Volume 108 Issue 19

Volume 108 No. 19Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Central Connecticut State University

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Fuel Cell Plant Aids CCSU Sustainability Eff ortskassondRa gRanaTa

The Recorder

CCSU is host to one of the largest projects in New England, separating it from the other CSU schools; a fuel cell energy center on campus.

Construction of the plant, located outside of East Hall, expected to be completed at the end of December and is running smoothly. Th e energy center is still awaiting the installation of a heat recovery steam generator, which will be used to take the waste heat and make steam for an alternative source.

“What this is going to do for us it is going to generate 1.4 megawatt s of power,” said Rob Gagne, Plant Facilities Engineer, in December. “On a typical day, we’re using 4 megawatt s, it is a considerable amount. Based on an annual basis, the waste heat and the water we are going to use, there are savings for the university.”

Because of this new addition, the university will now be saving $100,000 a year and anticipates purchasing 1400 kilowatt s less from Connecticut Light and Power.

CCSU is now considered a “microgrid,” which means that the university is able to support the campus without using public utilities too much.

Gagne said that CCSU would be able to sustain itself when it comes to crisis situations.

“During the snow storm, we did not have this advantage just yet,” Gagne said. “Having

Legislature Proposes Bill To Eliminate Required Remedial Classes jusTin muszynski

The Recorder

A recent bill proposed by the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committ ee will see public institutions of higher education unable to require students to take remedial classes should the bill be passed.

Many faculty members around the state are concerned about what eff ects this would have on students and CCSU is no diff erent. Not many people seem to be in favor of this bill (S.B N.O. 40) besides the committ ee that is in charge of implementing it.

Th e two departments that would most likely be aff ected by this bill are mathematical sciences and English.

Stephen Cohen, Chair of the English Department, says “We cannot wish away the need for remediation,” and feels this bill, while it’s designed to help students, would do the exact opposite.

“If students arrive at CCSU unprepared for college-level work, we do them a disservice by allowing them into classes in which they cannot succeed,” said Cohen.

Th e bill att empts to address this issue by suggesting that professors can “off er remedial support in the classroom to students who demonstrate shortcomings in any entry level course in a college level program.”

Jeff rey McGowan, the Chair of

Mathematical Sciences, says this would put professors in a delicate situation.

“Th e professor is stuck with a terrible choice of either trying to help the students who really shouldn’t be there or ignoring them to help the students who should be there,” said McGowan. “It just disrupts the whole class sett ing.”

A public hearing was held Th ursday at the Legislative Offi ce Building in Hartford concerning this matt er. Sen. Beth Bye, chairwoman of the legislature’s Higher Education Committ ee, said at the hearing that students shouldn’t be prohibited from taking an advanced course because of their test scores.

“If a student wants to try, why not let them?” asked Bye.

However, students are already given an option to prove that their SAT scores aren’t a true refl ection of their ability. A student coming into CCSU, if they are required to take Math 099, can take a placement test to prove they are capable of going directly to Math 101.

Th ere is also a third option in math, a class off ered that combines materials from Math 099 and Math 101. James Mulrooney,

Chair of the Biomolecular Sciences, says this is a great option for students. It awards three credits for its completion, but unlike Math 099, those credits are counted towards graduation. He contrasts this with the solution the bill off ers by asking professors to conduct remedial help during class.

“Th e diff erence with that model is the students belong in there, there’s no 101 students in there,” said Mulrooney. “Everyone in that class was supposed to be placed in 099 and they have this opportunity to kind of do two semesters in one.”

Rep. Roberta Willis, co-

chairwoman of the Higher Education Committ ee, said at the hearing that what’s currently in place is not working and supports the bill’s answer to improving graduation rates.

However, Mulrooney, who also serves on CCSU’s Retention and Graduation Council, says “Ultimately I think it will hurt graduation rates.” He adds that a couple of years ago the academic good-standing GPA level was raised to 2.0 and that allowing students to take courses that they aren’t prepared for could set them up for failure

at the university. He says it could create a “domino” eff ect.

Cohen agrees with Mulrooney’s assessment using his own department as an example.

“An increased failure rate in ENG 110 (or any entry-level course) will increase student frustration, leading to more students dropping out in their fi rst year, and will burden even those who do not drop out with F’s on their transcripts and lower GPAs,” said Cohen.

He’s also disappointed by the lack of faculty input that the state has allowed in bills that will directly aff ect them.

Th e bill doesn’t prohibit universities from off ering remedial classes but won’t allow them to mandate these classes. Mulrooney questions how many students would be willing to take something that’s not required.

“What student is going to take it?” asked Mulrooney. “Are you going to pay for three credits that you can’t count towards graduation?”

Cohen also brings up another adverse eff ect that this bill could create.

“Given the diffi culty of in-class remediation, there would be a greater demand for out-of-class assistance from the Writing Center and in offi ce hours,” said Cohen. “Th e bill makes no mention of increased funding for Writing Center staff , and the English Department has no extra room in its budget to hire that staff .”

“If students arrive at CCSU unprepared for college-level work, we do them a disservice by allowing them into classes in which they cannot succeed”

Stephen Cohen, Chair of CCSU’s English Dept.

see Fuel Cell - page 3daniel saundeRs | THe RecoRdeR

In this issue...2012 Oscar Predictions

Page 6

Th e DioubateBrothers Reunited

1

Th e Fuel Cell Energy plant will provide over 25 percent of the power on campus.

NEWS2THE RECORDERWednesday, February 22, 2012

joe suszcynskiThe Recorder

The Student Government Association managed to pass a resolution proposed by Senator Chris Marcelli who opposed the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities proposed transfer and articulation policy drafted by the Board of Regents.

Marcelli motioned for the senate to pass his resolution. If passed, President Bergenn would address the resolution to Faculty Senate.

“I think it’s a really bad idea,” Marcelli said. “I like the goals that they are trying to reach with it; I don’t think anyone disagrees with the goal of making it easier to transfer your credits, but to me what this proposal is going to do is limit the freedom of the individual institutions to decide on their own curriculums.”

According to the draft, the policy will have a core curriculum in each undergraduate program. The goal is to have students be competent in skills such as communication, quantitative and statistical reasoning, critical thinking, empirical problem solving, and personal and social responsibility.

Under the Board of Regents policy, the transfer associate degree will include no more than 64 college level credits and baccalaureate degrees will have no more than 128 college level credits unless an exception is approved by Board of Regents.

If a transfer student has 60-64 credits, equivalent to an associate’s degree, then at least 36 credits will be transferred. If an associate’s degree is earned, the transfer student will be granted junior status at each of the Connecticut State Universities and Charter Oak State College.

Articulations are to be completed by July 1, 2013. The top five majors by enrollment will have the articulation completed and approved by the relevant curricular committees and be publicized by July 1, 2012. Faculty committees from community colleges and the universities will review the major program articulations

kassondRa gRanaTaThe Recorder

The new scheduling blocks for this academic year has created a more organized system that is more well-liked by the faculty and students.

As CCSU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Carl Lovitt had redone the calendar and the scheduling blocks at the beginning of the Spring 2011 semester in order to avoid overlapping time blocks and to successfully utilize the University Hour.

“The university schedule cannot be driven by convenience, but by student need,” Lovitt said in the fall.

Lovitt reached out to all of the deans this semester and received feedback from every department. Lovitt said that there was nothing too startling that he heard on the impact of scheduling.

“Generally the new scheduling blocks have worked from the standpoint of Registrar,” Lovitt said. In November, Lovitt said that the Registrar was his main audience to propose the importance of the University Hour and the new scheduling block.

Due to the new block, the university has been able to fit all courses in a classroom, where last semester they had problems doing so. According to Lovitt, it was their intention to make more times for classes and to double classes in the evening, and they have succeeded.

“Every semester prior to this year we have had anywhere from 20 to 30 courses that we were scrambling to find classrooms for,” Lovitt said. “This semester, the problem has been solved.”

The feedback from the departments have

Sen. Chris Marcelli’s Resolution Passed By Senate

Provost’s Scheduling Block Creates Opportunity

been mainly positive, Lovitt said. There were a couple of glitches that they still have to face when it comes to the University Hour.

It seems that some classes still continue to be scheduled during the University Hour. Lovitt said that the reasoning behind this is a “change of culture” and faculty are accustomed to teaching classes at that time.

