Volume CXIX No. 93
» INSIDE
www.dailycampus.com
Friday, February 15, 2013
Proud to be a Husky, snow or shine
UConn Dining Services employees stay loyal to students in the midst of a major blizzard DANCERS FOR DIFFERENCE AT JORGENSEN UConn performers dance to raise money for charity. FOCUS/ page 5
BACK IN THE SWING
ANEIL YOUNIS/The Daily Campus
UConn Dining Services employees remained dedicated during the record-breaking snowstorm, Nemo. Approximately 70 employees stayed overnight Friday in preparation for Saturday.
UConn baseball plays first games of the season. SPORTS/ page 12 EDITORIAL: DEMS ACT MORE LOYAL TO PARTY THAN POLICY
Dems were quick to bash Bush but are hesitant with critiques on Obama. COMMENTARY/page 8 INSIDE NEWS: CRIPPLED CRUISE SHIP SLOWLY RETURNS TO LAND
Carnival cruise ship is crippled by engine room fire. NEWS/ page 3
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» index Classifieds 3 Comics 8 Commentary 4 Crossword/Sudoku 8 Focus 5 InstantDaily 4 Sports 12
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By Breanna Suden Campus Correspondent UConn Dining Services employees showed dedication to their fellow Huskies by working throughout the weekend, despite a potentially record-breaking snowstorm. The storm hit the Northeast last Friday with the speculation of over two feet of snow, leaving people without power and transportation. At UConn, however, the dedication of Dining Services employees prevailed when staff slept on
campus to keep the dining halls open amidst the storm. UConn President Susan Herbst said, “We recognize that UConn is much more than a college campus to our students. It’s their home and being able to provide some sense of normalcy during such an unprecedented blizzard was important to all of us. For our Dining Services employees, that involved extraordinary efforts to keep our dining halls running with the same variety of meals, service and atmosphere of cama-
raderie that students expect on a regular day. ” According to C. Dennis Pierce, director of dining services, there is a specific protocol that dining services follows, which includes getting a hold of vendors to change food delivery times as well as figuring out staffing needs. The University has a history of providing areas for their employees by working with residential life to find housing on campus such as unused rooms or lounge areas for employees to sleep.
» BANDING TOGETHER
Employees are also provided with mattresses, blankets and other necessary items for their overnight stay. Pierce speculates that the University had about 70 employees staying overnight on Friday in preparation for Saturday. Without these employees staying on campus, the dining halls would not have remained open. “Fortunately, my friends and I weren’t left hungry because the dining hall staff was dedicated enough to spend the night for us…
the staff of Putnam slept at the dining hall just so they could be here. If I could hug them all, I would,” said Laura Eidam, a 2nd-semester communications major. Other than Northwest opening an hour late on Saturday, all dining halls were open at their usual scheduled times. “Our employees don’t have to stay over night, it’s not mandated. They are doing it for the benefit of the students at UConn, to be there to open up. It’s amazing with the amount of staff we had that stayed and were able to do it,” said Pierce. To show the University’s appreciation, President Herbst wrote a thank you note to employees who played a role in keeping the campus safe and accessible during the blizzard. The note explains how it has been generations since Connecticut has seen a blizzard of this magnitude, and that we at proudly recognize the men and women who contributed to the clean up. “The employees on this campus, truly in all the years that I’ve worked here stepped up to bat this time more than I’ve seen it, by not going home to their families…and not knowing what the weather is going to be. Their dedication stayed here,” Pierce said.
Breanna.Suden@UConn.edu
» CAMPUS
UConn student’s idea will Repairs being support Sandy Hook fund made to flooded Oak Hall elevator
By Kyle Constable Campus Correspondent
A University of Connecticut student has found a unique way to raise awareness and support for the Sandy Hook School Memorial Scholarship Fund since the start of the new semester. Matt Stypulkoski, a 6thsemester journalism major and staff writer for The Daily Campus, began selling green headbands, inscribed in white with “#PrayForNewtown,” for a donation of $5 at the end of January. He formulated the headband idea shortly after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December as a way to continue to promote awareness about the tragedy while also raising money for the scholarship fund. “At every basketball game, I wear a headband in the front row that says ‘I Love UConn Hoops’ on the front of it,” Stypulkoski said. “I thought it was kind of like my way of switching up my little tradition for each game and using that as a tribute.” The outpouring of support for the Sandy Hook community by the men and women’s basketball programs inspired Stypulkoski to take action. Following the tragedy, the teams added green and white “SH” patches to all uniforms as well as green ribbons to their warm-up suits.
The men’s basketball team specifically played a key role in the development of the idea. “I saw all the guys on the team during warm-ups . . . were writing ‘SH’ or some sort of tribute on their shoes,” Stypulkoski said. “Boatright wrote it on his cheek.” Stypulkoski decided to act on his desire to make a difference in a way that would catch the attention of anyone watching. With some initial contributions from his friends and a vendor willing to sell him 250 headbands at half the usual cost, he was able to start distributing them across campus as students returned for classes. “My hope for it was that if people bought them, they could wear them at the games,” Stypulkoski said. “They’d be sprinkled throughout the student section . . . like an awareness and unity kind of thing.” Dan Lazinsk, a 4th-semester history major, bought one of the headbands from Stypulkoski earlier in the semester. He saw it as a way to support a community he described as being “in great mourning.” “I wanted to support the fund put together by the university,” Lazinsk said. “All of the lives that were lost, their siblings will be able to get an education at a top university.” Lazinsk also added that “if enough people heard about the
headbands . . . there would be plenty of interest in them.” He said that it is simply a matter of getting the word out to students who would not otherwise hear about it. Stypulkoski projects that once the first batch of headbands is completely sold, he will have raised approximately $1200 for the scholarship fund. And, if the interest is high enough, he plans to contact the vendor again to discuss creating more headbands in order to continue raising support and awareness for Sandy Hook. “It kind of depends on how quickly we sell these ones,” Stypulkoski said. “If it’s already halfway through the semester, we don’t want to order a bunch more and then be stuck with them.” Stypulkoski hopes to sell the rest of the headbands at the remaining home basketball games, including the men’s game Saturday against Villanova. He will be outside the XL Center in Hartford with headbands in hand until the doors open at 11:00 a.m. Once the doors are opened, he will be found in the front row of the student section, cheering on the Huskies and wearing a green and white headband for the whole audience of the nationally-televised game to see.
Kyle.Constable@UConn.edu
Underground drainage pump fails in new campus building
By Jackie Wattles Campus Correspondent The elevator in Oak Hall’s south wing is still being worked on after being shut down since Monday, according to UConn’s construction manager.
“The pump began working again, so [the elevator] is dry now, we just need to get the right parts to fix it.” John Warner UConn construction manager The elevator was manually shut down on Monday after an underground drainage pump stopped working and caused
the elevator to flood. John Warner, a senior project manager in UConn’s construction department, said Skanska USA, the construction group that built Oak Hall and installed its drainage system and OTIS, the elevator company, are working together to solve the problem. “The pump began working again yesterday, so [the elevator] is dry now, we just need to get the right parts to fix it,” Warner said on Thursday. “It should be back up and running by the end of the day.” It is unclear why the pump failed. Warner said he did not believe it had anything to do with the weather conditions and said the drainage system was installed when the building was constructed and is less than a year old. Tom Jackson, a Skanska USA employee who has been working on the repairs, confirmed they were not aware of the source of the issue.
Jackie.Wattles@UConn.edu
What’s on at UConn today... “Rainbow Lounge Presents...” 6 to 9 p.m. SU, Rainbow Center Come enjoy free coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and treats at the Rainbow Center in the Student Union.
Mr. and Ms. AACC UConn Pageant 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. SU, Ballroom Come take part in an AACC tradition and watch our contestants compete for the titles of Mr. and Ms. AACC.
UCMB Talent Show 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. van der Mehden Recital Hall Come watch the University of Connecticut Marching Band ensemble perform at the van der Mehden Recital Hall.
I <3 Late Night! 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Student Union
Come join Subog for I <3 Late Night at the Student Union. Admission is free. -NIKKI SEELBACH
The Daily Campus, Page 2
DAILY BRIEFING » STATE
News
Friday, February 15, 2013
Crippled cruise ship slowly returns to land
5,500 attend Connecticut gun control rally
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thousands of people, including some first-time activists moved by the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, rallied at Connecticut’s state Capitol on Thursday demanding lawmakers toughen gun laws. Holding signs that read: “We are Sandy Hook. We deserve change” and “Let’s get this done,” many in crowd — estimated by the state Capitol Police at 5,500 — said they wanted to make sure their opinions were heard. They said they did not want them overshadowed by vocal gun rights advocates who’ve successfully defeated gun control measures in Connecticut in the past, such as limits on the size of ammunition magazines. “We have reached a tipping point Connecticut. Our hearts are broken,” said Nancy Lefkowitz, one of two mothers who formed the grassroots organization March for Change and helped organize the Valentine’s Day rally. The rally came exactly two months after a man went on a shooting rampage at the elementary school in Newtown before taking his own life. Twenty-four-year-old Jillian Soto pleaded with policymakers to not forget the six educators and 20 first-graders who were killed and immediately pass gun reform legislation. Her sister, Victoria Soto, was one of the teachers killed. She said no one else needs to lose a family member.
Conn. fire officials accused of sex with teens
COVENTRY, Conn. (AP) — A former chief of the Coventry Volunteer Fire Association and a lieutenant have been charged with sexual assault on allegations they had sex with teenage members of the department. Joseph Carilli, the ex-chief, was charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. Carilli, who is 53, was held on $500,000 bond. His lawyer did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Lt. Joe Fragoso was charged with second-degree sexual assault. The 35-year-old Fragoso was released on $250,000 bond. He did not immediately return a call. Police say the two men had sexual relations with teens in the department’s junior firefighters program. Youngsters between the ages of 14 and 17 participate in training, emergency calls and public education. Carilli was chief from 2006 to 2012 and also was the department’s training officer
Greenwich man gets life in prison for murder
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man has been sentenced to 90 years in prison for murdering a gas station attendant, nearly killing another gas station worker and robbing a bodega during what a judge called a “reign of terror.” Twenty-four-year-old Alain LeConte of Greenwich was sentenced Wednesday in Stamford Superior Court The Greenwich Time reports (http://bit.ly/Yg00Ju ) that LeConte apologized to the victims and victims’ family, but he also denied many of the facts of the cases. LeConte was convicted of killing Norwalk gas station attendant Jose Joaquin Morales during a robbery in October 2009, nearly killing another gas station attendant in Greenwich who survived a gunshot to the head in November 2009 and robbing a Stamford bodega in December 2009. LeConte said during the sentencing that he’s not perfect and he made “mistakes.”
Malloy defends car tax proposal to Conn. leaders
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday defended his proposal to slash local property taxes on vehicles, telling municipal leaders he believes strongly in providing the tax relief to middle class and working poor taxpayers. In a three-page letter sent to every top local mayor and first selectman — and obtained by The Associated Press — Malloy said there are misconceptions about how his two-year $43.8 billion budget plan affects cities and towns, including the car tax proposal. Malloy said his car tax plan does not take money from the pool of state aid sent to municipalities. “It simply says that money that’s already raised locally, from your constituents, has to be done in a fairer way,” he said. The car tax is seen as unfair because owners of identical vehicles with the same market value can pay vastly different tax levels based on where the vehicle is located. Malloy’s plan, which applies to all motor vehicles except rentals, would take effect July 1, 2014. Municipalities could implement it earlier on July 1, 2013. It exempts the first $20,000 of a vehicle’s assessed value from the local property tax. That means someone who owns a car with a market value of under $28,571 would pay no property taxes.
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AP
In this Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, a Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew delivers approximately 3,000 pounds of equipment, which included a generator and electrical cables, from the offshore supply vessel Lana Rose to the Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico.
» DEBATE
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — This is not at all how it looked in the brochure: Pulled by a tugboat at a maddeningly slow pace, the cruise ship Carnival Triumph finally drew nearer to port Thursday as miserable passengers told stories of overflowing toilets, food shortages, foul odors and dangerously dark passageways. The ship was expected to arrive about midnight, and officials said it would take passengers — carrying their own luggage, with only one functioning elevator on the ship — up to five hours to disembark. Once off the ship, most passengers will head on another journey, this time via bus. Carnival said passengers had the option of a seven-hour bus ride to the Texas cities of Galveston or Houston or a two-hour trip to New Orleans. The company said it had booked 1,500 hotel rooms in the Louisiana city, and passengers staying there would be flown Friday to Houston. “I can’t imagine being on that ship this morning and then getting on a bus,” said Kirk Hill, whose 30-year-old daughter, Kalin Christine Hill, is on the cruise. “If I hit land in Mobile, you’d have a hard time getting me on a bus.” On Thursday night, dozens of chartered buses — with markings from Alabama, Louisiana,
Mississippi and Texas — had gathered in Mobile. Carnival said it will cover transportation costs. Earlier Thursday — four days after the 893-foot ship was crippled by an engine-room fire in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico — the more than 4,200 passengers and crew members suffered another setback with towline issues that brought the vessel to a dead stop for about an hour just when it was getting close to port. Frustrations with the cruise line simmered on and off the ship, as passengers and their relatives questioned why it had taken so long to get back to dry land. The ship left Galveston a week ago. As the vessel drew within cellphone range, passengers vented their anger. Renee Shanar, of Houston, was on board with her husband, who she said has heart trouble. They were told they will be among the first to disembark, she said. “I don’t believe them; they’ve been lying to us from the beginning,” Shanar said. Disgusted by the foul air and heat on the lower decks, many passengers hauled mattresses and bed sheets onto the top deck and slept there, even staying put in a soaking rain. As the ship approached the coast, a slew of Carnival workers removed the bedding and took it downstairs.
