Health
Feature
The Pace Chronicle
Page 2
Characters on Campus:
Michael Fridman, The Closest Pace Will Ever Come to a Superhero Cecilia Levine
Feature Editor Cecilia.R.Levine@Pace.edu
Heads turn and people murmur as he walks into the weight room and strips himself of an oversized gray ski jacket. He plugs in his ear buds to the latest rap singles and chalks up his hands in preparation for today’s routine. An intimidating 225 lbs are slid with ease onto the barbell which in minutes will be high above the heads in the crowded weight room. “I usually just work for strength and power,” said senior double math and physics major and chemistry minor Michael Fridman. Rule number one: do not under any circumstances disturb Michael Fridman during a workout. He gives himself only one off-day a week, which means the second that the music goes on, it’s go time. Many consider Michael Fridman to be bionic. His ability to drink copious amounts of alcohol with the only repercussion being a sore liver, on top of his gift of being able to easily consume fifteen thousand calories on bulk-up day are only two rumored traits of the superhuman sensation. Despite the inconceivable reports that have students murmuring, all rumors stem from a truth. “The craziest things aren’t really rumors, they’re stories.” said masters of public administration graduate student and former roommate to Fridman, Sam Fandrich. “Everyone that knows Mike has a story they tell about
Photo from Maral Javadifar Michael Fridman.
how much he can eat, or drink, or how much he works out.” Twenty-four year old Fridman can and will drink anyone under the table. His body processes alcohol differently which means he can drink up to three handles without feeling even remote effects. Going shot-for-shot with the invincible is strongly discouraged. The prodigy makes a reputation for himself by giving everything he attempts his 100 percent. Fandrich was able to witness Fridman’s success firsthand. “He gets up early every day and goes to the gym where he lifts more weight than anyone there. Then he attends the hardest classes and gets better grades than anyone there. And then he goes out and everyone wants to hang out with him.” As soon as Mike completed his three years of service in the Israeli Defense Force he enrolled in Pace as a biology-chemistry major and later decided to double
major and added physics to the agenda. The golden child wasn’t satisfied with his immaculate GPA so he challenged himself by switching over to his current double major in math and physics with a minor in chemistry. He is currently a member of the international Golden Key Honors Society, an elite club for Pace’s finest students. Fridman excels in every possible area, even meal consumption, which brings us to rule number two: all meals are to be eaten without interruption, rather, a bulk-up-day meal, for concentration purposes. “It started as this crazy diet where I would try to go reach an intake of twenty thousand calories per day,” said Fridman, whose thick Russian accent makes him sound like The Terminator. “The other days were three thousand calorie diets, which for me is basically starvation.” Why would anyone want to put themselves through that crazy diet? People have resorted to bizarre eating habits in hopes of losing weight or achieving some sort of goal. Fridman, however, just wanted to challenge himself because he clearly already has everybody else beat. Rule number three: do not interrupt Fridman while he is in the pool. The Israeli warrior took no time in proving that he is indeed the Poseidon of his time. Fridman broke records at his very first swim meet and currently holds Pace’s highest record in the 100 and 200 free styles as well as in many of the relays. He attained
captainship his sophomore year in 2011 and held the position through his junior year. “The guy definitely impresses everyone he meets,” admitted Fandrich. “His drive is what impresses me the most, he does everything at such an advanced level.” Mike is one of the few people that has a knack for just about everything he tries his hand at. Whether it be molding his body to fit the qualifications of a statue in Metropolitan Museum of Art, sucking down unwieldy proportions of food because he feels like it or proving that he is in fact a merman, there is no doubting that Pace has acquired itself a superhero. “My favorite crazy mike story is when the weight fell on his head at the gym,” said Fandrich. “I think that proves he’s a robot.” Fridman most cherishes his American family – the brothers of Alpha Chi Epsilon, of which he is the new member educator as well as risk manager, and the sisters of Alpha Lambda Sigma. Postgraduation Mike has free range of almost any field he wants, considering his majors and leadership positions cover just about all of them. If you want to get a chance to know the sensation himself when he’s not swimming, or eating, or achieving obnoxious success in the most rigorous of courses, just wait outside of the bar because somehow, he finds time to party too. Rule number four: no autographs please.
