/11.17.2011

The Ithacan Thursday, November 17, 20 11

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Volume 79, Is s u e 1 1

Sustainability efforts split across college by kacey deamer staff writer

Ithaca College promotes itself as sustainably conscious and is continuously listed as a top sustainable college. But colleges like Dartmouth and Oberlin surpass the college on campus sustainability lists. One factor may be that their efforts are concentrated in a centralized Office of Sustainability.

At Ithaca, staff, student interns and other members of the college BROWN said one community who sustainability office work on sustain- would make efforts more visible. ability projects are dispersed across campus.

Marian Brown, special assistant to the provost for sustainability, works with the administration on sustainability education and outreach on campus. She said there has been no movement to combine staff and projects across campus into one overarching Office of Sustainability, but an office could strengthen the campus' sustainability image.

“It would be nice to be in a more visible location so if somebody from [the community] or a donor comes on campus for an event, or a student tour with prospective students were to come walking through they could see an Office of Sustainability,” Brown said.

The college has continued to gain more employees dedicated to the expansion of sustainability on campus. In 2006, president emeritus Peggy Ryan Williams signed the Talloires Declaration, a pledge of commitment to a sustainable future. The Ithaca College Climate Action Plan was approved in the fall of 2009 and began the college’s 40-year plan to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

“It’s becoming more of a question as we get, frankly, more sustainability folks working on this,” Brown said.

“We’re now up to four that basically have a relatively full-time focus on sustainability efforts.”

Brown said while there are four staff that officially focus on sustainability, there are other staff working on initiatives throughout campus.

Oberlin College, a small private institution in Ohio with sustainability efforts similar to the college, has an established Office of Environmental Sustainability, and the University of Rochester has a Council on Sustainability to help guide the university’s initiatives.

Brown said one aspect of the college’s expanding sustainability initiative is to

See sustainability, page 4

the dishon debt By ithacan staff For junior Brittan Binder, coming to Ithaca College meant making a conscious decision value experience over cost when it To watch a came to her education. video of Occupy Binder said she could the Mic, visit have attended Rutgers Uni- theithacan.org. versity in New Jersey, a short distance from her house, where she would have

graduated free of student loan debt. Instead, Binder decided to attend Ithaca College, where she has accrued about $40,000 in debt that she will carry with her after graduation.

The decision was a no-brainer for her. She said she placed far more importance on a quality education than on its high cost.

“I knew the academics here were really good," she said. "I knew that it was in a beautiful area, and I knew that I’d be paying far less than the stamp on the ticket.”

Binder spoke at Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity’s event, Occupy the Mic, on Tuesday.

About 50 people attended the speak-out, where a group of students and faculty spoke candidly about their personal experiences with student loan debt — some of whom had debts totaling nearly $80,000. A few students said they felt student debt should be forgiven altogether.

Though Binder had an optimistic outlook

See debt, page 4

Professors bridge learning with videoconferencing by taylor rao staff writer

Videoconferencing technology is becoming a popular teaching tool in departments across Ithaca College. Within the last year, videoconferencing has begun to play a role in connecting students on a global level to educate beyond the walls of the campus community.

The Roy H. Park School of Communications and the Department of Modern Languages first launched videoconferencing programs in the spring and received praise from staff and students.

Diane Gayeski, dean of the communications school, said she uses Skype as a main teaching tool in S’Park: Igniting Your Future in Communications, a one-credit course that electronically connects students to alumni and real-world professionals, such as ABC News Anchor David Muir ’95.

During the S'Park session with

Melting pot International students experience a blending of cultures in school, page 13

Hayder Assad, lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, discusses the use of videoconferencing Tuesday in Job Hall. michelle boulé/the ithacan

Muir, a live Twitter feed was on the projection screen and then the call came in. It was received by 195 freshman, four instructors and one teaching assistant.

“It allows us to do things absolutely spontaneously,” Gayeski said. “It gives people a lot of new ideas that they didn’t have before, so having short presentations by a

big finisher

Wrestler remains atop national rankings with small frame and large passion, page 19 f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org

lot of people really works.”

Students participating in S’Park also have the opportunity to tweet questions to notable alumni while videoconferencing with them.

Foreign language departments also take advantage of similar technology by connecting with Skype to people across the globe. Later they maintain the connection by emailing their homework assignments for peer review by an Iraqi student fluent in Arabic.

In the Department of Modern Languages, lecturer Hayder Assad organized a series of online Skype sessions that integrate Arabic language studies between students at the college and students attending the University of Kufa in Iraq. Students voluntarily attended hour-long sessions

See skype, page 4

peace time American protests should continue using nonviolent strategies, page 15

[ T hurs day Bri ef ing]

2 The It hacan

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

Nation&World

Syrian rebels attack army bases

the lower Chamber of Deputies, will follow, likely on Friday. He stressed that Italy’s economic growth is a top priority.

Syrian army defectors attacked military and intelligence bases near the capital and an army checkpoint yesterday during a spate of assaults, killing at least eight soldiers and security forces, activists said.

Attacks on regime forces by renegade troops have been escalating in recent days as the country’s political crisis appears to be spiraling out of control. The Arab League was meeting yesterday in Morocco, where the 22-member group was expected to formally suspend Damascus over its bloody crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising.

Although activists say the anti-government protesters have remained largely peaceful, an armed insurgency has developed in recent months, targeting Assad’s military and security forces.

Yesterday’s deadliest attack was in the central province of Hama, where army defectors killed at least eight soldiers and security forces in an assault on a checkpoint in Kfar Zeita village, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Also, Syrian army defectors said they launched several attacks on Assad’s military and intelligence bases near the capital before dawn yesterday.

Email against Sandusky surfaces

A day after the former Penn State assistant football coach, who is charged with sexual abuse of boys, declared his innocence in a television interview, an email surfaced from a key witness against him, saying he stopped an alleged attack in the team’s showers.

Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant who a grand jury report said saw defensive coach Jerry Sandusky allegedly sodomizing a boy in the locker room, said he stopped the act and went to police. That added confusion to the already emotionally raw situation that has enveloped Penn State University and resulted in the firing of coach Joe Paterno, the ousting of President Graham Spanier and charges of perjury against the athletic director and a former senior vice president.

The grand jury report issued Nov. 5, the day Sandusky was charged with 40 criminal counts for alleged sexual abuse against eight boys over 15 years, goes into considerable detail about the March 2002 incident.

Obama solidifies stance on China President Barack Obama insisted yester-

Italian premier forms government

day that the United States does not fear China, even as he announced a new security agreement with Australia that is widely viewed as a response to China’s growing aggressiveness.

China responded warning that an expanded U.S. military footprint in Australia may not be appropriate and deserved greater scrutiny.

The agreement, announced during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will expand the U.S. military presence in Australia, positioning more U.S. personnel and equipment there, and increasing American access to bases.

About 250 U.S. Marines will begin a rotation in northern Australia starting next year, with a full force of 2,500 military personnel staffing up over the next several years.

Obama called the deployment “significant,” and said it would build capacity and cooperation between the U.S. and Australia.

Economist Mario Monti announced yesterday he has formed a new Italian government, opting to put technocrats instead of bickering politicians in his cabinet to enact reforms that can save the country from financial disaster.

Monti told reporters at the president’s palace that for the time being, he will serve as economy minister as well as premier, as he seeks to implement what he called “sacrifices” to heal the country’s finances and set the economy growing again.

The 68-year-old former European Union competition commissioner, along with his new cabinet ministers, were sworn in yesterday, formally ending the 3 1/2-year-old government of Silvio Berlusconi as well as his 17-year-long run of political dominance.

Monti said he would lay out his emergency anti-crisis policies in the Senate on Thursday, ahead of a confidence vote. A second vote, in

Securing suspects

Men accused by the Iraqi authorities of being members of al-Qaida were blindfolded and handcuffed in Jurf al-Sakhar, 43 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, yesterday. Iraqi officials said they arrested the nine suspected insurgents during recent operations in Jurf al-Sakhar.

Loay Hameed/associated press

U.S. officials emphasized that the pact was not an attempt to create a permanent American military presence in Australia.

Man charged for fundraiser scam

A New Jersey man who raised funds for New York City Comptroller John Liu surrendered yesterday to face fraud charges amid an investigation of Liu’s campaign finances.

A criminal complaint charges Xing Wu Pan with conspiring to funnel illegal contributions donated by an undercover FBI agent posing as a businessman.

The complaint accuses Pan of devising a scheme to support a “candidate for citywide elective office.” But a person familiar with the case confirmed that the candidate is Liu — a Democrat who’s considered a potential successor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg — and that the charges stem from an ongoing investigation of his campaign fundraising.

The complaint alleges Pan sought to funnel $16,000 from the undercover agent into the Liu’s

campaign coffers by recruiting 20 straw donors to make donations of $800 each. The scheme was designed to circumvent a $4,950 contribution limit and defraud the city by allowing the candidate to claim greater matching funds, it says.

White House shooter faces charges

The Secret Service said the suspect in a White House shooting was arrested yesterday in a Pennsylvania hotel. A bullet hit an exterior window of the White House and was stopped by ballistic glass.

An additional round of ammunition was found on the White House exterior. The bullets were found Tuesday morning, following reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday.

President Barack Obama, who was headed to a summit in Hawaii, was not at the White House at the time of the shooting.

Previously, authorities had said it did not appear to have been targeted Friday night.

SOURCE: Associated Press

corrections

Multimedia

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Can’t get enough of our stories? There’s even more online. Check out our multimedia at theithacan.org/multimedia.

