul cotton till this day, only making about 2 cents an hour.

Amos continued by talking

about the mental implications of solitary confinement and what he has personally witnessed from his former fellow inmates who have undergone behavior changes from it.

“I have witnessed people eat their own feces,” said Amos. “I have witnessed people throw feces on other people. I have witnessed people looking into the ceiling and talking to themselves, just standing in cells buck naked, unaware of them being naked there. So many things, even imaginary dogs. I remember one guy, I couldn’t talk to him unless I acknowledged his dog, Spot.”

Amos hopes that solitary confinement will be banned from prison.

Cassidy Recio, sociology student at Manhattan College, commented on Amos and his second chance at life.

“It was outstanding to see this and knowing that he [Amos] was able to like get out and have this process of rehabilitation. I was really grateful to hear that he had that oppor-

tunity that not a lot have,” said Recio.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, Dennis Kalob reflected on The Visiting Room project and what it entailed. Kalob encourages Manhattan College students to take way more than the facts that were provided. He emphasized what it means to rehumanize someone, and that their experiences do not take away the fact that they’re people.

“We certainly have to humanize various aspects of the criminal justice system,” said Kalob. “These are human beings, and we need to make a judgment as to how they are being treated and if it’s fair and a sense of compassion. We need healing in this world. And so, you know, knowledge and listening to stories that people tell us. We can learn from people like Charles [Amos]. If we listen and learn and feel then we can build something better together.”

A billboard comparing Sammie Robinson’s mugshot taken in 1953 to the last photo he took at Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2019. Robinson was the longest serving inmate. ZOE DEFAZIO/ THE QUADRANGLE

Through the Jasper Lens : Manhatty’s Day

Every year without fail, on the weekend before spring break, Manhattan College students gather to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with off-campus get togethers in their festive outfits and green beads. A sea of green fills the streets as students celebrate the often proclaimed, “best day of the year.”

To get a glimpse of how much the day means to students, The Quad asked Kevin Woods how he felt about Manhatty’s Day. “I think it’s like one of the most social things you could do here,” said Woods. “I’ve seen everyone I haven’t seen in a semester or two.”

Photography by Catherine O’Donnell, Lauren Raziano, Gabby Sandoval, Griffin Reische, Mikayla Brown and Angelica Niedermeyer.

Written by Angelica Niedermeyer & compiled by Adrianne Hutto.

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt

Coffee House is Back!

Kelly Kennedy

Senior Writer

Coffee House held its first Open Mic Night of the semester last week on Saturday, Feb 5. Coffee House takes place monthly in Cafe 1853, and is a place where students can come to perform music, stand-up comedy, poetry or simply enjoy the show.

Coffee House has become a vital part of the MC community, giving students an outlet to express themselves and open up.

This event is currently hosted by seniors Luis Chavez and Emily Peters, and next semester will be passed down to two sophomores students, Matthew Regalado and Jill Tuthill.

“It’s a lot of fun meeting people and seeing new talents and accompanying people on the piano or singing with them.” Chavez said. “That’s very rewarding for me, I always have a lot of fun. What I have seen personally was that it helps people come out of their shells, because the coffee house is more informal, where you can do anything you want.”

Regaldo, who will carry the coffee house traditions

next semester, explained that it was Chavez who originally encouraged him to participate.

“I heard about Coffee House from Luis Chavez when I was a part of Manhattones last year, who told me I should come on and sing a song.” Regaldo said. “I was pretty nervous at first, but I went on towards the end of the night and it was awesome, I really enjoyed it and it kind of opened the door for me to get more into performing.”

Coffee House has been becoming more popular recently, as many bands have started to pop up around campus. This has become one of the spots for new bands to come and practice in front of an audience.

“A great thing about Coffee House is that you get to see all the new bands,” Chavez said. “All the new groups that are trying out stuff before they start doing sets, come here and they’ll perform at the coffee house and it’s so cool and it’s so diverse.”

Regalado is a part of one of the bands that have been performing at Coffee House: Contraband.

