The Daily Campus: April 24, 2013

Volume CXIX No. 129

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www.dailycampus.com

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Charges brought against Petkis dropped

By Abby Mace Staff Writer

CONCERT BAND LIVENS UP THE NIGHT UConn Concert Band performed a selection for a crowded auditorium.

FOCUS/ page 5

BACK ON THE WINNING SIDE Huskies beat UMass to end three-game skid.

SPORTS/ page 12 EDITORIAL: U.S. RIGHT TO TRY MARATHON TERRORIST IN CIVILIAN COURT Justice system right to fairly judge Dzhokhar Tsarnaev case.

COMMENTARY/page 8

INSIDE NEWS: ENGINEERS PLAN SERVICE TRIP ABROAD

NEWS/ page 2

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With a unanimous decision, the USG Judiciary Committee halted the USG Chairman Ozzie Gooding’s attempt to bring an impeachment trial for USG President Steve Petkis before the Senate. Petkis, who was blamed for an offensive post that was written on his Facebook account, refuted Gooding’s allegations to preserve his title as USG President.

Ozzie Gooding, who serves as the USG Multicultural and Diversity Chairman, claimed that Petkis posted a “racist, sexist and misogynistic” status on Facebook, proving that his personal character deems him unfit to serve as USG President.

Additionally, Gooding argued that as a public figure at UConn, Petkis is obligated to make sure his computer (and therefore his social media accounts) are secure at all times.

However, a photo of the Facebook status that was presented to the Judiciary Committee revealed that the individual who took the photo was logged into Petkis’ Facebook account at the time. Since both Petkis and Gooding agreed that Petkis had not taken the photo, the evidence that someone had hacked Petkis’ account was impossible to ignore.

For Petkis, the hearing jeopardized his reputation, and he made his efforts to defend it clear from the start. “I’m here to respond

SANTIAGO PELAEZ/The Daily Campus

USG President Stephen Petkis refuted evidence presented by USG Seator Ozzie Gooding that Petkis posted a profane message on facebook on Wednesday night. Gooding sought an impeachment for Petkis, but the USG Judiciary unanimously agreed Petkis was framed.

to allegations that have been made against my character and against my integrity,” he said in his opening statement before adding, “I don’t wish to degenerate Gooding or his character.”

The Facebook status, which was posted at 10:04 p.m. on April 14, contained profanity and offensive language targeting women and African Americans. Petkis said he was unaware of the post until a friend notified him via text, upon which Petkis reacted with an apol-

ogy on Facebook that stated: “I’m absolutely mortified that someone would hack my Facebook and post something that horrifying. I am honestly sorry to anyone who was offended.”

Petkis countered Gooding’s evidence, explaining that he was at Moe’s restaurant in Storrs Center with friends at the time the Facebook post was made. His computer was left in his locked apartment, leaving only he and his three roommates – one of which was Gooding – acces-

sible to it. Gooding, however, stated that he was at the gym.

Though Gooding’s argument was comprised more of personal testimony than fact. Only one of the “constituents” to which he referred was present to act as a witness. While he provided the judiciary committee with contact information for additional sources, these sources were unable to attend the hearing.

Meanwhile, Petkis remained apologetic. “I apologize and I’m embarrassed that this has even hap-

Professors deny grade inflation

By Aysha Mahmood Campus Correspondent Despite the proven national grade inflation trend that has concerned universities such as Yale and Harvard, many university professors say that they don’t see this kind of inflation happening at UConn. Instead they attribute the rising grades to student’s hard work and their own rising standards.

The Neag school of Education, which has risen to the No. 1 public graduate school of education in the Northeast and the East Coast, is known for having very high grade point averages. In fact, they have had a qualifying dean’s list average of a 4.0 every spring semester since 2006 except 2008.

Del Siegle, a professor and the department head of educational psychology, states he doesn’t know if the high GPAs are due to grade inflation as much they are due to rising expectations they have for their students.

“We don’t get students until

their junior year and it’s a very selective program,” Siegle states.

“We try to build support systems so everyone can succeed and do well. It’s unusual for anyone to get Cs or Ds.” Compared to other schools such as engineering or fine arts, education and nursing seem to be leading the way in the qualifying averages of dean’s list. In the spring of 2011 for example, the qualifying average for education was a perfect 4.0, whilst in the school of engineering, the number was only a 3.588, which some would argue to be significantly lower than the school of education.

However, the difference in averages, Robert Thorson, professor of geology says this can be explained because different disciples hold their students to different standards.

“There is a clear difference between engineering and sociology. But ultimately there are two types of grades. Either you pass or you don’t.”

In general, many professors including Thorson attribute the rising grades as being related to higher expectations and a tougher course load set by professors.

“There are so many conflicting entities,” he states. “Theoretically, as grades go up, so should the standards.”

Besides the increase in hard work and study time put in by students, most professors don’t doubt that student course evaluations play a role in how easy some teachers grade.

In a time in which teachers instead of students are blamed for poor performance, student teacher course evaluations seem to have more of an influence on the grading system now than ever before. Since student evaluations are used to determine how successful the teacher will be in their career, there has been suggested correlation that if one is lenient on grading, then they will be given high ratings from their students.

This in turn, will increase the benefits professors gain from their

universities.

Studies like the one done in 2010 at Williams College

by David Love and Matthew Kotchen have proven that, “… placing more emphasis on course evaluations exacerbates the problems of grade inflation and can even decrease a professor’s teaching effort. “ This year at UConn, students are able to evaluate their courses and professors online on HuskyCT. Before one participates in the survey, they are told what the University will be using these evaluation forms for.

“Your feedback is extremely important to the promotion, tenure and re-Appointment process of instructors and the improvement of teaching here at UConn,” the site states. “The aggregate summary of the responses will be used for teaching and course improvements as well as the PTR process for your instructors.”

That students have the ability to decide their professor’s fate

Spring Weekend returns UConn this weekend, however it will take on a very different tone than the traditional heavy drinking and partying that characterized the weekend prior to 2011.

Reinvented under the name “UConn Learns, UConn Serves, UConn Cares,” Spring Weekend 2013 features Fresh Check Day as one of the many university-sponsored events.

A two-day event Fresh Check Day will feature mental health awareness events on Thursday and Saturday, with a the Fresh

Seniors may see better job market

By Jackie Wattles Staff Writer

has and everyone has to work on from time to time.

“The goal of Fresh Check Day is to really let the students know what resources the campus has,” she said.

“The campus as a whole is really here for the student community.”

Active Minds has been collecting Post Secret cards on campus this week. Completely anonymous, the decorated cards bear secrets of the UConn students and will be displayed in the ‘Active Minds’ tent on Saturday.

Other booths will include a video with 100 reasons to

» MENTAL, page 2

» GRADS, page 2

» PROFESSORS, page 3

Spring Weekend programs aim to improve mental health Check Day fair occurring all on Saturday will feature live day Saturday. student performances, interacCounseling and Mental tive exhibits, raffle prizes and H e a l t h free food.

S e r v i c e s “The goal of Fresh President (CHMS), one of Active of 11 partici- Check Day is to M i n d s pating orgaJennifer n i z a t i o n s , really let the students Barney, an is sponsor- know what resources 8th semesing vibration ter psysound mas- the campus has.” chology sages and therand human apy dogs in the Jennifer Barney d e v e l o p Student Union ment and Active Minds President family studand keynote speaker Jordan ies major Burham, who survived a sui- said the event is a way to open cide attempt falling nine sto- the conversation about mental ries, on Thursday. The fair health as something everyone

Abigail.Mace@UConn.edu

The job market for recent college graduates is improving as employment rates slowly recover from the lows of the recession, according to new data from the federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The unemployment statistics, which were released on April 5, show the unemployment rate among recent college graduates in October 2011 around 13.5 percent, continuing on a downward trend since the 2009-high of 17.6 percent. But unemployment rates are still higher than the pre-recession rates. In 2007, only 9 percent of recent college graduates remained unemployed by October.

As UConn seniors begin their search for their postgraduation jobs, many are finding a recent graduate’s employability is dependent on many factors: from the internships and prior work experience you have on your resume, to what type of job you’re seeking.

Mattison Quayle, a senior English major from Los Angeles, said she has a few job interviews lined up when she returns home to California in May. “It’s looking good,” Quayle said. “I was surprised how easy it was to get a callback.”

Quayle will interview for entry-level positions in production assistance and public relations. Quayle completed an internship for Comedy Central

» STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES

By Katherine Tibeto Associate News Editor

pened,” he said. “That’s the kind of language that no one should be subject to at any time.”

Such allegations against Petkis are especially ironic considering the USG President’s commitment to Rape Prevention Legislation, a project in which he has dedicated over 200 hours as a legal assistant for Dr. David Richard of the Political Science and Human Rights Institute.

“I went through the legal code for all countries and rated how effective laws were in prosecuting rapists and domestic abusers,” Petkis said.

Petkis’ impeachment trial is not the first incidence of disagreement between Petkis and Gooding. The two were opponents in the 20122013 USG Presidential campaign.

After Petkis was elected, Gooding, who came in second, claimed that Petkis had used unfair methods to gain support. Gooding’s stance appeared in The Daily Campus in an editorial titled “The Hidden Truth Behind the USG Election.”

Further issues surfaced when Petkis and Gooding (along with two of Petkis’ friends) coincidentally ended up as roommates this year. Gooding filed a harassment complaint against Petkis, asserting that Petkis bribed him with $300 to vacate the apartment, to which Petkis denied. Evidence to support this claim was presented but the judiciary committee deemed it insufficient.

What’s on at UConn today...

Board of Trustees Meeting 10:30 a.m to 1 p.m.

Rome Commons Ballroom The bimonthly meeting of UConn’s. highest level decision making body.

Art Expression of Latinos in LGBTQ 3 to 6 p.m.

J.O. Christian Field The Rainbow Center’s Out to Lunch Lecture Series continues the semester with a presentation by Fany Hannon, Graciela Quiñones-Rodríguez, and Jorge Castillo, entitled, “The Different Art Expressions of Latin@s in the LGBTQ Community.”

Study Abroad 101 3 to 4 p.m.

ROWE 320 Learn about study abroad basics by attending this drop-in introductory information session. Study Abroad staff will be on hand to discuss how to plan for study abroad.

UConn Chemistry Club Presents Dr. Henry Lee 7:15 to 9 p.m.

Chemistry Building A-120 Dr. Henry Lee, who served as an expert witness in the O.J. Simpson Trial, presents his lecture: “The Uses of Chemistry in Forensic Science Investigation.”

– JACKIE WATTLES

The Daily Campus, Page 2

DAILY BRIEFING

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

News

Mental Health Sevices to host » STATE Spring Weekend Meteorite crashes through Four engineering students plan a summer in India ‘Fresh Check’ roof in Wolcott to help improve conditions at a primary school NEW HAVEN (AP) — A Yale scientist says a rock that crashed through the roof of a home in Wolcott was a meteorite.

Police say resident Larry Bech called them Saturday morning to report that his home had been damaged by a falling rock the night before.

Authorities suspected the object was a piece of runway from a nearby airport.

But Stefan Nicolescu, the collections manager for the Mineralogy Division at the Yale Peabody Museum, examined the rock and tells WVIT-TV it is a meteorite.

Nicolescu says the meteorite likely comes from the Lyrids meteor shower, which happens every year at this time when Earth crosses the orbit of comet Thatcher.

Conn. Supreme Court hears death penalty repeal HARTFORD (AP) — Connecticut’s repeal of the death penalty for future murders last year violates the constitutional rights of the 11 men on the state’s death row who still face execution, a public defender told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The seven justices heard nearly 90 minutes of arguments on the repeal, which abolished capital punishment for all murders committed after April 24, 2012. The high court is expected to take several months to issue a ruling.

Tuesday’s arguments came in the case of former Torrington resident Eduardo Santiago, who was sentenced to death for killing a man in West Hartford in 2000 in return for a pink-striped snowmobile with a broken clutch. The state Supreme Court overturned his death sentence last year and ordered a new penalty phase, two months after the repeal took effect.

Neither Santiago nor any supporters attended the arguments.

The case has drawn interest from across the country.

A group of legal scholars from several states filed a brief with the Supreme Court opposing Santiago’s execution, saying no state has ever executed anyone after repealing the death penalty. They said his execution would violate both the U.S. and Connecticut constitutions.

The repeal eliminated the death penalty while setting life in prison without the possibility of release as the punishment for crimes formerly considered capital offenses. The law was passed after Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes were sentenced to lethal injection for killing a mother and her two daughters in a 2007 home invasion in Cheshire that made national headlines.

Bill of rights for homeless people progresses HARTFORD (AP) — A bill establishing a bill of rights for the state’s homeless population continued to progress Tuesday through the Connecticut General Assembly.