The music department and the art department were not pleased with the new scheduling block. Lovitt worked with the music department more than any other department before he made the new block schedule.

“I think those two departments have their own specific needs with individual sessions and scheduling and they present challenges,” Lovitt said. “Now they have to conform with a past schedule and have to make a compromise.”

The only “unintended consequence” is that the schedule shifted to a four-day week for students. Friday classes have dropped significantly this semester from 250 courses to 90 courses. Lovitt hopes to gain those classes back. This semester, there were only three Wednesday-Friday classes offered.

Lovitt said that he has only heard from the faculty on the new block and not students. He sees this as a positive thing. According to Lovitt, the university’s top priority is the students and getting them the classes that they need.

“The new scheduling block has achieved its purpose,” Lovitt said.”It has made more classroom slots available and I think students are now able to get to their classes easier and have the ability to take more courses. From my perspective I think it’s great that I haven’t heard student complaints.”

every five years starting in the fall of 2013.A majority of the senate said that it was

difficult to vote on the passing because they were unfamiliar with the draft proposed by The Board of Regents. Senator Marcelli said that he acknowledges that the draft and resolution happened unexpectedly, but actions needed to be taken.

A fifteen minute recess was called so the senate could get a better understanding of the policy and would be able to vote on the resolution.

Senator Shelby Dattilo spoke in favor of the resolution, saying that she was very nervous that the Board of Regents were passing such a draft.

“I think that the Board of Regents is making a valiant effort trying to address the issue of transferring and making it easier,” Dattilo said. “But I think they are not in the right place to do this.”

Senator Kim Towler said that she agreed with Dattilo’s viewpoint and spoke in favor of Marcelli’s resolution.

“This is not good enough,” said Towler. “I’ve heard everybody speak saying there are problems with it. Why would we vote for something that’s not good enough and say that everything is fine when it’s not?”

Senator Sky Morrell said she did not agree with Marcelli’s resolution and the senate needed to see both sides of the story and do a background check on other universities with the same policy being proposed.

“We need to see both sides of the story before we can actually make an informed decision on this,” Morrell said. “We need to know for sure that it has failed somewhere else or if it is doing well somewhere else.”

Vice President Liz Braun said that this policy was taking the right step in the direction for transfer students. Braun also made notice of other state universities having a similar policy, with positive reception.

Senator Jamie Canny motioned to end the debate. Marcelli’s resolution was eventually passed with 10 yes votes and six no votes, along with two abstentions.

kenny baRTo | THe RecoRdeR

Provost Carl Lovitt claims that the new scheduling blocks have been successful due to no student complaints.


Senator Marcelli speaks to his resolution to the Board of Regents’ proposal to modify the core curriculum.

3THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 / NEWS

kyle pennThe Recorder

An incoming freshman anticipates the moment when a letter will come in the mail revealing their future roommate and they hope that it will be someone compatible that will make their college experience even better.

The Department of Residence Life is responsible for matching up two students together to live with one another on campus.

According to Ryan Baumann, the Associate Director of Residence Life, the department manages the housing assignment process and their main goal is to get two students to live peacefully with each other for a semester.

R e s i d e n c e Life looks at the preferences of the incoming housing students and does their best to place them in spots accordingly. The preferences they look at are if the student requested a roommate, what their hobbies and interests are, what type of music they prefer and what dorm building they requested.

“There are residence halls that students are excited to get into and other ones where students are not as excited. Unfortunately, the residence halls that don’t receive a lot of interest usually have a higher number of beds,” Baumann said. “You can’t put 20 pounds of potatoes in a 10 pound sack. That’s the biggest thing.”

Some students said that they were not matched up with their roommates well.

“It didn’t really seem like they even looked at the sheet we filled out to match us up with a roommate,” said sophomore Colleen Costin. “My roommate and I had nothing in common.”

Freshman Summer Nagy said that the

African-American Writer Lectures On Women’s

Role During Civil Rights Movement

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Residence Life Explains Roommate Selection Process

amanda l. WebsTeRThe Recorder

During Black History Month, CCSU has been hosting a series of African-American studies lectures around campus. Donna McDaniel, of the Boston Historical Society, is the co-author of Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: Quakers, African Americans, and the Myth of Racial Justice. The writing of her book prompted her to focus more on what she considers an overlooked part of historical information; the women involved with the ending of slavery.

When thinking of the abolition of slavery it is easy to spit out the grade school information that was ingrained to all during basic years of education; Abraham Lincoln was the President who made slavery illegal, North vs. South, white vs. black. Everyone knows the outcome of the Civil War, important dates, and depending on how much attention was paid during class, some important names that came up along the way. McDaniel has focused in on a much more specific and untouched area of history.

According to McDaniel’s research, as many as 60 percent of the activists involved with anti-slavery work in the 1830s were women. Without the work of these women, the abolitionist movement probably would not have survived.

McDaniel has made it her mission to spread knowledge about female African American abolitionists during the time of the Civil War. At one point during her lecture, she asked the audience to name African-American activists. Aside from the well known Harriett Tubman and a woman named Sojourner Truth, no one could list any other women. This did not surprise McDaniel.

“It’s hard to find out who people are and who was active because they escaped the history books,” explained McDaniel. Although these women will not be found in any classroom textbook, McDaniel gave

things taken into consideration for matching roommates aren’t enough.

“I think it’s a good idea matching people with the likes and dislikes we put on the application. But I feel like they could do more,” Nagy said.

Another common complaint among students in housing is the amount of waiting they have to go through to find out who they will be living with.

“Waiting was tough and nerve-wracking,” Nagy said. “It would be nice to get to know the person before you have to start living with them.”

The current process that the department is using has been in effect for all four years that Baumann has been the Associate Director. Baumann said there has been slight modifications made in order to boost the overall success.

According to Baumann, the old process was,“very difficult and not very transparent.”

Baumann said the old system had

its uses but that everyone has pretty much outgrown it. Communication has sped up and that the housing application process has been streamlined a little bit. To go along with the modifications and tweaks, the future process may be changed in order to improve the results. He also said he would like to automate the systems, taking an online route to do everything.

“We try to make the process as easy as possible and I am always happy if a student has a question or comment,” said Baumann. “We really try to have a high level of integrity for this whole process.”

Baumann said that the current system has been working; he knows there is always going to be concerns and problems, but he assures students that things are going to get worked out.

several examples of female activists, black and white, who were subjected to abuse, insult and ridicule by everybody. McDaniel also briefly told the story of a woman named Maria Stuart from Boston who stood in front of a Christian congregation and openly addressed the sin of slavery. She was called a Jezebel by the community and was forced to leave the city.

“The idea that women would go out and make political statements, write letters, and voice opinions was a new phenomenon,” said McDaniel.

It was obviously hard enough during that time period to be a person of color, but being a female of color doubled the amount of discrimination that one had to face on a regular basis. It was considered promiscuous for women to speak in front of a crowd of both men and women, so getting their voices heard by the public was not an easy task.

“These women did whatever necessary to survive,” stated McDaniel. Her lecture went on to explain how black men at that time were less likely to find work so it was up to the women to provide for their families.

She then asked the audience what the perception of white women was during this time period. The general consensus in the room was that white women were supposed to have servants and were not responsible for any labor. This image was compared to the general idea of how black women were portrayed during the same era. One member of the crowd said that black women were “people who took care of someone else’s children or servants.” In other words, nannies and maids were the primary illustration of colored women.

McDaniel said that it saddened her that there is not more awareness of the powerful influence that African American women had on this time period. McDaniel stressed that she wished more could be taught about the subject matter so that more people could be made aware of what exactly the backbone of the abolition movement consisted of.

“We try to make the process as easy as possible and I am always happy if a student has a question or comment...We really try to have a high level of integrity for this whole process.”

Ryan Baumann, Associate Director of Residence Life

the fuel cell module under our belt is going to help immensely.”

There are three portions in the fuel cell module: the mechanical balance, the electrical balance and the fuel cell module.

Preheated city water from East Hall goes through the mechanical balance and then mixes with natural gas. The desulfurization unit takes the sulfur out of the natural gas. The water needs to be in its purest form before going into the fuel cell module portion.

The natural gas is chemically combined inside and the waste heat from the fuel cell module creates steam that will humidify the natural gas, thus creating DC power before converting it to AC power.

According to Gagne, DC power, or direct current power, is like a huge battery. The DC power goes through a liquid cooler where it is converted into AC power, or alternating current power.