“We’ve been a group for about 5 months, and it’s been a joy to be able to play with them and express my musical ideas.” Regaldo mentioned. “Performing is also an important aspect

of being in any band, so I feel Coffee House is a great way to put new ideas out there.”

Jamie Schrieder is a sophomore who is taking the Album class at MC this year. He and his fellow classmates performed for the first time at Coffee House last week.

“Playing at Coffee House for the first time was really cool because I showed up not expecting to perform until I saw who else was there and we were able to give a sneak peek of the Beatles album composition class.” Schrieder said. “I’ll

be back next time for sure.”

As Chavez and Peters prepare to graduate, they are leaving Coffee House in great hands. The two new co-hosts have many ideas for the future of Coffee House and are excited for the semester to come.

For those nervous to get themselves out there or to start performing, Coffee House is a great space to get out of your comfort zone in a friendly environment. People perform all types of music, comedy and poetry in a judgement-free atmosphere.

Coffee House welcomes all performers regardless of their major. There is no requirement to perform in order to attend. They encourage all MC students to come and watch their peers as they show their passion for the different kinds of arts.

“All you have to do is come!” Chavez said. “The more people the merrier.”

Students who are interested in attending or performing in Coffee House can check out their Instagram page, @mccoffeehouse for updates.

Incoming to the Carlos Variety Hour: The Launch of Barren Moon

Angelina Persaud News Editor

Sci-fi fans beware as WRCM looks to launch an original audio series on all things outer-worldly in the Barren Moon segment.

The segment will discuss the different ideas on topics such as stratification, class and technological development in a comedic and satirical way.

The idea for Barren Moon came from the mind of freshman student Carlos Santana as a way to explore his creative side and step out of his comfort zone. He spoke with The Quadrangle about the ideas he’s hoping to cover within the series.

“The series began as an entertainment value. In the series itself, I want to just mock modern ideas regarding stratification, class and technology development,” Santana said. “I wanted to [talk about] these issues but as opposed to trying to lecture the audience, I said ‘Be playful with it. Let’s explore these ideas from different perspectives.”

He spoke about the origin of the show as something that he’s wanted to explore for his

own entertainment and share with the Manhattan College community. He described his love of writing science fiction with his brother, in his free time, as the primary source of inspiration for the show.

“I know how to do audio software because I was one of the technical sound managers,” Santana said. “It put the idea in my mind of doing an audio show. [My brother] and I went back and forth for a bit and eventually, we managed to work out the proper script.”

The new segment is going to be incorporated into the Carlos Variety hour at WRCM. According to the WRCM website and show schedule, the Carlos Variety Hour previously included an array of features, particularly music reviews and witty commentary.

According to wrcm.rocks, “All this is presented with a touch of pretension, blended with attempted humility, and sandwiched with terrible jokes” it read. “Additionally, the Variety Hour serves as a showcase for a wide selection of overlooked and underappreciated musical pieces.”

RJ Giannicchi, a senior political science and communication major, is the secretary of

WRCM.

He spoke to The Quadrangle about the mission of WRCM in terms of providing students with as much creative freedom as possible to explore their ideas.

“To see the initiative that Carlos is putting in shows that there’s going to be a very strong future after all of us seniors, move on,” Giannicchi said. “The first and foremost thing we push with WRCM is that it’s your show, it’s your hour, and we want you to get as creative with it as you want to get.”

He also highlighted the collaborative environment that WRCM fosters amongst its creators, crew members and producers. In reference to Barren Moon, which will have a cast and multiple episodes, Giannicchi acknowledged the community these types of projects can build in the future.

“I think the benefit of Carlos’ show is not only the outcome of the team building, but also I hope other people will look at it and say ‘Oh, Carlos did it. I can do something like that too’,” Giannicchi said.

In terms of the future of WRCM, Giannicchi highlighted some key events being put

together for the MC community. Going along with the idea of engaging students, there are plans for karaoke nights at An Beal Bocht and trivia nights. He also noted the WRCM Bash, which will feature live performances over the air from local musicians.