» NARCOTICS
As others pull Cartel kingpin is back, Vegas amps Chicago’s new up gun promotions Public Enemy No. 1 LAS VEGAS (AP) — One Las Vegas shooting range was selling “take a shot at love” packages that include 50 submachine gun rounds. Another offered wedding packages in which the bride and groom can pose with Uzis and ammunition belts. And a third invited lovebirds to renew their vows and shoot a paper cutout zombie in the face. Never known for its understatement or good taste, Sin City is bucking the national trend of avoiding flippant gun promotions after the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting. Instead, it is embracing tourists’ newfound interest in big guns the only way it knows how: by going all in. The newest crop of outlandish Valentine’s Day offers was no exception. Capitalizing on the state’s relaxed gun laws, shooting ranges offer an armory of military-grade weapons that aren’t accessible in other states. And because this is Las Vegas, the ranges also allow customers to destroy photographs of exes, make souvenir T-shirts full of holes and shoot fully-automatic weapons in barely-there bachelor party man-kinis. Some gun control advocates say the promotions trivialize the dangers of high-powered weapons. “These gun stores and shooting ranges offer bad puns in poor taste in their efforts to put a happy face on firearms, yet each day more than 86 Americans die from gun violence,” said Newtown native Josh Sugarmann, who is execu-
tive director of the Washington D.C.-based Violence Policy Center. “While Las Vegas gun promoters present assault rifles with high-capacity ammunition magazines as harmless Valentine’s Day props, the vast majority of Americans understand their true role: military-bred weapons that threaten police and public safety.” At least half a dozen ranges opened in Las Vegas last year, triggering a marketing arms race. Before visitors even pick up their bags at McCarran International Airport, they are confronted by ads for the Gun Store, Las Vegas’ most venerable shooting range. One ad features a blonde posing with an MP5 submachine gun under the words, “Try one.” Machine Gun Las Vegas, which opened last winter, hires former go-go dancers as hostesses and sells its “femme fatale” package with the slogan, “There’s nothing like the scent of Cordite in a woman’s hair.” (Cordite is an alternative to gunpowder). “We give what people are asking for, whether it’s the ‘mob experience’ and they want to test a Tommy gun, or a bachelor package, and they want a limo to take them to the club afterward,” said Lianne Heck, marketing director at Range 702, which opened in October. This year, shooting ranges extended their tongue-in-cheek promotions to Valentine’s Day, always a moneymaker in this matrimony-and-sex-obsessed town.
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CHICAGO (AP) — A drug kingpin in Mexico who has never set foot in Chicago has been named the city’s new Public Enemy No. 1 — the same notorious label assigned to Al Capone at the height of the Prohibitionera gang wars. The Chicago Crime Commission announced the move Thursday, saying it considers Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman even more menacing than Capone because he’s the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which supplies most of the narcotics sold in the city. “What Al Capone was to beer and whiskey during Prohibition, Guzman is to narcotics,” said Art Bilek, the commission’s executive vice president. “Of the two, Guzman is by far the greater threat. ... And he has more power and financial capability than Capone ever dreamed of.” The commission — a nongovernment body that tracks city crime trends — designated Capone Public Enemy No. 1 in 1930. It has declared other outlaws public enemies, but Capone was the only one deemed No. 1. Until now. Guzman is thought to be holed up and guarded by a personal army in a Mexican mountain hideaway. And there’s nothing to indicate he’s ever been anywhere near Chicago, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which joined the commission in affixing the title to Guzman. Still, for all practical purposes, Guzman should be treated as a local Chicago crime boss for the
havoc his cartel creates in the nation’s third-largest city, said the head of the DEA’s Chicago office, Jack Riley. The point of singling out Guzman now, added Bilek, is to inspire more public support for going after him. “Ninety-nine percent of the people in the United States have never heard of this man,” he said. “Concerted action ... must be taken now against Guzman before he establishes a bigger network and a bigger empire in the United States.” Capone based his bootlegging and other criminal enterprises in Chicago during Prohibition, when it was illegal to sell alcohol in the U.S. He gained the greatest notoriety for the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre when assassins wielding Thompson machine guns shot dead seven of his rivals in a downtown garage. Yet Riley said the 5-foot6-inch Guzman — whose nickname means “shorty” in Spanish — is more ruthless than Capone, whose nickname was “Scarface.” “If I was to put those two guys in a ring, El Chapo would eat that guy (Capone) alive,” Riley told The Associated Press in a recent interview at his office, pointing at pictures of the men. Riley described Chicago as one of Sinaloa’s most important cities, not only as a final destination for drugs but as a hub to distribute them across the U.S. “This is where Guzman turns his drugs into money,” he said.
Corrections and clarifications This space is reserved for addressing errors when The Daily Campus prints information that is incorrect. Anyone with a complaint should contact The Daily Campus Managing Editor via email at managingeditor@dailycampus.com
Thursday, February 14, 2013 Copy Editors: Tyler McCarthy, Chelsea McGarry, Tim Fontenault, Meredith Falvey News Designer: Nikki Seelbach Focus Designer: Kim Halpin Sports Designer: Dan Agabiti Digital Production: Jon Kulakofsky
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News
Friday, February 15, 2013
Afghan army trains women for special forces KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan army is training female special forces to take part in night raids against insurgents, breaking new ground in an ultraconservative society and filling a vacuum left by departing international forces. “If men can carry out this duty why not women?” asks Lena Abdali, a 23-year-old Afghan soldier who was one of the first women to join one of the special units in 2011. Night raids have long been a divisive issue between Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who doesn’t want foreign troops entering Afghan homes, and the U.S.led coalition that says the raids are essential to capturing Taliban commanders. Many Afghans, however, have complained that the house raids are culturally offensive. Having male troops search Afghan females is taboo. So is touching a family’s Quran, the Muslim holy book, or entering a home without being invited. Another focus of anger has been the disregard for privacy and Afghan culture because women and children are usually home during the raids. The raids now are conducted jointly by U.S. and Afghan forces, but the female Afghan special forces soldiers play an important
role. Their job: Round up women and children and get them to safety while guarding against the potential dangers of female suicide bombers or militants disguised in women’s clothes. The missions have taken on increasing importance and the Afghan government and the U.S.led coalition have stepped up training of the Afghan special forces as international troops prepare to end their combat mission in 23 months. President Barack Obama announced earlier this week that he will withdraw about half of the 66,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan within a year. He did not spell out what U.S. military presence would remain after 2014. Afghan women have been part of their nation’s security forces for years, but they didn’t start being recruited for the special forces until 2011. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said more than 1,000 women were in the army — a small fraction of the total force of 195,000. The role of female soldiers also has come under debate in the United States after the Pentagon decided last month to open up front-line combat jobs to women. Col. Jalaluddin Yaftaly, the commander of the joint Special
Unit of the Afghan National Army, said villagers don’t like foreign forces to carry out operations in their homes, but they have welcomed the Afghan special forces units and cooperated with them in many operations. “We were faced with so many problems when we didn’t have female special forces in our units,” Yaftaly said. “Female special forces are quite useful.” On a recent frigid winter morning, an Afghan special forces unit, comprising 30 men and women soldiers, drilled at a training center in Kabul. As part of the exercise, the unit was told that an insurgent leader was hiding in a house and women and children were inside with him. The men on the team prepared to raid the house and arrest or kill the target. Abdali and two other female colleagues were tasked with making sure no women or children were harmed during the operation. The most dangerous part of their assignment was the possibility that the main target was hiding among the women — perhaps in disguise — so Abdali and her colleagues had to stay alert to make sure they themselves were not attacked while getting innocent women and children out of harm’s way.
AP
In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2013 photo, a female member of Afghan special forces participates in a training exercise on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s army is training female special forces to take part in night raids against insurgents despite cultural taboos as foreign combat troops take the backseat ahead of their eventual departure at the end of 2014. In a country where women traditionally are expected to stay home, their participation in the special forces is breaking new ground in ultraconservative Afghanistan.
» MALI
In Timbuktu, al-Qaida left behind a manifesto
TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — In their hurry to flee last month, al-Qaida fighters left behind a crucial document: Tucked under a pile of papers and trash is a confidential letter, spelling out the terror network’s strategy for conquering northern Mali and reflecting internal discord over how to rule the region. The document is an unprecedented window into the terrorist operation, indicating that al-Qaida predicted the military intervention that would dislodge it in January and recognized its own vulnerability. The letter also shows a sharp division within al-Qaida’s Africa chapter over how quickly and how strictly to apply Islamic law, with its senior commander expressing dismay over the whipping of women and the destruction of Timbuktu’s ancient monuments. It moreover leaves no doubt that despite a temporary withdrawal into the desert, al-Qaida plans to operate in the region over the long haul, and is willing to make shortterm concessions on ideology to gain the allies it acknowledges it needs. The more than nine-page document, found by The Associated Press in a building occupied by the Islamic extremists for almost a year, is signed by Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, the nom de guerre of Abdelmalek Droukdel, the senior commander appointed by Osama bin Laden to run al-Qaida’s branch in Africa. The clearheaded, point-by-point assess-
ment resembles a memo from a CEO to his top managers and lays out for his jihadists in Mali what they have done wrong in months past, and what they need to do to correct their behavior in the future. Droukdel, the emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, perhaps surprisingly argues that his fighters moved too fast and too brutally in applying the Islamic law known as Shariah to northern Mali. Comparing the relationship of al-Qaida to Mali as that of an adult to an infant, he urges them to be more gentle, like a parent: “The current baby is in its first days, crawling on its knees, and has not yet stood on its two legs,” he writes. “If we really want it to stand on its own two feet in this world full of enemies waiting to pounce, we must ease its burden, take it by the hand, help it and support it until its stands.” He scolds his fighters for being too forceful and warns that if they don’t ease off, their entire project could be thrown into jeopardy: “Every mistake in this important stage of the life of the baby will be a heavy burden on his shoulders. The larger the mistake, the heavier the burden on his back, and we could end up suffocating him suddenly and causing his death.” The letter is divided into six chapters, three of which the AP recovered, along with loose pages, on the floor of the Ministry of Finance’s Regional Audit Department. Residents
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AP
In this Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 photo, neighborhood resident Mohamed Alassane ducks under a wire to enter the Ministry of Finance’s Regional Audit Department in Timbuktu, Mali, a site used by al Qaida-linked Islamists for more than a year. In the building, also used to hold European hostages, the AP found a more than 10-page letter signed by Abdelmalek Droukdel, the senior commander appointed by Osama bin Laden to run al-Qaida’s branch in Africa. The confidential letter from the terror leader spelled out the terror network’s blueprint for conquering this desert nation.
say the building, one of several the Islamic extremists took over in this ancient city of sundried, mud-brick homes, was particularly well-guarded with two checkpoints, and a zigzag of barriers at the entrance. Droukdel’s letter is one of only a few internal documents between commanders of al-Qaida’s African wing that have been found, and possibly the first to
be made public, according to University of Toulouse Islamic scholar Mathieu Guidere. It is numbered 33/234, a system reserved for al-Qaida’s internal communications, said Guidere, who helps oversee a database of documents generated by extremists, including Droukdel. “This is a document between the Islamists that has never
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roommates/housemates
unique opportunity to live in a beautiful home in Ashford (9 miles to campus) In exchange for agreed upon live in companion responsibilities and duties, you will reside rent free in a large bedroom. You would reside in the home with an amazing young female with autism. She is an active young woman who fully participates in home and community activities with support. She is currently working on putting her garden together ! You would be to be there
been put before the public eye,” said Guidere, who authenticated the letter after being sent a two-page sample. “It confirms something very important, which is the divisions about the strategic conception of the organization. There was a debate on how to establish an Islamic state in North Mali and how to apply Shariah.”
