The Daily Campus: February 18, 2014

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 FOCUS

SPORTS

London Fashion Week gets eccentric start

Shabazz Napier enjoying success in senior season

Presidential task force making progress on addressing sexual assault

page 5

page 12

page 4

COMMENTARY

NEWS

New England hit with another winter blast page 2

Changes to STEM programs Tax coming with next generation help on Volume CXX No. 82

Storrs, Conn.

Professors and administrators disagree about how to use funds

JOHN KULAKOFSKY/The Daily Campus

In this photo lab technician Ann Marie Carroll, a recent UConn graduate, is working in the lab of Dr. Richard Jones of UConn’s physics department.

By Julia Werth Staff Writer From the 200 new faculty and 3,300 more undergraduate students in the STEM fields, to a new research complex and science Learning Community dorm, Next Generation Connecticut is focused on providing the people and equipment to promote economic development in Connecticut.

“We [Uconn] is in Connecticut, we serve

Connecticut” said president Susan Herbst.

Through Next Generation, Herbst says UConn is hoping to recruit “the best students no matter where they are from because people who get their degree in Connecticut are more likely to stay here, get a good job and contribute back by paying taxes here.”

“UConn needs to be an economic driver for the state. The

more engineers and scientists we produce, the more companies we will have, and the more taxes will come in. It’s all about economic development,” said Herbst.

Although Next Generation is still in its early stages, having just been approved this past June, a few goals for the $1.5 billion have been decided upon – expansion of STEM disciplines at the UConn Storrs

Campus, relocation of the Hartford branch campus and the option of student housing at UConn Stamford.

Expansion of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields at UConn Storrs, however, will likely take the majority of the program’s resources.

With so many different disciplines covered under the STEM umbrella Herbst says

“we will have to narrow our focus, building on our current strengths like material sciences and additive manufacturing.”

The Vice President for Research Dr. Jeff Seemann, agreed with Herbst, saying, “the goal is to pick several areas in which we already have significant strengths to focus on for the next decade, allowing us to build areas of extraordinary strength.”

Building strength in these fields means hiring new faculty who will expand UConn’s research, as well as providing them with the space and equipment they need to make progress.

Next Generation funds will play a huge role in the “space” segment of this initiative. “Our labs are pretty out of date, the roofs are leaking, and some of the equipment our faculty need can’t even fit in our current facilities,” said Stephanie Reitz the University spokesperson.

Both Reitz and Herbst say that these space requirements are likely to be met with a brand new research complex rather than renovations to what UConn already has. The out of date labs, like those in the Edward V. Grant Science

» TWO, page 2

A day in the life: track athlete and honors student

By Julia Werth Staff Writer The normal day of an athlete is a never ending rush between practices, classes, medical treatment and homework.

Emi Kanyo, a 2nd – semester chemistry major, is a high jumper on the women’s track and field team in addition to being an honors student with a heavy course load – organic chemistry and Biology 1107 included.

Kanyo’s regular day begins with morning treatments at Gampel – basically a physical therapy session – from 7 to 8 a.m. When any Husky athlete gets injured, they begin their recovery “with everyday treatments and then as you get better it goes to once or twice a week,” said Kanyo, who is recovering from an ankle sprain.

Next, Kanyo rushes off to classes, which start for her at 9 a.m. everyday.

Practice starts at 3 p.m.

Monday through Friday which can be difficult for Kanyo.

“Organic chemistry lecture ends at 3:15 and Wednesday I have an afternoon bio lab so I’m often late to practice,” said Kanyo. But thankfully her coaches are understanding.

“They know we are students before athletes,” said Kanyo.

Making a schedule with the hours from 3 to 6 p.m. mostly

free is quite a challenge as any student who has attempted to use Student Admin to just allow them an extra hour of sleep in the morning or a lunch break at noon instead of 4 p.m. can attest to.

For this reason, all the athletes at UConn are provided with a Grade First account.

Through this account they each get assistance with making their class schedule as well as the option of a tutor for any of their classes that they are struggling with.

“Basically there are a lot of people to help you integrate the two parts of your life – student and athlete,” said Kanyo.

But when she is at practice it’s a constant go, go, go for three hours, and it’s all about track.

As a field event athlete, her daily routine includes a warm up, running, weight lifting and a lot of technique work.

Technique that to truly master requires more than three hours per day, five days a week.

Last semester, before the ankle injury, Kanyo would have “technique focused individual practices two to three times a week.”

Scheduling these sessions requires the athletes to be in constant contact with their coach. “The times change every week, so it was pretty normal for my coach to just text me the night before that I

LINDSAY COLLIER/The Daily Campus

UConn women’s track team distance runners compete in an invitational meet in the spring 2013 season.

have a morning practice,” said Kanyo.

The enormous time commitment required of student athletes at UConn prevents many from doing anything besides school and sports.

“I would join clubs, but I don’t have time for them because of my work load,”

said Kanyo. She had been interested in joining Jump Start, a children’s tutoring group on campus, but they meet at the same time as track.

But in Kanyo’s mind all of the stress, the lack of sleep and the inability to participate in other student organizations is worth it. “I think it’s fun,

you make a lot of new friends and connections. It’s your team and you compete with them. I just like to compete and do what I love at a high level.”

Julia.Werth@UConn.edu

Snow 4 - 6 inches

12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m

Love Guru: The LGBT Edition

MCB Tuesday Seminar: Guoji Guo, Harvard Medical School

Sing your Song: An evening with Harry Belafonte

Bio-Physics Building, 130

Laurel Hall, 102

Rainbow Center, Student Union

By Melissa Rosenblatt Campus Correspondent

If the day hasn’t come yet where you have to do your own taxes, it will come sooner rather than later. Many students either have their parents fill out their tax forms or do not have a job that requires filling out taxes. But whether it is while still in college or after graduation, students will soon have to start submitting their own tax forms and there are plenty of ways to get this done painlessly.

VITA, or volunteer income tax assistance, is a program at UConn that provides students with tax assistance when filling out their forms for tax refunds.

In order to be a “preparer” or help students with their taxes, you must be an accounting major that has taken the federal income tax class offered at UConn. In addition to taking this class, preparers have training sessions in order to be able to help students to their best ability. And for good measure, more experienced members, or “reviewers,” examine all tax forms. VITA’s members are not paid and can earn up to one accounting credit.

“Last year we were able to file 575 tax returns for students,” said Leah DeLorenzo, an 8th semester accounting major and president of Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting and finance fraternity on campus, “and this year we have even more preparers enrolled in VITA in hopes to continue our success and exceed last year’s numbers.”

After graduation there are also many cheap and easy options for filing your taxes.

There are plenty of software programs that can assist you in completing your taxes in time for the April 15th deadline.

The Today Show money blog recently shared picks from cheapism.com on the best free federal tax software. Among their picks were TaxAct, H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA and ESmart Tax. These four programs are all free to 18-52 year olds who make less than $58,000. Each of these programs is unique but accomplish the same goal of filing your yearly taxes trouble-free.

TaxAct offers its customers video tutorials and the ability to email tax professionals. H&R Block provides “an expert who recommends free software points,” which often eases the mind of stressed tax filers.

FreeTaxUSA is the most straightforward software and accommodates many circumstances including “selfemployment, homeownership, [and] dependents.” ESmart Tax comes equipped with audit support and is backed by Liberty Tax Service, which has many stores nationwide.

Melissa.Rosenblatt@UConn.edu

At UConn today

High: 34 Low: 22

the way

4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Three Minute Thesis Informational Whetten Graduate Center, 200

New England hit with another winter blast The Daily Campus, Page 2

News

AP

Workers clears snow from the sidewalk outside a business Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014, in the Boston suburb of Hudson, Mass. Another round of snow made its way into the Northeast on the heels of a storm that brought snow and ice to the East Coast, caused at least 25 deaths and left hundreds of thousands without power.

BOSTON (AP) — The latest blast of snow to hit New England dumped more than a

foot in part of Massachusetts and packed heavy winds that left thousands without power

Sunday on Cape Cod. Coastal areas in Maine and south of Boston appeared to

get the worst of the storm overnight. In Massachusetts, 15 inches of snow was reported in Sandwich and 10 inches was reported in New Bedford and Plymouth.

Wind gusts of more than 50 mph were reported Saturday night on Cape Cod, where utility NStar said fewer than 1,000 customers were without power early Monday morning. Crews from Connecticut crossed into Massachusetts to help fix the power outages after more than 13,000 customers started the morning without power.

“When they called us, they said, ‘pack five days’ worth of clothes,” lineman Dan Buchanan told NECN-TV. “Whatever it takes.”

In Maine, 17 inches of snow was reported in Hancock, and 16.7 in Eastport, the easternmost city in the U.S. The Department of Transportation said it deployed 375 trucks statewide at the height of the storm Saturday night.

In Rhode Island, transportation officials warned drivers to expect difficult travel conditions through the Monday morning commute, blaming

White House: Stimulus bill was good for economy

AP

This Feb. 17, 2009 file photo shows President Barack Obama picking up the first pen to sign the economic stimulus bill during a ceremony in the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver. The White House says a costly spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law five years ago Monday was good for the economy and helped the U.S. avoid another Great Depression.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.

(AP) — The costly $787 billion spending bill that President Barack Obama signed into law soon after taking office boosted the economy and helped avoid another Great Depression, the White House said in a status report on Monday’s fifth anniversary of the law’s enactment.

Republican leaders in Congress took note of the anniversary, too, but argued that the bill spent too much for too little in return.

White House economic adviser Jason Furman said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act made other targeted investments that will pay dividends for years to come.

By itself, the stimulus bill saved or created an average of 1.6 million jobs a year for four years through the end of 2012,

Furman said in a White House blog post.

Half of the total fiscal support for the economy, or about $689 billion, from the recovery act and subsequent measures was in the form of tax cuts directed mostly at families. The remainder was spent on such things as rebuilding roads and bridges, preventing teacher layoffs and providing temporary help for people who lost their jobs or needed other assistance because of the poor economy.

The report said recovery act spending will have a positive effect on long-run growth, boost the economy’s potential output and ultimately offset much of the law’s initial cost.

More than 40,000 miles of roads and more than 2,700 bridges have been upgraded, nearly

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700 drinking water systems serving more than 48 million people have been brought into compliance with federal clean water standards and high-speed Internet was introduced to about 20,000 community institutions.

“While these figures are substantial, they still nevertheless understate the full magnitude of the administration’s response to the crisis,” Furman wrote.

He noted that the report focused solely on the effects of fiscal legislation. It did not evaluate other administration policies that aided the recovery, such as stabilizing the financial system, rescuing the auto industry and supporting the housing sector.

Republicans were in less of a mood to celebrate.

“The ‘stimulus’ has turned out to be a classic case of big prom-

ises and big spending with little results,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a written statement. “Five years and hundreds of billions of dollars later, millions of families are still asking ‘Where are the jobs?’”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued that Obama could put the nation’s finances on a more solid footing and create jobs by taking steps to roll back regulations and finally approve the Keystone XL pipeline project from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

“Five years later, the stimulus is no success to celebrate,” said McConnell. “It is a tragedy to lament.”

Furman said the economy is “undoubtedly in a stronger position” because it has grown for 11 straight months, although not at a pace that would be considered robust. Businesses have also added 8.5 million jobs since early 2010. Obama initially sold the stimulus as an investment that would produce a dramatic decrease in unemployment that ultimately did not materialize.

Unemployment remains high, at 6.6 percent in January, though it has fallen considerably since reaching double-digit highs early in Obama’s administration. Some of the decline, however, is due to people dropping out of the workforce. People aren’t considered unemployed if they aren’t looking for work.

“While far more work remains to ensure that the economy provides opportunity for every American, there can be no question that President Obama’s actions to date have laid the groundwork for stronger, more sustainable economic growth in the years ahead,” Furman said.

Obama planned to discuss the economy Tuesday at a suburban Washington distribution center for the Safeway grocery store chain. On Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden will mark the recovery act’s fifth anniversary during a visit to America’s Central Port in Granite City, Ill.

strained road salt supplies that forced them to apply only a limited amount ahead of the storm.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said it was applying sand for traction on roadways that were left covered with snow and ice, but that roads were likely to refreeze Sunday night and black ice was likely. Rhode Island received between 3 and 8 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Toronto has called an extreme cold weather alert as the temperature was expected to drop to minus-5 on Sunday night. The alert, in effect until further notice, was called to trigger additional services for the homeless. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in parts of Newfoundland were warning residents only to venture out in emergencies because of whiteout driving conditions.

The weekend snowstorm comes on the heels of an earlier storm that blanketed the East Coast with snow and ice, caused at least 25 deaths and left hundreds of thousands without power.

New law orders snow off vehicles

HARTFORD (AP) — A new law requiring motorists to remove snow and ice from their vehicles has become a new source of revenue for Connecticut.

The Connecticut Post reports that state police are aggressively ticketing drivers who ignore the so-called “ice missile” law.

Since the law took effect Jan. 1, state police have issued at least 230 tickets to truckers and motorists who were driving snow-covered vehicles. At $120 per summons that amounts to $27,600 in tickets in a month and a half.

The fine is $75, plus $45 in various surcharges , With 12 significant snowstorms already this winter, motorists are getting plenty of practice removing snow. The job is often complicated by freezing rain and low temperatures.

Mike Riley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, which represents 900 companies with truck drivers, said it’s hard enough to remove frozen snow and ice from a car. Trucks, with high cabs and thin trailer roofs, are even more difficult, he said.

“We don’t have a good solution to this,” he said.

Some companies have made available large swinging brushes to push snow off. Trucking companies have sold 200 roof rakes intended for trucks, Riley said.

“That seems to be a temporary low-tech solution,” he said.

“It’s almost impossible to get all of it off, and people should not be penalized for a small amount.”

The law was passed in 2010 but was delayed to Jan. 1, 2014, to allow the public to become aware of the regulation and for trucking companies to develop ways to remove snow.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Two tracks of faculty suggested from CHANGES, page 1

Complex, will be turned into offices and classrooms.

Hiring the faculty to expand UConn’s STEM programs and use these new buildings will be a much longer and more complicated process than it may appear. “Hiring a professor is a yearlong process. A group of faculty search for someone who does something very specific from anywhere across the nation,” Herbst said.

