STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS - PAGE 10
SERVING THE FORDHAM
UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY
FOR OVER 90 YEARS
1918-2010
VOLUME 92, ISSUE 9
Campus Intruder Causes Brief Scare
NYPD Responds to Crime Perpetrated at Webster Avenue and Fordham Road; Criminal Flees to Fordham University, Causes Commotion Among Students
In spite of the hubbub that erupted near the McGinley Campus Center at around 7 p.m. on April 19, students were never
in any sort of danger from a lone campus intruder.
Compromise on Maroon Serrin Foster of Feminists for Life
Square Proposal Reached Speaks at Respect for Life Week
University Easing Demonstration, Protest Registration
Policies; Dedicated Activism Space to Remain Unbuilt
By VICTORIA RAU
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The University administration is
willing to work with United Student
Government and other concerned
students to change the demonstra-
tion policy based on issues raised in
the Maroon Square proposal, Chris-
topher Rodgers, dean of students,
announced at the USG meeting on
April 15.
Maroon Square, an initiative
championed by John Tully Gordon,
FCRH ’10, outgoing executive pres-
ident of USG, throughout his term,
is a free-speech zone modeled after
one in place at Georgetown Uni-
versity (where it is called the “Red
Square”). While the University did
not accept the proposal in its full
form, Rodgers laid out terms for a
compromise, which would loosen
some restrictions on students’ free
expression.
“We can commit at this time to
modifying the existing demonstra-
tion policy in order to allow indi-
viduals and unaffiliated groups to
work with the University to hold
demonstrations and protests using
the demonstration policy,” Rodgers
said.
Rodgers responded to five points
laid out in a list of modifications to
the Maroon Square proposal that
USG presented to him and Jenni-
fer Mussi, Ph. D., assistant dean of
student leadership and community
development. These five points, in-
cluding unaffiliated groups’ right
to protest, the required time for re-
serving a demonstration space, the
window of required time for meet-
ing with the dean of students and
the formation of a student panel to
serve as an intermediary between
demonstrating groups and the ad-
ministration, will serve as the foun-
dation for a compromise.
As the demonstration policy cur-
rently stands, there is what Rodgers
called an “arbitrary prohibition” of
unaffiliated groups staging protests
on Fordham’s campus, resulting
unintentionally from the language
of the policy. Rodgers promised to
work with USG in changing the lan-
guage for the coming year’s student
handbook so as to allow unaffiliated
groups to hold protests.
Additionally, Rodgers acknowl-
edged the inconsistency between
the University’s space-reservation
policy, which requires notification
three weeks in advance, and the
demonstration policy, which calls
for 48 hours of advance notice for
arranging a protest.
“It was a clear problem created by
having both a three-week and a 48-
hour deadline,” Rodgers said. “We’d
like to work with you to remedy that
as well.”
According to Rogers, as laid out
SEE MAROON SQUARE ON PAGE 3
EDITOR’S PICK: MGMT’S CONGRATULATIONS - PAGE 16
PHOTO BY ROB PERGAMENT/THE RAM
President of Feminists for Life of America for more than 15 Years, Foster Presents Widely
Renowned “Feminist Case Against Abortion” Lecture to Fordham University Community
By PATRICK DEROCHER
NEWS EDITOR
The Fordham University Respect
for Life Club, hosting its first major
event since being named Club of the
Year, invited Serrin Foster, president
of Feminists for Life of America, to
speak on April 15 as the centerpiece
of this year’s Respect for Life Week.
Foster, who has been the organiza-
tion’s president since 1994, gave
her signature speech, entitled “The
Feminist Case Against Abortion,”
which has been labeled one of the
greatest speeches of history.
A broad cross-section of the
Fordham community, including a
contingent from the student group
Women’s Empowerment, attended
the event, which took place in the
Keating Third Auditorium. These
students, who were all wearing
t-shirts with pro-choice slogans
and symbols, appeared to be in at-
tendance for reasons of protest. At
several points during the lecture,
and especially during the question-
INSIDE
Sports PAGE 28
John Skelton receives much atten-
tion going into NFL Draft.
APRIL 21, 2010
By PATRICK DEROCHER
NEWS EDITOR
Fordham University students
received an unexpected scare on
the afternoon of April 19, when
a large group of uniformed New
York Police Department officers
chased a fleeing intruder onto
campus.
“I was very confused about all
the cop cars,” Christin Gianola,
FCRH ’13, who witnessed the dis-
turbance, said. “I was always un-
der the impression that I was safe
on this campus. It is a little discon-
certing that something like that
could happen on a campus gener-
ally considered to be secure.”
Rumors spread around the stu-
dent body quickly, with some say-
ing that the intruder was armed
and others saying that he was not,
with general confusion reigning.
Students also had conflicting opin-
ions and heard various reports
about how the intruder got on
campus, with the most common
opinion being that he had come
on by jumping the fence behind
the McGinley Campus Center.
The idea that someone had en-
tered campus by scaling a fence
was confirmed by a conversation
overheard between two NYPD of-
and-answer session, Foster spoke to
these students in particular, saying
that she would be happy to speak
with them after the lecture. Howev-
er, as Foster spoke with some other
attendees following her presenta-
tion, the students to whom she had
spoken left the room.
Foster’s speech, which she col-
ored with anecdotes and often-hu-
morous tangential stories, focused
on fixing the problems that drive
women to abortion, rather than
simply allowing abortions to occur
as women wish.
“Women have done this because
of a lack of something in our soci-
ety,” she said, this being the central
message of the lecture.
The anti-abortion attitude, she
said, dated back to the beginnings
of feminism. Early feminists were
“without known exception,” she
said, opposed to abortion.
One woman, Jennie Spencer,
who was the first female student
at Cornell University, desired that
unwed mothers not be outcasts,
Opinions PAGE 9
A critical look at the 2010-2011 hous-
ing lottery process.
ficers driving onto campus.
According to an official from
the Fordham University security
department, the intruder entered
campus while fleeing from police
officers. The perpetrator, the of-
ficial said, had stolen a necklace
from a woman on Webster Avenue
and was pursued by police cars
in the area. He then crossed the
Metro-North railroad tracks be-
fore scaling the fence on that part
of campus.
After making it onto campus,
the intruder ran through the Ford-
ham Prep sports fields before
making it to Murphy Field, near
the McGinley Center.
It was here that he was appre-
hended by NYPD officers, who
had followed him onto campus,
coming on by way of Southern
Boulevard and the entrance in
front of O’Hare Hall. It was be-
cause of this that a large number
of police cars, ambulances and
other emergency vehicles were on
campus.
The intruder, it was confirmed,
was not armed, in spite of the cha-
otic situation that surrounded his
capture.
Additional reporting by Victoria
Rau, assistant news editor
one reason for abortion that Foster
emphasized throughout her lecture.
The first female doctor in the United
States, Elizabeth Blackwell, rejected
the standard role of a “female physi-
cian” as a provider of abortions. A
third example that Foster used was
Charlotte Lozier who turned away
on moral ground a man who was
seeking an abortion for his young
girlfriend.
Foster noted that even Victoria
Woodhall, a professed proponent
of the free-love movement, was op-
posed to the practice of abortion.
Susan B. Anthony’s famed anti-
abortion stances, views that were
often published in her progressive
periodical The Revolution, were also
mentioned.
The notion that abortion rights
and feminism are synonymous,
Foster said, arose only in the 1970s,
with the founding of groups such as
the National Association for the Re-
peal of Abortion Laws (NARAL),
which was founded by three men,
SEE FEMINISTS ON PAGE 3
Culture PAGE 15
Fashion for Philanthropy’s Once
Upon a Runway.
PAGE 2 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
SECURITY
BRIEFS
April 13, off-campus,
8 a.m.
A student called security to
report that a man was standing
in his bedroom when he woke
up. The man said that he worked
for Fordham University and was
there to fix things up and take out
garbage. The student asked for
identification, and the man left
after failing to produce any. The
intruder was described as 6’1’’, 210
pounds, wearing a Yankees cap and
sweatshirt. Nothing was reported
missing.
April 13, 2424 Hoffman
Avenue, 10:30 a.m.
A student reported that a man,
described as around 6’0’’ tall
with light hair, pushed open the
bedroom door and stated that he
was there to inspect the stove. The
student called the landlord, who
said that she had not authorized
anyone to come to the apartment.
No property was removed.
April 13-14, O’Hare Hall,
9 p.m.-10 a.m.
A student reported that her
Calvin Klein down comforter,
valued at $300, was missing. The
comforter was later found and
returned to the owner.
April 16, Martyrs’ Court,
2:45 a.m.
A security guard reported that
a male and female tried to climb
through a window in the basement
of Jogues Hall. A student had
signed them out as guests, but they
were attempting to sneak back in.
April 17, Rose Hill
Gymnasium, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
A student reported that he rode
his bike to campus and put it in
the baseball locker room in the
basement of Rose Hill Gym, but
he did not secure it. Returning a
few hours later, he found the bike
gone.
April 17, Rose Hill
Gymnasium,
2 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
A student reported that a wallet
containing $40 in cash, a bank card,
a Fordham ID, driver’s license and
a $10 MetroCard was stolen. The
wallet was in a sweatshirt, which
was also missing, inside a bag the
student had left in the gym.
April 20, Martyrs’ Court,
7:20 p.m.
The 52nd precinct arrested an
individual who had fled onto cam-
pus from Webster Avenue. The in-
dividual, who had stolen a necklace
on Webster Avenue and fled over
the railroad tracks onto Fordham
property, was pursued by the police
onto campus.
Father McShane Discusses Fordham’s Admissions,
Rankings in Annual State of the University Address
By VICTORIA RAU
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Fordham is on track to continue
on its course toward preeminence
among Jesuit schools, Rev. Joseph
M. McShane, S.J., president of the
University, assured students at the
State of the University Address held
in Tognino Hall on March 24.
“Despite what’s going on in the
world, the state of the University is
strong,” McShane said. “Moreover,
the future is very bright.”
McShane, the University’s 32nd
president, acknowledged the many
difficulties presented by the recent
economic downturn, one of the
worst this country has seen, especial-
ly to privately funded institutions.
Despite such financial barriers, Mc-
Shane trumpeted Fordham’s com-
mitment to investing in the quality
of each entering class as one reason
for continued success.
McShane focused on admissions,
development and athletics as the
main criteria for evaluating the state
of the University.
Fordham’s shift from being pri-
marily a commuter school to an in-
stitution rich in geographic diversity,
according to McShane, serves as a
major area of pride for him in terms
of the University’s progress. Ad-
ditionally, he addressed Fordham’s
surge in applications to over 27,000
this year.
“We are one of only 12 universi-
ties in the United States that received
more than 25,000 applications for
admission,” McShane said.
Each year, the SAT scores, num-
ber of National Merit Scholars and
geographic diversity of the incoming
Fordham Law School Sees Ranking Shifts
By PATRICK DEROCHER
NEWS EDITOR
The Fordham University School of
Law, founded in 1905 and located at
the University’s Lincoln Center cam-
pus, saw shifts in the 2010 edition of
the U.S. News and World Report Best
Law Schools ranking, in both posi-
tive and negative directions.
Having been ranked 30th out of
some 188 accredited law schools in
the United States in 2009, Fordham
dropped four places to 34th, while
maintaining a score of 62 points out
of 100. The School of Law is tied
with Moritz College of Law at The
Ohio State University, the Univer-
sity of Washington School of Law
and Washington and Lee University
School of Law in Lexington, Va. This
is the continuation of a slide that be-
gan last year with a drop from 27th
to 30th.
This drop was not a result of any
diminishment of the school’s stu-
dent body, but rather a shift in the
way that U.S. News determines its
rankings.
“U.S. News altered its method for
calculating the law school rankings
last year by combining admissions
data for day and evening programs,”
the School of Law said in a press re-
lease, having noted “student-quality
data [GPA, LSAT scores, acceptance
rate] that U.S. News analyzes was even
stronger this year than last year.”
In the case of Fordham, the part-
time evening program is compara-
NEWS
class has increased, McShane said.
Increased quality of incoming
classes leads to increased success in
the area of prestigious fellowships
and scholarships.
“Last year, Fordham had 14
Fulbright scholarships that were
awarded to graduating students,”
McShane said. “That put us in the
top 20 Fulbright-producing schools
of the over 4,000 universities in the
United States.”
Regarding rankings, U.S. News
& World Report ranks Fordham
College at Rose Hill 61st among
research universities, 40th among
private schools, and high school
guidance counselors rank Fordham
34th. Many other Jesuit schools ex-
perienced a drop in rankings.
“For us to hold steady at 61 was
somewhat of a relief for us,” Mc-
Shane said. “At the same time, we
are not satisfied; we are constantly
looking at ways in which we can im-
prove our rankings.”
Inevitably, the seven-point drop
to No. 48 in the BusinessWeek rank-
ings for the College of Business Ad-
ministration was a hot topic.
“The facilities have not been equal
to the quality of the student body,
the faculty and the programs,” Mc-
Shane said.
This shortcoming led McShane to
his next topic of development. The
Hughes Hall renovation, set to take
place over the course of two years
and at a cost of $30 million, will pro-
vide CBA with a much-needed space
that will, by extension, increase the
facilities score for the rankings.
This renovation will take place as
part of a larger capital campaign, of
which Fordham is currently in the
Although its ranking has dropped in recent years, the Fordham University School of Law has actually seen an increase
in its selectivity and student quality over the past several admissions cycles.
tively large, which helped the law
school, earning it the highest rank for
a part-time law program outside of
Washington, D.C.; U.S. News ranked
the program third, after the George-
town University Law Center and the
George Washington University Law
School.
The next-highest university in
the State of New York was Yeshiva
University’s Cardozo School of Law,
coming in at No. 4.
Fordham generally saw a rise in
its rankings in specialty programs.
In 2009, the dispute resolution pro-
gram ranked 10th, the clinical train-
ing program 12th and the intellec-
tual property program 18th. For this
year’s ranking, while clinical training
dropped one place to 13th, intellec-
Father Joseph M. McShane, S.J. gave his annual State of the University Address
on March 24 to a captive audience in Duane Library’s Tognino Hall.
middle. Once the new dorms are
completed, the Hughes Hall reno-
vation will go forward. The next
step will be projects at the Lincoln
Center campus, currently one of the
most crowded campuses in the city,
followed by improvements to or re-
placement of the McGinley Center.
“Fordham began the most ambi-
tious capital campaign at the begin-
ning of the worst recession,” Mc-
Shane said. “In spite of that, we’ve
had really surprising success. We’re
$316 million toward the goal, so
about 60 percent.”
In the wake of a historically poor
season for Fordham men’s basketball,
McShane prepared the audience for
the next day’s announcement of the
team’s new head coach, though he
was careful not to confirm or deny
rumors of who that coach might
be. On March 25, the University
announced Tom Pecora as the new
head coach, in a move McShane said
tual property was 15th in the country
and dispute resolution broke the top
10, to be ranked No. 8, ahead of such
schools as the University of Chicago
and Yale University.
The rankings, which are released
annually, came out on April 15 and
judge schools on several different di-
mensions. Forty percent of a school’s
score comes from so-called “quality
assessment.”
Of that portion, 25 percent is de-
rived from a survey of law school
deans, academic affairs deans, fac-
ulty appointment chairs and tenured
faculty members about their school
and all others. Fifteen percent comes
from a survey of practicing lawyers
and judges.
Another quarter of the ranking
COURTESY OF FORDHAM.EDU
he hopes will provide some new mo-
mentum to the basketball program.
“It’s been a disappointing couple
of years,” McShane said.
The report is not all bad on the
athletics front, though.
“The biggest news this year are
women athletes,” McShane said.
“They’re consistent and consistently
excellent.”
In the time allotted for questions,
John Tully Gordon, FCRH ’10, ex-
ecutive president of USG, asked
about plans to expand Fordham’s
campuses, here at Rose Hill, at Lin-
coln Center and in Westchester.
McShane replied that the Univer-
sity will continue to develop what is
its own, complete expansions near
Westchester and go forward with
improvements on the Rose Hill
campus, such as McGinley Center.
“The future of New York City
depends on its educational institu-
tions,” McShane said.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
comes from selectivity measures,
which consist of LSAT scores (12.5
percent), undergraduate GPA (10
percent) and acceptance rate (2.5
percent).
Twenty percent of the overall
score comes from “placement suc-
cess,” which is two percent bar exam
pass rate, four percent post-graduate
employment rate and 14 percent
based on graduates’ employment
rate nine months after graduation.
The remaining 15 percent of the
ranking is based on expenditures per
student, student-to-faculty ratio and
library resources.
Any school that does not fall with-
in the top 100 is listed alphabetically
as either a tier-three or tier-four law
school.
 NEWS APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

MAROON SQUARE FROM PAGE 1
The Community Posting Board sponsored by USG and the SLC House Committee in McGinley Center, on which stu-
dents can post anything they wish, is part of USG’s initiative for greater freedom of expression on Fordham’s campus.
MAROON SQUARE, FROM PAGE 1
in the modifications to the Maroon
Square proposal, the five-day win-
dow of advance notice for reserv-
ing space and holding a protest will
likely stand as the compromise.
Rodgers said Student Affairs
would be willing to accept a change
in the policy from a requirement
that stated students must request
a meeting with administrators 48
hours in advance to a requirement
that groups wishing to hold a protest
meet with the dean of students 24
hours in advance of their protest.
Rodgers also agreed to work to
put together some type of advisory
group or council composed of stu-
dents and faculty that would work
as an intermediary with the dean
of students and groups wishing to
demonstrate in evaluating the re-
quest for demonstration. Rodgers
committed to the founding of this
body by fall of 2010, but added that,
“What that body looks like, I think
we’ll have to work out the details.”
Noting that the dean of students
has never actually denied a request to
protest, Rodgers said that the newly
created panel “might be bored.”
However, Rodgers recognized that
creating such a panel would give the
dean of students an extra body with
PHOTO BY VICTORIA RAU/THE RAM
whom to consult, which can only be
an improvement.
Rodgers conceded that the Ma-
roon Square proposal will not be
put into place exactly as laid out, but
nevertheless praised USG’s work in
negotiations throughout the pro-
cess.
“I have to say that the process of
working with USG and the Com-
mission on Free Speech and Ex-
pression has been nothing short of
remarkable,” Rodgers said.
Gordon praised the Progressive
Students for Justice for their help in
working toward greater freedom of
expression and urged the incoming
USG administration to continue
working to implement the changes
as laid out in the compromise.
“We’ve always believed that ne-
gotiations are a matter of give and
take,” Gordon said. “I’m very happy
we’ve reached a tentative agree-
ment.”
During the open question-and-
answer segment of the meeting, one
student asked if it might be awkward
for students to meet with admin-
istrators while planning a protest
against the administration.
“I don’t worry about awkward,”
Rodgers said in response. “We do
awkward at Fordham . . . we sort of
embrace the awkward.”
Another student expressed con-
cern that the need to reserve space
and meet with the administration in
advance of a protest takes away from
the spontaneity and, consequently,
the energy that inspired the protest.
“For the University’s administra-
tion, believe it or not, five days is
very spontaneous,” Rodgers said.
He went on to assert that these re-
quirements have everything to do
with the logistics of a demonstra-
tion situation and nothing to do
with the content of the demonstra-
tion. “We need to do that piece so
students can do their piece.”
Club of the Month
In other business, USG presented
the Club of the Month award for
February to Women’s Empower-
ment, a subcommittee of the Pro-
gressive Students for Justice, on
April 15. In deliberations regard-
ing Club of the Month, USG noted
Women’s Empowerment’s work on
bringing controversial, significant
events to the Fordham commu-
nity, such as The Vagina Monologues
and feminist speaker Jessica Val-
enti as impressive accomplishments
throughout the month.
“We’re a newly made commit-
tee,” a representative from Women’s
Empowerment said in accepting the
award. “We work really hard, and I
really appreciate your recognizing
that.”
NYCSGA Sign Charter
Gordon reported that he had at-
tended the final New York City Stu-
dent Government Alliance meeting
of his career, with Executive Presi-
dent elect Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, in
tow, where all the members of NYC
SGA signed their newly formed of-
ficial charter.
Gordon said that he hopes the
new administration will continue
the momentum on a project he and
Michael Recca, CBA ’10, outgoing
executive vice president, started sev-
eral years ago in creating NYC SGA.
The alliance will focus on more lob-
bying for higher education and re-
sponding to potential Metropolitan
Transit Authority fare hikes.
New Club Approvals
Rodgers and Ian Gaylets, CBA
’10, vice president of operations,
also announced that the Operations
Committee has reached a total of
14 club approvals this year, includ-
ing the 12th Man Club and Model
United Nations.
Final Meeting Remarks
The meeting concluded with
much expression of mutual ad-
miration among departing USG
members and teariness on Gordon’s
part. The executive president and
vice-president elects put together
a video in honor of Gordon and
Recca, which they showed to much
sentimental accolades.

THIS
week at
FORDHAM
Wed., April 21
STAR: Stress Management,
Time Management and
Relaxation,
Counseling Center,
3 p.m.
Wed., April 21
Invisible Children:
Documentary Screening and
Discussion,
Keating 1st Auditorium,
7 p.m.
Thurs., April 22
Senior Night,
Fordham Pride Theme
Ramskellar,
10 p.m.
PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM
Thurs., April 22
Serrin Foster, long-time president of Feminists for Life of America, spoke to students as the centerpiece of Fordham’s recent Respect for Life Week.
Sexual Perversity in Chicago
Mimes & Mummers FEMINISTS, FROM PAGE 1 changed as regards abortion in the fifty percent of all abortions in the Foster fielded questions about con-
Collins Auditorium, New Yorker Lawrence Lader, Cali- United States. She urged the open- United States. traceptives, saying that her organi-
8 p.m. fornian Garrett Hardin and Chica- ing of resources to women that of- Foster then lavished praise on zation had no specific stance on the
Fri., April 23 goan Lonny Myers. fer alternatives other than abortion. universities, such as Georgetown matter, as its members’ opinions ran
B-Sides Concert Even then, Foster noted, the fem- Two areas in particular that she University, Wellesley College, the the gamut of possibilities.