Some lawmakers, however, questioned whether the legislation is necessary.

The bill, which passed the Planning and Development Committee on a 12-7 vote, spells out how each homeless person has the right to move freely in public spaces, have equal employment opportunities, receive emergency medical care, and the ability to register to vote and vote. The bill also lists their right to a reasonable expectation of privacy regarding their private property, and to receive equal treatment by state and local government agencies.

New Fairfield Rep. Richard Smith said homeless individuals already have those rights and questioned the need for the bill.

“If they were without these rights, perhaps we would need to look at it,” said Smith, a Republican.

Sen. Steve Cassano, a Democrat from Manchester and a former mayor, said he’s ambivalent about the bill. He recalled as a mayor he was approached by a group of skateboarders who wanted a bill of rights. Cassano said he explained to them about how their rights were already covered by the original Bill of Rights.

Police: Bridgeport man holds victim at gunpoint FAIRFIELD (AP) — Fairfield police say a Bridgeport man is facing charges that he ordered an acquaintance to travel with him to a bank to withdraw money stemming from a debt he was owed.

Alfred M. Capozziello was charged with criminal attempt to commit robbery, unlawful restraint, threatening and breach of peace. He was released on $10,000 bond.

A telephone number for the 44-year-old Capozziello was not in service.

Police say the victim told them Capozziello and another man entered his house and demanded at gunpoint he accompany them to a bank to withdraw money. He alerted the teller who called police.

Police were looking for the second suspect. They said any reports of weapons used in the crime are unconfirmed.

No one was injured.

Engineering abroad

from MENTAL, page 1

to implement it, and again to go back and monitor.”

For this trip EWB-UConn Four students from has partnered with Pratt & Engineers Without Borders Whitney and EWB-India. Pratt (EWB)-UConn will be & Whitney has already been embarking on a trip to India working with India and will this summer to help improve pay for the students’ stay as conditions at a primary school well as part of their plane tickin Gowdavalli. Nikhil Shah, ets. Meanwhile, EWB-India has already Gabriella Frey, been workJustin Liquori ing to build and Adrienne classrooms, Miceli will be a computer staying at the lab, toilets, Krushi Home a kitchen orphanage with and a playthe children ground. whose school The UConn they are renochapter will vating. then see The four step what can be process- assessimproved ment, design, and work on implementation some other and monitoring goals. usually takes They will several years.

Nikjhil Shah be working “We are conEngineering student on two main densing what projects. would be the The first is entire EWBprogram into two and a half waste management and the months,” said Shah, a sixth second is looking at the cursemester math major and India riculum being taught in the school and seeing how they Project Chair.

“The reason it takes so can help incorporate more long,” said Frey, a fourth STEM fields. STEM fields are semester chemical engineer- science, technology, engineering major, “is because we have ing and math.

“Coming from here [the to fundraise to take the trip and then we can only stay for U.S.] we have a very different a short time to work on the perspective on what the goal design with the community. of education is,” said Shah. “A Then we have to come back lot of what we can do will be and fundraise again for the trip within the boundaries of what

By Domenica Ghanem Campus Correspondent

“It’s almost like a responsibility that I should be using this experience, this knowledge, in order to better serve the world.”

they see as the most valuable thing they can do for education.”

EWB-UConn also has a Nicaragua Project and a Pope Park Project in the works. “There is one area in Nicaragua where children have to cross raging rivers to get to school,” said Frey.

“There is an NGO they’re working to build bridges so that parents won’t be afraid to send their children to school.”

EWB believes that it is especially important for engineers to be engaging in humanities projects because they have the special skill-set to build infrastructure.

“What I see as the most pressing issue when you look at world poverty is that even if countries have the means of producing good or services there’s very little ability to actually distribute them or use what they make efficiently,” said Shah. “That’s primarily an infrastructure issue. That’s were engineers are extremely useful.”

For some of the students, this is there first experience traveling overseas with EWB, but it may not be their last.

“Having the background and knowledge to approach the problem from an engineering standpoint, it’s almost like a responsibility that I should be using this experience, this knowledge, in order to better the world,” said Shah.

live made by CMHS, a dunk tank by Reslife Association, “Paint Your Heart Out” by the Benton and an exhibit by all the cultural centers.

Barney hopes this event brings a positive connotation to spring weekend. “[Spring Weekend is] kind of the shame of the student community…. our goal is to put that aside and bring a new perspective,” she said.

Director of CHMS Elizabeth Cracco echoed that idea. She hopes students will see Fresh Check day as an alternative to partying.

“I wish that students would think more carefully about how they are fueling up for the last push of the semester,” said Cracco.

The Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation students started fresh Check Day after Jordan Porco committed suicide in his dorm room.

His parents, seeking to do something to help other struggling students, found that 18 years old were not going to flock to an event about suicide prevents, explained Cracco. Fresh Check Day was designed to appeal to college students and spread the message of suicide prevention.

More information and a schedule of events can be found under events on Fresh Check Day’s website, freshcheckday.com.

Domenica.Ghanem@UConn.edu

Katherine.Tibeto@UConn.edu

Grads could benefit from improving economy

from SENIORS, page 1

last summer, which she said helped her résumé stand out.

But for some seniors like Justin Blades, a communications major with a minor in business, finding a job that applies to his degree is challenging.

“I feel like the job market is difficult,” Blades said. “I wasn’t aware of how important internships were, so I didn’t do any.”

Blades is already employed

by Caring Community of Connecticut, a company that works with developmentally disabled adults, but the job does not pay as well as he’d like and does not require a degree.

Blades said he will continue to work at Caring Community of Connecticut while he looks for a job in sales, marketing or advertising.

Senior Anglea Roidt, a communications major, said she also found catching an employer’s eye is difficult without internships or relevant work experience.

“It’s stressful,” Roidt said. “It seems like there are a lot of job openings out there, but they are all looking for someone with three to five years of experience.”

Roidt said she used job search

websites to help her locate open 8.4 percent of Connecticut citipositions in her home state of zens are unemployed compared Wisconsin, but was frustrated to 8.7 in New York and 6.7 in that most openings were look- Massachusetts. ing for already-qualified appliBut while seniors like Blades cants. and Roidt may have trouble However, Roidt said she is locking down a job in the not set on using her commu- months right after graduation, nications degree. Because she statistics show that in the long isn’t sure what career path she run degree-holding individuals wants to take, she’s keeping her have a significant edge on those options open and, as a longtime who only have high school lover of aquatic animals, has diplomas. even applied at For people some aquariover 25 with ums. a bachelor Lyle Scruggs, degree or higha professor of er, the national economics and unemployment political scirate is about ence at UConn, 3.8 percent said this is a compared to good way to 7.6 percent for approach a job those with no search. college degree.

“Most people And for Lyle Scruggs seniors like can get some type of job. It Economics professor Dana Hughes, a depends on speech patholwhat you’re ogy major, willing to do,” that intend to Scruggs said. “And unemploy- pursue a graduate degree, the ment rates are very regional. odds of getting a job in the Rates change depending on recent months after graduation where you’re looking for a job.” increase.

According to BLS statistics “I want to work in rehab facilfor 2012, Connecticut falls in ities or hospitals after I graduthe middle range in terms of ate,” Hughes said. “You have unemployment rates. Roughly to have a graduate degree to

“Most people can get some type of job. It depends on what you’re willing to do.”

practice speech pathology, but the job placement out of grad school is really good.”

The most recent figures from the BLS indicate the unemployment rate for students who recently received a degree from a graduate school is about 8.6 percent.

And Scruggs said pursing a graduate degree has hidden benefits.

“Statistics show that if you came out into the job market at the height of the recession, you make lower earnings and will never really make it up over time,” Scruggs said.

Scruggs said this is largely due to the fact that when companies give raises, they generally do it on a percentage-based increase. This means that someone who was hired at a small base salary in a down economy will continue to earn less than someone hired at a larger base salary, even if they are promoted equally.

Scruggs said because the economy and unemployment rates will likely continue to improve, pursuing a higher degree and waiting to enter the workforce is an appealing option.

Jacqueline.Wattles@UConn.edu

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“In the April 18 article ‘Rocking Jorgensen with contemporary hits,’ many incorrect statements were made about the UConn Rock Ensemble. The Ensemble had four singers, not two; Ensemble President Robert Barney was wrongly identified as Dan Malkin; Maria Koterska was wrongly identified as Alyssa Bucci; Matt Dissiaca was also wrongly identified as Dan Malkin; Jon Singngam was also wrongly identified as Dan Malkin; and a list of first-year members of the Ensemble wrongly excluded Josh Ellenburg, Nicole Sharp and Tyler Reese. The show also had no technical difficulties as was reported. The Daily Campus regrets the errors.”

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 Copy Editors: Brendon Prescott, Eric Scattamacchia, Amanda Norelli, Jason Wong News Designer: Jackie Wattles Focus Designer: Joe O’Leary Sports Designer: Tim Fontenault Digital Production: Rachel Weiss

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The Daily Campus, Page 3

News

Professors say national grade inflation trend hasn’t spread to UConn

» INTERNATIONAL

Charges dropped in ricin letters case

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — Charges of sending ricinlaced letters to President Barack Obama and others were dropped Tuesday against an Elvis impersonator from Mississippi who has said since his arrest last week that he had nothing to do with the case.

Meanwhile, in Tupelo, numerous law enforcement officers converged on the home of another Mississippi man, Everett Dutschke, including some in hazmat suits.

No charges have been filed against him and he hasn’t been arrested. Both men say they have no idea how to make the poisonous ricin and had nothing to do with sending them to Obama, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a state judge.

Referring to officials’ questions for him about the case, “I thought they said rice and I said I don’t even eat rice,” 45-year-old Paul Kevin Curtis said after he was released from custody Tuesday afternoon. “I respect President Obama. I love my country and would never do anything to pose a threat to him or any other U.S. official.”

A one-sentence document filed by federal prosecutors said charges against Curtis were dropped, but left open the possibility they could be re-instated if authorities found more to prove their case.

Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.

The dismissal is the latest twist in a case that rattled the country already on edge over the Boston Marathon bombing last week.

Paul Kevin Curtis, who had been in custody under the suspicion of sending letters which tested positive for ricin to U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., walks to a press conference in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means they could be re-instated if prosecutors so choose.

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Like Croteau, Thorson also noticed signs of grade inflation in the 70s. Since professors didn’t want their students to get drafted, Thorson noticed that they would award a majority of the males good grades. The rule for recruited for Vietnam was that if you had a certain grade point average, you were considered a good student and expected to finish school, and therefore wouldn’t be called up to fight in the war.

So professors gave out grades that weren’t necessarily earned.

Thorson believes this 70s grade inflation has had an impact on the grading system today.

That said, he also expresses his worry about the subject, but also acknowledges that there are “multiple moving targets” involved in this issue.

One of the moving targets he explains is the issue of what grades actually mean.

“It’s an arbitrary term, he states, “What does an A mean? You have all these labels that are undefined.”

Other professors have that same question, and as they attempt to answer it, end with finding out there truly is no answer at all.

“There is no standard definition of these alphabetic signifiers, and this is one of the many complex issues related to the notion of “inflation,” Peggy Chinn, Professor Emerita of the School of Nursing states.

“The typical approach is to define these symbols by numerical ranges derived from points assigned to various course activities...But this still is meaningless, really.”

The fact that grades are argued to actually have no meaning makes one ask the question of why they even exist in first place.

Thorson who actually campaigned for no grades during his time at University states that because the meaning of an A is so

from PROFESSORS, page 1

AP

Curtis was well-known to Wicker because he had written to the Republican and other officials about black-market body parts he claimed to have found while working at a hospital — a claim the hospital says is untrue. Curtis also wrote a book called “Missing Pieces” about his claims and posted similar language on his Facebook page and elsewhere.

The documents indicate Curtis had been distrustful of the government for years.

He told The Associated Press Tuesday that he realizes his writings made him an easy target.

“God will get the glory from here on out. It’s nothing about me. It’s nothing about my

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

book. It’s nothing about the hospital. After 13 years of losing everything I have turned it over to God. After all these years God was the missing piece,” Curtis said.

The two men the FBI are investigating are not strangers. Dutschke said the two had a falling out and that the last contact they had was in 2010.

Dutschke said he threatened to sue Curtis for saying he was a member of Mensa, a group for people with high IQs. Since his arrest at his Corinth home on April 17, attorneys for Curtis say their client didn’t do it and suggested he was framed. An FBI agent testified in court this week that no evidence of ricin was found in searches of his home.

has ultimately changed the way a teacher’s value is measured by the University.

Siegle, who has been at the University for 14 years now notices this shift as the biggest change in which teachers are evaluated.