That “something very specific” is research. The 259 new faculty members that will be hired with Next Generation funding will not be hired for being excellent teachers, they will be hired because they have made and are making significant progress in a specific field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.

Most professors in these fields only teach one or two classes.

Jeffrey McCutcheon, a professor in the department of chemical engineering, said, “Our (professor’s) promotion and merit raises are not related to our teaching, they are related to research. This makes our classes and email responses not as good.”

Some universities, including the University of Dayton, have come to see this research focus as a real negative for their undergraduates and developed three separate tracks of professors – Teaching emphasis, Scholarship emphasis, and Teacher-Scholar.

In this system, professors choose whether they want to focus primarily on educating the next generation (the teaching emphasis), whether they want to commit primarily to furthering their own research (scholarship emphasis), or whether they want to stick with the more traditional track and do a mixture, (the teacherscholar).

McCutcheon believes that new researchers are not what UConn needs to shape the next generation of Connecticut. The focus needs to be on teaching, not on research, when hiring new faculty.

According to Herbst however, “there is no plan to get any tenure track for teacher focused faculty.” If faculty members do not take part in research at UConn they cannot obtain tenure, permanent job security, and are called professors in-residence.

McCutcheon said, “If research is really the focus, ditch the students and become a national research institution, a school should be about education.”

Seemann, however, says the university hires faculty based on both criteria. He said, “We want great faculty who are great researchers and great scholars but also great teachers.”

It is the hope of many at UConn that the funding from Next Generation Connecticut will greatly enhance the University’s STEM disciplines, it is just the ‘how’ of making these advances that is still very much disagreed upon.

Julia.Werth@UConn.edu

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Train accidents stir worries about crude oil transport The Daily Campus, Page 3

News

AP

In this Nov. 6, 2013, file photo, a BNSF Railway train hauls crude oil near Wolf Point, Mont. With potentially-explosive shipments increasing 40-fold in recent years as North American crude production booms, the railroad industry, at the urging of the Obama administration and safety officials in the U.S. and Canada, is considering a closer look at the risks posed by trains that now carry hazardous liquids through every region of the country.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — At least 10 times since 2008, freight trains hauling oil across North America have derailed and spilled significant quantities of crude, with most of the accidents touching off fires or catastrophic explosions.

The derailments released almost 3 million gallons of oil, nearly twice as much as the largest pipeline spill in the U.S. since at least 1986. And the deadliest wreck killed 47 people in the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec.

Those findings, from an Associated Press review of U.S. and Canadian accident records, underscore a lesser-known danger of America’s oil boom, which is changing the global energy balance and raising urgent safety questions closer to home.

Experts say recent efforts to improve the safety of oil shipments belie an unsettling fact: With increasing volumes of crude now moving by rail, it’s become impossible to send oil-hauling trains to refineries without passing major population centers, where more lives and property are at risk.

Adding to the danger is the high volatility of the light, sweet crude from the fast-growing

Bakken oil patch in Montana and North Dakota, where many of the trains originate. Because it contains more natural gas than heavier crude, Bakken oil can have a lower ignition point. Of the six oil trains that derailed and caught fire since 2008, four came from the Bakken and each caused at least one explosion. That includes the accident at Lac-Megantic, which spilled an estimated 1.6 million gallons and set off a blast that levelled a large section of the town.

After recent fiery derailments in Quebec, Alabama, North Dakota and New Brunswick, companies and regulators in the U.S. and Canada are pursuing an array of potential changes such as slowing or rerouting trains, upgrading rupture-prone tank cars and bolstering fire departments. Company executives were expected to offer a set of voluntary safety measures in the coming days at the request of U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

“I’m absolutely positive the railway industry will come up with techniques to define how to minimize risk,” said Allan Zarembski who leads the railsafety program at the University of Delaware. “The key word is ‘minimize.’ You can’t eliminate

risk.”

Since 2008, the number of tanker cars hauling oil has increased 40-fold, and federal records show that’s been accompanied by a dramatic spike in accidental crude releases from tank cars. Over the next decade, rail-based oil shipments are forecast to increase from 1 million barrels a day to more than 4.5 million barrels a day, according to transportation officials.

By rail, it’s roughly 2,000 miles from the heart of the oil boom on the Northern Plains to some of the East Coast refineries that turn the crude into gasoline. Trains pulling several million gallons apiece must pass through metropolitan areas that include Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Some cities such as Chicago have belt railroads that divert freight traffic from the metropolitan core. But elsewhere, railroad representatives said, the best-maintained and safest track often runs directly through communities that were built around the railroad.

Trains sometimes have no option but to roll deep into populated areas. That’s the case in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Albany, N.Y., and Tacoma, Wash.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Her rent is due March 1, and Sheri Minkoff’s main concern right now is where the money will come from.

Minkoff has been unable to find a full-time job since she was laid off in January 2013 from a Pittsburgh-area domestic violence shelter where she had worked for about three years as an events coordinator.

Unemployment checks helped Minkoff survive her second layoff in five years, but the benefits ran out Dec. 28 when Congress failed to extend payments for the long-term unemployed — people who have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

“What am I going to do when my rent is due? I won’t have a place to sleep; I’m not being sarcastic — that’s the truth,” says Minkoff, 50, of Shadyside, who has searched for work without much luck.

She is one of an estimated 1.7 million long-term unemployed people nationwide and one of 91,000 in Pennsylvania

— a number that is growing weekly — who lost their main source of income when their extended benefits expired in December.

Their plight underscores the difficulty many Americans are facing as the economy recovers from the 2008 Great Recession.

The job market improved haltingly. The national unemployment rate is at 6.6 percent, but employment has struggled to get back to pre-recession levels. And some who have been out of work for a long time, such as Minkoff, are struggling to get rehired.

“People are not answering phones or replying to resumes,” says Minkoff. “It’s a daily effort, a combination of annoying your friends on Facebook, sending emails, going to the various websites you’re supposed to go to.

You’re told, ‘Do not call. Do not submit a letter.’ There’s no personal contact.”

Total long-term unemployed of 3.6 million represents more than one-third of the 10.2 mil-

lion out of work across the country. In Pennsylvania, the percentage is higher. About 40 percent of the unemployed were out of work for six months or more in September, the latest figures available.

President Obama has made helping them a priority. During his State of the Union address last month, he revealed an initiative to reform training and education programs. He received pledges from 300 companies, including Alcoa, Apple, American Airlines, Ford and General Motors, to give the long-term unemployed a “fair shot” at a job.

But that’s not an immediate help for Minkoff. She is in a panic over how to pay her everyday living expenses and her son’s college expenses without a job.

Aron, 20, a sophomore at Temple University, is attending school on grants and student loans.

“My debt grows every day as I struggle to pay the telephone and utility bills,” says Minkoff,

Experts say the explosive nature of Bakken oil derailments caught everyone off guard — from regulators to the railroads themselves.

“I don’t think people understood the potential for a problem if there were a derailment,” said Jason Kuehn, a former railroad executive and now vice president for the industry consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

A major accident was narrowly avoided last month in Philadelphia, where six tanker cars carrying oil derailed near the heart of the city on a bridge over the Schuylkill River. The CSX freight train had picked up North Dakota oil in Chicago and was headed for a refinery in South Philadelphia. Nothing was spilled, but the accident rattled nerves.

Sandy Folzer, a retired professor in Philadelphia, said she worries about oil cars travelling alongside commuter rails.

“During rush hour, I imagine there are a couple hundred people on each train,” Folzer said. “That scares me, that there’s explosive material so close to where commuters are.”

Proposals to route trains away from population centers are modeled on rules adopted after the 2001 terrorist attacks to restrict cargoes even more hazardous than oil — explosives, radioactive material and poisonous gases.

When the rules were being written, California regulators pushed their federal counterparts to include oil. But Transportation Department officials said they were “not persuaded.”

Federal safety officials say it’s time to reverse that decision, given the huge growth in tank cars carrying crude and ethanol, another flammable liquid involved in recent derailments and explosions.

The rules gave railroads broad discretion, and routing decisions are not automatically reviewed by regulators. But the Federal Railroad Administration is authorized to reject any routes found to be too risky. That has never happened since the rules took effect, said FRA Associate Administrator Kevin Thompson.

First night for ‘Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon Tuesday, February 18, 2014

AP

This April 4, 2013 file photo released by NBC shows Jimmy Fallon, host of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” in New York. Fallon will debut as host of his new show, “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” on Feb. 17.

NEW YORK (AP) — Little more than a week after exiting “Late Night,” Jimmy Fallon makes his much-anticipated debut Monday as host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” as the venerable TV institution returns to New York after four decades based on the West Coast.

Scheduled guests are U2 and Will Smith, with the show reclaiming Rockefeller Center’s Studio 6B, where “Tonight” aired during its early Johnny Carson years.

Fallon, who had hosted “Late Night” since 2009, moves up to the job Jay Leno held for much of the past 22 years until his recent departure from the “Tonight” host chair.

The 39-year-old Fallon first found stardom as a cast member and “Weekend Update” co-anchor on “Saturday Night Live.” He left “SNL” in 2004 to pursue a movie career, but

he was met with less success in that arena.

Despite the excitement surrounding his new “Tonight” stint (much of it expressed by Fallon himself), he has also emphasized that “Tonight” under his regime won’t be notably different from the show his “Late Night” had evolved into.

Although airing an hour earlier than “Late Night” (but this week seen at a special time, midnight Eastern), “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will feature many of the same comic bits, the same house band, the Roots, and announcer-sidekick Steve Higgins.

Filling the vacancy left by Fallon at “Late Night” will be fellow “SNL” alum Seth Meyers, who signs on as host next Monday, with Fred Armisen, yet another former “SNL”-er, as band leader.

but seemingly positive results have masked disappointing signs. The state’s jobless rate dropped to 6.9 percent in December from 7.3 percent in November, but it fell because residents stopped looking for work and were not counted as unemployed. Also troubling was that employers shed 11,400 jobs.

Ken Love, 61, of Plum is one of those still looking for work. He was laid off in April from Light of Life Rescue Mission on the North Side, where he worked since 2009 as an employment coordinator, helping others to get jobs. He said he has about 20 resumes out, but hasn’t heard anything, thinking his age might be working against him.

Love’s primary skill is as a tool and die maker, which he used at former General Motors’ Fisher Body plant in West Mifflin for 25 years. He left in 2006. He says his vision was to devote his time to a second calling: he’s the pastor at the Kerr Presbyterian Church in

Penn Hills. But membership has declined from 200 about 20 years ago, to about 50 now, so his income is inconsistent.

Love used up his state unemployment benefits, and had just started to receive federal benefits when they expired in December, he said.

“I’m eating up all my savings,” Love says. “First thing, we pay the mortgage, before groceries and utilities. Now some bills wait until the second week, and some the third week.

We have to rob Peter to pay Paul.”

His income includes $600 a month from a GM pension. “I was going to wait until I was 65 but because of my financial situation, I signed up to take it last year,” he said.

His wife, Darlene, 59, works as a tax consultant at H&R Block at the Monroeville Mall from Dec. 1 to April 15, earning about $1,000 a month, he said. They have been talking about Darlene finding a summer job this year for the first time.

Daily life a struggle for long-term jobless

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who has raised her son by herself since a divorce when he was young.

Minkoff won’t say how much she received weekly in unemployment benefits but she said it was just enough to pay her rent — “nothing else — not food, utilities, college, haircuts, medication or anything you need, not gas or eating out.”

State benefits average $350 weekly and extended payments for the long-term unemployed, which kick in when those are exhausted, average $250.

The extended benefits have been caught up in Washington politics. On Feb. 5, the Senate blocked an effort to renew emergency unemployment insurance. Obama and Democrats pushed for an extension, arguing that people still needed help because the job market and economy have not fully recovered.

Republicans wanted spending cuts to offset the impact on the federal deficit.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has been improving,

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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Daily Campus

Editorial Board

Kimberly Wilson, Editor-in-Chief Kayvon Ghoreshi, Commentary Editor Kristi Allen, Associate Commentary Editor Daniel Gorry, Weekly Columnist Victoria Kallsen, Weekly Columnist Gregory Koch, Weekly Columnist

» EDITORIAL

Presidential task force making progress on addressing sexual assaults

E

arlier this month, Susan Herbst announced the findings of her Task Force on Civility and Campus Culture and the recommendations she would be implementing. UConn will be taking a number of steps to improve campus culture as a whole and combat sexual violence.

The new steps to address sexual assault include a bystander training program for all students, increased drug and alcohol education, more sexul violence and relationship programs and, most importantly, the creation of a single office to deal with claims of sexual assault.

The office will serve as a “central point of contact” for students who are victims of crimes on campus and help them navigate the complicated framework for dealing with these crimes. There will also be staff members who are specifically charged with dealing with cases of sexual assault.

This new office is a good step forward for the university in addressing sexual assault. A more simple and sensible system for dealing with these issues was sorely needed. One of the main complaints of victims in the Title IX case made public this fall was the confusing, inadequate system for addressing sexual assault.

Students were unsure where to go or were bounced back and forth between departments with minimal communication.

The new office should help minimize these issues and put the focus on students who need help. Victims will have a specific office on campus to turn to instead of trying to get a number of departments with other duties to address their claims.

The new office sends a message that UConn understands that campus sexual assault is a real problem and is serious about addressing it. Now, the university needs to make sure the office is up and running soon and that it functions well. They run the risk of adding another layer of bureaucracy to an already complicated system if the office doesn’t do its job. Likewise, the other new programs should be implemented in a timely manor.

UConn is taking real action to address the issue of sexual violence on campus. Hopefully, the new programs will help prevent sexual assault and the new office will make it easier for victims of sexual assault to come forward and have their claims addressed.

I need a phonemic alphabet.

The worst is when you get into bed to go to sleep and realize you’re actually starving... ...and then fall asleep dreaming of breakfast.

Can I make a movie made entirely of stock photos/footage or would that be too “indie movie?”

This isn’t a timely response, but as someone else who has had dozens upon dozens of Instant Daily submissions, stop trying to brag about having ‘’over 100’’ What does Susan know about snow, didn’t she come from Georgia? They can’t even handle flurries down there.