The Birds and the B-Sides inist movement was largely focused addressed were poverty and educa- University of California at Berkeley, Additionally, in speaking with
McGinley Ballroom, with workplace equality. She quoted tion. the University of Virginia and Bel- The Ram later, she said that Femi-
8 p.m. Betty Friedan, author of the seminal “Education is the answer to pov- mont Abbey College, that provide nists for Life was “disappointed”
Sat., April 24 Feminine Mystique, as saying, “I’m erty,” she said. financial support and childcare to about the amendment proposed by
Latin Gala, Hosted by El Grito not for abortion.” She then went on In a particularly egregious ex- students who are pregnant and/or Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) not being
de Lares to accuse the pro-abortion rights ample of the conflict between the have young children. included in the Obama health care
McGinley Ballroom, movement of “making up” the num- pro-abortion and feminist move- According to surveys, she said, plan.
7 p.m. -1 a.m. ber of women who died from illegal ments, Foster cited the testimony of between 1997 and 2007, the only Continuing her praise of universi-
Sat., April 24 abortions on an annual basis. Sarah Weddington in Roe v. Wade. demographic group to see a major ties assisting students with children in
Satin Dolls Spring Concert “It is a reflection of the fact that Representing Jane Roe (real name decrease in abortions was women caring for their kids, she discussed the
Keating 1st Auditorium, we do not do enough for women in Norma McCorvey), Weddington in college. Feminists for Life, Fos- efforts of Belmont Abbey College in
8 p.m. this country,” she said of the status argued that, if a woman has a child, ter said, put out a booklet entitled Belmont, N.C., where the university’s
Sun., April 25 quo regarding abortion. she becomes unable to complete “Raising Kids on a Shoestring” that abbot donated land for the construc-
Relay for Life Foster spent much of her lec- her education. This attitude, Foster even managed to garner praise from tion of a childcare and support facility
O’Keefe Commons ture discussing how the status quo, says, has led to a condition wherein NARAL officials. to be used by students from “more
9 a.m.-8 p.m. more than anything else, should be college-aged women have nearly In questioning after the lecture, than a dozen” schools in the area.
PAGE 4 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
New United Student Government Officers Inaugurated
John Tully Gordon and Mike Recca Hand off Presidency and Vice Presidency to Sara Kugel and Caitlin Meyer; New Executive Board, Senate Take Command
By MICHAL DITANNA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In the wake of a divisive election
ridden with appeals and ballot con-
fusion, the inauguration ceremony
affirmed a unified United Student
Government. Members of the ad-
ministration, along with friends and
family of the incoming USG, made
up a crowd of around 75 spectators.
John Tully Gordon, FCRH ’10,
outgoing executive president, ad-
dressed the incoming student lead-
ers with a message of hope and
unity, and commended Sara Kugel,
FCRH ’11, his incoming succes-
sor, and Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12,
incoming executive vice president,
as “two women whose election sig-
nifies the bright future of Fordham
University.”
As the ceremony continued,
Michael Recca, CBA ’10, outgoing
executive vice president, passed the
well-worn and beaten USG gavel
that he used throughout his term to
the incoming executives.
Always humorous, Dean of Stu-
dents Christopher Rodgers admin-
istered the oath of office.
“I don’t see any Kleenex up
here… and I may need it,” he said.
Before swearing in the new of-
ficials, Rodgers reminisced about
both Gordon and Recca.
“I think that guy [Recca] will get
into a fist-fight with [outgoing vice
president of finance] Kathryn Car-
ey [FCRH ’10] one day,” Rodgers
said.
Both Carey and Recca were no-
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NEWS
torious for their strong opinions,
which sometimes clashed at USG
meetings.
Despite an incredibly visible
campaign season, only nine of the
22 leaders sworn in ran contested
races. The contested seats did make
for heated campaigns, resulting in
several candidates making appeals
and two incumbents losing their
seats. Kugel exalted the inaugurated
leaders as a “great group of senators
and an amazing executive board.”
Meyer took the podium and de-
livered a speech focusing on USG’s
image, transformation and transpar-
ency. She attributed USG’s previous
success partly to Gordon-Recca’s
unwavering dedication.
“[Gordon and Recca] have
poured every single ounce of pas-
sion that they have into USG,” she
said.
Meyer went on to name Kugel
as one of her greatest role models
and assured the administrators in
attendance that “we come in peace,”
drawing many laughs. PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM
Kugel outlined her administra- Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, and Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12, were inaugurated as the first all-female presidential and vice-presi-
tion’s agenda in her concluding re- dential ticket to be elected to their positions in Fordham University’s United Student Government.
marks. porter of legally domiciled adult Hall. achieve remarkable results through
“We will forever value the opin- benefits for staff. Kugel also ad- Both Meyer and Kugel stressed longer USG office hours and in-
ions of our fellow students and fac- dressed a push for Americans with the importance of fulfilling their viting clubs to participate in USG
ulty,” she said. “These opinions are Disabilities Act compliance to all duty to Fordham students while in meetings.
what drive us.” campus buildings, most notably office. “Noble politics, not politics
Kugel further identified increased Collins Auditorium. Both Kugel “The worst thing is not that we alone, is the whole reason for serv-
communication between USG and and Meyer have advocated for com- lose, but that we win and let the stu- ing,” Monsignor Joesph Quinn, S.J.,
clubs in addition to USG transpar- pliance, but maintained opposition dents down,” Kugel said of her and vice president for University Mis-
ency as two critical elements of her to boycotting Collins during USG Meyer’s thought process during the sion and Ministry, said.
agenda. Kugel, a staunch supporter meetings and the presidential de- campaign. The first general meeting of the
of public committee meetings, is a bate. USG recently passed a bill in Kugel and Meyer both prom- new United Student Government
hard advocate for clubs and a sup- support of renovation to Collins ised to exceed expectations and to takes place this Thursday, April 22.
FOLLOW THE RAM ON
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APRIL 21, 2010
Point-Counterpoint: Hiring Coach Tom Pecora
Tom Pecora’s hiring is part of Fordham’s plan to improve the basketball team; the move has drawn praise because of the neccessity of change in the program, and criticism because of the high price tag.
Hiring Tom Pecora Is the Perfect Solution to Fordham’s Basketball Woes
By SEAN MCGONIGLE
COPY EDITOR
Fordham men’s basketball opened this season
in a state of flux but began its offseason with a
signature win that could transform the program
for the next several years. On March 24, Fordham
announced that Tom Pecora would be taking over
the head coaching duties for the men’s basketball
team. While a team that went 2-26 is bound to im-
prove, Pecora is a man capable of bringing a cultur-
al change to the men’s basketball program, some-
thing that is desperately needed for Fordham to be
consistently competitive in the Atlantic 10. While
there were other coaches that Fordham could have
gone after, grabbing Pecora is a steal for Fordham
and is worth the contract we are paying him.
As an institution that places a heavy emphasis
on its rigorous academic program, many alumni,
students and fans were concerned that the wrong
kind of coach would turn the school into a basket-
ball factory, with student-athletes who struggle in
class and are mired in off-the-court issues. Pecora
is not that kind of coach; his teams have had an ex-
tremely high graduation rate and have stayed large-
ly out of trouble. When Rev. Joseph M. McShane,
president of the University, and representatives of
the athletic department sat down with Pecora, the
first topic of conversation was how basketball play-
ers performed in the classroom. Only after Mc-
Shane was satisfied with Pecora’s graduation rates
did the conversation continue. Pecora also dedi-
cated a substantial portion of his opening press
conference to the importance and ease of selling
Fordham as an academic institution to parents and
students. He clearly recognizes and appreciates the
core values of a Jesuit university and is not willing
to sacrifice them for players or wins.
Pecora also brings a knack for marketing to
Fordham, as he has a history of uniting the com-
munity and the basketball program. Go to you-
tube.com and type in “Tom Pecora.” After getting
over Pecora’s highly questionable acting skills, one
realizes that he is a personable guy who wants to
get his program out there. Put him in a “Ram Fan”
T-shirt, give him a maroon hat and a microphone
and he positively represents the Fordham brand
out in the community. He has already made ap-
pearances on SNY, ESPNRadio and WFAN.
He is also extremely active in various philan-
thropic efforts, such as Operation Hardwood,
the Providence House, Father Hartman’s Christa
House, the Association for the Help of Retarded
Children, the Dante Foundation and CYO Chari-
ties. For all of his hard work, Pecora was also named
the 2005 Hope Through Hoops Foundation Man
of the Year. Also during the opening press confer-
ence, he volunteered to actively involve himself in
the Fordham community. Pecora recognizes that
he is not just a basketball coach but a very public
representation of the University as well. Unlike
Staff Poll: When the staff of The Ram was
polled, seven were in favor of hiring Tom
Pecora as a coach, while two were opposed
and eight were indifferent.
many collegiate coaches, he realizes that his actions
reflect the University as a whole and influence how
people view Fordham. Not only did Fordham hire
a basketball coach, but they also hired a terrific am-
bassador of its ideals and values.
The third reason why Pecora was the right hire
is because of his coaching season at Hofstra. When
Pecora came to Hofstra as an assistant on Jay
Wright’s staff, Hofstra was ranked 297 out of 303
division one men’s basketball teams. For a little
perspective, Fordham was ranked 343 out of 347
at the end of this year. Pecora left the Pride with a
final ranking of 130. If that’s not a significant im-
provement, I don’t know what is.
Pecora is known as a tireless recruiter who
brings in top-notch talent, especially from the
New York City area. The most recent example is
Charles Jenkins, from Queens, who was last year’s
Haggerty Award Winner, as the best college player
in the metro area, and the Colonial Athletic Asso-
ciation Player of the Year. Loren Stokes is another
player Pecora brought in who was a CAA Player of
the Year. Van Macon and the rest of Pecora’s staff
from Hofstra have joined him at Fordham, and
this transition should help to bring that pipeline to
Fordham. Macon is known as a fantastic recruiter
who could have taken a position at a Big East
school. Having him at Rose Hill will make Pecora’s
job easier. The coaching staff has already had their
nose to the grindstone, attending tournaments in
New York and signing SG Branden Frazier.
Pecora has also guided Hofstra to four 20-win
seasons in the past six years, once nearly stealing
an at-large big to the NCAA tournament. Sev-
eral people have been critical of Pecora’s lack of an
NCAA tournament record, but he has had some
success in the postseason tournaments at Hofstra,
including a run in postseason NIT, knocking out
Saint Joe’s in 2006. Hofstra made the postseason
NIT three consecutive years and won the 2007
Aeropostale Holiday Festival, all under Pecora’s
tenure.
Right now though, the focus on Pecora should
be his experience in turning a struggling program
around not on his NCAA tournament record. He
has been the top assistant under Jay Wright, a very
successful Division 1 coach, and has sustained
that program’s success, even after Hofstra’s move
from the American East conference to the tougher
CAA. He has longed to coach in the A-10, and
knows what it means to put in the work needed
to turn a basketball program around. He is a New
York guy with phenomenal city basketball connec-
tions, who will not sacrifice graduation rates for
wins, but expects both. Pecora has brought over
his winning coaching staff from Hofstra and plans
to improve upon the level of success he reached at
Hofstra, justifying the increased basketball budget.
He will bring Fordham to respectability and com-
petiveness. It may not happen next year, but it will
happen sooner rather than later. Welcome to Ford-
ham, Coach Pecora.
Sean McGonigle, FCRH ’11, is an American
studies major from New Hyde Park, N.Y. He can be
reached at mcgonigle@fordham.edu.
A Pricey Hire Wastes Money and Does Not Help the Basketball Program
By ROBERT PERGAMENT
STAFF WRITER
A few weeks ago, on these very pages, I
praised Fordham for its decision to vastly in-
crease its men’s basketball budget by about
$700,000 per year. Fordham needed the money
to become more competitive in its conference,
which would hopefully lead to success on the
court and more exposure off the court for the
University.
Of course, the Board of Trustees and I made
one colossal miscalculation in supporting this
huge funding increase. We trusted Athletic Di-
rector Frank McLaughlin not to do something
dumb with it.
You see, after 23 years of miserable basket-
ball, we all thought McLaughlin was finally go-
ing to turn the corner. He would be competing
on an even playing field with the new funding,
and he had a chance to hire a former head coach
who had proven himself with huge success at a
small school or been tutored as an assistant at
an equally successful big school. Or maybe he
could even hire someone who had shown only
a moderate amount of success at a big school
but had failed to meet high expectations.
Consider two profiles: Coach A has been at
the helm of a small New York school for four
years, leading that team to a respectable 67-50
record and one NCAA tournament bid. His
team was 11-16 his first year when he had little
control over recruiting. Coach B has been at the
helm of a small New York school for 10 years,
compiling a 181-30 record and one NCAA ap-
pearance. That appearance, along with 26 wins
and just four losses, came in his first year, when
he had little to do with recruiting the team’s
players, meaning Coach B is 155-126 over the
last nine years with zero NCAA tournament ap-
pearances.
Coach A is recently fired Fordham coach
Derrick Whittenburg of the unforgivable
$450,000 salary. Coach B is recently hired Ford-
ham coach Tom Pecora, of a certifiably insane
$650,000 salary.
Yes, Pecora has certainly proven himself to
be more capable than Whittenburg over the
last decade, but was he really twice as good?
Was it really worth it to burn every last bit of
the budget increase on a coach who’s best year
came when current superstar Villanova coach
Jay Wright recruited all the players? Can we jus-
tify another huge tuition increase for the coach
of a team that just finished seventh in a confer-
ence considered inferior to the Atlantic 10? Can
Frank McLaughlin please give me just a little bit
of whatever he’s been smoking?
Mr. McLaughlin, I know this may seem dif-
ficult to understand, but I’m going to attempt to
explain something about budget increases relat-
ing to success. Yes, spending more money on
basketball gives Fordham a chance to compete
on a level playing field in the A-10, but money
is not a super special magic spell that automati-
PAGE 7
PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/ THE RAM
cally leads to success. You have to spend it, like,
not stupidly.
Take New York’s two baseball teams, the Yan-
kees and Mets, for example. In 2009, the Yan-
kees spent $192 million on player salaries, tops
in the league. This helped them win the World
Series and 114 games along the way. That’s
about $1.7 million per win without even taking
into account the immeasurable awesomeness
of winning the championship. The Mets, on the
other hand, spent $139 million on player sala-
ries for 2009, second only to the Yankees. They
won 70 games and missed the playoffs, finish-
ing 17 games behind the Florida Marlins, who
spent a league-low $37 million on salaries (and
missed the playoffs). The Mets spent $2 million
per win, while the Marlins spent $0.4 million.
Why the huge disparity? Because the Mets ad-
ministration made idiotic decisions.
As a fan of the Rams and the Mets, it’s diffi-
cult to watch sports, but I had so much hope for
the future of Fordham with the budget increase.
Now we could actually recruit players who
lived outside Jared Grasso’s automobile range.
We could fly to different parts of the country to
scout, and fly those players to Fordham to show
them everything we had to offer. We could af-
ford to pay quality assistant coaches and other
staff.
I must admit that I would have liked to see
Fordham hire Grasso as its permanent head
coach. He recruited two of the area’s best play-
ers, Chris Gaston and Jio Fontan, in two years,
despite Fordham’s indifference toward basket-
ball and lack of funding. He was young and en-
thusiastic, and he would have been dirt cheap.
Another good hire would have been Robert
Morris coach Mike Rice, a former star player
for the Rams who has compiled a 50-18 record
over three seasons at Robert Morris, including
two NCAA tournament bids with two confer-
ence championships. Rice and Grasso would
have cost only about $250,000 to $350,000
a year, judging by the fact that Grasso had to
accept an assistant coaching position at Iona
and Rice isn’t even one of Robert Morris’ top
five salaried employees, meaning he currently
makes much less.
Fordham didn’t even allow its “national
coaching search” to stretch beyond Long Is-
land. It did not consider hiring recently fired St.
John’s head coach Norm Roberts who also has
local connections and who rescued that pro-
gram from scandal. It did not interview a single
top assistant from a national program. It rushed
to sign someone who has had little success on
his own.
In the end, though, we should really only be
upset with ourselves for believing Fordham’s
athletics program would do better. If Pecora re-
ally was the best we could do, then we should
have taken the $650,000 of tuition money and
hired a quality athletic director instead.
Robert Pergament, FCRH ’10, is an English
and economics major from Garden City, N.Y.
PAGE 8 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
The Ram
Serving campus and
community since 1918.
The Ram is the University journal of
record. The mission of The Ram is to
provide a forum for the free and open
exchange of ideas in service to the com-
munity and to act as a student advocate.
The Ram is published and distributed
free of charge every Wednesday dur-
ing the academic year to the Rose Hill,
Lincoln Center and Westchester cam-
puses with a readership of 12,000. The
Ram office is located in the basement
of the McGinley Center, room B-52.
www.theramonline.com
Editorial: (718) 817-0873
Production: (718) 817-4381
Newsroom: (718) 817-4394
Advertising: (718) 817-4379
Fax: (718) 817-4319
theram@fordham.edu
Fordham University - Station 37
Box B Bronx, NY 10458
Editor-in-Chief
Mark Becker
Managing Editor
Abigail Forget
Design Editor
Stephen Moccia
Business Editor
Caroline Dahlgren
News Editor
Patrick Derocher
Assistant News Editor
Victoria Rau
Opinions Editor
Christine Barcellona
Assistant Opinions Editor
Brian Kraker
Culture Editor
Celeste Kmiotek
Assistant Culture Editor
Jen Cacchioli
Sports Editors
Danny Atkinson
Nick Carroll
Assistant Sports Editor
Jon Smith
Copy Chief
Claire Borders
Copy Team
Mary Alcaro
Melissa Dulebohn
Tom Haskin
Sean McGonigle
Jillian Minahan
Hussein Safa
Ryan Vale
Photo Editor
Simon Sulit
Operations and Outreach
Mike Burkart
Web Editor
Kelly Caggiano
Web Staff
Tracy Fan Ou
Cara Stellato
Faculty Advisor
Beth Knobel
Opinions Policy
The Ram appreciates submissions
that are typed and saved on a disk in
a *.rtf, *.txt or *.doc formats, or sent
to the staff via e-mail at RamLetters@
fordham.edu. Commentaries are print-
ed on a space available basis. The Ram
reserves the right to reject any submis-
sion for any reason, without notice.
Submissions become the exclusive
property of The Ram and will not be
returned. The Ram reserves the right
to edit any submissions. The opinions
in The Ram’s editorials are those of the
editorial board; those expressed in ar-
ticles, letters, commentaries, cartoons
or graphics are those of the individual
author. No part of The Ram may be
reproduced without written consent.
From the Desk of Tom Haskin, Copy Editor
Two weekends ago, on a pictur-
esque Sunday afternoon, one of my
buddies stumbled outside at 2 p.m.
and remarked, “What is this, Penn
State or something?”
He was referring to the packs of
families on Accepted Students Day,
crisscrossing campus, taking note of
every crack in the sidewalk and ciga-
rette butt along the way. Indeed,
Fordham was flooded with people
on that sunny day, in a way that
made a quiet afternoon feel more
like University Park, Pa., than Rose
Hill.
A friend of mine from high school
was among those flocks. She called
me in the middle of the day, com-
plaining that she was bored with
some student panel she had been
sitting in on, and she wanted to
meet up. I obliged, in part because
I wanted to try my hand at giving a
tour and pitching my school to her.
Fordham has been lucky this
spring in terms of weather. Every
day, tour groups wander around my
dorm, parents sniff food in the caf
and create long lines at the book-
store. People go outside, see blos-
soming trees and literally hundreds
of college kids sprawled out on Ed-
die’s. It looks like some sort of pho-
to shoot for a brochure, but luckily
for the University, we don’t need to
stage this stuff.
Though my friend was under-
standably disinterested with the stu-
My Fellow Students,
For the past 12 months, I have
been honored, fortunate and
boundlessly grateful to have served
you as president of United Student
Government. It has been the su-
preme blessing of my college life
here at Fordham University and an
experience that has come with in-
stitutional successes and challenges.
Mike and I inherited United Stu-
dent Government from fine leaders,
but we inherited an organization,
which after many years had grown
stagnant, an organization in need
of reform for a number of reasons,
but primarily because its role had
yet to be clearly established and its
efficacy was in question. We all, as
students, desperately needed to be
reminded that our student govern-
ment is capable of great things when
it listens to our voices, understands
our concerns and embraces our
ideas, because ultimately, we are the
lifeblood of our University.
I want to say now, that I am unbe-
lievably proud of each person who
served this year on USG, both in the
senate and on the executive board.
You have earned the trust of your
peers, the respect of the administra-
tion, and because of your devotion
and commitment, our government
is stronger, more effective, and bet-
ter respected both on campus and
beyond our gates. We are deeply
grateful to the clubs and organiza-
tions from RHA, CSA and CAB to
PSJ and many other student groups
who have shared in this year’s jour-
ney. The Ram and the paper have
done what all publications with
journalistic integrity strive to do,
covered stories and reported up-
dates not only when it was conve-
nient for, or supportive of, USG
but also when it was necessary to be
critical. Your hard work has helped
this government reach new levels
OPINIONS
dent panel droning on about how
accessible our professors are (as I
imagine every school likes to brag
about), she was truly impressed
with our campus that day.
As Fordham tries to boost its
reputation among Catholic univer-
sities and, likely, its standing in the
always-supreme U.S. News & World
Report rankings, days like that Sun-
day certainly can’t hurt in marketing
the school.
So as we walked around, I found
myself trying to come up with other
explanations for why I enjoy this
school, beyond the fact that it’s
a “city” school with room to toss
around a football on the lawn in
front of my dormitory.
I come from Newton, Mass., es-
sentially the first suburb west of
Boston. The median household in-
come is over $100,000, and we were
the “Safest City in America” for a
few years until a guy got shot in a
parking garage, completely ruining
our ranking.
Boston College is four miles from
my house, and for my junior and
senior years of high school, I had
season tickets to the B.C. Eagles’
football games. Suffice to say, I am
pretty familiar with Chestnut Hill,
Mass., and the surrounding area.
Jesuit schools like Boston Col-
lege and Georgetown are undoubt-
edly more selective and prestigious
than Fordham these days, though it
Letter to the Editor
of transparency with all areas of our
community.
We have done so much together
as a student body since this USG
session began in April of 2009.
This year, USG experienced its first
structural change in nearly a decade,
with the creation of two new offices:
vice president of health & security
and vice president of athletic affairs.
Bryan Matis and John Korevec set
high standards as the first to hold
these roles, and these positions have
already proven their effectiveness
through working with our Univer-
sity administrators. This has been a
government which moved forward
on issues of substance and has con-
tributed to meaningful improve-
ments on campus from addressing
issues of student health, to financial
transparency, concerns of rightful
free speech and expression, facilities
improvements and beyond. This
year’s administration has worked
hard to craft a government newly
cognizant of its greater role in New
York City, prepared to advance the
mission of this University and above
all else, ready and able to work for as
an advocate for students.
