The Daily Campus Dec. 3

The Daily Campus

BEAT Friday, December 3, 2010

THE BULLS vs.

UConn Huskies vs. South Florida Bulls Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. ASHLEY POSPISIL/The Daily Campus

The Daily Campus, Page 2

Friday, December 3, 2010

UConn vs. South Florida

» UCONN VS. USF

One last test for the Huskies

By Mac Cerullo Sports Editor

The road to the top ends in Tampa...

Sept. 4 UConn – 10 Michigan – 30

It all comes down to this.

After an up-and-down season in which all seemed lost as recently as a month ago, the Huskies now face the biggest game in program history Saturday night as they take on South Florida in Tampa with a chance to win the Big East Championship and their first ever BCS bowl bid.

Though the stakes are high, coach Randy Edsall said that his team is prepared for the challenge, but added that it wouldn’t be easy.

“This game’s no different than the last four we played,” Edsall said. “We’ve been playing a one-game season for the last five games now, and if we lost we were out… But we were fortunate enough to keep winning, and it’s no different, this game is no different than all those other games that we just played, the approach and everything else is going to be exactly the same.”

Edsall said that the turning point of the Huskies’ season came after the Louisville game when the team began to focus more in practice and let go of the things that hadn’t gone right up to that point. The result, a four-game winning streak that has the Huskies on the cusp of their first ever BCS bowl bid.

But the last obstacle to that goal is not a pushover, by any means.

South Florida is coming off of an overtime win over the Miami Hurricanes, and has several extremely talented weapons to go to. In addition to South Florida’s momentum and talent, there is the reality that UConn has never beaten South Florida on the road, and that is a particularly concerning fact considering that the Huskies have only won one road game all season, though that win came in their last road game against Syracuse.

“They do a really good job and they’re playing some of their best football of the year here late in the season,” Edsall said. “It’s a place that we haven’t won at so we’ve got our hands full as we go down there.”

Edsall called the Bulls a “tough opponent,” specifically citing quarterback B.J. Daniels as “a big, strong, tall kid that throws the ball extremely well.”

Daniels missed the second half of last weekend’s win at Miami due to an injured quad and was listed as questionable on the team’s injury

Michigan’s Denard Robinson ran all over the Husky defense as the Wolverines ran the Huskies right out of the Big House.

Sept. 11 TSU – 3 UConn – 62 This FCS team was no trouble for the Huskies as they raced out to a huge halftime lead and finished the game with a 62-3 win.

Sept. 18 UConn – 16 Temple – 30 In the always-entertaining UConn and Temple series, the Owls handed the Huskies a reality check, winning the game 30-16.

Sept. 25 ASHLEY POSPISIL/The Daily Campus

Zach Frazer makes a pass in the snow during the Huskies’ 29-27 win over South Florida in last season’s regular season finale on Dec. 5, 2009.

report released last night. If Daniels can’t go, freshman backup Bobby Eveld will get the start.

UConn’s injury report revealed that starting defensive tackle Twyon Martin will be out against USF with a leg injury. That same report also listed starting left tackle Mike Ryan as questionable with a leg injury and starting linebacker Scott Lutrus as probable with an arm injury.

Win or lose, the Huskies will learn their fate shortly after the game ends, the BCS bowl selections will be announced on Sunday, and if the Huskies lose, they will have a chance to accept a bowl invitation from one of the non-BCS bowls.

Kickoff at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa is set for 8 p.m., the game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.

Zach Frazer was benched in the first half and backup Cody Endres made an immediate impact throwing for two touchdowns, becoming the new starter.

Oct. 2 Vanderbilt – 21 UConn – 40 Todman led the rushing attack with 190 yards, while Endres threw for 179 yards and two TDs in the Huskies’ win.

Oct. 8 UConn – 24 Rutgers – 27 ASHLEY POSPISIL/The Daily Campus

Michael.Cerullo@UConn.edu

Jordan Todman runs with the ball through the snow during last season’s 29-27 win over USF.

» SEASON IN REVIEW

Roller coaster season reaches end

By Colin McDonough Senior Staff Writer

KEVIN SCHELLER/The Daily Campus

Kick returner Nick Williams returns a kick during UConn’s 30-28 home win over Pittsburgh on Nov. 11.

BIG EAST STANDINGS Team RVUConn 23West Virginia Pittsburgh Syracuse RVSouth Florida Louisville Cincinnati Rutgers

Conference

Record

4-2 4-2 4-2 4-3 3-3 3-4 2-4 1-5

Pct.

.667 .667 .667 .571 .500 .429 .333 .167

Last Week's Results Louisville 40, Rutgers 13 West Virginia 35, Pittsburgh 10 Boston College 16, Syracuse 7 Cincinnati 17, UConn 38 USF 23, Miami (FL) 20 (OT)

GB

– – – 0.5 1 1.5 2 3

Record

7-4 8-3 6-5 7-5 7-4 6-6 4-7 4-7

Overall Pct.

.636 .727 .545 .583 .636 .500 .364 .364

PF

304 285 287 252 266 312 315 236

PA

222 139 227 217 215 224 308 283

This Saturday's Schedule Rutgers at West Virginia (Noon) Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (Noon) UConn at USF (8 p.m.)

Big East Honor Roll Offensive Player Of The Week RB Jordan Todman (UConn) 31 carries, 175 yds, 3 TD Two key touchdowns in 4th quarter Special Teams Player Of The Week P Justin Brockhaus-Kann (USF) 10 punts, 41.0 punt average Two punts inside the 20-yard line

Buffalo – 21 UConn – 45

Defensive Player Of The Week CB Brandon Hogan (West Virginia) 6 tackles, 1 INT, 1 Forced Fumble Had a hand in two first-half turnovers Weekly Honor Roll DE Kendall Reyes (UConn) CB Johnny Patrick (Louisville) RB Bilal Powell (Louisville) QB Bobby Eveld (USF) QB Geno Smith (West Virginia)

Prior to the UConn football team’s 2010 campaign, some people wouldn’t be surprised if the Huskies were in this position.

Heading into the final regular season game, UConn has a chance to clinch the Big East championship and the school’s first BCS berth.

The road to get to this point, however, has surprised many people.

When the Huskies sat at 3-4, with an 0-2 record in the conference, a championship seemed out of reach. But UConn has won four straight games and is on the brink of the biggest accomplishment in program history.

“It’s a whole new team,” said running back Jordan Todman after last weekend’s victory over Cincinnati. “Everybody has kind of switched attitudes and work ethic, and we’ve really started to practice, and we love to win and winning is addicting and makes everybody happy. So we’ll stick to what works so far and we have one more game on the way.”

With a 38-17 win over Cincinnati, the Huskies are a victory over South Florida from the BCS, which is hard to believe after the start of the season. The Huskies started their season 3-2. In the non-conference slate UConn took care of business at Rentschler Field and couldn’t win on the road. In a much-hyped opener, Michigan blew out the Huskies in front of the largest crowd in college football history. UConn then beat FCS opponent Texas Southern 62-3, but had another letdown in a 30-16 loss at Temple. Then at home against Buffalo, Edsall made a decision that changed the season.

Edsall replaced Zach Frazer with Cody Endres with the score 14-14 at halftime. Endres was coming off a suspension after violating university policy. In the second half, Endres led the charge in a 45-21 win. Endres was named the starter heading into the Homecoming contest against Vanderbilt. Todman and Endres blew out the Commodores

40-21 to head into conference play.

At Rutgers, the heartbreak against the Scarlet Knights continued. Nick Williams brought a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown and Endres hit Kashif Moore to help the Huskies gain a 24-17 advantage after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, however, freshman quarterback Chas Dodd brought Rutgers back and San San Te kicked a 34-yard field goal at the gun to beat UConn.

During the next week, the program suspended Endres for the second time this year, this time for the rest of the season, after he failed three drug tests. Shortly after, Endres left the team. Edsall inserted redshirt freshman Mike Box at the starting quarterback position and Box was injured during UConn’s 26-0 loss at Louisville.

Back came Frazer and the Huskies’ BCS hopes. Frazer won four “elimination games” and Todman, the nation’s second-leading rusher, carried the offense. Dave Teggart kicked a game-winning field goal to beat West Virginia for the first time in school history leading to the crowd rushing the field at the Rent.

UConn then gave Pitt its first conference loss on Nov. 11 when Edsall’s decision to go for it on fourth down at the Huskies’ 19-yard line paid off.

Todman picked up the first to clinch the 30-28 win. On Nov. 20, UConn went to Syracuse and finally won its first road game of the year, 23-6.

After the Mountaineers beat Pitt a week ago, the Huskies controlled their own destiny with tiebreakers over the Panthers and Mountaineers.

Todman scored three touchdowns in the Senior Day win over Cincinnati in East Hartford, setting up one of the biggest games in program history at USF Saturday at 8 p.m.

After going 8-5 and returning key players, the Huskies were one of the contenders to win the conference title before the season. It may have taken a while for UConn to meet its preseason expectations, but as Todman said, they are one game away.

Colin.McDonough@UConn.edu

In UConn’s Big East opener, the Rutgers air attack was far too much as the Scarlett Knights squeezed out a 27-24 win.

Oct. 23 UConn – 0 Louisville – 26 Freshman QB Mike Box started his first career game and suffered a concussion, allowing Zach Frazer to earn back his starting spot.

Oct. 29 WVU UConn

– 13 – 16

For the first time in school history, UConn beat West Virginia, taking the home game 16-13 in overtime.

Nov. 11 Pittsburgh – 28 UConn – 30 UConn continued its winning ways, beating first place and undefeated Pittsburgh at home 30-28 behind Todman’s career high 222 yards.

Nov. 20 UConn – 23 Syracuse – 6 UConn insured itself of a bowl game for the fourth straight year by beating Syracuse in the Carrier Dome 23-6.

Nov. 27 Cincinnati – 17 UConn – 38 The biggest game of the weekend for the Huskies wasn’t their own, this and West Virginia’s win over Pittsburgh put UConn into first place.

Dec. 4 UConn vs.

USF A win against the Bulls in Florida would ensure UConn of its second Big East Championship and its first ever trip to a BCS bowl game.

Volume CXVI No. 65

» INSIDE

AIDS victims remembered at vigil

By Amy McDavitt Senior Staff Writer

‘A flea in her ear’ preview lauded by students The comical play elicited laughs from audience.

FOCUS/ page 7

A musical performance, sobering statistics and a moment of silence remembered those affected by HIV and AIDS at a vigil in the Student Union Thursday.

Nearly 60 people attended the ceremony in the space currently occupied by the ART4AIDS art show, Room 310 of the Student Union. The focus of the evening was to raise awareness and recognize those who have been infected with HIV or died of causes related to HIV or AIDS. “It is important that we put

» CONNECTICUT

Pratt & Whitney wins Airbus engine order walking on the sun No. 1 UConn trounces Bulls at Sun Dome.

SPORTS/ page 14 EDITORIAL: NO PAY FOR OFFICER WHOSE DRUNKEN DRIVING KILLED TEEN Suspension with pay too lenient considering allegations.

COMMENTARY/page 4 INSIDE NEWS: MEXICO FEARED CARTEL TAKEOVER WikiLeaks cables revealed government’s fears.

NEWS/ page 2

» weather FRIDAY

Partly Sunny High 40 / Low 26 SATURDAY/SUNDAY

High 39 Low 26

High 38 Low 27

» index Classifieds 3 Comics 5 Commentary 4 Crossword/Sudoku 5 Focus 7 InstantDaily 4 Sports 14

The Daily Campus 11 Dog Lane Storrs, CT 06268 Box U-4189

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Friday, December 3, 2010

EAST HARTFORD (AP) — Airbus has selected Pratt & Whitney’s next-generation engine, giving the Connecticut manufacturer a big boost for the jet engine it says saves fuel and reduces noise.

Parent company United Technologies Corp. has spent $1 billion over 20 years to develop the geared turbofan engine. It says the engine significantly improves fuel efficiency, generates fewer carbon emissions and produces less noise than other airplane engines.

Kathleen Padgett, a spokeswoman at Pratt & Whitney, said Thursday the company believes the scale of the Airbus order could put the jet engine manufacturer back at a volume similar to what it had when it produced its JT8D engine program beginning in the 1960s.

The market potential is for 4,000 aircraft over 15 years, which would require 8,000 engines and spare parts.

Pratt & Whitney is the No. 3 jet engine maker, after General Electric Co. and Rolls Royce.

The Airbus A320, Pratt & Whitney’s fourth customer, could be its most important for the engine, said analyst Matt Collins at Edward Jones.

The East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney has previously won engine orders for regional jets manufactured by Bombardier, Mitsubishi and Russian airline manufacturer IRKUT. “Those were an OK start but to get an Airbus or a Boeing is obviously the goal,” Collins said. “This is a major victory.”

The geared turbofan engine has been the highest profile product developed by United Technologies, Collins said.

Analyst Rick Whittington of JSA Research said Boeing is now under pressure to compete, “but I think the reality is that Airbus is in a strong competitive position with these parts.”

“It should be a nice spillover for Pratt & Whitney and Airbus,” he said.

The Toulouse, France-based Airbus’ A320 aircraft is scheduled to enter service in 2016.

Pratt will have a competitor, CFM, which is a partnership between General Electric and Safran. Aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said he believes Pratt & Whitney has the edge.

“Technically, they’re more ambitious and further along in product development,” he said.

“They sort of led the way with the gear box and better fuel

AIDS back on the map,” Amanda Sullivan, the event organizer, said. The issue has disappeared from the public consciousness, but continued awareness is necessary, she said.

The vigil began with a performance from the Cordials, one of UConn’s all-female a cappella groups. The group sang renditions of “When the Stars Go Blue,” “Jessie’s Girl” and “Send Me On My Way.” In between songs, Sullivan, who coordinated all of the World AIDS Week events on campus, and Health Education Coordinator Joleen Nevers read statistics relating to the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

As many as one in five

adults have been infected with HIV and are not aware, Nevers said. One in three individuals who are tested find out they are infected too late to benefit from full treatment. Although it is generally recommended that people between the ages of 18 and 64 get tested at least once, the Health Education office has a slightly different philosophy.

“We go by the adage, ‘per partner, per year,” Nevers said.

Other attendees echoed the importance of protection and screening.

“There are so many ways for people to be safe,” said Emily

» SIXTY, page 2

JORDAN ACKER/The Daily Campus

The all-female a cappella The Cordials perform at the AIDS vigil held in the Student Union Thursday.

Hope, if not home, for the holidays

ROCHELLE BAROSS/The Daily Campus

Members of the Off-Campus Community Leaders Program gathered at the Student Union Thursday to make holiday greeting cards for American soldiers overseas.

By Victoria Smey Senior Staff Writer American troops serving overseas will receive some good cheer from UConn students this holiday season.

The Off-Campus Community Leaders Program held a gathering at the Student Union on Thursday, where students made holiday cards and wrote letters to troops stationed outside the United States.

“We came up with the idea by sitting down and throw-

ing ideas off of each other,” said community leader Ryan Tabtabai, a 5th-semester biology and psychology double major, who originally suggested the idea. “We were originally going to hold the program for Thanksgiving, but due to a time constraint we moved it back.”

The Off-Campus Community Leaders Program, through OffCampus Student Services, will send the cards to the Connecticut branch of the National Guard.

The National Guard will check the cards and letters for appro-

priateness and distribute them.

They then will use a system to determine which soldiers don’t receive as much mail over the holidays and make sure that these soldiers get cards, explained Tabtabai.

Students at the gathering sat around tables covered with lined paper, construction paper, markers, glitter, candy canes and Nestle chocolates to make their cards. The Community Leaders Program also provided hot chocolate, snacks and music to raise the students’ holiday

spirit in the process.

Megan Frost, a 3rd-semester business major, is aiming to make the soldiers smile.

“I want to decorate the cards with something that the soldiers won’t just glance at and put aside. I really want to catch their eyes with something fun or silly,” Frost said.

“I’m going to glitter them out,” she said.

Bridget Rooney, a 1stsemester fine arts major, made

» STUDENTS, page 2

Conn. home invasion defendant: Death a ‘relief’ NEW HAVEN, (AP) — A Connecticut man sentenced to death Thursday in the killings of a woman and her two daughters said his execution will be “a welcome relief,” while the only survivor of the gruesome home invasion told a judge he had struggled with suicidal thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks.

Steven Hayes made his first public comments about the case before being formally sentenced by New Haven

Superior Court Judge Jon Blue. A jury last month determined Hayes should die.

“I am deeply sorry for what I have done and the pain I have caused,” Hayes told Blue. “My actions have hurt so many people, affected so many lives, and caused so much pain. I am tormented and have nightmares about what happened in that house.”

Hayes, who did not testify during his trial, said he wanted money for drugs but makes no

excuses for what he did.

“But this was not the real me, this was an angry monster I have never known, a monster so full of rage it was impossible to control,” Hayes said.

Hayes said he wished he had been successful in his suicide attempts before the crime.

“Death for me will be a welcome relief, and I hope it will bring some peace and comfort to those who I have hurt so

much,” Hayes said.

Hayes sexually assaulted and strangled Jennifer Hawke-Petit. Authorities say he and co-defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky tied her daughters to their beds, poured gasoline on or around them and set fire to their Cheshire home in 2007. Komisarjevsky goes on trial next year.

“This is a terrible sentence, but is, in truth, a sentence you wrote for yourself in flames,” the judge told Hayes.