The AC power goes into a step up transformer that creates 480 volts and then transfers it into a switch gear that increases it to 4,160 volts.

“In order for us to operate on campus, we need alternating current power,” Gagne said. “We are taking a big battery, direct current

power, and transferring it to alternating current power so we can bring 4,160 volts to the campus load.”

The last step before the project is completed is to install the heat recovery steam generator as well as build an ornamental fence around the plant. Once finished, CCSU will hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting to formally welcome the plant to the University.

Fuel Cell UpdateContinued from page 1

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 4

jusTin muszynskiThe Recorder

The President’s open forum last Tuesday was dominated by questions and concerns by faculty and staff in regards to the recent bill that hopes to make it easier for students to transfer to Connecticut state schools.

The bill in question (H.B. No. 5030), calls for all CSU schools and the University of Connecticut to develop a general education system that will “allow seamless transfer from the regional community-technical college system to the Connecticut State University System and the University of Connecticut.”

At the forum, University Provost Carl Lovitt, supported the bill by telling those in attendance that it’s something that will pay off in the long run.

“I think this is doable, I think it’s a good thing for the state,” said Lovitt. “It’s something that’s going to require intense conversation among faculty about course content and about articulation. It’s something that I don’t believe should be rammed down anyone’s throat, I think faculty has to maintain control of the conversation.”

Faculty Senate President Candace Barrington, however, said faculty have been excluded from the process as of yet.

“Part of the problem with how it’s been done so far is that the faculty voice has been completely absent,” said Barrington. “It seems like a lot of this has been done behind the scenes.”

President Jack Miller said he’s interested in the final outcome of this matter.

“I don’t want to act like a bystander, but I’m sort of looking forward to see how it comes out,” said Miller.

He compares it to a situation he faced before becoming the President of CCSU when he was employed at Florida State University in the late 1990’s, when the legislature passed a law that any major at a public university must have a common 60 credit lower division or it would receive no state funds.

“The reason why that worked, and it did work, is because it was like a gun to our head,” said Miller.

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President’s Forum Addresses Many Faculty Concerns

While Miller doesn’t advocate this method, he used it as an example to show that if need be, the CSU schools and UCONN can come up with a system that will satisfy this bill.

Many at the forum were very concerned about the timeframe that this bill lays out. It stipulates that a system must be in place by July. However, Lovitt again refers to Miller’s situation in Florida and explains that there may not be another option.

“I think if we had that kind of leverage directed at us we’d have no choice but to do this,” said Lovitt.

The other concern brought up at

MTV’s Made Comes To CCSUclemenT eneH

The Recorder

A casting call for the Emmy-award-winning MTV show Made was held in the Student Center this past week.

MTV looked for students appearing between the ages of 18-24 who wished to become something they could scarcely do on their own. An extra day of auditions was added in response to the large turnout.

Students from seemingly all walks of life waited anxiously in the lobby for their interviews, each hoping to fulfi ll their dream.

“I feel like I’ve always been really brainy and exercised my brain. I want to exercise my body more,” said Alysa Espinosa. Espinosa wants to be made into a triathlete.

“I’m very artsy and my work keeps me indoors. But I’m in the nursing program here and it’s like, how can I advocate good health if I’m always inside?” Espinosa’s name was called by interviewer before the question could be answered.

Bryan Crawford seemed a bit more anxious than Espinosa.

“I’m a litt le nervous, I’m hoping not to look foolish when I go in there,” said Crawford, who wants to become an MMA fi ghter. “I heard about it from the Central website and just signed up...I used to wrestle in high school. I’m hoping to get a trainer and

get more healthy.”Stephanie Dombroski described herself

as a “ballerina,” one who apparently wants to change her image.

“I want to be made into a hip hop dancer…I started dancing when I was two. I took just ballet and tap. And the show ABDC came out and I wanted to try something new.” Dombroski is referring to the competitive reality TV dance show, America’s Best Dance Crew. “I wanna open my horizons,” she said.

Jahquaijah Barnes, a friend of Dombroski, sat beside her as she waited nervously for her name. When asked if she thought her friend could truly accomplish this, she nodded “yes” without hesitation.

Espinosa walked out as Dombroski walked in. Despite initial worries, Espinosa seemed to glow from within aft er her interview. She went on to describe it as more informal than she expected.

“It was prett y good. Th ey asked questions from the packet I fi lled out. Th ere was a litt le webcam recording me and it took my picture… Th ere was only one person and she talked to me like a friend.”

Th e MTV representative refused interviews from the press and issued no statement declaring fi nalists of any kind. Until individual students are notifi ed, or such a statement is made, the applicants wait with fi ngers crossed.

the forum was in regards to rumors floating around that departments will be consolidated in the near future. Felton Best, Professor of Philosophy, asked how much Miller had heard about this, if he had at all.

“I’ve not heard anything about that all, certainly nothing new” said Miller.

However, he says it’s a conversation that will more than likely arise in the next ten years or so in higher education.

“It’s an inevitable conversation, not just in Connecticut but everywhere,” said Miller. “We just got a $480,000 rescission from our budget for this working year. We know we’re getting cut $680,000 for next

year, so you add all those together with a declining enrollment base in the state and it’s inevitable.”

David Spector, Professor of Biology, said during the conversation about possible consolidations in the future, that Miller was “pitting” the faculty against one other.

Miller insisted that this was not his goal and that he was just simply stating the fact that the university has already, and will continue to face budgetary restrictions.

The forum was held in the Connecticut Room in Memorial Hall and seemingly left much uncertainty amongst faculty and staff as it concluded.

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President Miller listens to faculty speaking during the open forum last Tuesday.

OPINION 5THE RECORDER

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

University Was Looking Out For Students During BreachOur credit scores give us the ability

to buy a house and start a family. Some employers now check potential employees’ credit to see how they’ve behaved with their money. When news broke that there was an issue regarding digital information stored on University servers, students and staff took a deep breath in anticipation that they would have to prepare for the worst.

A security breach is nothing to take lightly, but last week’s announcement that a system server was penetrated by ‘malware’ virus may warrant a relaxed reaction from the student body.

The virus was said to have only gotten faculty, staff and student workers’ information. This should normally cause a high level of concern, which it

did online, but in this case that wasn’t necessary.

CCSU has said that the virus only got people’s Social Security Numbers, not anything else. Without a name, those numbers are virtually useless. They are the key to messing with someone’s credit, but for a key to work you need a door like names, birth dates and addresses.

The University, as a make-good, is offering two free years of credit monitoring service for those who were affected. As of yet, there have been no reports of anyone’s credit score taking a nosedive due to the incident.

Much debate ensued on Twitter and Facebook about whether or not CCSU should have told students and staff sooner. The story found its way into the local news

and our own publication, but just to report that the school had released a statement.

The breach occurred in December and, for some students, that was too long to wait to address the issue. The University wasn’t sitting around and letting something happen to everyone’s credit scores, they were investigating the situation and making sure that they had the weakness fixed to prevent another break in.

The report of the specific students and staff involved hasn’t been released, but when it is, it will come with a plan for those affected on how to protect their credit.

There was some debate about whether or not the school could be held legally accountable for not reporting the breach to students. In fact, they were within their rights to withhold the information until

their investigation was complete.According to Connecticut law,

the University didn’t have to release anything because of the vagueness of the information that was obtained. If names were taken in conjunction with SSNs, that would have forced them to release the information. However, since no names were taken, the information is far less crucial and it gave the University some time to conduct an investigation.

The student body was surprisingly active in talking about something that happened to this campus. This is generally a positive, but we need to be careful not to jump all over an institution that is doing what it can to ensure the safety of its students, both physically and electronically.

nicHolas pRocHThe Recorder

I’ve never been one to buy into ‘doomsday’ scenarios. There was no reason for me to fret when the possibility of a Roland Emmerich movie plot was predicted to come to fruition. They hadn’t before, so why would they now?

The forecast for this week features temperatures in the mid-50s. It’s the middle of February and we haven’t had any significant amount of snow on the ground since Halloween. Again, it’s February. No snow since Halloween.

Welcome to the world of being officially torn. On one hand, you’ve got the fact that driving with the windows down on President’s Day is acceptable and on the other you have the fact that we maybe should be freaking out.