Regardless of the areas where we
disagree with our administration,
we are blessed to have in Father Mc-
Shane a leader who against all odds,
refuses to let Fordham settle for me-
diocrity. I hope that United Student
Government did the same this year-
that we embraced our role, and rose
transformed, never accepting com-
placency. Whether you’ve known
it or not, student government has
played an integral part in advanc-
ing this University’s goals Toward
2016. The West Wing stands as one
of the clearest examples of this and
USG is grateful to Msgr. Quinn,
Dean Latham, Dean Rapaccioli,
Dean Rodgers and many others for
their support of this initiative. This
program is the first entirely student
seems like the University has been
intent on closing that gap. It’s a goal
worth pursuing, and with its loca-
tion in New York City, it’s also not
too far-fetched.
When my friend came to campus,
she wanted to know about Manhat-
tan. This did not surprise me, see-
ing as it’s the borough people most
closely associate with this city.
I wanted to tell her about the
Bronx, which is one of the reasons
I chose to come to Fordham, as op-
posed to B.C., where from a young
age, I had always pictured myself
going.
See, I could have stayed in New-
ton, Mass., for another four years,
living on a manicured campus sur-
rounded by $2.5 million homes. I
could have stayed in my comfort
zone in suburban America, a place
from which, let’s face it, a ton of
Fordham students come.
Since we’re here, we might as well
advertise what I think is such an ad-
vantage Fordham has over places
like B.C. and Georgetown. Sure, we
have Manhattan, but if you want to
live mixed in with a bunch of tour-
ists and people working on Wall
Street, go to NYU.
The best part about going to
school in the Bronx, from my lim-
ited eight-month experience, is that
I get go to school in “real life.” The
majority of America does not live in
those multi-million dollar homes in
generated and proposed Integrated
Learning Community of both Ford-
ham College and CBA. Our Uni-
versity’s president has endeavored
to build Fordham’s academic stand-
ing and reputation, challenging us
to grow in our competitiveness for
prestigious fellowships and scholar-
ships. It is with this goal that he es-
tablished the Campion Institute in
2003, and it is with The West Wing
that we have responded to this call,
and answered his challenge.
This year we entered into the fore
of city policy and government rela-
tions. From the state budget cuts
to higher education, to the Lincoln
Center Development Plan, right
up to the MTA Fare Hike, we took
the message of our student body to
our legislators and made our voices
known, then we took it even fur-
ther. The New York City Student
Government Alliance was officially
chartered on April 11, 2010. As this
year’s USG Session ends, this is a
great opportunity to seize. Finally,
we are part of an organization with a
truly unified student voice for advo-
cacy, which spans multiple colleges
and universities, and serves as a
mobilized tool for joint cooperation
and legislative action in the greatest
city in the world.
With these triumphs, I would be
remiss not to address issues which
have brought more subtle progress. I
am thankful to many of the students
who supported Maroon Square
with such fervor and intensity.
While substantial and meaningful
progress has been made, this project
still remains unfinished. I am proud
of the work that was done on this is-
sue, it was important, it was neces-
sary. While I am truly sorry that this
goal did not come to fruition in its
proposed form, I am deeply grateful
to the men and women of the Com-
mission on Speech & Expression,
and to the Student Affairs team for
Chestnut Hill, nor do we all get to
live in the “Safest City in America.”
What I tried to tell my friend was
that this change was one of the big-
gest advantages of Fordham over
suburban campuses. Kids from
Manhattan schools don’t typically
come up and visit the Bronx for a
day, yet we are able to go downtown
and get both experiences.
Learning and life, I think, are cen-
tered on doing new things – push-
ing one’s limits and comfort level,
trying out something different. Be-
ing in the Bronx has done that for
me, and I hope that it does for all
Fordham students, many of whom
come from suburban New Jersey,
New York and Connecticut.
We aren’t B.C. or Georgetown,
and we certainly aren’t Penn State.
However, Fordham can be its own
place, and that is perfectly good
enough. We should emphasize these
advantages of the Bronx, even if it
means losing a few kids because of
parents’ apprehensive notions of
the neighborhood’s reputation.
hearing our concerns, committing
to a process and being part of a sus-
tained dialogue that has produced a
fair and reasonable compromise.
To the student body, I share with
you every piece of success that USG
was responsible for and accept unto
myself each failure, with the hope
that our progress has outweighed
our shortcomings.
The new administration for next
year shows incredible promise and
I have no doubt that they will con-
tinue to achieve great things and
improve the quality of life for stu-
dents at Rose Hill. At the helm of
this government, you should have
trust and faith in two of the finest
and most qualified executives I’ve
ever worked with, as well as two of
the most genuine, hard working and
devoted friends I’ve ever had the
good fortune to know. These two
women, by their very election, are
evidence of the progressive tide of
positive reform that has begun to
churn at this institution. I believe in
my heart that Sara Kugel and Caitlin
Meyer possess the collective pas-
sion, vision, experience and com-
mitment needed to propel USG
and Fordham University as a whole
ever upward. Sara and Caitlin have
each dedicated years of their college
life in the service of United Student
Government. What they have ac-
complished in that time is impres-
sive, significant and inspires me with
confidence and hope for what lies
ahead for our student body, what
this body of remarkable people will
accomplish together.
It has been an incredible journey,
being a part of this effort for the
past four years, one that I will miss
and always hold close to my heart.
Thank you and good luck.
John Tully Gordon
Executive President, USG
2009-2010

Residential Life Produces Dystopian Housing Lottery Libertas
Anxious students swarm LaLande Lounge for O’Hare and Finlay doubles lottery, hoping to earn suitable rooms despite ResLife’s convoluted selection methods.
By BRIAN KRAKER
ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR
Fordham IT recently announced
the replacement of Cisco Clean
Access with a new program, Net-
work Access Control. The vilified
computer program, which made a
Gameboy look like NASA-devel-
oped technology, plagued Ford-
ham students, impeding attempts
to procrastinate in the solitude of
their dorm rooms. Fordham IT
thankfully read the comment cards
on the wall and adhered to the
students’ wishes, providing them
with a new portal to the Internet.
Although students have yet to test
NAC, all departments should take
a page out of the IT department’s
book and proactively evaluate stu-
dent’s chronic complaints.
Unfortunately, ResLife appears
illiterate. With a multitude of forms
to submit and a confusing room-
selection process, the housing lot-
tery creates more bottlenecking
than the New Jersey Turnpike. The
amount of paperwork involved in
the housing process is enough to
make even the staunchest Repub-
licans pause from clubbing baby
seals and reconsider their position
on global warming. With no fore-
seeable reform to the housing lot-
tery on the horizon, this yearly de-
bacle looks to become a Fordham
rite of passage. While this process
is fundamentally flawed, ResLife’s
mismanagement of the housing
lottery has turned an unnecessary
nuisance into a fiasco.
The calamity commenced with
ResLife’s failure to inform stu-
dents of major changes in the
lottery process. Residential staff
neglected to inform members of
the Wellness ILCs in O’Hare Hall
that the community was moving
to the north wing. Many students
A Look at the World
Outside of Fordham from
the Perspective of
Professional News
Bloggers
retained their rooms under the
false impression they would re-
main in the same room. A shift in
view from the O’Hare lawn to the
scenic parking garage may have a
profound influence on a student’s
decision to retain. Conversely,
other students opted not to re-
tain rooms under the impression
their rooms were remaining in the
Wellness community. Only after
ResLife gave away their rooms in
the lottery did residents become
aware of the truth. ResLife simply
failed to adequately inform resi-
dents of major shifts in housing.
Amid ResLife’s information gap,
the department added another
variable into the carefully calcu-
lated equations of students’ hous-
ing decisions. Changing the range
of the lottery numbers, from one
to 9,999 to one to 3,999, alters stu-
dents’ perceptions of their stand-
ings. A year ago, a number lower
than 1,000 guaranteed students
a room in their desired dorm, yet
this year, students failed to obtain
rooms with numbers in the 500s.
This switch in lottery parameters is
an equivalent to Fordham switch-
ing the flex dollar system to the
Euro- each number loses its value.
The 3,999 number limit was a
logical and inevitable step, with
about 4,500 undergraduates en-
rolled at Rose Hill; however, the
timing was all wrong. The addi-
tion of the new dorms on campus
shifted the dynamic for which
halls students can reasonably gain
entrance. Traditionally, Walsh is a
senior oasis while juniors gravitate
toward O’Hare and Finlay, leaving
sophomores to grudgingly attend
the Martyrs’ lottery. However,
with uncertainty surrounding the
migration to the promised land
in Campbell and Salice-Conley,
many wary underclassmen strayed
Issue of the Week:
Financial
Reform
See what commentators
from the Left and the Right
have to say about the pro-
posed financial
reform bill.
OPINIONS
away from particular lotteries due
to their numbers, while other cou-
rageous freshmen snuck into the
new dorms.
While ResLife incited confusion
with number changes, the sched-
uling of these lotteries also created
conflicts with classes. At a school
that supposedly stresses academ-
ics, continually holding lotteries
which conflict with course times,
forcing students to skip lectures to
avoid overflow, is pathetic. Other
selection days, such as the singles
lottery, started late, forcing stu-
dents to miss classes they expect-
ed to attend. ResLife’s policy on
requiring IDs also wreaked havoc
on students, whose roommates
ventured to Lincoln Center class-
es without leaving their IDs. Many
melancholy students heard their
numbers called, only to inform the
ResLife staff they did not possess
the required identification.
The turmoil of the housing lot-
tery was most evident in the illogi-
cal locations where the lotteries
where held. Holding the six-per-
son apartment lottery for Walsh
in the McGinley Center’s music
room made a Martyrs’ dorm room
look like the Taj Mahal. With over
50 groups signed up for the lottery
and each room containing six stu-
dents, it should have been appar-
ent this particular selection would
be crowded. After students filled
the limited numbers of seats and
overpopulated the isles, onlookers
overflowed into the hallways.
Meanwhile, ResLife reserved
O’Keefe Commons for the six-
person apartments in the new
dorms. With only six rooms avail-
able and about a dozen groups reg-
istered for the lottery, the turnout
was small enough that the venue
could have easily been confused
for a basketball game. While the
Steven D,
Booman Tribune
“The Republican obstruc-
tionists of financial reform
want to claim that the bail-
outs were all the fault of
the Democrats, and that its
the Democrats who want
to bail out the big banks
rather than help all the av-
erage Americans and small
businesses. Hypocrisy has
a new acronym: G-O-P.”
PHOTO BY BRIAN KRAKER/ THE RAM
crowds created bedlam at the
Walsh lottery, with students in the
hallway unable to hear when the
staff called their numbers, ResLife
reserved one of Fordham’s largest
halls to hold the smallest lottery.
Thankfully there is a simple solu-
tion to the housing catastrophe;
the Internet. Al Gore’s gift to
humanity, the World Wide Web
holds the key to every seemingly
impossible problem.
ResLife has begun to move the
process online, posting the hous-
ing booklet and lottery registra-
tion forms online, however this
limited access is not enough. By
moving the entire process online,
students can easily access the se-
lection process from their dorms,
avoiding the lottery crowds. There
is no fear of forgetting a room-
mate’s ID and missing a lecture,
as students could even access the
housing lottery from an iPhone in
class. This also simplifies the pro-
cess for the ResLife staff. No stress
over reserving halls, no hoarse
voices after shouting numbers
over anxious underclassmen and
no ungodly paperwork.
While departments such as
Fordham IT have made major
strides to remedy blemishes such
as Clean Access, ResLife appears
adamant in its outdated practices.
The housing process has vexed
students with archaic procedures,
including chaotic lotteries and
mediocre scheduling. While an
online housing lottery could bring
Fordham into the 21st century, it
appears ResLife is willing to con-
tinue chiseling room assignments
into stone for decades to come.
Brian Kraker, FCRH ’12, is a
computer science and English double
major from Pompton Lakes, N.J. He
can be reached at kraker@fordham.
edu.
Dave Mason,
The Foundry
“Who would benefit
from such regulation?
Big banks: they would
be protected against
competition and be
given an excuse for fail-
ing to offer new prod-
ucts. That’s no way to
help consumers or to
avert the next financial
crisis.”
APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 9
et Veritas
CHADWICK
CIOCCI
Social Engineering
One of these oft-overlooked but
still imperative issues in today’s
world is the matter of social en-
gineering. Social engineering oc-
curs when the government, either
at the local, state or national level
determines that one way of living
or believing is superior to another
and implements policies which en-
gineer its citizenry to believe or act
in a predetermined way. In the vast
majority of cases, social engineering
represents the negation of liberty
and truth, yet in just as many great
of cases often appears to be benign
and acceptable.
New York City has some of the
worst social engineering policies in
the United States. The prime exam-
ple of this engineering can be found
in the city’s ban on cigarette smok-
ing in restaurants. As I mentioned
before, many social engineering
policies appear benign at first, and
certainly this one does too: people
are healthier, restaurants cleaner
and many people more happy as
the result of the ban. What appears
good is actually the utter negation
of freedom, both on the individual’s
part as well as the restaurateur’s. On
the one hand, the actions of ciga-
rette smokers has been deemed too
unhealthy for themselves and the
people around them for our govern-
ment to permit; on the other hand,
restaurateurs’ ability to determine
if and when people will be able to
smoke in their establishments, if at
all and whether or not their clientele
demand such, is non-existent.
One of the most important as-
pects of a liberal democracy is the
freedom of individuals to act in ways
that may seem odd, scandalous and
even unhealthy by other people
but are nonetheless permissible by
virtue of the fact that it only harms
themselves. It shall be immediately
rebutted that cigarette smoking does
not fit in to this model since second
hand smoke does in fact harm peo-
ple other than the smoker. This is
true, but it is not an argument in fa-
vor of regulating cigarette smoking.
This is because even though an
“other” is being harmed by the
second hand smoke, restaurateurs
may or may not choose to regulate
smoking in their own establish-
ments based upon the demands of
their clientele. If they have many
clients who would like to smoke, the
restaurant owner is likely to permit
smoking, and will likely divide his
restaurant between a smoking sec-
tion and non-smoking one. Since
many other establishments will
choose not to permit any smoking at
all, restaurant goers who would pre-
fer not to eat amongst smokers can
either choose a non-smoking sec-
tion or a non-smoking restaurant.
Yet some customers’ demand to
smoke, other customers’ ability to
enjoy a smoke-free environment
regardless of the non-existence of a
ban and restaurant owners’ rights to
control their private property don’t
seem to be quite enough to stem the
New York government’s quest to so-
cially engineer its people.
Chadwick Ciocci, FCRH ’10, is
a philosophy major from Trumbull,
Conn. He can be reached at cciocci@
aol.com.
PAGE 10 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
EBooks Not Yet a Replacement for Textbooks
By MATTHEW ARTH
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As any undergraduate can tell you,
there are three things that college stu-
dents absolutely cannot live without:
Facebook, beer and eReaders. Or at
least, that’s the reality that companies
like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Ap-
Kindles and other eReaders make some books more accessible and portable.
Webcams Focus on Wrong Parts of Fordham
By CHRISTINE BARCELLONA
OPINIONS EDITOR
Fordham is an oasis, a shady Goth-
ic paradise in the inner city. Film
crews make pilgrimages to Fordham
to film scenes set at picturesque Ivy
Leagues. Prospective students “ooh”
and “ahh” at tulip-studded flower-
beds. It makes sense that the Univer-
sity would want to show off this asset
as much as possible; the Web cams
at Fordham.edu/webcam are a well
intentioned attempt to do this, but
they leave much to be desired. These
Web cameras are ostensibly an at-
tempt to give prospective students
a full view of the lush campus, and
some changes could be made to help
them fulfill their purpose.
Though they seem like stalker
cams at first, privacy-concerned
students can relax once they realize
that the cameras only update “every
one to five minutes.” While this may
make people feel less like Big Brother
is watching them, it also somewhat
defeats the purpose of having Web
cameras in the first place. If this was
1995, everyone would be impressed
with the “live” feed of still pictures,
but now prospective students all have
their own high-quality Web cameras
built into their own computers, and
probably expect something better
from Web cameras. However, kudos
to Fordham for not being as creepy
as Vanderbilt’s Peabody Library Ter-
race Web cam, where you can some-
times watch students sit, study and
eat up-close in real time (vanderbilt.
edu/webcam/).
Aside from the disappointingly
In “Tuition Ceilings Would Curb Skyrocketing Fees” of last week’s is-
sue, it read that the University’s endowment has dropped from $434,706
in June 2008 to $330,166 in June 2009. It should have read that the Uni-
versity’s endowment has dropped from $434,706,000 in June 2008 to
$330,166,000 in June 2009. The Ram regrets this error.
ple are feverishly trying to create.
With the recent launch of the iPad
(and to a lesser extent, the Kindle DX
before that), students everywhere are
asking if it is finally realistic to ditch the
heavy and expensive textbooks of their
youth and enter the promised land of a
fully-digital nirvana. Just as iPods made
CDs a thing of the past, will we at long
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
slow update speed, the web cam-
eras might benefit from highlighting
Fordham’s strengths and downplay-
ing its weaknesses. This is Fordham’s
chance to show the world what its
campus is like daily, and the cameras
should show scenes of bustling stu-
dent life, and should focus on pret-
tier spots on campus. The cameras
focused on Edward’s Parade and the
University Church match this critera,
but some of the other cameras could
be focused on better locations.
The Walsh Library camera is
well-placed in terms of the build-
ing; Walsh Library is one of the nic-
est facilities on campus. However,
the camera will probably highlight
students trickling in and out of the
library, and solitary people sitting on
the steps talking on the phone. The
front of the library is not the most
lively place on campus, and having
a new picture uploaded of it every
five minutes will reveal few exciting
developments. Instead, the Web site
should offer high-resolution still pic-
tures of the interior and exterior of
the library, so prospective students
could appreciate the beauty of the
building, instead of squinting at a
blurry, 320 x 240 pixel Web camera
image. Plus, prospective students do
not need to see a continually updat-
ing feed of students hunched over
books. Still pictures would be better
for showing off the building.
The camera aimed at the walkway
into the McGinley Center does a
good job at focusing on a location full
of bustling student life, but it would
be more worthwhile to place this
camera inside the caf. First, the view
OPINIONS
last be able to fulfill our lifelong dream
of managing our psychology textbooks
through iTunes?
As with any question worth ask-
ing, the answer is never a simple “yes”
or “no.” There are many things that
eReaders do right and many ways that
they can make the complicated lives of
undergraduates more convenient. At
the same time, there are several key fea-
tures that are lacking in the current slate
of devices which effectively keep them
from becoming a full-on replacement
for our textbooks.
First though, let’s take a look at the
things eReaders get right. Whether you
are talking about Amazon’s Kindle line
of readers, the Barnes & Noble Nook or
Apple’s iPad (admit it, its impossible to
convince yourself that you don’t want
one), they all mimic the reading expe-
rience of a traditional book quite well.
The Kindle and the Nook both use a
technology called eInk (essentially an
advanced Etch-A-Sketch) to create a
static image, which simulates the look
of a paper-and-binding book, with no
backlight and all in grayscale. The iPad
uses the multi-touch LED screen we
have all come to know and love in the
iPhone to bring flourishes not seen in
the Kindle or Nook, like full-color illus-
trations and a page-turning mechanic
that allows users to actually grab a page
corner and pull it across the screen like
a real book. Although eInk is supposed
to produce less eye strain, in my tests of
the iPad I found the LED screen to be
of students walking into McGinley
is not very interesting; shadowy
figures, a garden area and the brick
path are all the camera picks up. That
is, except for the huge lines of angry
students that extends out the door of
McGinley during prime meal times.
Unless the University wants to
show prospective students a line to
get food that recalls images of a So-
viet bread line, this camera could be
moved. The dining hall Web camera
on the Boston College site displays
an interesting view of student life.
Fordham could benefit from follow-
ing that lead and installing a camera
in the caf instead (at.bc.edu/web-
cams/corcoran/).
One camera that Fordham should
definitely move is the one in the
John Mulcahy Hall computer lab.
That particular room is often kept
dark, but the boxy outlines of old,
non-flat screen monitors are clearly
visible. Why did the University
choose to highlight this low-tech,
outdated computer lab when the
Electronic Information Center in
Walsh Library is sleek, bright and
full of beautiful iMac computers?
The EIC would be a much better
place to highlight in order to attract
prospective students.
Other locations that Fordham
might have considered placing
cameras would be the rose garden
between Hughes Hall and Dealy
or a view near O’Hare Hall, which
are both attractive spaces and often
full of students trekking between
classes.
Also, if Fordham felt daring, it
might have placed a camera at one of
the off-campus apartment locations;
this would give anxious parents a
glimpse of picturesque Arthur Av-
enue and a view of the surrounding
neighborhood, which many parents
worry about when sending their kids
just as pleasant to read from.
The single greatest advantage of
eReaders over conventional books
is their light weight. As tablets with a
small footprint, eReaders allow stu-
dents to carry around potentially hun-
dreds of books in the space it would
normally take to carry just one and at
a weight that is measured in ounces
rather than pounds. Also, students can
download these books from anywhere
there is an Internet connection and save
themselves the often frustrating wait in
line at the bookstore.
Those are all praiseworthy features
for reading assigned texts like Plato’s
The Republic, or more likely the latest
edition of Twilight, but textbooks are a
whole different animal. For one thing, a
vast majority of required textbooks are
not available as eBooks. Amazon has
some available in its Kindle store, but
Apple still has not inked deals with any
of the major textbook publishers for its
iBooks Store (an offshoot of iTunes).
This is a huge oversight on the part of
these companies if they want to ap-
peal to college students, and until this
is rectified, most students will dismiss
eReaders as viable alternatives.
Also worth noting is the lack of in-
teractivity. Many students like to add
notes into the margins of their text-
books and highlight important pas-
sages. Kindles, Nooks and iPads allow
for some highlighting, but note-taking
within the eBook itself is not an option
at this time. For the iPad, exiting out of
to the Bronx.
An interesting direction Ford-
ham could have taken would have
been to focus a Web camera on the
construction site. It would not have
mattered if this was updated in real
time because of the slow process of
construction, but it would have in-
terested both current and prospec-
tive students alike.
One thing that Fordham.edu
lacks is a gallery of still photographs
of the Rose Hill and Lincoln Cen-
ter campuses. While there are vir-
tual tours with one or two pictures
each of dorms and facilities, there
is no single location on the Web site
where prospective students can click
through high-quality pictures of the
campuses.
