Volume CXVIII No. 94
» INSIDE
Ph.D. candidate studies rare frogs
By Matt McDonough Associate Sports Editor
‘Vagina monologues’ start tonight Showings begin at 5:30 in the Student Union Theatre. FOCUS/ page 7
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
Kristiina Hurme’s comfort zone isn’t always in the classroom. The mild-mannered Texan, who shows no signs of an accent, has preferred to be surrounded by animals, either in the zoo or jungle, since childhood. “My mom took me to the zoo every day when I was little,” Hurme said. She lived just a mile away from the San Antonio Zoo. “We’d get a year membership and
walk around every day. I started going there so young that I can’t remember life without a zoo.” The species that most interested Hurme was frogs. She would catch them as a child and even used “tadpole” as a domain on her first e-mail address. Today, the 32-year-old is finishing her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology. She studies animal behavior, most notably parental care in frogs. The specific species she studies is called Leptodactylus insularum, found only in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and
Venezuela. The frogs are unique in many ways. Mostly brown and black, about the size of a bullfrog, the species will eat anything that will fit in its mouth. It bites humans, and like mammals, guards its young. Her research has taken her through three rainy seasons in Panama, working from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. from June through December. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Princeton in ecology and evolutionary biology in 2001, she went to Central America to study frogs. Hurme studied in the
jungle off and on between 20022008 and became acclimated to the tropics. She also grew accustomed to fighting off mosquitoes and caiman during long nights of research in the dark. “I was in two different swamps,” Hurme said. “In one, a caiman was eight feet long. She and I would try to find the same calling frog. I’d be on one side of the bush and she’d be on the other side. I’d try to scare her away.” At first, Hurme’s older brother accompanied her into the jungle as an assistant because she did not
Megabus coming to Storrs
BULLYING AROUND THE HOYAS No. 13 UConn beats No. 9 Georgetown, 78-70. SPORTS/ page 14 EDITORIAL: CUTTING MAGNET SCHOOLS GOOD FOR CONN.’S WALLET Proposal is part of Gov. Malloy’s budget plan. COMMENTARY/page 4 INSIDE NEWS: BANKRUPTCY: BORDERS’ PENALTY FOR BEING TOO SLOW The chain will close nearly a third of its stores. NEWS/ page 2
» weather Thursday
Coach buses will transport students one way for $19, take daily trips to NYC By Monica Mula Campus Correspondent For Storrs students stuck on campus, the chance to experience city life at a low cost is rare. Transportation is pricey, and the distance is long. On Feb. 18, the remedy for isolation will come. Megabus, an express bus line known for its direct service and low prices, will be brought to UConn by Dattco Coach and Tour Group on Friday. UConn Transportation Services has collaborated with Dattco and organized a schedule that will run to and from New York City seven days a week, with an average cost to customers of just $19 each way.
Once in Manhattan, students will be responsible for their own activities and overnight accommodations, as Megabus will run only in the mornings and does not provide tours. When Janet Freniere, transportation manager at UConn, heard about the benefits of Megabus, she was quick to agree to Dattco’s request to introduce it to Storrs. “I think it will be really beneficial to students,” said Freniere. “It serves two purposes: it will save them money and add convenience.” As for the price, Megabus offers special deals to its timeliest customers. The first person to purchase a bus ticket for a given day will only pay $1. “Prices for the other 55 seats will be incrementally higher,
but do not exceed, on average, $19 each way,” said William Wendt, director of transportation, logistics and parking services, who also considered Megabus invaluable to students and helped establish a stop at UConn. In terms of convenience, Megabus will be the first bus to leave UConn and go straight to New York City, its final destination. “This will be a big competitor for Peter Pan Bus Line, which makes frequent stops before reaching its destination,” said Freniere. Megabus will stop on Stadium Road, between Gampel Pavilion and the Co-op, and continue straight to Seventh Ave. and 28th St. “Although Megabus has been operating since 2006, this is one of the first instances where a
university is used as a stop,” said Wendt. Even before it was officially announced, students have demonstrated tremendously positive reactions to its arrival. Dennis Lyons, vice president of Dattco Coach and Tour Group, said this past weekend, “We have already sold a dozen seats.” Thomas Knecht, an 8th-semester political science and economics double major, expressed enthusiasm about the service. “It’s an exciting step in the right direction. The service provides students, and the university as a whole, improved access to major hubs of activity,” said Knecht. Similarly, Jennifer Varughese, a 2nd-semester chemistry major, is greatly anticipating its start date.
» ENVIROMENTALLY, page 3
Malloy endorses education ideas in budget
Partly cloudy
High 48/ Low 34 friday/saturday
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGABUS
This photo shows a Megabus coach bus traveling through Times Square in New York City. The bus will pick students up in between the Co-op and Gampel Pavilion and drop them off at Seventh Ave. and 28th St.
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» index Classifieds 3 Comics 5 Commentary 4 Crossword/Sudoku 5 Focus 7 InstantDaily 4 Sports 14
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HARTFORD (AP) — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget proposal breathed new life into several school reform proposals that lawmakers approved last year but left without funding when Connecticut lost its chance at $125 million in federal money. Funding for the proposals, including a change in teacher evaluations, is part of the proposed two-year, nearly $40 billion budget that Malloy presented to the General Assembly on Wednesday. He said he also supports a change to require stricter high school graduation requirements starting with the class of 2018; creating more spots for students to attend charter and magnet schools; and studying whether the state and municipalities could save money if all schools adopted
AP
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy waves after presenting his first two-year budget, during a joint session of the General Assembly with his wife Cathy, left, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, right, at his side, at the Capitol, in Hartford Wednesday.
a common academic calendar. The General Assembly approved legislation last year containing sev-
eral of those ideas in hopes of fortifying its “Race to the Top” federal funds application, which ultimate-
ly was rejected. Until Wednesday, it was unclear whether the state might try to fund some of the ideas itself or whether lawmakers might be asked to rescind or delay some proposals. State Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, a Democrat from West Hartford who is cochairman of the legislature’s education committee, said he thinks Malloy “struck all the right notes” in his education proposals. Fleischmann had been hopeful that ideas in the 2010 reform package could be adopted despite the state’s financial constraints. “The sound of the governor’s speech was terrific. His notion that we have to be prepared to make reforms even in difficult times was spot on,” Fleischmann said afterward.
What’s on at UConn today... Panda Express Fundraiser 2 to 7 p.m. Student Union, Panda Express Twenty percent of your food purchase will go toward the Honors Alternative Spring Break fund.
Teale Lecture 4 to 5 p.m. Dodd Center, Konover Auditorium Author and environmentalist Rick Bass will present a lecture titled, “Finding Common Ground.”
The Vagina Monologues 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Student Union Theatre This free performance will take place in an effort to celebrate femininity and end violence against women.
want to be alone. Later, volunteer undergraduate students from across America, as well as the United Kingdom and Italy, came to help her. Hurme was a volunteer assistant after her undergraduate studies and lived for two years in Costa Rica and Belize. Her family has made a trip to every place Hurme has lived. “I gave them the travel bug and they haven’t gotten rid of it,” Hurme said. “It was part of why I came to UConn, because they had
» STUDENT, page 2
Pretrial sessions OK’d for homeinvasion survivor
NEW HAVEN (AP) — A judge on Wednesday rejected a request by attorneys for a Connecticut man charged with a deadly home invasion to exclude the sole survivor of the crime from pretrial arguments and jury selection. Attorneys for Joshua Komisarjevsky had asked that Dr. William Petit be kept out of the court proceedings. They said Petit, whose wife and two daughters were killed in 2007, referred to the testimony of other witnesses when he testified at the trial of Komisarjevsky’s co-defendant, Steven Hayes, who was sentenced to death last year. Judge Jon Blue denied the motion but said attorneys could bring up the issue at trial. Blue said witnesses are not typically sequestered before trials but can be later if there are concerns their testimony could be affected by that of others. Komisarjevsky’s attorneys said some defense questions during jury selection may involve Petit’s testimony. They requested that all witnesses be sequestered from hearing the testimony of other witnesses, but Wednesday’s hearing focused only on Petit. Authorities say Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes killed Petit’s wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley. Dr. Petit was beaten but survived. Hayes was convicted last year of sexually assaulting and strangling Hawke-Petit. Authorities say he and Komisarjevsky tied her daughters to their beds, poured gasoline on or around them and set fire to their home, killing them. Hayes and Komisarjevsky have blamed each other for escalating the crime, but prosecutors say both men were equally responsible. Jury selection for Komisarjevsky’s trial is scheduled to start March 14. Komisarjevsky’s attorneys clashed sharply Tuesday with Blue over a scheduling issue. The argument came after another judge denied a request by the attorneys to remove Blue from the trial, ruling he had showed no bias in Hayes’ trial. One of Komisarjevsky’s attorneys, Jeremiah Donovan, argued with Blue on Tuesday over his request to schedule jury selection four days per week instead of five so he could handle other cases and keep his law practice running during a lengthy trial. Blue said Wednesday that some of the attorney’s comments were not appropriate but he would experiment with a schedule of four days per week for jury selection.
Tangled 9 to 11 p.m. Student Union Theatre Prince Charming rescues Rapunzel from her tower and takes her to see the world in Disney’s latest animated movie.
- VICTORIA SMEY
The Daily Campus, Page 2
Thursday, February 17, 2011
News
DAILY BRIEFING » STATE
Students witness ‘Jeopardy!’ history: human contestants vs. computer to
Conn. woman admits stealing from employer
HARTFORD (AP) — A Southington woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $500,000 from her employer and using the money for personal expenses, including a car loan, and expensive gifts to relatives. Diane Walasewicz, a mother of three, faces a maximum of seven years in prison at sentencing May 25. Prosecutors said in Superior Court on Tuesday that the 36-yearold Walasewicz overstated her own working hours, put her sister on the payroll of Maier Design Group LLC even though she did not work for the company, and used a company credit card to buy laptops for relatives. Police say the embezzlement started in 2000 and was discovered in 2009 when the company was bought buy a new owner.
Conn. trooper gets probation in assault on teen NEW LONDON (AP) — A Connecticut state trooper accused of assaulting a 15-year-old boy during a motorcycle stop has been granted special probation that will allow him to clear his record. Trooper Jeffrey Rogers was placed on accelerated rehabilitation for eight weeks in New London Superior Court on Tuesday, a program usually granted to first-time offenders. A judge approved the sentence after the victim’s family approved. Rogers was charged in November with third-degree assault and risk of injury to a minor following the traffic stop in North Stonington in August. Prosecutors say Rogers punched the teen several times. The victim’s name was not made public.
» NATION
Man, 84, found alive in Ariz. desert after 5 days PHOENIX (AP) — Henry Morello prayed to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost things. But as the 84-year-old spent a fifth night stuck in a ditch in the Arizona desert, he started to lose hope. “My phone went dead, my battery went dead, and I went dead,” Morello said. But Morello lived to tell his tale Tuesday at a Phoenix hospital, where the diabetic man was admitted in good condition despite drinking windshield wiper fluid to stay hydrated. He didn’t have water, Morello said, so he broke open the wiper fluid container with a rock and filtered it with napkin to try to make it safe. Morello said he made a wrong turn while driving home Feb. 7 from the Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek and ended up stuck in the desert north of the city, near the state’s major north-south road for Grand Canyon-bound travelers.
World’s largest toy collection up for sale in NY NEW YORK (AP) — You wouldn’t want to throw these toys in the playroom bin, even if you had one big enough. A collection like no other is going on sale: 35,000 vintage toys and trains assembled by an American collector over a period of 50 years. It’s so large that 5,000 pieces alone fill the entire floor of Sotheby’s auction house in New York, where they are on display until the end of the month. The collector, Jerry Greene, has kept the collection in five basement rooms of his suburban Philadelphia home, Sotheby’s said. He says it’s now time to part with it and wants to share it with the world, but wants to find a buyer who will acquire all of it.
» WORLD
Law to protect German kids’ right to noise BERLIN (AP) — Children of Germany take heart – it may soon be perfectly legal to make noise. Germany is so desperate to encourage people to have more children that the government is proposing a bill allowing citizens under six to laugh, shout and play at any volume. Germany is a land of many rules, especially about noise. The government’s move comes after a series of lawsuits about children and noise, and a recent call from a senior citizens’ chapter of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, who sought to ban kindergartens from residential areas because they are too loud. The government said Wednesday the proposed law would exempt children from strict regulations on noise limits, which force construction sites to stand idle for hours at midday and prohibit mowing lawns on Sunday.
The Daily Campus is the largest college daily newspaper in Connecticut with a press run of 8,000 copies each day during the academic year. The newspaper is delivered free to central locations around the Storrs campus. The editorial and business offices are located at 11 Dog Lane, Storrs, CT, 06268. To reach us through university mail, send to U-4189. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. The Daily Campus is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. 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 assume financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertising unless an error materially affects the meaning of an ad, as determined by the Business Manager. Liability of The Daily Campus shall not exceed the cost of the advertisement in which the error occurred, and the refund or credit will be given for the first incorrect insertion only.
