Observer Issue #8.pdf

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Overload:
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www.fordhamobserver.com
AUGUST 27, 2015
VOLUME XXXV, ISSUE 8
By ANA FOTA
News Co-Editor
The incoming freshman class
holds the record for largest registered
class at Fordham Lincoln
Center (LC), with over 600 students.
This significant increase in
the number of students on campus
could mean furthering LC’s issue
with space availability.
With the opening of the new
residential building on campus,
McKeon Hall, came the possibility
of a larger residential community
at LC. Incoming freshmen classes
are set to gradually increase over
the span of several years, leading
to both the freshman dorm and the
upperclassmen residential building,
McMahon Hall, being occupied
at full capacity. According to
Keith Eldredge, dean of students
at LC, “ it’s all part of the plan of
growing Fordham, by increasing
the class size over three or
four years in a row, before we get
to the desired number of students
on campus.” Ideally, all the beds
in both residence halls would be
filled.
The class of 2018, first to experience
the newly opened freshman
dormitory, was considerably larger
than the previous class, with 556
students, as opposed to 449 in the
class of 2017. Last year all the beds
in McKeon were occupied, with
the exception of a few last minute
withdrawals. There were, however,
three floors worth of vacancies in
McMahon. “We knew that was
going to happen,“ Eldredge said,
“when we added McKeon we added
a little over 430 beds and there was
no way to add that many residential
students all at once.” During
the 2015-2016 academic year, there
will also be freshmen living in the
upperclassmen hall, on the fifth
floor and half of the sixth. Jenifer
Campbell, director of the Office
of Residential Life at LC said that
every freshman that got placed in
McMahon expressed an interest in
the building. “We were able to accommodate
the acceleration of the
see 2019 CLASS pg. 5
JESS LUSZCZYK / THE OBSERVER
The Observer Photo Team shared moments they captured from summer travels. Pictured above are rice farmers harvesting in the
mountains of Vang Vieng, Laos. For more, see centerfold and www.fordhamobserver.com
New York and Fordham Await Papal Visit
By IAN SCHAEFER
Staff Writer
Fifty years after the first papal
visit to the United States, New York
has begun preparing for the current
pontiff’s visit next month. In
anticipation of Pope Francis’ trip
this September, Catholic Charities
of the Archdiocese of New York has
sent out an open invitation on their
website to anyone who wishes to
“welcome [Pope Francis] and share
a message of charity” using videos,
photos or text. Amongst the many
who responded to the invitation are
movie stars, presidential-hopefuls
and professional athletes, though
the majority of messages come from
average Americans from all across
the country.
Fordham University’s president
Fr. Joseph McShane – joined
by members of our football team –
submitted a short video to celebrate
the Pope’s arrival in New York.
The project has become a moving
mosaic of this country, with participants
of diverse religious, ethnic
and linguistic backgrounds coming
together to welcome the first pope
born in the Americas.
All of the celebration and excitement
serves to accentuate the
message that Pope Francis is coming
to New York to deliver. His latest
encyclical letter, “Laudato Si” is
critical of contemporary society’s
tendency to mistreat the environment
at the expense of those who
our economy has forgotten – those
without food security, adequate
housing, and who are often most
dramatically affected by natural disasters.
Francis, who eschewed the
use of the Popemobile during his
time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires
in favor of public transportation,
urgently appeals for “every person
living on this planet” to end environmental
degradation and work
together to take greater care of our
“common home.”
Drawing on his background as
a chemist and the abundance of
literature, scientific and spiritual,
already written on the subject, the
Pope calls for an acknowledgement
of the “human origins of the ecological
crisis,” as well as concrete
changes on both the personal level
and the global level to work towards
a remedy. A piece filled with
as much hope as it is criticism, this
encyclical shows that the Pope will
have much to say when he addresses
the United Nations General Assembly
on Sept. 25, as the international
organization meets to discuss sustainable
development and climate
change.
Pope Francis’ trip to the United
States will also include an address
to Congress in Washington, DC, as
well as a visit to Philadelphia for the
World Meeting of Families. While
in New York, he will attend a Vespers
service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral
the evening before his assembly
with the UN the next morning.
Later that day, the Pope will hold a
multi-religious ceremony at ground
zero, visit a school in Harlem and
celebrate Mass at Madison Square
Garden before departing for Philadelphia.
Find the full NYC Pope
schedule on our website.
Inside
FEATURES
Surviving Freshman Year
Your tips to FCLC
Page 13
SPORTS
First Female NFL Coach
Jen Welter breaking glass ceiling
PAGE 14
ARTS & CULTURE
Dancing Our Masks Off
A dancer’s identifying experience in Israel
PAGE 10
OPINIONS
The Rep of Rap
More than just music
PAGE 7
THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER

2 News August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER www.fordhamobserver.com
Payment of Media Internships May Change
By JENNIFER MCNARY
Layout Co-Editor & Asst. News Editor
Unpaid internships seemed to
be a thing of the past after a federal
district court judge in Manhattan,
William H. Pauley III, ruled that Fox
Searchlight studios broke New York
and federal minimum wage laws by
not paying two interns who worked
on the set of “Black Swan.” However,
the tide took a turn in favor of media
companies on July 2 2015, Fox
Searchlight won their appeal in favor
of unpaid internships. So, what
could this mean for Fordham students
and the internship experience?
“Generally, most internships
at big corporations tend to be very
valuable, and most of them, up until
recently, have been unpaid,” Brian
Rose, professor of communications
and media studies, said.
The movement towards making
internships paid allows more students
from different socioeconomic
backgrounds the opportunity to
have them.
“If people have wealthy parents
then the experience is worth more
than the money, but students not in
that situation it is different,” Hugh
Hansen, professor of media and law
and the director of the Fordham
Intellectual Property Law Institute,
said. Students that need to make
money during the year are left at
a disadvantage, considering most
would not be able to spend time they
could be working for profit at an unpaid
internship position.
Along with that, Hansen believes
big companies are exploiting students
and young graduates by not
paying interns. “I think it is wrong
when companies that have the money
to pay their interns and they are
just trying to reduce their bottom
line,” Hansen said. Many large companies
have the money to pay their
interns but it wasn’t until cases like
the Charlie Rose Action Litigation
in 2012 that media companies made
the switch to paying interns. Some
large companies still have some unpaid
internships, despite all of the
lawsuits, like CBS where I am interning
this semester.
“If you just take a lot of interns
JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER
The movement towards making internships paid allows more students from different socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to have them.
in and you’re not paying anything
people can get lost in the shuffle, and
not get supervised properly.” Hansen
said. “They may be doing things
that are not actually a learning experience.”
These types of internships
are not beneficial to the student other
than something they can put on
their resume.
“Some of them end up doing
work that absolutely should be compensated.
Others do very valuable
work, and is not something that any
employee has previously been paid
for, and companies have done their
best to provide these unpaid interns
with a valuable academic experience,”
Rose said.
There are six pieces of criteria
that the Department of Justice established
to test if the unpaid internship
is lawful:
“1. The internship, even though it
includes actual operation of the facilities
of the employer, is similar to
training which would be given in an
educational environment;
2. The internship experience is
for the benefit of the intern;
3. The intern does not displace
regular employees, but works under
close supervision of existing staff;
4. The employer that provides the
training derives no immediate advantage
from the activities of the intern;
and on occasion its operations
may actually be impeded;
5. The intern is not necessarily
entitled to a job at the conclusion of
the internship; and
6. The employer and the intern
understand that the intern is not entitled
to wages for the time spent in
the internship.”
Rose went on to not discourage
students from taking unpaid internships.
He teaches the internship
seminar course at the Lincoln Center
campus. “I think that 80 percent
of the class has a very good experience
with their unpaid internship,
and that is traditionally what internships
have been.”
Offering college credit is normally
how most companies get around
paying their interns. However, there
are mixed feelings about whether or
not that is a fair trade. “I don’t think
there is any question that it is exploitation,”
Rose said in regard to receiving
college credit. Others think that
it would be an incentive to take an
unpaid internship. Chelsea Landman,
(FCLC) ‘16, who has had a paid
internship at Sesame Workshop
said, “I would take an unpaid internship
if I felt that the position would
be a valuable enough learning and
networking experience, and I could
get school credit for it.”
The legal disputes that led to
many interns getting payment was
a victory for undercompensated interns
But, “now that Fox Searchlight
has won their appeal, I think that the
movement is to start paying interns
over the past year is probably going
to go back now,” Rose said.
However, the appeal was only just
won in July. Considering the win is
so recent, “it is really anyone’s guess
what is going to happen,” Rose said.
“Whether the trend will continue,
we really don’t know.”
If students are unsure whether
they should be compensated for
their unpaid internship, visit http://
unpaidinternslawsuit.com/.
Fashion Law Degree at Fordham is A First
To Be Directed by Fordham’s Fashion Law Institute Director
By MARIANYS MARTE
Contributing Writer
On June 22, Fordham Law
School (LAW) became the first accredited
law school to offer a degree
in fashion law, consisting of a combination
of intellectual property,
cargo, and contractual law. The
degree was created by Fashion Law
Institute director Susan Scafidi, in
conjunction with fashion designer
Diane von Furstenberg, founder of
fashion company DVF and President
of the Council of Fashion Designers
of America (CFDA). Fordham
undergraduates now also have
a fashion minor, which was introduced
in fall 2014.
The fashion law program will
be offered both full-time and parttime,
offering two degrees: a Master’s
of Studies in law (MSL), for
professionals interested in fashion
law, and a Master’s of Law (LLM),
for those who already have a Juris
Doctor law degree. The American
Bar Association has approved the
program and it also has the support
of von Furstenberg. Susan Scafidi,
director of the Fashion Law Institute,
said this “new era of transparency”
is meant to fulfill the mission
of the the Institute, which is to offer
advice to the fashion industry
and fashion designers by educating
them. Almost every decision that is
made in the fashion world involves
law, according to Scafidi. “Whether
a designer wants to open a new
WALLY SKALIJ/ LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA TNS
Designer Diane Von Furstenberg (pictured) partnered with the Fordham Law School to fund the degree.
boutique, export their merchandise
elsewhere or decide on a company
dress code, the law must be involved,”
Scafidi added. The purpose
of this program is “to promote legal
literacy,” Scafidi said. According to
her, designers need to understand
the law and now Fordham is opening
the law school doors to the fashion
industry.
Within the first 24 hours the
program had its first applicant. “It
is important that we’re training
people who want to study that industry,”
Scafidi said. Not only do
designers need legal training, but
business training as well. This program
provides them with the legal
training necessary for this to happen.
With the rise of the Fashion
Law program, students are curious
to know if we will see a change in
the undergraduate program. Eavan
Schmitt, Fordham College at
Lincoln Center (FCLC ‘16), said,
“Hopefully the introduction of the
Fashion Law degree will reinforce
support for the minor, particularly
among the faculty and administration,
where other fashion minors
and myself have found it to be
somewhat lacking.”
As for the minor becoming a
major, there is no new information.
However, fashion minors are definitely
not opposed to it. “The minor
should absolutely become a major,
either free-standing or as a collaboration
between the Theatre and Visual
Arts departments, where there
is already a Pre-Professional Design
concentration that would dovetail
nicely with fashion design classes
Schmitt said. Courtney Romans,
(FCLC ‘16), agrees saying, “There’s
definitely a lot of interest, so I think
it could be a really popular major.
Plus, being in New York City attracts
a lot of different people.”

