www.fclcobserver.com INSIDE: T Opinions........ 7 H Features 11 Arts & Culture 15 Literary. 20 OBSERVER Sports 24 March 16, 2005 FORDHAM UNIVERSITY AT LINCOLN CENTER Volume XXIII, Issue 11 Conservative students feel silenced on Mary Bly sheds literary liberal campus, College Council says psyeudonym E. James By NANCY YOUNG his subject, but he should be their class presented things in By J.P. MANGALINDAN Staff Writer careful not to introduce into such a way that students who Arts & Culture Editor his teaching controversial mat- might think otherwise, might FCLC—College Council ter, which has no relation to be, looked at as being dumb ARTS & CULTURE members raised concerns that his subject." ... a sort of 'how can you Pages 15 to 19 students with conservative The Rev. Robert R. Grimes, think that?' kind of experi-' viewpoints might feel silenced S.J., dean, of FCLC, reminded ence." If Mary Bly had blinked, by largely liberal professors the panel that this statement Grimes did say that he, too, "perhaps her future would have and classmates. was originally sent out after has recently heard similar been different. At the March 10 Council the start of the Iraqi War when complaints from students. In that split second seven meeting, Aristotle Papanikolau, subject matter was overlap- "Students feel that there is a years ago, she would 've professor of theology, intro- ping into curriculum that had classroom atmosphere where missed the rather nondescript duced this topic to the panel no basis for such an overlap- certain positions are deemed •flier (aped to a lamppost on the first by distributing a statement ping. as doctrine, and if you disagree •side of the road as she and that was originally issued Papanikolau, however, with the position, you will be husband Aicssandro drove March 12, 2003, on academic went on to say, "Students I subject to retaliation in one through Florence, Italy. freedom. was in contact with felt very form or another," he said, .'4'Call Eloisa: Lose 20 The statement read: "The much intimidated to speak "whether it be in class, or even ,"p,6unds in 20 days!," the sign teacher is entitled to freedom their mind or voice their opin- ''declared in Italian. in the classroom in discussing ion because their professor in see COUNCIL, page 4 '*i:''That's it! That's the name ences between the two ate. the baby!" she professed merely skin deep. Fordham Reconciliation Project aims for idly as she turned to her "I suppose I tend to. (band. "Eloisa. That's a my contacts more wbien'jtfijf. peace among conflicting nationalities fcil name." Eloisa, as some readers fitid' Bly, the name seemed my very academic glasses; By GABBY HARRIS with the two opposing sides, laboration between JSO and for their then-unborn intimidating," she says," "Buf^J creating an atmosphere of trust MESA," Shusterman added. "is&oind child, regardless of am the same sort of person' Staff Writer and understanding. The Reconciliation Project who wrinkled his wherever I am." ••• • FCLC—The Reconciliation "Dialogue is important hosted its first event oh March ;jhMeit'tliis romantic-sounding What's interesting about' Project, an independent on- because it tears down the walls 9, with the Big Apple Playback '"'moniker. Bly's story, which media touti campus group, was started this of alienation between two stu- Theatre, in which, a group of fri^'tyt' can't go there," he lets from CNN and New York? semester by two FCLC stu- dent groups on campus who professional actors and musi- responded. magazine have recently.: dents, Sherih'an Khali 1, an have much more in Qommon cians enacted a student's per- ',;.villiough they would ev'cntu- pounced on, is the extreme- Egyptian-American, and Aelia than they think," said Khalil. sonal story related to the le on the name Anna, secrecy surrounding her other Shusterman, an Israeli, both "Aelia and [my] personal rela- Israeli/Palestinian conflict. pisa was not forgotten. life. For nearly six years,, FCLC '05, in order to establish tionship is a testament to this." Their next event was a dia- named myself that many people outside her inner a place for Arabs, Jews, and Co-founder Shusterman logue session, limited to IS to " she says in retrospect, circle of friends and family, others connected to the added, "When I first came to 20 participants who are closely at the time, my husband her colleagues at Fordham Israeli/Palestinian conflict to Fordham University, there was related to the issues in the Jwas, reading a Henry James included, were kept in the. engage in thoughtful and non- only the Jewish Students Middle East. ;ndvel. I took the last name as dark. political dialogue and events. Organization (JSO) and the Both Khalil and Shusterman Somewhat of a tribute to the Why