TYLER STOVALL
Revolution of One
The Nation 12-11-21
Tyler Stovall was a professor of history and the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University. His most recent book is White Freedom: the Racial History of an Idea. He died last week, on Friday, December 10, at the age of 67. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

ARNALDO CRUZ-MALAVE
Many Latinos say ‘Latinx’ offends or bothers them. Here’s why.
NBC News 12-14-21
Latinx proponent Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a professor at Fordham University, says the use of Latinx “has only picked up momentum with the struggles for queer and trans rights in the past decade both in Latin America and the U.S.”

Denzel Washington Isn’t Afraid To Say “Macbeth” Out Loud In A Theater
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 12-15-21
“… And starting years ago, when you were in college at Fordham.. [Colbert shows Denzel a photo of him in a Fordham Theatre play] there’s your first production in college, right?”

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

Pilot program offers free access to the internet in Yonkers
News 12 Westchester 12-14-2021
The Westchester County Association [along with partners organizations and institutions, such as Fordham University]is spearheading this pilot project, with a $450,000 grant from a nonprofit called U.S. Ignite.

Spikes in COVID cases among young people hit some hospitals, schools hard
CNY Central 12-15-21
Fordham University has just announced that all faculty, staff and students will now be required to get a booster shot before returning to campus in the spring. More than 20 colleges now require them.

A Trove of Artifacts Officials Call ‘Stolen’ Are Returned to Italy
The New York Times 12-15-21
The Museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art at Fordham University surrendered roughly a hundred items, including this hydria, or water jar, depicting the deeds of Hercules.

SCHOOL OF LAW FACULTY

BENNETT CAPERS
The inequality, frustration, suffering and work that led to 2020’s protests
The Washington Post 12-10-21
Bennett Capers is a professor of law at Fordham Law School and the director of the Center on Race, Law and Justice. He is the author of the forthcoming book “The Prosecutor’s Turn.”

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
Zephyr Teachout exits race for New York attorney general
AP News 12-12-21
Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout has officially dropped out of the race to be New York’s attorney general, days after incumbent Letitia James decided to seek reelection.

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
Look Out, Big Tech, We’re Coming for You
New Republic 12-10-21
Zephyr Teachout is a professor at Fordham University School of Law, and the author of Corruption in America (2014) and Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money (2020).

KAREN GREENBERG
Here’s How We End America’s Forever Wars
The Nation 12-13-21
Karen J. Greenberg is director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. She is the author of The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo’s First 100 Days, Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State, and most recently, Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump.

LAWRENCE BRENNAN
Navy hearing will decide if a sailor should face court martial for ship fire
NPR 12-13-21
Lawrence Brennan is a former naval officer and a law professor at Fordham University.
“If the accused is truly guilty of igniting a fire that caused damage and intended to do it, that’s a crime. But is the captain, the executive officer, the command duty officer – are they culpable in a criminal sense?”

GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS FACULTY

KEVIN MIRABILE
Inside Alts, an Email Community Dedicated to the Fascinating World of Alternative Assets
Money.com 12-10-21
“Millennials think about investments that are more aligned with lifestyle,” Mirabile says. “That has put a lot of these asset classes on the map.”

ARTS & SCIENCES FACULTY

ARNALDO CRUZ-MALAVE
New ‘West Side Story’ by Steven Spielberg lessens racism in the original, but not enough
NBC News 12-11-21
“No Puerto Rican of a certain age can watch it without cringing,” says Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a Puerto Rican professor of Latin American and Latinx Studies at Fordham University.

CHRISTIANA ZENNER
EarthBeat Weekly: ‘Pursuit of climate justice is inextricable from the pursuit of racial justice’
Earthbeat Weekly 12-10-21
In matters of environmental and climate justice, words matter, as biologist and ethicist Christiana Zenner of Fordham University said in a presentation about humanitarian action and climate change in October at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

TYLER STOVALL
Revolution of One
The Nation 12-11-21
Tyler Stovall was a professor of history and the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University. His most recent book is White Freedom: the Racial History of an Idea. He died last week, on Friday, December 10, at the age of 67. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

ARNALDO CRUZ-MALAVE
Many Latinos say ‘Latinx’ offends or bothers them. Here’s why.
NBC News 12-14-21
Latinx proponent Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a professor at Fordham University, says the use of Latinx “has only picked up momentum with the struggles for queer and trans rights in the past decade both in Latin America and the U.S.”

ATHLETICS

Kevin Decker discusses installing Josh Heupel’s offense at Fordham
USA Today 12-10-21
Kevin Decker has served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Fordham since 2019.

Coach Gregg Popovich took over the Spurs in a controversial move 25 years ago
MySanAntonio.com 12-10-21
As for Bob Hill, he went on to coach at Fordham University before reentering the league to coach the Seattle Supersonics in 2006. He was most-recently the Phoenix Suns assistant coach in 2016.

STUDENTS

From schools to sports, a new wave of COVID-19 disrupts U.S. life
Reuters 12-16-21
Chris Johnson, a sophomore at Fordham University, said he would wait as long as it takes. “I gotta get a test to take my final tomorrow,” he said.

ALUMNI

From Litigation to Salivation: Long Time New York Attorney Publishes Cookbook Featuring Over 70 Original Recipes
Fox 40 12-10-21
She [Danielle Caminiti] is a seasoned legal professional who graduated from Fordham University School of Law and New York University undergraduate, both with honors.

Here’s What a Lot of College Grads Don’t Know About Their First Job Offer
CNBC 12-11-21
Mattathia Komla, a current MBA candidate at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business, said after she got her undergraduate degree, she was just happy to get a job. “I didn’t even know what a typical starting salary would be,” Komla said. “I was naïve to the fact that I could negotiate my salary.”

10 Dividend Stock Picks of Billionaire Mario Gabelli
Insider Monkey 12-12-21
Billionaire Mario Joseph Gabelli graduated from Fordham University’s College of Business Administration in 1965 with a summa cum laude. He founded GAMCO Investors, formerly known as Gabelli Asset Management Company, an investment hedge fund based in Rye, New York.

Ocean Power Technologies Appoints Robert Powers As New CFO
The Street 12-13-21
He [Robert P. Powers] received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree from Fordham University and an MBA in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he is a Certified Public Accountant.

tarte cosmetics appoints General Counsel
PR Newswire 12-13-21
A graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Iuliano specializes in corporate transactional work and has more than 20 years of experience working at Stone Point Capital, SG Cowen and Dewey Ballantine.

Summer House: Everything To Know About New Castmate Alex Wach
ScreenRant.com 12-11-21
He [Alex Wach] graduated from Fordham University with a degree in economics and mathematics.

Seaman Dankner and the African-American Role in the WWII Coast Guard
The Maritime Executive 12-12-21
One only needs to remember Petty Officer 3rd Class Olivia Hooker, a yeoman and later professor at Fordham University.

Posse Foundation Welcomes New Director to Lead New York Chapter
PR.com 12-13-21
Michell [Tollinchi] received a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from the State University of New York at Albany, a Master’s of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she attended Fordham University where she obtained her Ph.D. in Social Services.

Forthcoming book is a thrilling exploration of policing sex workers in Johannesburg
Human Rights 12-14-21
[India] Thusi earned a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in New York, and Ph.D. in Social Anthropology and Law & Society from University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Edwards bests D’Ambrosio in special state Senate primary, earns 95% of Cambridge vote
WickedLocal.com 12-14-21
[Lydia] Edwards graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and legal policy, American University Washington College of Law with a juris doctorate and the Boston University of Law with a masters of law in taxation.

Skanska Promotes Clark and Doherty to Vice President, Field Operations
ACPpubs.com 12-14-21
She also holds an executive Master of Business Administration in transitional management from Fordham University.

Maple Gold Adds a Second Drill Rig at Douay, Prepares for Phase I Drilling at Eagle, and Announces Board Changes
DMNnews.com 12-14-21
Ms. [Michelle] Roth earned her MBA in Finance from Fordham University.

Matt Lewis returns for third season with Kansas City Comets
The Examiner 12-14-21
Lewis was a three-time Atlantic 10 all-conference selection for Fordham University, where he set program records for starts and appearances.

Denzel Washington’s Next Act Isn’t an Act
Relevant Magazine 12-14-21
He cut his teeth in the title role of Othello while at Fordham University and attended graduate school at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater.

Information Regarding the Sub-Adviser
StreetInsider 12-14-21
Owen [Fitzpatrick] earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and his MBA from Fordham University.

Italy’s Cesena FC Is Set To Be Acquired By American Private Equity Manager Robert Lewis
Forbes 12-14-21
A Georgetown University and Fordham University School of Law graduate, Lewis is fluent in Italian, which will come in handy during his meetings as a new Cesena FC board member.

Michelle Jubelirer Named First Female CEO in 80-Year History of Capitol Music Group
EDM.com 12-15-21
She graduated from Fordham University School of Law with her Juris Doctorate in 1999, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Gov. Mills nominates attorney from Yarmouth as next public advocate
Sun Journal 12-15-21
Harwood, a graduate of Harvard University and Fordham University, lives in Yarmouth with his wife, Ellen, and has five grown children.

OUI the People: A black-woman-owned beauty brand that prioritizes black women
The Grio 12-15-21
“Each OUI The People razor is a modern version of a timeless tool, hand-crafted in Germany with a weighted handle and a special non-aggressive angle,” explained [Karen Young] the Fordham University graduate.