» HORSEMEAT
French company blamed, UK arrests
PARIS (AP) — The price, smell and color should have been clear tipoffs something was wrong with shipments of horsemeat that were fraudulently labeled as beef, French authorities said Thursday. The government pinned the bulk of the blame on a French wholesaler at the heart of a growing scandal in Europe. Police in the U.K., meanwhile, announced the arrests Thursday of three men on suspicion of fraud at two meat plants inspected earlier this week by the country’s Food Standards Agency. The two separate developments were part of an escalating scare that has raised questions about food controls in the European Union — and highlighted how little consumers know about the complex trading operations that get food from producers to wholesalers to processers to stores and onto their dinner table. Europol, the European Union police agency, is coordinating a broad continent-wide fraud investigation amid allegations of an international criminal conspiracy to substitute horse for more expensive beef. In Paris, Benoit Hamon, the government’s consumer affairs minister, said it appeared that in the most prominent case fraudulent meat sales had been going on for several months, and reached across 13 countries and 28 companies. He did not name the countries or companies. He said there was plenty of blame to go around, but most of it rested with Spanghero, a wholesaler based in southern France. Officials at Spanghero denied knowingly buying and reselling horsemeat but French authorities immediately suspended their trading activities. Hamon said Spanghero was one company in a chain that started with two Romanian slaughterhouses that says they clearly labeled their meat as horse. The meat was then bought by a Cyprus-registered trader and sent to a warehouse in the Netherlands. Spanghero bought the meat from the trader, then resold it to the French frozen food processor Comigel. The resulting food was marketed under the Swedenbased Findus brand as lasagna and other products as containing ground beef. Hamon said Spanghero was well aware that the meat was mislabeled when it sold it to Comigel. “Spanghero knew,” Hamon said. “One thing that should have attracted Spanghero’s attention? The price.”
Policies:
Classifieds are non-refundable. Credit will be given if an error materially affects the meaning of the ad and only for the first incorrect insertion. Ads will only be printed if they are accompanied by both first and last name as well as telephone number. Names and numbers may be subject to verification. All advertising is subject to acceptance by The Daily Campus, which reserves the right to reject any ad copy at its sole discretion. The Daily Campus does not knowingly accept ads of a fraudulent nature.
roommates/house mates
overnight from 8PM to 6 AM, unless other specific arrangements are made. You would have your own bedroom and some house privileges. This is in a beautiful setting. You are free during the days to attend school or work. The home is drug, smoke, alcohol, pet free and drama free. This is a great residence for someone who enjoys the quiet country living. In addition, we are seeking someone who wants to sincerely have a friendship with this young
roommates/housemates
woman. We seek a minimum of a one year time commitment. If this sounds appealing to you, please send a letter of interest sharehome157@gmail.com 860-515-8792 help wanted
$bartending$ Make up to $300/day potential. No experience necessary. Training available, 18+ OK. (800) 965-6520 ext. 163
Friday, February 15, 2013
The Daily Campus, Page 4
Comics
COMICS
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Lazy Girl by Michelle Penney
Fuzzy and Sleepy Matt Silber
SANTIAGO PALAEZ/The Daily Campus
Therese Masotta, a 2nd-semester psychology major, performs at the Valentine’s Day Coffeehouse in the Buckley South Lounge on Thursday. Tell us on Twitter (@The_DailyCampus) what your favorite love song is.
by Brian Ingmanson
CAPTION CONTEST INTRODUCING... THE UCONN DC CAPTION CONTEST! If you’d like to submit a caption for comic to your left,simply email us at d a i ly c a m p u s c o m ics@gmail.com!
Classic SIde of Rice by Laura Rice
We look forward to your hilarious jokes!
Horoscopes
by Brian Ingmanson
Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 6 -- Things could seem glued shut. Take extra time with hot, soapy water. Let things sit, and then the next time you try, there’s progress. Use a gentle touch. Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 7 -Slow morning relaxation that glides into a comfortable afternoon would be delightful. Things could seem rough, so go with an easy flow. It all works out. Gemini (May 21-June 21) -- Today is a 7 -- A brilliant scheme could lead to more coins in your pocket. Assess your wins and losses, and get organized. Schedule for success, and plot your moves. Cancer (June 22-July 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Think of ways to make money with new technology. If you don’t try, you won’t know if it works. Finish up a big project. The rewards of diligence are sweet. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 9 -There are plenty of opportunities to prove yourself today. Change your perspective and try again. Put down roots with a commitment. Work smarter, not harder. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Your ability to make others think is attractive now, but you may not want to overdo it. Don’t overlook a loved one’s needs. Keep up the good work. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- If you don’t fight off demons, you’ll never know if you’re capable of courage. You don’t have to look far to find them. They’re cruel to you. Succeed anyway. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Distractions are coming at you left and right. Focus on what’s really important for you. Trust your intuition and a good friend. Listen consciously. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 6 -- Think things over, just not too much. Be patient with your instruction. Odds are you’re forgetting something, so write it down. It’s okay if it goes slowly. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- You’ll find out what’s needed. Trust in your ability to overcome obstacles, just like you’ve done before. A partner helps you communicate feelings. Relax. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Fine-tune your routine, and consider a someone’s suggestion. You can’t always get what you want, but don’t let that stop you from trying. Review the instructions. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Disruptions may threaten your busy schedule, but it’s nothing that you can’t navigate. Try a new approach. Great reflexes and imagination come in handy.
THIS DATE IN HISTORY
BORN ON THIS DATE
1903 Toy store owner Morris Michtom presents two stuffed bears called Teddy bears, nick named for President Roosevelt.
www.dailycampus.com
The Daily Campus, Page 5
Friday, February 15, 2013
Dancers for Difference bring hope through dance
By Zarrin Ahmed Staff Writer
This Friday, UConn’s Surya will host their annual charity show at the Jorgensen, now renamed “Dancers for Difference” because the proceeds will go to a charity of the community’s choosing. Aware that there are new causes that could benefit from donations, the group considered multiple charities to donate money to from the event. To expand the abilities of their show and beyond the Save Darfur Coalition, Surya invites everyone to a voting process to select a charity for which all the proceeds will go to. Besides Surya, other teams from UConn and around the region will be performing that night, including Dhadak Fusion, BU Dheem, Boston Garba, Husky Bhangra, Brown Badmaash, UC Thunderaas, BC Masti and Anakh-E-Gabroo. Surya is a 22member South Asian student fusion dance club whose choreography represents an inspiration of classical dance and modern beats in a style that epitomizes “East meets West.” Two styles that they incorporate are the Bharata Natyam and the Kathak. The former is one of the oldest classical forms of dance in India, dating
back over 2000 years ago and originating in Tamil Nadu. It is believed to have been revealed by the Hindu God Brahma to Bharata, who summarized the form in the Sanskrit manuscript Natya Shastra. The dance was originally considered a religious offering to the gods and done by women in the temple. Before beginning the dance, members would pray to the mother earth and apologize for stomping on the ground. Though it was repressed during the British occupation of India, it was revived by nationalists seeking to embrace India’s unique cultural heritage. As a popular dance form now, there is often fusion between this style and Western dances like ballet and jazz. The Kathak originates back to the ancient nomadic tribes of Northern India, known as the storytellers. Recounting tales from the scriptures, they performed in village squares and temple courtyards, embellishing the stories with hand gestures and facial expressions. The form become a sophisticated chamber art, with its practitioners working at refining dramatic and rhythmic aspects. It’s characterized today by fast rhythmic footwork including numerous pirouettes and statuesque poses. Lucknow, Banaras and jaipus are three schools
Co-op Cupcake Competition
Courtesey of jorgensen.uconn.edu
Student groups will perform at Jorgensen on Friday night in order to raise money for a charity that will be decided upon by the community.
where this art is nurtured and refined to a high standard. Look out for these styles and more, including Western styles and music,
ZARRIN AHMED/The Daily Campus
Inspired by cupcake cookbooks sold at the Co-op, attendees were encouraged to bring homemade cupcakes to the Co-op on Thursday for judging.
Benton’s acquisition: “Hand of Man” By Michael McGuigan Campus Correspondent The William Benton Museum of Art has acquired a new photogravure by Alfred Stieglitz known as the “Hand of Man.” The title of the work refers to the impact of man upon nature during the Industrial Revolution, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. According to the Metropolitan Museum, the “Hand of Man” was originally published in the inaugural issue of “Camera Works” in 1903. The image depicts a lone locomotive traveling through the train yards of Long Island City. In the picture, Stieglitz depicts an urban landscape with beauty and symbolism as powerful as landscapes found in nature. A photogravure is a picture printed using an intaglio plate prepared by using photographic methods. Intaglio is a form of printing, in which the image is sunk below the surface. The intaglio plates are created from a negative image, and are used to print photographs. The “Hand of Man” of man is an image created using this process. Born in 1864, Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer, art dealer and publisher. Stieglitz was a major force in developing the credibility of photography as a fine art form due to his role as the proprietor of the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession,
and as the editor of the photographic journals, “Camera Notes” and “Camera Works”, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Stieglitz was also a revolutionary figure in the field of photography due to the impact of his own work. Museum of Art. Stieglitz brought modern photo forms to America from Europe, according to Ally Walton an assistant curator at the Benton. Walton said that a photogravure is almost as valuable as the original print. In 1902 Stieglitz worked with other American photographers to form the Photo-Secession organization dedicated to raising photography to the status of a fine art in America, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. In order to accomplish this goal Stieglitz created the quarterly publication, “Camera Works.” Camera Works” was initially published in January of 1903, and went on to publish 50 issues until production ceased in 1917. Stieglitz went on to open the Photo-Secession gallery in 1905. Stieglitz passed away in 1946. The “Hand of Man” is currently on display at the William Benton Museum of Art. The museum’s galleries are open from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the Benton is free, though donations are appreciated.
Michael.McGuigan@UConn.edu
at the show on Friday night starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for UConn students.
Zarrin.Ahmed@UConn.edu
Rise of electronic music festivals By Bliss Forest Campus Correspondent It’s no secret why electronic music festivals are becoming so popular. There’s no way to fully describe the unique and wonderful experience that comes from dancing to your favorite artists under the summer sun. Try and ignore the mounds of snow outside your window, and keep in mind that summer is closer than you think. Big music festivals have just started selling tickets (and by just, I mean this past week) which, might I add, sell out and get expensive very quickly. Does two to three days of electronic music interest you at all? If so keep reading… Electric Daisy Carnival (New York City): If you can’t make it out to Las Vegas for the original EDC, don’t worry, EDC-New York takes place May 17 and 18 at Citi Field in NYC. Want something a little more than just the music? It does say Carnival in the name, meaning not only is there an incredible lineup every year but also rides. Why not take a break from dancing and hop on a Ferris wheel? If you’re a little unfamiliar with festivals, the lineup usually doesn’t get released until much later. Some of last year’s big names included: Afrojack, Avicii, Bassnectar, Calvin Harris, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Sebastian Ingrosso and much more worth seeing. Currently, a two-day pass will run at about $215.00. Camp Bisco (Near Albany New York): Maybe two days isn’t enough? Not to worry, Camp Bisco is a three-day festival being held at Indian Lookout Country Club, right outside Albany, on July 11-13. Perhaps you wanted to go
1564 - Galileo Galilei 1820 - Susan B. Anthony 1964 - Chris Farley 1986 - Amber Riley
camping sometime this summer? Lucky for you, you camp there. The price of the ticket includes a pass for one of the best festivals of the summer, and a place to set up your tent. Not a bad deal. Last year’s lineup included: The Disco Biscuits, Skrillex, Kill the Noise, Zeds Dead, Porter Robinson, Big Gigantic and more. Tickets are currently running at about $185.00, and a little extra for parking if you want to have your car. Electric Zoo (New York – Randall’s Island): Alright, it’s labor day weekend, the summer is coming to a close, you want to go to one more festival? Electric Zoo is held every year on Randall’s Island in N.Y., Aug. 30- Sept. 1. Transportation is provided via ferry boat or bus. Last year’s attendance ran at just about 110,000 people, a small number by no means. The lineup has said to improve every year as last year featured: David Guetta, Pretty Lights, Dada Life, Steve Aoki, Knife Party, Tiesto and Skrillex. Tickets for all three days will run at about $329.00 for right now. Yes, I’ll admit Electric Zoo is a little pricy, but well worth it, and a fantastic way to close out your 2013 summer. If you love music, dancing and want a great way to have a memorable summer check out one (or all) of these festivals. Some others to look into: Bonnaroo (TN), Lollapalooza (IL), Electric Forest (MI), Gathering of the Vibes (CT), Identity Festival (NY) and The Governor’s Ball (NY).
Bliss.Forest@UConn.edu
Motionhouse interplays dance with film
RACHEL WEISS/The Daily Campus
One of the UK’s most prominent dance groups, Motionhouse, came to Jorgensen Theater Thursday night. The group mixes unique dance movements with film and images to create powerful performances.
