VOLUME 94, ISSUE 16 OCTOBER 3, 2012

SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

FOR OVER 90 YEARS1918-2012

STAY UPDATEDtheramonline.com

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MTA fares affect a variety of students.

Opinions PAGE 8 Culture PAGE 13

Jay-Z christens the Barclays Cen-ter with opening concert.

Sports PAGE 19

Football team implements new traditions.

By KELLY KULTYSASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Th e new, state-of-the-art fi tness facility located in the basement of McGinley, the previous site of the Ramskellar, will open its doors for business on Oct 15. Th e new fi tness center hopes to welcome those of all fi tness levels and serve the entire Fordham population from students to faculty — even alumni.

“We’re very, very proud of this facility,” John Puglisi, assistant vice president of facilities opera-tions, said, in an interview.

“We got almost everything we wished for when the project came on board,” Mike Roberts, the assistant athletic director for Intramurals, club sports and recreation, said. “Th e only thing missing was a shower and chang-ing facility, but we just ran out of square footage.”

Th e McGinley Fitness Center will add about 9,000 square feet of athletic facilities to the Rose Hill Campus.

“Th is space has good bones,” Puglisi said. “It was a good space to build in. It’s bigger than the fi tness facility at Columbia. It’s much bigger than the one at NYU. I think we were able to get this fa-cility to function at its best.”

Th e main area of the fi tness center will feature a wide array of cardio machines, including tread-mills, cross trainers, adaptive mo-tion trainers and bicycles. Each one is equipped with top-of-the-line accommodations, including large interactive touch-screens on each machine on which students can dock their iPods or even ac-

cess their Netfl ix accounts. Th e area also includes large HDTVs hanging from the walls and access to natural lighting.

Around the perimeter of the cardio equipment, there are nu-merous cable and strength-train-ing machines. Within the main area of the fi tness center there is also a stretching and body-weight strength-training area, which in-cludes equipment such as medi-cine balls, stability balls, body bars and light, free weights.

Besides the central space, the fi tness facility off ers two brand-new studios, which will allow for group fi tness classes, something Fordham has been looking to ex-pand on for a long time.

“When they mandated this, they gave us a prett y good bud-get for group fi tness classes and instructors,” Roberts said. “We’re

going to be able to off er things we never had the chance to before.”

One of the studios is designed to accommodate a large variety of group fi tness classes, anything from yoga to Zumba to bootcamp. It also can be used to accommo-date dance teams during the times when there are no classes off ered.

“It has state-of-the-art sound in here,” Roberts said. “You can blast the music for classes in here. Th ere are mirrors with LED light-ing around them to do whatever you’d like with it.”

Th e other studio includes por-table spin bikes, designed espe-cially for spinning classes.

“Th e bikes are portable so you can move them around,” Roberts said. “So if we need more rehearsal space, we can have it if we need it.”

Beyond the studios, there is a designated weight-lift ing

and strength-training area that includes a wide range of free weights, in addition to strength-training and plate-loaded equip-ment.

“We put this at the very end, so [students] don’t feel on top of one another,” Roberts said.

Reconstructing the Ramskel-lar into a fi tness center included many challenges for the facilities and athletic departments.

“Wrestling the space from So-dexo was probably the hardest part,” Leon Kokoszka, the facil-ity’s project manager, said.

“We worked a lot over the sum-mer, which we prefer to do,” Pug-lisi said. “But we really needed this month of September, because [this construction] didn’t lend it-self to a 10-week schedule, since we wanted to do so much.”

New McGinley Fitness Center to Open Next Week

Gabelli Visits Campus for Hughes Hall Dedication

Roach Named New A.D.

By EDDIE MIKUSSTAFF WRITER

The transformation from Hughes Hall the residence hall to home of Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business (GSB) was made complete at a ribbon-cut-ting ceremony held on Sept. 27.

At the ceremony, several deans in GSB gave speeches, as did do-nor Mario Gabelli, GSB ’65, the school’s namesake, and Rev. Jo-seph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University. The building was also officially blessed during the ceremony.

GSB officials marked the oc-casion with several laudatory re-marks about the new building.

“It is the perfect mix of old-world charm and modern-day business elegance,” Dr. Donna Rappacioli, dean of the Gabelli School of Business said, accord-ing to an article on Fordham Uni-versity’s website. “It is a physical

space that respects history but leads to the future. And it is, most importantly, a home. As any pro-fessor here will tell you, the glass walls make it very easy to see who’s at home. And, in truth, we are all at home.”

Students also had positive re-actions to the dedication.

“I thought it was very fitting for the event of giving us our new building,” Aurelia O’Keefe, GSB ’15, said.

She went on to say that she es-pecially appreciated the decision to bless Hughes Hall.

O’Keefe is a student in the Global Business Honors Program (GBHP), the members of which were invited to help host the event. Others in attendance in-cluded various donors to the Uni-versity, as well as GSB students connected with certain groups within Fordham University.

Additionally, Gabelli rented

By CHESTER BAKERSPORTS EDITOR

Aft er an extensive nationwide search, Fordham named David T. Roach the new director of intercol-legiate athletics and recreation. Th e hiring was announced via an email from Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, on Sept. 26. Th e position, more commonly known as the athletic director, re-quires Roach to manage all the Divi-sion I sports Fordham has to off er.

Roach will take over for Frank McLaughlin, who was promoted to assistant vice president for Athletic Alumni Relations earlier this year af-ter serving as the athletic director for the past three decades.

Roach resigned from his posi-tion of athletic director at Colgate in August to pursue other opportuni-ties aft er eight years there. Prior to his time at Colgate, Roach served as the athletic director at Brown for 14 years, a period in which the Ivy League school won seven national championships.

During his time at Colgate, Roach led the Raiders to 14 NCAA appear-ances as well as 17 Patriot League titles, or ECAC championships. Th e program also boasted a 100 percent graduation rate in Roach’s fi nal year.

Th e decision ended a long search for McLaughlin’s replacement.

“Th ough we had a number of highly-qualifi ed candidates from which to choose, David’s long expe-rience, winning record in Division I and emphasis on superior academic performance made the decision an easy one for us,” McShane wrote in an email to all students.

McShane also cited Roach’s ability to fundraise as a primary reason for the hiring. Fordham’s new athletic director also serves on the board of directors and as a treasurer for the Black Coaches and Administra-tors. Roach will now take on a new responsibility, as he looks to bring Fordham back to prominence in the Atlantic 10 and Patriot League.

“I'm extremely excited about join-ing the Fordham University family,” Roach said in a press release. “I can-not wait to get to campus and begin working with Father McShane, the University administration, commu-nity, outstanding coaches and athlet-ic staff to accomplish great things for Fordham student-athletes. I have al-ways admired Fordham's educational mission and the role that intercolle-giate athletics plays in accomplishing that mission.”

He also voiced his excitement on Twitt er, as he tweeted “Can't wait to start working with everyone at Ford-ham!” from his personal account.

Roach will take over his new posi-tion on Oct. 15, and will be formerly introduced to students on Oct. 4.SEE HUGHES, PAGE 4

SEE FITNESS, PAGE 2

Cardio Equipment, Strength Machines and New Studios Are Set to Fill the 9,000 Square Foot, Top-of-the-Line Facility

New Building Received Praise from Faculty, Alumni and Students for Its Impressive Design at Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The McGinley Fitness Center will supplement the Lombardi Center, with an emphasis on the health of all students.

Hughes Hall contains state-of-the-art technology, including Bloomberg terminals.

PHOTO BY KATE DOHENY/THE RAM

PHOTO BY PATRICK DOHERTY/THE RAM

NEWSPAGE 2 • THE RAM •

SECURITY

BRIEFSSept. 26,

D-Train, Grand Concourse-125th Harlem

3 p.m.A student reported to security that

she took the D-train to Manhatt an and left her wallet and keys on the train. Six hours later she received a call from her bank stating that some-one att empted to withdraw money from her bank account. NYPD was notifi ed and fi led a report for grand larceny. Th e student changed her lock.

Sept. 27,Lombardi Center

7:15 p.m.A student placed her purse on a

rack in the Lombardi Center. Upon her return 20 minutes later, she dis-covered $21 was missing from her purse. Security is investigating .

Sept. 27,Coff ey Field

7- 9p.m.Two students reported that they

put a gym bag on a Coff ey Field bench. Th e students went to play ball and upon their return they discov-ered some of their property missing. Two iPhone 4s and $30 dollars were stolen.

Sept. 27A student reported she was receiv-

ing numerous texts and calls from an ex-boyfriend who continued to call her. Th e NYPD were notifi ed and the student fi led a complaint for ag-gravated harassment.

Sept. 28,191st Street and Hoff man St

2 a.m.A security guard observed two stu-

dents fi ghting. Security responded and identifi ed the parties involved. Both parties declined to fi le a police report.

Sept. 28, East Fordham Road and Jerome

Avenue3 p.m.

A student said that she entered the BX-12 bus. She went to Jerome Avenue from Fordham Road and Bathgate. A male bumped into her in the rear of the bus. She exited the bus and realized her property was miss-ing, including her wallet and credit cards. Th e NYPD was notifi ed and the student fi led a report.

Sept. 28,Arthur House I

9 p.m.A fi re alarm went off due to a

smoke condition spurred by burning food on a stove. Th e FDNY respond-ed. Th ere were no injuries or prop-erty damage. Th e alarm was reset.

Sept. 29, Loschert Hall

2:40 a.m.A student from another building

att empted to enter Loschert Hall with an altered ID. Th e student was apprehended and reported to Resi-dential Life.

Oct. 1,Parking Garage9 a.m-2:30 p.m.

A student parked his car in the parking garage at 9 a.m. At 2:30 p.m., when he came to retrieve his car, he foudn it missing and realized his keys were stolen from his backpack dur-ing class. Th e student notifi ed secu-rity and NYPD. Th e car was found the following day, but investigations continued.

—Compiled by Karen Hill, Assistant News Editor

theramonline.com

Th ursday, Oct. 4,Finance Society MeetingFreeman 1051 p.m.Th ursday, Oct. 4,Jumpstart’s Read for theRecordMeet at Ram Van2 – 4:30 p.m.Th ursday, Oct. 4,Taboo Night,Commuter Students Association,McGinley Student Lounge 5-7p.mSaturday, Oct. 6,NYC Regional Students ForLife ConferenceDuane Library11:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.Sunday, Oct. 7,Pulaski Day ParadePolish Cultural Exchange,10:30 a.m.Meet at Walsh Gate Library

THISweek at

FORDHAM

Working through September when school began included many more challenges for the staff because they had to work around Sodexo’s schedule as well as all others who use the McGinley Center, since many of the pipes and wires within the space are interconnected throughout the building.

Another problem the work crew faced was trying to get mate-rials in and out of the basement of McGinley.

“We had to make some new openings, because going back and forth with a single door for some of the equipment just wasn’t working,” Kokoszka said. “We changed a lot of the doors and we had to work very closely with Sodexo because we were sharing their loading dock.”

Th ey also worked hard to ad-dress a popular complaint many students had — the air and tem-perature in the Lombardi center.

“From a building standpoint, the biggest problem was ventila-tion and air conditioning,” Puglisi said. “[We had to] make sure we could get enough air out, while gett ing enough cool air in.”

Th e staff was able to come just under the $1.9 million budget they received and still implement all of the new designs and state-of-the-art machinery.

“I think [they] did a great job managing the budget,” Pug-lisi said. “A project like this really could have run away quickly.”

Besides the opening of the new fi tness center, the athletic depart-ment also welcomes a new staff member to help direct both facili-ties.

“Th ey budgeted for a new full-time staff member, Sarah Bick-ford, who will manage this facility as well as oversee Lombardi, be-cause we really want to make sure we’re not forgett ing about that fa-cility,” Roberts said. “She’ll be in charge of the instructional staff as well as the student workers.”

Bickford plans to start with a sampling of popular classes for the group fi tness programs as well as taking students’ feedback on what types of classes they would like to

have. “We are hoping to have every-

thing from Zumba to total body conditioning to spinning, even pilates, yoga,” Bickford, the new administrator of fi tness and rec-reation, said. “I’m hoping to do hybrids of things as well as taking requests that make sense to the population on campus.”

Th e classes will be off ered in the morning, midday and in the evening so students with diff er-ing schedules have a chance to fi t as many in as possible. Th e sched-ules are still fl exible to change in response to student and faculty demands.

Th e new McGinley Fitness Center can hold up to 200 people at a time, including staff and work-ers, and it plans to follow the same hours as the Lombardi Center, which are 6 a.m. until midnight during the week and 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on the weekends.

Th ere are still a few small details that have to be completed in the days before the offi cial opening.

“Th e audio and video machines have to be tested,” Kokoszka said. “But the biggest thing left is get-ting the building department to fi nalize all the inspections.”

“On our end, we have instruc-tional staff to hire and training for everyone to go through, with the cardio equipment especially,”

Roberts said. Overall, the staff is extremely

proud and excited to open the doors of the new facility.

“We were very happy with our architect [ Jack L. Gordon Archi-tects],” Puglisi said. “Th ey were the original architects on Citi Field and the architect for the Brooklyn Cyclones’ facility, so they came with an athletic and recreational background that we were able to tap into for what the

fl ow should be. It’s a bit of a spe-cialized design.”

Th e new facility is complete, with everything the staff could have desired. Th ey now hope stu-dents will have the chance to en-joy it for themselves.

“When we got together with the architects, we were just giddy with the prospects,” Roberts said. “We got everything we hoped for. It was like Santa came and wrote down your wishlist for you.”

FROM FITNESS, PAGE 1

Fitness Facility To Off er Variety of Group Classes

Fordham in the Bronx

Just last year, a Fordham stu-dent could walk nearly a half-mile down Fordham Road — from Hero City Deli east of Arthur Avenue, to Subway across from the Walsh Li-brary—without seeing a single sand-wich shop. But that day has passed.

Th is summer, that same stretch of Fordham Road welcomed two new delis: Th e Best Deli & Grill (known to many simply as “Best”) and Cam-pus Deli Grill (similarly known as “Campus Deli”). Th e area, once as thin for sandwich-eaters as a panini, is now fuller than an overstuff ed Dagwood.

Only a month into the semes-ter and some students already have chosen their favorites. Taylor Fields, FCRH ’14, has made his choice clear.

“Overall, I gott a give it to Best […] you can get all sorts of diff erent cheeseburgers, you can get stuff with avocado on it,” Fields said. “Th at’s hard to fi nd in the Bronx. [Th ey] also have a lot of Arizona Iced Teas, which is huge.”

Best opened in May, on the south

side of Fordham Road between Bathgate and Lorillard.

Th e shop had been open through-out the summer and built a customer base of Fordham students on cam-pus for summer session, including Kris Venezia, FCRH ’15.

“Th ere’s a reason they call it Best Deli,” Venezia said. “Th e food’s the best, the service is the best and the prices are the best.”

Being open throughout summer allowed Best to gain a reputation be-fore most students came back for fall semester.

“As soon as I entered campus, the fi rst day of school, I was already berated with people telling me that Best Deli was the best deli to go to and that I simply must go,” Dan Stracquadanio, FCRH ’15, said. “Th ey were right. Best Deli truly was the best.”

Campus Deli, on the north side of Fordham Road, just west of Hoff -man, has dedicated fans as well.

“Th e experience at Campus Deli is inviting and overall warmer than

Best or Simon's,” Geoff Holman, GSB ’14, said. “Plus the prices are much more reasonable.”

Still, Campus has been working to gain customers. Co-owner George said they’ve been gett ing a lot of business from Fordham students.

“We want more though,” he said. He tried to hire Fordham students, but “none of them really know the deli.”

Expectations are high still. George says he chose the location particu-larly because of Fordham.

Campus’ intimate square shop in a former insurance offi ce contrasts with Best’s long, open fl oor plan. Sami, who works the register at Best, says the deli has applied for a license to sell beer and hopes to fi ll the back of the store with tables and TVs within a week or two, “so kids can come in here and watch football.”

As Best looks to improve, does George at Campus feel a rivalry with his neighboring deli?

“I don’t even want to get into that,” he said.

The facility features top-of-the-line equipment for those of all fi tness levels.

PHOTO BY KATE DOHENY/THE RAM

Th e staff was able to come just under the 1.9 million dollar budget they received and still implement all of the

new designs and state-of-the-art machinery.

By JEFFREY COLTINSTAFF WRITER

OCTOBER 3, 2012

Students Welcome Nearby Off -Campus Options

NEWS OCTOBER 3, 2012 • THE RA M • PAGE 3theramonline.com

COMING THIS MONTH:

photos byKATE DOHENY

compiled byELAINA WEBER

cardiovascular • weights • group classesmain studio • spin studio

THE RAMSKELLAR

College Republicans, Democrats Face Off in Heated Debate

By KELLY KULTYSASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the College Republicans and the Col-lege Democrats took the stage for one of their frequent debates. Students and faculty packed into Flom Auditorium to hear the groups address a wide range of crucial topics, from illegal immi-gration to tax reform plans. Th is debate was especially important, as the students portrayed many stances and views espoused by both parties’ platforms in the up-coming presidential election.

Th e debate, which almost did not happen due to a last-minute cancellation by the original mod-erator, began with remarks by the new moderator, Rev. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J, on how the night would run. Each side would have a certain amount of time for an opening statement, a back-and-forth question-and-answer ses-sion, questions from the audience and a closing statement.

Th e fi rst topic of debate was what to do with the problem of illegal immigration. Luke Zaro, FCRH ’16, representing the Col-lege Republicans, called for a reform of the legal immigration process in the United States, in addition to a fortifi ed border.

“Today’s immigration policy is a failure,” Zaro said, arguing for a reformed, streamlined immigra-tion procedure.

Zaro argued that people who took the time, money and eff ort to move to America legally should be rewarded for putt ing up with the “fl awed system.” Zaro also discussed the drain that illegal im-migrants put on the economy, as they are able to use public goods

without contributing to the econ-omy through taxes.

George DeVilla, FCRH ’16, spoke on behalf of the College Democrats and called for a policy of amnesty for illegal immigrants.

“People have the right to this life and to take advantage of the federal programs,” DeVilla said, claiming that the proposed Dream Act is a proper course of action due to its bipartisan support.

Th e two participants ques-tioned each other intensely, as DeVilla argued that the border patrol is ineff ective and should not receive more funding. Zaro responded that a more fortifi ed border would reduce the number of deaths, now over 34,000, that occur on the Mexican-American border each year. DeVilla also argued that an amnesty policy would help enhance the cultural backgrounds of Americans, while Zaro stated that if the immigra-tion policy was reformed, it would help stop biased suppositions that a certain race could be considered “second-class citizens, because they assume they are illegal.”

Th e topic of debate then shift -ed to economics as Anisa Assim, FCRH ’16, of the College Demo-crats discussed the opposing tax plans with Jeremy Fague, FCRH ’16, of the College Republicans.

Fague proposed the Romney-Ryan tax plan as the model to fol-low for economic success.

“Effi ciency, practicality and fairness” were three words Fague used to describe the plan, which calls for use of the private sector in order to create more jobs and help reduce the defi cit.

