Michelle Obama speaks at the DNC. (Olivier Douliery/MCT)

Well, the Democratic National Convention is under way, and it is all anyone can talk about. Day 1 kicked off with former presidential hopeful and chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean banging the gavel to start the ceremonies. Some noted speakers were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former President Jimmy Carter and Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. Caroline Kennedy also took the stage to introduce her uncle, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who is still recovering from surgery for a brain tumor. The DNC honored Kennedy for his service in the Senate, and afterwards he took the stage to give a speech himself.

The highlight of the night was Michelle Obama’s speech, which used anecdotes about her childhood and relationship with her husband to underscore the similarities among all Americans. She described some of the values she and her husband shared from day one, such as respect and hard work, and stated her belief that these are values shared by all Americans. Obama also highlighted the historical significance of this election season, as well as the challenges the candidates represent. She commended Senator Hillary Clinton’s fight to become the first female president, and touched on Senator Joe Biden’s dedication to the needs of the working class he was raised by. She closed by emphasizing the idea that her husband truly understands what average Americans need and will continue to work towards positive changes in the nation.

Was the first night of the convention a success? What did you think of Michelle Obama’s speech?

“Elephant?  What elephant?”

         Between the anti-Bush greeting cards in the bookstore, the Obama flyers decorating the student plaza and the Bush-as-a-monkey printout taped up in the scene shop, it’s pretty clear where the political loyalties of most of our college’s population lie. But during this hotly contested Election 2008, we must not forget the Republicans in our midst – supporters of John McCain instead of Hillary or Barack. They’re the Few but Proud – the Republicans of Fordham College at Lincoln Center.             

      There is a longstanding College Democrats Club here on campus, but we’ve never had a College Republicans Club that lasted very long.  In fact, when FCLC conservatives, in preparation for this historic election year, tried to gather support for a College Republicans Club, their efforts failed. This was in part because they just couldn’t get the required sixty signatures on their petition – liberal students weren’t very interested in helping the conservative cause, and there weren’t enough conservative students who wanted to publicly express their Republican politics.                

      Artur Jagielski, FCLC ‘09, who helped spearhead the movement to form a College Republicans Club at FCLC, said that the process was difficult because of “some of the criticism I received from several people [Democrats]. I’m sure there are more Republicans on this campus who don’t voice their opinion, and if we could reach out to them, maybe we could form a club here on campus.”      

      But who is it that’s really making the Republicans feel unwelcome at Fordham? It’s got to be the students, right? Everyone knows how hot-headed and opinionated college students can be. Actually, conservative students say that it’s not their peers who are the problem.  It’s the people you’d expect to have a more reasoned approach: the professors.     

      While both the faculty and the student body are filled with Democratic supporters, Jagielski and Republican recent grad Howie Ray, FCLC ‘06, assert that while professors are very narrow-minded, fellow students seem open to debate. “I found a lot of the student body was open to intelligent political discourse,” pointed out Ray. Jagielski says that liberal politics aren’t even much discussed among students: “… I don’t hear much talk about it [liberal politics] outside of the classroom. All I see is pro-Obama posters here and there.”     

     But professors in many departments, say Ray and Jagielski, frequently lash out at the president, loudly lamenting the fact that we have a Republican administration in Washington D.C. And while most FCLC conservatives understand that liberal teachers have complaints about Bush (and are more than prepared for the Bush- related “litanies of woe” professors often launch into), they feel beleaguered nonetheless. Professors, claims Jagielski, “…continuously bash the president [and] conservative politicians without taking into account that there may be Republicans sitting in the classroom. They just assume that if you are a Republican, you must be a bad person.”        Of course some courses – political science or perhaps journalism classes – clearly demand political discussion, but Ray feels that professors often veer very far off topic just to have the opportunity to fume about the right. Ray commented, “In fact I had one class that turned into just bashing Republicans and the ironic part was that it was supposed to be about the UN.”     

      Even some of the campus’s liberal professors think that their colleagues go too far in expressing their Democratic political views in class. Theology Department Chairman and lifelong Democrat Aristotle Papanikolaou says that students over the years have told him that there is a “sense that the general climate within the university itself is liberal…and there were specific classes where they felt some kind of bias and thus were intimidated to present a conservative view.”  Papanikolaou doesn’t think that it is right for professors to act in this partisan manner, and that  “it’s somewhat implied in the academic setting that freedom of expression should be fostered, and it’s also implied that the classroom is a place for critical thinking – that the purpose of education is to explore various points of view…”          

       Both Papanikolaou and Alison Castaneda, FCLC ‘07, who is a Republican, feel that not only do professors express their liberal ideas too frequently and strongly but that they also end up silencing class discussion. As Castaneda commented in a previous Observer article, “Nothing stifles a debate or discussion more than having the professor definitively state their views – who’s going to argue with the old guy with the doctorate?” Papanikolaou , also recognizing the danger inherent in the intellectual weight professors’ viewpoints may carry, asserted that  “professors need to be aware of their power, that they’re perceived to be people who know more, that students are aware of that, and as a result, may be intimidated to challenge the professor.” 

Want another reason to get involved with Global Outreach? Well, if that fish-eye shot from GO! New Orleans participant Jenn Pelly is any indication, not only does the program allow you to do humanitarian work in poverty- or disaster-stricken areas, but it also gives you a chance to hobnob with similarly compassionate megastars.

On Saturday evening, Oakland genre-benders WHY? played to a packed crowd at the Knitting Factory, in support of their great new album, Alopecia. Now, full disclosure: I have loved this band for a while now, and it would be hard for me to speak negatively about their music.