Fork in the road for green economy The transition to green energy cannot happen overnight - no matter what actions the government takes it is likely that the use of oil and other carbonbased fuels will continue to be mainstream for many years to come. However, the climate is warming at a terrifying rate and if we want to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, it is essential that our government and business sector take every opportunity to pull out of fossil fuels and invest in widespread green energy. This urgent need for transition is the reason why thousands of Americans will be gathering in Washington D.C. this Sunday for the “Forward on Climate” rally, which stands to be the largest climate rally in history. The protestors will be expressing their opposition to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a 1,700mile pipe that would transport oil from Canada´s tar sands (one of the least efficient and most environmentally destructive sources of oil) through the country’s Midwestern states and to the Gulf of Mexico. Approval of the project, which must go through the State Department as the pipeline would cross international borders, would mean a long-term, seven billion dollar investment in one of the dirtiest forms of energy. Building the Keystone XL pipeline will, in the long-term, almost certainly be detrimental to society in terms of degraded public health, energy insecurity and increased extreme-climate events. The problem, however, is that these costs are intangible to many Americans. They seem far away and not directly related to the actions that we take today. What’s tangible are the immediate benefits of building the pipeline, namely the $20 billion in private-sector investments to the American economy, the creations of 20,000 direct jobs and 118,000 spinoff jobs and the pay out of some five billion dollars in taxes to local counties over the project’s duration, according to MoneyMorning. In hard economic times, it is extremely difficult to make arguments based on “the big picture,” or long-term time spans. A huge number of Americans are out of work and frustrated. They want an immediate fix. Obama did not mention the Keystone pipeline in his State of the Union address earlier this week. However, he did express his serious intent to begin restructuring the economy to be greener by creating “marketbased” climate legislation. Certainly America is at a fork in the road in terms of how its future economy will operate, and the decision over the Keystone XL pipeline could not come at a more critical time. This could be the moment that we, as citizens, decide to make the inevitably painful shift away from oil to green energies. It will mean forgoing the instant economic gratification that the Keystone XL pipeline would bring, and voluntarily taking on some initial financial hardship, as green technologies still remain expensive. Taking on a bit of shared hardship now, however, may spare us all from a painful future.
Kelsey.2.Sullivan@UConn.edu
The Daily Campus, Page 6
FOCUS ON:
Drink Of The Weekend
Want to join the Focus crew? Come to our meetings, Mondays at 8 p.m.
Spring Break Screwdriver
You don’t get the glory if you don’t write the story!
To be productive or not to be?
AP
Spring Break presents students with the dilemma of “to go or not to go”? Some students see it as an opportunity to visit friends who are studying abroad, or just to go on a vacation to de-stress.
By Kim Halpin Associate Focus Editor With spring break around the corner you’ve got an invitation to go on a cruise to the Bahamas but also have lots of work for classes and job searches to do. It’s the great debate of to go or not to go? The benefits of staying local can be very rewarding. Resisting the trip allows for more time for working on job or internship applications and sending follow up emails to companies. This might help to show the company that you are a responsible candidate by passing up the vacation now in order to invest in your future employment. Also, at a time when many of your fellow student workers are looking for time off, you have the opportunity of picking up extra shifts leading to more rather than less money in your bank account. The week can help you to get a hand up on those term papers and projects that can sneak up on students after the break is over. Spending even just one day of your break being devoted to schoolwork can ease your workload and stress during the final weeks of the semester. One specific way that UConn students like to stay productive during spring break is by going on alternative breaks through Community Outreach. As defined by the Community Outreach page on the Student Activities website, alternative breaks “are service-learning experiences designed to heighten participants’ awareness of critical social issues, enhance their individual growth, and prepare them for lifelong social action.” They allow students to get off campus while still providing productive service for citizens that need it. 4thsemester PNB major Augustyna Gogoj says she’s going on such a trip this year, “to broaden [her] cultural horizons without being a tourist.”
Friday, February 15, 2013
Focus
Even though students realize the benefits from staying home and being productive, many also feel that spring break should be just that, a break. There is a significant amount of pressure on students during the academic year from classes, extracurricular activities and jobs. Getting away for just a couple of days can help keep students from the end of semester burn out. For students like Katie Histen, a graduate student in the physical therapy program, spring break is a chance to recharge your batteries. “I just need a chance to relax with friends,” she says, “in a place that isn’t cold and windy all the time.” There’s nothing like sitting on a beach to fight the wintertime blues. Going away with friends is also a great way to spend time with friends that students have from other universities. Spring break supplies a week when most everyone is available and can get together, which can be nearly impossible to coordinate in the middle of the semester. Students might also get a chance to visit friends who are studying abroad around the world where they can be introduced to different worldviews that they could not learn about from being in Storrs, Conn. Going over spring break ensures that students won’t be missing class time and is therefore a preferable option over going during the semester. Ultimately, students need to use their best judgment because they know what works best for them. A break now might help academic performance because students feel refreshed. Alternatively, there may be projects or activities that require attention now in order to ensure their success later.
Need to know tips for procrastinators
By Alex Sferraza Campus Correspondent
It’s a standard practice that most people follow instinctively. Whenever you plan a trip, book the hotel room as early as possible to guarantee that you’ll have a place to stay. What if there was an app that made the reverse true, rewarding the procrastinators who have waited until the last second? Hotel Tonight is one of those apps that seem too good to be true. Available free for both iOS and Android devices, the app allows users to book last minute hotel rooms in some of the most popular tourist tourist hot spots in over 30 U.S. cities with limited select offerings in Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. Now how sweet are these deals? Well that’s almost impossible to answer due to the daily variation in hotels and rooms offered. But I’ve seen some amazing deals including rooms below $50 in Las Vegas and rooms cheaper than $180 in Boston and New York. As one well versed about the costs and quality of hotels in cities such as these, I can tell these deals are quite incredible. Better yet, sometimes you can book a hotel at a low rate for a multi night stay all at the last minute. How exactly are these prices offered? Hotels in cities ever where have various cancellations and other obstacles that lead to some last minute vacancies. Rather than lose a nights profit, these last minute rooms are offered at discounts in the hopes someone will take them. As such, you never know which hotels and rooms will be available on the app each day. The offerings are listed at noon local time per city you wish to price
shop. You have until 2 a.m. local time to book a room if you really want to push your luck. Offering some truly luxurious hotels and rooms last minute at great deal pricing, makes Hotel Tonight a must have app for the spring break traveler. Other tips include: 1. Plan Your Destination Wisely: Let’s be honest, if you intend to spend your spring break week partying and drinking non-stop, you really shouldn’t be wasting money going to a premium destination; you probably won’t remember much of it anyway. Therefore, instead of setting your sights on Las Vegas or Miami, try looking for more affordable locations in the sun. South Carolina comes to mind; its warm, clean and there’s probably a better value to be found then in a Florida hotspot. Shop around, and be smart. 2. Carpooling is awesome: If you’re willing to pack four or five people in a car, even with $four/gallon gas prices, you can still save a bundle compared to buy four airfare or train tickets. 3. Avoid theme parks: Remember its not only college students who get a spring break from school. Destinations such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando are mobbed during this time of year, making for long lines and a lot less fun. Not to mention room rates dramatically increase during those times as well. 4. You will get ripped off: Especially if you go to a big city, remember two things. 1. Cab drivers can and will cost you a fortune and/or rip you off so avoid them if you can. 2. Carry your wallet in your front pocket. Pick pocketing is much easier in large, crowded areas.
Alex.Sferraza@UConn.edu
Warm weather skiing
Kimberly.Halpin@UConn.edu
Don’t look far for entertainment By Joe O’Leary Focus Editor Four weeks from today brings the beginning of UConn’s annual Spring Break, held this year between March 15 and 24. Unfortunately, unless reservations were made months ago, it’ll be nearly impossible for students to affordably head overseas or down South for a respite from the typical Connecticut winter. Don’t fret, though. For those limited by geography but still desiring to get away from home for a few days, here are some tips for a great local vacation. While there’s nothing quite like taking in a Broadway show for a Spring Break day trip, tickets can be ridiculously price-gouged. There’s a simple solution in both Times Square and downtown Brooklyn: the TKTS window. Meant to ensure as many shows as possible have large crowds, these windows regularly chop anywhere from 30 to 60 percent from the cost of a ticket. Their selection covers more than a dozen shows nightly and the seats are often fantastic; for instance, on a weekday in January, second-row tickets to the Tony-winning “Peter and the Starcatcher” were $62 each. There are also plenty of concerts within a few hours of campus during break. P!nk headlines Madison Square Garden on March 22, while the Bowery’s set of NYC venues hosts a variety of acts including the alt-country twang of Drive By Truckers and the Old 97s on March 15-16 and classic rockers George Thorogood and the Destroyers that same weekend. For those stuck in New England, don’t worry. Hartford’s Webster Theater has a ton of metal acts, including The Devil Wears Prada on March 17; Providence’s Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel will host Circa Survive and Minus the Bear on March 15; and Boston’s got the Dropkick Murphys’ three-day tour of TD Garden, Brighton Music Hall and the House of Blues from March 15-17, alt-rockers Jukebox the
Ghost at Brighton Music Hall on March 21, and a wide collection of comedians like Demetri Martin, Horatio Sanz and Lewis Black all around the city. Boston’s also got a very interesting event occurring from March 22-24, the fourth-annual PAX East video game convention at the Hynes Convention Center. At least 70,000 fans of webcomic “Penny Arcade,” games, comics and all other aspects of nerd culture will descend upon the city and hundreds of companies can’t wait to debut their new products, whether they be new technology or new shirt designs. Three-day passes and Saturday tickets are already sold out, but Friday and Sunday passes are available for $30 each on the convention’s website. Feeling lucky? Take a trip to either of New England’s casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, for some of-age gambling (assuming you’re 21). Counting cards is probably out of the equation, but risking money across the two casinos’ gaming boards is a thrilling and sometimes speedy way to enjoy your hard-earned money. With tons of entertainment and restaurants, either of these will be a unique way to spend break. Plus, both feature concerts nightly, the most notable of which is a twoday stint at Mohegan by country superstar, Kenny Chesney. Finally, winter sports enthusiasts who want to take one last ride should get themselves to one of New England’s numerous ski/snowboarding mountains. March 15 is considered the beginning of the end at most hills, so prices will be way down from their mid-winter peaks, perfect for nearly broke college kids who need a cheap trip. It’ll be early enough for most mountains to have snow on the ground and late enough that the trails will be nearly empty. Not to mention, early spring and its beautiful weather are the perfect backdrop for enjoying the end of the season.
Joseph.O’Leary@UConn.edu
AP
The thaw during spring break provides skiiers with warmer, more comfortable conditions, and lower prices as mountains wind down the season.
By Emilia Ratte Campus Correspondent Ignore the heaps of snow sitting outside right now and fast forward a month ahead to when all you need to do is throw on a t-shirt and boots, grab your skis or board, and hit the slopes. After midterms, skiing and snowboarding is a great way to blow off some steam. The best news is that mountain conditions in New England are wonderful even in mid to late March. When the weather warms, the snow stays out. For those in Connecticut looking for a nice day trip, Mohawk Ski Area in Cornwall, is not too far. On the cheaper end of mountains in New England, it is $56 for an all day lift ticket on a weekend. On a weekday, a full day ticket is only $30.
While this mountain doesn’t offer as many trails as other mountains with only 25 trails and seven lifts; it’s a great and inexpensive day trip. They even have trails open at night until 10 pm for those daring folks. Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt. is a little less than three hours away from Storrs, making it a nice day trip from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for those who opt to get up and go, or a nice getaway at a quality mountain. This mountain offers 119 trails and 650 acres of terrain, with 32 percent covering beginner trails, 37 percent intermediate trails and 31 percent expert trails; for those who enjoy a challenge. There is something here for skiers and boarders of any level. There are 10
» SKIING, page 7
Dynamic American designs American fashion has always been an art filled with innovation and creativity. Compared to the static and traditional values of European fashion, America has taken a much more dynamic approach to design and creation. Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Calvin Klein are world renowned American designers that have become household names. However, there are many less-known designers that are combining high-fashion and street-wear, creating a new American fashion identity. Mark McNairy is a veteran designer originally from North Carolina. Among other positions, he was recently the creative/design director for both Woolrich Woolen Mills and Ivy League-inspired company J. Press. He is known for altering traditional garments with his own unique take on details and color. Though not as outlandish as colleague Jeremy Scott, McNairy’s designs are still appropriate for the business casual type looking for an edge. He has said that his designs were “fun, but not funny” in an interview with Complex Magazine, and that definitely is reflected in his personal brand, Mark McNairy New Amsterdam. The McNairy New Amsterdam brand is one without fear of ostracization from the fashion elite, which is a microcosm of American streetwear today. New Amsterdam is a well-tailored collection of camouflage, polka dots, brightly colored shoe soles and animal print combined with traditional fashion silhouettes. In what started out as just men’s shoes, McNairy expanded his brand in 2012 to both men’s and women’s fashions. He now designs pants, dress shirts, hoodies and hats, all while maintaining his appreciation for rugged American production. Recently, he has done collaborations with New Era hats, Pharrell Williams’s BBC/ Beeline, Keds, Timberland and even a capsule collection with rapper Danny Brown. McNairy has been featured in The New York Times, GQ, The Washington Post and many other publications for the success and creativity of his work. McNairy was named one of GQ’s best new menswear designers of 2012, and he even held his second trip on the runway at New York’s Fashion Week this year. McNairy has said that his newest collection is just a “mish-mash of everything - just as it always is.” His collection has been dubbed “The Eagle Has Landed.” Designs for this season include traditional olive green army attire, polka dot prints, smiley face patterns, and an awesome camouflage coat with daisies embroidered all over (his daughter’s name is Daisy, who also walked in the show). Though McNairy is known for his bright-colored soles and quality shoe production, he is now gaining major notoriety through his apparel selection.