“We’re always looking to expand and grow the WRCM as a club,” Giannicchi said. “We always want to see more people just coming up and being like, ‘I have this cool idea and I just want to do it’. It’s a great opportunity to not only get on the radio, but especially to put something fun on your resume as WRCM is a collaborative effort.”

As for Santana’s expectations of the show, he has two major goals he’s hoping to achieve through it.

“The first primary concern of mine is entertainment,” Santana said. “I put in jokes and action and characters. Secondly, I want to explore ideas. I want to play to the audience’s expectation to some extent and keep them on their toes.”

Casting and production are currently underway for the segment and it will be airing within the next few weeks of the semester. The show airs weekly on Tuesdays between 6pm and 7pm. For more information on the show and on WRMC, follow their Instagram: @wrcm.rocks.

Coffee House plans to host at least two more events this semester in Cafe 1853. @MCCOFFEEHOUSE INSTAGRAM/COURTESY

Barren Moon official logo created for the Carlos Variety hour segment. CARLOS SANTANA/COURTESY

With Big Wins At The End of Conference Play, Manhattan College Men’s Basketball Continues to Chase After the MAAC Trophy

Manhattan College’s men’s basketball team continues to prove that despite its current sixth-seed ranking, the Jaspers can pull off a win against anyone in the MAAC. With only three games left in the conference play, Manhattan was tasked with battling against Quinnipiac, the fourth seed in the MAAC.

Despite being the underdog in the game, Manhattan pulled off a road win, winning 72-70, with Ant Nelson draining the game-sealing shot in the last seconds.

While the ending of the game looked like the type of basketball that will bring the Jaspers to a MAAC Championship, Manhattan had to pull itself out of the 21-point deficit they faced in the first half.

“I just think that was a big momentum game at this time,” junior Logan Padgett said. “When you’re able to come back from a deficit like that, it just lets them know that we’re here. We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to fight no matter what the circumstance is, so I think it’s just a momentum game going into tournament time.”

No matter what the score was throughout the fight against the Bobcats, the Jaspers centered on cutting down Quinnipiac’s lead and putting their best performance forward.

“I think the key of this game was that we showed to each other that when you believe in each other one hundred percent even when we’re down 21, we can win,” freshman Raziel Hayun said.

Both Padgett and Hayun stepped up against Quinnipiac with Hayun having his best game of the season with nine points and Padgett having a clutch eleven points. Not only did Stores recognize the impact these two Jaspers had on the game, but so did the rest of the team.

“We were going into the

locker room down 14 and we’re still saying ‘Alright we got this. Who’s going to step up for us?’” Padgett said when reflecting on his play. “I’ll give a shoutout to Adam Cisse because he was starting over me last game and in the locker room he said ‘Logan’s playing well right now, leave him in.’ That’s just the trust that we have in each other.”

After the Quinnipiac game, Manhattan earned nine wins thus far in their conference play, which is already one more game than what they won in the 2021-2022 season under Steve Masiello. The win against Quinnipiac and Manhattan’s conference record again emphasized the growth that the team has exhibited in the last year.

Despite the drama surrounding the coaching staff that occurred thirteen days before the season’s start, the team is continuing to band together and focus on the challenge ahead: winning Manhattan’s first MAAC Championship since 2015.

“We’ve been facing adversity all year, so it was just another day of adversity and that’s been our message all year,” Interim Head Coach RaShawn Stores said. “As long as we stay together through the good, the bad, and the ugly, anything is possible. That’s what you continue to see. We continue to stay together and believe, believe, believe.”

If it weren’t for the mentality that Stores sets for his players, the Jaspers would not have been able to stay in the game against Quinnipiac physically, mentally, or emotionally. Even after an essential win to provide the Jaspers with momentum going into the playoffs, Stores and the rest of the team remained focused on the last two regular season games.

“We treat every game one at a time and just continue to get better,” Stores said. “Our message is to worry about ourselves and worry about our product and if we keep going out there and focusing on ourselves, anything is possible. We can’t worry about the seeding or anything like that or who

we’re going to play, we just have to focus on the next game because that’s all that matters.” Manhattan

Maddie Mulkigian Senior Writer

will head to

Atlantic City for the MAAC Tournament on March 7 after playing Mount St. Mary’s Mar 4 at 2:00 in Draddy Gymnasi-

um. The time and opponent of Manhattan’s tournament game are to be determined.