Most views of campus that the
Web site offers are small, grainy im-
ages sandwiched in between blocks
of text. While the Web cameras, pan-
oramic pictures of different spots on
campus and virtual tours are a nice
thought, prospective students would
Webcams focus on the University Church, the walkway outside McGinley Cen-
ter and Edward’s Parade. Other cameras focus on less attractive campus sites.
the app just to make a note makes the
experience too much of an ordeal to be
justified.
Ever budget-conscious, students
should also consider the costs versus
potential savings of investing in an
eReader. An Amazon Kindle will set
you back $259, while the least expen-
sive iPad model goes for $499. These
are not inconsequential amounts of
cash, and any savvy Fordham student
will realize that a single iPad represents
over 125 Coors Lights at Mugz (tip in-
cluded!).
Avid fans of eReaders will insist that
the savings are in the eBooks them-
selves. A simple Amazon search will
reveal that Essentials of Corporate Fi-
nance, which normally retails at $100
or more, is only $51.25 through the
Kindle store. However, when the se-
mester ends, the lack of a physical book
to sell back negates any initial savings.
All of these detriments add up to
negate their usefulness to students.
EReaders are still a very young catego-
ry, and in the future as their price drops
and these initial drawbacks are solved,
I am confident that ultimately these
devices will be commonplace. For the
time being, though, the iPad might be
great if a person is looking to do some
pleasure-reading on the flight home,
but in the classroom, traditional text-
books continue to reign supreme.
Matthew Arth, CBA ’11, is marketing
major and economics minor from South-
lake, Texas.
get a fuller view of campus if an addi-
tional page of high-resolution, beau-
tiful pictures of different campus
locations.
Prospective students are used to
reviewing tagged pictures on Face-
book, and might find a similar-style
gallery of Fordham pictures appeal-
ing. Visitors of Fordham.edu would
be hard-pressed to find many pic-
tures larger than 500 pixels on the
Web site.
The idea of Web cameras is a good
one, but it needs to be re-examined
and re-worked a little. Also, Ford-
ham could make a few changes to
the Discover Fordham area of the
site, like adding a gallery of large,
clear campus pictures. Fordham has
a beautiful campus, which it empha-
sizes in the pamphlets it gives to pro-
spective students, but does not play
up enough on the Web site.
Christine Barcellona, FCRH ’12, is
an English major from Dallas, Texas.
She can be reached at cbarcellona@
fordham.edu.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM.EDU
 ADVERTISING APRIL21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 11

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Educating Minds and Hearts to Change the World

Pollsters, policy analysts, and trend spotters wanted.

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PAGE 12 • THE RAM • APRIL21, 2010 ADVERTISING

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APRIL 21, 2010
Fashion for Philanthropy Aids Make-a-Wish
A Diverse Group of Fordham Students Got the Chance to Model to Benefit Charity
By JESSICA PASSANANTI
STAFF WRITER
Fordham students and family
members alike filed into the Rose-
Hill Gymnasium for an unfamil-
iar reason on Friday, April 16th.
Button-down dress shirts and
sequenced dresses replaced Ford-
ham jerseys; Manolo Blahnik’s and
suede loafers replaced basketball
sneakers. At approximately 7 p.m.
on April 16th, the Rose Hill Gym
appeared to be an exact replica of
an exclusive tent during Fashion
Week. Fashion for Philanthropy
club successfully conducted its an-
nual fashion show fundraiser, this
time benefitting the Make-A-Wish
Foundation.
The themed fashion show annu-
ally raises thousands of dollars for
Make-A-Wish Foundation, raising
just under $6,000 last year. The
club was able to feature globally
famous fashions such as alice + ol-
ivia, Shoshanna, e.vil and more.
Minutes before the show, the
glare of the white lights seemed
to create an unfamiliar ambiance
of anxiousness and anticipation.
Vice President Molly McLoone,
FCRH’11, and the rest of the club
scurried around the gymnasium
to complete the finishing touches.
The nervous models were not the
only ones prepared for an evening
of glamour; every audience mem-
ber was dressed in his or her Friday
best.
“Am I even allowed to wear a
hat?” one student questioned his
friend, perplexed at the unofficial
formality of the event.
Once inhabited by eight-foot-
Dessert Trucks Are Popping up Throughout New York
By JONATHAN GILLIS
STAFF WRITER
Doug Quint loves his summer
job.
Though he is a freelance bas-
soonist by trade, Quint doubles
during his summers as an ice cream
man, traveling daily from his home
in Morningside Heights to the
truck depot in Brookyln, where he
grabs a ride and hits the streets as
a member of New York’s sizable
street-vendor squad.
Quint, however, has a special
claim to fame. He’s avoided Mr.
Tastee. Instead he and boyfriend
Bryan Petroff are the owners and
operators of the Big Gay Ice Cream
Truck (BGIT), a wonderfully dis-
tinct addition to the street vendor
scene which offers regular soft-
serve but can top ice cream with
Ice cream trucks are some of the new dessert trucks appearing all over New York City.
tall sweaty basketball players, the
transformation of the basketball
court was unreal.
When the show finally began
30 minutes past seven, in typical
fashion-show delay, every audience
member stared wide-eyed and at-
tentive at a video montage of a few
favorite Disney moments. Genie,
known for granting wishes, was a
suitable opener for such a particu-
lar cause.
The show was truly magical;
entitled, “Once Upon A Runway,”
it was set to represent the popular
themes within a fairy tale. Success-
fully executed, the show was broken
into two acts: Act I consisted of the
themes “Desert Safari,” “Tropical
Jungle” and “Enchanted Forest.”
Following an intermission that
featured Fordham Flava were the
“Villains,” “Heroes” and “Princess-
es.” Music supplied by DJ Richie
Coppolino accompanied each par-
ticular theme.
The high-fashion collections
each had their own mood that was
essential for the delivery of the
theme.
“The Desert Safari, definitely,”
Kristen Flores, FCRH ’13, said
when asked about their favorite
collection.
The opening of the show was
an instant hit: the song “Africa” by
Toto echoed throughout the gym-
nasium and fierce models stomped
down the runway in animal prints.
The models played a significant
part in the delivery of the fashion
show. All models were different
heights, weights and ethnicities. It
made for a unique show that truly
exemplified the diversity for which
anything from wasabi peas to Nilla
Wafers and Nutella.
The BGIT, which opened last
summer, is just one addition to the
steadily growing supply of novelty
dessert trucks browsing the Big
Apple. Others, including Thomas
DeGeest’s Wafels & Dinges truck
(Belgian Waffles), offer similarly
clever concoctions and surprising-
ly friendly faces behind the coun-
ter. In a city where street food often
comes with a side of surly service,
these amicable dessert stops are
gathering fans at lightning pace.
To a certain extent, it is a miracle
that these trucks can make it at
all. Lev Ekster, owner of Cupcake
Stop, puts in “anywhere between
70 and 90 hours” of work every
week. Though he doesn’t make
the cupcakes he sells (he found
a baker on Craigslist who comes
PHOTO BY JONATHAN GILLIS/THE RAM
Fordham students were given the chance to model, with the annual fashion show benefiting the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Fordham prides itself.
“I was honestly surprised at how
convincing the models were,” Han-
nah O’Donnell, FCRH ’13, said.
Those who had always dreamed
of strutting down the runway were
finally able too, for a good cause.
The beneficiaries of the Make-
A-Wish foundation were not the
only ones whose dreams were in
the making. Student designer Al-
yssa Carnazza, FCRH ’10, was
able to showcase her “Villain” col-
lection that took three months to
construct. Carnazza designed the
entire collection by embodying
the attitude of a “fearless woman”
through the use of black leather
skirts and neon-green tulle.
“Honestly, what makes me hap-
piest is how great my models were,”
she said. “I really wanted them to
up with the recipes and bakes the
goodies), Ekster still has to divide
his time between kitchen supervi-
sion, truck driving, publicity and,
of course, sales. Such a rigorous
work schedule is not uncommon
amongst owners, either. Quint and
DeGeest also log heavy shifts, esti-
mating that their weekly totals fall
between 60 and 70 hours.
Before they can get out on the
road, however, these vendors have
plenty to keep their hands busy.
Not only do they have to find a
truck, they have to store and license
it. Also, New York City requires all
vendors to be licensed themselves,
which means taking a Mobile Food
Vendor course and passing the test,
a seemingly undemanding task
considering the fact that Quint’s
testing time was “28 seconds, and
[he] was being leisurely.” Of course,
this is only followed by a prolonged
period of waiting akin to waiting at
the DMV. Once the license is re-
ceived, however, the vendors are
able to hit the streets and brave the
competition.
Fortunately for these novelty
trucks, competition is a minute is-
sue.
“I think we offer a unique expe-
rience,” DeGeest said.
Quint and Ekster concurred.
walk super sexy, confident, and to
a different pace of music and they
totally nailed it.”
Recently learning to sew as a
senior in high school, she was able
to join together with her mom and
sister to finalize the fierce collec-
tion.
“During the show, I was cue-
ing all of the girls so I didn’t get a
chance to see them on the runway,
but I watched it later that night and
actually cried,” Carnazza said.
The donations from the show
will allow the foundation to grant
more severely ill patients with their
own wish. The unbeatable combi-
nation of fantasy and fashion was
perfect for a good cause.
“As someone who has person-
ally seen the benefits of a wish
from Make-A-Wish (my younger
“I don’t really think about com-
petition,” Ekster said, adding that
he concentrates solely on making
his truck the best it can be.
When asked about rivalries be-
tween trucks, Quint chuckled.
“It’s kind of like we are all em-
ployees for the same company,” he
said.
Customers, though sometimes
unruly, are always greeted with a
warm smile. On its routes, the Big
Gay Ice Cream Truck does see its
share of pejorative patrons who
take issue with Quint’s proud ho-
mosexuality, but Quint says he al-
ways maintains a grin.
“I kind of like it when I see them,
because you just smile, and that’s
always worse than anger,” he said.
Most visitors, however, are pleas-
ant and eager for their treats. Other
vendors and police officers may
not be as neighborly. Lev Ekster
holds a law degree from New York
Law School, but on the truck, it is
street laws that matter most.
“You’ll park somewhere, and as
far as laws are concerned, you are
okay, but the hot dog vendor might
not agree,” Ekster said.
DeGeest says that cops get a
little picky as well.
“They’ll come and say ‘We don’t
like that,’” he said. “It’s something
PAGE 15
PHOTO BY JESSICA PASSANANTI/THE RAM
brother received one last year), I
am beyond thrilled to be able to
help someone’s wish come true,”
McLoone said.
So what’s in store for the future?
“Obviously no event is ever
perfect, so once we are recovered
from our months of hard work,
the 2010-2011 E-Board and my-
self will go back and evaluate the
positives and negatives of the show
to ensure that next year’s show is
the best it can be,” McLoone, next
year’s President-elect, said.
While the members of the Fash-
ion for Philanthropy club said they
found flaws within their show, the
outsider was left with a feeling of
surprised astonishment. The club
was able to truly embody the inten-
sity of a fashion show while work-
ing at a good cause.
you have to put up with.”
Quint hasn’t had much of a
problem, a fact that he attributes to
his first few weeks on the job.
“I was just really friendly to ev-
eryone,” he said.
For all three of the vendors, the
truck is hardly the end of the line.
Cupcake Stop is preparing to open
its first brick-and-mortar location
in Chelsea on May 7, in addition
to adding another truck to the arse-
nal. DeGeest said he hopes to open
a location, and Quint hinted that
he hopes to expand his Big Gay Ice
Cream empire, too.
For all of these men, their busi-
nesses are pure bliss. Ekster began
Cupcake Stop last year having just
graduated law school. DeGeest
is a former IBM consultant who
worked for almost a year on waffle
recipes before leaving to start Wa-
fles & Dinges. Quint is a Julliard-
trained bassoonist. For all three
men, their trucks are for much
more than just profit; their vehicles
have become their oases out on the
streets of the greatest city in the
world.
“We are putting something on
the map that wasn’t there before,”
DeGeest said. “For me, the main
thing is that we bring a happy mo-
ment to people’s days.”
PAGE 16 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
That’s
So Po
MARY
PORPORA
Week 9: Near Death Experiences
Over the past few years, I have
noticed more and more how fre-
quently I have come close to death.
There have been times when I
have actually almost died, and
then there are also times when my
natural fear of death has caused me
to ponder how easily I could have
died. For instance, most recently, I
am pretty sure I almost died while
trying to do laundry.
After putting my clothes into
the washing machine in O’Hare,
I tried to leave, but a massive
puddle of water stopped me. In
order to avoid this puddle, I tried
to remember my six years of ballet
and gracefully step over the pond
in front of me. My two seconds of
triumph as I surpassed the water
vanished when I landed in an ad-
jacent puddle. As both my feet slid
out from under me in opposite
directions, the upper half of my
body plummeted forward. Thank-
fully, I was able to catch myself at
the last minute on the edge of the
machine.
I stayed in that position for a
few seconds in order to catch my
breath and realize that I was not in
Final Destination, and that my wa-
ter slip did not end up in strangu-
lation, or, more reasonably, some
sort of deadly head trauma.
Instances like this one happen
all the time. There have been so
many times when I have damaged
my head in some way that would
make me think that if I had hit it
any harder, I could have been left
permanently unconscious, like
the time I walked into a stop sign
or when I fell off a lofted bed, or
the many, many times I have been
hit in the head with sports equip-
CULTURE
Dining Out: Braai
PHOTO BY JUSTIN LACOURSIERE/THE RAM
Braai serves South African cuisine at 329 West 51st St. in Hell’s Kitchen.
By JUSTIN LaCOURSIERE
STAFF WRITER
South African cuisine encompasses a wide variety of culinary contrasts
that make for a melting pot of flavors, colors and spices. Braai, located at
329 West 51st Street in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Midtown, is a
South African wine and cuisine restaurant that will keep you talking long
after your meal is over.
“Braai” stands for barbeque, and this barbeque includes influences from
a number of cultures ranging from Native African to the English, Malaysian,
Dutch, Indonesian and many more. This brilliantly inspired eatery goes the
extra step in just about every category imaginable, creating more than just
a place for grand tasting food, offering an environment, menu and staff that
fashions a food-centered experience.
The wilderness-inspired décor and African-flared set-up includes a
bamboo-threaded ceiling, raw brick walls, dark wooden floor paneling and
stripped carved tree trunks. The mood track lighting from above, glowing
candles and handful of colored rose petals on every table set the scene for
a quaint and elegant getaway. The wait staff is energetic and knowledgeable
and takes an interest in the restaurant-goers and shows a cultured under-
standing of what Braai means.
Somusa, “compliments of the house,” is what starts the Braai experience.
This delicious tiny triangle pastry, a cross between an egg roll and a spring
roll, sits on top of mango salsa and can come stuffed with a variety of fillings.
It is accompanied by a dab of pink dressing that offers a sweet, yet spicy zing
to prepare your mouth for an evening infused with South African tastes.
Braai has a list of specials that change on a daily basis, and its often-listed
soup of the day ($10), curry muscle coconut soup, comes from the western
cape of South Africa, an area popular for its rich seafood. The appetizer is
the color of sweet potatoes with the consistency of a thick pea soup or pu-
réed squash. It is topped with strips of torn pita bread and fresh-cut parsley.
The curry flavor is subtle, and neither the muscle nor coconut flavor is very
strong.
Dried apricots, mangos and kiwi over baby arugula with feta cheese in a
mint-yogurt dressing is Braai’s recipe for a safari salad ($16), a sweet starter
with a small kick. The arugula has a crisp crunch because it is leafier than ice-
berg but tougher than romaine, allowing for a nice balance. The fruit in this
dish brings out a citrus splash that surprisingly balances quite well with the
light, creamy feta. This salad is tossed rather than chopped, and the dressing
is drizzled over the top so as not to drench the finished product. It is sweeter
than the average salad, taking on an almost dessert-like quality. However, it
is light enough where you do not feel guilty scraping the dish clean.
Biryani, a dish of traditional North Indian spiced long-grain fried basmati
rice, is one of the menu’s South African dishes. It can be served with your
choice of meat – chicken, mutton or seafood – or with vegetables ($16). It
comes beautifully presented, but its appearance may be a bit overwhelming
when deciding from which side to start eating. The rice is similar to that of
stir-fry, and includes sautéed vegetables comprised of mushrooms, green
beans and tomatoes. This grainy meal has a small boost to it that takes away
from the delectable dish’s full potential. The rice and vegetables come with
a variety of dipping sauces and toppings
referred to as “Spices Overall of Africa,” which
are made to comple- Location ment the flavors and
textures of the dish. Food Quality These include an
apricot spread, man- Atmosphere go chutney, achaar
Hospitality
(a traditional pickled Indian condiment),
Price $$$
mango salsa, a ba- nana-coconut blend
and a creamy cucum- (Out of 4 ’s) ber dip. The “Spices
of Africa” make the meal fun, providing
more of an experience and less monotony, allowing for variation, as well as
personal input. However, not all of the condiments complement the dish as
some can be overpowering, or more like a dressing than a sauce.
A pan-seared, herb-crusted ostrich fillet with curried coconut mashed
potatoes, green beans and pear onions topped with a blackberry per-peri
sauce is known as the African road runner ($30). This fillet, cooked me-
dium rare to lock in moisture and keep the meat from becoming leathery,
is similar to a moist, juicy cut of beef. While pan-seared to perfection, the
herbs may shock you at first if you are not ready for the spice. The ostrich
can be a tad chewy if not cut into small enough pieces, but it has an intense
and bold flavor, both appealing and satisfying. Providing a nice balance to
the fillet are the creamy mashed potatoes. The slightly crunchy and lightly
oil-bathed green beans keep the meal rich with flavor. The plating of this
dish is simply eye-catching, looking like a photograph you may see on the
cover of Food Magazine.
Braai is not just the place to go to for mouth-watering food, but a culinary
experience that may be a hard match. A taste of South Africa’s homeland
cuisine can bring a variety of choices to your table through Braai’s extensive
and unique menu. The restaurant itself gives the appearance that its attend-
ees are actually eating in South Africa for the evening. It would be hard for
you not to want to return for a second meal after experiencing what this
place has to offer, as just one trip to Braai is simply not enough.

Editor’s Pick: MGMT’s Congratulations

ment.
There are certain near-death
situations that I assume everyone
has experienced. I cannot count
the amount of times I have al-
most been hit by car while trying
to cross the street. Then there are
those horrifying seconds when I
think I am choking, but after a few
coughs, I realize that I am okay. I
find these to be some of the most
terrifying experiences. That is
why I have learned to eat slowly,
carefully and around others (my
seventh grade self-Heimlich ma-
neuver training can only get me
so far).
I always remember when I was
younger and I would play in the
ocean. It was always a blast un-
til that one wave came and got
smacked me around under the wa-
ter like a ping-pong ball between
the waves and the ocean floor.
Then when I finally emerged from
the grips of the monster that is the
undertow, it is as if I had never
tasted air before in my life, and it is
definitely the most relieving post-
near-death-experience ever.
These experiences are all a part
of living, so even though they freak
me out, I would not want them to
disappear. Besides, most of these
stories are somewhat comical and
embarrassing, which always makes
for good conversation.
Near-death experiences: now
that’s so Po!
By PATRICK DEROCHER
NEWS EDITOR
Just in case there’s anyone who
didn’t know, MGMT, the Brooklyn-
based indie-synth-rock-pop band
known for such songs as “Time to
Pretend” and “Kids” will be head-
lining this year’s Spring Weekend,
taking the stage on Martyrs’ Lawn
on May 1.
If this is the first time you have
heard about this, it’s entirely for-
givable; there was no official an-
nouncement on the part of the
Office of Student Leadership &
Community Development or the
Campus Activities Board until
CAB recently created a Facebook
group. Even then, MGMT is sort
of hidden in the 13th line of text,
though well placed within the ’80s-
slash-ghetto logo that CAB has cre-
ated.
At any rate, the timing of this
particular concert is propitious in-
deed, with MGMT having released
their second full-length album,
Congratulations, on April 13. A
follow-up to 2007’s Oracular Spec-
tacular, this new LP is oddly famil-
iar, yet could not be further from
MGMT’s past work.
The band has said on multiple
occasions that Congratulations will
not have any single releases, and
will have no hit songs come off of
it. This is a fair assessment of the
situation; nothing is going to infect
the listener’s subconscious like the
synthesizer melody from “Time to
Pretend” or “Electric Feel’s” hyp-
notic vocal line.
In fact, with a few exceptions,
there is little that you are likely to
remember from individual songs
on this album. There are a few
stand-out tracks here, most notably
the epic “Siberian Breaks” and the
ironically catchy “Brian Eno,” but
more on those in a bit. Congratu-
lations plays almost like high-cal-
iber ambient music. That is not to
knock the album in any way, just to
say that its content is rather subtle
in its intrigue, inviting the listener
either to hear the album on its gen-
erally pleasant surface, or listen
deeper for some very interesting
musical lines.
Kicking off Congratulations, the
songs “It’s Working” and “Song for
Dan Treacy” introduce the listener
to this audio universe with acous-
tic guitar and almost woozy chord
progressions that slowly give way
to MGMT’s signature synthesizer
and drum machine work, which
now has a veneer of progressive
rock, à la Genesis or Yes, that will
come to define much of the rest of
the album.
This is particularly evident in the
12-minute-long “Siberian Breaks”
which, coming more or less in the
middle of the album, is perhaps
the ultimate manifestation of what
Congratulations is. In the tradition
of “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Hap-
piness Is a Warm Gun,” “Breaks”
is a patchwork of several shorter
pieces that form almost a suite in a
single track.
Beginning in much the same way
as the album, the song soon shifts
into more traditional MGMT, with
pleasantly surging synthesizer lines
that propel the song, which then
wends its way through trippy prog
rock, spacey (almost New Age)
synthesizer lines and the closest
thing this album comes to an an-
them before resolving in a bright,
starry outro that recalls some of
Radiohead’s more uplifting mo-
ments.
The album’s other highlight,
“Brian Eno,” manages to encap-
sulate the ironies of its namesake,
British musician and producer
who co-wrote many of the Talking
Heads’ hits and had at least some
hand in all but two of U2’s albums
since 1984.
He is also the pioneer of the
ambient music movement, once
releasing an album called “Music
for Airports,” which he composed
using two pianos, a synthesizer
and a lot of tape loops. Appropri-
ately, “Brian Eno” has an all-but
inaccessible, churning synthesizer
line, recalling his solo work, which
is paired with a sing-along chorus
and catchy drumbeat. The result
is a sort of intoxicating cognitive
dissonance that draws in the lis-
tener and makes him or her beg for
more.