Copy Editors Emily Rose Barry, Sophia Chawala, Tina Craven, Matthew Dezii, Adeesha Ekanayake, Zoë Epstein, Dina Grimaldi, Rebecca Hellmich, Bernadette Javier, Danielle Merendino, Brittany Smith, Carly Smith, Rose Vardell

Audio Slideshow Find out what Bomber pride is all about during the Cortaca Jug.

Video

Watch the rivalry bring out school spirit at Saturday’s Cortaca Jug.

Video

Get a quick glimpse of the Occupy the Mic event held in IC Square Tuesday night.

Video

Check out the Amani Gospel Singers as they perform songs of praise as part of their fall concert Nov. 13 in Emerson Suites.

News

See photos of Asian American Alliance’s Dumpling Night.

Like us: facebook.com/ithacanonline

Accent

Get an inside look at Readers’ Theatre’s newest production.

Follow us: twitter.com/ithacanonline

Sports

Take a look at senior Seth Ecker, Division 3 wrestling champion.

Got a news tip?

Contact News Editor Kelsey O’Connor at koconno3@ithaca.edu or 274-3207.

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Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

The I th a c a n 3

Campus gears up for bicycle shelters by candace king staff writer

What began as a project for an Environmental Science and Technology class has developed into a more expansive initiative to promote bike usage and supply covered bike storage across the Ithaca College campus.

Junior Lauren Goldberg has been facilitating a team of six students involved in the new push for shelters, called the Bomber Bike Initiative.

The students on the team include senior Margaret Keating, juniors Juilet Barriola and Peter Slothower and sophomores Andreas Jonathan and Moriah Petty.

Since it was drafted last spring, the initiative has now been expanded to include a Bike Share program in which students can choose to rent a bike if they do not already own one on campus.

“If we see that bike lockers are more popular than shelters, we’ll have to look into the cost of bike lockers and the best locations for those,” she said.

Currently, the team is in the preliminary stages of planning and gaining support. The team estimates the funds for the initiative will reach more than $10,000, but they are looking into scholarships.

They are also hoping to collaborate with the students of the architectural studies program at the college under the direction of Itohan Osayimwese, assistant professor of art history.

Jonathan, an architectural studies major, said there are no official designs yet, and the design would have to be overseen by a professional architect and discussed with the Tompkins County Planning Board.

Goldberg said she discussed the project with officials from the Office of Public Safety, who she said support safer bike storage, as many bikes are currently illegally kept in areas with fire and safety hazards.

Last week, a kiosk designed by architecture students was located outside Campus Center. Those who stopped by could place a colored sticker on a large campus map, indicating the best location for the shelters.

Jonathan said the kiosk was meant to advertise the initiative’s progress and to engage the student body’s interest.

“We want to make sure that what we’re working to is actually something that the student body finds interesting, useful and necessary,” he said.

Popular places on the map included the library,

by erica palumbo assistant news editor

Junior Lauren Goldberg, who has been facilitating a team of students to push for bike shelters around campus, stands by a Bomber Bike Initiative kiosk in the academic quad last week. courtesy of Andreas Jonathan

the Roy H. Park School of Communications and the parking lot near Textor and Williams Hall.

The team also refined its research in a survey that was posted on Intercom.

Last week, Goldberg presented the initiative to the Student Government Association to promote the idea and to discover more ways to collaborate.

Goldberg said she plans to return to SGA with a proposal to receive a formal endorsement once the plans for the initiative are finalized.

The group also plans to pitch the idea to next year’s senior class as a part of its gift to the college.

Brown said the initiative will appeal to those who are avid cyclists year round.

“There are a lot of really glorious days in the winter time,” Brown said. “If you are cycling long distance, maybe not, but if you are cycling a short distance, the college does an exceptional job of maintaining clear sidewalks and roadways that would be suitable for biking.”

Freshman Scott Watson said he bikes around campus every day, regardless of the weather.

Watson said bike storage would be appropriate during those times because it is harder to protect the bikes from weather abrasion with the current bike racks.

“I’ve had my bike for four months now, and there are parts of my bike that are already getting rusted,” Watson said. “It’s because of the fact that there is a lack of shelter to lock up my bike and it’s exposed to rain, snow and other elements of weather.”

Goldberg said she and her team are working to get a demo bike share program set up by the spring.

She also said she would not mind staying over the summer to oversee the shelter’s construction.

Goldberg said the initiative is the first step to making a difference on the college campus.

“Half of the reason I’m here at Ithaca College is to get a good education, but the other half is to make a positive impact on campus,” Goldberg said.

Chief Proofreader Sara Webb contributed reporting to this article.

Catholic liturgy altered to mirror Latin origins by kelsey o’connor news editor

For the first time in more than 40 years, the Catholic liturgy will change, moving closer to the original Latin scripture, and members of the Ithaca College community are already embracing it.

With the beginning of Advent on Nov. 27, some common phrases in Mass will be altered to reflect a closer translation to traditional Latin text.

The change will apply to all English-speaking countries. Priests will now use a new English translation of the Roman Missal in Mass, which will include updated translations of existing prayers, common responses and songs.

Father Carsten Martensen, the Catholic chaplain at the college, said he expects the transition to the new liturgy to be smooth. At the chapel on campus, the congregation has already begun practicing some of the changes.

One common phrase that will change is when a priest says to the congregation, “May the Lord be with you,” and they respond, “And also with you.” Instead, members will now reply, “And with your spirit.”

Martensen said he remembers the last change in liturgy from Latin to colloquial English in the United States. That was in 1969.

Park technician passes away unexpectedly

“Language changes, language grows,” he said. “It’s organic, and so it was thought that after 30 to 40 years, it’s about time to renew and see what better ways — or proper ways — of expressing some of the ancient prayers that we’ve been saying for 2,000 years.”

The translation was done by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, a mix of Catholic bishops and scholars from all over the world who spent more than 10 years preparing the translation and music in The Roman Missal, Third Edition.

Martensen said the changes will mostly affect priests who have to relearn many prayers.

“A lot of the prayers that the priest says are more detailed,” he said. “They’re expanded, they’re long. I have to practice to make sure I’m emphasizing the right parts.”

Beverly LaBelle, pastoral associate at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Rochester, said it will be fairly easy for churchgoers to make the switch to the new responses if they attend regularly.

“People will have to look at it maybe with new eyes and see things that they haven’t seen before — that they’ve become so used to — that sometimes you just don’t even hear what you are saying,” she

Father Carsten Martensen, the Catholic chaplain at Ithaca College, stands at the pulpit Sunday in Muller Chapel. The liturgy will change Nov. 27. rachel orlow/the ithacan

said. “This might force people to wake up a bit and listen to the responses they are making.”

LaBelle said her church has encountered some opposition, but she mostly has seen a positive response.

“People ask why this is necessary,” she said. “It is a long discussion, but in general I think that people want to focus on other aspects of the church, and are happy that nothing else is changing except some of the wording in the Mass.”

Stephen Hill, campus minister, said by going back to the liturgy’s

roots, it recaptures some of the meaning of words.

“It’s really important to comb the depths of our past, our history, our traditions,” he said. “It’s important to be on the same ground and look at worships through a different lens.”

Martensen said he sees the change in liturgy as a way for people to be more aware of scripture.

“We’re moving forward by getting in touch with our roots,” he said. “It’s not moving back because we’re using language as it develops and grows.”

Kevin Michael, a multimedia support technician in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, has passed away.

In an email sent out to the Park School co m mu n i t y, To view a longer David Priesversion of the ter, director article, visit of the school’s theithacan.org. technical operations, said the school’s faculty received news of Michael’s passing during the weekend. Priester said his death was unexpected.

No information on the cause of death was available at press time.

Junior Rob Flaherty said he heard about Michael’s passing Sunday night through peers. He said Michael was known by many in the Park School for his eagerness to help and had even been cast in a few student productions.

“He was sort of the go-to guy for any video editing or software issues,” Flaherty said.

“He always did it with this really good sense of humor about everything, and he always made that horribly stressful situation a whole lot better when he was there. He was just a really vibrant personality that everyone knew when you were downstairs in Park.”

Michael worked at the Park School for 25 years, serving most recently as the multimedia service technician.

Priester, who was Michael’s boss for eight years, said Michael will be remembered for the stories he recanted in his booming voice, which could be heard even by those on the main floor.

“He has been described by a lot of people as larger than life because he was a big presence, and when he was around, he was hard to miss,” Priester said.

Priester said Michael was happy to lend his penchant for acting to many student films throughout the years — a passion he was able to blend with his love for interacting with students.

“He was full of surprises,” Priester said. “On one hand, he was a very private individual. He didn’t talk much about his personal life.”

Junior George Ahlmeyer, a student engineer for master control, worked alongside Michael since he began working for the operations center at the end of his freshman year.

“Our conversations would easily go from talking about graphics to talking about the MLB network,” he said. “He would have a way of talking about something that was ontopic to talking about something else, and just being able to talk away with him was always a great start to my day.”

Junior Shawn Wagner said Michael’s wide breadth of knowledge is one of the things he will miss most.

“He was the kind of person that knew something about everything,” he said. “That was Kevin essentially, and I’m really going to miss him.”

A gathering to honor Michael will be held at 12:15 p.m. Thursday in the Park Auditorium.

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4 The It hacan

Skype aids in learning languages skype from page 1

over a six-week period to learn more about the Arabic language and culture.

“Students had fun with it,” Assad said. “They found new words and wrote down whatever they didn’t understand during the session and were able to ask questions. They accumulated more vocabulary and picked up on accents in the conferencing that they don’t get to hear in the classroom.”

Assad GAYESKI said using said the videoconferencing technology spurs new ideas helps stuin students. dents gain knowledge in all bases.

“They’re learning about culture, social aspects and mainly about education. They must learn this new system and know how to interact with people," he said.