“Th e current U.S. management of the economy is terrible,” Fague said. “[We] borrow 40 cents of ev-

ery dollar spent.” Assim, on the other hand,

called the Romney-Ryan tax plan “incomplete at best.” Assim also att acked the Republican idea of spending cuts.

“What programs should we cut spending on?” Assim said. “Medi-care? Welfare?”

Fague argued that the Romney-Ryan government subsidy to pur-chase private healthcare would lessen Medicare’s fi nancial burden on the government, without tak-ing away from the less-fortunate.

“We need to focus on poorer se-niors,” Fague said. “FDR’s original [welfare] plans were aimed to help seniors from going into poverty.”

Assim fi nished the topic by saying that the Romney-Ryan tax plan was illogical and that it would only benefi t rich Americans.

Th e third topic of the debate was how much intervention, if any, America should have in the Arab Spring. Th e Arab Spring, also known as the Arab Revolu-tion, began in December 2010 and has since included numerous protests, demonstrations and rev-olutions in Arab countries.

Tom Byrnes, FCRH ’14, of the College Democrats argued against involvement in these countries.

“We don’t know what the peo-ple are going to do,” Byrnes said. “We can’t force them.”

Sam Martin, FCRH ’13, on the other hand, argued for the College Republicans, citing the numerous rebellions and att acks that have occurred as reasons for the U.S. to get involved in these countries’ aff airs.

“Security in Libya isn’t stable,” Martin said. “Mubarak fought hard in Egypt to keep terrorists out, but now the Muslim Broth-

erhood won the Egyptian presi-dency. Our embassies have been ransacked.”

Byrnes challenged the idea of supporting U.S. allies, like Egypt’s previous president, Hosni Mubarak, who governed some parts of his country contrary to U.S. beliefs.

“Can the U.S. continue to sup-port monsters?” Byrnes said.

Martin countered by stating that it is a good idea to support stable leaders, who he said each help keep the number of terror-ist att acks down, especially those leaders who are our allies.

“How can we have allies if we seek to overthrow them?” Martin said.

Th e debate concluded with a fi nal topic of “What Would a Re-publican President Have Done Diff erently Th ese Last Four Years?”

Joseph Campagna, GSB ’15, argued on behalf on the College Republicans, comparing the cur-rent situation to one 20 years ago, right before the election of Ron-ald Reagan.

“Reagan made [us] believe that our bett er days were not yesterday, but tomorrow,” Campagna said.

Campagna argued that no one can know exactly what a Repub-lican president in offi ce would have done for the last four years, but he claimed it would be bet-ter than Obama’s administration. He also stated that Republican presidents have been famous for cutt ing taxes, not raising them. Campagna argued in favor of the Romney-Ryan tax plan to help al-leviate the defi cit and claim fi scal responsibility.

Dennis Ryan, FCRH ’13, rep-resented the College Democrats,

arguing that Americans made the correct choice when they elected Barack Obama, ending the Repub-lican grip on the White House.

“Luckily through the various writings, the 2008 platform and the outrageous bills the Tea Party representatives have passed in these last two years, we have ac-quired information to know what a Republican government would have looked like,” Ryan said. “And it’s not prett y.”

Ryan argued that the upper-class taxes would have been slashed and would have raised middle-class taxes to make up for the lack of revenue. He also said that a Republican president would not have been able to accomplish many of the things Obama did, such as ending the war in Iraq and saving the oil industry.

Both sides, despite the heated arguing, agreed that the debate was successful.

“We thought the debate went well,” Ryan, president of the Col-lege Democrats, said via email. “It was great to see such a large turn-out, and we love gett ing together with the Republicans to discuss is-sues and show our fellow students why the Republicans are wrong.”

John Mantia, GSB ’13, presi-dent of the College Republicans, also said he believed the debate was very eff ective.

“I am very proud of the team we have assembled this semester and look forward to continuing to improve the climate of critical thinking and debate on campus,” Mantia said via email.

Th e College Republicans and College Democrats debate came at an important time for college voters, occuring about a month before the election in November.

an actual ram to be present dur-ing the event, a decision which hearkened back to the days when Fordham kept a live ram as the University mascot. (That prac-tice was stopped after students at a rival university stole the ram and painted it green.)

“It was quite fun,” O’Keefe said about having the ram as a guest at the ceremony. “It was entertain-ment for donors as well as stu-dents who walked past. Everyone wanted to pet the ram, wanted their picture with the ram.”

On a more serious note, stu-dents also used the occasion as a means to focus on real-world op-portunities outside of Fordham.

“After we were done with our responsibilities hosting the event, we were allowed to mingle with donors, and it was a nice networking opportunity,” O’Keefe said.

Gabelli students have generally responded positively to the new-ly-finished Hughes Hall, which contains a trading floor with pro-fesional Bloomberg terminals, as well as several classrooms, a room dedicated to the Honors Program and a Personal and Pro-fessional Development Center.

“The new Hughes Hall is a wonderful development for the Gabelli School of Business,”

Melanie Falk, GSB ’15, who also attended the dedication, said. “It would be much easier for the business school to climb the rankings if it has a state-of-the-art building.”

In an article from 2010 on its website, Fordham cited the As-sociation to Advance Collegiate

Schools of Business as saying that more than 100 business schools have renovated buildings or con-structed new ones since 1995.

Transitioning to a centralized location may also be easier on the Gabelli students.

“I remember last year, I had a class in Faber Hall, which, al-

though it’s nice to share with the Jesuits, there really was limited space,” O’Keefe said. “The busi-ness school was really just being squashed into an existing build-ing. It didn’t have anything that was created for us.”

Hughes Hall was first con-structed in 1891 as the building

for Fordham Preparatory School. It was given its current name in 1935 and was converted into a freshman dorm in 1982, 10 years after the Prep moved to its cur-rent location. The interior of the building was completely torn apart and rebuilt during the most recent renovation.

FROM HUGHES PAGE 1

Hughes Hall Hosts Offi cial Ribbon-Cutt ing Dedication Ceremony

Members from Both Sides Tackle Tough Issues, Debating Hot Topics Such as Illegal Immigration and Medicare

NEWSPAGE 4• THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012 theramonline.com

Fordham invited alumni, faculty and even a live ram to commemorate the offi cial dedication of the new home of the Gabelli School of Business.

PHOTO BY PATRICK DOHERTY/THE RAM

theramonline.com NEWS OCTOBER 3, 2012 • THE RA M • PAGE 5

Fordham Joins in Rally to Redevelop the Kingsbridge ArmoryBy TAYLOR ENGDAHL

COPY CHIEF

Spanning close to fi ve acres of land, the Kingsbridge Armory tow-ers over the Northwest Bronx. It is reportedly the largest armory in the world, and yet, behind the pad-locked wrought-iron gates, the mas-sive structure sits empty, its brick façade hidden behind a curtain of ivy. Th e building has been vacant for close to 20 years now, ever since the National Guard vacated the prem-ises and left it in the control of the state in the early ’90s.

Th e potential of such a space is not lost on the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition. Th e organization, founded in 1974, was formed as a response to the dismal conditions facing Bronx resi-dents in the 1970s: Negligent land-lords, countless apartment build-ings destroyed by fi res and corrupt banking practices were just a few of the major issues at hand. While government offi cials turned a blind eye to the growing devastation, lo-cal clergymen desperately united to form the Coalition in an att empt to save their dwindling parishes. To-day, the group still functions as “a grassroots social justice organization that organizes residents to fi ght for long-term solutions to the problems in our community,” according to the group’s website.

Now, as two developers are com-peting for control of the armory, the Coalition continues to fulfi ll its

mission by seeking a plan for respon-sible redevelopment that will both benefi t Bronx residents and address the community’s needs. A division of the Coalition called the Kings-bridge Armory Redevelopment Alli-ance (KA RA ), is entirely devoted to the cause; the Alliance organizes ral-lies, hosts community meetings and is circulating a petition in an eff ort to make the voices of Bronx residents heard in the struggle for possession of the armory.

Th ree years ago, KA RA showed just how powerful a united commu-nity voice can be. According to Th e New York Times, the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. “and other Bronx offi cials blocked a proposal to build a shopping mall at the armory, in part because the developer, the Related Companies, balked at their demands that mall workers be paid a living wage, and in part over con-cerns that it would compete with local stores.” Now, in 2012, living wages ($10 an hour with benefi ts, $11.50 without them) have become the group’s rallying cry. Th e KA RA petition calls for, fi rst and foremost, living-wage jobs; other signifi cant concerns are community space and environmentally-responsible con-struction.

Depending on which developer is selected, the armory will either become a “national ice center with nine ice rinks and extensive youth hockey and skating programs,” or a “$100-million development styled like the Chelsea Market,

with weekend stalls for artists and entrepreneurs to sell goods, as well as a six-screen theater and a rock-climbing wall,” the Times article reported. Diaz recently announced his approval of the ice rink, since the developer has made a verbal agree-ment to pay every employee a liv-ing wage. KA RA has not explicitly backed either proposal, but rather has focused its eff orts on securing a promise for living-wage jobs, among other things, in writing from both developers.

So far, Fordham University has played a notable role in the rede-velopment of the armory due to its close ties to the Coalition. Members of Jeannine Hill-Fletcher’s service-learning class are working as vol-unteers at the Coalition for the fall 2012 semester.

Hill-Fletcher is an associate pro-fessor of theology, as well as the fac-ulty director of service-learning in Fordham’s Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice. She has taught service-learning classes since 2009, and has partnered with the Coali-tion ever since. She has also been a member of the Clergy Caucus since 2009, which is a sub-group of the Coalition that meets monthly. Hill-Fletcher sees projects like the ar-mory as a continuation of Fordham’s Jesuit values.

“Fordham University is already embedded in this wider commu-nity that the Armory is a part of, and if we desire a healthy community — things like community space,

things like school space, things like living-wage jobs — all of those things that could be part of the re-sponsible redevelopment of the Armory,” Hill-Fletcher said. “If we think of ourselves as being a Jesuit institution and as envisioning justice in the world and being part of those projects that seek justice, I think that seeking healthy opportunities at the Armory is a piece of the project of seeking justice in our lives.”

Th e initiative is a way for Fordham students to learn more about the Bronx community while working to eff ect tangible change. Students from Hill-Fletcher’s service-learning class will be uniting with the Doro-thy Day Center’s Social Justice Lead-ers (SJL) to bring awareness of the KA RA campaign to campus and also to organize a group from Ford-ham to walk over the Coalition’s next rally, on Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church

on Fordham Road and University Avenue.

Maya Deykerhoff and Kelsey Viz-zard, both FCRH ’15, are in charge of community organizing for SJL, and they are eager to get Fordham more involved in the project.

“Th e best thing people can do to get involved is to stay aware of local news on the topic, sign the local peti-tion and att end the rally on Oct. 17,” Deykerhoff said. Vizzard agreed, and further emphasized the good that Fordham can do as an institution.

“It is obvious by the amount of progress that the [Coalition] and the KA RA campaign have made that they know what they are doing,” Vizzard said. “But they will always need support from the community to make their voice heard, and that’s where I think Fordham comes in.”

Th ose interested can sign the pe-tition online by visiting change.org and searching for “It’s Our Armory.”

In the Jesuit Spirit, Students in a Service-Learning Class Volunteer with a Coalition to Revamp the Delapidated Armory and Strengthen the Bronx Community

The Armory was offi cialized as an historical New York landmark in 1974.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Next week, there will be no issue of

The Ram due to midterms.Good luck on your exams!

Fordham is in the process of installing a small memorial near the Faculty Memorial Hall gate to commemorate the employees who died last spring in a car accident, Fordham’s offi ce of safety and security confi rmed Tuesday.

Sisters Maria Gonzalez and Maria Nunez, former custodial service workers at Fordham, along with fi ve of their family members, were killed on April 29 when their car veered into a guardrail and fell six stories off the edge of the road near the Bronx Zoo.

Among the seven who died in the crash were Nunez’s daughters, Niely, age 7, and Marlyn, age 3. It is unclear as to when the memorial will be marked and publicly announced to the Fordham community.

— Connor Ryan, News Editor

New Memorial Set toHonor Former Employees

A memorial will be set up to honor Fordham staff and their families who died in a car crash

PHOTO BY CONNOR RYAN/THE RAM

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By AUSTIN THOMASCOPY EDITOR

No current Fordham undergrad-uate has seen the football team have a winning season. Th e same is true for men’s basketball. And baseball, volleyball and men’s water polo have lost more games than they have won from 2007 through last year. Men’s soccer and women’s soft ball are our only headline sports that are consis-tently bett er than average.

Do not expect greatness any-time soon, either. Th is week, David Roach was hired from Colgate to replace former Athletic Director Frank McLaughlin, and Roach’s résumé could not be more closely tailored to the Athletic Depart-ment’s existing mission statement. “[A]cademics is primary,” it says, and Colgate under Roach had a 100 percent student-athlete graduation rate. It claims to “promote character development,” and at both Brown and Colgate, Roach set a precedent of outreach to local high schools. It aims to “promote and value diver-sity,” and Roach, a caucasian, was on the board of directors of the Black Coaches and Administrators. By this standard, Roach is a safe choice for the University but unlikely to bring immediate visible change to Ford-ham’s athletics.

Roach’s other qualities give a more nuanced explanation for his

hire. He increased corporate spon-sorship at Colgate and will probably do the same at Fordham, meaning bett er funding for athletics pro-grams. Roach has extensive Patriot League experience, which would be helpful if Fordham was to move back to that conference for all sports. But his most interesting quality is his age: He is already 63 years old. He is therefore not likely to stay for an ex-tended period of time — ten years seems a reasonable upper limit.

What, then, is Roach’s place in the long-term future of the Athletics De-partment? Th e cynical will say that he was hired based on his credentials and nothing more and that his age is typical of Fordham’s lack of long-term planning. More optimistic fans will notice his recent sabbatical (a six-month period several years ago to visit and consult with athletics programs including UNC, BC and Vanderbilt) and leadership in ath-letics management. In light of this managerial experience, Roach’s age may portend a short tenure with a focus on “house-cleaning,” in which he will help determine how best to improve our athletic programs and leave implementation to his succes-sor. Many students would prefer a less cautious approach.

“If Fordham wants to compete with schools like Boston College, it needs to compete with them athleti-cally,” Kathryn Reddy, FCRH ’14, a

member of the women’s rugby team, said. Still, “people are optimistic,” she said. Others, wary of being let down yet again by Fordham athlet-ics, set simpler goals.

“I’d like to see more school spirit, which comes from teams being bet-ter,” Greg Stelzer, FCRH ’15, said.

Indeed, caution does not seem ap-plicable to Fordham’s athletic past. Our baseball team is the winningest in NCAA play. Football is 15th for all-time wins among NCAA Divi-sion I teams and fi rst among non-Ivies in FCS play, which is remark-able considering we had no football team from 1954 to 1970. Digger Phelps had his fi rst head coaching job with our basketball team.

Nor is caution an appropriate word to describe Fordham’s athletics potential. We are uniquely situated to be New York City’s college foot-ball team — even, if we can dream, to the point of being one side of an upstate-downstate batt le with Syra-cuse. And if we were good enough to play Boston College — imagine the rivalry. Basketball already has a nascent feud with St. John’s, but what if we were good enough to take on Syracuse and Georgetown? Co-lumbia is just not up to these rival-ries, and no other university in the city has D-I basketball and football teams. Th ere is, therefore, an athlet-ics void waiting to be fi lled, if only our teams can compete on a higher

By JOSEPH VITALESTAFF WRITER

Th e most exciting part about be-ing a native New Yorker is my self-appointed position of defender of all things that are not contributing to New York’s greatness. Th is in-cludes lost tourists with oversized maps, people who block subway doors and cartoon characters who try to grope children in Times Square. Th anks to Travel + Leisure’s latest online survey of 35 American cities, it now also includes Travel + Leisure. My latest att empt to take a stand for the Big Apple has never been so spur-of-the-moment.

Time + Leisure’s online survey, which ranks cities in various cat-egories, churned out results that favor New York City in some mat-ters (theater/performance art, style, luxury stores and, of course, pizza) but not so much in others: according to the results, New York City is the dirtiest city out of its 35 competitors.

Survey responders mostly named excess garbage, rodents and rancid smells as the basis for their att itudes. My guess is that black bags were mistaken for people sleeping on the sidewalk, pooches of Upper East Siders were thought to be large rats on leashes and that the Staten Island Ferry gave them more than just a view of the Statue of Liberty. But maybe that is just me.

In a formal response to the sur-vey’s results, the mayor’s offi ce fi red back politely (which is sud-denly ironic due to the city’s No. 1 spot in the “rudeness” category)

saying, “50.5 million tourists — the most to any destination in the U.S. — visited last year and saw for themselves that the city is cleaner than ever. Sounds like the people in this survey haven’t been here in a long time.”

New York: 1, Travel + Leisure: 0. Regardless of the survey’s re-

sults, the truth is that New York is actually clean relative to its size and its history. During the fi rst 4 months of 2012, the city’s De-partment of Sanitation (DOS) re-ceived a street cleanliness rating of 95.1 percent, comfortably passing the average target rate of 92 per-cent.

Th e Department, made up of over 7,000 uniformed workers and 2,000 civilian workers, is the larg-est in the world, collecting over

RAM ARCHIVES

level. Caution will not bring us to that

level. Hence the muted response to Roach’s arrival: He seems like the cautious product of a cautious hire. He will have to be not only at the very top of his game (as it were) but will have to play the visionary as he has not before. At Colgate and Brown, he led static programs. Both universities are satisfi ed with their places in the hierarchy of college sports, so Roach was able to focus on management instead of leadership.

Such complacency is not an op-tion here. Fordham cannot let its athletics program remain as it is, and it cannot aff ord not to move up. We can only hope, whether he stays for fi ve years or 15, Roach takes a diff er-

ent approach in his new job, pushing coaches and administrators to excel-lence and pruning fruitless branches. If Fordham wants to break into the top tier of universities, it will have to improve in new ways. Promoting its location and arts programs will only help so much; it is time to have bet-ter athletics as well.

Is David Roach up to the task of overseeing an ascendant program? Hopefully he knows that rams can-not be shepherded; hopefully he is willing to grab the Rams by their horns. If he does not, the Fordham community can expect many more years of athletic mediocrity.

Austin Th omas, FCRH ’15, is a mathematics and physics major fr om Palos Verdes, Calif.

Changes in Fordham athletics could lead to a re-energized community.

12,000 tons of refuse and recy-clables per day. Under the current commissioner, John J. Doherty, New York City is the tidiest it has been in 35 years.

Th e DOS is one of the stron-gest in numbers and brute force out of all of the sanitation depart-ments in the country. Its work is one that faces cities across the na-tion looking to make their spaces cleaner. Any New Yorker, in a city so concentrated, so concrete, owes a “thank you” to every sanitation worker (although it would prob-ably be awkward and lead to con-fusion for both parties, so I would not actually suggest it in practice).

In an att empt to fi nd someone with more knowledge and experi-ence than myself, I spoke to An-nika Hinze, an assistant professor

of political science at Fordham, whose teaching focuses on urban neighborhood space.

