The Ithacan Thursday, October 27, 20 11
∙
Volume 79, Is s u e 8
Citizens unite to fuel local economy
SGA vote backs equal drug policy by candace king staff writer
Alex Colket, creator of a new website called Swidjit, stands outside Culture Shock on Wednesday. His site offers a forum for local businesses.
michelle boulé/the ithacan
by nicole ogrysko staff writer
Local entrepreneurs are creating new business models to change the way Ithacans communicate and work with each other in an effort to rejuvenate the local economy in a post-recession era. At a panel Oct. 13, the Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneur Network identified four initiatives — Ithaca Hours, time banking, Share Tompkins and a website called Swidjit — as sustainable efforts to revive the local economy. In 2010, annual consumer spending
dropped 2 percent nationally, according to data from the Bureau of Labor. Economic growth fell by 0.6 percent in 2009 and grew by 2.4 percent in 2010 according to the Tompkins County Index of Economic Activity. Michael Shuman, economist, author and research and economic development director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, a network that represents local businesses in 30 states nationwide, said if Tompkins County revitalizes local businesses, it has the potential to create 21,473 new jobs and $1.2 billion in possible new wages.
During his speech, "Revitalizing Tompkins County," on Tuesday, Shuman said boosting local businesses benefits the environment, public health and global image. “At the end of the day, a local economy leaves a community richer,” he said. In 1991, a group of community members created Ithaca Hours, a local currency to keep money in the community between small businesses and individuals. The organization celebrates its 20th anniversary this month and is the longest running
See economy, page 4
College awaits A&E sustainability certification by kacey deamer staff writer
Ithaca College is in the process of finding out just how sustainable the Athletics and Events Center is, culminating years of planning and construction. The A&E Center will gain silver or gold sustainability certification next year, falling short of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's maximum platinum certification, which is held by two other buildings on campus: the Peggy Ryan Williams Center and the Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise. The center’s size and large open spaces hinder the building’s ability to gain enough points for platinum certification. Moody Nolan, the architectural firm behind the A&E Center, has completed 14 LEED-certified projects, according to Howard Blaisdell, a senior associate at the firm.
Blaisdell said silver certification is an impressive achievement because of the A&E Center’s size and purpose. LEED certification is the country’s top distinction for green building design, construction and operations. There are four levels to the LEED program that a building can achieve: basic certification, silver, gold or platinum. Certification is based on a points system — out of 100 possible points — and a new construction or major renovation needs to achieve at least 40 in order to be LEED certified. The A&E Center and its surrounding property is extensive, covering nearly 15 acres, according to Rick Couture, associate vice president of facilities. A 130,000-square-foot field house and a 47,000-square-foot aquatics pavilion are included in the A&E Center. These large spaces are hindering the college from receiving the
best revival Driven Puerto Rican student successfully re-auditions for theater department, page 13
highest LEED certification of platinum, according to Couture. The A&E Center is unlike the Peggy Ryan Williams Center, which is made up of smaller offices, Couture said, each with its own opportunity for sustainability
features like motion sensors, trash and recycling stations, specialty windows and other features. “Because the A&E Center is a lot of open space, there’s
See leed, page 4
Students walk to the Athletics and Events Center, which was officially dedicated Oct. 15. The center cannot receive platinum certification.
graham hebel/the ithacan
Rise above
Club sports teams display passion by overcoming economic obstacles, page 23 f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org
Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Ithaca College is moving forward with its initiative to equalize disciplinary penalties for marijuana and alcohol possession after receiving support from the Student Government Association. The initiative will address the judicial discrepancies between the two substances by FLAHERTY said SGA wants to make requiring the same sure students are disciplinary and ed- treated fairly. ucational interventions for both infractions. The penalty for marijuana possession is currently more severe than that for underage alcohol possession. Mike Leary, assistant director for judicial affairs, said the penalties for alcohol and marijuana possession and usage are consistent, but not definite until meetings with the student who committed the offense are conducted. "There is some judgment used by all of our hearing officers and I think that it's to the student's advantage," Leary said. "But what we normally do is, if a student is involved in a first time marijuana violation, is normally one semester probation and an online course called Marijuana 101 and then if there is a second marijuana violation, it would be probably a year of disciplinary probation." Leary said the first violation for underage alcohol possession is typically a written warning. "We have another online course called Under the Influence which the student would take," Leary said. "If it was a second time violation, it would be a semester disciplinary probation and an alcohol education seminar." After reviewing SSDP's proposal, SGA agreed to endorse the organization's initiative in a 14-2 vote Oct. 12. Junior Rob Flaherty, vice president of communications for SGA, said that it was important for SGA to convey an accurate message to the student body about the penalties for marijuana and alcohol possession and use. "Illegal use of drugs is the same no matter what," Flaherty said. "We want to make sure that students are being treated fairly and equally throughout the process and I think that this is a step in the right direction." Though SSDP has received support from SGA, the process toward instating
See policy, page 4
full voice Media outlets should strive for balanced coverage of protests, page 10
[ T hurs day Bri ef ing]
2 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Nation&World
Women burn veils in Yemen protest
weeks early yesterday. Like in many other cities, protesters had been camping in Woodruff Park to rally against what they see as corporate greed and a wide range of other economic issues. Before police moved in, protesters were warned a couple times around midnight to vacate the park or risk arrest. Organizers had instructed participants to be peaceful if arrests came, and most were. Many gathered in the center of the park, locking arms, and sang “We Shall Overcome,” until police led them out, one-by-one to waiting buses. Police included SWAT teams in riot gear, dozens of officers on motorcycles and several on horseback. By around 1:30 a.m. yesterday, the park was mostly cleared of protesters.
Hundreds of Yemeni women set fire to traditional female veils to protest the government’s brutal crackdown against the country’s popular uprising yesterday, as overnight clashes in the capital and another city killed 25 people, officials said. In the capital, Sanaa, the women spread a black cloth across a main street and threw their full-body veils, known as makrama, onto a pile, sprayed it with oil and set it ablaze. As the flames rose, they chanted: “Who protects Yemeni women from the crimes of the thugs?” The women in Yemen have taken a key role in the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s authoritarian rule that erupted in March, inspired by other Arab revolutions. Their role came into the limelight earlier in October, when Yemeni woman activist Tawakkul Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with two Liberian women, for their struggle for women’s rights. The women’s protest came as clashes have intensified between Saleh’s forces and renegade fighters who have sided with the protesters and the opposition in demands that the president step down.
Obama presents student loan plan President Barack Obama outlined a plan
yesterday to allow millions of student loan recipients to lower their payments and consolidate their loans, in hopes of easing the burden of the No. 2 source of household debt. The move to assist struggling graduates and students could help Obama shore up re-election support among young voters, an important voting bloc in his 2008 campaign, and appeal to their parents, too. Student loan debt is also a common concern voiced by Occupy Wall Street protesters. The loans have become particularly painful for many amid the nation’s economic woes, high unemployment and soaring tuition costs. They are second only to mortgages as a portion of Americans’ debt, coming in ahead of credit cards.
Turkey earthquake kills hundreds
Two teachers and a university student were rescued from ruined schools in eastern Turkey yesterday, three days after a devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake, but searchers said hopes of finding anyone else alive were rapidly fading. NTV, a Russian news channel, said 25-yearold teacher Seniye Erdem was pulled out around the same time that rescue workers also freed another teacher. The woman was thirsty and asked about her husband, who had died, it said. Excavators with heavy equipment began clearing debris from some collapsed buildings in Ercis after searchers removed bodies and determined there were no other survivors. The quake Sunday has killed at least 461 people and injured more than 1,350.
Hurricane Rina heads for Mexico
Authorities evacuated fishing communities on Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast and some tourists began to leave, as Hurricane Rina took aim at Cancun and the island of Cozumel yesterday. Hundreds of residents from the fishing town of Punta Allen, south of Tulum, were taken to emergency shelters and a smaller group was evacuated from the low-lying hamlet of Banco Chinchorro Tuesday, and cruise ships shifted their routes in the face of expected storm surges, waves and heavy
50 ‘Occupiers’ arrested in Atlanta
With helicopters hovering overhead, police moved into a downtown Atlanta park and arrested about 50 Occupy Wall Street protesters who had been encamped there for about two
Protesting with purpose
Farmers from the tsunami-devastated Miyagi Prefecture in Japan hold placards reading, “Protect Japanese land and food” yesterday to protest a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade zone. The plan would help Japan’s auto and high-tech exporters, but damage small farmers. Shizuo Kambayashi/associated press
rains from Rina. Rina’s maximum sustained winds remained steady at about 110 mph early yesterday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said, making it a Category 2 storm.
Man accused of promoting terror
Lawyers for a Massachusetts man accused of plotting to help al-Qaida have asked the trial judge to instruct the jury on his free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution. Tarek Mehanna, of Sudbury, is charged with translating and distributing online publications promoting violent jihad. Prosecutors say he traveled to Yemen to seek training in a terrorist camp and conspired with others to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Mehanna’s lawyers argue his online activities were protected by the First Amendment. Testimony is scheduled to begin today. His lawyers filed court documents asking Judge George O’Toole Jr. to tell the jury that the right to free speech includes the right to
advocate force or violence, unless the speech is likely to incite “imminent lawless action.” The judge didn’t immediately rule.
Politician’s lawyers undercut case
Lawyers for John Edwards worked yesterday to undercut the federal government’s criminal case against the former presidential candidate before it ever gets to a jury. Edwards is scheduled to be tried in January on charges that he asked two wealthy campaign donors to provide nearly $1 million in secret payments used to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the Democratic Party’s nomination for the White House in 2007 and early 2008. In a hearing to consider five motions seeking the dismissal of the case, lawyer Abbe Lowell said his client knew nothing of the checks, cash and private jets used to fly the woman, Rielle Hunter, across the country and put her up in luxury homes and hotels.
SOURCE: Associated Press
corrections
Multimedia
In the Oct. 6 issue of The Ithacan, it was reported in the calendar that Shabbat Dinner was held at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in Terrace Dining Hall. There was actually no dinner because of Yom Kippur. It was also reported that St. John Fisher senior Alex Battle defeated freshman Sharon Li for Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year award. Battle actually defeated Li for the Golfer of the Year title. Li was named Rookie of the Year.
Can’t get enough of our stories? There’s even more online. Check out our multimedia at theithacan.org.
Copy Editors
Video
Watch a recap of the dedication ceremony for the Athletics and Events Center.
Video
Check out a highlight of Duckapalooza at Fall Splash 2011.
Video
Get a behind-the-scenes look at Xavier Reyes, the Puerto Rican performer exploring his talent in Ithaca College.
Video
Get a closer look at Ithaca College HiFashion Studio’s Fall Fashion Show. This year’s theme was ’70s earthy Bohemian.
News
See photos of barefoot students from Tom’s Day Without Shoes.
Like us: facebook.com/ithacanonline
Accent
Check out Tuesday’s pillow fight on the Fitness Center Quad.
Follow us: twitter.com/ithacanonline
Sports
See photos from Ithaca College’s various club sports teams.
Sophia Chawala, Matthew Dezii, John Winters DiMarco, Adeesha Ekanayake, Dina Grimaldi, Bernadette Javier, Jillian Kaplan, Desiree Lim, Casey Phillips, Robyn Schmitz, Carly Smith, Rachel Stokes, Vicky Wolak
Got a news tip? Contact News Editor Kelsey O’Connor at koconno3@ithaca.edu or 274-3207.
n e ws
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 3
Firm sues Dryden for ban on fracking by brian rank staff writer
The town of Dryden will defend its ban on natural gas drilling in the New York Supreme Court of Tompkins County next week, marking one of the first times a ban will be challenged. The outcome could set a legal precedent for the rest of the state. Anschutz Exploration Corporation is suing the town, which is about 13 miles east of Ithaca, citing the ban as illegal under state law. The company contends that state law supersedes local ordinances on natural gas drilling and towns that do not have the authority to regulate drilling. A trial Nov. 4 will determine whether Dryden’s recent zoning amendment that bans natural gas exploration or drilling within city limits will be overturned. The ruling will also decide whether Anschutz can drill on the 22,000 acres of land leases it owns in Dryden. Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” is the process of extracting underground resources such as oil and natural gas. It involves pumping about 5 million gallons of water, sand and chemicals into wells drilled into the ground to extract these resources. Many of the bans are located in large cities not specifically targeted as drilling sites, such as Albany and Buffalo. On Monday, Syracuse also imposed a ban on fracking. Thomas West, head of the West Firm, a law firm representing Anschutz, said the large-city bans are passed to send a political message about the dangers of drilling, but big cities do not sit on prime drilling ground, whereas Dryden does. “When you get into Dryden, it becomes more of an issue because we don’t know to what extent the shale resources will be productive in New York,” he said. By 2015, natural gas drilling in New York state could create 15,000 jobs in the Southern Tier region and add $1.7 billion in economic activity, according to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative think tank. The report, published in June, stated that the environmental costs would only amount to $14,000 in four years. Gas drilling companies face significant hurdles in New York. The State Department for Environmental Conservation is reviewing laws for regulating the industry and all drilling in New York state
by gillian nigro contributing writer
Anti-fracking groups protest the controversial drilling practice in August 2010 outside the Women’s Community Building. The Town of Dryden is facing a lawsuit for a zoning amendment to ban fracking.
file photo/the ithacan
is on a temporary hiatus until the regulations are put in place. The DEC said hydrofracking could begin again under strict regulation next year, but DEC commissioner Joseph Martens on Tuesday said it may take longer. Dryden attempted to bypass the legislation by banning the use of land for drilling instead of regulating the industry itself, Mahlon Perkins, the town attorney who helped craft the ban, said to the town board during a meeting in June. “If it does turn out that state law does in fact supersede what you’re trying to do, well that’s the end of it,” he said. Mary Ann Sumner, Town of Dryden supervisor, said the town is working within its legal rights because local governments historically had the authority to limit practices on town land. She said it is important to remember it was Anschutz who sued them, not the other way around. “I believe we took the right action, and we will continue to defend ourselves,” she said.
The other towns in the state that passed similar bans could face legal challenges if Dryden’s ban is overturned. Edward Michalenko, supervisor for the Town of DeWitt, said he is watching the case closely and a similar case in Middlefield. He said he hopes the case is sustained. If Anschutz wins, West said the lawsuit will allow drillers to access all potential sources if natural gas in the state, which is important because the amount of gas in New York is unknown. “Anschutz regrets having to bring this case. They respect the authority of municipalities to engage in traditional zoning, they just don’t feel they can zone, regulate or ban natural gas production under New York law,” he said. Though Dryden doesn’t term the ban specifically on fracking, West said, hydraulic fracturing is the only method for abstracting gas from the Marcellus Shale, which partially lays under Dryden. “I don’t care what Halloween costume you put on it, it’s still a ban on hydraulic fracturing,” he said.