Logan Padgett and the Manhattan men’s basketball team defeated Quinnipiac in the last seconds after being down by 21 in the first half. @GOJASPERS/COURTESY

RaShawn Stores: A Jasper Through and Through

Caroline McCarthy Senior Writer

Just days before the start of the 2022-2023 basketball season, Associate Head Coach RaShawn Stores stepped up for his alma mater’s program and took on the role as interim head coach of the Jasper basketball team. During the turmoil of both coach and player turnover, Stores focused on keeping morale high and placing the team’s fate in God.

“You know a lot of this was out of my control,” Stores said. “I just wanted to be around these young men and give them the best experience they could possibly have - especially through the adversity and all of the tough times they went through.”

Stores is a long-time Jasper. He started his journey in Draddy Gymnasium 10 years ago as a walk-on for the 20122013 team, where he earned MAAC All-Rookie Team honors. This team went on to win back-to-back championships in the 2013-2014 season and 20142015 season. Stores, a two-year captain of the squad, finished out his career on the court as a Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American in the 2015-2016 season.

“Coach Stores has always had an authentic relationship with the players on the Jasper squad,” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly said. “There is a mutual respect between the players and coach. He knows the dedication and hard work that goes into being a student-athlete as a former Jasper.”

Stores was drawn to Manhattan College for the family-like atmosphere, naming his brother, Michael Alvarado, Rhamel Brown, Tyler Wilson

and former head coach Steve Masiello as key people in his journey.

“We just became a brotherhood and a family,” Stores said. “Rhamel came back to help coach with me [because of this brotherhood].”

As a former player, Stores said he handled this year’s tribulations the way he would have wanted a coach to when he was on the team; saying the most important thing was to stay connected and have the best season they could possibly have. Stores says his biggest success so far isn’t any singular win, but seeing the team take on a new form.

“To see young men like Nick Brennan, Logan Padgett, Matt Glassman, Adam Cisse… a bunch of these young men that haven’t played big minutes get some confidence and you know, start making some plays and just seeing how happy they are [is my biggest success] this season,” Stores said.

Stores instills this confidence in his players with a positive mindset and daily habits that inspire a tough work ethic for his players.

“Everybody believes in everybody,” Stores said. “We have eight to ten to eleven guys that can play. And that’s how we’ve had success.”

Stores sees the opportunity to coach this specific team as a gift from God. Athletic Director U finds the average age of a Division I basketball coach is 42.6 years old. Stores is noticeably younger than his peers, and yet is producing big wins against top teams like Siena.

“I always say, keep God first,” Stores said. “I’m only 31. So I’ve been blessed. And just grateful.”

Stores has built an inseparable bond with these players. By bridging the relationship

between peer and leader, while having experienced what it means to really be a Jasper himself, Stores inspired his team this season to strive for great things. So much so, that players are advocating on social media for Manhattan to “remove the interim title” from RaShawn’s name.

“RaShawn as a coach has been the best thing for our program,” Aryan Arora said. “As a second year player, I have seen a major change in everybody since last year.”

Arora says he feels many players were not used to their full potential last year, as the offense was dominated by one singular player.

“Coach Ray [RaShawn] has elevated everybody by embracing a team offense that gets everyone involved. We love playing for him,” Arora said. .

Stores changed the overall culture of the team this year. He’s been reported to be delivering Dunkin’ Donuts to different departments, forming supportive relationships with other teams at the college, serving food at Lockes, and talking to students on the Quad with his daughter. Stores says he does this to let students know he is a part of the community and was once in their shoes.

“We showed [the team] a video of how it was when we played to let them know like - get out there, see the fans, see the student body and get out there in the community,” Stores said. “When you show them love you get that love back. That’s what these young men are starting to realize.”