What’s on at UConn this weekend...

Friday Condom-a-Thon 9 –1 a.m.

Student Union Learn all about safe sex and get free ice cream.

Friday Online Silent Auction All Day UConn’s Community School of Arts will auction off more than 100 items.

Saturday “Yule be Swingin’” 3 – 5 p.m.

Von der Medhen Recital Hall

Student jazz ensembles will perform in both the big band and combo format.

Sunday UConn Polo 2 – 5 p.m.

Horsebarn Hill Arena

The UConn men’s polo team will face Skidmore.

-JAY POLANSKY

The Daily Campus, Page 2

DAILY BRIEFING Video shows Ariz officer stepping on inmate’s neck PHOENIX (AP) — A jail surveillance video circulating online shows an Arizona detention officer stepping on the neck of an inmate who was restrained and bent over a table.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that detention officer Kevin Gerster resigned on Wednesday following his arrest earlier in the week on aggravated assault charges.

A video released by the sheriff’s office shows the inmate, William Hughes, handcuffed behind his back, bent over a table, and surrounded by three officers. Gerster walks up to the men, gets on the table and steps on Hughes’ neck.

A call to a phone number listed under a Kevin Gerster in the Phoenix area was not immediately returned Thursday and it was unclear whether he had a lawyer.

“Walker, Texas Ranger” now Norris, Texas Ranger GARLAND, Texas (AP) — There’s only one man tough enough to take down “Walker, Texas Ranger.” And that’s Chuck Norris, Texas Ranger.

The actor and martial-arts expert was named an honorary member of the elite Texas law enforcement force Thursday by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a nod to the television character that enshrined Norris as the ultimate tough guy.

Perry bestowed the rare honor on the 70-year-old action hero and executive director of “Walker, Texas Ranger” in a room packed with family, friends and real Texas Rangers at the Texas Department of Public Safety in Garland, a Dallas suburb.

The television show, in which Norris played Texas Ranger Cordell Walker, ran for nearly a decade on CBS in the 1990s. But odes to his unscathable toughness live on thanks to one-liners — “Chuck Norris doesn’t do pushups, he pushes the earth down” — splashed across the Internet. He even made a cameo during the 2008 presidential campaign, joining a stern-faced GOP candidate Mike Huckabee in espousing such strength in an online video.

In 1990, Norris established a foundation to use martial arts to help children avoid the temptations of gangs and drugs. There are about 6,500 youths in the program, he said.

Invisalign maker gets FDA warning on side effects

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to a company that makes a popular teeth straightener about its failure to report information about patient side effects.

Align Technology Inc., which makes the Invisalign system, disclosed this week that it received a Nov. 18 warning letter from the FDA following an inspection this summer.

The letter accused the San Jose, Calif., company of failing to comply with federal requirements to report serious side effects associated with medical devices. It cited some patient complaints about allergic reactions to the Invisalign trays such as swollen lips and mouth ulcers.

Align Technology’s general counsel, Roger George, says the company replied to the FDA on Nov. 22 and is working to resolve the issues.

UN sanctions 4 armed leaders in Congo

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Six people, including two teenagers, have been indicted in the pummeling death of a Las Vegas high school teacher who prosecutors say was attacked because he dressed nicely.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that a Clark County grand jury handed up an indictment Wednesday accusing 19-year-old Saul Favela of leading three 20-year-olds and two 16-year-olds on a violent robbery spree in northwest Las Vegas until they came upon 50-year-old Timothy VanDerbosch on Oct. 20.

Investigators said VanDerbosch tried to run after he was first attacked, but the group chased him down, beat him into unconsciousness, and left him in a street where he was struck by a passing truck. He later died at University Medical Center.

Authorities say the group was excited by random violence.

Prosecutor Joshua Tomsheck said the defendants have fully confessed to the crimes.

Tomsheck said during a court hearing that VanDerbosch was the 10th victim of random violence by the group during a 3½-hour span during the early morning hours of Oct. 20.

Tomsheck said the group also attacked a man and woman walking home from a bus stop and a taxi driver on his way to his first day on the job.

Tomsheck said the cab driver cooperated as the group robbed him, but wasn’t spared from violence.

“For absolutely no reason, one of these individuals stabs him,” Tomsheck said.

Authorities say two other juveniles were charged as being part of the attacks, but not for being involved in VanDerbosch’s death.

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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.

Friday, December 3, 2010

News

Mexico feared Cartel takeover

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A top Mexican official said late last year that he had a "real concern" Mexico would lose control of parts of the country to drug traffickers, and the military proposed declaring states of emergency in some cities, according to U.S. State Department cables leaked to WikiLeaks and posted online Thursday.

Then-Undersecretary for the Interior Geronimo Gutierrez Fernandez, who oversaw domestic security, "expressed a real concern with 'losing' certain regions," according to the memo, written on Oct. 5, 2009 and posted on several news media websites as a growing list of sensitive U.S. government messages were released

by WikiLeaks.

"It is damaging Mexico's international reputation, hurting foreign investment, and leading to a sense of government impotence, Gutierrez said," according to the memo.

"If we do not produce a tangible success that is recognizable to the Mexican people, it will be difficult to sustain the confrontation into the next administration," the memo quotes him as saying.

Officials describe in an Oct. 28, 2009 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City a proposal by Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Guillermo Galvan Galvan to suspend some constitutional rights in several cities, including Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, that is considered one of the most violent in the world as a result of warring cartels.

The cable noted that the Mexican government had not taken such action since World War II, even during periods of intense strife, such as the 1968 student protests in Mexico City, the devastating 1985 earthquake, and the 1994 uprising of the Zapatistas in the southern state of Chiapas.

"The law does not explicitly call for greater military involvement, and (then-Interior Minister Fernando) Gomez Mont told U.S. officials that it is not martial law 'in the way that you know it,'" the cable said.

But Gomez Mont batted down the idea anyway, and in the cable, then-Charge d'Affaires John Feeley said that U.S. government analysis showed the legal benefits were "uncertain at best, and the political costs appear high."

"While the possibility of such a declaration cannot be discounted at some future date, the GOM (Government of Mexico) seems far from settled on the efficacy or need for such an immediate move," Feeley said.

The Oct. 5 cable describes a

AP

Mexican federal police officers man a roadblock in the town of Meoqui, state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico Monday after the police chief of the town was gunned down.

dinner that the Mexican Attorney General's Office hosted for a delegation from the U.S. Department of Justice, quoting Gutierrez as saying the $1.4 billion Merida Initiative, the United States' major effort to help Mexico fight the drug war, was too hastily

trafficking organizations.)"

President Felipe Calderon, who launched an assault on drug cartels in 2006, has maintained the federal government has control over all the country. Both the U.S. and Mexico have said recently that Merida money in the future

AP

This undated photo, downloaded from the website of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, shows alleged Mexico’s Gulf drug cartel leader Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen.

crafted to be effective.

"In retrospect he and other GOM (Government of Mexico) officials realize that not enough strategic thought went into Merida in the early phase," the memo said. "There was too much emphasis in the initial planning on equipment, which they now know is slow to arrive and even slower to be of direct utility in the fight against the DTOs (drug-

would be directed toward creating more effective institutions.

Contacted Thursday afternoon, Calderon's office said it had just seen the cables and had no immediate comment.

Mexican officials also proposed a strategy of regaining order in three violent cities — Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, and Culiacan in the western state of Sinaloa, home to the pow-

erful cartel of the same name, the cable said.

Gutierrez and National Security System Coordinator Jorge Tello Peon said Calderon has to stop the violence in Ciudad Juarez, according to the cable.

"Politically ... Calderon has staked so much of his reputation there, with a major show of force that, to date, has not panned out," the cable said Gutierrez and Peon told U.S. officials at the dinner.

In a Jan. 29, 2010 memo called "Scenesetter for Opening of the Defense Bilateral Working Group," the U.S. criticizes competition among Mexican security agencies, corruption and Mexico's abysmally low prosecution rate.

It describes competition among Mexican security agencies "in which one agency's success is viewed as another's failure, information is closely guarded, and joint operations are all but unheard of."

"Official corruption is widespread, leading to a compartmentalized siege mentality among 'clean' law enforcement leaders and their lieutenants," the cable said. "Prosecution rates for organized crime-related offenses are dismal; 2 percent of those detained are brought to trial.

Only 2 percent of those arrested in Ciudad Juarez have even been charged with a crime."

In yet another cable, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asks officials from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico for a report on how stress from fighting the drug war has affected Calderon and his Cabinet members.

Students plan warm welcome for troops Sixty million affected by AID world-wide from STUDENTS, page 1 five cards with an assortment of Christmas and general holiday themes.

“I told the soldiers that we are very thankful for everything they have done for our country, and that I hope they have a good holiday even though they are overseas,” Rooney said.

In addition to the refreshments and music, the Off-Campus Community Leaders Program treated students by allowing them to earn community service hours through Community Outreach for every hour they spent making cards. Also, for

every card that each student made, they received a raffle ticket to enter for a chance to win a 20” LCD television.

Tabtabai explained the Community Leaders’ goals for the program.

“We’re always looking for good ideas to make meaningful programming for students… particularly for off-campus students, so they will feel more connected to the university,” Tabtabai said.

Most importantly, “we want to give back to the people who are giving their lives to us,” he said.

Victoria.Smey@UConn.edu

from SIXTY, page 1 Loturco, a 3rd-semester psychology major.

Globally, some 60 million people have been infected with HIV, according to one statistic Sullivan read. Twenty-five million have died of causes related to HIV and AIDS. A moment of silence was observed after the statistics were shared. The lights were dimmed, leaving votive candles arranged in the shape of an awareness ribbon as the only source of light in the room.

Overall Sullivan was pleased

with the results of the week’s events. Seven people were tested for HIV Monday, she said, and 100 people attended the ART4AIDS opening Wednesday night—a record turnout for the annual event.

The 37-piece ART4AIDS display, which is a collection of works donated to the Health Education office over a period of five years, is still open in Room 310 of the Student Union.

Amy.McDavitt@UConn.edu

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John Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief Russell Blair, Managing Editor Valerie Nezvesky, Business Manager/Advertising Director Nancy Depathy, Financial Manager Amy Schellenbaum, Associate Managing Editor Joseph Adinolfi, News Editor Jay Polansky, Associate News Editor Taylor Trudon, Commentary Editor Cindy Luo, Associate Commentary Editor Caitlin Mazzola, Focus Editor Melanie Deziel, Associate Focus Editor Mac Cerullo, Sports Editor

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This space is reserved for addressing errors when The Daily Campus prints information that is incorrect. Anyone with a complaint should contact The Daily Campus offices and file a corrections request form. All requests are subject to approval by the Managing Editor or the Editor in Chief.

Friday, December 3, 2010 Copy Editors: Brian Zahn, Alisen Downey, Ryan Tepperman,Grace Vasington News Designer: Joe Adinolfi Focus Designer: Brian Zahn Sports Designer: Matt McDonough Digital Production: Ed Ryan

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Daily Campus, Page 3

News

Congress approves nutrition bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — More children would eat lunches and dinners at school under legislation passed Thursday by the House and sent to the president, part of first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood hunger and fight childhood obesity.

The $4.5 billion bill approved by the House 264157 would also try to cut down on greasy foods and extra calories by giving the government power to decide what kinds of foods may be sold in vending machines and lunch lines. The bill could even limit frequent school bake sales and fundraisers that give kids extra chances to eat brownies and pizza.

The first lady said in a statement after the vote that she was “thrilled” about House passage.

She called the bill “a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school.”

Republicans said the bill is too expensive and an example of government overreach.

Even former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has weighed in, bringing cookies to a speech at a Pennsylvania school last month and calling efforts to limit junk food in schools a “nanny state run amok.”

Democrats said the legislation is needed to stem rising health care costs due to expanding American waistlines and to feed hungry children in tough economic times.

The new nutrition standards would be written by the

Russian accused of mass-spamming charged in Wis.

AP

Fairmeadow Elementary School fourth grade student Juliet Lee, left, orders pepperoni pizza during a school lunch program in Palo Alto, Calif., Thursday.

Agriculture Department, which would decide which kinds of foods may be sold and what ingredients can be used on school lunch lines and in vending machines.

The new standards would likely keep popular foods like hamburgers and pizza in school cafeterias but make them healthier, using leaner meat or whole wheat crust, for example. Vending machines could be stocked with less candy and fewer high-calorie drinks.

Bake sales and other school sponsored fundraisers that sell

unhealthy foods could be limited under the legislation, which only allows them if they are infrequent. The Agriculture Department would determine how often they could be held.

Public health advocates pushed for the language, saying they are concerned about daily or weekly fundraisers that allow children to subtitute junk food for a healthier meal.

The bill would increase eligibility and accessibility for school lunches by using Medicaid and census data and provide money to serve more than 20 million

additional after-school meals annually in all 50 states. Most states now only serve afterschool snacks.

The legislation would increase the amount of money schools are reimbursed for free lunches by 6 cents a meal, a priority for schools that say they don’t have enough money to serve the meals.

Some public school organizations have criticized the bill, saying they are concerned it will set new requirements without providing enough money to carry them out.

Witness: Slain AIM activist feared for her life

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Before she died, an American Indian Movement activist said she was afraid she’d be killed because others in the group suspected she was an informant, a witness testified Thursday during the trial of a man accused of shooting her 35 years ago.

Prosecutors allege John Graham, 55, shot Annie Mae Aquash and left her to die on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge reservation in 1975, in an incident that has become synonymous with AIM and its 1970s-era battles with federal agents. Graham is charged with first- and second-degree murder and could go to prison for life if convicted.

Prosecutors said Aquash was kidnapped from Denver by three AIM supporters and eventually taken to Pine Ridge because the group’s leaders thought she was a government spy.

One prosecution witness, Troy Lynn Yellow Wood, testified Thursday that AIM members showed up at her Denver home where Aquash was staying in November 1975. Yellow Wood said Aquash told her she was afraid the activists thought she was an informant.

“’If they take me from here, you will never see me alive again,’” Yellow Wood said Aquash told her.

Under cross examination, defense attorney John Murphy suggested that Yellow Wood’s testimony was inconsistent with statements she previously made.

And former AIM activist George Palfy testified that he spoke to Aquash the night she left Denver, after Yellow Wood asked him to come over, and “she didn’t seem concerned” about rumors she was an informant.

Earlier Thursday, Angie Janis testified about receiving a phone call about Aquash from AIM supporter Thelma Rios in November 1975. Janis, who said she was Graham’s girlfriend at the time, testified that she was told “something to the effect that Annie Mae needed to be brought back to Rapid City. She was an informant.” Janis said she passed along the message but didn’t remember who she told.

That was the same day a group of people gathered at Yellow Wood’s home, including Graham, Arlo Looking Cloud

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An undated file photo provided by her family shows American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. Aquash’s murder, which occurred 35 years ago next month, quickly became synonymous with the violent clashes between AIM and federal authorities in the 1970s.

and Theda Clark. The three took Aquash from the home with her hands tied, Janis testified.

Palfy, during his testimony, said he saw Clark and Graham, but not Looking Cloud, walk-

ing with Aquash to Clark’s red Ford Pinto.

Janis appeared uncomfortable during cross-examination when Murphy brought up conflicting statements she made to

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — A 23-year-old Russian man accused of running a worldwide spamming network, which Internet-security experts say on some days accounted for one of every three unwanted e-mails, is scheduled to appear in a Wisconsin courtroom to hear charges against him.

Oleg Y. Nikolaenko, of Moscow, will be arraigned Friday in federal court in Milwaukee. He is charged with violating the CAN-SPAM act by intentionally falsifying header information in commercial e-mail messages and sending at least 2,500 spam e-mails per day, the minimum threshold for the charge.

Prosecutors say his network may have sent up to 10 billion messages per day.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Nikolaenko was arrested last month at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. He is being tried in Milwaukee because that’s where an undercover FBI investigator ordered Viagra through an e-mail distributed by Nikolaenko’s alleged operation and received bogus herbal pills instead, said Lance Barnes, the FBI’s supervisory special agent of the Milwaukee cyber squad.

In the criminal complaint against Nikolaenko, prosecutors say authorities were tipped off to his involvement after another man pleaded guilty in Missouri federal court to a charge of conspiring to traffic in counterfeit Rolex watches. That defendant told investigators he solicited customers by paying spammers more than $2 million to send a barrage of e-mail ads.

That information led the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission to a spamming operation in Australia, where investigators discovered the workers had exchanged e-mails with Nikolaenko. Subsequent digging linked Nikolaenko to one of the most sophisticated spamming networks in the world — “Mega-D,” which investigators said accounted for 32 percent of all worldwide spam.

Nikolaenko’s attorney, Chris Van Wagner, said Thursday he hadn’t seen the evidence and hoped to have access to it soon.

“We intend to present a rigorous defense to whatever the government may have,” Van Wagner said.

Nikolaenko’s arrest is unlikely to slow the flood of e-mails touting cheap drugs and male-enhancement pills, said Joe Stewart, the director of malware analysis for Internet-security company SecureWorks Inc. in Atlanta.

The spamming industry is so lucrative that other spammers already are filling the void, Stewart said.

The crippling of Mega-D “is not that significant for the average user,” he said. “We need to take more of these guys down in order to have a lasting impact.

This is a good start but there’s a long way to go.”