“As a Berliner by birth, I must say that I am impressed with the trash collection and the general organization and administration of cleaning in New York,” she said. “And I am particularly impressed that in Manhatt an everyone picks up their dog’s poo (something that is unthinkable and completely ne-glected in Berlin).”

Poo-free streets? New York: 2, Travel + Leisure: 0.

One of the most interesting fac-ets of New York’s personality is an oddly self-conscious awareness of its own fl aws and faults. Th e city is tackling internal issues that improve the lives of current and future residents alike at an impres-

sive rate. Th is, in regards to its ur-ban development, is done through city-funded programs that help to decrease its carbon footprint and promote a healthier lifestyle for citizens.

In an eff ort to mesh both of these goals, New York is leading the way in increasing its amount of green space. Th rough parks such as the High Line in Chelsea, water-front promenades such as Brook-lyn Bridge Park and converted landfi lls such as Freshkills Park on Staten Island, New York is taking gray and making it greener, add-ing new bike paths and footpaths along the way.

For urban spaces, clean and green go hand-in-hand. A city dedicated to making itself more sustainable sets goals of cleanli-ness by condemning litt ering and promoting recycling, tidying up abandoned spaces and transform-ing them into useful spaces.

“Urban green spaces are becom-ing more and more important, es-pecially as our climate changes,” Hinze said. “I think we should give the city credit for maintaining its green spaces, and I am convinced that they can improve life for the city’s citizens.”

Not only do green spaces in-crease the number of outlets for city dwellers to relax and enjoy the city’s beautiful waterside views, they remind us of how New York once was, and what it can become if we pay more att ention to its most important aspect: the city itself.

Joseph Vitale, FCRH ’16, is a communication and media studies major fr om New York, NY.

PAGE 7OCTOBER 3, 2012

New Athletic Director Has Opportunity to Th ink Big

New York City: Gett ing Clean and Going Green

Travel + Leisure ranked New York City as the dirtiest city in the United States, up four spots from No. 5 last year.

OPINIONSPAGE 8• THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012

From the Desk of Tom Haskin, Copy EditorTh e RamServing campus and

community since 1918.Th e Ram is the University journal of

record. Th e mission of Th e Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the com-munity and to act as a student advocate. Th e Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lin-coln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of 12,000. Th e Ram offi ce is located in the basement of the

McGinley Center, room B-52.

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Editor-in-Chief Olivia Monaco

Managing EditorVictoria Rau

Executive EditorSarah Ramirez

Business EditorLindsay Lersner

News EditorConnor Ryan

Assistant News EditorsKaren Hill

Kelly KultysOpinions EditorRory Masterson

Assistant Opinions EditorsRicky BordelonCanton Winer

Culture EditorScharon Harding

Assistant Culture EditorDevon SheridanSports EditorsChester BakerDan Gartland

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Copy TeamJohn Bonazzo • Talia Boyer

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Daley QuinnFaculty AdvisorDr. Beth Knobel

Editorial PolicyTh e Ram’s editorials are selected

on a weekly basis, and are meant to refl ect the editorial board’s view on a particular issue.

It’s widely accepted that the neigh-borhood surrounding Fordham’s Rose Hill campus “isn’t the best.” In fact, some may call it “bad.” Others, still, label it “dangerous.” Or, in some cases, it’s just downright “ghett o.”

Phrases like these — mixed in with derogatory and derisive com-ments about “locals” — are oft en the pervading sentiments when anything related to the Bronx comes up in con-versation among Fordham students.

Of course, there are exceptions — as there should be. Th e Bronx is hard-ly a monolithic entity, as the borough itself is a massive and highly-diverse amalgamation of nearly a million-and-a-half people. On its own, it would be the seventh-largest city in the United States.

Never mind that many students’ primary experience with the Bronx is in the immediate area south of cam-pus, bounded by Webster Avenue, 187th Street and maybe Crotona Avenue. In a borough of 42 square miles, this small tract of the Belmont neighborhood, even throwing in Fordham Road up to the D Train at the Grand Concourse, amounts to less than one-half square mile. To think of the Bronx as one big, bad wasteland of uniformity is to ignore the stark diff erences between River-dale and Mott Haven, or Williams Bridge and University Heights.

But such limited experience

doesn’t stop the hysteria.Two Saturdays ago, I witnessed a

young woman screaming at four or fi ve NYPD offi cers from the stoop of an apartment building on Hughes Avenue. All I can report on with ab-solute certainty is what was said. I presume that she was a Fordham student due to the color of her skin and the 30 angry college-age kids outside on the sidewalk, spilling into the street. I presume that she was a tenant of the building, because she stood in the doorway while everyone else was on the street. I presume that she was throwing a party, due to the time of night (aft er 1 a.m.) and the state of sobriety of the kids milling around in front of the building. In short, it was a typical Saturday night college scene.

Except what she said — or rather, shouted — was anything but typical.

In her anger, she lashed out. She screamed that she couldn’t under-stand why the offi cers were breaking up parties when — and I quote — there were “crackheads and rapists down the block.”

I’ve lived at Fordham for a litt le over three years, and most of that time was spent in the confi nes of on-campus residence halls. Even so, I would like to think I’ve been rela-tively engaged with gett ing to know my surroundings. I’ve been living on Belmont Avenue since June, though,

and I can’t say my experience reso-nates with her depiction.

My intention is not to demonize the young woman that night. What I do want to emphasize, however, are the sort of sentiments she expressed and question their underlying causes, prevalence and validity.

Institutionally, Fordham does a lot to encourage such perceptions. Tour guides tout the Ram Van service to Lincoln Center as an easy way to get to Manhatt an, all the while circum-venting the walk up Fordham Road and the use of public transportation. Security briefs — while surely not superfl uous — oft en function as more than just reminders that city living oft en mixes with muggers. Instead, they add to an environment that drums up fears of leaving the gated community that is Rose Hill. Of course, any mention of the gates necessitates a discussion of how they serve to create an island of supposed collegiate tranquility and lush beauty in an otherwise destitute area.

I’m fully aware that the Bronx has the highest homicide rate of the fi ve boroughs (a tad higher than Brook-lyn’s), and I’m not calling for a stu-dent-led revolution to tear down the gates. But I think that att itudes about a neighborhood fi lled with all sorts of people — drunk and noisy col-lege kids to boot — should never be reduced to a war zone of “crackheads

and rapists.” (Never mind that one in every four college women report being sexually assaulted as a student and that cocaine is used by wealthy college students and low-income people alike.)

Yes, Fordham is part of the 48th Precinct, where in 2011 the NYPD reported 12 murders and 19 rapes. Compare that to the Upper West Side’s 24th Precinct’s fi ve murders and 12 rapes, and it’s clear the Bronx is not some sort of alternate reality of mass violence and lawlessness.

In short, we ought to seek out ways to humanize our views of the neighborhood in which Fordham is situated. Violence disrupts a neigh-borhood, and so too does the rau-cous partying and vandalizing of property that is oft en carried out by college students. Th e Bronx may not be the city’s cleanest and wealthiest borough, but we need to have an un-derstanding of it that is far more nu-anced than giant territory overrun by “crackheads and rapists.”

EDITORIAL: Candidates Should Focus on Student Issues

theramonline.com

By ANDREW SANTISCOPY EDITOR

Stand clear of another fare hike. Th at is right, fellow New Yorkers. Make way for a 7.5 percent increase in fares and tolls starting next year. And then again in 2015. And 2017.

Th e Metropolitan Transpora-tion Authority (MTA) is currently planning four diff erent proposals that will sentence us to yet another fare hike, which will go into eff ect in March. Whichever plan the agency chooses, New Yorkers will see fare increases on the subways, buses, bridges, tunnels and commuter rail-roads. Great.

Th e last fare hike took place in January 2011, when the single ride fare increased by 25 cents and un-limited MetroCards became exces-sively high-priced. Th at same year, the MTA cut more than 30 bus routes and 500 bus stops, as well as two subway lines, to help close a $900 million budget gap.

Th is year, the MTA needs to raise at least $450 million to plug its bud-

get, and we are supposed to be help-ing the MTA with that budget.

As a student who depends on public transportation to get to and from Fordham every day, these proposals mean digging deeper into my (already empty) wallet in order to aff ord my MetroCard and Metro-North ticket. My commute is already too expensive. I spend $104 on a monthly, unlimited Me-troCard and $178 on a monthly Metro-North ticket. Two years ago, that monthly MetroCard was $89. In March, it is rumored that it will only be $109, but it still adds up. Five dollars times 10 months equals $50. I could buy myself a sweatshirt at the bookstore with that extra money (Not really.).

What alternative do students have? Th ere are not many options.

“I will still be using MTA ser-vices,” Andrew Montelongo, GSB ’16, who commutes from Flushing, Queens and takes three buses to school said. “Th e price of gas and the bridge tolls cost substantially more than the fare we’re charged for

public transit. Th e current $104 for the monthly MetroCard is not the easiest thing on my wallet, and an increase in fares obviously wouldn’t help change that.”

Corina Tse, GSB ’16, said she agrees. Tse is from Douglaston, Queens and takes the Long Island Rail Road and the subway to get to Fordham. On top of the monthly MetroCard, her monthly Long Is-land Rail Road ticket costs $193.

“Even though the diff erence in the fare increase does add up, it will not stop me from using public trans-portation,” Tse said. “Th e subway will still be the most cost-eff ective way to get around New York City and the other boroughs, whether or not there is a fare increase.”

Th e MTA is infamous for its un-reliable service, fraught with delays, last-minute cancellations, crowded trains and lack of cleanliness. Many have wondered if we are really get-ting our money’s worth. Is a single bus ride really worth $2.25 if the buses are always running behind schedule? Is it worth paying $104

a month when the same train is al-ways breaking down between sta-tions? Should crossing the Verraz-ano-Narrows Bridge really cost $13 — one way?

We commuter college students do not have it easy. Expenses are everywhere, and they are not cheap. Tuition is through the roof, books are outrageously overpriced and now we have to worry about having enough money to pay for our com-mute?

“As a college student, it is impera-tive to save every penny,” Tiff any Lee, GSB ’16 said. “It’s ridiculous. We’re running out of money, for crying out loud!”

In the end, though, even if it means placing an extra quarter in our pocket to get on the bus or handing over a few extra dollars for a monthly ticket, Fordham students and New Yorkers alike will have to cope with the fare hike. In the words of MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota, “It’s going to happen.”

Andrew Santis, GSB ’16, is a com-muter student fr om Flushing, Queens.

With the presidential election only a month away, many people have al-ready decided on the candidate for whom they will cast a vote based on ideological, social or perhaps even religious beliefs. A large portion of Americans may have made their deci-sions before the national conventions or any of the primaries simply based on party lines. Th ere also remains, however large or small, a group of undecided voters whose choices could greatly impact the results of the election and, by extension, the direction of this nation for the next four years. Th e candidates seem to be ignoring the needs of many members of that demographic, including us, the students of the United States of America.

We at Th e Ram believe that Presi-dent Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney must focus more of their att ention on the eff ects this election will have on students, especially at a secondary ed-ucational level. Issues such as student loans and infi nitely-increasing tuition are of paramount importance to both current and future students, as well as their parents, and, as such, aff ect their political decisions. Th ese same issues have been largely brushed aside in fa-vor of discussion on other topics that, while of comparative importance to the country as a whole, do not hold much weight with the college popu-lation at the moment.

Some of the problem may result from a lack of political interest and a

general apathy toward political action from college students in recent years. Four years ago, Barack Obama relied heavily on the youth vote in his victo-rious campaign for the White House, and Th e Ram has already touched upon the tremendous impact young adults could have on this election (“Youth Vote Could Shift Election,” V. 94, i. 15). It becomes a chicken-and-egg quandary, however: Are students apathetic because the can-didates do not address the students’ needs, or do the candidates not ad-dress the students’ needs because the students do not care?

It just seems careless at best to fail to consider the interests of the col-lege population or regard them with careful att ention. Authority fi gures

like to tell us that we are the leaders of tomorrow, and that may very well be true, but if that is the case, would it not be in the best interests of ev-eryone involved to include us so that we may not repeat the mistakes of yesterday when we come to power tomorrow? For this reason, we hope to see and hear about a wide variety of issues as the candidates debate for the fi rst time on Wednesday, Oct. 3, including higher education issues, not just hot-butt on social topics and Romney’s tax returns.

MTA Fare Hike Hurts Commuter Students

OPINIONS OCTOBER 3, 2012 • THE RA M • PAGE 9

Debate Can Change RaceRepublican presidential nomi-

nee Mitt Romney’s chances of success in the upcoming election seem to decrease daily. He is fail-ing to win the batt le for likability on the morning talk or late night comedy rounds, and he continues to supply his opponents with fod-der for ridicule. Luckily for the Romney campaign, there are still several weeks left before the elec-tion. Th ese weeks present a major opportunity to turn the tide of the election: debates.

In the month of October, Rom-ney will have the opportunity to face off against President Obama in three debates. Th e vice-presi-dential candidates will also have a debate. Each debate will focus on a diff erent area of interest. Romney will be able to clarify his domestic policy in the fi rst debate on October 3rd. Th e debate on October 16th will focus on ap-pealing to undecided voters, and the fi nal debate on Oct. 22nd will expose the candidates’ foreign policies for further dissection by the general public.

Romney has been intensely preparing for these debates since prior to the Republican nomina-tion contest with an eye toward making an impact on the Ameri-can public that increasingly views him as out of touch. During the Republican primary, Romney participated in nineteen debates, but none of these debates were against a lone candidate. He has recently been using Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) to represent President Obama in mock de-bates.

In addition to sporadic practice sessions, Romney recently spent three days in Vermont honing his live debate abilities. Th e Rom-ney camp has tried to prepare its candidate as much as possible for dealing with the experienced and eloquent President Obama.

Beth Myers, a senior Romney advisor, writes, “Voters already believe — by a 25-point margin — that President Obama is likely to do a bett er job in these debates. Given President Obama’s natural gift s and extensive seasoning un-der the bright lights of the debate stage, this is unsurprising.”

Although Obama will be a for-midable opponent, Romney has a chance to use these debates to swing the momentum back in his direction. If he can be spe-cifi c and clear in his economic plan, Romney will be able to take advantage of the still bleak eco-nomic picture. He needs to in-corporate an element of surprise and believable self-deprecation in order to leave an impression on voters and cultivate a more personable image. Romney may also be able to take advantage of American dissatisfaction with President Obama’s current han-dling of the recent eruptions in the Middle East. If he maintains these areas of focus and uses the media, which relies on dramatic elections for ratings, Romney could win the debate in a knock-out and give himself a chance in November.

Righter’sBlock

Debate is Obama’s to Lose

John P. CastonguayCastonguay

On Wednesday, the fi rst of three presidential debates will be occurring at the University of Denver. Each of the three debates will have a diff erent topic pertain-ing to the upcoming election. Th e fi rst is domestic policy, the second is a town hall format and the last is foreign policy. Debates could po-tentially be a make-or-break cam-paign fi xture for either candidate. Debates are a great opportunity for a candidate to connect with undecided voters. For President Obama, this is a major opportu-nity to utilize his great charisma and hopefully gain some support from undecided voters.

Th e candidate that has the most to gain from these debates is Mitt Romney. Recently, Romney has been suff ering in the polls aft er a week or so of negative press re-lated to several less-than-savory comments relating to the Ameri-can public. For those who don’t know what these comments were, Romney was recorded stating that 47 percent of Americans are com-pletely dependent on the govern-ment and therefore will never vote Republican. With the start of these debates, there will be a great opportunity for Romney to turn att ention away from his recent missteps and focus more on the content of his potential policies. It remains to be seen, however, if it is too late for Romney to recover from his blunders. His fate is more or less left in Obama’s hands.

If Obama wants to maximize his yield from these upcoming de-bates, he is going to need to take fi rm action. First, Obama is going to need to take advantage of the gradually improving economy. Th is is especially important due to the fact that domestic policy is the fi rst debate topic. Th e second topic should indirectly remind the American public of Romney’s incendiary comments.

If Obama can remind the pub-lic that Romney stated that he only wanted to govern for half the nation, Obama could potentially link that to a lack of willingness to compromise.

Finally, Obama is going to need to sell the public on his own plat-form. Th is fi nal step is also the most important; lately a wide range of things have been turning around for the nation, and this needs to be brought to people’s at-tention. Obama needs to contin-ue taking credit for the eff ect that democratic policies have had on improving economic conditions.

Overall, I believe that Obama should be confi dent with his current standing in the polls go-ing into these debates. I honestly believe at this point that this campaign is Obama’s to lose; Romney has made misstep aft er misstep and has opened the door for Obama to show what he can do if reelected. Hopefully, these debates will be a strong showing for Obama and will put him in a position to storm the national election. Tune in at 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening to watch Obama and Romney duke it out over domestic policy.

The Left Lane

Conor

Fucci

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NATE BEELER/MCT

Can ‘SNL’ Sway Presidential Elections?

By DECLAN MURPHYSTAFF WRITER

Th e historic comedy sketch show, “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”), has become a real player in recent presidential elections. While most voters, and the candidates them-selves, probably perceive the tra-ditional news media as having the most infl uence on the election, the entertaining “SNL” has used its skills in political satire to portray the candidates in a much diff erent light. Combining topical news skits with candidate impersonations, the “SNL” cast works on its exaggerated political characters and rehearses tirelessly to fi ne-tune the punch lines of their skits. Th e imperson-ations of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are oft en comedy gold for “SNL” cast members, who can use their remarks to create hilarious skits to which an informed audience can easily relate.

“SNL” cast member Jay Pharoah made his debut as President Obama in this season’s premiere, taking over for Fred Armisen, who had played him since 2008. Th e show could not resist taking advantage of the explo-sive news story that followed Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” remarks caught on tape. Pharoah’s opening skit as Obama had him speaking to a crowd from a podium and refer-ring to his opponent Romney as his campaign’s “secret weapon.”

Right aft er that, the camera quickly switched to cast member Jason Sudeikis portraying Romney addressing a crowd on the campaign trail. Ironically, however, these jokes might actually help the candidates rather than hurt them. Th e show’s way of poking fun at them makes them seem more human and, there-fore, more relatable to voters.

Because of the election, “SNL” has expanded its programming this season to include two episodes

of “Weekend Update Th ursday,” which comically presents the top news stories of the week. Also, the Sunday morning news programs such as NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “Th is Week” frequently play the highlights of the show’s politi-cal jokes to complement their heavy election coverage. Th is shows how the infl uence of “SNL” has grown during this election year.

Candidates and their campaign managers have recognized the value in appearing on late night com-edy shows where they can boost their public persona and give vot-ers a chance to see the candidates in a more informal sett ing. Back in 2008, both Obama and John Mc-Cain made appearances on “SNL” and “Th e Daily Show” during the campaign. Th is campaign strategy of using the entertainment media as a campaign platform suggests that “SNL” might be a real political player during the election.

Going on an entertainment pro-gram like “SNL” shows voters that the candidate is a regular, relatable person. It also helps voters move away from a perception of a candi-date as being too proud or arrogant to have a sense of humor. In the tape that included Romney’s “47 percent” remarks, Romney also mentioned that he turned down an off er to go on “SNL” because he felt that it would not “look presidential,” even though both Obama and Bush made appearances on the show be-fore they were elected. Th e pres-ence of presidential candidates on “SNL,” or other late night shows, may have an impact on political awareness and voter turnout.