I have no scientific merits backing up my statements beyond the fact that I know table salt and snails don’t get along, but I’m almost certain that we’re going to have a pest problem come May. There is no way the ground is frozen right now, meaning there is no way we’ve killed any mosquito larvae (is that how it works?).

Connecticut isn’t an outlier either. Ski areas further north are having a tough time keeping their trails open. I’d be willing to bet that the areas that feature regulars on frozen ponds fishing are limited this winter.

So what should we do? Did we really get this year’s snow in October? Are we about to have a March and April from hell? Are the Mayans right?

If 2012 is really the final year for this planet, that’s unfortunate, but freaking out isn’t going to help anyone. At any given moment we all must be prepared for John

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

Cusack to come save us on a single engine prop plane. Personally, I’d decline if he offered, but that might just be my general disdain for his acting skills, or lack there of.

I couldn’t say that this year wouldn’t have been a good one. After all, Billy Crystal is hosting the Oscars this week again, the Giants won the Super Bowl and we may have entered the last year of the Obama’s time in the White House. And there’s still time for the Red Sox to win again and for another CSI show to get canceled.

Now comes the part where I usually tie everything together make this column make sense. You’re going to have to wait until next week for that, because this is going nowhere; and fast. Boy, that would be a cop-out wouldn’t it?

A friend of mine, and he may have stolen this from someone else but nonetheless, always used to say, “Do what you love, love what you do.” Too many of us are not living by that philosophy.

It’s not always about dominating your sport or being the best at something. It’s about doing the things that you love. If we had a situation on our hands like Cusack did in 2012, would you be able to say that you were doing the things you loved doing throughout your life?

There was no reason to write this column in February. We’ve got ten months until the Mayans say we’re doomed. If next January comes, like it should, and we haven’t done anything to better ourselves, that’s a waste. Go out and do what you love even if it means pissing some people off or confusing your parents.

Now I need to go and order that typewriter I always wanted to start working on my screenplay. Why not? It’s what I want to do.

dan agabiTiThe daily campus

WIRE - Were you on ESPN’s mobile site between 2:30 and 3:05 a.m. Saturday morning? No? Didn’t think so. Since you weren’t, allow me to enlighten you on what you missed.

Friday night, the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin—who has been the topic of much discussion recently because of his talent, contagious demeanor on the court and Chinese- and Taiwanese-American birth—had his first bad game as a starter. Lin’s nine turnovers cost the Knicks the game to the struggling Hornets, putting an end to the Knicks’ seven-game winning streak with an 89-85 loss.

The headline that ESPN went with for its story package was “Chink in the Armor.” Yes, you read that correctly. For just over a half an hour, the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports” had that headline front and center.

Two more instances involved an offensive comment. One of them was said on ESPN Radio New York and the other was on ESPNNEWS.

The only noun in the entire English lexicon of words describing a problem with armor that couldn’t be used to describe something related to Lin is “chink.” But that’s what this person chose.

ESPN did respond by firing the employee responsible for the headline, suspending the ESPNNEWS anchor for 30 days and reiterating that the radio commentator was not employed by ESPN. The company also issued a statement of apology.

“We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin,” the statement read. “His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future.”

I have never personally felt the effect of words like that. I’m the poster child for sheltered white boys. I haven’t the slightest idea how it feels to be looked down on

because of race. So I asked my Chinese-born girlfriend about the harm that slurs could cause.

“When I first moved to Connecticut, I went to a pretty low-level school system and I was called that a few times,” she told me. “It definitely hurt, but the sad thing is that I wouldn’t expect them to know any better. I’m just shocked that somebody who works for a national media organization like ESPN wouldn’t know better than to say something that insensitive.”

I am fully in favor of giving people the benefit of the doubt and being graceful when people mess things up in the world of media, but something like this warrants a hefty amount of criticism. One racially insensitive comment is bad, but two is extremely concerning and three is an alarming trend. If there are three comments made by a media beast like ESPN that warrant apology within a 24-hour span, that’s something to be addressed at a deeper level.

I hear a lot of people say that building a culture of understanding people’s feelings will put an end to mean and racial comments, but I disagree. These guys at ESPN knew perfectly well what they were expressing and the terrible meaning of their words, yet chose to say or write them anyway. Something else needs to be done.

As a society, we like to pat ourselves on the back and pretend that we are doing well as far as racism goes. But are we? The Jeremy Lin/ESPN incident proves that we still have further to go than we think.

I would contend that we haven’t so much addressed racism, as we have done a better job of shutting people up. People still have racist tendencies, but acting on them has become frowned upon and carries severe consequences for one’s reputation, so people simply prevent them from reaching a public forum.

How do I know this? Well, I’m writing this column, so something isn’t working. We might look clean, but the problem still very much exists.

So then, how do we eradicate racism? Well, that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? We had better start talking.

ESPN Headline Offensive

JOIN THE RECORDER

Correction: In last week’s issue in “New Haven Officials Deserve Criticism”, the New Haven police department and Mayor were referenced. All references should have been towards the East Haven.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 / UPGR ADE6

Oscar Round UpThe Help: Review by Amanda AsaroTh e Help is a book which pinches the nerves of America’s divided past in a way that shows the reader how ignorant we were and how far we have come since the mid-20th century.

Although Emma Stone does a great job as the glue who brings together the black “help," her role would not shine as bright without Octavia Spencer’s character Minny Jackson. Spencer, who has been nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress, proves to be nothing shy of that.

The artist: Review by Kevin MurinTh is fi lm is defi nitely the best of the year. Everything about it is fl awless. For starters, the silence makes the fi lm, and really shows off Hazanavivius’ direction. Th e actions and the mise-en-scene tell the story all itself that the use of sound would have taken away from the fi lm. His direction has helped this fi lm score 10 Academy Award nominations including acting nods to Dujardin and Bejo.

Hazanavicius has also proven himself as an elite director with his cast, hiring mostly unknowns and character actors and turning them into an Oscar front-runner which proves that star power means nothing when it comes to awards.

The iron lady: Barbara AdamsWhether you agree or disagree with Margaret Th atcher’s political views, one must admit that she was one of the most interesting and powerful women of the 20th century. She certainly enhanced the status of women both in Britain and in the world. How this fi lm misses so completely is a question that is diffi cult to answer.

Th e portrayal of the confl ict of the Falkland Islands is very overplayed. Th e confl ict on the screen seems more like a World War II batt le. However, it does make Mrs. Th atcher a hero for not backing down to Argentina. It also shows the female side of her personality as a wife and a mother, as she writes to every mother or family who lost a son due to the batt le over the Falkland Islands.

bridesmaids: Lauren BreenIf a girl were to imagine all that could go wrong when in charge of her best friend's destiny in the planning of her wedding, Bridesmaids is the icing to the cake.

Both Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph were writers for this movie, which in return creates the creative depiction of how best friends work through crazy times in their lives and plan a wedding. Th rough the hysteria of the fi lm everything falls into place nevertheless: the journey to get there is truly outrageous and a must-see.

midnight in paris: Colleen BrownWith four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Midnight in Paris is a fi lm that audiences must watch more than once. Th is is not simply because it is an exciting fi lm worthy of more than a one-time viewing, but because the fi lm's plot and meaningful details can be a bit confusing and overlooked the fi rst time. Undoubtedly an explorative and meaningful fi lm, not to mention beautifully executed, one thing that struck me was the casting of the major characters.

It is common to see Owen Wilson as a funny, laid-back character such as when he played John Beckwith in Wedding Crashers (2005), rather than a seemingly dull boyfriend yet intellectual writer. As his signifi cant other, it is also a new sight to witness Rachel McAdams as a stuck-up, selfi sh, cheating girlfriend rather than the loyal and sweet Allie from Th e Notebook (2004). At times, this fi lm is a bit confusing and viewers may fi nd themselves wondering how exactly Gil is traveling back in time to the 1920’s. Is Gil delusional or drunk every night and just believes he is in the 1920’s, when in actuality he is dreaming? Such questions do not get direct answers by the end, yet it is refreshing gett ing to view a fi lm that explores diff erent ideas and realms and takes audiences on a journey.

Th e following are excerpts from reviews writt en for Communication 382: American Cinema, about this year’s fi lms:

REVIEWSTHE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 / UPGR ADE 7

1. Egg Punch by Pixel Juice

Egg Punch’s title might be a litt le misleading due to the considerable lack of egg punching. Half-jokes aside, it is best described as a tame Rube Goldberg

2. Snappers by Mikhail Eliseev

Snappers aims to reward the player for completing puzzles by making the completion of the puzzle entertaining and satisfying to watch, but ends up compromising its goals within the level design.