“We are a Research 1 University.

As UConn continues to move up in different rankings, there’s a higher expectation of professors to teach in excellence now than there was before.”

Psychology department head, David B. Miller states that grade increase could also be attributed to a change in teacher methods.

Miller who teaches PSYC 3201, an animal behavior course, has recently changed how the course material was made available to the students, which in comparison was different than the way things were back in 2009. His course had approximately 140 students and almost half of the students earned A grades and not one student failed.

“This was up from around 33 percent of the class earning As in previous semesters, and with a small handful of students failing,” Miller states. “But, I knew exactly why that happened. “ Still, there’s no denying that there is a natural tendency for grades to drift upwards. Maureen Croteau, head of the journalism department looks back at history to help prevent making the same mistakes again.

“I remember my predecessor warning faculty about the perils of grade inflation in the 1970s. I do the same thing,” Croteau states.

“It’s difficult to give a low grade when a student has obviously worked hard. Still, the grade has to be based on the result the student achieves. Anything else is unfair to everyone.”

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arbitrary, so much that an A+ only exists as a UConn grad, there’s a built in institutional pressure on grade inflation.

Along with the institutional pressures, the current college generation is growing up in a time where they feel more entitled and therefore students expect to get higher grades. The issue then becomes if grade inflation exists and everyone has high grades, it is difficult for one to differentiate between a student who is working hard and one who isn’t working at all.

This matter has become more concerning to Universities in the nation, so much so that retired Duke Professor Stuart Rojstaczer even created a website about it.

The site, www.gradeinflation.com contains information from more than 230 U.S. colleges going back as far as the 1930s.

The main cause of the site is to show that the trend of “A” grades are increasing, and therefore the number of Cs, Ds, and Fs are decreasing. Interestingly enough however, the amount of Bs has stayed steadily the same.

Thorson who states that this whole topic is a messy compares the issue of what a B actually is by using a simple analogy.

“I have a son who is mute because he is autistic. He signed up for choir class and ended up with a B. If he sang along and brought the group down, he’d get a C, if he brought the group up, he’d get an A. So if you can’t sing, which he couldn’t because he’s mute, you get a B.” The most frustrating thing, Thorson explains however, is that no one seems to be taking the initiative in exploring the subject.

“I’m worried and it’s all very concerning,” he says. “It’s all just a can of worms.”

Classifieds are non-refundable. Credit will be given if an error materially affects the meaning of the ad and only for the first incorrect insertion. Ads will only be printed if they are accompanied by both first and last name as well as telephone number. Names and numbers may be subject to verification. All advertising is subject to acceptance

by The Daily Campus, which reserves the right to reject any ad copy at its sole discretion. The Daily Campus does not knowingly accept ads of a fraudulent nature.

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www.dailycampus.com

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Page 4

The Daily Campus Editorial Board

Elizabeth Crowley, Editor-in-Chief Tyler McCarthy, Commentary Editor Jesse Rifkin, Associate Commentary Editor Chris Kempf, Weekly Columnist John Nitowski, Weekly Columnist Sam Tracy, Weekly Columnist

» EDITORIAL

U.S. right to try marathon terrorist in civilian court

F

ear naturally makes human beings react in irrational ways. When the safety of our friends and family is jeopardized (or even if it just appears so), we react in a way that may seem appropriate in that heightened state, but when we step back and look for a moment, we’d realize it was completely ludicrous to react that way.

Take, for example, the recent bombing in Boston.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the plot leader and elder brother of Dzhokhar, was killed in a shootout with the Boston Police, but Dzhokhar was captured alive and will face justice soon enough. But the question came as to how to treat him. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were originally calling for Dzhokhar to be tried as an enemy combatant.

The logic here makes sense: the Tsarnaev brothers appear to be politically motivated terrorists. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are politically motivated terrorists. Why should we treat Dzhokhar Tsarnaev any differently than the way we treat al-Qaeda?

There’s several reasons.

First, under the “Patriot Act,” which was passed in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 – just to show how fear can truly motivate us – only those directly affiliated with alQaeda, the Taliban, or any of their minions can be tried as enemy combatants. So far, there’s no evidence that the Tsarnaev brothers acted in connection with either of those groups (or any outside help at all). So trying Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in anything but a civilian court would not be an application of the Patriot Act, which of course, does try to circumvent civilian due process in many cases.

Secondly, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is a citizen. While it may be inconvenient for those who want to use fear to influence our political and economic decisions, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, as an American citizen, deserves every liberty accorded to him by the Constitution (the 5th and 14th Amendments, if you’re curious).

Finally, and this is the silliest of all, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured on US soil (and yes, a boat counts). While we seem to be comfortable overlooking drone strikes on American citizens overseas, we simply cannot allow the United States government to abduct its own citizens under suspicion and without a trial.

It goes without saying that if we let fear influence our decisions to voluntarily turn ourselves into a police state, than the terrorists have terrorized us enough into giving up the rights and freedoms we are so worried about being destroyed. We applaud this decision to try Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a civilian court for that simple reason.

The Daily Campus editorial is the official opinion of the newspaper and its editorial board. Commentary columns express opinions held solely by the author and do not in any way reflect the official opinion of The Daily Campus.

2 days until carriage is like a communist Russia!

Is it okay that I’m getting angrier and angrier towards the Spring Weekend policies before anything’s even happened yet this year?

STUFF ON MY RABBIT may be the best twitter account ever created.

He’s the man, but how could any ever possibly want to work for Michael Jordan right now?

Didn’t like you in high school. Still don’t like you in college.

I’m out for the intramural season...broken pride.

I think 1959 nervous Jonathan the Husky is a more accurate description of how all of UConn feels about our conference situation.

I could see my breath today. #areyoukiddingmeitsapril If I could have any super power it would be the ability to come up with really great motivational quotes on demand. And then create a Twitter to tweet each quote.

I’d be a really boring, social media-oriented hero.

I wish I wasn’t such a sucker for the NBA playoffs.

Just livin life...through an Instagram frame.

Send us your thoughts on anything and everything by sending an instant message to InstantDaily, Sunday through Thursday evenings. Follow us on Twitter (@UCInstantDaily) and tweet at us with the #instantdaily hashtag.

Controversial opinion potpourri

T

his isn’t my usual article; it’s just some facts about random things that should grind your gears because they sure as hell grind mine: The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimates that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) killed 1,647 cats and dogs in 2012 while only finding homes for a measly 19. Almost 30,000

By John D. Nitowski animals have been slaughtered by Weekly Columnist PETA since 1988.

PETA was recently on campus proselytizing students to become vegan. How do you know the “soy” jerky they handed out last Monday wasn’t made of slaughtered puppies?

While a bomb went off in Boston and killed three people and injured 282 others (though no further fatalities) another bomb went off in Baghdad and killed 45 people.

There was no front-page coverage, not here in the US. Not saying we’re a cynical society, but some perspective is needed.

France became the 14th country to legalize gay marriage. I’m not upset about that part. What I can’t come to terms with was why “legions of officers” armed with water cannons and riot gear were even necessary outside the National Assembly. Having been raised a homophobic Christian Conservative, I understand

how the admission of a foreign element into a “sanctified” area of the social contract can appear threatening. What I can’t understand is how that could lead to a riot.

And in Europe of all places!

President Obama just signed the “Monsanto Protection Act” which grants the production and sale of GMOs and genetically engineered crops immunity from court intervention (and this is the truly insane part) even if health risks emerge. Props to my cousins in Poland.

Poland just became one of the first countries to ban certain strains of genetically modified foods and Monsanto’s infamous MON 810 corn. This ban allows Poland to skirt the EU blanket approval of genetically modified foods.

The LEGO company agreed to withdraw one of their sets because the Turkish Community Forum complained that the toy was insulting to Islam. The set depicts a building with a dome and a tower that has weapons. Of course, the set isn’t meant to depict a jihadi’s war camp, but Jabba the Hutt’s Palace from Star Wars. No joke. One of the best companies in the world caved to pressure because a building from one of the most famous movie in the world bore a resemblance to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was of course, built originally as a Roman pagan temple, was converted to a Christian Cathedral as the Church of St. Sophia, was converted into a mosque by the Turkish invaders, and ever since 1930, has become a simple, secular museum. History! Tearing apart ridiculous arguments since 425 B.C. Apparently Korea has more than a

failed police state, it also has terrorists. On Tuesday, Korean terrorists aimed at the unification of the peninsula for better or for worse, attempted to fire bomb… America. But ended up torching a Korean-owned English-teaching school using the term “American Cultural Center.” Thankfully no fatalities were reported, but of course, the terrorist morons have not been apprehended.

Nevada apparently has a policy of dumping the mentally ill and infirm in California. No joke. San Francisco has opened up an investigation to find out why so many mentally ill patients from the Rawson Neal Psychiatric Center in Las Vegas are ending up in California.

And this is no measly escapee problem.

Some 1,500 patients are given one-way Greyhound bus tickets and sent across state lines with no connection at their destination, food or water. That’s right.

Nevada doesn’t know what else to do with the mentally ill (like, you know, care for them) so they dump them in California.

All I’m trying to say with these facts is that the world is a cruel and horrible place. And while finding a job, and building a career and “living a normal life” is expected and a nice dream, the unfortunate reality is that we’re all in this together and we have a job to make this world a better place than we found it.

Stay classy UConn.

Weekly columnist John D. Nitowski is an 8thsemester English major. He can be reached at John.Nitowski@UConn.edu.

Impeding on our Internet rights unconstitutional

L

ast week, the U.S. House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, better known as CISPA. This bill drew fire from civil liberties groups because it would allow legal authorities to view citizen’s Facebook messages,

By Gregory Koch emails, and other online Staff Columnist accounts without a warrant. Others criticized it as a veiled attempt to crack down on online piracy, like its failed predecessor SOPA. Like SOPA, CISPA is misguided. Crimes committed online should be treated the same as an equivalent crime committed offline in the “real world” both in terms of enforcement and penalties.

If the police want to search your physical mail, they need a warrant. Likewise, if they want to seize a package that is being delivered to your house because they suspect it is something illegal, they need a warrant. The Constitution ensures that we have this protection.

But it’s not just communications that are the issue. Under CISPA, the government can view any information of you that is stored online without a warrant.

However, it is unconstitutional for police to search your house,

QW uick

it

car, or other property without a warrant. Accounts on websites are the user’s virtual property and should be entitled to the same Constitutional protections as physical property.

With regards to online piracy, illegally downloading a song is a form of theft and should be illegal. However, illegally downloading a 99 cent single from iTunes should be no different than shoplifting a 99 cent CD from a music store (yes, those did exist once.) However, the Stop Online Piracy Act, CISPA’s failed predecessor, would have allowed for someone who illegally downloaded a song to be sentenced to five years in prison for a first offense. However, under Connecticut law, shoplifting 99 cents worth of music is sixth degree larceny, a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of only 3 months in prison. There would likely be no prison time for a first offender.

This large discrepancy between online theft and physical theft should not exist. The penalties should be equal.

There are also “hacktivist” groups such as Anonymous who are targeted by CISPA. These groups use the internet to commit acts of civil disobedience, such as crashing servers of websites whose views they politically disagree with. This too, should be illegal. It may be a legitimate

“I ran

form of civil disobedience, but civil disobedience is by its very nature illegal. However, CISPA would create irrationally harsh penalties for these individuals.

Using a computer to shut down a website, prevent other people from accessing it, and prevent the owners of the website from making money through the website, is a form of protest when done by groups such as Anonymous.

However, protestors chain themselves to the entrances to the offices of corporations who they oppose, preventing anyone from accessing the building. This prevents the corporations from going about their business and is also trespassing.

However, these protestors generally receive relatively minor sentences as long as they do not physically hurt anyone.

The sentences for members of groups like Anonymous should be equally minor. They have used the internet to commit an equivalent crime to one protestors often do in the “real world.”

Therefore, the punishment they face should be equal.

The legal name for hacking is “computer trespassing.” This illustrates the point – penalties should be equivalent to a similar act of physical trespassing.

Someone has no more right to hack another person’s email and read their private messages than they have a right to open

their physical mailbox and read their physical mail. This is true whether that someone is an average citizen or a law enforcement official.

Penalties for that average citizen should be the same in both cases. The crimes are equivalent, and just because one was done over the internet and one was done by walking to their house or mailroom and opening a mailbox does not make one any better or worse than the other.

Additionally, law enforcement should need a warrant in both cases. The Constitution clearly protects people’s physical property against warrantless searches. This would apply to, among other things, their physical mail and any physical documents they own. The same should apply to any electronic mail or documents they own, and unfortunately CISPA would take away that protection.