Jamil.Larkins@UConn.edu
Friday, February 15, 2013
Skiing Vermont resorts
The Daily Campus, Page 7
Focus
France to return 7 paintings Miss America looted during WWII returns to roots
from WARM WEATHER, page 1 terrain park and feature areas as well. Lift tickets are $80 for a full day and $59 after 12:30 p.m. As your run comes to an end, towards the bottom of the mountain lies a little cabin where all they make is waffles. Stop by and grab a fresh cooked Belgian waffle plain or with chocolate as the perfect snack before getting back on the lift. For anyone looking for a road trip deep into Vermont, Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vt. has a mountain with 114 different trails for every level skier and snow boarder. A lift ticket for a full day is $92 and it is $79 for a half day. The facility has a brand new high-speed quad for lifts up the mountain as well as a gondola for transportation between Mt. Mansfield and Spruce peak mountain lodge. This trip is four hours from Storrs, so those who live in Connecticut, especially in the south-western area may opt for a hotel or lodge on the mountain. Each of these facilities offers lessons for beginners as well as ski, boots, boards, poles and helmet rentals. These are three mountains varying geographically from Storrs, but there are many mountains all over New England worth checking out. Killington Mountain resort in Vt. has the largest drop in Vermont and the second largest vertical drop in the east after Whiteface Mountain. Mount Sunapee in Sunapee, NH, Smugglers Notch in Cambridge, Vt., and Sugarbush in Warren, Vt. are some other bigger mountains worth checking out as well. Mohawk is a nice day trip, but for anyone looking to have the biggest variety in experiences at a mountain- Vermont is filled with bigger mountains with more snow.
Emilia.Ratti@UConn.edu
AP
Posters of housing seizure orders are displayed in an exhibition at the Shoah Memorial in Paris. The French state prepares to give back seven stolen Nazi-era paintings - 4 of which are in the Louvre - to two Jewish families, after a decade-long tug of war.
PARIS (AP) — France is returning seven paintings taken from their Jewish owners during World War II, part of an ongoing effort to give back hundreds of looted artworks that still hang in the Louvre and other museums. The works were stolen or sold under duress up to seven decades ago as their Jewish owners fled Nazi-occupied Europe. All seven were destined for display in the art gallery Adolf Hitler wanted to build in his birthplace of Linz, Austria, according to a catalog for the planned museum. At the end of the war, with Hitler dead and European cities rebuilding, artworks were left “unclaimed” and many thousands that were thought to have been French-owned found their ways into the country’s top museums. The move to return the seven paintings ends years of struggle for the two families, whose claims were validated by the French government last year after years of researching the fates of the works. “This is incredibly rare. It’s the largest number of paintings we’ve been able to back to Jewish families in over a decade,” said Bruno Saunier of the National Museums Agency. Many of the 100,000 possessions looted, stolen or appropriated between 1940-44 in France have been returned to Jewish families, but Saunier said the country has increased its efforts in the past five years to locate the rightful owners of what the French government says are some 2,000 artworks still in state institutions. Archiving errors and the challenge of identifying the paintings have made it slow going. As anti-Semitism gripped Europe, many Jewish families sold their belongings or simply fled, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of empty homes and valuables up for grabs for individuals or the state. Six of the paintings — among them works by Alessandro Longhi, Sebastiano Ricci and Gaspare
Diziani — were owned by Richard Neumann, an Austrian Jew whose ticket out of France was his art collection, which he sold off at a fraction of its value. It is not clear to whom Neumann sold them, and the route they took to show up in French museums is unclear. They found places at the Louvre, the Museum of Modern Art of Saint-Etienne, the Agen Fine Arts Museum and the Tours Fine Art Museum. Neumann’s grandson, Tom Selldorff, was a young boy in 1930s Vienna when he last saw his grandfather’s collection. At 82, the U.S. resident is going to get them back and wants to pass a piece of his Austrian grandfather’s heritage down to his children. “Tom is 82 years old... So time is important; they need to act quickly,” said Muriel de Bastier, Art Chief of the Spoliation Victim’s Compensation Commission, a French government body that helps families all over the world get back their stolen work. The other painting, “The Halt” by Dutch painter Pieter Jansz Van Asch, was stolen by the Gestapo in Prague in 1939 from a Jewish banker, Josef Wiener, who was later deported and died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After the war, the painting was confused with a work owned by a Frenchman and erroneously sent to Paris, so Wiener’s widow’s efforts to locate the painting in Germany were fruitless. For years it hung in the Louvre, until the family finally tracked it down online in the mid-2000s. After problems identifying the painting were cleared up, then-French Prime Minister Francois Fillon gave the family the green light to give it back last year. Other Jewish owned property was “legally” appropriated by the state itself. Some 100,000 houses were seized and sold to non-Jews between 1940 and 1944.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Miss America, Atlantic City’s prodigal pageant, is coming home, and the spectacle that became synonymous with the New Jersey seaside resort is being assured all is forgiven after a six-year fling in Las Vegas. The pageant will be back where it started 93 years ago and where it was a fixture until 2006, when organizers moved to Nevada in the hopes of attracting a younger TV audience. “It was always my dream that this would return here,” said Art McMaster, president and CEO of the Miss America organization. “Sadly, this organization went west for a while. That sadness is over. We are back to the city where the Miss America pageant began, where the Miss America pageant was raised, and where the Miss America pageant belongs.” Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, who worked with Gov. Chris Christie’s office to entice the pageant, said having Miss America anywhere but Atlantic City just felt wrong. “Can anyone separate the Mummer’s Parade from Philadelphia, or the Rose Bowl from Pasadena?” he asked. “Miss America is Atlantic City, and she’s coming home.” New Jersey’s lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno, made the official announcement Thursday morning inside Boardwalk Hall, the historic arena in which the pageant will take place during yet-undetermined dates in September. She said Atlantic City and the pageant have a handshake agreement to move back here for at least three years, but said final details have yet to be ironed out. One thing is for sure, though: the contestants will don elaborate footwear and participate in the traditional pre-pageant Boardwalk parade, in which spectators yell out “Show us your shoes!” The announcement came the same day that another Boardwalk icon, Trump Plaza, was sold to a California company for $20 million, the lowest price ever paid for a casino in the beleaguered resort city. Boosters spun it as a heartening sign that the city was still attractive to investors. Guadagno said no taxpayer money was part of the incentives offered to lure Miss America back to New Jersey. Liza Cartmell, president of the Atlantic City Alliance, said her casino-funded group is among those providing financial incentives, but would not say how
much it might contribute. She said individual casinos are contributing as well, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority could use some of the funds casinos are obligated to pay to it for Miss Americarelated purposes. Guadagno and Cartmell said the return of the pageant is expected to generate at least $30 million in economic activity for Atlantic City and the surrounding region. But the psychological boost, and the free publicity of having the national broadcast set in Atlantic City, is priceless, they added. Cartmell said 6,000 to 7,000 people associated with the pageant will need hotel rooms, meals and other expenditures during their time in Atlantic City. “We will be showcasing all the attractions we have in Atlantic City,” Cartmell said. The pageant contestants “will be climbing the lighthouse, they’ll go to Gardner’s Basin, they may go dolphin-watching — all the fun things people do when they come to Atlantic City. The amount of free media for us is great.” The Miss America pageant left Atlantic City in 2006 after deciding it was just too expensive to stage its production there. It went to Las Vegas, where the current Miss America, Mallory Hagan, was crowned last month at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Hagan will have her reign cut short when the pageant is broadcast in September, but will be paid for the full year, pageant officials said. The move to Las Vegas came amid sliding TV ratings for the pageant, as it tried to interest a younger demographic and incorporating elements of reality television programming. McMaster said the content of the show is still being worked on, adding he expects a mixture of modern television elements and traditional pageant staples such as evening wear and swimsuit competitions, and talent competitions. The format is being jointly developed with the ABC television network, which will broadcast the pageant for the next three years, he said. The Miss America pageant started as little more than a bathing suit revue. It broke viewership records in its heyday and bills itself as one of the world’s largest scholarship programs for women. But, like other pageants, it has struggled to stay relevant as national attitudes regarding women’s rights have changed.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Page 8
www.dailycampus.com
The Daily Campus Editorial Board
Elizabeth Crowley, Editor-in-Chief Tyler McCarthy, Commentary Editor Jesse Rifkin, Associate Commentary Editor Chris Kempf, Weekly Columnist John Nitowski, Weekly Columnist Sam Tracy, Weekly Columnist
» EDITORIAL
Dems act more loyal to party than policy
W
hile George W. Bush was president, most Democrats criticized his foreign policy whenever they got the opportunity. They bashed the Bush Administration for imprisoning enemy combatants indefinitely and without a trial. Many refused to use the term “enhanced interrogation” and fought against it, and were outraged when Bush withheld documents governing the use of torture. To Democrats’ delight, President Obama released Bush’s previously secret documents shortly after entering office. However, he hasn’t followed through on many of his campaign promises, including closing Guantanamo Bay. Liberals and libertarians alike have been harsh critics of his foreign policies, particularly his use of drone strikes and the massive collateral damage that typically accompanies them. But Democratic politicians have remained nearly silent, and many have even declared their support for Obama’s new policies. These lawmakers should be more consistent in their views, rather than simply supporting the president due to his party affiliation. In addition to his other policy turnarounds, Obama has even ramped up many of his predecessor’s policies, increasing the use of drone strikes to systematically target those on his official “kill list.” He was even the first to use drones to target and kill an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, for suspected terrorist activities. One would think that congressional Democrats would be outraged over the extrajudicial killing of an American citizen abroad. After all, they had condemned George W. Bush for much less. However, the uproar in the blogosphere and traditional media seemed to fall on deaf ears, with Democrats remaining largely silent on the issue. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a liberal Democrat currently leading the charge for more gun control, even implicitly excused the killing, calling al-Awlaki a “so-called American” during a hearing. Further emulating his predecessor, President Obama then refused to release the documents governing the use of drone strikes. A small group of principled legislators, led by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), fought against the Administration’s secrecy. Last week, Obama finally met them partway, disclosing the classified documents to the House and Senate intelligence committees but keeping the public in the dark. A leaked, less extensive memo has shown that the Administration is twisting the definition of “imminent threat” and targeting individuals with little evidence. More worrying than Democrats’ lack of outrage for these policies is their explicit acceptance by some. Former Democratic Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm recently stated in an interview, “We trust the president. And if this was Bush, I think that we would all be more up in arms because we wouldn’t trust that he would strike in a very targeted way and try to minimize damage rather than contain collateral damage.” There are two explanations for this: either Democratic lawmakers were never opposed to this aggressive foreign policy and were only disagreeing with Bush due to his party affiliation, or they are now lining up behind Obama despite him going against some of their deepest-held beliefs. Either way, they are clearly in the wrong. We need our elected officials to be consistent in their beliefs and policy positions, not chameleons who change their stance depending on what party the president is from. The Daily Campus editorial is the official opinion of the newspaper and its editorial board. Commentary columns express opinions held solely by the author and do not in any way reflect the official opinion of The Daily Campus.
Now that I found the Daily Campus PDFs, I don’t have to ask my friends back home to save InstandDaily clippings for me anymore! So many girls are on dates with Homer Babbidge tonight. What a player. To the guy in the library who got berated and sworn at by his cold hearted girlfriend on Valentine’s Day as he tried to help her with her homework, I feel so sorry for you man, get out!! Pimp my Valentine with Xzibit. I haven’t forgotten that we beat Syracuse. I had maple syrup with my poutine. Am I Canadian yet? I can fail my classes, I can skip my homework, I can scream my lungs out, but I can’t stop falling in love with Kevin Ollie.
Send us your thoughts on anything and everything by sending an instant message to InstantDaily, Sunday through Thursday evenings. Follow us on Twitter (@UCInstantDaily) and tweet at us with the #instantdaily hashtag.