After hearing of the successes from previous programs, professors in other departments across campus plan to introduce it into their curricula as early as next spring.

The James J. Whalen Center for Music is beginning to establish long-distance connections in the classroom through Skype.

Cass Barbour-March, a video and electronic broadcast technician at the music school, said Skype was used in this fall’s convocation ceremony when its keynote speaker presented from his Florida office.

“We in the School of Music are excited about the potential and have our sights set higher,” BarbourMarch said. “While we may not be able to pack a large ensemble into a van and visit a middle school in Rochester or D.C., we can certainly use videoconferencing to bring upand-coming musicians into our classrooms and vice-versa.”

Amy Gerney, a new assistant professor of occupational therapy, said Information Technology Services has been welcoming and supportive of her future endeavors with the technology.

She said she hopes to expand on her previous experiences with videoconferencing and bring them to her students who can gain a new perspective on real-life work in the occupational therapy field.

Gerney used videoconferencing heavily in her graduate work in distance education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

She said her primary goal is to bring content experts and clinicians in occupational therapy to speak with students through videoconferencing.

“There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t connect students with experts in the field with the technology that’s available today,” Gerney said. “To be able to interject this kind of technology and these kinds of individuals into the classroom brings an energy to the learning experience that is really valuable.”

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

Students question value of degrees

which will go into effect in 2012.

Beginning in 2014, new student borrowers will from page 1 be able to decrease their monthly federal loan payon her financial future despite her debt, some ments to 10 percent of their discretionary income, students are taking more proactive measures to and current students can make the same cuts starting in 2012. All debt will be forgiven after 20 years ease their economic burden.

Since coming to the college, junior Rhiannon rather than 25 years, as the current law states.

At the national level, college tuition and fees Youngbauer has made strides to decrease her debt by living off-campus and finding a job on the Com- have increased 4.5 percent in private colleges and mons, but it hasn’t been enough. Youngbauer said 7.9 percent in public universities. According to the College Board, these percentages are expectshe decided to lessen costs by graduating early.

“College is not just classes,” she said. “It’s an ex- ed to increase by 6 percent annually, and by 2028, perience, and I feel like I am going to be missing out the cost for private colleges can go up from the current average of $119,400 to $340,800. on some things to an extent.”

The national student debt currently stands at By graduating early, Youngbauer said she has to sacrifice taking some classes. She is pleased the col- more than $600 billion — about five percent of the lege has given her more financial aid each year, but national debt average, exceeding credit card debt for the first time this year. now, she said, the issue is more of a political one.

Students attending four-year institutions “There’s only so much the university can do,” she said. “I’m kind of under the mindset that the state in New York graduate with an average debt of $26,271, the 10th highest debt or the government should in the nation, according to do more, because it’s not data from the Project on Stuall up to the university. It dent Debt and the Institute for shouldn’t be up to them.”

College Access and Success.

Warren Schlesinger, asThe project estimates about sociate professor and chair two-thirds of all 2010 college of the accounting departgraduates had loan debt avment, said increasing the eraging $25,250, up 5 percent financial aid budget would from 2009. mean charging wealthier These statistics bring up families more to subsidize —Zac Bissonnette the question of whether the low-income students. But benefits outweigh the drawforgiving students of their loans could also prove problematic for the college. backs in pursuing a post-secondary education.

Youngbauer said she knew attending the col“Those extremely wealthy families, that 1 percent, is just not large enough for Ithaca College lege would put a financial strain on her family, but alone to charge differential tuition amounts in that the campus atmosphere won her over.

“It seemed worth it to me because I knew I’d way and then forgive loans going forward,” he said.

“We would not have the resources to pay salaries, be getting one of the best communications educations in the country,” Youngbauer said. to maintain the buildings and run operations.”

Applebaum said when it comes down to it, Robert Applebaum, founder of the website ForgiveStudentLoanDebt.com, said the problem students simply don’t realize they are making with student loans is that there is no examination poor financial decisions.

“During their first two years, they don’t know for whether students will be able to pay back their what they are majoring in so they just take the loans after graduating.

“Anyone with a pulse who wants to take out a required course and party,” he said. “If you want student loan to go to school can get one,” he said. some soul-searching time and some time to disOf the 6,321 students enrolled at the college cover what it is you want to do with your life after during the 2010-11 academic year, 4,347 were college, I think community college and in-state given need-based financial aid, according to the schools are a much better place to do that.”

Zac Bissonnette, author of “Debt-Free U” and a Common Data Set, an annual collection of information the college distributes publicly. Students senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst used a total $33,156,693 in outside loans, exclud- who will graduate without debt, said students are ing parent loans, and $8,132,301 in federal grants too young to make such large financial decisions.

“You are talking about people who are making and scholarships to help foot the bill.

In October, President Barack Obama an- these decisions when they are 16, 17 and 18 years nounced a plan to reduce student loan burdens old,” he said. “17-year-olds are not allowed to for students who already have federal loans, drink alcohol or trade commodities or that kind

debt

Owes $30,000

"Everyone should have equal access to a quality, affordable education."

"You are talking about people who are making these decisions when they are 16, 17 and 18 years old."

--Lyndsey Lyman, Junior

Owes $75,000

"I don't know how I'm going to pay this off. I'm just getting my life started."

--professor Mo Baptiste, Department of Education

of thing, but they are allowed to borrow $100 or $150,000 to go to college.”

Though she does not have a solution to the problem she is speaking out against, Binder said she believes the first step toward addressing the issue of student loan debt is to lift the veil of ignorance.

“A large part of making steps toward solving the student debt crisis is acknowledging that it is an issue,” she said. “This is a problem. This is a severe, severe problem.”

Staff Writer Nicole Ogrysko and Assistant News Editors Erica Palumbo and Elma Gonzalez contributed to this report.

Administration supports environmental goals sustainability from page 1

have more sustainability coordinators in different departments across campus working to bring them to a higher level of environmental consciousness.

While Brown works with the Office of the Provost, some employees are supported by outside forces like Sodexo, the company contracted by the college for dining services. Sodexo is the direct employer of Stephanie Piech, the sustainability coordinator for Ithaca Dining Services.

She said her job is divided between Sodexo and Ithaca Dining Services, and collaboration with other campus employees. “[Eco] rep students do a lot of education about composting in the dining halls or in dining areas, and even if I just wanted to connect with one of them ... email isn’t the easiest thing,” Piech said.

The college’s Eco-Reps program was established last year and is modeled after the University of Vermont. Its aim is to promote sustainable behaviors in residence halls through peer-to-peer education, se-

nior Margaret Keating said. “[We’re] peer-to-peer mentors, or resources for people who live on campus,” she said.

Keating is one of 14 student eco-reps paid by the college to carry out this mission.

Keating and the other eco-reps work under the Resource and Environmental Management Program, a division of the Office of Facilities.

Mark Darling, one of the college's four official sustainability employees, coordinates the reps.

Darling leads the college’s sustainability efforts that pertain to operations on campus.

“There would definitely be an advantage of having everyone who’s working on sustainability housed together,” Darling said. “But I’m not sure about whether having them all report to one office, that reports to one vice president or to the president, would necessarily make it any more effective.”

Brown said the administration's goal is to bring the college as a whole to a more sustainable state.

“Our objective is to get the entire campus to think about making more sustainable decisions,” she

said. “So does that require a single entity to do that?”

Brown said she questioned whether an Office of Sustainability would actually be productive.

But, an actual location that housed all sustainability projects

would be helpful for campus visitors and members of the campus community, she said.

“It could be valuable to the institution,” she said. “To our function, it probably doesn’t mean a hill of beans of difference.”

Senior Margaret Keating and sophomore Nick Tucker organize items donated previously by students Tuesday in the basement of Clarke Hall.

rachel orlow/the ithacan

Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

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The I th a c a n 5

Grad inspires children through mentorship Only months after graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in speech-language pathology and a minor in gerontology, Gina D’Addario ’11 is learning in a new classroom — this time with a much younger crowd.

D’Addario joined “Mentoring And Tutoring Charter High,” a fulltime residential fellowship program that matches applicants with schools to help foster educational growth.

Staff Writer Allie Healy spoke to D’Addario about her time at the college, her decision to join the program and her plans for the future.

Allie Healy: How did the education you received from Ithaca College prepare you for your job?

Gina D’Addario: All of the fieldwork experience that I had with my major is tremendously helping me now. I did a lot of volunteering at different homes for the elderly, a self-help school for kids and a clinic for speech pathology. All of those jobs involved working with people and the community, which definitely helps me with what I do now.

AH: How did you find out about the MATCH program?

GD: I was seeing someone in the Boston area, who I met when I was studying abroad in Rome. When I was up in Boston, a friend told me about MATCH. I applied to the program, though it was highly competitive. I ended up getting into MATCH after a very intense interviewing

process. I decided to do MATCH because it was a one-year program and put graduate school on hold.

AH: What’s a typical day like for you?

GD: I work over 60 hours a week — it probably isn’t legal how much I work.

From 6:30 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. I get the kids on the bus and then I head to school. I have six hours of tutoring a day, consisting of three two-hour sessions. I teach them math and English. Then I set up for the eighth grade lunch and take down the sixth grade lunch. Afterwards I have my final tutorial session before I coach soccer from 3 to 4 p.m. A lot of the time there are games after school, so I don’t get home until very late.

AH: Is coaching mandatory?

GD: Tutors can sign up to instruct enrichment activities, and I signed up to be a coach. I went through another intensive interviewing process for this position.

As a coordinator, I help figure out the logistics and schedules, coach practices and get proper equipment. This is the first year MATCH has a sports program, so it’s kind of a free for all.