so hush-hush? While the project does not Middle Eastern Students have undergone training from "I wanted to get tenure; the, ^ intend to solve the multifaceted Association (MESA). I felt The Dialogue Project in New ^f'iAnd Eloisa James, fictional old-fashioned way, by writing: problems of the Middle East or there was a need to bridge the York, a group of professional jjlter ego, bestselling author an academic book and doing to ignite debate over personal two communities on campus. dialogue facilitators, and and popular fiction advocate, administrative service in the" politics, its primary purpose is "I've noticed that sometimes encourage participants hi the be. department," Bly says, refer- to establish a forum that culti- in classes there are tensions, ring to her extensive schedule vates dialogue and hosts events and there has never been a col- see PROJECT, page 2 • Bly has a reputation for at FCLC teaching in the being a bit of workhorse. She English department. "I felt has to be, considering her that unless I proved myself, RH 'Monologues' met with protests schedule. my colleagues might be wor- "She's a very, very hard ried that I wouldn't pull my worker," says Janis Barry- weight." Figueroa, a professor of eco- But with the release of her nomics and women's studies. latest novel "Much Ado About "She's very disciplined. One You," Bly felt things should can be a hard worker and not change. She says she started to be disciplined. Mary knows feel that by keeping her secret how to work smart. What's the she was encouraging the view saying? 'Work smart, not of romance as a lesser genre, hard?' Mary's a smart and and that by doing so, it hard worker." appeared as though she was Bly teeters on the brink of embarrassed by her work and two very different worlds: her readers. The time was During the academic school right to come out. year she teaches Shakespeare December 2004 saw a and Renaissance drama to blitzkrieg of publicity: Bly's Fordham undergraduates; dur- face was broadcast on CNN ing the summer months, she and "Good Morning pens novels as Eloisa James. America," her voice permeat- One imagines the difficulties ed the airwaves of NPR, she in leading a "double life" to be spoke to New York and wrote daunting, keeping her alter an Op-lid for The New York The 2005 V-Day production of 'The Vagina Monologues'at Rose Hill saw protests from groups egos separate, but she begs to Times professing her identity. both for and against the play. See page 2 for more photos by Laurel McGovern. Bly implies the diffcr- set* BLY, pa News 2 THE OBSERVER March 16. 2005 Rose Hill 'Vagina Monologues' production met with protests The production of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues"produced by Rose Hill's Women's Empowerment Committee (WEC) was met with protests from the Knights of Columbus and other conservative student groups. RH United Student Government (USG) representatives staged a counter-protest at the Saturday night perfor- mance. On Friday night, The Knights reportedly threw holy water on attendees as they entered O'Keefe Commons. Pictured, clockwise from bottom right: Protestors gathered outside O'Keefe with a pro- trait of Jesus Christ, Rosary beads and crosses. Two male students show support for the WEC cause. A female student illustrates one of V-Day's main messages. USG reps, show their support for WEC and the production as well as their advocacy for free. speech oh campus. —Photos by Laurel McGovern Observer staff photographer Student's handbag stolen PROJECT: a place for non-political talk at East Village bar Reconciliation Project to speak go that route next semester, it spread to other campuses, from a personal viewpoint, has received sponsorship from "I think it will spark a lasting I Crime Blotter I share their experiences with one JSO, MESA, the department of value," Beck added. "It's great 3 Campus Security Files I another, and listen to those Middle East studies, the politi- for the two sides to come thoughts of differing opinions. cal science department and together to build mutual respect March 4 Avenue and was approached They both stress the project's peace and justice studies. and understanding." -A student who was out by three young kids who asked non-political standpoint, aiming Without the funding and sup- Some FCLC students are with friends at a bar in the East her for the time, said Carroll. instead to reflect on personal port of these school outlets, the also impressed with the Village said that her handbag He also said that when she experiences. Reconciliation Project would Reconciliation Project's initia- was taken from the back of her looked at her watch, her iPod "We are very careful to have neither the credibility nor tives.