Write-in votes deserve respect, tabulation during election season
P
aul Broun, a Republican Congressman from rural Georgia, has the good political fortune of representing a very conservative district. It is viewed to be so safe for the Republican Party that the Democrats declined to run a candidate in opposition to him in spite of the possible influence that the presence of Barack Obama might have brought to bear in the other races on the ballot. But it would By Chris Kempf be incorrect to Weekly Columnist state that Broun faced no opponent in 2012 – indeed, his leading challenger for election was none other than Charles Darwin, the 19th century English naturalist. Over 5,000 of Broun’s constituents wrote in Darwin’s name onto the ballot as a protest against their Congressman’s emphatically professed disdain for the theory of evolution as “a lie from the pit of hell”. The Darwin voters obviously failed to elect their man, but they did succeed in transforming an uncontested coronation of the incumbent Congressman into a unique and attention-grabbing protest action. We often hear or think of the writein vote as a frivolous and irresponsible waste of an individual’s voice in the democratic process, as an aimless, disaffected vote for Mickey Mouse or Ronald McDonald. This is, indeed, sometimes the case: New York City’s Board of Elections recorded, in the 2008 Presidential election, 2 votes each for Jesus Christ and Mickey Mouse and one vote each for Russian President Vladimir Putin and writer/actress Tina Fey. But those few wasted votes were dwarfed by the number of write-in votes cast for actual one-time Presidential contenders deprived of a position on the ballot – almost 300 were cast in the city for Hillary Clinton and a further 200 voters wrote in the name of thenCongressman Ron Paul. The evidence suggests that Paul’s name may have been written in some 2,500 times in New York State alone
this past November – even though the former candidate did not conduct a write-in campaign. Lisa Murkowski, however, did in her attempt to win election without the Republican nomination in Alaska – her success bears witness to the fact that it’s possible to win an election, even to the United States Senate, if you aren’t on the ballot. The writein vote can indeed be a powerful vote of discontent and of rebellion against the limited choices presented - but only if they are treated as such and properly counted. In the State of Connecticut, law, ballot design and election procedure combine to render write-in voting nearly useless. In order to have write-in votes counted for a particular candidate, that candidate must first register with the Secretary of the State. Votes for unregistered candidates – like Ron Paul and Hillary Clinton – are almost never counted as such despite their contribution to the overall turnout percentage. This administrative hurdle defeats the purpose of writing in a candidate and stifles the disaggregated, grassroots political behavior which makes the practice so effective and unruly. For all we know, Kemba Walker may have received one thousand votes for President last year from his grateful UConn fans – but because of his “unofficial” write-in status, we
will remain in the dark. And even in those rare cases in which an individual chooses to accept his write-in votes, the voters receive no notification to that effect. And even if those hurdles prove superable, the write-in voter must squeeze his chosen candidate’s name into a space on the ballot measuring barely one inch square. Not too daunting for Kemba’s voters, but if Jamal CoombsMcDaniel is your man, then your vote may depend upon the compactness and legibility of your handwriting. As a former pollworker, I understand election officials’ complaints that most write-in votes are a waste of time and don’t contribute anything meaningful to our democracy. To be sure, the knowledge of how many votes were cast by the American voting public for various athletes and cartoon characters is trivial at best and only causes greater delays in the post-election ballot counting process. But I think that argument misses the point of write-in voting. The Georgian Charles Darwin voters were casting votes against their Congressman and in protest of his uncontested election, not in favor of the notable scientist’s imaginary candidacy. More often than not, these votes register discontent with the available choices, the process or the system and thereby serve as a peculiar barometer of alienation with our electoral democracy. For the sake of its health, we ought to read that barometer more carefully
“The write-in vote can indeed be a powerful vote of discontent and of rebellion against the limited choices presented – but only if they are treated as such and properly counted.”
Weekly Columnist Chris Kempf is a 6th-semester political science major. He can be reached at Christopher.Kempf@UConn.edu.
Blue Versus White Two writers argue their points of view on separate sides of the same issue. See the debate on page 9 in this issue of The Daily Campus.
This week: “Will the new Blackberry save the product?”
The Daily Campus, Page 9
Commentary
Friday, February 15, 2013
» HEALTHY COMPETITION
» TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
Blackberry is still as strong The new phone cannot save of a company as it once was obsolete Blackberry product
R
emember the days before the evil world domination known as Apple Inc. took over people wallets and other gadgets? Well ladies and gentlemen, those days are about to be back. Research in Motion, By Lashay Lawson Ltd., the company Staff Columnist who manufactures Blackberry is striking for a comeback. RIM reveled its new company name titled after their main product-Blackberry. They also revealed singer-songwriter, Alicia Keys, as the global creative director. BlackBerry is revealing the new phone that has been constantly pushed back for months on their website. Please allow me to reintroduce, the Blackberry Z10. Now before I continue to go on about the new BlackBerry, let me answer the question that is probably on your mind right now. Can the BlackBerry make a comeback and create competition with iPhone and Android phones? My answer is yes. Believe it or not, there are 80 million people in this world who still use a BlackBerry. People like having buttons on their phone, the flashing light when receiving a message, the email capabilities, and of course, BBM. Some people are not used to the touch screen phones because it moves too fast under their finger. These people are the ride-or-die consumers that BlackBerry is relying on to help them make a strong comeback. The BlackBerry Z10 has an operating system called BlackBerry 10. According to The New York Times, the phone is “…lovely, fast, and efficient, bristling with fresh,
useful ideas.” Unlike most phones, the BlackBerry Z10 is complete. It has a well-stocked app store, a music and movie store, Windows and Mac software for loading files, speech recognition, turn-by-turn navigation, and Find My Phone, a system with a remote-control lock and erase. It has both front and back cameras which can film in high definition. And for you iPhone minions, the 4.2-inch screen is even sharper than the iphone Retina display! Not to mention, it has 16 gigabytes of storage, plus a memory card slot, and will be available for all four major carriers- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The New York Times also mentions a light blinks above the screen to indicate that something is waiting for you, much like the blinking red light on the older models. You can also swipe up the screen without pressing a button (ahem, iPhone). One thing that people love about the Blackberry has always been the keyboard, which has been the biggest selling point. The company announced that it will sell a model with a physical (Alicia not included) keys (get it?) and a smaller screen called the Q10. With the autocorrect on most phones, tiny words appear over certain on-screen keys, guessing the word that you are trying to text out. But the more you text over time, the more it learns your way of writing. And like the phone assistant Siri on the iPhone, BlackBerry Z10 has that too. The best thing about this phone might have to be the camera. One feature on the camera called Time Shift, can take a photo of people, and then
T
he Blackberry Z10 and with your finger on a face, you new operating system can dial forward or backward are great moves by 2 seconds in time, looking for Blackberry. Five years the perfect face pose. And you can do it for every person in the ago. The sad truth is that it is shot so everyone can all look simply too late for Blackberry, smoking hot without having that formally known as RIM. The new phone friend that messed up the piccertainly ture with the ugly face. With this phone and the delays By Kayvon Ghoershi modernizes Blackberry’s on it, BlackBerry could take no Staff Columnist phone, but at risk, and they were smart for this point the waiting. They are definitely getting the attention and rumored damage has been done. The phone itself by all initalk they want and need. I was once a Blackberry user tial reviews has shown to be myself. I had a BlackBerry impressive. On the hardware Curve and a BlackBerry Torch. front it is competitive with the I loved both of them, but the leading smartphones. On the constant freezing of it was what software front it brings in feadrove me crazy. When iPhones tures such as BBM and a keystarted to become popular I board with much more accurate swore I will never cross over predictive typing. Now all of to the dark side. I was going to this sounds like great news for be team Blackberry forever. But Blackberry. However, the bad that changed when it was time news greatly outweighs it. The biggest hole in Blackberry’s for an upgrade. Now don’t get me wrong, attempted comeback is content. even though I love my iPhone, While they have plans for TV I will always have a deep appre- shows, music, and movies for ciation for BlackBerry. I strong- their new line of phones, the ly believe that it can make a offerings will be nowhere near comeback with the right team of that of Apple or Android. Blackberry has also fallen people, creative directing, and smart marketing. They are a into the same kind of situation strong-minded company that is as Microsoft. The Windows not giving up or backing down phone received similar praise from the Apple Inc. bullies. upon launch, but its app offerThey are the originals instead ings were abysmal. Blackberry of the trendsetters. And classic touts having 70,000 apps in stays in style while trends fade its store. The problem is that many of these are subpar and away. And if you still have doubts the store is lacking in the major about the Blackberry, just apps consumers have come remember that David overcame to expect. Among those missing from the new Blackberry Goliath. marketplace are Google Maps, Pandora, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram and Snapchat which Staff Columnist Lashay Lawson is a 5th- at this point have become universal staples of smartphone semester journalism and African-American apps. They will also have a studies major. She can be reached at tough time bringing in new Lashay.Lawson@UConn.edu. developers and getting exclu-
sive apps because of their market share. App developers like coding for the App Store and Android marketplace because they have such large audiences, which leads to more sales. These issues, however, can be traced back to Blackberry’s mishandling of its phone line. Back in 2009, Blackberry held 40 percent of the smartphone market in the US. Today it holds under 2 percent. This fall from grace is best attributed to Blackberry’s inability to adapt. When the iPhone first launched, Blackberry didn’t consider it much of a threat. Even when the iPhone started to eat away at their market share, Blackberry stuck to their guns. The phone line was traditionally associated as being the ‘business phone” and Blackberry decided to keep it like that. The problem was when businesses like Home Depot and others started to switch over to iPhones giving Apple a presence in both the consumer and business markets. This still didn’t spark Blackberry to undergo any major change. With slipping sales in the US, Blackberry maintained a presence on the global market. However, as the iPhone and the numerous Android phones have spread worldwide, these footholds are also disappearing. Between the three months ending in October 2011 and the autumn of 2012, its UK market share slipped from 19 percent to 8 percent. In Spain it dropped from 24 percent to 3 percent. Market share also dropped in Brazil and France. This also isn’t to mention to current nonexistent market in China or India. The fact of the matter is that Blackberry doesn’t have the strong following it once did. Its fall from grace has
made it a punch line when people talk about the latest and greatest smartphone offerings. And despite having loyal fans that will certainly pick up the new smartphone, if Blackberry plans on having a comeback they need to convince people to switch over from their iPhone or Android phone. This leads me to a question that Blackberry should’ve asked whenever they planned the Blackberry Z10. Why would someone switch over from their current phone? My iPhone gives me almost all of the same features, all my content is organized on iTunes, and I have an abundance of apps to choose from. The same can be said for Android users. While a better keyboard and Time Shift are cool features, they aren’t enough to get me to switch over especially when such an important factor like apps is lagging. The best case scenario in all of this is that Blackberry dukes it out with Microsoft for third place in the smartphone market. The worst case scenario is that their phone is dead on arrival. Had Blackberry had this launch a few years ago they would have had a chance before the market got too saturated. This would have allowed them to develop their app offerings and work out kinks in the software to stay in line with their competition. Rather, this delayed “We have it too” response will only prolong an inevitable decline that started from poor decision making years ago.
Staff Columnist Kayvon Ghoreshi is a 2ndsemester molecular and cell biology major. He can be reached at Kayvon.Ghoreshi@UConn.edu.
» TOTALLY RAD/TOTALLY BAD Loving each other
Being banned from the BET Being banned from the postseason
Totally bad
Beating Syracuse
Kevin Ollie
Totally rad
Totally saw it coming
What did you do during last weekend’s snow storm? – By Seth Craig
“I went home and shoveled snow for four hours.” Constantina Provatas, 6th-semester history major
“I relaxed with my roommates and played ample amounts of video games. Negligible amount of studying.” Dimitrio Hrampanis, 6th-semester engineering major
“I caught up on some tv shows and avoided outside as much as possible.”
“Learned a new game called ‘Cards Against Humanity.’”
Alexandra Merkouriou, 4th-semester engineering major
Anh Nguyen, 4th-semester chemical engineering major
The Daily Campus, Page 10
Friday, February 15, 2013
Sports
» WOMEN'S HOCKEY
UConn to play Boston College Eagles By Joe Crisalli Campus Correspondent
LINDSAY COLLIER/The Daily Campus
Sophomore forward Sarah MacDonnell moves the puck up the ice for the Huskies during a UConn women's hockey game.