www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 News 3
By CONNOR MANNION
News Co-Editor
Fordham Names New Theatre Chair
On Aug. 11, Fordham University
named JoAnne Akalaitis, founder of
the experimental theatre company
‘Mabou Mines’, as the new 2015-16
Denzel Washington Endowed Theatre
Chair. This followed within one
month after the previous recipient,
television and film actor Stephen
McKinley Henderson, withdrew for
“urgent health issues” in August, according
to a Fordham News press
release.
Akalaitis is very excited to come
to Lincoln Center for the opportunity
it provides for interacting with undergraduates.
“It’s just an incredible
honor to teach in the heart of New
York, and I love that I have the opportunity
to work with undergraduates.”
She singled out Fordham’s theatre
faculty for “their work as working
professionals, not just in academics
… Fordham has a great number of
amazing teachers,” she said.
Matthew Maguire, director of the
Fordham theatre program and head
of the performance track, is very excited
for Akalaitis to be the new chair.
He said in a statement, “JoAnne
Akalaitis is a giant in the American
Theatre. She studied with the most
influential artists in Europe and the
U.S., including Jerzy Grotowski and
Joe Chaikin … From her deep roots
as someone with a radical perspective,
she broadened her vision to encompass
the plays of Beckett, Genet,
Pinter, Euripides, and Shakespeare.”
Her “radical perspective” was
shown in her former role at ‘Mabou
Mines’, an experimental theatre
company based in the East Village,
founded by Akalaitis and her former
husband, avant garde composer Philip
Glass. She left the theatre company
following her appointment to the position
of artistic director of the New
York Shakespeare Festival in 1990.
According to Maguire, “When
the legendary Joe Papp decided to retire
from the New York Shakespeare
Festival, which he founded, he appointed
JoAnne Akalaitis to succeed
him. He said that, “JoAnne has the
most original mind in the theater today,”
he [Papp] said. “As a leader, she
is independent. She doesn’t recognize
JESS LUSZCZYK / THE OBSERVER
Akalaitis is in conversation about other roles for her within the theatre department, alongside her role as endowed chair and teaching a class.
boundaries and you can’t pigeonhole
her. She has great drive. And she is
very astute about how the theater is
run,” Maguire continued, quoting
Joe Papp directly.
She also received a Guggenheim
Fellowship in 1978, a grant for persons
“who have demonstrated exceptional
capacity for productive
scholarship or exceptional creative
ability in the arts,” according to the
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial
Foundation. Akalaitis is familiar to
academia, as she previously served as
a co-chair of Juilliard’s directing program
until 2012.
Now at Fordham, Akalaitis will
serve in the chair established by Oscar
winning alumnus Denzel Washington,
Fordham College at Lincoln
Center (FCLC) ‘77. Washington established
the chair with his donation
of $2 million earmarked toward the
Fordham Theatre Department. Additionally,
he established an endowed
scholarship with a gift of $250,000,
with the intent it be given to a minority
undergraduate theatre major, preferrably
one who also graduated from
Washington’s high school district of
Mount Vernon, New York, a city located
in upstate Westchester county.
Other theatre professors are excited
for her arrival, including Daniel
Alexander Jones, associate professor
of theatre and program director of
the playwriting track. He said, “The
powerful, evergreen gift of the Denzel
Washington Endowed Chair is proven
by the list of artists who have occupied
it. Phylicia Rashad, Joe Morton,
Christine Jones, Kenny Leon, and
now, JoAnne Akalaitis.”
As Jones pointed out, last year’s
endowed theatre chair was Kenny
Leon, Tony award winning director
of the 2014 revival of “A Raisin in the
Sun,” also starring Washington in a
leading role. Leon is now directing
a live televised version of “The Wiz”
to be aired on NBC on Dec. 3, with
a future Broadway adaptation in the
works.
Maguire continued, he said “we
are thrilled that she is doing us the
honor of joining us for a semester as
the fifth Denzel Washington Chair.
She will teach Creating a Character
for our advanced acting students.”
While Akalaitis is only teaching
this class according to Maguire, she
is open to other possibilities in her
time at Fordham. “I don’t want to be
trapped or put in a box, so there has
been discussions about other opportunities.”
According to Maguire, “the search
was not difficult, it was immediate.”
Maguire’s lack of hesitance in
the appointment comes from a great
admiration for Akalaitis. “JoAnne’s
work with Mabou Mines was the
first work I saw in the theatre when
I arrived in New York, and it transformed
the way I saw the possibilities
of the theatre,” he said.
Akalaitis feels a mutual respect,
echoing Maguire’s praise with her
own. “I know Matthew [Maguire]
and I admire him deeply along with
the other faculty. Fordham is blessed
to have so many great artists in their
community,” she said.
USG Lacks VP of Student Affairs In Fall 2015
By CONNOR MANNION
News Co-Editor
As students begin to fill their seats
on campus, one seat remains empty:
the student affairs vice presidency in
United Students Government (USG).
Last year’s election, which decided
both the current president and secretary
for USG, did not have a candidate
run for election in the race for
Vice President of Student Affairs. In
fact, the incumbent vice president
Gabriella Besada, Fordham College
at Lincoln Center (FCLC ‘16), did
not seek re-election, and creating a
search for the next vice president of
student affairs.
Leighton Magoon, (FCLC ‘17) and
USG President, is not at all worried
about the position of vice president
of student affairs remaining unfilled.
He said, “The position will definitely
be filled in the fall semester, no one
needs to worry about going a full academic
year without a vice president of
student affairs.”
According to the USG Constitution,
available in full on USG’s club
page on Orgsync, the vice president
of student affairs is the chairperson of
the student affairs committee, which
is responsible in coordinating town
halls for the general student population,
facilitating dialogue between
USG and academic departments, and
“organizing all USG programming,
including all formals.” This includes
planning Winterball, which is currently
being handled by the president
and Dorothy Wenzel, the advisor to
USG, according to Magoon. All other
responsibilities are currently inactive
until the academic year begins in
early September.
In September, there will most
likely be another election alongside
freshmen Senate elections, as the
USG Constitution states, “If there
are any positions still vacant from
the April election, the elections committee
will fill those positions at the
September election.”
Even if the position remains vacant
after the September elections,
the USG board can “nominate qualified
students to fill the position and
choose based on a majority [vote] of
the USG Assembly.”
Whoever the future vice president
may be, they are in for a strenuous
workload, according to the former
VP. Gabriella Besada, (FCLC ‘16) and
former USG vice president of student
affairs, said “Anyone who is interested
in the position should expect a
great deal of responsibility and a considerable
time commitment.”
“With that responsibility comes
the opportunity to make quite a difference
if one really charges forward
with proposed systematic changes
and ideas that reflect the general student
sentiment,” Besada continued.
Magoon has already reached out
to a slate of candidates over the summer,
and has received back considerable
interest. “I reached out to a
couple of people I thought would be
good for the job, and I received a lot
of enthusiasm back about it. Now that
we’ve reached August, people have
JESS LUSZCZYK /THE OBSERVER
Leighton Magoon, USG president, is confident in finding a new VP before the end of the fall semester.
started thinking about it, and I’ve
been getting these positive responses
as we go into the year,” he continued,
explaining his confidence in the position
being filled.
And it is important that there is
a new vice president of student affairs,
as Magoon said, “this year, the
student affairs vice president will
chair the Winterball committee with
a representative from CAB [Campus
Activities Board] … I’ve been filling
in on that over the summer, since the
position is not filled.”
Until then, Magoon expects a
good year and has faith in filling the
currently vacant position. He said, “I
am completely confident that we will
find a new VP within the fall semester,
I have no doubt about that.”
The former vice president agreed
on the importance of the position,
she said, “A lot got done during the
last academic year and several of the
programming events would have
never happened without student affairs.”
“Like any position, it comes with
its stresses, but it teaches you a lot
about yourself,” she added.

4 News August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER www.fordhamobserver.com
Increase In Clubs, Budget Remains Stagnant
By ANA FOTA
News Co-Editor
With a record number of clubs
on campus, how will the Student Activities
Budget Committee (SABC)
fund all 65 of them?
During the 2014-2015 school
year, 11 new clubs were approved
at Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC),
meaning SABC will have to divide
its already tight budget among even
more student organizations. The
money allocated to clubs comes directly
from the activities fee that
students at Fordham College at
Lincoln Center (FCLC) and the
Gabelli School of Business (GSB)
are charged with every semester.
Although the fee is constant, the
incoming freshman class is considerably
larger than the previous one,
which could translate into an increase
in budget.
The amount of money every
club receives is discussed and decided
upon within SABC, while
trying to meet the demands of club
leaders. The chair of SABC is a position
automatically occupied by
the treasurer of the United Student
Government(USG). Leighton Magoon,
(FCLC ‘17) current president
of USG, was last year’s chair and
treasurer. As such, Magoon was in
charge of budget allocation and cuts.
“We’re hoping the increase [in
class size] will give us more to work
with, and that even with the new
clubs, it will still help,” he said.
When asked whether this will solve
the problem, Magoon said,“ it won’t
fix the issue of having to cut budgeting
expenses down, but we are hoping
it will make a difference. “ The
class of 2018 showed an increase as
well, with 556 accepted students as
opposed to 449 the year before.
In order to form a new club,
students must submit a club registration
packet, which includes a
written constitution. Due to the
overwhelming amount of club applications
received last year, a new
policy was added, asking students to
also submit a sample budget for one
semester, either general or itemized.
“Most clubs just need a couple hundred
bucks for dinner outings,” Jacob
Azrilyant, (FCLC ‘16) said. Azrilyant
has served as vice president
of operations for USG during the
CONNOR MANNION /THE OBSERVER
The amount of money every club receives is discussed and decided upon within SABC, while trying to meet the demands of club leaders.
past two years and has overlooked
the creation of 16 new clubs on campus.
“No club was denied on the basis
of its sample budget, that was just
an extra conversation that we had
with them,” he said. “Sometimes we
had to let them know they might not
get what they want.”
With the creation of new clubs
came the need to divide a roughly
constant budget into several smaller
pieces. Asked about budget cuts,
Magoon responded, “we try to be as
fair as possible.” When it comes to
the decision-making process, there
is no set algorithm. If we were to
make clean cuts across the board,”
Magoon said ”smaller clubs would
be more affected. We try to make deductions
based on how large a club
is, but its needs as well: larger clubs
host larger events.“
Azrilyant, however, offers a different
solution for allocating funds.
He said, “it is fiscally irresponsible
to host Winterfest, an event that
costs a lot of money and recently
hasn’t been hitting its attendance
quota, when so many clubs are in
need of funds.” According to the
former USG member, the money
going into Winterfest should be allocated
towards the small clubs on
campus that are trying to build a
participant basis and grow. “My
concern is with the clubs that have a
solid leadership in place and a powerful
mission statement but are denied
their potential to grow because
SABC doesn’t have the necessary
funds,” Azrilyant stated. Winterfest
2015 cost Fordham roughly $36,000
according to Dorothy Wenzel, director
of Office Student Leadership
and Community Development (OS-
LCD). ”As part of a schoolwide vote
around 2002, the undergraduate
student body voted to dedicate a certain
amount of money to the Campus
Activities Board (CAB),” which
organizes Winterfest. “That amount
was $30,000 every semester, which is
money they use for Winterfest and
other events. So if we canceled the
concert, that money will not be split
up between clubs.“
USG received an overwhelming
number of applications, particularly
from the incoming class. “It’s not
uncommon to see freshman want to
start new clubs as soon as they get
to Fordham,” Magoon said. For this
reason, another policy that has been
discussed was setting a time limit
within which students can submit
club registration packets, the first
and last months of a semester being
off-limits. “Last year I had two new
club requests from freshmen on the
second day of orientation,” Azrilyant
mentioned. Out of the 11 new
clubs approved last year, three were
started by freshmen.
As for this year, Alec Padron,
(FCLC ‘18) and incoming chairperson
of SABC, will work closely
with Magoon to “make sure we will
be addressing the budget and make
sure the deductions continue to be
fair.”
Rose Hill Struggles With Student Life, In Contrast to LC
By MARCELA ALVAREZ
Assistant Sports Editor
Late last school year, Fordham
College at Rose Hill (FCRH)’s, The
Fordham Ram, published a series
of articles expressing students’ dissatisfaction
with the Office of Student
Leadership and Community
Development at Rose Hill (OSLCD).
Some of the articles include, Silence
of the Rams: Fordham’s Free Speech
Problem by Canton Winer, (FCRH
’15) and Editorial: Talking About,
and Fostering, Change on Campus
by The Ram Editorial Board. One
of the articles, How Administrators
Caused a Culture of Apathy by
Frank Sivilli, (FCRH ’15), starts with
saying, “This is a piece that has been
long in the making. It upsets me to
think just how long. It seems I have
had issues with the Office of Student
Leadership and Community Development
(OSLCD) and the Office of
Student Life (OSL) since the day I
first became a student leader.” This
signifies that the issues that students
are facing were building for a while
before resulting in the series of articles.
According to James Demetriades,
(FCRH ‘15) and author of Ram
article “OSLCD Takes Steps to Improve,”
one of the issues Rose Hill
students face is the lack of individual
attention towards club leaders. The
article states that students suffer
the consequences of OSLCD being
understaffed and therefore not able
CONNOR MANNION/THE OBSERVER
One way that LC is hoping to avoid the same reaction that happened at Rose Hill is by hosting a town hall.
to manage the more than 100 clubs
on campus. According to the article,
club leaders complain about late
money returns, problems communicating
with the staff, and problems
concerning booking rooms for their
meetings and events.
Dr. Dorothy Wenzel, director of
OSLCD at Fordham Lincoln Center,
said, “There is a frustration level
that I worry about, because when I
started here there were only 28 clubs
and I do worry that students may
have a frustration here, in regards to
finding space on campus.” With 54
clubs, the question is whether students
at Lincoln Center feel the same
dissatisfaction with members of
OSLCD. Leighton Magoon, United
Student Government (USG) president
and Fordham College at Lincoln
Center (FCLC ‘17), said that he
hasn’t experienced any conflict with
OSLCD, stating “[USG] has a close
relationship with OSLCD.” Magoon
said ”the relationship I have had at
Lincoln Center [with students] is
very different than the relationship
between a club leader and OSLCD at
Rose Hill.” He believes that this results
from USG working closely with
OSLCD at Lincoln Center, forging a
“more personal relationship.”
With a record amount of clubs
being approved this past year and
the other clubs that will be approved
this coming year, concerns turn to
whether there is a growing concerning
that club leaders will experience
the same problems as those of Rose
Hill. Magoon doesn’t believe that
Fordham Lincoln Center will experience
this problem, however “what
is happening at Rose Hill is something
to be aware of.” He said, “we
[members of USG and OSLCD staff]
are making sure both OSLCD and
USG are fitting the needs of the students
for next year.”
One of the ways that Lincoln
Center is hoping to avoid the same
reaction that happened at Rose Hill
is by hosting a town hall. Magoon
plans to have, “an open town hall
event, to hear club leader feedback
and how we can improve or if there
is any room for improvement.” Furthermore,
Jessica Jones, a student
worker in the OSLCD office (FCLC
’17), said that from her perspective
club leaders, “are very happy. They’re
involved in multiple clubs, they do
GO! Projects and are constantly in
the [OSLCD] office. Even after they
graduate there’s a lot of alumni who
come back and say hello.”