“According to the Pew Research Center, 15 percent of young people say that they learn useful political information from shows like ‘Th e Daily Show’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Dr. Monika McDermott , as-sociate professor of political science,

said. “While this doesn’t seem like much — people learn much more from traditional news shows — it’s not nothing either. In my opinion, ‘SNL’ probably has more infl uence in making people interested and ex-cited about the election than it does in actually changing any minds. But that’s an important role as well, es-pecially when it comes to younger voters who Obama really needs to show up at the polls.”

Th e eff ect of the popular “SNL” political sketches could also alter people’s perceptions of the candi-dates. While “SNL” is an entertain-ment show, viewers may get their political information from it and use it when forming their own opinions.

“It’s easy for the line between sat-ire and reality to blur and reinforce the ideas that the general public may already suspect about the can-didates,” Chris Hernandez, FCRH ’13, said. “I very recently saw a skit where Jason Sudeikis’s caricature of Mitt Romney is on ‘Cash Cab’ and expresses disinterest in answering the question for $25, which Sudei-kis refers to as just a quarter. Th is sharp satirical jab at Romney being wealthy and unconcerned about the poor is meant to be an over-the-top exaggeration, but, nonetheless, there will be undecided voters who are infl uenced by this portrayal.”

Seth Meyers, co-head writer for “SNL” and host of the segment “Weekend Update,” also weighed in on the eff ect of “SNL” on candi-dates.

“It’s very important for both of them to come on. Senator Obama came on in 2007 and we all saw what ended up happening to him,” he said in an article this past Th urs-day in Politico. “So obviously, it’s very key to the election cycle to come on our show.”

Declan Murphy, FCRH ’13, is a political science major fr om Parkland, Fla.

Are your friends tired of hearing you complain?Write for Th e Ram’s opinions section.

E-mail us at:fordhamramopinions@gmail.com

If you have an opinion about something in this week’s issue of Th e Ram, send us a

Lett er to the Editor at:fordhamramlett ers@gmail.com

OPINIONSPAGE 10 • THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012 theramonline.com

By AUSTIN THOMASCOPY EDITOR

Upperclassmen will agree, the Ramskellar was no memorable room. It had all the welcoming ambience of an elementary school gymnasium or the interior of an igloo. Th ough it began as a full-service bar and hosted future stand-up stars like Steve Mar-tin, it had become a spartan space where brave souls went to batt le the brawny sandwiches of Dagger John’s To-Go in recent years. Th e Ramskel-lar’s location in the basement of a dated building did it no favors, while plain décor and well-loved furniture cried out for replacement.

Th e administration heard those cries. Th us the Ramskellar was sealed off and thrust into a cocoon of obscu-rity, where it metamorphosed into a fi tness center. Th e transformation, now nearly complete, is more thor-ough than that of any space in the history of the McGinley Center.

A Ram article (V. 94, i. 11) de-tailed the equipment and multi-use areas planned for the new fi tness center. Seventy Cybex machines, 25 spin bikes, dozens of additional lock-ers, a yoga room and other amenities are replacing the worn tables and chairs of the old Ramskellar. Walls are being stripped, pillar masonry removed, the sculpted ceiling taken out and the weathered windows re-placed. Th e redesign will add 9,000 square feet for exercise and fi tness, more than tripling the amount of space currently available in the Lom-bardi Center’s workout room. Th e cost will run “roughly $2,500,000 in

all,” according to Marc Valera, Ford-ham’s vice-president for facilities management.

Is it worth it? Indubitably. Th e University’s construction budget is already spread thin by the massive endeavor at Lincoln Center, a project that will not end until at least 2014. Soon the redevelopment of Loyola Hall will begin — a formidable task, since the building’s change from Jesuit residence to administrative space means it must be updated to meet current safety and accessibility codes — followed, sometime in the late teens, by the redevelopment and eventual replacement of the McGin-ley and Lombardi Centers.

But this last project will not hap-pen for “fi ve years at least,” Valera said. Th e Ramskellar replacement is “an interim step, if you would,” intended only to satisfy Rose Hill’s needs until a more extensive solution is ready. In this light, the seemingly makeshift move of building a gym-nasium in an old basement makes sense; compared to the price (tens of millions of dollars) and procedure (endless campus disruption) needed to raze the old Lombardi Center and raise a replacement, the relatively low-cost gym project asks for mini-mal sacrifi ce.

Moreover, the Ramskellar will not only be a bett er gym than the current one, but a bett er room, in general, than it was before. It will be vastly larger than the current gym and bett er-furnished than the Ramskellar was; not only will it have TVs at ev-ery machine, space for stretching and multi-use rooms, but it will also have

KATE DOHENY/THE RAM

bett er ventilation, bett er lighting and more available space than it did in its previous incarnation.

Perhaps the biggest cost of fi lling the Ramskellar with the apparatus of fi tness is the loss of a tangible piece of University history.

“Alumni will not be happy,” J. Frank Hinck, a Fordham alumnus, said in response to Th e Ram’s original coverage.

Another alum recalled beer-soaked nights with friends. While changed alcohol laws destroyed that part of the Ramskellar experience many years ago, the general senti-ment among alumni is one of refl ec-tion rather than approbation. Th ey know the new Ramskellar will be bett er, but they sense that the im-provements will not preserve what the Ramskellar once was.

Th ey are right. And no matt er how bland a room seems to be, it will be memorable, in its way, to those

Romney’s Mormonism Should Not Be Source of CriticismBy SAMUELLE LAZAR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In 1960, President John F. Ken-nedy was inaugurated as the fi rst Catholic President of the United States of America. Th is decision came aft er fears among certain cit-izens that, as a Catholic, Kennedy would be unable to make impar-tial legal decisions; they felt that he would stand by the Vatican in-stead of the Constitution. It is now an absurd thought that Catholics cannot be high-ranking members of our nation’s executive branch.

Joe Biden is Catholic and so is his vice-presidential opponent on the GOP ticket, Paul Ryan. Th e nation has realized that Catholics are no more beholden in their votes to the Vatican than any other religion is to its center of worship. We live in times that are similar to JFK’s 1960. Th ere is unrest, and we are not quite sure what lies in store for our leadership, and sometimes that makes us fearful of what we do not know.

Mormons are a relatively new sect of Christianity, and are, in fact, distinctly American (their leader, Joseph Smith Jr., found the “golden tablets” that were the ba-sis for the Book of Mormon in up-state New York). Mitt Romney’s religion does not make him any less able to govern over a state or become a successful businessman, just as it did not hinder his father from doing the same (governors of Massachusett s and Michigan, respectively).

According to Google Insights, public interest in Romney’s reli-

gion is higher than ever, leading some pundits to wonder if it will be his downfall in this election. I can assure you that if Romney is not elected, it will not be because he is “too Mormon for America.” Th ere are a myriad of other rea-sons to vote one way or the other. Th e only reason that religion is even a topic of discussion for the Romney campaign is to prove to his conservative Christian breth-ren that he is a man of faith whose moral compass is distinctly Chris-tian.

If these Christian evangelicals actually practiced what they (lit-erally) preach, we would not even be hearing this argument. If we are really to delve into the main prob-lem that these evangelicals have with Romney, it is this: He will not condemn any of the things he is supposed to. At events, he won’t come out with a rip-roaring San-torum-esque stance on marriage,

JEFF BLAKE/MCT

defending the union between man and woman as the only way that God could have ever wanted it.

Dr. Costas Panagopoulos is a political science professor whose concentration is in campaigns and elections. He is considered such an expert that he has been con-sulted by multiple media outlets such as Th e New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, CNN, NBC Nightly News, Fox News and BBC.

Panagopoulos said that even though he believes this election will come down to the candidates’ views on economy, that the evan-gelical Christians’ dour opinion of Romney has dogged him this whole race.

“I think this has been the problem for Romney all along,” Panagopoulos said. “Hardcore conservatives, especially social conservatives, don’t believe he is truly conservative or conservative

enough.” Th ey are angry that he will not

commit to fi ght the things that they hate. Th ey are angry that he will not publicly announce a com-mitment to the evangelical Chris-tian positions on social issues.

Pastors who spoke to Time Mag-azine call him the “lesser of two evils” in comparison to Barack Obama, but they are still frustrat-ed that he will not speak out in a louder voice to challenge the Dem-ocratic platform, which they be-lieve has become, under Obama’s leadership, too extreme in its open support of gay marriage, among other things. Romney has been running his campaign on a mes-sage of revitalizing the economy, which, in recent weeks, has been failing him as he trails in the polls. Christians believe that he should abandon his hard-line campaign-ing on the fi scal issues and devote his last two months to a campaign

that espouses his views on faith and issues that the admitt edly large evangelical base thinks are what will swing the vote.

I think that by pandering to this base, Romney will lose even more ground than if he keeps trying to run with his current platform. Some could say that the shades of gray on which Romney based his business ethics are not very Christian in nature, but people are more concerned by the fact that Romney is part of a religion with active missionaries whose practic-es are so absurd that they feature in a Broadway musical. Instead of focusing on whether or not Rom-ney’s Mormonism is a factor that should keep him from being Presi-dent, we should focus on the ac-tual issues about which he is, or in many social cases, is not, talking.

I agree with JFK’s statement: “I want a chief executive whose public acts are responsible to all groups and obligated to none; who can att end any ceremony, service or dinner his offi ce may appropriately require of him; and whose fulfi llment of his presiden-tial oath is not limited or condi-tioned by any religious oath, ritual or obligation.”

We can only hope that if Rom-ney wants to recover any of the votes that he has lost over these last couple of weeks, he will re-member this quote, and so will the Christian voters whom he seems to have disillusioned.

Samuelle Lazar, FCRH ’13, is a political science and communica-tion and media studies major fr om Greenwich, Conn.Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith and upbringing has been seen as a possible obstacle by some political commentators.

who made memories in it. Some of my best dinners last year happened around those drab basement tables. Now, the only group memories made in the Ramskellar will be those of “pumping iron.” It is not that I think fi tness is a less valid reason for people to be sociable, nor that I would keep every aspect of an imperfect thing unchanged.

Th ere is, however, a certain sen-timental aspect to change — and man-made physical change in par-ticular — that we ought to remem-ber, especially as Fordham strives to off er the most modern facilities to its deserving students. Which areas, we must ask ourselves, are worth sav-ing? Which have enough inherent notability that they ought to be con-served, and which should be discard-ed wholesale? More importantly, as the Ramskellar’s improvements force us to ask, is maintaining the physical presence of a location enough, or

should function be respected?Sometimes these answers are easy

(yes, FMH is slated to eventually lose its classroom space). In marginal cas-es, they are less clear. Will Walsh ever be replaced? Faber? Should we take the gamble that in 50 years people will look at JMH and see a building made great with age, on the order of Freeman or Larkin? We must know these structures’ histories as well as we do the University’s needs, or we risk making a great university that is nonetheless not Fordham.

So when you stop by the cam-pus post offi ce and you detect the pungent odors of fi tness from the Ramskellar, remember what that room was. Upperclassmen will know it was not always such a nice fi tness center, but then again, it was not al-ways so sweaty.

Austin Th omas, FCRH ’15, is a mathematics and physics major fr om Palos Verdes, Calif.

Ramskellar Represents Progress But Lacks Nostalgia

The new Ramskellar will add 9,000 square feet of fi tness space, including state-of-the-art, touch-screen cardio machines.

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PAGE 13OCTOBER 3, 2012

Barclays Center: Controvesy and Celebration Collide

By SASHA FISHERSTAFF WRITER

Fordham University has a rich and exciting history. Th e school has both been shaped and changed by the incessant force of New York City while simultaneously exert-ing its own infl uence upon the world. Most students know the basic statistics of the school such as the size of the student body and where the diff erent campuses are located. Most students, however, do not know that the Vietnam War changed Fordham’s reputation pro-foundly or about the black student sit-in of 1969.

Here are seven interesting and defi ning events in Fordham’s his-tory. Th ere are many more infl u-ential moments not on the list, and each event has diff erent angles and sides to it. Fordham University and its students have never sat stagnant with the time, but rather the school allows itself to be shaped by current events both locally and globally.

1841: Fordham founded

Th e University was founded by John Joseph Hughes, as St. John’s College. Hughes eventually went on to be the Archbishop of New York. Rose Hill was originally a pri-vate manor. Th e name was changed to Fordham in 1907.

1918: Th e Ram founded

Th e Ram began as an experi-mental journalism course in 1917.

Th e course’s fi nal project became a newspaper, which was sent to Fordham’s students and graduates fi ghting in France during World War I.

1962: Sargent Shriver Speaks Founder of the Peace Corps Sar-

gent Shriver spoke to students on Fordham’s campus.

“He linked modern global and social justice and humanitarian programs with Catholic ideas,” pro-fessor of theology Jim Fisher said.

Th e event took place just before the Second Vatican Council, which focused on connecting the Catho-lic Church and modern world.

Th omas More College: 1964-1974

Th e fi rst women to study at the

Rose Hill campus arrived in 1964, when the all-girls Th omas More College began classes. Th e young women originally resided off cam-pus in the Bronx, before Goupil became home to the school’s fi rst female resident students. Th omas More College merged with Ford-ham College at Rose Hill in 1974, and the University offi cially be-came co-ed.

1969 - Black Sit-In A black student sit-in occurred

at the Fordham Administration Building.

“Th e sit-in was mirroring com-parable movements across the country,” Mark Naison, professor

Eight Historical Events Th at Shape Fordham Today

Crotona and Mount Hope, which had been hit hard by fi res,” Naison said.

1967 - Bensalem College Opens

Fordham opened Bensalem Col-

lege in 1967, an experimental col-lege run by Dr. Elizabeth Sewall. Th e college did not require grades or a set curriculum. Bensalem closed in 1974.

Despite its failure, the college can be seen as a testament to Ford-ham’s commitment to continually update and improve students’ edu-cational experiences.

2009-2012: Construction Time

Fordham opened new dorms,

Campbell, Salice and Conley, which combined living space with innovative classrooms in 2011.

Th e next year, Fordham opened the newly-renovated home of the Gabelli School of Business, former-ly Hughes Hall. Th e building was funded by alumnus Mario Gabelli who donated $25 million in 2011.

Fordham’s history is full of inter-esting events that have made the school the unique university it is today. Local, national and global events will continue to mold Ford-ham and help the University create global citizens.

- Additional reporting by Sarah Ramirez and Scharon Harding

FORDHAM ARCHIVES

Upcoming acts at the Barclays Center include Barbara Stresiand, the Harlem Globetrotters, The King’s Men, Journey and Rush.PHOTO BY REBECCA HORNE/THE RAM

of African-American Studies and deptartment chair, said. “Th is led to the creation of the fi rst black studies program at any Jesuit uni-versity in the United States, the In-stitute for Afro-American Studies.”

1955 - 1975: Th e Vietnam War

Global events had a huge im-pact on Fordham University and its reputation.

“Before the war, Fordham was known as a locus of social and political conservatism which pro-duced more FBI agents than any other school,” Professor Naison said.

Th e outbreak of the war sparked a strong anti-war movement on campus which resulted in the shut-down of classes in the spring of 1970.

Naison believes that aft er this, Fordham’s local and national repu-tation was “refl ected on all sides of the political spectrum.”

1970s: Th e Bronx Burning Th e burning of the Bronx over

the fi rst half of the 1970’s, which led to the destruction of over 30,000 buildings, pushed many people to abandon the Bronx.

Fordham University not only stayed in the Bronx, but also con-tributed to the recovery of the neighborhood through the North-west Bronx Community and Cler-gy Coalition.

“Fordham helped to rebuild two Central Bronx neighborhoods,

This photo depicts the bottom of the oval drive of Walsh Library in 1864.

By DEVON SHERIDAN ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Th e story of the new Barclays Center, which offi cially opened last Friday, Sept. 28, could start a number of ways.

A sportswriter might be inclined to harken back to October 1960, the month in which the Brooklyn borough and a wildly loyal fanbase lost the Dodgers when the team was shipped out west to Los Angeles.

He or she would probably write of how Ebbets Field, Brooklyn’s last great sports venue and one of base-ball’s classic stadiums, was torn down less than a decade later.

If the sportswriter is like any other New York sports fan, he or she will

write about the anticipation for the pre-season opener on Oct. 15 be-tween the new Brooklyn Nets and their now-cross-borough rival, the New York Knicks.

A fi nancial journalist would prob-ably start with an anecdote about the man-power, the money and the big-business deals that were made just to open the Barclays Center before the start of the 2012-2013 NBA season. Th e fi nancial journalist might men-tion Mikhail Prokorov, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets and the man responsible for almost half of the money invested into the 18,200 seat Barclays Center, a chic, rust-encased behemoth of modern architecture.

A fi nancial journalist will undoubt-edly mention Bruce Ratner and

the Atlantic Yards Project and the millions of dollars invested into the project and the millions promised to come.

Th ere is, of course, controversy sur-rounding the grand opening, the rea-son for the couple of dozen protestors one will see at the four scheduled Jay-Z shows at the center this weekend.

Construction of the Barclays Center promised 15,000 construc-tion jobs and 10,000 permanent jobs following completion, which many claim have gone unfulfi lled. In 2003, Forest City, the development company owned by Bruce Ratner, who is also a minority shareholder of the Nets, won the bid for a devel-opment project in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn where the Bar-

clays Center now stands. Th e Barclays Center is the center-piece of an ongoing development venture, projected for completion in 2028: 15 years later than originally proposed. Initally, Forest City prom-ised funding up to $100 million, but has only provided a down payment of $20 million as of right now. Th is has caused outrage amongst many tax-payers whose subsidized taxes have heavily contributed to the entire de-velopment project.

But for four nights, starting last Friday night, Brooklyn residents, music fans and celebrities clamored together in a celebration of Brooklyn culture, led by the King of Brooklyn himself.

Th is is the opportune angle for a culture writer: to conjure up a story of a celebration of culture and a shared outward appreciation of one man’s music by so many diverse people in a venue geographically and symbolical-ly tied to the man performing onstage.

Th e rounded, metal structure also pays homage to Brooklyn’s past land-scape.

“I saw the outside. It’s weird look-ing, like a metal-weaved spaceship. But it’s kind of cool in the sense that Ebbets Field was dark brown and brick like that,” Jeff Sharkey, FCRH ’14, said referring to the exterior of the Barclays Center, which from some an-gles looks to be built by bricks.

For Jay-Z himself, these inaugural shows mark a historical moment in both his life and in the timeline of the

borough’s history. “Tonight we come full circle,” he

said Saturday night. Whether he is referring to the

fact that he grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn (he also lived on 560 State Street in the late ’90s, only a few blocks away from the Flatbush-Atlantic intersection where the center is located) or to the fact that the Atlantic Yards project has been in the works for almost a decade, these shows signal a signifi cant moment in Brooklyn’s recent developmental strides and growing quality of life for residents of the borough.