AH: What have you learned from working with middle school kids?

GD: One of the main lessons that I have learned is that you need to get back in the head of a middle school student. You forget about how much

Gina D’Addario '11 poses with one of the campers from her job as a camp counselor last summer. D’Addario works with Mentoring And Tutoring Charter High, a program that pairs graduates with students who need tutors.

courtesy of Gina D’Addario

they go through at this age. I really had to put myself in their shoes and look back on how it was when you were their age with all the drama and gossip.

AH: Have you been able to do anything outside of the program?

GD: I just got accepted into the AmeriCorps program, which is an additional 15 to 30 hours of work a month on the weekends. I will be doing some community service projects and then for a month in July, I will teach fourth graders.

AH: What are your goals for MATCH? GD: The ultimate goal is to close the achievement gap. It’s getting the seventh graders who are at a

fourth grade reading level at an eighth grade reading level by the end of the year.

AH: What do you want to do after you leave MATCH? GD: I’m hoping to apply to grad school. I want to go for special education and I want to focus on autism.

Otherwise, I plan on working in a school next year maybe as a one-onone with children with autism.

AH: What has been one of your favorite moments while tutoring the students?

GD: I am tutoring a seventh grader and he definitely has severe ADHD. He is not medicated, so every day with him is a challenge. He has

been suspended three times this year, most recently last Thursday.

I got really defeated about it — I hate seeing him have to go home all the time. Friday, I was in his homeroom making phone calls to sports teams and one of the desks that was near me had his history test on top of the stack. So I took a look at it and it was a timeline test that listed events from beginning to end and described events such as ‘I am born’ and ‘My sister was born.’

The last event was ‘I met my tutor.’

So I opened up the packet and underneath it said, ‘Fun first day, she is great, I am happy.’ There was a picture that said, “Me and Miss D.” There was a drawing of us shaking hands and that touched me. It made me realize that even though they don’t say it, they care.

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Hop farms bud in New York Beer brewers tap into historic success by patrick duprey and norah sweeney

online editor and contributing writer

Hop farms are sprouting up in Central New York as some seek to revive one of the state’s historical cash crops.

Randy Lacey, owner of the Hopshire Farm and Brewery, which is currently under construction in Dryden, said the Hopshire building will emulate a traditional hop barn with a hop kiln, a place used to process dry hops, and a drying tower reminiscent of those from the 1800s.

“If New York hadn’t LACEY said his under-construction grown hops back in the 19th farm will mirror century, it probably wouldn’t 1800s barns. be as appealing to try it again,” he said. “But we know it can be done. It was done for 100 years — very successfully. For me, the appeal is not just to grow the hops, but to link what we’re doing today to that culture.”

About 90 percent of the country’s hop supply was grown in New York throughout the late 19th century, specifically in Madison and Otsego counties, according to Rebecca Jablonski, a former agricultural specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County.

Then, after Prohibition and several years of unfavorable weather conditions, hop production in the state came to a standstill. The rebirth of the industry started in 1999 when Rick Pederson, who now owns the state’s largest hop farm, planted a commercial hop yard in Seneca Castle, N.Y. Jablonski said Pederson and Dan Mitchell, the owner of the Ithaca Beer Company, made the first beer created exclusively with New Yorkproduced ingredients in at least 50 years.

Land devoted to hop production in New York is expected to double to include more than 100 acres by next year, according to

Steve Miller, the state’s first hop horticulturist with the CCE. Chris Hansen, one of three co-owners of the Climbing Bines Hop Farm in Penn Yan, N.Y., said the farm supplies hops to five breweries and has expanded to grow 1,500 plants each year.

“We’re trying to recreate what was happening here a century ago and move forward with our own styles and our own New York state beers,” Hansen said. “I take a lot of pride in that.”

Hop farms like Climbing Bines are beginning to establish on-site breweries. In turn, breweries like Ithaca Beer Company are planning to start their own hop farms.

Jablonski said growers and brewers are excited about what locally grown hops will add to their beers, even though it can cost up to $11,000 to plant an acre of hops, and the weeds take up to three years to grow.

“Even the same hop that’s planted in the Pacific Northwest as in New York state — it’s going to have a different sort of flavor,” Jablonski said. “That’s what I think the brewers are so excited about — to have something that’s uniquely New York.”

New York State Senator David Valesky, DOneida, and Assemblyman William Magee, D-Oneida, are working on a bill that would provide a special license to farm breweries that use state-grown ingredients. The bill would reduce licensing costs for farm breweries and allow them to sell beer on site.

Brewers and hop farmers, in addition to a better product, point to a potential side business in tourism, much like the one spawned by the Finger Lakes Wine Trail. Lacey, a beer connoisseur, said he hopes Hopshire will not only help return the state’s hops production levels to those of the 19th century, but also create enthusiasm for local brews.

To hear Lacey discuss his plans for Hopshire, visit www.theithacan.org/18266.

Clear-cut cause

Jordan Mathews, a barber at Center Haircutters in Ithaca, cuts sophomore Ellie Suttmeier’s hair Monday in the lobby outside Emerson Suites. The proceeds from the Inch-A-Thon, sponsored by IC Hillel, will go to Camp Simcha, a camp for children battling life-threatening illnesses.

Emily park/The Ithacan

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The I th a c a n 9

College & City Zuckerberg to visit college for media speaker series

Randi Zuckerberg, creator of R to Z Media, will visit Ithaca College as part of the Park Distinguished Visitor Series. The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in Emerson Suites.

Zuckerberg directed marketing at Facebook for ZUCKERBERG six years, where she led the company’s U.S. election and international politics strategy, and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011 for her innovative coverage of the 2010 mid-term elections. She is Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg’s sister.

Zuckerberg has appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Bloomberg, NDTV & World News and was a correspondent for the 2011 Golden Globe Awards and the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Zuckerberg resigned from Facebook in August to start R to Z Media, which will launch later this year. She was recently appointed to the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council, the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Social Media and the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors’ Commission on Innovation.

National council grants program re-accreditation The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation and Tourism re-accredited Ithaca College’s Recreation

and Leisure Studies program during the National Parks and Recreation Association conference held Nov. 1-3 in Atlanta, Ga. The certification inspection comes as part of a program in which six departments were chosen to be evaluated for re-accreditation.

The new standards and process focuses on student learning outcomes assessment and will be required of all programs seeking accreditation or reaccreditation beginning in 2013.

The council praised the department and the college for their commitment to quality.

FLEFF narrative contest acclaims Pakistani author

The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival presented Pakistani author, blogger and consultant Ambreen Ishrat with first-place honors in the “Checkpoints Story Contest.”

The contest received works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry that ex- ISHRAT amined how people face checkpoints like crossings, borders and thresholds.

Ishrat’s entry, “Migration and Moving beyond Borders” describes her experiences in her home, Pakistan.

Ishrat resides in Karachi, Pakistan, and is currently associated with Exploring Leadership and Learning Theories in Asia and the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development.

Cornell University to hold third annual local food fair Cornell University is hosting the

third annual Local Food, Fiber and Energy Fair, which will begin at 2 p.m. today in the Mann Library on the Agricultural Quad at Cornell.

The event will feature an open market showcasing a sampling of Finger Lakes food and fiber products by local farmers.

This year the event will also focus on energy conservation through local renewable sources.

Following the open market, the film “Greenhorns” will be screened at 6:30 p.m. in Mann Library 160.

After the film, there will be panel discussions and community conversations about the barriers and opportunities faced by farmers and ways the community can support them in their work.

For more details, go to www.rso. cornell.edu/nwaeg/events.html.

IC professor demonstrates research on Colbert Report Matthew Sullivan, associate pro-

fessor of physics, appeared on The Colbert Report, a Comedy Central television show, Nov. 9.

Sullivan made a demonstration of his research in superconductivity.

He levitated a SULLIVAN minicup of Stephen Colbert Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor, “Americone Dream,” using a quantum levitator to prove it is the “ice cream of the future.”

Public Safety Incident Log selected entries from OCT. 31 to Nov. 3 october 31 MEDICAL ASSIST/ PSYCHOLOGICAL LOCATION: Terraces SUMMARY: Caller reported a person was last seen Oct. 28 after a meeting where the person was frustrated and angry. Person transported to counseling center. Patrol Officer Christopher Teribury.

LOST PROPERTY LOCATION: Towers and Concourse SUMMARY: Complainant reported a radio was lost. Investigation pending. Master Patrol Officer Bruce Holmstock.

November 1 MEDICAL ASSIST/ ILLNESS RELATED LOCATION: Ben Light Gymnasium SUMMARY: Officer reported a person feeling ill.

Person transported to CMC by ambulance. Master Patrol Officer Bruce Holmstock.

UNLAWFUL POSS. OF MARIJUANA LOCATION: Clarke Hall SUMMARY: Two people were judicially referred for unlawful possession of marijuana. Patrol Officer Bruce Holmstock.

MEDICAL ASSIST/ INJURY RELATED LOCATION: Ben Light Gymnasium SUMMARY: Caller reported a person possibly broke a leg while playing basketball. Person transported to CMC by ambulance. Master Patrol Officer Bruce Holmstock.

November 2 MAKING GRAFFITI LOCATION: T-Lot SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person wrote graffiti on parking signs. Investigation pending. Patrol Officer Mark Denicola.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT LOCATION: Public Safety Parking Lot SUMMARY: Person reported a one-car MVA, a “gator” struck a telephone pole guide wire. Report taken. Sergeant James Landon.

WELFARE CHECK LOCATION: Tower Dining Hall SUMMARY: Caller reported receiving a text message that another person was having a mental crisis. Officer interviewed the complainant who indicated the person was anxious and emotional. Officer interviewed the person and made contact for residential life staff to assist the person. Patrol Officer Jeremiah McMurray.