Caffeine is a helluva drug “Always try to set a good example for others... by going out on Tuesday night.”

My teacher is trying to get us to go to a rally in DC and get arrested. I mean, I guess. #XLDissent Write my coat check number on my hand so I know it’s real.

Send us your thoughts on anything and everything by sending an instant message to InstantDaily, Sunday through Thursday evenings. Follow us on Twitter (@InstantDaily) and become fans on Facebook.

The four wives of AMC:

What you should hate about Lori, Skylar, Megan and Betty This article contains mild spoilers for “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

S

ince 2007, AMC bucked its trend of “American Movie Classics” and presented “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.” With three strong shows redefining critical and popular success for the network, strong anti-heroes such as Rick Grimes, Walter White and Don Draper have emerged.

Through powerful characterization, we have championed these strong male characters whose existence comes at the ultimate expense of their

By Victoria Kallsen female comWeekly Columnist panions: Lori Grimes, Skylar White, Megan Draper and Betty Draper. We’ve failed them through defamatory language and neglecting to assign proper blame to the creative team behind the characters themselves.

As Skylar White’s actress explains in NY Times, “As the one character who consistently opposes Walter and calls him on his lies, Skylar is, in a sense, his antagonist.” What we should also realize is that these antagonistic actions are normal human reactions. Lori, believing her husband to be long dead and needing protection for her son in the wake of a zombie apocalypse, submits to the advances of Shane. Betty demands a divorce after

years of infidelity and lies including the fact her husband has been living under a false identity for years. Skylar oscillates between leaving and helping Walt in the wake of numerous deceptions and the revelation of his criminal activity. Megan doesn’t deserve to be left at a motel for disliking orange sherbet and then thrown to the ground and attacked later at her apartment by her husband. Because of our fixation with the success of Rick, Walter and Don, we forget that a majority of their wives’ actions are either making the best of situation or in protection of their children.

In this sense, we’re shielding these men from the “bitchiness” of their wives who unfairly hamper their meth-cooking, cheating and zombie-killing lifestyles.

The infidelities, murders and crimes of our anti-heroes pale in comparison the women’s affairs and schemes. Words like nag, gold-digger and whore are tossed out. It’s easy to point fingers at the faults of their wives while grading these antiheroes on a completely differently scale.

Fans tend to point out the infidelities of Lori, Skylar and Betty while glossing over those of Don Draper. We’re angry with female characterization, but we’re not asking the real questions about why they suck. We’re not contemplating why we’ve been left with this as our “strong female character.”

To me, Megan always stank of a “Mary Sue” characterization – a wish fulfillment character who suddenly appeared on the scene to earn the love of a male character and was simply perfect at everything.

Irritation should be directed at the writers who failed to properly develop the character before she arrived to whisk away the eligible bachelor. Instead of being angry with the wives, instead of calling them

fat, instead of threatening the actresses who portray them, ask yourself who is really behind the decision to have Lori try to take a bunch of Plan B pills to try and get rid of her pregnancy? The creative team who created such a weak and pliable character in order to enhance the anti-hero of the tale.

Does it have to be this way? Uh, no.

Anti-heroes Spike and Angel made many questionable moral decisions without having to belittle Buffy Summers. Buffy is completely able to and willing to kill both of her vampire loves (and actually does so at one point) in order to save the world, compared to Skylar, who ends the series in near poverty and depleted of all hope and energy, and still doesn’t turn her husband in even though it may mean prison time for her. Contrary to popular belief, a strong female character doesn’t often lead to underdeveloped male counterparts.

Megan, Betty, Skylar and Lori have been the source of disappointment for myself and several fans over the course of their shows, though for different reasons. The hatred has been in many cases exaggerated and worst of all, too few are asking how can we change this. Why are we in such a great decade of anti-heroes, yet television still struggles to provide a female Walter White? Shouldn’t we be disappointed that some of the best shows of the decade leave Skylar, Betty and Megan as their examples of female representation? The age of anti-heroes shouldn’t have to exist at the expense of women beside them, and the blame is best directed at their creators.

 Victoria.Kallsen@UConn.edu  6th-semester mechanical engineering  @Oh_Vicki

NFL teams shy away from Sam’s spotlight, not his sexuality

T

he media’s degree of influence should be greeted with wariness due to its ability to make or break an organization or person. Michael Sam’s announcement about his sexuality is a prime example of how the media can influence the tone of the nation.

Since the statement, an increase in scrutiny has

By Jesseba Fernando been placed Staff Columnist on the NFL’s draft standings for players, specifically Sam. His drop in draft rankings correlating with his recent announcement of his sexuality has given the media cause to rally behind; however, in this NFL draft, a man’s sexuality usurps his talent in the media’s spotlight.

Despite 65 other players affected by the rankings update, Sam dropping to 160 from 90 in the projected draft rankings was enough for the media to question whether his sexuality had caused the drop.

However, not many report how undersized Sam is to be a pass rusher in the NFL at 6-feet-2, 255 pounds. He isn’t built like most defensive ends and has a similar body type to an outside linebacker. After his

position change from defensive end to linebacker during the Senior Bowl, many scouts and assistant coaches noted his rigidity and inability to react quickly.

His performance wasn’t indicative of an SEC Defensive Player of the Year during the Senior Bowl as one talent evaluator stated “(In the Senior Bowl), he didn’t play up to his rating or the honors received.”

An assistant personnel man believes 90 percent of teams were already aware of Sam’s sexuality before the announcement. While many believe his drop in the draft may be due to his sexuality, I believe it is because of the media attention Sam is drawing. An NFL assistant coach shared that Sam’s decision “was not a smart move” and may “legitimately affect (his) potential earnings.” Sam isn’t the first gay player in the NFL – just the first to be open about it. He is the first to invite media attention to his sexuality.

By turning a bright spotlight on himself and his potential team, he is providing a distraction for his teammates. A former general manager tells Sports Illustrated, “Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the media is going to show up, from Good Housekeeping to The Today Show. A general manager is

going to ask, ‘Why are we going to do that to ourselves?’” It is doubtful the NFL wants a rerun of The Tebow Effect. More than 200 media members, including 30 television stations covered Tebow’s introductory press conference at the Jets’ indoor practice field. His teammates grew annoyed by the incessant questions about a role player. The Jets’ cut ties with Tebow after one season to rid them of the unwanted media attention.

Another example of negative media attention is Dan Snyder, majority owner of the Washington Redskins. After the publication of “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder” followed by a lawsuit that was dropped – it is safe to say Dan Snyder is far from well liked. In October 2009, his managerial style was criticized while the Wall Street Journal questioned his leadership style.

Apparently, the Redskins’ popularity fell after Snyder took over.

On top of the current opposition, at least 76 news outlets have publicly stated their opposition to the Washington Redskins’ name or have called for a ban of the derogatory term. Twentyfour news outlets or journalists no longer use the term. Twelve news organizations have policies restricting it or banning the

name. With this much attention brought to it, President Obama said he opposed the name while congressmen asked Snyder to change the name. All this builds up to the negative light shed on Snyder who took over the franchise after John Kent Cooke.

Cooke shares Snyder’s opinion on keeping the name but the media does not focus on him.

The media has a great deal of influence on this nation. The NFL may be wary of this influence and in which direction it will sway. The media’s affinity toward hot-button topics such as homosexuality and race can be manipulated towards personal gain for the afflicted. Sam may have dropped in the draft rankings for legitimate reasons regarding his talent. However, it would be a shame if the negative attention the NFL receives from the media helps boost him back up. The only time football teams want the media to focus on them is during the Super Bowl.

They may have also dropped Sam just to avoid the inevitable follow-ups that everyone will want from the first openly gay player in the NFL after he has been drafted by a team.

 Jesseba.Fernando @UConn.edu

 4th-semester biology major

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

BORN ON THIS DATE

1885 Mark Twain publishes his famous – and famously controversial – novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.’

www.dailycampus.com

1933 - Yoko Ono 1954 - John Travolta 1965 - Dr. Dre 1968 - Molly Ringwald

The Daily Campus, Page 5

London Fashion Week gets eccentric start Tuesday, February 18, 2014

By Ellie Hudd Campus Correspondent

The fashion community wasted no time after the close of New York Fashion Week this past Thursday, moving quickly to London for another fast-paced week of shows. Though London Fashion Week effectively started on Thursday, many of its more famous designers presented their fall collections on Sunday and Monday. London, perhaps the most eccentric and varied of the four fashion weeks, also carries the least star power, allowing the big names it does feature even more prominence.

Mary Katrantzou featured maxi skirts in tones like lavender, dusty blue and oxblood, effectively using these tones as neutrals to balance the gaudy prints on top. The strong point of the collection was its more minimalist pleated dresses in dual-toned color schemes, which utilized the uneven hemlines that are quickly becoming a fall runway trend.

The second half of the collection featured skirts and dresses with uneven hemlines and metallic snake-print accents that would make appropriate standouts at a formal event.

British luxury brand Mulberry, famous for coveted handbags like the “Alexa” (designed with Alexa Chung in mind) and the “Del Rey” (inspired by singer Lana) presented some of their new fall wares against a set reminiscent of an enchanted forest.

Model Cara Delevingne, the face of the brand’s recent print ads, playfully presented the collection, looking dramatic in a white dress against a dark blue backdrop.

Temperley London, meanwhile, featured delicate baroque-

Why aren’t books pop culture?

AP

A model wears a design created by Tom Ford during London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2014, at Lindley Hall in central London, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014.

style patterns in royal blue and gray on bell-shaped skirts.

Dramatic scarves wrapped thickly at the neck also dominated the first third of the show, nicely accenting the shorter shapes of the clothing. The second third of the show featured maxi skirts in similar patterns that incorporated orange-reds and orchids.

The final third of the collection moved into crisper lines with patterns in black and neutral, tones which went on to provide the backdrops for blooming florals in chartreuse and orange.

In contrast, designer Christopher Kane favored allblack ensembles with contrasting textures on androgynous-looking

models with wet-looking hair and simple makeup. While some of the shinier black textures came off plastic-y and awkward, some of the individual pieces in the collection, like the occasional leather skirt and neutral sweater, were quite wearable. A few of the skirts and dresses in the middle, featuring photorealistic floral detailing, were a highlight.

Erdem embraced dresses in classic black and ivory with lasered cutouts for the first part of the show. Though the cutouts added some interest, the silhouettes were alternatively frumpy and odd with very little room in between, and the neutral tones of the dresses looked

more dramatic against the red carpet runway than they would anywhere else. The second part of the show moved away from the cutouts and dull silhouettes into more modern shapes, glossy textures, and metallic detailing, rendering some of the designs more wearable than those of the first segment.

Finally, Burberry Prorsum emphasized patterned variations on its signature trench, only some of which could successfully pare down the eccentric florals at play in the beginning of the show. The line quickly hit its stride, however, toning down the wild patterns to just a few tones each and using them

on long, flowy, uneven hemlines. Several of the styles were belted at the waist to balance out the volume at the bottom half. As is typical for the brand, the show heavily featured British models, and the brand’s recent star, Cara Delevingne, closed the show wearing a blanket-as-poncho with her initials prominently woven into the fabric.

The fashion community will move to Milan on Wednesday for the Italian shows, which start with some of fashion’s biggest names, including Gucci, Fendi and Prada.

Eleanor.Hudd@UConn.edu

Spotlight on UConn veteran services Taekwondo club spotlight

By Ashley Maher Campus Correspondent

Image courtesy of veterans.uconn.edu

In this photo take from the UConn veterans website, UConn veterans stand beside the monument honoring veterans that have made the ultimate sacrifice.

By Emily Lewson Campus Correspondent The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) Information Center estimates that 78 percent of undergraduates attend college or university straight out of high school. This statistic shows that many students have taken an indirect route to higher education of which veterans make up a good proportion.

At UConn, veterans are set up for success; the Veterans Affairs and Military Programs office is a conduit of information, assistance and support.

Its staff members help with navigating military benefits, participate on committees throughout campus and help veterans in all areas of campus life.

“The office is a leader for its kind,” said Director Kris Perry. “It demonstrates the commitment by the university for this program, which is outstanding.”

The office supports approximately 900 veteran students and 300 veteran employees.

The average age of students is between 26 and 28. About 50 percent are married and 25 percent have one child or more, leading many to be commuter students who return home to families or other jobs after class. In fact, about half

attend UConn branches other than Storrs, which are all commuter schools.

To afford school, 90 percent of veterans are covered under either the Post-9/11 GI Bill, State National Guard Tuition or CT Combat Veteran Waver.

Depending on numerous factors including the nature or length of their service, the veterans receive varying levels of benefits. With these benefits, many of them will attend four or more colleges or universities. Although difficult to estimate exactly, the national graduation rate is suggested to be 72 percent, and UConn makes that cut.

“The pressure of the classroom is nothing like combat pressure many of our veterans have experienced,” said Perry, attributing veterans’ classroom success to their previous experiences.

While many perform at a respectable standard, veterans as a whole vary greatly.

“You can’t cookie cutter a veteran,” Perry said. “They both might have served but they are different people.”

When coming to UConn, the V.A.M.P. office does not distinguish veterans based on the branch they served in. On campus, veterans are a part of every school. They are engineers, pre-med, pre-law, English students or political scientists.

“Everyone who comes into

the military is a volunteer.

They come from all walks of life and all areas of the country, so it becomes a microcosm of society,” said Perry. “They [the military] take what comes in, which works because it takes all kinds to achieve success. The military values the benefits of diversity.”

The transition from military to civilian or student life is a process. Those fresh from service address superiors with “Yes, sir” or “No, ma’am” and they revel in the greater freedoms of civilian life.

Although not downplaying the illness whatsoever, Perry recited that only eight percent of returning servicemen and women suffer from PTSD. Therefore, veterans don’t need as much psychological counseling as suggested by the media.

“Our student veterans, as a group, are a happy, healthy, well-adjusted, mature and responsible subset of the talented group of students across UConn,” said Perry.

Although many don’t suffer from the mental illness, the V.A.M.P. office schedules social gatherings to promote a sense of community amongst the veterans. Luncheons provide a time to be together, sharing past stories as well as current experiences.