OBITUARIES

John J. O’Connor
Cape Cod Times 12-11-21
He grew up in Manhattan and graduated from Fordham University and went on to earn an MBA.

Brother Thomas P. Lydon C.F.X.
Legacy 12-12-21
Brother Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in 1957 from Catholic University and in 1966 received a master’s degree from Fordham University, both in biology.

James P. Dugan,1929-2021, Former Assemblyman, State Senator, Democratic New Jersey State Party Chair, and Influential Attorney
Insider NJ 12-11-21
Jim was the model of a Jesuit education with St. Peter’s Prep and Fordham Law School in his life. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri. Fordham recognized him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Annetta E. Ducato – Charleroi
The Mon Valley Independent 12-13-21
Annetta also spent one summer studying fashion design at Fordham University in New York City.

Jere Hayden Davis, obituary
Penobscot Bay 12-15-21
During this time, Jere also attended Fordham University and earned a Master of Science Degree from Long Island University.

ASIF SIDDIQI
50 Years Ago, a Forgotten Mission Landed on Mars
Discover Magazine 12-1-21
“The Soviet space program was under a lot of pressure in the 1960s to achieve ‘firsts,’” says Asif Siddiqi, a Fordham University history professor who’s penned multiple books on the Soviet side of the space race.

CHERYL BADER
Rittenhouse Verdict Sparks Split Reactions, Fears of Vigilantism
Bloomberg.com 11-19-21
“I am afraid that as people are empowered by this verdict to weaponize the public spaces, we will see more fatalities,” said Cheryl Bader, a former assistant U.S. attorney and associate clinical professor at Fordham University School of Law.

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
‘I Want to Be a 21st-Century Trustbuster’: Zephyr Teachout on Her Run for A.G.
New York Magazine 11-24-21
Teachout is currently a professor at Fordham Law School, where she specializes in constitutional and antitrust law.

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

Capital Campaign Watch: Dickinson, Fordham, Springfield, Tulane
Inside Higher Ed 11-22-21
Fordham University has announced a campaign to raise $350 million, probably by 2024. The university has raised $170 million so far.

Museum of American Finance to Present Virtual Panel on “SPACs: The New IPO?”
BusinessWire 11-30-21
“SPACs: The New IPO?” is sponsored by Citadel Securities and Vinson & Elkins. It is presented in partnership with the Fordham University Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis.

Study Abroad Programs Reopen To Eager College Students
Gothamist.com 12-1-21
This fall, Fordham University only re-opened its London program. Joseph Rienti, director of the study abroad office, said the enrollment for that campus was higher than usual.

LAW SCHOOL FACULTY

CHERYL BADER
Rittenhouse Verdict Sparks Split Reactions, Fears of Vigilantism
Bloomberg.com 11-19-21
“I am afraid that as people are empowered by this verdict to weaponize the public spaces, we will see more fatalities,” said Cheryl Bader, a former assistant U.S. attorney and associate clinical professor at Fordham University School of Law.

JOHN PFAFF
In Depth Podcast: Why Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted
Audacity.com 11-19-21
This week’s guests include Kim Belware, John Pfaff (sic), and Charles Coleman Jr.
… Pfaff (sic), an author and law professor at Fordham University, breaks down how self defense laws, open carry laws, and the burden of proof contributed to this case.

OLIVIER SYLVAIN
FTC Chair Khan Brings on AI Policy Advice From NYU Researchers
Bloomberg Law 11-19-21
They join Olivier Sylvain, a law professor from Fordham University, who is serving as Khan’s senior adviser on technology.

DORA GALACATOS
The future of geographic screens for NYC’s high schools is up in the air amid concerns over diversity, commutes
Chalkbeat.com 11-19-21
Dora Galacatos is the executive director of the Fordham Law School Feerick Center for Social Justice, which recently released a report calling for a number of reforms to make the admissions process more fair.

CHERYL BADER
Rittenhouse’s Winning Strategy Rested on Tear-Filled Testimony
Bloomberg Law 11-19-21
Cheryl Bader, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches at Fordham University School of Law, said there didn’t appear to be any obvious errors in the state’s case.

CHERYL BADER
Rittenhouse verdict raises stakes in Arbery trial
SFGATE 11-20-21
Cheryl Bader, a former assistant U.S. attorney and a professor at Fordham University School of Law, said that while people of any race can claim self-defense, implicit bias means that race will inevitably factor into who can successfully claim it.

RICHARD M. STEUER
The congressional debate over antitrust: It’s about time
The Hill 11-20-21
Richard M. Steuer is an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School

ERIC YOUNG
Who Was Watching Over The CEO Of Activision Blizzard?
Forbes 11-22-21
Eric Young, a former chief compliance officer at a number of large global investment banks, and currently an adjunct professor for compliance at Fordham Law School, said about this matter, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

OLIVIER SYLVAIN
Hochul tops new poll
Politico 11-22-21
Olivier Sylvain will be senior adviser on technology to [FTC Chair Lina] Khan. He is a law professor at Fordham University and is considered a Section 230 expert.

CHERYL BADER
Table Topics: Oil Prices, Rittenhouse, and Ethical Debates
Player.fm 11-23-21
Cheryl Bader, clinical associate professor of law, Fordham

OLIVIER SYLVAIN
FTC Chair Lina M. Khan Announces New Appointments in Agency Leadership Positions
MyChesco.com 11-24-21
Olivier Sylvain will serve as Senior Advisor on Technology to the Chair. Sylvain joins the FTC from Fordham University where he has served as Professor of Law.

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
‘I Want to Be a 21st-Century Trustbuster’: Zephyr Teachout on Her Run for A.G.
NY Mag 11-24-21
Teachout is currently a professor at Fordham Law School, where she specializes in constitutional and antitrust law.

BRUCE GREEN
Jan. 6 panel faces double-edged sword with Alex Jones, Roger Stone
The Hill 11-26-21
“Even people that have a tendency to lie in a lot of different contexts have strong motivation not to lie under oath because it puts them at risk,” said Bruce Green, a law professor at Fordham University and a former federal prosecutor.

BRUCE GREEN
Ahmaud Arbery trial shines a light on prosecutorial misconduct
DNYUZ 11-30-21
Bruce A. Green is the Louis Stein Chair at Fordham Law School, where he directs the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics.

BRUCE GREEN
10 Things in Politics: Kamala Harris’ Big Tech problem
Business Insider (subscription) 12-1-21
Bruce Green, who leads the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics at Fordham Law School, said it would be “misleading or irresponsible” to make such a commitment.

JOEL COHEN
When a President Comments on a Pending Criminal Case
Law & Crime 12-1-21
He is the author of “Broken Scales: Reflections On Injustice” (ABA Publishing, 2017) and an adjunct professor at both Fordham and Cardozo Law Schools.

TANYA HERNANDEZ
A college law professor who teaches critical race theory worries that educators are living through another ‘Red Scare’
Business Insider 12-1-21
Tanya Katerí Hernández feels fortunate to be a tenured professor at Fordham University School of Law, a private Catholic institution in New York City that she said supports her teaching on critical race theory.

FORMER LAW SCHOOL FACULTY

ALISON NATHAN
Who Is Alison Nathan? Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Judge
Newsweek 11-29-21
From 2008 to 2009, she was a Fritz Alexander Fellow at New York University School of Law and before that, from 2006 to 2008, a visiting assistant professor of law at Fordham University Law School

ANNEMARIE MCAVOY
From Serious to Scurrilous, Some Jimmy Hoffa Theories
NewsNation USA 11-24-21
Former federal prosecutor and adjunct law professor at Fordham University Annemarie McAvoy discusses history and fascination of the Hoffa case.

GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS FACULTY

FRANK ZAMBERELLI
How does the Impact Index support sustainable fashion?
Sustainability.com 11-19-21
Frank Zambrelli, Executive Director of the Responsible Business Coalition at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, says, ‘it is not a green light or a red light. It’s merely a platform. Nobody’s saying this is a better skirt than this one; we’re just saying, “This skirt was produced this way, with these certifications”’.

BARBARA PORCO
Companies Are Falling Short Measuring Environmental Performance Against Goals: Report
Forbes 12-2-21
As I wrote last month, “All elements of ESG reporting are really based on proper risk management,” according to Barbara Porco, director for the Center of Professional Accounting Practices at Fordham Business School.

LERZAN AKSOY
Aflac Lands Top-15 Spot on the 2021 American Innovation Index
PR Newswire 12-1-21
“The pandemic continues to challenge companies to adapt their business models at a faster rate than in normal times,” said Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., professor of marketing at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICES FACULTY

Aging Behind Prison Walls
WFUV-FM 11-30-21
Tina Maschi, PhD, LCSW, ACSW Professor, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service

ARTS & SCIENCES FACULTY

BRYAN MASSINGALE
Christians must develop an anti-racist spirituality, Mennonite authors argue
National Catholic Reporter 11-24-21
Among that year’s honorees was Fr. Bryan Massingale, who was then on the faculty of Marquette University in Milwaukee and now teaches at Fordham University in New York.

JACK WAGNER
In Their 80s, and Living It Up (or Not)
New York Times 11-26-21
Dr. Katharine Esty has the right idea. I am 85 and my wife is 80. I work out six times a week at my local gym, and I teach mathematics at Fordham University. We are fully vaccinated, including boosters.