CISPA, SOPA, and any other law which treats online crime differently than other crime, should not be passed. Congress was right to reject SOPA and should do the same with CISPA and any future bill that has the same egregious language.

Staf f Columnist Gregory Koch is a 6th-semester actuarial science major. He can be reached at Gregory.Koch@UConn.edu.

is gearing up for a big presidential election in J une . Y eah , this year it ’ s gonna be a tight race between A hmadinejad and the guy they picked to lose to A hmadinejad .” –J immy F allon

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

BORN ON THIS DATE

1980 A military operation to rescue the 52 American hostages held in Tehran ends with eight U.S. servicemen dead and no hostages rescued.

www.dailycampus.com

1943 - Barbara Streisand 1973 - Chipper Jones 1978 - Carlos Beltran 1983 - Kelly Clarkson

The Daily Campus, Page 5

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Concert Band livens up the night

By Katie McWilliams Staff Writer

The University of Connecticut Concert Band performed a selection of works for a crowded Von der Mehden auditorium Tuesday evening comprised of traditional instruments, including winds, brass and percussion, utilizing their impeccable musical skills.

The first piece of the performance was conducted by graduate student Justin McManus, and was entitled “A Festival Prelude.” Written by modern composer Alfred Reed, the piece was an exciting start to the concert full of triumphant horns and bold percussion. It was an excellent start to the program, bringing forth a sense of excitement and wonder through the auditorium.

The second piece of the evening was entitled “Snakes” and was composed by University of Connecticut alumni Thomas Duffy and conducted by graduate student Michael C. Black. The piece was written for The Adams Middle School in Guildford, Connecticut, but the Concert Band made the middle school composition sound thoroughly collegiate with their mastery of the music and confidence. “Snakes” began with an array of exotic percussion, such as maracas, and a melody that seemed to creep along, just as its namesake would. Halfway through the performance, a snake charmer like melody came forth while students chanted “python, cobra, snakes” at rhythmic intervals to give an improvisational feel to the piece. Student involvement during the piece was high, as students did not simply play their instruments, but participated in the chanting and the rattling of their keys to represent rattlesnakes. The piece ended with the

Natural beauty changes between the ideal and real

By Imaani Cain Campus Correspondent RACHEL WEISS/The Daily Campus

The UConn Concert Band performs Tuesday night in von der Mehden recital hall. The band’s performances were full of various instruments from wind, brass and percussion, utilizing unusual rhythms and heightened involvement from its performers.

musicians hissing “snakes” and holding the “s” sound until it faded into the audience.

“Snakes was a really cool piece,” said Ellen Kimball, the mother of a prospective student, “it was really fun to watch these young musicians participate in the music.

It wasn’t just them playing their oboes, bassoons, saxophones; they were inserting their voices into the performance.”

The third piece was entitled “Bridges” and seemed a fitting tribute to all of the tragedies surrounding the past week. Written

by Samuel R. Hazo to commemorate the massacre at Virginia Tech, the piece was elegiac and full of subtle, pensive harmonies. “Bridges” was narrated by University of Connecticut Alum and professor of the Dramatic Arts David Stern. Stern narrated “When the young die, we must live twice as much…we know this is the most we

have to give, as long as they and we try, they live.” The ominous timpani behind Stern’s narration and the soaring, uplifting melody of the piece created a remarkable and thought provoking tribute to all victims of tragedy.

Another graduate student, Amy Dauphinias, conducted the fourth piece the band performed. This piece was commissioned by the Kappa Kappa Psi Band Fraternity was a dynamic and encouraging display of heroic music. Following the piece, Band director Marvin McNeill recognized graduating seniors and a brother of Kappa Kappa Psi invited audience members to a reception following the concert.

McNeill made remarks about his ensemble, calling attention to the makeup of the group.

“As I told the ensemble today, this ensem-

ble is very special to the music department.

Notice that we have very few music majors in this group…they inspire me , they are our greatest asset because they recognize the importance of arts, they’ll support the arts in school even when they pursue other subjects.”

After an intermission, the band played two more selections, “Fantasia in G” which utilized elements of Beethoven’s music to create its own original melody, and a symphonic tribute to J.R.R Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

“The concert definitely was a highlight of our trip to UConn,” said Kimball, “It’s very impressive to see a group made up of non-music students and how they accomplish such a high level of musicianship.”

Grammy-winning, Bieber-beating Spalding to play Jorgensen

By Zarrin Ahmed Staff Writer

Jazz bassist, vocalist and Grammy Award winner Esperanza Spalding will perform this Thursday at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, starting at 7:30 p.m. Part of the Radio Music Society Tour, the show is hosted by Jorgensen’s Caberet. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for food and drinks.

The charismatic artist who snatched the Best New Artist Grammy from Justin Bieber in 2011 was the first jazz musician to win the award. She picked up two more in 2013 – one for the Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists for the song “City of Roses.” After her 2010 chart topper “Chamber Music Society,” Spalding released “Radio Music Society” last year as a follow up. Gaining attention, Spalding was invited

by President Barack Obama to appear at the White House and

Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony.

She also appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Born in Oregon, Spalding credits her mother for teaching her the values of perseverance and moral character.

She first explored her creativity at the age of 4 when she saw cellist Yo-Yo Ma play on an episode of “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.”

Teaching herself violin at the age of 5, Spalding was admitted to the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. Reaching the concertmaster level in ten years, she discovered the bass and picked up playing blues, funk, hip-hop and more on the local club circuit.

After enrolling in the music program at Portland State University at the age of fifteen, Spalding earned her bachelor of music at the Berklee College of Music during her three years of accelerated study and signed on as an instructor in 2005 at the age of 20, becoming one of the youngest faculty members in

Kathleen.McWilliams@UConn.edu

By Sandrine Lee Couresy of Montuno

This publicity photo shows Esperanza Spalding, who will bring her jazzy musical background to Jorgensen on Thursday night. Spalding is best known for her 2011 Best New Artist Grammy win over heavily-favored Justin Bieber.

the college’s history. She won the Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship in the same year.

Spalding has had the chance to perform with many jazz icons including pianist Michel Camilo, singer Patti Austin, guitarist Adam Rogers and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano. Her journey

as a solo artist began with the release of “Junjo” in 2006, which featured pianist Aruan Ortiz and drummer Francisco Mela. Her 2008 international debut record, titled after herself, topped Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart and became the year’s best selling album worldwide by a new jazz artist.

The highly acclaimed arist will begin the show at Jorgensen at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available on the Jorgensen website: $20 for UConn students and $25 for non-UConn students.

Zarrin.Ahmed@UConn.edu

Race, crime and ‘The Condemnation of Blackness’

By Zarrin Ahmed Staff Writer Author and editor Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad shared his knowledge about the relationship between race and crime in a lecture titled, “The Condemnation of Blackness: The Past Meets the Present” on Tuesday evening.

Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library, Muhammad was formerly a professor of African American history at Indiana University and associate editor of The Journal of American History. He was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of “Transition Magazine,” published by the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University.

Muhammad is the great-grandson of Elijah Muhammad, an African American religious leader who led the Nation of Islam, and the son of Ozier Muhammad, the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times photographer.

Having graduated The University of Pennsylvania in 1993 with a degree in economics, Muhammad received his Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University in 2004. He is a member of the Delta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Before joining the faculty of Indiana University, he spent

ZARRIN AHMED/The Daily Campus

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammed delivers his lecture on ‘The Condemnation of Blackness’ Tuesday evening in the Rowe building.

two years as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit criminal justice reform agency in New York City.

“The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America,” Muhammad’s latest book, won the American Studies Association John Hope Franklin Publication Prize. Notable for its lengthy discussion of the role of the

social sciences, the book was the basis for Muhammad’s lecture at the Rowe Center for Undergraduate Education.

“The way we think and talk about black people as criminals…is not only foundational and crucial but as old as the wiring in this room,” Muhammad explained at the beginning of his presentation. “We are still powering our ideas and conversations from this early moment.”

Muhammad stated that his argument is that “we’ve never gotten past this moment.” Muhammad centered his focus on this concept, using concrete historical examples to expand on the crises that existed in the early 20th century to those seen today. By integrating the problems of jobs, education and imprisonment and incarceration, Muhammad explained how these struggles were not specific to race in order to displace the notions about black people he stated earlier.

Beginning by explaining that black people could not be seen as criminals until the end of slavery, Muhammad gave reasons for these early thoughts on black people that led into “the moment.”

He pulled in examples from arguments made by those that favored slavery, abolitionists and stories told about the justification of black servitude.

Muhammad also compared the kind of racism and struggle that European immigrants faced in the 1890s to those seen presently against with black people. He argued against the use of crime statistics as evidence for violence and for the use of social work, with examples set by Jane Addams, the founder of the first community center and juvenile court in Chicago, as well as the NAACP.

Zarrin.Ahmed@UConn.edu

The concept of beauty is one that has been capitalized upon since the early ages of civilization, with new ways to make people (particularly women, although men have also been subjected to it) strive to be deemed attractive to both themselves and potential mates. There are beauty standards that people are held to all over the world, but there is one in particular that I’ve heard making its way across college campuses: the desirability of “natural beauty”.

It is an entirely new idea that consists of men preferring their female counterparts to be without makeup, to the point of even remarking that wearing makeup makes one’s face appear cluttered and unappealing. Makeup is being deemed now as being a form of deception, and that somehow wearing it means that you lack the confidence to be your ‘true self’—whatever that means.

Dove’s Natural Beauty campaign is one of the well-intentioned marketing schemes to urge women to become more ‘natural.’ It goes along with the idea that all women are real women, which is a fine statement to make, but also comes with the idea that this is but another way to make someone else happy—not the woman herself, which is highly problematic. It’s interesting how female beauty is so closely attuned to female sexuality in the ways that others wish to manipulate it. Women are encouraged to not have sex at all, or to have sex but only in certain ways—it’s remarkably similar to the views of women wearing makeup and certain clothes. The idea that there needs to be restrictions on female sexuality for fear of it being improper is an age-old belief, but it hasn’t gotten any weaker with age.

The idea that women somehow owe beauty to others is ludicrous; why is there such an expectation at all? Wellmeaning men have sought to convince women that it isn’t necessary to wear a full face of makeup (for those who don’t know, this usually includes foundation, mascara, eyeshadow and liner, lipstick, and blush). An example of this would be the ever-mournful Drake, whose lines of “Sweat pants, hair tied, chilling with no makeup on/that’s when you’re the prettiest” sparked a thousand and one declarations that men also thought that was the ‘true’ embodiment of beauty. However, a Facebook post that I saw from a girl I graduated with berated men for this, claiming that what they actually wanted was “natural looking makeup”, not a girl completely without any sort of enhancement. I wondered if this was, in fact, true, and concluded that it might be in most circumstances.

The idea of ‘natural beauty’ is one that’s broadcasted everywhere, but the image of it doesn’t always align with the reality.

Imaani.Cain@UConn.edu

Focus wants you!

Email focus @dailycampus. com

The Daily Campus, Page 6

FOCUS ON:

Games

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Focus

Write for the Daily Campus! Our last Focus meeting of the semester is Monday night at 8 p.m. Come meet the new Focus Editors and get yourself a story before the semester ends!

Game Of The Week

Bomberman ‘93

Recently Reviewed » ANALYSIS

EA voted worst company in America... again

Courtesy of Gamespot.com

Dead Island: Riptide (PC) 4.0/10 Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall (360, PS3, PC) 8.5/10 ShootMania Storm (PC) 7.5/10 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers (3DS) - 7.0/10 Top score data from Gamespot.com, DC staff

Upcoming Releases Week of: April 23 Dead Island: Riptide (PC, 360, PS3) Star Trek (360, PS3, PC) Don’t Starve (PC) Sturmwind (Dreamcast) Poker Night 2 (PC) StarDrive (PC) LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins (3DS) April 30 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (360, PC, PS3) Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut (PS3) Ragnarok Online 2 (PC) Soul Sacrifice (VITA) Fez (PC) Schedule from Gamespot.com

Focus Favorites Super Mario 3D Land 3DS I turned 22 this week.

Effectively extending my arrested development, at least when it comes to spending my free time, my parents gave me a 3DS XL as a birthday present. I’ve played the original 3DS; my roommate has had one for a little more than a year. Though bearish on its initial prospects, I’m a thorough convert, in part thanks to “Super Mario 3D Land.”

This game is the most direct sequel to “Super Mario 64” Nintendo’s ever released. You already know the plot, where Bowser captures the princess and Mario must fight through fantastic worlds to win her back, but “3D Land” excels in many ways, most importantly its level design.

The 3D is the star of the show here, playing with perspectives.

Levels can be horizontally or vertically presented despite their true layout and are chock-full of the perfect platforming challenge.