Another way to boost the sense of togetherness

» UCONN, page 7

Aside from being their own unique group, T-Huskies blends their diverse group of members to bring awareness and an appreciation for a culture that often goes overlooked. Sitting down with my cousin Garrett Grothe, a member of the T-Huskies, he was sure to make a distinction between the T-Huskies and the Taekwondo club team, which travels to take part in competitions with other schools.

“The T-Huskies do more performances, more acrobatics, fight scenes, skits and performances around campus,” said Grothe. “We still train in techniques that are applied in the self defense manner, but bring in modern twists. It’s meant to be a work out and get your blood pumping as well as a performance.”

The T-Huskies have also begun to involve a wider variety of people as well as forms of martial arts. “We used to be strictly Taekwondo but we’ve become more of a fusion group, incorporating many different types of martial arts.” The group has expanded to involve people from many different martial arts backgrounds in the past year. Due to a great deal of the group graduating last spring, they were forced to do some rebuilding. “We want to incorporate many people in the club and not cut off those who are talented in other things.”

There is a strong drive in the club to showcase the overall beauty and power of martial arts and from this goal, bring together a wider array of people, who may not have been involved otherwise.

Asia Night, their biggest event of the year, was held this past Saturday. To be a part of this event, the team was required to audition and be chosen to perform. From there, they worked together to prepare their own original choreography as well as create music mash-ups to which they performed. Their choreography could involve anything from acrobatic stunts, traditional forms of martial

arts, to funny or dramatic skits and fight scenes. During their practices leading up to big performances, they not only perfect their routines but also work a great deal on the basics. “We do this to make an overall increase in our showmanship and style,” said Grothe. “We want to be the show-stoppers.”

Besides wanting to impress audiences with their performances, one of their main goals as a club is to spread culture to an area of history that is often glossed over.

“We want to create a visual that would make people excited about learning about new cultures. We want to entice people about what we do, put them at the edge of their seats,” said Grothe. The group has a strong passion for what they do, and want to give others the opportunity to learn about this culture in an interactive and thrilling waysomething that a lecture in a classroom won’t always give you.

This common goal amongst the members has caused the T-Huskies to become quite a close-knit group, which also helps a great deal with their showmanship in performances. Being in sync with one another in and outside the club has lead to a great deal of success in performances, causing them to work optimally with one another.

The club is looking to expand for next semester.

Currently, the club meets weekly in the Armory and the Field House from 9-11 p.m.

They are currently working on getting earlier practice times, as well as setting up meet ups outside the club to really get to know one another. “Most of the people that have been joining now are brand new to martial arts,” said Grothe.

“We have people with zero years of experience all the way to people with 15. Our whole goal is to teach every member the ins and outs of the trade. We want everyone to learn and have fun.”

Ashley.Maher@UConn.edu

Books have become integrated into pop culture in so many different and unexpected ways.

Pop culture has formulated new ideas by drawing inspiration from authors’ words. For everyone that claims they don’t like books or they don’t like reading: you can’t avoid it forever. Even if you never pick up a book, it is extremely likely that the effect of an author’s writing has crossed your path in life.

What I find extremely interesting is novels have extended their readership to the sets of photo shoots, influencing both the location and fashion trends. The August 2012 issue of “Teen Vogue” featured a model in a wide array of clothing including jackets with fur trim, coats of arms embroidered on shirts, sturdy boots and intricately laced skirts. The title of the photo shoot? “Game of Thrones.” The pages suggest that you will “look like royalty” if you follow the trends set by medieval times. It was evident that whoever designed the photo shoot read “Game of Thrones.”

Had the book taken place in modern times, I could easily envision the characters dressed like the model.

Even apps have been drawing on books, making them an important part of the content.

“QuizUp” is a fun quiz game app I recently downloaded.

The concept is simple. After choosing a topic, you will be paired against an opponent to answer questions. The faster you answer, the more points you receive. One of the topics in the game is “Literature.” Literature is divided into 30 categories.

If you want to challenge your overall knowledge, try Book Quotes, Classics, or Literature: General. Fans of series such as “Divergent,” “The Lord of the Rings,” or “Song of Ice and Fire” can choose to play quizzes solely on those books. As you earn more points, you receive titles based on your ranking in the quiz category. I’m currently ranked “House Elf” in the Harry Potter category. This is the app for you if you are eager to show off your knowledge of books.

Countless books have been adapted into movies, exemplifying the film industry’s extensive use of authors’ stories. However, some movies aren’t strict adaptations of books, but instead heavily referenced literary works. “Shakespeare in Love” tells the story of Shakespeare’s struggle in writing “Romeo and Juliet.” For those familiar with the play, it is very interesting to see Shakespeare piece together his writing with the help of his muse, Viola. The stage production of “Romeo and Juliet” as Shakespeare is writing it is also shown, along with references to additional plays such as “Twelfth Night.” Creatively explaining, albeit fictionally, Shakespeare’s revelations and hardships makes this film extremely enjoyable to watch for literature enthusiasts.

No one likes to be that one person that didn’t watch the newest episode of a TV show.

Why isn’t the same attitude taken with books? Why don’t we have that out of the loop feeling if we don’t know the newest literary trends? Finding new methods of bringing people in contact with books may help increase readership. If nothing else, it may give books more attention in our technologybased society.

Alyssa.McDonagh@UConn.edu

The Daily Campus, Page 6

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‘Endless Love’ a fantastic remake of classic romance » FILM REVIEWS

Dissecting the MPAA ratings

March 7 300: Rise of an Empire Mr. Peabody & Sherman March 14 Need for Speed Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club

Best Superhero Movies Superman: The Movie (1978)

Spider-Man (2002)

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AP

This photo released by Universal Pictures shows Gabriella Wilde as Jade Butterfield in the film, “Endless Love.”

By Ashley Maher Campus Correspondent For a girl going out with her friends on Valentine’s Day to see a sappy, corny, dramatic love story, “Endless Love” was everything one could have hoped and anticipated for. It all begins with the two unlikely characters that instantly and effortlessly fall in love. Jade Butterfield, played by Gabriella Wilde, and David Elliot, played by *sigh* Alex Pettyfer, vow to spend their summer together before life forces them to separate when Jade leaves for college and David stays in their sleepy Georgia town to work in his father’s mechanic shop.

The movie then whisks into a musical montage of scenes showing the couple as they fall in love: going to a music festival, dancing in a fountain, riding in the bed of a truck–wind in

their hair professing their love for one another–nothing unlike any other romantic drama such as “The Notebook” or “The Last Song.”

But one aspect of the movie that I believed placed it in the upper echelon of the classic romantic dramas was its unexpected twists of dark subplots.

David, while being the seemingly perfect guy, has a dark past that he is continuing to struggle with, while Jade Butterfield’s perfect family has many flaws of their own that they are trying to hide.

Jade Butterfield’s father, Hugh Butterfield (played by Bruce Greenwood), did an amazing job with his role as a protective father who was struggling with deep psychological pain due to a family tragedy, while the mother Anne Butterfield (played by Joely Richardson) strove to be

the strong woman who would fight to keep her family intact.

The intensity of emotion and tragedy that infused this movie was quite unexpected but was also very well done by the entire cast. Each character did their own part in embodying many true to life adversities and the psychological struggle that comes along with them. The depth of emotion and psychological strain that faced each of the characters proved to be much greater than other movies of this kind. It almost made the viewer forget how young the main characters actually were supposed to be. The plot was consistently moving, exciting twists happening, always keeping the viewer on their toes.

There really was not ever a dull moment.

To offset these intense dra-

Endless Love 8.5/10

matic scenes there were also a great deal of comedic relief as well, which made the movie quite appealing. The characters Mace (played by Dayo Okeniyi) and Kieth Butterfield (played by Rhys Wakefield) added much of the humor to the movie. Their off hand comments and lightening-of-the-mood jokes did not seem forced or intentional, but actually were well-timed and original, another aspect of the movie that caught me off guard.

Though a handful of scenes were worth rolling your eyes at and downright painfully awkward to watch, the movie was overall quite entertaining, suspenseful and even surprising.

Just the romantic drama I was expecting, but then even a little more!

Ashley.Maher@UConn.edu

‘Robocop’ remake is disappointing

Kick-Ass (2010) AP

This image released by Columbia Pictures shows Gary Oldman in a scene from the film, “RoboCop.”

By Randy Amorim Staff Writer

The Avengers (2012)

Ever since the success of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, we have seen countless franchise reboots attempting to emulate its tone, style and success. “Robocop” is the latest in this long line.

I suppose if I am being fair, “Robocop” is better than your average remake or run-of-themill nonsensical action movie.

If you loved “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “Battle Los Angeles” then stop reading right here as I can assure you “Robocop” will be one of the greatest movies you have ever seen. Now that those two readers have moved on, let me assure the rest of you that while “Robocop” may provide a solid action movie experience, it is a huge

disappointment and a missed opportunity.

Most remakes are unnecessary attempts to simply make money. “Robocop” seems to be no exception, but what makes a remake of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 classic scifi action film necessary is that everything his dystopian image predicted of American society, culture and governance has already come true.

Brazilian director Jose Padilha previously made the Brazilian “Elite Squad” films that are two of my favorites. The films were a brutal depiction of a Brazilian military-style police in Rio de Janiero that would raid the slums and use violent force to clean the areas of gang members and drug dealers. The first film showed the

toll that such a task took on the individuals while the second showed how the Brazilian government and corruption led to a profit from all the violence and poverty. I was excited to see what the man had to say about American culture, but it appears he doesn’t have much or perhaps he was silenced by the producers.

Verhoeven made an extremely thrilling and violent action film to cover his subtle themes and messages. It was there for anyone who was willing to see it, but he did not care if anyone did or didn’t. The writers and producers seem aware that this is part of what made the original so great, but they seem afraid to be written off and not taken seri-

Robocop 6/10

ously. Throughout the film we are constantly beaten over the head with characters literally asking the audience questions regarding its central themes.

As much as we are bombarded with these images and words, the film never scratches below the surface on any of them.

Samuel L. Jackson plays an angry talk show host screaming about American policy, but in the end all he says seems to be of relatively no importance and is somewhat contradictory. Nothing the film says really adds up to any one coherent message.

The film seems to want to take a stand on American militarism and the use of drones.

We open with the showing of these drones in the Middle East repressing people and forcing them to commit terrorism out

» REMAKE, page 7

In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America enacted the first version of the film ratings system. The original ratings were: G – General Audience; M – Mature Audiences; R – Restricted; and X – Adults Only.

This eventually evolved into the system we have today of G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. While it can be argued, and may be true, the entire rating system is arbitrary and pointless, there is one rating that is actively harming the industry, PG-13.

The PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984 at the suggestion of Steven Spielberg, whose recent projects (“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Gremlins”) had come under fire for being too violent and graphic for a PG rating. In the past thirty years, the scale of determining what’s appropriate for what ages has shifted dramatically; not just in the movie industry. Children’s television has pushed and broken the envelope time and time again with shows like “Batman: The Animated Series,” and the innuendo loaded “Rocko’s Modern Life.” The MPAA seems to have acknowledged this shift by tagging films with similar levels of violence as the original PG-13 movies, such as the first two “Harry Potter” films.

But if the MPAA is willing to accept for children can handle more violence, why not teenagers. A majority of action movies coming today are hit with a PG-13 rating. As evidenced by “Fast and Furious” or “Pacific Rim,” there is clearly no cap for violence. Explosions and bodies are countless, nations can go to war, etc. The separating characteristic between PG-13 and R is how the violence is shown. If too much blood hits the screen, if methods of dismemberment get too creative, or if more than one F-bomb is dropped, an R rating is applied.

Because studios are looking to draw teenagers, they will edit their films until the MPAA is satisfied to downgrade the rating. Signs of PG-13 edited violence include cutaway, off-screen deaths (“The Hunger Games”) and an over the top, almost cartoony effect when someone suffers a gunshot wound. The farther the editing crew strays from the director’s rough cut, the less coherent and fluid the movie becomes. When dialogue has to be watered down to omit “naughty” words, the story becomes less genuine.

The gap between PG-13 and R only pertains to people between the ages of 13 and 16, four ages that are hardly sheltered from what was traditionally seen as adult content. We live in the age of “Grand Theft Auto” and “Mortal Kombat,” incredibly violent video games with a rating system even more publically ignored that the MPAA’s. Netflix doesn’t ask its users to enter their age before it begins streaming “American Psycho,” and I’ve seen “Family Guy” clothing in children’s sizes.

Concealing mature content from children and adolescents has not only become nearly impossible, but how many parents even give the effort anymore? The PG-13 rating is archaic and pointless.

It’s time for MPAA to update its rating system (or abandon it, either works), so studios don’t have to dissect their films to make a profit.

Because the G rating basically doesn’t exist anymore, PG should just replace it, which it already kind of has. PG-13 should either vanish or merge with R to represent film with content and themes suitable for those beyond puberty, and then NC-17 for exclusively adult films. If the MPAA really feels the need to tell parents how old their children should be before watching a movie, they can at least adhere to the habits of the public.

Brendon.Field@UConn.edu

Another bad vampire movie Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Focus

The Daily Campus, Page 7

Remake of ‘Robocop’ doesn’t go dark enough from ROBOCOP, page 6

Image courtesy of sciencefiction.com

From left to right: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry and Sami Gayle in a scene from ‘Vampire Academy.’

By Alex Sferrazza Staff Writer I’m not even going to try to resist: “Vampire Academy” sucks.

Horrid performances by the cast, an outlandish script, abysmal directing and fourth-rate special effects–“Vampire Academy” is an absolute train wreck.

Now believe it or not, I walked into this film with an open mind.

Despite the ridiculous premise, which so desperately panders to a specific audience, the presence of some recognizable talent coerced me into giving the production the benefit of the doubt. Could this film really be all that bad?

A few minutes into the film, the following line of dialogue provided my answer: “Why can’t you be a normal teenage girl and dream about naked guys on unicorns?”

Just when you thought the vampire-romance craze had finally been beaten to a slow, painful death, a film has come along marking a new rock bottom. “Vampire Academy” takes the very worst attributes of “Twilight” and combines it with a pitiful imitation of “Mean Girls.” The resulting product is so outrageously bad, it makes the worst moments of the “Twilight”

saga appear as cinematic brilliance by comparison.