By Scott Gaurdreau Campus Correspondent
UConn students had the opportunity to watch history in the making during a streamed broadcast of “Jeopardy!” Wednesday night. The episode featured one peculiarity: human contestants battled it out with a computer. IBM created an artificial intelligence program named Watson and designed it to answer questions posed in common speech. In 2006, Watson only answered about 15 percent of questions correctly during initial tests of “Jeopardy!” but by 2008, Watson could compete with the hard-hitters of trivia. In 2010, Watson regularly bested human contestants. Monday night premiered the faceoff between Watson and Ken Jennings – winner of 74 “Jeopardy” matches in 2004 – along with contestant Brad Ritter. The night ended with Watson tied with Rutter at $5,000 each. But, by Tuesday night’s end Watson had a lead on Jennings of more than $30,000. Not bad, considering Watson had a modest 15 to 20 percent confidence level on most questions. But Watson’s performance last night astounded audience members: the room-size computer triumphed over the humans with $77,147 to Jennings’ $24,000
AP
In this undated publicity image released by Jeopardy Productions, Inc., host Alex Trebek poses with contestant Ken Jennings and a computer named Watson in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
and Rutter’s $21,600. Along with first place came a $1 million prize, all of which will be donated by IBM to World Vision, an evangelical relief and development organization. Watson, in a non-televised match of “Jeopardy!” defeated reputable science correspondent Miles O’Brien, who stated that “it wasn’t elementary, it was really ugly,” when
reflecting on his defeat. In attendance last night was Sharon Nunes, vice president of green innovations for IBM. “We hope you’ll develop a better appreciation for advancements going on in computer science,” Nunes said. “Just think, we could have this information in our cell phone in maybe ten years.” “It’s inspiring – it makes
me look forward to doing something with this type of technology in a career,” said Dave Powell, a 4th-semester cognitive science major. “It’s very interesting and I want to research this more.” Using 15 terabytes of RAM and a complex web consisting of thousands of algorithms simultaneously, Watson analyzed the question asked and sifts through references like bibles, novels, plays and encyclopedias to arrive at the answer. The more algorithms that affirm the same answer, the higher the likelihood it is correct. But in a game full of wordplay and puns like “Jeopardy!,” an automatic search engine alone will not suffice. The challenge is Watson’s understanding of culturally-nuanced questions inherent in the game. This language barrier exemplified the challenge faced by all of Watson’s programmers. “I’m really impressed by the breadth of information that the computer can access and the speed. It’s fantastic, seeing so many real life applications,” said Ashley Calder, a 4th-semester computer science major. The event was sponsored by CLAS, the Honors Program, the Neag School of Education, the School of Business, School of Engineering, School of Nursing, School of Fine Arts, the School of Pharmacy and UITS.
Scott.Gaurdreau@UConn.edu
Student shares love for ecology with family, plans to travel from PH.D. CANDIDATE, page 1 a strong tropic biology program.” She said it takes multiple years to complete her analysis and because the frogs are not well-studied. She is breaking new ground. Hurme has given eight oral presentations, in locations ranging from St. Louis to Storrs to San Antonio. She also has been a teaching assistant at UConn the last five years, and is optimistic her final research will produce exciting results. “If I can find one cool behavior that will get people excited enough, it may preserve the rain forest if they know the frogs are out there,” Hurme said. Hurme said her advisor, Kentwood Wells, suggested the idea of studying a rare behavior in a species. “I think it’s just that we need to make sure people have a love and interest in biology,” Hurme said. “If I show the frogs are really cool and put more pressure on people it will make a difference. It will work best on little kids. We can give them something to remember.” Hurme comes from a family of athletes. She competed in the modern pentathlon, an event that includes epee fencing, pistol shooting, running, swimming and show jumping. Kristiina’s father Risto Hurme, 60, competed in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and captured a team bronze medal for Finland in Modern Pentathlon in 1972. Risto, a dentist, won three straight individual NCAA fencing championships from 1973-75 at New York University. Her mother June, 57, made the Veteran’s World Team in fencing for the United States in 2007. Kristiina traveled to Sydney for
the World Championships to coach her mom. June is also an artist. She created Scooby Doo cartoons for Hanna Barbera in the 1970s. Kristiina’s brothers also followed in the family’s footsteps. Tommi, 25, captained the Princeton fencing team and is living and training for the Olympics in Budapest, Hungary. He works for the UN. Edward, 22, also fenced on the Princeton varsity team, but is now following Kristiina’s path into the field of biology. He is a field station manager in Peru. “My sister did get me interested in science,” Edward said. “It started when she built a pond in our back yard over 15 years ago. It suddenly exposed us to the life that was hidden, waiting for water. Immediately toads appeared from no where and filled the pond with eggs. But my interest was solidified when I went with Kristiina to Costa Rica and Panama the summer before college, to help her begin her Ph.D. research. After experiencing the jungle first hand and the thrill of finding animals in the wild I was hooked.” Edward is more grateful for Kristiina’s contributions to science than fencing, adding a humorous aspect to the two now working in the same field. “I am very fortunate to have Kristiina leading the way, because I can take insight on what grad school is like, what is the best head lamp to buy and she always gives me help on science writing,” Edward said. “Right now we are actually collaborating [with UConn EEB grad student Alejandro RicoGuevara] on a project I’m starting here [in Peru] looking at hummingbird bill morphology. We will see how that goes and if we don’t kill
each other by the end.” As for when the children were growing up, Kristiina said her parents had an impact on what sports the children played. “We didn’t really try other sports besides pentathlon,” Hurme said of her father. “My parents were thrilled to have everyone fencing,” Edward said. “It was a great activity for the whole family to enjoy, but since we were all taking it seriously, it wasn’t always the most enjoyable. We had to learn how to take criticism. But it was a great way for me and my brother to take out aggression on each other and spending a year in Peru with no fencing is definitely tough. I have found myself poking people.” Kristiina joked that when Tommi tried lacrosse, Risto got upset at him. She started horseback riding at the age of four and fencing at 11, so the pentathlon was the perfect mix. “He wanted us to train at a sport that was very rare so we could have more impact,” Kristiina said. In 1997, Hurme was recruited to go to Princeton to fence. When she was at the Keystone School in San Antonio, Hurme was ranked the No. 2 Junior female fencer in the country. Hurme’s 13th place finish in the women’s epee event of the 1998 NCAA championships reflected her potential with the Tigers. But during her time at Princeton, Hurme was pushed in a different direction, away from fencing and an opportunity of competing in Olympic qualifying competition. “I got into Princeton because of fencing, not my grades,” Hurme said. She still did well in the high school classroom, however, she said.
It paid off. The fencing standout chose Princeton over Columbia, Cornell, Penn and NYU, an academic choice that paved Hurme’s career. After graduating from Princeton in 2001, she was pushed back to her roots. Hurme fences only when she is with her family at her Texas home. She enjoys the family activity, and although she does not currently coach, Hurme has considered returning to the sport. She currently rides horses, competing at show jumping and versatility competitions. She is now taking polo lessons at UConn. “I’m finishing up one of the chapters [of her findings] in the next two weeks and will finish the rest in the spring and graduate in May,” Hurme said. Hurme hopes her results show the scientific community that the rare frogs can do the complete opposite of what behavior is expected. Hurme hopes to continue studying tropical biology after graduation. After her final analysis and defense in May, she is considering whether to teach conservation to undergraduates in the jungle or work at a zoo. Hurme will visit her brother in Peru and Colombia this summer and will make her second trip to Hungary since New Year’s to visit Tommi. But she does not have any other plans etched in stone. “I will try to travel,” Hurme said. “I don’t have any plans yet. It’s like graduating as an undergraduate all over again. I’ll probably go live in a tent somewhere.” A tent somewhere in the jungle. Hurme would be right back in her natural habitat.
Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu
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In Tuesday’s edition, in Christopher Burns’ article, “Malloy to create a new cabinet position within administration,” it was incorrectly stated that there are 500 non-profit organizations in Connecticut. There are thousands, but The Connecticut Association of Nonprofits only represents about 500 organizations.
Thursday, February 17, 2011 Copy Editors: Joe Adinolfi, Alisen Downey, Lauren Szalkiewicz, Alyssa Krueger News Designer: Victoria Smey Focus Designer: Caitlin Mazzola Sports Designer: Greg Keiser Digital Production: Jim Anderson
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Daily Campus, Page 3
News
Bankruptcy: Borders’ penalty for being too slow
NEW YORK (AP) — Borders was slow to get the message as the big-box retailer lost book, music and video sales to the Internet and other competition. The result: It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, and will close nearly a third of its stores. Less nimble than rival Barnes & Noble, Borders now begins what analysts expect will be a quickly resolved struggle for the survival of its remaining stores. It’s the latest cautionary tale about the dangers retailers face when they fail to keep up with swiftly changing technology and consumer habits. “It’s almost a case of hitand-run,” said Al Greco, marketing professor at Fordham University. “They were crossing the street and they didn’t pay attention, and that tractor trailer (of technology) hit them.” Borders plans to close about 200 of its 642 stores over the next few weeks, from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., costing about
6,000 of the company’s 19,500 employees their jobs. The closures are also a blow to publishers already owed tens of millions of dollars by the company, which stopped paying them in December. Borders said it is losing about $2 million a day at the stores it plans to close, all of them superstores. The company also operates smaller Waldenbooks and Borders Express stores. Fifteen years ago, Borders superstores dotted the U.S. and seemed to be the future of bookselling. Its sprawling stores, comfortable chairs, cafe and widespread discounts epitomized the “bigger is better” retail philosophy that spelled the end of many mom-and-pop bookstores that couldn’t compete on selection or price. Americans today are more likely to pick up the latest bestseller anywhere from Costco to Amazon.com, or download a digital version, than make an extra trip to a strip mall.
AP
Borders Books & Music flagship store is shown in Ann Arbor, Mich., Wednesday. Borders, which helped pioneer superstores that put countless mom-and-pop bookshops out of business, filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, sunk by crushing debt and sluggishness in adapting to a rapidly changing industry.
Analysts say a key error for Borders came in 2001, when it contracted out its e-commerce business to Amazon.
“Amazon had no incentive whatsoever to promote Borders,” said Simba Information senior trade analyst Michael Norris.
“It really marked the beginning of the end.” That relationship lasted until 2007. By then, Borders lagged
Scientists connect global warming to rain
WASHINGTON (AP) — Extreme rainstorms and snowfalls have grown substantially stronger, two studies suggest, with scientists for the first time finding the telltale fingerprints of manmade global warming on downpours that often cause deadly flooding. Two studies in Wednesday’s issue of the journal Nature link heavy rains to increases in greenhouse gases more than ever before. One group of researchers looked at the strongest rain and snow events of each year from 1951 to 1999 in the Northern Hemisphere and found that the more recent storms were 7 percent wetter. That may not sound like much, but it adds up to be a substantial increase, said the report from a team of researchers from Canada and Scotland. The study didn’t single out specific storms but examined worst-of-each-year events all over the Northern Hemisphere. While the study ended in 1999, the close of the decade when scientists say climate change kicked into a higher gear, the
events examined were similar to more recent disasters: deluges that triggered last year’s deadly floods in Pakistan and in Nashville, Tenn., and this winter’s paralyzing blizzards in parts of the United States. The change in severity was most apparent in North America, but that could be because that’s where the most rain gauges are, scientists said. Both studies should weaken the argument that climate change is a “victimless crime,” said Myles Allen of the University of Oxford. He co-authored the second study, which connected flooding and climate change in the United Kingdom. “Extreme weather is what actually hurts people.” Jonathan Overpeck, a University of Arizona climate scientist, who didn’t take part in either study, praised them as sensible and “particularly relevant given the array of extreme weather that we’ve seen this winter and stretching back over the last few years.” Not all the extreme rain and snow events the scientists studied cause flooding. But since 1950,
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AN AWESOME SUMMER JOB IN MAINE If you’re looking to spend this summer outdoors, have fun while you work, and make lifelong friends, then look no further. Camp Mataponi, a children’s summer camp, has positions available in Land Sports (lacrosse, soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, field hockey),
Environmentally friendly buses have free Wi-Fi for passengers from MEGABUS, page 1 “I had never heard of Megabus before,” Varughese said, “but ever since I learned about it I’ve been eager to use it. It will now be much easier and less expensive for me to visit friends and family in New York City.” Besides low costs and convenience, the single-deck buses boast free Wi-Fi, power outlets, restrooms and are all environmentally friendly. The sheer size makes them both spacious and comfortable for passengers. Megabus will not only benefit current students and passengers, it will also be much appreciated by parents of accepted freshmen who have not yet begun their college experiences. “A common inquiry at the freshman orientations is, ‘Why is it so difficult to get to New York City from UConn?’” Wendt said. Parents want to ensure their children will have access to city life. “This summer, we will
AP
This file photo shows an aerial view of a flooded neighborhood in Nashville, Tenn. Extreme rainstorms and snowfalls have grown substantially stronger, two studies suggest, with scientists finding the telltale fingerprints of man-made global warming on downpours that often cause deadly flooding.
flooding has killed more than 2.3 million people, according to the World Health Organization’s disaster database. The British study focused on flooding in England and
Wales in the fall of 2000. The disaster cost more than $1.7 billion in insured damages and was the wettest autumn for the region in more than 230 years of record-keeping.