A small army of lives and relatively frequent checkpoints even out the sometimes-frustrating positions of gold Star beacons.

-Joe O’Leary

By Alex Sferrazza Staff Writer Electronic Arts, better known as EA made history this month when it was named by the consumer services blog “The Consumerist” as “The Worst Company in America” for an unprecedented 2nd year in a row. The title is decided by an open online poll.

In the past two years EA has stirred up more controversy than the historically unpopular company is accustomed to.

“Mass Effect 3” was released amid controversy when released with downloadable content on launch day last March. True outcry followed soon after once players were greatly disappointed by the game’s ending which was rather abrupt, full of plot holes and was almost exactly the same regardless of the players distinctly different actions taken during the game.

Gamers have also criticized EA’s perceived corporate interference on titles. “Dead Space 3” has been cited in particular. While the original game was hailed as a great survival horror game, many cite “DS3” as less of a horror title and more of a run of the mill action game.

EA is also criticized for rushing titles to market to cash in on sequels as seen in “Dragon Age II,” and most recently, “Medal of Honor: Warfighter,” which was released last fall to laughable review scores and equally dismal sales despite its predecessor doing respectably in both regards. Many critics criticized the game for feeling rushed and buggy.

The most recent controversy has surrounded the launch of the latest “SimCity” title.

Despite being a traditionally single player franchise, the latest title included a multiplayer mode and accordingly,

College gaming memories, part one

By Joe O’Leary Focus Editor

Photo courtesy of chicagonow.com

The logo of Electronic Arts. The A-list gaming company was voted ‘The Worst Company in America’ by readers of The Consumerist for the second year in a row.

the game is unplayable even in single player mode if one doesn’t have a working internet connection OR if one cannot connect to EA’s servers.

Many believe the requirement was put in place to encourage people to make in game micro transactions during play. In addition, EA was plagued by server problems, rendering the game unplayable during launch week since the constant Internet connection was required.

Players are also fed up with EA’s micro transaction supported titles such as the iOS titles “Tetris” and “The Simpsons: Tapped Out” as well as the MMO “Star Wars: The Old Republic” which encourage players to use real world money to purchase in game upgrades, items, etc.

Fan reaction can be summarized by Penny Arcade’s Ben Kuchera: “EA has become a company that releases mediocre products created by faceless teams. There is no real

» GAMING IN POLITICS

vision at work, no grand design. Just the idea that freeto-play games and microtransactions are the wave of the future, or at least they better be, because none of the company’s $60 boxed releases are finding much success with either critics or gamers. Until EA stops sucking the blood out of games in order to make uninspiring sequels, or at least until they begin caring about how much gamers hate their lack of respect for our money and intelligence, this is going to continue.”

The day before the final results of the poll were released, current EA COO Peter Moore dismissed the poll, admitting that while the company has made some mistakes, he does not believe that the company is truly the worst in America. Among other bizarre statements, Moore in part blamed EA’s “success” in the poll on conservative websites encouraging readers to vote against the company

in protest of their inclusion of LGBT characters in games.

Said Kuchera: “We don’t hate them because we’re homophobes, we hate them because they destroy companies we love.

We hate them because they release poor games. We hate them because they claim our hate doesn’t matter as long as we give them our money.”

In response to EA’s “victory,” “The Consumerist” offered this: “When we live in an era marked by massive oil spills, faulty foreclosures by bad banks, and rampant consolidation in the airline and telecom industry, what does it say about EA’s business practices that so many people have — for the second year in a row — come out to hand it the title of Worst Company In America?”

Alex.Sferrazza@UConn.edu

Christie proposes measures to curb gun violence

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie on Friday unveiled a multifaceted plan to curb gun violence in New Jersey that includes expanding government-funded mental health treatment, requiring parental sign-off before children can buy or rent violent video games, and mandating that ID presented by would-be gun-owners is governmentissued.

The Republican’s plan also includes a ban on the sale of Barrett .50-caliber semi-automatic sniper rifles, bail reforms that would make it harder for people suspected of violent gun crimes to be

AP

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talks during a town hall meeting Thursday, April 11, 2013, in Branchburg, N.J.

released, and provisions to make it easier for courts and health care professionals to involuntarily commit people they consider violent to a psychiatric hospital.

The plan does not address classroom security or propose stricter limits on the capacity of ammunition magazines, which in New Jersey stands at 15 rounds.

“Assuring that there are common-sense safety measures when it comes to purchasing guns, and enforcing appropriate and aggressive criminal penalties for those who violate gun laws is not enough,” Christie said at a news conference at the state Capitol announcing the measures. “This is about violence control. In order to deal with the kind of violence we’re seeing, we must address the many contributing factors to that violence.”

Christie announced the proposals one week after receiving a report from a task force he created following the Newton, Conn., school shooting.

The group recommended the periodic renewal of gun licenses and a law banning people from buying guns for others. It also recommended helping those with mental illness.

“As we see unfortunately almost every day on the news, violence is all around us,” Christie said. “We have a responsibility to be the adults in the room on this conversation. Not just to pander to one side of this argument or the other. But we need to be thoughtful and we need to be informed and we need to focus on what steps will actually work, that aren’t just emotional responses that will make us feel good for the moment but that will do nothing to actually keep our state safe.”

The governor’s proposals come two days after the Senate in Washington rejected expanding background checks to more gun sales. Members of the Democrat-controlled state Legislature proposed their own gun laws, none of which has reached the governor’s desk.

The Assembly in February fast-tracked

22 bills that place limits on magazine sizes, require mental health clearances and photo IDs for gun permits, and bar anyone on the federal terrorist watch list from obtaining a gun.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, a Democrat who frequently opposes Christie on policy issues, said the governor’s proposals would be reviewed.

“One area that particularly concerns me is the governor’s notion that most of the debate surrounding this issue should be about how we deal with criminals,” Oliver said. “While I don’t disagree that we need to have the strictest penalties in place for those who commit gun crimes, the fact of the matter is that dealing with these criminals is what happens after 20 school children are killed or after a movie theater is shot up. We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to prevent getting to that point, period.”

New Jersey’s gun laws are among the strictest in the nation. The state does not allow gun shows, for example, is one of seven states with an assault-weapon ban and one of three with a one-gun-a-month law. New Jersey is also one of 11 states with a waiting period for gun purchases and one of seven with a limit on magazine capacity.

Gun laws could become a thicket for the former federal prosecutor who is considered a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. His opponent in the November governor’s race, Sen. Barbara Buono, a progressive Democrat, has been trying for months to make it a campaign issue.

In January, she called for a special legislative session to address gun violence and this month questioned Christie’s leadership on the issue.

“Leaders lead and they make decisions on gun safety by doing what’s best for the kids of New Jersey to keep them safe, and not what’s safe in the polls of Iowa,” she said.

Time has continued moving, life keeps going on. As much as seniors hate to admit it, we’ve just about aged our way out of Storrs. As someone who graduates from college in two and a half weeks (I’m still in shock, by the way), I’ve been getting pretty nostalgic about my time as a Husky already and I’m not even out of here yet.

Considering I’ve written a gaming column for a year, I have obviously spent way too much time at UConn playing video games. In my defense, with all of the snowstorms, negative degree weather nights and a few hurricanes thrown in the past four years, there were lots of reasons to stay inside every once in a while. Without further ado, the first of two parts about the ten gaming memories I’ll remember about college.

“Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2” – November 2009-February 2010 Over our time in college, my roommate and I have had a fairly open door policy to our friends on the floor. If we were around, people could come in and hang out. A lot of that hanging out involved watching other people play video games; my 360 was open to anyone who wanted to use it. It all got its start freshman year, when “Modern Warfare 2” came out and was absolutely everywhere. We were all broke, so the one guy who could afford it was suddenly sought after by everyone; eventually, we settled for watching each other play on his TV until Thanksgiving. After Black Friday, more people had it; the floor hit overload early in the spring semester after Christmas, where four or five people (or more) would be in the same party.

“Halo 3” – SeptemberDecember 2009 As well, around the time we found out we could all be in the same party as each other, we also found out UConn’s wired networks allowed our consoles to play in LAN parties with each other. I can still remember the ridiculous custom levels in “Halo 3” that would have six, eight, ten people on three or four Xboxes with open doors screaming and yelling at each other about whichever team stole the game at the last second and which kills were BS. They were crazy, active times made all the better by a mostly-absent RA (at the right times, at least).

“Dante’s Inferno” February 2010, February 2012 During the Super Bowl in 2010, EA aired a big-budget commercial for “Dante’s Inferno,” the high-profile, high-budget adaptation of the Dante classic. The game got a bad rap for being a repetitive, at times boring hackand-slash that was a ripoff of “God of War.” Granted, all of those things are true at times, but I do have to give props to the game as I’ve seen

»LOVE OF THE GAME, page 7

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Focus

Some games take points to win, others like the Kitten Bowl take fans LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s a Super Bowl matchup for the ages: cats vs. dogs.

The Puppy Bowl, a fixture on Animal Planet during the Super Bowl for nearly a decade, will have new competition next year from the Kitten Bowl, the Hallmark Channel announced this month.

“We would like to own the day,” said Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, which is home to the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.

“Copycats,” chided Animal Planet in a statement.

Win or lose in the ratings, all the animals stand to benefit. Hallmark will use between 50 and 100 kittens from animal shelters around the country, and Abbott vowed to place each one in a home.

Animal Planet placed every dog and cat on this year’s show — 63 puppies and 21 kittens. (Cats serve as halftime entertainment for the two-hour Puppy Bowl.)

The annual Puppy Bowl has a football theme, with the dogs scoring “touchdowns” if they cross a goal line with a chew toy.

Kittens in the Kitten Bowl will compete on an agility course set up with hurdles, scratchers, tunnels, hoops and weave poles. Laser pointers and toys on strings will be used to entice the kittens.

Judges will look at each kitten’s ability to cuddle and win the hearts of viewers.

“We had to develop some kind of framework to show what wonderful animals they are. They are their own little souls,” Abbott said. “Many people don’t realize how entertaining cats are and what great companions they are for people.”

Most of the competition will be unscripted. Kittens can’t be expected to figure out a timed course, so not doing it in the cutest way will determine the winner, Abbott said. The Most Valuable Kitten will be the cutest of them

AP

File-This undated publicity file photo provided by Animal Planet shows the Kitty half time show during “Puppy Bowl IX,” in New York.

all.

The show is part of Hallmark’s Pet Project Initiative and will be done with a partner, the American Humane Association.

Is the showdown between puppies and kitties on different cable channels likely to answer the ageold question about which one is the most popular?

Well, there are cat people and there are dog people. And then there are people like Ana Bustilloz at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. “I love dogs and cats equally. I like to have everything. Puppies are a lot of fun, and kittens are wildly amusing,” she said.

“I will channel surf, for sure.”

For the past two years, the spcaLA has sponsored a dog in the Puppy Bowl. The first one, Fumble, was even named Most Valuable Puppy. Bustilloz said she hopes to get an animal from the shelter in each bowl this year.

Animal Planet and Hallmark have a good relationship.

“We’re just happy that pet adoption is being promoted and more animals are finding their fur-ever homes,” Animal Planet’s statement said.

Abbott said there will be little

competition between the networks, and neither expects to overshadow Super Bowl XLVIII, which airs on Fox Sports. The three bowls will be televised around the same time on Feb. 2, 2014.

“There is no way anybody will beat the Super Bowl ratings,” Abbott said. “We are all playing for a little bit of a different share.”

This year, a record 12.4 million people watched during the 12-hour Puppy Bowl X broadcast.

By comparison, the Super Bowl was watched by 108.4 million people to become the third most watched show in TV history.

The National Football League also supports the efforts to raise awareness about animals and shelters.

“The Super Bowl brings families together, and we love the idea that it includes the adoption of dogs and cats on Super Bowl Sunday,” spokesman Greg Aiello said.

“We love animals here at the NFL, including cats and dogs,” spokesman Brian McCarthy added. “We also love Dolphins, Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Jaguars, Broncos, Eagles, Bears, Lions, Falcons, Panthers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks.”

The Daily Campus, Page 7

A dramatic turn for actor Will Forte, sans celery

NEW YORK (AP) — Putting celery in one’s butt is not the traditional pathway to coveted dramatic roles and illustrious international film festivals.

But three years after the “Saturday Night Live” spinoff “MacGruber” — and that infamous moment of vegetable prop comedy — Will Forte finds himself starring in an Irish drama playing at the Tribeca Film Festival (“Run & Jump”) ahead of his starring role in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska,” an entry to this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

“I have no idea how I found myself in this position,” says still bewildered Forte.