Set at the fictitious vampire school, St. Vladimir’s Academy, the film follows the exploits of the teenaged Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch), a Dhampir (halfhuman, half-vampire) guardian whose purpose is to protect her best friend Moroi (good, mortal vampires) princess Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry) from both the Strigoi (evil, undead vampires) and the perils of high school.

Practically writes itself doesn’t it?

The plot lacks any moments of suspense, drama or humor whatsoever with various forgettable and clichéd side characters constantly being introduced and forgotten.

Doomed from the start, the film is burdened by an obscenely large amount of exposition, with various irrelevant plot details thrown at you at such a breakneck pace it’s impossible to have even a slight clue of what’s going on.

Highlights include Rose mindlessly seducing her instructor immediately after realizing her friend is in mortal danger, an escapade that not only feels forced and gratuitous, but only lasts for all of 30 seconds before

the characters suddenly stop and rush to action.

Near the end of the film, Lissa gives an impassioned speech about blood to the school, which in terms of cinematic significance could be considered the exact opposite of Chaplin’s speech at the end of “The Great Dictator.”

The cultural clichés are each over 20 years old and every single joke in the movie has been used dozens of times before. The special effects consist of a poor use of bullet time, CGI that would have been deemed unimpressive 20 years ago and mediocre combat sequences that would be right at home in a ‘70s B movie.

Zoey Deutch’s performance leads the poorly constructed cast.

With a performance comparable to that of a third-rate Ellen Page, Deutch is the standout of the cast by default. The truly pitiful supporting cast is highlighted by a laughable performance

by Lucy Fry, whose character unintentionally comes across as a bi-polar nut-job. Former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko for some reason turns up in a small role as St. Vladimir’s headmistress Ellen Kirova. With a ridiculous

Vampire Academy 1/10

MUSIC DANCE COMEDY

ENTERTAINMENT

and inconsistent accent, the performance marks one of her very worst. Actress Sarah Hyland’s participation is baffling. Despite being one of the stars of ABC’s “Modern Family,” by far the most critically acclaimed sitcom currently airing and one of the most popular, she portrays a minor supporting character who is shown in a not-so-favorable light. This is exactly the type of role the actress should be avoiding if she hopes to make a career for herself following the eventual end of her sitcom.

“Vampire Academy” succeeds in being a film that, while outrageously bad, is not entirely unwatchable. It manages to be one of those rare films that is laughably terrible. You’ll find it incredibly easy to sit through the picture with a group of friends, mocking everything you see on screen. Despite sitting alone in a virtually empty theater, on more than one occasion I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the abomination playing on the screen before me. For this reason alone (and the sheer fact that Zoey Deutch is pretty hot) I have decided not to award the film a rating of zero, despite it lacking any commendable quality whatsoever.

Alex.Sferrazza@UConn.edu

of desperation. It sounds interesting, but then the film never comes back to these themes again, introducing many new ones it never develops and ultimately never takes a stand or discusses anything it wants the audience to think about. It resembles a college freshman who just took an introductory economics class trying to explain to Congress how to solve the economic crisis.

It doesn’t understand or say nearly a quarter of what it thinks it does.

Ironically, this film is the very thing Verhoeven was satirizing. While it likes to pretend it is a deep and intellectual film, its filled with loud PG-13 action sequences filmed like video games with the intent to have the audience cheering along. It’s a very promotion of the sort of violence and attitudes the original (and to some extent this film) is attempting to discuss. I promise you this is not a meta attempt to make a stance, but merely a film trying to have it both ways.

All in all, “Robocop” is well directed and never boring, but the story and screenplay are problematic. Everything

is written so PG-13 that it really ruins the films’ chance to tell its dark-toned story.

It feels more like an expensive and slightly more mature “Inspector Gadget” remake than “Robocop.” Ironically, the dialogue is well written more or less, but everything else could use some revisiting.

There are a lot of good ideas in this story of a fallen cop reborn as a machine, but they’re executed poorly and surrounded by too many poor ideas. The cast really gives it their all and unknown Joel Kinnamon gives what could have been a breakout performance, but the script drags them all down with a messy story and too much nonsense. When cast in the role, he must have felt like Taylor Kitsch prior to the openings of “John Carter” and “Battleship.” After the poor opening and reception he must feel like Taylor Kitsch after the opening of “John Carter” and “Battleship.” Somewhere, Paul Verhoeven is watching this film throwing popcorn at the screen laughing. Although I had some fun with this remake, I would gladly join him.

Maurilio.Amorim@UConn.edu

UConn Veteran’s Affairs from SPOTLIGHT, page 5

is through the COIN project. Throughout the military, it is typical to receive a coin when joining a new unit. Director Perry’s office holds his large collection, just like many other veterans with distinguished service careers.

At UConn, veterans receive a coin when they join our educational facility. The front displays an American flag and the quote “Thank You For Your Service” while the back has the UConn emblem and names all five branches of the military. It is just a small way

to knit together the veteran community and act a bridge from the military to civilian lifestyle.

As a whole the UConn Veteran’s Affairs and Military Program’s office creates a comfortable environment for many returning soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. Leading the way, this progressive office sets new standards for universities throughout the nation.

Emily.Lewson@UConn.edu

‘About Last Night’ lacks both romance and comedy

COMING UP@JORGENSEN Sun, Feb 23, 3:00 pm

UCONN STU DENT HOT SE AT S

$10

VENICE BAROQUE ORCHESTRA with PHILIPPE JAROUSSKY Concert Talk 2:15 pm Countertenor sensation Philippe Jaroussky and the Venice Baroque Orchestra explore the full dramatic range of arias written for the infamous Farinelli and the leading virtuoso castrati singers of the 18th century.

AP

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Kevin Hart, left, and Regina Hall in a scene from the film, “About Last Night.”

Sat, Feb 28, 8:00 pm

UCONN STUDENT SPECIAL

$15

BIG SAM’S FUNKY NATION MARDI GRAS DANCE CABARET! Doors open at 7 pm Food • Cash bar • Dance floor

DANCE CABARET

The energy level is high voltage when Big Sam’s Funky Nation takes the stage. This driving force of urban funk will have you dancing all night long.

Wear your dancing shoes!

Sun, Mar 9, 3:00 pm

UCONN STU DENT HOT SE AT S

$10

IRISH BAROQUE ORCHESTRA Monica Huggett, Artistic Director Concert Talk 2:15 pm Explore the vivid color, simmering tension, and highly charged emotion of the music of 18th century Europe with the IBO and Irish Harpist Siobhan Armstrong.

Thurs, Mar 13, 7:30 pm

UCONN STU DENT HOT SE AT S

$10

SCHAROUN ENSEMBLE BERLIN Concert Talk 6:45 pm The Scharoun Ensemble is one of Germany’s leading chambermusic organizations, and one of the preeminent octets in the world. The program will include Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, Dvorak’s Czech Suite, and Beethoven’s Septet.

PRICES INCLUDE ALL FEES & FREE PARKING Discounts for UConn Faculty/Staff Online jorgensen.uconn.edu 860.486.4226 M-F, 10-5 pm

By Brendon Field Staff Writer The central dynamic of “About Last Night” is juxtaposition. The film focuses on two different couples whose relationship have opposite foundations, played by two sets of actors with contrasting styles of humor. The film balances its pairings well, except for the most important one: romance and comedy.

A remake of the 1986 film of the same name, “About Last Night”

stars Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant as a couple giving commitment an attempt. They were introduced by their respective friends played

by Kevin Hart and Regina Hall, whose on-and-off relationship is built on sex and alcohol. We follow them through a year of their lives and the ups and downs of their relationships.

Hart has become known for his sugar-rush delivery and he is clearly inserting shades of himself in his performance. This is the funniest I have seen him. Hall makes an excellent pairing by

making anything she says in a loud volume instantly funny. Her and Hart’s over the top arguments, which include one on how to position themselves for sex, are the movie’s best moments. Ealy and Bryant work as straight men in scenes with all four of them, but they don’t play off of each other very well.

After a strong opening 15 minutes, we are treated to a half hour of Ealy and Bryant falling in love, and it’s dull. The two, with personalities like flat Diet Coke, have little screen chemistry and their

conversations go no deeper than coffee shop banter. I’d like to give an example, but I honestly don’t remember any; they were that trite. The direction takes no risks and assumes showing two people snuggling in bed will convince us they’re in love. The scenes of their relationship falling apart work better. They do a good job at portraying how slight mistakes can lead to big consequences, and the domino effect of two people who are constantly irritable with each other.

But because I never cared about them as a couple to begin with, these are equally uninteresting.

The biggest mistake “About Last Night” makes is focusing on the wrong couple. Hart and Hall’s completely physical relationship at first seems shallow and right to play second fiddle. But once I saw how it turned out in the third act, it becomes a little fascinating and the film leaves some major questions unanswered. It’s also a problem that when greeted with Hart’s caricature style of comedy, shifting the tone to one of grounded realism for the scenes with Ealy and Bryant doesn’t serve the story well.

“About Last Night” seems like a good movie that took a bad movie under its wing hoping to overpower its listless counterpart with boisterous hilarity. But somewhere down the line, the bad movie got overconfident and shoved the good movie off center stage. What remains is an average affair with enough laughs to keep me in my seat, but with long stretches of banality that made me want to fall asleep in it.

Brendon.Field@UConn.edu

The Daily Campus, Page 8

Comics

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Side of Rice

by Laura Rice

NATALIA PYLYPYSZYN/The Daily Campus

Pieces on exhibit in the Art Building.

Meek Beesk

EMAIL US @ DAILYCAMPUSCOMICS@GMAIL.COM!

by Meewillis

WOULD YOU LIKE TO DRAW OR MAKE GAMES FOR THE DAILY CAMPUS COMICS?!

Lonely Dinosaur

HOROSCOPES Today's Birthday (02/18/14). Creativity infuses the atmosphere this year. Your career stays busy, and takes off in August. Balance the pace at work and home with discipline and communication. Develop your family's team spirit.

Include regular restoration into your routine, with fun, play and peace. Romance heats up over summer and autumn.

Focus on what (and who) you love.

To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 9 -- You're entering a one-month review period, with the Sun in Pisces, in which you're extra sensitive. Maintain objectivity, a philosophical perspective, and stay flexible. Will yourself to success (and work with partners). Consider your bedrock values.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 9 -- Favor private over public time. Peace and quiet draws you in. Get your main tasks handled so you can rest. You'll have more fun for the next month, with the Sun in Pisces. Save up energy!

Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Use your secret powers. Don't be intimidated. Your emotions take a soft turn, and conditions seem unstable. Clean house.

Re-arrange furniture for better use of space. Save money and watch a movie at home.

by LG

UCONN CLASSICS: DURING THIS TIME THE HALADIN REMAINED IN THARGELION AND WERE CONTENT. BUT MORGOTH, SEEING THAT BY LIES AND DECEITS HE COULD NOT WHOLLY ESTRANGE THE ELVES AND MEN, AND WAS FILLED WITH WRATH.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Travel conditions improve this month, with the Sun in Pisces, but surprises still lurk. Consider new developments. Make future plans and work out the itinerary. Schedule work and reservations carefully. Then enjoy the comforts of home.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Stay out of a risky investment. Focus on the numbers this month, with the Sun in Pisces. Get creative. Finish what you've started. The natives are restless. Discuss a theory, and wait a few days for action.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- New information illuminates. For the next four weeks with the Sun in Pisces, grow partnerships stronger. Allow time to rest and regroup. Avoid expense. Listen to your intuition before choosing. The situation can be transformed.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Check orders for changes. More research may be required. You're entering a philosophical and spiritual cycle. Work your own program with an optimistic view. Career takes priority this month, with the Sun in Pisces. Expand your network.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- There's not enough money for everything you all want. Prioritize, and be fair. For about four weeks with the Sun in Pisces, you're lucky in love. Generate creative ideas.

Contemplate, meditate, and recharge your batteries.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- This month with the Sun in Pisces, home has a magnetic pull.

Go into hiding, especially if you can work from home.

You're especially sensitive and intuitive. Rest and recuperate. No need to spend. Invite friends over.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Neither a borrower nor a lender be. Do without unnecessary expense. Study and practice what you love for the next month with the Sun in Pisces. Step carefully. Travel later.

There could be some fierce competition.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 9 -- For the next four weeks with the Sun in Pisces, you can do well financially, if you can keep from spending it all on good causes. Stay practical. You may not have what you think.

Give appreciation.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is an 8 -- For the next four weeks with the Sun in Pisces, you're gaining confidence, at the top of your game. Stay under cover.

Think fast and solve a financial problem. Open your mind. Insecurities will pass.

by Brian Ingmanson

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Daily Campus, Page 9

Sports

Pellegrini looks to keep City new Manchester power MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Flashing rarely sighted smiles, unruffled by the prospect of taking on Barcelona, Manuel Pellegrini personified the calm and confidence at Manchester City where chaos once reigned.

Even a declaration that City is now the dominant power in Manchester didn't seem so farfetched, albeit unusually eye-catching from a manager renowned for his intentionally bland public comments.

Rather than attempting to set off a verbal skirmish with Manchester United, this was just a statement of fact on Monday by a manager with a spring in his step ahead of the biggest European game in the club's long, but not so illustrious, history.

Well, not compared with United's.

That could all be changing, Pellegrini predicts. Barcelona's previous trips to Manchester for competitive games have always been to Old Trafford, failing to win on four visits against United.

But the Spanish champions will play a first competitive game against City on Tuesday,

in the Champions League round of 16, facing a team third in the Premier League while United is fading in seventh and unlikely to qualify for European soccer's elite competition next season.

"If we only consider this season, there is just one club in Manchester and it's ours," Pellegrini said in Spanish. "But you cannot forget what United has done in the previous years.

We are aiming to keep growing by winning many trophies — not just national but international trophies. We are fighting for four titles this year."

Just 15 years ago, though, City was in the depths of the third tier of English soccer before embarking on an uneasy ascent back from the wilderness.

After returning to the Premier League in 2002 and staying in business when it faced oblivion, the wealth of Abu Dhabi's ruling family has enabled City to become the biggest spenders in world soccer since 2008.

The takeover had City supporters start to dream about knocking United off its pedestal, but despite winning the Premier League in 2012, only since Alex Ferguson's retirement from

United last year has the balance of power looked as if it was seriously shifting.