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ease those concerns of parents by discussing Megabus and the opportunities it offers” Freniere said. While Wendt said other express bus lines were looking for money from UConn “that we just don’t have,” Megabus was the most frugal choice. Its usage will be of no cost to UConn – it is paid for entirely by its customers. Since Megabus is not affiliated with the Co-op, students must buy tickets through the Megabus.com website. But Freniere said that the Co-op will still be informed of the service so as to answer any questions students might have. A complete schedule will be available on the UConn web site under the Travel Alternatives link. Freniere said although a date has not yet been set for a Megabus to Boston, it will likely come later this year.
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far behind Barnes & Noble, which began selling books online in 1997. Borders also was slow to react to the growing popularity of e-books and e-book readers. After Amazon launched its popular Kindle e-book reader in 2007, Barnes & Noble followed with the Nook in 2009 and invested heavily in its electronic bookstore. Borders entered the electronic book market with Canada’s Kobo Inc. last year but failed to garner much traction. Borders also didn’t react quickly enough to declining music and DVD sales, and hired four CEOs without book-selling experience in five years. Barnes & Noble, which has 29.8 percent of the book market compared with Borders’ 14.3 percent according to IBIS World, has done better by adapting to e-commerce and electronic books more quickly and keeping management stable.
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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Thursday, February 16, 2010
The Daily Campus Editorial Board
John Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief Taylor Trudon, Commentary Editor Cindy Luo, Associate Commentary Editor Michelle Anjirbag, Weekly Columnist Arragon Perrone, Weekly Columnist Jesse Rifkin, Weekly Columnist
» EDITORIAL
Cutting magnet schools good for Conn.’s wallet
A
s part of Connecticut’s ongoing efforts to close the $3.7 budget deficit, Gov. Malloy has proposed a reduction in state aid that covers the costs of new school construction, including magnet schools. Malloy’s proposal will, if implemented, help the state close the budget gap while still being able to fulfill its educational commitment to Connecticut’s children. Improving the educational environment is always a major responsibility of state government, but in hard economic times like these, the state must find ways to tighten its belt. According to the proposal, the rate of state aid that covers new school construction, which ranges from 20 percent to 80 percent, would be reduced to 15 percent to 65 percent. Wealthy towns like Greenwich would receive less aid than poorer towns like Hartford. The amount the state would pay to cover the costs of a new magnet school would decrease from 95 percent to 80 percent. Hartford would be the only exception, where the reimbursement rate is 100 percent for magnet schools, by court order. This decrease would save the state a substantial amount of money. The payments for new school construction cost the state $690 million annually in bonds. This cost is unsustainable, and cutting it will do much to help decrease the overall deficit. Moreover, if there is a time for the state to cut aid for school construction it is now, when demand is low. Peak school construction began in 1992 and lasted until the recession hit full force in 2008. Cutting funds now will help the state recover so that it can eventually increase aid again, when times are better. If cuts are not made now, and in other areas besides education, there can be no state economic recovery within the state. Even with the decrease in state aid, towns would be wellprovided with funds to help shoulder construction costs. Towns would simply have to get used to receiving less than they have in the past. These are not happy economic times, and towns must play their part — a part every resident is being called to play— in order to balance the state budget. The governor’s sensible proposal is right for Connecticut. 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.
Which house was Kemba in at Hogwarts? That man is a wizard. Did Kemba Walker REALLY just serve himself? Does Kemba Walker get an assist for the shot where he passed the ball to himself? Kemba plays real life basketball like a video game. I just got rejected by the sore throat study at the infirmary. The fact that I saw a used condom in a melting snow pile today concerns me. I doesn’t matter how nice it looks outside, it is not nice enough to wear gym shorts and flip-flops. I am sick and tired of TV announcers confusing Oriakhi and Okwandu. GIVE CHUCK SOME CREDIT! In the 2011 Beer Pong Fantasy Draft, I take Kemba... my roommate is taking Johnny Mac. Only TV in the library would be occupied by an elderly man watching History Channel during the basketball game. To the person who took the condom from an RA’s door, opened it and left it on a washing machine in Wilson: Karma’s a bitch, I’d be careful. I don’t even know where Georgetown is. What’s a Hoya? I think Jamal Coombs-McDaniel just scored again. I still miss the 2004 men’s basketball team. J – I still love you. Figure you may believe it if you read it here. – S
Send us your thoughts on anything and everything by sending an instant message to InstantDaily, Sunday through Thursday evenings. Follow us on Twitter (@ InstantDaily) and become fans on Facebook.
McEntee passes up footballs, not opportunities
B
y now, nearly everybody on campus has seen the viral video of the UConn quarterback Johnny McEntee completing trick passes with a football. He knocks a water bottle off a player’s head from forty yards out. He throws two passes in a row, hitting both field goal posts from fifteen yards out, all while balancing a third football on his foot. Inside Gampel Pavillion, he swishes a football through a basketball hoop from beyond the three-point line backwards, then tosses a second ball through the hoop at the other end of the court, roughly twentyfive yards out. By Jesse Rifkin As of this writing, the video has Weekly Columnist notched over 4.3 million views in only seven days, a number that will likely have surpassed five million by the time this piece is in print. Keep in mind, this coming from a guy who said in an interview that he expected “around ten thousand” views. Yet his jaw-dropping accuracy is not what most impresses me about McEntee. More importantly, it is the initiative he took in making the video in the first place. It must have taken hours upon hours to nail the four and a half minutes worth of passes we see in the video. Still, with patience and surely
plenty of takes, the final product came together. And what a final product it is. McEntee has red-shirted during his whole career at UConn, and has not completed a single pass during the past two seasons. Now, looking forward, I would be shocked if Coach Paul Pasqualoni does not start him at least once next year.
“Those who truly distinguish themselves do so not on the strengths of their skills alone, but by the marketing they do....” This is how you get things done in life. Talent is not enough – you have to do something above and beyond, and the Internet offers an unprecedented means of doing so. Ted Williams was a homeless man on the streets of Columbus, Ohio, who was filmed by a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch newspaper. Williams’ voice was so deep and radio-friendly that the video received over 11 million views. Within two weeks of the upload, he had completed voice-over work for Kraft Foods, MSNBC, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bo Burnham was a high school junior who wrote original comedy songs and posted them online, so that his brother could see them while at college. Instead,
they took off like wildfire, with his mostviewed video “I’m Bo Yo” notching over 14 million views. Burnham’s most recent tour sold out, while his last album peaked at number one on the Billboard comedy charts. And then there is the case of Antoine Dodson, the man from the most-viewed YouTube video of 2010 (excluding music videos), “Bed Intruder Song.” Living in the projects of Huntsville, Ala., Dodson collected enough money off of the song, which has reached an incredible 71 million views, to move to a safer neighborhood – likely impossible before his newfound fame. Unfortunately, not much has come from the video of my high school freshman year talent show performance of the Weird Al Yankovic song “White and Nerdy.” The point here is that these examples, and many more, point to a truth in our society: being good at what you do does not cut it. Those who truly distinguish themselves do so not on the strengths of their skills alone, but by the marketing they do to launch themselves into the public consciousness. Sometimes it is that little bit extra that pushes undiscovered potential into true success. That is what we can learn from Johnny McEntee. Also, how to throw a spiral.
Weekly columnist Jesse Rifkin is a 2nd-semester political science major. He can be reached at Jesse. Rifkin@UConn.edu
Michelle Obama sets healthy example for nation
F
irst Lady Michelle Obama has been spending this week celebrating and promoting the one-year anniversary of her “Let’s Move!” initiative, an effort to solve the problem of childhood obesity. According to the Center for Disease Control, almost one in every three children in the United States is overweight or obese. The alarming statistic convinced the First Lady to launch “Let’s Move!” and to encourage the nation’s children to eat healthier and get more By Ryan Gilbert pa ch tyi sviict ay l. Staff Columnist Essentially, the initiative promotes things like kids playing outside or in the gymnasium for an hour every day, serving fruits and veggies with every meal, drinking water or low-fat milk instead of soft drinks and eating as a family. Sounds like something we could all rally around and give the First Lady a proverbial pat on the back for, right? Apparently not. Some members of American media’s conservative and reckless pseudo-Justice League have slammed Obama and her initiative, accusing her and her insidious task force of meddling sports and nutrition experts of sticking their noses where they don’t
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belong. Sarah Palin accused Michelle Obama of saying that Americans shouldn’t have dessert on her reality show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” something the First Lady has never said or implied. Also, on Laura Ingraham’s national radio show, Palin said Obama should “just leave us alone, get off our back, and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions.” God-given rights? God-given rights to do what? Get fat? I’m not the healthiest eater. I live on a college campus with eight dining halls and its own dairy bar. Growing up, I was the chubby kid who destroyed an entire bag of Hostess Donettes every day after school, didn’t know the difference between lacrosse and field hockey and who had a panic attack the day our gym teacher announced that we had to run the mile. I would have been bummed out by the First Lady’s campaign to make me healthy and active and probably would have used whatever energy I did have to go Godzilla on her White House Kitchen Garden. But, I was an immature 12-year-old boy who skipped a lot of friends’ pool parties because I didn’t want to take off my shirt. I should have eaten more fruits and veggies, I should have participated in more school
“President Obama it
sports and I should have had more meals with my family around the kitchen table instead of on the couch watching Nickelodeon.
“She planted a garden in the White House backyard. She hasn’t banned s’mores and Big Macs.” Rush Limbaugh intended to ridicule Obama’s campaign on his radio show when he said that her mission to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation is “all rooted in the notion that parents don’t know what the hell to do, that parents are irresponsible.” I’m not entirely sure most parents do know what the hell to do or if they are, in fact, being as responsible as they can be when it comes to their children’s health. Many food packaging labels are misleading, varieties of organic fruits and vegetables are harder to find and more expensive than those grown among chemical fertilizers and pesticides and most after-school sports teams require expensive fees and an even greater deal of commitment from the parents. Critics of the “Let’s Move!” ini-
tiative shouldn’t mischaracterize the First Lady’s intentions or personally demonize her over what they consider to be a big government takeover of what we decide to stuff in our faces. A cartoon depicting Michelle Obama as an overweight, double-chinned, hamburger and fries-binging she-wolf yelling “shut up and pass the lard” at her big-eared, veggie-nibbling husband appeared on conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart’s Big Journalism website. Venomous comments are floating around, referring to our First Lady as a “self-righteous Soros puppet” or as “BigMamaObama is a cow,” and telling her to “take on Black violence in the hood…instead of you with your fat ass trying to tell me what to eat.” Classy, huh? Let’s recap: The First Lady of the United States of America is using her prominence and clout in that role to try to help our nation’s children become more healthy and active. She planted a garden in the White House backyard. She hasn’t banned s’mores and Big Macs. The CDC reports, “More and more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a disease usually diagnosed in adults aged 40 years or older.” Sounds to me like Michelle Obama is just trying to be a good mom.
Staff Columnist Ryan Gilbert is a 6thsemester journalism major. He can be contacted at Ryan.Gilbert@UConn.edu
delivered his 2012 budget to Congress yesterday, but it probably won’t get much action, since they still haven’t yet passed a budget for 2011. But to be fair, they have been busy posting shirtless photos of themselves on Craigslist.” – Jimmy Kimmel
The Daily Campus, Page 5
Comics
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Down 1 Supplementary items 2 He plays Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter films 3 Where the teacher might casually sit 4 Rajah’s wife 5 Guardian, maybe 6 Vegan’s morning meal 7 Cajun staple 8 Stabilizing part 9 “Water Music” composer 10 Clay, today 11 Offense 12 Atlantic City casino, with “The” 13 “__ matter of fact ...” 21 Sly female
22 Musical based on a comic strip 26 Binge 27 A quarter of cuatro 28 Mormons, initially 29 Bar option 31 Corrects, as text 33 Instrument in Schubert’s “Trout Quintet” 34 __ conditioning 39 Provocative sort 40 __ leaf 41 Mother-of-pearl 42 Certain NCO 43 Little, in Lille 44 “Jeopardy!” ques., really 47 Identical item 48 Summer shoe style 49 Hanging 51 Gets by 52 Gave one star, say 56 Moves like a moth
JELLY! by Elise Domyan
intersections 72 See 71-Across 73 See 71-Across
59 Portend 60 Exiled African tyrant 61 Dreadful 62 Bit of Lagasse lingo 63 Turkish title 64 Asian ox 65 First lady?
Monkey Business by Jack Boyd
Across 1 __ effort 5 Without restraint 9 “__ luego” 14 Merrill in movies 15 Microwave 16 “__ Smith and Jones”: 1970s TV Western 17 List maker 18 Swank’s “Amelia” co-star 19 Stealthy Easterner 20 Fancy greens dish 23 Storm hdg. 24 Out of sorts 25 Cloud in Orion 30 Spay or neuter 32 #1 tennis player for much of the ‘80s 35 “I can help” 36 2012 Ryder Cup captain Davis Love __ 37 News organ? 38 In reverse position 42 Cross over 45 Be less than healthy 46 Greek with lessons 50 Feminist’s concern 53 __ myrtle: tree or shrub in the loosestrife family 54 Skirmish 55 Where Eth. is 57 Chess pieces 58 Bit of modern folklore 62 Howled 66 Upscale hotel chain 67 Without thinking, with “by” 68 Tequila plant 69 It often involves steady losses 70 Privy to 71 With 72- and 73-Across, what this puzzle does literally at six different
I hate Everything by Carin Powell
The Daily Crossword
Horoscopes
Stickcat by Karl, Jason, Fritz & Chan
Aries - The sun shines for you, even when skies cloud over. Others look to you for ideas and creative inspiration. Go ahead and share. There’s more where that came from. Taurus - You may have an urge to gossip today. Control it, as it won’t serve you well. Silence is golden. Take care of your nest. Enjoy it, and read a good book. Gemini - If you wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, write it down, then go back to sleep. After resting, go out and exercise to revive nocturnal brilliance. Cancer - You start thinking about a weekend adventure. There’s still work to be done. Focus on new incomegenerating opportunities and cost-savings measures.