KATHRYN REKLIS
Telling Native stories on TV
The Christian Century 11-19-21
Kathryn Reklis teaches theology at Fordham University and is codirector of the Institute for Art, Religion and Social Justice.

SHELLAE VERSEY
Forever Young: Seniors Dance in the Bronx
The Villiage Voice 11-24-21
“Even before COVID, we were already noticing the squeeze of gentrification on the social lives of older adults who were living in these communities,” Shellae Versey, an assistant professor of psychology at Fordham University, tells the Voice in a phone interview, referring to members of racial minority groups being priced out of their neighborhoods.

CHARLES CAMOSY
Takeaways from the USCCB’s General Assembly
National Catholic Register 11-20-21
To help shed some light on the broader scope of what happened in Baltimore, and the general assembly’s true significance, the Register spoke with Charles Camosy, a moral theologian at Fordham University;

CHRISTINA GREER
Eric Adams, off on the right foot
Marietta Daily Journal 11-20-21
The rubber’s yet to hit the road and I’ve written plenty already about my doubts and concerns about Adams and what Fordham University political science professor and my FAQ.NYC co-host Christina Greer calls his “nervous cop energy.”

CHRISTINA GREER
Thanksgiving is upon us
Amsterdam News 11-25-21
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

BRYAN MASSINGALE
Bryan Massingale wins social justice award from Paulist Center
The Christian Century 11-29-21
He currently teaches ethics at Fordham University, where he also serves as the senior ethics fellow for the school’s Center for Ethics Education.

ARISTOLTLE PAPANIKOLAOU
Jan. 6 panel faces double-edged sword with Alex Jones, Roger Stone
National Catholic Reporter 11-30-21
Looking ahead to the pope’s time in Cyprus and Greece, Aristotle Papanikolaou, co-director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University, told NCR that “the symbolism is key.”

CHRIS RHOMBERG
Fattest Profits Since 1950 Debunk Wage-Inflation Story of CEOs
Daily Magazine 11-30-21
“Workers may be tired of seeing the fruits of their labor go to corporations making record-breaking earnings,” Chris Rhomberg, a professor of sociology at Fordham University, said at that point. “The Deere workers evidently felt that the company could afford more.”

SARIT KATTAN GRIBETZ
Yeshiva University Museum Receives NEH Planning Grant
Yeshiva University 11-20-21
Additional consultants on the project are Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Associate Professor of Classical Judaism at Fordham University, who has particular expertise on the Jewish calendar and its development during the rabbinic period and on aspects of the calendar as they relate to the historical experience of Jewish women;

ASIF SIDDIQI
50 Years Ago, a Forgotten Mission Landed on Mars
Discover Magazine 12-1-21
“The Soviet space program was under a lot of pressure in the 1960s to achieve ‘firsts,’” says Asif Siddiqi, a Fordham University history professor who’s penned multiple books on the Soviet side of the space race.

DAISY DECAMPO
The Ethics of Egg Freezing and Egg Sharing
The Cut (subscription) 12-1-21
Daisy Deomampo, a medical anthropologist and associate professor at Fordham University who has researched donor egg markets.

NICHOLAS JOHNSON
School Board Finds Anti-2A Bias In Elementary School Textbook
Bearing Arms 12-1-21
As Fordham professor Nicholas Johnson brilliantly pointed out in his book Negroes and the Gun: The Black Tradition of Arms, the Second Amendment has long played a role in advancing the cause of freedom in the United States.

CHRISTINA GREER
December is upon us
New York Amsterdam News 12-2-21
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.

FORMER ARTS & SCIENCES FACULTY

ROGER PANETTA
Houston highway project sparks debate over racial equity
MyNorthwest.com 11-23-21
Roger Panetta, a retired history professor at Fordham University in New York, said those opposing the I-45 project will have an uphill battle, as issues of racism and inequity have been so persistent in highway expansions that it “gets very difficult to dislodge.”

ATHLETICS

KYLE NEPTUNE
Early returns on the Kyle Neptune era at Fordham University positive
News12 New Jersey 11-19-21
The early returns on the Kyle Neptune era at Fordham University have been pretty positive.

Red Bulls Pick Up New Players In Super Draft
FirstTouchOnline.com 11-28-21
Janos Loebe, a German-born Fordham University product, will start to move from forward to attacking wingback, a key position on the field for New York.

ALUMNI

40 Under 40: Kyle Ciminelli, Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.
The Business Journals (subscription only) 11-19-21
[Kyle Ciminelli] Bachelor’s, finance, Fordham University; master’s, real estate and finance, New York University.

Devin Driscoll to Host Christmas Gathering
The Knoxville Focus 11-21-21
Devin Driscoll graduated from Catholic High School and went on to earn a degree from Fordham University.

Columnist Judith Bachman Captures The Spirit Of Sister Mary Eileen O’Brien, President Of Dominican College
Rockland County Business Journal 11-23-21
Sister O’Brien has dedicated herself to education for over 50 years. Sr. Mary Eileen earned a doctorate degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Fordham University and holds a master’s degree in Adult and Higher Education from Teachers College of Columbia University and a master’s in Mathematics from Manhattan College.

Lacerta Therapeutics Appoints Min Wang, PhD, JD and Marc Wolff to its Board of Directors
BusinessWire 11-24-21
Dr. [Min] Wang received her PhD in Organic Chemistry from Brown University and a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

Teva Attorneys Leave Goodwin Procter For Greenberg Traurig
Law360.com (subscription) 11-24-21
He earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law.

She went through foster care. Now she leads one of the oldest U.S. child welfare organizations.
MSNBC 11-29-21
[Kym Hardy] Watson, who holds degrees from Fordham University and Baruch College, CUNY, began her career in the 1980s after a summer job working with youth at St. Christopher’s Home.

FreedomCon 2021 – Native Lives Matter
Underground Railroad Education Center 11-27-21
[Loriv Quigly] earned her bachelor of arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from St. Bonaventure University, and a master of arts in Public Communication and Ph.D. in Language, Learning and Literacy from Fordham University.

The Hall case in the Poconos and malice in the US | Moving Mountains
Pocono Record 11-27-21
Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo holds a doctorate in Catholic Theology from Fordham University and authored a column on religion for the Washington Post from 2008-2012.

The Success Of Emmy Clarke, Both In And Out Of The Camera
The Washington Independent 11-29-21
[Emmy Clark] decided to attend Fordham University. She finished her studies in 2014 and received a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies.

Paraco’s CEO puts business lessons, family experiences in print
Westfair Communications Online (subscription) 11-19-21
…was born in Mount Vernon, the oldest of four sons He attended Fordham University, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in…

Greenberg Traurig Further Strengthens Pharmaceutical, Medical Device & Health Care Practice
PR Newswire 11-19-21
In addition, [Glenn] Kerner has experience in complex commercial litigation, antitrust, real estate litigation, and other civil litigation. He has a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. from Cornell University.

Three Universities Have Announced the Hiring of African Americans to Diversity Positions
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Ed 11-19-21
[Tiffany Smith] holds a master’s degree in education, specializing in counseling services, from Fordham University in New York.

President Biden nominates second out woman to federal appellate court
LGBTQ Nation 11-21-21
[Alison Nathan] has clerked in the Supreme Court and taught at Fordham Law School and NYU Law.

GOTS ramps up oversight on product claims in North America
HomeTextilesToday.com 11-22-21
[Travis Wells] earned his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in Corporate Law from George Washington University Law School and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Sustainability and Finance from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University.

Malcolm X’s 5 surviving daughters: Inside lives marred by tragedy and turmoil
New York Post 11-23-21
[IIyasah Shabazz] graduated from the elite Hackley School, obtained a bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz and a master’s degree in human resources from Fordham University.

Michael R. Scoma is recognized by Continental Who’s Who
PR Newswire 11-24-21
From a young age, Dr. [Michael] Scoma knew he wanted to pursue a career helping others. He started off earning his Bachelor of Science from Fordham University.

STODDARD BOWL: 2021 game will honor the former greats, Maloney’s Annino and Platt’s Shorter
MyRecordJournal.com 11-24-21
After Platt, [Michael] Shorter did a post-grad year at Choate, where he was an All-New England running back, then went on to play four years at Fordham University, where he earned a degree in Economics.

Local performer returns to state with ‘Fiddler’
HometownSource.com 11-24-21
From there [Scott Willits] went to The Ailey School and Fordham University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance in New York.

The Singer Who Calls Himself Sick Walt
Long Island City Journal 11-24-21
After graduating from Fordham University with a degree in communications and a minor in German and singing in a cover band, Sick Walt set out on a traditional (he means boring!) career path, taking what he calls a corporate “suit job” in a financial institution.

Aleksander Mici files to run for U.S. Senate
Bronx Times 11-24-21
[Aleksander] Mici, 46, is a practicing attorney with a law degree from Fordham Law School.

Robert Hughes
Citizens Journal 11-20-21
Bob [Robert Hughes] has a MA in economics from Fordham University and a BS in business from Lehigh University.

Grassroots solutions and farm fresh eggs
The Bronx Free Press 11-27-21
[Jack] Marth first connected with POTS when he was a Fordham University student in 1988, as he volunteered to help in the soup kitchen.

Suozzi enters governor’s race
The Daily Star 11-29-21
A graduate of Boston College and Fordham Law School,, [Thomas] Suozzi lives with his wife, Helen, in Nassau County.