Though known for ridiculously over-the-top characters on “SNL” (a hermit falconowner, a whiskey-swilling morning talk show band leader, a potato-chip obsessed NASA scientist), the 42-year-old comedian is more earnest than you’d expect. In a recent interview during Tribeca, a wideeyed Forte peppered nearly every answer by adding how genuinely thankful he is for his good fortune.

In “Run & Jump,” Steph Green’s feature debut, Forte plays an American psychologist who moves in with an Irish family (a radiant Maxine Peake plays the mother) to study and document how they adjust to living with a father (Edward MacLiam) brain damaged from a stroke.

“It was interesting to not hide behind these big, bold characters and just kind of act like a normal person,” he says. “You feel very vulnerable. Frankly, it was hard to watch the first time. I’m a neurotic person. It’s just really scary. You almost feel like: Now people are seeing what I’m kind of like as a normal person. I’m surprisingly kind of a private person, but that’s coming from a person who put celery in their butt.”

Forte, a California native, came

AP

This April 19, 2013 photo shows actor Will Forte in New York. Forte, a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” stars in his first dramatic role in “Run and Jump.”

up as an improv performer with the Groundlings before finding success as a comedy writer, notably for David Letterman’s “Late Show.” He arrived at “SNL” relatively late, at the age of 32, but stayed for eight years performing wide-ranging, bug-eyed lunatics, as well as a stint as President George W. Bush.

Forte has never been shy about pushing himself as a comedian.

When he auditioned for “SNL,” he performed a sketch he had done with the Groundlings as a gold-painted street performer who sings a stirring anthem that devolves into a confession of prostitution. Tina Fey admired his boldness not just on “SNL,” but in his memorable crossdressing cameos on “30 Rock.”

“Will is so deceptively allAmerican handsome, but his taste in comedy is so wonderfully weird and unafraid to be arbitrary, dark or occasionally even filthy,” Fey said in an e-mail.

“He also has this sweetness that always comes through. He seems absolutely incapable of malice.”

The “MacGyver” parody “MacGruber” helped Forte transition away from “SNL.” While a box-office disappointment,

earning just $8.5 million, the absurdist comedy has its cult adherents.

Green, whose 2007 short “New Boy” was Oscar-nominated, says she thought of Forte early on for her Ireland-set drama, having glimpsed from press interviews that Forte was “a thoughtful, in some ways shy, self-deprecating, deep individual.”

“People did think I was slightly ... they didn’t think I was crazy, they knew how talented he was,” says Green.

“But he had not done a role like this and there were other actors that were either available or the company felt I could get. I was greeted with some funny reactions, especially in Europe. A lot of people didn’t know who Will Forte was and when they Googled him, they found a naked man with a piece of celery up his butt.”

Green urged Forte to grow out his beard (the classic calling card of a “serious” performance for a comedian). Forte, drawn to the project by Ailbhe Keogan’s script, took some convincing from Green that he could play the doctor.

Gamer’s Piece: Remembering gaming’s best moments throughout my college career, part the first from COLLEGE, page 6

seen it played through twice in full (in the background while I was studying). Way back in freshman year, when my friend across the hall played through, I watched with great interest; we thought it was so cool that we neglected to study very hard for first our Oceanography test, which we both failed miserably.

When my other friend decided to play through it a few years later completely of his own accord, I learned my lesson, using headphones to actually pay attention to my work, but I still came away appreciating the game. It takes a pretty big leap in its concept, which is pretty respectable. Adapting Dante isn’t easy. Obviously, they failed pretty bad logistically. But the game rivals “God of War” in its rewritten defined mythologies’ scale, making its

boss fights wonderfully exciting and engaging. Finding Dante through it actually planted the seed for me to get an English minor, because I wanted to know what else I’d been missing out on.

“The Beatles: Rock Band” September 2009 – Present Generally considered an impressive disappointment, “The Beatles: Rock Band” came out in the peak of the music game’s mainstream life. Its epic scope and unprecedented detail made it a much sought after item in the general Beatlesloving public, not to mention myself, a “Rock Band” junkie who was sent to college without my Xbox for the first month to make sure I didn’t lock myself in my room and play it instead of going to class. (I would have gone to class anyway, Mom. Just sayin’.) At literally my first

possible chance, I ran home to my Rock Band kit with a brandnew copy of the game and blew through it in a weekend or so on an instrument. When I brought it back to school, it seemed like everyone, ever, wanted to play it. It was fun times for three days until everyone realized they only knew about 12 of the game’s 48 songs well enough to play them, with a different 12 among each person, meaning sessions would end after the three songs everyone collectively knew. That quickly got old.

I still played the game, of course. It’s probably the most impressive music game ever made, just considering it’s the effing Beatles we’re talking about. But occasionally we’d break it out at the right time, especially once we got two (or even three) microphones in the same room. With a room full of Beatles fans, blowing through “Abbey Road” and belting out “Sgt. Pepper” was an ecstatic experience, the closest I’ve come to truly feeling like I was with a real band, not just a plastic instrument one.

“Dead Rising: Case Zero” September 2010 The Xbox Live Arcade prequel to “Dead Rising” released in late August of 2010, the beginning of sophomore year, marked a few firsts in my life. It was the first game I downloaded specifically to review for The Daily Campus, a side effect of me getting more involved at the DC entirely. Actually getting to review a game for the first real time was fantastic, made all the better by a third first, me finding out how great my roommates were since I was living with them for the first time.

During Syllabus Week, they frequently got intoxicated while I was playing “Case Zero.” Their commentary was inane, ridiculous and funny as all hell. I still remember they renamed the main character Ijek because of his leather jacket’s insignia (his real name was Chuck). A good game made better by great, annoying friends.

Joseph.O’Leary@UConn.edu

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Daily Campus, Page 8

Comics

COMICS

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Fuzzy and Sleepy

by Matt Silber

SANTIAGO PELAEZ/The Daily Campus

Side of Rice

by Laura Rice

A guitarist plays at the Benton Museum of Art as students participate in “Draw On!”, an event where students are given subjects and ideas to cover in any artistic fashion they so choose.

#hashtag

by Cara Dooley

Classic I Hate Everything

by Carin Powell

Superglitch

by John Lawson

Horoscopes

by Brian Ingmanson

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Get expert opinions. Discuss with partners to develop the best course of action. You don’t have to do it all ... delegate! Work strategically to handle the flow. Take peaceful breaks.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Okay, now it’s getting busy! The offers are pouring in, and just when you’re really jamming, a romantic invitation tempts. It’s not a bad dilemma.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) -- Today is a 6 -- It’s getting luxurious and lovely and very romantic.

For the next two days, pleasures, social life, fun with children and creativity at home sound attractive.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) -- Today is a 5 -- Create a home space that reflects the best of you. Get help from someone whom you admire. Avoid financial talk. All’s well that ends well.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Share feelings for the next couple of days. Work interferes with play, but they’re both important.

Finish tasks first. Don’t spend recklessly.

Reward a job well done with fun.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 9 -Avoid shopping now if you don’t want to make an irrational purchase. What you have to say is valuable. Communicate calmly. A partner or mate may be unhappy.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is an 8 -You’re the king of the hill, and you know it. You may want to share your triumphs, or it may get a bit lonely. Use the extra energy to your team’s advantage.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 6 -- You’re entering a two-day planning phase. If you get stuck in your head, use your friends to help you and keep you on the right track. Stick to your principles.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 6 -- A friend could help you clean up messes and resolve misunderstandings. Accept an acknowledgment gracefully. The money’s looking better.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 6 -- Find another route. As long as you’re persistent, you prevail. Find strength in others when your own breath falters. It’s okay to change your mind.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Step outside your shell and explore the unknown. Travel and fun are favored. Pleasant surprises are waiting on the other side of the fence. Now go get your hat.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 6 -Give yourself some room to be moody. There’s no need to be harsh. Slow down, breathe deeply and pull through. The obstacles you overcome make you stronger.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Daily Campus, Page 9

Sports

» CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT

ACC TV deal should slow realignment

AP

Despite rumors that Florida State would leave the Atlantic Coast Conference for a stronger football conference, Monday's grants of rights deal should keep them in the ACC.

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford hopes the decision by his members to hand over their television rights to the league helps bring stability to all of college athletics after three years of conference realignment chaos.

The ACC announced Monday its 15 current and future members agreed to a grant of rights, a legally binding deal that runs through 2027 and makes it nearly impossible for a school to switch conferences.

"I hope it is good for the entire landscape," Swofford said Tuesday during a break in the BCS commissioners' meetings at a resort hotel in Pasadena.

"There's no question that it's good for the Atlantic Coast Conference, and I think that hopefully that transfers to the

greater good and the larger landscape from a national perspective. It would appear to me that it does that.

"Particularly in terms of the membership within the power five conferences."

Three of the other power conferences — the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 — already have similar deals. The Southeastern Conference is the only one of the five power leagues in major college football that hasn't had its members sign a grant of television rights, but the SEC is so wealthy and strong its members would seem to have no reason to want to move.

The dizzying merry-go-round of conference realignment has been spinning since late 2009, when the Big Ten announced that it was looking to expand.

Since then the Big Ten has

added three members. The SEC has added two. The Pac-10 has grown into the Pac-12. The Big 12 has shrunk from 12 to 10 members, losing four schools and adding two. The ACC has added four schools and lost one.

And conference realignment whittled down the Big East to the point where it fell from the ranks for the power conference and changed its name to the American Athletic Conference.

For every move that has happened there has been double the amount of rumored moves. Most of those lately have involved the ACC. There has been speculation that the Big 12 would target Florida State and Clemson if it wanted to go back to 12 members, and that the Big Ten would dip back into the ACC for more members after luring away Maryland.

"I think a lot of our presidents and ADs got a little tired of the rumors that were out there which were basically unfounded," Swofford said. "Seeing that and saw this as the next route to go in terms of the solidarity of the league going forward."

Now that those schools are apparently locked in to the ACC, there's not a lot of schools easily available for the big conferences to gobble up. And if the ACC is not going to need to replace members any time soon, it should keep the five other FBS conferences fairly safe.

Asked if the ACC's move would put an end to realignment, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said: "My sense is it probably is going to cool the temperature a little bit."

» COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Jordan vows to restore integrity to Rutgers hoops

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — With his voice quivering at times, Eddie Jordan returned to Rutgers and took over as coach of the scandalmarred basketball program, promising to move forward and restore the dignity, pride and integrity to a university embarrassed by abuses that forced the firing of coach Mike Rice.

In choosing the 58-yearold Jordan, Rutgers turned to one of its greatest sports heroes to restore the image of university tarnished by a former coach who grabbed players in practice, threw balls at them and uttered gay slurs.

"I am really honored and blessed to be named the caretaker of our team, of our program, of our university's basketball program," said Jordan, who left a job as an assistant coach with the Lakers to return to the school he helped reach the Final Four in 1976. "I say 'our' because we've all come to a point that we have to regain our pride and our dignity and our integrity to our university. That's why I'm honored and proud to be part of that.

There's a responsibility for all of us to represent our university in the highest class and the utmost respect. " The hiring came a little less than three weeks after Rice was fired after a videotape of his practice tantrums

was televised. The ensuing scandal forced the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti, a top university lawyer and an assistant coach.

Jordan, who has been the head coach of three NBA teams, didn't want to discuss the past. However, it was obvious the videotape of Rice yelling at his players and throwing balls at them hurt.

"You take all the feelings of all the people in this gym and that's how I felt," said Jordan, who was given a five-year contract worth $6.25 million.

The deal includes a base salary of $550,000 the first year and $650,000 in the final year with additional guaranteed compensation ranging from $500,000 the first year to $850,000 in 2017-18.

There also were some interesting incentives including $5,000 for each win over New Jersey-rival Seton Hall.

There also is a $10,000 incentive for a team average cumulative GPA of 2.7 and bonuses ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 for 20-win seasons, NIT champions, conference champions and Final Four appearances.

Rutgers will move to the Big Ten Conference in 2014, The contract was signed Friday and was approved by the board of governors

Tuesday.

A couple of hours later, Jordan walked into the College Ave. gymnasium to chants of "Eddie! Eddie!" by the roughly 250 people who attended the press conference, including at least five members of the Scarlet Knights' Final Four team, led by Phil Sellers and Mike Dabney, most with more white in their hair or none at all. There also were seven or eight players from last season's team.

"Today is about the future of Rutgers basketball, and we're moving forward," Jordan said. "There's some healing process that has to be done. I'm glad my team is here. We have enough talent to exceed expectations. We want our guys to feel good about themselves, about their future, about their basketball team. That is part of my responsibility, but as always it's also part of yours because we're all one and we all need help to regain our integrity back."

Jordan described himself as open minded, patient and low maintenance. He said he coached two NBA players who were Muslims and knew they were not allowed to be around anyone who cursed, and he doesn't, noting his mother still carries a whip.