Campus groups petition for local dining hall food by noreyana fernando staff writer
Slow Food Ithaca College, a group that promotes sustainable food, is circulating a petition calling on Sodexo, which runs the college’s dining halls, to adopt more local food to its selections. The Resource Environmental Management Program and Ithaca College Environmental Society is working with Slow Food to get between 500 and 1,000 signatures to bring to Sodexo. During a teach-in and documentary screening to celebrate National Food Day on Monday, the petition was passed around and student signatures were collected. Dozens of participants at the meeting were treated to a selection of organic foods made by the students, including Kale, glutenfree brownies, chocolate chip cookies and hummus. Sophomore Julia Hall, the student executive board member in charge of public relations for Slow Food said complaints from students, who are customers of Sodexo, are capable of bringing about change. “Sodexo is a corporation,” she said. “Students don’t realize this, but we are their customers.”
City of Ithaca tightens funds in 2012 budget
Hall said the petition has received a favorable response from student petitioners. ICES co-president Margaret Keating said the petition asks for more local food in dining halls along with more choices for those with restricted diets. “We are demanding that Sodexo sources its food in the dining halls from within 250 miles of Ithaca,” she said. “There is so much agricultural activity in New York state, and only 10 percent of our food in the dining halls comes from within the state. We are also trying to push for more options for people with dietary restrictions like people who eat vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and kosher, so that there is more variety for them.” Ithaca Dining Services General Manager Jeff Scott said only 11 percent of dining hall food is local, but they are working to increase the percentage. “Purchasing and sourcing more locally is one of our objectives,” he said. “Our next goal is to take the 11 percent up to 15 percent.” Scott said dining services has expanded its menu options to cater to students with special diets. “We have tried to increase the amount of vegan and vegetarian
Senior Dylan O’Leary helps himself to organic, locally grown food served Monday in Williams Hall for National Food Day by IC Slow Food.
NOREYANA FERNANDO/the ithacan
choices,” he said. Scott said in addition to vegetarian and vegan options, they have strived to enhance glutenfree options as well. He said dining services added a gluten-free pantry to the Campus Center dining hall and this year they added the option for students to pre-order lunch entrees at the Terrace and Tower dining halls. Emily Shaw, co-president of Slow Food and ICES, said the groups managed to gather 200 signatures within two days.
Following a treat of healthy snacks, attendees at the meeting sat down to watch “Food Matters,” a documentary directed and produced by James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch, explores how diets have significant effects on health. Freshman Nadege Hoeper said it was the sight of a crowd and an interest in eating healthy that drew her to the event. “I am pretty interested in all this stuff, like eating naturally,” she said. “I don’t like all the antibiotics and whatnot they put in the meat.”
If the proposed 2012 budget for the City of Ithaca, one of the most restrictive in decades, is passed, residents will see an increase in property taxes and a decrease in some city services. The $61,531,953 budget includes a 3-percent decrease in spending across all city departments and local property tax increases that approach the state’s maxiDOTSON said mum levels. The bud- Ithaca will decrease the degree get contains a of city services. 24-percent increase in sewer and water rates. There are no layoffs in the budget, but there are 14.5 unfunded positions, which are positions set up in the employee roster even if there is no money in the budget for them. These include three firefighters, a deputy fire chief and two police officers. About 14 percent of the annual operating budget is paid debt service, or payments the city is making on its debt. Alderperson Jennifer Dotson, chair of the Common Council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee, said the city has a large mortgage to pay. “It’s got a lot of trimming around the edges, and there’s a lot less wiggle room,” she said. Dotson said the community will see a decrease in the degree of services such as garbage collection, building department inspections and police presence as a result of the budget cuts. The 2012 budget, compared with the $59,898,044 budget of 2011, contains a 4.02 percent property tax increase. In 2011, the city imposed a 3.37 percent property tax increase. This year’s budget’s increase is slightly below the 4.17-percent property tax cap — the maximum tax hike municipalities can impose in New York state. City Controller Steven Thayer said the city’s budget is a continuing problem — not just a one-year issue. He said the new city administration, which will assume office in January, will face difficult budgets ahead. Alderperson Svante Myrick, the Democratic candidate for mayor, said Mayor Carolyn Peterson’s actions regarding the budget were the “right approach.” “She’s come up with a balanced budget in difficult times,” Myrick said. If elected mayor, he said he will work to reduce personnel costs while avoiding layoffs. Janis Kelly, chair of the City of Ithaca’s Republican Committee and Republican candidate for mayor, said she does not agree with the no-layoff approach. “Of the core functions of city government, safety and public infrastructure are at the top of my list,” Kelly said. “Maintaining the number of people on the city payroll is not on my list.” Dotson said she doesn’t expect the budget to get better in 2013 and 2014, if anything, more significant cuts will need to be made.
n e ws
4 The It hacan
A&E center can make silver rating leed
from page 1
not as many systems that you can put into the A&E Center because there’s not as many rooms that need control of light and heating and cooling and all those types of equipment,” Couture said. The LEED certification point system is dependent on these spaces. Couture said until the building has been open for a full heating season and a full cooling cycle, energy costs will be unknown. In preparation for the A&E Center’s energy usage DARLING said the and other A&E tower is one of the most sustaincosts, the able features. college increased its annual budget, Couture said. “The college added a million to its overall operating budget to run the A&E Center,” Couture said. “That includes natural gas, electricity, staffing to run the building, all the cleaning supplies, all the maintenance supplies, setting aside money to do repair work.” He said up to half of that budget could be used for natural gas and electricity. Mark Darling, sustainability programs coordinator for the college, said his concern for building energy use is how people use it. “There’s automatic systems but people still need to be conscious of what they do,” Darling said. The LEED checklist created by Moody Nolan estimates a maximum of 69 possible points that the center could attain. That would achieve gold certification for the building. The center's achievement is undetermined until final certification paperwork is submitted next year. Perhaps the most recognizable aspect of the A&E Center’s architecture, a tall glass tower that is lit up at night, is also one of its most sustainable features and cost reducers because it uses natural air flow rather than forced air with uses energy. The tower’s contribution is significant, but it alone cannot fulfill airflow and circulation requirements, according to Moody Nolan’s checklist. Darling suggested that the only way to achieve a higher rating would be to invest more money in the project. The pool is a significant hindrance to a higher building sustainability rating, he said. Project design manager Troy Sherrard said the tower above the pool and the center’s entrance is more than utilitarian in its design — it is a symbol of the entire project’s green design. “The natural ventilation of the tower allows us to reduce our energy consumption significantly, so that was probably the largest sustainability gesture,” Sherrard said.
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Online forums promote local trading economy from page 1
local currency system in the country. To participate in the Ithaca Hour system, a volunteer would do a certain number of service hours and in exchange would receive Ithaca Hours, which the volunteer can then “spend” on other services, like gardening or painting. Every “hour” is worth $10. Ithaca Hours Board President Stephen Burke, said he hopes to change the way the system is used by creating an online banking resource for members to track their credit and exchange hours with other users. “Here’s money that’s available to earn doing stuff that you like,” he said. Time banking is another way for community members to barter services. Though users will not exchange physical currency, time bank members will build “credit” by clocking in at a certain number of service hours. To organize local exchanges, Alex Colket, creator of a new website called Swidjit, is developing a forum for Ithaca residents to offer goods and services, promote events and connect with a directory of local people, places and activities. The site, which launched in August, serves as a portal for small businesses, nonprofits, local government officials and residents, almost like Craigslist, but exclusively for the Ithaca community. Colket said he wants Swidjit to encourage people to realize what their neighbors and local businesses have to offer. “The Internet has shown itself in ample ways to connect and share with people around the world,” he said. “But somehow we don’t really have
a place where we connect and share with people in our towns and neighborhoods and dorms.” Colket said about 4,000 people in Tompkins County have visited the site. Though Swidjit is a work in progress, he said he hopes the updates will allow Ithaca to serve as a prototype for other communities in the future. In Ithaca, an online system to document this form of exchange is expected to be completed by the end of this year, Leslie Strebel, a board member of the Alternatives Federal Credit Union who is leading a group of more than 20 community members to develop and test the system, said. “Unlike traditional barter, if I do something for you, you don’t have to do something for me,” she said. “If I do something for you, I have a credit in the bank, and I can redeem that credit from any other member in the time bank.” Each hour is worth the same in the time bank, and users will have a larger variety of services to choose from if more members participate. S h i r a Golding is a co-founder of Share — shira golding Tompkins, a volunteer-run organization that helps community members share and trade goods in the county online. The group also organizes Community Swap Meets, events where people will exchange goods like homemade ceramics and art for locally grown vegetables or baked bread. Golding said several hundred people attended more than 20 of their events in the past two years. Now, she said, the organization's members hope to spread its ideas to more communities in the county. "We’re encouraging people in the
“It’s really going to be a measure of the tightness of community bonds.”
Michael Shuman, economist and author, speaks about stimulating the local economy Tuesday at the Community School of Music and Arts.
nicole ogrysko/the ithacan
community to see us as a resource and a place that helps promote, so that they can take the lead and host their own swap or free market in their backyard or a community space," she said. Strebel said time banking allows people who are underemployed or out of work to contribute to the economy. “It’s a very elegant way for people who don’t have a lot of cash on hand to access services that they need to feel valued and productive in society, when the economy may not be making them feel that way," she said. Strebel said these initiatives will replace the way people measure their quality of life as communities across
the nation begin to reconsider creative ways to be sustainable. “It’s really going to be a measure of the tightness of community bonds and how secure people feel about getting what they need and when they need it from their neighbor, so they don’t have to rely on multi-national corporations to meet needs,” she said. Golding said she hopes these initiatives will set an example for other struggling cities. “The more approaches we experiment with as a community, the more this sharing culture can survive, and hopefully it can continue to be a model for other communities.”
Student majority would support equalization policy from page 1
the initiative at the college is not complete. Senior Evan Nison, president of SSDP, said the process toward approval is bureaucratic and the there is no set time frame for implementation. "The route that it needs to take in order to pass is still a little unclear," Nison said. SSDP maintains that the consequences for both substances currently under the college's policy are imbalanced. Senior Ben Malakoff, public relations officer of SSDP, said the obvious disparity between the penalties for the two substances fosters the culture of alcohol use and stifles students from basing their decisions on health and social consequences. Malakoff said the initiative intends to debunk the common misconception that underage drinking is much safer and more acceptable than marijuana use. SSDP's initiative is similar to the Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation Campus Initiative, a national organization that educates the public on the relative harms of alcohol and marijuana by working with colleges to develop safe and rational policies for both substances. Mason Tvert, executive director of SAFER, said he supports SSDP's effort to enact its initiative. Tvert said he thinks the difference in the penalties for the two substances would influence students to drink because they do not want to suffer the strict penalties under school policy from using marijuana. "In many colleges we see students facing expulsion or suspension or eviction from their dorm for using marijuana, in some cases on just the first offense," he said. "With alcohol it's just
viewed by the university as a college student being a college student and they get a slap on the wrist and its not much of a problem." During SGA's discussion of the SSDP initiative, senior Leana Testani, class of 2012 senator, said the SSDP policy sends a bad message to students that smoking marijuana is acceptable. Testani declined to comment further after the meeting. Though SAFER actively informs students marijuana is a safer substance, Malakoff said this particular policy is not encouraging the use of marijuana, as opposed alcohol, among students. “We do believe that it is a safer substance, but this is purely aimed to changing how its handled
student stance
judicially in order to create a safer campus atmosphere," he said. Through an online survey of 200 students at the college, SSDP found that 90 percent perceived alcohol to be more harmful in the college environment and 81 percent believe the college's judicial system treats marijuana more severely. Nison said he hopes the policy is passed and implemented by next year. If passed, the policy will have a two-year trial period to assess the effectiveness of the program. "We have facts and science on our side," Nison said. "In terms of if this will ultimately have a positive effect on the student body at Ithaca College, it would be hard to argue against it."
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy polled 200 students about their opinions on equalizing marijuana penalties for marijuana and alcohol Would you support a proposal to equalize IC's judicial sanctions for underage alcohol and marijuana possession?
Which substance do you perceive to be more harmful in the college environment?
10% Marijuana
90% Alcohol
26% no 21% Alcohol
79% Marijuana Which substance do you think IC's judicial systems treats more severely?
74% YES
Source: Students for a sensible drug policy
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
N e ws
The I th a c a n 5
Cross-country trek to raise funds for orphans “These 25,000 uniforms will allow 25,000 children to have an education, and that’s For Cornell Ph.D. student Barrett Keene, huge,” he said. The sewing centers also employ locals in the inspiration to walk thousands of miles across the country came when he met a Haiti and provide them with a living wage and good working conditions. Haitian girl named Renice Keene said he became familiar with the while visiting Haiti in June. organization when his best friend Jake BarHer story moved him. reth became the director of operations for Fourteen-year-old Renice the project. was once a house slave in “Barrett has been looking for ways he can Port-au-Prince. At 12 years get involved in orphan care as well,” Barreth old, she was raped, forced to said. “So it was kind of a natural progression.” leave her home and left pregAfter visiting Barreth in Haiti last June and nant. Months later, in the KEENE meeting children like Renice, Keene said, he aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, she was found in the rubble, did not want to wait any longer to help. Keene originally planned to walk across about to give birth. Renice and her baby were rescued and the country to promote the cause with a brought to the Global Orphan Project, a min- friend, but due to an injury, his friend will not istry that helps house and care for children in be able to accompany him. There are only a handful of other people also participating, so some of the poorest areas of the world. After hearing about the organization's ef- Keene said he hopes to share his cause with forts, Keene was motivated to do his own part. others he might meet along the way. “There might be only one or two people, Starting Jan. 1, he will walk 3,488 miles from Miami to San Francisco to raise funds and and my only request is that I can share with them the work of the Global awareness for The GlobOrphan Project and GO al Orphan Project, which Threads,” he said. “And I spans 15 countries and want to hear about them. aids 1,200 orphans in I want to hear what their Haiti alone. story is.” He will also focus Adrien Lewis, commuon promoting one of — BARRETt KEENE nity director for The Global its initiatives called Orphan Project, said people GO Threads, which consists of four sewing centers that make involved in the project office were so inspired school uniforms to distribute to children by Keene that the founders and administrafrom impoverished families who wouldn't tors decided to walk with him on the first day in Miami. be allowed to attend school without them. “His passion and desire to do something like Keene will raise the money reaching out to different groups of people he meets along this goes back way before The Global Orphan the way in hopes of making corporate part- Project,” Lewis said. “This seed’s been planted ners that will donate enough money to fund deep, and it is just now being executed, so we’re school uniforms. Keene’s goal is to raise excited for him.” Keene will not only be serving the project, enough money to fund 25,000 uniforms, but will also conduct large-scale research along which cost about $20 each.