Congratulations, in spite of its un-
deniable high points, is not without
its flaws. Most notably problematic
is the instrumental “Lady Dada’s
Nightmare,” supposedly about hav-
ing sex with pop star Lady Gaga.
The four-and-a-half minute piece
feels substantially longer, coming
across as a self-indulgent attempt
at weird for weird’s sake, and ulti-
mately the most, and perhaps only,
unnecessary track on the album.
It does not, however, detract from
the album as a whole.
Congratulations is at times con-
fusing, at times engrossing and al-
ways a fantastic follow-up to Oracu-
lar Spectacular, one that showcases
its creators’ abilities and bodes well
for the upcoming Spring Weekend
concert.

Summer Office Attire
How to Dress Appropriately Without Sweltering
By CLARA ENNIST
STAFF WRITER
When warm weather hits, ev-
eryone wants to put on sundresses
or shorts, but unfortunately this
is somewhat difficult to do when
working in an office. While it is
important to be professional, there
are still ways to incorporate spring
clothing into office wear.
For the Ladies:
If you have a little more freedom
in your office and are not relegated
to constantly wearing a suit, you
have a lot more options. The staple
supply that everyone should have,
regardless of office dress code, is a
light-weight suit jacket. You can
get this jacket in either full- or
three-quarter-length sleeve; the
important thing is that this coat is
well-tailored and ideally black.
If your office is a little more casu-
al, you can easily wear a sundress or
a circle skirt to work and wear the
jacket over everything. This really
pulls the outfit together and makes
it easier to go from day to night.
However, some workplaces re-
quire a suit. Wearing a light-col-
ored suit in a breathable fabric, like
cotton or linen, will be much more
comfortable but still work-appro-
priate. Also, pairing a light-weight
shirt in a bold color or pattern will
liven up your suit (just do not pair
a patterned shirt with a pinstripe
suit). In general, just try to avoid
anything low-cut, short or resem-
bling a beach ensemble.
While the clothing is important,
shoes can be equally confusing.
Most office shoes are chunky and
square, which is obviously not ide-
al for the warmer months. If you
can, substitute peep-toe pumps for
sandals. If you think your office
is more conservative, try pumps
with a shorter, slimmer heel. Kitten
heels are making a huge comeback
THEATER
GOD OF CARNAGE
With the powerful allure of
world-renowned song-and-dance
spectaculars like Wicked and The
Lion King, it is easy to ignore a
straight-up play like God of Car-
nage. The show is an off-beat com-
edy that explores the fallibility of
human civilization. Currently in
its third incarnation at Broadway’s
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, the play
officially opened in March of 2009
and has since received three Tony
Awards, including the award for
2009’s Best Play.
The one-act play opens in a New
York apartment where two couples
meet to discuss a dire schoolyard
conflict: one couple’s 11-year-old
son has hit the other’s with a stick,
knocking two of his teeth out.
Well worth the price and the
wait, God of Carnage is a produc-
tion that no theatre fan can afford
to miss.
TO READ THESE REVIEWS IN THEIR ENTIRETY, VISIT THERAMONLINE.COM AND CLICK ON “CULTURE” ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOMEPAGE.
and wearing them in a bright color
makes them lighter while still pro-
fessional.
For the Gentlemen:
Of course, men also want to be
comfortable in the office but they
have fewer options than women.
It is hard to wear a short-sleeved
shirt without looking like Dwight
Schrute; instead, men can wear a
light-weight long-sleeve shirt.
Sundresses can be appropriate in the office, especially when paired with a
light jacket.
Ram Reviews
THEATER
CLUE
Fordham Experimental Theater
presented a two-act comedy, Clue,
based on the 1985 movie of the
same name, inspired by the board
game produced by Parker Brothers,
from April 14-17. The play features
everyone’s favorite characters from
the game.
Under the direction of Stephanie
Pennacchia, FCRH ’12, and Jessy
Lynn, FCRH ’13, all of the actors
fearlessly committed to their roles,
as ridiculous as the characters are.
It is hard to pick a standout among
the cast, since no one selfishly stole
the spotlight in this ensemble. Ev-
eryone garnered laughs throughout
the show, and the packed audience
gave each actor a standing ovation
at curtain call.
Everyone involved with Clue was
self-aware about its hilarity, making
the play an enjoyable on-campus
event.
CULTURE
Additionally, wearing lighter-
colored pants, like khakis, in a
light-weight fabric like seersucker
or linen will be comfortable but
not unprofessional as a pair of
shorts would be.
Finally, men should consider
wearing a vest rather than a suit
jacket. While wearing a vest with-
out a jacket may seem a little “hip-
ster,” it will be much more comfort-
able and is actually a pretty popular
style in Japan during heat waves.
RALPH LAUER/MCT
TELEVISION
“FOOD
REVOLUTION”
Executive producer Ryan
Seacrest (“American Idol”) brings
us celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s
(“The Naked Chef ”) journey into
Huntington, WV with his mission
of reforming the way people eat.
The city of Huntington is con-
sidered to be the fattest town in
the fattest country in the world,
and Oliver is determined to change
that.
His mission starts in an elemen-
tary school where he discovers that
children are eating pizza for break-
fast and chicken nuggets for lunch.
This is one of the best and most
relevant television shows out there
right now, and I encourage every-
one to watch it. It will inspire you
to actually help and make a differ-
ence because nobody in their right
minds would want their children
to be exposed to the garbage some
schools are serving now.
APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 17
Know “what’s going on”
on campus or in NYC?
what’s
Going
Send tips, event listings, or comments to theram@fordham.edu.
On ?
22 NYWF Trivia Night
People Lounge
163 Allen St .
Lower East Side
THURSDAY
Every Monday, the New York Women’s Foundation hosts
this trivia night with raffle prizes for women.
23
Nokia Theatre Times Square
FRIDAY
1515 Broadway (at 44th St.)
Midtown West
Come see famous authors, including Dave Barry and
Mitch Albom, in concert, with the proceeds going to World
Vision, America’s Promise Alliance and the 92nd Street Y.
24 Annual Tulip Festival
West Side Community Garden
W. 89th St.
Upper West Side
SATURDAY
Head to the Upper West Side to catch a glimpse of spring,
and take some pictures to enter the garden’s photo competi-
tion.
25
Fifth Avenue Gold Coast SUNDAY
Walking Tour
The Frick Collection
1 E. 70th St.
Admire the gorgeous building and learn juicy details
about the tycoons of the Gilded Age.
26
Monday Night Magic MONDAY
Theatres at 45 Bleecker
45 Bleecker St.
East Village
Matthew Holtzclaw, Camilo Vázquez and Asi Wind will
perform at this weekly magic show.
27
TUESDAY
Lucha Libre, Superheroes
and Mexican Identity
The Graduate Center at the City University of New York
365 Fifth Ave. (at 34th St.)
Learn about Lucha Libra from an anthropologist’s, cul-
tural historian’s and CUNY Spanish lecturer’s point of view.
28 When Money Was in
Fashion
92Y Tribeca
200 Hudson St.
WEDNESDAY
Listen to Goldman Sachs founder Henry Goldman’s
granddaughter discuss personal and professional problem
between the Goldmans and the Sachs.
MOVIE BOOK
DEATH AT A TWITTERATURE
FUNERAL
Some films are better left in the I will not even pretend that I
coffin, but Death at a Funeral is have read all the important books I
not one of them. Imagine the most should have. I dutifully got through
over-the-top situations that could the ones assigned in school and
occur at a funeral, throw in some several more, but Great Expecta-
farcical characters, and you’ve got tions? Moby Dick? Twilight? Not
this surprisingly funny and enjoy- so much. So when my roommate
able flick. started reading twitterature, I was
In this 2010 film, Chris Rock (I intrigued. Perhaps a book sum-
Think I Love My Wife) stars as the marizing everything from King
responsible oldest son left to deal Lear to the Harry Potter septology
with all the hassles that arise at his could provide enough information
father’s funeral. Each actor in the to get me through cocktail parties,
film delivered strong comedic per- and hopefully include more humor
formances, some exaggerated and than SparkNotes.
others perfectly understated. Though certainly not the labor-
All in all, Death at a Funeral is an intensive reading of the works it
entertaining and funny movie, and summarizes, twitterature is a fun,
if you are in the mood for a good light read, perfect for a quick break
laugh, this movie will certainly de- in between analyzing the actual
liver. Don’t let the title trick you classics. In fact, I may pick up a
– Death at a Funeral is one of the few of those works that I have not
liveliest, most energetic films of the read yet, if only so I can understand
year. their tweets.
PAGE 18 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
Another Celebrity Perk: Infidelity
Tiger Woods may be good at golf, but his marital skills could use some work.
By JEN CACCHIOLI
ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR
In the gossip world, there is
hardly anything more deliciously
scandalous than a high-profile ce-
lebrity husband caught cheating.
The story is always the same: the
mistresses speak out, and the hus-
band tries to beg for forgiveness,
leaving everyone in shock as to
WHO’S THAT KID?
Joe Mancuso
A MEMBER OF CBA ‘10 FROM
RINGWOOD, N.J.
MAJORING IN MARKETING
Where have we seen you?
You have seen me at the caf, or
in Finlay Hall. You may also see me
at the Qualified Auto Insurance
Agency where I work. Come on
down for the lowest prices in New
York! No credit, no problem!
Favorite childhood show and
favorite current show?
My favorite childhood show
was “Salute Your Shorts.” Now, it’s
a toss-up between “Modern Fam-
ily” and “The Office.”
Who would play you in a mov-
ie and why?
Tracy Morgan, simply because
he’s the s***.
If you could have dinner
with any historical person, who
would it be and why?
That’s a really difficult ques-
tion, but I have to say Ludwig van
Beethoven. He went deaf and con-
tinued to write unbelievable mu-
sic for another 13-years. Did you
get that? He was deaf!
Plus, his life inspired six (count
them, six) movies about St. Ber-
nards. Of course, the dinner
would have to take place before he
lost his hearing completely, and
there would have to be a transla-
tor present.
GERRY MELENDEZ/MCT
why anyone would ever cheat on
such a gorgeous wife.
In the last several months, the
No. 1 story splashed all over the
tabloids was the Tiger Woods
cheating scandal. Breaking down
the façade of his clean-cut, respect-
able image, the news of his lascivi-
ous affairs has impacted not only
his marriage but also the livelihood
of his sponsorship. The destruc-
What would your ideal day in
Manhattan consist of?
My ideal day in Manhattan
would take place entirely in Cen-
tral Park. I would find a nice grassy
knoll in an isolated spot under
a tree, lie down on a blanket and
listen to my favorite composers
spanning from the Renaissance to
the Romantic periods.
For breakfast I would have a
soft pretzel, a dirty-water hotdog
for lunch, and a combination of
the two for dinner. Did I mention
that it must be 75 degrees Fahren-
heit and sunny?
If you could be anywhere and
doing anything right now, what
would it be?
I would be taking part in a PSJ
rally…no! I would be involved in
a USG meeting…nah. I would
be running programs with RHA.
Actually, I’d rather bungee jump
without a cord than do any of
those things. Did that answer the
question?
Favorite class at Fordham and
favorite professor?
My favorite class at Fordham
was Jazz: A History in Sound
taught by Dr. Larry Stempel, my
favorite professor. I have never
seen anyone employ such a dy-
CULTURE
tion of his reputation in the press
is proof of how damaging marital
affairs have become for a celebrity.
Apparently, Elin Nordegren,
wife of the defamed Tiger Woods,
has chosen the try-to-make-it-
work route, as she has begun to
live with Tiger again after his re-
turn from sex rehab. How she can
stand to look at the man whose nu-
merous sexual exploits have been
aired to the public in such explicit
detail by his 15 or so mistresses is
unfathomable. Being a normal per-
son who has just discovered she
was cheated on her is incredibly
hard enough, having the status of
a celebrity, which includes taking
on the added weight of worldwide
scrutiny and humiliation, must
make the situation even more dif-
ficult.
No one knows this better right
now than Sandra Bullock. The
shock of her husband, Jesse James’,
affair with Michelle “Bombshell”
McGee has been magnified due
to the mistress’ In Touch magazine
tell-all story breaking within only
a week of Bullock’s triumphant
Oscar-win.
Bullock is as perfect as a celeb-
rity can get: she is the definition of
movie-star good looks, has starred
in multiple lovable romantic-
comedies, has Academy Award
credibility and exudes the unpre-
tentious attitude of someone who
does not let fame get to her head.
She also seems like an incredibly
selfless person who has cared for
namic teaching style.
Dr. Stempel has a sixth sense for
recognizing and commenting on
musical genius; and his mustache
is bangin’!
How do you blow off steam?
By doing community service in
the Bronx. Ha!
What is the biggest miscon-
ception people have about you?
James’ children like they were her
own. McGee, on the other hand, is
a trashy biker model, who photog-
raphers have caught controversial-
ly posing as a white supremacist in
Nazi attire. The two could not be
more different. Bullock’s flawless
character and appearance begs the
question as to why this lucky man
would feel the need to betray their
relationship.
Over and over again this ques-
tion comes up, such as when the
actor, Hugh Grant, cheated on the
gorgeous Elizabeth Hurley with a
street prostitute and Tiger Woods
was unsatisfied with just having a
Swedish swimsuit model for a wife.
So, what is it that makes monoga-
my impossible for these men?
When you draw comparisons
between celebrity cheaters and the
non-famous ones you will find the
differences glaring. Citing sex ad-
diction as an excuse is common for
the celebrity male cheater. It seems
to be the standard procedure for
them to check into a sex rehab facil-
ity for about a month in the hopes
that it will give off the impression
of reformed person. Really, sex re-
hab is just their desperate way of
trying to salvage their reputation
only after they have been caught.
It appears to be done more out of
a publicity obligation rather than
the genuine desire to change.
After leaving abruptly for a brief
time, James has returned to rehab,
while Bullock has been watching
his kids in his absence. It will be
People seem to think that I
want to listen to them. No matter
how hard I try nothing seems to
work. Turning my head, pretend-
ing to text, blasting my iPod…
none of it works! What about me
seems inviting?
Stuck on an island, what
would you need?
My guitar, a hammock, an un-
limited supply of Corona.
interesting to see whether Bullock
chooses to go the route of Nor-
degren and attempt to make her
relationship work upon her hus-
band’s return from rehab or simply
sever ties and divorce immediately.
Whether these men have sex ad-
dictions that need rehabilitation
or not is debatable, but the extent
of their many affairs shows that
change will not be as simple as a
one-month stint in rehab.
For couples in the real world,
monogamy is equally difficult to
practice in a relationship. While
normal cheating husbands may
not go to sex rehab, they deal with
the same kinds of insecurity and
lack of culpability that causes the
behavior seen in these celebrity
scandals. What amazing, success-
ful women like Bullock and Norde-
gren prove is how little this kind of
cheating has to do with the wives.
Due to how hard a long-term
monogamous relationship has
become in our society, cheating,
even in the most loving of relation-
ships, is easily possible. Giving
into temptation is something men
and women have a tough time con-
trolling but they must avoid them
for the sake of a healthy, trusting
relationship.
Ideally, Jesse James and Tiger
Woods can learn from these mis-
takes and maybe regain the trust
they lost in their marriages. How-
ever, if they are anything like some
normal men, a guy who is once a
cheater is always a cheater.
COURTESY OF JOE MANCUSO
What is your dream job?
I would like to be an assistant
dean of student life…seems like
they don’t do much and you don’t
have to be very smart.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I’m in the middle of notating
Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” for or-
chestra. Believe it or not, that’s
my least embarrassing guilty plea-
sure.

‘Glee’ Returns with New Characters
The Popular Musical Show Returns at 9 p.m. on Tuesdays with Mixed Results
By MARTY MERCADO
STAFF WRITER
What do shows like “Buff y the
Vampire Slayer,” “Scrubs,” and
“Xena: Warrior Princess” all have in
common? They all aired episodes
that were musicals; but those were
all one-offs and never happened
again for any of those shows.
Now we have “Glee.” TV execu-
tives try to stay away from musicals
as part of their primetime line-
up, but FOX’s risk is paying off.
The show has earned numerous
awards including the Screen Ac-
tors Guild award for Outstanding
Performance by an Ensemble in a
Comedy Series in addition to edg-
ing “30 Rock,” “Entourage,” “The
Office” and “Modern Family” for
the Best Television Series – Musi-
cal or Comedy at the 2009 Golden
Globes. More importantly, “Glee”
became a ratings giant on Wednes-
day nights averaging just under
eight million viewers per week.
The show uses a fairly generic
plotline of high school life and ste-
reotypes, but what creator Ryan
Murphy (“Popular,” “Nip/Tuck”)
has given the show is an edgy
perspective into this fairly basic
concept. The show uses comedy
and music to tap into the issues
of homosexuality, love and race. It
takes an unapologetic approach to
put these issues to light, and orga-
nizations such as GLAAD and the
NAACP.
Its first (half) season was a suc-
cess for both the viewing public
and critics. The writing and the
acting have received praise, but the
music was the main draw for the
show. Led by Broadway veterans
Lea Michele (Spring Awakening)
and Matthew Morrison (Hair-
spray), coupled with the fresh tal-
ent of newcomer Cory Monteith
(“Kyle XY”) and the ensemble
cast, the musical numbers provide
a healthy mix of the vocal precision
demanded of a seasoned Broadway
production in addition to the raw
honesty of your average Joe.
This perfect storm of talent as
Snoozapalooza Offers Sleeping Tips to Combat Stress
By SCHARON HARDING
STAFF WRITER
College life is far from boring.
Between class, homework, jobs,
internships and social life, it hardly
seems like there are enough hours
in the day. Many students find
themselves incapable of sleeping.
This can add a lot of stress to a stu-
dent’s life, a problem which Ford-
ham’s Counseling and Psychologi-
cal Services addressed on April 15
from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the first
ever “Snoozapalooza,” taking place
outside of McGinley Student Cen-
ter.
“Sleeping problems can be pretty
prevalent among college students,”
Adam Rosen, assistant sirector of
Counseling and Psychological Ser-
vices, said.
This inspired the idea for Snoo-
zapalooza. It was one of the Coun-
seling Center’s outreach activities
well as its clever execution has
made the show into one of 2009’s
biggest TV talking-points and has
earned a spot in the hearts of view-
ers young and old. Dec. 9 marked
the half-season finale of the show
where we saw the glee club (New
Directions) winning sectionals.
Four months later, “Glee” made
its triumphant return, joining
shows like “American Idol” (FOX),
“Dancing with the Stars” (ABC),
“LOST” (ABC) and “The Biggest
Loser” (NBC) in the highly com-
petitive Tuesday night primetime
schedule.
The return episode (“Hell-O”)
saw the triumphant New Direc-
tions now focusing on the regional
competition where they have to
face Carmel High’s Vocal Adrena-
line. Principal Figgins informs Will
Schuster (Morrison) that because
of budget constraints, the club
must place at regional’s in order
to continue running. Sue Sylves-
ter ( Jane Lynch) (Best in Show)
returns from her suspension and
continues to pester Schuster.
Finn Hudson (Monteith) strug-
gles to cope with life after Quinn
Fabray (newcomer Dianna Agron)
(“Veronica Mars,” “Heroes”), while
Rachel Berry (Michele) struggles
for Finn’s affection. When Finn
rejects her, she becomes upset, but
quickly finds a romantic interest in
Vocal Adrenaline’s senior star Jesse
St. James, played by Jonathan Groff
(Spring Awakening). The club now
turns on Rachel for dating the en-
emy and she struggles to find a way
to please all parties.
The whole story now focuses on
three key issues. The first is Finn’s
journey to find himself. He has lived
his life trying to please everyone
around him and he ends up losing
himself in the process. The second
is similar, but it involves Mr. Schus-
ter. In school, he has to fend off Sue
Sylvester’s attacks while trying to
keep New Directions focused on
placing at Regional’s.
In his personal life, like Finn,
he struggles to find out who he
truly is. His blossoming relation-
to encourage students to improve
their mental health. These take
place several times a semester and
encourage students to address any
problems they might have to help
their daily lives. The event provid-
ed resources, information educa-
tion, feedback and interaction for
students having trouble sleeping.
The event included a sleep hy-
giene quiz that helped students
evaluate their sleeping habits. After
the quiz, students received tips to
improve their sleep hygiene. These
tips include avoiding naps, taking
a hot bath before sleep, avoiding
snacks before bed and sticking to a
sleep schedule.
“I realized I had horrible sleep-
ing habits,” Brittany Salas FCRH
’13, said. “I always used to exercise
right before bed, which isn’t good.”
Snoozapalooza also offered an
insomnia severity index, which
helped students gauge how much
CULTURE
ship with Emma Pillsbury ( Jayma
Mays, “Heroes”, “Ugly Betty”) is
short-lived as well as his passion-
ate encounter with Vocal Adrena-
line coach Shelby Corcoran (Idina
Menzel, Rent, Wicked). Both wom-
en ask him to sort out his divorce
before looking to other women.
Finally, the third issue involves
Rachel, who continues to seek af-
firmation from her peers. However,
she finds this in the form of a rival
who at this point, only she trusts.
While these issues were raised,
one that was almost completely
ignored was Quinn Fabray’s baby.
The only thing they presented
about her was that she is now dat-
ing Puck (Mark Salling, “Walker,
Texas Ranger”). Other than that,
viewers do not know much about
how she is handling her pregnancy.
Overall, the return episode
had its fair share of good and bad
points. The writing was as good as
ever, as was the acting. The comedy
was very good, with special men-
tion going to Brittany (Heather
Morris, Elevator, “How I Met Your
Mother”). Her one-liners that in-
clude gems like, “Did you know
dolphins are just gay sharks?” and
“I sometimes forget my middle
name,” makes the comedy a lot bet-
ter.
Of course, there is Lynch, who is
arguably the strongest actress and
plays the strongest character in the
show. Everything flows incredibly
naturally off her and her interac-
tion with each of the characters is
consistently good. Her ruthless-
ness and lust for power simultane-
ously make her the most hated and
most beloved character of the show.
The new characters (St. James and
Corcoran) added a needed extra
dimension to the story, as New
Directions now has to face the na-
tional champions.
However, the addition of Jona-
than Groff did expose Monteith’s
weakness as a musician. Monteith’s
voice pales in comparison with
Groff ’s vocal prowess – and that
is being generous. Groff ’s cover
(with Michele) of Lionel Richie’s
their inability to sleep was affect-
ing their concentration and stress
level.