When Laundry Strikes Back Cecilia Levine
Feature Editor Cecilia.R.Levine@Pace.edu
When it comes to academic productivity in college, most students are pretty good about completing work on time. Educational institutions establish academic deadlines as early as the first grade in an effort to drill organizational habits into the malleable minds of young disciples. Eventually, children learn to integrate structural behaviors into their daily lives. There seems to be one area that will always lack in organization: laundry. Students typically have begun to procrastinate doing laundry even more so than their homework. Why is the sporadic task so easily dreaded, specifically at Pace? It just so happens that there is a laundry list of reasons. “I very much dislike having to walk so far to the laundry room,” said junior philosophy major Quadry Harris. The distance between laundry rooms and most dorm rooms makes the task of washing garments even more unappealing for Pace students. Lugging weeks worth of clothing down the stairs of Martin or up to the second row at the houses is what makes an
otherwise hop, skip and a jump seem like a journey to Guam. “It’s bad enough to have to walk outside the house in the cold,” said junior accounting major Tyler McHugh. “What’s even worse is getting to the laundry room just to find out that all of the machines are broken.” Many students are frustrated by the fact that more often than not the machines in the laundry rooms are undergoing repairs, rather, should be undergoing repairs. There are four washers and dryers in almost every laundry room at Pace. The inconvenience of a single broken machine cuts down the functioning appliances by twenty five percent, leaving students with only three functioning machines at a time. Three machines per dorm is not enough to help students stay on top of the chore. “There used to be three laundry rooms at the townhouses,” said junior criminal justice major John Manzo. “It’s really inconvenient for the townhouse community.” The newly established Residence Assistants’ office took the place of the third townhouse laundry room last summer. Residents of the townhouses now have eight washers and eight dryers. These machines are expected to service
Photo by Arthur Augustyn/ The Pace Chronicle
How often do you forget your clothes in the laundry?
the 280 residents often leading to a battle among students. Laundry pushes our body’s limits, testing not only strength in the mass transportation of clothing but also agility. Being able to quickly reach to the washers is crucial when competition gets stiff. As with any competition, there are quitters – some Pace students take a brief hiatus. The next round of battling competitors is then faced with a sopping pile of a stranger’s laundry staring them in the face. “People tend to forget their laundry in the machines way after their clothes are finished,” said junior applied psychology major Josh Molyneux. Granted, it’s easy to get caught
up in other activities while waiting for the laundry cycle to finish, but it seems more often than not that there seems to be leftover clothing lingering in the washer. “We’re not supposed to touch anyone else’s things,” said junior psychology major Nadya Hall. “We’re then left with piles of wet clothes and nowhere to put them.” One of the downsides of dorming is faring the frequent inconsideration of neighbors, an experience that lucky commuters avoid. Clearly complaints of laundry are not unwarranted. Some may blame failure to follow through on laziness. All things considered though, the lack of energy post laundry is enough to drain a toddler on a sugar high. Being that there are no elevators in the dorms and the fact that the old dumbwaiters that some of the buildings do have are completely non-functional, it is up to the individual himself to transport his or her own laundry. When you feel like you need to get your blood flowing but don’t feel like making a trip to the gym, consider doing some laundry. It will without a doubt give your muscles a run for their money and leave you feeling fresh, and fly, like a Downey champion should.
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
The Pace Chronicle Editorial Staff Ali Silver
Editor-in-Chief
Alexandra.R.Silver@pace.edu Tafasha Pitt Arthur Augustyn Managing Editor Layout/Web Editor Olivia Mapplethorpe Senior Copy Editor
Brian Keegan Copy Editor
Erin O’Gorman News Editor
Cecilia Levine Feature Editor
Samantha Finch Christiana Lloyd Entertainment Editor Health Editor Ebony Turner Opinion Editor
CJ Dudek Sports Editor
Operational Staff Christine Gramlich Business Manager Arthur Augustyn Distribution Prof. Michael Perrota Faculty Advisor mperrota@pacechronicle.com
Contributors Jonathan Alvarez Jonathan.Alvarez@pace.edu Mary Alice Hall MaryAlice.Hall@pace.edu Derek Kademian Derek.H.Kademian@pace.edu Carlos Villamayor Carlos.D.Villamayor@pace.edu The Pace Chronicle is published by Trumbull Printing: (203) 261-2548 Written and edited by the students of Pace University, The Pace Chronicle is published weekly during the academic year. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of administration, faculty and The Pace Chronicle staff. The Pace Chronicle encourages responses to the opinions expressed herein, and welcomes letters and comments. The Pace Chronicle cannot guarantee publication of letters to the editor or unsolicited manuscripts, and reserves the right to edit or comment editorially on them. Appearance of an advertisement in The Pace Chronicle does not imply endorsements by the members of the editorial board, the advisor, or Pace University of the products or services offered. All photos and copyrights reserved unless otherwise indicated. Subscription and advertising rates available upon request.
The Pace Chronicle, Pace University 861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, N.Y. 10570 Phone: (914) 773-3401 PaceChronicle@pace.edu www.PaceChronicle.com
The Pace Chronicle Meetings: Monday 9 p.m. 3rd floor of Willcox Hall. Open to all students!