By Lauren Mazzo staff writer
“I love an adventure and a challenge that’s just a little too big.”
Haitian orphans in the Global Orphan Project pose for a photo Feb. 13, 2010. Cornell graduate student Barrett Keene will walk across the country to raise funds for the organization. courtesy of the global orphan project
the way as part of an assignment for his Cornell Ph.D program. Keene said his experience taking initiative in GO Threads adds significance to his research, which deals with how middle and high school teachers can be more effective leaders in their classrooms. His background goes far beyond his current research. Since he was 16, he has volunteered and taught leadership and character development to more than 290,000 people over the years, ranging from elementary school students to corporate leaders. Barreth said his long time friend tends to take on challenges others may find daunting. “Everyone that runs into Barrett is immediately inspired by him,” Barreth said. “And as far as doing something as crazy as walk-
ing cross-country, I can’t say that I’m terribly surprised by that.” But Keene said he does not think of himself as someone with the ability to motivate people, rather someone who understands something needs to be done and has the tools to fuel change. “How can we just continue to go through our day when we can, in small ways, have such a big impact?" he said. "I don’t even know how inspirational it is; it’s just something that we need to do." Keene said his dream of one day walking across the country began in high school, and he is excited to finally make his goal a reality. "I love an adventure and a challenge that’s just a little too big,” he said, “It’s both of those things.”
6 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Getting sales experience? Working for an award-winning paper? Getting paid?
Count me in.
The Ithacan is now hiring sales representatives.
Contact Sales Manager Marissa Smith at msmith17@ithaca.edu for more info.
N e ws
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 7
Advocate negotiates peace John Henry Gonzalez, co-founder of the Small-Scale Farmers’ Movement of Cajibio in Colombia, has been advocating for farmers’ rights since his organization’s founding in 1980. As part of the movement, Gonzalez took part in a debate with Álvaro Uribe Vélez, former president of Colombia in 2008, and led a 500,000-person march to the capital following the debate. Gonzalez will visit Ithaca College from 2 to 3 p.m. toGONZALEZ said morrow in Taughannock companies impact Falls Room to discuss the ap- small farms. proval of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and the ways his organization is mobilizing to prevent displacement and violence in Colombia. Assistant News Editor Elma Gonzalez spoke with Gonzalez about his concerns about the FTA and why he is reaching out to the college community. Elma Gonzalez: What are the goals of your organization? John Henry Gonzalez: It’s a farm worker organization that is concerned with advocating for the rights of farm workers and their associates. We developed a life plan that contemplates eight points, which are health, education, culture and identity, water and the environment, territory and authority, the political and organizational, the defense of life and human rights and infrastructure. EG: How does the Free Trade Agreement impact rural Colombian farmers? JHG: In Colombia we have around 2,000 different varieties of corn. These are seeds the farmers save after a harvest so they don’t have to buy them from corporations — they take it from their own harvest. With the FTA, companies like Monsanto that manage seed
patents would start to push their own seeds into Colombia. The conflict farm workers have had in other countries like Canada is that Monsanto has allowed for the different corn varieties to be lost and only allows for the patented seeds to prevail. EG: What brought you to the college? JHG: The plan is the creation of a brotherhood where the U.S. citizens who greet this proposal commit to make an impact in their government through their senators and community to advocate for the Colombian community. The community commits to make an impact in their government to protest the policies issued by the U.S. so that they have less negative effects in the communities in Colombia. So they go visit us, and we come visit them too. My visit corresponds to the moment when we initiate our brotherhood, share both of our realities and bond with the brothers of New York. EG: What do you hope students take away from your discussion at the college? JHG: The idea is that the people who attend my lecture will have an image of what is going on in Colombia and what we are doing to search for a worthy life. We are looking for people to become interested in these realities. We are hoping people will know a little more and help change the situation. We are going to hold a conference for peace, and we would like people from Ithaca to be able to attend the conference for peace in Colombia so that they are aware of the realities, so that they can help build and so that they can commit to peace and not war. This interview was conducted in Spanish and translated into English by Elma González. Webmaster Honest Charlie Bodkin contributed to this report.
To read more about Sex Fest online, visit theithacan.org.
A-peeling presentation
From left, freshmen Binta Freeman and Danielle Giammatteo compete using bananas and condoms at Sex Fest, sponsored by the Residence Hall Association, on Oct. 24 in IC Square. The event featured raffles and free items, all meant to encourage safe sex practices. KELSEY MARTIN/The Ithacan
8 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Everybody has issues... ...we have a new one every week
The Ithacan ...every Thursday
N e ws
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 9
College & City H&S school awards grants to fund academic projects
The School of Humanities and Sciences has funded 20 academic projects with awards totaling almost $14,000 for the Educational Grant Initiative this semester. In addition, the EGI Easy Access Funds for student conference attendance awarded almost $10,000 to more than 45 students to present original research or creative work at conferences in the coming semesters. The Educational Grant Initiative provides financial support to students for specific projects. Students and faculty within the School of Humanities and Sciences are eligible to apply for this funding to support travel, research funds and other independent projects. The EGI is funded by alumni, parents and campus community members. For more information about EGI, visit http://www.ithaca.edu/ hs/awards_and_honors/awardsgrants/edugrants.
Fulbright scholar to discuss education and global peace
Willibroad Dze-Ngwa, a Fulbright Scholar from Cameroon, will visit Ithaca College to discuss peace education and global citizenship at 8 p.m. today in the Taughannock Falls Meeting Room. The event, which is part of the International Scholarly Conversation Series, is sponsored by the International Club and the Honors Program. Dze-Ngwa’s talk, “Peace Education in Cameroon Schools and Colleges: A Blueprint for Global Citizenship and Global Peace” will
follow the presentation. Dze-Ngwa works as a lecturer and researcher of political history and international relations at the University of Yaoundé I and at the Higher Teacher Training College in Bambili, Cameroon. He lectures on history and geopolitics in the Department of Peace and Development Studies at the Protestant University of Central Africa.
New gerontology director to give lecture at institute
Rhoda Meador, new director of the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, will speak on “Reframing Aging: Older People as Community Assets” at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 in Emerson Suites. M e a d o r worked at Cornell University for 15 MEADOR years as the associate director of extension and outreach for the College of Human Ecology, also as the associate director of the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center prior to working at the college. A reception will follow the talk, which is free and open to the public.
NCAA ranks Ithaca College 57th in Division III US list
The National Collegiate Scouting Association ranked Ithaca College 57th among the nation’s 449 Division III institutions. The NCSA assesses academic and athletic standards of all NCAA athletic programs. In 2010 Ithaca
Public Safety Incident Log selected entries from Oct. 3 to oct. 9 October 3 CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Lower Quad SUMMARY: Caller reported a person threatened to harm themselves and had previously taken pills and cut themselves. Person taken into custody under mental hygiene law and transported to CMC via ambulance. Judicial referral for harming self. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke. FIRE ALARM ACTIVATION LOCATION: Terraces SUMMARY: Fire alarm activation caused by carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide levels detected and area ventilated. System reset. Fire Protection Specialist Mark Swanhart.
october 4 MEDICAL ASSIST/INJURY RELATED LOCATION: Friends Hall SUMMARY: Caller reported a person struck their head when trying to conduct a back flip off a table. Person transported to CMC by ambulance. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke.
october 5 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF LOCATION: Baker Bridge SUMMARY: Officer reported an unknown person damaged an emergency phone. Investigation pending. Patrol Officer Jay VanVolkinburg. OFF CAMPUS INCIDENT LOCATION: All Other SUMMARY: Ithaca Police Department reported three people were arrested for
various violations in the City of Ithaca on Sept. 23. Master Security Officer Amy Chilson.
october 7 MEDICAL ASSIST/INJURY RELATED LOCATION: Yavits Field SUMMARY: Caller reported a person possibly twisted an ankle while playing soccer. Person declined medical attention. Patrol Officer Dan Austic.
october 8 EXPOSURE OF PERSON LOCATION: Substation Road SUMMARY: Officer reported a person urinating in public. One person judicially referred for indecent conduct. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke.
OCTOBER 9 CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Emerson Hall SUMMARY: Caller reported a person is depressed and may be thinking of harming themselves. Evidence of self harm found. One person transported to CMC and judicially referred for danger to self. Patrol Officer Jay VanVolkinburg. For the complete safety log, go to www.theithacan.org/news
Key cmc – Cayuga Medical Center CCV – College Code Violation DWI – Driving while intoxicated V&T – Vehicle and Transportation
College ranked 86th. Ithaca College placed ahead of Messiah College but behind St. Lawrence University. Amherst College ranked first place overall. The system helps prospective student athletes and their families examine the strengths of different Division I, II and III colleges and universities around the nation. The college is part of the Empire 8 Conference and currently sponsors 13 women’s and 11 men’s varsity sports.
Professor receives award for military documentary
James Rada, associate professor in the department of journalism, was given an Accolade Award of Merit for his documentary “Deeds Not Words: The Buffalo Soldiers in World War II.” The film narrates the true story of one of RADA the last segregated army units and is told by the soldiers themselves. The documentary includes interviews with the director of the Army War College, the daughter of one of the white officers in the unit and the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell. The Accolade recognizes producers who show great achievement in craft and creativity. A special award is given annually to a filmmaker, television producer, videographer or new media creator who makes a contribution to social change.
{
}
this WEEK
SPJ Chapter of the Year awarded to IC students
The Society of Professional Journalists has awarded Ithaca College’s chapter with the Region 1 Chapter of the Year Award at the SPJ/Radio Television Digital News National Conference in September. Mead Loop, journalism professor at the college, was also recognized with the David L. Eshelman Outstanding Campus Advisor Award. Juniors Carly Gill, Maya Kachroo-Levine, Julianne Feller and Kera Schulze, SPJ executive board members, received the award at the conference. SPJ is a national journalism organization that promotes free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.
Ithaca College students receive advertising award
The Advertising Women of New York Scholarship Award has been given to seniors Diana Cui and Patricia Morin for their interest in the advertising industry and for maintaining strong academic records. The $2,000 scholarship is applied toward tuition expenses. A design by senior Denise Psyhogios was also chosen by AWNY to be used for the 55th annual Advertising Career Conference in November. AWNY was the first women’s association in the communications industry. It was founded in 1912. The organization consists of more than 1,500 women and men in the advertising, marketing, media, promotion and public relations fields.
Thursday
Jeffrey Cohen, chair of the Growth and Structure of Cities Program at Bryn Mawr College, will give the lecture “From the Street: Public Conversations with Private Architecture” at 3:30 p.m. in the Handwerker Gallery. Shabbat Services will begin at 6 p.m. in Muller Chapel. Shabbat Dinner will be held at 7 p.m. in Terrace Dining Hall.
Sunday Catholic Mass will begin at 1 and 9 p.m. in Muller Chapel
Monday “Representing Black Men” will feature the unveiling of a mural as part of the “Black Men” Series at 7 p.m. in Emerson Suites.
Wednesday “Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story” will be screened at 7 p.m. in Textor 103 as part of the “Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen” film series. Evensong, a Protestant community worship service, will begin at 9:30 p.m. in Muller Chapel. Mighty Yoga will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 106 West State St.
Opinion
1 0 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
editorials
The wall street repression The media has a responsibility to give Occupy Wall Street protesters a voice by accurately depicting multiple perspectives of the movement.
W
hile Ithacans have been spotted occupying Wall Street, many have recently spurred local action to bring focus to the movement’s main messages, which are clearly underrepresented in mainstream media coverage. In solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, members of the local community have congregated for General Assembly meetings to help shape the campaign. Ithaca College students held their own General Assembly last week to plan future actions. Many criticize the Occupy Wall Street movement for its range of demands, but these assembly meetings are helping the “99 percent” clarify its requests. By planning direct actions, activists are creating awareness about local issues that result from what they deem as “greed and corruption of the 1 percent.” Some argue that corruption can’t be erased. Oddly, the media uses the cynicism of the dissenters to the protest as a reflection of America’s “consensus.” The lack of diversity in their coverage reflects why many citizens feel they aren’t being heard. Owing loyalty to their readers and the public at large, media — locally, nationally and now globally as the movement spreads — have a responsibility to move beyond capturing just street action. News outlets should attend assembly meetings and speak to protest organizers. This will prevent media from using sound bites of fuming protesters to represent the movement, which only feeds the public’s distrust. With local meetings garnering more support each week, the movement is unlikely to stop anytime soon. Therefore, media should capture the diverse viewpoints as well as the dissenting comments to facilitate elevating public demands and provoking government and corporate responses.
culture gap
The college should implement an Asian-American studies minor to give students cultural experiences before developing plans for a China Center.
SNAP JUDGMENT Homeward bound What do you think about Obama’s plan to bring the U.S. troops home for the holidays? Watch more Snap Judgments at theithacan.org.
A
s Ithaca College plans for the future, it may want to reconsider drafting blueprints for centers around the world before cultivating a globalized consciousness right here on campus. It could start by addressing the demands of students and faculty for an Asian-American Studies minor. With this academic programming, the college would help bridge the cultural experiences of Asians in both the U.S. and overseas. Offering this cultural education would be the most beneficial means for the college to help strengthen U.S.-China relations. Once the college feels confident in its development of cultural awareness, it can then focus its attention on opening a satellite campus in China. As the economy becomes more globalized, the China Center will better prepare students for entering an increasingly competitive future. Those who have gained an international perspective both on and off campus will be more marketable for employers, especially those focused on international affairs. While opening a center in China would be beneficial for the college, it must not let global competition blind it from education at home. Without ethnic programming, the college risks prioritizing geographic expansion over cultural awareness.
“it’s a great opportunity for them. they’ve served our country proudly.” Michael Kallgren ’12 Music and voice
“terrorism doesn’t take a holiday, Honestly. Christmas is one thing, but we’ve got a war to fight.” Wyatt Cain ’12 Cinema and Photography
“it’s a lot easier said than done, and I don’t see a ton of action being taken by the government.” Margaret Moe ’13 Acting
“Maybe they’ll start pulling them out by the holidays, but I don’t think they’ll all be home.” Sara Flynn ’15 Cinema and Photography
comment online. Now you can be heard in print or on the Web.
Write a letter to the editor at ithacan@ ithaca.edu or leave a comment on commentaries and editorials at theithacan.org. Letters must be 250 words or less, emailed or dropped off by 5 p.m. Monday in Park 269.