“Sleep is important for your
physical and mental health,” Rosen
said. “It can affect your mood, con-
centration and focus. Insomnia is
often associated with depression
and can be caused by anxiety”.
“I never realized that my sleepi-
ness was making me so stressed,”
Kevin Horan, CBA ’13, said.
Sleepy’s, the mattress company,
co-sponsored the event, and pro-
vided a diagnostic mattress for
students to try out. It read the stu-
dents’ body, and recommended
the best type of mattress for them.
They also provided raffle items to
lure students to the event.
Other raffle prizes were iPod
clock radios, pillows and T-shirts.
Sleep masks and bananas were also
given away for free.
“I just wanted a Snuggie,” Sasha
APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 19
“Glee” has returned in all its musical glory, with both good and bad results.
“Hello,” in addition to his version
of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”
completely overshadows anything
Monteith has done in all 14 epi-
sodes. Yes, the Finn character is not
supposed to be the perfect vocalist,
but it is difficult not to compare the
two leading male singers.
In addition, the backing vocals
are starting to lose their luster. It is
starting to sound more like Kidz
Bop rather than show choir. This
is evident in the cast’s rendition of
the All-American Rejects’ “Gives
You Hell,” as well as their cover of
The Beatles classic “Hello, Good-
bye.” When compared to their in-
credible interpretations of Queen’s
“Somebody to Love” and Avril Lav-
igne’s “Keep Holding On,” it is ob-
vious how manufactured the sound
is with the more recent numbers as
opposed to the earlier ones. It is as
if the sound editor simply got lazy
Fisher, FCRH ’13, said
All raffle tickets included a 20
percent off coupon to Sleepy’s.
“It took a lot of time and energy
to prepare, but it was worth it be-
cause student response was very
good,” Rosen said.
He also said that getting Sleepy’s
was a bit of work, but they ended
up being helpful.
The event was successful with
around 100 students attend-
ing. All of these students re-
ceived personal attention to their
sleeping needs. As a result, the
Counseling Center is looking to
hold the event again next year.
“I would definitely want to go to
another Snoozapalooza,” Amanda
Ryland, CBA ’12, said. “I got a lot
of useful tips.”
Kevin Horan said he was also
interested in a second Snoozapa-
looza.
“I’d go especially if it’s a nice day
MATTHIAS CLAMER/MCT
and ticked the box for autotune.
In spite of all this, there is still a
lot to be excited about with the sec-
ond half of the first season of “Glee.”
The stories continue to be riveting
and the acting continues to be en-
tertaining. While the show’s main
asset – the singing – is in need of a
little work, “Glee” continues to be
one of the best in prime time and
fans continue to rave about it.
The return episode commanded
13.66 million viewers to beat ABC
rivals “Dancing with the Stars” and
“LOST” on the night, and came in
second only to its lead-in, “Ameri-
can Idol”.
As long as “Glee” continues to
be itself – a post-modern, escap-
ist show, it will continue to be a
Tuesday-night staple for millions
of people. So sit back, relax and
sing along, because “Glee” is back
and as good as ever.
out like it was this year,” he said.
Rosen said they are awaiting stu-
dent satisfaction surveys to make a
final decision.
Snoozapalooza was also a way
for students with severe sleeping
problems to get immediate help.
Kathleen Malara, a director from
Fordham’s Health Center was at
the event. She was available to dis-
cuss the physical causes and effects
of insomnia.
Since Snoozapalooza was an
Outreach Event, students were also
encouraged to come to the Coun-
seling Center if they have personal
problems affecting their sleep.
“I want students to know they
can always come on down if they
feel they want to talk to someone,”
Rosen said.
Fordham’s Counseling Center
and Psychological Services is lo-
cated in the basement of O’Hare
Hall.
PAGE 20 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010 ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 21
PAGE 22 • THE RAM • APRIL21, 2010 ADVERTISING
APRIL 21, 2010
Softball Continues to Roll with Dramatic Win at Hofstra
By NICK CARROLL
SPORTS EDITOR
Even though the Fordham soft-
ball team may not be catching the
eyes of the student body, it is get-
ting plenty of national attention.
In the past week, sophomore
pitcher Jen Mineau earned her
third Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the
Week award and has been named
as a Top 25 Finalist for USA Soft-
ball Player of the Year, junior in-
fielder Beckah Wiggins was fea-
tured in the April 10 issue of Sports
Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd
and freshman first baseman Jamie
LaBovick was named Co-A-10
Rookie of the Week.
Despite the attention, Head
Coach Bridget Orchard does not
think these accolades will affect
the team’s play, which has been
good enough for a 37-8 record.
“They know it is one game at a
time and that every game makes a
difference,” Orchard said. “The big-
gest goal is to win all of the remain-
ing games and not drop a game for
the rest of the season.”
The team’s focus seemed to in-
tensify over the past week as the
Lady Rams were able to wrap up
an 11-game homestand with dou-
bleheader sweep of Fairleigh Dick-
inson, then went on the road and
took care of George Washington
and La Salle in a two-game set and
then finished it off with a big road
game against the 31-8 Hofstra
Pride.
In the first game of the double-
header against Fairleigh Dickin-
son, the Lady Rams were able to
get off to a fast start.
Following a leadoff double
by junior third baseman Jocelyn
Dearborn, a Wiggins walk and a
LaBovick single, junior catcher
Meghan Shager was able to come
through with a two-out triple to
clear the bases and give Fordham
the early 3-0 lead.
From there on, it was all Ford-
ham as junior pitcher Chelsea
Plimpton was able to control the
rest of the game and secure Ford-
ham’s lead.
With the aid of two more insur-
ance runs, she was able to avoid
trouble up until the sixth, when a
double and a pair of walks set up
a sacrifice fly from sophomore
catcher Alexandra Schubert to
make the score 5-1.
“I hit a mental block,” Plimpton
said. “I missed my spots.”
She finished off the game allow-
ing five hits, walking three, striking
out six and allowing only the lone
run to finish off a 5-1 win.
“I tried to hit my sports, but I
missed a few times,” Plimpton said.
“The defense picked me up.”
In the second game of the dou-
bleheader, one got the sense that it
was going to be another dominant
start by Mineau from the very be-
ginning.
Her first 10 outs were recorded
by way of strikeout and only one
runner was able to get past first un-
til the sixth.
In the meantime, Fordham gave
her plenty of run support with a
lot of help from the Fairleigh Dick-
Sophomore Jen Mineau recorded her 500th career strikeout last week along with her 10th shutout of the year against GW.
inson fielders.
In the second, junior shortstop
Samantha Pellechio came home
after an error by senior first base-
man Kristen Coughlin.
Later in the game, and after an
RBI single from Pellechio in the
third, Fordham broke the game
open with three more unearned
runs in the fifth, capped by a two-
run Shager triple. The rally was
set up by a botched groundball
by freshman third baseman Maire
Shaughnessey.
After getting out of a bases-
loaded jam in the top of the sixth,
Fordham was able to put the game
away on a three-run home run by
senior centerfielder Erin Fisher.
Mineau’s final line was highlight-
ed by 14 strikeouts in six innings of
work while only allowing five hits
and no walks.
“The key was to get ahead,”
Mineau said. “Once you get ahead,
you can basically toy with the hit-
ter.”
After the sweep, Fordham head-
ed down to Washington, D.C. to
face George Washington, where
the Lady Rams were able to pull
off another two-game sweep.
The first game was another gem
by Mineau, where she was able to
get her 10th shutout of the season
and record her 500th career strike-
out to secure a 3-0 win.
Overall, she ended up striking
out 12 on the day, allowing only
four hits en route to the shutout.
The offense came from the top of
the order, most notably Dearborn
and Fisher. Fordham was able to
take the lead on a Fisher single that
scored Dearborn to make it 1-0.
In the fifth, Fordham was able to
tack on two more runs. First Dear-
born singled home sophomore
outfielder Lindsey Kay Bright, who
reached on an error by freshman
first baseman Sandi Moynihan.
After stealing second base, Dear-
born scored on a Fisher single to
make the score 3-0, which proved
to be the final.
The second game turned into a
rout, as Fordham was able to score
in every inning and finish off a 9-0
after five on the mercy rule.
Most of the Lady Rams’ offense
was generated by the top four hit-
ters in the lineup. That top four
of Dearborn, Fisher, Wiggins and
LaBovick produced nine of the
teams’ 14 hits and knocked in eight
of the runs. As a result, the leadoff
hitter Dearborn scored four times
in the win.
On the mound, Plimpton had
another stellar performance, strik-
ing out six in five shutout innings,
while only allowing two hits and
walking none.
Fordham followed this up with
a doubleheader in Philadelphia
against La Salle, which proved to
be much more of a test.
In the first game of the double-
header, Fordham got out to a fast
start on a Dearborn leadoff home
run, which was followed up by
LaBovick scoring on an error by
senior outfielder Erica Vile.
The Lady Rams went on to tack
on a third run on a Shager single
that scored Pellechio to make the
score 3-0. However, La Salle was to
hold Fordham to three and stay in
the game.
Despite the run support, Mineau
was not able to hold the lead.
After senior pitcher Gina Mas-
saro led off the game with a home
run, the lead remained set at 3-1
until the seventh.
However, La Salle struck for two
to send the game into extra innings
on a two-run double from Vile,
knotting the game at three.
The score remained tied at three
until the ninth, when freshman
second baseman Liz Reed was
unable to field a ball off the bat of
Wiggins with two outs, allowing
Dearborn and sophomore utility
player Jo Krasnisky to score, giving
Fordham a two-run lead.
From this point, Mineau was
able to put the Explorers away
with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal
the victory.
Despite giving up three runs,
PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM
Mineau only allowed four base
runners (all four coming on hits)
and she struck out 22.
Similar to the George Washing-
ton series, the second game proved
to be lopsided, as Fordham was
able to win 10-2, with most of the
scoring coming via the long ball.
The Lady Rams got off to anoth-
er fast start on a two-run home run
by Wiggins to take the lead.
Fordham later added to the lead
in the third with another two-run
home run, this time from Pelle-
chio, to make the score 4-0.
After La Salle was able to get
two back on a home run of its own
from senior first baseman Angeli-
na Bisbiglia to make the score 4-2,
the Lady Rams put the game away
by scoring six in the seventh, high-
Junior Jocelyn Dearborn has helped fuel the Fordham offense and is tied for the
team lead in runs scored with 37 and is fourth on the team in batting average ( .338.)
PAGE 23
lighted by another two-run homer
from Pellechio and a three-run
shot by Dearborn.
Plimpton got the win for Ford-
ham, giving up two runs on the
Bisbiglia home run, four hits and
one walk, while striking out six.
Fordham followed up the La
Salle sweep with a big showdown
against the previously 31-7 Hofstra
Pride.
The game was a pitchers duel
from start to finish, as neither
Mineau nor Hofstra’s freshman
pitcher Olivia Galati caved in
against the opposing offense.
Despite lackluster control (as ev-
idence of her four walks), Mineau
pitched her away around trouble
and only allowed two Pride hits.
Her opposition, Galati, was
dominant for most of the day, al-
lowing only three hits and not is-
suing a walk.
However, the third hit of the
game proved to be the difference,
as Pellechio picked up her second
hit of the game and then played
the role of hero in the seventh and
final inning with her third home
run of the season, which proved to
be the difference in a 1-0 win.
Mineau got the win, improving
her record to 24-5, and picked up
13 more strikeouts in the process.
With the seven wins, the Lady
Rams are now 37-8 and 10-2 in the
A-10.
Going forward, Fordham has its
sights set high as it vies for a spot
in the NCAA tournament.
Like Orchard, Mineau said that
she thinks the team can win out.
“We should win every game
from here on out,” Mineau said.
Coming up next for the Lady
Rams is a trip to Temple on April
23 and 24, a doubleheader at Saint
Joseph’s on the 25 and another
road game against Iona on April
27.
PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM
PAGE 24 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
Men’s and Women’s Track Finish Second and Fourth at Mets, Respectively
By CELESTE KMIOTEK
CULTURE EDITOR
Fordham’s men’s and women’s
outdoor track and field teams
placed second out of 10 teams
with 135 points and fourth out of
11 teams with 85.5 points, respec-
tively, at the 2010 Metropolitan
Outdoor Track & Field Champion-
ships Saturday, April 17 at Ramapo
College in Mahwah, N.J. Southern
Connecticut won for the men with
150 points, while St. John’s placed
first among the women’s teams
with 170 points.
“We had guys step up, getting
points where we needed them to,”
senior Tom Papain said. “That’s
what meets like Mets and the
A[tlantic] 10s are all about people
running faster than their seed times
and surprising the field.”
“We had won Mets the past
two years and were hoping to de-
fend our championship but un-
fortunately that did not happen,”
sophomore Brian Riley said. “It’s
disappointing but certainly doesn’t
set us back. Much bigger meets are
still in our future and we can’t dwell
on this one.”
“Both teams were disappointed
to find out that the team scoring
did not go as hoped,” senior John
Korevec said. “This frustration was
compounded by the fact that the
team score standings throughout
the meet had us decisively in the
lead, however it was not until late
in the meet that we found out the
scores were wrong, making it very
difficult for us to adapt our relay
rosters and event strategies to be
able to respond to the new point
differential.”
For the men, junior Brian
Schmidt won the 800-meter dash
with a 1:52.56, followed by fresh-
man John Cosgrove in second with
a 1:52.72, junior Tim Hutchinson
in fifth with a 1:54.74 and senior
Brian Horowitz in ninth with a
1:58.04.
Junior Christopher Lyons
Women’s Rowing Places Fifth at Atlantic 10 Championships
By KIMBERLY ENGEL
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Fordham women’s rowing
team placed fifth overall at the At-
lantic 10 Championships on Sat-
urday.
Competing on the Cooper River
in Pennsauken, N.J., the Lady Rams
earned a total of 31 points, placing
higher than in past years.
“We had a strong performance
all across the board,” Head Coach
Ted Bonanno said. “We were very
competitive in every race.”
Rhode Island won its second
A-10 Championship, earning 53
points, followed by Massachusetts,
with 40.
Saint Joseph’s and Temple tied
for third with 39 points each, while
Fordham was fifth.
George Washington was sixth
with 30 points and Dayton was
seventh with 19, while Duquesne
and La Salle tied for eighth with
eight points apiece.
Despite windy conditions, Ford-
ham’s Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 shells
both qualified for the Grand Final
in their respective races.
“We all came into the races
Fordham took the top two spots in the 800-meter dash, highlighted by junior Brian Schmidt, winning with a time of 1:52.56.
took third in the 200-meter dash
(22.39) and fifth in the 400-meter
dash (49.30).
Freshman Sean Atkinson fin-
ished sixth in the 400-meter dash
with 19.59, followed by sopho-
more Nick Delligatti in 10th with
a 50.78.
Sophomore Kevin Fitzgerald
won the 1,500-meter run with a
3:59.10 with junior Thomas Kelly
coming in seventh (4:05.89) and
sophomore Sam Stuart coming in
eighth (4:06.24).
Papain finished third in the
5,000-meter run with a 15:10.57
and senior Tim Hartnett placed
10th in the 10,000-meter run in
34:44.09.
In the field events, Riley won
the 3,000-meter steeplechase with
9:36.92, followed by Korevec
(third with 9:39.90), junior Pat
McDonough (fifth with 9:50.03),
sophomore Rich Grandelli (sev-
enth with 9:56.31) and sopho-
more Andrew Roddin (10th with
10:14.98).
Freshman Daniel Chediak
placed second in the 110-meter
hurdles (15.66) and third in the
pole vault (3.81 meters), for which
he was named A-10 Men’s Outdoor
knowing the wind was going to be
a bad factor, but we were still able
to move the boat well,” junior Katie
Helmer said.
In the Varsity 4 championship
race, Fordham crossed the line at
8:03, good enough for third and
earning a bronze medal in its com-
petition.
The Lady Rams finished behind
UMass and URI, who finished at
7:44 and 7:57, respectively.
The shell consisted of sopho-
mores Joanna Bak, Jean Beagle,
Molly McLaughlin, Nora Doyle
and freshman Bridget Poznanski.
“It was a tremendously exciting
race,” Bonanno said. “They were
in last place for a good part of the
race, but fought back in the second
half.”
The Varsity 4 finished ahead of
Temple, Saint Joe’s and GW.
The Varsity 8 shell, which consist-
ed of seniors Stephanie Narduzzo,
Lis Knips, Christina Costa, juniors
Katie Helmer, Alyssa Sunofsky,
Kayla Gaskey, Nadia Abdul-Ghan,
freshman Elizabeth Anderson and
sophomore Kate Branciforte, also
qualified for the Grand Final.
In the final, the Varsity 8 placed
SPORTS
Track & Field Rookie of the Week.
Freshman Daniel Clemens and
sophomore Steven Dickinson took
fourth and eighth, respectively, in
the 110-meter hurdles (16.38 and
17.37). In the 400-meter hurdles,
freshman Michael Rossi placed
seventh (59.22) and Clemens
placed ninth (59.45). Junior Au-
gustus Gleason finished fifth both
in the high jump (1.75 meters) and
the pole vault (3.36 meters), sixth
in the long jump (5.75 meters) and
10th in the shot put (10.93 me-
ters), while junior Pat Brown took
third in the hammer throw (47.16
meters).
For the relays, the men’s 4x800
team of Hutchinson, freshman Ber-
nard Moore, Fitzgerald and sopho-
more Stephen Donnelly placed
second with a 7:51.39, the 4x100
team of Atkinson, sophomore Ken
Baron, Chediak and Lyons placed
third with a 43.66 and the 4x400
team of Atkinson, Lyons, Schmidt
and Delligatti finished third with a
3:18.03.
For the women, junior Kerri
Gallagher won the 800-meter run
with a 2:15.76, while redshirted
senior Brigid Moriarty won the
10,000-meter run in a 37:51.65.
fourth in a very close race, finishing
at 6:45. At the end, the Lady Rams
fell behind Temple, who finished at
6:43.
URI crossed the line first, with
a time of 6:37, followed by Saint
Joe’s at 6:42.
“We fought for third place, but
just fell short,” Helmer said.
Though the Varsity 8 did not
earn a medal in its competition, the
team took its achievements from
the regatta as signs that it can com-
pete at the Dad Vail later this year.
In addition to their performance
at the Knecht Cup on April 11 and
12, the Lady Rams defeated UM-
ass, but this time by nearly nine
seconds in the Grand Final.
The Minutewomen, who have
won 13 out of 15 A-10 Champion-
ships, have consistently been one of
Fordham’s toughest competitors.
“It’s uplifting to see that we’re
beating them, and that we’re doing
so by a big margin,” Bonanno said.
“It looks like we have their number
right now.”
In addition to the strong perfor-
mances from the varsity boats, the
Lady Rams also earned two indi-
vidual awards.
PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM
Junior Sherilyn Groeninger came
in seventh in the 100-meter dash at
12.69, sophomore Elisabeth War-
ren took 10th in the 200-meter
dash with a 26.26 and sophomore
Kelly Connolly finished seventh in
the 400-meter dash with a 59.48.
Sophomore Mairin O’Connor
took third in the 5,000-meter run
with a 19:03.53, followed by junior
Johanne Sterling in eighth with
20:18.83. Junior Jana Trenk fin-
ished seventh in the 10,000-meter
run with a 42:47.39.
In the field events, sophomore
Blair Hassell won the javelin with
a throw of 39.35 meters. Senior
Catherine Groene came in second
in the 400-meter hurdles (1:05.42),
with freshman Kathleen Toth in
10th (1:15.26). Freshman Court-
nay Newman took eighth in the
100-meter hurdles (16.35), third
in the high jump (1.55 meters) and
ninth in the javelin throw (25.47
meters). Warren placed fifth in the
long jump (5.22 meters), Groene
placed seventh in the triple jump
(10.30 meters) and senior Dana
Mitchell placed sixth in the 3,000-
meter steeplechase (13:03.28).
The women’s 4x100 team of
Groeninger, Warren, Groene and
Helmer won First Team All-
Conference honors and Sunofsky
won Second Team All-Conference
honors.
“I’m really proud of them,” se-
nior co-captain Francesca Andrea.
said “They deserved it. Both of
them are so dedicated. It’s really
great to see some of our individuals
awarded for their hard work.”
The Junior Varsity 8, after failing
to qualify for the Grand Final fall-
ing behind Dayton by less than a
second, went on to win the petite
final.
Finishing with a time of 7:23,
the Lady Rams defeated Duquesne
and La Salle.
The novice boats also performed
competitively, with the Novice 8
placing fourth overall and the Nov-
ice 4 placing fifth.
By earning a total of 31 points
and placing higher than the team
has ever done at the A-10 Champi-
onships, Fordham has now put it-
self in a better position for the rest
of the season.
“Today was the highest we’ve
ranked at this competition,” Hel-
mer said. “This is helpful for put-
ting us in a better heat at the Dad
Gallagher finished fourth, breaking
the 1991 school record of 49.67
with a 49.43. The 4x400 team of
Connolly, Warren, Groene and
Gallagher won with a 3:56.94,
and the 4x800 team of Gallagher,
Groeninger, Moriarty and sopho-
more Sheena Parand came in fifth
with a 9:48.63.
The teams are now focusing on
preparing for upcoming champi-
onship meets, and are focusing in
particular on the relays.
“Our goal for Penn Relays is to
put together a fresh 4x400 and
4x800, something which is hard
to do when you have guys run-
ning open events earlier in the day
at most meets,” Papain said. “The
4x800 should definitely be able to
beat their mark from A-10s out-
door last year. No question.”
“For Penn this upcoming week-
end, the team is focusing on putting
everything together at the same
time,” Riley said. “As a relay team
you hope everyone can run their
best possible race on the same day.
I think we will have some strong
performances this weekend which
will give us positive momentum
heading into A-10s.”
“There is still a lot of room for
improvement, and we are hoping
to turn some heads for the rest of
our schedule,” Korevec said. “The
team’s remaining goals include a
good showing at the Penn Relays
and A-10s, as well as to increase
the number of qualifiers for the
IC4A/ECAC Championships at
Princeton, and the NCAA East
Preliminaries in Greensboro, N.C.,
and then hopefully beyond to the
National Finals at the University of
Oregon in June.”
“At Penn we would like to knock
down relay times and compete in
our heats,” Groene said. “We are all
very excited for the meet and think
some great races will be run.”
The teams will next compete on
Thursday, April 22 through Satur-
day, April 24 at the Penn Relays in
Philadelphia.
Vail.”