3. Temple Run by Imangi Studios, LLC

Temple Run takes the top slot on the free games list and it does so with a robust set of options, solid run and jump platforming, and fi ts perfectly with the iPhone’s mobility.

4. Run Stick Run by Robert Szeleney

Run Stick Run is one of the games on the app store where I am fascinated as to why it’s

5. Ski On Neon by Esoteric Development

Ski On Neon is both intriguing and addicting but, depending on your eyes, may possess a prett y fatal fl aw.

I had a lot of trouble playing Ski On Neon for more than fi ve minutes at a time. My eyes would unrelentingly lose focus on the skier and focus instead on the track, making it nearly impossible to read the track ahead of my skier in order to decide if I need to be

machine smashed together with a billiard table that focuses on rolling eggs and collecting feathers.

With a fl at, seemingly cartoon aesthetic, Egg Punch’s tiered environments allow you to touch the screen and pull back and angle your egg to send it careening down an corridor, collecting feathers and ultimately falling into a hole to fi nish the level.

By collecting feathers, diff erent themes become unlockable, but the core level design seems consistent; almost to a fault. At the end of each level you gain coins based on how many feathers you gather as well as how many rolls it took to fi nish the level. Naturally, these coins can be used to unlock power-ups and special egg skins.

Egg Punch handily achieves that physics puzzle feel, but doesn’t off er very much variety outside of tubes and chutes.

Th e puzzles in Snappers are completed by carefully popping specifi c googley-eyed square creatures with the hope that their explosion will result in a wonderful cascade of googley-eyed explosions. Naturally the player must cause all of the Snappers to pop within a level-determined move limit, but this is where the game runs into an issue with the level design. Sometimes the levels will leave a single Snapper alive that you must pop aft er you’ve witnessed your rewarding cascade. It abruptly calls an end to any satisfi ed feelings that were a result of pressing the correct snapper and watching the puzzle complete itself.

Snappers is also a litt le off ensive when it comes to advertisements and in-app purchases: hints can purchased for a dollar each and advertisements can obscure menu options.

Given the way this game is designed, it may get repetitive. Th e puzzles don’t allow for any improvised solutions, so there’s no room for replaying levels if that’s your fancy.

All that being said, Snappers is enjoyable for the short time that it keeps your interest.

Temple Run creates a solid aesthetic by harping on something that resembles Indiana Jones, but pulls it off without being too visually distracting. Th is is an important point, as the game is presented with quality, but manages to keep every obstacle clearly presented.

Every time you play, you’ll run the chance of gathering coins that allow you to purchase any of the items within the four diff erent types of unlockables, ranging from wallpapers to diff erent types of temple runners.

As with many app store games, Temple Run is connected to high-score boards that let you see how you match up with other players in the iPhone community, but it’s ultimately just for amusement.

Temple Run seems to be the best game in this list, and rightfully so, as it sits right atop the free games top 25. Fortunately for you, it’s mostly free.

so highly rated in the app store.Run Stick Run is quite literally a

reincarnation of every ‘side-scrolling-run-across-the-screen-and-jump game’ that has existed since Adobe Flash hit the Internet. Th e game makes litt le eff ort to iterate beyond presenting the player with handicaps on the top or bott om of the screen. One of these handicaps is presented in the form of a rumbling WWII airplane that you can ride to skip the level, but you’ll have to suff er through the terrible loop of an airplane engine.

Of course, the only reason to skip a portion of a level is if you cannot stand to suff er through the hardly-responsive controls.

Run Stick Run is visually boring, audibly irritating and does not iterate enough to be interesting.

Due to Run Stick Run being prett y poor quality, I suggest looking for either Canabalt or Tiny Wings. Th ey’re not free, but if you fi nd Run Stick Run remotely interesting, both of these games are signifi cantly bett er in most aspects.

pressing down to gain speed or lift ing up to gain air.

Beyond that, Ski On Neon is relatively simple: you’re a skier who skis on a neon line with the objective of reaching the end of the line and reaching as high of an elevation as possible.

Th e key to Ski On Neon is that you must balance holding down to gain speed as you descend and then lett ing go to ascend and take advantage of the momentum you’ve gained. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of it, but it

turns out to be a prett y solid concept that was simple enough to keep me playing.

I was genuinely satisfi ed when I completed the fi rst few levels, but it does get prett y diffi cult to achieve the goals of the later levels, so expect a challenge. Diff erent levels exist as options in the game, but the diff erence between the few is prett y negligible.

Ski On Neon is defi nitely worth a download if you have a few minutes that you want to waste, or if you feel like skiing on space slopes.

maTTHeW RooTThe Recorder

Note: Th e following games made up the Top 5 fr ee games on the iPhone App Store marketplace at the time this article was writt en.

What’s your favorite App? Email us your review!

[email protected]

Are Th e Top Five Worth Downloading From Th e App Store?

8 THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 / UPGR ADE

Bookmark It: Th e Hunger GamesRacHael benTley

The Recorder

Author Suzanne Collins may not have expected her book series Th e Hunger Games to catch on as quicky as it did, but avid readers are now comparing her works to the likes of the Twilight and Harry Pott er series. Aft er reading the fi rst of the three books, its easy to see where these readers are coming from. Catching Fire and Mockingjay are the next to books in the series.

Th e book surrounds itself around the life of Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl who lives in a future where North America has been destroyed and what exists in its place is a nation known as Panem. Katniss lives in District 12, which is the last of the 12 districts ruled by President Snow, and the Capitol. As punishment for past generations trying to revolt against the capitol’s rule, the Hunger games are held each year, and the nation is forced to watch as two children from each district are whisked away to a remote, rural arena and they are forced to kill each other until only one is left . Aft er Katniss’s 12-year-

Paul McCartneyKisses on the Bott om

Hear MusicFebruary 7

nicHolas pRocH The Recorder

Sir Paul McCartney is now 69 years old and he may have never sounded more relaxed this side of his forties.

He has fi nally recaptured something he hasn’t had in over a decade. He’s comfortable making music again. Th ere is an enormous amount of pressure that goes along with being known as one of the greatest song writers ever. Th at pressure had taken its toll on his work and you could hear that with every lackluster eff ort he released.

Kisses On Th e Bott om is a fi ne collection of standards. However, where this diff ers from John Lennon’s Rock N Roll album from 1975, in which he covered primitive rock and blues hits like “Ain’t Th at A Shame” and “Stand By Me,” McCartney’s refl ection is on the jazz genre.

Th e last few releases that McCartney has made his fans suff er through are quickly

forgott en as the opening track starts. “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Lett er” sets the mood quite well. Th is is an album that is inspired by his latest marriage. Th e entire work’s undertone is that of love.

Unfortunately, this might get fi led under the ‘Easy Listening’ category, but it’s much more than that.

As a group, the entire ensemble is very strong. McCartney worked with Diana Krall’s band and the listener can really appreciate that. Th ey’re a tight group and support his vocal contributions nicely. Th is att ention to his vocals benefi ts the album immensely. In some of his previous works, McCartney has been known to tackle too much. He becomes like Orson Welles and tries to control every detail. Th is time he understands that the band is there to make him sound bett er, not vice versa.

Th ere are two original tracks on Kisses. “My Valentine” fi ts the mood and feel without sticking out, but that’s not really

the goal. It off ers very litt le to the album and gets lost in the fold of the older songs. One could argue that is the goal when making a compilation album, but that goes against everything McCartney has always stood for. Of course, this genre is not the norm for him either.

“Only Our Hearts” stands out. It’s the concluding track to the standard edition of the album, but it’s worth the wait. Th is is his best vocal performance, hitt ing every high and low he desires. It’s reminiscent of “Th e Long and Winding Road,” but somehow completely unique. Once you add in Stevie Wonder’s harmonica solo towards the end, it’s a fi tt ing way to tie down any loose ends. Fortunately, there are very few at that point.

McCartney set out to create an album that reminded him of, and payed tribute to, the music of his parents’ generation. We can only speculate what they’d say about it, but one has to think they would enjoy putt ing the needle down on this record.