November 3 Medical Assist/ Illness Related LOCATION: Gannett Center SUMMARY: Caller reported a person with difficulty breathing. Person transported to CMC by ambulance.

Patrol Officer Mark Denicola.

Medical Assist/ Injury Related LOCATION: Rowland Hall SUMMARY: Caller reported a person fell and struck their head while in the shower. Person transported to CMC by ambulance. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke. or the complete safety log, go to www.theithacan.org/news

Key cmc – Cayuga Medical Center SASP – Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol V&T – Vehicle and Transportation MVA - Motor Vehicle Accident IFD — Ithaca Fire Department IPD — Ithaca Police Department SASP — Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol

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this WEEK

Quantum levitation uses two uncharged metallic plates placed a few micrometers apart.

The clip is available online at www.colbertnation.com.

Tech Services to restore weekly Adobe workshop

Information Technology Services will bring back Photoshop Phridays, Photoshop workshops every Friday in the Technology Learning Center in Friends Hall 101. The workshops are open to all college faculty, staff and students.

There are two sessions — Introduction to photoshop and Creating Graphics. ITS offers computing workshops every week on a variety of topics in the Technology Learning Center at no charge.

To see the list of topics, go to http://www.ithaca.edu/its/

New tech series to feature discussions on media use

The Center for Educational Technology is hosting a new discussion series, “Faculty Show and Share,” which will be held in Job 102.

Each session will feature a guest faculty member, who will demonstrate how he or she uses technology to teach a topic.

The next event will be held at noon today, and will address the use of blogs to create a branded learning experience. Kurt Komaromi, assistant professor of marketing and law, will be the next guest. He will demonstrate the use of weblogs as a course management tool.

To register, go to www.ithaca. edu/its/services/iss.

thursday

SAB Music: DJ Showcase will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Emerson Suite B. Colleges Against Cancer: Relay Kickoff will be held from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the IC Square.

Shabbat Services will begin at 6 p.m. in Muller Chapel.

Shabbat Dinner will be held at 7 p.m. in Terrace Dining Hall.

friday “Harry Potter 7 Part 2” will be screened by the Cornell Cinema at 7 p.m. in Uris Hall at Cornell University.

“Devil’s Double” will be screened at 9:45 p.m. in Uris Hall at Cornell.

monday Mining, Water And Rural Livelihoods On The Bolivian Altiplano: Exploring Contrasting Visions Of Development And Justice will be held at 12:15 p.m. in Uris Hall 153 at Cornell University.

Wednesday Mighty Yoga: Pay-What-YouCan Wednesday will be held at 7:30 p.m. at 106 West State Street, Second Floor.

From Space to Place, an art exhibit will begin at 1 p.m. in Mann Gallery at Cornell U.

Opinion

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editorials

disturbing with peace

Youth should continue using political education and nonviolent tactics to demonstrate their collective frustrations and demand change.

T

he newly coined A ‘ merican Autumn’ has marked a season of burgeoning protests, but its momentum is nothing like movements abroad.

The Arab Spring saw a series of revolutions that erupted in the Middle East. In Europe, teenage vandalism and police brutality emerged from anger toward budget cuts and economic disparity. But across America, citizens are participating in peaceful protests, civil disobedience and democratic assemblies to show their disapproval of the existing establishment.

A common trend among these protests is the youth action. While Middle Eastern conflict was often rooted in violence, the Occupy Wall Street activism has demonstrated a shift toward a more collective, peaceful mentality.

While the 1960s and 1970s were characterized by unrest and riots protesting the Vietnam War and racial segregation, our generation has been relatively passive.

This millennium has been dominated by a perception of issues being too large and complex to tackle.

But as students begin to see the real threats to their health, the environment and their futures, activist organizations have provided an outlet to collectively and peacefully address these concerns.

As youth build support and mobilize masses of like-minded people, they should continue to link their individual causes and demonstrate their frustrations by resisting violent means. Students should use political education strategies similar to Labor In Promoting Solidarity’s speak-out on student debt.

By building a collective knowledge and sharing tools that strengthen the messages of social movements, people can network with one another to develop leaders that can carry forward the energy and action of its organizing efforts.

Culture clash

Programs for international learning should not be the only opportunity for the campus community to engage with other students’ ethnicities.

M

ovie screenings, ethnic cuisine and the One World Concert dominated the first week of November, but these activities should not be the only outlet for intercultural learning.

For the past 10 years, international students have hosted International Education Week to publicly share their cultures with the campus community. Despite the weeklong effort to provide a learning experience for all students and faculty, the international community faces ignorance by many toward its cultures.

International students comprise 2.2 percent of the college’s population — and that limited visibility is obvious. As students go about their weekly routines, they often forget to embrace the diversity around them.

International students offer a different perspective on the world and what Americans believe to be “customary.” Thus, the campus community should strive for more inclusivity in daily interactions, not just through programmed, institutional efforts. The mere presence of international students at this college offers an opportunity for dynamic learning.

By connecting with people beyond surface-level associations, individuals can eliminate the superficiality of relationships and engage with international students to create a close-knit campus community and foster more intercultural learning year-round.

your letters Villainizing allies won’t help

In response to “Email urges more work over Cortaca” and the commentary “Drinking should not dominate college tradition,” I would like to share the extensive experience Students for Sensible Drug Policy has had working with Nancy Reynolds.

As president of SSDP, I can attest that our actions on campus have attracted a considerable amount of support from the student body, which should know that Nancy is our closest ally. No other Ithaca College staff or faculty member has come out in support of reducing punitive penalties for certain drug and alcohol offenses as often or

evan nison ’12, Business administration management/marketing

LETTER POLICY The Ithacan welcomes correspondence from all readers. Please include your name, graduation year, organizational or college title/position and phone number. Letters must be 250 words or less. The Ithacan reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and taste. All letters must be received by 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. All letters must be signed, submitted in writing and either emailed to ithacan@ithaca. edu or delivered to Park 269.

Speak Your mind.

SNAP JUDGMENT Drilling on South Hill Do you think the college should support a ban on fracking?

Watch more Snap Judgments at theithacan.org.

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

as strongly as she has. We worked with Nancy to pass the Medical Amnesty Policy, and we are close to equalizing sanctions for marijuana and alcohol use on campus. She also provided a compelling letter of support for the New York State 911 Good Samaritan Law, which helped convince the New York legislature to pass it earlier this year.

Every student should recognize the tremendous amount of effective advocacy Nancy has done on their behalf.

These policies benefit every student daily and can potentially save their lives.

“Yes. I would like to enjoy the drinking water that I have, and I don’t want to be contaminated every time I take a shower.”

Victoria DeBerry ’15 Television-Radio

“it’s nice to be able to drink your water without having to worry about natural gases, ethanol and chemicals.”

Brandon Ferreira ’15 Politics

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

“Ithaca College should support fracking because it’s better than drilling in Iran and other nations.”

Namarah McCall ’15 Outside Field and Voice

“until a little more research is done into it, and we make sure that it is completely safe for everyone in the college community, I don’t think we should have fracking.”

Jonathan Fleischman ’15 Music Education

“It’s an environmental damage, and we need to stop adding any more to it.”

Gabriella Carr ’13 Drama

ithacan@ithaca.edu www.theithacan.org

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Multiple copies and mail subscriptions are available from the office of The Ithacan. Please call for rates.

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guest commentary

U.S. must link sustainable thought to action This piece was authored by Marian Brown, the special assistant to the provost and vice president of academic affairs; Susan Allen-Gil, the chair of the environmental studies and science deparment; and Susan Swensen, the chair of the biology department.

chris zivalich

GOP cacophony mutes message

W

e have repeatedly been asked, “So, how was China?” since returning from our trips to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai.

There, we attended the International Forum on Education for Sustainable Development to present on Ithaca College’s sustainability education model.

Most Chinese educators we met focus their sustainability education efforts in the primary and early secondary grades. However, these schools look more at preserving cultural heritage, with small nods to recycling, adaptive reuse and some renewable energy technology. Something may have been “lost in translation,” but if the Chinese value sustainability, we missed the signs.

China is now the global leader in carbon emissions, releasing 23 percent from its coalfired power production. But the U.S. runs a close second, emitting 18 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide. In Beijing and Xi’an, smog was visible — even on “good air” days, as our tour guide referred to them. The atmosphere in Shanghai was noticeably clearer. Our guide explained the coal-burning plants that sent power to Shanghai were located closer to Beijing.

The highways are in excellent condition, but it takes forever to travel because the roads are clogged with American-sized vehicles. Upwardly mobile Chinese crave the status of owning their own car: Hondas, Volkswagens, Toyotas and Subarus abound. Not only were the Chinese people indistinguishable from Americans in their vehicle brands, but also their wardrobe choices. They also patronize American companies like McDonald’s and KFC. Ironically, we even noted small Walmart stores. It’s clear the Chinese are mirroring the unsustainable aspects of American development, and capitalism is a genie that cannot be forced back into its bottle.

We visited three of China’s largest cities, with

A

From left, Marian Brown, Susan Allen-Gil, Susan Swensen and a Chinese delegate attend the fifth International Forum on Education for Sustainable Development in October in China.

courtesy of marian brown

populations between eight and 23 million. Most notable was the pace of redevelopment: everywhere, homes and small buildings were being demolished and replaced with high-rise apartment complexes and office buildings. The government owns all the land, so the state can easily pay home or business occupants to relocate, raze the building and replace it with a multi-story version. The observation deck of Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower offered a “birds-eye view” of 20 miles of skyscraping towers and high-rises in every direction.