"We have to be patient because you cannot change the team from one day to another," Pellegrini said. "We have to keep the philosophy of the style and for that you need time."

Under David Moyes, United seems to be fading as a force on the pitch, just as Barcelona's cloak of invincibility has slipped away since manager Pep Guardiola left in 2012.

Yet while Barcelona is on top of the Spanish standings, in a three-way battle for the title with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, United is not a Premier League threat — for now.

But it will take far longer for City to usurp United's commercial might or global fan base.

A victory over Barcelona would go some way to enhancing City's global credibility after the expensively assembled squad slipped out of the Champions League at the group stage in the previous two seasons when Roberto Mancini was still in charge.

Mancini's departure after last season ended without a trophy

AP

Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo, centre, trains with teammates at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2014.

Manchester City will play Barcelona on Tuesday in a Champions League first knock out round soccer match.

and enabled City to bring in a more composed manager who has enjoyed a tranquil first season at the helm.

"This club is trying to develop in all areas, and so far we have a good season, but we must finish that way," Pellegrini said.

City midfielder Yaya Toure left Barcelona just before the Catalans went on to sweep five trophies in 2011 alone.

Toure has only won the Premier League and FA Cup at City, but sees a victory over Barcelona as an opportunity to

show there is more to come from this team.

"Barcelona are at the top level in the world and if we want to move on and one day be one of the top clubs in the world, we have to play against those teams," Toure said.

Women's basketball ballot breakdown: UConn still No. 1 (AP)–Connecticut remained atop The Associated Press women's basketball poll for another week and achieved another Top 25 milestone.

The Huskies moved into second place alltime for appearances in the top-10 breaking a tie with Louisiana Tech. UConn has done it 374 weeks now, trailing only Tennessee's 581.

Connecticut has won 32 straight games dating to last season's NCAA tournament run which is the fifth-longest winning streak in school history. UConn has two games this week against Central Florida and Houston.

The game against the Cougars will be the 1,000th of coach Geno Auriemma's career.

Here are five things to know about this week's poll: LACK OF DEPTH CHART: UConn is down to eight healthy players after junior

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was diagnosed with mononucleosis and will be sidelined for three to six weeks.

The junior is averaging 12 points and almost five rebounds for UConn. She already missed eight games earlier this season with a nerve contusion on her right elbow.

"At least with my arm, I could run, I could be on the bike, I could do some activity," Mosqueda-Lewis said after practice Friday.

"With this, I can't do anything at all."

Don't expect the rest of the country to feel sorry for the Huskies.

KEEP ROLLING: Notre Dame just keeps winning. The Irish (24-0) are off to the best start in school history after beating Boston College last week. They surpassed the 2000-01 team that won its first 23 games en route to the national championship.

"It definitely feels good," Notre Dame

senior guard Kayla McBride said. "It's an accomplishment. It's great to come out here for these coaches that put so much time in for us."

But how does this team rank against the 2001 national champions?

"Time will tell," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said.

Notre Dame has a busy week ahead with three games — Monday against Georgia Tech, Thursday at Wake Forest and Sunday against No. 7 Duke.

CLIMBING CARDINALS: Jeff Walz has No. 3 Louisville at its best ranking ever.

The Cardinals have only lost twice this season — Kentucky and Connecticut. They host Houston on Wednesday and Rutgers on Sunday.

MATURING TAR HEELS: North Carolina moved up six spots in the poll this week to

Inheriting Cano's spot, Roberts hopes for health

Pedroia feels fine 3 months after thumb surgery FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The Red Sox had a big lead in last year's opener at Yankee Stadium.

Still, Dustin Pedroia slid headfirst trying to beat out his grounder.

Bad decision, especially with Boston ahead 8-2 in the ninth inning.

The win-at-all-costs second baseman tore a ligament in his left thumb, then missed just two games the rest of the season.

"It was the most impressive thing I watched all year. The thumb was totally black," third-base and infield coach Brian Butterfield said Monday. "He didn't want anybody to know about it."

So it's not surprising that Pedroia downplayed how much it bothered him.

"A little bit, but it's fine now," he said. "It's fixed up, man. It's good.

It's good to go."

Pedroia had surgery to repair his torn ulnar collateral ligament 14 days after the Red Sox won the World Series in Game 6 against St. Louis. He wore a cast for about a month. Then he worked on regaining his strength.

And on Monday he took batting practice three days before the first official full-squad workout.

His attitude, typically, is upbeat.

"The rehab was great," Pedroia

said. "I feel healthy and there's no setbacks, no restrictions or anything."

The Red Sox won their second title in four years in 2007 and Pedroia was named AL rookie of the year.

In 2008, he was the league's MVP, but the Red Sox lost the AL championship series despite leading 1-0 in Game 7 through three innings against Tampa Bay. "That was a huge letdown," Pedroia said. "You don't want that feeling."

He tried to keep that from happening last year when the Red Sox were in first place through the first 34 games. He was hitting .311 at that point and wasn't about to take time off because of his thumb with so much at stake.

Pedroia did even better in the next 10 games. He went 18 for 40 to raise his average to .343.

"The first month and a half he hit with one hand and he played with one hand," Butterfield said, "but he never even blinked. He's so impressive in so many ways and he showed unbelievable toughness."

His average never dropped below .291 for the season and he ended at .301 while leading the AL with 724 plate appearances. He tied for second in the AL in hits and was

AP

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia removes his hat during spring training practice Monday in Fort Meyers, Fla.

second in the league in fielding percentage among second basemen.

The only games he took off were on June 16 and in the regularseason finale Sept. 29. The Red Sox lost both.

Pedroia's injury reduced his power and he hit just nine homers, the fewest since he had eight in his rookie season. But he compensated by taking shorter swings and hitting more to the opposite field.

"We had half of him, but he fought through it and he still was a highly productive player," Butterfield said. "He just kept play-

ing and kept grinding and didn't flinch once. He never complained and just tried to find every way he could to make his game the most comfortable because I know early on he was playing with a lot of pain."

Not that Pedroia would admit it.

"You just figure it out," he said.

"You just try to get hits, man. That's it."

With the Red Sox not re-signing shortstop Stephen Drew, Pedroia has a new double-play partner in rookie Xander Bogaerts. Pedroia knows he'll find a way to make that

Fontenault: '99 Champs will forever be a favorite from GETTING, page 12 That game proved UConn was for real. Nothing that happened after said otherwise.

The two losses that season were tough ones, but only served as motivation to get better. Syracuse ran the Huskies out of the Hartford Civic Center five days before UConn went on the road and beat No. 4 Stanford by 11.

Three weeks later, Miami edged UConn out at home.

I think that game made me realize how much I hate losing and how little I cared for Miami forward Tim James – feelings that have changed since he left basketball to serve in Iraq – but that game was also the last UConn lost all season.

From there, the Huskies dominated. In the Big East Tournament, they beat Syracuse by 21 in the semifinals and St. John’s by 19 in

the championship game.

UConn stormed through the NCAA Tournament, holding off attacks from Iowa, Gonzaga and Ohio State to set up a matchup with Duke in the National Championship Game.

The Huskies had never been to the Final Four, let alone the title game. Duke was partly to blame for that – Kentucky fans are not the only ones to feel the wrath of Christian Laettner.

Leading into the game, UConn was written off. The Blue Devils had not lost since Nov. 28, when they were upset by Cincinnati.

Some call it the most talented team in college basketball history. A couple weeks after the championship game, Elton Brand was taken first overall in the NBA Draft by the Bulls. Trajon Langdon, Corey Maggette and William Avery went 11th, 13th and 14th respectively. Shane

Battier was only a sophomore.

But UConn did not care about the hype. That was not the most talented team Storrs has ever seen – Richard Hamilton was the lone player to go on and star in the NBA – but it had grit, heart and an unmatched love for basketball.

I watched that game with my family and friends, unable to sit, unable to stop pacing around my living room. When Langdon tripped as he raced up the court, I did not stop to think; I ran outside.

“UCONN!” I screamed over and over again while running around in a circle.

The Huskies won the national championship over Duke by a score of 77-74.

Hours later, my family was at Gampel Pavilion with close to 15,000 other happy fans. There were no extra seats, so a UConn student

standing on the concourse offered to put me on his shoulders so I could see.

From on top of that unknown person’s shoulders, I watched my heroes walk out on the court. Out came El-Amin and Hamilton, Voskhul and Souleymane Wane, Freeman and Ricky Moore.

Then Calhoun.

“In 1990,” Calhoun said, “I came back to this building with a group of great players…we returned to Storrs, Conn. to have you mend our broken hearts, because we had lost a very difficult game to Duke on a Christian Laettner shot.

“Well yesterday, we kicked some ass and broke some hearts!”

Follow Tim on Twitter @ Tim_Fontenault

Timothy.Fontenault@UConn.edu

No. 11 after convincing wins over instate rivals Duke and N.C. State on the road.

The Tar Heels were led by superb first-year player Diamond DeShields, who followed up a 30-point effort against the Blue Devils with a freshman school-record 38 against the Wolfpack.

"It used to be hard for me and I've learned to embrace it," DeShields said of playing on the road. "And that's what's happening in these tough environments. ... I want to make believers out of everybody."

RANKED RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights came back into the poll this week at No. 25. Rutgers was ranked for one week in January before falling out. It's the 350th week that the school has been ranked in the history of the poll and 409th appearance in the Top 25 for C. Vivian Stringer.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brian Roberts remembered back a decade ago, when he was standing on second base and Derek Jeter approached.

"He just said, "You can hit .300 in this league,'" Roberts recalled Monday.

"To hear it from somebody like that, it kind of opened your eyes."

Not that he took Jeter's analysis too literally.

"I don't think it's just me. I think he does it to everybody," Roberts said. "But for some reason when he tells it to you, you think you're the most important person in the world."

Now they're teammates, and Roberts has a locker next to Jeter's in the New York Yankees' spring training clubhouse.

With a void at second base following the departure of Robinson Cano, the Yankees have given the position to Roberts, a two-time All-Star who made five trips to the disabled list totaling 481 days over the past four seasons.

His many maladies included a strained abdominal muscle, pneumonia, two concussions (one self-inflicted), a groin strain, hip tear and hamstring strain.

"I know he hasn't played a full season in the last few years and he's obviously a guy that has some age on him, too, but my plan is to run him out there almost every day," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Now 36, Roberts had hoped to be a Baltimore Orioles lifer, just like Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken Jr. "I've come to love the city, the fans," he said in February 2009 when the Orioles gave him a contract guaranteeing $48 million over five years. "This was the only place I wanted to be the rest of my career."

It didn't work out that way.

After hitting .283 in 2009 with 16 homers, 79 RBIs and a big league-high 56 doubles, he missed most of the following spring training with a herniated disk in his back. His first concussion was sustained on Sept. 27, 2010, when he knocked himself on the batting helmet with his bat after striking out in the ninth inning at Tampa Bay. His total of 77 games last season was his highest since the injuries began, and the switch-hitter batted .249 with eight homers and 39 RBIs. Baltimore made no effort to keep him after he hit .246 with 15 homers and 78 RBIs over the past four years. The offensive performance would have been decent but not spectacular had he compiled it over a single season.

"I don't know that you can necessarily put great words on how frustrating it is to have to sit on the sidelines and watch," Roberts said. "I've had numerous times over the last three or four years where I wondered if, for one, I'd be able to play again, and I think certainly going into last season I had no idea what the next year would hold, whether I would have a job in 2014, whether I wouldn't, whether I'd want a job."

New York signed him for the bargain price of $2 million, plus the chance to make $2.6 million in bonuses based on plate appearances. He'll be counted on for offense, given that the Yankees had 114 RBIs from second base last year, tops in the majors, according to STATS. "There's going to be people that will want to look out there and say, 'Well, he's not Robby.' And I'm not going to be Robby. I'm not going to try to be," Roberts said. "I'm going to be Brian Roberts and, hopefully, that's good enough most days."

New York's infield is more Take A Chance than Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance.

First baseman Mark Teixeira played just 15 games last year because of a hand injury, and Jeter's broken ankle limited him to 17. With Alex Rodriguez serving a season-long drug suspension, Kelly Johnson figures to platoon at third with Brendan Ryan, Eduardo Nunez and possibly Scott Sizemore.

"It's not the infield that we had in 2009," Girardi said. "But we believe that there's a lot of capable players in here to put up offensive and defensive numbers, and when you look at those numbers as a whole, they're going to be pretty good."

Roberts remains in touch with his former Orioles teammates.

"A lot of my closest friends in the world are there. So sure. I've talked to them all in the last couple days. Is it weird? Is it different? Do I miss them?

Yeah," he said before recounting his friendships with Jacoby Ellsbury, Jeter and Brian McCann.

After Roberts spent 13 seasons in Baltimore's black and orange, the Yankees' pinstripes will take getting used to. Like McCann, he heard many people tell him "anybody but the Yankees" when he was a free agent.

"You either love them or you hate them, right? And that's OK," he said.

"Now I love them."

The Daily Campus, Page 10

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Sports

Gay-rights activist detained at Olympic Park

AP

A father and children look on as Vladimir Luxuria, left, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian parliament and prominent crusader for transgender rights, speaks out about gay rights while walking through the Olympic Plaza at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday.

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — An Italian activist shouting "It's OK to be gay" and dressed in a rainbow-colored outfit and large headdress was detained Monday as she entered an arena to watch an Olympic hockey game.

Vladimir Luxuria, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian parliament who has become a prominent transgender rights crusader and television personality, was stopped by four men and then driven away by police in a car with Olympic markings.

Luxuria later told The Associated Press she was kept in the car for about 10 minutes, then released in the countryside after the men had taken away her Olympic spectator pass. She eventually made it back to her hotel and said she was leaving Russia on Tuesday morning.

"They don't say anything. They just were people who had to do this and they did it," Luxuria said.

Earlier Monday, Luxuria walked around the Olympic Park in Sochi for about two hours.

She was shouting "Gay is OK" and "It's OK to be gay" in both English and Russian.

As she was being led away from Shayba Arena, she was shouting "I have a ticket."

Luxuria said she was detained on Sunday evening by Russian police who told her she should not wear clothes with slogans supporting gay rights. Police denied detaining her.