Investigators say Mega-D was a botnet, short for “robot network,” in which users’ computers are infected with so-called malware that allows someone to remotely hijack the computer and have it blast out spam e-mails. The Mega-D network included more than half a million infected computers.

Authorities who looked into the Australian spam network found e-mails and payment records linked to a Gmail account. Investigators subpoenaed the account records and found it was registered to Nikolaenko. The Gmail account also had a number of executable files bearing the fingerprints of Mega-D malware, according to the complaint.

Stewart said Mega-D consistently ranked among the worst spamming offenders, at times accounting for as much as a third of all spams sent in a day. But output was lighter on some days than on others.

The complaint noted that in late 2009 the network accounted for 12 percent of the world’s spam traffic. However, one security company found a way to drive that traffic down to a fraction of a percent.

FireEye Inc. in Milpitas, Calif., persuaded 12 to 15 Internet service providers to shut down the computers that were used to control the infected machines.

Within days, the botnet’s traffic was down to 0.1 percent.

The victory was short-lived, though, as other spammers filled the absence within weeks, FireEye spokesman Phillip Lin said.

“It’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse race,” Lin said. “The reality is, when there’s money to be made in a criminal manner there will be criminals out there.”

That’s the truly troubling side of spamming, he noted. Along with the annoying e-mails, the botnet technology can deliver malware that secretly records keystrokes so hackers can steal passwords and credit card numbers, along with other schemes that trick people into giving up personal information.

Antivirus programs are helpful at sniffing out some infections, but Stewart and Lin both said the bad guys know which security tools are available and figure out how to evade them.

So how can people protect their computers from malicious agents? Lin suggested users do the basics — update antivirus programs, install a firewall — but he said the real defenders should be Internet service providers, or ISPs.

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Friday, December 3, 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

No pay for officer whose drunken driving killed teen

M

ichael Koistinen, the Windsor Locks police officer involved in the Oct. 29 crash that claimed the life of 15-year-old Henry Dang, is currently enjoying paid administrative leave – an annual salary of $59,976 – while town officials debate whether or not to fire him. This is unacceptable. The town should fire him quickly. Koistinen’s reckless and illegal actions have cost the life of an innocent young man and are a disgrace to the police force. He deserves neither to wear the uniform nor receive its financial rewards.

There is plenty of evidence to justify Koistinen’s firing: the facts of the case speak for themselves. The night of Oct. 29, Koistinen had been drinking for just under six hours at the Suffield Tavern before he left in his car. Nineteen minutes later, as he sped approximately toward the intersection of Spring and West Streets at 73 mph in a 35-mph zone, he hit Dang as the teenager was riding his bike home. Dang was pronounced dead at the hospital. One motorist can attest to Koistinen’s high rate of speed and two motorists who came to the scene minutes later identified his apparently drunken demeanor. A neighbor who witnessed Koistinen throw an object onto her lawn – later possibly identified as a recently consumed beer bottle – also stated that he appeared drunk.

Koistinen pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree manslaughter and conspiracy to tamper evidence. But officials have enough information to fire him simply as a consequence of the speeding and the probable DUI. Some factors may be influencing the town officials’ hesitance to fire Koistinen. After the accident, the Windsor Locks police did not give him a blood-alcohol test, and when Koistinen arrived at the hospital, he refused a blood test. Without the findings of a blood test, investigators cannot statistically determine how intoxicated Koistinen was at the time of the accident. Besides the factual problem, Koistinen’s father, Sgt. Robert Koistinen, is a 30-year veteran of the Windsor Locks police force. In a small force that is now down to 23, every member is part of a family, and to remove one, especially the son of a long-term member of that force, is especially difficult.

But unfortunately for Michael Koistinen, the tough decision here is the right one. According to James Bartolini, attorney for the Dang family, it could take two or three years for the case to go to trial. The town cannot afford to wait that long for a verdict to make their decision for them.

Windsor Locks has a choice to make. Koistinen had a choice, too. He made his choice when he got behind that wheel after a night at the bar, and it cost the life of a fifteen-year-old boy. What legal penalty Koistinen deserves is up to the judicial system, but as for now - at the very least – he should lose his job.

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.

2010’s most fascinating people: Take 2

W

hen I was in high school, I dreamed that I would go to Sarah Lawrence College and live my freshman year in Barbara Walters’ old dorm room. Obviously, if I was planning on becoming a premier journalist known for dissolving my interviewees into tears (oh hey, Tom Cruise), I absolutely would have to sleep in the same room as one of my idols. But as fate would have it, I would not go to Sarah Lawrence, and therefore would not be lounging in Babs’ old dorm room, daydreaming about interviewing Johnny Depp.

I didn’t end up at Barbara’s alma mater, but I continue to admire her

By Taylor Trudon decades-spanning Commentary Editor career and her ability to talk to anyone. Each year, I look forward to her annual ABC special of the year’s top 10 most fascinating people.

This year, however, I am unimpressed.

Among those listed, we have the pre-pubescent Justin Bieber, modern day princess Kate Middleton, Betty White, Jennifer Lopez (wait – people still actually care about her?), Sarah Palin, Sandra Bullock, LeBron James and the cast of Jersey Shore. Babs, we can do better.

Sure, these people are fascinating, but are they fascinating enough for 2010? Unlike Barbara and unlike a list generated by Thursday’s columnist, I would have chosen different people to put in the hot seat.

10.) Bristol Palin. Forget her mom – this girl almost won “Dancing With The Stars.” You can judge her for her DNA or for her inability to remember to use a condom, but she has

officially surpassed her mother as a fascinating public figure. Politics aside, I think she’s kind of a rockstar. Her mom’s a little nutty, her ex-boyfriend is a loser and despite her circumstances, she’s put herself out there in a national dance competition where she was up against Jennifer Grey. What’s more, she had fun while doing it, all while raising her son.

Props to her.

9.) Ke$ha. She sings about brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack and throwing up at Paris Hilton’s house. Even though she hasn’t showered in a week, her use of eyeliner is questionable and her ability to pass a fifth grade grammar test is up for debate, her lyrics are infectious. In a world of cookie-cutter pop stars, Ke$ha shows how being so wrong can be so right.

“Bristol Palin...has officially passed her mother as a fascinating public figure.”

8.) Dan Savage. It is nearly impossible to have not seen (or at least heard about) the “It Gets Better” YouTube videos that have gone viral over the last few months. The activist/columnist jumpstarted the “It Gets Better Project” following the suicide of 15-year-old Billy Lucas, who was bullied because of his perceived sexual orientation. From Hillary Clinton to Vinny from the Jersey Shore, dozens of celebrities have created personalized videos of encouragement for LGBT teens. Because of Savage, we are moving toward a better future.

7.) Conan O’Brien. Not only is he my favorite redhead, but O’Brien is the epitome of the comeback kid. At the beginning of 2010, he got swapped for Jay Leno and was essentially fired on television for millions to see. But

instead of sitting at home and weeping about his newfound unemployment, he became, in the words of TIME Magazine, a “TV rebel hero.” Today he not only has a Twitter account, but he’s also sitting pretty with a new show on TBS called – what else – Conan.

6.) Christine O’Donnell. We cannot talk about comedians unless we talk about Christine O’Donnell, who – let’s just put it out there – provided America with endless entertainment this political season. She may not be a witch, but when she was running for a seat in the Senate this year, she easily became one of the most fascinating women in politics, next to Sarah Palin. Even though she lost the election, I have a feeling that we haven’t seen the last of O’Donnell.

5.) Jon Stewart and 4.) Steven Colbert.

The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear was about more than just getting 215,000 people together at our nation’s capital to listen to Cat Stevens (sorry, Yusuf Islam) sing about riding the peace train. Sure, it was funny, but the rally also made it clear who is actually steering the conversation on where America is heading. And that’s a point actually worth talking about.

3.) Daniel Radcliffe 2.) Rupert Grint and 1.) Emma Watson. Whether you’re into the Harry Potter phenomenon or not, it cannot be denied that the weight these three actors have had carrying the HP legacy has been heavy.

But now the series is almost over. Once the magic has ended, where will the three go next?

Will they always be known as Harry, Ron and Hermione, or will they forge new identities for themselves? It would be wise of Babs to sit down and find out.

Commentary Editor Taylor Trudon is a 7th-semester journalism major. She can be reached at Taylor.

Trudon@UConn.edu.

Obama shouldn’t be attacked for leftist views

The random girl behind me in the library just fell asleep.... for four hours. I will now begin plotting the scariest way to wake her up.

Sarah Palin can watch the 2018 World Cup from her house.

I saw a cart of wine and Coors Light being wheeled out of South dining hall today! How can I get that, and do I use flex or points?

My boyfriend told me that if I learn how to play World of Warcraft that I would officially be wife material. It was oddly sweet.

I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg ever procrastinates from managing Facebook by logging on Facebook.

Kemba Walker. Did I get into the instant daily yet?

To the girl racing me on the treadmill: yes, when I trip and fall, that means you win.

The fact that Booksworms is all decorated almost makes up for the fact that I’ve eaten all my meals there this week.

Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfreaking snakes all over this motherfreaking Facebook! But really, I scored 1,220, no one’s going to beat that. Give up, friends.

I hate UConn Today’s constant need to point out Uconn students that are way more successful than I am. Time for Nutella and a nap.

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.

R

epublican criticism has often focused on Obama’s socialist tendencies. But while Republicans tend to accuse Obama’s policies of getting in the way of economic recovery, it is important to acknowledge that

By Massimo Donato O b a m a has been Staff Columnist looking out for the general welfare of the population in these rough times after the recession.

Obama’s controversial “soak the rich” taxes have been called an unfair form of class redistribution. While many are against the government interfering with the wealth of private parties, others see this as a way to ensure the working class is not forgotten while the rich prosper. Due to the recession, the rich are spending less. Thus, “trickledown-effect” (the process by which the working class benefits from the spending of the wealthy) has not been working to its full effect. In the face of this, Obama has adopted certain leftist policies to assist the struggling lower classes in this time of economic hardship.

Obama’s health care reform bill, one of these policies, revolutionized the extent to which

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social services may ensure that all children have some form of health coverage. In order to afford this costly program, Obama increased cigarette taxes. Thus, by initiating this “sin tax,” Obama was able to both raise money for the cause of youth health care and also strongly discourage smoking.

Obama has also created many European-style college programs that have made the cost of higher education more affordable for low-income students. One example is extending college students’ insurance coverage. Because the Obama health care reform bill classifies college students as dependents, they are no longer forced to find their own insurance, but are covered by their parents’ health insurance instead.

Obama has also provided funding for college students who demonstrate financial need and maintain solid GPAs. Last year, the government-funded Pell Grant offered $16.6 billion to students whose parents do not make enough money to afford their college bills. Obama has raised the Pell Grant funds to a total of $36 billion this year.

He has also invoked a supplementary Federal Smart Grant, making low-income students eligible for additional funding

if they are a junior or senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA. By providing insurance and college funding, Obama is working toward making college a nearly cost-free program, available to all, similar to the education system in many European countries.

“How can any member of the working class be satisfied that political candidates seem to pay more attention to the views of rich corporations?”

Obama has also opposed policies he believes strip the average American of a voice in government. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that setting caps on corporate political spending would be unconstitutional, denying corporations their first amendment right to freedom of speech. Obama stated the ruling was “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their

power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”

This has caused some Americans to say that Obama’s leftist program interferes with the capitalist concept of a laissez-faire economy. But we must recall that Obama has helped corporations a great deal during his time in office. He supported the bailout of the automotive industry, to cite one major example.

But despite the importance of maintaining a healthy business environment, the opinions and concerns of everyday citizens cannot be ignored. How can any member of the working class be satisfied that political candidates seem to pay more attention to the views of rich corporations than to those of the “average Joe”?

Obama should therefore be respected for his leftist policies. Through the establishment of new taxes, universal health care, college grants and extensive insurance coverage, he has looked out for the less fortunate in this difficult economic time.

Staff Columnist Massimo Donato is a 5thsemester English and Italian double major.

He can be reached at Massimo.Donato@ uconn.edu.

“President Obama held a ceremony at the White House to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. In response, Republicans said, ‘It’s even worse than we thought. He’s a Jewish Muslim.’” – Conan O’Brien

Friday, December 3, 2010

I

The Daily Campus, Page 5

Commentary

Romance’s bad rap and relationship inequality

s female empowerment killing romance?

Well, according to the New York Times piece “Keeping Romance Alive In The Age Of Female Empowerment,” it is.

But I disagree. As a matter of fact, I have a few questions

By Cindy Luo in response that I Associate Commentary Editor think would be more appropriate.

Is gross gender generalization killing romance? Is fear-mongering killing romance? Is the unsung plight of insecure men killing romance? Is stigmatizing single women, not to mention upholding patriarchal norms, killing romance? Okay, we’re getting somewhere now.

This Times piece makes this inquiry by rehashing an age-old adage: that successful women are having difficulty finding men because the latter are threatened by the former’s achievements.

First of all, I still don’t understand the constant panic of finding romance. Singledom is seen as a tragedy that one is “condemned” to, but some people are single by choice. Additionally, why is it that in 2010, society is still telling us that the singular goal of a woman’s life is to find a man and settle down?

Then there is the “growing number of women who out-earn their partners, giving rise to an assortment of behavioral contortions aimed at keeping

the appearance of traditional gender roles intact.”

Basically, as women are actually achieving personal and financial success, all men can do is seize their masculinity and flee, cowering from the thought of women with higher salaries.

But fear not: if you catch your men early, none of this will be a problem! Anke Domscheit-Berg, Microsoft Germany’s communications director, advises well-paid women to “leave the snazzy company car at home on the first date; find your life partner in your twenties, rather than your thirties, before you’ve become too successful. And go after men who draw their confidence from sources other than money, like academics and artists.” You heard her, ladies. Get ‘em while they’re young. Don’t try and persuade them that financial success has little or no bearing on who you are as a person. Just catch them before your promotion.

According to Sasha Havlicek, CEO of a London research group, “It is amazing how even many liberal-minded men end up having sexual and emotional difficulties being with more obviously successful women…The male ego can be a more fragile thing than the female ego, which is used to a regular battering and has hence developed a sense of humor!”

Oh no! Men aren’t used to having their superiority questioned, so we need to coddle them in accordance to outdated gender identities! Let’s remember that before we damage their fragile egos.

Sound the alarm bells: men are feeling insecure!

Clearly, women have to pretend to be less successful so that men can continue to pretend to be the breadwinner and the dominant partner. Why is it always about the man’s concerns? Why are the issues always framed around keeping men’s “masculinity” intact? We never ask why men can’t be progressive and accept equality as a good thing. Instead, we expect women to compromise.

“I still don’t understand the constant panic of finding romance.

Why is it that in 2010, society is still telling us that the singular goal of a womans’ life is to find a man and settle down?”

As a recent Tumblr meme so eloquently states, “Men of quality do not fear equality.”

There’s clearly something wrong with the way society frames masculinity if the identity of some men can be so easily threatened.

Women, if a man feels threatened by your suc-

cess, then he’s not worthy of it. If you need to feign incompetence, then you’re with the wrong man.

I will conclude with this gem, stated by Gesine Haag, former country manager for Germany’s branch of the dating website Match.com, just in case you thought that there weren’t enough heaping generalizations about men having difficulties confronting a woman with more occupational or financial success. “Men don’t want successful women, men want to be admired.”

Well, I know of at least one man who disagrees.

And while I may like being admired as much as the next person, I find it depressing that this is what constitutes an intimate relationship. Wouldn’t it be boring if an entire relationship were based on one person admiring the other? If you ask me, that’s the kind of partnership I’d least expect to find romance in.

Romance isn’t about the man paying for dinner, jewelry or vacations, nor is it about outdated gender binaries. Female empowerment can only enhance romance. After all, isn’t love about partnership? And equality? Love necessitates equality and respect.

Everything else is just icing on the proverbial cake.

Associate Commentary Editor Cindy Luo is a 5th-semester linguistics/philosophy and classic and Mediterranean studies double major. She can be contacted at Shuyang.Luo@ UConn.edu.

» THUMBS UP OR THUMBS DOWN: Noticeable lack of snow (days).

Regretting Black Friday purchases.

How do you think with your head?

“Sex and the UniverCity” has long been one of my favorite columns in the Daily Campus, and though Alessandra Petrino has yet to reach the lofty heights of Alyssa Carrol’s Halloween sex positions column, I continue to diligently read the column every Wednesday. This week’s however, was more baffling than most, thanks to Petrino’s use of the term “follow your head” in a way inconsistent with conventional usage.

The beginning of the column uses it traditionally, asserted that Carrie Bradshaw thinks with her head when she refuses to move in with the men she’s in love with, but it takes a weird turn with the sentence, “If everyone listened to their head when it came to sex, there’d be a lot fewer virgins and a heck of a lot more babies in this world.”

Initially I thought a simple error had been made, and “heart” substituted for “head,” but reading onwards confirmed that the correct word was used. Is it really thinking logically to have one-nightstands? That would seem to be the height of illogical thinking, as it completely ignores any potential consequences to your actions. If people thought with their heads before embarking on one-night stands, there would probably be a lot more virgins and fewer babies.

“I’ll wrap it and tap it and that’s that” isn’t a logical belief at all; it only works if you believe no one

Christmas music is finally appropriate.

UConn’s ranked, baby.

Totally saw that coming

Totally bad

» LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Cold and flu season.

has any emotions at all, which is not something that even Mr. Spock would assume. Thinking that you can separate your emotions from sex isn’t thinking with your head or your heart, but something else entirely.