Th e FrayScars and Stories

EpicFebruary 7

acadia oTloWski The Recorder

The Fray’s newly released album Scars and Stories starts off strong but soon degrades into a horrifically cliché album, a mix of generic alternative sounds that lack originality and fail to inspire enthusiasm.

When the album first opens, it seems to have potential. The track “Heartbeat” is a power ballad with strong chords and catchy lyrics. This song was released for download on Oct. 11, for the radio, so it makes sense that it is lyrically the strongest and most catchy.

But even this first song lacks originality. It has the catchy sound, but it has no depth. The original idea the song was based off of was a woman from Rwanda telling her story of the genocide. But this has not been clearly expressed in the song, rather it contains only a generic message about love. A much deeper song could have been

created from such a powerful story.Another song with a deeper meaning,

“1961” contains references to the Berlin Wall, but with lyrics like, “Wanna feel your love right now, wanna see the night and feel the day,” it may as well be another love song. Its chords are unremarkable, and there is no distinction between this song and the rest of the tracks.

The album does not get any better in the aspect of originality. Most of the songs are about love and heartbreak, which is as cliché as an alternative band can get. This is further aggravated by the stereotypical whine of the lead singer’s voice.

The Fray cites bands like Pearl Jam as their inspiration and it shows. They take the same style and make it more mundane. This album is interchangeable with most alternative albums released in the past few years.

After an album like this, The Fray should just quit while they are ahead. Well,

perhaps that is the wrong phrase, because this album definitely set them back. Scars and Stories has damaged the name of The Fray, something they will have a hard time redeeming.

SilversteinShort Songs

Hopeless RecordsFebruary 7

amanda l. WebsTeR The Recorder

Silverstein’s new album titled Short Songs is just that; a track list of 22 songs that all fall within the 90 second mark. The first half of the album consists of original songs by Silverstein and the second half are covers of short songs originally performed by various punk artists including Green Day, Gorilla Biscuits and Descendents to name a few.

Much like a ‘5-hour Energy’ shot, the undersized songs pack a powerful punch that will leave listeners feeling the aftereffects for a period much longer than the entire 20 minute album.

The original songs on the album are more of what one would expect from a Silverstein album with songs like “SOS” and “Sick As Your Secrets,” that bring them towards the heavier end of the punk spectrum. “Sleep Around” is a slower

melodic song that speaks to how this band does not need a heavy bass and screeching vocalist to deliver lyrics such as, “Start with best intent, you’ve earned it. Promise was made, not kept, you’ve burned it.”

The cover work is not overly impressive but, then again, how much can you change in a song that lasts about 28 seconds like “xOn

Passionate about music? Let people know what you think! Write for our review section and get

your voice heard.

email [email protected]

Our Kneesx,” originally by The Swarm.Overall, “Short Songs” is a unique piece

of work that shows how truly talented these guys are as a band and how versatile they can be with their music. Each song is a brave attempt to do something creative and I applaud Silverstein for their twist on this record.

old sister Primrose is picked from a handful of names, Katniss volunteers herself in the hopes of saving her sisters life. Katniss and her male accomplice, Pett a Melark, are whisked off to the Arena and are forced to fi ght for their lives, while also trying to fi gure out a way so they do not have to kill each other in the hopes of survival.

Although I would not agree that this book is on the same level as Harry Pott er, I would absolutley agree that it is as good, if not bett er, than the Twilight series. Th e style of the writing is addictive and very intense, although at times it can seem a litt le sparatic. Th e plethora of characters and descriptive detail is what makes this series a cut above the rest. Imagery is a huge part when trying to understand and really get into a story, and Collins makes it very easy for her readers to get lost in the world of Panem. Th e amount of descriptive details that goes into the fi ght (and subsequently, death) scenes are border-line graphic, with imagery of people being beheaded and drowning. It’s enough to make you feel a litt le queasy.

Th e plot of the novel is very easy to

follow, but at the same time has just enough twists and turns so that the reader does not get bored with the material. One of the great apsects of this book is that you can see and feel what Katniss is feeling and thinking when these life-changing events happen. You can also read into her rationale, that in the end helps keep her alive. Th ere are some books that should not use this type of writing, for it can become very mundane and boring, but Collins does a very good job of balancing inner thoughts, while also giving perspective into what the other characters are behaving like. But the fact that the book only shows Katniss’s perspective helps add an element of surprise to a lot of the things that happen to her, and really accentuates the fact that she feels locked off from the world inside the Arena.

Due to the large sucess of the series the fi rst book has been made into a movie which will be released in March, staring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. Other stars like Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson are also on the cast list. Th e movie is due to be released on March 23.

And if the movie is nearly as amazing as the book, then we have a lot to look forward.

9THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 / UPGR ADE

McG Declares War On Romantic ComediesRacHael benTley

The Recorder

The month of February tends to get a bad reputation in the eyes of both singletons and movie critics, thanks to the release of movies like This Means War. After being bombarded with posters, trailers and web ads for over a month, I finally gave in and decided to see what director McG had to offer the world of romantic comedies. It wasn’t much.

CIA agents FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) are best friends who help fight crime, but two completely different people personality wise. While Tuck is lonely and looking for love, FDR is the epitome of a womanizer, they are both charged with making sure international criminal Heinrich (Til Schweiger) doesn’t get his hands on a weapon of mass destruction. But after being grounded to their desks for messing up a covert mission, the two find themselves looking for ways to spend their time. Tuck decides that it’s time to settle down and find love, and creates himself an online dating account. FDR spends his free time searching for more short-term relationships in places like video stores, when the unthinkable happens: They start dating the same girl, Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). As you can imagine, this leads to some tension between FDR and Tuck, and over the course of the movie they cross personal lines and get into extremely awkward situations that puts their friendship in jeoprady.

The idea behind this movie was, in my opinion, pretty creative, especially now that Nicholas Sparks books are being made into movies every other month. But somewhere between the drawing board and the big screen, something went wrong. Perhaps it was the lack of chemisty between the two best friends, which was almost as palpable as the lack of chemistry between Tuck and Lauren. This leads me to believe that the biggest issue with this movie started when they cast Pine and Witherspoon. Both excellent actors? Yes. Right for their roles? I remain unconvinced. Hardy carried the entire movie, with both funny and aggressive

scenes, while Pine was only good for blinking his big blue eyes at the camera. And let’s not forget the fact that the movie also had great supporting role actors like Schweiger who did not get nearly enough face-time. Witherspoon is a well-known and very talented actress but she seemed, in a word, wrong for this role. She has proven her worth in the movie industry in the past with roles in movies like Legally Blonde and Water for Elephants, but this movie just didn’t seem like a good fit, almost as if she was better than what the movie had to offer. But hey, a woman has to make money, so I can’t blame her for taking the role. The casting

of Chelsea Handler as Lauren’s best friend Trish was an excellent choice. She brings the perfect dose of comedic relief, whiles also getting some serious points across to the audience.

The storyline for This Means War could have been excellent, if it weren’t for a few major mistakes. The first was not focusing more on the CIA mission that both Tuck and FDR were in charge of. It completley fell off of the map until the last few scenes of the movie, and linking the two storylines seemed rushed and confusing. Another fault in the movie was how creepy it all seemed. Sure, two guys fighting over the same chick

who work for the CIA are bound to use some high tech equipment. But sneaking into her house while shes in it, watching Lauren hook up with each of them and sharing the same resources like they were still best buds was all a bit too much for me to stomach. It lost its romanticism, and for a movie that was released for Valentine’s Day week, that’s like digging your own grave.

Despite the evident flaws that this movie has, I still found myself laughing for 80 percent of it. Thankfully for McG, the funny scenes were enough to keep it afloat, but I would not recomend seeing this with your significant other under any circumstance.

pHoTo | 20TH cenTuRy Fox

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 22, 2012 / SPORTS 10

bRiTTany buRkeThe Recorder

“I cheated, I am a cheater, we’re cheaters” is something you generally don’t hear someone say and then laugh about, but that’s all I did listening to my best friend in NYC last week. Yes, we’re cheaters. We cheated on our Bruins.

Try explaining to a bunch of New York Rangers fans at MSG that you’re a Bruins fan from Connecticut wearing a Patrick Kane jersey that happens to work for the NYR farm team. Yes it’s complicated, but that’s all I did as the Rangers fell to the Black Hawks.

My best friend and I went into the city on Thursday to cheer for Chicago even though we’re die hard Bruins fans. Go figure. Now try being the only fans of the opposing team in your section.