Latino students succeed in graduate school with the support of the Hispanic Theological Initiative
FaithandLeadership.com 11-30-21
The Rev. Dr. Loida I. Martell recalls a critical, do-or-die moment she faced while pursuing a Ph.D. in theology from Fordham University.

Governor Hochul Announces 2021-2023 Fellows
Governor.ny.gov 11-30-21
[Shaquann Hunt] received a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology from Colby College and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

With Graduate Degree She Worked At McDonald’s, She Now Owns Three
Patch.com 11-30-21
Just after Sara Natalino Amato received a graduate degree at Fordham University, she went to work at an Orange McDonald’s.

Lamont nominates Nancy Navarretta as Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner
Fox61.com 12-1-21
[Nancy Navaretta] earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Boston College, and a Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology from Fordham University.

United Way Board of Directors Appoints Four New Members
Patch.com 12-1-21
[Marjorie] De La Cruz was awarded the Fordham School of Law 25th Annual Corporate Counsel Award; Latino Justice 2019 Lucero Award and was featured in Hispanic Executive in March 2019.

Jasmine Trangucci, LCSW-R is Meritoriously Named a ‘Top Patient Preferred Psychotherapist’ Representing the State of New York for 2022!
DigitalJournal.com 12-2-21
[Jasmine Trangucci] then went on to complete her Master of Social Work degree at Fordham University in 2005.

Hamilton Re-Signs Anderson as General Manager
OurSportCentral.com 12-2-21
A 2006 graduate of Fordham University, [Jermaine] Anderson earned his Master of Business Administration from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in September of 2019.

Hers Is a Filmmakers Festival
The East Hampton Star 12-2-21
Ms. [Jacqui] Lofaro grew up in Greenwich Village and graduated from Fordham University.

Connell Foley elects new managing partner
ROI-NJ 12-2-21
[Timothy] Corriston earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Hobart College. He also holds an LL.M. in environmental law from Pace University School of Law.

OBITUARY

Walter Miner Lowe, Jr.
Auburn Citizen (subscription) 11-24-21
Born in NYC, he was the son of late Walter Sr. and Florence Lowe. Walter was a 1958 graduate of Fordham University and an Army veteran serving his …

Denis Collins
Legacy.com 11-24-21
He graduated from Gonzaga High School in 1967, and attended Fordham University, with various mis-adventurous detours to Trinity College in Ireland, Talladega College in Alabama, and Stony Brook University in Long Island.

Sr. Marie Vincent Chiaravalle
Legacy.com 11-29-21
She attended St. Elizabeth Teacher College, Allegany, Fordham University in New York City and graduated from St. Bonaventure University, Allegany, with a bachelor of science degree in education.

Frank J. Messmann III
The Enterprise 11-26-21
He received a doctorate from Fordham University.

Roderick Dowling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11-28-21
He received his law degree from Fordham Law School as the President of his class in 1965, paying for his tuition through multiple jobs as a waiter, lifeguard, and a Fordham scholarship.

Mary Waddell
The Atlanta-Journal 12-1-21
Mary was born in Manhattan, New York to James and Anna McHugh McGuinness on August 18, 1927. She attended St. Barnabas High School in the Bronx and graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry before joining the global headquarters of the New York City-based public relations firm Carl Byoir & Associates.

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
Zephyr Teachout announces run for New York attorney general
AP News 11-15-21
Teachout, 50, is an associate professor of law at Fordham University and a scholar on corruption and antitrust laws.

LAURA AURICCHIO
The U.S.-France relationship has always had friction
The Washington Post 11-15-21
Laura Auricchio, Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, is the author of “The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered” and serves on the scientific advisory board for France in the Americas, an international collaborative project led by the French National Library.

MARK NAISON
How GOP focused voters on critical race theory
USA Today 11-16-21
Mark Naison, a professor of history and African American studies at Fordham University, told USA TODAY that critical race theory is used as a label to attack all efforts to diversify school curricula. “There is no school system in the country which uses it as a basis for curricular development,” Naison said.

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

Bachelor’s Degree Center Releases National Rankings of Real Estate Degree Programs
PR Newswire 11-16-21
Fordham University – Bronx, NY

ADMINISTRATORS

JEFEREY NG
Campus Counselors Are Burned Out and Short-Staffed
The Chronicle of Higher Education 11-15-21
Jeffrey Ng, director of counseling and psychological services at Fordham University, reports that the number of students seen for clinical appointments has risen 42 percent since last fall.

LAURA AURICCHIO
The U.S.-France relationship has always had friction
The Washington Post 11-15-21
Laura Auricchio, Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, is the author of “The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered” and serves on the scientific advisory board for France in the Americas, an international collaborative project led by the French National Library.

BARBARA PORCO
Last Place Finish Of Systemic Risk Management Reporting In ESG Survey Raises Red Flags
Forbes 11-16-21
“All elements of ESG reporting are really based on proper risk management,” according to Barbara Porco, director for the Center of Professional Accounting Practices at Fordham Business School.

SCHOOL OF LAW

New report calls for greater equity in middle and high school admissions
Inside Schools newsletter 11-17-21
A new report by the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham University School of Law calls on the city to overhaul middle and high school admissions by taking some concrete steps.

FORMER SCHOOL OF LAW FACULTY

ALISON NATHAN
President Biden Names Tenth Round of Judicial Nominees
The White House 11-17-21
Judge Nathan was a Fritz Alexander Fellow at New York University School of Law from 2008 to 2009 and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at Fordham University Law School from 2006 to 2008.

SCHOOL OF LAW FACULTY

BRUCE GREEN
Legal Professors’ Lawsuit Spotlights Resistance to Prosecutor Accountability
Filter Magazine 11-12-21
“Were [the state bar]motivated by the fact that the complaints were filed publicly so that a failure to act expeditiously would look bad?” Bruce Green, a Fordham Law professor not involved in filing the complaints, rhetorically asked.

MARTIN FLAHERTY
What one American’s case says about the future of the courts in Hong Kong
Vox 11-14-21
“My sense is that [Hong Kong’s rule of law is] on life support — but the prognosis is not very good,” said Martin Flaherty, a professor of international law at Fordham University.

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
Zephyr Teachout announces run for New York attorney general
AP News 11-15-21
Teachout, 50, is an associate professor of law at Fordham University and a scholar on corruption and antitrust laws.

BENNETT CAPERS
Iowa scores lowest in the nation in policing and corrections spending
The Center Square 11-15-21
“These expenditures mean less money for schools, for libraries, for parks, you name it,” Fordham Law School Professor and Center on Race, Law, and Justice Director Bennett Capers said. “More importantly, they mean less money for things that could actually reduce crime, such as more affordable housing, job creation, and mental health treatment.”

JOHN PFAFF
Rittenhouse doesn’t have to prove he acted in self-defense
The Washington Post 11-15-21
John Pfaff is a professor of law at Fordham University. He is the author of “Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform.”

BRUCE GREEN
Bad romance: When courts won’t let lawyers and clients part ways
Reuters 11-16-21
As legal ethics expert Bruce Green, a professor at Fordham University School of Law, put it, “To have an effective lawyer-client relationship requires trust between the lawyer and the client.”

JOHN PFAFF
He’s Remaking Criminal Justice in L.A. But How Far Is Too Far?
DNYUZ 11-17-21
The single largest group in state prisons, totaling around 55 percent nationally, have been convicted of crimes of violence, according to John Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham University.

ALAN RUSSO
How Social Inflation is Changing Liability Insurance
Legal TalknNetwork 11-18-21
He’s also a regular lecturer for the National Business Institute on trial advocacy, and an instructor for the Corporation Counsel’s Trial Advocacy Program at Fordham University Law School and regular contributor to Lawline.

GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS FACULTY

DENISE BENNETT
Denise L. Bennett: Reaching a hand back in the business world
New York Amsterdam News 11-17-21
Along with her positions at iHeartMedia, Bennett just completed her first year as a professor at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, where she teaches Advanced Business Communications at the graduate level.

ARTS & SCIENCES FACULTY

CHRISTINA GREER
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown faces backlash after winning write-in campaign
City and State NY 11-12-21
“Oftentimes, if you’ve been elected four different times, you’re not terribly worried about a primary, and so you tend to let your guard down just a little bit,” Fordham University associate professor of political science Christina Greer told City & State. “Ask Joe Crowley, right?”

MARK NAISON
How critical race theory went from conservative battle cry to mainstream powder keg
Yahoo News via USA Today 11-15-21
Mark Naison, a professor of history and African American studies at Fordham University, told USA TODAY that critical race theory is used as a label to attack all efforts to diversify public school curricula.

SAUL CORNELL
Will SCOTUS Force Us All to Find Out How Polite an Armed Society Will Be?
History News Network 11-14-21
Fordham Professor Saul Cornell, one of the leading authorities on early American constitutional thought, led 16 professors of history and law in a brief, arguing that “One of the longest continuous traditions in Anglo-American law are limits on the public carry of arms in populous areas.”

SAUL CORNELL
Former Prosecutor: “Wild West” Will Follow If NY Carry Laws Struck Down
BearingArms.com 11-15-21
Fordham Professor Saul Cornell, one of the leading authorities on early American constitutional thought, led 16 professors of history and law in a brief, arguing that “One of the longest continuous traditions in Anglo-American law are limits on the public carry of arms in populous areas.”