Events like this eight-day opening stint fortify the common miscon-ception that Jay-Z commands a large share of controlling interest in the Brooklyn Nets, as his infl uence is felt all over the arena. He helped design the color and logo for the team. In fact, his infl uence stretches beyond the Nets: He owns a club, 40/40, lo-cated inside the Barclays Center.

He also had infl uence on the ticket prices for the show, insisting that half of the tickets be sold at $29.50. Un-doubtedly, cheap ticket prices have lent to the anticipation and buzz sur-rounding the christening of New York City’s newest feature building.

“It’s good advertisement and good business for the Barclays center,” Dan-iel Finnegan, FCRH ’15, said. “As for Jay-Z, the choice refl ects his involve-ment and infl uence with the project. Obviously it is his way of giving back to the borough.”

CULTURE theramonline.comPAGE 14 • THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012 theramonline.com

By VICTORIA RAUMANAGING EDITOR

Pizza at 3 a.m.? No problem. Waf-fl es and omelets at 3 p.m.? You got it. Customized donut ice cream sand-wiches, day or night? Th at’s doable.

In New York, there is no shortage of entrepreneurial spirit or of demand for food at obscure hours, which is clear in this city’s prodigious, com-petitive restaurant industry. Th ere are over 4,200 restaurants in New York City, more than 3,500 of which boast a Manhatt an address, by one estimate in USA Today’s travel section. Unless you fi nd yourself in the middle of the East River, stranded on the George Washington Bridge or in a far corner of Staten Island, chances are that you are only a stone’s throw away from some type of food and libation. With so many choices, though, the ques-tion becomes how to decide. While location, budget constraints and spe-cifi c cuisine cravings may help narrow it down, the knowledge that there are so many world-class options, for me, makes it a high-pressure situation to choose a venue for eating or drinking in the city.

In order to avoid sett ling for medi-ocrity in these situations, some people turn to what I will call the “3 Rs.” Res-ervations, reviews and recommenda-tions are three ways to ensure that you have places to dine or carouse in a giv-en neighborhood or borough. I love a good restaurant review as much as

the next person. I believe that recom-mendations based on anecdotal evi-dence provide some of the strongest indicators for what a place is actually like. I acknowledge that reservations, while irksome, are sometimes neces-sary and convenient. Lately, though, I am realizing that my favorite thing to do is to forgo research and the “3 Rs” altogether.

Some of my very favorite restau-rants are places that I found seren-dipitously. On several occasions, I have stumbled upon truly delicious food served in unique, appealing at-mospheres, and these are the places to which I return on a regular basis, especially if I have friends or family in town. It’s great to be able to say, “I know just the place” when you are cold, tired and hungry, wandering around a random neighborhood with your friends aft er a concert. Nothing beats the discovery, though.

I had agreed to accompany one of my friends to pick something up in the city on the Friday aft ernoon of Spring Weekend freshman year. As evening approached, I was anxious to get back to all the festivities, but he was hungry. We were somewhere south of Houston St., we were freshmen and we were way out of our league. I was trying to convince him to pick some-thing up in Grand Central Station on our way back when I noticed a white awning with the barely-visible name of a restaurant. I almost walked by because it was so narrow, but instead

we went in, and I snacked on Brie tar-tines while my friend ate a full salmon entrée. Since that discovery, I have re-turned to the place at least half a dozen times.

A few weeks later, I was a litt le fur-ther east, searching for a snack with two friends. Each of us had a diff erent idea of what we were willing to pay and at what point we were willing to sett le for walking into a bodega and buying a bag of chips. One of my compan-ions seemed to fi nd something wrong with every place we passed, but fi nally, tucked around the corner on a quiet side street, we found a tiny place that had a reasonably priced bowl of soup on the menu. We went for the soup, but we stayed (and I continue going back) because they make some of the most excellent food I have ever had in one of the smallest kitchens I have ever seen.

Last weekend, I had two friends visiting from home, and we were in pursuit of a bathroom in Chelsea. We had a Starbucks in view, but an “Open” sign above the door of a res-idential-looking building distracted me. I was confused because I could see what looked like the foyer of an apartment building through the glass door, but we found the door unlocked and entered the building. Down one fl ight of stairs, we found a soft ly-lit, cavernous room lined with beauti-ful exposed brick and Oriental rugs. It turned out that we had stumbled on a bar that was “a New York icon

Fordham Experimental Th eatre (FET) boasts the distinction of put-ting on a great show where viewers can also lose their voice or get a nose-bleed. Th is is because the club crams audiences of 50-60 people into Col-lin’s Blackbox Th eatre, which is the size of many campus classrooms. Th e “E” in FET adds in another level of in-tensity. In a show two years ago – Evil Dead – att endees were given ponchos as they came in, and then splatt ered with fake blood during the course of the show.

Izzie Menard, FCLC ’13, is direct-ing Litt le Shop of Horrors, a black-humor musical. Th e story centers around two young kids who want to get out of a dead-end town. Seymour, a fl oral shop clerk, fi nds an extraordi-nary plant and sees it as a chance to win the att ention of Audrey, the girl he loves. Th e plant draws the att en-tion of the town immediately, but things quickly get out of hand when Seymour realizes it survives by eating human fl esh.

Menard says, though Horrors is a more traditional piece, she’s trying to stay true to FET’s free-spirited ethos.

“Th e process started with cast-ing, where we chose kids who could make the roles their own, and weren’t scared to make fools of themselves in the name of comedy,” she said.

“We literally did reverse type-cast-ing,” Michelle Flowers, FCRH ’13, who plays Audrey, the show’s ditsy, sweet female lead, said.

Horrors has been especially tight on time. Rehearsals started the week of Labor Day, just under a month ago. Menard is an FET veteran who has performed in Evil Dead, Cowboys Don’t Sing and All My Sons, but Hor-rors is her directing debut.

“Trying to be an authoritative fi g-ure to all your friends is challenging,” Menard said. “Th ere were a lot of is-sues that I didn’t originally think of.”

One of her actresses dropped out at the last minute, and Menard stepped in to take her place. When I interviewed her Monday night, the programs had just been printed, and “the set [was] still not fi nished.” Th ough, as director, she had the larg-est share of responsibility, Menard says, “Everyone’s had to work really hard” to get the show off the ground.

Flowers, who also performs with the sketch club Free Pizza, says the student-run aspect of FET is key.

“We all care so much about the club,” she said. “Sometimes it amazes me how much time I spend here, no-body’s telling us to be here.”

Like many student projects, she says FET shows “can feel procras-tinated, but somehow we’re able to turn everything around at the last second.”

“Th e staging of Horrors will give the audience a 360° view of the ac-tion and lots of engagement with the characters,” Mike Dahlgren, GSB and FCRH ’14, who plays Mr. Mushnik, grumpy fl oral shop owner, said.

Flowers and Menard agreed that shows at the Blackbox are always high-energy, with lots of audience interaction.

Litt le Shop of Horrors runs at 8 p.m. this Wednesday through Sunday, with a 9 p.m. show Friday night.

If you have a suggestion for the col-umn, email rprensner@fordham.edu.

Dining Out: Le Parisien

By MIKA KIYONO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Anyone who has explored the city knows that it is practically impossible to find a good restau-rant in Midtown, especially near the touristy and crowded Herald Square. Just five blocks away, however, is Le Parisien, tucked away in the quiet neighborhood of Murray Hill.

Le Parisien is a cozy bistro serving classic French food. Vin-tage French posters and wine bottles adorn the walls, and the waiters speak to each other in French. Le Parisien is one of

The Brunch menu includes a choice of orange juice, sangria, coff ee or mimosa.

those restaurants that makes one feel quite lucky to be in New York. After all, where else can one experience Paris in a meal just a train ride away?

I came here for Sunday brunch with a friend, and they had a spectacular prix fixe menu that came with a drink and an en-trée for $12.95. Lunch and din-ner prices are understandably steeper, so this brunch menu is perfect for stu-dents who want to try French

cuisine. For the entrée, there are a

wide variety of choices from French toast to Croque Mon-sieur. I chose the grilled porto-bello and goat cheese sandwich with pesto sauce.

This well-executed sandwich came on a toasted baguette with a layer of pesto sauce, meaty portobello mush-rooms, fresh arugula, diced tomatoes and goat cheese. The sweet portobello went perfectly with

the savory pesto sauce. The aru-

Overall

Location

Food Quality

Atmosphere

Hospitality

Price

(Out of 4 ’s)

$$

The French cuisine restaurant is located between Lexington Ave. and 3rd St.

Editor’s Pick: Wandering, but Not Lost

RACHAEL PRENSNER

Behind the Spotlight

PHOTO BY MIKA KIYONO/THE RAM

123 years in the making,” but that has only been open for a year. Either way, it was a welcome change of pace from the modern, sleek look of many Manhatt an bars, and the refreshments were delectable.

Arthur Avenue is great, but there are four other boroughs and thousands of other restaurants. I was intentionally vague about the names and exact lo-cations of my discoveries because this is the opposite of a restaurant review. Word-of-mouth and Urbanspoon can only get you so far. Sometimes, the best plan is to have no plan.

So, my pick is this: Ditch the “3’Rs” and go plan-less — with an adventur-ous spirit and a litt le luck, you may discover new favorite places to eat and hang out.

gula and goat cheese completed the meal by adding just the right amount of flavor and punch.

The atmosphere of Le Pa-risien is warm and relaxing. It is a great place to sit down with a friend and unwind from the bustle of school, intern-ships and work. After a long week, Le Pa-risien was exactly what I needed. Simple comfort food made with fresh ingredients and cooked with care.

It feels as if time moves a little more slowly here, a place where there is time to breathe in a city that never pauses.

PHOTO BY MIKA KIYONO/THE RAM

Wander and discover new placesPHOTO BY VICTORIA RAU/THE RAM

CULTURE OCTOBER 3, 2012 • THE RA M • PAGE 15theramonline.com

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Ram Reviews

! Check

Th is Take a look at the latest events

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Send tips, event listings, or comments to fordhamramculture@gmail.com

MUSICMOVIE MOVIETELEVISIONMOVIETHE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

METRIC“REVENGE”LOOPER TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE

- COMPILED BY DEVON SHERIDANASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

By PJ BROGANSTAFF WRITER

Welcome to Looper. Marty Mcfl y doesn’t live here.

Writer-director Rian Johnson takes us to a crumbling American future where the mob controls time travel. Th ey send their enemies 30 years into the past to be killed by paid assassins, known as “loopers.” Th ese young men spend their days disposing of the mob’s future trash and spend their nights pouring synthetic narcotics into their pupils with eyedroppers. Th e mob can’t let anyone with a con-nection to time-travel live, so at any point, the man sent back to be killed by the assassin might just be the assas-sin himself.

Johnson delivers one of the most inventive movies of the year. With his wicked and thoughtful script, a typi-cally grizzled Bruce Willis in Die Hard mode, and yet another understated knockout performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Looper is the best mind-altering action fi lm since he ap-peared in Inception. See it if you want to contemplate the cycle of life and the chaos of our smallest interactions. Or see it if you want to witness a two-hour gore-fi lled shooting gallery.

By MARLESSA STIVALASTAFF WRITER

ABC’s “Revenge” essentially has it all. Th e series began its second season this past Sunday and quickly proved that not only is it as addicting as ever, but it is also just gett ing started.

For anyone new to “Revenge,” the show’s theme is fairly obvious from its title. Th e protagonist is a seeming-ly-sweet yet deeply-cunning young woman (played with astounding depth by Emily VanCamp, “Ever-wood”) with a serious vendett a against those who framed her late father for a terrorist att ack years ago. Born Aman-da Clarke, she has since taken on the name Emily Th orne and has been ex-pertly trained in body, mind and spirit to face any challenge she may encoun-ter on her quest for vengeance. Aft er all, Emily’s adversaries are actually deeply infl uential, extremely wealthy and notoriously devious. Th us, the show’s sett ing in the luxurious Hamp-tons is quite an appropriate stage for Emily’s schemes.

Each episode reiterates two reap-pearing questions: Who will be the next victim of Emily’s wrath, and how long can she continue to “be” Emily Th orne until her true self is revealed?

By COURTNEY SMITHCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Movies have the ability to defi ne a generation. Sometimes a movie comes along that allows you to con-nect to its characters regardless of the time period. In Stephen Chbosky’s writing and directorial debut, Th e Perks of Being a Wallfl ower, we have a movie that will resonate with audi-ences and may be the movie of this generation.

Th e fi lm allows the audience to connect with the characters, mak-ing Perks extraordinary. Th ere are an endless number of movies that deal with the issues of today’s youth, yet they fail to resonate with audiences. Furthermore, the fact that the fi lm is based on a novel that was published in the late ’90s and takes place in the early ’90s proves that the story and the characters that Chbosky created are timeless. Anyone can make a movie about the personal struggles we go through when growing up, but many would fail to make it real.

As Charlie (Logan Lerman, 3:10 to Yuma) says, we want to feel “infi -nite.” Th e theme song of Th e Break-fast Club sums it up nicely: “Don’t you, forget about me.”

By JAKE KRING-SCHREiFELSSTAFF WRITER

In sports, three or more con-secutive wins or losses are deemed a streak, especially in baseball where there’s a number and a corresponding stat for almost everything. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that for the second consecutive year we’ve been given a baseball fi lm in late September (recall last year’s Moneyball, the Oscar-nomi-nated Billy Beane memoir). Th is year, Trouble with the Curve, examines more front offi ce dynamics, but this fi lm slaps back at the sabermetric world, balancing new-aged scouting tech-niques with the chronicle of an aging scout who believes in evaluating play-ers without those hokey computers.

Gus (Clint Eastwood, Dirty Har-ry) is chosen to go to N.C. to scout a heavily touted high school prospect coveted by many based on his as-tronomical numbers. Living a long, solitary life as a scout, he has become autonomous and strong-headed, fi nding diffi culty in lending respon-sibility to someone else, and much of the tension of the plot arises when Gus’ daughter Mickey (Amy Adams, Doubt) is asked to accompany Gus on his trip.

Jay-Z Welcomes Barclays Center to the BK

about Brooklyn and his solo re-turn to his old home. Impressively, though standing on a relatively small stage, Jay-Z managed to bring enough att itude, presence, and brazen talent to ignite the sold-out crowd. His only exception to the solo rule was made for Big Daddy Kane, another legendary rapper and product of the Brooklyn proj-ects, who took the stage for mul-tiple numbers. Th e two artists were on fi re once together on stage, mak-ing endless and complex rhythmic interplay look eff ortless. Jay’s band was fl awless as well, taking the mu-sical vibe seamlessly from soul to rock concert to rave.

Beyond the electric feel of the crowd and the music, the new ven-ue — with countless staff and po-licemen galore — certainly did its part to make the evening run fl aw-lessly. One could not go more than a few feet without running into yet another food stand with more mouthwatering options.

Th is place runs the complete cuisine gamut, from pizza by the slice to gourmet carving stations.

VIP entrances and celebrity hang-outs also notably dot the Center, bringing a new element of nightlife and class to the world of sporting events and concerts. Even bett er is the venue’s defi ance of the usual concert traffi c laws, as numerous train options kept att endees mov-ing in and out of the vicinity at lightning speed. In short, this is no Meadowlands.

Perhaps the biggest theme of the night—both in the spirit of the venue and in Jay-Z’s message to the audience—was that of reaching for one’s dreams and believing that the impossible can be made possible. Jay managed to merge expressions of humility with deserved pride as he off ered his own rags-to-riches history as an example for others.

For this reason, the Barclays Center likely opened its doors in the best possible manner, remind-ing New Yorkers that even crime-ridden streets and billion-dollar budgets cannot crush dreams, whether they be for a neighbor-hood NBA franchise or a night with Jay-Z.

Though Hova performed alone, the 18,000 audience included Pharrell, Star Jones, Al Roker, Magic Johnson and Beyoncé.PHOTO BY REBECCA HORNE/THE RAM

By MONICA CRUZCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Topping off Radio City Music Hall’s week of huge musical perform-ers, Canadian indie rockers Metric certainly delivered an incredible per-formance on Sept. 23.

Th e audience received a great surprise when Haines introduced the one-time Velvet Underground lead singer, legendary rock star and songwriter, Lou Reed, to join her in performing “Th e Wanderlust.” Reed and the band continued in a striking rendition of the Velvet Underground’s “Pale Blue Eyes.”

Th ough Metric performed at its best, most of the audience did not re-ciprocate much energy, unfortunately putt ing a damper on the experience as a whole. A chilly Sunday night isn’t exactly an ideal time for an exciting and loud rock concert, but it was still no excuse for the lackluster reaction of much of the audience.

Th e night ended with an incredible acoustic rendition of one of Metric’s biggest hits, “Gimme Sympathy.”

Th ough faced with a sleepy crowd, Metric gave a top-notch performance that certainly made fans even more excited for the band’s fantastic singles.

DetroitWhen: through Oct. 28

Where: Playwright’s Horizon Th eatrePrice: $10 with a student subscription

Detroit is a play set “in a fi rst-ring suburb of a mid-size American city.” It tells the story of two couples who recently moved to the neighborhood. Th ere is Ben and Mary, a middle class couple, struggling to align with what they perceive to be societal normalcy when Ben loses his job. Th ey meet Sharon and Ken, fresh out of rehab, rejuvenated and ready to take the world on. Th e script is fantastic; it is simple and endearing at the edges of the dia-logues creep dark secrets, waiting to burst forth at the worst of times.

Students can sign up for a Playwright’s Horizon college student dis-count online or over the phone (suggested). Th is is a sound investment, as this season at Horizon’s theatre is chock-full of notable plays. Detroit was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in drama.

DispatchWhen: Friday, Oct. 5

Where: Radio City Music HallPrice: $65

Radio City, keep the good shows coming. It feels like I’ve suggested Ra-dio City more these past few weeks than all of last semester. But good shows are good shows. Th ey deserve recognition. So check this one out: Dispatch, “the biggest band nobody’s ever heard of,” will take the stage at the Hall this Friday, for a relatively low price, considering the amount of shows they’ve played in the past fi ve years (which I can count on my fi ngers) and the speed with which those shows sold out. Fans fl ock to Dis-patch shows hoping to hear renditions of indie classics like “Th e General,” “Bang, Bang” and “Elias.” Th is show is a true gem. Th e band just released new songs for the fi rst time in almost a decade, but who knows when they may perform around here again.

By REBECCA HORNECONTRIBUTING WRITER

Th ough Hova performed alone, the 18,000 audience included Pharrell, Star Jones, Al Roker, Mag-ic Johnson, and Beyoncé.

Th e Barclays Center does not set out to be just the newest, shini-est entertainment venue on the block. It clearly aims to embody the quintessential Brooklyn expe-rience. From its slaw-topped hot dogs to its faux-rust exterior to its homegrown performing artists, nothing at the Center was left un-touched by Brooklyn fl are on Sat-urday night.

“Tonight is no ordinary night,” Jay-Z said, referencing the histori-cal signifi cance of the venue’s loca-tion (which has been marked by events like Jackie Robinson’s break-ing of baseball’s color barrier).