www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 News 5
Fordham Welcomes New Deans & Grad Interns
By CONNOR MANNION
News Co-Editor
While the undergraduates are
preparing for a crowded year, other
academic changes on campus are in
effect for mainly graduate and law
students as new deans have been
named for The Fordham Law School
(LAW), the Graduate School of
Education (GSE), and the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).
Additionally, the graduate School of
Business and undergraduate Gabelli
program, have been unified into one
Gabelli program under Donna Rapaccioli,
dean of the unified Gabelli
program.
Some of the new deans are very
excited to start their tenure and expressed
enthusiasm in working at
Lincoln Center. Eva Badowska, dean
of GSAS, cited a strength of the campus,
she said,“Its [the campus’] sense
of itself as cohesive and separate really
stands out.”
Badowska cited her co-workers as
well, she said “All my LC colleagues
in the English department, for example,
strongly identify with the campus
and its students.”
Although there are new deans at
the campus of Lincoln Center, Fordham
Lincoln Center will see minimal
changes in day to day academic activities.
According to Keith Eldridge,
COURTESY OF CARDOZO REUNION 2014 VIA FLICKR
The new deans are very excited to start their tenure and expressed enthusiasm in working at Lincoln Center.
dean of students at Fordham Lincoln
Center, “There are no new deans in
FCLC [Fordham College at Lincoln
Center] or Gabelli. There is a new
dean of Fordham College at Rose
Hill, a new dean of the law school,
and a new dean of the graduate
school of education, but I don’t think
any of them will have much of a direct
impact on FCLC or GSBLC students.”
Rapaccioli previously served
as interim dean of graduate business,
alongside her role as dean of undergraduate
business, which is a change.
While there will be few changes
from the deans of FCLC, there are
notable changes in the Office of Student
Leadership and Community
Development (OSLCD) that will affect
students, the addition of two new
graduate interns and the departure
of the previous assistant director of
Alcohol and Other Drugs Education
(AODE) Kelly Schumacher, according
to Dorothy Wenzel, director of
OSLCD.
The two new OSLCD staffers
are Princess Chukwuneke, (FCRH)
‘15 and graduate intern for student
organizations, and Chrissy Glaser,
Graduate Intern for Commuter Student
Services. Chukwuneke is currently
pursuing a Master’s degree
from GSAS, while Glaser is pursuing
a graduate degree from New York
University. Chukwuneke will be advising
and assisting the club leaders
of Fordham Lincoln Center, while
Glaser will serve as faculty advisor
to the Commuting Students Association
(CSA) and a supervisor of the
Commuter Freshmen Mentor (CFM)
program.
As for AODE, leadership of the
program remains unfilled. According
to Wenzel, “The position was
posted with Human Resources. The
search for a new Assistant Director
is beginning.” She also said that
the programs provided by AODE,
normally education on the risks associated
with heavy consumption of
alcohol, will still be planned for the
upcoming year. “The Office of Student
Leadership and Community
Development will continue to work
with the new LC Health and Wellness
Organization in planning outreach to
the LC student community,” Wenzel
added.
Class of 2019 Largest Freshman Class to Arrive at LC
SPACE FROM PAGE 1
growing of the freshman class because
we had some vacancies available
[in McMahon],” she said.
This year no additional classes
will need to be added, according to
Eldredge. Most classes will, however,
will be at full capacity. A factor
that accounts for the lack of space
on campus is the need most clubs
have to hold their meetings during
the only official activity block, on
Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15
p.m. “It’s also a matter of scheduling,”
Eldredge said. Both he and
Campbell agree that the increase
in the number of students will not
drastically change life on campus.
“It will be tighter,” Campbell said,
“but I still feel that with collaboration
and cooperation between the
different departments, we will be
able to accommodate everyone.”
The 2015-2016 academic year
is a “transitional” one, as Dean Eldredge
put it. Although there will be
more students on campus, the space
issue will only be improved by the
Fall 2016 reopening the renovated
law school building, at 140 West
62nd Street. The building’s ground
floor will serve as a space designed
primarily to host club meetings
and other student activities, as “the
spaces where we hold club events is
not always ideal,” according to Eldredge.
“That is where the building
is going to help.”
The increased number of students
coming to Fordham also affected the
way New Student Orientation(NSO)
is organized. The class of 2018 was
the first one that needed to be divided,
between Pope Auditorium and
the conference hall on the 12th floor
of the Leon Lowenstein building.
“That’s the new normal,” Eldredge
commented.
Students will experience no other
changes in terms of space at LC.
“What I think is the key point to
consider,” Campbell mentioned, “is
the fact that the increase is just accelerated:
we are at a fuller capacity
a year sooner than we thought, but
the number of individuals on campus
was anticipated.”
Last year Fordham acquired the
old College Board building, at 45
Columbus Avenue. Eighteen administrative
and faculty offices have
moved into the building, which
opened in July 2015.
According to Patricia Peek, director
of undergraduate admissions
at Fordham, the Lincoln Center
campus is set to welcome undergraduate
students from 37 states,
with nine percent of the freshman
class consisting of international students.
As per Peek, the commuter
population will remain constant.
Campbell welcomed the class of
2019, stating: “we are excited about
the new class coming in, as we always
are to have new students join
our community. It’s always an exciting
time for our staff and for the
community members.”
Changes to Communications Major Up for Future Approval
By ANA FOTA
News Co-Editor
If changes to Fordham’s Communications
major are approved by
the New York State Department of
Education (NYSED), Lincoln Center
will have four new majors under the
umbrella of the communications and
media studies department. s.
Jacqueline Reich, Ph.D, professor
and chair of communications and
media studies (CMS), and Gwyneth
Jackaway, professor and associate
chair of CMS, have spoken to the Observer
about these changes.
OBSERVER: Tell us about the four
new majors that will be developed.
JACQELINE REICH AND GWE-
NYTH JACKAWAY:Here are the
titles of the four proposed majors.
These are pending approval, and as
such we cannot call them new majors
and minors. Communication and
Culture, Digital Technology and
Emerging Media, Film and Television,
Journalism
OBSERVER: Will any of these majors
come with new minors?
JR & GJ: Yes. All will have minors,
plus Sports Journalism will be an
additional Journalism minor.
OBSERVER: When will the new
majors be available to students?
JR & GJ: Our goal is to have the new
majors up and running for Fall 2016.
We should have the details solidified
by Spring 2016.
OBSERVER: What was the approval
process like for the four new majors?
Were any of them favored?
JR & GJ: It was a great deal of work.
We did a lot of background research:
our Department collected and
analyzed multiple data: 1) student
surveys on the strengths and weaknesses
of our current program; 2)
enrollment data on total majors by
concentration, in connection to the
major’s growth on all three campuses;
3) consultation with Fordham
Department Chairs and Arts and
Science Deans; and 4) qualitative and
quantitative content analysis of the
structure, curriculum and programmatic
features of regional, peer/
aspirant, and Jesuit Communication
and Media Studies programs around
the country. Our sample for this
study was comprised of 79 schools,
yielding data on 124 individual majors.
Among the variables examined
were: departmental structure, types
of majors offered, specific major
requirements and theory/practice
balance. This study provided us
with valuable insight into the ways
in which our rapidly transforming
discipline is being covered at
Universities nation-wide.After it was
approved at the departmental level,
the Chair presented the proposal to
the Deans of the Arts and Sciences. It
was then approved by the FCLC and
FCRH College Councils, the Majors
and Curriculum Committee of the
Arts and Science Council, and then
the Arts and Science Council.
OBSERVER: What is the theory to
practice ratio like?
JR: We believe that is our responsibility
as communication and media
ANGELICA GARZA/ THE OBSERVER ARCHIVE
Gwyneth Jackaway, professor and associate chair of the CMS.
educators to provide our students
with a solid grounding in theory
while simultaneously offering specialized
preparations necessary for
today’s changing media landscape.
OBSERVER: What fields of work are
each of these majors geared towards?
JR & GJ: Because mediated communication
is at the center of all human
experience, there are a multitude of
professional paths students can take.
Some are more obvious than others–
journalism, television and film
industries, for instance. But students
who study any of the proposed majors
can go into a myriad fields such
as marketing, advertising, public
relations, political communication,
media activism, orsocial media.
OBSERVER:Will this remove the
intro courses from the curriculum,
if not how will they be sorted within
the new majors? (Intro to Communications
and Intro to Media Industries)
JR & GJ: The proposal is for each
proposed major to have its own
distinct intro course. In addition,
we have proposed one departmental
introductory course that all students
majoring in the four new majors will
be required to take, as well as an Ethics,
Law and Policy requirement.
OBSERVER: Will this change necessitate
the creation of any new classes
for any of the majors, or will existing
course be reorganized?
JR & GJ: Both.
OBSERVER: In the past, certain
tracks of the communications major,
like journalism for example, have
been staffed by mainly adjuncts with
few regular professors (especially
at Lincoln Center). Is there a plan
to create more structured department
for each of these tracks if they
become separate
OBSERVER: What about the use of
adjuncts in contrast to professors?
JR & GJ: In the last two years, we
have been moving toward an artistin-residence
model: we have one for
film and television – Jim Jennewein
-- and have just hired a digital artistin-residence,
Catherine Katsofouris.
With the cooperation of the administration,
we hope to hire artists-inresidence
in each major who will
teach some of the more practical
courses in which students learn how
to apply theory to practice.
If the modifications are approved,
the major will be available to students
in 2016.