"I think what's important to me, my mindset on a daily basis is to save my players."

Since the end of the season, five players from last year's team have asked for transfers. Jordan hopes to convince some to stay, and he said one has already told him that he was coming back. He also has spoken with some recruits who have decommitted and plans to attend AAU tournaments this weekend.

However, he concedes resurrecting a program that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1991 will be a challenge.

"I don't know if this is rock bottom," Jordan said. "I think the basketball program has taken a real big hit and understandably and unfortunately, it is the centerpiece that puts Rutgers on the map," he said. "The normal average citizen says look what happened at Rutgers, not just the basketball team.

I think to restore integrity can we win games, yes. As we move forward in the season, are we smiling, are we happy, are we hugging each other. If people see that they can say they are going in the right direction."

Joe Boylan, who was an assistant coach at Rutgers when Jordan played, could not have been happier with the hiring.

"The times and the person have met in a historical sense," Boylan said, "When we look back on this day I

AP

Eddie Jordan left his role as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers to become the head coach of Rutgers. Jordan led Rutgers to the Final Four as a player in 1976.

feel we'll say this is when it all started again to be good for Rutgers."

Sellers said Jordan is the right person at the right time.

"He has his work cut out for him, no jokes aside," Sellers said. "I like that he is reaching out to the players.

You don't want them to get away. I know guys are a little discouraged and confused about what is going on, but I hope that they give Eddie a chance.

Morrissey: Still hope for UConn despite setbacks from FINAL, page 12 football teams.

Will a winning football season in the fall of 2013 help improve UConn’s position in conference realignment? Not likely. However, a couple of winning seasons would help showcase why the Huskies deserve to be in a power conference.

I have been trying to stay optimistic when it comes to the future of UConn athletics, but it seems that every time conference realignment news comes out, the Huskies are left out in the cold. While this recent unsettling news may be the final nail in the coffin of UConn’s ACC aspirations, I don’t think it’s a death sentence for our athletic program overall.

A lot will be riding on the next couple of football seasons, and the choices that athletic director Warde Manuel makes in the coming years will ultimately decide the fate of the Huskies relevance on the national stage.

For the sake of current and future generations of UConn student athletes, I hope he makes the right calls.

Follow Tyler on Twitter @ TylerRMorrissey

Tyler.Morrissey@UConn.edu

The Daily Campus, Page 10

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sports

Selecting the Premier League Team of the Year

record for most points ever if they win their last four matches.

Even with United dominating the league, players from Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea among others have had fantastic individual seasons making it a fairly difficult exercise to pick a Team of the Year.

But alas, tough decisions must be made so I present to you the Barclays Premier League Team of The Year.

(4-1-3-2 Formation) Goalkeeper: Nominations – Joe Hart (Manchester City), David de Gea (Manchester United), Simon Mignolet (Sunderland).

Winner – Joe Hart (Manchester City) has been the best Premier League goalkeeper the last two seasons and this one is no different after keeping 15 clean sheets while starting every match so far for City.

Right back: Nominations – Rafael da Silva (Manchester United), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Winner – Rafael da Silva (Manchester United) has finally established himself as one of the league’s best right backs after a season in which he started 25 of United’s matches playing solid defense (averaging 3.2 tackles and 2 interceptions a match) while also chipping in offensively (scoring 3 goals and creating 3 assists).

Center backs: Nominations – Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Jonny Evans (Manchester United), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Matija Nastasić

(Manchester City), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal).

Winners – Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur) and Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) have both had phenomenal league campaigns while at opposite stages at their careers.

Vertonghen adapted to life very well in his first Premier League season starting 29 times for Spurs, while Ferdinand is in his 19th Premier League season and started 24 times for the Champions.

Left back: Nominations – Leighton Baines (Everton), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Gaël Clichy (Manchester City).

Winner – Leighton Baines (Everton) has been the best left back for the last two seasons more for his attacking play then his defending. Baines was Everton’s dead ball specialist all season and has five goals and five assists so far while starting all 34 matches.

Central defensive midfield: Nominations – Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Yaya Touré (Manchester City).

Winner – Michael Carrick

UConn got on the board in the bottom of the second inning when speedy shortstop Tom Verdi beat out an infield single that scored McDowell.

UMass designated hitter Rob McLam led of the third inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of third baseman Nik Campero that regained the Minutemen its two-run lead.

Colletti allowed a run in the first three innings but got out of the fourth inning unscathed as he allowed just one base runner.

In the top of fifth inning with UMass runners on first and second base, UConn center fielder Billy Ferriter could not catch a ball in shallow center but completed an unconventional fielder’s choice when he got the force out at second because UMass’ Dylan Begin cautiously stayed

too close to first fearing being doubled off had the ball been caught.

It marked the end of the day for Colletti. He left the game with UConn trailing 3-1 in fifth inning with two outs and he remained responsible for the runners at corners. RHP Stephen Catalina replaced the freshman starter and got UMass left fielder Kellen Pagel to ground out to first base.

Colletti gave up two earned runs, seven hits, walked three and stuck out two in 4.2 innings on his way to a no decision.

UConn stranded two in the home half of the fifth inning but the Husky offense finally broke through in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded, Mazzilli singled to left field and advanced all the way to third base on a fielding error by Pagel. All

three runs scored t give UConn the lead for good. Mazzilli was only given credit for one RBI as he advanced to third on the two-base error. He scored on the next play when UConn designated hitter Vinny Siena gave the UConn bullpen a two-run cushion as he reached on an error.

Catalina kept the Minutemen off the board until the eighth inning. He pitched three impressive innings in which he allowed just two hits and one run.

“He wants to pitch big innings and that was a big step towards earning more,” Penders said.

UMass cut the lead in half in the eighth inning but UConn RHP Jordan Tabakman came in and struck out McLam swinging with the bases loaded. Paul Yanakopulous reach on an error and stood at first as the tying run with two outs in the

AP

Manchester United striker Robbie Van Persie left Arsenal last summer in pursuit of titles.

He has scored 24 goals this season, helping to secure United's 20th Premier League title.

By Miles DeGrazia Soccer Columnist On Monday night Manchester United wrapped up their 20th English League title (13th since the inception of the Premier League) in stylish fashion as Robin van Persie netted a hattrick and United defeated Aston Villa 3-0. United have dominated this years Premier League campaign and could still set a

(Manchester United) is the heartbeat of the best team in the league, and was perhaps United’s most valuable player, as no one of the team could play his position so well. Carrick averages 76.9 passes per match with an 88.1 percent success rate but still makes 2.3 tackles per match while intercepting 2.2 passes a match.

Attacking midfielders: Nominations – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Marouane Fellaini (Everton).

Winners – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) and Juan Mata (Chelsea) have been the creative fulcrums for their respective teams and are largely responsibly for most of the teams’ attacking moves. Wayne Rooney has scored 12 goals and created 10 more reflecting his more distributive position now that Robin van Persie is United’s main striker. Gareth Bale should

win the Player of The Year with his insane output of 18 goals and four assists in Spurs team, which heavily leans on the Welshman to win matches. Chelsea’s creative force is Juan Mata who has scored ten goals this season and created 12 for teammates, and would have a lot more if Fernando Torres didn’t miss so much.

Strikers: Nominations – Robin van Persie (Manchester United), Luis Suárez (Liverpool), Miguel Pérez Cuesta (Michu) (Swansea City), Demba Ba (Newcastle United / Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa), Rickie Lambert (Southampton).

Winners – Robin van Persie (Manchester United) and Luis Suárez (Liverpool) have been the best at putting the ball in the net from start to finish this season. Robin van Persie has already scored 24 times for the champions and will win the Golden Boot award since his Team of The Year partner Luis Suárez, who has scored 23 times, is to be suspended for the rest of the season for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Miles.DeGrazia@UConn.edu

Catalina shuts down Minutemen with strong appearance out of the bullpen in UConn win

from BACK, page 12 Adam Picard combined for seven of the Minutemen’s nine hits. Cusick raised his average 23 points after his 4-for-4 performance in the lead off spot.

Cusick lead off the contest with a walk and scored when Picard singled down the right field line. It could have been worse for UConn LHP Christian Colletti as he managed to get out of trouble in the opening frame when catcher Max McDowell picked off Picard sneaking down the third base line.

After UConn left the bases loaded in the half of the first inning, UMass tacked one more in when shortstop Vinny Scifo advanced to third on a throwing error by UConn third baseman Bryan Daniello then eventually scored on a Colletti balk.

TROY CALDEIRA/The Daily Campus

UConn starter Christian Colletti only lasted 4.2 innings on Tuesday, allowing three runs.

ninth inning. Tabakman quickly notched two strikes on Pagel and Yanakopulous took off for second but it did not matter because Tabakman’s pitch was right down the pipe to secure his fifth

save of the season and clinch UConn’s first win in a week.

Daniel.Maher@UConn.edu

TWO The Daily Campus, Page 11

PAGE 2

What's Next Home game

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sports

Stat of the day The number of blocks per game by UConn men’s basketball recruit Amida Brimah in high school this season.

7.2

» That’s what he said

» NCAA FOOTBALL

College Football Playoff set to replace BCS

“This team has dominated Europe over the last five years and if you beat them like this, I think you can be proud.”

Away game

– Bayern Munich midfielder Arjen Robben on his side’s 4-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Baseball (24-16) Today April 28 April 26 April 27 Bryant Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. 5:35 p.m. 2:05 p.m. 1:05 p.m.

April 30 Sacred Heart 3:30 p.m.

AP Arjen Robben

» Pic of the day

Bayern own the day

Softball (22-22) Tomorrow Tomorrow April 27 Albany Albany Seton Hall 2:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.

Noon

April 27 Seton Hall 2 p.m.

April 28 Seton Hall 11 a.m.

Lacrosse (13-1) April 28 Loyola Maryland 1 p.m.

April 26 Georgetown 1 p.m.

Men’s Track and Field Tomorrow Penn Relays All Day

Women’s Track and Field Tomorrow Penn Relays All Day

Rowing April 27 Bucknell, West Virginia, Delaware All Day

Can’t make it to the game?

Follow us on Twitter: @DCSportsDept www.dailycampus.com

AP

Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez celebrates after scoring a goal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Semifinals against FC Barcelona. Bayern won the match 4-0, meaning Barcelona must win by five next week to advance to the Final.

THE Storrs Side

UConn receives National Letter of Intent from Amida Brimah

By Tim Fontenault Staff Writer The UConn men’s basketball team received a National Letter of Intent from 6’11” center Amida Brimah on Monday, according to a statement from the program.

After a childhood of playing soccer, Brimah is in his third year of playing organized basketball. This season at Archbishop Carroll, Brimah averaged 16 points, 11.7 rebounds and 7.2 blocks per game. He shot 68 percent from the field and 72 percent from the foul line.

UConn’s presence in the frontcourt was an issue throughout the 2012-13 season. The Huskies ranked 243rd in rebounding with 33.1 per game and 57th in blocked shots with 4.53 per game. Brimah brings an inside presence that has head coach Kevin Ollie excited for his arrival on campus.

“We think Amida can be another in the long line of outstanding UConn big men,” Ollie said.

“He’s a terrific shot-blocker and rebounder. He’s obviously got to get stronger, but he’s got a chance to make an impact right away. I love the fact that he is dying to get up here this summer.”

Brimah, who plans to study hos-

pitality management at UConn, joins two New York players in the Huskies’ class of 2013, shooting guard Terrence Samuel from Brooklyn and power forward Kentan Facey from Long Island.

Facey is the top player in UConn’s class, as he is ranked No. 96 out of all recruits by ESPN. Samuel and Facey, who are former teammates in AAU basketball, played together in last week’s Jordan Brand Regional Game at the Barclays Center, combining for 18 points – including a converted alley-oop from Samuel to Facey – in their team’s winning effort.

Brimah had only talked to Samuel and Facey over the phone and through social media until the Jordan Brand game, when he flew to New York to watch his future teammates play. He stayed at Samuel’s house that night and bonded with his future teammates.

“With Amida joining Kentan and Terrence, we think we have three new players coming in who can all help us,” Ollie said. “What I like best is they each have a relentless motor that just keeps going. They are excited to play basketball.”

Timothy.Fontenault@UConn.edu

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The Bowl Championship Series will be replaced by the College Football Playoff.

The BCS conference commissioners announced the name of the new postseason system that starts in 2014 on Tuesday, the first of three days of meetings at a resort hotel in the Rose Bowl’s backyard.

They also will choose the remaining three sites for the six-bowl semifinal rotation in the new system and the site of the first championship game to be held Jan. 12, 2015, this week.