At the forum, the presenters talked about the importance of “education for sustainable development,” but there are disconnects between theory and practice. Buildings were over-lit and rooms overheated. China leads in manufacturing solar panels for export, yet few are in use. Instead, giant power plants and miles of transmission lines move electrons from the northern coal-producing

regions to the rapidly expanding southern cities.

We saw no “green buildings,” recycling was rare and there was little effort to conserve water. People did not compost, and they wasted food. We saw no local food production. Rather, items were trucked in or flown from long distances. Yet who are we to say the Chinese shouldn’t enjoy the same standard of living we take for granted?

The most valuable part of traveling halfway around the world is the opportunity to return home with fresh eyes and a greater appreciation for how good we have it. This experience made us appreciate being at a college where we strive to “walk the talk” of sustainability. But we should not be complacent. Our American lifestyles are highly unsustainable — and the Chinese simply want to mirror us. We should modify our own thinking and practices and offer the people in modernizing nations a better, more sustainable example to follow.

guest commentary

Obama needs bolder self-image to make viable change

W

hile Barack Obama won by a majority in both the electoral and the popular vote in 2008, many have speculated his re-election campaign will lack the same strong support base this time around. His approval ratings have steadily decreased since mid-term elections, and chloe wilson the economic downgrades aren’t helping. Obama launched his re-election campaign months ago. But with all of the media attention on the Republican presidential candidates, the public has hardly noticed.

Obama’s campaign has noticeable changes from his strategy in 2008.

The “Yes We Can” chant that brought Obama to the White House is completely absent. In fact, anything that purports Obama himself to be the change we need is missing, a sign that his former, personal idealism has been replaced with a need for realworld solutions.

The most interesting addition to Obama’s official merchandise is a T-shirt that deviates from most of his 2012 merchandise. The shirt displays a picture of the president, but with the caption “Made in the USA” and an image of Obama’s birth certificate.

So what exactly is Obama trying

politcal (off)-Beat

President Barack Obama speaks about student debt and promotes the American Jobs Act on Oct. 26 at the University of Colorado Denver.

Susan Walsh/associated press

to remind voters of with this tactic?

Not much. Obama is downplaying the idea of change and trying to make the public forget his spotty record. While he had successes with the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” — a key 2008 campaign promise — and with the killings of Osama Bin Laden and Moammar Gadhafi, Obama has faced an increasingly stubborn tea party and a downgrade of the U.S. credit rating.

Luckily, Obama is smart enough to adapt his 2012 campaign to new developments. In response to the Occupy Wall Street movement, he publicly stated his understanding

of the American people’s frustration. In a recent Huffington Post op-ed, Obama promoted his new “Know Before You Owe” plan to halt increasing interest rates of student loans. This move would be a significant effort to support the end of abusive financial practices.

Obama’s new “We Can’t Wait” campaign is trying to instill political change through White House action — he’s opting not to seek input from a divided Congress. Despite his attempts, Obama isn’t solving problems fast enough, which hurts him more than his Republican opposition.

However, Obama isn’t solely

responsible for failing to make the change he promised. Rather, the stubbornness of a divided government has caused unwillingness to compromise or put personal ideologies aside for the good of the country.

Unfortunately for Obama, his reelection relies on the government’s progress as a whole, not solely on his individual performance as president.

This puts Obama in a lose-lose situation: If he allows Republicans to pass bills, the public views him as weak. If he fights staunchly for one solution, then he is seen as strong, but unproductive. If Obama is re-elected, he must continue with the proactive strategies he has been using in the recent months in order to please the public. He must present himself as a rational thinker in a time when irrationality is ubiquitous.

Obama still has steadfast supporters who are donating to his campaign, but money alone won’t win an election. Obama can raise all the funds he wants, but rebranding himself as independent from traditional government politics will earn him the votes he needs for re-election and will hopefully shift the focus from the government’s faults to Obama’s ideas and goals for the U.S. He has a good vision for the future of America, and that’s change we can believe in. chloe wilson is a sophomore television-radio major and a staff writer.

Email her at cwilson6@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.

s debts accumulate, poverty increases and wars go unchecked, American news channels seem more obsessed with Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain than anything else.

Right now, the biggest tragedy in the U.S. may not actually be the economy. Rather, it’s the way we privilege the two most nonsensical candidates vying for the Republican presidential candidacy over more newsworthy material. Most Americans could probably laugh off Cain’s popularized “9-9-9” tax plan, but they couldn’t say whether we’re drone-attacking Somalia or Yemen — or frankly, where those two nations are even located.

Sure, some of us don’t take Bachmann very seriously. We gasp at how, during the past two years, nine teenagers, many of whom identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered, have committed suicide at a school in her Minnesotan district. This is especially troublesome considering Bachmann and her husband’s controversial statements against gay youth.

However, talk of these candidates comes up in our routine lunch conversations. But whether we laugh or shake our heads with frustration, we remain complicit in legitimizing their ludicrous suggestions and insignificant quirks as valuable discourse. The narratives of the “crazy” contenders for the presidency only become important insofar as we are willing to talk about them and allow our media to make their stories our headlines.

The candidates are competing in a race that is crucial to democracy.

Still, that doesn’t mean we have to proliferate their sheer stupidity and vanity. The same energy we use to discuss the candidates’ ridiculousness could be rerouted to more critical issues. While it’s perhaps good for us to recognize that Bachmann and Cain would drive our country further into the ground if either became commander in chief, their personal lives shouldn’t saturate our conversations.

It’s time we demand our news focus more specifically on the candidates’ policies and ideologies.

The media must act responsibly by questioning whether Bachmann or Cain would continue current trends in U.S. politics — replaying the candidates’ laughable quotes merely for high ratings does not qualify. While such moments are important and sometimes disturbing, they distract us from the larger picture.

Most importantly, we need to be critical thinkers who push for a wider agenda in our media. We must remain enmeshed in the politics of economy, war and poverty so our thinking is not limited to “embarrassing things Bachmann said.”

If we don’t ask tough questions, we give the candidates permission to bring more personality than politics to the upcoming election. chris zivalich is a senior journalism major. Email him at czivali1@ithaca.edu

1 2 The It hacan

Divers ion s

dormin’ norman

By Jonathan Schuta ’14

Pearls Before Swine®

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

sudoku

By Stephan Pastis

answers to last week’s sudoku

crossword ACROSS 1 Handy abbr.

4 Average guy 7 Jaipur princess 11 Pate de foie — 13 Cousteau’s summer 14 Fired, slangily 15 Collapse 16 Prickly plant (2 wds.)

18 Gets onto the freeway 20 Shampoo-bottle word 21 Hoedown partner 22 MGM workplace 23 Minty drink 26 Imitator 30 Frequently 31 Tight spot 32 PBS “Science Guy” 33 Started walking

By United Media

36 Committee 38 Apply salve 39 Work out 40 Scared-looking 43 Lighter fluid 46 Freezing rain (2 wds.)

48 Technical word 50 Jupiter’s neighbor 51 Part of WWW 52 Advantage 53 Wait 54 — Paulo, Brazil 55 Bobby —

DOWN 1 Poached edible 2 Prune the hedge 3 Limestone formation 4 Solitaire 5 Bluesman Redding 6 Moray 7 Unusual thing 8 Dendrite’s partner 9 Promontory 10 — fixe 12 Suit material 17 Globule 19 Mountain pass 22 Smoked salmon 23 Iota 24 Roswell crasher 25 Corporate abbr.

26 Spanish hero El —

27 28 29 31 34 35 36 37 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 49

News network Vote in favor Util. bill Pisces mo.

Like an evening gown Fontanne’s husband Kitchen utensil Form of quartz Type of shrimp Draws a bead on Beat it, cat!

Jealous goddess La — tar pits Jarrett and Sparks Cogito — sum Startled cries Tex- — cuisine

answers to last week’s crossword

Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

a cce nt

The I th a c a n 1 3

on the other side Students from international schools form cross-cultural identities

First-year graduate student Jon Lin came to Ithaca College from the Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan. Students who attend international schools learn to adapt to multiple cultures.

Rachel Orlow/The Ithacan

For the international student population at Ithaca College, many have had the opportunity For her entire life, senior Cherrie Rhodes for a mixed-culture education.

For example, a student born in Japan could never knew anything but a diverse student population. She attended Seisen International go to a Japanese high school. Or like Rhodes, inSchool, an all-girls Catholic school located ternational students can attend an international outside of Tokyo, for 14 years. Rhodes said she school, or they can have the option to attend an never had a problem with her mixed-race iden- international American school.

International schools provide a hybrid edutity, half Japanese and half American, until she cation. For example, students at international came to Ithaca College her freshman year.

“At my school, I think a third of my class was schools learn about social studies from all places.

Comparatively, international American half Japanese and half white in some way,” she said. “I just never thought about it. And then I schools teach a strictly American-based curcame here and people were like, ‘Have you ever riculum — students learn in depth about U.S. had an identity crisis? Do you feel more Japanese history. They also have more creative freedom within their classes and must be proficient in or more American?’”

The U.S. Department of State currently pro- English upon arrival at the high school level.

Both international American schools and vides assistance to 197 overseas schools through support programs to promote an American-style international schools require students to poseducation program. Most of the schools are pri- sess a passport from somewhere other than the vate and independent, and serve dependents school’s host country.

First-year physical therapy graduate student of American citizens of the U.S. government abroad. Post World War II, many international Jon Lin experienced some culture shock after arschools were started for military families seeking riving in the U.S. Lin traveled to a completely new environan education for their children. ment when he came to the college from the Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan. He said the line between the types of international students is fuzzy, but many students from these mixed-background educations can feel out of place, he said.