The Ithacan Aaron edwards editor in chief whitney faber Managing editor megan devlin opinion Editor kelsey o’connor news Editor elma Gonzalez assistant news editor erica palumbo assistant news editor Patrick Duprey online editor kelsey fowler accent editor
“If they can do it, and do it in a way where the troops will come home and everything in the Middle East won’t fall apart, then that would be fantastic.” Olivia Burgher ’15 Television-Radio
269 Roy H. Park Hall, Ithaca College Ithaca, N.Y. 14850-7258 (607) 274-3208 | Fax (607) 274-1376
shea o’meara assistant accent editor kevin mccall Sports editor harlan green-taub assistant sports editor michelle boulé photo editor emily park assistant photo editor rachel orlow assistant photo editor carly gill online media editor marissa smith chief copy editor
ithacan@ithaca.edu www.theithacan.org
sara webb chief proofreader molly apfelroth design editor flora wang assistant design editor Marissa smith sales manager honest bodkin webmaster michael serino ithacan adviser The Ithacan is printed at: Our Press in Chenango Falls, N.Y.
Single Copies of the ithacan are available free of charge from authorized distribution points on the Ithaca College campus and in the ithaca community. Multiple copies and mail subscriptions are available from the office of The Ithacan. Please call for rates.
Opi n ion
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The Ith a c a n 1 1
Guest commentary
Community must speak against partner abuse
O
ctober marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness about this epidemic and renew our commitment to ending it. As a community, we must recognize the real danger of intimate partner violence and accept responsibility to prevent it from occurring. Though most people do not associate college relationships with domestic violence, this is a very relevant issue. Most students have at least one intimate partner throughout their college careers. During this time, more than one-fourth of all college women experience some form of intimate partner violence in these relationships. Cases like the 2010 University of Virginia patty tvaroha homicide of Yeardley Love underscore the reality of dating violence on college campuses. In fact, according to loveisrespect.org, women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of dating and domestic violence. This makes it more important for college students to become conscious and aware of what domestic violence actually is and know what steps they can take to end the violence. Despite these alarming statistics, domestic violence on college campuses frequently goes unreported. This is because college students who experience violence at the hands of their intimate partner often do not identify their experience as abuse. To reduce the instances of domestic violence in campus relationships, it is essential for students to be aware of common behaviors in a potentially abusive relationship. Early warning signs include extreme jealousy, excessive calling or texting, stalking, constant insults or ridicule, telling people what they can or can’t do, financial control, possessive or controlling behavior, making false accusations, pressuring
tj gunther
Apple upgrades may save stocks
F
Cady Fontana, who designed the new website logo for the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, speaks at the unveiling event Friday at the Ithaca Youth Bureau.
kevin campbell/the ithacan
a person for sex and keeping a partner from seeing or talking to family and friends. Dating and domestic violence are the leading causes of injury for women ages 15 to 44 in the United States. Ideally, intervention interrupts abuse before it occurs. It is imperative that the entire community become empowered and speak out against domestic violence. There are too many cases where a tragedy could have been circumvented if someone intervened before it was too late. The good news is every person can take steps to make a difference. Everyday actions can end domestic violence. Individuals can wear a purple ribbon, talk with someone about how domestic violence has impacted their lives, confront friends who make excuses for abusive behaviors, report instances of domestic violence and talk with everyone —
straight, gay, bisexual, married, single, teens, grandparents — about their relationships. However, individuals can also make a statement on a community level by changing their Facebook profile picture to a purple ribbon, donating time or money to support the Advocacy Center and local services for domestic violence victims, and researching the domestic violence or stalking policies at their school or workplace. For more ideas about how to become involved in the movement to end domestic violence, visit the Tompkins County Go Purple Facebook events page or call the Advocacy Center at 277-3203. patty tvaroha is the community educator for the Advocacy Center in Ithaca. Email her at ptvaroha@theadvocacycenter.org
Guest commentary
Reflection may help alleviate human dissatisfaction
E
ver had a moment of pure, perfect happiness? A moment in which nothing made you sad or dissatisfied — where you felt perfectly content and at peace with the world around you? For most of us, that state of pure happiness is always fleeting. As college students, in the midst of midterms and swamped by homework and adeesha Ekanayake deadlines, life can be really stressful. But learning how to let go is one approach to coping. Though the idea of detachment may seem daunting, meditation is one way to reduce our fear. The practice is becoming more popular among college students, especially here at Ithaca College. Many students regularly meditate with the college’s Buddhist community. To them, the sense of peace and detachment that meditation brings is worth the time commitment. But what would it take to feel this happy all the time? Can humans even aspire to that? These are some of the questions Siddhartha Gautama, the Indian prince who became the Buddha, sought to answer. Prince Siddhartha grew up in a world of luxury, but when traveling through his kingdom one day, he was deeply struck by the
tech bytes
Sophomore Adeesha Ekanayake participates in an opening chant, which recognizes the enlightenment of the Buddha, on Oct. 18 in Muller Chapel. Liuqing yang/The Ithacan
hardship and suffering lived by his people. In that moment, he decided to leave behind his lavish life to seek a way to escape this suffering, for himself and for his people. For many years, the prince sought his way to salvation. He studied under famous sages and ascetics of his time, such as Alara Kalama or Uddakarama Putta, who inspired and taught people all over ancient India. However, the prince later decided to seek his own path to salvation. At this moment, he began to examine the idea of suffering: what it is, what causes it, and how people could free themselves from
it. Eventually, he discovered the idea of attachment. The Buddha teaches all of us, when overcome by feelings of dissatisfaction, to pause for a moment. If we try to do this, the Buddha believed, we could trace dissatisfaction back to attachments people have to something. This something doesn’t have to be a material object. It can be an idea or even another person. The Buddha said that objects, regardless of their form, are never permanent. They change and, as they change, so does our attachment to them, which causes us to become dissatisfied.
Here in Ithaca, the weather had been sunny and crisp up until fall break. But now the rain is coming down, cold and hard. Not before long, the snow will fall. Those of us who enjoy warm weather will grow more dissatisfied because of our attachment to the summer season. Hence, the only sure way to be free from perpetual dissatisfaction is to learn how not to become too attached to things. The challenge then, is how a person can live a full, functional life without attachment. We humans define the world around us in terms of things and our attachment to them in order to help define who we are as people. The Buddha’s answer would be that humans should learn to enjoy and appreciate the world around them without clinging to things. He tells us to be like a hermit in a rose garden, which feels the urge to appreciate the roses, but not to carry them from the garden. I encourage everyone to take a moment to contemplate his or her attachments. While contemplating, people may realize how these attachments may lead to dissatisfaction, and eventually to pain. In the end, perhaps a moment’s contemplation is all it takes to find the path to enlightenment. adeesha ekanayake is a sophomore computer science major. Email him at aekanay1@ithaca.edu
All opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Ithacan. To write a guest commentary, contact Opinion Editor Megan Devlin at 274-3208.
or the first time in almost a decade, Apple fell short of analysts’ earning predictions last quarter. This is just the latest bruise in a bunch of bad Apple stories in the past few weeks. Apple’s lackluster numbers and the death of its CEO, Steve Jobs, have raised the question — and provoked action, as some investors sell off stock — of whether Apple can continue its tech dominance. Based on predictions coming out of Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., and its record-breaking history, Apple will strike back with the iPhone 4S for a blockbuster winter to end its negative streak. With Apple’s fiscal year ending in September, analysts predicted it would rake in $29.5 billion in revenue, but the company was $3 million shy of last quarter’s recordbreaking $28.5 billion. However, Apple did surpass its own prediction of $25 billion. Investors worry that Jobs’ death and a hardly redesigned iPhone could upset the company and sour its stocks this fall. But, Apple’s prediction for this coming quarter says something quite different. Apple has never made more than $30 billion in one quarter, but its hope to exceed $37 billion for next quarter would demolish its old reputation. Those are numbers of confidence coming from the company, and for good reason: it’s almost holiday season. With reports saying Apple sold more than 4 million units in its first weekend, the iPhone 4S is setting records. For those who were expecting a brand new design, the 4S was anticlimactic when Apple announced it only made minor improvements to the latest model. But with its beefed up processor and Siri, a new voice command technology, the device has led consumers to flock to wireless stores. Smartphone users on carriers outside of AT&T will finally be able to make the jump to Apple, which for the first time has released a brand new iPhone model to Sprint and Verizon as well. And with a fall release — instead of the traditional summer unveiling — Apple can expect to attract new customers with the iPhone 4S hot on the market in the lead-up to the holidays. As prices drop on older models, which even have the slick iOS 5 software installed, Apple will see its numbers shoot up during this quarter. With lower prices and a better product, Apple is a winner for the future. Apple’s predictions show that the company is moving forward, and moving fast. Though investors are cautious, Apple is going to make history with the powerhouse iPhone 4S on the smartphone market. And with a new pricing scheme that makes it easier for people to choose the iPhone, Apple isn’t going anywhere as the leading tech force. To count it out now is a mistake. tj gunther is a senior journalism major. Email him at tgunthe1@ithaca.edu
1 2 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Everyone wants to be liked... So does The Ithacan.
Find us on Facebook.
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
a ccen t
The I th a c a n 1 3
No day
but today
Student overcomes initial rejection to succeed in theater program
Xavier Reyes rehearses his role as the drag queen Angel on Oct. 5 for the Melodramatics Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “Rent.” Reyes, who hails from Puerto Rico, is a BFA acting major. Kevin Campbell/The Ithacan
By AAron Edwards Editor in Chief
Xavier Reyes doesn’t consider himself a particularly religious person. But on the day of his audition to the Ithaca College theater department in the spring of 2011, he appealed to a higher power. He needed strength that day. “Que se haga tú voluntad,” he whispered to himself. Let your will be done. He woke up at 4 a.m. without the prompt of any To see a video of alarm or obligatory morn- Reyes rehearsing ing ringtone. In five hours, for “Rent,” visit Reyes would enter an au- theithacan.org. dition that marked the culmination of months of practice, risk and struggle. A rushed sense of zeal surged through his veins. After stretching out of bed, he turned on some classical music and let it waft through his dimly lit dorm room. Less than five hours to go. He was getting a second shot at becoming a BFA acting major at the college after being rejected from the program the year before. He first auditioned for the theater department from his home in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, with a video that he sent off in February 2010. Despite his rejection from the program, he decided to come to the college and start off as an Integrated Marketing Communications major in the Park School of Communications, working constantly and training so that he could audition again, in person, in the spring. Time pushed forward. In his mind, the end goal lay in stolid wait amid the gray stone hallways of Dillingham Center, home to the theater department. The most important moment in his pre-professional life was just one monologue, two songs and, hopefully, an acceptance letter away. Unabashed, he left his dorm after dressing and refreshing. He walked to the nearby music school and into the basement where black upright pianos stood in empty practice rooms. He found a room for himself and started to warm up. Less than three hours to go. “I was very nervous,” he said. “This was
the day that would decide my future.” Reyes doesn’t like to sing for anyone without having warmed up — even for the slightest bit — well in advance. It’s a strong contrast to his normal sense of confidence and playful impulsivity. With a light, airy tone in his tenor voice, he enunciates words to a T and sings while extending his arms, a gesture of emotive expression. The day of his formal audition was perhaps the first time in his young adult life that the cheery, bright-eyed Reyes had no understanding of what would happen if things didn’t go the way he wanted them to. Home, for him, was too far away to fall back on. Born in San Juan to Orlando Reyes and Belia Morales, Reyes went to the Wesleyan Academy in Guaynabo, an American school on the island where he learned English as a second language from a young age. He’s fluent now, but at times speaks Spanish to say some things he cannot express in English. He remembers the beaches of his hometown, sand sifting between his toes as he would sit reading copies of American Theater magazine. “People think of Puerto Rico as being this paradise, which it is, but it’s also a normal place. It’s like, how can I say, the houses are made of concrete. It smells like nature,” he said. “Aire fresco, palmas, un ambiente de genuinidad y alegria.” Fresh air, palms and a genuine atmosphere and happiness. His first experience applying to schools in the United States was defined by Google searches and troughs of uncharted territory. His parents bought an anthology of American colleges for Reyes to look through in hopes of finding one that resonated. Reyes searched through cast bios of Broadway performers to find where the best of the best went to school. Desiring a more stable career for their son, Reyes’ parents didn’t know the first place to look for a college to cultivate their son’s talent and passion for the performing arts. He applied to several, including Carnegie Mellon University, New York University and Marymount Manhattan College. He was waitlisted at Carnegie and accepted to Marymount.
But Ithaca was his dream. He had only seen photos online, but craved the serene area and wanted to experience the atmosphere of the campus. He loved the professors and the structure of the theater program. “I felt the training here was what I was looking for,” he said. “I fell in love with the campus, and the town was separated from the mayhem of a place like New York City.” All his parents knew was that he needed to leave Puerto Rico to fulfill his dreams. “With the state of the economy, there is nothing in Puerto Rico,” his mother, Belia, said. “But he always said ‘Mami a mi me gusta el teatro.’” Mom, I like the theater. Reyes’ father, Orlando, would take his son to see plays when he was still in the equivalent of American grade school. One play in Puerto Rico, “De Belén al Calvario,” captivated Reyes when he saw it — the movement, the staging, the expression. From then on, Orlando said,
his son was set on being an actor. “For me it’s something extraordinary,” Orlando said. “I have tears in my eyes when I see him because he lives for that. Every part he is given, he lives it. I get very excited, even as I talk about it now.” During his time as a non-theater major, Reyes enrolled in classes to prepare himself for this next audition. He took an acting class, an introduction to ballet course and private vocal lessons alongside the communications courses he was obligated to take to maintain his guise as an IMC major. One day that fall semester, Reyes was being let out of his acting class in the basement of Dillingham. He leapt up from the floor of the acting studio, slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, adjusted it and stopped Judy Levvit, a theater arts professor, on the
See Reyes, page 17
Reyes practices one of his songs from “Rent.” He auditioned for the Ithaca College theater program last year, and after re-auditioning in the spring, was accepted into the program.
Kevin Campbell/The Ithacan
[ a cc e ntuate]
1 4 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Hot or Not This week’s hits and misses
Assistant Accent Editor Shea O’Meara rates the best and worst celebrity-inspired Halloween costumes to get people talking.
Hot
Joe Calderone While many of her “little monsters” will be dressed in classic Lady Gaga costumes like the tuxedo and skull mask seen in the music video for “Born This Way,” this Halloween more daring fans only need a quick trip to the men’s section of any department store. Joe Calderone, Gaga’s male alter ego, is one costume sure get conversation started. Both men and women can benefit from one of Gaga’s newest antics and keep fellow partiers on their toes with this easy-to-create, gender-bending costume. If anyone asks what inspired the non-traditional holiday attire, just say, “Baby, I was born this way.”