We got booed by a seven-year-old girl and the guys sitting behind and to the left of us. I was called Benedict Arnold by a man at the bar because I work for the Whale and cheer for the B’s and I can’t even begin to count how many times we were called traitors, but you know what, it’s all in the good of the game.

I’m not ashamed to wear a Patrick Kane jersey even though I root for the Bruins religiously. I wanted to go to see a good game. For once I didn’t have to worry about the outcome. Whoever won or lost didn’t affect me as a Bruins fan.

There’s no worse feeling than being at a game and watching your team lose. I saw the Bruins lose to the Penguins and then the Hurricanes before they broke out of their Stanley Cup hangover.

I saw the Giants get run over by the Panthers in their last home game at the old stadium and I saw them lose again to the Redskins before they made their Super Bowl run (no, I’m not bad luck). It’s miserable.

On the ride home you’re just so deflated. You didn’t lose the game, but with your team you might as well have been the one playing out on the field.

Granted, seeing your team win in person gives you another kind of high, but I stand by the fact that some of the best games I’ve been to have been ones that my team isn’t playing in.

Not having to worry about the team you root for winning allows you to sit back and enjoy the game you love so much. While I may never travel to Dallas to see the Cowboys play without the Giants taking the field, I do recommend stepping outside your fan comfort zone and going to a neutral game if you haven’t already.

Step Outside Of Your ‘Fan Zone’

COLUMNSPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

Blue Devils Drop Final Home Game To SCSU

deRek TuRneRThe Recorder

Coming off the best season in the program’s 26 year history, the Blue Devils are only hungrier for more. Jeff Franquet and his team know what they have the ability to do and are looking to make an impact.

“Obviously the expectations for this year are very high,” said Franquet, coming off CCSU’s winningest soft ball season ever.

Th e 2011 season saw many fi rsts for an up-and-coming Central Connecticut soft ball program; 29 wins overall, 11 in Northeast Conference play and the team’s fi rst trip to the NEC tournament along with tying a NCAA record when they scored 17 runs in one inning against Princeton, but 2012 is all about the NEC title.

A solid core of players is returning this season, but the batt ery of Liz Montemurro and Kat Knowles is going to be tough to replace. Junior Jordan Tingley and sophomore Julie Marks look to anchor the rotation with help from a couple newcomers.

“We’re going to look to a freshman, Laura Messina on the mound, to really make a diff erence for us,” said Franquet.

Pitching is going to be key this season and if it holds up all year, Franquet thinks they can set a new win mark somewhere around 35.

bRiTTany buRkeThe Recorder

Th e fi nal ranking period might have ended and regular season play may have come to a close last weekend for the CCSU hockey club, but with a gap between their last away match against Boston University and the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s regionals the Blue Devils made sure to fi t in one more game.

In order to avoid having a weekend completely free of hockey, the team set up an inter-state match-up with the Southern Connecticut State Owls. While CCSU competes in the DII tier of the ACHA, SCSU competes in DIII, where they topped the regular season rankings enough to get an autobid into the national tournament.

Despite the diff erence in divisions, the Blue Devils couldn’t pull out a fi nal win, dropping to the Owls 7-4.

“Th e problem tonight is we broke down defensively,” said Mike Joy. “Seven goals obviously against Southern is something we didn’t expect. We had some trouble gett ing it out of the zone defensively. We were too quick with the puck and we weren’t confi dent in ourselves. We took for granted the fact that they were Division III. We were looking forward to an easy game but they came out and surprised us.”

Again CCSU got into a second period slump, which SCSU took advantage of and turned into three goals.

“We have some periods where we’re not mentally focused and we certainly have to clean that up and that was addressed tonight in the locker room and hopefully they take a message from that and clean that up,” said Head Coach Ben Adams.

Headed into the fi rst intermission the teams were tied at two each. It was CCSU who managed to strike fi rst less than two minutes into the opening period with a power play goal coming from Jon Knobloch, but the Owls were quickly able to counter it with a goal of their own.

CCSU was gett ing good chances and skating hard in their off ensive zone, which Matt Siracusa was able to turn into the team’s second goal of the period with the assist coming from Dustin Rider.

Th e game against the Owls counted toward the record, but not towards the team’s ranking. Due to that fact, a lot of players who usually don’t suit up were given ice time. Because of that and the fact that the Owls were outscoring the Blue Devils, the top two lines were consistently on the ice, which could’ve contributed to the lull.

CCSU couldn’t capitalize on a major 5-on-


3 power play early in the second, but in the same situation SCSU notched their fourth goal of the game.

Penalties again got to be an issue as CCSU tried to fi ght their way back into the game. Th e score got to be 6-2 in favor of the Owls before Conor Stanley cut the defi cit to three on the power play. Th e gap was shortened to two, but a breakaway made by SCSU ended the game.

Despite allowing for seven goals Adams made the decision to keep goaltender Greg Coco in the net in his fi rst game back. While at an away game in the fi rst half of the season Coco was hit out of the crease, which resulted in surgery and time away from the rink.

“I thought he played alright,” said Adams. “It’s certainly not the Coco we had fi rst semester, but that’s to be expected, he’s had three months off . He’s gett ing over a prett y serious injury and the reason I kept him in all

game is I wanted to see him batt le, it was also more of a conditioning, give him some shots get him game action and see if he’ll be ready to go for us next week.”

CCSU will compete in the ACHA regionals in Danbury, CT., with hopes to gain a spot in the national tournament being held in Florida. Th e fi rst game of next weekend’s tournament will be Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.

“…We know our ultimate goal and that’s to get to Florida and nothing’s gonna stop us,” said Siracusa. “… I really think at times in the game we looked bett er than we ever have, but we just didn’t fi nish when we had too but that happens. We just gott a realize that that game when we were playing it meant something but now means nothing. Th e rankings are over, we know who we’re playing and that’s all we have to worry about.”

CCSU Softball Looking To Set RecordsTh e Blue Devils also return two-thirds of

their outfi eld and the top of their lineup with senior Rebecca Mussatt i and sophomore Ariel Bruno. Bruno led the NEC with 60 hits last season and paced the team with a .339 batt ing average while being rewarded with a Second Team All-NEC selection. Mussatt i led the team in runs scored with 34 and stole 13 bases in 2011.

“We have a couple really key freshman; Kat Malcolm should have a fantastic year, Ashley Black should have a great year,” said Franquet.

Macy Stefanski will also look to keep improving as she has the previous two seasons, Franquet believes she hit somewhere in the .330 to .340-range this season and is described as the hardest worker on the team.

As preseason is fi nishing up and the regular season is set to begin, the team is ready to “rock and roll.”

“We have had a great preseason workout; we’re healthy and the kids are in great shape,” said Franquet. “Our pitchers are throwing six days a week, we’re in that range of four to fi ve thousand swings a week, and they’re gett ing four to fi ve thousand ground balls and fl y balls a week … We’re ready to play.”

Th e Blue Devils leave this weekend for an opening series that will for sure get the players’ adrenaline pumping. CCSU travels to Tempe, Ariz., to take on the Sun Devils

of Arizona State. Th e defending NCAA national champions will greet CCSU for four games in what Franquet describes as a learning experience for his team.

“I want the kids to get an idea of what it takes to get to that level,” said Franquet. “I want them to see Arizona State, I want them to see their workouts, I want them to see their pregame, I want them to see their postgame, and I want them to see that whole dynamic.”

With the season goal of winning a conference title and making the NCAA tournament, Franquet wants the scene of playing in front of thousands of fans to be a “been there, done that” type of thing.

“We are all just really excited to have an opportunity to play such great competition and we’d really like to challenge them a litt le bit,” said Mussatt i, speaking from the team’s point of view.

As in all sports, having fun is the fi rst order of business and that is what this season’s Blue Devils will look to do; with of course the NEC title always in the back of their mind.

“We have a lot of strengths on this team and as long as everybody does the right thing, stays mentally focused and tough, I think we should do well,” said Mussatt i. “Have fun and not let the pressure of winning a title be the only thing we focus on.”

Matt Siracusa takes the puck behind the SCSU net. He fi nished with one goal against the Owls.


Dioubate Brothers Reunite On CCSU Soccerdanny conTReRas

The Recorder

The relationship shared between siblings is completely different from every other kind of relationship in the world. Brothers and sisters share something intangible, special; one cannot describe it, and if we try to explain it, we pretty much just say “it’s there.”