The Italian activist walked around the Olympic Park on Monday with a group of journalists, attracting onlookers. Some Russian fans stopped to pose for photos with her.

Luxuria and her colorful outfit did not attract much negative reaction except for a group of young Russian men who shouted to television cameras in broken English: "Trans not good."

Luxuria arrived at a ticket inspection barrier at the hockey arena just before an evening game was due to begin. She passed through the barrier and was being given directions to her seat when

four men who were not wearing any identification surrounded her and started shouting "take her away." They then led her out of the venue and to the parking lot.

"I was very, very afraid this time because the first time they said, 'It's OK for the first time, don't do it again for the second time.' So, this time I was a little bit afraid," Luxuria said. "But they just left me outside, in the country, there, outside and that's it."

Before she went to the stadium, Luxuria said she did not want to be arrested.

"It's not nice to be all alone in a room with a neon light not knowing what's going on," she said Monday afternoon, but then added it was important for her "to stand up for the rights of lesbian, gay and transgender people all over the world."

It was not immediately clear why Luxuria was detained.

Last year, the Russian parliament passed a law banning "propaganda" of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.

Despite fame, Napier stays grounded, humble left to chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” “I’ve got a lot of respect for Napier If Velasquez had asked him to stop at the end of games,” Donovan said. playing before this year, UConn might “He’s a big shot-making guy.”

Napier’s ankle was wrapped extra not be 20-5, and the nation would have one less Wooden Award candi- tight that night, and after aggravating it when he was fouled on a game-tying date on its hands.

UConn has six wins by less than 10 3-pointer with 34 seconds left, Gampel points – three of them by one point. fell silent. The captain hopped back to The last time the Huskies won three his feet and continued fighting, evengames by one point was the 2003- tually hitting the winning shot.

“He’s got so much heart,” Ollie 04 season, a year that ended with a said. “I love the kid to death. One of national championship.

That team was deep, featuring stars the big time players to ever put this like Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, jersey on and walk on the court at Charlie Villanueva, Denham Brown Gampel.”

Napier grew up dreaming of being and Rashad Anderson, to name a few.

This year, there is talent, but Napier Superman, his favorite superhero. At is the standout guy that everyone will times in his first three years, it looked like he was trying to be Superman. talk about.

The 6-foot-1-inch Napier made sure This season has not been much differof that on Dec. 2 against Florida. ent; he has had to take off the glasses, UConn needed a statement game rip off the red shirt and put on the cape on many occasions. against an elite team, That is nothing and the Huskies went Napier cannot hanback and forth with the dle.

Gators for 39 minutes “The best guard in and 42.3 seconds, until America,” as head Michael Frazier II put coach Kevin Ollie Florida ahead on a layup described him after with 17.7 seconds on the beating Memphis, clock. says he just wants At that point, 10,167 to be another student fans inside Gampel on campus, and he Pavilion, a contingent Former UConn demonstrates that of NBA scouts from 20 prominently at NBA teams, a group of soccer player most Gampel Pavilion and journalists and photographers, Jim Calhoun and Mamadou Doudou Morrone Stadium.

When he is not on an entire TV audience the court, he is either knew Napier would have finding a cardboard big head of a the last word.

Coach Billy Donovan and the women’s basketball player to hold up Gators knew it, which is why they in the front row of the student section tried to trap him. But Napier dribbled or running around like a maniac at a through three players, almost lost the soccer game.

When the men’s and women’s socball, got it back and threw up a shot cer teams are playing, he can usually with less than three seconds left.

It hit the backboard, but it was be found standing to the left of the the greatest miss of Napier’s career, goal closest to the Freitas Ice Forum. because it went right into the hands From that position on Aug. 23, when of teammate DeAndre Daniels, who the women’s soccer team opened its tipped it out, giving Napier one last season against Wisconsin, he did his chance to win the game. Napier pulled best to help the Huskies get out of a up from just beyond the foul line, and 2-0 hole in the second half.

“Genevieve!” he yelled at the ball left his hands with 0.3 seconds Wisconsin goalkeeper Genevieve on the clock.

No one heard the ball hit the ground, Richard as she tried to focus on the but when it did, the score was 65-64 play, “Genevieve!”

While he was distracting Richard, and Napier was on his way to the locker room, leading his triumphant UConn midfielder Samantha McGuire broke in on goal and put a shot past team.

He got called back out to the floor the Wisconsin keeper. Ten minutes for a curtain call that night, and finally later, as Napier continued to out-

from MAKING, page 12

“This guy wants it...He wants it, and he knows that now is his time to show...”

shout men’s soccer players Jonathan Goodridge and Sergio Campbell, UConn midfielder Riley Houle scored the equalizing goal. Before anyone could blink, Napier was sprinting towards the scoreboard, yelling and spinning in jubilation.

That is the kind of person Napier enjoys being. Whether it is being at a game supporting his friends or spending time together off the court, Napier enjoys being with his friends.

When he is not playing basketball or studying for class, he is usually playing FIFA. The biggest dilemma he has off the court and outside the classroom is deciding which team he is going to use to beat freshman center Amida Brimah. Napier likes to play as Real Madrid, Chelsea or reigning European champions Bayern Munich.

He used to play as Barcelona, but he stopped because Napier, normally the shortest player on the court when he is playing basketball, did not like playing as Lionel Messi because of his physical stature.

“I can’t do anything with him,” Napier said of the 5-foot-7-inch Argentinean superstar. “He’s too short.”

But while he continues to act like a normal college student, he is the center of attention in college basketball.

He is the center of teams’ defensive strategies when they play UConn. He is being talked about by pundits and scouts from coast to coast. He is piling on the accomplishments – he became the Huskies’ eighth-leading scorer all time on Saturday with 1,688 points.

He is Kemba Walker. He does not care about that talk.

“Right now, I’m not too worried about that,” Napier said after passing Cliff Robinson (1,664) and Wes Bialosuknia (1,673) on the all-time scoring list Saturday. “I’m just worried about winning…When you’re at the end of the roads and you look at it and you see what you’ve done, it’s definitely a special feeling. But right now, I’m staying in the moment. I’m just going to continue to work hard and get better.”

Instead of worrying about awards and honors, Napier wants to follow in Walker’s footsteps as a leader. When he arrived in Storrs as a wide-eyed, unseasoned freshman, Walker took him under his wing, grooming him for command.

Napier learned a lot about being a leader from Walker, but Mamadou

Costas returns to Olympic coverage SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Bob Costas returns as host for NBC's prime-time Olympic coverage Tuesday night, if still not exactly clear-eyed, at least with a sharpened sense of respect for the colleagues and crew who covered for him during a six-day absence.

"The doctors told me the infection has to run its course, which is 2-to-3 weeks, which covers the entire Olympics. It's the alltime perfect bad timing, but what can you do? It's a curve ball and you've got to go with it," Costas chuckled during an interview with The Associated Press, "even though I couldn't spot the rotation on a curve ball right now."

Wrapping up preparations a few hours before air-time, the broadcaster who began his Olympic work as a late-night host at the 1988 Seoul Games looked relaxed at the NBC compound in a navy polo shirt and cardigan sweater. Traces of his bout with viral conjunctivitis were still visible — the infection

began in his left eye and spread quickly to the right — and both are still reddened.

"I'm better than I was," he said, "but not as good as I'd like to be."

Costas nursed a cup of Starbucks coffee and propped his feet up on the desk as he discussed his unwanted week off.

He rated himself a 2 on a scale of 1-10. At one point, he thought there was about a 10 percent chance he wouldn't make it back for the games.

Costas interviewed President Obama on Feb. 6, the night before the opening ceremonies.

He awakened the next morning "and my left eye was like a slit, and I'm thinking, 'What the hell?'" Costas recalled. "But I'm also thinking maybe I put a few eye drops in and it resolves itself.

But as soon as the doctor got a look at it, he realized something was wrong."

Costas worked that night trying to cover up the redness by

wearing glasses that made him look like a hipster. Drawing barbs from TV critics and snickers on social media, he finally sidelined himself after five nights of Olympic coverage when his blurred vision and sensitivity to light made working impossible.

"When something out of the ordinary happens, like with my eyes, you know (the attention is) coming, but again, the degree of attention to it makes me uncomfortable. Not because I don't understand it," he said, "but because that isn't the story that we came here expecting to talk about.

"So what I tried to do the first few nights — when I thought it was only going to be a few nights — is kiss it off with a candid line and move on and not dwell on it. But when it got to the point where I couldn't be on the air," Costas added, "you couldn't expect that people would ignore that."

JON KULAKOFSKY/The Daily Campus

Shabazz Napier takes a jump shot Saturday against Memphis. The senior guard decided not to enter the NBA Draft and return for his senior season after promising his mother he would get his degree.

Doudou Diouf, a close friend to Napier and a captain on the UConn men’s soccer team in 2013, played his part as well, and he may be partly to thank for Napier being in uniform this season.

Diouf, now a rookie with the Vancouver Whitecaps, skipped the MLS SuperDraft twice to stay at UConn and continue his pursuit of a national title and his degree.

After Diouf decided to stay following his junior season, Napier sought his advice, once even chasing him down when he saw the Senegalese striker getting off a bus near the Student Union. Napier wanted to know what made Diouf stay when there was virtually a guarantee of being drafted.

“I was running to him because he was doing the same thing, deciding whether or not he should stay and come back,” Napier said. “And his situation was different than mine because he’s from Senegal. I’m from the United States, so my country’s much better economically.

“But he decided to come back and I was asking him, ‘What were you thinking about?’ ‘How were you going through it?’ And he was just going back to his family, mother and father. And that’s the biggest thing he

told me, that it’s about you and your family, no one else. My family’s my mother, and I promised her that I’m going to get my degree, and that’s what I did.

“Me and Mamadou, we have a close bond. When he’s on the field, he’s the same way I am. I may be a quiet guy, maybe just settled in. But when I get on the court, it’s a whole different ballgame. I’m the most hated guy you could probably have on your team because I’m going to go after it and make sure our team gets the win.”

There are six games left in the regular season, after which the Huskies will go to Memphis for the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

After that comes the NCAA Tournament.

No class of UConn players has ever won two national championships, but the way Napier has not only played this season, but led his team as well, Napier, Niels Giffey and Tyler Olander could make UConn history.

“This guy wants it,” Diouf said.

“He wants it. He wants it, and he knows that now is his time to show because his team needs him, and he’s not afraid.”

Timothy.Fontenault@UConn.edu

Pique: Barcelona might not be feared anymore MANCHESTER, England (AP) — As Champions League rallying cries go, Gerard Pique struck an unusually downbeat tone for a Barcelona player — particularly when speaking in the stadium of his team's opponent Tuesday in the second round of the Champions League: Manchester City.

"Maybe they don't fear us as before," Pique said Monday, "because in the last two years we didn't win the Champions League."

Uncertainty is seeping into the squad lauded as perhaps the greatest ever, with Champions League titles in 2006, 2009 and 2011.

Such pessimism, though, seems at odds with Barca's current outlook. The team already has reached the Copa del Rey final and tops the Spanish league on goal difference over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Lionel Messi has 10 goals in 10 games since returning from a two-month injury layoff.

"We are a team with a lot of players who won the World Cup, the Champions League, leagues," said Pique, a former defender at Manchester United. "We can still be the best, but we have to show the world we can do it. Tomorrow is a great chance."

It is also a chance to shift the attention from Barca's most damaging crisis in years. Club president Sandro Rosell quit last month as he fights a lawsuit alleging he misappropriated funds by hiding the real cost of signing Brazilian forward Neymar with false contracts.

Barcelona, owned by its members, is a Catalan institution that prides itself as being "more than a club."

"We know within the club maybe in the last six months there were some things that we could not control (as) the players," Pique said. "All we can do is tomorrow on the pitch show the world we can still be the best."

City is viewed by some as a

"Mini-Barcelona" hoping to become a global force helped by funding from Abu Dhabi. City's board room is populated by former Camp Nou executives, and the team attempts to play with similar stylish, short-passing moves.

"City is one of the greatest teams in the world right now," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said through a translator. "They are very similar to us, maybe they are a bit more direct, but they have good possession. ... If we don't have the ball it's just pointless to turn up."

Perhaps, that's not what the visiting fans want to hear.

Losing the home-and-home, total-goals series would be difficult for Martino, hired last summer after Tito Villanova quit because of throat cancer.

"For the last six seasons, Barcelona has made it to the semifinals and the fans are used to that," Martino said. "It would be difficult to understand that we didn't go through."

TWO Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Daily Campus, Page 11

Sports

Stat of the day

PAGE 2

18

What's Next

» That’s what he said

Home game

Away game

Men’s Basketball

The number of runs allowed in the UConn baseball team’s 0-3 opening weekend. » OLYMPICS

Medal count update Russia 18

“If we only consider this season, there is just one club in Manchester and it’s ours.”

5

- Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini

(20-5)

Feb. 20 Temple 9 p.m.

Feb. 23 SMU 2 p..m.

March 1 Cincinnati 12 p.m.

Feb. 26 USF 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Tomorrow UCF 7 p.m.

Feb. 22 Houston 5 p.m.

Feb. 25 Houston 8 p.m.

March 5 Rutgers 7 p.m.

» Pic of the day

March 1 Rutgers 4 p.m.

5

March 3 Louisville 7 p.m.

5

Men’s Hockey (16-10-4) Feb. 21 Feb. 22 Army Army 7:05 p.m. 7:05 p.m.

Feb. 24 Sacred Heart 7:05 p.m.

4 Feb. 25 Sacred Heart 7:05 p.m.

8

Women’s Hockey (9-21-2) Feb. 21 Maine 2 p.m.

Feb. 22 Maine 2 p.m.

Baseball Feb. 21 Wichita State 4 p.m.

Softball Feb. 21 Hofstra Noon

5

2

Feb. 28 Hockey East Quarterfinals

Feb. 23 Coastal Carolina 1:30 p.m.

Feb. 28 Lipscomb 5 p.m.

5

Feb. 22 College of Charleston Noon

Feb. 29 Lipscomb 3 p.m.

2 5

Feb. 22 Feb. 23 UMass Illinois State 2 p.m. 11 a.m.