– Steven Mollmann

Fee For Service Transit Fees

In reference to Tom Dilling’s commentary on the UConn Transit Fees, among others, on Monday, November 29, 2010, I would like to provide additional information about what is offered to you on the Storrs campus, as it applies to the shuttle buses.

While Mr. Dilling is correct about the environmental and health benefits of biking and walking, requiring passengers to pay per ride, as opposed to the Transit Fee would decrease ridership and increase traffic through campus on any given day. It is a well studied and proven fact that “no-fare” transit increases ridership, and transit services minimize the “carbon footprint” by getting more cars off roads.

The “fee-for-service” concept would add costs to the Transportation Services operations, such as the installation of fare boxes in all of the buses and man hours for fare collection and bookkeeping functions. Additionally, the average cost for the average passenger, over the course of a year, would very likely exceed $400.00, in order to cover all of our current and additional operating expenses.

We currently transport over 1.4 million passengers on the Storrs

Totally rad

Campus per year. I?m not certain where Mr. Dilling got his numbers from but, passengers using the buses who are “non-students” is more in the range of 3-5%. “Nonstudents,” as in faculty and staff, are paying to ride the buses by paying for their parking permits. Visitors to UConn account for fewer than 1% of our overall ridership.

The current Transit Fee of $70 per student per year is indeed incorporated into the maintenance, fuel, driver and dispatcher salaries, and overall upkeep of the buses. The fee covers approximately 80% of our overall operating budget, with Parking fees and general university funding subsidizing the remainder, including the purchase of buses which now cost approximately $370,000 each.

Mr. Dilling goes on to state: “it would be fairer for everyone if UConn buses served as any other bus service and charged people based on utilization.” While there are many city bus companies who do charge as their services are utilized, many colleges and universities take the same approach as UConn. If anyone would like more information on UConn?s Transit Fees, you are always welcome to contact me.

Yes, we do charge the Transit Fee, which is “mandatory” whether you ride the buses or not. The buses are available to you over 100 hours per week, to get on and off of whenever you want or need to, without having to come up with exact change, showing proof that you have paid your Transit Fee, and/or showing an ID. The Transit Fee has not been increased since 2008, in spite of the steep increases in fuel prices, salaries, and maintenance costs.

When the next Student Fee Hearings take place in February 2011, we will be requesting an increase in the Transit Fee for academic year 2012/2013. If approved, the increase will allow us to improve services and enhancements such as, real-time GPS location of buses, among others.

I close with noting that all of our services (shuttle buses, AVS, charters, airport, train and ferry shuttles) are provided by a team of 80+ UConn student employees, 17 non-student temporary drivers, and 2 full-time.

– Janet Freniere Transportation Services Administrator

Music Piracy

Okay, now I understand that downloading music off the internet is illegal, however. Are we stealing from artists when we download music? Can a starving person steal a glass of water? We as humans have developed a cultured need for music, as if it were a drug.

I say charging high prices for music is a crime, the price of music is far to inflated. Artists are among the wealthiest people in the world.

I think artists are overpaid, and the cost of music should be derived from the price people are willing to pay for it. Now if people are not willing to pay the inflated price, that means music should not cost as much as it does.

Imagine this, every person paid for every song they owned. Now imagine a music library with 1000 songs, illegally downloaded. The country would be in a financial crisis because if everyone paid for every song, there would be no

money left for groceries. So this leaves a couple options, a) music costing a reasonable price or b) the elimination of the music industry.

– Jake Gawlak

Concerning the ban of alcoholic energy beverages

There has been great debate in our country regarding the sale and consumption of “Alcoholic Energy Beverages” such as the popular Four Loko. I’m aware this will most likely fall on deaf ears, but I feel that part of our problem as a society is an unwillingness to speak up when something moves us emotionally, unless it negatively effects one’s wallet.

I have read many sensationalist news stories about the products being banned. Many run hyperbolic statements such as “blackout in a can” or highlight cases of college students being hospitalized due to these drinks. As a young man who graduated college just last year, I can confidently state that students being hospitalized or at least admitted to public health services due to over-consumption of alcohol is a common occurrence on campuses across the nation. I can only surmise based on years of seeing news reports, sitting through seminars regarding the subject, visiting numerous campuses, and having friends removed by stretcher from parties I attended, that this problem has existed for some time, and will continue to exist for the foreseeable future, whether or not these beverages are available.

Furthermore, I am curious as

to why and how these students are procuring alcohol when they are under the legal drinking age.

Instead of banning a product which, when used responsibly, has the same effect on one as drinking say a vodka and Red Bull (a very popular drink amongst young people), maybe the laws already in place should be enforced. You are punishing responsible citizens of legal age due to illegal consumption of the product. For instance, I personally have many peers who began smoking cigarettes before the age of 18, yet these tobacco products are still available everywhere. By the same logic behind the banning of alcoholic energy beverages, cigarettes should be unavailable too.

To be honest and direct with you, my problem isn’t necessarily with the banning of these beverages, yet the manner in which it was done. There was no democratic due process, no concern for the responsible citizens in the state, just panic and overreaction because of over an irresponsible few. I am not a fan of throwing around oft-misused words, but the government telling me as a consumer what I am and am not allowed to buy seems to be out of Orwellian fiction. I believe that one of our freedoms as Americans is the ability to choose what we do with ourselves whether it be healthy or harmful, and that such bans are the start of moving our society away from what it was founded on - the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Thank you for your time and consideration, - Brian Toohey

What did you buy on Black Friday?

– By Wynne Hammerman

“I went to Wal-Mart at 3 in the morning...

My friend bought a plasma...I got a footlong turkey sub.”

“Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee and a bag of Cheetos. I love Cheetos.”

“Jorts and a second chance.”

“Gap City Flats (20 percent off before 10 a.m.!) and a new puppy.”

Mario Guerrero, 6th semester business management major.

Lisa DeDonato, 5th-semester communications major.

Christian Hendry, 5th-semester sports promotion and media major.

Kelly Hallinan, 7th-semester finance major.

The Daily Campus, Page 6

Friday, December 3, 2010

News

Heading off tax increases: Compromise

WASHINGTON (AP) — A critical compromise to head off a year-end tax increase for millions of Americans took shape in private talks between the White House and congressional Republicans Thursday, and an extension of unemployment benefits appeared likely to become part of any deal.

Democrats sought to expand the package with other provisions that officials said would accelerate the nation’s sluggish economic recovery. They included a tax break providing as much as $400 for individual working people and $800 for couples — even if they pay nothing to the IRS. Two days after he and newly empowered Republicans exchanged pledges of cooperation at the White House, President Barack Obama expressed optimism about the prospects for agreement in time for enactment by year’s end.

Still, he cautioned, “That doesn’t mean there might not be some posturing over the next several days.”

Not long after Obama spoke, Democrats ignited a partisan row in the House with legislation that would prevent taxes from rising on lower- and

middle-income wage earners but allow them to go up for people at higher incomes.

Given Republican objections, that measure has no chance of passing the Senate. But Democrats there insisted on voting on it Friday as a way to dramatize their support for the measure and, officials said, register unhappiness with Obama.

The president has already signaled he will accede to Republican demands for extending tax cuts at all income levels, making votes on the Democratic-backed bill purely symbolic.

The House measure drew withering criticism from Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, who will become the speaker when Republicans take power in January. “I am trying to catch my breath so I don’t to refer to this ... as uh, chicken crap, all right?” he said.

“But this is nonsense, all right? The election was a month ago,” he said, referring to voting that swept Democrats from power in the House and reduced their majority in the Senate.

The bill passed, 234-188, largely along party lines.

The party line vote in the House was followed by a meeting in which Treasury Secretary Tim

AP

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday.

Geithner, Budget Director Jacob Lew and senior lawmakers discussed the compromise plan to extend existing cuts for taxpayers

at all income levels.

The outlines of the measure include an extension of income tax cuts enacted while George W.

Bush was president for an as-yetundetermined period of time, perhaps two or three years. The bill is expected to apply to personal

income tax rates as well as capital gains, dividends, the alternative minimum tax, the so-called marriage penalty and more.

Any agreement on legislation extending tax cuts to those at upper income levels would mark a surrender on the part of the president, who has long argued the provision isn’t warranted in view of the $700 billion cost to the deficit.

At the same time, any measure that was limited to an extension of two or three years would leave Republicans with less than the permanent tax cuts they have long sought.

The impetus for an extension of expiring jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed came from the Democrats, although Republicans have signaled they are willing to agree as long as the cost doesn’t add to federal deficits.

Without action by Congress, unemployment benefits will run out this month for 2 million people, and several million more will lose them later in the winter. The benefits average $310 a week and go to unemployed workers who have been without jobs for 26 weeks or longer. The checks cut off after 99 weeks.

Gallery vows ongoing protest against Smithsonian WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington art gallery pledged a round-the-clock protest Thursday against what it calls censorship by the Smithsonian Institution for removing a video that shows ants crawling on crucifix after the Catholic League and members of Congress complained it was sacreligious.

Transformer Gallery manager Barbara Escobar said the small, nonprofit gallery will show the video piece, “A Fire in My Belly” by artist David Wojnarowicz, in its storefront window every day and night until it’s reinstated at the National Portrait Gallery.

About 75 people joined a silent protest march Thursday evening to the Smithsonian. They carried pictures of a man with his mouth sewn shut to protest censorship of Wojnarowicz’s art.

Transformer Gallery Director Victoria Reis said it would be a peaceful protest to have the art put back at the Smithsonian.

A short clip of the four-minute video was part of the first major exhibit to show how sexual orientation and gender identity have shaped American art.

Smithsonian curators said it was meant to portray the suffering of an AIDS victim.

Wojnarowicz died at age 37 of AIDS complications in 1992. His estate granted permission for the Transformer Gallery to show the full 30-minute original version of the artistic video.

The Smithsonian removed the video Tuesday after the Catholic League called it “hate speech” designed to insult Christians.

Also, Republican Leader Rep. John Boehner of Ohio and Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House, have complained, saying the Smithsonian was misusing taxpayer funds. Other conservatives in Congress also objected.

AP

The video, “A Fire in My Belly,” is shown in a window of the Transformer Gallery in Washington, on Thursday. The video was removed from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after complaints from the Catholic League and members of Congress.

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

BORN ON THIS DATE

1947

Marlon Brando’s famously performs in the first-ever performance of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire.

www.dailycampus.com

Clear your mind by doing yoga at week’s end

Ozzy Osbourne – 1948 Daryl Hannah – 1960 Brendan Fraser – 1968 Amanda Seyfried – 1985

Friday, December 3, 2010

‘A Flea in Her Ear’ preview lauded by students

Page 7

By Amy Schellenbaum Associate Managing Editor Last week a friend of mine popped into my suite, as he tends to do. He knocked, paused and let himself in.

The lights were off and the thick clouds let little of the sun’s light through the curtains.

There was soft music playing.

He faltered when he heard a man’s voice.

“Hello?” he said, afraid to interrupt. He did not enter the common room.

“Brian?” I yelped. It wasn’t until then that I registered the knock at the door, the creak of its opening and the footfalls of the intruder.

I was 27 minutes into a 30-minute yoga video, lying on the floor with my eyes closed, mentally far away in a warm compartment in my brain where homework couldn’t reach me.

Brian reclined next to me and together we listened to Rodney Yee’s languid and legato voice until the credits rolled.

Those moments of complete relief from stress are important, especially as we immerse ourselves in the final weeks of the semester. When projects and papers pile up, I have to constantly remind myself to relax and to remain as composed as possible. I easily unravel into a sad mess, characterized by tearful rants or snapping at friends who are only trying to help out.

And that’s not healthy. So I try to reserve a small bit of time to just relax. Or at least I tell myself to.

Luckily for us, UConn’s Health Services has a myriad of resources and tips for reducing stress and promoting mental health even (and especially) during the weeks before the end of the semester.

Stress Down Day is Dec. 9 in Student Union Room 104.

Representatives from Health Education, Nutritional Services, the Women’s Center and Recreational Services will be there to offer advice on how to alleviate stress.

There is also a “relaxation station” available throughout the year when the Health Education office is open. The area has two massaging back rests, a fullbody massager and neck and feet massagers. Relaxation MP3s are available to download for free at www.healthed.uconn.edu/stress. html. The website also has a list of relaxation techniques and other relevant information.

Mental and emotional stress is often experienced physically.

Dozens of studies and health practitioners are absolutely enthusiastic about the power of exercise in relieving stress.

Most college students turn to substances for stress relief, mostly alcohol. At the end of a particularly brutal week, many look forward to the weekend when they will party just as hard, if not harder, than they studied.

I personally don’t understand why you would relieve stress with alcohol when there’s an alternative that’s healthier and more effective. Many get drunk to escape, but as my awkward moment with Brian proved, there are certainly ways to do that without alcohol. If someone as neurotic as I am can relax with some yoga, anybody can.

Fitness Magazine recently launched a yoga campaign to encourage readers to “Beat stress, weigh less.” They have several programs and tips for using yoga’s physicality, breathing techniques and spirituality to promote a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle.

» HERE, page 8

GERRY GOODSTEIN/CRT

Phillip Korth, as Don Carlo, and Christina Greer, as Lucienne, in Georges Feydeau’s hilarious bedroom farce, “A Flea In Her Ear,” playing now through Dec. 11 at Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

By Kim Halpin Campus Correspondent The School of Fine Arts previewed their production of “A Flea In Her Ear” in the Connecticut Repertory Theater Thursday night.

“It was phenomenal!” said Lisa Halpin, a 5th-semester environmental science major. “I

was laughing so hard I nearly fell off my seat!”

“A Flea In her Ear” is a comical farce set at the turn of the 20th century in Paris, where Raymonde Chandebise is concerned about her husband’s sudden lack of interest in her in the bedroom. She assumes that it can only be because he has a mistress, and hatches a

plan with her friend Lucienne to catch him in the act.

But by sending him a suggestive letter from an anonymous lover in Lucieene’s handwriting and asking him to meet her at the Frisky Puss Hotel, Monsieur Chandebise doesn’t believe that the letter could have been meant for him. He concludes it must be for his friend Romain, and sends

him to the hotel instead.

Through a series of mistaken identities and communication failures, Lucienne’s husband thinks that Lucienne is the one having an affair because the letters are in her writing.

Chandebise thinks that his wife is also having an affair with his best friend, and business partner, Romain.

On top of all the madness, there are other characters to add confusion and hilarity.

Camille, Chandebise’s nephew, has a severe speech impediment where he cannot pronounce any vowels.

Almost no one can understand what he’s trying to say, which leads to much confusion. That

Miller, a 7th-semester communications major, member of “Catch the Kindness” and production manager at UCTV. Fellow group member Josh Rubock, a 9th-semester communications major, said, “We knew we needed a big event, so we thought of a concert. With Chelsea’s connections through UCTV, we were able to put this together,” referring to the large stack of pizzas, table of sodas, free t-shirts and wristbands that read “Catch the Kindness.”

The event started with a welledited documentary starring the five communications students: Miller, Rubock, junior

Kevin Corrigan and seniors Phil DeTatto and Mike Szego. The documentary, which can be seen on UCTV’s website, followed the group’s journey across campus armed with a bucket list of good deeds.

Rock trio The Wet Bandits started the show with loud and full sounding punk songs featuring a screaming gibson guitar. Vocalist and bassist Frank LaVelle, also known as “Just Frank” said, “We’re loud, hard and fast. Like the Sex Pistols.”

Guitarist Tim O’Brien described his band as “funk punk.” His solos seemed second nature. “Our [fan]base is

definitely at UConn, but its hard to get the UConn crowd to come out,” O’Brien said.

Joey Homza, better known as “J-Joey,” followed with a solo, karaoke-style act. He started with a humorous and flamboyant rendition of Secret Garden’s “You Raise Me Up.” He stood on tables and chairs, rocking a white pair of Nike high-tops and a white trapper hat, and sang into the cameras over a back track. For his last song, he told the audience, “Today is a special day, because it’s Brittany Spear’s birthday,” before segwaying into a well-

versed performance (including a dance routine) of “Hit Me Baby.”

The last band, Kingfisher, donned themselves as a fourpiece classic rock group, but proved to be a lot more. The well-balanced group featured frontman Brendan Albetski, whose vocals sounded grungy and alluring. The group played songs off their new digital EP entitled “Wizards ‘n Stuff,” as well as a cover of John Mayer’s “Vultures.” They ended with “Faith, Dreams and Love,” a rocker that came to life after an intense jam.

from HEADLINE, page 8

UConn Hillel hosts UCTVsponsored kindness concert

By Keelan Freitag Campus Correspondent UConn’s Hillel hosted a UCTV-funded event last night called “Catch the Kindness,” which included three musical acts, six party pizzas and free t-shirts.

Professor Rory Mcgloin challenged his persuasion class to start a group campaign of its choosing. Five students banded together and chose to title their campaign as “Catch the Kindness.”

“We want to raise awareness for more random acts of kindness on campus,” said Chelsea

» KINDNESS, page 8

Now, we call that classy brass

KEVIN MASTRO/The Daily Campus

The UConn Wind Ensemble plays a concert at Von der Mehden Recital Hall on Thursday night. The group played musical selections by Michael Colgrass and Paul Hindemith.

The Daily Campus, Page 8

Here we yoga, entertain us from CLEAR, page 7

Anybody can go to www.