Opinions
STAFF EDITORIAL
OBSERVER GETS WITH THE TIMES:
PUSH TO DIGITAL
Another exciting
year at Fordham
Lincoln Center
has begun. As you start your
new classes, jobs and internships,
meet new roommates
and friends and acclimate
to New York (or maybe even
America), you will likely
face some uncertainties. We
are also commencing a new
journey here at The Observer
and are ready to take on the
unpredictable challenges
that come our way.
The newspaper industry
has witnessed a drastic
change, where digital media
has taken over print media.
An online focus not only allows
for flexibility, but more
importantly for accuracy
and timeliness. And now,
The Observer is set to embark
into this digital world.
In the past, we based our
operations on a biweekly
print cycle, which was not
conducive to breaking or
developing news stories,
nor did it allow for us to to
best serve you, our fellow
students and the Fordham
Lincoln Center community.
So, since this past spring, we
have made major changes.
We overhauled our website.
We built an internal site for
our editors. We launched two
new social platforms, LinkedIn
(Fordham Observer) and
Snapchat (@fclcobserver).
We also filled our Multimedia
Position and actively
began a search for a social
media team. We have almost
completely restructured our
operations in order to give
“And now,
The Observer
is set to embark
into this
digital world.”
everyone the experience they
need and the support the paper
itself needs.
Because let’s face it. It is no
longer sufficient in the field
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to just be a good writer. Now,
journalists also have to have
a good eye for photography,
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technologies and above all
a willingness to learn new
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Thankfully, we are at the
point where the students on
the Editorial Board are as
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With every new class that
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ready to embrace whatever
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these are the people we
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it on the cutting edge.
We have not abandoned
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The industry has spoken,
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Opinions Co-Editors
Tyler Burdick- tburdick1@fordham.edu
Lexi McMenamin- amcmenamin4@fordham.edu
August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 Opinions 7
The feud between Meek Mills, pictured here, and Drake has kickstarted the revival of battle rap in mainstream hip-hop.
The Return of Battle Rap: More Than Just Music
Jalen Glenn
Staff Writer
2015 has been a great year for
hip-hop. Big name artists such
as Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar
have released albums, newcomer
Fetty Wap dominated the charts,
and Kanye West continues to tease
listeners with SWISH, his upcoming
album. But 2015 will also be remembered
as the year that battle rap
reemerged in mainstream hip-hop.
In truth, it’s about time– we’ve been
craving it for some time now. But
it is important to keep in mind the
context and nature of this art form
so as to ensure that we characterize
rap justly.
Rappers Drake and Meek Mill
have been engaged in an ongoing
feud for the greater portion of
the summer. This all started when
Is This the End of Gender-Based Labeling in Retail?
Emily Sitner-Medvedovsky
Staff Writer
Girls play with dolls. Boys play
with superheroes. Girls like pink,
while boys like blue. These are some
of the common stereotypes of each
gender, but some feel that these
labels are unnecessary and wish to
remove them for the sake of creating
a more progressive society. Recently,
Target has announced that
its team is working on removing
announced that its team is working
on removing gender-based signs
to create balance and eliminate
constricting labels. This includes
anything that denotes which aisles
or areas cater specifically to certain
genders. It’s a bold move—but
these labels are not necessarily as
confining as many may believe, and
removing them as part of a push
towards making the two genders
as similar as possible is harmful to
our society.
Amy Severtsen Stanwood, a
supporter of the move, stated in
a USA Today article that “Target
is not saying that genders don’t
exist. They are simply recognizing
that toys and bedding do not
have genders.” But what is the real
Meek Mill allegedly discovered and
revealed that Drake did not write his
own verse for the song “R.I.C.O.,”
which appears on the latter’s
Dreams Worth More Than Money.
However, what followed was not a
celebration of Meek for his actions,
nor a berating of Drake for his (or
lack thereof). Instead, it sparked one
of the most entertaining rap feuds in
recent memory.
Drake responded with the song
“Charged Up,” in which he proclaimed
that he was “done doing
favors for people/cause it ain’t like
[he] need the money [that he] make
off a feature.” This was a clear reference
to not only Drake’s contribution
to the song in question, but also
to his contribution to Meek’s 2012
hit “Amen.” To further continue
the onslaught, Drake then released
“Back to Back,” in which he posed
the question as to whether Meek’s
tour was “a world tour or [his] girl’s
tour.” Additionally, Drake publicly
agreed with a Twitter user’s comment
on how Meek may not be “the
best rapper in his relationship” with
Nicki Minaj.
With his back against the wall,
Meek responded with “I Wanna
Know.” In the song, Meek premiered
the reference track to Drake’s
“Know Yourself,” and also compared
the Canadian to Milli Vanilli.
While this initiated fierce debates
as to who the victor was, these
same debates also highlighted how
consumers have been yearning for
a considerable rap battle for some
time.
Why? Hip-hop feuds are not a
new phenomenon. Who can forget
Dr. Dre vs. Eazy-E, Biggie vs. 2Pac,
and 50 Cent vs. everyone (Ja Rule,
Fat Joe, Rick Ross and so on). The
latter example indicates that 50 has
been an important figure in this
strain of hip-hop. When he began
underlying problem of toys having
‘genders?’ It is not as if girls are
prevented from playing or purchasing
a Batman or Superman action
figure. And boys are not stopped
from dressing up their teddy bears.
Some may believe that teasing and
bullying may ensue because of this,
but if bullying contributes to the
removal of gender-based labeling,
that in and of itself should be the
real target of concern by producers
and consumers. Early intervention
and prevalent anti-bullying campaigns
are just some of the many
possible ways we can promote
tolerance, which is what we should
be doing, rather than hurriedly
removing publicly displayed references
to gender–it doesn’t do anything
besides hide the key problems
under a rug.
There is nothing wrong with
having separate toys, bedding or
equipment made for either gender.
Companies do this because they, as
a business, have a target demographic
they want to make sure
they hit. I think our society, though
progressive, is also becoming
highly sensitive to certain topics.
Gender, as I witness in magazines,
television and conversations that
arise among friends, is becoming
one such topic. We shift uncomfortably
in our seats while discussing
homosexuality and transgender
issues, lowering our eyes and
avoiding questions which may help
shed light for those yearning to ask
questions and learn more. We are
afraid to say something wrong and
be labeled as homophobic or anti-
LGBTQ, and it seems that because
of this fear we are quickly attacking
social norms that don’t necessarily
need to be changed.
But if a girl knows she is a girl
and wants to express herself in
feminine ways, then she should not
be reprimanded–and likewise for
a boy expressing his masculinity.
Gender-based labeling should be
to fade into the background around
the turn of the 2010s, so too did
battle rap in mainstream hip-hop.
As a consequence, listeners had to
scour through the website World
Star Hip Hop and YouTube in order
to find a good old-fashioned rap
battle. Luckily, Drake and Meek
have helped to reignite this spirit. At
the same time, however, if we do not
contextualize this aspect of hip-hop,
we run the risk of suggesting that
this genre of music is “violent” or
“aggressive” for its own sake, which
would be as inaccurate as suggesting
that “gangsta rap made them do it.”
Battling has been part of hip-hop
since its origins in the South Bronx
in the late 1970s. As the seminal
film Wild Style shows, crews
would use their words, and not
their fists, to command respect. To
fully understand the roots of these
young people’s desires, one needs
to consider the economics of this
COURTESY OF MIKE MOZART VIA FLICKR
Target has decided to remove signs referencing gender from its stores.
YONG KIM/ PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS VIA TNS
neighborhood at the time. With
high unemployment rates, burning
buildings and a lack of a social
safety net, these young people’s socioeconomic
positions were precarious
ones. Therefore, their quest for
respect was a response to the lack of
economic support from the United
States government, which continues
to ignore this section of our country.
For this reason, battling has become
almost inseparable from hiphop’s
identity. Even more significant
is how our engagement with these
battles suggests that battling is part
of our American identity as well.
This is further reinforced by the
music battles between Mariah Carey
and Eminem, and more recently,
Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Therefore,
the tradition that Meek and
Drake are engaged in is as American
as burgers, pies and fireworks on the
Fourth of July.
embraced, so that girls and boys
can appreciate their differences.
The “sameness” that can develop
from the removal of gender-based
labeling is uncalled for, and possibly
even harmful. If girls and
boys grow accustomed to the idea
that gender has no role in toys,
bedding or furniture, as Target
suggests will happen, it means that
the differences between the genders
will minimize. Gender will become
meaningless. One possible reason
some may see this as a good thing
is because they want to close the
gender gap in society. But labels
aren’t the problem; gender inequality
has to do with how we raise our
kids, the values we teach them, and
their experiences as young adults
that shape their personalities. I was
never raised to assume that I can’t
play with race-cars and superhero
figures, wear dark colors or participate
in anything that may seem
too masculine. As for toys that are
placed in aisles labeled “gifts for
boys,” the implication is that yes,
these toys were initially created for
boys–but there is no sign preventing
a girl from showing interest
in them. As this girl grows older,
she will realize for herself that she
may visit the race-car aisle if she
wants to and may begin to explore
any other interests she so chooses.
Labels are suggestive, not restrictive.
Girls believing that they are
just as good as boys has nothing
to do with gender labels found in
retail stores. These labels can be
abolished tomorrow, but a girl will
never believe she can succeed on
the same path as a boy if the constant
feedback from her peers or
family is negative and undermines
her positive abilities. Establishing
differences does not inherently
imply that one category is superior
to the other. We should embrace
our differences, and accept that
neutralizing these labels will be a
hindrance to social progress.

8 August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER www.fordhamobserver.com
the
Observer
Editorial Board 2015-2016
Adriana Gallina
Editor-in-Chief
Major: Communication and Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Production turned Karaoke nights
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Gilmore Girls
Media Addiction: Tumblr
Song of the Summer: Origins by Tennis
Last Text Received: I’m reading it on iBooks, I know
I’m awful.
Ben Moore
Managing Editor/Online Editor
Major: New Media and Digital Design
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Wordpress
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Castle
Media Addiction: Reddit
Song of the Summer: Anywhere But Here by Rise
Against
Last Text Received:They found the keyboards.
Jennifer McNary
Layout Co-Editor/Asst. News Editor
Major: Communication and Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Staying up super late during production night...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: So many but one is
Orange is the New Black
Media Addiction: Tumblr
Song of the Summer: Octahate by Ryn Weaver and her
whole album too
Last Text Received: No it’s fine! I’m caffeinated!
Elodie Huston
Layout Co-Editor
Major: English
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Making final edits and helping people find their zen
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Outlander
Media Addiction: Twitter
Song of the Summer: Next Time Around by Little Joy
Last Text Received:I can’t believe you had a square
dancing unit in high school.
Victoria Leon
Business Manger
Major: International Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The
networking
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: I don’t have one
Media Addiction: Instagram
Song of the Summer: None
Last Text Received:Just like Instagram, hold the button
Ana Forta
News Co-Editor
Major: Undecided (Communication and Media Studies)
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Late
nights with great people
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: The Office
Media Addiction: Facebook
Song of the Summer: Slash by World on Fire
Last Text Received:We’re getting the truck back but
we can get sushi after
Connor Mannion
News Co-Editor/Asst.Literary Co-Editor
Major: Communication and Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The
editorial board
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: No Reservations
Media Addiction: Netflix
Song of the Summer: Thunder Road by Bruce
Springstien
Last Text Received: Got the pizza
Justin Rebollo
News Co- Editor
Major: Undecided
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The
craziness
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Mr. Robot
Media Addiction: Netflix
Song of the Summer: Never Ending Circle by
Chvrches
Last Text Received:Any sign of?
Tyler Budrick
Opinions Co-Editor/Asst. Copy Co-Editor
Major: English
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Opinions
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Sherlock
Media Addiction: Netflix
Song of the Summer: Hotel California by The
Eagles
Last Text Received: Have fun at FIT, sis!
Lexi McMenamin
Opinions Co-Editor
Major: Politicial Science/English/Overcommitting
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Arguing (lovingly) with Stone
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: I fall asleep
whenever I watch TV
Media Addiction: Instagram
Song of the Summer: Hotline Bling by Drake
Last Text Received: Truly amazing and beautiful