Fordham’s improved perfor-
mance at the A-10 Championships
will now give the team a higher
seeding at the Dad Vail.
“We’re right there with the oth-
er crews,” Andrea said. “A higher
seeding at the Dad Vail is one more
thing in our favor.”
The Lady Rams, having achieved
one of their season goals of per-
forming better at the A-10 Cham-
pionships, are looking to continue
their progress.
With the upcoming ECAC Met-
ro Championship and Dad Vail,
the team now has the opportunity
to build on its success so far.
“We’ll be focusing on preparing
for the Dad Vail in the next few
weeks,” Bonanno said. “We want
to qualify for the Grand Final races
there.”
Before Fordham has the chance
to reach this goal however, it will
compete at the Metropolitan
Spring Championships on April 25
at the Orchard Beach Lagoon.
“Each week we continue to build
and train hard,” Andrea said. “We
want to medal at the Dad Vail and
we have the potential to do this.”
 SPORTS APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 25
Baseball Softball Track and Field
Sharks in Familiar Situation Fordham 3-7 Rutgers Fordham 3-0 GW
Metropolitan Championships
By BRENDAN MALONE Maybe the nickname “Shark” has Men’s 200 Meter Dash
STAFF WRITER something to do with consistent Fordham AB R H RBI HR 3) Lyons, Fordham, 22.39
Fordham AB R H RBI HR
failure in big spots. Greg Norman, Men’s 400 Meter
Lee lf 5 0 1 0 0
Since the lockout, the San Jose your thoughts? Kowmacki ss 4 1 0 0 0 Dearborn 3b 3 2 2 1 0 5) Lyons, Fordham, 49.30. 6)
Sharks have been one of the best Mobbs cf 3 1 0 0 0 Fisher cf 3 0 3 2 0 Atkinson, Fordham, 49.59
Walker dh 3 0 0 0 0 Wiggins 2b 2 0 0 0 0 Men’s 800 Meter
teams in the NHL during the regu- Other Playoff Thoughts LaBovick 1b 3 0 0 0 0 1) Schmidt, Fordham, 1:52.56.
DeSilva pr 0 0 0 0 0
lar season. Huge win for the Phoenix Coy- McCrann rf 4 0 2 2 0 Pellechio ss 3 0 0 0 0 2) Cosgrove, Fordham, 1:52.72.
Their success has ended there otes Sunday in Detroit. Phoenix is David c 4 0 0 0 0 Shager c 3 0 0 0 0 Men’s 1500 Meter
though. The Sharks have advanced the higher seed, but nobody has Russo 2b 4 1 2 0 0 Pollack dp 3 0 1 0 0 1) Fitzgerald, Fordham,
Taddei 1b 4 0 2 0 0 Crowley pr 0 0 0 0 0 3:59.10. 7) Thomas, Fordham,
past the second round of the play- them winning the series against the Kenny pr 0 0 0 0 0 Richards rf 3 0 0 0 0 4:05.89.
offs just once since the lockout Red Wings. They lead the series Maghini 3b 3 0 2 1 0 Bright lf 3 1 0 0 0
DeMartino p 0 0 0 0 0
Men’s 5000 Meter
despite never finishing the regular two games to one, however, after Mineau p 0 0 0 0 0 3) Papain, Fordham, 15:10.57
Charest p 0 0 0 0 0
season with fewer than 99 points. beating the Red Wings in Detroit Sorine p 0 0 0 0 0 Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles
Totals 26 3 6 3 0
They have lost twice in the first 4-2 last Sunday on NBC. It was Munday p 0 0 0 0 0 2) Chediak, Fordham, 15.66
round, including last year when a game in which the Red Wings GW AB R H RBI HR
Men’s 400 Meter Hurdles
Totals 34 3 9 3 0 6) Rossi, Fordham, 59.22
they became only the fourth team twice cut two goal Phoenix leads to Men’s 3000 Meter
Terrazas 3b 3 0 0 0 0
to win the President’s Trophy and one in the third period, only to see
Holst cf 3 0 1 0 0 Steeplechase
then lose in the first round. Rutgers AB R H RBI HR 1) Riley, Fordham, 9:36.92
the Coyotes answer right back with Moynihan 1b 3 0 0 0 0
The Sharks promised a shake- goals of their own. Lang rf 4 2 1 1 1 Wilson dp/rf 2 0 1 0 0 Men’s 4x100 Relay
up this past offseason after the first Teams without much playoff ex- Biserta lf 4 1 1 2 1 Taylor lf 2 0 0 0 0 3) Fordham (Atkinson,
Nyisztor 2b 4 0 1 0 0 O’Donnell ss 2 0 1 0 0 Chekiak, Lyons, Baron), 43.66
round loss, and they delivered by perience, like Phoenix, can easily Men’s 4x800 Relay
Matthews 1b 3 1 0 0 0 Zakeri pr 0 0 0 0 0
acquiring Dany Heatley. fall apart in situations like that, es- Hopkins 3b 4 0 0 0 0 Stanley c 1 0 0 0 0 2) Fordham (Hutchinson,
Heatley and the rest of the pecially after the team’s best player Jimenez cf 3 1 0 1 0 Fogarty ph 1 0 0 0 0 Moore, Fitzgerald, Donnelly),
Sharks had another impressive reg- and captain, Shane Doan was in- Bitteridge ss 2 1 1 0 0 Nescio p 1 0 0 0 0 7:51.39
Melillo c 2 1 1 1 0 Clauss p 1 0 1 0 0 Men’s Hammer Throw
ular season, grabbing the top seed jured and had to leave the game, Boykin dh 4 0 1 2 0 Orlandi 2b 2 0 0 0 0 3) Brown, Patrick, 47.16m
in the Western Conference for the but Petr Prucha and Radim Vrbata Hill p 0 0 1 0 0
Yaniga rf 2 0 0 0 0
second consecutive year, but none each stepped up and scored huge Totals 30 7 7 7 2
Wooldridge p 0 0 0 0 0 Women’s 100 meter dash
of that matters now. goals to push the lead back to two 7) Groeninger, Fordham, 12.69
This team will be judged on goals. Totals 21 0 4 0 0 Women’s 800 meter dash
what it does in the playoffs. The The Coyotes have been the best R H E 1) Gallagher, Fordham, 2:15.76
Fordham 200 000 001 3 9 3 R H E Women’s 5000 meter dash
playoffs are only three games old, story in the league this year. Beat- Rutgers 201 001 03X 7 7 1 Fordham 001 020 0 3 6 0 3) O’Connor, Fordham,
but the Sharks have lost two of ing the Detroit Red Wings would GW 000 000 0 0 4 1 19:03.53
those games, and the game they be another incredible accomplish- Women’s 10000 meter dash
E - Lee (1); Kpwnacki E - Moynihan. LOB - Rams
did win went to overtime against ment for this franchise, which is (17); David (1); Matthews 1) Moriarty, Fordham, 37:51.65
3. 2B - Fisher. Women’s 100 meter hurdles
a very young Avalanche team that owned by the NHL. (3). LOB - Rams 7; Knights
6. 2B - Jimmenez (7). 3B - 8) Newman, Fordham, 16.13
should be severely outclassed by It is a situation similar to that of Fordham IP H R ER BB SO Women’s 400 meter hurdles
McCann (2); Boykin (20) .
this Sharks team. the Montreal Expos prior to their HR - Lang (9); Biserta (13). 2) Groene, Fordham, 1:05.42
Mineau 7.0 4 0 0 0 12 Women 3000 meter
The Sharks have always been move to Washington.
viewed as a soft team that does I really hope the Capitals and Fordham IP H R ER BB SO Steeplechase
GW
not know how to react when faced Blackhawks can both make a run 7) Mitchell, Fordham, 13:03.28
DeMartino 4.0 5 3 3 3 2 Women’s 4x100 meter
with adversity, or come back from to the finals this year. They are two Charest 3.0 0 1 0 1 2 Nescio 4.1 4 3 1 1 3
Sorine 0.0 0 1 1 0 0 Clauss 2.2 2 0 0 0 1
4) Fordham (Groeninger,
a tough loss. of the most fun teams to watch in Munday 1.0 2 2 2 1 1 Groene, Minasi, Connolly),
They had better figure out how recent memory, but an early exit 49.43
Fordham 5-3 La Salle Women’s 4x400 meter
to do that pretty soon because they by them could mean the end of the
find themselves down two games wide-open, “Let’s try to win every Rutgers IP H R ER BB SO 1) Fordham (Connolly,
Fordham AB R H RBI HR Kwallwasser, Gallagher,
to one right now, with Game 4 in game ‘6-5’ style.” Hill 9.0 9 9 3 2 4 Groene), 3:56.94
Colorado, the site of their most The Capitals are by far the best Dearborn 3b 5 2 3 1 1 Women’s High Jump
recent devastating playoff loss in team in the Eastern Conference Fordham 6-4 SLU Fisher cf 5 0 0 0 0 3) Newman, Fordham, 1.55m
Game 3 of this series, they outshot and the Blackhawks are the only SaintLouis AB R H RBI HR Wiggins 2b 5 0 1 2 0 Women’s Hammer Throw
the Avs 51-17, but lost 1-0 in over- team in the West that can match LaBovick 1b 5 1 1 0 0 16) Caggiano, Fordham,
Dunn cf 4 0 0 0 0 Pellechio ss 4 1 0 0 0 24.25m
time when defenseman Dan Boyle, the talent level of the Sharks. A Women’s Javelin Throw
Braaten c 5 0 0 0 0 Shager c 4 0 2 1 0
the All-Star defenseman acquired Caps-Blackhawks final would be Brock 1b 4 0 1 0 0
Richards rf 3 3 1 0 0
11) Caggiano, Fordham,
two years ago from Tampa Bay in outstanding. Myers 3b 4 2 1 1 1 21.73m
Fernandez dh 5 2 2 3 1 Pollack ph 1 0 0 0 0
another “shake things up move” Nicklas Backstrom is the third- Krasnisky dp 2 1 0 0 0
Guerra rf 4 0 1 0 0
after a disappointing early playoff best player in the league right now. Levine ss 4 0 1 0 0
1 Robert Morris U -PA 306
Callahan dp 2 0 1 0 0
exit, attempted to backhand the Primarily a set-up guy for Ovech- Miller 2b 3 0 1 0 0 304 311 921
Bright lf 4 0 0 0 0
puck to his defense partner behind kin his first two years, he scored 33 Cotter lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 Brock Pompeani 75 76 76 227
Mineau p 0 0 0 0 0
Cotten p 0 0 0 0 0 T 14 Brandon Pompeani 76 78
the net, but instead the puck found goals during the regular season and
80 234
room between the post and goalie has been the Caps’ best player in Totals 36 4 8 4 2 Totals 40 5 9 4 1
T 16 Joe Kabana 78 80 77 235
Evgeni Nabokov. the playoffs so far. T 18 Max Cahn 77 73 86 236
For all the criticism the Sharks He scored the overtime winner LaSalle AB R H RBI HR
Fordham AB R H RBI HR T 23 Robbie Holdcroft 86 77
have taken, if you continue to out- in Game 2, a game in which the 78 241
Lee lf 5 0 4 1 0 Massaro p 4 1 1 1 1
shoot your opponent 51-17, you Caps were down 4-1 and a loss Como rf 5 0 0 0 0 Shepherd ss 4 1 1 0 0
are going to win a lot of hockey would have meant falling into an McCrann 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 Fairfield University 313 306
Conville 3b 4 1 1 0 0
games. 0-2 hole at home. Walker dh/c 3 2 1 0 0 306 925
Bisbiglia 1b 4 0 0 0 0
The Sharks had a similar game The New Jersey Devils are an- Mobbs cf 4 0 2 0 0 T 6 Nick Gliozzo 77 76 78 231
Ponte c 4 1 3 2 0 Vile lf 3 0 1 2 0
last year against the Ducks, when other team that has faltered early in T 8 Kevin Fitzpatrick 77 82 73
Anastasi p 0 0 0 0 0 Brabazon pr 0 0 0 0 0
Jonas Hiller stole a game in which the playoffs after another division Kownaci ss 4 1 1 0 0 232
Guinn dp 3 0 0 0 0
Martinez 2b 4 1 1 2 0 T 10 Nick Taylor 80 74 79 233
the Sharks dramatically outshot title for the Eastern Conference’s Skomorucha c 3 0 0 0 0
Maghini 3b 3 1 1 1 0 T 14 Sean Deale 79 79 76 234
the Ducks, and the Sharks never most consistent team of the last 15 Mack p 0 0 0 0 0 DiTommaso rf 3 0 0 0 0
T 25 Joseph Macaluso 82 77
recovered. years. Flanagan p 0 0 0 0 0 Reed 2b 3 0 0 0 0
Grangard p 0 0 0 0 0 83 242
This might be the last chance This Devils team has more offen- Gallagher cf 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 36 6 13 6 0 Totals 31 3 4 3 1
for this Sharks team if they do not sive firepower, on paper, than any 3 Mount St. Mary’s U. 308
recover from the Game 3 loss and of those previous teams, including 315 303 926
R H E R H E
lose this series. Patrick Marleau is a the three Stanley Cup champion- T 3 Ray Hyre 74 79 76 229
SaintLouis000 100 120 4 8 0 Fordham 300 000 002 5 9 0
free agent this offseason. ship teams. Fordham 040 010 10X 613 2 T 6 Brad Gerick 73 80 78 231
LaSalle 100 000 200 3 4 5
His future hinges on this playoff This team has struggled since T 10 Dan Michalek 83 77 73
season. If the Sharks are knocked the trade for Ilya Kovalchuk and is E - McCrann (7); Grangard 233
E - Massaro; Bisbiglia;
out early again, Marleau will prob- struggling against a lackluster Fly- (5). LOB - Billikens 10; T 18 Jacob Wetzel 78 79 79 236
Vile; Reed 2. LOB - Rams
Rams 8. 2B - Miller (6); T 30 Andrew Lawton 84 87 76
ably not be brought back. ers team. Kovalchuk is 1-6 in his Lee 2 (7); Walker (16); 8; Pioneers 1. 2B - Cal-
Kownacki (10). 3B - Ponte 247
Joe Thornton has never been playoff career. lahan (4); Conville;
(1). HR - Myers (14);
able to elevate his game in the play- He has scored two goals in those Fernandez 2 (4). Vile. HR - Dearborn (6); 4 Fordham University 319 313
offs. seven games, and one of those was Massaro. 302 934
What will the future hold for an empty net goal. Saint Louis IP H R ER BB SO T 8 Devon O’Rourke 80 78 74
him if the Sharks lose early again? Those numbers will not change Fordham IP H R ER BB SO 232
CoTTON 8.013 6 6 2 8 T 10 Jason Del Rosso 81 78 74
How many times can a team fail in much if he continues to spend 233
Mineau 9.0 4 3 3 0 22
big spots before it is finally time to time in the box. I understand he T 10 Brody Nieporte 81 76 76
FORDHAM IP H R ER BB SO
say that this group will not get it is playing with passion, but he was La Salle 233
done? acquired to score goals. That can- MACK 5.2 4 1 1 0 3 T 20 David Newman 80 81 78
FLANAGAN 1.0 1 1 1 2 1 239
Some people have even started not happen if he is in the box for 10 GRANGARD 1.1 2 2 1 0 0 Massaro 9.0 9 5 1 0 9
ANASTASI 1.0 1 0 0 2 1 T 23 Brendan Green 78 82 81
to say that the Sharks are cursed. minutes. 241
PAGE 26 • THE RAM • APRIL 21, 2010
MATT
MANUSZAK
The Smush
Parker Project
This is part two of my NBA
Awards column. While last week I
focused on my rankings for Rookie
of the Year and Defensive Player
of the Year, this column will focus
on the most important individual
award: the Most Valuable Player.
First, a bit of clarification: yes,
this award is called Most Valuable
Player, but make no mistake about
it, this award is meant for the best
player in the NBA. Now, without
further ado, here are my top five
picks for MVP.
5. Deron Williams, PG, Utah
Jazz
After closely considering Kobe
Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve
Nash, in the end, Deron Williams
proved to be too good to pass up.
His individual numbers are all ex-
cellent: 18 points, 10 assists and
four rebounds with solid percent-
ages.
Watching Williams play tran-
scends the numbers: his ability to
initiate the Jazz’s offense, one that
relies on quick passing, is a thing of
beauty. Further, his screen and roll
game with forwards Carlos Boozer
and Paul Millsap is simply sublime.
Defensively, Williams was one of
the reasons the Jazz improved in
defensive efficiency by a valuable
two points per 100 possessions
from last season to this season.
4. Dwyane Wade, SG, Miami
Heat
I almost feel guilty for ranking
Dwyane Wade this low. He was an
absolute monster after the All-Star
break, positively willing the Heat
to the No. 5 playoff seed in the
East. The story is always the same
with Wade.
His supporting cast is utterly
subpar, consisting of a past-his-
prime Jermaine O’Neal, a madden-
ingly inconsistent raw talent in Mi-
chael Beasley and the usual array of
role players and has-beens.
Yet the Heat are locked into an
intense playoff series with the Bos-
ton Celtics, sticking their collective
nose in a place that Miami’s motley
roster probably doesn’t belong, and
it’s all because of Dwyane.
The offense is spectacular: 27
points, three combined steals and
blocked shots, 6.5 assists and five
rebounds.
Defensively, he anchored the
league’s sixth-best defense out of
sheer force of will, roaming around
and rotating to cover his mates’
mistakes.
3. Kevin Durant, F, Oklahoma
City Thunder
The Durantula is a player that
you almost have to see to believe.
He’s every inch of 6’ 9”, all arms
and legs with a 7’ 5” wingspan, and
seemingly able to be snapped like a
twig at around 210 lbs.
One sportswriter appraised him
thusly: In the same way that great
white sharks were designed to kill,
Kevin Durant was designed to
score the basketball.
Thirty points per game, the
youngest scoring champ ever,
shooting the ball at an uber-effi-
cient 48 percent from the field,
coupled with nearly 10 free throw
attempts per game, out of which
Durant usually makes nine. That’s
insane.
Yet, his greatest improvement
isn’t recognizable in the standard
box score.
Durant’s improvement defen-
sively has been a revelation. In
years past, when advanced statisti-
cians studied Durant’s plus-minus
numbers, they noticed that the
Thunder seemed to be better when
Durant was off of the court.
Now, plus-minus is an admitted-
ly flawed statistic, but in years past
Durant’s defense was pretty awful,
especially when he was faced with
a screen.
This year, Durant isn’t exactly all-
defense, but has improved in court
awareness and fighting through
screens and doing the little things
like talking and rotating.
2. Dwight Howard, C, Orlando
Magic
I talked a lot about Howard in
my first awards column, where I
waxed poetically about his impact
on the game defensively. For that
reason, I’m not going to talk about
him too much here, but I will say
this. Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy
was correct in his comments that
one’s defensive skill is usually over-
looked when it comes to the MVP
voting. While Howard is likely the
least-skilled offensive player on this
list, his dominance on the boards
and on defense alone merit him the
No. 2 spot. That leaves only one.
1. LeBron James, F, Cleveland
Cavaliers
My personal biases aside, I have
to say that what LeBron did this
year is probably one of the top
three best seasons of all time for
any non-center, with the other two
spots going to a guy named Jordan.
27.4 points, eight assists, seven re-
bounds, a block and two steals, all
in fewer minutes than most other
guys on this list, all at one of the
slowest paces in the league.
A career-high 50 percent shoot-
ing from the field, even with all the
ill-advised jumpers he takes, shots
that make you wince when he takes
them, until he makes them, and
you remember who he is.
For the stat geeks out there, he
slapped up a 31.1 PER, which takes
into account all of the necessary
offensive stats in addition to effi-
ciency and usage. Again, the only
two players to ever beat that were
LeBron last year, and Jordan.
On defense, LeBron developed
into a Mariano Rivera of sorts. He
starts out on the opposing team’s
weaker player, conserving energy
and roaming and causing havoc
with his chasedown blocks.
During crunch time, LeBron
switches on to whoever has the hot
hand on the other team. During a
Cavs vs. Heat game this season,
Miami had the ball with under ten
seconds left, down by one.
Everyone in the building knew
Dwyane Wade would attempt the
game-winning shot, including Le-
Bron, who matter-of-factly told
Head Coach Mike Brown: “I’m
guarding D-Wade; anything else
would be uncivilized.”
Sure enough, LeBron did just
that, forcing Wade into a low-per-
centage jumper that he missed. I
don’t know where LeBron will play
next year, but I do know this: it’s
LeBron James’s galaxy, and we’re
all just spectators.
SPORTS
Senior Profile: Erin Fisher
By NICK CARROLL
SPORTS EDITOR
Senior Erin Fisher is the Lady
Rams’ No. 2 hitter and usually pa-
trols center field. She has played a
major role on a 37-8 team and leads
the Lady Rams in a variety of of-
fensive categories including batting
average (.381), runs (37), slug-
ging percentage (.731), on-base
percentage (.455) and home runs
(12) and is second in RBI (42).
Fisher is from Woodinville, Wash.
where she attended Woodinville
High School.
The Ram: What made you de-
cide to go to Fordham?
Erin Fisher: I decided to come
to Fordham because it’s a great
school academically, it’s right near
New York City and they gave me
the most athletic money.
TR: What’s been your best
memory playing softball here?
EF: The best memory that I have
was when we beat Georgia Tech.
We all jumped around like little
girls and tackled each other. One
would have thought that we just
won the World Series or something.
TR: How did you first get into
softball as a kid?
EF: I actually started play-
ing baseball when I was five and
when my mom got remarried
and we moved to Woodinville,
Wash. when I was 12. My mom
said I couldn’t play baseball any-
more, so she made me switch to
softball. I thought softball was a
stupid sport at first and now I see
that softball is just as hardcore
as baseball, if not more intense.
TR: What are your goals for the
rest of the year, personal and team?
EF: My personal goals are to
enjoy my senior year and prepare
myself for my soon-to-be-future in
Golf Finishes 15th at Lafayette Invitational
By JOHN DeMARZO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Following steadily improving
play at the Monmouth Hawk, Yale
and Rehoboth Beach Invitation-
als, the Fordham men’s golf team
entered its first major invitational
of the season, the Lafayette Invita-
tional, held at Center Valley Coun-
try Club in Center Valley, Pa.
The field was littered with “big
name” schools such as Bingham-
ton, Villanova, Bucknell, Siena,
Iona, Colgate, Hofstra and Man-
hattan, and the Rams had aspira-
tions to knock off some of the
bigger-name schools and establish
themselves with a strong early-sea-
son showing.