Fitnessmagazine.com to access all of it.

If yoga’s not your thing, figure out what is. On Wednesday, I went for a run in the pouring rain. It was uncomfortable and probably pretty stupid, and my mascara ran much faster than I did, but it felt great. As I ran I felt myself cutting through the thick, wet ether. The air was palpable, and as I drank it in fat, desperate gulps, I felt calm and capable. Despite frolicking through the muddy dips in the lawn in front of my residence hall on my way back, I felt clean. I was free from the petty things that were bothering me before.

When life becomes overwhelming, that organically high and settling peace is what we all need to succeed and enjoy ourselves…even in the hectic scramble to the semester’s finish line.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Focus

Comedienne concludes SUBOG comedy’s semester

Amy.Schellenbaum@UConn.edu

Penn Masala to raise funds and entertain audience

By Jason Wong Campus Correspondent

Tonight at 6:30, Penn Masala, the world’s premier Hindi a cappella group, will be performing at the Jorgensen Theater.

The show is intended to raise funds for the group Asha for Education, a volunteerbased organization dedicated to promoting education in India and bringing change to local communities through the education of underprivileged children. The organization, which began at UConn during the summer of 2008, has several branches around the world.

Currently, Asha-UConn is working on two projects: the D.F. Blind School in Kolkata and the Navsarjan schools in Gujarat. All proceeds from the event will go to funds for those schools. The funds for the D.F. Blind School go toward constructing a new building, which would allow twice as many children to attend and complete dormitories for the students. Funds for the Navsarjan schools provide scholarships to female students to encourage them to remain in school, as the male-to-female ratio is very skewed.

Penn Masala has performed to sold-out crowds in venues from New York to Los Angeles and from London to Mumbai.

In 2009, the group performed at the White House’s Diwali celebration, which was attended by President Barack Obama, cabinet secretaries and members of Congress.

Penn Masala blends popular Hindi and English songs, spiced with Tamil and Arabic, to create its own unique sound.

“We’ve broken the boundaries between western and nonwestern music,” the group said. They’ve thrilled audiences with their jokes, antics, and even dancing — from bhangra to the moonwalk — without missing a note.

As represented by the group’s many members, they show the influence of Eastern and Western culture alike.

The group has continued to inspire for over a decade.

In 12 years, Penn Masala has released six albums, all of which have been well received by fans of all ages.

Extreme Measures is opening the show, and there will be performances by UConn Surya, Husky Bhangra and the Zolotyj Promin Ukrainian Dance Ensemble.

Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or at the Jorgensen ticket office.

They are $5 for students.

Jason.Wong@UConn.edu

DANA LOVALLO/The Daily Campus

Leighann Lord, a comedienne who has traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan to do her set for troops, performs for UConn students at the Student Union on Thursday night.

By Loumarie Rodriguez Campus Correspondent SUBOG Comedy hosted its last comedy show of the semester by bringing in Leighann Lord. The show was held at the Student Union Theatre Thursday at 7 p.m.

Lord has performed for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, appeared on both the Lifetime channel and “The View” and was even named by New York as one of the 10 hottest comedians.

Lord started off the show poking fun of the parking dilemma at UConn.

As the show proceeded, she told stories of her days in college, and how since her university couldn’t afford sports teams, they had a “division three freeze tag team.” Many audience members burst into laughter as she told stories about studying abroad in Mexico and the awkward scenarios in which she found herself. She explained her love of traveling and the many things she saw, especially

» CRT

‘A Flea in Her Ear’ elicits laughter

from HEADLINE, page 7 is until the doctor gives him a new pallet, but unfortunately for Camille he manages to lose it within minutes giving the audience another reason to laugh at him.

Also, the maid Antoinette seems to be having an affair with Camille, and her husband, the butler, almost finds out when she gets messed up in the business of the Frisky Puss Hotel.

Steve Ellis, a 5th-semester communications major, said, “We saw an advertisement at the dinning hall and I decided we were going to go see it.” He added that it was one of the first plays he has been to and that, “[He] loved it!”

Annie Lee, a 5th-semester human development and family studies major, agreed with Ellis and said, “It was great!”

The cast had the audience laughing throughout the entire play with lines from Romaine like, “Raymonde.

We kissed the bellboy.” And a witty, “These things happen,” response from Raymonde.

The play was originally showcased in “the era of the Moulin Rouge” and clearly depicts the changing social norms between men and women. It is set in a time when it was becoming more common for men and women to have extra lovers on the side of spouses, even if it was still unacceptable to admit.

It serves as an interesting background for a hilarious show.

There are eight more showings of the play, which will run through Saturday, Dec. 11.

Kimberly.Halpin@UConn.edu

Kindness concert impresses professor from UCONN HILLEL, page 7 The Wet Bandits decided to play again as people began to leave. Miller thanked everyone for their support, and reminded the audience to commit acts of random kindness everyday. “It went really great;

I’m happy people came out and I feel like they enjoyed themselves,” she said.

McGloin said, “They’ve done an awesome job. I am impressed, for sure.”

Keelan.Freitag@UConn.edu

Come to the last Focus meeting of the semester!

Monday at 8:30 p.m. at the DC, 11 Dog Lane

when it came to her experiences while performing for troops in Iraq. During her time there, the weather reached 130 degrees, and she said she couldn’t figure out how the troops survived it.

She gave further credit to the troops by saying that she highly respects them for all the work they do for the country.

During the show, Lord interacted with the audience and asked questions about tuition, classes and many other college-related topics.

Toward the end of the show,

she revealed that she was a “Star Trek” fan, and that she knew some “Klingon.” She even recited “The Preamble” of the Constitution, and then stated that “she never read the Constitution, nor has congress.”

“It was funny and really good. It was also great to watch right before finals,” said Jimmy Reilly, a 3rd-semester natural resources major Anthony Minniti, a 3rdsemester turf grass and soil science major, added, “She was

different. She was not your typical Ron White or Jeff Dunham.

I liked her flair.”

Lord said that she “loved performing here…the students were friendly and I’m already registering for classes because I want to keep that parking space.”

SUBOG announced that it will be back with more comedians for the spring semester.

Loumarie.Rodriguez@UConn.edu

CBS anchor Katie Couric booked for ‘Glee’ episode NEW YORK (AP) – CBS News anchor Katie Couric is returning to high school for a guest appearance on the hit Fox television series “Glee.”

A Couric spokesman con-

firmed Thursday that she is booked for a cameo role on a future episode of the show, which tracks the musical adventures of a high school glee club.

He said Couric will be portray-

ing herself.

It was unclear whether Couric, who in her own school days was a cheerleader, would be singing or dancing on the episode.

Gallery vows ongoing protest against Smithsonian WASHINGTON (AP) – A Washington art gallery pledged a round-the-clock protest Thursday against what it calls censorship by the Smithsonian Institution for removing a video that shows ants crawling on a crucifix after the Catholic League and members of Congress complained it was sacreligious.

Transformer Gallery manager Barbara Escobar said the small, nonprofit gallery will show the video piece, “A Fire in My Belly” by artist David Wojnarowicz, in its storefront window every day and night until it’s reinstated at the National Portrait Gallery.

About 75 people joined a silent protest march Thursday evening to the Smithsonian. They carried pictures of a man with his mouth sewn shut to protest censorship of Wojnarowicz’s art.

Transformer Gallery Director Victoria Reis said it would be a peaceful protest to have the art put back at the Smithsonian.

A short clip of the four-minute video was part of the first major exhibit to show how sexual orientation and gender identity have shaped American art.

Smithsonian curators said it was meant to portray the suffering of an AIDS victim.

Wojnarowicz died at age 37 of AIDS complications in

1992. His estate granted permission for the Transformer Gallery to show the full 30-minute original version of the artistic video.

The Smithsonian removed the video Tuesday after the Catholic League called it “hate speech” designed to insult Christians.

Also, Republican Leader Rep. John Boehner of Ohio and Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House, have complained, saying the Smithsonian was misusing taxpayer funds. Other conservatives in Congress also objected.

The exhibit was funded privately, but the Smithsonian receives public funding for its staff and facilities. It’s unusual for the Smithsonian to bow to public complaints so quickly, and curators were aware the exhibit could be controversial.

On Thursday, the National Coalition Against Censorship said the Smithsonian’s removal of the video was an assault on First Amendment principles.

“Anybody is entitled to criticize an art show, but First Amendment principles bar government officials from suppressing controversial viewpoints and imposing the values held by one religious group on society at large,” the group wrote.

Smithsonian Secretary

Wayne Clough issued a memo to the museum complex staff Wednesday night, saying he made the final decision to take down the video. He said it was detracting from the larger exhibit called “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture.”

“That decision was not made lightly or in a vacuum,” Clough wrote. “I understand this move is being criticized by some, and I accept that and understand their frustrations.”

He also said he had been impressed by the depth and scholarship of the exhibit. It features works by major artists, including Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Thomas Eakins and Annie Leibovitz.

“Most of the recent attention about the exhibition has focused on 11 seconds of a four-minute video clip, perceived by some to be anti-Christian and intentionally provocative,” Clough wrote. “Neither could be further from the truth.”

Transformer began showing the video Wednesday in honor of World AIDS Day. More people may actually see the video while it plays continuously at the storefront location because the Smithsonian had placed it in a kiosk where visitors would have to call up the video to see it.

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Daily Campus, Page 9

Focus

Man sought in LA publicist’s Eminem tops Grammy nods death kills himself LOS ANGELES (AP) – A man wanted for questioning in the slaying of a Hollywood publicist killed himself in the lobby of a dreary Los Angeles hotel as police closed in with a search warrant – the latest mysterious turn in a case that began on a posh stretch of Beverly Hills.

The death deepened the mystery into the slaying of Ronni Chasen, who was shot in her luxury Mercedes as she drove home from the premiere of an Oscar contender last month.

Residents and witnesses told various stories about the man. One resident said he bragged about the killing and was waiting for a $10,000 payment, but a man who worked in a nearby music studio was skeptical of a connection to Chasen’s death.

Witnesses said the man appeared to shoot himself in the head Wednesday, splattering blood across the lobby of the Harvey Apartments, a residential hotel where people rent rooms by the month. The building is in a stretch of warehouses and small businesses next to a dive bar called Gold Diggers Entertainment.

Resident Anmmicka Sanders said Thursday when police let her back in the building Wednesday night, she saw blood all over the stairwell and a body covered by a white sheet.

The dead man was identified but his name was not being released because the next-of-kin had not been notified, Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey said Thursday. He was a black male in his 40s and his last known place of residence had not been established, Harvey said.

Beverly Hills police Chief David Snowden told The Associated Press in an e-mail that the man “was a person of interest only” in Chasen’s death in Beverly Hills. Police spokesman Tony Lee emphasized at a news conference that the murder investigation was not over.

The Los Angeles Times, citing four unnamed sources, reported Thursday that the man was a suspect in the case and had been under surveillance for some time.

Chasen, 64, was shot multiple times as she drove home from a party after attending the premiere of the movie “Burlesque,” whose soundtrack she was promoting for an Oscar nomination.

The attack stunned Hollywood, where Chasen was well-known after promoting the Oscar-winning film “Driving Miss Daisy” and other major movies and stars since the 1970s. It came in the midst of award season, her busiest time of

AP

A coroner’s vehicle waits outside a residential hotel, where a suspect in the killing of publicist Ronni Chasen fatally shot himself as Beverly Hills Police were serving a search warrant.

year, when she helped studios mount expensive promotion campaigns for films.

Police haven’t released a possible motive in her slaying, and they remained tightlipped about progress in the investigation. The suicide Wednesday was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Residents of the Harvey Apartments knew the man as “Harold” but differed on his last name.

Resident Terri Gilpin, 46, said Thursday that she had heard him bragging about the killing and talking about how he was going to be paid $10,000 and was waiting on the money.

She said he told her, “You know that lady on TV, that publicist, I did it, I did it.”

Asked why she didn’t call police, Gilpin said she and her husband didn’t believe him. Gilpin said the man always seemed paranoid, would ask if police were looking for him, and “had a screw loose.”

Gilpin said she once called police on him because he wandered into her apartment.

On Wednesday, she said she was taking a nap when she heard a single shot fired.

“I thought it was backfire, but I was kind of half-asleep, in a drowsy state of mind,” she said. “It was kind of like a pop.”

Sammy Zamorano, who works in a nearby music studio and was in the apartment building within a minute of the suicide, said the body was slumped against a wall with arms on either side. He said he did not see a gun.

Zamorano said the man

spent hours each day hanging around outside the building, always had a bicycle and usually wore gloves.

“To me he was mental, criminal, but not so sophisticated.

He had very bad vibes. To me, this guy is not too honest.

He looked a little disturbed,” Zamorano said.

Zamorano said he did not believe the man could have carried out a seemingly professional hit.

Harvey Apartments tenant Brandon Harrison told the Times that the man described himself as an exconvict who’d been sentenced to state prison twice, most recently for firearms and drug convictions.

“He told me several times, ‘If it ever came back down to me going to prison, I would die first,’” Harrison said.

The man moved into the building three months ago, but was evicted, Harrison told the paper. He returned to the building often and asked Harrison and others if police had been looking for him.

He was waiting for a $10,000 payment, Harrison said, but told different stories about why – once saying it was for a job and another time saying it was from a lawsuit.

The building has about 170 units with rents starting at about $625 a month, 25-year-old resident Terry Pendergrass said.

Two blocks of Santa Monica Boulevard were shut down and dozens of officers and squad cars were gathered outside the four-story hotel, which was cordoned off with yellow police tape.

The events Wednesday left

Chasen’s friends wondering who the man at the hotel was and if indeed he was a hit man.

“A lot of people think it’s a hit. A lot,” said singer-songwriter Carol Connors, a friend of Chasen for more than 35 years. “It’s really bizarre that he shot himself unless he really knew something.”

Earlier Wednesday, a retired investigator who saw a preliminary coroner’s report on Chasen’s shooting said the killer was an expert shot who was able to squeeze off multiple rounds in a tight and deadly formation.

Gil Carrillo, who recently retired after 38 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, said he reviewed the document after it was obtained by KTTV Fox 11 News.

“The thing that stands out is the shots – where they were and the lack of hits anywhere else,” Carrillo told the AP. “It’s a good shot group.”

The close grouping suggests the shooting was carried out by a hit man and was not a gang attack or road rage, Carrillo said.

KTTV said it appeared Chasen was shot three times in the right chest area and twice in the right shoulder.

Coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter would not confirm the authenticity of the document cited by Carrillo, which apparently was written by an investigator before Chasen’s autopsy. But Carrillo was certain it was genuine.

The document says a hollow-point, 9-mm bullet was recovered from Chasen’s body, though Carrillo cautioned that ballistics tests could reveal the slug was a different caliber.

When Eminem was first nominated for album of the year some 10 years ago for “The Marshall Mathers LP,” it marked a milestone for the Grammys as it chose to honor an album that was considered masterful in its artistry yet morally bankrupt in its values.

On Wednesday, as the Recording Academy once again nominated Eminem for album of the year along with nine other bids, it again gave accolades to a foul but genius piece of work – Cee Lo’s “(Expletive) You,” an infectious retro groove with an unforgettable, unprintable chorus.

The tune, which is so profane it had to be changed to “Forget You” for radio play, was nominated for two top Grammy honors: record and song of the year.

“It wasn’t meant to be a radio song,” said Cee Lo after the nominations. “It was meant to be something with flair and first impression and it really took on a life of its own, and I had no idea it would become what it is today.”

It’s a sign of how much times, and Eminem himself, have changed that his leading nominations were not controversial, but expected and respected.

The person with the second-leading tally, Bruno Mars with seven, was not without his own drama this year, after being arrested in Las Vegas in a cocaine possession case, which is pending. It was the only negative in a brilliant year for Mars, who co-wrote “(Expletive) You” and was also featured on B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You,” also nominated for record of the year.

“It’s just been a great year, incredible, incredible year, and I can’t believe this is happening to me,” said Mars, who was also nominated for best male pop vocal for his own hit, “Just the Way You Are.” “We’ve worked so hard trying to make a living doing music and the fact that we’re here right now is incredible, incredible,” he added, speaking from Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, where the nominations were announced as part of an hourlong live special on CBS. Other top nominees included Lady Antebellum, Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, who were all nominated with six each. Gaga also was nominated for album of the year – the second straight nomination in the category for her.

For Eminem, “Recovery” was a critical and commercial triumph. It became the best-selling album of the year so far, with more than 3 million copies sold, and spawned top hits like “Love the Way You Lie” featuring Rihanna, which was nominated for song and record of the year.

It also marked a stark contrast between the Eminem nominated 10 years ago and the one nominated this year. Back then, he was a stunning yet divisive figure whose violent imagery and slurs against gays and women outraged as many people as he entertained.

Eminem would become one of the best-selling artists in the world and arguably rap’s greatest artist, but his stature was diminished as

his battle with prescription drug addiction led to lags between albums and sub-par material.

With “Recovery,” an album that detailed his battles and how he overcame them, his status as the best rapper – and pop’s top artist – was restored.

Country trio Lady Antebellum couldn’t be more opposite than Eminem, but their album “Need You Now” was the second-best selling album of the year, doing almost as well as “Recovery,” with almost 3 million albums sold and fueled by the lovelorn title track – a huge crossover hit for the band. Grammy voters rewarded that success, nominating them for album of the year and record and song of the year for the hit.