Lukewarm Michele Bachmann While Michele Bachmann may not have the star power Sarah Palin gained in the 2008 presidential election, she’s become a tea party darling and one of the most talked-about Republican party candidates. As the inspiration for a Halloween costume, Bachmann’s popularity and controversial platform will help strike up a conversation with almost any fellow partygoer. Even without campaign catch phrases like “You Betcha” that made Palin a top costume during the last election, a Halloween dressed as Bachmann promises to be a “grand old” time.
Multicultural moves
From left, sophomore Danielle Carrier and freshmen Katherine Gould and Katharine McShane perform in “Oh Happy Day,” a show featuring dances from Ghana on Oct. 17 in Ford Hall. The event was hosted by the African Drumming and Dance Ensemble.
kristina stockburger/the ithacan
wtf
International fashion company designs shoes with backbones
Does dressing as a human skeleton this Halloween seem boring? The stylists at Dsquared2, an international fashion merchandising company, may have created the shoe to change that. The company has released a line of women’s footwear that replaces the typical matching wedge with a heel that looks like a human bone. These skeletal stilettos bring an eerie elegance to any outfit, especially around Oct. 31. Though the human body is made up of 206 bones, adding a couple more through these creepy creations upgrades a simple skeleton costume to make a spine-chilling and stylish statement. — Allie Healy
Not
Charlie Sheen While Charlie Sheen may think he’s “#winning,” his status as a chat-worthy costume is a bit less hopeful. The “Two and a Half Men” star turned rogue actor has already been the topic of gossip for nearly one year. It would be difficult to top Sheen’s ploys for attention such as hiring a publicity intern and openly criticizing his former employer, CBS. A Sheen impersonator would most likely spend the night fending off jokes rather than dishing out entertainment himself. Sorry Sheen, you’re only half the costume you used to be.
video of
the
week
canadian improv prank group stages ninja ambush on street
In “Dare to Fight a Ninja?,” a crowd from Improv, an urban prank group in Toronto, secretly stakes out waiting for community members to take a foam sword placed in front of a single ninja with a sign that says “Fight Me.” Many brave passers-by grab the sword and fight the ambush of ninjas who jump out from behind bushes, trees and buildings throughout the Canadian city. Some take on the confrontation with delight, while others give up early in fear that they will spill their hot coffee. — Allie Healy
quoteunquote Being on the show has improved my life. Like, they took me to get new bras. — Rosie O’Donnell to People Magazine on her wardrobe for her new nightly talk show on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
celebrity SCOOPS! ‘Glee’ faces real-life drama Now in its third season, “Glee” is still riding high on Journey covers and jazz squares, but inside sources say the show’s supposedly tight-knit cast is threatened by actress Lea Michele’s diva demands. According to Star Magazine, Michele’s portrayal of Rachel Berry is no act, and her behavior has her cast-mates asking for the curtain to close on her demanding attitude. A recent shoot for this family drama turned into real-life turmoil when Michele, a strict vegan, refused to throw or be hit with meatballs during a scheduled food fight scene. Cast members were told to throw only veggies and pasta at her and were threatened with expulsion from the scene if they didn’t oblige. It looks like it’s not all song and dance on this set. — Benjii Maust
A CCEN T
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 1 5
Soulful indie-rock songwriter switches sound KF: You’ve collaborated with many people in the past, including Jason Mraz and Bright Eyes. Who would be your dream artist to work with?
Ditching heartbreak for hope, songwriter Rachael Yamagata, whose indie blues-rock music has been featured on TV shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” finds a new voice on her newIf You Go est album while keeping Rachael Yamagata her soul. When: 9 p.m. In her latest release, today Where: Delilah’s “Chesapeake,” Yamagata on Cayuga embraces a more conHow much: $15 fident attitude and lush sound. Yamagata will perform at 9 p.m. today at Delilah’s on Cayuga. Accent Editor Kelsey Fowler spoke with Yamagata about her new album, her songwriting style and upcoming tour.
RY: I just sang on some tracks for Rhett Miller who I love, he’s super talented, so that was really fun. I always have an ongoing list of people I’d love to collaborate with at some point. Elton John’s always been on that list, and Kanye West, who I think is amazing. I’m always up for something inspiring and new and different. KF: Are you excited for your upcoming tour? RY: Doing radio shows got me back in the swing of live performance, like, “Oh, I have an audience and I have to say something or sing something.” The road is always like a work vacation, extremely busy and exiting, and you’ll feel like you’re going to die on the third day, but it’s also the most fun. I’ll have to buy some Vitamin C first because I always get sick.
Kelsey Fowler: What was it like to transition from the heartbreak of “Elephants” to your flirty, fun album “Chesapeake”? Rachael Yamagata: I hit rock bottom. Part of “Elephants” for me was a big purging of sorrow and loneliness. My emotional state got completely stretched as far as it could go in the land of sorrow, and it started swinging back the other way. Certainly the freshness of being independent now, making this record the way we did and as quickly as we did helps. The only way to go is up, so we might as well have a blast doing it. It became all about the music again.
KF: Is there anything you absolutely have to do before you go on stage? RY: Last tour we did a circular hand like, pick a phrase, not as cheesy as “Go team.” It’s usually something like “watermelon” — something ridiculous. I also write out the set list. That’s my Zen moment. If I’m not nervous then I’m in trouble. I can usually tell within the first 60 seconds of a show which way it’s going to go.
KF: What was the process like for writing the upbeat song, “The Way it Seems to Go,” which sounds so different from your previous work? RY: The ballads will always be like my blood. Those come so naturally. “The Way it Seems to Go” I almost kept off the record several times. I wrote it almost as a writing exercise for myself, to see if I could write something with a lighter feel. Maybe this is a part of me that’s important to show that’s relevant musically, so that’s new territory for me. It makes sense; it’s time. My shows aren’t sad experiences, it’s just some of the music is a little wrenching.
Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata, master of the break-up song, released a lighter album, “Chesapeake,” on Oct. 11. She will play today at Delilah’s on Cayuga as part of her new tour. Courtesy of Laura Crosta
KF: “Chesapeake” includes strong strings to back up your lyrics. What do you like most about the instruments’ sound? RY: I love strings. I’m completely all about the cinematic nature of them — dramatizing whatever the lyric is. It definitely sets the
tone. Oli Kraus — he’s a cellist — played live as we were tracking and then went back to L.A. and did up all of these string sections. So that’s all him doing his arranging and recording. It sounds like string sections, but it’s actually just him layering cello parts and violins on it.
KF: Do songs get easier to write over time? RY: It gets lyrically harder, unless you like, strike the cord that gives you the perfect phrase, or sets the flood gates open. It’s always a challenge to say something in a new way, in a way that hasn’t been said before. Musically, it gets more fun, as I play longer and longer. I still have so much to learn as far as technical ability to play instruments, so that, I think, keeps growing in positive, fun way.
Johnson art museum soars with new wing By Lucy Walker Staff Writer
Caution tape, the buzz of machinery and dust in the air disguise the distinct contours and stark angles of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art’s newest installation — a just-finished 16,000-square-foot wing. The Johnson Museum at Cornell University opened its newest expansion to the public Oct. 15, which will be followed later this year with a renovation of the original building. The new wing contains a window-filled lobby, new storage space, a flexible lecture hall and galleries, including one especially for contemporary art. A Japanese garden sits right outside the lobby designed by Marc Peter Keane, a Cornell ’79 graduate. In the garden, a design of rocks runs along the wall, coming out of a basin of water and creating the illusion of running water. Nancy Green, curator of prints, drawings and photographs, said she appreciates the style of the addition. “Just the fact that it brings light into areas where there hasn’t been light before, it’s beautiful,” she said. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects designed the museum’s main structure. Pei’s original design called for an underground northern wing that would break through the gorges. But, it was never completed due to a lack of
funding after the stock market crash in 1973. “An important thing about the new wing is that it’s based on an original design that I. M. Pei had made,” Green said. “It’s not exactly what he originally designed but his firm is still very much involved, and they’re the ones who did the new wing. It makes it a very seamless marriage and looks like an extension.” The construction went well, besides the discovery of mercury underground that had to be removed. The museum did not close, and the parking situation remained the same, according to Andrew Weislogel, master teacher and associate curator at the museum. “That’s not without its toll on the staff,” he said. “It’s stressful to go through a renovation and still be working and trying to do everything you’re trying to do when someone is putting up wallboard, but we’ve come through it with flying colors.” Peter Gould, deputy director of the museum, said while the renovation was time-consuming, it was worth the efforts. “It’s taken longer than we thought, but it’s turned out really well,” he said. “A lot of museums when they expand, they overreach. It meets our needs, but at the same time, we were able to afford it so we still have the
Ellen Avril, chief curator of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum, shows off a portion of the new 16,000-square-foot art wing Oct. 7. The project began in July 2009, and the newly designed area was opened to the public Oct. 15. Shawn Steiner/The Ithacan
resources to take advantage of it.” The museum had only 9,000 works when it first opened, but now owns more than 35,000 pieces, ranging from Ancient Egyptian ceramics to art created this year, with a specialization in Asian art. Twenty-two million dollars from grants and private gifts enabled the expansion and upcoming renovation. The renovation will complement two already completed projects in the original building. The fifth floor Asian galleries reopened in April, completely gutted and redone. A new visible storage space replaced the old lecture room with pieces from every era in
the collection. IPod Touches available to visitors help them navigate the artwork on display in accessible storage in drawers below, similar to the computer station on the fifth floor with programs and games related to the Asian collections. Further renovations will include the addition of a photography lab later this year. Chief Curator Ellen Avril said these projects, especially the new space, will help the museum now and in the future. “It’s improving our programming spacing and how we can display collections in galleries,” Avril said. Gould said the work will greatly expand the visitor experience,
allow more in-museum teaching, and most importantly, help showcase the art. “We have spaces that are better suited to contemporary art,” he said. “Artists today are doing things with video, suspending things from the ceiling.” The addition will not only allow more pieces to be on display, but also showcase a major and often overlooked work of art at the Johnson — the architecture. “Seeing the new wing open is fantastic because it’s something that’s been in the mental works for such a long time,” Green said. “It’s changed the way all of us see the museum.”
1 6 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
Reyes
bouncing loosely on his head with the hop in his buoyant walk as he darted from a private voice lesson way out of class. He talked to her to a communications class. The day of his audition in the about a scene he performed earlier. He was looking for ways he could spring was no different, except he walked to Dillingham with no books do it better next time. “Just remember to relax,” she in hand — no black beanie. He instead donned a green Banana said. “Relax.” He left the room through the Republic sweater, black pants and double doors and started down shined black shoes, ready to perform. He stepped through the side the hallway, away from the acting studio. He was in no way relaxed. doors of the Hoerner Theatre, the At 5’7’’, he took quick, deliberate main theater in Dillingham, and saw steps that set him at the pace of a an auditorium full of unfamiliar faces. Prospective students from high taller basketball player. “I know I want to be an actor,” schools across the country buzzed with liveliness and apprehension. he said. “I will be an actor.” UpperclassHis brown men — some skin was a bit of them Reyes’ lighter from peers — ushthe cold, but he ered students held an almost down into the fervent look of debasement stutermination. His — Sophomore Kathryn Allison dios where Spanish accent comes through a little more when Lee Byron, chair of the thehe talks faster, and he was definitely ater department, and Susannah Berryman, associate professor of talking faster then. “I want to be an actor,” he said theater arts, listened to auditions again. “If I’m not going to get to from the hopefuls. Before he knew it, it was his turn. do it here, I’m going to learn to do He was brought to the cenit somewhere.” Sophomore musical theater ma- ter of a dancing studio lined with jor Kathryn Allison, one of Reyes’ mirrors on one wall and ceiling-toclosest friends at the college, knows floor windows on the other. Byron sat at the opposite end of the room. his determination firsthand. “If I could describe Xavier in Reyes sang “A Miracle Would one word, it’d be ‘driven,’” she said. Happen” from the musical “The “When I first met him, he said ‘I Last Five Years” for Byron and, in want to audition for the BFA pro- another room, performed a set of gram.’ Every time he was telling monologues, including one from me he was contacting this person “Equus,” for Berryman. “And then I was done,” he said. and this person and getting lessons Now, the wait. from here and there, I would think, A letter came to Reyes’ dorm a ‘Wow, this is one driven person.’” It would have been typical to few weeks later. He found it in a see Reyes rushing across cam- small stack of mail that his roompus from Dillingham, books in mate brought back. He took it, hand, his signature black beanie left his room and walked away to from page 13
“If I could describe Xavier in one word, it’d be ‘driven.’”
A ccen t open it. If he didn’t get in, he said, he didn’t want anyone to see the reaction. But if he did, he would be too ecstatic for most human beings to find even remotely appropriate. He opened the letter. In the fall of 2011, he would be a member of the 2015 freshman BFA acting class at Ithaca College. Cue latter reaction. “I have a future now,” he said. “It’s like seeing the light at the end of the cave that will lead you to follow your dreams. You feel so happy that there’s a purpose in your life.” When the theater department had its first meeting of the semester this year in the Hoerner Theatre, Reyes, along with the rest of the freshman class of theater students, introduced themselves to the entire department. Many knew of his journey to becoming an acting major and before Reyes finished saying his last name, almost the entire department was on its feet applauding. He had finally made it. Now Reyes has four years of intensive theater training ahead of him. He’s already been cast as Angel, a drag queen suffering from AIDS, in the Melodramatics Theater Company production of “Rent,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera by Jonathan Larson about artists struggling to live in New York City amid the upsurge of the virus. “I encourage people to fight for what you want,” Reyes said. “People would look at me and say ‘This kid from Puerto Rico, what is he doing here?’ People would hear me speak and ask ‘Oh, you’re a BFA?’ And I’d say ‘Yes, I am. I may not have perfect English, but I am.’ No one has the capacity to dictate your future but you.” Cornell senior Tim Dyster, who is directing “Rent,” said Reyes
The I th a c a n 1 7
brings a fresh perspective and energy to the production. When Reyes auditioned for the role, Dyster said he knew he was the best choice. “Everything we were looking for we got from him on his first round of auditions,” Dyster said. “He was confident. He had a voice
like an angel. We all had the same reaction: Our actor who would play Angel had been dropped from heaven.” Some interviews for this piece were conducted in Spanish and translated by Assistant News Editor Elma Gonzalez.
Xavier Reyes dances with sophomore Katie Drinkard in his ballet class Oct. 8. Reyes came from Puerto Rico to study theater at the college.
Rachel Orlow/The Ithacan
Remember that time ...
... Ithaca College crowned its own royalty Covering the quirky side of campus. Accent.