Fordham began play in the two-
day invitational on Saturday, April
10, and stumbled out of the gate,
finishing in 17th place out of 19
teams after Day 1.
Leading the way were sopho-
more Devin O’Rourke and fresh-
man Brody Nieporte, who both
shot 80. O’Rourke shot 41 on the
front nine and 39 on the back nine,
while Nieporte shot a 36 on the
front nine before slumping to a 44
Fisher has had a stellar season, leading the Lady Rams in a variety of statistics.
the real world. My team goals are
to make it past the A-10s and go to
Regionals.
TR: What’s been the difference
this year taking the next step?
EF: The difference has been the
team’s mindset as a whole. We are
all willing to do whatever it takes
to get better. This year we also
stepped up our lifting and we saw a
nutritionist. So we are a lot stron-
ger than we have ever been and we
eat right . . . most of the time.
TR: Is there anything you have
to improve on, personal or team?
EF: I need to improve on stay-
ing focused on the now. My life is
going to change in a few months,
but I need to not let that get to me
just yet. The team needs to improve
on not letting our guard down. We
need to come full force at all times.
TR: Is there any advice you
would give to your younger team-
mates?
EF: I would say never give up on
your dream.
on the back nine.
Senior David Newman and
sophomore Brendan Green both
shot 82 to finish third and fourth
for Fordham, while freshman Jason
Del Rosso suffered a bad day on the
links, shooting an 83 to finish fifth
for the Rams. Combined, the four
shot a 324, 36 strokes over par. In
NCAA golf, the fifth golfer’s score
does not count for or against the
team’s total.
It was a rough day on the course
for Fordham, but the team im-
proved virtually across the board
on Day 2, passing two teams en
route to finishing 15th overall out
of 19 teams, as they surpassed lo-
cal rivals Manhattan, Hofstra and
Wagner.
O’Rourke improved by three
strokes from Saturday, shooting a
77 to finish with a combined score
of 157 (80-77) and finishing 41
out of 105 golfers. Newman also
showed a big improvement, im-
proving his score by six strokes in
shooting a 76 to finish with a total
of 158, placing him 46 and in the
top half of the finishers.
Finishing third overall for Ford-
ham was Del Rosso, who, like
PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM
TR: Over the past four years,
what were the changes you saw
in the softball program as you be-
came a perennial contender in the
A-10?
EF: I have seen our team grow
as a family. We all love to hang out
with one another. We don’t always
get along, but what family gets
along 100 percent of the time?
TR: What do you plan on doing
after graduation?
EF: My plan is to become a
nurse. I hope to get a full-time
job at Sloan Kettering, which is
where I interned last summer, but
if that doesn’t work out I will prob-
ably go home. I have also thought
about joining the Navy. Both of
my parents were in the Air Force.
TR: Did you have any idols
growing up, whether it be baseball
or softball?
EF: I never really looked up
to just one person, but if I had to
choose I would say I looked up to
A-Rod. When he played on the
Mariners, he was my favorite.
O’Rourke and Newman, posted
a big improvement, this time im-
proving by seven strokes from 83
to 76, finishing with a final score of
159. In the fourth slot for the Rams
was Nieporte, the only Fordham
golfer who did not improve his
score from Day 1. He shot an 81
to finish with a combined total of
161, but only lost one stroke off his
total from Saturday. Finishing in
the fifth and final position for the
Rams was Green, who improved
by two strokes from 82 to 80, card-
ing a combined score of 162.
“It was cold and windy, and the
scores were a lot higher across the
board,” Newman said. “We shot
ourselves out of the competition
on Day 1, but rebounded nicely
on Day 2, as we were only about
six or seven shots out of being in
the middle of the pack. We need to
start our next tournament strong
and be consistent throughout.”
The Fordham men’s golf team
will next be in action on Monday,
April 19 and Tuesday, April 20,
when they travel to Quail Valley
Country Club in Littlestown, Pa.
to play in the Mount Saint Mary’s
Spring Invitational.

Men’s Tennis Loses Twice in
Atlantic 10 Championship
Senior Dallas Harting had a rough A-10 Championships, losing both of his matches.
By JONATHON SMITH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Fordham men’s tennis team
is the first team at Fordham to have
gone to its conference tourna-
ment.
Unfortunately, it is also the first
team to have lost at its conference
tournament. The Rams traveled to
the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa.
and were the No. 12-ranked team
after finishing their regular sea-
son with a 6-10 record. The Rams
knew that they were going to have a
tough road at the tournament after
an up-and-down season.
“Our goal is to win our first
round match,” senior Rob Evans
said before the tournament. “If we
can get one win that would mean a
lot to us.”
The Rams opened up play against
the No. 5 Billikens from Saint Lou-
is, but unfortunately for the Rams,
the classic 12-over-5 upset was not
in the cards in Monroeville, as they
fell, 4-0.
The match opened with doubles
play. The No. 2 team of freshman
Alex DeRienzo and sophomore Eli
Plangger played tight games, but
fell to the Billikens, 8-2. The No.
3 team of freshman John Thornhill
and junior Nick Kelly played very
evenly and looked as if they were
going to squeak out a win for Ford-
ham, but lost, 9-7.
The No. 1 team of senior Dallas
Harting and junior Austin Schoup,
who had played together for about
half of their matches this season,
were tied 8-8, but the match was
halted at that point.
On the singles court, the Billik-
ens were too much to handle for
the Rams, as Fordham could not
muster a single victory.
Women’s Tennis Loses at Temple
By NANCY BUCKLEY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Lady Rams’ tennis team
(1-18) had an unfortunate series
of events this past weekend, as they
completed their regular-season
with a 6-1 loss to Temple (9-11)
and cancelled their last home
match against La Salle.
Fordham traveled to Philadel-
phia to face the Owls on April 17.
The windy and overcast day set
the mood for the outcome of the
match.
The Owls took the doubles
points, beating the Lady Rams in
two out of the three matches.
Sophomore Sarah Tremaine
and freshman Jennifer Mullen won
the first doubles match against the
Owls.
Their opponents, Josephine
PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM
The three matches that finished
first ended up being the only ones
that counted statistically, since they
gave Saint Louis a 5-0 lead over the
Rams, meaning that Fordham was
already out of contention.
The matches that mattered were
junior Kevin Maloney at No. 2 sin-
gles who lost, 6-0, 6-0, Thornhill
who lost in the No. 3 spot 6-1, 6-1,
and junior Ken Fukumoto, who
fell, 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 6 spot.
The loss put the Rams in the los-
ers’ bracket for the tournament,
which meant that with one more
loss they would be bounced from
the tournament.
“The match was tough,” DeRien-
zo said. “We played well, but they
are a very good team.”
The next morning, Fordham
awoke for an 8 a.m. match against
the Flyers from Dayton, looking to
stay in the tournament, but the Fly-
ers were too much for the Rams,
winning 4-2. The match opened
with Dayton taking the doubles
points in the completed matches.
DeRienzo and Plangger fell, 8-4,
while Thornhill and Kelly were
dropped 8-6.
In singles play, Fordham got
its first wins of the tournament as
Thornhill picked up a 6-1, 6-4 win
and Fukumoto won 6-2, 6-4.
Harting gave a tough fight losing
6-4, 6-3 in the No. 1 slot, Maloney
fell 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 and Schoup
lost a barn-burner 6-4, 6-4.
The losses in singles and doubles
spelled the end for the Rams, as
they left Monroeville with only
two individual match wins.
“We had a tough match against
Dayton,” DeRienzo said. “Hope-
fully next year we can get a bet-
ter seeding next season and win a
match.”
Bergman and Katharina Mittag,
experienced an injury and were
forced to retire.
The Lady Rams were not as lucky
as the double matches continued.
Freshman Taylor Holt and soph-
omore Bethany Boyle lost at No. 2
doubles, 8-4.
Seniors Martina Featherstone
and Elizabeth Stall played the final
doubles set, falling, 8-2.
In the singles rounds, sopho-
more Jane Carroll defeated Mittag
by default because of Mittag’s in-
jury.
Carroll’s win was the only point
for Fordham.
Featherstone, Holt, Mullen and
Boyle all lost the remaining sets.
The Lady Rams are anticipating
their final matches of the season
on April 23-25 at the Atlantic 10
Championships in St. Louis.
SPORTS
By JONATHON SMITH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
I’ve always considered myself an
astute and knowledgeable sports
fan.
When people have a question
for me, I can usually come up with
an answer or at least make up an
answer that sounds like it could be
correct, but one thing has troubled
me ever since I was a child, and I
have yet to find the answer: Why
do athletes always slap each other’s
butts after someone has made a
good play?
After years of confusion and
scratching my head over why ath-
letes feel as if an open-palmed slap
on the rear is a way of saying “Con-
gratulations,” it is time to find the
true definition and meaning of this
age-old tradition.
Urbandictionary.com defines
the “sportsman’s slap” as “a man-to-
man slap on the butt to signal con-
gratulations or comradeship.”
Now that everyone is on board
with the definition, my investiga-
tion will begin.
My curiosity started at the age
of five when my father and I were
watching a baseball game, and after
Cal Ripken, Jr. hit a home run, he
was greeted with a pat on the be-
hind when he crossed home plate.
I asked my father why Ripken’s
teammate had done that, and my
dad simply responded, “Because
that is what guys do.”
So the next day at school in a
game of kickball, my friend had
just scored, and to his confusion, I
greeted him with a butt slap.
I told my friends that that was
what the pros did, and thereaf-
ter, all of the kindergarten boys at
Stowe Elementary School began
slapping each other’s rears after
someone did something good on
the kickball court.
Like in the scene in The Sand-
lot when the kids all try chewing
tobacco like the pros, we did not
know what we were doing; we just
wanted to be like the pros.
This is where I began my ques-
tioning of the butt slap. Now, 14
years later, I still have no idea why
the butt slap exists or where it came
from.
Like anything that I am confused
about, I went to Google to try to
find some answers.
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The first site I visited was called
“Hardball Mysteries” and had in-
terviews with various baseball
players asking why the “swift pat”
exists.
One player said that it exists be-
cause you cannot give a high-five to
a person who is not looking, so if
you are behind them, a gentle pat
on the rear gets the job done.
This player then asks why it is
not a back-slap or a pat on the arm
instead of the behind, and we may
never know the answer to that.
Maybe it is to show people that
they are closer and deserving of
more than just a slap on the back,
and therefore they slap each others
butts to show affection.
This seems logical, but why do
players feel the need to show fans
that they are very close friends?
This Web site did not satisfy my
question, so I continued my inves-
tigation.
A student at Johns Hopkins
University attempted to figure this
question out as well, and he came
to the conclusion that there is no
true reason as to why the sports-
man’s slap exists.
He watched videos of baseball
and football games, trying to fig-
ure out if there was any kind of eti-
quette for the swift pat.
He wrote how his research came
to no conclusive answer, as butt
slaps usually only occurred after
good plays as if to say “Nice work,”
or to say to a teammate after a mis-
take on the field, “It’s alright, get
them next time.”
I have watched thousands of dif-
ferent games throughout my life,
and I too can only come to the con-
clusion that the butt slap is merely
meant as a way of non-verbal com-
munication between teammates.
After watching so many games
though, there are three major rules
for the sportsman’s slap.
Rule No. 1: Slapping a team-
mate’s rear is not done wantonly.
If you are not friends with the
player and do not know the guy
very well, you are not going to go
for the behind, so you will slap the
back or the arm.
The better you know a guy, the
lower you are allowed to go.
Rule No. 2: Not all butt slaps are
created equal. This is an unwrit-
ten rule among all men who play
sports.
Friday Saturday Sunday
April 23 April 24 April 25
at Dayton at Dayton
at Dayton
3:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m.
at Saint
at Temple Joseph’s
12:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
URI Northeast Collegiate Invite
Portsmouth, R.I.
Spring Mets
Orchard
Beach
Lagoon, N.Y.
Atlantic 10 Championship
St. Louis
APRIL 21, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 27
A quick slap is acceptable and of-
ten encouraged, but with anything
more than that, there is a problem.
Men may not squeeze, or cup or
even pinch a teammate’s rear end.
It is understood that the quick
and painless slap is the only ac-
ceptable touching below the belt
between teammates.
Rule No. 3: The sportsman’s
slap can only be used on the field.
If a man attempts to use the slap
in the workplace, it may not be re-
ceived as well. When I originally
asked my father why the slap exists
or if he does it at his insurance of-
fice, he looked at me confusedly
and answered “absolutely not.”
The butt slap is referred to as the
“sportsman’s slap” for a reason as it
is only acceptable on the ball field.
No exceptions.
Those are the rules for the sports-
man’s slap. It is simple, innocent
and highly acceptable in the male
community.
The slap is like an evolution of
the high-five. The high-five is a
way for children to say “congratula-
tions” or “hello” to each other.
Then, from about the age of 12
to 15, the high-five becomes nerdy
and “uncool” and the fist pound is
introduced and widely used.
After age 15, any form of bodily
communication is then acceptable.
The high-five makes a comeback,
the pound stays in style, the hand-
shake is accepted and the butt slap
is introduced and deemed appro-
priate.
While I did not find an answer
to my question of when the butt
slap was introduced and why it is
so wildly popular, I did learn about
the use and rules behind it.
After watching so many games
and events in my life, the question
still remains as to why male athletes
see a need to slap their teammates
on the rear.
I may never know the reason for
this and spend my whole life curi-
ous, searching for the answer.
While I did learn about different
types of butt slaps and how it is just
another way of saying congratula-
tions or a subtle encouragement,
I am still baffled as to the true ori-
gins and reasons behind the sports-
man’s slap.
Maybe my dad was right when
I posed this question at age five.
Maybe it is just what guys do.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday
April 26 April 27 April 28
at Columbia
2:00 p.m.
4:30 p.n.
at Iona
3:00 p.m.
APRIL 21, 2010
Baseball Wins Important Series Against St. Louis
By DANNY ATKINSON
SPORTS EDITOR
When Fordham baseball started
regular-season play with a 3-15 re-
cord in out-of-conference play, its
chances for the Atlantic 10 slate did
not look too promising. The Rams
could not seem to muster any pow-
er from their offense or consistent
pitching and 2010 looked to be
a lost season, but something has
changed in the last few weeks.
With the help of Assistant
Coach Mark Stevens, the offense
has adopted a more patient ap-
proach at the plate, which has paid
dividends, and Fordham pitching
has been much stronger in recent
weeks. The Rams won two tough
games from Saint Louis this past
week and they look to be on their
way up. The Rams were unable to
win their third-straight game on
April 13, as they fell to Rutgers on
the road in New Jersey by a score
of 7-3.
Fordham opened the game with
a 2-0 lead, as senior right fielder
Ryan McCrann ripped a triple
down the right field line in the top
of the first to score sophomore
shortstop Brian Kownacki and
senior centerfielder Mike Mobbs
to take the advantage. The Scarlet
Knights immediately knotted the
game in the bottom half of the in-
nings on a home run by left fielder
Pat Biserta.
Rutgers took the lead in the third
with a second homer by Michael
Lang and later made the score 7-2
with a three-run eighth inning.
Dennis Hill tossed a complete
game for the Scarlet Knights, al-
lowing just three runs on nine hits.
Freshman Ryan DeMartino (2-1)
took the loss for the Rams in his
first career start, allowing three
runs on five hits in four innings of
work.
At the plate, McCrann was 2-4
with a triple and two RBI.
Skelton Soars up Draft Boards for This Weekend’s Draft
By MATT MANUSZAK
STAFF WRITER
The NFL draft is less than a week
away, and the buzz surrounding
former Fordham quarterback John
Skelton continues to grow.
He is now solidly projected as
a mid-round pick, ranging any-
where from the late second round
to the early sixth round on certain
boards.
“He’s a developmental quarter-
back […] but with his size and his
arm there’s no question he could
go anywhere from the third to the
fifth round,” Mel Kiper Jr., the ener-
getic ESPN draft analyst, said. “I’ve
got him in the fourth round going
to Jacksonville.”
Many teams have shown a spe-
cific interest in Skelton and have
invited him in for private pre-draft
visits.
“I took three team visits,” Skel-
ton said in a recent interview with
his hometown El Paso Times. “I
visited Buffalo, the New York Gi-
ants and Washington. It’s all been
Senior first baseman Michael Taddei had a three-run double to win a game in the eighth inning against SLU last weekend.
Fordham began a pivotal week-
end home series against Saint
Louis on April 16. The Billikens
were by far the best team the Rams
have faced in Atlantic 10 play so far
with a 6-3 record in the league and
18-16 overall. Fordham’s play in
the series went a long way toward
proving that they are a team that
can compete in the upper echelon
of the A-10.
Fordham won the series opener
by following one of the cardinal
rules of winning baseball: get two-
out hits. The Rams recorded 12
two-out hits, including four by Lee,
in their 6-4 victory.
Fordham opened the scoring
with four two-out runs in the sec-
ond. Sophomore second baseman
Nick Martinez plated Kownacki
and senior catcher Angelo Ponte
on an RBI single before sopho-
more third baseman Ryan Maghini
and Lee had consecutive RBI for
the four-run advantage. The Rams
added to their run total on RBI
from Ponte in the fifth and seventh
innings.
Saint Louis put up a strong
a whirlwind. It was amazing to sit
down and talk with [Washington
Redskins head coach] Mike Sha-
nahan and to visit a team with such
tradition as the New York Giants.”
In addition to those teams,
the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo
Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami
Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles,
San Francisco 49ers and Seattle
Seahawks have shown interest, ac-
cording to John Saraceno of USA
Today.
Skelton noted that while it is nice
to have teams showing interest, he
is trying not to read too much into
the specifics.
“It’s kind of hard to gauge,” Skel-
ton said. “All the teams say they
like you, but they really give you no
indication. Like I said, it’s all been
a whirlwind. It’s been exciting to
go places, sometimes have people
recognize you, but I’m not up there
with the Tim Tebows and Colt Mc-
Coys. I’m still just one of the guys,
and I can hang out and I appreciate
that.”
Popular ESPN analyst Ron Ja-
comeback effort in the late innings.
Designated hitter Steve Fernandez
hit a two-run homer to left in the
eighth to pull his team to within
two. The Billikens then loaded the
bases in the ninth before freshman
Rich Anastasi struck out Fernan-
dez to end the game.
Senior J.P. Mack (1-4) recorded
his first win of the season for Ford-
ham. Mack gave up one run on four
hits with three strikeouts in 5.2 in-
nings. At the plate, Ponte was 3-4
with a triple and two RBI.
If the Rams offense gave a clutch
performance in the opening game
of their series, it was nothing com-
pared to their clutch showing in the
second game.
Led by senior first baseman Mi-
chael Taddei, Fordham shocked
Saint Louis with a three-run eighth
inning and a 4-3 come-from-be-
hind win.
Heading into the eighth, the Bil-
likens had avoided trailing for the
entire game. Saint Louis took a 3-1
lead in the fourth on an RBI single
from centerfielder J.D. Dunn.
Fordham mounted its comeback
worski provided a valuable per-
spective on Skelton, since he too is
from a small, unheralded football
program in Youngstown State.
“He is as raw as they come
and ‘barn strong,’” Jaworski said.
“Clearly, John has a long way to go
to develop into an NFL quarter-
back, [but] his arm strength is elite.
This guy throws frozen ropes.”
Skelton has tried to stay relaxed
during the stressful pre-draft pe-
riod, but that has not always been
easy.
“It just gets a little nerve-rack-
ing,” Skelton said. “Sometimes,
it’s funny listening to everything
on TV, seeing how far off some of
them are. Sometimes it gets a little
frustrating, too, but I’m just staying
in shape, working out, running and
throwing everyday, staying ready.”
On draft day, Skelton will not be
at Radio City Music Hall, a place
usually reserved for only the top
prospects, though he won’t be too
far away.
“My uncle has an apartment in
Manhattan,” he said. “My parents
PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM
effort in the eigth by loading the
bases on three straight singles. Tad-
dei cleared the bases and gave the
Rams a lead with a double to left
center.
“I was ahead 2-0 in the count
was able to anticipate a fastball,”
Taddei said. “I was able to gear up
for the pitch down the middle and
went for it.”
Junior Max Krakowiak fought
through seven innings and al-
lowed three runs on six hits with
five strikeouts before turning the
ball over to senior Brando Casa-
licchio. Casalicchio (1-2) used
his pinpoint control to pitch two
scoreless innings of relief and earn
his first career win at Rose Hill.
Head Coach Nick Restaino was
very matter-of-fact about his team’s
two-out success at the plate in the
first two games of the series.
“We stuck with the plan and
worked the count in our favor,” he
said. “Because of our patience we
were able to put good swings on
the ball.”
Unfortunately for the Rams, the
offense’s two-out magic could not
Recent projections have tabbed Skelton as a mid-third round pick.
are flying in. We’ll watch the draft
there. And wait.”
Hopefully the wait won’t be too
PAGE 28
last through the third game. Ford-
ham led 2-0 through five innings
on Sunday before Saint Louis tied
the game at two and then scored
seven times in the ninth to win by
a 9-2 score.
The Rams opened the scoring
with a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Walker
blooped a fly ball down the left
field line for an RBI double and
Mobbs followed with an RBI sin-
gle. The Billikens tied the game in
the seventh on an RBI triple that
was almost caught by Lee and a
sacrifice fly.
The contest’s tone changed com-
pletely in the ninth, when Saint
Louis sent 12 batters to the plate
and scored seven times.
The Billikens took advantage of
costly errors by sophomore Dan-
iel Munday and Maghini before
receiving a pair of two-run singles
from catcher Conner Grandossy
and left fielder Cody Coter. Mun-
day and Anastasi ended up with
five runs allowed, all unearned,
in just a third of an inning. At the
plate, Walker was 2-4 with a pair of
doubles and an RBI.
The Ram’s pitching has been
much better in the past few weeks,
as Fordham has found success in
conference. The staff has an ERA
under 4.00 in conference play
and hurlers like Brian Pendergast,
Krakowiak and Casalicchio have
stepped up in their last few appear-
ances.
Casalicchio attributes the staff ’s
success to pitching coach Trevor
Brown, who has helped them
improve their mental approach
against batters.
Despite the Rams’ final loss to
Saint Louis, Casalicchio has con-
fidence that Fordham can finish at
the top of the A-10.
“We’re playing well enough to
finish with the No. 1 or 2 seed in
the conference and win the tourna-
ment,” he said. “We’re in very good
shape if we keep playing this well.”
PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM
long this weekend, as Skelton looks
to bring Fordham football into the
national spotlight.