The UConn women’s ice hockey team (3-23-3, 1-14-1) will visit Hockey East leading Boston College (21-5-2, 13-2-1) on Saturday, and will face them again on home ice Sunday at the Mark Freitas Ice Forum at 2 p.m. The last time these two teams faced off, the Eagles got the best of the Huskies in an 8-0 win on Jan. 27. Boston College outshot UConn 44-15 in the contest. “We have to prepare the same way we prepare for everyone,” Coach Heather Linstad said. “It’s about what we do over the course of the week, mentally and physically to take on any opponent. We prepare to take away their scoring opportunities, and we prepare to play smart and disciplined hockey.” The Huskies are coming off a 4-0 shutout loss to another division rival in the University of New Hampshire. “We created a lot of offen-
sive chances versus UNH, but we didn’t get the puck to the net,” Linstad said. “If you’re not scoring, you’re not even getting the ugly goals. We’ve scored some beautiful goals, but we need some hard working grind it out goals. We need to get them back on their heels.” Boston College has allowed only 37 goals on the year in conference play, which is the lowest in the Hockey East, while UConn has allowed 65 goals in conference matchups. “We have to play team defense,” Linstad said. “Time management is our biggest thing, but we did do some really good things defensively to keep them outside the dots the last time we played them.” UConn’s most recent victory came over division foe Providence on Jan. 2, 5-1. “We spend too much time in our defensive zone,” Linstad said. “We have to be smarter with the puck and we have to be responsible for winning our one on ones and not chase, and keep the puck out.” With only five games left
in the regular season, UConn will face the top two teams in the Hockey East – Boston College and Boston University – as well as the team with the third best overall record, Northeastern. “You play every game, and you go into every game believing you’re going to win,” Linstad said. “Mentally preparing to understand the game and the little things like line changes, putting the puck in areas on offense, not spending much time in the defensive zone, breaking the puck out, and making smart plays, we need to do against these teams. We have to frustrate them.” Sophomore forward Kayla Campero currently leads the Huskies with 15 points (7 goals, and 8 assists), and sophomore defenseman Caitlin Hewes leads UConn with 48 blocked shots. UConn is 2-9-2 at home, 1-13-1 away, and 0-1-0 at a neutral site so far this season.
Joseph.Crisalli@UConn.edu
» MEN'S TRACK
Hoosiers lost to Huskies last season Huskies end indoor season
from BACK, page 12
Left-hander Anthony Marzi will get the start in the season opener against Purdue. Marzi managed just a 3-8 record in 2012 but posted the lowest earned run average (2.55) out of the regular starters. He struck out 64 batters and walked 20 in 98.2 innings pitched. The Huskies will face Purdue’s Brad Schreiber, who sat out the 2012 season. The Boilermakers are coming off one of the program’s most successful seasons. They notched a 45-14 record and won the Big Ten Championship before being knocked out of the double-elimination NCAA Tournament by No. 25 Kent State and No. 11 Kentucky. After losing their top three hitters from the conference
championship team, Purdue is now led by left fielder Stephen Talbott. Last season, he hit .347 and led the team with six triples and 15 stolen bases. Sophomore Carson Cross will make his third career start Saturday against Indiana. Cross made 16 appearances out of the bullpen last year and tallied a 1.21 ERA, the second lowest mark on the team. Opposite Cross will be Indiana sophomore Aaron Siegers, who posted a 6.14 ERA. The Hoosiers lost 8-0 to the Huskies at the start of last season, and they finished 32-28 before being knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament by Purdue. Junior lefty Brian Ward will take the hill in the finale on Sunday against Purdue ace
Robert Ramer. Ramer went 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA compared to Ward’s 3-5 record and 5.57 ERA from last season. Of the 34 players on the UConn baseball team, 19 are from the state of Connecticut. These players will be easily identifiable this season because they will be featuring an outline of the state as a decal on their hats and helmets. The Huskies were picked to finish fourth out of 11 teams in the Preseason Big East Coaches’ Poll. UConn will fly to Orlando next weekend for the University of Central Florida Tournament against UCF, Troy and Texas Tech.
Daniel.Maher@UConn.edu
Men's tennis resumes after cancelled matches By Mike Peng Campus Correspondent After their matches against Stony Brook and Army were cancelled due to the snowstorm last week, the UConn men’s tennis team will travel down to Florida this weekend to begin their spring season. Coming off the fall campaign with an 1-1 overall team record, the Huskies have high hopes for the second half. “My expectations for the spring season are for the team to have a winning record going into the Big East Tournament and have a personal winning record in both doubles and singles,” junior and team captain Ryan Carr said. Freshman Mark HoSang added, “We do not have many more years in the Big East that we know, so we are trying to
make some noise these last couple years.” The team will make its first stop at Haines City, Fla., where they will take on Webber International University at the Haines City Tennis Complex at Lake Eva this afternoon. The WIU Warriors are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where they have been ranked at No. 20 in the NAIA 2013 Men’s Tennis Coaches Pre-Season Poll. After their matches against the Warriors conclude, the Huskies would then travel to Orlando, Fla. to face Florida Gulf Coast University and University of Central Florida on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at the UCF Tennis Complex. The FGCU Eagles and the UCF Knights both have a 2-3 record heading into the weekend. FGCU currently sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Sun
Conference while UCF is in a three-way tie for fifth place in Conference USA. HoSang said the team is “not too concerned” with what the results might be over the weekend, but the team does “want to end the trip playing very good tennis.” The weather forecast over the weekend in Florida looks optimistic, and a few players are anticipating the change of climate, considering what they’ve experience in Connecticut recently. “I’m very excited about it,” Carr said. “It will be a test to our team’s conditioning with the heat, but I’m confident that we’re ready for it. It also has been something we have been looking forward to, considering we get to leave the cold for a while.
Michael.Peng@UConn.edu
By Nick Danforth Campus Correspondent The UConn men’s track and field team will look to wrap up their indoor season with a championship as they head to Geneva, Ohio for the Big East Championships this weekend. Due to inclement weather, the Huskies’ last meet, the Lafayette Rider Winter Games, was cancelled. Since 2002, only Notre Dame and Connecticut have won a Big East Indoor Track and Field Championship, with the Huskies claiming five titles and the Fighting Irish seven. At their last meet, the Skyes-Sabock Challenge in Pennsylvania, the Huskies put forth their best performance of the season. “This is the focus of the season team-wise, so I expect nothing but our best,” Coach
Gregory Roy said. “Given that level of competitive performance, we’ll have as good a shot as anybody at the title.” A few athletes to keep an eye on at the Big East Championships are juniors Darnell Cummings and Cory Duggan as well as seniors Joshua Faboyede, Noel James and Kevin Smith. Cummings showed his speed at the Challenge Cup, winning both the 60 and 200 meter. He will look to improve upon his fourth place finishes in both of those events at last season’s championship. Duggan has been a workhorse for the Huskies, finishing in the top three in every meet this season in the pole vault. Faboyede finished fourth in last season’s championship, but has the second longest weight throw in the Big East this season. James, the defending Big
East champion in the high jump, will look to defend his title. He has the highest jump in the Big East so far this season at 2.14 meters. Smith, who finished third in the 200 meter dash at the Huskies’ last meet, was awarded the 2012-13 American Eagle Outfitters Big East Institutional Scholar-Athlete Scholarship on Tuesday. The award gives Smith, who is pursuing a PhD in physical therapy, $2,000 toward graduate studies. “Kevin Smith epitomizes the descriptive title of studentathlete,” Roy said in a statement to uconnhuskies.com. “He has persevered in both areas to be where he is today, working on his Doctorate and poised for a great Big East Indoor Championship.”
Nicholas.Danforth@UConn.edu
Women's tennis to face Bearcats By Bea Angueira Campus Correspondent The UConn women’s tennis team will host the Cincinnati Bearcats in the spring season opener today at 2 p.m. in Storrs at the UConn Tennis Courts. The Huskies were expected to kick of the season last weekend at West Point, N.Y. where they would have faced Army and Stony Brook University, but due to Snow Storm Nemo the matches where canceled. Last year on Feb. 26, the Huskies fell to the Bearcats, 6-3. In doubles play UConn’s
Marie Gargiulo alongside Alexa Gregory won their match 8-5. Lauren Wilmarth was able to defat her Bearcat opponent, and Lucy Nutting defeated Cincinnati’s Sierra Sullivan. The Cincinnati Bearcats had a tough opening season; they fell to two nationally ranked opponents. The Bearcats lost 7-0 when they faced the No. 49 Indiana University, Hoosiers on Jan. 19. Four days later they went on to compete at Columbus, Ohio where they had another 7-0 loss to the Ohio State University Buckeyes. On Jan. 26, the Bearcats
fell to the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks 6-1. Senior Catlin O’Gara won 6-4, 2-6 (106), placing Cincinnati on the board for the first time in the season. This led to a 4-3 win over the University of Toledo on Feb. 9 and fell to Bowling Green State University 4-3. The UConn women are anxious to start the spring season, after facing the Bearcats they are scheduled to play Bryant University, Quinnipiac and Rutgers University at the UConn Tennis Courts in the upcoming weeks.
Carmen.Angueira@UConn.edu
No decision on NHL players in Olympics NEW YORK (AP) -- A decision on whether NHL players will head to the 2014 Sochi Olympics isn't likely this week, but a first day of discussions went well. Talks between the NHL, the NHL players' association, and officials from the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committee stretched into Thursday night as the parties worked toward getting NHL players back to the Olympics for a fifth straight time. There are obstacles in the process, but the sides will get back together on Friday to talk some more. ''We had good discussions,'' NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email Thursday night after talks wrapped up. ''We expect to continue tomorrow.'' While the NHL and the players might want to participate in
the Olympics again, they have to figure out if it makes sense for them to interrupt another season to make it possible. ''I don't expect any resolution or decisions this week,'' Daly wrote to the AP earlier Thursday. In these negotiations, the NHL and the players' association appear to be aligned in their position. The Sochi Games are one year away. While a final decision isn't required this week, one will have to be reached in the near future. It is believed hockey federations will need to know by May what players will be available for their teams. The current discussions are being held between NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, IIHL President Rene Fasel and officials from the IOC. After enduring a long lock-
out that produced a shortened regular season this year, the NHL is weighing whether it is worth shutting down the game for more than two weeks next season to allow its players to go to Russia for the Olympics. The time difference will force the games to be played at off hours in North America, and the NHL would like to receive concessions from the IOC that haven't been made before. In return for sending its players to the Sochi Olympics, the NHL is trying to acquire video, photograph and website rights for the games. The IIHF and the IOC retain those exclusive rights now. The NHL began sending its players to the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan, and continued through the 2010 Vancouver Games. Even though the NHL received great exposure by having its players take part in an Olympics in North America,
disrupting the season does come with a cost. The stopping of the season, the potential injury risk to players, and no tangible upside for the NHL are all factors that create doubt about whether the investment is good for the league. One topic that isn't on the agenda during this week's meetings is NHL realignment. The relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg before last season has created travel troubles for the Jets and their Southeast Division rivals that need to be resolved. The league's board of governors thought it had the problem settled when a realignment plan that would change the current system from six divisions to four conferences was formed in December 2011. But the players' association rejected the plan, leaving all clubs in place for this season.
AP
New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) goes airborne as he chases the puck against Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid.
TWO Friday, February 15, 2013
PAGE 2
What's Next Home game
Away game
Feb. 21 Cincinnati 7 p.m
Feb. 23 DePaul 8 p.m.
Feb. 18 Baylor 9 p.m.
0
The number of times Kevin Ollie has lost to Jim Boeheim as a head coach.
» That’s what he said
» WOMEN’S TRACK
Conference championships on deck
AP
-UConn guard Ryan Boatright after the Huskies beat the Syracuse Orange. Feb. 27 Georgetown 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball (23-1) Tomorrow Rutgers 4 p.m.
Stat of the day
“They leaving the Big East with a bad taste of UConn in their mouths.”
Men’s Basketball (17-6) Tomorrow Villanova Noon
The Daily Campus, Page 11
Sports
Feb. 23 Feb. 26 Seton Hall Pittsburgh 4 p.m. 7 p.m.
Ryan Boatright
» Pic of the day
By Spencer Oakes Campus Correspondent
Request denied
This weekend, the 24th ranked UConn Women’s track and field team will head to Geneva, Ohio to compete in the 2013 Big East Championships. The event will showcase fourteen different teams from the Big East, including the Huskies and Georgetown, the 2012 champion. For the first time in the Big East Championships’ history, the meet will take place at the SPIRE Institute.
March 2 South Florida Noon
Men’s Hockey (13-12-3) Today Holy Cross 7:05 p.m.
Tomorrow Holy Cross 7:05 p.m
Feb. 22 Army 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 23 Army 7:05 p.m
» Track and field
March 1 Sacred Heart 7:05 p.m.
» Preview
Women’s Hockey (3-22-3) Tomorrow Boston College 2 p.m.
Feb. 17 Boston College 2 p.m.
Feb. 23 Boston University 3 p.m.
Feb. 24 Boston University 2 p.m.
As the team prepares for this weekend’s championships, coach Bill Morgan acknowledged that this past weekend’s blizzard should not have an effect on the team. “We were able to practice in consideration to the safety of the team and those working around campus,” Morgan said. “In the end, there is always a place to workout, just have to be creative sometimes.” Morgan also said that he does not believe the cancellation of last weekend’s meet will hurt his team, as they were able to turn it into a few extra practices. Preparations for this weekend’s meet were not any different than usual for the team. According to Morgan, they have been preparing for meets of this magnitude before the season even started. “We will find out soon,” Morgan explained. “At this point everyone is ready, there’s no going back It’s only where we are at this point and how we will respond to a great challenge.” In terms of the actual meet itself; Morgan is confident his team can bring a Big East Conference Championship back to Storrs. “Our champions need to continue to be champions, our All-Americans need to give All-American performances, and everyone else needs to have their best performances,” Morgan said. “I am anticipating that will happen, there’s no other way to look at it.”