The Jaspers enter the MAAC Tournament this week with 12 wins and 17 losses, with two big wins against third seed Siena, and a close overtime match with rival Iona.

“He is the right man for the job,” Arora said. “The interim

tag must be removed.”

And who might continue Stores’ Jasper legacy? Stores met the Assistant Head Coach of the Women’s Team, Callan Stores, when he started coach-

2015.

ing for Manhattan. The two are now married and have a daughter who is known to make a cameo at Draddy every now and then.

RaShawn Stores on the Manhattan Basketball team in

GOJASPERS/COURTESY

MC Conquers CSU in First Men’s Baseball Win of Season

With a slow start to the season, Manhattan College’s men’s baseball team slid into Sunday’s game against CSU Bakersfield with the hopes to win. After a hard fought game, the Jaspers were able to relish in their victory of 5-4: the first win of the season, with standouts Jack Lynch and Oliver Pudvar.

Even though the Jaspers lost the series over the span of the weekend, on Feb. 26, MC took the field against CSU Bakersfield and exhibited an impressive force of defense and offense, including two major strikeouts in the second inning, keeping the score at a steady 0-0.

The team came out swinging in the third inning, with Lynch providing the first RBI of the game for Pete Duroucher and himself to score, bringing the game to a 2-0 lead. Nick Plue was the next to score after Zahan Meyer singled to left field, allowing an opening for Plue to advance from second.

Coach Dave Miller, who is currently in the beginning of his first season with MC, expressed his faith in his team to overcome any obstacle that comes their way. He spoke of the capacity of the mental game of sports, and how once the team starts tapping into that, they will continue to win.

“It’s being mentally prepared, physically prepared, just like it is anything else in life,” Miller said. “The more I can keep these guys positive and upbeat and the more I can keep them from getting down on themselves because they had one bad day, or two bad days or three bad days. It’s just a crazy thing. For me, the mental aspect of sports is insane.”

The top of the 6th started off with some decent defense from CSU, not allowing MC to score. As soon as CSU took the plate, they were able to push back, scoring an additional 3 runs and tying the game up.

With 3-3 score, Manhattan inched along into the seventh inning and placed their faith in freshman pitcher Pudvar, to provide the win.

The top of the 7th inning was telling for the MC offense, where Meyer was hit by a pitch which advanced him to 1st, and following Meyer, Lynch scored a homerun out to right field, clicking the score to 5-3.

Lynch is a 6th year, who transferred from Ithaca College in 2022, making this his second season with the team. An obvious strong leader, Coach Miller described Lynch as the “glue to MC’s offense,” and Lynch spoke on how he prepares for the amount of pressure he is under.

“I kind of understand the pressure of being that guy that is going to try to produce and help the team win,” Lynch said. “So I try to keep it simple,

like when I bat third or fourth, I know my job is to do damage and score runs. So I just try to be patient, wait for my pitch. And when I get it, you know, don’t miss it.”

During an interview, Pudvar commented on the driving reasons that allowed MC to perform so well, after losing to CSU previously in the weekend.

“I think we brought a lot of energy on Sunday, because I think that on Saturday we saw that they were definitely a beatable team,” Pudvar said. “We had a lot of energy in the dugout and then Jack Lynch hit a two run home run absolute shot. And so after that, once we got the lead 5-3, we felt like we were in control of the game and that we should win the game.”

Miller described how the team’s attitude changed during

this game compared to the other’s surrounding the weekend.

“I definitely think there was a little more pep in their step,” Miller said. “I had a little pregame meeting with them and you know, I think after starting 0-5, you can tell that the team was starting to put a little pressure on themselves…..You can tell when we got out to an early lead, the kids were really starting to feel it. The dugout was energetic.”

CSU scored their last run of the game in the bottom of the 7th, thanks to an impressive pitching performance from Pudvar who achieved a rare eight-out save to hold off the opposing team, and overcame a two-out bases-loaded scenario in the ninth. This provided Coach Miller and the Jaspers with the first win of the season.