We are aware of this bond, its importance and its relevance to our world. Whether they’re older or younger, siblings influence everything we do. If they’re older, we try to impress them, we want to be considered grown-ups like them. If they’re younger, we try to set an example for them, just to make their lives easier.

Once we reach a certain age, while the bonds are there, we grow apart. Adulthood quickly dictates what’s important. We need to get good jobs and form a family. Then the cycle begins again with our own kids.

There is a gap in time, however much exploited, between growing up and reaching adulthood. In TV and movies we see stories of siblings competing, trying to outdo each other for fame and glory.

In extreme cases, like CSI or Law and Order, they’re involved in murder and other crimes. But we rarely ever get to see siblings in full cooperation, working together, with that gap of time seemingly non-existent. We don’t have to look far to find a relationship like this. We can look at the CCSU Blue Devils Men’s Soccer team; at Alpha and Mamoudou Dioubate.

The Dioubates entered their third season of college soccer with the Blue Devils after guiding their junior college team, Monroe College, to a NJCAA Championship in 2010.

“We played for a number of clubs together. My father has been a big impact, and he always made sure family stuck together. Having my brother next to me is like having a superhero,” explained Alpha as he recapped his first season as a Blue Devil. “It was a great experience, since we were little we’ve been on the same teams, we wanted to continue the chemistry,” concluded the midfielder.

“It was a dream come true; meeting with [Coach] Green, playing a successful season and coming from junior college to Division 1. Everything felt better,” said Mamoudou, one of the three co-captains of the Blue Devils.

The pair hailing from Queens, NY., attended different schools with Alpha attending John Adams High School, and Mamoudou going to Hill Crest High School. They were both recruited to Monroe College following successful stints on their respective teams.

Growing up, Alpha supported Real Madrid of the Spanish League, while Mamoudou followed Manchester United of the English Premiership. “Growing up I enjoyed playing soccer, that was all,” said Mamoudou, with Alpha echoing his thoughts. “Though I

support Manchester United and he Real Madrid, we always made sure that regardless of the teams we followed we kept our relationship going positively,” finished Mamoudou.

The brothers, while extremely close, do not play the same positions. Mamoudou plays as a center-back and Alpha employs his services as a playmaker and attacking midfielder. “In soccer you’re supposed to know everything, like in school you’re supposed to know math and English. I’m always ready to play a different position, I sacrifice for the team.” Mamoudou has been employed as a striker before, his most notable appearance being the 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac at Willowbrook Park on Oct. 28, 2011.

“I used to play defense when I was in high school but I think it’s harder for him to play up front,” joked Alpha. It is not unusual for soccer players to switch positions in their career.

As co-captain, Mamoudou brings stability to the locker room and exemplifies it with his relationship with his brother. “I’m the captain and I always make sure I’m a leader; listening to other players is important. With my brother it’s special because his job is to score goals and we know how to interact and combine with each other,” said Mamoudou.

However, their relationship does not mean they will always pass the ball to each other.

“The game is about playing together, if I see Alpha open, I’ll pass it to him but if I see someone else is open, I’ll pass it to them. It’s all about playing together, I don’t want to make it seem like because he’s my brother I’ll pass it to him. I always keep this in my head. It’s about the team, not one person,” explained Mamoudou.

“We’ve been working hard since the preseason, coming in mid-August we weren’t completely ready, but we did well, I think, to merge into the team,” added Alpha.

Though it was their first year playing for the Blue Devils, the brothers came out regular season champions and semi-finalists in the NEC tournament before bowing out on penalty kicks to eventual champions, Monmouth.

“After the loss, looking at the whole season, I’m very proud of where we were since the spring. We worked hard, we lost against Monmouth, a good team, but we made a successful campaign and won the regular season and most improved team,” said Mamoudou.

“We lost to one of the best teams in the conference, but we still have one more year. We still have school to focus on, one of our goals is to graduate,” Alpha explained.

“The importance of education Coach Green passes on to us is amazing. We owe to school first, soccer second. We can never let school go because of soccer. What I see is that you won’t play soccer until you’re very old. At 35, you need to consider retirement,” Mamoudou added.

These sentiments are true, however.

Usually the oldest age of an outfield player is 35, with goalkeeper usually playing until their early forties.

Behind closed doors, their influence as brothers extends beyond the pitch and into the locker room where their team also became their family.

“It was so amazing, this group of players, of different cultures. Everyone smiled, the Coach was just happy. We became a strong family, we cheered each other up, trying to get to know each other,” recalled Mamoudou to the preseason atmosphere in the locker room.

“One of the things that made the team stronger is that we were always there for each other. It allowed the team to grow. Whether we lost or won, there was always a game ahead of us,” said Alpha.

Mamadou explained how the team channels familiarity and closeness on the campus, “When most people see us walking

around campus, they see the Blue Devils, not individuals.”

With a regular season championship and a semi-final birth in their first season, the brothers have high ambitions for next year’s tournament. “We always talk about this whether we’re home, in school, or going out: This is our last year, we can show what we can do, we can add and change the team and accomplish the championship,” said Alpha.

“Coach Green tells us, ‘Go to class, make a big impact next season, but keep up the classwork.’ Next season will be extremely exciting and we’re motivated everyday at practice,” added Mamoudou.

Their honors extend throughout their soccer careers with Alpha receiving multiple MVP awards while Mamoudou’s most recent honor is being called as part of the NSCAA All-Atlantic with teammates Thomas Obasi and Reece Wilson.

New Coach Set To Aid Women’s Lacrossedan WanaTThe Recorder

With a tepid winter full of sunny days shielding our internal clock from realizing the oncoming spring, there are triggers in the world of sports left in place reminding us of spring’s accelerated approach.

This clambering towards spring is when pitchers and catchers are reporting to Arizona and Florida. It’s a time when talk of bubble teams doesn’t remind us of Jerry Sandusky’s basement but rather it is a mandatory sports conversation of teams trying to dance. On a more hyper local level, spring means that new sports are beginning on our campus while others are ending.

With the aura of starting new deeply entrenched in the façade of spring, where better to turn than to the CCSU women’s lacrosse team, where a new coach is attempting to instill a new winning spirit and camaraderie to a very talented Blue Devils team.

Last year, the Blue Devils finished eighth in the conference but new Head Coach Kelly Nangle has high hopes for the upcoming season, “This season is very exciting and we are looking forward to it. The NEC provides a lot of diversity and that’s great for these kids.”

With a new coach in place, it is vital for the players to believe that they can win and have

a legitimate shot at winning the NEC. The Blue Devils have just that due to the NEC’s competitive diversity.

This diversity brings great hope and aspirations for a CCSU team that returns its leading scorers off of a team that finished second in the NEC in scoring last year.

The junior triage of Betsy Vendel, who led the NEC in points per game last season; Meaghan McCurry, who finished third in the NEC in points per game; and Mackenzy Ryan, fourth in the NEC in goals, lead a Blue Devils offense that should have no problem finding the net, especially with the maturation of these young players.

While scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem for this talented Blue Devils offense, team defense is the main area of concern for Nangle.

“If we want to win games, we have got to come together as a team on the defensive end. We need to focus on basics and finding a style of defense that best suits our team,” said Nangle.

Luckily, the Blue Devils are in good hands as their new head coach is good on the defensive end. Last year, she was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers, where her defense was second best in the Big East and ranked 15th best in the country.

In the NEC preseason poll, CCSU was picked to finish seventh in the NEC, but with a new defensive system in place and a fresh start to

the season, the Blue Devils may surprise people in the NEC.

“Our transformation and improvement from the fall until now has been night and day. We are really hammering away at playing like a team and having everyone being a cog to the system and we are seeing it really start to take shape,” said Nangle.

These improvements are just what Blue Devils fans want to see as the clouds of winters past are burnt away and the new season begins to take shape.

The Blue Devils struggled in their season opener, dropping to Stony Brook on the road 18-5, but they will return to action at home on Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. against Bryant.


Ali Roche defends against Sacred Heart last season.


Mamoudou Dioubate (above) and his brother Alpha (front page) were instrumental in leading the Blue Devils to their regular-season NEC championship.


Playoff Bound

CCSU Hockey Heads For RegionalsStory on Page 10


Volume 108 Issue 19

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Transcript of Volume 108 Issue 19