By Michael Mepham
Leo - You may disagree with someone significant to you. Watch your power here. This offers an opportunity for personal growth. Wisdom emerges from your subconscious. Virgo - You find inspiration in solitude and are inspired to create something beautiful or do something that you really enjoy doing. Share it with others later. Libra - Romance can surprise you when you least expected. Allow only the necessary distractions. Be productive while you can. Scorpio - Balance home and work. If you bring your work home, don’t let it interfere with your family life. You feel inspired. Use that energy for both home and office.
Froot Bütch by Brendan Albetski and Brendan Nicholas
Sagittarius - Explore new possibilities for education, whether it’s a class at the community college, a degree in philosophy or guitar lessons. There’s always room to grow. Capricorn - Practice taking a few minutes away from responsibilities and deadlines. Get outside and breathe deep, even if only briefly. This clears your focus. Aquarius - You have so much to give today. Provide insights and inspiration, even if borrowed ... there are very few original thoughts. Share something for mutual benefit. Pisces - You’re full of ideas. Take some time to organize them all and get grounded. Put them to work to benefit yourself and others. This will be satisfying.
Pundles by Brian Ingmanson
Classic Why The Long Face by Jackson Lautier
The Daily Campus, Page 6
Thursday, February 17, 2011
News
Pa. teacher strikes nerve with ‘lazy whiners’ blog
FEASTERVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A high school English teacher in suburban Philadelphia who was suspended for a profanitylaced blog in which she called her young charges “disengaged, lazy whiners” is driving a debate by daring to ask: Why are today’s students unmotivated – and what’s wrong with calling them out? As she fights to keep her job at Central Bucks East High School, 30-year-old Natalie Munroe says she had no interest in becoming any sort of educational icon. The blog has been taken down, but its contents can still be found easily online. Her comments and her suspension by the middle-class school district have clearly touched a nerve, with scores of online commenters applauding her for taking a tough love approach or excoriating her for verbal abuse. Media attention has rained down, and backers have started a Facebook group. “My students are out of control,” Munroe, who has taught 10th, 11th and 12th grades, wrote in one post. “They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades,
complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire, and are just generally annoying.” And in another post, Munroe – who is more than eight months pregnant – quotes from the musical “Bye Bye Birdie”: “Kids! They are disobedient, disrespectful oafs. Noisy, crazy, sloppy, lazy LOAFERS.” She also listed some comments she wished she could post on student evaluations, including: “I hear the trash company is hiring”; “I called out sick a couple of days just to avoid your son”; and “Just as bad as his sibling. Don’t you know how to raise kids?” Munroe did not use her full name or identify her students or school in the blog, which she started in August 2009 for friends and family. Last week, she said, students brought it to the attention of the school, which suspended her with pay. “They get angry when you ask them to think or be creative,” Munroe said of her students in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. “The students are not being held accountable.” Munroe pointed out that she
AP
Central Bucks, Pa., East High School teacher Natalie Munroe is seen during a phone interview at her attorneys office in Feasterville, Pa., Tuesday.
also said positive things, but she acknowledges that she did write some things out of frustration – and of a feeling that many kids today are being given a free pass at school and at home. “Parents are more trying to be their kids’ friends and
less trying to be their parent,” Munroe said, also noting students’ lack of patience. “They want everything right now. They want it yesterday.” One of Munroe’s former students, who now attends McDaniel College in
Nissan debuts new Quest
(AP) – Just when you think you’ve seen every version of minivan possible, Nissan debuts its fourth-generation Quest with a few new ideas. The Quest’s third-row seats are not removable, so don’t worry about straining a back muscle lugging them out. And no matter how many seats are occupied or how much cargo is packed inside, the Quest has an extra, large, hidden storage area under the floor just before the rear bumper for sizable last-minute items. And it’s not an earthshattering innovation, but there are 16 cupholders, more than what you’ll find in the Honda Odyssey. Built in Japan, the 2011 Quest is some 2 inches narrower and shorter in length than the Odyssey. But the Quest’s starting price is on par with the Odyssey. Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $28,550 for a base, 2011 Quest S with 260-horsepower V-6 and continuously variable transmission. Note the Quest is the only minivan on the U.S. market with a CVT, which is designed to optimize fuel economy. But the estimated fuel mileage for the Quest – 19 miles per gallon in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway – is not class-leading.
AP
This undated photo made available by Nissan shows the 2011 Nissan Quest.
Meanwhile, the 2011 Honda Odyssey – which has top minivan gasoline mileage of 19/28 mpg – starts at $28,580 with 248-horsepower V-6 and automatic transmission. The 2011 Toyota Sienna LE with 266-horsepower V-6 has a starting retail price, including destination, of $30,010 and the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country starts at $30,995 with 283-horsepower V-6 and automatic transmission. Nissan officials talk up the exterior styling of the new Quest, but no one looked at the van during the test drive. I kept looking at it, though,
every time I approached, because the curved gap between body pieces at the front where the hood
came down atop the silver-colored top of the grille seemed too obvious, not blended. Frankly, the Quest’s flat-look rear roof reminded me of a Ford Flex, or a hearse. At 16.7 feet long from bumper to bumper, the test Quest SL looked bigger than it drove. The turning circle is just 36.7 feet, which is similar to a sedan’s. And the Quest maneuvered well in parking lots, though I did have to remember just how lengthy the body was as I made turns. I noticed a lot of body mass as the van traveled. It was particularly acute in curves and around corners, when passengers and I felt weight shift from one side of the vehicle to the other. But the ride overall was well controlled over road bumps.
Westminster, Md., said he was torn by his former teacher’s comments. Jeff Shoolbraid said that he thought much of what Munroe said was true and that she had a right to voice her opinion, but felt her comments were out of line for a teacher.
“Whatever influenced her to say what she did is evidence as to why she simply should not teach,” Shoolbraid wrote in an e-mail to the AP. “I just thought it was completely inappropriate.” He continued: “As far as motivated high school students, she’s completely correct. High school kids don’t want to do anything. ... It’s a teacher’s job, however, to give students the motivation to learn.” A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association declined to comment Tuesday because he said the group may represent Munroe. Messages left for the Central Bucks School District superintendent were not returned. Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said school districts are navigating uncharted territory when it comes to teachers’ online behavior. Often, districts want teachers to have more contact with students and their families, yet give little guidance on how teachers should behave online even as students are more plugged in than they’ve ever been.
THIS DATE IN HISTORY
BORN ON THIS DATE
1979
In response to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, China launches an invasion of Vietnam.
www.dailycampus.com
Red Barber – 1908 Jim Brown – 1936 Michael Jordan – 1963 Joseph Gordon-Levitt – 1981
The Daily Campus, Page 7
Thursday, February 17, 2011
UConn welcomes some of state’s best poets By Keelan Freitag Campus Correspondent
JORDAN ACKER/The Daily Campus
Kate Lund, pictured above, from Yale University, was one of the five poets chosen across the state to join the Connecticut Poetry Circuit.
Connecticut’s top five undergraduate poets read their original poetry to a crowd of more than 30 students, faculty and staff at the Co-op yesterday – and the experience could not have been more diverse. “I have to say I was cautious coming in,” said poet Tim Pettus. “The Co-op sounds like a weird venue, but I thought the venue was great. It was cool just reading in front of a bunch of books with people walking by. It felt like a professional reading.”
After receiving the works of one poet from each participating Connecticut school, the Connecticut Poetry Circuit selected five students from across the state. These students sat in the front row of the small area on the first floor of the Co-op and anticipated their chance to share their work with unfamiliar faces. Director of the Creative Writing Program Penelope Pelizzon gave a brief introduction of each poet before they faced the audience. The first poet, Luisa Caycendo-Kimura, an English major at Southern Connecticut State University, shared five
poems. She described her experience as a young immigrant from Columbia growing up in New York City. “My favorite part tonight was Luisa’s poem about the fire hydrant,” said Pettus, “Just great imagery.” Caycendo-Kimura smiled as she read her last poem “A Year After My Mother’s First Breathe.” Pelizzon then introduced Kate Lund, an English major at Yale University, who eagerly bounced up to the podium. Her poems were the opposite of Luisa’s hispanic, New York style. “I spent a summer bumming off friends
» FROM, page 10
‘Vagina Monologues’ start tonight By Focus Staff In honor of V-Day, the movement to end violence toward women, UConn V-Day will present Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” tonight at 5:30 p.m. and Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. A performance of Ensler’s “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer” (MMRP) will follow on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets at the door are $12 for students and $15 for nonstudents; proceeds will benefit the Eastern Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Center and the Opportunities Industrialization Center of New London, Inc. In honor of UConn’s own V-Day, the co-directors of this year’s V-Day performance 8thsemester psychology major Dana Behuniak and 8th-semester ecology and evolutionary biology major Christina Natale,
shared with their thoughts with The Daily Campus. Daily Campus: What drew you to direct “The Vagina Monologues” and MMRP? Dana Behuniak: I have been involved in V-Day for three years now. In the past I was a performer in it, but as this would be my last year I wanted to step up and see what I could contribute to the production of the shows. Christina Natale: I have been involved with V-Day since my freshman year at UConn and was excited to participate more in actually producing the show for my last year, as opposed to performing in it. This is a movement that truly inspires me as a woman and I am honored to be able to direct such a powerful show. DC: What is your favorite monologue and why? DB: All the monologues are a little different and offer
something unique to the shows. Some are funny and witty, others have a more serious tone, but if I had to pick just one my favorite would be Maurice from “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer,” because it has a little of both and is always performed really well. CN: This is a hard question. They are all so great in their own ways! But, if I have to choose, I would choose “My Angry Vagina.” I feel like every woman can relate to the frustrations that this monologue presents. It’s also pretty darn hilarious. DC: Which have you performed before (if any)? DB: I have performed “My Vagina was my Village” and “The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could,” both from “The Vagina Monologues.” CN: From “The Vagina
» SUPPORT, page 9
AP
‘Vagina Monologues’ playwright Eve Ensler poses for pictures at the V-Day 10th Anniversary celebration in New York in 2008.
As Egypt changes, so should we By Becky Radolf Staff Writer
While Egypt may be well on its way to the political reform its people desperately seek, the greater economic impact will be immediately felt in the U.S. Everyone will be affected, and the changes provide a stepping stone for people to really get into gear and reduce their energy consumption and reliance on foreign oil and products. Egypt itself isn’t a huge oil exporter, but gas is still expected to go past $4 a gallon by the summer. You may have thought paying somewhere around $3.30 was bad, but things will only get worse. With the Suez Canal being a shipping route for oil from the Persian Gulf, the two million barrels that already pass through will slow down and cause a huge disruption in distribution. Not only is this all the more reason to hop on a bike, walk or carpool, but it puts into perspective how delicate our reliance on foreign oil is, and how easily it can be disturbed. Your car is not the only thing you own that will cost more to maintain – your house will start to hurt your wallet more, too. If you think this winter’s been bitterly cold, wait until heating oil prices skyrocket (they are already five cents higher per gallon). If you’re one of the
» BUYING, page 9
The Daily Campus, Page 8
Album Of The Week
FOCUS ON:
MUSIC Billboard Top 10 Albums
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Focus
Want to join the Focus review crew? Come to a Focus meeting, Mondays at 8 p.m. Your name could be on next week’s Music page!
Glee the Music: Love Songs - Glee Cast
Get your ‘Bright Eye’ indie fix
1. “Pink Friday,” Nicki Minaj 2. “Until We Have Face,” Red 3. “Music + Alma + Sexo,” Ricky Martin 4. “Doo-Wops & Hooligans ,” Bruno Mars 5. “Loud ,” Rihanna 6. “Kidz Bop 19,” Kidz Bop Kids 7. “My Kinda Party,” Jason Aldean 8. “Speak Now,” Taylor Swift 9. “Greatest Hits...So Far!!,” Pink 10. “Recovery,” Eminem
Music and the movies
Week of Feb. 19, 2011
Upcoming Shows Toad's Place, New Haven 2/18 Big Sean 8 p.m., $40 2/20 Underoath 7:30 p.m., $24 Webster Theater, Hartford 2/19 We, the Reflection 6 p.m., $8 2/27 Danko Jones 6:30 p.m., $12
Photo courtesy of Myspace.com
Bright Eye singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, along with the other members of the band, released a crowd pleaser in ‘The People’s Key.’