MARK NAISON
BronxTalk I November 15, 2021 – Racial Disparities
Bronx Net 11-15-21
…Dr. Mark Naison, Professor of African American Studies and History at Fordham University and Founder and Director of the Bronx African American History Project.

CHARLES CAMOSEY
Catholic groups criticize Archbishop Gomez for speech on ‘woke’ movements
Crux.com 11-16-21
He is an associate professor of theological and social ethics at Jesuit-run Fordham University.

MARK NAISON
How GOP focused voters on critical race theory
USA Today 11-16-21
Mark Naison, a professor of history and African American studies at Fordham University, told USA TODAY that critical race theory is used as a label to attack all efforts to diversify school curricula. “There is no school system in the country which uses it as a basis for curricular development,” Naison said.

CHRISTINA GREER
As N.J. Dems lick their wounds over 2021, 2022 looms
New Jersey Monitor 11-17-21
Christina Greer, politics professor at Fordham University, pointed to the failure of the party to capitalize on popular provisions in the infrastructure and spending bills that have been D.C.’s focus for months.

ATHLETICS

Largest Number of Ridgefield High School Athletes Ever Participate in Signing Day
Ridgefield’s Hamlethub 11-12-21
Daniel Bucciero, RHS class of 2022, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division 1 baseball at Fordham University…Miranda Bonitatebus, RHS class of 2022, has signed a National Letter of Intent to swim on the women’s swim and dive team at Fordham University…Eva Niemeyer, RHS class of 2022, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play women’s soccer at Fordham University in New York.

That Noise You Heard Was The Entire Atlantic Ten Conference Shitting Their Pants; The Loyola Ramblers Will Join The A10 In 2022
Barstool Sports 11-17-21
Fellow Jesuit institutions Fordham University, Saint Joseph’s University and Saint Louis University are current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference and in joining the A-10, Loyola will renew rivalries with The University of Dayton, Duquesne University, La Salle University and Saint Louis University, which were all-conference foes of the Ramblers at one time in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

STUDENTS

Amid Black exodus, young Catholics are pushing the church to address racism
The Washington Post 11-15-21
To John Barnes, who will be leading an upcoming webinar episode, says, “Black people always exist in liminal spaces.” Barnes, a doctoral student in systematic theology at Fordham University, converted to Catholicism in his 30s and said he was drawn by the religion’s sacraments and rituals.

Food Insecurity Linked to Disordered Eating in Patients With Obesity
Clinical Advisor 11-15-21
While more than 14 million US households experience food insecurity, research on the relationship between food insecurity and eating pathology is only just emerging, explained Jill Stadterman, MA, of Fordham University, and lead author of one of the studies with coauthors Yvette G.

ALUMNI

Former Japanese Princess Arrives In U.S. For New Life With Husband
Forbes 11-14-21
Mako is the elder daughter of Japan’s Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of Emperor Naruhito, while her new husband was raised by a single mother and graduated from Fordham Law School, according to the Associated Press.

Cedar Fair hires a new chief legal officer
CrainsCleveland.com 11-15-21
Nurse earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law.

Built on Beer
RichmondMagazine.com 11-15-21
McKay graduated from Fordham, earning his MBA, and Murtaugh attended Siebel Institute of Technology, the oldest brewing school in the United States, with campuses in Chicago and Germany.

Sam Ramirez Jr., a second-generation investment executive for the people
Al Dia 11-17-21
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Vermont, before pursuing two MBAs at Dartmouth and Fordham University, respectively.

Bressler, Amery & Ross Welcomes Jorge Campos as Counsel in New York Office
PR Newswire 11-17-21
He went on to earn his Executive MBA in Global Business from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona and an LL.M in Intellectual Property and Information Technology from Fordham University School of Law.

Msgr. John P. “Doc” Monaghan (1890-1961)
Catholic New York 11-17-21
Assigned to St. Peter’s Church on Staten Island, Father Monaghan taught at St. Peter’s Boys and Girls High Schools, while pursuing a doctorate in English literature at Fordham University.

Crowder College names finalists for president
The Joplin Globe 11-16-21
She holds a doctorate in educational leadership, administration and policy from Fordham University in New York, and a master’s degree in higher education administration and a bachelor’s degree in international marketing from Bernard M. Baruch College, CUNY, in New York.

Loyola Academy names new president
Evanston Now 11-17-21
He holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Dayton in mechanical engineering and English and master’s degrees in English from Pennsylvania State University, in philosophy from Fordham University, in theology from Boston College, and in educational policy and management and in public administration from Harvard University.

Four finalists announced in Crowder College President Search
FourStatesHomepage.com 11-17-21
She previously served as Administrator for Retention and Student Success at Bronx Community College, CUNY, in New York, NY. Dr. Simpson earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy from Fordham University in New York, NY; a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Marketing from Bernard M. Baruch College, CUNY, in New York, NY.

Erin Dahl, Home Décor Expert for MyDomaine
MyDomaine.com 11-18-21
She went on to study French Language & Literature and International Political Economy at Fordham University in the Bronx.

Cuban scholar publishes new book detailing Cuba’s history through stamps
The Independent Florida Alligator 11-17-21
In the U.S. he earned a J.D. from Fordham University Law School and a M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University.

OBITUARIES

James Brundage
Lawrence Journal-World 11-15-21
B.A. (1950) and M.A. (1951) from the University of Nebraska; Ph.D. (1955) Fordham University.

Betty Starr, 93, longtime Katonah resident, educator and St. Luke’s parishioner
The Record-Review 11-15-21
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Fordham University and a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Chicago.

William J. DuMond
Legacy.com 11-16-21
Will attained a perfect score on his college entry exam and received an academic scholarship to Fordham University.

Sister Maureen McDermott, Catholic school leader, dies at 65
CatholicPhilly.com 11-17-21
Along the way she earned a master’s degree in English from West Chester University and a Ph.D. in Catholic educational leadership from Fordham University.

Vincent R. Harter
Legacy.com 11-18-21
Vince’s essence remains with us.
Vince was a graduate of Fordham University, served in and retired from the United States Air Force, worked in the private sector, was involved in the wellbeing and maintenance of St. John’s Catholic School in Belleville, coached sports, volunteered his time at St. Luke’s in Belleville and never knew a stranger.

Progressives “crashed the party by sort of becoming part of it, but also fundamentally changing its course,” said Heather Gautney, associate professor of sociology, in regards to her book Crashing the Party: From the Bernie Sanders Campaign to a Progressive Movement. “In the book, what I do is outline the development of the new Democrat model in which the Democratic Party was shifting rightward.” 

Gautney and Zephyr Teachout, associate professor of law, discussed the progressive movement and their respective books for Fordham Law’s Behind the Book series, organized by the Maloney Library and moderated by Todd Melnick, clinical associate professor of law and director of the library.

In the Nov. 16 event, the two professors offered thoughtful analysis of the future of the progressive movement, punctuated by details from their many active years in politics. 

Teachout, who has been at Fordham Law since 2009, ran for governor of New York in 2014 and for the United States House of Representatives in New York’s 19th congressional district in 2016. She published her antitrust book Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money this past May. 

Gautney, who published her book in 2018, has worked on both Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns—as a senior policy adviser in 2020 and a volunteer organizer and researcher in 2016.

Defining Neoliberalism

Neoliberalism comes up in both books, Melnick noted. Gautney said for her, the definition of neoliberalism is less about what it is, and more about what it has accomplished and defeated. “I don’t have the exact words, but the concept is that neoliberalism has achieved the successful removal of working-class resistance,” she said. She gave the example of Reagan firing thousands of air traffic control workers who were on strike in 1981, saying “It was a message to labor: ‘Hey, you’re not safe anymore. The protections that you think that you enjoy, you don’t enjoy anymore.’” 

“All of these forces kind of coming together and pushing down working people and moving resistance aside—and fundamentally neoliberalism is about the primacy of the market.”

Similarly, Teachout defined neoliberalism as “the belief that markets are the best mechanism for allocating goods and services as opposed to publicly elected officials.” She said this depends on the fantasy that markets exist before people, and is an attempt by neoliberals to “naturalize what is wholly unnatural,” by framing market regulation as hampering the growth of something natural.

“Laws that enable workers to organize are absolutely essential,” Teachout continued, tying back to her book. “And the key tool to prevent capital from organizing is antitrust.” 

The Impact of the Sanders Campaign

According to Gautney, neoliberal identity politics also played a role in the end of Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Neoliberals considered diversity within the “1%” enough, she said, and they tried to paint Sanders as someone who didn’t care about diversity when what he really cared about was dismantling the 1% and helping the less fortunate. 

Gautney said both she and Sanders himself were surprised about his appeal to young people, since a good chunk of his political career was spent fighting for social security and working with seniors. But she believed that young people flocked to him because he ran a “very counter-cultural” campaign in 2016 when people were disillusioned with what the democratic party had become. And, she said, young people aren’t afraid of socialism the way that older generations are.

Gautney pointed out that even though Sanders lost, progressives who were inspired by his campaign like Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were elected. 

“In a way he didn’t lose because he shifted the horizon of possibility back,” she said. “We have people who clearly were running on the same agenda that Bernie had injected in 2016… having a substantial appeal. … I would consider that big wins.”

The Future of the Progressive Movement

In terms of the future of the progressive movement, Gautney said that Sanders had negotiated a number of task forces with the Biden campaign after the primary, one of which she co-chaired on education. These task forces, which in her view are “pretty darn good,” coupled with the possibility of a Democratic Senate due to the Georgia runoff, means that the progressive movement could have power in the Biden administration.