Only last year, they were celebrating their first Grammy win.

“It’s been a wild and crazy year; it definitely feels like Christmas came early for us,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood in a telephone interview after the nominations were announced.

He wasn’t watching with his bandmates, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, but they watched the special and texted each other.

“It’s just kind of complete shock that we’d be recognized, especially to be recognized in some of these all-genre categories,” said Haywood. “It’s pretty bizarre for a couple of rednecks from Tennessee and Georgia.”

Other nominees for record of the year included Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ anthem for New York, “Empire State of Mind.”

Rounding out the nominations for song of the year were Ray LaMontagne’s “Beg Steal or Borrow” and Miranda Lambert’s hit “The House That Built Me,” written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin.

Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” was one of the year’s top hits but was shut out of the record and song of the year categories. Yet Perry, who performed the hit on the nominations broadcast, was far from disappointed: Her album “Teenage Dream” was nominated for album of the year, along with Gaga’s “The Fame Monster,” ‘’Recovery,” ‘’Need You Now” and Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs.”

“It’s amazing. It’s like no other award show because I feel like you’re being recognized by your peers,” she said. “And there’s so many fantastic performers and artists that could be in this category, so when they nominate you, it feels like a win.”

Justin Bieber appeared on the show from London and the 16-year-old was rewarded for staying up: He was nominated for best new artist in a category that also included Drake, Florence & the Machine, Mumford & Sons and jazz artist Esperanza Spaulding.

“It feels amazing. I can’t believe I’m in this position.

Thank you to the fans,” he said.

“I don’t know what to say.”

The evening’s biggest snub may have belonged to Ke$ha.

Even though the party-girl singer had a top-selling debut and several hit songs, she was not nominated for any awards.

The Daily Campus, Page 10

Friday, December 3, 2010

Comics

I Hate Everything

by Carin Powell

www.happydancecomics.wordpress.com

Down 1 Setup punch 2 Fossey focus 3 Source of the food thickener alginate 4 Lengthens 5 Wild associate?

6 Sun-dried structures 7 Flintstones’ Snorkasaurus 8 Linebacker Junior who played in 12 consecutive Pro Bowls 9 Treetop rocker 10 Changes the actor 11 Kuwaiti VIP 12 Unlike folks on “Hoarders” 13 Saturn drivers?

21 Light melodies 22 Some traffic monitors

25 Condemns 26 Become, finally 27 Antacid target 28 Texas and Tennessee, in Toulouse 29 Gulager of “The Virginian” 30 Insurance company named for a mountain 31 Televise again 32 “The Waltons” handyman Tucker 38 City on its own bay 39 Sch. in Troy, N.Y. 40 Item in a stirring picture?

43 Like an infamous “A” 46 Exposes 48 Make stand out 49 Divine 50 Mississippi source 53 8 on the Beaufort scale

54 Elvis __ Presley 55 Billy __ 56 “The Long, Hot Summer” vixen __ Varner 57 Some HDTVs 58 Bright side?

59 Dallas NBAer 62 See 35-Across

Super Glitch

by John Lawson

68 USMC rank

JELLY!

by Elise Domyan

Across 1 Actor Gyllenhaal 5 Big rolls 9 “Zorba the Greek” setting 14 Very top 15 Cartoon drooler 16 Invoice word 17 Downed shot 18 Eugene O’Neill’s daughter 19 Lab flask contents, perhaps 20 Where a witch’s influence ends?

23 River past Memphis 24 Tim’s “Tool Time” sidekick et al.

25 Office employee to avoid?

33 Teen sensation?

34 What a recent ex may need 35 With 62-Down, call 36 Early 16th-century date 37 “Also sprach Zarathustra” composer 41 Shade on a beach 42 Cookie recipe morsels 44 Fitting 45 Phoenician dialect 47 Shuttle evangelist?

51 Part of a roadie’s load 52 __ bomb 53 Bird in a landfill?

59 Actress Thomas who is now St. Jude’s National Outreach Director 60 For all of us 61 Certain line crosser 63 Sunburn soothers 64 Actor Baldwin 65 Kate __, a.k.a.

Batwoman 66 Air ducts 67 “There you have it!”

Happy Dance

by Sarah Parsons

The Daily Crossword

Horoscopes

Poop

by Michael Badulak

Aries - Creative ideas abound today. You get new concepts from everyone you meet.

Challenge yourself to move some of these ideas into action now.

Taurus - Stick to your schedule today. Draw the threads together and approach completion on a project. Wrap this one up, and save creative ideas for later.

Cancer - You attract change like a magnet. To handle the ramifications, keep an open, creative mind, and allow others to control their own destiny.

Dissmiss the Cynics

by Victor Preato

Gemini - New possibilities for creative thoughts and action abound. Luck is with you as you make decisions, even though you can’t explain how you did it.

By Michael Mepham

Nothing Extraordinary

by Thomas Feldtmose

Leo - Your talents suggest different ways to solve problems. Think it through logically, and develop options before you begin. Then share the plan with the team.

Virgo - Think up fun ways to grow relationships. A few chores may sneak onto the list, but not too many. Devote time to simply enjoy time together.

Libra - You’re learning with great enthusiasm. Intelligent activity revolves around your ability to recreate what you’ve learned in words others can use.

Bucephalus

by K.X. Ellia

Scorpio - Someone in the house could use some tender loving care. As you provide it, create optimism and pass out singleplayer games. Time for rest is essential.

Sagittarius - Someone outside the family arrives on the doorstep, needing assistance.

Although unexpected, you can dance with the circumstance.

Give them what they need.

Capricorn - Pay extra attention to physical activities today. To avoid injury, pay attention to the terrain. That said, today can be wildly fun and even creative.

Aquarius - Your mind goes in several directions to implement fanciful ideas for group activities.

Enthusiasm draws everyone into the design process. Have fun with it!

Pisces - Mary Poppins said, “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” You see her wisdom, as you try to handle difficult news. Express compassion in private.

Classic Pundles and Droodles

by Brian Ingmanson www.cupcakecomics.com.

Why The Long Face

by Jackson Lautier

Friday, December 3, 2010

Sports

The Daily Campus, Page 11

LeBron has 38 in homecoming, Heat win 118-90 CLEVELAND (AP) — He tuned out the boos. He smiled at the derisive chants. He embraced all the negativity Cleveland could muster.

LeBron James wasn't fazed by anything.

He brought his talents back home and reminded everyone — even the haters — why he's missed.

Returning as a villain to his native state and the city he scorned this summer, James scored 38 points — 24 in a virtuoso thirdquarter performance — to lead the Miami Heat to a 118-90 win on Thursday night, turning his hostile homecoming into another embarrassing moment for the Cavaliers.

By halftime, James was the one having fun. By the fourth quarter, he was watching from the bench as Cavs fans headed into the cold for a disappointing drive home.

This wasn't the payback they waited five months to inflict.

James simply wouldn't allow it.

As he did so many times during seven seasons for the Cavs, the two-time league MVP did anything he wanted on the floor. In the third quarter, he made 10-of12 shots, jumpers from every angle and taunted Cleveland's bench after draining a seemingly impossible baseline jumper.

"I know this court. I've made a lot of shots on this court," he said.

"Just wanted to be aggressive, just try to keep them out of the game.

I knew they were going to try to make a run in the third quarter, but we were able to get stops and we were able to get some shots."

With security guards forming a human barricade to line his entrance, James came hopping out of the tunnel and into the electrically charged atmosphere inside Quicken Loans Arena, as more than 20,000 fans, the same ones who once adored him, turned their fury on James.

It was rowdy, but thankfully, not violent. There were a few minor incidents in the stands.

Just in case, Moondog, the Cavs' fuzzy mascot, wore a bulletproof vest.

Booed every time he touched the ball, James scored 14 points in

the first half as the Heat opened a 59-40 lead, and threatened to turn the highly anticipated game into a blowout.

James quickly made certain of one.

Miami outscored Cleveland 36-25 in the third to open a 95-65 lead, prompting Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to pull his superstar.

James spent the final 12 minutes as a spectator, glancing at the scoreboard and into the stands at so many familiar faces.

James remained defiant afterward, saying he didn't regret his decision to leave Cleveland.

"I don't want to apologize," he said. "I think my intentions were not to hurt anyone. My intentions were solely on kids during that whole process. I always say, decisions I make, I live with them.

There's always ways you can correct them or ways you can do them better. At the end of the day, I live with them. I'm satisfied and happy right now."

Las Vegas placed odds on whether James would perform his pregame powder toss ritual at the scorer's table. He went through with it, leaving a cloud of dust above his head — a gesture fans here used to embrace but can't stomach any longer.

Security was super tight. One fan was immediately ejected after he pointed at James and screamed in the superstar's face before tipoff. The Cavaliers promised to safeguard James, who crushed them summer when he decided to leave as a free agent and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

As the Akron native took pregame layups, Cleveland fans vented, some holding up signs that read "Akron Hates You Too," ''Merry Quitness," and "Remember Game 5," a reference to his final home game with the Cavs, when he went just 3 of 14 and scored 15 in a lopsided loss to Boston in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.

James was the first player introduced, and as he lined up for the national anthem, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert was shown on the arena's giant scoreboard, drawing a rau-

cous ovation. In the hours after James' infamous announcement on a one-hour TV special dubbed "The Decision," Gilbert ripped him in an open letter to Cavs fans and later accused the 25-year-old of quitting during the playoffs the past two seasons.

James looked up and noticed the ovation was for Gilbert. He shook his head, tapped his feet and turned to his new teammates, pumping his fist as he told them something.

He made his first trip to the foul line with 3:35 left in the first quarter. It used to be a time when he would be serenaded with the requisite "M-V-P" song, but this time it was different as the crowd broke into a chant of "Akron Hates You!" After making his first shot, James chuckled and smiled broadly as fans continued to try and rattle him.

James will never forget his time with the Cavs.

"Seven great years, loved every part," he said. "Loved every moment, from the growth when I was an 18-year-old kid to a 25-year-old man. We tried our best as a team. Tried our best to bring a championship to the city and just tried to play hard every night.

I have the utmost respect for this franchise, the utmost respect for these fans, and just continue the greatness for myself here in Miami and try to get better every day."

Before tip-off, James was segregated from his Heat teammates in a locker room he had only used as a high schooler. Two security officers and a media relations member kept reporters at bay as James dressed. Bouncing his head to the beat, James rapped along with music on his portable stereo before putting on his headphones.

He briefly closed his eyes, and folded his hands as if in prayer.

Across the room, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who followed James to Miami, held court with reporters interested in hearing about his return. The beloved big man known simply as "Z," Ilgauskas, the Cavs' career leader in rebounds and games played, was wrestling with his own emotions.

AP

Cleveland fans watch Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) go through his pregame ritual before an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland.

The Daily Campus, Page 12

Friday, December 3, 2010

Sports

Dogfight at Freitas: UConn hosts Terriers

By Dan Agabiti Staff Writer

JOHN LEVASSEUR/ The Daily Campus

Junior Sami Evelyn pushes the puck up the ice in the Huskies’ 2-1 win over UNH on Nov. 14.

This weekend, the UConn women’s hockey team looks to add to its Hockey East points total in two tough games against skilled opponents Boston University and Providence College.

Saturday afternoon at home, the Huskies take on the Terriers. Then, on Sunday afternoon, they head to Providence to face the Friars.

This weekend’s combination is a challenging one. BU is right next to UConn in the Hockey East standings and Providence would be higher in the standings if they had played more Hockey East matches. Both teams have a lot of talent and their players are playing solid and consistent hockey.

For UConn, Providence is a big rivalry game, and BU is becoming a major rival as

well, ever since the Terriers defeated the Huskies in the championship game.

In spite of a dominating 11-0 win against a weaker Sacred Heart team, coach Heather Linstad feels the team’s performance in the Nutmeg Invitational was not as good as it could have been.

“We had a very disappointvs. B.U. ing loss to Yale...

Sat. 1 p.m. they came Mark E. to play Freitas and we didn’t,” Ice Forum Linstad said.

“I don’t think we had a very good weekend last weekend.

But that’s in the past and we’re looking forward to playing well this weekend and get some Hockey East points.”

Their match on Saturday against BU is a very important

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

one. UConn and BU are both in Hockey East’s three-way tie for second place, with nine points each. A win would give UConn two valuable points, as well as the confidence that a young team needs.

For the Huskies, the biggest they need to concentrate on is their mental focus. A lack of mental focus during games and overall consistency has been a disappointment for the team so far.

“We’re not prepared to play all the time,” Linstad said. “We obviously have the talent and we have played well in spurts. But we have not played consistently well all the time.”

For the past few days, the coaching staff has been pleased with the level of focus in practice. But they would really like to see that focus translate into better game play. Linstad knows that when the Huskies are focused, they are going to

play well, and can handle any team they face.

“If our focus is there, we can play with anybody. If our focus is there, and we’re doing well, we are always going to have a chance to win games,” Linstad said. “But last week against Yale, we didn’t have the focus and I didn’t think we had any chance at playing well. This is a coach’s worst nightmare.”

This weekend, it would be an immense boost for the Huskies statistically and mentally if they were to come away with four points against such good competition.

“I would really like to see us get two wins this weekend,” Linstad said. “We only have three games left until the end of the semester and I really want to see us finish strong.”

Daniel.Agabiti@UConn.edu

Huskies head to upstate New York for two against NU

By John Shevchuk Staff Writer The road trip continues for UConn as they travel to Niagara University for the first-ever matchup between the two teams.

The Huskies and the Purple Eagles will play at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the third and fourth games of a five-game road trip for UConn. The Huskies went 0-2 this past weekend in the RPI Holiday Tournament.

On Friday, the Huskies played RPI, the host of the tournament, and lost a close game 6-5.

“Friday night was a great hockey game,” said coach Bruce Marshall. “We were playing a ranked team and the boys responded very well.”

On Saturday, UConn took on the University of AlabamaHuntsville and lost 6-2.

“We played a tough game but ended up on the wrong end of it,” Marshall said. After an

Alabama injury and a long stop- Zanette is not only the reignpage in play, Alabama went on ing Atlantic Hockey Player of to score three goals and take a the Month, but also leads the controlling lead. nation in goals. Bryan Haczyk “Our momentum was hurt is another of Niagara’s talented with the injury,” Marshall said. players. He has nine goals and The Niagara has the 11th- nine assists. ranked offense in the nation, “Niagara is a fast team and they scoring an average play hard and they finish of 3.53 goals per their checks,” Marshall game. Niagara is said. “They play the currently third in the same no matter the Atlantic hockey conscore. It’s never a game Friday and over against them.” ference. They have a conference record of Niagara has given Saturday significant 6-3 ,and an overall playing at Niagara time to three different record of 8-5-1.

“It’s a huge chalthis year. Chris 7:05 p.m. goalies lenge this weekend Noonan and Andrew on the road against Hare have both startNiagara,” Marshall ed four games for the said.

Purple Eagles. Carsen Chubak Niagara recently played has started seven. Chubak has Army and split the two game a goals against average of 2.8 series. UConn beat Army ear- and a save percentage of .899. lier this season.

Noonan has similar statistics.

The Purple Eagles are led He comes in with a GAA of 2.84 offensively by Paul Zanette who and a save percentage of .902. has 14 of the team’s 48 goals.

This week, UConn junior for-

MEN’S HOCKEY

UMBC trapped in America East cellar

from UNDEFEATED, page 14 rebounds per game. Just behind Jolicouer is the 6-foot10 Justin Fry, who’s averaging 8.7 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Despite their solid individual numbers, however,

UMBC is winless on the year with a 0-6 record sitting in the basement of the America East. Their best game came against Coppin State when they lost 71-69 in overtime. If UConn is looking to rebound after struggling in their last game,

this seems to be a good opportunity to do so.

Tipoff at the XL Center in Hartford is set for 7 p.m.

ward Daniel Naurato was named to the Atlantic Hockey Honor Holl. Naurato scored two goals and grabbed two assists. Sean Ambrosie and Miles Winter both have 10 points and lead the Huskies. Ambrosie leads the team with five goals.

After an exhausting weekend in Troy, N.Y. Marshall changed up the practice style for the past week.

“This week in practice we went on the ice and had fun, I’m not worried about our work ethic, it’s great,” Marshall said.

This past weekend, the Huskies played two games in less than 24 hours. After the team’s strong performances, Marshall felt the team deserved a much needed rest.

Western New York will be able to watch the game on Time Warner Cable. UConnhuskies.com will also carry live stats and live audio.

John.Shevchuk@UConn.edu

JIM ANDERSON/ The Daily Campus

Senior forward Justin Hernandez controls the puck in UConn’s 5-4 win on Nov. 20.

Sick and tired of your old job?

Is this economy making you need extra money?

Get on the paper trail at DC Sports!

Michael.Cerullo@UConn.edu

McCurry: Walker making case for Blair: Valley Regional’s success a feelgood story in high school sports Player of the Year awards from KEMBA, page 14 I cannot believe that I have waited this long to mention my early Player of the Year favorite, the one who is taking over the nation and whose name I have been randomly yelling out lately because he is simply sensational. I am talking about Kemba Walker, of course. Eighteen, 42, 31, 30, 29 and 30: that’s the number of points Walker has dropped in the first six games. For everyone whose math skills have betrayed them, Walker is averaging exactly 30 points per game, leading the nation. The part I love most about him is that he can score in so many ways. As multidimensional as they come, Walker has been shooting lights out from behind the arc (40.5 percent) and is 53-for-60 (88 percent) from the free throw line. He can take anyone to the basket (just ask Kalin Lucas) and his fall-away jumper in the lane is money.