Oberst brightens the people’s day with ‘The People’s Key’ By Julie Bartoli Campus Correspondent There are three types of indie music junkies. The first can’t handle style changes, the second is comprised of solid band-devotees who could care less whether their music idols add synthesizers so long as they release a new album, and the third is comprised of fans that can recognize musical differences between albums but choose not to let those changes affect their feelings toward new records. Based on these categories,
Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, R.I.
The People’s Key
2/18 Slightly Stoopid 8:30 p.m., $30
Bright Eyes 2/15/11 10 tracks
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2/22 Flogging Molly 7:30 p.m., $28
This Day in Music 1955 Lloyd Price convinced Richard Penniman (Little Richard) to submit his band’s demo to Art Rupe, founder of Specialty Records. Rupe eventually agreed to sign Penniman, ensuring he’d receive half a cent per record sold. Despite performing for 10 years before the contract, this was Little Richard’s big break. By October, he recorded and released hit single “Tutti Frutti,” and within the next three years he managed to churn out 16 hit singles, seven of which reached number one on Billboard’s R&B chart. Richard created the blueprint for a rock and roll sound that would dominate for the next 20 years. He was a charismatic stage performer and even more so a visionary, ranked among the likes of Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. His singles were the definitive sound of rock’n’ roll, and he personified the rambunctious rock lifestyle in a way that would be imitated by bands to come. In 1986, Little Richard was rightfully one of the first inductees into the Rock’n’ Roll Hall of Fame. – Julie Bartoli
Bright Eyes fans will utter one of the following phrases at some point this week: Type 1: “The album sucks. Conor Oberst totally sold out.” Type 2: “Oh my god the new Bright Eyes album is so amazing. I love Conor Oberst!” Type 3: “Yeah, it’s a little different from their older stuff, but I dig it.” “The People’s Key,” released Feb.15, is supposedly going to be Bright Eyes’ final album. According to Oberst himself, the band has reached its pinnacle and wants to leave on a high note, Jack White-style.
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Though these claims have been less adamant since the 10-track release, it’s easy to see why the record would be the perfect finale to the Omaha-based band’s 13-year run. “The People’s Key” opens with a mind-boggling narrative from Refried Icecream’s guitarist, Denny Brewer. He sets the stage for a concept album, suggesting themes of evolution, acceptance, hope and love. Two and a half minutes through, the narrative cuts short and vocals reminiscent of “Heart-Shaped Box” kick in, with a guitar lick lifted straight from Cobain’s grave. “Shell Games” is the album’s most commercialized piece. Including an Arcade Fire-eqse drum cycle and Oberst sounding dangerously like Win Butler, the single would be written off as radio-made if not for its lyrical depth. The first verse references Bright Eyes’ previous albums, in order, ending with “laid them at the arbiter’s feet” – arbiter being any fan or
critic. Along with this nostalgic motion, Oberst also references Elliott Smith and “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus. The distortion on “Approximate Sunlight” is overdone, leaving it rough around the edges and somewhat uncomfortable. The following piece, “Haile Selassie,” is a lighter, power chord-drivensong with a soft synth crunch. “Ladder Song” is the most touching piece on the album, a dedication to Oberst’s friend from home who recently committed suicide. Though different, “The People’s Key” is solid. It’s soulful, experimental and keeps listeners’ interest the way any album should. If it truly is Bright Eyes’ final album, then Oberst and his boys have outdone themselves. Type 2: “But they can’t stop making albums. I love Conor Oberst!” Don’t we all?
Julie.Bartoli@UConn.edu
Saigon’s ‘story’ is 10 years in the making By Tom Teixeira Campus Correspondent Estranged Brooklyn rapper Saigon released his debut studio album Tuesday after an almost 10-year struggle to break into the professional hip-hop scene. Saigon was widely regarded as an elite “up and coming” rapper midway through the last decade. He came into the public spotlight in 2006 following a
The Greatest Story Never Told Saigom
2/15/11 18 tracks
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cameo appearance on HBO’s hit show “Entourage,” in which his music was featured. Soon afterward, he signed a deal with Atlantic Records. Though he released a number of mix tapes and street albums during his three-year span at Atlantic, he failed to produce a single studio album. After being released from his label in 2008, he spent the next two years preparing “The Greatest Story Never Told” for release under producer Just Blaze’s record label, Fort Knox Entertainment. The production value on this album is top-notch. Most tracks are complex, as is the trend with newer albums, and are laced with heavy bass and background brass sounds that lend the album an old-school East Coast feel. Saigon’s lyrics are powerful without being overly complex, providing vivid social commentary that is incisive at times and inspiring at others. Saigon’s rapping style is old school; he isn’t your little brother’s hip-hop artist, and he doesn’t sing hooks or harmonize his lines. He is a pure rapper, spitting fast, regular lines, with smooth and rhythmic flow. Saigon’s sound on Blaze’s tracks, upon first listen, bring back memo-
Photo courtesy of Myspace.com
Rapper Saigon on the set of HBO’s hit show ‘Entourage.’
ries of Jay-Z’s famous “Black Album.” With “The Greatest Story Never Told,” Saigon lets audiences know that he has a lot to say and possesses the rap talent to communicate it in a meaningful way. Though the album may not have a single that can take it to the top of the sales charts or bring Saigon widespread fame in pop-culture, it is a solid rap album overall, featuring a number of quality tracks. “The Greatest Story
Never Told,” “Clap” and “Come on Baby,” ft. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz, stand out as quick favorites that are representative of the album’s overall content and sound. A decade in the making, “The Greatest Story Never Told” may have been worth the wait and should be considered one of the best hip-hop albums, so far, of 2011.
Thomas.Teixeira@UConn.edu
Since it’s the week before the Oscars, let’s discuss both music and movies. The problem with films that document musicians’ lives is that they must have an interesting narrative and a strong repertoire of music that corresponds with the story. There is always the risk of having the movie turn into a stereotype. For example, the kid lives an unprivileged life, the kid has a dream, the kid overcomes a few obstacles and boom – the kid is a platinum-hit artist and has no more worries for the rest of eternity. However, the movie “Ray” certainly doesn’t follow this exhausting formula. Director Taylor Hackford went out on a limb to cast real-life musician Jamie Foxx as the great jazz pianist Ray Charles. But Foxx turned out to be immaculate in his performance and won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005. Besides the acting, the film is written to honestly depict Charles’s childhood and rise to eminence. It doesn’t focus too much on the musician’s blindness, but more on his influence on ‘50s culture and his battles against segregation and addiction. Sadly, Charles died before the film was ever screened. “Almost Famous” is unique in its cinematic approach to the music world. The story is told from the perspective of an aspiring “Rolling Stone” journalist who is touring with the fictional band Stillwater. Director Cameron Crowe drew on his experiences from traveling with legendary bands, such as Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd, to create a convincing and insightful account on the economics and the politics of the music industry. By using a young, naïve protagonist, Crowe effectively shows how the artistic dream can be corroded by the harsh conditions of reality. My personal favorite, “Empire Records,” is not all about music, per say. Still, this quirky, ‘90s movie gauges the amount of influence that music has in the lives of ordinary people. The motley staff at a failing record store works hard and gets creative to save their business from being bought out by a franchise. As they deal with an arrogant pop star and host a rooftop jam session, they realize that they all share a passion for gritty, purposeful music and this, of course, brings them all closer together. On the surface, “Empire Records” sounds lame and cliché. But the movie is worth multiple viewings. It redefines the limits of the air guitar and reinstates The Cranberries to its former glory. Jack Black can work a lame fart joke and a mean guitar riff to death. “School of Rock” is peppered with juvenile comedy, but it is ripe with young, musical talent. Thirteen-yearolds who can piece together Jimi Hendrix solos and Meg White drumbeats should be deemed prodigies. Plus, the original tracks that were made for the movie are extremely catchy. “Baby we were makin’ straight A’s, but we were stuck in a dumb daze.” Pink Floyd and “The Wall” definitely made an impression on this fictitious middle school band. Hollywood has a not-so-subtle obsession with country movies. “Pure Country,” “Walk the Line,” and now “Country Strong” have all taken on the roughneck American culture. So far, “Crazy Heart” has presented the most refreshing take on a country music star. The beloved Jeff Bridges plays an alcoholic, small town musician who shies away from celebrity. The film is not biographical, yet it is realistic in every aspect. It effectively personifies the passion that musicians put into their work. Potent movies make it possible for this passion to be appreciated through visual means.
Purbita.Saha@UConn.edu
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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Oscar’s winners’ envelope made over with new look LOS ANGELES (AP) – Like many a star attending the Academy Awards, Oscar’s winners’ envelope is getting a makeover. For 70 years, the envelope – as in “the envelope, please” – was nothing more than a plain, white paper envelope, the kind available at any office supply store. This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is glamming up the way it unveils the names of those winning the industry’s highest honor: It’s replacing the plain white envelope with a custom-designed keepsake envelope and announcement card that looks great on TV. “The idea of the envelope was created by the Oscars, so this really is THE envelope,” says Steve Bass, the production designer for this year’s show who helped
usher in a new envelope era. “It made so much sense to heighten the visual experience of what the envelope is.” The new envelope, designed by Marc Friedland, is made of iridescent gold paper watermarked with little images of Oscar. It’s lined with shiny red paper embossed with gold Oscars. The winner’s name appears on a heavy piece of lacquered red paper inside, with the category listed on the back. The envelope will be sealed with a shiny red sticker adorned with two strips of red ribbon. It was also designed for ease of use: It opens quickly and the card inside slides out smoothly, so no precious papers will be torn or mangled during the award announcement. “There’s no more significant moment than the anticipation
AP
The new envelope, left, designed by Marc Friedland, that will be used for the 83rd Academy Awards sits next to the envelope used in previous years in Los Angeles.
that comes with opening the envelope. It’s the most iconic, symbolic envelope in the world,” says Friedland, whose company produces invitations
for celebrities and corporate events. “Using a store-bought envelope is like showing up to the Academy Awards in shorts and flip-flops.”
Support V-Day, support ‘monologues,’ Buying locally is one way to ease support women the world over the burden of Egypt’s ripple effect from VAGINA, page 7 Monologues” I have performed “They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy...Or So They Tried” (which is not being performed this year), “My Vagina Was My Village” and “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could.” From MMRP I have performed a monologue called “Hands in Protest.” DC: Why do you think it’s important for people to come out, see and support the show? DB: I think it is important for people to come see the shows for the unique experience of it. We know that violence is an issue in our society, but these shows deal with that issue in a new way. CN: I think that it is important for people to come out, see and support these shows because I believe theater is
a powerful medium for raising awareness for important issues. Violence against women affects us all, and both women and men must come together to forge a solution and end it. By supporting the V-Day movement, you are supporting any and every woman in your life that you care about. DC: Anything else you’d like to add? DB: Come to the shows this weekend and see what all the buzz is about! CN: It is our 10th anniversary of performing “The Vagina Monologues” at UConn, so please come out and support our women and men that are standing up and speaking out to end violence against women and children!
Focus@DailyCampus.com
from AS EGYPT, page 7 people paying for oil to heat your apartment or house, learn to turn your thermostat down to between 65 degrees and 53 degrees when you’re not home. Keep blankets handy, learn to live in your sweatshirt, and consider investing in a few pairs of wool socks. You would be amazed how much warmer you feel when your feet are cozy. It’s no secret that Grand Union’s not the cheapest grocery store around, but those who foot their own grocery bills might have noticed that food prices have gone up. The crisis in Egypt is expected to cause a greater burden on the supply and demand as the U.S. turns to other exporters for Egyptian goods. Fear not, because there’s a very easy solution, which I have been preaching in this column from day one: buy locally. While the harsh winter and dry
summer have affected crops everywhere, staying within your region to buy food makes you immune to the ebbs and flows of food costs. Not only that, but supporting your local farmers means that you’re probably getting food with minimal to no pesticides and higher vitamin levels as well as products that support small businessmen. Take that, Wal-Mart. The instability in Egypt has caused traders everywhere to panic, but this doesn’t mean you need to suffer as well. In fact, this could simply be a good reason to reduce your daily consumption of oil, utilize your thriftiness as a consumer and make smarter purchases when you shop. The politics of Egypt will inevitably affect the world, but how you choose to embrace these changes will determine how well you fare.
Rebecca.Radolf@UConn.edu
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Arcade Fire who? Best Album winner relatively unknown
Photo courtesy of Myspace.com
Arcade Fire, pictured above, has received my critical acclaim for its albums. Yet, the indie band is little known in the world of mainstream music.
“Kid A” and Rolling Stone listed it their sixth favorite release of the past decade. The group, which has members playing instruments like the piano, violin and the hurdygurdy, followed up “Funeral” with their second album, “Neon Bible.” “Bible” was also lauded at its release, earning top-10 accolades from many websites and magazines, and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release. The tonally-darker album was seen as a reaction to the darkening American culture at the time it was released. It, too, was nominated for the 2007 Best Alternative Album Grammy. Finally, this past summer saw
the release of “The Suburbs,” the band’s new Best Album winner. Conceived as a loose concept album about teenagers growing up in modern American suburbs, frontman Win Butler has called it “a letter from the suburbs” in an interview with NME magazine. The band reached their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Charts with “Suburbs,” defeating Eminem’s “Recovery” in the first week of August 2010. The album won more than a dozen top-five of 2010 awards, placing fourth in Rolling Stone and second in Time magazine.
