OPINION
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R Serving Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of over 10,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.
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Editor-in-Chief Joe Vitale Managing Editor Katie Meyer Copy Chief Robert Frerich Assistant Copy Chief Sydney Keen Executive Copy Editors Katie Nolan Canton Winer Max Prinz Michael Cavanaugh Kelly Kultys News Editor Laura Sanicola Assistant News Editors Erin Shanahan Cailin McKenna Opinion Editor Margarita Artoglou Assistant Opinion Editor Kristen Santer Culture Editors Nicole Horton & Amanda Giglio Sports Editor Anthony Pucik Assistant Sports Editors Sam Belden & Drew Casey Photo Editor Casey Chun Assistant Photo Editors Kellyn Simpkins Christian Wiloejo Layout Editor Mae Drucker Digital Editors Blaine Kaniewski Anna Carey Amanda Maile Business Director Mike Krzysko Business Staff Ryan Chand Faculty Advisor Dr. Beth Knobel Editorial Page Policy The Fordham Ram’s editorial and ramblings topics are selected on a weekly basis and reflect the editorial board’s view on a campus issue. Opinions Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramletters@ gmail.com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Fordham Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.
April 29, 2015
From the Desk | Amanda Maile
Claiming Armenian Heritage Amid Remembrance Although my last name and bright red hair do not show it, I am Armenian. My father was adopted by Italian Americans living in Philadelphia, but his biological father, Arthur Sacharian, came from Armenia. Growing up, I never knew much about Armenia, its culture, or the people who live there. In fact, the only knowledge I had about this part of my heritage came from the elderly Armenian couple who has lived next door to me all my life. Every Christmas, they make different Armenian desserts and share them with us. However, as I have grown older, I have hungered for more than these sweet treats and wanted to know more about where my family comes from. This knowledge came flooding in recently, with the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In 1915, the Turkish government began to expel and massacre Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire. Although the exact number is unknown, it is esti-
mated that nearly one and a half million Armenians died during the genocide. Reading about this tragic moment in Armenian history felt unsettling. I wondered why I had never learned about it in school, did not know of any monuments commemorating those who lost their lives and were exiled and had never talked about it with my father. From what I gather, this terrible moment in history has gone unacknowledged all over the world. Only 26 countries around the world recognize the events as genocide, and only 43 states of the United States recognize the genocide, excluding Texas, Wyoming, Iowa, Indiana, Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia. I do not know my relatives and ancestors who came from Armenia, I do not go to the Armenian church and do not know how to say more than “hello” and “goodbye” in the Armenian language. Despite this, I still feel a strong connection to this country and
recognize its importance and value. Furthermore, I cannot wrap my head around the fact that many countries, politicians and people in general do not recognize this tragic event for what it was: genocide. An article about the genocide from the Daily Beast says, “Genocide is not the murder of people but the murder of a people.” To me, the tragedy that occurred 100 years ago should be understood and recognized, not only to hold those accountable who carried out the crimes, but also to promote healing for the Armenian people and all those affected by the genocide. Fortunately, the centennial of the Armenian Genocide showed a push for worldwide recognition. Across many major cities in the United States, people took part in rallies commemorating the genocide. French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin gathered at the Armenian Genocide Memorial
Complex in Yerevan to remember those who lost their lives and were exiled. Even Pope Francis recognized the genocide in early April. In learning about the history of Armenia, the good and the bad, I feel closer to a part of my heritage that for so long had gone unnoticed. Furthermore, I think that educating others about this beautiful country and its rich history will help the world acknowledge those tragic events of 100 years ago and help the Armenian people continue to heal.