My favorite play in the early season was made by – you guessed it – Kemba Walker. It was during the Maui Invitational Final against the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats. On the previous two possessions leading up to the play, Walker drained two threes.

After a defensive rebound by senior Donnell Beverly, Kemba spotted up on the wing as the Huskies were on a fast break.

Rather than trying to hit his third three-pointer in a row, he

saw athletic sophomore Jamal Coombs-McDaniel wide open under the basket and gave it to him for the easy bucket.

It was probably the most unselfish play I have ever seen, and is a perfect example of what type of teammate Walker is. In the spring, the star junior from the Bronx called all of the incoming freshmen to let them know that they better come ready to play both in the classroom and on the court. And oh yeah, the best point guard in college took 18 credits during the summer session. In the words of the legendary Calhoun, “I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed watching the growth of a student as a person and as a player more than I’ve enjoyed watching Kemba Walker.”

After the wonderful performance in Hawaii, UConn was ranked in the top 10 in both the AP and coaches’ poll. A lot of basketball analysts refer to the Huskies as a “one-man show” and do not see this team being able to sustain their great level of play. I really hate that, because although UConn would not have even beaten Wichita State without Walker, plenty of other guys have stepped up to the challenge. Alex Oriakhi (12 ppg, 12 rpg) dominated against Michigan State and has been a real force down low. Flashy point guard Shabazz Napier (9.8 ppg) and German sniper Niels Giffey (14 points vs. UK), both of whom are freshmen, have outshined fellow diaper dan-

dies Keith Appling of MSU and Brandon Knight of Kentucky.

Napier has been the X-factor so far, pestering opponents with his on-the-ball defense and hitting big shots down the stretch.

These young kids are growing up very fast and, as long as Kemba keeps taking over ballgames, look for UConn to have a special season.

In a year when guys like Ryan Kelly of Duke and Charles Okwandu (Sorry Chuck, I love you buddy) are starting for current top-10 teams, this has really transformed into the year of the point guard.

Kyrie Irving, a McDonald’s All-American from New Jersey, has done his very best Kemba Walker impersonation for Coach K and the Dukies.

Against those same Michigan State Spartans, Irving had 31 points, six rebounds and four assists. Duke is plain unstoppable in the early going.

Other notable point guards whose teams are in the top 25 include Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs (18.6 ppg, 49 percent FG), Nova’s Maalik Wayns (14 ppg, 6 apg), Illinois’s Demetri McCamey (15 ppg, 8 apg) and Washington’s Isaiah Thomas (14.8 ppg). Elite big men are far and few between, making the 2010-2011 campaign the year of the point guard.

Michael.McCurry@UConn.edu

from NUTMEG, page 14 baseball team moonlighting as a quarterback we would routinely place in the middle of the Pequot Sassacus conference, a notoriously weak football conference, even for Class S, the league reserved for the smallest schools. Our yearly game against Hyde Leadership of Hamden would always be a sobering dose of reality. We’d be 5-1 or 6-1 before Hyde, a perennial contender for the Class S championship, would deliver a punch to the gut in the form of a 30-point blowout win.

Since my graduation I haven’t really followed sports at Valley; my time there hadn’t given me much reason to. I’d occasionally see stories in the Hartford Courant about our gymnastics team, which has now won two straight state championships, and remember reading a feature about one particularly remarkable girl’s tennis player who went the entire Shoreline Conference season without losing a set, but the big sports, boy’s basketball and football, never made headlines. It wasn’t until I was home last week for Thanksgiving that I heard about Valley’s 2010 football season, a season I can really only describe as magical.

Being past the age when it is acceptable to attend my high school’s Thanksgiving game, which was oddly moved to a Wednesday night, I was at a friend’s house chatting with his dad about the Valley football team.

I inquired about the Hyde game,

fully expecting a score of 32-6, as I was accustomed to, only to find out Valley had won 35-8, the first time they defeated the Howling Wolves in 14 years. But the next sentence out of his mouth stopped me dead.

“They’re undefeated.”

With a crushing defeat of Haddam-Killingworth on Thanksgiving eve and an Ansonia loss, Valley catapulted to a 10-0 record and the No. 1 seed in Class S, advancing to the state playoffs for the first time ever. For the first time in school history – I’m not entirely sure of the exact year the team formed, my dad, who attended Valley in the 1960s, remembers the team forming before he graduated in 1969 – Valley was going to States.

Everyone was ecstatic that the team made the playoffs. Tim King, the coach/gym teacher who had led the team for 14 years, summed it up best.

“It shows that you can come from a little school and have success if you work hard and these kids have worked hard,” King told The New London Day. And as for the team, a team that had never known the postseason?

“We’ve never been in some of these situations, so we really don’t know how to act,” King said. “The kids are like, ‘We won. All right.

What’s next?’”

Quarterback Jimmy FairfieldSonn, who averages better than eight yards a carry, has been explosive on offense for the Warriors, running for five touch-

downs in its Thanksgiving game.

But Valley also boasted the top-ranked defense in the state, allowing just 5.5 points per game, heading in to its first-ever playoff game against Sacred Heart, a tough team out of the Copper Division of the Naugatuck Valley League. Even against a team that many thought they couldn’t handle, Valley gained 358 yards on the ground Tuesday night to advance to the Class S semifinals, 37-24. The next challenge for Valley is No. 4 seed St. Joseph of Trumbull, who the Warriors will play Saturday in Waterbury.

Valley’s win over Sacred Heart isn’t just a big win for the Warriors, but for all the Shoreline teams, too.

Earlier this season, players from Valley commented how members of Montville’s team, the No. 2 seed in the Class S playoffs, attended a Shoreline game and left before the half, commenting on the lack of competitiveness and talent of the Shoreline teams. Outside of Cromwell’s championship in 2008, the last Shoreline team to win a state championship in football was in 1987, when the Morgan School in Clinton defeated Berlin 3-0.

Whether Valley wins or loses Saturday, I couldn’t be prouder of my alma mater. This isn’t “Hoosiers,” and it isn’t “Remember The Titans,” but there’s something special happening this season in Deep River, and I’m proud to say that my school is a part of it.

Russell.Blair@UConn.edu

TWO Friday, December 3, 2010

The Daily Question Q: Will UConn appear in a BCS bowl game? has the Huskies playing at a consistently high level. I expect A: “Edsall them to end the season with a 5-game win streak and a BCS berth.”

PAGE 2

Onyeka Obiocha, 5th-semester economics major

What's Next

Home game

» That’s what he said “New York state is our foundation. This is another step in our return to prominence.”

Saturday USF 8:00 p.m.

–Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone on accepting a bid to play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

TBA Bowl Game TBA

The one to watch: Football at South Florida, Sat. 8 p.m., ESPN2

The obvious choice is what may be the most important football game in school history to date. The 7-4 Huskies can clinch a Big East championship and automatic BCS bowl berth with a win against USF. The Bulls will look to play spoiler in the final regular season game for both teams. UConn enters with a 4-2 Big East record and will look to leave Tampa with a conference title.

Women’s Basketball (7-0) Dec. 5 Dec. 21 Dec. 28 Dec. 9 Dec. 19 Sacred Marquette Ohio St. Florida St. Pacific Heart 7:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

The ones to attend:

Men’s basketball vs. UMBC, Fri. 7 p.m., XL Center

The 6-0 Huskies will look to make it seven in a row with a win in Hartford. No. 7 UConn is coming off an ugly 62-55 victory over New Hampshire at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night.

The Retrievers are the third America East opponent the Huskies will face this season. Maryland, Baltimore County is 0-6, with home losses to VMI and Central Connecticut State and losses at Penn, Duquesne, Coppin State and Loyola.

Men’s Hockey (3-6-3) Today Tomorrow Niagara Niagara 7:05 p.m. 7:05 p.m.

Dec. 10 Dec. 29 Sacred Holy Cross Heart 7:15 p.m.

7:05 p.m.

Dec. 30 TBA TBA

Women’s Hockey vs. Boston University, Sat. 1 p.m., Mark E. Freitas Ice Forum

Women’s Hockey (6-8-1) Tomorrow Boston University 1:00 p.m.

It will be tough for UConn to better its last showing, when the Huskies defeated Sacred Heart 11-0 in the Nutmeg Classic at Quinnipiac on Nov. 27. They will take on Hockey East rival BU at Mark E. Freitas Ice Forum. UConn has won five of its last six contests and will look to make it six against the Terriers.

Jan. 2 Dec. 8 Jan. 1 Sunday Union Dartmouth Dartmouth Providence 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.

The one to follow up on: Men’s hockey at Niagara, Fri. and Sat. 7:05 p.m.

Men’s Track and Field

The Huskies have just three wins thus far this season and are coming off losses to Rensselaer and Alabama-Hunstville in the RPI Thanksgiving tournament. The Purple Eagles enter the twogame series 8-5-3, and UConn, 3-6-3, will look to earn points in Atlantic Hockey action.

Jan. 21 Jan. 29 Jan. 20 Feb. 4 Jan. 15 UConn Great Dane Saturday Night Collegiate Yale Invite at the Armory Heptathalon Invite Invite 9:00 a.m.

5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m.

TBA

Women’s Track and Field Jan. 15 Armory Invite All Day

Jan. 22 URI Invite 10:30 a.m.

Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu

Feb. 5 Jan. 28/29 Feb. 4/5 Penn St. New Balance Giegengack Invite Invite Invite All Day All Day 2:00 p.m.

AP

A Qatari man reacts in Doha while following the announcement that the tiny Gulf state will host the 2022 World Cup on Dec. 2, 2010. Qatar became the first Arab, Middle Eastern or Muslim country to be awarded the World Cup.

Jan. 29 Jan. 28 Jan. 22 Feb. 5 Bucknell Seton Hall Bucknell Yale Invitational 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m.

Noon

Women’s Swimming and Diving Jan. 22 Seton Hall 1:00 p.m.

Feb. 11 Jan. 29 Feb. 5 Jan. 28 Big East Bucknell Yale Bucknell Championships Invitational 1:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

All Day All Day

What's On TV

NFL FOOTBALL: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens.

Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC First-place in the AFC North is on the line when the Steelers visit Baltimore for a sunday night showdown.

Both teams enter the game with 8-3 records and two-game win streaks. The Steelers are 5-1 on the road but the Ravens are 5-0 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco has struggled against the Steelers, but led the Ravens to a 17-14 comeback victory at Heinz Field in Week 4. Flacco threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 32 seconds remaining to take the lead.

www.dailycampus.com

Rich Rodriguez gets emotional at banquet

Men’s Swimming and Diving Tomorrow Harvard 2:00 p.m.

E-mail your answers, along with your name, semester standing and major, to sports@dailycampus.com. The best answer will appear in tomorrow’s paper.

By Matthew McDonough Associate Sports Editor

Tears of joy

Dec. 8 Dec. 20 Dec. 22 Dec. 27 FairleighCoppin St. Harvard Pittsburgh Dickinson 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

“Who will win the AFC East Monday night showdown: the Jets or Patriots?”

THE Storrs Side

Doug Morrone.

» Pic of the day

Men’s Basketball (6-0)

Monday’s Question:

The Weekend Ahead

Away game Gampel Pavilion, XL Center

Football (7-4)

Today UMBC 7:00 p.m.

The Daily Campus, Page 13

Sports

AP

LIVONIA, Mich. (AP)— Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez fought back tears, talking about the toll his job has taken on his family, and used passages from the Bible and a Josh Groban song during an emotional address that closed the team’s banquet.

“I truly want to be a Michigan man,” he said Thursday.

Rodriguez might not get that chance next season.

He didn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of having Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh in the same ballroom, getting honored with the Wolverines who were honored 25 years after finishing the season ranked second, but the tension he feels about his job security was apparent. Harbaugh, who might replace Rodriguez if he is fired, planned to attend the banquet as late as Saturday night. He ended up scheduling a practice on a day teammates such as Jamie Morris, John Kolesar and Gerald White sat at a circular table.

“Whoever is the coach at Michigan, I’m going to give him my support,” White said.

Senior guard Stephen Schilling said he and his teammates are trying to disregard the conjecture about Rodriguez’s status.

“Obviously, it’s hard to ignore when it’s out there in the news,” Schilling said. “But this team is pretty dedicated to coach Rod.” Schilling, who was recruited to Michigan by retired coach Lloyd

AP

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez speaks Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, in Livonia, Mich.

Rodriguez fought back tears, talking about the toll his job has taken on his family.

Carr, said he will give a good review of the Rodriguez era if athletic director Dave Brandon asks him for his opinion.

“It was a good experience,” Schilling said. “The wins and losses haven’t gone our way, but

I believe in coach Rod and his system and what he’s doing here.”

Brandon reiterated on Monday that he won’t evaluate Rodriguez until the season is over.

Rodriguez has three years left on his contract, but his 15-21 record,

NCAA violations, a boss that didn’t hire him and the possibility that the school could lure Harbaugh back to Ann Arbor have combined to raise questions about whether he will be back next season.

He didn’t speak with reporters before or after the banquet, but is expected to have a news conference on Monday to talk about the bowl game and to dodge questions about his future at Michigan.

Rodriguez finally got a show of support, a standing ovation at the banquet, and cracked jokes as speculation swirls about his future.

“I had to stretch my legs, too, so I appreciate it,” he said.

Rodriguez wiped sweat off his brow early and often during the 3-hour event.

“This hot-seat stuff is not very much fun,” he quipped.

Then, he got serious with a prepared speech.

He cited Hebrews, talking about the faith he had in program’s direction, and talked about how Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” inspires him before having it played. Rodriguez, his wife, Rita, Brandon and players stood on risers with their hands held above their heads as the song blared in the ballroom.

Rodriguez will get to coach the Wolverines for at least one more game and it might be the Gator Bowl in Florida instead of the widely projected destination of the Insight Bowl in Arizona.

» INSIDE SPORTS TODAY P.13: Steelers and Ravens battle for first. / P.12: Women’s hockey hosts BU. / P.11: Heat rout Cavs in Lebron’s return.

Page 14

Friday, December 3, 2010

www.dailycampus.com

WALKING ON THE SUN

Nutmeg state Warriors

No. 1 UConn trounces Bulls at Sun Dome

Russell Blair

You probably haven’t ever heard of Valley Regional High School.

When I tell people I went to a regional high school they assume I attended a school with a student population in the thousands. Wrong. Throughout my time at Valley the student body barely eclipsed 600. Located in Deep River, –­ hold on, I’ll give you some time to break out a map of Connecticut – Valley had a lot to offer academically, but not much in terms of sports.

Our most famous alumni in sports? Brian Dayett, a journeyman outfielder who played four seasons in the MLB with the Yankees and the Cubs.

Let me tell you about some of my high school sports memories. When my brother was at Valley in the late ‘90s, our boy’s soccer team was competitive, winning a co-championship in 1997 and finishing second in 1999 and 2000.

But during my four years? No state titles. Our boy’s basketball team was competitive in Shoreline Conference play, but never had a chance in the postseason. And our football team?

Don’t get me started on the football team.

With such a small student body to draw from, our football teams were never tremendously deep or talented. With a pitcher from the

» BLAIR, page 12

Kemba, Kyrie and the Year of the PG

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

AP

Connecticut’s Bria Hartley, center, goes to the basket after getting by South Florida defenders Andrea Smith, left, and Porche Grant, right, during an NCAA college basketball game in Tampa, Fla.

Undefeated UConn looks to bite winless Retrievers

By Mac Cerullo Sports Editor

By Mike McCurry NCAA Basketball Columnist I try not to be a biased writer, but how in the world can I not make the basis of this article my UConn Huskies? I have been a diehard UConn fan for as long as I can remember. My dad graduated from the school, and even though we live in Jersey we would go to as many games as possible. Whether the game was in a hostile environment like Rutgers or a neutral court like the Garden, we donned our UConn jerseys and took all the trash talking from opposing fans. I even based my college decision on my favorite NCAA hoops team (just kidding, Mom).

We have had amazing players in the past, many of which now play in the NBA and overseas. Think of all the alumni: Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor and Rudy Gay. I think I could go on forever. Those squads were filled with undeniable talent and athleticism.

This year, however, Jim Calhoun does not have a group of players who are incredibly tall, quick or skilled. Calhoun goes with a 10-man rotation, and five of those players are inexperienced freshmen. They had a little trouble with Stony Brook in the opener, and Vermont was actually up on UConn at halftime.

Then the Huskies go to Maui for the best preseason tournament there is, and proceed to knock off Wichita State, Michigan State and Kentucky in three consecutive days to bring the title back to Storrs. Calhoun outcoached Izzo and Calipari by getting the most out of his players and making sure every guy understood his role.

By looking at the talent level, UConn had no business beating these teams or, in the case of UK, dominating them. That is why I can honestly say I have never been more proud of my Huskies. I am simply in love with this team.

»MCCURRY, page 12

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Stefanie Dolson scored 16 points and top-ranked Connecticut moved a step closer to the longest Division I winning streak in college basketball history by beginning Big East play with an 80-54 rout of South Florida on Thursday night.

The two-time defending national champions never trailed, scoring the first 12 points of the game and building a 22-2 lead before USF (5-3, 0-1) finally made its first field goal with just more than 9 minutes left in the half.