www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 9
Sri Stewart
Arts & Culture Editor
Major: Communication and Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Friendship
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Grand Hotel
Media Addiction: Instagram
Song of the Summer: Cha Cha- D. R. A. M.
Last Text Received:That would be greaaat
Alanna Martine Kilkeary
Features Co-Editor
Major: English
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Writing for Features
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Dexter
Media Addiction: Instagram
Song of the Summer: California Dreamin’ by Sia
Last Text Received: Eric Van der Woodsen was
thrifting with me today (I wish I was kidding)
Hansi Weedagama
Features Co-Editor
Major: Communications and Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Writing for Features
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Scandal
Media Addiction: Netflix
Song of the Summer: Dangerous
Last Text Received: Whyyyy
Kathleen Kirtland
Sports Co-Editor
Major: Communicationsand Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Getting to work with each of the editors and
writers, getting to know them and making those
connections
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Gilmore Girls
Media Addiction: Vogue & Allure Magazines
Song of the Summer: Want to Want Me by Jason
Derulo
Last Text Received: haha clearly it wasn’t that
important if I forgort so no worries
Matthew McCarthy
Sports Co-Editor
Major: Global Business
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Production Night
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: It’s Always Sunny in
Philadelphia
Media Addiction: Snapchat
Song of the Summer: My Way by Fetty Wap
Last Text Received:How do I use an electric stove?
Ninett Rodriguez
Multimedia Producer
Major: Political Sciene and Communication and
Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The
awesome vibe
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Suits
Media Addiction: Digital media (Love love love Vox
media, they do it ALL)
Song of the Summer: Call You Out by Juce
Last Text Received: I just ran into Jake
Jessica Hanley
Photo Co-Editor
Major: Psychology
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
I like taking pictures--ulitizing my love of
photography
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Parks and
Recreation
Media Addiction: Tumblr
Song of the Summer: Bros by Wolf Alice
Last Text Received: I’m at my place if you want to
Jessica Luszczyk
Photo Co-Editor
Major: Social Work
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Stressful production nights
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: 30 Rock
Media Addiction: Snapchattin’
Song of the Summer: Hold My Hand by Jess Glin
Last Text Received:You are the light of my life
Alysha Kundanmal
Copy Chief
Major: English
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: My
face on the desktops
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Parks and Recreation
Media Addiction: Tumblr
Song of the Summer: Trap Queen by Fetty Wap
Last Text Received: Ugh nap was so good
Brianna Goodman
Copy Editor
Major: English
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The
website... it’s visually appealing and pop-up free!
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Orange is the New
Black
Media Addiction: The New York Times
Song of the Summer: For Once in My Life by Stevie
Wonder
Last Text Received: I brought her an adult coloring
book
Erika Alicia Ortiz
Literary Co-Editor
Major: Undeclared (English)
Favorite Part About Working with the
Observer: Working with The Comma team
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: Bones
Media Addiction: Tumblr
Song of the Summer: Honey I’m Good by
Andy Grammer
Last Text Received: On skype and an ad pops
up for harry potter world weeping about how
I wanna go so bad
Jessica Vitovitch
Literary Co-Editor
Major: Communication and Media Studies
Favorite Part About Working with the Observer:
Being given the opportunity to fuel the creative
writing community here at Fordham LC
Favorite Show to Binge Watch: 30 Rock
Media Addiction: Buzzfeed
Song of the Summer: Powerful by Major Lazer
Last Text Received: JESS! Do you have a strainer
for like pasta making?

Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture Co-Editors
Loulou Chryssides- lchryssides@fordham.edu
Sri Stewart-sstewart13@fordham.edu
August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER
Theatre Alumna to Star in Off-Broadway Drama
By SRI STEWART
Arts & Culture Co-Editor
When an outsider of the dance
world thinks of major locations for
the performing arts field, common
places may include New York, Paris,
Los Angeles, Moscow and more. One
does not typically think of a place
in the Middle East. However, in Israel
there is a thriving contemporary
dance scene that holds one of the
most esteemed dance schools in the
world. Marie Paspe, Fordham at Lincoln
Center (FCLC ’16), who is pursuing
a BFA in Dance Performance and
a minor in Business Administration
had the chance to study in Israel last
spring semester.
Paspe went to study at the Kibbutz
Contemporary Dance Company
(KCDC) for a five month long program,
which she did through Masa
Israel Journey. [‘Masa’ means ‘journey.’]
She stayed in Kibbutz Ga’aton,
the International Dance Village that
is home to dancers and choreographers
of the school. KCDC calls the
program a ‘Dance Journey.’ Describing
the company and her motivation
to study there, Paspe said, “It is an incredibly
innovative dance company.
There are both dancers and choreographers
from around the world going
to Kibbutz to study the [repertoire]
pieces [of KCDC]. It was kind of a
gateway to Europe. I thought strategically
about where I see myself and
where I want to dance.”
Paspe also expressed excitement
for her chance to work with Israeli
choreographer Ohad Naharin. Naharin
is considered to be one of the
world’s most original choreographers.
“He is the art director of one
of the leading dance companies of
the world. I thought about starting
in Israel and making a network there
and at least seeing how possible it is
for someone like me to sort of tap into
that world,” Paspe said.
Besides dance, Paspe also was
studying and doing hands-on volunteer
work. “I studied Hebrew and
culture and politics. We did a lot of
volunteer work and a lot of outreach.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SEAN TURI
Marie Paspe, a dancer at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC ‘16) in a shoot at a house in Kibbutz Ga’aton, Israel.‘
We went to help at adult special education.”
Paspe asserted that her experience
was one of the best she has
ever had and was able to apply those
lessons to her life and future projects.
Paspe revealed three major lessons
she has learned: “I learned that
[dance is] not only about the craft and
the way you move within the craft, it’s
how you treat and respect yourself in
the movement and how the cultivation
of yourself is just as important
as cultivating your craft. You have
to know that this is who I am. It was
like an enlightening moment for me;
it changed the way I move, I dance,
and the way I see the world.” She also
says to never be afraid of failing. “It’s
when you fail and make mistakes,
especially the worst ones, you really
grow from them and become the
person you’re meant to be in the best
ways,” Paspe said. In terms of networking,
Paspe also said, “Take care
of the relationships that you make.
You never know what in the future
they might bring.”
Over the summer, she participated
in The Bates Dance Festival, held
by Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine.
The festival is a program with workshops
and performances put together
by various choreographers, performers,
students and educators from different
parts of the world. Since approaching
dance from a newer and
more personal viewpoint, it seemed
appropriate that Paspe would take on
the project of a 12-minute piece titled
‘Skinless.’
Paspe worked with Mexican
choreographers Omar Carrum and
Claudia Lavista from Delfos Danza
Contemporanea and 13 other dancers.
The dance incorporated the metaphor
of how masks conceal identities.
“You put on layers and layers of
this mask that hides who you are due
to social circumstances and how you
socialize. [The piece] is about how
you strip away those masks. You go
back to who you are as an individual
and what that identity means to you,”
Paspe said.
Paspe’s lessons from studying in
Israel and continuing to dance over
the summer will stay with her forever.
Her busy schedule will continue
when she has to choreograph for the
Senior Choreography showcase in the
fall. Paspe also had advice for incoming
freshmen dance majors: “It’s very
important that you do things that
aren’t dance and you make friends
with people that you’re not going to
be with all the time,” Paspe said. She
also stressed, “Always think about
why you love dance and what made
you start in the first place.”
The Comma Interrobang
The Real Breakfast of Champions
By CONNOR MANNION
News Co-Editor and Asst. Literary Editor
I’m the type of person who takes his eggs early in the
morning. Really early, like 6 or 7 a.m. — it makes me a difficult
roommate. My eggs are most often lightly fried with
a strong cup of coffee, and a side of reheated or refried leftovers.
It’s not exclusive to pizza, doesn’t matter the leftover I’ve
chosen to go with eggs, but they tend to go well even when
the combo violates common sense. Baked scrod works well if
I don’t have pizza. I actually put the eggs on top of the pizza
slices, but it’s not required. I do it, life is short and egg-pizza
is very delicious. Plus, dollar pizza can always use extra flavoring.
As you can see, I love mixing together weird disparate
tastes in the morning. But nothing beats my craving for
blood cake. Yes, blood is involved—unlike the blood orange,
blood cake … I’m not really sure how to say it other than to
just tell you that blood cake is fried blood.
It sounds morbid, and it really is to the untrained palate.
The primary ingredient is pig blood, and then some other
enticing parts of the beast (a mix of bacon and ground pork
is the favored template) and variety of spices. It’s best not to
think of the recipe when you eat blood cake, just remember
it pairs fantastically with fried eggs and a strong cup of
black tea or strong coffee. If you are from the Pennsylvania/
Virginia region, this may remind you of scrapple, appetizing
and repulsive for similar reasons. Learning about how
scrapple is made is not recommended, like learning how hot
dogs are made. Same goes for blood cake, so just repress what
I said here. Besides, blood cake is a delicacy in the area where
food is generally all terrible. I mean of course my homeland
of Ireland, and to a lesser extent England.
Blood cake is considered a good way to start the day in
Ireland and England, where most of my family is from. I’m
a mix of Irish and Irish-Canadian for full disclosure, but I
haven’t yet tried blood cake with syrup I have no doubt I’d
find it delicious. I’ve enjoyed blood cake (or English Wheaties)
home and abroad, separately on a platter alongside eggs,
baked beans, sausage, bacon, some potatoes and sometimes
with grilled onions and mushrooms. Tomatoes are also a
popular companion, but I prefer the poorly classified fruit
more in tomato paste form (e.g. pizza that I tend to eat at
7 a.m. with eggs and coffee). A sandwich is also an option,
with all of the above platter items stuffed into a long roll. Not
the baked beans, though.
PSA: Don’t eat baked bean sandwiches, even if they seem
like they should work based on my aforementioned logic.
They don’t.
I hope you aren’t thoroughly disgusted, because if anything
I’m hungrier now. Blood cake and weird foods for
breakfast are a great way to start the day. They aren’t particularly
healthy, being fried blood and things not meant
to be eaten before noon. I’m not a Gremlin — I eat what I
want when I want to eat it, and you should too since we are
technically adults that can’t rent cars. Best way to start your
morning with blood cake, and why I do it: I sit in a dark living
room with the TV at low volume showing the news of
the night on CNN, and counterintuitively, I feel ready for
the day. Because, when you’ve eaten things that shouldn’t be
eaten before the sun comes up, what could the world throw
at you that you couldn’t be ready for?
See how fun The Comma is?
observercomma@gmail.com