3

Men’s Track and Field Feb. 22 Alex Wilson Invitational 12:30 p.m.

Feb. 28 AAC Champ.

TBA

March 1 AAC Champ.

TBA

March 7 IC4A Champ.

TBA

March 8 IC4A Champ.

TBA

AP

Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States celebrate their first place during the flower ceremony for the ice dance free dance figure skating finals at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics Monday.

March 1 AAC Champ.

All day

March 8 ECAC Champ.

10 a.m.

March 9 ECAC Champ.

All day

7

17

Norway 15 3

7

Canada 15 7

4

Germany 13 3

2

Sweden 9 5

2

2

1

8

2

5

1

Belarus 6 0

1

China 2

1

6

France 6 0

4

US women coast past Sweden, 6-1

Women’s Track and Field Feb. 28 AAC Champ.

9 a.m.

5

18

Austria 8

(0-0) Feb. 21 DePaul 2 p.m.

9

Switzerland

(0-3)

Feb. 22 George Mason 5 p.m.

4

Netherlands

Blades of glory

(26-0)

6

United States

AP

Manuel Pellegrini

7

March 10 ECAC Champ.

All day

What's On TV Olympics: Men’s Hockey: Czech Republic vs. Slovakia, Noon, NBC Sports Seventh-seeded Czech Republic takes on 10th-seeded Slovakia in the opening round of the Olympic hockey tournament’s elimination stage Tuesday.

The winner of the game advances to face the United States in the quarterfinals. The U.S. is seeded second after an unbeaten roundrobin campaign.

AP

NCAA Basketball: Villanova vs. Providence, 7 p.m., FS1 The No. 9 Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from a blowout loss to Creighton on Tuesday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence.

The loss pushed Villanova into second place in the Big East, a half-game behind the Bluejays.

The Friars collected a lopsided win against bottom-dwellers DePaul on Saturday. They sit fifth in the 10-team Big East.

AP

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The work began before the U.S. women’s hockey team reached the medal round, before it arrived in Sochi, before the roster was even selected.

Four years ago, the Americans left the Olympics with a silver medal. And Julie Chu was determined to be back.

“When that buzzer goes off and it erupted in the arena and we fell short of our goal of being the best in the world, that hurts,” the four-time Olympian said after the United States beat Sweden 6-1 on Monday to reach the gold medal game in Sochi.

“The last four years, that’s been our goal.”

Megan Bozek and Brianna Decker each had a goal and two assists, and the Americans outshot Sweden 70-9 to clinch no worse than a silver medal. The U.S. has medaled in every Winter Games since women’s hockey was added in 1998, and just once — with a loss to Sweden in the 2006 semifinals — failed to reach the Olympic championship game.

Canada, a three-time defending champion that has played in every Olympic final, will have a chance for a fourth gold in a row after a 3-1 victory over Switzerland later Monday. Not since the inaugural tournament in Nagano have the Americans beaten Canada, losing in the championship game in 2002 and 2010 and again in the preliminary round of the Sochi Games on Wednesday.

There are 11 players on the U.S. roster who played in the final in Vancouver, but Chu is the only one who was also on the team in Salt Lake City or Turin. She has two silver medals and a bronze.

“We’re going for a different color this time,” she said.

And coach Katey Stone would like to see her get it.

“It’s about time isn’t it? It’s time,” said Stone, who was also Chu’s coach at Harvard. “Julie’s been everything to the program, she’s been a youngster, she’s been a veteran ... she’s been a

AP

USA forward Phil Kessel, right, celebrates his second goal with teammate Joe Pavelski during the 2014 Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey game against Slovenia at Shayba Arena Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.

mother to the younger kids. Kids like that don’t come around all the time. She’s a special one. I certainly hope she gets what she wants.”

In goal, Jesse Vetter needed just eight saves for the victory.

The U.S. scored five times in 47 shots on starting goalie Valentina Wallner before she was replaced in the second period by Kim Martin Hasson. The backup was the winning goaltender when Sweden upset the Americans in Turin, and she stopped 22 of 23 shots.

“We took Valentina out because she had a busy day at work,” said assistant coach Leif Boork, whose team will face Switzerland for third place.

“We wanted to make a decision for the next game,

the bronze medal game.”

Anna Borgqvist scored on a deflected shot past Vetter with just under seven minutes remaining to spoil the shutout.

Alex Carpenter and Kacey Bellamy scored in a span of 66 seconds in the first period, and Amanda Kessel gave the Americans a 3-0 lead before Sweden got off its first shot. The U.S. outshot Sweden 29-1 in the first period.

“That was not the start we wanted to have,” Boork said. “We knew before that it is one of the world’s best teams and they showed that today.

We tried to play for the whole game, even if we were under hard pressure from the beginning. But it’s too big of a challenge for us at the moment.”

» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY

P.11: US women down Sweden / P.10: Gay-rights activists detained in Sochi / P.9: Pellegrini looks to keep City new Manchester power

Page 12

Getting nostalgic

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

www.dailycampus.com

MAKING OF A GUARD

Shabazz Napier enjoying success in senior season

By Tim Fontenault Sports Editor

Tim Fontenault My freshman year was highlighted by the UConn men’s basketball team’s run to its third national title.

That run was unforgettable.

The Huskies won Maui, then five games in five days in the Big East Tournament. After that, Bucknell, Cincinnati, San Diego State, Arizona, Kentucky and Butler fell in order and Storrs went into party mode.

I lived on a floor with a lot of kids from New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Only one or two other guys on the floor grew up rooting for UConn, so I got weird looks when I said that the 2010-11 season was not my favorite.

“Are you crazy?” one friend asked me. “What about Kemba?”

Kemba is great, and that team was awesome.

However, as great as many UConn teams have been in the past, none will ever overtake the 1998-99 team, in my opinion.

The 1998-99 team will be honored Sunday at Gampel Pavilion, 15 years after shocking the world.

Naturally, I am a little nostalgic, so I want to take a walk down memory lane.

The season prior ended in heartbreak. After winning the Big East title over Syracuse and after the famous legendary Richard Hamilton putback against Washington, the Huskies fell to North Carolina in the Elite Eight, one win shy of their first Final Four.

UConn came flying out of the gates to start the 1998-99 season, starting 19-0. Those first 19 games included five ranked opponents. They beat Washington by 21 and Michigan State by 14. No one could touch the Huskies.

The toughest game in that early stretch was at Pittsburgh on Dec. 12, but that was the day that 6-yearold Tim realized that Khalid El-Amin would always be his favorite Husky.

Ranked No. 1 in the country, the Huskies were down by four to the No. 18 Panthers with 15 seconds to play. UConn got the rebound on a missed free throw and brought the ball down the court quickly.

El-Amin rolled off a Jake Voskhul screen and dished the ball to Albert Mouring, who drained a wide open 3-pointer with nine seconds to go.

Jim Calhoun immediately called timeout to set up a plan to get the ball back.

On the inbound out of the timeout, Pittsburgh could not get the ball in and ultimately threw the ball away. UConn could have let the ball go out of bounds and reorganize.

Instead, Kevin Freeman, now an assistant coach for UConn, grabbed the ball and got it to El-Amin. The short, stocky point guard lived through hell that day as the subject of unspeakable abuse from Pittsburgh fans, but he kept his cool. The sophomore drove the lane, spun around and put up a shot in his defender’s face, a shot that found nothing but net.

El-Amin stood on top of the scorer’s table and stared down the Pittsburgh fans that harassed him throughout a 70-69 UConn win.

» FONTENAULT, page 9

JESS CONDON/The Daily Campus

UConn may have finished 20-10 during the 2012-13 season, but the Huskies could have just as easily finished 15-15, a far less satisfying record. Seven games went to overtime during the 2012-13 season, a school record. Five times out of the seven, UConn emerged with the win, mainly because overtime is Shabazz Napier time.

In just under 40 minutes on the floor during overtime last season, Napier scored 55 points.

“You guys know I love overtime,” Napier told the media Saturday after scoring a career-high 34 points – six in overtime – to lead UConn to an 86-81 win over Memphis.

Following up on a promise he made to his mother, Carmen Velasquez, Napier – who has the outline of a dollar sign tattooed on his chest – decided that the NBA could wait after a big junior season.

“I told my mom, I promised her that I’d get my degree,” said Napier, who is majoring in sociology.

“Coming from a single-parent home, one thing that my mom always told me was that you could play basketball until you’re 40, but one thing that people could never take away from you is the education, and I promised her that I’d grab my degree. That was the biggest thing–and the only thing–that pushed me to come back to school.”

Velasquez is not difficult to find at UConn games; she always has on her son’s No. 13 jersey from the 2011 Final Four and is more often than not standing and trying to ignite the crowd, much like Shabazz does on the court. Next to the students, she is the most energetic fan in the building, and on the road she is always UConn’s biggest fan.

“To see her in the stands,” Napier said, “to see her out there cheering for me, to see that smile on her face, it puts so much wonder in my heart because the least I can do is put my mom in the right place to better her life because she did the same thing for my life for God knows how many years, and she continues to do so. My mother’s my world. If she told me to stop playing basketball today, I might stop.”

Shabazz Napier lays the ball in against Memphis at the XL Center in Hartford Saturday. The senior guard has excelled in clutch situations over the past few seasons and been a catalyst for the Huskies.

» DESPITE, page 10

FIFA: More than just a video game, a way of life

By Rob Moore Soccer Columnist

Whichever sport it may be, losing is not always the most gracious of happenings.

Growing up playing soccer and running track, it appeared from a very early age, losing was never easy.

Losing in FIFA 14 has not made matters any easier either. Now in my last semester at UConn, I look back at all of the memories I’ve made – and, some of my best memories have been made in my dorm room.

Quite depressing, right? Incorrect.

FIFA 14 and those which have come before it have provided my roommates and I some of our most memorable experiences at UConn. The refusal to go downstairs during a fire alarm two years ago is clear indication of that. After all, we were in extra time–Manchester United v Chelsea– all knotted up at four. To us, pausing the match is not an option and never will be.

While our playing careers are clearly behind us, we do have a self-proclaimed doctrine to adhere to. We call it the Manifesto.

Four men (myself included) became so obsessed with the FIFA series that we created a Manifesto, which keeps track of our wins and losses. Records which we’ve kept for three years straight have tested our friendships, our wallets and yes, the trash talking is inevitable. Let it be known that a few controllers have been damaged in the process along with it.

But we sit around the table or the crammed bedrooms in Northwest, Hilltop or Hilltop Apartments in search of glory. A sweaty goal from Ross Barkley across the goalmouth to Romelu Lukaku. A wonder strike from none other than Wayne Rooney to seal victory. Friendships untouched and emotions unbarred.

We’ve all given up the dreaded goal in the 90th minute, where expletives flow off the tongue as easy as Barcelona creates their next goal. We’ve all come to terms with the ‘super sub’ who tears at our heartstrings or have become accustomed to the unrealistic goal, whatever that may mean.

Understandably, I am the best FIFA player there is, plain and simple. Now if I could get my two roommates to agree, that’d be a feat more notable.

Football coach who invoked Jesus quits STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut says an assistant football coach who invoked Jesus as part of his job has resigned.

UConn said Monday it would not explain why Ernest Jones has left, calling it a personnel matter. His resignation is effective immediately.

Jones, who was hired as a running backs coach and director of player engagement, told The Hartford Courant in

a story published last month that he and others were going to make sure UConn’s players understand that “Jesus Christ should be in the center of our huddle.”

Days later, university President Susan Herbst said in a statement that all students must feel welcome and employees at the public school cannot appear to endorse any particular religion.

By Ryan Tolmich NHL Columnist

thousands that is begging for your failure.

Heroes are those that show that anything is possible. Even a man from a Minnesota town of just 2,000 people can make the biggest of differences on a world stage.

Heroes are those that demonstrate honor and integrity. In the face of success, they remain who they are, humble and respectful.

Most importantly, heroes are those that give people a reason to believe in something bigger than them. Heroes give people something to hold onto, something to feel.

At the end of the day, Oshie was right. There are plenty of heroes in this world. Athletes shouldn’t be placed on a pedestal above those that sacrifice so much.

But, for those few moments, Oshie showed us that heroes aren’t just those that physically defend. Heroes are those that make you feel something that you’ve never felt before.

And that is exactly why T.J. Oshie is a hero. Oshie provided American fans with much more than a shootout win; he gave us a belief, a feeling.

True heroes may wear camo, but at the end of the day, it’s nice to know that there’s at least one wearing a USA hockey sweater.

Oshie may not believe it, but he’s a hero nonetheless Photo Courtesy of EA Sports

EA Sports’ FIFA titles have a way of being addicting and creating a series of great momentsand memories among friendsw.

For those of us FIFA-fanatics, we all have our own unique styles, celebrations and even tactics. We set out lineups to match the actual team selections perfectly and refuse to play unless there are updated rosters. I’m guilty as charged as I’ve anxiously awaited Juan Mata’s arrival at Old Trafford.

And with our records slowly saying positively and negatively, it all evens out.

Those of us who win regularly, take a bow.

Those of us who lose fairly readily, take a bow. In the end, records do not mean a thing, roster management means squat and, more importantly, the countless hours accumulated on the PlayStation 3 will not earn us a 4.0 at UConn.

Through the various approaches of losing ungraciously such as storming out of the room or refusing to play the other due to collusion or lack of luck, our camaraderie remain constant. Men turn to boys for brief instances, but that is quite alright.

Robert.Moore@UConn.edu

Shortly after scoring the gamewinning shootout goal against Russia over the weekend, St. Louis Blues star T.J. Oshie uttered what has become the quote of the Olympics thus far.

“The American heroes are the ones wearing camo,” Oshie said.

“That’s not me.”

When it comes down to it, Oshie has a point.

There are men and women all over the world serving this great nation suffering, hurting and even dying to protect the country they love.

There are plenty of people on this earth who do more important things than play a game. There are doctors, teachers and police officers all over the world that deserve more respect and admiration than someone that makes millions to score goals.

However, despite Oshie’s humility, he couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Heroes aren’t just those that serve and protect. Heroes are people that make a difference. Heroes are those that give people something that they never could have had on their own.

Heroes are those that show persistence, even if it means fighting time and time again in front of a crowd of

Ryan.Tolmich@UConn.edu