While some audience members would have rather had an “ordi-nary” Jay-Z concert, one with the typical onslaught of Beyoncé and Kanye star-power, the artist made very clear that this weekend was

CULTUREPAGE 16• THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012

WHO’S THAT KID?Lauren Zupkus

A MEMBER OF FCRH ’13DOUBLE MAJORING INCOMMUNICATION AND

MEDIA STUDIESAND

FRENCH AREA STUDIES FROM OCEAN CITY, NJ

Describe yourself in a couple of sentences for the readers.

Too hood for my own good. I’m probably the loudest person you’ll ever meet, but don’t call me out on it because then I’ll get really sensi-tive. Honestly, I would drop out and become a talk show host. But then again, I would never have this amazing opportunity to be Who’s Th at Kid, so I’m happy I stayed in school.

What is your favorite aspect of Fordham and why?

Th e people keep me happy. Somehow a big weirdo like me end-ed up with friends, so I really can’t complain. For the homies reading this, you already know what it is. Love you.

What is your favorite thing to do in New York City?

I love going to shows. I’ve seen Britney Spears and Modest Mouse in the same weekend, so you can prett y much say I’m down for any-thing as long as it involves music. I just saw Madeon over the summer and Papadosio last week.

I’m trying to sneak into a Jay-Z show too since I got beat on a tick-et.

What is something about you that not many people know?

Hard to say, considering I’m pret-ty much an open book. But when I was in high school, my parents let me skip school and my whole fam-ily drove six hours away to see the groundhog on Groundhog Day in Punxsatawney, Pa. Trust me, it was as epic as it sounds.

If there was one thing about Fordham you could change, what would it be?

Oft en times, I see students treat-ing neighborhood residents like they’re aliens or foreigners; mean-while we’re the ones who live here temporarily.

I’m not saying all Fordham stu-dents are like this all the time, but I think it’d be nice if students remem-bered that people are people no matt er where they come from and deserve to be treated with respect.

What television shows are you following right now?

Considering I didn’t have cable for an entire summer, I have a lot to catch up on. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season of “Girls,” and I’m prett y excited that “Hey Arnold!” and “All Th at” are on at 3

Zupkus stresses about not seeing Jay-Z this weekend and her addiction to bows.

theramonline.com

PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

o’clock in the morning now.

Would you consider yourself a connoisseur of classic Nickelode-on television?

“Hey Arnold!” specifi cally, noth-ing else really. I have the fi rst season on DVD. Brought it freshman year, it was great conversation starter.

What show, food, artist or movie would you consider your “guilty pleasure”?

I like wearing bows in my hair, and I’m 21, so that might be a prob-lem. And I’m obsessed with horrible

rap music. “I Don’t Like” by Chief Keef was essentially my summer anthem, and I bump Rick Ross on a daily basis.

If you were stranded on a des-ert island, what would you bring with you?

Rick Ross and a bott le of tequila.

What do you hope to do aft er graduation?

Right now I write for MTV Inter-national and I really like doing that. Anything with journalism or travel-ing would be perfect.

JSO Embraces Jewish Culture During Yom Kippur

Lox, which is cured salmon fi llet, was popularized by Jewish immigrants.

By LINDSAY JAVITZCONTRIBUTING WRITER

In honor of the High Holy Day Yom Kippur, on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, the Jewish Student Organiza-tion ( JSO) set up a table outside the cafeteria and handed out tradi-tional Jewish foods and informa-tion cards.

At the event, the JSO members gave away free bagels smeared with cream cheese with a side of lox and

Jewish desserts. Club members also explained the holiday and its traditions to interested people and provided information sheets for students to learn even more about the holy day.

For those who do not know, Yom Kippur is the Jewish holiday which occurs nine days aft er the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. On this day, practicing Jews fast from sun-down the night before until sun-down of the actual holiday. Th is is

how the celebrators atone for their sins of the past year.

Once the sun sets, the fast is traditionally broken with a dairy meal that is meant to be easy on the stomach.

In previous years, the JSO has held Yom Kippur events on cam-pus, but this year’s event was an awareness-building event.

“Th ere have been many Yom Kippur events in the past, such as a pre-fasting meal, but I believe this was the fi rst awareness-building event for Yom Kippur that’s been held in a while,” Connor O’ Kane, the associate director of interfaith ministry, said.

Morgan Vazquez, FCRH ’13 and the JSO club president, added that one purpose of this event was to in-crease campus awareness about the Jewish holiday.

“Th is will be a great way for stu-dents to learn that Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, and therefore, we will be providing them with treats be-fore fasting begins,” Vazquez wrote in an email to all club members.

Th is marks the second JSO event of the year. On Monday, Sept. 17, the club set up a table outside the cafeteria and handed out apples and honey in honor of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

“I eat apples and honey as a

snack thanks to Rosh Hashanah,” Nick Sawiki, FCRH ’16 said.

A club leader claimed that it seems as though students are inter-ested in the JSO events because of the High Holy Day events.

“So far people have been very inquisitive, they have not only come around for apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah but they have come around for bagels and lox for Yom Kippur,” O’ Kane said. He went on to say, “Th ey take our in-formation sheets and look forward to future programming.”

Still, being a Jewish student at a Jesuit university does make some feel lonely.

“It’s very lonely as there’s not many of us around,” Emilie Gar-ber, FCRH ’16 and a JSO member, said. “I am happy with this event as it educates and brings awareness to the Jewish people.”

One club member stated her goal for the JSO Yom Kippur event next year: “I hope by next year to bring more people to the table.”

Garber added that by increasing event notifi cation, there will be a rise in the number of people that will visit the Yom Kippur table next year.

“I hope that there’s more no-tifi cation to get more people in-volved,” Garber said.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Th e Seersucker provides a wealth of knowledge on sartorial fundamentals, contemporary male fashion and the mastery of personal style.

Packing for some global navigation is a potentially overwhelming pursuit that leaves the unprepared adventur-er in a rumpled mess of cloth. Th is di-saster is easily avoided with just a few simple practices and a concise list.

Th e standard black knit tie was a favorite of the late Fred Pressman, a fashion guru largely responsible for the modern reputation of Barney’s New York. Besides this classic tie, every man should also own at least one silk knit tie. Th ey are suitable for casual or suited pairings, and are available in a variety that approaches the amount available for the standard necktie. Mr. International loves his silk tie because its construction al-lows for easy storage without creas-ing. J. Crew makes a decently con-structed silk knit for a competitive price.

A few soft , polo-style shirts make a casual substitute for the t-shirt, and they look just fi ne with some wrinkles. Blue chambray shirts are a good choice for casual solid and pat-terned oxford cloth shirts. Th ey look smooth paired with a casual jacket and can also be worn alone without appearing half-baked.

In the colder reaches of the world, a suit jacket or sport coat made en-tirely of wool is preferable to a wool and polyamide blend, and full wool suits make excellent all season out-fi ts.

Cott on sport coats will wrinkle easily, but tropical climates call for a breezier fabric than wool. Try ex-perimenting with shades outside of the business-approved navy and charcoal. Take inspiration from Billy Reid, Southern Gentleman, who uti-lizes lighter shades of blue, gray and even brown.

Also, try to avoid those gold but-tons. Th ey are a litt le too Ivy League reunion mixed with boat captain. A sport coat with dark butt ons is a more subdued and modern image.

Travelers do well with a few good pairs of slim-fi tt ing, fl at front chinos and a dark pair of jeans. As we pre-fer to pack light, color matt ers here. Try to avoid redundancy. Try bring-ing only one pair of pants in a khaki shade, another in light gray, one in dark blue and a fi nal pair in a bold red color. Variety will save space.

A waxed pea coat provides a water-resistant and wind-defying top layer. It will also cinch the whole silhouett e into an aesthetically appealing slim fi gure.

Th ere are plenty of video guides online demonstrating the proper way to fold diff erent articles of clothing that are easier to follow than a writ-ten explanation. Th e suit jacket is the most arcane, but it’s still manageable.

A portable steamer is also a great investment. Th ey remove wrinkles without the damaging process of dry cleaning or the haphazard nature of ironing. Clothes should only be cleaned if they’re dirty, but a short bout in a dryer can also serve as a quick fi x for a few wrinkles.

Above all remember to keep your wits and personal sense of style, about you. Pack light, have fun and look great.

KEVIN ZEBROSKI

Th e Seersucker

ADVERTISING OCTOBER 3, 2012 • THE RA M • PAGE 17theramonline.com

MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY PROSPECTIVE STUDENT REGISTRANTS

Q. I won’t be 18 until later this year. When can I register?A. You can fill out and submit a voter registration form if you will turn 18 by Dec. 31. You can only vote, however, if you are 18 on the day of the vote. Several weeks after you register, or after your 18th birthday, you should receive a card in the mail from

the Board of Elections telling you where and when you can vote.

Q. Do I need any identification in order to vote on Election Day?A. Newly registered voters should bring an ID to the polls but, if you've voted in a previous election you shouldn't need one.

Most voters who have voted in a previous election will not have to show any identification or proof of citizenship to vote. The voter ID card you may have received in the mail is intended to help you locate your polling site, but it is not required to vote. As a voter all you will have to do is sign your name in the poll site book. However, voters registering for the first time in their pres-ent county/NYC, may be asked to show ID at the polls in order to vote on a machine, if they did not include their license (or non driver ID) number or the last four digits of their social security number on their registration form, or if their license/ID number/

social security number couldn't be verified with the State's database. So new voters should make sure they bring ID with them to the polls. But, even if you are asked to produce ID and that ID is

rejected by poll workers it is still your right to vote by paper/affidavit ballot. If you are asked to show ID all that is required is a "current and valid photo identification" with your name and picture such as a drivers license or college ID. Government docu-ments and utility bills or bank statements with your name and address are also acceptable forms of ID. With changes in voter laws in many states, it is better to be safe than sorry. You can contact your local Board of Elections for identification require-

ments or visit http://www.brennancenter.org/content/student_voting/ to find out the rules for your state.

Q. Where do I vote?A. You should receive a card from the Board of Elections telling you where your polling site is. If you don’t, voters within New

York City can call toll free (866) VOTE-NYC or 311, and others can call their local Board of Elections.

Q. I am registered to vote in another county (or state) but I need an absentee ballot. What should I do?A. If you are a New York State resident, all you have to do is complete another voter registration form. This time, however, you will check the first box in Question 14 indicating that you want an absentee ballot. Assuming that you will be in school during

Election Day, use your complete university address as your mailing address in order to receive your ballot. If you are not a New York State resident, you may request an absentee ballot by contacting your local county or city election official. Depending on your state, this individual may be the County Clerk, County Auditor, County Registrar or Supervisor of Elections, or the Board of Elections. In most cases, the phone number for these offices is listed in the blue government pages of you phone book. For detailed information on registering and obtaining an absentee ballot, please visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)

web site at www.fvap.gov or call 1-800-438-VOTE.

Q. Okay. I’ve received my absentee ballot. After I complete it, can I return it to any Board of Elections?A. No. When you request an absentee ballot from a particular county, your absentee ballot must be returned to that county.

Your absentee ballot will have a return address for your convenience. Be aware, however, that you should return your ballot as soon as possible to be counted in the election results.

Q. I am registered to vote in another county (or state) but I am now a resident of New York City (or New York State). What should I do?

A. Just fill out a voter registration form with your new address. On the New York State form, answer Question 11 to indicate an address change. Place your previous address in Question 11 and your new address in Question 7. On the federal form (Box B), you must fill in your previous address to indicate an address change. Remember: As long as you do not vote in the elections

of your original county AND that of your new resident county, you will be okay.

Q. I am not really sure what issues are important to the candidates. Do I have to register with a particular party?

A. No. There is an option that allows the choice of not registering with a political party. Registration for a specific party really is only important for primary elections since only a registered Republican can vote in a Republican primary. The same holds

true for all political parties. In the general elections, party affiliation is not as important. If you need more information about a particular candidate or party, please feel free to contact organizations like the Rock the Vote at www.rockthevote.com or Proj-ect Vote Smart at www.vote-smart.org. Student organizations such as the College Democrats and the College Republicans are

also very helpful.

Q. I am already registered to vote but I lived on campus last year and moved off-campus this year. What should I do?A. Just fill out another voter registration form and answer Question 11 indicating a change of address. Just provide your new

address in Question 7.

Q. I am registered to vote but would like to change my political party. What should I do?A. Just fill out another voter registration form and answer Question 13 with your new party identification. You may also choose

to not enroll in a party at this time.

Q. The voter registration form says not to use a P.O. Box number when providing the address for where I live. Since Ford-ham uses P.O. Box numbers, what should I do?

A. There is a distinction between where you live and where your mail is sent. If you wish to participate in the elections of your home county (your permanent home residence), then you should list your home address (where your tuition bill goes) as your permanent address and your Fordham address as your mailing address. If you determine that you would prefer to participate

in the local elections then you use the University’s formal address, including your suite or room number. For Rose Hill, the official University address is: 441 E. Fordham Road, ______________ Hall, Suite/Room ______, Bronx, New York

10458For Lincoln Center, the official University address is: 113 West 60th Street, McMahon Hall, Suite/Room ______, New York, New

York, 10023

Q. If I register, am I registered forever?A. The details are a bit confusing. No matter where you live you should re-register if you move, change your name or change po-litical parties. To make sure you get to vote on a machine on Election Day play it safe – fill out a new form. Current federal and

state laws prohibit registered voters from being removed from the rolls for simply choosing not to vote. However, if you haven’t voted in a long time or if you haven’t received any recent mail from the Board of Elections you should probably fill out a new

form.

Q. I wasn’t born in the USA. Can I still register to vote?A. Any citizen of the United States can register to vote. You are a citizen if you were born in USA (including Washington DC,

Guam, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands). You can also become a citizen through the naturalization process. Holders of green cards are not eligible to vote.

Q. If I vote in a party’s primary election, do I have to vote for that party in the general election?A. No. In the general election, (no matter what party you chose to enroll in) you have the right to vote for the candidate of any

party -- or even to write in your own candidate.

Source: Office of Government Relations and Urban Affairs (2012)Fordham University

ADVERTISINGPAGE 18 • THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012 theramonline.com

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PAGE 19OCTOBER 3, 2012

Moorhead Brings New Traditions to Fordham Football “Sharpen The Ax,” Gadget Plays and Other New Elements Introduced to Program

an addition to the program this year. Th e decals are just one new part of the players’ helmets, as former equipment manager Charlie Mc-Millan, who has since left for San Jose State, added numbers to one side of the headware.

Th e pride sticker, which is placed on a player’s helmet as a reward for a good play, is a tradition of several college football programs. Moor-head developed the idea in conjunc-tion with a speech given to the team from a former teammate, who now serves as a Navy SEAL.

“One of the things for the Navy SEALs is ‘earn your trident,’ and we just switched it around to ‘earn your horns,’” Moorhead said. “When camp ended we gave them their fi rst sticker on their helmets, and then for each win they get one, and then there’s a list of certain criteria they can do to earn one. It’s just kind of a neat and creative way to reward kids for their performances.”

While passing along praise to the team, Moorhead has also made it a point to ensure that his players pass around respect to others.

“Th ere’s a direct correlation be-tween the things you do off the fi eld and how you perform on the fi eld,” Moorhead said. “If I can count on a guy to be at class on time, to make his study hall hours, to take his hat off when he enters the cafeteria, then I can count on him to run the right route, hit the right gap and to cover the right guy.”

Th ese new elements of motiva-tion, respect and off ensive style have meshed together well for the Rams.

Aft er all, Fordham has three times as many wins, through only fi ve games, as it did in all of last season.

Bitt erman’s First Collegiate Goal Leads Fordham Over Rival Manhatt an

By CHESTER BAKERSPORTS EDITOR

When Fordham hired Joe Moor-head as the new head football coach, the school also brought a host of new elements to the program. Moorhead has implemented several new pieces to the Rams, ranging from off -the-fi eld motivation to off ensive style and look.

Th e prevailing mantra for the Rams this season has been “sharpen the ax,” a phrase that Moorhead took from an old quote from Abra-ham Lincoln, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the fi rst fi ve hours sharpening the ax.”

Moorhead passed along his affi n-ity for the quote onto his players, as he believes it sends an important message to the team.

“Really what it focuses on is prep-aration,” Moorhead said. “Our focus as a staff and as a team is you win the game during the week with your preparations. We want to make sure that our weekly preparation, men-tally and physically, is going to be the thing that wins the game for us.”

Moorhead hoped to instill the idea that every play in practice should be treated as the play in a game, and he has taken an extra step to ensure that players keep the quote in mind, as the team has a new tradi-tion of chopping a piece of wood before each game.

“We pick one of our captains prior to each game to carry [the ax] out with us,” Moorhead said. “We’ve found some stumps as opposed to logs which is nice, so we kind of ral-ly around it before each game, pop [the ax in the stump] before each game and get ourselves fi red up.”

Th e fun, new tradition has done a fi ne job thus far of gett ing the play-ers motivated right before kickoff .

“As a coaching staff , part of our job is to motivate the team and fi nd new ways to get our kids excited about playing the game,” Moorhead said.

Th e Lincoln-inspired activity is not the only thing Moorhead has done to keep his team entertained, as he has also installed a number of trick plays into the team’s playbook.

“When we practice our red zone off ense on Wednesdays and Th urs-days, and the team knows the trick plays are going to occur, they get ex-

cited to see what we have dialed up,” Moorhead said.

While the plays are fun for both the team and the players, Moorhead chooses when to use them with careful consideration. Th e head coach chooses from a “menu” of trick plays when he sees fi t to run one, based upon careful review of game tapes and scouting reports.

Fordham has used gadget plays on scoring plays against Cornell and Lehigh.

Senior wide receiver Blake Wayne and sophomore wide receiver Brian Wetzel have both been crucial in gett ing the gadget plays off and run-

ning. Wayne was an obvious choice to be used in the plays, as he served as the starting quarterback for the Rams in the past. It took a litt le more time to discover Wetzel’s role, however.

“Just watching him throw the ball around in practice [we saw his ability]” Moorhead said. “It’s just a matt er of doing things that put your players in a position to be success-ful and we knew Brian could throw the ball, so he’s the right choice for those plays.”

Converting on one of those gad-get plays is just one example of how a player would earn a pride sticker,

The pride stickers are just one of the many new things Moorhead has used to motivate his players this season.

By MATT ROSENFELDASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Time and again, the Fordham men’s soccer team has fought long, hard defensive games, only to lose because of a lack of off ensive out-put. Th at would change last Friday, Sept. 28, however, as the Rams defense remained stellar and the off ense came through late in a 1-0 overtime win over the crosstown rival Manhatt an Jaspers.

Manhatt an came into the game with an unimpressive 0-6-1 record, but the Rams knew the rivalry game would not be an easy contest.

“Whenever you play the local team, it’s always very diffi cult,” Head Coach Jim McElderry said. “It’s a big game for both teams, but I always get the feeling that it’s a bigger game for them sometimes, which means we need to fi nd ways to get up for the game.”

Th e Rams att acked early as they saw two chances within the fi rst 20 minutes of the game. Two fresh-men forwards led the att ack. Tom-my Granot had a shot blocked by a Manhatt an defender in the 14th minute and Ryan Walsh hit the crossbar on an att empt in the 20th.