www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 Arts & Culture 11
AFROPUNK’s Messages of Activism Conflict With Artists’ Lyrics
By SRI STEWART
Arts & Culture Co-Editor
Entrance of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), located on 11 W. 53rd St.
AFROPUNK Fest is a music
festival that first began in 2005. It
was part of an urban movement to
gather people of different cultures,
especially black, who shared an interest
in punk, alternative and indie
rock. The idea of the festival arose
from Matthew Morgan and James
Spooner, creators of the film ‘Afro-
Punk’ (2003). They wanted to show
that there is another audience outside
of white people who have a passion
for the punk/hard-rock scene. My
two days spent at this year’s AFRO-
PUNK Fest, Saturday, August 22 and
Sunday, August 23, were full of loud
music and Korean food. The festival
certainly displayed a vast array
of fashion, music and people, but I
found conflicting messages between
the performers on what ‘afropunk’
and the festival is all about.
‘Afropunk’ says more than being
black and liking punk and rock music.
The term also implies being different
from the mainstream. For this
reason, the term may also seem like
another form of a hipster. However,
afropunk is different because it also
connects activism with its celebration
of people who feel different from others.
On the website, people were able
to sign up to do volunteer and activist
work within their communities or
on social media. This way, they would
earn a ticket to go to the festival for
free. The festival used to be free, but
this year was the first year that people
had to pay for their entry; there have
been complaints about this decision.
Some people have questioned whether
it was leading to AFROPUNK selling
out.
The term ‘afropunk’ also celebrates
people’s unique style without
judgement. It encourages people to
join together and stand up against
hate in society. At the festival, the
main stage was lined with banners
that read the festival’s title but also
had phrases such as “No Sexism”,
“No Racism”, “No Homophobia”,
“No Transphobia” and more. Crowds
shouted, “Black lives matter!” during
a performance by Raury.
Raury, a 19-year-old musician
from Atlanta who makes a mix of
soul, hip-hop, and folk rock sang
and rapped about a better world. He
plays the guitar and sings passionately,
making also some rather dramatic
head movements throughout.
PAULA MADERO/THE OBSERVER
He performed on AFROPUNK’s
smaller Red Stage. His set had songs
about love but also about issues in the
U.S. He mentioned in one rap performance
the vicious cycle of expensive
college tuition and the pressure to
make money and get a job to pay for
it.
One song was about perhaps the
biggest issue in the black community
today: police brutality. His song,
“Fly,” is about the black people who
lost their lives in police altercations
and how he worries that because of
the way he looks, he could become
a victim of police brutality. He also
sang about hope for improved relations
between people of different
races, fostered love and children who
will be dreamers. Before performing
the song, Raury explained that
he was not someone making music
for the money. “Times is too serious
for people to be making music about
bull****,” Raury said over the microphone.
Ironically, the next performer
Goldink was rapping heavily about
women and sex in his opening song.
There seems to be a contradictory
message between the artists that AF-
ROPUNK would have a difficult time
avoiding. Partly, it is because the variety
of artists that the festival has lined
up brings in a larger crowd to support
it. The festival’s goal is to gather people
who have alternative tastes from
the mainstream together, and so AF-
ROPUNK would not deny the artists
that fit this category. The misogyny
is present in so much music, but the
catchy beats do not stop people from
listening. I remembered this idea
from the Chapel Hill student, Madiha
Bhatti, in her poetry slam that she
posted in November 2012.
AFROPUNK Fest is diverse, and
it’s not only about rock music anymore.
The festival promotes love, but
some of the artists on its stages do not
seem to fully embody the message
of all that the festival is against. It is
contradictory, but we as consumers of
this type of music do not make it easy
to truly stop it.
What to See Before
Summer Ends
By LOULOU CHRYSSIDES
Arts & Culture Co-Editor
With summer winding down
and the semester rapidly approaching,
there is still plenty to see
around New York to help one cope
with those ‘back to school blues.’
From parties at museums, to interesting
exhibits, to free art, below
are some of the ‘must-sees’ for summer
in NYC.
PARALLEL CONNECTION BY OS
GEMEOS
Where: Times Square
When: Every night in August
between 11:57p.m. and 12a.m..
Cost: Free
For the entire month of August,
the Brazilian artists known
as Os Gemeos are bringing their
art to billboards throughout Times
Square for three minutes each
night. The animations are interactive,
with characters appearing to
point and stare at onlookers. The
display is part of Times Square’s
‘Midnight Moment’ project, which
aims to promote contemporary artists
by bringing their work to the
billboards in the surrounding area.
MOMA PS1 WARM-UP OUTDOOR
MUSIC SERIES
Where: MOMA PS1
When: Saturdays beginning
June 27 and ending on Sept. 5
Cost: $18 in advance, $20 the day
of the event
MOMA PS1 is one of NYC’s most
famous summer music series. Each
year, local as well as international,
DJs play their music for audiences,
who also get to experience various
art installations while the music is
playing.
FRIDA KAHLO: ART, GARDEN,
LIFEW
Where: The New York Botanical
Garden
When: May 16-Nov. 1
Cost: $18 with a student ID
The exhibit at The New York Botanical
Garden gives an exclusive
look into the most personal space of
the extraordinary Frida Kahlo. The
exhibit is a reimagined design of
Kahlo’s studio and garden. Visitors
can also listen to lectures and music
inspired by the life of Frida Kahlo.
SMORGASBURG
Where: Saturdays—176 Lafayette
Avenue, Fort Greene Brooklyn;
Sundays—50 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg
Brooklyn
When: Every weekend from
April—November
Cost: Varies, depending on vendor.
Smorgasburg is an annual
food festival that runs from April
through November in two Brooklyn
locations. Each weekend, food
lovers have the opportunity to try
almost every type of cuisine one
can imagine. From mac n’ cheese
and doughnuts to tacos and truffle
fries, visitors of Smorgasburg are
sure to leave full and happy.
LIVE AT THE GANTRIES
Where: Gantry Plaza State Park
When: Every Tuesday at 7:00p.m.
from July through Aug. 25.
Cost: Free
Live At The Gantries is a summer
music series that allows audiences
to enjoy live music while
enjoying an incredible view of the
Manhattan skyline, for no charge.
Performances range from live Jazz
to traditional Mexican dance artists.

Features
Features Co-Editors
Alanna Kilkeary—alannamartine@gmail.com
Hansini Weedagama- hweedagama@fordham.edu
August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER
ANA FOTA
News Co-Editor
Toto, We’re Not In Romania Anymore
Ana, on a path through the Carpathian Mountains, in the heart of Romania.
I remember dragging two enormous
suitcases and a backpack to
campus on move-in day this time last
year. I had just left home behind and
moved to the mighty New York City.
As an international student coming
to the United States from Bucharest,
Romania, there was a lot I had to get
used to. I left a town known for its
early 20th century architecture, manifested
through majestic Parisian-like
buildings, for a life amongst imposing
concrete mountains and impending
deadlines. When I first got here,
I was alone and uninformed. I didn’t
know anyone who lived in the city,
nor how an American university
worked. But eventually, confidence,
good company and unique experiences
are what got me through my
first year of college.
Leaving everything familiar an
ocean away and diving into a world
unknown was very brave of me.
Aware of that, I began my college career
confident and hopeful, but with
a healthy dose of insecurity aboard.
Knowing that I had a lot to learn
allowed me to quickly grasp new
information and develop my understanding
of this mysterious world I
was slowly uncovering. However, being
convinced that I could succeed
if I tried motivated me daily to work
hard towards creating a life for myself
in the New World. Overall, I’d say a
combination of confidence and doubt
was the perfect recipe for success.
Befriending Americans
First off, I needed to make friends.
The human being is a pack animal,
not designed to live in solitude. After
spending some time amongst American
students, I learned their ways and
was quickly adopted as their foreigner
puppy-friend in need of guidance.
I was taught what expressions to use
and what I should never say. Apparently,
I should not trust everything
I hear in movies - who knew “oh no,
I’m in a pickle” is not a phrase cool
people use? The main difference between
Americans and Europeans, if
you ask me, is their openness towards
fellow human beings. Having American
friends allowed me to better understand
the society I was now living
in, and why ‘Dancing With The Stars’
is a show I should, in fact, watch.
There are so many cultural differences
I have yet to understand, like why
Americans find fart jokes funny.
Equal ground
I shared not being used to American
customs with fellow international
students. Meeting people with
various backgrounds made the whole
experience that much more diverse
and enjoyable. Knowing other international
students allowed me to express
my misunderstanding of how
peanut butter and jelly could possibly
be “delicious” together, as well as
discuss the cultural shock we were all
experiencing. Being able to talk about
being so far away from home made
the whole experience seem universal.
What we were, in fact, going through
was not moving to a weird continent,
it was the first time on our own.
Mommy can’t save you now
What I did not yet realize would
affect me was a crucial difference
from living at home: the lack of family.
Whilst living in the parental
house, I was naturally accustomed
to a life of getting home to a mother
ready to make me feel better about
my day. Starting a new life without
my mother, my brother and my father
meant putting them in the viewer’s
seat. We were no longer going
through life together. From then on
it was me, alone, telling them stories
about my day as if we were all talking
about a friend we knew. Thank
god my mum doesn’t cook, otherwise
I would miss her even more. Being
away from family made me appreciate
having a roommate that would
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANA FOTA
ask me about my day. Having someone
to listen to me ramble on about
how I spilled coke all over myself at
lunch that day truly made a difference,
as far as keeping your morale
up goes.
Confidence in class
Considering I had never been to
school in taught in English before, I
had never written an essay nor experienced
office hours, I did not know
how I should behave. Like a child, I
learned how to behave by watching
others around me.
After 12 years of a routine in a
specific educational system, I had to
forget every habit that pertained to
my school life and start learning how
to do it the ‘American way’, where you
are trusted enough to be allowed to
eat in class, as long as you are paying
attention. Trusting students to look
out for their own best interest was not
something I had experienced before.
I mean you are not punished for eating
in class, suddenly leaving to go to
the bathroom, or arriving 20 minutes
late to class. The way you behave in
class is strictly your responsibility,
and is treated as such. High school
in Romania seems very strict in comparison,
as such behavior was not allowed
and not obeying the teacher’s
way would often be deemed “rude” or
“impertinent.”
I had to shed and re-learn everything
I knew about going to school.
For example, it is considered polite in
Romanian schools to stand up from
your seat when a teacher enters the
classroom, as a sign of respect. I found
myself doing that here, particularly at
the beginning of the year, and then
pretending I had dropped something
on the floor only to conceal my embarrassment.
I had a history teacher
in high school that was particularly
strict when it came to this custom.
My first semester of school here I took
history and, I found myself standing
up every time our professor would
walk in, as if I had just woken up
from a bad dream. Subconsciously, I
am set to behave the way that I have
been taught is proper, in the span of
so many years.
Looking back and gazing forward
I bet my life on the unknown and
it paid off.
Now, already about to start my
second year of college, I look back at
what got me here. I remember that
I decided to move to the U.S. without
thinking much about it. When
an American family friend had explained
to me that getting into a good
college in the U.S. was possible, I set
my mind on it and never looked back.
At the time, I had never even visited
the country, but it did not matter,
because I had this gut feeling that I
would be happy there. Trusting my
gut was what made all the difference,
as being confident in my decision and
working daily towards my goal did,
in fact, get the job done.
When I came here, although I
knew that I had so much to learn, although
I had no promise that I was
making the right decisions, I was
confident enough to believe that everything
was going to turn out just
perfect. In fact, I’m still sure it will.
Friday Finds: Where To Wander In NYC This Weekend
FROM SIGHTS TO SOUNDS TO SMELLS TO TASTES
Nanor Hartounian
Staff Writer
MARIA KOVOROS /THE OBSERVER
Graffiti Hall of Fame mural in Spanish Harlem.
If you’re feeling hungry… grab
an acai bowl! Located on 164 Mott
Street, Two Hands has quickly become
one of the most Instagramworthy
spots in the city. Even more
impressive than its quirky and
quaint décor are its delicious acai
bowls. Its acai mix includes a blend
of blueberries and bananas with cacao,
acai powder and almond milk,
topped with granola, chia seeds,
coconut flakes and more fresh fruit.
Ideal for breakfast, brunch, lunch…
(do you see where I’m going with
this?), this filling meal makes eating
healthy feel like anything but a
chore.
If you’re feeling artsy…take a
guided graffiti tour! I’ve found that
one of the best ways to learn about
a city’s culture is by quite literally
looking around and admiring its
street art. A place as exciting yet
hectic as New York City constantly
keeps its residents busy and running
from place to place. It would
be a shame to let its inspiring and
thought-provoking graffiti go unnoticed.
Visit timeout.com for more
information.
If you’re feeling musical…go to
a concert! The 2015 Global Citizen
Festival is on September 26th
and conveniently located in Fordham
College at Lincoln Center’s
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN T VIA FLICKR
Just some cool eats and sights you can experience
this weekend.
own backyard, Central Park. This
event is ideal for students who are
in the market to enjoy music without
breaking the bank because you
can easily earn free tickets online.
The best part? This year’s headliners
include Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay
and Pearl Jam. The even better
part? It’s all held in the name of
fighting inequality, protecting our
planet and ending extreme poverty
around the world within the next
15 years. Visit globalcitizen.org for
more information.
If you’re feeling theatrical…see a
show! What I’m suggesting is a little
more avant-garde than Broadway.
Take advantage of the few summer
nights we have left by seeing a free
show brought to you by the Public
Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park.
Presented at the open-air Delacorte
Theater in Central Park, the upcoming
musical adaptation of The
Odyssey is running from September
4-7 and sure to impress more
than just Greek epic enthusiasts.
We’ll be trading sandals for boots
sooner than you think, so reserve
your seats on publictheater.org before
it’s too late!
If you’re feeling adventurous…
go on a citywide scavenger hunt!
Coined as “ingenious and unique”
by Time Out New York, Accomplice
productions send participants on
a mission through the city. Audiences
are assisted by various clues
and mysterious cast members
scattered throughout locations as
notable as iconic landmarks and
obscure as random street corners.
Sure to make you see New York City
in a completely new light, Visit accomplicetheshow.com
for more information
about this one of a kind
experience.