A ccen t
1 8 The It hacan
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Epic game offers graphic end to series
thursday
by robert rivera staff writer
In the final installment of the popular “Gears of War” series, video game development company Epic Games improves its already popular franchise by creating revamped weapon mechanics, clean-cut graphics and maintaining the always interesting, albeit cheesy, dialogue between Marcus Fenix, a soldier of the Coalition of Ordered “Gears of Governments, and his plaWar 3” Epic Games, Inc. toon as they try to save Our rating: what is left of planet Sera, a HHHH space colony of Earth. The game’s storyline follows Fenix and his Gears, who have been fighting the reptilian swarm collectively known as the Locust Hordes with little success for more than a decade when the final game takes place. Upon the discovery of a civil war in the Locust Hordes, Fenix and his team attempt to end the conflict on Sera, even if that means creating an unexpected alliance with their former enemies to do it. The game is designed for new and returning fans alike. There is a quick two-minute video overview of the previous two installments at the beginning of the game to help get newer players up to speed. Newbies are likely to become fully immersed in all the games’ jargon and character details, such as the back story of the Locust Hordes, Marcus’ tumultuous childhood and the technical beauty of a lancer gun and its gory capabilities. For longtime fans of the series, the third installment offers revamped graphics, a new style of play and a more developed multiplayer mode. Like its predecessors, the story mode in “Gears of War 3” can be repetitive and clichéd, as most of the dialogue and events of the game are painstakingly simplified. The Diggers, a group of Locust enemies, scream “dig” upon every attack, which makes the otherwise dynamic fight sequences fall flat. This excessive background noise distracts from the actual gameplay. The lackluster storyline and narrative pale in comparison to the dynamic graphics created for the new game. In the final
IC Comedy will feature a collection of student stand-up comedians and improvisation games like those seen on the TV series “Whose Line is it Anyway.” The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in IC Square.
Game Review
friday
JimkataWEEN Weekend, a Halloween dance party featuring local electro-rock band Jimkata, begins at 9 p.m. at The Haunt. Admission is $12 at the door and $10 in advance.
saturday
The Pride Party, an LGBT
Marcus Fenix and his fellow Gears soldiers return to battle the Locust Hordes and save the planet Sera, a space colony of Earth, in the final installment of the “Gears of War” series by Epic Games.
courtesy of epic games
installment, Sera has finally fallen — a destruction that has been three games and five years in the making. “Gears of War” developers create innovative, dark twisted graphics to portray a landscape left desolate by fighting among the Locust Hordes groups. Players are still able to graze walls and use them as cover, but now these walls are filled with bullet holes and surrounded by rubble, marking the annihilation of Sera’s landscape. For the first time in the series, Epic Games offers a beast mode that allows gameplay from the Locusts’ point of view. Gamers can fight waves of human enemies and master the bestial nature of the various Locust species. However, Epic Games neglected to include a tutorial for the new mode in the game, which makes learning to play in it difficult at first. While this may be frustrating, the mode is
worth the effort as it provides the opportunity to experience the game from an entirely different perspective and fight Fenix and his team rather than control them. Epic Games has made multiplayer mode more accessible in the final installment by doing away with the unfair advantage hosts received in the previous games. Now all players are encouraged to experience the game in multiplayer mode because they will not have to struggle against the hosts’ added strength that previously prevented them from having a fair chance at beating the game’s leader. As Epic Games puts the breaks on the “Gears of War” series with it’s third installment, both gamers familiar with the story and players new to the battle for control of Sera are likely to declare “Gears of War 3” a visually appealing victory.
staff Writer
For French electro mastermind Anthony Gonzalez, music has always been about how intense it can get, not how loud. Under the moniker M83, Gonzalez has produced a series M83 of lavish and ex“Hurry Up, pansive electronic We’re tracks within five Dreaming” albums, and on Mute Records his sixth release, Our rating: M83, he reaches HHHH the pinnacle of his lengthy career. The name alone, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” is an immediate indicator of what Gonzalez achieves with this double disc LP.
Album Review
by David Osborne contributing writer
On the album, Gonzalez looks to drag listeners out of the meaningless repetition of the day-to-day to reach for something more. The saxophone solo, a rarity in modern music, still has a place in Gonzalez’ work. On the lead single, “Midnight City,” he lays down waves of synthesizer lines that slingshot the song forward. Toward the end, a magnificent saxophone takes over and kicks in the afterburners. On previous albums, Gonzalez relied heavily on guest vocals for his music. One of the most featured artists was vocalist Morgan Kibby, who lent her talents to M83’s last album, “Saturdays = Youth.” This new release represents a departure from that practice as Gonzalez howls and wails over his beautiful
Song of the Week “Forget It”
dance party, will feature a costume contest in three categories: best drag attire, best overall costume and best duo or group costume. The party begins at 9:30 p.m. at Delilah’s Lounge. Admission is $5.
Spit That!’s Spooky Open Mic, an open mic night for spoken word artists looking to perform spooky stories and poems, begins at 7 p.m. in Clark Lounge. Admission is free.
sunday
Star Slinger, a hip-hop music producer also known as Darren Williams, will perform in Emerson Suites. Doors open at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10 for students and $12 for the general public.
Band unveils dark release
French electronic singer produces dreamy sound by jared dionne
hot dates
Three years after the release of its last album in 2008, La Dispute returns with a newfound posthardcore sound. While lead singer Jordan Dreyer’s shout La Dispute singing and “Wildlife” heartfelt lyrics No Sleep Records are still presOur rating: ent, “Wildlife” HHH1/2 strays away from Dreyer’s internal conflicts featured in past releases and instead addresses the negative aspects of life around him. “Wildlife” kicks off with “A Departure,” a rhythmic song that starts out with the low drone of guitar picking but slowly moves into a more post-hardcore sound while Dreyer belts out emotionally stirring lyrics: “I used to never
Album Review
Courtesy of Mute Records
tapestry of sounds. The album reaches epic new heights with glorious track “Steve McQueen.” Crashing cymbals, cascading synthesizers, thundering drums and Gonzalez’s vocals meld together to create an absolutely dazzling auditory experience worthy of a laser show. “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” is more than a musical composition, it’s an idea — the idea of breaking away and living life.
think of death or hear voices/ I used to feel like everything was perfectly in order.” La Dispute shows off effective artistic timing by saving these lyrics until the beat quickens and Dreyer belts out the final vocals. With its new album, the band hurls listeners out of their normal everyday lives and into the chaotic, dark, wild life that often goes unnoticed.
Courtesy of no sleep records
quickies
“Blood Orange”
“Ashes & Fire”
Ryan Adams Capitol Records
“Fastlife”
Blood Orange’s track features a driving guitar riff and sparkling accents that make foot tapping a likely side effect of listening to this upbeat jam.
Ryan Adams’ newest release, “Ashes & Fire,” is a collection of thoughtful tracks that feature a melancholy tone and prove the former genre-bending artist has found a more stable sound.
On his first solo album, Joe Jonas trades in the boy band sound that made the Jonas Brothers famous to develop a bad boy image with dubstep beats, a guest appearance by Lil Wayne and explicit lyrics.
Coastal Grooves Domino Records
Scan This qr Code with a smartphone to learn more aboUT Music blogger Jared Dionne’s pick for the song of the week
courtesy of Capitol Records
Joe Jonas Hollywood Records
courtesy oF Hollywood Records
Read the full reviews online at www.theithacan.org
A ccen t
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 1 9
Film remake could learn a ‘Thing’ or two [ Unrealistic computer animation fails to revitalize classic storyline bY james hasson
ticket stub
]
valid friday through thursday
cinemapolis The Commons 277–6115
staff writer
In his new release, director Matthijs van Heijningen attempts to transform John Carpenter’s 1982 psychological terror film, “The Thing,” into a modern thriller, but only manages to create a sometimes-amusing, predictable monster flick. After a Norwegian research team discovers an alien ship buried deep beneath the ice in “The Thing” Antarctica, Dr. Universal Sander Halvorson Pictures (Ulrich Thomsen) Our rating: recruits graduate HH1/2 student and paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to study the body of the spaceship’s frozen pilot. When they bring the alien back to their base, it escapes in a bloody rampage and threatens the lives of the entire team. “The Thing” is van Heijningen’s first full-length movie and his first project with writer Eric Heisserer, who previously worked on the film “Final Destination 5.” The pair sporadically succeeds in creating the effectively eerie tone and cinematic atmosphere of the 1982 film, but only because it borrows so much from Carpenter’s work — some of the shots even seem to have been lifted from the original. This dedication toward the original prevents the film from bringing enough new elements to fully warrant the remake. The smoother, faster CGI movements create more lifelike motion and sudden mutations of the Thing compared to the original film. The CGI makes for more entertaining
drive HHH 7:15 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. and Weekends 2:15 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. mozart’s sister 7:05 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. and Weekends 2:05 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. higher ground 7:20 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Weekends 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Film Review
love crime 9:10 p.m. and Weekends 4:10 p.m. the help 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Weekends 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
An unidentified alien creature buried under layers of ice in Antarctica is unleashed by a Norwegian scientific research team in the horror film “The Thing,” a remake of director John Carpenter’s 1982 movie of the same name. Courtesy of Universal pictures
action sequences and frantic monster attacks. A tentacle-lined, toothy maw sprouts from a human torso and chases people around the base in one scene. As a whole, the digital visuals of the monster in this version are fascinating and bizarre but too clean when compared to the buckets of blood and ooze and eerie props that gave horrifying life to the monster in 1982. The lack of this gore-splattering detail easily reveals the CGI nature of the monster and serves as a overly simplified and computerized substitute to the well-crafted, stomach-churning inventiveness of the Carpenter film. Heijningen and Heisserer create tension and fear with what remains
hidden instead of what can be seen. Though the alien reveals its terrifying polymorphic nature many times in the beginning of the film with violent attacks, it spends most of its time camouflaged as one or more humans. As the Thing invades their research center, the humans grow paranoid and threaten to kill each other. Like the characters, the audience may be on edge not knowing for sure who is human and who is an alien in disguise while they wait for the dreaded Thing to reveal itself. This makes the film exciting as it effectively depicts fear and irrationality pushing the characters toward the edge of lethal action.
Lackluster script fails classic story
Though this terror can be powerful, it’s not blended through the film. Instead, the tension is sandwiched between less stimulating action sequences that use unrealistic-looking flamethrowers and disembodied human arms growing insect legs and attacking characters. Though Heijningen and Heisserer manage to create a few terrifying scenes, overall they transform the classic sci-fi terror into little more than an adequate, campy monster mash. “The Thing” was directed by Matthijs van Heijningen and written by Eric Heisserer and John Campbell.
Third installment creates timely fear By allie healy staff writer
By Ian Carsia staff writer
Director Paul Anderson’s recent adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Three Musketeers” features clichéd writing and recycled visuals that fail to recreate the adventurous feel of the classic story. The young and brash D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman) arrives in Paris determined to become a Musketeer, but finds “The Three the legendary heroes disilluMusketeers” sioned after a failed mission Summit the year before. Meanwhile, Entertainment the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu Our rating: H (Christoph Waltz) conspires against the adolescent King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) for control of France, revitalizing the need for the sword-wielding heroes. Anderson emulates the appealing visuals of films like the 2009 action drama “Sherlock Holmes” in his loose re-imagining of Dumas’ novel. He also draws from the Wachowski Brothers and Zack Snyder, nearly copying entire visual sequences from “The Matrix” and “300” with over-the-top, computerized action sequences. This lack of a new creative touch makes the story — adapted many times before — feel even more like old territory. But Andrew Davies and Alex Litvak’s script is the source of most of the film’s many shortcomings. The majority of the narrative focuses on Richelieu setting his plan into place. D’Artagnan and the Musketeers are underdeveloped secondary characters in a story that works better when focused on their triumph. As Anderson spends such little time showing who the protagonists are and why the audience should care about them, the elaborate action sequences have no tension and elicit little excitement. The dialogue is often confusing and fails to show
the characters as individual people with developed personalities as they directly tell each other how they feel at a given moment rather than express their emotions through their actions. Even with an intriguing cast of experienced actors that includes Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham and “Pride and Prejudice’s” Matthew Macfayden, the script leaves something to be desired as the actors recite cheesy one-liners that do not lend themselves to a meaningful performance. Overall, Anderson’s “The Three Musketeers” is a detached and boring spectacle that can’t be saved by even some of the most well-known heroes of classic literature.
The newly released part of the “Paranormal Activity” series is just in time to give horror fans an eerie Halloween treat. The third installment arrives with more thrills and chills than ever as Toby, the invisible demon featured in the past films, returns to haunt Kristi Featherstone (Jessica “Paranormal Tyler Brown) and her famiActivity 3” ly in this prequel to the first Paramount two movies. Pictures Henry Joost and Ariel Our rating: Schulman, directors from HHH1/2 the 2010 film “Catfish,” use innovative camera tricks and faster pacing to keep the old storyline fresh. Shots created to look like they were filmed using the makeshift tripod Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith) builds using a fan heighten the suspense by introducing a “now you see it, now you don’t” element that is new to the series. Set in 1988, “Paranormal Activity 3” reveals how Toby first cozies up to his adoptive family through a secret connection that is not completely understood. This insight into the familiar demon provides even more intrigue for “Paranormal Activity” fans and answers lingering questions about his presence that are created by the earlier films. Released almost a year to the day of the last installment, “Paranormal Activity 3” is a spooky film that may leave its viewers sleeping with the lights on.
“The Three Musketeers” was directed by Paul Anderson and written by Andrew Davies and Alex Litvak.
“Paranormal Activity 3” was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and written by Christopher Landon and Oren Peli.