Editorial | Student Life
Talking, and Fostering Change on Campus In the past several weeks, as the semester has drawn closer to its end, Fordham Daily, USA Today, and The Fordham Ram have published articles addressing systemic problems with various Fordham departments, including the Office of Student Life (OSL), the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD) and the Office of Residential Life (ResLife). Canton Winer, FCRH ’15 and a former managing editor of The Ram, wrote articles for both The Ram and USA Today, raising serious questions about OSL and Fordham’s free speech restrictions. In the USA Today article, titled “Viewpoint: In the 'Ten Worst Colleges for Free Speech,' Where is My School?” he asserted that Fordham’s “unfriendly” speech policies encourage students to blindly accept the “status quo.” The modified but similar version of the article that later appeared in The Ram as an op-ed, titled “Silence of the Rams: Fordham’s Free
Speech Problem,” quickly became one of the most read Ram articles of the year. Another op-ed in The Ram by Frank Sivilli, FCRH ’15, titled “How Administrators Caused a Culture of Apathy,” also quickly rose to one of the semester’s most popular reads. Sivilli spoke of a dispirited indifference that has descended on Fordham, fostered, he argued, by OSLCD’s stringent policies on club activities that make it difficult to hold activities that appeal to a diverse student body. And just this Monday, Connor Ryan, FCRH ’15 and former editor-in-chief of The Ram, published an investigative story titled “RA s Speak Out: ResLife has become Mismanaged Workplace” on his news blog, Fordham Daily. Ryan delved into ResLife’s reportedly dysfunctional inner workings, speaking to a number of current and former Resident Assistants and professional employees, all of whom went anonymous for fear of
reprisal by administrators. Ryan has reported that the post has garnered tens of thousands of views in just a few days. Unsurprisingly, most of the most articulated and pointed criticism has come from graduating seniors, like Winer, Sivili and Ryan. With commencement around the corner, members of the class of 2015 seem to feel they have nothing to lose. But they are not the only ones speaking out. Here at The Ram, we have had a sudden uptick in students responding to our articles; in fact, in recent years we have never seen an outpouring of voices on this scale. We have gone from receiving just a one or two to the editor over the entire semester, to receiving three in the past two weeks. Fordham’s Respect for Life chapter, the subject of a recent editorial, also responded to The Ram online, countering some of the points made in our piece. Dozens of online comments have been debating
the content of our articles for the past semester. As each of the articles garners more and more views and the criticisms of our campus mount, several important truths are becoming more clear. Life on campus is good, but it can be better. Students are required to follow university policies, but it does not mean we cannot question them, either in campus publications, on social media or in conversation. The ultimate test is whether students can translate words into action. We have always had all the tools we need to inspire change, but now, we have what students like Sivilli argued has been missing for far too long: the determination to make campus a better place for everyone. As this semester comes to a close, we at The Ram encourage our fellow students not to lose that motivation. Stay engaged. Stay inspired. And be prepared for an even more exciting fall semester.
Letter to the Editor Re: “Leveling the Field between Gabelli and FCRH” April 22, 2015 Dear Editor, I would like to respond to an article in The Fordham Ram posted on April 22 entitled “Leveling the Field between Gabelli and FCRH,” as well as a host of other recent articles that have been written about the Gabelli School. School spirit isn’t at the top of the list of Fordham’s attributes — that we all know. Sporting games aren’t well-attended and the student body is rarely united under any one cause or event. As I sit here reading these articles, I can’t help but feel like I’m
starting to see why. As a student who spent her freshman year in FCRH and the two following years in GSB, I can say that I have a pretty good idea of what it is like to be a part of each. I have the utmost respect for both schools, both curriculums and both administrations. That being said, I find it perturbing to read articles that appear biased and critical towards one school in particular. The article I referenced above entirely lacks equal representation and on occasion lacks truth. I could go into further detail regarding my own opinions on the language requirement and other things that students of both schools take issue with, but I’m going to re-
frain, as that is not the point of this letter. I’m not going to argue that one school is easier, or that one school is harder, or better or worse. Nor am I going to argue that either school deserves praise or criticism. I believe all of these points are all irrelevant. We are one body of students, and we all attend Fordham. While we may attend different schools within our university, that is simply because we are pursuing our different interests. When did choosing a major and future career path become something to disparage others about? Why are we assigning stigmas to either school? Why is there this feeling of opposition among us? We
are all students. We all know what it is like to cram for an exam or stress about an interview. So why does it matter what we’re studying for or what job we’re going for? My point is, we as students need to stop characterizing people based on which school they are enrolled in or what their major is. It does not matter if you are studying art history or accounting. We all work hard, we all have goals, and we all want to succeed. At the end of our four years, who we become as people reaches far beyond what we study in school. —Lily Zalla To read the original article, see FordhamRam.com