www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 Features 13
FCLC’s Declassified School Survival Guide
ALYSHA KUNDANMAL
Copy Chief
Welcome to college and, more
importantly, welcome to Fordham!
I know you’re beyond excited to
be here, but I also know you might
be a little scared (even if you won’t
admit it). And that’s completely
understandable. You’re surrounded
by brand new people, in a brand new
school and in the most amazing city
ever. It can all be a bit overwhelming,
so I’m here to help. I’m Ned
Bigby (loljk my name’s Alysha) and
I’m here to try and do the impossible
- create a guide to help you survive
the first couple weeks of college.
Keep your door open:
No seriously, buy a doorstop or
pile up some textbooks, but either
way find a way to invite the new and
fun breeze of friendship in. It sounds
weird, but it’s actually such an easy
way to meet people. If you’re just
sitting on your bed scrolling through
Facebook (I know you’re checking
up on all your high school friends)
and you see someone walking down
the hall, say hello, introduce yourself
and invite them in! If that sounds
too scary, play some music - maybe
someone across the hall will hear it
and be overjoyed that you like the
same obscure, indie Swedish pop
band.
Don’t put off doing your
laundry:
Look, I’m sure you convinced
your mom to buy you a ton of new
underwear so you could prolong
your laundry-less life for as many
Alysha here, to make your first few weeks survivable.
weeks as hygienically possible. However,
once everyone runs out of clean
clothes two or three weeks into the
semester, the laundry rooms are going
to be packed tighter than sardine
cans. To avoid this cluster- um, situation,
turn laundry time into social
time! Pick a time when most people
are in class or eating lunch and grab
a new friend and head down (or up)
to the laundry room together. It may
seem like a buzzkill way to spend
your time, but trust me, you’ll have
the last laugh when your clothes are
squeaky clean and your roommates
are digging through their hampers
for something to wear to class.
The dining hall is nothing like
the one in Mean Girls:
Where you sit and who you sit
with will not define your social
status. There are no defined zones
for certain types of people nor do
cliché and stereotypical cliques of
people actually exist outside the
dramatized realm of Hollywood
-- at least not here at LC. If you’re
ALANNA KILKEARY /THE OBSERVER
hungry, ask someone to join you! It
can be as simple and casual as noticing
someone else packing up their
stuff in the study lounge at the same
time you are and pointing at your
stomach and asking “yours growling
too?” It’s honestly kind of like the
platonic edition of speed dating the
first couple weeks of college, but hey
-- everyone had to go through it.
Introduce yourself to professors:
I know this sounds completely
overrated and like old news BUT
it is crucial! Fordham’s classes are
small and that’s a killer advantage
for you. When your biggest class has
only 35 students, it’s easy to make
an impression the first day. Here’s a
tip - if a professor remembers your
name by the second or third class,
you’ve definitely stuck out in their
mind. If you’re not as comfortable
being vocal in a room full of brand
new faces, stop by the professor’s
office hours. Odds are, most people
won’t be stopping by the first week,
so you’ll have some great initial face
time. Let them know you’re a great
and dedicated student but you’re just
shy in class. They’ll be way more accommodating
and impressed at your
maturity instead of just thinking
you’re a disengaged student.
Don’t forget about me time:
You will not be branded a loner
if you just want to get an ice cream
cone from the Mister Softee truck in
Columbus Circle and walk around
Central Park for an hour. LC is full
of independent students who love
going on dates with themselves.
Take advantage of that. Meeting
so many people and constantly
being surrounded by them can be
super draining (I’m looking at you,
introverts). Self reflection time is
important so you can really think
and learn about yourself, but it also
gives you some very necessary time
to recharge your social batteries so
you’re ready to go back tomorrow.
So here’s to making new friends
and all the amazing experiences that
await you. And be on the lookout for
even more college survival tips and
tricks in our next issue!
Confessions of a College Senior
We’ve been waiting for this for so long... and now it’s here
Shaheen Tokhi
Staff Writer
There is something incredibly bittersweet
about going into your senior
year of college. If you’re sentimental,
you’re just trying to savor every moment.
If you’re just over undergrad
life, you probably wish you could
speed through to graduation. And
some people are torn between both
worlds.
It didn’t really hit me until
I thought of how I would be an
orientation leader for the second
time in a row. The freshman class
will be graduating in the year 2019.
By then, I will be a long gone from
Fordham. Well, not that long gone,
but it definitely felt that way when I
was overthinking it and staring at
my Fordham e-mail as it warned me
that New Student Orientation (NSO)
was approaching. It wasn’t a big deal
until it suddenly was. My last move
in, my last first day, my last time
sitting in Pope auditorium for hours
of welcoming excited, nervous and
exhausted freshman. I remember
when that was me. I remember being
afraid, and nervous, and excited. I
recall imaging what my college career
would look like. The feelings are
different but the same. Seniors are
seasoned pro’s at undergrad life, even
if it doesn’t always feel that way.
Speak up.
So you’ve found your place here
at FCLC. You’ve got it all figured out
by now...or not. Either way, it’s never
too late to start speaking up. Pardon
the cliche, but college is about finding
your voice - senior year is about
perfecting its tone. Senior year comes
with the advantage of finally starting
to feel comfortable in your own skin.
Even if you’re unsure, you’re now
unashamed about your right to be
unsure. You don’t have to have all the
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAHEEN TOKHI
Shaheen and her friends exploring the New York subway as freshmen.
answers, but you owe it to yourself to
speak up and be authentically who
you’ve always wanted to be. If you’re
still hesitant, ask yourself, what are
you waiting for?
Don’t be afraid to make new
friends.
We know you’re probably already
best friends with Leon and the rest
of the FCLC security squad, (Don’t
deny it. They know how often you
seamless!) but that doesn’t mean new
friends are out of the question. Senior
year is not the mad rush of freshman
year. Hoards of people are no
longer desperate to find friends, but
that doesn’t mean new friendships
aren’t a possibility. So maybe you
haven’t gotten it all right so far. Lots
of people haven’t. People grow and
people change and people still want
to make new friends. Just because
you’re hustling through your senior
year doesn’t mean that there isn’t
time to form the lifelong friendships
that you’ve always wanted. Put yourself
out there.
Have fun.
Whether you’re ready to admit it
to yourself or not, this is the last time
you’ll be doing the undergrad thing.
School is important. Grades are
important, but balance is everything.
Know when to skip the night out and
when to go to a concert with your
best friend. Know when to eat cheap
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAHEEN TOKHI
And 3 years later, they all still find time to get together and have fun.
and when to spring for the fancy
meal. Study hard, but don’t ignore
the fact that you’re going to college
in the best city in the world, or you’ll
wake up senior year full of regrets
and feeling like you’ve already run
out of time. As of now, you’ve still got
plenty of time. Make it count!
Step out of your culinary
comfort zone.
We get it, you know Hell’s
Kitchen like the back of your hand.
You’ve eaten at the good, the bad,
and the unspeakable. You’ve seamlessed
late into the night. You’ve got
a favorite halal food cart, you know
which flame diner is the real deal,
and you’ve taken the late night walk
to Justino’s at least once during your
Fordham career. We’ve all got our favorite
quick fixes we can run too, but
that doesn’t mean you should limit
yourself to what’s convenient (and
delicious). New York City is made up
of thousands of worthy restaurants.
You can eat anything you want,
anywhere you want. Do you really
want to look back on your time here
and say you are at the same 5 or 10
places? Your taste buds deserve better
than that.
I’m nostalgic as I look out into a
room full of anxious freshman. I’ll
be happy and confident in the fact
that it all comes down to five simple
words: it’s going to be okay.

Sports
Sports Editors
Matthew McCarthy - mmccarthy80@fordham.edu
Katie Kirtland - kkirtland@fordham.edu
August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER
Jen Welter Hired as First NFL Female Coach
By MARCY ALVAREZ
Assistant Sports Editor
The National Football League
(NFL) is breaking barriers once
again. Earlier this year the NFL
employed Sarah Thomas, the first
female referee. In another historic
step, the Arizona Cardinals hired
Jen Welter, the first female coach.
As part of an internship, Dr. Welter
will be an assistant coach on defense,
focusing on inside linebackers,
for the summer training camp
and preseason.
With her 14 seasons of experience
playing pro football in the
Women’s Football Alliance, being
the first female to play running back
in men’s pro Indoor Football League
and two gold medals from the International
Federation of American
Football Women’s World Championship,
Dr. Welter seems more than
qualified for the job.
However, critics are pointing out
that she has no experience playing in
the NFL and therefore cannot lend
any experience to coaching. To these
remarks, Time Magazine pointed
out that many other male coaches
have never played in the NFL either,
some of which include Vince Lombardi,
who was a Fordham graduate
and former head coach of the Green
Bay Packers, Bill Belichick, head
coach of the New England Patriots,
and Joe Gibbs, former head coach of
the Washington Redskins.
Other critics have taken to Twitter
to express their more misogynistic
opinions. One Twitter user
wrote, “Women have no place in
a mans [sic] sport, they should be
home cooking and taking care of
the children.” Another Twitter user
wrote, “What is this nonsense of
Arizona hiring a woman to coach
in the NFL? Women don’t play real
football.” Another Twitter user,
tweeted, “Look, I’m all for women’s
equality and all but hiring a woman
as a football coach in the NFL is
one of the dumbest moves I’ve ever
seen.”
Jen Welter is currently an assistant defensive coach for the Arizona Cardinals this preseason.
In response to the negativity,
people have shared their support
and congratulated Dr. Welter. Former
Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright tweeted, “I don’t know
much about football, but I do know
what it’s like to be first. Congrats to
@jwelter47 & the @AZCardinals.
I’m rooting for you!” Nicole Kucik,
an eboard member of In Strength I
stand (ISIS), says, “I hope that this
is the threshold to allowing several
more women in the sport and hopefully
closing the gender gap between
male and female coaches and athletes
in general.”
Even Vice President Joe Biden
has recognized the importance of
hiring Dr. Welter tweeting, “Breaking
barriers and reaching new
heights. Congratulations to Jen
Welter. This is what progress looks
like.”
However, the most important
support comes from Arizona Cardinals
staff and players. During Dr.
Welter’s introductory news conference,
Bruce Arians, head coach of
the Cardinals, called her a “trailblazer.”
Furthermore, the linebackers
she’s coaching are having a positive
response to her as well. In an
interview with ESPN, Kevin Minter
said, “I feel like she’s really benefiting
us right now.” During the same
interview, Glenn Carson said, “Honestly,
she’s like your typical football
coach. There’s really no difference
whether it’s a guy or girl.” The same
opinion could also be said of Becky
Hammon, the first female assistant
coach who then transitioned into
the head coach for the San Antonio
Spurs during the Summer League.
Overall, Dr. Welter seems to be
a great addition to the Cardinals’
coaching staff. Moreover, she’s an
inspiration for women everywhere
RON JENKINS/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM TNS
that anything is possible. As she
said in a news conference, “I didn’t
start playing football to be here. I
didn’t even dream that it was possible.
And I think the beauty of this
is that, even though it’s a dream I
never could’ve had, now it’s a dream
other girls can grow up and have.”
Although it is uncertain if she will
be hired full time, one thing that is
certain is that the hiring of a female
NFL coach is not a stunt or a ruse,
it is progress toward an integrated
sport, where people of all sexes and
genders can coach and play alongside
each other.
Fordham Fitness: Finding the Perfect Gym for You
By MATTHEW MCCARTHY
Sports Co-Editor
CONNOR MANNION/THE OBSERVER
The McMahon Hall Fitness Center underwent improvements last spring, adding free weights and elipticals.
School is upon us and that means
the possible onset of the “freshman
15,” or the continuation thereof for
returning upperclassmen. For college
students with limited budgets
and full schedules, finding a time
and place to exercise is the most
difficult part of warding off those
extra pounds and unwanted stress.
Our Lincoln Center campus is surrounded
by a number of fitness facilities.
Facilities range from the
costless, albeit small, McMahon
Hall fitness center to the luxurious,
yet pricey, Equinox Sports Club.
Reviews of the McMahon Hall
gym span from ideal to adequate
to disgraceful; however, opinions
have changed since additions were
made to the facility last April. In
the past, the fitness center was filled
with outdated and often broken
cardio equipment, including treadmills
and exercise bikes. Renovations
not only updated the existing
equipment, but also added more
free weights, rowing machines and
elliptical machines making the gym
more versatile for the average gym
goer.
One of the biggest complaints
coming from the student body was
that the gym didn’t have the proper
equipment for building muscle.
That is no longer a concern as nautilus
equipment and dumbbells were
added to the fitness facility to accommodate
the growing needs of
students. Additionally, updated stationary
bikes, new treadmills and
other cardio equipment were incorporated
in the renovation. While
there is still room for improvement,
the McMahon Hall gym will suffice
for those looking to get a good, basic
workout in without straying from
campus.
Another option for Lincoln Center
students is the YMCA on 63rd
Street. The facility boasts nearly
every amenity a gym goer could ask
for, including multiple weight lifting
areas, several cardio rooms, two
swimming pools, an indoor track
and basketball court, a spin room, a
yoga studio and racquetball courts.
In addition to the vast amount of
equipment, the Y also has classes
for members to workout in group
sessions with professional trainers.
The biggest perk? The gym offers
discounted memberships for Fordham
students.
For $75 per semester, students
will have access to all of the facility’s
amenities, including the daily
fitness classes. Students looking to
incorporate many different aspects
of fitness into their routine should
consider the YMCA.
For students who make fitness
one of their highest priorities and
are able to endure the exorbitant
cost of a membership, Equinox is the
most upscale facility imaginable.
It is also the most expensive, costing
nearly $200 per month. There
are multiple locations surrounding
our Lincoln Center campus and all
of them are stocked with strength
and conditioning equipment, spas,
pools and cycling studios.
Equinox focuses on the entirety
of one’s health, as they have classes
not only for slimming down or
bulking up, but also to provide diet
tips and post workout relaxation.
The Equinox Sports Club on 67th
and Columbus is also equipped with
a rock climbing facility, rooftop
track, basketball courts and a stateof-the-art
boxing studio. If cost isn’t
a factor, the Equinox facilities are
filled with the widest selection of
amenities available for students.
The hidden gem of the Upper
West Side is the Gertrude Ederle
Recreation Center on 60th Street.
Only a block away from our campus,
the facility is cheap compared
to other options, at only $25 annually
for a membership. Even though
it is not a large building, the center
manages to encompass fitness
equipment, a basketball court, a
swimming pool and a small dance
studio in its facility. Though it
lacks free weights, its other amenities
more than compensate for it.
The center holds multiple classes
for members, including yoga, cross
training, and even dancercize if you
are not looking to pack on muscle
and just want a diverse, relatively
cheap workout, then the Gertrude
Ederle Recreation Center may be
your best option.
The ideal gym should fit within
your budget and satisfy all of your
fitness wants. Exercise is a great
way to relieve stress and maintain
a healthy lifestyle during the school
year.