“At first there were two guys on [base] and I ended up

hitting a batter,” Pudvar said. “Once the bases were loaded, there was a little bit of nerves for sure. I just trusted my pitches, trusted my coach for calling the pitches, and got a ground ball easy out at 1st.”

This being Pudvar’s first season as a Jasper, Coach Miller had nothing but good things to say about him.

“Oliver has that It factor that you want every athlete to have,” Miller said. “He’s very confident in his abilities; even though he’s only an 18-year-old young man, he has the mindset of a junior or a senior, he’s not afraid of anything….You don’t see too many freshmen that will take over what we call the closer role.”

With so much preparation in the works for the season, the Jasper Men’s Baseball team promises to be a standout this year.

Brooke DellaRocco Staff Writer

Jack Lynch runs down the 3rd baseline as he scores against CSU Bakersfield. GOJASPERS/ COURTESY

Women’s Basketball Tops Rider to Close Out Regular Season, Prepares for MAAC Tournament

Manhattan College women’s basketball team knocked out Rider University’s squad on Thursday, with the final score at 69-52. The win helped them close out their regular season with a 6-3 record in their last nine games.

Performances from guards

Dee Dee Davis and Bella Nascimento, who scored 26 and 13 points, respectively, helped get the Lady Jaspers another win.

After a back-and-forth 1st quarter that ended with both teams knotted at 11, the Jas-

pers came out to dominate the 2nd quarter. They outscored the Broncs 21-7, which gave them a lead and momentum that they would carry for the rest of the game.

The defense has been a strong suit for the Lady Jaspers all season, giving up just under 59 points per game. This stood true against Rider, giving up just 52 points and racking up 13 steals and 9 blocks as a team.

Dee Dee Davis led Manhattan with 5 steals.

Davis commented on how success on the defensive side of the ball is key for the team to win games.

“As Coach V harps on every

single day of every single year, the only way we’re going to get it done is our defense,” Davis said. “We want to make a statement with our defense. We held [Rider] to just about 50 points. That’s what we really want to do every night, 50 (points allowed) and under is our goal. So yeah, that’s our DNA; defense and rebounding. So it’s nice that we can really do that and capitalize off that. When we do, it usually ends up being a really good game.”

Now with the regular season over, the team is looking onward to the MAAC championship tournament, as they head out to Atlantic City to play to win it all. Last season, the Lady Jaspers made it all the way to the championship game, before losing in the championship to Fairfield.

Head coach Heather Vulin remarked on how this team is prepared up and down the roster for this year’s tournament.

“I honestly think this year’s team because of the injuries, a lot of people were able to gain experience,” Vulin said. “And so now that we’re gonna have to win four games down there, and that to me I think is really going to be beneficial. It’s not a situation where we have that top seven or eight last year. We’re going to be all hands on deck. So even though the adversity of it put us in the sixth seed, you know, I feel like that experience of everybody get-

ting a chance to play double digit minutes at times this year, or be on the floor at key times will help us, you know, look like the more experienced team down there.”

One of the players who will have a significantly bigger role is sophomore guard, Bella Nascimento. Between last season and now, she has seen herself go from averaging nine minutes per game in her freshman season, to now over 22 minutes a night and seeing herself as a consistent starter. She has been a huge contributor with those minutes for the team, averaging 10 points and leads the team with a 29.1% shooting percentage beyond the arc.

Nascimento commented on how she feels confident going into Atlantic City with a much bigger role compared to this time last season.

“I’m super excited [about the MAAC tournament],” Nascimento said. “I just have to keep my confidence up. Just keep shooting and keep just feeling positive about myself, because I know I can make these shots. I know I’m ready to play and I’m ready to do so. I just got to keep my head up and keep going.”

The Lady Jaspers will begin the tournament on Tuesday, March 7th. After finishing the season strong, they will look to finish business in Atlantic City and take home the championship.

Andrew Mannion Asst. Sports Editor

The Lady Jaspers beat Rider 69-52 on Thursday night. VINCENT DUSOVIC/COURTESY

Dee Dee Davis (#1) drives in for a layup against Rider. VINCENT DUSOVIC/COURTESY