Film Review
Film Review
Athos (Matthew Macfayden) must help save France from attack in “The Three Musketeers.” Courtesy oF Summit Entertainment
midnight in paris 7:10 p.m. and Weekends 2:10 p.m.
regal stadium 14 Pyramid Mall 266-7960
in time 2:10 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., 10:40 p.m. puss in boots 1:10 p.m., 2:20 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:50 p.m., 6 p.m., 7:10 p.m., 9:30 p.m. puss in boots 3-d 12:40 p.m., 1:50 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 9 p.m., 10:10 p.m. the rum diary 1 p.m., 3:50 p.m., 6:50 p.m., 9:50 p.m. johnny english reborn 1 p.m., 5:10 p.m., 7:35 p.m. paranormal activity 3 HHH1/2 12:55 p.m., 3:10 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:35 p.m., 8:10 p.m., 9:20 p.m., 10:30 p.m. the three musketeers H 3:20 p.m., 8:50 p.m. the three musketeers 3-d 12:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m. footloose 1:30 p.m., 4:20 p.m., 7:50 p.m., 10:20 p.m. the thing HH1/2 10:05 p.m. the ides of march HHH1/2 2 p.m., 4:40 p.m., 7:50 p.m., 10:20 p.m. real steel H1/2 12:50 p.m., 3:40 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 9:40 p.m. 50/50 HHH 1:40 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:20 p.m., 10 p.m. moneyball HHH1/2 9:10 p.m.
cornell cinema 104 Willard Straight Hall 255-3522
For more information, visit http://cinema.cornell.edu.
our ratings Excellent HHHH Good HHH Fair HH Poor H
2 0 The It hacan
for rent 2012-13 Three bedroom downtown 502 West Court St. off street parking large bedrooms, non coin operated washer and dryer, dish washer, hard wood floors,
C l a ss i f i ed 2012-13 3 Bedroom Downtown, 103E Spencer St., off st. parking, hardwood floors,
212 Hudson St 3 BR, 210 Hudson St 5 BR, 201 Hudson St 6 BR. All with large rooms, laundry, furnished and parking call 339-1137
washer+dryer, yard, grill, internet available,furnished, “we love pets,”close to the Commons, dish washer, $520 per person, includes
carpeting, “we love pets” close to
heat+cooking gas available.
the Commons, public transportation,
8/1/12 call 607-279-3090 e-mail
across from Washington Park $410
livingspaces1@msn.com, pictures
for each person, plus utilities,
at ithacarent.net
available June, July, or August, 2012 call 607-279-3090 or e-mail
2012-13 4 or 5 Bedroom
livingspaces1@msn.com
House, 201W KING RD., parking,
Close to IC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5+6 bedroom apartments and houses. Furnished with off-street parking. For appointment call 607-592-0150 Location Location Location 215-17 Prospect St. 6 person house 315-17 Hillview Pl. 4 person house 319 Hillview Pl. - 5 person house Available Aug. 1st 2012 Call 2735370
large yard, dryer, dish washer, 2 Beautiful large 3-4 bedroom apartment available. Walking distance to Commons. Recently remodeled kitchen, bathroom and flooring. On-site laundry and parking
bathrooms, carpeted, hardwood floors, dumpster, close to IC, furnished, internet available, “we love pets,”available 8/1/12 $495
available. Rent $1500-$2000,
per person + utilities, call 607-279-
including heat, water, hot water,
3090 e-mail livingspaces1@msn.
sewage and snow plowing. Contact
com pictures on ithacarent.net
ck236@cornell.edu for appointment (MUST HAVE 24 hrs notice).
Large 3 or 6 bedroom apt close to campus - South
2012-13 Studio 209 Giles St. overlooking six mile creek furnished or unfurnished, carpeted, includes heat and electric washer + dryer 24 hr. on-street parking, close to IC + Commons + public transportation, internet available,“we love pets” $695 per month available July or
Aurora St. furnished, washer + dryer, dishwasher call Cheryl 6072723389 2012-2013 4, 5, 6 Bedroom house big rooms with parking available washer dryer on 214 Prospect, 126
August 1, 2011 call 607-279-3090
Hudson, 401 Green St. Call after
or e-mail livingspaces1@msn.com
2 pm 272-5210
205 Prospect St. 3 Bedroom, 11/2 Bath, fully furnished, free parking, fresh paint and laundry. Call 339-8167 John Mavros 12-13 311 Pleasant St. Nice house 1-3-4 Bedroom fully furnished w/ washer + dryer on premises for info call 607 3395112 or 607 5921840 12-13 Great house 613 Hudson St. 8 Bedrooms fully furnished washer+dryer on premises three living rooms 4 bathroom free parking for more info call 607 3395112 or 607 5921840 2012-1013 Great houses/apts we have places with 1 up to 13 Brs furnished, laundry, free parking reasonable rent, professionally managed by working landlords. See http://ithaca-apts.com Call Tom at 607-227-3153
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
918 Danby Rd. 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 baths, furnished fireplace, lake view, off-street parking, walk to campus. For showing call 273-9300 or 227-1076. View online IthacaEstatesReality.com Ithaca Solar Townhouses, 4 or 8 bedroom, furnished, 2 baths, fireplace, off-street parking right next to campus. For showing call 273-9300 or 227-1076. View online: IthacaEstatesRealty.com Houses for rent less than 1 mile off Campus Available August 1 2012. Call 607-279-6052
Seeking individuals to work as Secretary/Bookkeeping/ Accounts/Mail dispatcher/PayRoll Specialist Clerk,Typist and sale rep. qualification,verbal/written comm skills, extremely organized. Interested candidate should contact wardromanx@hotmail.com
Check our status.
Fully furnished Ithaca College student houses. Located on Kendall Ave. and Pennsylvania Ave. Call 607-273-9221. 1BR and 3BR furnished houses and apartments 2012-13’ Some with utilities included, all have free maintenance and parking, very clean. Near entrances of Campus & Commons. On busline. For appointment call Travis 607-220-8779.
Employment We are seeking part-time workers for the post of BOOKKEEPER, PAYROLL/PAY RECEIVER. Applicants must be computer literate with access to the Internet, Contact korey001@gmail.com
Friend us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Find us on Flickr.
place your classified in the ithacan. Submit in any of the following categories: For Rent For Sale Sublet Services Lost & Found Personals Employment Notices Wanted Ride Board
Classifieds must be submitted by 5 p.m. the Monday preceding publication. Rates: $4 up to four lines $1 each additional line $1 for bold or caps line Breaking news Daily stories Game stories Multimedia Student blogs ...
... It’s all online.
theithacan.org The Ithacan.
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 2 1
Your Thursday is not complete without
The Ithacan.
2 2 The It hacan
Divers ion s
dormin’ norman
By Jonathan Schuta ’14
Pearls Before Swine®
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
sudoku
By Stephan Pastis
answers to last week’s sudoku
crossword ACROSS 1 Business VIP 4 Creole veggie 8 Truck stop sight 12 Game official 13 Takes vows 14 Osiris’ sister 15 Save for 16 Natural drives 18 Sampan dwellers 20 Java alternative 21 EPA fuel concern 22 Simpson and Kudrow 26 Escape hatch 28 Ski equipment 31 Ms. Thurman 32 Lawyer’s thing 33 Cheap wheels
By United Media
34 “Shiny Happy People” band 35 CD earnings 36 Struck silent 37 RN assistants 38 Brash 40 E-mail provider 41 Kiwi’s extinct cousin 43 Debates 46 Get lost 50 — vous plait 51 Obi-Wan player 52 Back muscles 53 Previously 54 Large nose 55 Chop — 56 Embroider
DOWN 1 Caribbean republic 2 Green-egg layers 3 Hopeful souls 4 In debt 5 Knows, to Burns 6 Hwys. 7 “The Thin Man” pooch 8 Egyptian peninsula 9 PC button 10 Cal Tech rival 11 NASA destination 17 Laid off 19 Well-chosen 23 Excess amounts 24 Pious assent 25 Rayburn and Levene 26 Golden Apple tosser
27 Warrior princess 28 Sound of a punch, in a comic book 29 Unfold, in verse 30 Went first 33 Town official 37 Hearth need 39 Painter’s garb 40 — -craftsy 42 Has a cough 43 Gambling stake 44 Patrick’s domain 45 Large number 46 Smidgen 47 Henri’s island 48 Most of the earth 49 Perfume label word
answers to last week’s crossword
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
sp orts
The I th a c a n 2 3
Fighting for their spot College’s sport clubs persevere to play despite minimal field space and funding
From left, seniors Ally Oleynik of the club field hockey team, John Morton of the men’s club soccer team and Dallas Koller of the men’s club rugby team practice Monday at Higgins Stadium.
Photo Illustration by rachel orlow
economically exclusive. “The lack of funding is causing sports As a competitive sport club at the college, like hockey to charge over $1,000 to particithe men’s club rugby team overcame lack of pate,” she said. “I worry that our mission of field space and minimal funding to earn the what club sports is falls apart when the only right to compete and finish among the top four people who can participate are the ones who can pay.” in Division III last season. The fees charged to participate in sport Like many of the 30 sport clubs on the college’s campus, the men’s rugby team has to clubs are put toward equipment and use of facilities that are fight to earn the right to off campus. compete. It was forced The Office to practice on a hilly field of Intercolleat Danby Elementary giate Athletics School rather than use and Recreational the fields on campus. Sports houses 1,115 Ithaca College —Men’s club rugby head coach Annmarie farrell club and varsity students participated in sports under the a sport club during the 2010-11 academic year, yet these clubs received same roof, as opposed to other local institutions less than 1.5 percent of the portion of the school’s such as Cornell University and SUNY- Cortland, where the two are separate. budget set aside for collegiate athletics. The 2011-12 budget at the college desigVolunteer men’s club rugby Head Coach Annemarie Farrell said the countless benefits nated $4,097,506 to athletics, which includes a sport club can provide to its officers and varsity and recreational sports. Approximately members are limited when the clubs become $55,000 of that money was designated to club
By brad kolodner staff writer
“Our mission of what club sports is falls apart when the only people who can participate are the ones who can pay.”
From left, Ithaca College freshman Liam Eldred runs upfield as SUNY-Buffalo senior Josh Kenney defends Bomber junior captain Jon Mullen during a game Oct. 15 on Lower Allen Field.
dan states/the ithacan
sports for the 2011-12 fiscal year, an amount that has stayed the same for the past 16 years. The new Athletics and Events Center provides some space for dozens of sport clubs who require the use of field space to practice. Higgins Stadium has hosted games for club sports, such as men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer. The 25 varsity sports teams on campus, however, always take priority over club sports for use of the field. But despite being in the minority, officers of sport clubs find ways to make ends meet. Senior Ally Oleynik, president of the club field hockey team, said she enjoys the responsibilities of being a sport club officer despite the workload. “I didn’t realize how much was involved,” she Sophomore Cory Wydysh spikes the ball during the men’s club said. “I feel like I’m runvolleyball team’s practice Monday in Ben Light Gymnasium. ning a business instead Steven Episcopo/the ithacan of a team because when raise money for their organizations. I actually get to practice, “Those are all transferable job skills to I have to be a captain and encourage them to whatever you do in life,” he said. “It’s not someplay hard.” Sport clubs collectively spent $250,000 thing specific to a field, but you need those during the 2010-11 school year, a majority of skills in whatever you do.” Senior Carter Raines, president for the which was earned through letter campaigns to men’s club volleyball team, said the students friends and family and other fundraisers. Sophomore Samantha Robinson, president overcoming economic obstacles shows their of the equestrian team, said the team plans to passion for sports. “We may not get the recognition in the do their annual car wash at the end of April at Rogan’s Corner on Danby Road. She said club newspaper or on the intercollegiate website, but we still like playing our sport,” he said. “It sports create bonds that go beyond athletics. “Being a part of a sport club allows you to just goes to show the hard work students put in meet people and friends that you may have for the things they like to do.” Buchanan said sport clubs are not chalnever met,” Robinson said. “Our team is like a family; it provides a support system and allows lenging the lack of sufficient funding. “The finances are going to continue to be you to be active in a sport you love.” Assistant recreational sports director Brad an issue, but I think students will continue to Buchanan said officers of sport clubs acquire rise to the occasion because they want to do valuable job skills by leading campaigns to it,” he said.
S ports
2 4 The It hacan
crunch time
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Inconsistency ends postseason hopes By andrew kristy staff writer
harlan green-taub
Renewing a lost pastime In these times of corporate dominance, it seems like every venue in professional sports is being sold by owners piece by piece in an effort to maximize profits. Owners are paying little attention to the actual events they are putting on display. Nearly every stadium, with the exception of a few gems such as Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium, now bear the name of a large company. Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., is now Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., home to the New York Jets and Giants, is now Metlife Stadium. But a yearning to attend less glamorous sporting events inspired brothers Kevin and Matt Goricki to hitchhike and couch surf around the country to different college football venues. The brothers’ journey started Sept. 3 at the University of Florida and will end Dec. 3 at Oklahoma State University. They began posting to a blog titled Highway to Gameday and created a Facebook page to chart their progress. They plan to write a book on their journey detailing the “atmosphere, parties and, of course, the games” at the different campuses. Iconic venues, such as Michigan Stadium and The Rose Bowl, transport fans back to a time when attending a game was about the atmosphere of competition, not what type of sushi the chefs would be making on game day. Professional sports franchises jumping on the corporate bandwagon is not a new trend. From fancy suites to overpriced cuisine, lavish amenities and luxuries are now as much a part of a sporting event as the games on the field. The Goricki brothers have been to games at Pennsylvania State University, West Virginia University and Louisiana State University, but Division III isn’t on their itinerary. While a Division I contest is obviously a more enticing option, the intimacy that Division III football offers fans is unmatched. After traveling with the Bombers football team this season as a member of the WICB broadcast team, I’ve found that no stadium provides the charm and sense of tradition quite like Butterfield Stadium. The views of Cayuga Lake and the surrounding Finger Lakes region, the national championship banners that hang outside the locker rooms on the visitors’ sideline and the natural grass surface are one of its many charming features. If the Goricki brothers find themselves back east in time for the Cortaca Jug game at noon Nov. 12, they will have an invitation to crash on my couch and visit a college football atmosphere unlike any other in the country. Harlan Green-taub is a senior televison-radio major. Contact him at hgreent1@ithaca.edu.
Until this season, the football team had not lost three games in a row for more than a decade. But now, the Bombers’ streak of 40 consecutive winning seasons is in jeopardy. The Bombers have an overall record of 3–4 and a mark of 1–4 in Empire 8 Conference games. They were picked to finish fifth in the Empire 8 Conference’s Preseason The football team has rushed for a Football Poll, but currently total of 690 yards sit in seventh. They have compared with been eliminated from playoff its opponents’ contention, as they sit a full 1,243 yards. game behind three teams for the final spot. Three of the South Hill squad’s four losses this season have been decided by five points or less with one loss coming in overtime. The Bombers’ three victories, on the other hand, have all been by margins of five points or more. The team holds a 148-137 scoring advantage against its seven opponents this season and averages five more minutes in time of possession. Special teams have been the Bombers’ strength in every game this year. Senior wide receiver Dan Ruffrage entered last weekend ranking second in all of Division III, averaging 26 yards per punt return and 34.6 yards per kickoff return. Senior kicker and punter Andrew Rogowski has hit 80 percent of his field goals and averaged more than 37 yards per punt. Ruffrage said the special teams unit is able to excel because of the amount of effort put into that third of the game. “It’s something we work on everyday,” Ruffrage said. “We got a lot of good guys out there that work hard. We play a lot of our starters on special teams that really get after it, and it’s an advantage for us if we can get ourselves in better field position.” Sherman Wood, head coach at Salisbury University, said though the Sea Gulls were able to defeat Ithaca 21-7 on Sept. 10, the Bombers’ special teams unit was exceptionally strong. “They did a pretty good job with the return units and blocked one of our punts,” Wood said. “It was something that kept them in the game.” The running game has been the Blue and Gold’s achilles heel late in games this season. Opponents have outgained the Bombers on the ground, running 1,243 yards to Ithaca’s 690 yards. This has
stat check
From left, sophomore running back Sal Sulla takes a handoff from junior quarterback Jason Hendel in practice Tuesday on Lower Allen Field. Sulla has rushed for 410 of the Bombers’ 690 yards this year. kelsey martin/The ithacaN
lead to blown leads in the fourth quarter. Mike DeLong, head coach of the Springfield College Pride, said third down conversions were one of the factors that worked against the Bombers late in his team’s 38-33 win Oct. 15. “We just happened to make a couple really big plays, and that was the difference in the game,” DeLong said. Despite surrendering leads in the fourth quarter, Wood said, the Bombers had a relentless attitude that was a focal point in Salisbury’s game plan.