www.fordhamobserver.com THE OBSERVER August 27, 2015 Sports 15
By KATIE KIRTLAND
Sports Co-Editor
With the start of the fall 2015 semester
upon us, students are getting
ready to tackle their classes and get
back into university life. One of the
best aspects of social life on campus is
attending Fordham’s athletic events
and cheering for our fellow Rams!
Coming up this semester are exciting
seasons for many of Fordham’s
teams.
Men & Women’s Cross Country:
Last season, the men’s cross country
team placed 10th out of 14 teams
in the Atlantic 10 Championship race
with 202 points. One runner, Quincy
O’Connor, was named to the 2014 Atlantic
10 All-Conference Team. Fortunately
for the team, O’Connor will
be returning to the team this season
for his senior year. The men’s team
will also retain Thomas Slattery, a
sophomore who qualified to compete
at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track &
Field Championship. Having won the
IC4A Championship the past two consecutive
years, the men’s team will be
looking to defend their title for a third
season. The women’s team finished
11th out of 14 teams at the Atlantic 10
Championship race. The women’s roster
is very young this year, with nine
freshmen holding spots on the 23-person
team. Hopefully this new blood
will help them to boost their motivation
and bring them to even higher accolades
in the coming season.
Saturday, Sept. 12 in the Ed Joyce
Memorial Meet in Van Cortlandt
Park, 10:30 a.m.
Men’s Football:
Last year, Fordham’s football team
went 11-3 and will enter the 2015
season as the reigning Patriot League
champions. Two players, Chase Edmonds
and Stephen Hodge, were
specifically honored this offseason.
Edmonds, running back, was named
Patriot League Preseason Offensive
Player of the Year in early August.
Hodge, linebacker, was named the
League’s Preseason Defensive Player
of the Year around the same time.
With both of these players on the roster
for the upcoming season, the team
has an excellent shot at defending their
title. The team had a great season last
ESPN Cuts Commentary to Survive New Media Landscape
By CONNOR MANNION
News Co-Editor
ESPN faces an uncertain future
as a place for commentary, namely
in the fact that the network has fired
three high-value personalities in a
fairly short time frame: Colin Cowherd,
Keith Olbermann and Bill
Simmons. The firings taken separately
do represent ESPN distancing
themselves from problematic
content, but together they also show
how ESPN has had to ally itself with
content producers: the franchises
which ESPN itself covers in depth.
On July 16, Colin Cowherd was
terminated for insensitive remarks
directed toward the entirety of the
Dominican Republic, essentially
insulting the intelligence of players
from the Dominican Republic.
Cowherd made a non-apology
for how he phrased his remarks,
his joke was condemned by Major
League Baseball (MLB), and he was
released from his contract by ESPN.
Tony Clark, executive director of
the MLB Players Association (MLB-
PA), said, “These recent comments
are particularly disappointing
when viewed against the backdrop
of the important work being done to
celebrate and improve the cultural
diversity of our game.” However,
ESPN has shown that it is willing
to stand with the content providing
franchises as opposed to problematic
talent, and the MLB, which has
Fordham Fall Sports Preview
L.FRANCOIS /ARCHIVE FROM THE OBSERVER
Many Fordham sports teams will begin the new season in the next two weeks at Rose Hill.
year, and there is every reason to believe
they’ll be able to improve upon
it this fall.
Saturday, Sept. 12 against Villanova
University at Rose Hill, 6:00
p.m.
HOMECOMING GAME will be
held Saturday, Sept. 19 against
Columbia University at Rose Hill,
1:00 p.m.
Men’s Golf:
Last season, the men’s golf team finished
in 10th place at the Atlantic 10
Championship Tournament. Joe Trim,
currently a sophomore, had the best final
round of the Championship weekend,
shooting an even par. Trim is set
on the team’s roster for the upcoming
2015 season. However, Ben Alcorn,
who has since graduated, had the best
overall weekend at the Championship
Tournament, shooting only four over
par for the entire tournament. Alcorn’s
departure may hurt the team, but this
year’s roster is looking strong. With
carved a strong foothold in digital
media, will regard this positively.
Clark continued, almost foreshadowing
ESPN’s actions. “Baseball’s
partners and stakeholders should
help such efforts, not undermine
them,” he said.
Next came the release of Keith
Olbermann from the network, after
two years of hosting a self-titled
show. Olbermann was a high profile
talent with a strong voice, and had
returned to ESPN where he got his
start after the cancellation of his
show on MSNBC, “Countdown with
Keith Olbermann.” Unfortunately,
his assertive voice became muddled
in the transition back to his original
network. His time at MSNBC made
it difficult for him to moderate his
comments against companies that
ESPN couldn’t risk completely
alienating, including Penn State
and their cover up of Jerry Sandusky’s
abuse. Olbermann had been
suspended before his departure for
picking a fight through Twitter with
Penn State THON campaigners, in
regards to the cover up.
The final firing was Bill Simmons.
Simmons was not only a
thoughtful commentator, but he
had an incredible grasp of digital
media unlike any other ESPN
personality. However, Simmons
has consistently clashed with management
at ESPN, openly fighting
with them on multiple occasions,
and was most recently suspended
some hard work and practice, the team
should be able to make up for the departure
of last season’s seniors and
come back to improve their standing
in the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championships.
Friday, Sept. 11 - Sunday, Sept. 13
in the Ryan Lee Memorial Tournament
hosted by Central Connecticut
State University
Men’s Soccer:
After finishing the regular season 11-
10, The Fordham Men’s Soccer Team
took home the Atlantic 10 Champion
title in the 2014 season, and should be
looking to defend it this season. In the
championship game, Christopher Bazzini
and Jannik Loebe, both freshman
at the time, worked together to score
the only goal of the game. Both players
will be returning to the team for the
2015 season. Last season’s goalkeeper,
Sean Brailey, has graduated and
will not be returning to the team. This
could hurt them, as Brailey posted two
COURTESY OF DALE SWEETNAM VIA FLICKR
Colin Cowherd was fired for remarks against Dominican people.
for accusing Roger Goodell of lying
after the leak of the video that
showed Rice attacking his fiancee
Janay Rice. The NFL investigation
took place prior to the release of
this video, from which the initial
punishment was only a four game
suspension for Rice, and no other
repercussions. Rice was later released
from his team after the video
was leaked to the public.
“Goodell, if he didn’t know what
was on that tape, he’s a liar. I’m just
shutouts during the tournament. That
said, with another excellent goalkeeper,
the team could go on to defend their
title this season for a second consecutive
— and third overall — Atlantic 10
crown.
Tuesday, Sept. 15 against Army
West Point at Rose Hill, 7:00 p.m.
Men’s Water Polo:
Fordham’s Men’s Water Polo team
made it to the Collegiate Water Polo
Association (CWPA) Championships
for the fourth time in the school’s history.
The Rams claimed ninth place in
the tournament. Unfortunately for the
team, goalkeeper Noah LeBeau has
graduated. Ten of the players on the
current 27-man roster are seniors or
graduate students, meaning this year’s
team should be very well-seasoned.
With such experience on the team,
they should be able to make another
appearance at the championships this
season, and hopefully they’ll be able
to advance even further and earn the
Fordham Men’s Polo Team their best
finish to date.
Saturday, Sept. 26 against MIT at
Rose Hill, 2:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer:
After finishing their season 8-10,
Fordham’s Women’s Soccer Team did
not participate in Atlantic 10 Championship
Tournament. This season, the
team is welcoming seven new freshmen
to its roster, and hopefully that
will help take them to the championships
for the 2015 season. The team is
looking to rebound from a disappointing
season last year and should be able
to build upon the promising finish to
the 2014 season. With a strong group
of incoming freshmen, the future
looks bright for these ladies.
Sunday, Sept. 13 against LIU
Brooklyn at Rose Hill, 1:00 p.m.
Women’s Tennis:
Last season’s Women’s Tennis team
made Fordham’s first ever appearance
in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10
Championships. Unfortunately, that is
where the season’s journey ended, but
this team of three women — Destiny
Grunin (junior), Carolina Sa (sophomore),
and Estelle Wong (sophomore)
— is determined to do even better this
year. In fact, Wong was named the
Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice
last year. With many seniors leaving
and no new freshmen coming in, the
team is beginning to dwindle in numbers,
but that may mean they will become
a concentrated force to be reckoned
with.
Friday, Sept. 11 - Sunday, Sept. 13
in the Stony Brook Invitational
Women’s Volleyball:
The Fordham Women’s Volleyball
Team finished the season with a 3-25
record and did not play in the Atlantic
10 Championship Tournament.
With four members of last season’s
team leaving to make room for three
new freshmen, the team will be full of
new talent. With a lot of practice and
training, the team will be able to come
back this season and hopefully make it
to the A-10 tournament.
Friday, Sept. 4 - Saturday, Sept. 5
in the Rose Hill Classic
saying it. He is lying.” he said on his
podcast, referring to the leaked video.
Also according to the leak, the
NFL would have had access to this
video for their internal investigation.
“For all these people to pretend
they didn’t know is such [expletive]
[expletive],” Simmons continued.
He was suspended for three weeks
following these remarks, and was
released earlier this year.
While Cowherd is rightfully
condemned for his offensive remarks,
and the same could be
said of Olbermann picking fights
on Twitter, the logic at play there
doesn’t hold as much weight for
Simmons’ release. The only explanation
is ESPN has moved itself
into a “survival mode,” so it can no
longer afford to employ someone
like Simmons, as he would continue
to speak out, unmoderated, with or
without their approval. It is more
Simmons’ release in context with
the other firings that paint a larger
picture of what the future of ESPN
looks like.
More people are now only signing
up for Internet connectivity
as opposed to cable connections,
according to recent SEC filings
by Comcast. Cable television has
to find new ways to innovate and
create new content. According to
ESPN, the best answer is to follow
Netflix’s example – maintain strong
personal relationships with the
companies that create content and
try not to alienate them. According
to Bob Iger, who owns ESPN
as Disney’s CEO, the network is set
to become a streaming service like
Netflix as well. So, in the future,
ESPN may continue to cut down on
its commentary and criticisms in
order to become more of a content
provider, as to not alienate the franchises
through the speech of a few
individuals. For better or for worse,
that is what these firings really represent.

16 Photo Feature August 27, 2015 THE OBSERVER www.fordhamobserver.com
SUMMER TRAVELS
The Observer photographers documented their various summer travels. For more photos see fordhamobserver.com
The Bluff Cliffs of Palos Verdes, California at sunset.
JESSICA HANLEY /THE OBSERVER
God’s Little Brown church in Alburgh, Vermont.
JASON BOIT /THE OBSERVER
JESS LUSZCZYK /THE OBSERVER
A woman canoes down the Mekong Delta through the Can Tho floating market.
Radio City Music Hall during the Tony Awards.
JENNIFER MCNARY / THE OBSERVER