UConn 80 opening The Huskies (7-0, USF 54 1-0) extended the longest winning streak by a women’s team to 85 games — three shy of the men’s record set

by UCLA from 1971-74. UConn can surpass that mark by defeating Sacred Heart, Marquette, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 15 Florida State over the next three weeks.

Maya Moore scored 14 for UConn, moving within nine points of passing Tina Charles to become the Huskies’ career scoring leader. The three-time All-American missed seven of the eight shots she took from the field, but went 11 for 12 from the foul line and had a team-high six assists while boosting her career scoring total to 2,338 points.

Dolson took up the slack offensively for UConn, going 6 of 8 from the field. Bria Hartley and Kelly Faris scored 13 points apiece and Tiffany Hayes added 12.

Andrea Smith led South Florida with 20 points. Her twin sister, Andrell, added 15 for the Bulls, who shot 26 percent (8 of 31) from the field in the opening half and 30.6 percent (19 of 62) for the game.

The Huskies shot 52 percent on the way to a 38-20 halftime lead.

me.”

Walker would be joining former UConn greats such as Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen, Kemba Walker has elevat- Emeka Okafor and many others.

Given that Walker has avered his game to new heights aged 30 points per in the early going of game, the milethe new season, and stone will likely tonight he will likely come early, leavelevate himself into ing the Huskies the rarified company as rest of the game to he reaches the 1,000 deal with UMBC, career points plateau. another America Walker comes into East opponent the matchup against 6-0, 0-0 who, though not the University of as successful as Maryland, Baltimore Vermont, UNH County, with 998 or Stony Brook, career points, and could pose a threat only needs to score if the Huskies play one basket to become the way they did the 45th player in on Tuesday night.

UConn history to “We played terrecord 1,000 points 0-6, 0-0 rible in the first in his career.

Friday, 7 p.m. half,” said fresh“It’s big time, of man point guard course there’s some XL Center Shabazz Napier great players that’ve SNY after Tuesday come through here night’s 62-55 win who’ve scored 1,000,” Walker said. “It’s defi- over UNH. “We didn’t play nitely a big accomplishment for Connecticut basketball. We didn’t play the way we played

MEN’S BASKETBALL

VS.

MELISSA SAVISKY/The Daily Campus

Sophomore center Alex Oriakhi dunks the ball in the second half of UConn’s 62-55 win over New Hampshire Tuesday night. The Huskies face UMBC tonight in Hartford.

in Maui. We showed how immature we are.”

For UConn, the key to beating UMBC will be to rebound from an ugly showing against UNH and get contributions from the rest of the team besides Walker and Alex Oriakhi. The Retrievers’ offense primarily runs through two players, and if the Huskies play a strong defensive game and rebound better, they should be able to disrupt UMBC’s rhythm and get the win.

UMBC’s leading scorer is graduate student Travis King, a 6-foot-2 guard who is scoring 15.7 points per game through six games. Just behind him is junior Chris de la Rosa, a 5-foot-10 guard who is scoring 14 points per game.

De la Rosa is also the team’s third leading rebounder with five rebounds per game, behind the Retrievers two best big men.

Oriakhi’s biggest competition in this game will be the 6-foot9 Laurence Jolicouer, who is averaging nine points and six

» UMBC, page 12

Powerhouses in the pool: UConn hosts Harvard

By James Huang Campus Correspondent The UConn men’s swimming and diving team will take on the Harvard Crimson this Saturday in a home meet at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium starting at 2 p.m.

This will be an interesting, difficult and intense meet for the Huskies. The teams are competing against each other for the first time. Both teams are powerhouses in their respective divisions, so this should prove to be a close competition.

Coach Bob Goldberg is fully aware of the difficulties that he and his team will confront in this upcoming

meet. He is also aware of how much time has elapsed since the team’s last meet.

“We have never swam against Harvard. They are the best team in the

pect we will have to work really hard to be ready for this meet,” Goldberg said.

Given the team’s talent and how much effort they put into their practices, the Huskies should have a good chance of victory.

They performed well in the Terrapin Cup, setting several records there.

Sophomore Karim Zayed was declared Saturday, 2 p.m. the Big East Male Wolff-Zackin Natatorium Swimming and Diving athlete of the Northeast. We have our week. He got the fifth nationwork cut out for us. They ally ranked time of 1:36.78 are the best team in the for the 200-yard freestyle, Ivy League. Coming off and set two other national Thanksgiving break, I sus- records in the 400-yard free-

Men’s Swimming & Diving

VS.

style and 800-yard freestyle with times of 6:37.17 and 2:59.52, respectively.

Several other swimmers turned in good performances as well, including sophomores Kyungsoo Yoon and Jeremy Ramshaw, freshman Keith Piper and senior Tomasz Sobek. Sophomore Grant Fecteau won the onemeter diving and junior Brad Schott won the 3-meter diving.

These performances have propelled UConn to a No. 8 national ranking in the Avidasport Rankings.

The Harvard Crimson will be a challenging opponent., as they have many talented swimmers and divers of their own. Senior Michael Dunn got a time of 1:51.46

in the 200-yard butterfly, while junior Niall Janey finished with 1:52.54 in the 200-yard individual medley.

For divers, they have senior Zac Ranta and sophomore Michael Stanton. They are undefeated in three meets so far, but they will be hardpressed to continue this streak, as they face Boston University this Friday before facing UConn.

Despite how strong they are, Goldberg has some hope for his team.

“We just hope to compete well,” Goldberg said.

James.Huang@UConn.edu

Friday, December 3, 2010

... But the road ahead is still unclear.

» A SERIES WITH PLENTY OF MEMORABLE MOMENTS...

One last test for the Huskies

Jan. 1

By Matt McDonough Associate Sports Editor

Big XII No. 1 At-Large Team

The UConn football team has had its ups and downs against South Florida. The two programs have a similar past on the gridiron, and when the two meet for the seventh time this Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, the Big East championship will be on the line for the Huskies.

With a win, the Huskies will go to a BCS game and clinch a share of the conference title. History is not on UConn’s side as the team has never left Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a victory. The Huskies became Division I in 2000 and a full-time Big East member in 2004. USF became D-I in 2001 and was a member of Conference USA before moving to the Big East a year after UConn. The Bulls lead the short series, 4-3.

The team’s first meeting took place at Memorial Stadium in Storrs on Oct. 28, 2000 with USF coming out with a 21-13 win. The next year, with the Huskies still in the transition stage, the Bulls won 40-21 in Tampa. Both schools were in the Big East during their next contest, with UConn winning 15-10 in East Hartford. Then, in 2006, USF romped the Huskies by 22, winning 38-16 at home, in large part due to quarterback Matt Grothe.

The No. 11 Bulls traveled to Rentschler Field on Oct. 27, 2007 for a nationally televised affair on ABC with the Huskies. UConn defeated the Bulls 22-15, for its first win over a ranked team and a No. 16 national ranking. It was the first ranking in school history for UConn, and the victory was met with Connecticut fans rushing the field.

The last time the two schools met in Florida was on Nov. 23, 2008. USF beat the Huskies 17-13, with Grothe throwing for 124 yards. Uconn’s Donald Brown ran for 96, and the Huskies tied the game when Ellis Gaulden hauled in 43-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Lorenzen. But USF’s Jamar Taylor put the game away with a 25-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

When the two teams met last sea-

If UConn beats USF, then some prognosticators think the Huskies will party in Arizona, as the Fiesta Bowl is last in the order of selection due to their hosting of the National Championship. The winner of the Big 12 championship between Oklahoma and Nebraska is most likely to face the Huskies if they go to Glendale.

Jan. 3 ACC No. 1 At-Large Team With LSU and Boise State losing last week, some say the Huskies will wind up in Miami. Stanford may get an at-large bid to the Orange Bowl because of the order of bowl selection. But because of geography, UConn may go to Florida while the Cardinal stays out west and plays in the Fiesta. If UConn plays in the Orange Bowl, they will face the ACC champion, which will be either Virginia Tech or Florida State.

Dec. 28 Big East No. 2 ACC No. 3 This is where Notre Dame comes in. A loss drops UConn out of the BCS and into three other possible bowl slots. If the Fighting Irish play in the Champs Sports Bowl, then they would take the place of the Big East representative. But, a UConn loss and a West Virginia win would send the Huskies, as the second place team in the Big East, to the Champs Sports Bowl if Notre Dame doesn’t play here.

Dec. 31 Big East No. 3 ACC No. 5 Should the Huskies lose to USF, a return to Charlotte for the first time since 2007 is a definite possibility. If West Virginia and Pittsburgh win, and Notre Dame does not go to the Champs Sports Bowl, then UConn plays in the Meineke CarCare Bowl. Also, if West Virginia wins, Pitt loses and Notre Dame accepts a bid to the Champs Sports Bowl, then UConn will face an ACC team.

Dec. 30 Syracuse Big XII No. 7 The second-ever football game at the new Yankee Stadium will pit Syracuse against a Big 12 opponent. The Orange accepted a bid yesterday, and most projections have Syracuse playing Kansas State.

Jan. 8 Big East SEC No. 9 The bowl formerly known as the Papajohns.com Bowl has the Big East facing the SEC. UConn won 20-7 against South Carolina in last year’s bowl game in Birmingham. Some projections have Pittsburgh or UConn playing here depending on this weekend’s results, but the fifth or sixth place Big East team will probably go here instead.

Dec. 31 Big East Conf. USA No. 1 The winner of Conference USA will go to the Liberty Bowl and face either an SEC opponent or a Big East team, depending on who is available for selection by the time the Liberty Bowl gets to pick.

Dec. 21 Big East Conf. USA The fifth-place Big East team will face a Conference USA opponent. USF is expected to stay at home in the Tampa Bay area again according to predictions.

The Daily Campus, Page 3

UConn vs. South Florida

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Campus

UConn fans rush the field after the Huskies beat No. 11 South Florida 22-15 on Oct. 27, 2007, marking the school’s first win over a ranked opponent.

son on Dec. 5, a snowy Senior Night at Rentschler Field, bowl implications were also on the line. The game went down to the final gun. Running backs Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon combined to rush for more than 100 yards.

Dixon scored two touchdowns in his last game as a college player at the Rent.

Zach Frazer threw two touchdowns, one to outgoing senior Marcus Easley.

The Bulls had an answer to the Husky offense in quarterback B.J.

» BREAKING DOWN THE HUSKIES

Daniels. Daniels threw for 160 yards, but kept USF in the game with his feet. He ran for 88 yards and scored three touchdowns, the last one coming on an eight-yard scamper that gave the Bulls a 27-26 lead with 40 seconds remaining.

Frazer led the offense downfield and Dave Teggart made a clutch 42-yard field goal as time expired.

The seniors celebrated in the snow in their final game on the Runway.

South Florida went on to win the now defunct International Bowl in January, while the Huskies defeated South Carolina in the Papajohns. com Bowl. This year’s meeting doesn’t necessarily promise to be a well-played game. But it does promise higher stakes, with a trip to Toronto or Birmingham not the only thing on the line.

Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu

» COACHES CORNER: EDSALL VS HOLTZ

Rock solid offensive line has Edsall should be commended Callahan anchored UConn’s success ByStaffAndrew Writer

By Mike Ferraro Campus Correspondent

Offense: Jordan Todman So far this season, the Huskies have been able to lean heavily on Todman, who ranks seventh in the nation with 1,481 yards and fifth with 269 carries. In order for the Huskies to go to South Florida and beat the Bulls, they will need their star running back to have another monster game.

Currently, Todman has 14 rushing touchdowns – by far the most on the team. The only game that Todman hasn’t gone over the 100-yard mark was against Louisville, where the Huskies were blown out 26-0.

The Huskies are 4-0 when Todman carries the ball over 30 times in a game. When he doesn’t, they are 3-4.

Because the passing game has been suspect at best, it is important for the Huskies to feed the ball to Todman.

Defense: Kendall Reyes The defensive hero of the last two games will need to have another big game in order for the Huskies to go to their first ever BCS bowl game. In the last two games, Reyes has forced three turnovers, two of which were interceptions. His last interception against Cincinnati was returned for 79 yards (it was originally a pick-six, but there was a holding penalty on the return).

Reyes will need to contain USF quarterback B.J. Daniels if the Huskies want to have any success in Miami. On the season, the Bulls average 24.2 points per game, 83rd in the nation, while the Huskies defense gives up only 20.2 points per game, 26th in the nation. Reyes has two-and-a-half sacks this season, with his last one coming against Syracuse where he also had a forced fumble and an interception. Reyes has 32 total tackles on the season, but more importantly he has nine-and-ahalf tackles for a loss. The defense has given up less than 20 points in three of their last four games, and the Huskies are 4-0 in that stretch. The Huskies are 6-0 when Reyes records a tackle for a loss, as opposed to 1-4 when he doesn’t.

Special Teams: Kickoff returns and the kicking game Field position means everything in football, and this season the kickoff return game has been outstanding. Robbie Frey and Nick Williams are having great seasons returning kicks for the Huskies, and field position will be especially important on the road with everything on the line. Williams is averaging 42.1 yards per return, and has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns so far this season.

Frye is averaging a solid 24 yards per return.

Kicker Dave Teggart, who’s field goal against South Florida last year made the Huskies bowleligible, will need to continue to play well for the Huskies to win.

In his last four games, Teggart has only missed one field goal.

If Teggart has a big game, the Huskies should prevail.

X-Factor: The Offensive Line The men behind the seventh best rusher in the nation are a critical component to the Huskies making their first BCS bowl game. In the game against Pittsburgh, head coach Randy Edsall gambled on a fourth-and-short from deep in his own territory, and thanks to offensive line his gamble paid off and resulted in a win. It speaks volumes about a team’s offensive line if its coach is willing to risk the game on whether or not they can get enough push for a yard on a key fourth down (it also doesn’t hurt to have Jordan Todman in the backfield).

The offensive line will need to give quarterback Zach Frazier enough time to throw the ball effectively downfield to his receivers. The quarterback has only been sacked 12 times this season due to the excellent play of the offensive line and a third of those sacks were recorded in one game versus West Virginia. If Todman can run the ball like has been all season, then the Huskies should be on their way to BCS bowl game.

Michael.Ferraro@UConn.edu

You wouldn’t think that the alltime winningest football coach in Connecticut history would be a Syracuse alum. You wouldn’t think that one man could lead a team from the FCS to an FBS bowl game victory in just five years. You wouldn’t think anyone could ever put UConn football in the same discussion with men’s and women’s basketball.

Well, you obviously haven’t met head football coach Randy Edsall.

A man of integrity, organization, hard work and commitment, 52-year old Edsall has brought UConn to the brink of a BCS bowl game berth. The berth would complete the program’s 180-degree turnaround from the time he took over in 1999, when the team wallowed in obscurity. Looking back, it’s been a remarkable run.

During Edsall’s time in Storrs, the Huskies have won the Big East, spent time in both Top 25 polls, won three bowl games and produced multiple

NFL draft picks. Earning admiration from both his players and his administrative superiors, Edsall has also maintained a high graduation rate. That’s not even mentioning the yearly topnotch rushing attacks.

In fact, even opposing coaches that come to town take time to appreciate the ascension of UConn football and the job Edsall has done. They remark and marvel at how he has been able to foster nationwide respect for the program in just over 10 years.

Of course, it’s not only the opposing coaches who are taking notice, but quite a few athletic directors without a coach of their own. Edsall’s name has been thrown around on numerous campuses, and the possibility of his departure is a very real one. Yet he has kept faithfully mum on every job opening, past, present or future, maintaining complete focus on his team.

So while no one knows how long Edsall will stay, now is certainly the time to say thank you.

Andrew.J.Callahan@UConn.edu

Homecoming for Holtz

By Matt McDonough Associate Sports Editor

When Randy Edsall left Georgia Tech in 1998, he was taking over for Skip Holts as UConn’s head football coach. Today it all comes full circle as Holtz, in his first season as USF coach, takes on his old school.

Holtz told The Connecticut Post that he’s a huge fan of the job Edsall did, taking the Huskies from 1-AA to FBS football, and that he’s been watching UConn from afar. Holtz had success in Storrs, leading the Huskies from 1994 to 1998. In his final season at the helm, UConn went 10-3 and made the school’s first trip to the NCAA 1-AA playoffs. Holtz left to be an assistant on his father Lou’s coaching staff at South Carolina. In 2004, he went on to become the head coach at East Carolina. In his five seasons at the helm, the Pirates made it to the postseason three times, including

a trip to the Hawaii Bowl in 2007 and two straight Liberty Bowl appearances following wins in the Conference USA title game in the last two seasons.

Skip was born in Willimantic when Lou was an assistant at Storrs in the 1964-65 campaign.

He graduated from Notre Dame and was an assistant there. He also made stops at Florida State and Colorado State prior to his time at UConn. In his first Big East season, Holtz has led the Bulls to a 7-4, 3-3 Big East, record, including an overtime win at Miami last week.

USF offensive coordinator Todd Fitch and assistant Vernon Hargreaves also have UConn connections. Both have been assistants for the Huskies. Hargreaves earned All-America honors as a linebacker at UConn in 1982-83.

Next season, when the Bulls visit East Hartford, Holtz will make his first trip home.

Matthew.McDonough@UConn.edu

A BCS bid on the line.

The biggest game in UConn football history.

Are you ready?

ASHLEY POSPISIL/The Daily Campus