The website www.collegefootballplayoff.com is already up and running and allowing fans to vote on a new logo. It also has a Twitter hand “We’ve decided to call the playoff what it is — the College Football Playoff,” BCS executive director Bill Hancock, who will hold the same position in the playoff system, said in a statement.

Premiere Sports Management in Overland Park, Kan., was hired to help come up with a name and brand the new system.

Before the news was reported, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said he’d be happy with whatever was selected.

“I’m am not good with names — obviously,” Delany said during a break in the meetings, referring to the Big Ten’s division names, Legends and Leaders, that produced so much negative feedback the conference has already decided to change them.

The new postseason format will create two national semifinals to be played New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, with the winners advancing.

The six bowls in the playoff rotation will host marquee, BCS-type games on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day during the seasons they do not host a semifinal.

Three semifinal spots have already been decided: the Rose, Orange and Sugar bowls.

Four other bowls have bid for the final three spots. The clear front-runners are the Cotton, Chick-fil-A and Fiesta. The Holiday Bowl in San Diego also put in a bid, but even its organizers have acknowledged they are a long shot at best to land the game.

Those decisions will be announced Wednesday.

The coaches on the Big 12’s spring teleconference were already talking about the Cotton Bowl having a spot in the rotation as if it was a done deal.

“I think it’s really exciting for this region, for everybody, and I think all of the schools in this region, to have Dallas as one of those sites is great for everybody in this region, and exciting for everybody,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said.

“Obviously, everybody knows what a great and quality, what an awesome stadium it is, then the location for us is an advantage, or should be.”

The first semifinals will be played at the Rose and Sugar bowls.

The site of the first national championship game in the new system will also be determined at these meetings and the finalists are Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the billion dollar home of the NFL team and the Cotton Bowl, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., home of the Buccaneers.

THE Pro Side

Braves’ Heyward sidelined after undergoing appendectomy

By Andrew Callahan Senior Staff Writer Following a series of days off due to sickness and an appendectomy last Monday night, Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday. Manager Fredi Conzlaez said that there was no timetable for the fourth-year pro’s return to the diamond.

Heyward most recently played last Saturday night in a 3-1 road loss to Pittsburgh when he went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout. The young outfielder had been feeling ill in the days prior, where he hit a combined 3-16. Upon seeing a doctor two nights ago, it was determined the issue resided with his appendix, and he immediately went in for surgery.

The operation interrupts a miserable start to the season for Heyward, who had been hitting .121 with two home runs and five RBI. However, his poor performance did not slow down a flaming hot start for the Braves. Prior to yesterday’s doubleheader in Colorado, Atlanta led the NL East by 3.5 games with a 13-5 record.

Heyward’s outfield mates, brothers BJ and Justin Upton, have been picking up the offensive slack with 11 homers and 16 RBI between them.

Last season the twenty-three year-old slugged 27 long balls and swiped 21 bases while batting .269. His 2012 campaign came in response to a horrible sophomore slump, which a .227 average at the plate. Still under twenty-five and considered one of the Braves’ best players overall, Heywad figures to be a mainstay in the Atlanta in the lineup for years to come.

Temporarily, he will be replaced by twenty-three yearold Triple-A outfielder Tyler Pastornicky A former fifthround pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, Pastornicky hit .243 and registered a measly on-base percentage of .287 last year in 169 at-bats for the Braves.

Atlanta will wrap up their series with Colorado today at 3:10, before continuing their roadtrip in Detroit over the weekend. The team’s next home series is scheduled to start Monday for a key fourgame stretch against the Nationals.

Andrew.Callahan@UConn.edu

» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY

P.11: Brimah’s National LOI arrives at UConn /P.11: College Football Playoff replaces BCS /P.10: Premier League Team of the Year

Page 12

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The final nail in the coffin?

www.dailycampus.com

BACK ON THE WINNING SIDE Huskies beat UMass to end three-game skid

Tyler Morrissey On Monday afternoon I saw the news flash across my Twitter feed. The Atlantic Coast Conference approved a media rights agreement that will not allow teams to leave the conference until 2027.

In laymen’s terms the deal allows the ACC to retain a schools media rights and revenue from the institution, even if the school decides to leave the conference. This agreement ensures that all current schools will remain in the ACC until the deal expires as it would not make fiscal sense for a team to leave the conference.

For UConn and Cincinnati this was the final nail in the coffin for the schools’ desires to join the conference, as it’s now unlikely that any team will leave the ACC anytime soon and it’s also unlikely that the conference will expand any further.

This news for UConn leaves the Huskies with just one other option, hope that the Big 10 decides to expand to 16 teams. As of now it doesn’t look like the Big 10 is looking to expand due to the limited options the conference has to choose from. Some of the major athletic conferences without a media rights agreement are the newly named American Athletic Conference, SEC, Conference USA and the Mountain West.

As the hope for Big 10 expansion fades, Huskies’ fans are left wondering what’s next for UConn. You make the best of it.

Fortunately for the Huskies, the men’s and women’s basketball programs will not be affected. Due to the nature of college basketball, the best teams will always thrive in the big dance no matter what conference they come from.

A team from the Mountain West conference has the same odds of succeeding in the tournament as a team from the ACC, as long as they are talented and can turn that talent into victories on the hardwood.

The main problem with this latest development in the ongoing saga that is conference realignment is what this means for the UConn football team.

Football does not have the luxury that men’s and women’s basketball have here at UConn. Both basketball teams have a historic past, the women have a hall of fame coach in Geno Auriemma and the men have Kevin Ollie.

Who wouldn’t want to play for a coach like Ollie? The man represents what’s great about college athletics.

The football team is in a rough spot. Yes, they did have successful seasons in the past, which included a berth in a BCS bowl, but their stock has been declining since the hiring of Paul Pasqualoni. Since Pasqualoni took control after the departure of Randy Edsall, the Huskies have not had a winning season.

It’s easy to point the finger at the head coach, but regardless of whose fault it is, the damage has been done.

When the news broke earlier this year that Louisville was extended an invite over UConn to the ACC, you got to wonder how much of that decision was based on the success of the two schools

» MORRISSEY, page 9

By Danny Maher Senior Staff Writer

A sloppy game, consisting of eight errors, 23 runners left on base and seven batters hit by pitch ended with UConn over UMass 5-4 Tuesday afternoon on J.O. Christian Field.

UConn (24-16 overall, 8-7 Big East) used a fourrun sixth inning highlighted by second baseman LJ Mazzilli’s three-run single to bury UMass (9-22 overall, 3-9 Atlantic 10).

“He led us. We needed him there to come up with a big knock with the bases loaded,” UConn head coach Jim Penders said of LJ Mazzilli.

Mazzilli went 3-for-5 that raised his batting average to a team-high .333. He drove in a run, scored a run and stole two bases. UConn stole a season-high seven bases in the win.

UConn has now won 11 straight and 14 of the last 16 contests against the New England rival.

UConn batters were hit by a season-high six pitches led by shortstop Tom Verdi, who is among the nation’s leaders in hit by pitches. He was hit twice on Tuesday, bringing his total to 40 on the year. UConn has 68 hit by pitches as a team this season.

“It’s a big part of college baseball now,” Penders said. “If they come in, we don’t want to give an inch.”

UMass second baseman Ryan Cusick and right field

BASEBALL

5

4

RACHEL WEISS/The Daily Campus

UConn second baseman LJ Mazzilli led the Huskies’ offense in a 5-4 win over the UMass Minutemen. Mazzilli went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.

» CATALINA, page 10

Softball drops doubleheader at Notre Dame

By Tim Fontenault Staff Writer

Still on the Big East Conference bubble with only a handful of games remaining, the UConn softball team was swept in a doubleheader at Notre Dame on Tuesday afternoon, ending its season-high five-game winning streak.

The bats never came alive for the Huskies, who scored only one run in the two games after averaging 6.6 over their last five. With no run support, the pitching staff was left to fend for itself, and allowed six runs in the first game and 11 in the second.

Kiki Saveriano, who struggled with finger soreness last week against Bryant and St. John’s, dropped to 14-11 on the season, allowing six runs on seven hits over five innings without striking out a single batter. Saveriano is normally able to pitch the entire game, but Coach Karen Mullins pulled her in favor of Katelyn

Callahan.

UConn was kept off the board in the first game, a 6-0 loss, and only had two baserunners the entire game; Maddy Schiappa singled to lead off the game and Marissa Guches singled to right field in the fourth inning.

SOFTBALL

UConn 0 N.D. 6 Game One UConn 1 N.D. 11 Game Two

The Huskies took a quick lead in the second game, as Guches drove in Lexi Gifford with an RBI single in the top of the first inning, but that was UConn’s only offensive production on the day. Meanwhile, the pitching staff struggled even more in the second

game.

Lauren Duggan took the hill in the second game for the Huskies and was unable to protect the lead her offense gave her at the start.

The Fighting Irish took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning, but they were only getting started.

Duggan gave up eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, allowing Notre Dame to take an 11-1 lead. Rain stopped the game after the top of the fifth, giving the Irish the sweep.

For the game, Duggan gave up 11 runs – 10 of them were earned – on 11 hits over four innings. She did not strike anybody out.

UConn will look to get back on track tomorrow in a doubleheader against Albany in Storrs before returning to Big East play this weekend at Seton Hall, where they will play a three-game series starting on Saturday.

TROY CALDEIRA/The Daily Campus

Timothy.Fontenault@UConn.edu

The UConn softball team lost two games against Notre Dame on Tuesday in South Bend.

Mazzilli continues stellar season in Huskies’ win

By TJ Souhlaris Staff Writer

Mazzilli Stays Hot UConn was trailing UMass, 3-1, entering the bottom of the sixth. The Huskies star infielder LJ Mazzilli came up to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. The Preseason Big East Player of the Year delivered for UConn (24-16), hitting a single through the left side that scored three runs, thanks in part to an error by UMass left fielder Kellen Pagel. It’s been a common occurrence to witness Mazzilli come through when his team needs him, and UConn head coach Jim Penders is thankful for his senior second baseman.

“He led us [today],” Penders said after the 5-4 victory. “We needed him there to come up with a big knock with the bases loaded.”

Mazzilli was dealing with a bruised foot about two weeks ago that forced him into a des-

ignated hitter role. The ninth- score 5-4 in UConn’s favor, round pick by the Minnesota redshirt sophomore Jordan Twins in the 2012 draft saw Tabakman walked the first his batting average plummet batter he faced with two outs during this stretch to under in the eighth inning to put .300. Now, Mazzilli, who runners at first and second went 3-for-5 with a stolen base for the Minutemen. However, – his 20th of the season – an Tabakman struck out the next RBI and a run scored, is back batter he faced to subdue the to hitting .333 for the season. threat.

“He started to One runner reached really kind of come first on a two-out around the last couthrowing error by ple weeks,” Penders shortstop Tom Verdi said. “We need him in the ninth inning, to be really good, but Tabakman caught because when he’s Pagel looking for the good we can conand final out of Notebook 27th tend.” the game to pick up Mazzilli moved his fifth save of the into a tie with teammate Billy season.

Ferriter for second all-time in Even though the Huskies career hits in UConn history seemed to be on a closer-bywith 258. committee route at the beginTabakman shuts the ning of the year, Penders is fine door—again with nominating Tabakman as Although UConn’s pitching the “de facto closer.” staff has a combined ten saves “We’re going to go with on the season from five differ- the hot hand,” Penders said. ent players, it appears a go-to “When he’s available right closer has emerged. With the now, he’s getting the ball.”

BASEBALL

Tabakman is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA on the season in 14 appearances (two starts). The University of North Carolina transfer has 21 strikeouts over 31 innings pitched while keeping opponents’ batting average at a tame .231.

“He’s proven that he can do the job and I like handing him the ball,” Penders said.

“Usually when I’m handing him the ball, I’m smiling.”

Looking Ahead UConn will take on Bryant University in Rhode Island on Wednesday. Bryant (25-12-1) leads the Northeast Conference with a 13-3 record and possesses a three-game lead in the loss column. Moreover, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association’s most recent poll, while the Huskies check in at No. 3.

Bryant toppled UConn, 7-1, in last season’s matchup in Storrs, which proved to be the Bulldogs’ first victory ever against the Huskies. Penders

remembers the 2012 game well and knows that things have to be different in order for UConn to win.

“They outplayed us, outcoached us and outexecuted us a year ago on our field,” Penders said.

“And they appear to be a better team than even last year. If we play at all like we did today, we are not going to be successful [against Bryant].”

Penders also added that his team’s focus should be on itself and not on the opponent.

“I’m more concerned about us than them.

I’m more concerned about executing; throwing strikes, playing better defense and having much better at-bats. If we can do those things we’ll have a chance,” Penders said.

The game will take place at Conaty Park in Smithfield, R.I. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Thomas.Souhlaris@UConn.edu