“When I came, I came to the international orientation because it was the last one right before I could move in so it was tough, because to [the college] I’m like any other kid,” Lin said. “I’m an American citizen, I speak fluent English, I went through the same educational system. But to my friends here, they think I’m an international student because I came from overseas.”

Diana Dimitrova, director of international services for the college’s Office of International Programs, said the office does not know much about those students other than what paperwork and visas they need to fill out.

International students from Englishspeaking schools sometimes have a Senior Cherrie Rhodes in 1994 on her first day of school. hard time defining their international status at the college, like Lin. She went to an international school for 14 years.

Lin said he feels Ithaca’s culture Courtesy of Cherrie Rhodes

By Alyssa Frey Staff Writer

Top right, senior Romi Ezzo at age 16, at the American School of Kuwait, the international high school he attended. Like many international students, Ezzo had a mixed-culture education.

Courtesy of Romi Ezzo

is what makes his American college education feel so much different from his American high school. He said though he went through an American education system, he spoke the Taiwanese language, ate Taiwanese food and enjoyed Taiwanese nightlife.

“When I was in Taiwan in school, once I left the school campus, it was a whole different world,” Lin said. “It was a different culture, different environment and a different language.”

Senior Romi Ezzo attended the American School of Kuwait. He said coming to Ithaca, he did not know a lot about current events because of Kuwait’s politics at the time of his education.

“In all of the atlases when I was in middle school, they would black out everything that said Israel,” he said. “Sometimes they would say Palestine, but other times they wouldn’t because they didn’t want to touch upon the issue.”

Senior Michael Kallgren attended the American School of the Hague in Wassenaar, Netherlands, for 10 years. Kallgren said ASH’s curriculum allowed him to learn basic subjects, like the States’ system does, to help him choose a focus in his classes later on.

“The nice thing was that in high school you were required to take both an introduction to U.S. history and an introduction to world history,” Kallgren said. “Then you could go into more specific things like European history and medieval European history.”

Many students who attend international or American international schools do so with the intent to return to the States for college. Lin said he knew attending TAS would help increase his chance of having a collegiate future in the U.S. “I was born in the States, and then my family moved back to Taiwan,” Lin said. “They sent me to the American school because the whole point was for me to come back to the States for college.”

The college’s Office of Admissions tries to recruit international students from across the globe. Nicole Eversley Bradwell, associate director of admissions at the college, said the college’s reach to international schools is spread among all types of education. She and her colleagues attend fairs with other colleges to recruit students.

“We recruit students from national schools … as well as international schools, as well as American schools, as well as British schools, as well as any number of Canadian schools,” she said.

Rhodes said her perception of her own cultural identity hasn’t changed, but experiences different interactions with friends and family when she travels home to Japan for breaks.

“Increasingly, when I go home, people will try to speak English to me,” Rhodes said. “I try to tell them it’s OK, like, ‘I speak Japanese, I know exactly what you’re saying.’ It’s not like I’ve suddenly developed an American accent or anything.

Maybe I carry myself differently? I don’t know, but it’s very strange.”

[ a cc e ntuate]

1 4 The It hacan

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

Hot or Not This week’s hits and misses

Staff Writer Jared Dionne breaks down which band reunions are going smoothly and which groups were better off broken up.

Hot

Black Sabbath The heavy metal scene was abuzz Nov. 11, also known as Metal Day. After months of speculation, Black Sabbath announced it would reunite after 10 years apart. Black Sabbath is commonly acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the heavy metal genre. Though the band has endured multiple changes in its membership, it is returning with the original lineup, which features Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. The group is set to record a new album with producer Rick Rubin and launch a world tour. Catch the band live for some good old-fashioned metal. Maybe Ozzy will even bite off some bat heads.

Lukewarm Bloc Party In 2009, British alternative rock band Bloc Party decided to take an “indefinite hiatus” to work on individual projects. The band was without a recording contract and opted to use the time to figure out the direction it was going and whether it would even continue as a band. This summer, Bloc Party announced it would reunite and have a taste of new music out before the end of September. That didn’t happen. A couple of months ago, the band posted a message on its website stating, “Bloc Party is still Bloc Party.” Since then, the band’s reunion plans have been kept under wraps.

Until this one’s sorted out, the party has yet to start.

Not

Bedside manner

From left, sophomore Calvin Chestnut and freshman Katy Dia perform in Standing Room Only Performing Arts Company’s student production of the 1996 play “This Is Our Youth” by dramatist and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan on Saturday in Clark Lounge.

alex mason/the ithacan

omg!

high-flying video game characters take new form as talking Plushies

Angry Birds, the video game developed by Finnish design company Rovio Mobile, hit mainstream entertainment media with an iPhone app, Google Chrome add-on and even a spoof movie trailer. The cartoon creatures are now available in Plushie form with The Chuckimal, an Angry Bird look-a-like toy meant to convey personalized messages between two people when one of them hurtles the bird at the other. The small stuffed animals contain a recording device that captures up to 30 seconds of audio that automatically plays back when the toy is thrown through the air.

Angry with someone? Give them the bird.

— Shea O’Meara

New Order Following the suicide of their lead singer, Ian Curtis, members from British rock band Joy Division formed New Order. The new band enjoyed a successful career before bass player Peter Hook announced in 2007 that the band had broken up without consulting the other members. Since then, New Order has been in a constant state of disagreement, especially after the band announced charity reunion shows this year without Hook. Hook has vowed to derail the reunion at any cost and wreak havoc on his former bandmates. There is anything but order in this mess.

video of

the

week

British gymnastics champion brings acrobatics to streets

While British gymnastics champion Damien Walters left the competition arena in 2006, he recently tumbled his way back to the sport in a wimp.com video. In “Epic Stunts: Damien Walters 2011” the gymnast takes his talent to the next level by rolling out of cars while sipping a drink and casually leaping from tall buildings like a parking garage. He even takes off his shirt and pants while performing acrobatics on a trampoline. This video proves Walters is head over heels for his sport.

— Allie Healy

quoteunquote I literally can’t tell the women apart. They look like a fire at a wax museum.

— Tina Fey to Us Magazine on the ladies from Bravo’s reality TV series, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

celebrity SCOOPS! Queen of Pop loses friends Music legend Madonna certainly doesn’t lack fans as a recording artist, but within her personal circle of friends, she’s a bit less popular. If being uninvited to Stella McCartney’s birthday party and Paul McCartney’s wedding was not enough, Madonna felt the sting of rejection when none of her friends made an appearance at the premiere of her new film, “W.E.” According to People Magazine, the snubbing started when Madonna reportedly became flirty and suggestive with Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband, Chris Martin. The Queen of Pop may be looking at a royal rejection from some of Hollywood’s hottest buds.

— Benjii Maust

A CCEN T

Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

The I th a c a n 1 5

Socially conscious band calls for women’s rights

By Shea o’Meara

Assistant Accent Editor

While most musicians who ask their fans for loose change are looking for a quick way to earn cash, alternative rock band State Radio uses the coins they collect in Ithaca to empower women in impoverished nations.

State Radio, a politically minded alternative rock band led If you Go

by Chadwick State Radio Stokes will When: perform at 8 p.m. tomorrow 8 p.m. tomor- Where: row at The The Haunt Haunt and will How much: $16 raise funds for “Bringing Change to Women,” a campaign to support women’s empowerment programs worldwide.

“Bringing Change to Women” is an initiative of Calling All Crows, a non-profit humanitarian organization co-founded by Stokes that encourages bands to become active in supporting oppressed women around the world. Before the show, Ithaca residents and Ithaca College student volunteers will team with Loaves and Fishes, a local food pantry, to help serve free meals to community members.

State Radio was founded after Stokes took some time off from playing with Dispatch and decided to join bassist Chuck Fay and drummer Mike Najarian to form the new band. They decided to channel the energy their fans brought to their concerts and use it to benefit local communities. The band works with humanitarian organizations

before concerts in the cities they visit on tour. The group also recently attended Occupy Wall Street protests in Boston and Burlington, Vt. Stokes said bringing music, activism and service together has always fascinated him.

“I’ve always really gravitated to music and bands that I felt like had something deep going on,” Stokes said. “Whether that’s Hendrix, or the Stones or Rage Against the Machine, I felt like I was part of something and part of that movement.”

Stokes said he and his manager Sybil Gallagher developed Calling All Crows to make the band’s activism more effective. Since December 2008, Calling All Crows has raised more than $200,000 for Sudanese women and is now working to aid women’s shelters in Afghanistan.

At each event, State Radio leaves out buckets for concert attendees to donate loose change and then gives that money to international programs that benefit women’s rights.

Stokes said through his work as an activist he has learned oppression of women contributes to violence in regions like Sudan and Darfur, and he said he wants to work to help these women.

“If women were given equal opportunity, it would start this chain reaction and help an area escape its own violence,” he said.

Freshman Kevin Collins became involved with Calling All Crows in August when he joined the Amplify Education Alternative Break Tour, a one-week program that invites 10 fans to join State Radio and the reunited Dispatch in

From left, Mike Najarian, Chadwick Stokes and Chuck Fay, members of State Radio, will play today at the Haunt.

The band works with local non-profits in cities that they tour, and supports a women’s rights organization.

Courtesy of Penny Palmer

its community service events and concerts. Collins said his fellow volunteers inspired him to be active in his community.

“The people that volunteered with us were all so positive and active in what they were doing, so it was a really good environment,” he said.

Collins said Calling All Crows asked him to organize the community service event for State Radio’s show in Ithaca almost two months ago. He said the group chose to work with Loaves and Fishes instead of another non-profit because it was local and affected the community directly. Six Ithaca residents and college students will assist the organization in serving free meals

and will then be given meet-andgreet passes to spend time with the band after its show. Collins said State Radio usually attempts to volunteer at the service events, but the band won’t be able to attend this week’s event because of scheduling conflicts.