“We thought their kids were disciplined, hard-nosed and put forth a tremendous effort throughout the video that we had,” Wood said after watching film from the matchup. Tom Vossler ’11, assistant coach and wide receivers coach, said he still sees the same spirit and motivation on the team that was prevalent during the four years he was a wide receiver for the Bombers. “We go out every Saturday and leave it all out on the field. Anybody that goes back and watches those games, that’s what they’ll see.”
Forward approaches milestones with humility By george sitaras staff writer
Junior Rachael Palladino’s passion for soccer has been challenged throughout her two and a half seasons as a forward on the women’s soccer team. But she has responded to each obstacle with diligence and humility to become one of the program’s most prolific players. Though she played varsity basketball and club soccer at Lansing High School, Palladino said she thought she could be a better soccer player in Division III. “I really miss playing basketball, but I always saw myself as a soccer player,” she said. “I was always more confident with a ball at my feet rather than in my hands.” LaMarr Peters, Palladino’s trainer and head coach of the varsity women’s soccer team at Lansing High School, said Palladino exudes a more laid back attitude off the field. “Her quiet disposition — mellow is the word that comes to mind — it is the exact opposite of the person that causes pure havoc for opponents on the field,” he said. “Her peaceful nature off the field is what seems to balance her aggressive play on the field.” Palladino said Peters and Gretchen Zigante, Lansing club soccer team head coach, helped her realize her potential as an athlete. “Gretchen was the one who
Junior forward Rachael Palladino winds up to kick the ball during practice Tuesday on Carp Wood Field. Palladino has scored 44 goals in her career.
kevin campbell/the ithacan
made me actually start thinking about college soccer,” she said. “Peters taught me how far I can actually push myself mentally and physically, and his passion for the game furthered mine.”
Though she is already second all-time in the Bomber record books for goals and points with 44 and 107, respectively, Palladino attributed her success in both areas to her teammates.
Palladino played alongside her sister, Megan, in her first two seasons as a Bomber. Though Megan started half as many games as Palladino and is no longer on the team, Palladino said, she still looks to Megan for inspiration. Megan said despite Palladino’s immersion in the game, she finds a balance between academics and family life. “You will never doubt the effort she will put into a game or practice, and that effort is what makes her so successful,” she said. “But her effort is still there in her school work and her family is the most important part of her life.” When Palladino is not playing soccer, she likes to go on hikes with her family. She’s currently on pace to be the best soccer player to wear blue and gold. She has already earned prestigious distinctions such as Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate New York Rookie of the Year as well as a first-team NSCAA East Region all-star. But she said these honors do not dictate the success of her career. “The only thought I want to leave Ithaca with is that I played every game with heart and purpose, and left everything I had on the field for my coaches and my teammates,” she said.
S p orts
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 2 5
Formation change sets Bombers back on track By Matt kelly staff writer
With losses piling up and a lack of offense, the field hockey team has adopted a new strategy to score goals early and often. After a string of six losses in which the Bombers lost by a combined margin of 18-4, Head Coach Tracey Houk put in a new 3-2-1-3 formation that bolstered the team’s spiraling offense. The Bombers’ new formation, which moves the sweeping defender up into the scoring circle as an extra attacker, is more balanced than the formation the team has used in the past. Houk said she implemented the change to create more balance on offense after a tough 1-0 overtime loss Oct. 8 against Washington and Jefferson College. “The formation has definitely given us more support within the circle with the extra person,” she said. “And it also allows four people to come up and support our midfield, which pushes up on our attack.” As part of the new strategy, sophomore defender Emily Lash alternates with senior midfielder and defender JulieAnne Butare, as the “up-back” defender who moves into the circle when the Bombers are on offense. The alignment creates a “teetertotter” movement on the Bombers’ defense. When the ball is moved up on the right side, Butare or Lash will move up to guard the ball as an extra midfielder. This creates a three-point zone behind the hybrid defender. The center fullback shifts over to cover the vacancy on the right side, while the far side defender moves
over to fill the center. Lash said the new formation has bolstered the attack and given the young defense more time to adjust. Junior goalie Kelly Singleton said the new strategy puts less pressure on the back line while maintaining a formidable counter attack at the same time. “The change that works really nicely from my vantage point is that we as a defense no longer have to mark man-to-man until the opponents get to the 45-foot line,” she said. It took the Bombers another game before they adjusted to the change in strategy, as they fell to the University of Rochester 5-0 Oct. 12 for their second straight shutout loss. After another two days of practice, however, the Bombers’ offense looked re-energized. The team beat St. John Fisher College 2-1 on Oct. 14 in a game that became a turning point in the season. The formation’s crisp passing angles and rebounding opportunities were also on full display in the team’s 4-0 victory against SUNY-Morrisville on Oct. 18. Senior forward Heather Kozimor scored both goals for the Bombers in the win against St. John Fisher College and leads the team this season with five. She said the offense was more in sync during the games against the Cardinals and the Mustangs. “Getting a couple of goals under our belt and finally getting a win got us back into playing how we need to play, and we feel a little more confident out there,” she said. “We took a lot more shots in the Morrisville game, too, and things
Sophomore forward and midfielder Katie Kennedy strikes the ball during a game against the University of Rochester on Oct. 12 at Higgins Stadium. Kennedy is tied for second on the team in goals this season.
steven episcopo/the ithacan
just went our way.” The Bombers outscored their opponents 6-1 in the two games and registered 49 shots on goal. But the team could not sustain the momentum on offense, falling to Utica College 5-1 on Sunday and losing to SUNY-Geneseo 3-2 yesterday
at Higgins Stadium. Kozimor said though the South Hill squad has been eliminated from playoff contention, it still hopes to end the season on a positive note. Lash said the Bombers’ new formation will help them score earlier in their final home game against
the Elmira College Soaring Eagles on Sunday. “It will create a lot more confidence with the offense knowing that they can put the ball in the net,” she said. “Now that we’re finally understanding how to use this formation, it can be an advantage.”
Look online for game stories from these sports: TOMORROW • 6 p.m. Volleyball at Ramapo College of New Jersey in New York City • 8 p.m. Volleyball at SUNY-Cortland in New York City
SATURDAY • 10 a.m. Volleyball vs. Elmira College in New York City • 11 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country at Empire 8 Championships in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. • Noon Women’s Soccer vs. Rochester Institute of Technology on Carp Wood Field • 1 p.m. Football vs. Frostburg State University at Butterfield Stadium • 1 p.m. Field Hockey vs. Elmira College at Higgins Stadium • 1 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. • 2 p.m. Volleyball at Hunter College in New York City • 2 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. Elmira College on Carp Wood Field
SUNDAY • Noon Women’s Soccer at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. Bold = Home game
kelsey martin/the ithacan
The Ithacan
online | theithacan.org/sports
2 6 The It hacan
S ports
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Women’s golf concludes record-setting season By joe portsmouth contributing Writer
By earning the Empire 8 Conference and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in its third season as a varsity sport, the women’s golf team turned a corner by taking down opponents it had consistently lost to in the past. The Blue and Gold finished ahead of Empire 8 Conference foe St. John Fisher College in all six invitationals during the fall season, defeating them by 100 strokes at the Empire 8 Championships on Sept. 17 and 18 in Churchville, N.Y. At the regional championships, they also defeated New York University, a team that had beaten the college twice in two years by 32 strokes. The freshman duo of Sharon Li and Kelsey Baker proved to be a formidable pair at every competition. Head Coach Dan Wood said though he recruited the two at the same time, Baker’s impact was more of a surprise. “Until her very final round, every one of her scores was between 80 and 89, and that was outstanding for a freshman,” he said. Though Li and Baker had the greatest impact on the team this season, St. John Fisher Head Coach Bob Simms said the Bombers’ depth was their greatest strength this season. “They had strong options from top to bottom, which made it tough to predict who would finish where,” Simms said. Wood said the Bombers’ depth was exhibited in the fight for the six spots available in the group sent to compete at each invitational. Sophomore Amanda Failla and junior Jackie Young alternated between the second and third spots while junior Samantha Liberty and freshman Paige Fontana ended up with the same season stroke average of 92 while
they competed in the five and six spots in the lineup. Liberty and Fontana were selected to the Empire 8 Conference Second Team for the first time in their careers after finishing in the top 10 at the conference championships. Wood said accountability was the most prominent factor in the team’s success this season. “If they deal with the conditions and do the best they can, they’ll generally show improvement,” he said. “They did a very good job of never giving up, even on a tough day, and were fully committed to each shot they took.” The South Hill squad also rewrote the record books this year. They broke all of the team’s records, posting a final score of 654 strokes, while Li shattered all of the individual records. Li’s score of 71, one-under par, in the second round of the conference championships was the first sub-par score in the Empire 8 Conference’s decade-long history and is also the lowest single round score in the college’s history. Li’s two-day total of 149 strokes at the regional championships was also a school record. Lynn Quinn, head coach of the golf team at William Smith College, said the Bombers adjusted to the course better than they had in last year’s competitions. “They seem well prepared for the courses that they played on,” she said. “My team enjoys the competition it got from them, and they’ve greatly improved in the two years that I’ve been here.” Despite the team’s diligence in their preparation and ability to overcome adversity, Failla said mental toughness was one of the Bombers’ weaknesses that they will look to improve on for the spring season. “Our most important thing is staying focused,” she said. “Sometimes our mental game
Junior Samantha Liberty works on her swing Sunday at The Country Club of Ithaca’s driving range. Liberty finished the fall season with an average score of 92 strokes per round.
Rachel orlow/the ithacan
isn’t always great.” Wood said a realistic goal for each player on the team would be improving their overall score by two or three strokes by next fall. He said the team was outplayed on short distance shots in meets against nationally ranked programs. “Teams like Allegheny College and Methodist University are certainly better than we
are from 50 yards in,” he said. Li said exposure to new courses and opponents made her first season on the team memorable. “It was definitely exciting and surprising,” she said. “Especially with the different weather, the new teams that we were playing against and the new records we were setting.”
Remember that time ...
... the young guy came out on top? Covering the politics you care about. News.
[the buzzer]
Th ursday, Octobe r 27, 2011
The I th a c a n 2 7
Football forecast The defense must show up again on Saturday in order for the Bombers to beat Frostburg
Michael Caffrey Sophomore Postgame Host
The key for the Bombers this week will be keeping Frostburg State’s main offensive weapons under control. Last week against Alfred University, Frostburg State senior quarterback Josh Volpe passed for 443 yards and six touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Anthony Young, Volpe’s favorite target, had 16 catches for 214 yards last week. The Bombers cannot let that happen if they expect to win. The defense that played so well in games against SUNY-Brockport, Union College and Hartwick College, must show up. If they struggle and Frostburg State’s best tandem is successful, things will get interesting Saturday.
Turning the corner
From left, junior Drew Steedman dribbles around Cornell University sophomore Seth Harper during a men’s club soccer game Oct. 16 at Higgins Stadium. The team wraps up its season Saturday against SUNY-Cortland.
kelsey martin/the ithacan
Dave Gofman Junior Postgame Host
the foul line
Weird news from the wide world of sports
The Bombers return home this weekend to take on Frostburg State in what is officially a must-win. In order to extend their consecutive winning season streak to 41, the Bombers will need to win their three remaining games. Aside from the game against Springfield College when the Bombers gave up 38 points, the defense has stifled opposing offenses all season. Unfortunately, the offense has been the problem, particularly near the goal line. If the Blue and Gold can punch the ball in this weekend, there’s still a chance the team can extend the streak.
by the
numbers
44
The number of goals junior forward Rachael Palladino has in her career. See story on page 24.
26
The rivalry between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers is one of the most intense in the NFL. For football fans residing in each state, the choice is usually clear. If you grow up in Minnesota, you become a Vikings fan. Grow up in Wisconsin, and you become a Packers fan. But what happens when fans of each team get married and have a child— who does the kid root for? Emily Johnson, a Packers fan, and Brady Johnson, a Vikings fan, are letting the Internet decide. To help choose their son Desmond’s football fate, Brady set up a poll on Hot Clicks, a Sports Illustrated blog, to get feedback from sports fans around the world. Should the couple allow their son to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a long-suffering Vikings fan? Or will Desmond become a fan of the four-time Super Bowl champion Packers? As of today, more than 18,000 people had cast their vote with the Vikings just less than 1,600 votes ahead. The poll closes Oct. 31. — Harlan Green-Taub
The number of yards graduate student wide receiver Dan Ruffrage has per punt return this season. See story on page 24.
Bombers to watch Becky Guzzo Sophomore Women’s Tennis
Dan Sheldon Sophomore Football
Guzzo was named the Most Valuable Player of the Empire 8 Conference Championship after defeating Stevens Institute of Technology freshman Danielle Stewart in the deciding match, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. She also earned a doubles match win.
In the first start of his Bombers career, Sheldon recorded four tackles, including a sack in Saturday’s 20–15 loss at Utica College. Sheldon also recorded a tackle in the Bombers’ loss Oct.15 at Springfield College.
they saidit
Do you know football or do you ask questions? New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis arguing with New York radio host Mike Francesa on whether he committed a penalty in the Jets game against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 17. The two argued about the play for five minutes before Revis hung up on Francesa.
2 8 The It hacan
photo finish Captu ri ng th e B ombers at t h ei r be st
Th ursday, October 2 7 , 2 0 1 1
Going over the top
From left, SUNY-Fredonia senior outside hitter Jennifer Newhouse tries to block a spike from the Bombers’ senior outside hitter Jessica Hoeffner in a match Oct. 15 in Ben Light Gymnasium. Hoeffner leads the team with 868 total attempts and is tied for first with 302 kills. The Bombers will finish the regular season this weekend at the Hunter Invitational in New York City. shawn steiner/the ithacan