Teachout offered the next steps for the progressive movement from both an antitrust and a non-antitrust perspective. On the non-antitrust front, she said organizational work within Congress is essential. 

“Use the power you have,” she advised congressional leaders. “Use subpoena power. Take on those hospitals that are merging and overcharging people. Do the investigations. Show that you are fighting for people against the middlemen that are squeezing them. And you can do that even without the Senate.” 

On the antitrust side, Teachout said that Biden has the power to revive the economy using anti-monopoly policy. “And it’s not just that he should. It’s that I think, eventually, he’s going to have to, because if you are running into a wall on a Senate that will not pass a stimulus package, you know what a stimulus package is? Anti-monopoly. There’s recent research showing that $15,000 a year is being taken away from workers per year, from each worker per year, to investors, because of concentration in our society.”

When asked by Melnick about whether she felt optimistic moving forward, Gautney replied, “I’m somewhere in the middle, I have to say.”

But she believes Sanders’ influence on this Senate will make a big difference. “[Bernie] is running around with the manifesto and really trying to make sure that the Democratic party and Biden in particular sticks to it.” She said his pragmatic attitude, the force of the movement, and his popularity is what’s made him so successful. “I think he’s ready to go.”

Watch the conversation in full here.

Q: How familiar were you with the Center on Religion and Culture (CRC) before you took on the job as director?

A: My predecessor Jim McCartin brought me in to moderate a panel a few years ago on the legacy of Pope John the 23rd. I’ve attended the events too; they’ve been top quality since Peter and Peggy Steinfels started it back in 2004. I started my career at Vatican Radio, which is run by the Jesuits, and now I’m at Fordham, which is also run by the Jesuits. So it’s a bit of a homecoming.

Q: What do you see as CRC’s strengths? event that you covered or attended?

A: Well, as a journalist I covered one event on the role of religion in peace-building around the world. It was one where the presumption was, ‘Oh, religion’s always a good thing for increasing peace around the world,’ but there were some good contrarian opinions. I think that’s one of the real strengths of the CRC. It’s not here to confirm your opinions, but to challenge you and maybe surprise you a little bit.

Q: How might your background in journalism affect the way you approach programming?

A: Something I’ve enjoyed in these last few years is explaining things, and explanatory journalism is on the upswing. I’m also not an academic, and although I’m here at a university, I’m not supposed to know it all. As a journalist, I’m someone who can find the people who do know it all, or who know part of it. If I’m curious about particular issues, I think our audience will be as well.

Q: Let’s talk about those issues. What areas where religion and culture intersect do you want to tackle through future programming?

A: I really want to do something on Star Wars.

Q: Really?

A: Yes. Pop culture is great and right now Star Wars is my shorthand for pop culture. Getting young people interested is a priority for me—not just by looking at Star Wars either, as fun as that can be. What does it say that people are drawn to stories that have such profound and genuine religious content and messaging, even if it’s not religion as we would normally recognize it in our galaxy? Science fiction, futurism, all of these kinds of things that fascinate so many people, raise genuine religious and moral issues. Technology and social media are also fascinating. What are the ethics of Silicon Valley? Is it a dystopian vision of the future, or is it really something that can improve our world and engage us ethically?

Then there’s religion and the “resistance.” You see so many people who are “woke,” as we say. From climate change to Donald Trump, there are a lot of young people who are really engaged and passionate about protesting and pushing for social change. What can we learn from religious traditions when it comes to social change? There’s more to protesting and resisting than just putting out a Facebook post or having everybody show up.

The Vatican Synod on youth is coming in October, and we want to explore whether anybody in the next generation will be going to church or not. Will it all be spiritual but not religious? Will they even be spiritual? Where do people find meaning?

Q: It sounds like you want to diversify your audience.

A: I think we need to find a way to get younger people interested. It’s not an “either/or” though; it’s a “both/and.” We have a great loyal audience, many retired people, that’s been coming, and they’re terrific. I don’t think every event is going to hit every button for everybody, nor should it.

Some events will hopefully draw an older generation as well as younger, like on just war, and whether nuclear weapons or the death penalty should be allowed under Catholic teaching.

Q: There seems to no shortage of talking today, but not a lot of listening. Do you see a role for CRC in reversing this trend?

A: Yes, I think that ties in with my larger hope for the mission of the CRC, which is to challenge people and to model what a genuine dialogue and conversation can be. For example, we had an event in November, “Has America Lost its Moral Center?” It was pivoting off the Trump presidency, and not so much talking about Trump as talking about what he represents. We had Peter Wehner, who’s a lifelong Republican, an evangelical Protestant, and a “Never Trump” conservative.

We also had our own Fordham Law School Professor Zephyr Teachout, who’s very progressive. Even though these panelists come from diverse political points of view, they were in sync on so many issues about the need for social mores and a social fabric, and their laments were so similar. I think one central challenge of our day is our moral compass.

Q: Assuming Pope Francis is not available, what’s your dream panel?

A: Joe Biden and John Boehner, moderated by Marilynne Robinson. Can you imagine these two Catholic altar boys, one a Democrat who grew up to be vice president, the other a Republican who became speaker of the house? They’re both fresh, straight-talking people who in their own perspectives brought Catholicism into the public square. A conversation between those two would be really enlightening. Joe and John, if you’re listening, please call my office.

To hear to an extended version of this interview, visit the Fordham News podcast or listen below:

F

ull transcription below.

Patrick Verel: How familiar were you with the Center on Religion and Culture before you took on the job as director?

David Gibson: I knew it pretty well because I had moderated, I think, at least one panel. Jim McCartin, my predecessor, had brought me in to moderate a panel a few years ago. Of course, I like to attend the events. They’ve always been just top quality since Peter and Peggy Steinfels started it. I started my career at Vatican Radio over in Rome, which is run by the Jesuits, so now at the other end of my career, I’m here at Fordham University, also run by the Jesuits, so it’s a bit of a homecoming.

Patrick Verel: What would you say is the most memorable event that you covered or attended?

David Gibson: There was one in particular that was … I don’t know why it sticks in my mind. The one I moderated was on the legacy of John XXIII, but there was one I covered, it was on the role of religion in peace building around the world. It had Shaun Casey, who was then at the State Department, and Scott Appleby from Notre Dame. It was one of those things where the presumption was, “Oh, religion’s always a good thing for increasing peace around the world,” et cetera, but there were some good contrarian opinions. It’s like it’s not as simple as that.

That’s, I think, one of the real strengths of the Center on Religion and Culture is it’s not just to confirm your opinions, confirm your expectations, but it’s also to challenge you and maybe surprise you a little bit. I think it’s really important, again especially in these days of polarization and everybody in their silos, and nobody reads newspapers, they just get a news feed tailored to their views, it’s important to challenge your presumptions and challenge your perspectives, and really make you think and hopefully see the other person’s position, and maybe even revise your own.

Patrick Verel: The CRC describes itself as a place that explores the complex relationship between religion and contemporary life in a manner that advances beyond the caricatures and misapprehensions that often form public perceptions and color media coverage about faith issues. Can you expand a little bit more on what this means to you?

David Gibson: Well, I think it’s really about going deeper and broader into issues. Most journalism can only skim the surface, and of course with social media, amplifying that kind of 140 character bite-size information packet delivery system. We have a real opportunity, and I think a real audience, for people who want to go a little more deeply into issues and go beyond headlines and what’s presented just in the media.

Patrick Verel: Your background is in journalism, and I wonder if you could talk a little bit more about how you expect that to affect the way you approach this job.

David Gibson: Really, that’s something journalistically I’ve enjoyed doing is explaining what it means. We talk about the Twitter-sized bites of news, but the other thing that really draws people is explanatory journalism, analytical journalism, not just opinion journalism. But it’s really trying to get behind the headlines, really explain where and why things are happening, where it fits historically, give it some context. I think that I bring that kind of template, that outlook, to my job at the CRC. I also think that it’s … I’m not an academic, and I’m here at a university, but I’m not someone who’s supposed to know it all. I’m someone who can find the people who do know it all or who know part of it.

Part of being a journalist is just being curious. I’m curious to learn about particular issues that are confronting us, and if I am, I think our audience will be as well. One final point I’d make about my journalism background is that it is important. Even though we plan our events largely months ahead of time, it is also important to frame events that are relevant to what people are thinking about and talking about, so that there is a certain headline quality to something you present.

Patrick Verel: Let’s talk about those issues. What specific areas where religion and culture intersect do you really want to tackle through future programming?

David Gibson: Well, I really want to do something on Star Wars.

Patrick Verel: Really?

David Gibson: Yeah, why not? Pop culture. Pop culture is great. Basically, Star Wars right now is my kind of shorthand for pop culture. Getting young people interested in events and in current events and in topics and in discussions and in live discussions, live feedback, is really a priority for me. Look at the religious values in there. These are Jedis as Jesuits. The similarities, the parallels, the analogs there really are fascinating. It’s not just looking at Star Wars, as fun as that can be, but looking at what does this say about why people are drawn to stories that have such profound and genuine kind of religious content and messaging, even if it’s not religion as we would normally recognize it in our galaxy at least? Again, science fiction, futurism, all of these kinds of things that are so fascinating to so many people and raise genuine religious and moral issues.