Joseph.O’Leary@UConn.edu
Bruno Mars gets probation in cocaine case LAS VEGAS (AP) – Bruno Mars had two firsts this week. One was winning a Grammy. The other came Wednesday when the 25-year-old singersongwriter pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. Unlike the award for his hit, “Just The Way You Are,” his brush with the law in Las Vegas may not last forever. Mars will avoid prison and will have no conviction on his record if he stays out of trouble for a year and meets other con-
Singles awareness: Latest songs up for review By Joe O’Leary Staff Writer
By Joe O'Leary Staff Writer As they walked up to the podium, accepted their “Best Album” award, and concluded this year’s Grammys with their song “Ready To Start,” you may have been wondering just who Arcade Fire are. How could a small, independent rock septet upset heavy-hitters Lady Gaga, Eminem, Katy Perry and Lady Antebellum? When they can make music as critically and commercially lauded as their latest release, “The Suburbs,” it seems quite easy. The band first released a small self-titled EP in 2003, but reached acclaim with their 2004 breakthrough album “Funeral.” Since the 10-song release hit stores with such hits as “Rebellion (Lies),” “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” and “Wake Up,” which has been used in commercials for the NFL and the “Where The Wild Things Are” film adaptation, the album has won distinction as one of the best records of its year and decade. “Funeral” was nominated for 2005’s Best Alternative Album Grammy, Pitchfork.com rated the release No. 2 in its “Top Albums of the 2000s,” behind Radiohead’s
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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ditions of his plea deal. Clark County District Judge Jessie Walsh made sure Mars understood that he could face up to four years in state prison if he violates the terms of the agreement. “You understand the penalty range?” she asked. “Four years,” Mars replied, standing in a dark suit with his hands at his sides. The judge gave Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, probation, a $2,000 fine, 200 hours of community
service at a nonprofit organization and eight hours with a drug counselor in Los Angeles. Walsh set a Jan. 18 date for Mars to return to court. His Las Vegas lawyer, Richard Schonfeld, told the judge that Mars intends to meet the requirements. Mars, who performed Sunday at the Grammys and took home the award for best male pop vocal performance for his song, declined to comment in the court hallway.
Lady Gaga- ‘Born This Way’ Lady Gaga is finished with “The Fame” and its monstrous cousin. The first single from her second album, “Born This Way,” has been released, and my excitement was… tempered. While it’s a great anthem for the LGBT community, the song’s lyrics seem too simplistic for the pop icon, who has successfully weaved choruses together in the past that blow this one out of the water. It’s a decent song despite this, as Gaga takes pride in her notoriety and uniqueness, and the empowering refrain sounds true. Its driving beat and disco rhythm mean that it’ll be an inescapable hit as “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance” were. B Dr. Dre feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey- ‘I Need A Doctor’ The Doctor is back with one
of his first singles in ten years, but he’s not doing great if this song’s any indication. Although newcomer Skylar Grey’s hook is fantastic, Eminem’s two verses to open the song are not good. Where he’s supposed to be taking a friendly side toward Dre, his machine-gun delivery just seems like he’s screaming at the Doctor. Dre’s verse is supposed to be about “fair-weather friends” and “backstabbers,” but really, Dre, if you’re shocked people left you behind after a decade, you shouldn’t have left for a decade. CThe Strokes- “Under Cover of Darkness” Ten years after their breakthrough classic “Is This It?” hit store shelves, and five years after their third album “First Impressions of Earth” underwhelmed, the New York City rock outfit The Strokes have finally returned. “Under Cover of Darkness” is a packed song,
full of catchy guitar riffs. The song could easily fit on “Is This It?” but it also shows signs of a slightly different sound (possibly plagiarized from Phoenix). As it stands now, it’s a great rocker, and an exciting snippet that raises expectations for their new album, “Angles” (out March 23rd). AFleet Foxes- “Helplessness Blues” 2008’s self-titled “Fleet Foxes” catapulted the folk-rock band to new heights, and the new single from their follow-up sounds defiantly good, though it has its problems. Lead singer Robin Pecknold sings of growing up in our generation, singing almost-cliché, Fight Clubreminiscent lines about being “a beautiful snowflake,” and is backed by beautiful guitar lines from his band. It’s not the perfect Fleet Foxes song, but it’s a nice one. B+
Joseph.O’Leary@UConn.edu
From University of Hartford to Middlesex community college, poets grace the Co-op from UCONN, page 7 in Washington state, where I’m from,” said Lund before beginning her poem “Waking.” Lund seemed very interested in form and detail, yet was able to bring a wide range of jargon together into a more abstract image. Pettus then took his turn at the microphone. An English major at the University of Hartford, he won the Phyllis Abhrams Poetry Contest and the Phyllis Abhrams Fiction Contest. Pelizzon joked after his introduction. “That must mean you have a lot of enemies,” Pelizzon said. Pettus started with a poem about The Birdcage Theater in Tombstone, Ariz., which is “a town that survives off the tourism of basically being the same they were 100 years ago,” Pettus said. His poem described the ghost tour he took through the theater. Fellow poet Joe Walsh said his
favorite poem of the night was Pettus’ Flourence Foster Jenkins, the notoriously terrible opera singer who “didn’t realize her act was a comedy,” according to Pettus. Walsh said about the poem, “It’s just such a hilarious story and it’s interesting to hear a new writer talk about it.” The fourth poet, a general studies major at Middlesex community college Hannah Watkins, lowered the microphone and adjusted her necklace of keys before leading the audience through 12 shorter poems that included darker imagery. Several of her poems, she admitted, were written on sleepless nights. She even wrote the poem “My Brother – The Musical Genius” on a sleepless night. “He’s right there,” she said as she pointed him out in the audience. “I wanted to kill him, so I wrote this poem instead.” The last poet was UConn’s own Joe Walsh, who is a 10th-semester English major and editor-in-chief
of the Long River Review. “You’re going to hear some weird things from me today,” he said before reading a poem called Divination. The poem is about tarot cards that were “probably haunted,” according to him. He said, “I feel like writing poetry, for me, is something supernatural, bringing something to life. Like raising the dead.” Maggie Collins, a 6th-semester English major and intern for the Creative Writing Program, urges students to check out UConn’s Creative Writing page on Facebook because “it’s a great way for students and faculty to be able to find out about future Co-op events and future programs from the Long River Review,” she said. “I’m very impressed with the quality of work and how distinctive each different voice was compared to the next,” Pelizzon said.
Keelan.Freitag@UConn.edu
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Baseball season comes with hype
By Dan Agabiti Staff Writer There is a buzz surrounding UConn’s baseball team heading into this season. In 2010, the Huskies won a school-record 48 games and made Baseball America’s top-25 poll for the first time ever. After making the NCAA Tournament and winning 22 consecutive games last season, the Huskies look to trump last year’s success and go deeper into the playoffs this season. The Huskies head into the season ranked No. 22 by the USA Today/ESPN preseason poll. Some, like Baseball America, have UConn ranked as high as nine. Missing from last year’s squad are graduated seniors Doug Jennings, Trent DeLazzer and Matt Burnett. The Huskies also lost two talented juniors to the MLB Draft. Mike Olt was seleceted by the Texas Rangers and Pierre LePage went to the Chicago Cubs. In spite of missing a few quality players, a lack of talent should not be a problem for this year’s team. Seven position players who started in more than 30 games return to this year’s squad. The
Huskies’ pitching staff also returns most of its talent, losing only DeLazzer and Ryan Thompson, who transferred to Franklin Pierce. Thompson and DeLazzer combined for 25.2 innings in 2010. Recently, pitcher Kevin Vance was named to the NCBWA 2011 Stopper of the Year Watch List. Earlier this month, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association found Vance worthy of being one of 45 players to keep an eye out for the top relief pitcher in Division I baseball. Last season, Vance appeared in 17 games and posted an ERA of 2.41. He led the team in saves and recorded 17 strikeouts in 18.2 innings of work while also batting .322 with 7 HR and 35 RBI as a DH and third baseman. Also primed for a solid 2011 season is senior captain and starting pitcher Elliot Glynn. Glynn returns after turning down a professional contract over the summer. The lefty has been starting in conference games since he was a freshman and will be looking to set the pace for critical games once again this season. Catching for the pitchers will be Doug Elliot and John Sulzicki. Senior Joe Pavone, who was slated
to see substantial time behind the plate, was lost for the season with an ACL injury in preseason practice. In the infield, UConn will have to deal with the loss of Olt and LePage, but the coaching staff thinks there are talented players ready to step in and fill the void. Huskies’ all time hits leader Mike Nemeth and team co-captain Nick Ahmed are ready to step up this season. Ahmed, the squad’s starting shortstop, was an All-Big East performer in 2010 and had a strong summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Huskies’ outfield, which hit a combined .353 and stole 90 bases, will see all three starters return for the 2011 season. This year’s schedule is not going to be a walk in the park. The Huskies are scheduled to play 56 games, 16 of them against teams that competed in last year’s NCAA Tournament. They will be facing three teams out of conference that won their respective leagues. San Diego, winner of the West Coast Conference, Minnesota, winner of the Big Ten and Southern Miss, winner of Conference USA, are on this season’s schedule.
Daniel.Agabiti@UConn.edu
Huskies beat Hoyas in Big East matchup, 78-70
from BULLYING, page 14 With a five-point lead with fewer than nine minutes left in regulation, Calhoun received a technical foul, much to the chagrin of the Hartford crowd, for arguing a call with the referee. Freeman made both free throws to make it a one-possession game. Then Walker drove and finished with the and-one. “Our defense was horrible today,” said coach John Thompson III. “[Walker’s] a very good player. They put him in position to make plays. We didn’t do a good job to help each other. “[Walker’s] a very good player,” said Chris Wright. “He’s crafty with the ball.” The Husky lead was cut to one with 4:32 remaining. Austin Freeman gave the Hoyas the
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lead at 4 minute mark, but the lay-up would be Georgetown’s last points of the game.. Walker took the lead back on the next possession with a lay-in, and his jumper with 2:10 remaining stretched the score to 73-70. Wright’s missed runner in the lane with 37 seconds left sealed the deal. Four Hoyas finished in doublefigures as Wright led the team with 19 points. Freeman added 12, Jason Clark finished with 13 and Hollis Thompson scored 10. Freeman had a poor shooting night, however, going 4-of-13 from the field. “I was taking shots,” Freeman said. “It’s just the ball wasn’t going in.” “I couldn’t be happier for Donnell Beverly, who is playing that unsung role of taking
tough guys on,” Calhoun said. “Freeman is just a great ‘three man’... and Bev was the best answer we had for him.” Georgetown controlled the tempo early, jumping out to a 15-8 lead. Coombs-McDaniel paced the Huskies early with nine points in the game’s first 10 minutes. UConn made a run to close out the half. Jeremy Lamb’s 3-pointer with under a minute to go gave the Huskies a brief lead, but a Wright 3-pointer with under 30 seconds gave the Hoyas a 37-36 halftime lead. Walker’s 10 points was UConn’s high at the break. The Huskies travel to Louisville Friday to play the Cardinals at the new KFC Yum! Center. Tipoff is 9 p.m.
Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu
Who could beat Blake Griffin in the Slam Dunk contest? from WHO, page 14 Quenton: It’s true that fans want to see players of different heights battle it out, but it’s growing somewhat stagnant now. How many times does a fan want to see a seven- foot player dunk on a 12- foot hoop? While it does take athleticism to perform a dunk of that caliber, those dunks are usually simple two handed flushes, which rarely brings a reaction from the fans. On the other hand, a between- the- legs dunk from someone like DeRozan is guaranteed to get their fans on the feet. Let’s not forget, DeRozan was in last year’s Slam Dunk competition and finished second behind Nate Robinson. It was highway robbery because if last year’s contest wasn’t based on popularity, DeRozan would have that trophy on his mantle right now. Now that DeRozan isn’t as unknown to the public as he was last year and is going up against three big men, which gives him another advantage, he has the best chance to win the competition. Mike: I must agree that last year DeRozan got the trophy robbed from him, but that being said, in a way, being an unknown can be an advantage, in that the fans will have low expectations. Coming into last year’s contest, Shannon Brown seemed to have all of the hype, and thus was held to too high of a standard to perform in the contest. This could end up being a hindrance to both Griffin and DeRozan. Most people are not all that familiar with McGee, which will allow him to “wow” a lot of
the fans that are in the dark about his skills. Also, McGee ranks seventh in the NBA in dunks (through Feb. 15, 2011) with 88, whereas DeRozan comes in at 43rd, the lowest among this year’s contestants, piling up only 35 in-game dunks. Practice makes perfect. Quenton: McGee does have impressive dunk numbers this year, but in- game dunks are meaningless when it comes to the Slam Dunk competition. Also, just to get into this year’s contest, DeRozan had to replace an injured Brandon Jennings, a player with way less jumping ability. So apparently, DeRozan is still not getting the respect he should have received from last year’s outing, and he will have a chip on his shoulder for not being asked to return in the first place. Also, DeRozan’s Sprite Slam Dunk coach happens to be Darryl Dawkins, arguably one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history. This will all contribute to DeMar DeRozan being the 2011 Slam Dunk Champion. Mike: Although Dawkins is a backboard-shattering dunker who ranks with the best of all time, the harsh reality is that the majority of the fans that will be voting for the champion are more familiar with McGee’s coach. A superstar in his own right, former Sacramento forward Chris Webber, is now a popular NBA analyst for TNT. Young people watching probably have not have even seen Dawkins play, and thus could side with Webber’s man instead. Another unfortunate disadvantage for DeRozan is that many Raptors fans are tough to impress after seeing 2000 Slam
Dunk champion (and my personal favorite dunker of all time) Vince Carter throw down highlights in front of their eyes on a nightly basis throughout the prime of his career. Javale McGee will make a name for himself on Saturday by upsetting favorite Blake Griffin and taking home the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk title. Quenton: DeMar DeRozan is already facing an uphill battle, as the NBA and its fans want Griffin to win the event. However, if anyone can win this competition, its DeRozan. He’s fully healthy, and while the others have better ingame dunk statistics, he has the dunk contest experience and pedigree. Last year, he did all his dunks at the spur of the moment and still finished second place. Now that he is putting some time and effort into his dunk ideas, the sky’s the limit. I believe that DeRozan’s story will be a compelling one for this year’s contest, one in which he goes home as the champion. Mike: Javale McGee, in addition to wanting to upset the favorite and capture the dunk title on his own, has some added incentive to excite the Los Angeles crowd. His mother, Pamela McGee, was a star basketball player at USC, and went on to become a WNBA superstar for the Los Angeles Sparks. This will be McGee’s time to shine, to make a name for himself, to uphold his family name and to finally bring some hardware to Washington. Fans will get to see the beginning of an illustrious career for the Wizards center when he takes down the competition and is crowned Slam Dunk champion.
Georgetown’s eight game winning streak was done, and the Huskies walked off their home court winners. The bottom line is, last night Walker served notice to the Big East, and to the country, that he will be a part of the player of the year discussion. He elevated his game, led an all out assault on the Big East’s hottest team, put his teammates on his back and carried them all the way through. And should he win, nobody will be happier for him than
his teammates. “When he got on the bus with the MVP, every guy on the team got up and started clapping,” coach Jim Calhoun said before practice on Tuesday. “That not going to happen a lot places, and that’s not poor English, that’s just an expression, it’s not happening a lot of places, where his teammates felt so good for him.” Follow Mac Cerullo on Twitter at @MacCerullo.
Cerullo: Walker leads team
from KILLER, page 14 And just when Georgetown thought they had him pinned down, he would make some Bugs Bunny pass that would find its way into the wide open hands of Jamal CoombsMcDaniel under the rim. The crowd at one point started chanting “M-V-P! M-V-P!” Walker made play after play, ultimately finishing with 31 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. When it was finally over,
Michael.Cerullo@UConn.edu
The Daily Campus, Page 12
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Sports
Former Husky Ray Allen becomes NBA immortal
By Quenten Narcisse Campus Correspondent
Two thousand five hundred and sixty-three. That’s how many 3-pointers Ray Allen has made in his 15-year NBA career. He passed former Indiana Pacer great Reggie Miller as the undisputed king last Thursday, hitting two first-quarter threes against the Lakers. Fans held their collective breath as Allen released the record-breaking jumper from behind the arc, and the arena exploded when it went through the net. Players, coaches and fans alike cheered as exuberant chants of “Ray!” roared throughout the arena. The reception was incredible. Even Allen, who doesn’t contain a boastful bone in his body, pumped his fists in celebration. The energy in TD Garden that night rivaled Game Six of the 2008 Finals when the Celtics completed their title run. As a spectator and fan watching from home, chills ran through my body.
Jim Calhoun, who coached Allen at UConn from 19931995, released a statement on the record-breaking achievement last week. “This is an incredible accomplishment for Ray and I could not be more proud for him,” Calhoun said. “What he has done and continues to do every day as an ambassador for UConn basketball is beyond words. We all congratulate him on his achievement and I have already spoken to him about trying to get him here for a game so that we can all honor him in person. His work ethic makes him the ultimate role model for all of our players, past, present and future, to follow. Congratulations Ray, the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA.” Honoring Ray at an upcoming game would be pretty cool. It’s hard to deny his production during his three seasons at UConn. By the end of his junior year, he was a first team All-American, Big East Player of the Year and led the Huskies to a Big East championship in 1995. He’s
also third in UConn history in points scored with 1,922. Miller held the 3-pointer record for 13 seasons, and it’s one that Allen may hold onto well after his career ends. Allen broke this record in 309 fewer games than Miller – almost four full NBA seasons less. The closest active player behind Allen on the 3-pointer list is Jason Kidd who trails by more than 800. What’s even more incredible is that Allen is currently having his best season from 3-point range at the age of 35. He’s shooting over 46 percent from distance, 86 percent from the charity stripe and 50 percent from the field, and judging by the way his nonstop motor constantly has defenders chasing him around the hardwood, Ray is often in better shape than players 10 years his junior. At times, with the exception of Rondo, he looks like the youngest player on the Celtics’ roster. Pretty jump shots aside, Allen has become a true ambas-
sador for the NBA. No one has approached his career with more class and professionalism than Allen. His continuing philanthropic and charitable work also earned him the NBA Cares Community Assist award this past month. He’s still a fixture in UConn athletics, showing up at the men and women’s games and conversing with students throughout campus, sharing stories about his time in the NBA. On his downtime, he visits the UConn coaching staff and takes part in shootarounds at Gampel Pavilion with the current players. Allen continues to develop into a better person – if that’s even possible – and stays humble when tremendous things happen for him. As of right now, Allen is arguably the greatest shooter in NBA history. He’s also one of the greatest human beings who represents UConn in a professional manner, and deserves to be honored in the best way possible.
Quenten.Narcisse@UConn.edu
AP
Boston Celtics Ray Allen celebrates after hitting a 3-point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston on Thursday, Feb. 10.
Men's ski team qualifies for regionals
By Aaron Kasmanoff-Dick Campus Correspondent
Photo Courtesy of UConn ski team
A UConn skiier competes for the club team this winter.
The UConn men’s ski team has qualified for the Regional Tournament in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, Feb. 19 and 20. This is only the second time the team has qualified since becoming a full program in 1971. The team also qualified in 1987. Team captain Matthew Diamond said, “This shows how far we’ve come as a program, even since my first year here. We have so many talented freshmen and good skiers overall. It demonstrates how serious the program is, especially when it comes to training, practicing, and we can set goals like this for the future.” Five teams out of the highly competitive McConnell Division were selected to head to regionals. The McConnell Division consists of 10 uni-
versities and colleges from the Northeast and is in the Eastern Conference of USCSA. Babson College, Boston College, Brown University, Colby Sawyer College, M.I.T., Plymouth State College, Smith College, St. Anselms College, the University of Massachusetts and the University of Connecticut are all members of the McConnell Division. The Division is named after Bill McConnell, who was the long- time coach of the University of Massachusetts. The McConnell Division has traditionally been the one to dominate the USCSA Division the most times in the nation. Once there, a field of 14 will compete in two days of Giant Slalom and Slalom, with the top five heading to nationals. Diamond believes that while UConn “isn’t favored, we’re just on the cusp, and we might
make it in.” The top five are determined by taking the top five times of each team member and combining them to give an overall team time. The team with the lowest combined score is the winner. This is the way that the top five were selected by regionals, by pooling all the results from the entire season. Diamond attributes this success to the consistency of the team. “We might not always have the fastest times, but we have so much talent that six to seven team members finish very close to one another, and that helps us.” The team is also the only club sport that qualified for nationals. All four other teams are varsity programs. This is a huge disadvantage in terms of recruiting and funding for the team, which is supported by the Club Sports Council and the Undergraduate Student Government. An extensive
Alumni Base, family and friends make up the rest of the contributions to the team. Included among these is coach Larry Gianatti, a former Olympic and World Cup ski coach and Captain of the UConn team in 1978. Coach Gianatti is in his third year with UConn and is a resident of Southington, Conn.. The team representing UConn at regionals is comprised of: Matt Diamond from Cheshire, Conn.; Jeff Wilkins from Simsbury, Conn.; Mike Haeflich from West Hartford, Conn.; Ben Marcus from West Hartford, Conn.; Matt Kempson from Bridgewater, VT; Alex Sewersky, from Cheshire, Conn.; Justin Jetmar from Glastonbury, Conn.; Ryan Andrew from Oxford, Conn.; Luke Wiles from Delaware; and Jim Gerahty from Massachusetts.
Aaron.Dick@UConn.edu
TWO Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Daily Question Q : “Who will win Saturday’s Slam Dunk contest?” “Blake Griffin will win when he becomes the first person in dunk contest A : history to dunk from behind the hoop by jumping completely over it.”
PAGE 2
— Nick Restifo, 8th-semester marketing major
What's Next
Home game
» That’s what he said
Feb. 24 Marquette 7 p.m.
Feb. 27 Cincinnati 12 p.m.
Mar. 2 West Virginia 7 p.m.
– Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony on if and where he will be traded.
Mar. 5 Notre Dame 2 p.m.
Carmelo Anthony
Men’s Hockey (10-16-4) Feb. 25 Tomorrow Feb. 19 Bentley AIU Bentley 7:05 p.m. 7:05 p.m. 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 26 AIU 7:05 p.m.
Women’s Hockey (12-18-2) Feb. 26 Hockey East Tournament TBA
Feb. 20 Feb. 19 Northeastern Northeastern 2:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.
Men’s Track and Field Feb. 19/20 Feb. 25/26 May 15 IC4A Big East New England Championship Championship Championship All Day All Day All Day
May. 26 NCAA Championship All Day
Women’s Track and Field June 9 Feb. 19/20 Mary 5/6 May 26 Feb. NCAA Big East ECAC NCAA 25/26 Champ. New England Championship Regional Championship All Day Championship All Day Championship All Day
Men’s Swimming and Diving Mar. 24 NCAA Championship All Day
Mar. 11/12 Zone Diving All Day
AP
Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson (32) dunks the ball over South Carolina’s Brian Richardson (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011 in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 73-67.
Mar. 17 NCAA Championships All Day
What's On TV NCAA BASKETBALL: Clemson at NC State, 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 Clemson stands at fifth in the ACC, hoping to squeak into the NCAA tournament. NC State has no such hopes, stuck at ninth in the conference. Clemson senior forward Jerai Grant is third in the ACC with 2.4 blocks per game. He is also scoring 12.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.
AP
NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m., TNT In this potential NBA Finals matchup, San Antonio has the best record in the NBA with a 46-9 mark, and Chicago is third in the Eastern Conference with a 37-16 record.
AP
As a freshman and sophomore at UConn, Curtis Kelly tried to make the most out of his opportunities. But after only one start in 57 games, he decided he was better suited to leave the program for greener pastures. Kelly played ball at Rice High School in New York City alongside current UConn guard Kemba Walker and former Louisville guard Edgar Sosa. Kelly was named not only all-city, but was asked to play in the 2006 Jordan All-American Classic in Madison Square Garden. Whether it was the transition to a major Division I program, trying to battle for playing time alongside Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien or some conflict undisclosed to the public, Kelly didn’t feel Storrs was the right fit. While at UConn, he averaged only 3.5 points a game after coming in as one of the most heralded recruits in the nation. Almost instantly after announcing he would transfer, he received interest from national powerhouses including Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma State and Xavier; but it would be a school in Manhattan that would catch his eye. This Manhattan wasn’t filled with bright lights and stars, instead it was filled with a major university in the Midwest; Kansas State was his choice. After sitting out a year due to NCAA protocol, he retuned to play last year as a junior and made an instant impact. He teamed up with current point guard Jacob Pullen and former guard Denis Clemente to set the school record for starts and games played in a single season, 37. After a long campaign, he finished with the team lead in shooting percentage while averaging 11.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and two blocks per game. Kelly cemented his name as an all-time great in the Wildcats program when his block against Baylor on March 3, 2010 gave him the school’s single season block record with 74. When this year started, many assumed he would be a go-to player for the preseason No. 2 Wildcats. Unfortunately, turmoil with the NCAA left Kelly suspended for the start of the 2011 season. It was believed that a department store gave Kelly and Pullen free clothes, a clear violation of NCAA rules. Since Kelly received somewhere between 300 and 500 dollars, the NCAA called for a suspension of 20 percent of the season, or six games. In only his second game back from suspension, Kelly helped lead the struggling Wildcats to a home victory over No. 1 Kansas Monday night. Kansas State was on the outside looking in, but after their double-digit drubbing of the Jayhawks, Kansas State’s season may be left in the hands of Kelly. If Kelly is able to help lead the team’s turnaround from NCAA bubble team to March Madness contender, one thing is certain, the UConn Athletic department and the Storrs community will be waiting for their thank-you card come April.