Manhatt an countered quickly, gett ing a shot on goal just two min-

utes later in the 22nd minute. A cross found the head of senior C.J. Dragovich, but sophomore goal-keeper Sean Brailey made the save.

Th e Manhatt an rally would con-tinue in the 26th minute, when a fl urry of scoring chances was kept out by Brailey. Juniors Eric Ma-vakala and Kevan Lewis combined for three shots on goal in a 14-second span. In what would be his second consecutive shutout, and fourth of the year, Brailey came up big for the Rams.

Fordham’s next opportunities would come in the second half, when in the 53rd minute, sopho-more Kalle Sotka had a scoring chance denied by Manhatt an se-nior goalie George Ellis, who then stopped a shot 14 seconds later from junior forward Julian Nagel.

Ellis continued to stop the Ford-ham att ack. Granot and Sotka each had att empts in the 74th and 76th minute, respectively, that were knocked away by the Jasper keep-er.

Brailey made one more save in the 88th minute to force the over-time period.

In overtime, Manhatt an was only able to muster one att empt, a shot from junior forward Naru Park that sailed high over the net.

Th e game-winning goal for the Rams came with just under two minutes left in the fi rst overtime period, as Rams’ sophomore mid-fi elder Ollie Kelly sent a through ball to freshman midfi elder Kyle Bitt erman who beat Ellis from inside the box. Th e goal was the fi rst of Bitt erman’s career.

“Kyle has had a really good season,” McElderry said. “He’s gett ing bett er every game. He’s learning how to expose teams with his pace and his work rate. I was happy for him that he got rewarded with a goal. He’s had a couple of chances and just been a litt le unlucky in that fi nal shot.”

Bitt erman is one of four fresh-men who started in Friday’s game. Fordham is relying a lot on young players this season, as shown by the eight freshmen and sophomores that played against Manhatt an. Th e reliance on young players is partly due to in-jury. Senior captain Ryan Curran is out with a broken foot. Juniors Jack Bouchard and Taylor Gulbis are also nursing injuries, but are close to returning to full health, the latt er playing a litt le in the game Friday.

“[Injuries] just give people more opportunities to step up

and play,” McElderry said. “I don’t think our team has missed much of a beat, but we defi nitely miss guys. It aff ects your depth as well, but there is nothing we can do about it.”

With the win, Fordham im-proves to 4-3-1 heading into its Atlantic 10 schedule. Th e team will now play two or three games a week rather than the one-a-week pace that usually accompanies the non-conference schedule.

“[Th e schedule] is a big chal-lenge not just for us, but for any of the teams,” McElderry said. “It is a major challenge. Th e Friday games are fast and very up-and-down, while the Sunday games are a litt le slower. You rely on guys that some-times don’t play as much on Friday to come in and play big roles.”

Th e Rams open up their confer-ence slate in Philadelphia on Fri-day, Oct. 5 when they take on the La Salle Explorers.

Fordham used another stellar defensive eff ort to win the “Battle of the Bronx.”

PHOTO BY ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS

ADVERTISINGPAGE 20 • THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012 theramonline.com

Volleyball

Fordham 25 25 23 25 3

Charlotte 19 19 25 20 1

Konkel (FOR)- 37 assists, 15 digs

Ochs (CHA)- 11 kills

Fordham 25 18 25 25 3

VCS 21 25 22 23 1

Hipp (FOR)- 15 kills

Farkas (VCU)- 14 kills

Men’s Soccer

Fordham 1

Manhattan 0

Goals: Bitterman (FOR); 99’

Water Polo

Fordham 7

Brown 17

Fordham 12

Conn. College 6

Football

Fordham 14 7 3 7 31

Lehigh 14 10 7 3 34

Higgins (FOR)- 373 yards

rushing, 2 TDs, rushing TD

Colvin (LEH)- 341 yards

passing, 61 yards rushing

Golf- MacDonald Cup

9th out of 15 teams

Varsity Scores & StatsWomen’s soccer

Fordham 2

Duquesne 0

Goals: Abrams (FOR); 58’

McDonnell (FOR); 89’

Fordham 2

St. Bonaventure 0

Goals: Maksuti (FOR); 23’

Rooney (FOR); 83’

Men’s tennis

Fordham 7

La Salle 0

Fordham 7

St. Francis (NY) 0

Athletes of the WeekKyle Bitterman

Freshman

Soccer, forward

Bitterman tallied his fi rst career goal on

Friday, an overtime game-winner which

lifted the Rams over Manhattan in the

Battle of the Bronx.

Rachel Suther

Senior

Soccer, goalkeeper

Suther had two shutouts over the week-

end as Fordham opened conference

play with wins over Duquesne and St.

Bonaventure.

News & Notes• Head Coach Joe Moorhead confi rmed that sophomore quarterback Michael Ne-

brich underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn ACL. He will redshirt this season.

• The Fordham water polo team beat Connecticut College and lost to #13 Brown at

home this weekend. The Rams’ record this season stands at 2-13. They head to Cali-

fornia this weekend for six matches.

• The Fordham golf team competed at the MacDonald Cup this weekend in New Ha-

ven, Conn. The Rams fi nished in a tie for ninth. Junior Brandon Nolan was the team’s

top fi nisher, placing 22nd with a two-day score of 143.

• The Atlantic 10 Conference has announced a new eight-year television deal with

CBS and NBC which will put more than 50 men’s basketball games on national tele-

vision beginning in 2013. ESPN still holds the rights to both the men’s and women’s

conference championship games.

• The women’s rowing team opens its season this weekend at the Head of the Housa-

tonic regatta in Shelton, Conn.

• Interested covering the Fordham golf team for The Ram? Tweet us (@TheRam_

Sports) or email us at fordhamramsports@gmail.com.

Recapping the NBA Off season

By MIKE DAUBERCONTRIBUTING WRITER

It seems that the major deals of the free agency period are over, so let’s take a brief look at our new NBA.

Let’s start with the Knicks, since they are the local team. Th ree signifi cant moves were made this off season: the end of Linsanity in New York, the de-parture of Landry Fields and the arrival of Jason Kidd. Fields spent two years with the Knicks. His fi rst was very fruitful and put him on the map, while the second was a weary campaign which con-sisted mostly of dunks combined with struggles with the jump shot that had made him so eff ective the year before. Jason Kidd arrived in New York during free agency in a space of time largely dominated by the Jeremy Lin question. Lin signed an off er sheet with the Houston Rockets, which was ini-tially matched by the Knicks, but a diff erent version of Lin’s payout by year made the contract untenable by the Knicks, who would be hit with massive tax penalties by the league for going over the spending cap. Instead, the Knicks will ride into a fresh campaign with veteran point guard Kidd in tow, an expe-rienced passer and accomplished three-point shooter. Th e Knicks should also come in hot from this summer thanks to the per-formances of Carmelo Anthony (who set the U.S. Olympic record for most points scored in a game with 39) and Tyson Chandler.

Th e departure of Kidd has put a prett y litt le dent in any remain-ing hope for the Dallas Mavericks to make a serious playoff run this year. Even more so, Jason Terry signed with the Boston Celtics, which eff ectively leaves Dallas with one aging superstar who re-cently stated that he has two years left on his contract and is not sure where his career will take him from there.

Meanwhile, the Jason Terry move adds further complications to an already-intriguing situation in Boston. Early in free agency, Ray Allen left the land of green and white and took his talents to South Beach, joining forces with the men who ended his season two years in a row. Th is elicited vi-cious fan reactions (such as shirts printed with Ray Allen’s number coupled with the name “Judas,” a symbol of the betrayal Boston fans feel). Swapping Allen for Terry in Boston on the surface may not seem like the best lineup but it certainly is not the worst. Allen is an aging star seeking one last ring before retirement. While he is known as the best three-point shooter of all time (he owns the record for most made), it has been a long time since he provided the dynamic energy in drives to the basket that a younger guard off ers. Terry, no youngster by NBA stan-dards at 34, nevertheless brings more energy with his isolation plays, daring drives to the bas-ket and penchant for inciting the crowd to participate vigorously.

Terry even shoots threes excep-tionally well, so in my opinion this didn’t work out badly at all for the Celtics, despite what they might think.

Allen’s arrival in Miami bol-sters an already-formidable squad coupled with the acquisition of Rashard Lewis, yet another ex-cellent three-point shooter. Mike Miller, bothered by a bad back so much so that he was given pain killers before games and at half time during the playoff s, decided not to retire just yet and will ride into the season on his somewhat famous Game 5 performance in which he hit seven huge three pointers to help dispatch OKC (a team that looks prett y much the same this year, and hence not covered in this article). Wade is coming off of knee surgery, so we’ll have to see just how well he responds, and Bosh skipped the Olympics to rehab an abdominal injury, which nagged him during the playoff s. LeBron James will waltz into the season truly living up to his nickname, having earned his third MVP award, fi rst playoff MVP award, second gold medal and the elusive NBA champion-ship. All hail King James.

Well, we’ve certainly saved the big trade for last, mostly because of its major implications. Orlando dealt its disgruntled star center Dwight Howard, guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark to the L.A. Lakers. Th e Magic also sent guard Jason Richardson to Philadelphia. Th e Lakers sent forward Josh McRoberts, forward Christian Eyenga and a 2017 fi rst-round draft pick to Orlando. Th ey also gave center Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia. Th e Sixers sent forward Andre Iguodala to Den-ver and forward Moe Harkless, center Nikola Vucevic and an un-disclosed fi rst-round draft pick to the Magic. Denver sent guard Ar-ron Affl alo, forward Al Harrington and the lower of its 2014 fi rst-round draft picks to the Magic.

What an unbelievably-loaded trade. The seemingly never-ending saga of where Dwight Howard would play this season finally ends with the all-star cen-ter headed for Hollywood to join Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and newly-acquired future hall-of-famer Steve Nash. The move has leap-frogged L.A. ahead of OKC in the odds to win the champion-ship, according to some Las Vegas predictions. The move also sees all-star center Andrew Bynum leaving the city which hosted him since his career began in 2005 for Philadelphia which is roughly only an hour from where he grew up in Plainsboro, New Jersey. Philadelphia sent Andre Iguodala to Denver, which really shakes up the power balance in both con-ferences: Philadelphia, a rising team, will have to see where it fits in the rankings without the man who made them relevant again, and Denver will seemingly have its first marquis player to build its roster around since Carmelo An-thony’s departure two years ago for New York.

OCTOBER 3, 2012• THE RA M • PAGE 21SPORTStheramonline.com

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports

Want to write for us? Tweet us (@TheRam_Sports) or Send us an email at fordhamramsports@

gmail.com

SPORTSPAGE 22• THE RA M • OCTOBER 3, 2012

Smith Says

ALEX

SMITH

theramonline.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

Senior Profi le: Ryan CurranBy MATT ROSENFELDASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Ryan Curran has been a main-stay on the Fordham men’s soccer team’s defense since 2010. Original-ly from Carlow, Ireland, located in the southeastern part of the island, Curran boasted a youth fi lled with awards and honors. He was a captain of his high school, CBS Carlow’s, team when it won the league fi nals in 2006. Curran was also a member of St. Joseph’s Football Club in Carlow before he came to Fordham. Since being a Ram, Ryan has anchored the Rams’ defensive units the past three years. Last year, he was named to the Second Team All-Atlantic 10 team, and was a member of a Fordham defense that led the A-10 in shut-outs, fewest goals allowed and goals against average.

Now in his senior year, Ryan is a captain of the team. Right now he is suff ering from an injury, but he is working to get back on the fi eld to continue his success in his last year as a Ram.

Th e Ram: You’re originally from Ireland. What made you decide to come to Fordham?

Ryan Curran: Th ere were a lot of things that made me come to Ford-ham. Coach McElderry had a big in-fl uence on me. He really helped me make the transformation over here. He was defi nitely great to me. Also, the campus is beautiful, and being a part of a program that I thought was really moving forward. It was some-thing I really wanted to be a part of.

TR: How would you say the game is diff erent in the United States com-pared to when you played over in Ireland?

RC: It is defi nitely a very diff erent style of football, especially since a lot of teams play on turf over here. It’s very diff erent from what I was used to playing on in Ireland. Teams get the ball out of play a bit more. Th e tempo is faster and a litt le more hec-

tic, especially in college soccer. Th at was the main diff erence. We also spend a lot of time in the gym, and that has helped me get more physi-cal in my game.

TR: You’ve been contributing to the Rams since 2009. How does it feel knowing this is your last season?

RC: It is defi nitely tough. If I didn’t have to graduate I wouldn’t, I would stay here as long as I could. I’m just enjoying every moment, gett ing out training every day. I just want to do the best I can every game because there aren’t many left . I just want to win every game.

TR: Going into the conference schedule, what are your goals and the team’s goals for the rest of the season?

RC: My goal is to get fi t as quickly as I can and just get back on the team [following the injury] As a team, our goal every year is to win the Atlantic

10, which I believe we have a very good chance of doing this year. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but I think we have the determination and skill to challenge for the conference.

TR: What has been your favorite moment at Fordham?

RC: Without a doubt, defi nitely the overtime win against Temple last season, when we won the Atlantic 10. Even just thinking about it now gives me goosebumps. Th inking about that goal going in during over-time and us just going crazy, that was defi nitely the best moment.

TR: Do you have any plans aft er graduation?

RC: Not right now. I’m actually graduating in December, so I’m not really sure what I want to do. I want to have all my options open. If soc-cer doesn’t work out for me, I want to stay in New York and get a job, but I’m not really sure right now.

Curran hopes to come back from an injury to play in his fi nal season.

On Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers demolished the New York Jets 34-0. The Jets of-fense was miserable, mustering just nine first downs and 145 to-tal yards. I am well aware that the 49ers have one of the most domi-nant defenses in the NFL, but even with that said, Jets quarter-back Mark Sanchez had a terrible day, and I just can’t understand why Jets fans keep defending him.

Jets fans have an unreason-able love for the below-mediocre quarterback, and I want to know why.

The Twitter universe was abuzz during Sunday’s game. Fans were blasting the Jets left and right, but none of the criticisms seemed to be directed at Sanchez. In-stead, Jets fans defended their signal-caller, and ripped on Gang Green’s lack of wide receivers. Santonio Holmes is a former Super Bowl MVP, and Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley are solid young receivers. Dustin Keller, when healthy, is a slightly-above-average tight end who can catch the football. In past seasons, San-chez has had good receivers like Braylon Edwards, Jericho Cotch-ery and Plaxico Burress among others.

The Jets’ front office has done a nice job of supplying Sanchez with receivers to throw the ball to, but Sanchez has not held up his part of the bargain. In the game on Sunday, Sanchez threw a number of passes that were not even remotely close to his tar-gets. A quarterback has to give his wideouts a chance at least to make a catch, and oftentimes Sanchez doesn’t do that.

Other fans cited the loss of All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis to a season-ending ACL injury as the main reason for the loss. I have a feeling that Jets fans may stick to that excuse for the rest of the season. The fact of the mat-ter is that Revis’ presence has no effect on the Jets’ offense. In the 34-0 loss on Sunday, the Jets de-fense allowed 245 rushing yards.

Having Revis in the lineup would not have altered those rushing numbers by very much, and he would not have added a single yard to the Jets’ offensive numbers.

Getting back to the main point, Sanchez completed 13 of his 29 passes for 103 yards, one inter-ception and one fumble lost. This is just the latest example of San-chez’s inept quarterbacking skills. In two of the Jets’ first four games this season, Sanchez has thrown for less than 140 yards.

This Jets offense is no longer centered around the running game as it was in Sanchez’s first couple of years, so that excuse for why he doesn’t throw for a great amount of yards doesn’t hold any water.

Sanchez has never had a quar-terback rating (QBR) higher than 48.0. According to the QBR scale,

100 is the best possible score, 0 is the worst and 50 is average. San-chez’s QBR average from his first four seasons: 37.43. The numbers don’t lie.

In the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the Jets reached the AFC Cham-pionship Game. Granted, San-chez was a rookie in 2009, but the Jets had great defensive units both years and could have been Super Bowl Champions with an experienced quarterback.

In those first two seasons, Sanchez’s job was to manage the game and not turn the ball over. He had 29 total touchdowns in those seasons, while turning it over 46 times — this is not the way to manage a game.

It also appears that the Jets’ front office doesn’t have much confidence in Sanchez. Case in point: signing Tim Tebow in the offseason.

Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan has said again and again that Sanchez is his starting quarterback and that he is confident in Sanchez’s play.

At this point, I can’t believe Ryan can say that with a straight face. They signed Tebow to implement the wildcat offense, which takes Sanchez off the field or spreads him out to a wide re-ceiver position.

So now the Jets are making a game plan that takes the ball out of Sanchez’s hands for many plays.

But don’t worry Mark, you’re still our guy, right?

This is the part of the column where I need to clarify that I do not think the Jets should turn things over to Tebow.

Since being acquired from the Denver Broncos this past offsea-son, Tebow has shown nothing to warrant being a starting quarter-back.

In fact, if the Jets replaced San-chez with Tebow, they’d be going from bad to worse.

Tebow was brought to the Jets so that they could win the back page of the newspapers, not to win football games. He is a run-ning back who can throw the ball a little bit and yes, he has won games in the past, but he is not the answer to the Jets’ quarter-back woes.

In my opinion, the Jets’ strug-gles to get over the hump and put together a Super Bowl cali-ber team boil down to one thing: they do not have a leader in the quarterback position.

Above all other things, the quarterback position is about leadership skills. The other 10 players in the huddle must have faith in the player who is telling them what to do.

Sanchez is only in his fourth season, but he has plenty of play-off experience.

Still, he does not have control of the huddle and he lacks that killer instinct that a leader must have.

So Jets fans, please fill me in: Why is it always the receivers’ fault? How would Darrelle Revis have changed anything about the 150 yards of total offense against San Francisco?

It’s time to stop defending a bad quarterback and admit that the Jets would be much better off with someone else under center — anyone but Tebow.

Men’s Tennis Dominates in Home OpenerBy MICHAEL PRINZCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Th e Fordham men’s tennis team defeated La Salle University and St. Francis College (N.Y.) on Saturday, without dropping a set in either match. Th e Rams won both match-es 7-0, to start their fall season off with a bang.

“I was very impressed with the guys, and I kind of expected to win both matches,” Head Coach Cory Hubbard said. “I’m very happy to be 2-0.”

Th e Rams’ fi rst match was against the La Salle Explorers. La Salle and Fordham have had a prett y decent rivalry over the last couple of years, so there was plenty of tension be-tween the two teams.

Fordham came ready to play and jumped out to an early match lead by easily winning all three doubles matches.

Sophomore Max Peara and Srikar Alla won their match 8-1, as did juniors Emilio Mora and Mis-cha Koran, while junior Kuba Kow-alski and sophomore J.J. Tauil won 8-5. Th e team was clearly excited

and anxious to play, with team-mates yelling encouragement to each other all match long.

“I want this team to be the most energetic team in the country,” Hubbard said. “Wins and losses are fi ne, but as long as the guys play with heart and with energy, I’ll be happy.”

Th e Rams’ passion and drive, as well as the cold early morning conditions, clearly frustrated the Explorers.