I also think technology and ethics, social media, it’s fascinating. I’m on Twitter all the time, et cetera, but what is it doing to us? What are the ethics of Silicon Valley? There’s a real libertarian strain to that whole culture out there. Is it just a winner take all kind of thing? Is it just about getting your eyeballs into it? Is it one of those futuristic dystopian visions of the future? Or is it really something that can improve our world and engage us ethically?

Religion and the resistance. I think it’s wonderful. You see so many people who are engaged, who are woke, as we say. You see people really active, and for good reason, and for scary reasons. There’s a lot of climate change to Donald Trump to whatever. There are a lot of people who are really … young people who are really engaged and passionate about protesting and pushing for social change. But how is that done? It seems that so many movements today spring up and then wither away without any lasting change. What can we learn from religious traditions and religious examples for social change from abolition to civil rights, which were grounded in a moral and religious vision, but were also promoted by houses of worship? There’s a lot more to protesting, to resisting, than just putting out a Facebook post and everybody showing up. Those, I think, are key lessons to learn for this generation, and we really want to explore whether anybody in the next generation will be going to church or not. Will it all be spiritual but not religious?

Patrick Verel: I assume you’ve read Charlie Camosy’s commentary on The Last Jedi.

David Gibson: I have it linked here, yes.

Patrick Verel: Okay. Okay.

David Gibson: Exactly. I was going to look at that. I’m just fascinated by the level of engagement and passion about these things. I think people get a little bit too critical of it all, and I think Charlie gets too critical sometimes for my taste, but I think it’s … I think look at the lessons about sacrifice for the greater good and hope and things like that that are … Fundamentally, to my mind, the Star Wars movies and things like that are very old-fashioned, but they’re getting young people coming through the door. They’re getting us old folks arguing about it, which is basically an argument over our childhood and whether you’re being fair to our childhood or not so-

Patrick Verel: It sounds like one of the things that you’re trying to do when you bring out things like pop culture and Star Wars is to diversify the audience.

David Gibson: Yeah. I think we need to get younger, find a way to get some younger people interested. You know, it’s not an either or. It’s a both and. I mean, the people … We have a great loyal audience that’s been coming, and they’re terrific. It’s kind of the nature of the best. They tend to be often people who are retired, who have the time to come to these things, who have the wherewithal to come to these things, and they’re going to be a core of what we always do, but you wanna diversify.

I don’t think every event is going to hit every button for everybody, nor should it. Some are gonna … You’re gonna have a Vatican II generation more interested in some events, for example, and you’re going to have other events that they’re gonna say, “What’s a Jedi?” You know? And you’re gonna have a younger audience, hopefully, that will come to that. That’s fine.

And some, hopefully you’ll get a mix on just war and whether nuclear weapons or the death penalty should be allowed under Catholic teaching. Those are the kinds of things you can draw, I think, on an older generation who remembers the ’60s and ’70s and activism. Then, look at this younger generation. They’re amazingly passionate.

Patrick Verel: And we’re living in a time now where there seems to be no shortage of talking about important issues but not a lot of listening. Do you see a role for the Center in reversing this trend?

David Gibson: Yeah, very much. I think that that ties in with my larger hope for the mission of the CRC, which is, again, to challenge people a bit and to model what a real, genuine dialogue and conversation could be.

We had, for example, an event in November, “Has America Lost its Moral Center?” It was pivoting off the Trump presidency and all those issues that it raised, but not so much talking about Trump but talking about what he represents. Trump is a symptom in my view not a cause, and there’s something else going on in America. We had a good range of panelists.

You gotta like the fact that we had Peter Wehner who’s a lifelong Republican, evangelical protestant, former Bush and Reagan administration official, New York Times columnist, but a never Trump conservative. A real, I think, I admire him very much, a real, a genuine principled conservative. And Zephyr Teachout, our own Fordham Law School professor who’s on the very progressive end of Democratic politics, has run for office.

It was just fascinating how, even though they come from such diverse political points of view, they were in sync on so many issues about the need for social mores and a social fabric, and their laments were so similar even though some of their policy prescriptions, many of them, would diverge. They were able to really come together, I think, on what is the central challenge of our day, which is our moral compass.

Patrick Verel: Yeah. You know it’s so funny about that panel ’cause I covered that, and I’d heard this phrase, and I wish I could remember who said it first, but it always sort of stuck with me. At that panel it came to mind that what’s happening these days is that our politics has been religiousized and our religions have been politicized.

David Gibson: Yeah. That’s exactly right, and it’s important that we not just opt out, people of faith not just opt out of politics. But, again, I think making that distinction between being political, being involved in politics, and being partisan, just championing one party over another. That’s where, I think, we get into trouble.

Patrick Verel: Assuming Pope Francis is not available, what’s your dream panel and what do they talk about?

David Gibson: I guess Pope Emeritus Benedict would be out as well.

Patrick Verel: Yeah. We probably have to exclude him as well.

David Gibson: Okay. No Popes panel, but a dream panel, and if they’re listening, I think Joe Biden, former Vice President and John Boehner, former Speaker of the House, moderated by the novelist Marilyn Robinson, who is just one of my intellectual heroes. I just love her stuff.

Can you imagine these two Catholic altar boys grown up to be Vice President, a Democrat, and Boehner, a Republican Speaker of the House, but they’re just both fresh, straight talking people who, in their own perspectives, brought Catholicism to the public square. I think a conversation between those two would be really enlightening. Joe and John, if you’re listening, please call my office. And Marilyn Robinson, basically, I’d have you here for anything.

Patrick Verel: Speaking of high profile events, did you get to cover when we had Colbert and Dolan?

David Gibson:  Only from afar. Yeah, unfortunately I could not be here for that one. That was an awesome event, though. I followed it afterwards, and I think that’s the kind of thing, also, that would be great to do. I’d love to do something on faith and comedy. There’re just so many, often Catholic, but also Jewish, so many people who are people of faith but who are also funny men. In that one you had Colbert and you had Cardinal Dolan who’s funny as can be. He’s hilarious. Now we got Cardinal Tobin over across the river in Newark who’s also right up there, gonna give Dolan a run for his money in terms of the humor department.

People like Jim Gaffigan, Catholic Eucharistic minister, Jimmy Kimmel. So many people out there, people of faith. We have Bob Mankoff who’s here at Fordham for a semester or something, isn’t he? The New Yorker cartoonist.

Patrick Verel: That’s right.

David Gibson: And it’s one of the things, I think, at the CRC that our real mission is as well. We’re a little bit on the frontier, let’s say, at Fordham in the sense that we’re here at the Lincoln Center campus down in Manhattan. We’re sort of a portal to the wider community. This isn’t just something that’s internal to Fordham. We want Fordham students, we want Fordham faculty, etc. to be part of our events, but it’s also …

These events are open to the public. They’re free. We also want this to be a signpost, a billboard for Fordham to the wider world that we can discuss anything very much the way Pope Francis does it at the Vatican. They have all kinds of events, and they have people from all walks of life who have expertise in all sorts of areas.

I think that’s really key as part of the Jesuit mission of intellectual exploration. We can ask any question, and we can honestly debate any issue, and we can still be grounded in our own beliefs and in our own tradition. We have that kind of confidence. We wanna project that to the wider city, to the wider world, and we want to invite them in and show them what we’re about at the same time.

In the panel discussion “Imperfect Union: Has America Lost its Moral Center?” organized by Fordham’s Center on Religion and Culture, participants discussed the degradation of foundational principles of equality, tolerance, and free speech, in the United States over the past year.

Moderator Don Wycliff, a columnist for Chicago Catholic and contributor to Commonweal magazine, noted that the evidence that the country has lost its moral center seems to be everywhere. In Alabama, he noted, U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore has the support of the Republican party, and is leading in many polls, despite multiple accusations of pedophilia against him.

“We elected a president who seems to respect none of the traditional norms. Maybe things need to be shaken up, but calling into question the respect for the rule of law and other such basic principles is very radical,” he said.

The Threat of Fake News

Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America, mounted a spirited defense of the independent press. The truth is at the top of the list of things we’re at risk of losing, she said, citing the fact that that very morning, President Trump shared on Twitter misleading and false videos ostensibly showing Muslims attacking non-Muslims.

Fraudulent news is a serious threat to open, healthy and vibrant discourse, she said, and according to Gallup, only 32 percent of Americans said they have a fair amount of trust in the news media last year, down 8 percentage points from the year before, and more than 20 percentage points lower than 1997.

‘We see some boost in readership over the last year as we all rally around the Washington Post and the New York Times, but that comes the Eastern seaboard and from people around the world,” she said.

“It’s not coming from the heartland, where we see an erosion of trust and interest in the mainstream media.”

Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and former deputy director of speechwriting for President George W. Bush, lamented the direction his party had taken and predicted that if it continued in its the current trajectory, he’d leave the party.

“Any nation that elects Donald Trump as president has a remarkably low view of politics. He ran for president with no experience and no obvious qualifications for the job, and it’s manifested itself every day since he took office,” he said.

Changing Expectations of Politics

Trump didn’t materialize from nowhere, however. Wehner noted that American politics has become an arena for conflict rather a place for problem solving. He advocated for inclusive prosperity, and for politicians to make the case for politics as a force for good.

“Politics has become a replacement for community and meaning, and a sense of belonging for a lot of people. I think that explains in large part some of the tribalism we’re seeing,” he said.

“We have to recover the deep purposes of dialogue and debate, which is not to win, but to get a little closer to the truth.”