That being said, I don’t think even the most casual of listeners could have walked out of the Knitting Factory without feeling as if they had seen a fantastic studio band create something even more special on the stage. Yoni Wolf’s deeply personal, imagery-laden lyrics were delivered with quiet intensity, often with help from the large group of loyal fans who sang along with nearly every word. Yoni’s brother, Josiah, is a percussionist with immense talent, able to swing back and forth between pounding, snare-heavy rhythms and gorgeous xylophone twinklings. Doug McDiarmid and Austin Brown (the new touring member) were on point, as well. The band seemed incredibly comfortable in their own sound, an impressive feat when one considers the utter scope of their infectious mini-epics.

WHY? is a band with near-limitless potential, and it does not seem hyperbolic to say that they will prove highly influential in the years to come. If their focused Knitting Factory performance proved anything, it’s that they are ready to spread their sweeping sound to a larger audience.

Just before leaving the stage, Yoni stated simply, “It was a good night.” No arguments here.

More photos below…

photos courtesy vapnet and ianblue

As you know, Spring Break is drawing to a close, which means that The Observer Blog’s hiatus must come to an end, as well. And what better way to return than with a link to this gloriously funny post on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency?

Say what you will about Dave Eggers and his literati cohorts over at McS’s, but the idea of Papa giving his two cents on the NCAA tourney’s top contenders leaves us yearning for more fictional coverage of America’s greatest sporting event. What would Joyce have to say about the chances of The Fightin’ Irish making it to Sweet Sixteen? For now, we can only guess.

photo courtesy SirKnight#4

Earlier today, and in the wake of accusations that he was involved in a prostitution ring, Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned from his post. On Monday, Spitzer’s resignation will go into effect and Lt. Governor David A. Paterson will be sworn in as the new governor.

At a press conference held at his Manhattan office, Spitzer had this to say:

“I have been given much: the love of my family, the faith and trust of the people of New York and the chance to lead this state. I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me.”

According to The New York Times, Spitzer’s decision comes after a Tuesday spent inside his Fifth Avenue apartment, deliberating with his wife, lawyers and close friends.

The legacy Spitzer leaves behind is one that differs greatly from the expectations placed upon him in recent years. In June 2005, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson called the then-New York Attorney General “the future of the Democratic party”.

But following today’s resignation, it seems as if it is Spitzer’s personal future that is in need of direction.

photo courtesy Lindsay Beyerstein

At a press conference earlier today, Governor Eliot Spitzer admitted his involvement as a client in a prostitution scandal. According to The New York Times, Spitzer’s office was notified last Friday that the governor had been named as the suspect in a federal wiretap investigation that intercepted a phone call arranging for a high-end prostitute to be sent from New York to Washington, D.C., where a person referred to as Client 9 had rented a hotel room. Client 9 was found to be Gov. Spitzer, who spoke briefly today, making no mention of any decisions regarding his political future. During the press conference, Spitzer’s wife, Silda, stood beside him.

Spitzer released a statement hours after the story broke, saying that he “acted in way that violates his obligation to his family.”

“I apologize first and most importantly to my family,” Spitzer said. “I apologize to the public, to whom I promised better… I am disappointed that I failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself.”

Spitzer has been deemed “a rising star” among the Democratic party, according to CNN, for his efforts to root out corruption, bust white-collar criminals and tackle organized crime.

Last October, Spitzer spoke to the students of Fordham College at Lincoln Center and addressed “morality and practicality.” He spoke about his platform to provide driver’s licenses to people without social security numbers, and health insurance to all children.

More updates to come.

photo courtesy preamble

Musician and #1 Judy Garland fan Rufus Wainwright is calling for a voluntary NYC blackout on June 21. According to Gothamist, “the musician proposes that we all set our sundials to noon on June 21st to signal a group shut down of all electric lights, appliances and anything else that plugs in…for 12 hours. His hope is to call attention to global warming and energy conservation.”

An interesting idea, no? Wainwright will perform a sold-out candlelit set at the Angel Orensanz Foundation to promote his dark day, which will come on the heels of the March 29 Earth Hour, which asks citizens and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour, beginning at 8 p.m.

Not having been present for the last (albeit accidental) NYC blackout, I would love to say what kind of earth-friendly celebrations could spring from this. Hopefully, all those folks who love to give the “you should have been there” speeches will help to recreate that night’s joyously dim debauchery.

It was announced Sunday morning that The Fordham Observer took home first place honors in the four-year non-weekly category of the Associated Collegiate Press’ Best of Show contest. The winners were announced at the final day of the ACP’s National College Newspaper Convention in San Francisco. Congratulations to the entire staff and expect to see a full press release soon.

An exciting day it has been for The Observer crew at the National College Newspaper Convention! After an early night (11:30 p.m!), we began our morning with coffee and a couple of great journalism sessions. The others will have to report on theirs but I can say this:

I went to the Sports Writing session with a writer/editor from the San Francisco Chronicle. The best part of the session was when he answered a question with this joke: An editor and a writer are stranded in the desert for three days when they come across a spring with fresh water. The editor runs up and pees in the spring. “What the hell are you doing?!”the writer asks. “I’m just making it better,” said the editor.

After this session I went to a session on how to write about LGBT issues including gender identity and the like. The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) has created a supplement to the AP Stylebook to include correct LGBT terminology. One of the panelists, a writer for a gay weekly in SF, said he’s always trying to find the gayngle.

Those were the highlights! More photos below the jump!

Gabby and Casey were interviewed by a local youth tv station!

Guess whose booties these belong to!

Heading to lunch!

The only disappointment I have about San Fran is the lack of marinara sauce! Every time (twice) I order cheese sticks they come with ranch!!