Several of LaSalle’s players took out some frustration on their rack-ets, and one even tried to start a shouting match before being sub-dued by a coach.

“La Salle has been a rival for the last fi ve or six years, but we’ve played very well recently and kind of distanced ourselves from them,” Hubbard said.

Th e Rams continued that dis-tancing, winning all six singles matches to complete the sweep of La Salle. Kowalski, Mora, Alla, Peara, senior Alex Dirienzo and sophomore Jan Krouham all won their matches in straight sets.

Th e second match of the double-

header was against St. Francis (NY). Th e match was a bit tougher for the Rams, but they still started strong, winning all three doubles matches.

Kowalski teamed with Alla to win 8-1, Mora and Koran won 8-2 and sophomore Peder Gram was victorious in third doubles 8-2, with sophomore Michael Puntillo as his partner.

Aft er doubles play, the match moved on to singles, and the Rams were a litt le fatigued.

“A doubleheader is defi nitely a test,” Hubbard said. “I knew it was going to test the guys both physi-cally and mentally. I wanted to schedule it to see where the guys were at.”

Th e Rams showed their good conditioning in singles play, win-ning all of their matches in straight sets. Gram and Puntillo joined Krouham, Peara, Mora and Alla in helping the Rams sweep singles play and the match.

Two very convincing wins made it a successful home opener for Fordham. Th e Rams will be in ac-tion next weekend at the Columbia Invitational.

October 3, 2012• THE RA M • PAGE 23SPORTS

Upcoming Varsity ScheduleFridayOct. 5

Th ursdayOct. 4

SaturdayOct. 6

SundayOct. 7

TuesdayOct. 9

MondayOct. 8

WednesdayOct. 10

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Football

Volleyball

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at La Salle7 p.m.

G’TOWN1 p.m.

at VCU4 p.m.

at Rhode Island5 p.m.

Gary Troyer Tournament California

MetropolitanChampionships

Bronx, N.Y.

Men’s Tennis Columbia InvitationalNew York, N.Y.

By CHESTER BAKERSPORTS EDITOR

Let’s play the guessing game: I am going to give you the synopsis of an average day of two diff erent 21-year-olds and you have to guess which describes my day.

Day A: Wake up in the morn-ing, in a hotel room somewhere in America, go to the ballpark, snack on the pre-game buff et, put on an Angels uniform, smack a few hom-ers, steal a couple of bases and make some web gems.

Day B: Wake up around noon, play NCAA Football 12 for around four hours, eat some food from 7-Eleven and then head over to night class.

If you guessed Day B, then congratulations, you’ve correctly guessed my average Wednesday. If you know that Day A describes An-gels rookie superstar Mike Trout, then congratulations once again.

I am entering a very weird time in my life, when athletes will be younger than I am, as I continue to enter my adult years and new pros-pects are brought into professional leagues. While I fi nd it hard to de-cide whether I want to go to Belli-ni’s, Pugsley’s or Simon’s for dinner, these guys need to worry about picking apart defenses, identifying a curveball over a fastball or making a game-winning three-pointer.

I have had some experience with watching athletes younger than me perform on a national stage while viewing college sports, but this is much diff erent.

When watching college basket-ball or football over the past four years, it has been kind of weird to think “Wow, that guy is only 19 years old and he’s about to win a National Championship and here I am about to knock back my fi ft h slice of pizza.” Still, that had always been understandable because they were just college kids. I see college athletes around campus all the time, so watching them play on national television was never something that unusual. Also, everyone on the

court was around my age, as op-posed to now, when I can see Rob-ert Griffi n III play against someone like Ray Lewis.

So how am I supposed to feel about athletes my age playing in major leagues? Should I be annoyed that they are out there living out a dream that I once had as a kid, or should I simply admire their ath-letic prowess? Honestly, I respect the hell out of these young kids that come into the league and are able to perform at such a high level. Mostly, I respect them because I know that it’s something that I could never do.

We all know that it can be diffi -cult to be a college student at times, having to balance a social life with a mountain of papers. We have to race to class, turn in our homework and still leave some time to unwind and enjoy the college experience with our friends. Still, the pressure to perform well in classes is always there.

Now just imagine that pressure times a zillion, as your performance is analyzed and criticized by the team’s fan base, the national media and veteran teammates. It seems ideal to play a game for a living, but everyone knows that the pressures of professional athletes are almost unimaginable. At any moment, a player can go from stud to dud or

suff er a career-ending injury. For Mike Trout and Robert Grif-

fi n III, among others, to come into their rookie seasons and put aside all of those pressures is simply re-markable. I really want to be jealous of them because they are basically living the lives that anyone who played Litt le League or Pee Wee Football dreamed of as a kid. But I just can’t be mad at them.

Instead, all I can do is respect the ability they have and admire the performances they have been put-ting on this year. At times, it’s tough to remember that these guys are mostly kids, with many of the same interests as me. For them to over-come all of that and put up gaudy numbers against veterans of their leagues is simply remarkable.

As the years go on and my 20s turn into my 30s and my genetic baldness undoubtedly takes over, I will eventually be watching athletes decades younger than me. I will join the ranks of grown men cheering for or against players much young-er, but even then I hope that I am still able to simply marvel at the way that young professional athletes are able to perform.

If the time ever comes when I can’t just respect an athlete’s ability, then I might as well stop watching sports.

Volleyball Knocks Off Charlott e and VCU

Fordham’s front line aided the Rams in their two conference wins. PHOTO BY ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

theramonline.com

Women’s Tennis National Collegiate Tennis InvitationalFlushing, NY

at Richmond

12 p.m.

Golf Binghamton InvitationalApalachin, N.Y.

By KENNY DEJOHNSTAFF WRITER

It was a good week for Fordham volleyball, as the team was able to knock off both Charlott e and Vir-ginia Commonwealth at home.

Th e Rams played Charlott e fi rst, on Sept 28. Aft er a disappointing loss to St. Francis just a few nights prior, the Rams came out fi ring all cylinders against the 49ers.

Junior Carina Th ompson sparked a 6-1 run for the Rams in the fi rst set, and the team led 11-6 aft er junior Lisa Hipp recorded a kill. Th ey nev-er led by fewer than four points for the rest of the set. A service ace by freshman Brianna O’Neil gave the Rams a 22-13 advantage, and they would go on to win the set 25-19.

Th e 49ers held a slim 14-12 lead in the second set, but Fordham scored seven straight points to re-gain the lead. Charlott e came within two points at 21-19, but Fordham scored the fi nal four points to take the second set.

Th e third set was close until the very end. Th ere were 11 ties in total, with the fi nal one coming at 19-all. Charlott e led 21-19 before the Rams scored four of the next fi ve points to lead 23-22. Th e 49ers would fi n-ish the set by scoring the next three points off of Fordham errors.

Fordham trailed just twice in the fourth set, with the fi nal Charlott e lead coming early on at 8-7. Th e Rams led by as much as seven at 21-14 and ultimately took the set on Charlott e service and att ack errors.

Hipp was the biggest contribu-tor for the Rams, tallying 16 kills and hitt ing .419 in the match. She also chipped in nine digs. Freshman Brennan Delsing contributed nine kills and 10 digs of her own, while junior Sara Konkel fi nished with yet another double-double (37 assists and 15 digs). Junior Maria Roden-berg tied a career-high with 25 digs. Junior Krissy Buongiorno also con-tributed, tallying six blocks and nine kills.

Th e Fordham Rams took on the VCU Rams on Sept. 30 at the Rose Hill Gym. VCU, the newest mem-bers of the conference, entered the match with a 14-2 record, having won 10 of their last 11 games. Ford-ham rose to the challenge.

Th e fi rst set featured fi ve ties over the fi rst 14 points. Fordham scored

fi ve of the next seven points aft er be-ing tied at 7-7. Fordham came out on top, 25-21, on the strength of 16 kills and a .355 hitt ing percentage.

VCU essentially owned the sec-ond set, leading by as much as 10 at 21-11. An ace by junior Kassidy Burgess cut the lead to 22-17, but that was as close as Fordham would get. VCU took the set, 25-18.

Th e third set saw fi ve ties, three lead changes and no team leading by more than four points. Aft er the fi nal tie at 14, Delsing contributed two kills that would give Fordham the lead for good. Consecutive kills by Th ompson and Delsing then gave Fordham its largest lead at 18-14.

Fordham would eventually win the set 25-22 on a Rodenberg kill. Fordham fi red on all cylinders in the set, hitt ing .414 and registering 15 kills.

Th e fourth set was tied at 9-9 be-fore Fordham took a 12-10 lead that it would not relinquish. O’Neil’s eighth kill of the match gave the Rams the win at 25-23.

With the two wins this week, Fordham improves to 11-12 overall with a 3-1 record in the Atlantic 10.

Th e match against VCU was won by Fordham’s defensive eff orts. Th e Rams held VCU to a hitt ing per-centage of just .203. Senior Randi Ewing led the way with eight block assists.

Hipp, Ewing and Delsing reached double fi gures in kills. Konkel re-corded her second double-double, tallying 48 assists and 12 digs. Rodenberg added 14 digs of her own.

Konkel was pleased with her team’s performance.

“Th is past week we were able to come back from a rocky conference start in Philly and against St. Fran-cis to have a successful conference weekend at home,” she said. “Aft er Philly, we knew we had to change something if we wanted it to be suc-cessful and it started with practice. We have been working hard both physically and mentally, practicing hard and watching fi lm, preparing ourselves with a winning mind-set. Our assistant coach Brandon [Crisp] always says, ‘We win today, we win tomorrow.’”

Th e Rams next play on Saturday, Oct. 6 in Kingston, R.I., against the University of Rhode Island.

Mike Trout is one of the many young players to dominate professional sports

lately. How should the average college student feel about this?

PHOTO BY BEN MARGOT/AP IMAGES

PAGE 24OCTOBER 3, 2012

Last-Second Field Goal Lift s No. 11 Lehigh Over Fordham, 34-31By DAN GARTLAND

SPORTS EDITOR

Th e Fordham football team faced its biggest test thus far this season when the Rams traveled to Bethlehem, Pa. on Saturday to face 11th-ranked Lehigh. Ford-ham gave the Mountain Hawks everything they could handle, but fell short, losing 34-31 on a fi eld goal as time expired.

“I’m proud as heck of our kids,” Fordham head coach Joe Moor-head said aft er the game. “Th ey played a great game. It’s unfor-tunate it ended the way it did, because I thought we played well enough to win. Lehigh made one more play than we did.”

Fordham jumped out to an early lead, marching 68 yards on 12 plays in 3:31 on its fi rst pos-session. Senior quarterback Ryan Higgins capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Th e Rams stretched their lead to 14-0 on their very next pos-session. On second down with the ball at the Lehigh 18, Higgins handed to senior running back Carlton Koonce. Koonce ran to his left and handed the ball off to sophomore receiver Brian Wetzel. Wetzel then pulled up and threw to senior receiver Nick Talbert in the end zone for a touchdown.

Th e trick play silenced the crowd and seemed to shift the mo-mentum in Fordham’s favor. Le-high answered on the next posses-sion, however. Lehigh ran the ball seven times on a nine-play drive, culminating in a 16-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Keith Sherman.

Women’s Soccer Opens A-10 Play With Two Victories at Home

PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

gins found senior receiver Greg Wilson for a 42-yard gain. On the next play, Higgins connected with Koonce on a 12-yard touchdown pass. Th e 54-yard drive took only 19 seconds, and the Rams cut the defi cit to 24-21.

Higgins completed 28 of 41 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns against a Lehigh passing defense, which entered the day ranked 15th in the FCS.

“Lehigh’s focus this week was to stop the run and stop Carlton and challenge us to pass the ball and win that way,” Moorhead said. “We talked to the kids last night that we feel we’re diversi-fi ed enough as an off ense that we should be able to do both well.”

Playing from behind in the second half, Fordham was forced

Fordham would give the ball back aft er a sloppy possession, which ended when Higgins was forced to fall on a bad snap on third down. Senior Patrick Mur-ray had to punt from his own end zone. His strong kick went to the Lehigh 45, but a good return by Lehigh’s Marcus Dormevil brought the ball all the way to the Fordham 25. Five plays later, Le-high senior quarterback Michael Colvin called his own number and ran it in for a score, tying the game at 14.

Lehigh would add a fi eld goal and another touchdown to make it a 24-0 run and take a 24-14 lead before Fordham fi nally scored again with 2:43 left in the fi rst half. Aft er an impressive 35-yard kickoff return from Wetzel, Hig-

to lean on Higgins and the pass-ing game. Koonce had 105 yards rushing in the game, but only four yards on nine carries in the fourth quarter. Higgins had a 13-yard touchdown pass to Wilson early in the fourth quarter which tied the game at 31, but it was the last time Fordham would score.

Aft er forcing a punt, the Rams got the ball one fi nal time, deep in their own territory with 2:36 left on the clock. On fi rst down, Higgins was pressured. He rolled out to his left and tried to throw the ball away, but his awkward backhanded throw failed to reach the line of scrimmage, and he was fl agged for intentional ground-ing. Th e penalty gave Fordham a second-and-21 at the 1-yard line. A Koonce run on second

down moved the ball out from the shadow of the goal line, but Higgins’ third down pass att empt fell incomplete and Fordham was forced to bring out Murray to punt from his own end zone. His strong kick went all the way to the Lehigh 40 but Dormevil made another spectacular return, taking the ball into Fordham territory at the 39.

On second down, Colvin found senior receiver Ryan Spadola over the middle. Spadola made a fi n-gertip grab and went down at the 22, inside fi eld goal range.

Fordham called timeout af-ter a 2-yard rush by Lehigh with 44 seconds remaining. Aft er an-other 2-yard gain by Colvin, Le-high called time. Fordham nearly caught a huge break on the next play, when Lehigh sent 12 players on the fi eld. Realizing the mis-take, Lehigh called another time-out and avoided being penalized. Th en, on third-and-six from the 18, Colvin found an open receiver, who was tackled at the 5-yard line.

Lehigh allowed the clock to run down to three seconds before calling time and sending out the fi eld goal unit. Senior Jake Peery knocked in the 22-yard att empt and Lehigh survived.

A loss like that can demoralize a team, its eff ect potentially lin-gering for weeks. Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead knows his team cannot aff ord for that to hap-pen — there are still six games to play.

“Th is is a very resilient group,” Moorhead said. “Th ere’s a lot of fi ght in this team and the message in the locker room was we can’t let this beat us twice.”

“[Spadola] had his share of catches too, but Ian did a great job,” Moorhead said, of redshirt sophomore defensive back

Ian Williams. “Ian’s a very good player as well and I’m glad we have him for a few more years.”

By DOMINIC KEARNSSTAFF WRITER

Th e Rams started the Atlantic 10 season with high hopes aft er a recent resurgence. Aft er two more convincing wins, Fordham looks like it can batt le for the A-10 crown.

On Sept. 29, the Rams handled the Duquesne Dukes 2-0 on a soggy Bronx aft ernoon. Th e Dukes nearly struck on a fourth-minute break-away chance, but senior Rachel Suther blocked Paige Maroney’s eff ort with an instinctive left hand-ed save. Fordham gained control of the game aft er that Duquesne chance, but the Rams were unable to fi nd a fi rst half breakthrough. Torrential rainfall marred the fi nal 10 minutes of the half, as most fans left their seats to fi nd shelter under-neath the bleachers. Neither team could score in the downpour, so Fordham and Duquesne fi nished the fi rst half in a scoreless batt le.

Th e second half began as the rain stopped, and Fordham con-tinued to push for a breakthrough goal. Th e Rams were rewarded in the 59th minute, when senior Kaitlin Abrams headed a rebound eff ort into the net. Senior Cara Rooney had her header blocked, but the ball bounced to Abrams, who scored her second goal in two games. Fordham had an excel-

lent chance to double its lead in the 63rd minute, but senior Annie Worden’s penalty kick was saved nicely by Dukes’ goalie Devon Ta-bata. Duquesne tried to draw even, but the Dukes were stymied by a strong Fordham midfi eld.

Th e Rams enjoyed most of the possession over the last 25 min-utes, and Suther made a simple save in the 80th minute to protect Fordham’s lead. With two minutes remaining, sophomore Kate Mc-Donnell sealed the victory for the Rams with a sweet shot from 18 yards into the upper left corner. Sophomore Kristina Maksuti as-sisted the goal with a well-placed through ball, and Tabata had no chance to save McDonnell’s eff ort.

Fordham earned a 2-0 triumph in its A-10 opener thanks to an impressive team eff ort. All facets of the game clicked in the second half, and the Rams played well on the slick pitch.

“Luck has defi nitely gone our way,” Suther said. “We’re shoot-ing to score goals, not just to fi nish sequences, and a bunch of people are scoring. It was nerve-racking on that fi rst breakaway, but I did not have to do too much. Th ose are the best types of games.”

Th e Rams continued their win-ning streak on Sunday with a 2-0 home win over the St. Bonaventure

Bonnies. Th e fi rst 20 minutes went by with litt le goalmouth action, as Fordham eased its way into the game. In the 23rd minute, Maksuti hit a breakaway shot off the right post. Th e rebound bounced back into play, and Maksuti converted her second opportunity to give Fordham the lead. Th e Rams fi red two more shots in the ensuing fi ve minutes, and McDonnell nearly earned a penalty kick for the Rams in the 29th minute. McDonnell appeared to have been tripped by Bonnies keeper Megan Junker, but the referee allowed play to contin-ue. St. Bonaventure could not mus-ter any off ense against the stingy Rams defense, so Fordham carried a 1-0 lead into halft ime.

As the match resumed, Maksuti immediately smashed a 46th-min-ute shot off the right crossbar. In the 51st minute, freshman Joann “JoJo” Murino forced Junker into a tough save. Th e Rams continued their search for another goal and held the majority of possession. In the 71st minute, Junker got in-jured, and was replaced by Katie Kerkman.

Th e Bonnies fi nally tested Suther in the 81st minute, as she alertly slapped Caitlin MacCo-nell’s curling eff ort to the left of the post. One minute later, Rooney extinguished all hope for a Bon-

nie comeback with an awesome lob shot over Kerkman’s arms. Kerkman came off her line to de-fend a free kick, but the ball fell to Rooney, who one-timed a left -foot-ed lob into the goal.

In the fi nal fi ve minutes, St. Bo-naventure created two strong scor-ing chances, but Suther denied Abby Maiello each time. As the fi -nal whistle blew, Fordham celebrat-ed its second consecutive 2-0 win and stayed atop the A-10 standings.

“Th ere’s no bett er feeling than

putt ing it in the net,” Rooney said. “It felt great. We implement a lot of positivity into every practice, and feed off of that.”

Fordham’s record now stands at 6-6 overall and 2-0 in the A-10. Th e Rams will try to enjoy the warm Virginia weather next week, as they have two games in Rich-mond. Fordham will batt le the Virginia Commonwealth Rams on Friday, Oct. 5, and then play the Richmond Spiders on Sunday, Oct. 7.

Rooney’s 83rd-minute goal sealed Fordham’s victory over St. Bonaventure.COURTESY OF TOMI LAHCANSKI