Zephyr Teachout, professor at Fordham School of Law, likewise highlighted larger trends. During her recent campaign for New York’s 19th congressional district, she said she encountered an unbelievable amount of loneliness.

“I think loneliness is incredibly important part of understanding where we are in this particular moment,” she said, noting that the prevalence of hallowed out retail areas across the country.

“Loneliness has a lot of sources, but commercial life, like as civic life, has always been part of the way in which we come together.

We have forgotten the importance of anti-trust laws, not just to take on these big guys who are stealing our tax dollars, but also to support a thriving small business community. The other political story of 2016 is not Donald Trump; it’s the fact that we had more big mergers than we’ve ever had.”

There are also two different but complimentary kinds of excessive individualism at play in American politics, said John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.

On the right, economic individualism has been blended with nationalism and racial resentment. On the left, personal autonomy has been elevated above all else. Neither makes room for the common good, for care for the poor and the vulnerable, or for dealing with racism or economic and educational disparities.

“In one, we’re really on our own, in the other we’re a collection of interest groups. When you add in polarization and ideological isolation, it leads to a kind of tribalism that is based on resentments, feeds our anger and makes it very hard to pursue the common good,” he said.

These were some of the questions addressed in a wide-ranging conversation held on April 5 at Fordham Law.

“Fake News & Twitter Wars: Media & Politics in the Trump Years” brought together Jessica Baldwin-Philippi, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media studies and author of Using Technology, Building Democracy: Digital Campaigning and the Construction of Citizenship (Oxford University Press, 2015) and Zephyr Teachout, associate professor of law and author of Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United, (Harvard University Press, 2016).

When it comes to political campaigns, the speakers noted that some politicians run campaigns that decentralize tasks while others’ campaigns decentralize power. However, the traditional structure has changed very little, consisting of a finance director, a communications shop, and a political/field operations area. This arrangement caused endless conflict when the internet became a tool of campaigns, and hasn’t entirely abated.

“In 2008, ‘digital’ was under communications in almost every single campaign. In 2010, it was still under communications in almost every campaign. Even where they started to have their own fourth pillar, the [two]would fight constantly,” Baldwin-Philippi said. “And it continues. Most campaigns still have those three pillars.”

Baldwin-Philippi said that when she began researching her book in 2010, campaigns were painstakingly fact checking to prove their points. It was, she said, a short-lived phenomenon, however. Today, Americans need to become more adept at recognizing propaganda if they are to be a well-informed citizenry.

“Traditionally, we’ve measured being informed as knowing there are three branches of government, and knowing who the vice president is. I think we really need to move beyond these ways of measuring and pointing to good citizenship,” she said.

Teachout cautioned against the rise of media outlets that are ostensibly conservative but are “actually nihilistic.” There’s some merit to the saying that politics and the truth have never had a good relationship, she said—but at the same time politics cannot exist without a belief in the possibility of facts.

“Skepticism is one thing. But a radical cynicism actually makes conversation extremely difficult because then there is no final reference to which one can go to,” she said. “This kind of postmodern approach is incredibly dangerous for our discourse.”

Both speakers said that corruption was a central theme of the 2016 presidential election. Many voters chose Donald Trump because they felt the entire system was corrupt and wanted to throw it all out and start fresh.

Teachout noted that we can’t actually tell if another person is corrupt, or using public power for private, selfish ends, because we can’t look into another person’s heart. However, we can enforce laws that prohibit selfish behavior.

She criticized President Trump for refusing to separate himself from his businesses while in office, which she called a clear conflict of interest.

She also had harsh words for Hillary Clinton. When questions were raised about connections between The Clinton Foundation and her service as Secretary of State, Clinton simply said there was no “smoking gun” that proved obvious quid pro quo transactions.

“[The statement] suggests we should only be concerned about those circumstances, when we can see a smoking gun,” she said. “It actually pushes on a heavy legalism, which our current president has adopted and exaggerated.”

“It’s important that we respect conflict-of-interest norms,” she said.

The event, which was moderated by Eric Sundrup, S.J. associate editor of America magazine, was the second in the Maloney Law Library’s Behind the Book series, which brings together scholars to discuss their research on contemporary issues and the publishing experience.

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Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin’s Snuff Box to Citizens United

For most of U.S. legal history, corruption was considered broadly. It wasn’t just about “blatant bribes and theft from the public till,” Zephyr Teachout writes. It encompassed “many situations where politicians and public institutions serve private interests at the public’s expense.” And it took perceptions into account. That’s why in 1785, when King Louis XVI of France gave ambassador Benjamin Franklin a diamond-encrusted snuff box as a retirement gift, the framers of the Constitution were concerned that it could “interfere with Franklin’s obligations to the country at large.” Recent Supreme Court decisions, however, have diminished what the framers had in mind, Teachout argues, leading to the highly controversial Citizens United decision in 2010. That Supreme Court ruling, she writes, “effectively gave wealthy individuals and wealthy corporations the right to spend as much money as they wanted attempting to influence elections and policy.”

Teachout, who ran for governor of New York last year, wants to “bring corruption back … as an idea, something we fight and worry about.” She believes “the two most important solutions that require no Supreme Court backing are ideas advocated by Teddy Roosevelt: publicly funded elections and trust-busting.” She makes a compelling case for reform—and draws hope from Franklin, “whose own gift to the country,” she writes, “may have been his peculiar blend of persistent pessimism and persistent optimism.”

When Zephyr Teachout, an associate professor of law, talks about how the word corruption has ceased to exist in the same legal sense that it once did, she does not get bogged down in technicalities.

“The electoral process is all about enabling people to have as much power as they can in politics,” Teachout said. “I’m concerned with how much power some people, in fact, have.”

To limit concentrated power, she said, legislators must truly addresses campaign finance reform or pass anti-trust legislation.

In Corruption, the Constitution and the Courts: The Career of a Concept, which will be published by Harvard University Press, she argues that between the 1930s and 1970s, the concept of corruption—essentially the dependency of political actors on wealthy actors, instead of the public—deteriorated to the point of nonexistence.

She cites Trist v. Child, a Supreme Court case from 1874 in which a Virginia man, Trist, hires a lobbyist to gain passage of a law that would benefit him financially. The court ruled against Trist because he sought to influence the government for personal gain.

The court decreed: “If any of the great corporations of the country were to hire adventurers who make market of themselves in this way, to procure the passage of a general law with a view to the promotion of their private interests, the moral sense of every right-minded man would instinctively denounce the employer and employed as steeped in corruption and the employment as infamous.”

At the time, the Supreme Court understood corruption in much the same way that a person today would understand it, Teachout said. The court, however, has changed its definition of the term.

“If you asked people, ‘Does money in politics corrupt our system?’ they’d say, ‘Sure.’ If you ask the Supreme Court that, they’d say, ‘No.’ So the meaning of the word corruption has changed in law far more radically than for the general public.”

One of the reasons that Teachout—who describes herself as a Left Federalist—said the Supreme Court has allowed corporations to have more influence in elections is that members of the current court rarely, if ever, ran for public office before ascending to the bench.

“A shift has occurred from a court that is primarily populated by politicians to one that is primarily populated by people who have ideas about politics, but usually very weak ideas,” she said.

“You might think that politicians would be more ambivalent about corruption. But in fact, you see the opposite. Those who’ve had more experience with politics are far more likely to take concerns about corruption seriously, and to think that one of the jobs of the court is to guard against it.”

An example of the court’s failure to ward off corruption, she said, is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a case in January in which the court ruled that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in elections cannot be limited.

“In the oral argument, people aren’t talking about politics as it is experienced by members of Congress, lobbyists and nonprofit organizations that want to affect policy,” she said. “Instead, it’s a highly abstract discussion.

“[Justice Anthony] Kennedy says, ‘There is no quid pro quo corruption here.’ But he doesn’t tell us what that would look like. We get a sense from him that it would look like somebody in a basement with $10,000. But anybody who has worked on a political campaign can tell you that there are regular conversations about re-prioritizing policy because of potential contributions.”

It’s anything but abstract to Teachout, who was the director of Internet organizing for Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in 2004 and who recently worked on behalf Randy Parraz, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Arizona.

“I think that—on balance—there is a problem if those who write, think and then judge politics have no experience with politics,” she said.

What needs to happen, she said, is the campaign finance system must be redesigned to encourage more numerous donations in smaller dollar amounts.

“It would be beneficial to have a law that actively gives candidates an incentive to raise low-dollar contributions, because when they wake up in the morning, they’d be thinking of 200 people instead of two. That would change what happens in government.”

Another aspect to consider when it comes to the influence of money on elections is foreign donations, which are still technicallyillegal. In papers such as “Extraterritorial Electioneering and the Globalization of American Elections” (Berkley International Journal of Law, 2009), Teachout has written about how the Internet is changing that. The Citizens United case won’t help stop that, either.

“Kennedy put himself in a real bind, because if you want to say speech is speech because it’s good to be received, that can apply to the Syrian government,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine the court is going to then say foreign governments can spend as much money as they want in U.S. elections as long as it’s not coordinated.”

As for anti-trust law, Teachout is writing an article for Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, and held a conference last spring at Fordham on limiting bank size.

“It’s important that we go back to the old solutions, like anti-trust—not just limiting behavior, but limiting the shape and nature of corporations,” she said. “It seems like an uphill battle, but most people want a society with lots of small companies.”