Eric.Ploch@UConn.edu
Taurasi cleared of doping charges
Women’s Swimming and Diving Mar. 11/12 Zone Diving All Day
E-mail your answers, along with your name, semester standing and major, to sports@dailycampus.com. The best answer will appear in the next paper.
By Eric Ploch Campus Correspondent
How’s my knee taste?
Mar. 4 Feb. 26 Feb. 19 Feb. 22 Feb. 28 Big East Notre Dame Seton Hall Georgetown Syracuse tournament 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. TBA
“If you could live a day in the life of any athlete, who would you pick?”
Curtis Kelly makes most of opportunity
» Pic of the day
Women’s Basketball (25-1) (12-0)
Next Paper’s Question:
The Daily Roundup
“I really don’t know what’s going to happen to be honest with you.”
Away game Gampel Pavilion, XL Center
Men’s Basketball (20-5) (8-5) Tomorrow Louisville 7 p.m.
The Daily Campus, Page 13
Sports
Point guard Derrick Rose is averaging 24.5 points per game, 8.2 assists per game, and 4.4 rebounds per game.
(AP)–Diana Taurasi was always confident she would be cleared of doping allegations. It finally happened on Wednesday. Taurasi had her provisional suspension lifted by the Turkish Basketball Federation, which said the lab that returned a positive test retracted its report after it “evaluated” Taurasi’s statements in her defense. The federation did not say whether the lab made a mistake. “I got the news this morning at 5 a.m. and was in shock,” Taurasi told The Associated Press by phone from her Phoenix home. “It was kind of like the first time when I heard the test result had come back positive. It’s really good that the facts came out and the truth came out.” Taurasi had insisted that she never used performance-enhancing drugs, even though she had her contract terminated by Turkish club Fenerbahce last month. The lab that tested her sample had said the results came back positive for the stimulant modafinil. “Life can throw you curveballs at any given time,” said Taurasi, who will also be able to compete in the 2012 Olympics. “I can be mad and angry, but I will move forward. Not everyone has the same financial resources I did. Hopefully this will let people know every process has holes and
AP
Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi waits through a stoppage in play against the San Antonio Silver Stars in Game 1 of the WNBA Western Conference basketball semifinal series in Phoenix on Aug. 26, 2010.
to wait for the facts to come out before making decisions.” With the lifting of the suspension, Taurasi is also free to continue playing in the Turkish basketball league, although she doesn’t plan on going back there anytime soon. “That’s pretty unlikely,” the 28-year-old WNBA star said. “I’m here in Phoenix working out and
am more focused on getting myself in the best shape of my life and going from there.” She intends to return to the WNBA when the season begins in June. The Mercury guard has led the league in scoring the last four seasons and signed a multiyear extension last August. The last two months haven’t
been easy for the former UConn star. Yet she kept her faith that she would be cleared. “I tried to handle it as best as possible,” Taurasi said. “There might have been times in my own private moments when I was angry or questioned why me, but I am glad the truth came out. It’s scary that our careers can be taken away from us.” Taurasi was the first prominent WNBA player to test positive for a banned substance. Had she not been cleared, Taurasi could have missed the London Games, because the International Olympic Committee bars any athlete given a doping penalty of six months or more from competing. Fenerbahce had terminated Taurasi’s contract after the Ankara-based lab within Hacettepe University confirmed that her “A’’ and “B’’ samples tested positive for modafinil following a Turkish league game Nov. 13. Taurasi had been suspended by Fenerbahce ever since. Modafinil is used to counter excessive sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift-work sleep disorder or sleep apnea, according to drug manufacturers. “It’s always great when the right result happens,” Taurasi’s lawyer Howard Jacobs said. “When it happens reasonably quickly it’s even better.”
» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY
P.13: Curtis Kelly succeeding at Kansas State. / P.12: Ray Allen breaks record. / P.12: UConn club ski team advances to regionals.
Page 14
Thursday, February 17, 2011
www.dailycampus.com
BULLYING AROUND THE HOYAS
Killer Kemba
No. 13 UConn beats No. 9 Georgetown, 78-70
By Matt McDonough Associate Sports Editor
Mac Cerullo After the Maui Invitational, the National Player of the Year race seemed to be over, at least that’s what you’d have thought if you’d taken one look at ESPN or any sports website. Kemba Walker’s outburst in Maui completely changed the national conversation. Before taking home the tournament MVP award, Walker was just the best player on what was supposed to be a team too young to compete. But after scoring 90 points in the span of three games, he looked like a bona fide superstar who could carry the Huskies through the gauntlet on his back. With Kemba Walker, who knew how far the Huskies could go? But since then, the National Player of the Year conversation seems to have passed Walker by. What’s changed? Walker isn’t scoring 30 points every night, sure, but short of that, he’s still the one driving UConn’s success, and he’s still one of the nation’s most prolific scorers (currently 7th in the nation at 23.2 points per game.) I have a theory. What we saw out of Walker in Maui is something we haven’t seen as often out of him recently. Not the production, but the fire. When UConn was running Kentucky out of the gym in the Maui final, Walker could hardly contain himself, and it was infectious. “I’m a beast! I’m a beast!” Walker screamed as he scored yet another basket, and as he went, his team followed. As good as Walker has been all year, we haven’t seen that same fire lately. But last night, the Kemba Walker we saw in Maui exploded back onto the scene, and his performance served as a reminder to all the doubters as to why he was considered a favorite in the first place. Georgetown was abusing Walker all game. Early on the refs were too. He was getting bullied and you could see it on his face that he was going to do something about it. So he did. He took control of the game and dared Georgetown to keep him from getting to the basket. He electrified the crowd when he threw the ball off the backboard, and put back his own rebound. With the shot clock expiring, he drove through the lane instead of taking a long three, and he hit the reverse layup as the buzzer sounded.
KEVIN SCHELLER/The Daily Campus
Junior point guard Kemba Walker drove the lane with 8:05 left in the second half and the UConn men’s basketball team holding a 3-point lead. Walker went left and kissed the ball off the glass with his right hand, making the lay up and drawing the foul. Walker stood under the basket, flexing his biceps. After a shooting slump that marred most of the Big East season, and an efficient game in a win against Providence Sunday, Walker’s swagger was officially back. The free throw with 8:03 remaining, the 26th point of a game-high 31 for the captain, made the score 63-57 in the Huskies favor. No. 13 UConn would stave off No. 9 Georgetown and pull off a 78-70 upset in front of 16,294 at the XL Center. “Kemba was Kemba,” said coach Jim Calhoun. “I believe tonight was a giant, giant win for us in 100 different ways.” Walker wasn’t the only one who contributed to the victory. After a career-high 25 points against the Friars, sophomore Jamal Coombs-McDaniels scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting. “I’m just getting to open spots and my teammates are finding me,” Coombs-McDaniels said. “I’ve been playing with him since I was 14,” said Alex Oriakhi, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. “If you give him the spots, he finds his game.” Walker and Coombs-McDaniel caught fire in the beginning of the second-half. Walker scored 10 points in the half’s first eight minutes, helping the Huskies maintain a lead that reached as high as nine points. On one play, Walker shot the ball of the backboard, and in mid-air, got the rebound himself and finished. “I haven’t seen the bank play in quite some time,” Calhoun said, referring to a West Virginia player’s failed attempt at Gampel Pavilion years ago. “We were all going crazy,” Oriakhi said. “I couldn’t believe he tried it.”
» HUSKIES, page 11
Sophomore guard Jamal Coombs-McDaniel drives on Georgetown during the Huskies’ 78-70 win over Georgetown Wednesday night at the XL Center in Hartford.
Walker, Coombs come up big against Georgetown By Mac Cerullo Sports Editor Kemba Walker was the star of the show, but for the second straight game, Jamal CoombsMcDaniel made his presence felt in a big way. After scoring a career-high 25 points on Sunday, CoombsMcDaniel followed up his eruption against Providence with a 23-point aftershock. Any doubts that Sunday may have been a fluke were immediately put to rest as he rushed out of the gate with nine points in the opening nine minutes. Coombs-McDaniel did not start the game, but he was subbed in for Jeremy Lamb after two minutes of play. Once in the game, he never came back out. Are we now seeing the true colors of Coombs-McDaniel? “Hopefully, that’s the plan for
» CERULLO, page 11
me,” Coombs-McDaniel said. ing it a “terrific win.” “This is what I’m capable of, “I think tonight is just a giant I can give more out there and win for us in a hundred differthat’s what I’m ent ways,” Calhoun going to continue to said. “It really was. try and do.” I mean, they’re The spark that he really good. Here at provided helped the home, to get a win Huskies weather an like that, and have early storm, when a crowd so much the Hoyas took involved…it’s an a 23-13 lead and awful lot of fun. nobody else seemed It really is with Notebook to have an answer. these guys.” During that time, Georgetown played an extremely physical Pick and roll game, clobbering Walker every Walker relentlessly attacked time he stepped in the paint. The the rim throughout last night’s Huskies early turnover trouble game, and despite the double didn’t help matters much either. and triple coverage he faced, he The Huskies overcame their was consistently able to get to early struggles, however, and the basket and score. from the 10-minute mark in the The secret was UConn’s first half onwards, UConn was extensive use of the pick and firmly in control of the game. roll. Alex Oriakhi was constantFollowing the win, coach ly setting screens for Walker, Calhoun heaped on the praise and Georgetown was never able for his team’s performance, call- to make the adjustments they
MEN’S BASKETBALL
needed to stay in front of him. “In the second half, I just kept setting picks for him and he kept going to the hole,” Oriakhi said. “They weren’t able to stop it so we just stuck with that…We’ll keep doing it if team’s can’t stop it, whatever works we’re just going to keep using it.” This gameplan’s success proved to be crucial, because despite his 31 points, Walker actually had a relatively poor shooting night from distance. Walker was 13-for-23 from the field, but went only 1-for-5 from behind the arc. Once it became clear that Georgetown could be exposed inside, however, Walker changed course and drove to the basket nearly every time, passing out of a shot only when Georgetown was able to rotate quickly enough. At no point was this more evident then a particular play, when Walker had the ball well
beyond the arc as the shot clock was expiring. Instead of taking the long three, he charged to the rim and hit a nifty reverse layup as the buzzer sounded. Just before that, he passed the ball off the backboard to himself after getting tied up behind the line and finished with a gentle tip in. That highlight reel play, more than any other, summed his night.
Sharing the stage Prior to last night’s game, Allison Angulo of the field hockey team took the court to sing the national anthem. Angulo is a redshirt sophomore who started 20 games this past fall. She was tied for the team lead in assists with 18, and recorded five multiplepoint games, including a hat trick against Rutgers on Oct. 24, 2010.
Michael.Cerullo@UConn.edu
Who could upset Blake Griffin in the Slam Dunk Contest? Demar DeRozan
By Quenten Narcisse Campus Correspondent While Blake Griffin looks like the unanimous favorite to win the Slam Dunk contest, DeMar DeRozan has the biggest chance of pulling the upset over the Clippers’ forward on All-Star Weekend. He came in second place in last year’s dunk contest, and he’s a phenomenal athlete who’s produced numerous highflying dunks in his short NBA career. Also, as the replacement for Brandon Jennings, who’s out with a broken foot, he’ll make the contest much more competitive for the fans. If there’s anyone who can steal the trophy from Griffin, it’s DeRozan.
AP
Demar DeRozan finished second last year...
Quenton.Narcisse@UConn.edu
» POINT/COUNTERPOINT Quenton: It’s true that McGee has the size and athleticism, but that doesn’t always translate into a win. Since the contest began, there has never been a Slam Dunk champion over 7-foot-0. Participants who have a significant height advantage over the other contestants are often held to a higher standard, and are forced to perform overly outrageous dunks to please the judges and fans. This adds an extra element, which places more pressure on McGee and Griffin. DeRozan is 6-foot-7, the prototypical size for a finesse dunker, and he has always been creative when he has the ball in his hands. If he can pull a few tricks out of his hat, DeRozan has a great chance of going home a champion on All Star Weekend. Mike: That theory may have
been true in the past, but since the NBA decided to change to fan voting (via text message) to decide the Slam Dunk champion in 2008, the only champions have been Dwight Howard (6-foot-11) and Nate Robinson (5-foot-9). Fans tune in to see the unthinkable, like the ability to dunk on a 12-foot hoop like Howard or completely leap over somebody who is more than a foot taller than you, like Robinson. Now that the NBA Slam Dunk contest has been running for more than 25 years, people want to see more than just another 6-foot7 finesse dunker. They love to watch the two extreme ends of the height spectrum battle in the dunk contest because of how rare it is for someone of average height to be able to fly so high.
» WHO, page 11
JaVale McGee
By Mike Szego Campus Correspondent
Though it may be true that DeRozan has the edge in experience, Wizards center JaVale McGee has a clear advantage in size. McGee is 7-foot-0 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan and a 33-inch vertical leap, allowing him to soar far above the rim. McGee has had his fair share of highlight dunks this season, showcasing athleticism rarely seen from someone his size. McGee is also the ultimate underdog, which will take all pressure away from his performance. McGee’s body type will allow him to give voters and fans alike the best show and be immortalized as Slam Dunk champion.
Michael.Szego@UConn.edu
AP
... but JaVale McGee has the athleticism to win.