March 2 Hockey East TBD
Men’s Track and Field Mar. 2 IC4A Championships All Day
Women’s Track and Field Tomorrow BIG EAST Championships Alll Day
Feb. 17 BIG EAST Championships All Day
Men’s Swimming & Diving Tomorrow UConn Open TBA
Feb. 27 BIG EAST Championship TBA
Women’s Swimming & Diving Tomorrow UConn Open TBA
Feb. 27 BIG EAST Championship TBA
Softball Today FIU Tournament 11 a.m.
Can’t make it to the game? Follow us on Twitter: @DCSportsDept www.dailycampus.com
AP
Connecticut’s Ryan Boatright, right, blocks a shot-attempt by Syracuse’s Brandon Triche in the final minutes of second half Spencer.Oakes@UConn.edu of an NCAA college basketball game.
UConn to take on Holy Cross
By Tim Fontenault Staff Writer
The competition for fourth place in the Atlantic Hockey Association is heating up. The difference between fourth and fifth place could mean the difference between a deep tournament run and an early exit. The fourth place team receives a first round bye and home-ice advantage in the AHA Tournament Quarterfinals. The fifth place team gets home-ice in the first round, but would have to play on the road in the Quarterfinals. This weekend, the fourth and fifth place teams clash as the regular season nears its conclusion. The fifth-place UConn men’s hockey team (13-12-3, 10-9-2 AHA) will host fourth place Holy Cross (14-10-2, 10-7-2 AHA) on tonight at the Freitas Ice Forum. The two teams will then head to Worcester, Mass. for the second game of the home-and-home series tomorrow night. The Huskies are on a roll as of late. In its last six games, UConn is 4-1-1, and is heading into Friday’s games on the heels of a 9-0 win over Bentley on Monday night in Storrs. Everything that was an issue for the Huskies at the start of
the season – the goaltending, the lack of scoring, the power play – has turned into a key component of UConn’s success, particularly in Monday night’s win. UConn’s nine goals came from nine different skaters. They scored two power play goals, going 2-5 on the night. Matt Grogan made 24 saves during the first shutout by a UConn goaltender this season. It was a complete game by a team that looks primed to make a run at a top-four spot. It is not often that UConn gets this far into the season with a winning record and a high position in the AHA standings. But that’s the position the Huskies find themselves in with their recent surge. “It’s huge,” said interim head coach David Berard. “It’s big because we’ve dug ourselves out of a hole that we started the year in. We find ourselves in February in a spot that hasn’t really been seen by this program. To be over .500 in February with six games left – to be over .500 in the league – that’s a big thing.” While the Huskies have surged, Holy Cross has been limping through the AHA as of late. They have lost four of their last eight in conference play, and are in jeopardy of losing hold of their fourth place
TROY CALDEIRA/The Daily Campus
UConn sophomore forward Cody Sherib handles the puck during a hockey game played at the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum.
spot. With the Crusaders’ recent struggles, UConn has been able to catch up, and the two are tied with 22 points, although Holy Cross holds fourth based on tiebreakers. A win and a tie gives UConn fourth place over Holy Cross, but since the Crusaders have two games in hand on the
Huskies, UConn will be looking for the sweep. Friday’s game in Storrs and Saturday’s rematch in Worcester are both scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on WHUS 91.7 FM.
Timothy.Fontenault@UConn.edu
» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY
P.11: Men’s hockey to face Holy Cross. / P.10: UConn women’s hockey to play Boston College. / P.10: Men’s track ends its indoor season.
Page 12
» SOFTBALL
Headed to Miami
Friday, February 15, 2013
www.dailycampus.com
BACK IN THE SWING UConn baseball plays first games of season
By Kyle Constable Campus Correspondent The UConn softball team is traveling to Miami this weekend to kick off the spring season at the Florida International Tournament against five teams from across the nation. The Huskies will play five games over the span of three days at the tournament, facing Binghamton, Florida International, Morehead State, and two others yet to be determined. The team is currently scheduled to play two games on both Friday and Saturday, and their final game on Sunday. “It’ll be [Binghamton and Morehead State’s] first time out like us, so that’s a good thing, you know, that there’s other teams out there that . . . haven’t had grass under their feet yet,” Coach Karen Mullins said. “FIU opened up last weekend, obviously been practicing outdoors . . . you have to say has a distinct advantage going into this weekend.” The goal for the team at the tournament is to get in sync by spending quality minutes on the field to supplement the indoor practice they have had thus far. Mullins described it as “a whole nother ball game when the ball goes up outside.” The team was ranked ninth in the Big East Preseason Poll based on last season’s performance (2127 overall, 9-13 Big East), but Mullins and the players have set much higher expectations. “Our goal is to do a top-five finish in the conference,” Mullins said. “We feel that if we can do that, it will put us in a good position as far as seedings and stuff for the tournament.” The Big East is the largest softball conference in the country and arguably one of the strongest. With two Top 25 teams in No. 12 USF and No. 16 Louisville along with Syracuse and DePaul also receiving votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, it’s no easy feat to finish in the top half of the conference, let alone the top five. “We’re in one of the most competitive conferences in the country, so we know we have our work cut out for us,” Mullins said. “Let’s go one game at a time. Let’s win the games that we should win and let’s try to sneak a couple. I think that’s our approach in it.” One of the biggest problems the team faced last spring was a midseason burnout that took them from a 17-14 overall, 6-3 in the Big East to 21-27 overall, 9-13 in the Big East by the end of the season. Mullins said that the players are taking special measures to stay consistent throughout the season. “Start strong, finish strong,” Mullins said. “We felt like we got off to a strong start last year and then the wear and tear of the season kind of took its toll and we didn’t finish as strong as we wanted to.” Mullins said some of the keys for the team would be to “stay focused” and “stay enthusiastic” as the season progresses. And with a daunting 55-game schedule, maintaining those essential elements for victory is undoubtedly a challenge. The burden for seeing that challenge through has been placed on this season’s seniors, a group of five individuals in whom Mullins has placed a lot of faith. “They’re the ones who have been battle-tested and they know what to expect,” Mullins said. “They’ve gone through the fire, so, you know, we’re looking for their leadership to set the tone . . . and be the ones who step up and do things for us.”
Kyle.Constable@UConn.edu
By Danny Maher Staff Writer
The UConn baseball team kicks off the 2013 season with the first of three early-season weekend trips to Florida. The Huskies will battle a pair of Big Ten schools from Indiana, beginning with a game against Purdue on Friday at 4 p.m. Then UConn will face Indiana University at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Huskies will complete the three-game weekend with another game against the Boilermakers on Sunday at 1 p.m. UConn Coach Jim Penders returns five starters from Preview last year’s team that finished 31-27-1, but lost back-to-back one-run games to South Florida in the Big East Semifinals. Senior outfielder Billy Ferriter and LJ Mazzilli are the only remaining starters from the 2011 squad that advanced to the Super Regionals, one round away from the College World Series in Omaha. Mazzilli was named the Preseason Big East Player of the Year after returning for his senior season despite being selected in the ninth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by Minnesota Twins. Mazzilli recorded a .339 batting average and a .404 on-base percentage to go along with 81 hits, nine home runs and 38 RBIs last season. Mazzilli is also a Preseason All-American named by Collegiate Baseball News, Perfect Game USA and Baseball America. Ferriter led the team with 24 stolen bases last season. His 76 hits during the season were second on the team only behind Mazzilli.
BASEBALL
FILE PHOTO/The Daily Campus
UConn junior infielder Tom Verdi swings at a pitch during a UConn baseball game played at J.O. Christian Field during last season.
» HOOSIERS, page 10
‘Nova travels from Philly to face Huskies
By TJ Souhlaris Staff Writer
On the heels of an uplifting upset that enervated No.6 Syracuse in front of an electric and energetic home crowd in Hartford on Wednesday, the UConn men’s basketball team will focus on another Big East rival as it takes on Villanova on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center. The win meant enough to Coach Kevin Ollie to write an e-mail to all UConn students on Thursday thanking the students for attending the game. “I want to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our UConn students who came to [the] game with Syracuse,” the e-mail read. “Thank you for standing, yelling and letting everyone know whose house they were in! When we needed a push
you gave it to us.” and Syracuse. Although The rivalry with the Orange UConn is banned from the Big has ended for the foreseeable East Tournament, a regular seafuture because Syracuse is son title would mean “everydefecting to the ACC in 2013- thing” to the team, according to 14. UConn is also sophomore guard ineligible for the Ryan Boatright. Big East and NCAA “We knew that tournament due to a they would try to substandard APR, so take everything the Huskies believed from us and bury that beating Syracuse us,” Boatright was similar to winsaid. “The best ning a title game. thing we can do “The big games to show them is Preview that we face, we call to win the regular them our championseason title.” ship games because we can’t go The Huskies aren’t the only to the post-season,” freshman team vying for supremacy in guard Omar Calhoun said after the Big East. Pittsburgh and the victory. Notre Dame are only a halfWith the 66-58 home victory game behind the top triumvion Wednesday, UConn (17-6 rate, while Louisville is sitting overall, 7-4 in Big East) is only one game back of first place one game behind conference alongside UConn. leaders Georgetown, Marquette In total, there are nine Big
MEN’S BASKETBALL
East teams fewer than two games out of first place. Villanova (15-10, 6-6) is toward the bottom of the conference table, but an away win against UConn would give them a winning record in the Big East. Ollie implored the students in the e-mail to get to the remaining four games this season— two at the XL Center, two at Gampel Pavilion—because the team needs the students “with us running down the home stretch.” “I and others have said that because we have no postseason, we’re playing for each other and that makes a difference,” the e-mail reads. “The bigger part is we’re playing for you. We’re playing for the love of UConn. We’re ten toes in now to the finish line. Our student section is our 6th man
every game day.” The Wildcats are led by sophomore forward JayVaughn Pinkston, who puts up 12.5 points per game, and senior big man Mouphtaou Yarou, who averages 9 points and 7 rebounds per contest. UConn won 73-70 last season’s overtime thriller between the two teams in Philadelphia. Villanova guard Ty Johnson made a layup with just a few ticks left in overtime to tie the game at 70 and nearly guarantee a second extra period. After Johnson’s basket, however, UConn guard Shabazz Napier swished a shot from nearly half-court to put UConn up three points with 0.6 seconds left in the game, ensuring the victory for the Huskies.
Thomas.Souhlaris@UConn.edu
Rutgers must come before the task of Griner By Tyler Morrissey Associate Sports Editor National attention may be on Monday’s women’s basketball showdown between No. 3 UConn and No. 1 Baylor, but the Huskies must first travel to New Jersey for a Big East matchup against Rutgers. The Huskies (23-1, 10-1 Big East) are coming off a 10549 win over the Providence Friars on Tuesday night. Junior center Stefanie Dolson scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds, once again asserting her role as one of the most consistent players on the floor this year for UConn. “I think Stefanie has certainly become maybe the most important player on our team and that’s because she can do so many things to help our team win,” Coach Geno Auriemma said. “Going into game like Saturday at Rutgers and Monday, having someone like her makes all the difference in the world.”
Dolson has been successful in her career against Rutgers, averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game against the Scarlet Knights. One of the challenges for UConn facing Rutgers this weekend is looking ahead to their matchup with No. 1 Baylor on Monday at the XL Center. “We just have to go game by game,” Dolson said. “We know Rutgers is coming up and they’re the first team we have to focus on and prepare for. The older guys just have to make sure that the younger guys aren’t trying to skip ahead to the Baylor game and make sure they are only focused on this game.” Sophomore forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is also coming off a strong performance against Providence, leading the team in scoring on Tuesday night with 17 points. Her ability to shoot from behind the arc is undeniable and will be one of the keys for the Huskies to leave New
Jersey with a victory. Rutgers is coming off a tough 60-57 loss to DePaul on Tuesday night, as Coach C. Vivian Stringer searches for her 900th career victory. The Scarlet Knights are 14-9 overall on the season and 5-5 in Big East play. Rutgers is led by their leading scorer Monique Oliver, who averages 10.3 points per game. The other offensive weapon for Rutgers is their leading three-point shooter Erica Wheeler. Wheeler has made 28 percent of her shots from behind the arc this season and is averaging 10.2 points a game. UConn holds a 29-6 lead in the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights, and the Huskies have not lost to Rutgers since 2008. Tip-off between Rutgers and UConn is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be seen live on SNY.
Tyler.Morrissey@UConn.edu
JESS CONDON/The Daily Campus
UConn guard Caroline Doty goes to pass the ball during a UConn women’s basketball game. This weekend, the Huskies face Rutgers.