Christina Culver, executive director of Loaves and Fishes, said the organization serves about 130 to 150 free meals per day but has recently been serving up to 200 meals per day because of the 19 percent poverty rate in Tompkins County. While the organization relies on the work of volunteers to meet the community’s needs, she said it’s rare for an organization

outside of the city to organize volunteers to assist in meal services.

“It’s a very worthy concept that they would want to support an organization that helps the community where they’re playing,” she said. “It’s the model of how to be an upstanding citizen.”

Stokes said while most of the group’s fans support the service projects and political messages portrayed in their songs, some object to its bold activism.

“We like to have the petitions there if people are interested and if some of the tunes or some of the things we talk about inspire dialogue,” he said. “That’s as much as we can ask for.”

Drama brings light to cops’ plight

By Kelsey Fowler Accent Editor

Tables turn as two cops must be the ones who are interrogated in the upcoming minimalist Readers’ Theatre production of “A Steady Rain.”

The play by Keith Huff tells the story of two Chicago police officers, Denny (Junito Cubero) and Joey (Tim Perry), and the complexities of their lifelong If you Go friendship tainted by “A Steady Rain” When: 8 p.m. the rough city streets.

Dec. 2 and 3 and At the beginning of 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4 the show, the two find Where: The themselves on differ- Space, 700 West ent sides of the law, but Buffalo St. in love with the same How much: $12 to $15 woman. Under interrogation lights, they deliver alternating accounts of the chain of events that put their friendship and careers in jeopardy.

Danny and Joey are the only characters on stage for the entire 90-minute production. Director Anne Marie Cummings said working with such a small cast doesn’t mean the show still isn’t engaging.

“When you find two-person plays that are really well-written, it pulls you in,” she said.

“You see two actors, but by the end of play feel [you’ve] gotten to know the other five or six they talk about too.”

In a reader’s-theater style show, actors keep their scripts on stage for the entire performance. There are no sets or props, just two chairs. Actors wear whatever costumes they feel are most appropriate for their characters. Typically, scripts are held up by a music stand, but Cummings said for this production, Cubero and Perry wanted more freedom.

“The actors said they really wanted the challenge of just holding the scripts in their hands,” Cummings said. “It frees them up to move more.”

Cummings said “A Steady Rain” is a character-driven play. Because the production doesn’t focus on technical elements, the core of the show has to be focused on the acting and the words. She said she chose this show because Huff ’s story was so compelling.

“It’s perfect for reader’s theater because what we focus on is the written word,” she said. “It’s very intense. Because the writing is so rich, the actors don’t have to do as much as one might think.”

Cubero said playing Denny, a family man with slightly skewed notions of what constitutes honor, has been a rewarding challenge.

Throughout the short rehearsal process, he said, he experimented with many variations of his character.

“It’s odd, because one day the character is a certain way, the next it can change a little bit, and fine tuning it to get the character just right is difficult,” he said.

He said what drew him to the play was the intensity of the script, and how the characters interact on so many different levels.

Cummings said one big challenge of the show was addressing the accents both characters must have.

“There’s a certain twang, a certain way of talking, for people from Chicago,” she said.

“It’s been a challenge for both of them — it’s fantastic writing, but it’s been a challenge living up to it.”

Following every performance of “A Steady Rain,” Richard Polenberg, professor of history at Cornell University, will lead a discussion on the issue of affirmative action and speak about real-life events Huff dramatizes in the play.

From left, Junito Cubero as Denny and Tim Perry as Joey rehearse Nov. 9 for the Readers’ Theatre production of “A Steady Rain,” a gripping drama about two Chicago police officers.

Kevin Campbell/The Ithacan

“I explore the actual historical circumstances of the play and compare it to the way the playwright used history or embellished it,” he said.

Pete Panek, a local blues musician and native Chicagoen, adds to the performances of “A Steady Rain,” playing live electric guitar underneath the dialogue and between scenes. He said his music underscores important moments for the audience.

“It’s more like punctuation points in between what I consider really heavy sentences or heavy dialogue,” he said. “It’s in that space where I will make a commentary on what’s happening.”

He said blues music is based on call and response, so he attempts to answer what

characters say in the play, adding to the general atmosphere.

“It’s almost like a guitar Greek chorus,” he said.

Panek said he’s developed a musical motif to fall in line with the title of the show, “A Steady Rain.” Throughout the show, Panek said he plays a riff in a blues minor which reappears and helps tie moments together.

For Cummings, the raw emotion and look of the show adds an element of excitement to the play.

“This is a play about love and loss, and people will hopefully identify with things that come up with family or with friends or relationships that tear you apart,” she said.

A ccen t

1 6 The It hacan

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

Poetic novel finds flaws in perfection

thursday

by Megan Goldschmidt staff writer

New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins focuses on drugs, suicide, rape and other issues teens face to weave together a nontraditional book that shines as a testament to living outside societal norms.

Hopkins mixes traditional creative writing with free-form poetry in “Perfect,” her newest book that details the intertwined fictional lives of four teenagers in Nevada.

Ellen Hopkins The typical high school stu“Perfect” dents share their struggles Margaret K. with issues that afflict modern McElderry Books youth in chapters that alternate between narrators. Hopkins presents a challenge to society’s demand for perfection by revealing the darker side of early-adult success.

“Perfect” is written in the style Hopkins describes as a prose novel, as she structures her verses on the page in creative ways meant to stimulate the visual nature of the narrative.

Words are strategically placed to form patters that symbolize the frantic state of a character’s mind. When one character falls to rock bottom, Hopkins stacks words on top of each other and the sentences look like a staircase down the page, signaling an emotional descent.

Her free-verse writing includes plot development and character narration, but is executed in a poetic form that provides more emotion and impact than a regular page setup. The characters’ states of mind are easily decoded by examining the page form. One teen, Kendra, describes her disappointment when people only see her outer beauty.

Kendra’s story is written in prose that is printed in a column of text on the left side of the page. But next to the strip, Hopkins includes a list of single words that reveal another message — “pretty isn’t good enough.”

Hopkins sticks to some of the traditional subjects, such as addiction and suicide, that she’s covered in past books like “Crank” and “Impulse,” but also modernizes her work with issues like teen plastic surgery. Kendra struggles with anorexia, and Hopkins makes her journey resonate with the audience by including a list of real-life statistics about teen eating disorders. According

“Attack the Block,” a film about a teen gang in London that must protect its town from an alien invasion, will show at Cornell Cinema. The screening will begin at 10 p.m. Tickets are $4 to $7 at the door.

book Review

friday

“Late: A Cowboy Song,” a play about a newlywed couple determining the gender of their unborn child and one woman’s struggle with her sexuality, will begin at 8 p.m. at The Space at GreenStar. Tickets are $10 to $15.

saturday

Author Ellen Hopkins and the cover of her new book, “Perfect,” a fictional account of the challenges modern teens face. Hopkins uses extended free-form poetry to construct full-lenth novels.

courtesy of Margaret K. McElderry Books

to the book, 10 million women suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S. alone, girls as young as 11 suffer with anorexia and at least 1,000 people die each year from the eating disorder. The statistics make the character’s struggle seem urgent in a society in which so many people are affected by negative body images.

Hopkins’ first chapters feature Cara, a Stanford-bound cheerleader who is forced to present the perfect façade with a model boyfriend.

Cara’s illusion vanishes as she confronts her true self and admits she is a lesbian. Hopkins makes Cara’s character relatable by keeping her parent’s reaction consistent to their distant and cold parenting style. In the scene where Cara finally does come out to her parents, they reject her confession and brush it aside as a phase, forcing her to keep her newfound identity hidden. Immediately after she comes out, Cara’s family faces

another crisis, and Hopkins ends the storyline about her sexuality. The narrative of Cara’s life, though clichéd at times, could have provided readers with a story about overcoming the challenges of living with distant and unsupportive parents, but ends too quickly and seems unfinished.

Hopkins pens an inspiring author’s note at the end of the novel. She argues that perfection is a ridiculous goal, simply because it doesn’t exist. She implores readers to ignore the media messages bombarding them every day telling them they’re not good enough, thin enough or smart enough. Despite its flaws, “Perfect” serves as a compelling read that captures the emotional issues afflicting teens today and offers comfort for real-life youth.

To read a Q&A with Ellen Hopkins, author of “Perfect,” visit theithacan.org.

staff Writer

On her fifth studio album, Kelly Clarkson shows her strength as an artist with a collection of tracks that range from dance beats to punk-rock tunes.

Kelly Clarkson The new re“Stronger” lease, “Stronger,” RCA Records leans on adult conOur rating: temporary R&B HHHH and rock instead of the pristine power pop of 2004 album “Breakaway.” The album features more assured, gritty vocals that make nearly every song a satisfying listen. At the heart of the album, tracks like the thematic centerpiece “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” and the lyrically witty “I Forgive You” provide familiar

Album Review

shout-filled choruses characteristic of the American Idol star’s “Since U Been Gone” heyday. But with ambient synths and skillful drum programming, these are rock songs heavy on biting production and light on gauzy pop sensibility.

The theme of strength and its vague meaning appears both clandestinely and obviously throughout “Stronger.” Clarkson asks a lover if he is strong enough to handle her less palatable qualities on the eerie “Dark Side,” which is backed by what sounds like a broken music box.

Later, she questions the validity of societal influence on the politically charged “You Can’t Win” by singing lyrics filled with wry humor like “If you’re straight/ Why aren’t you married yet/ If you’re gay why aren’t

Song of the Week “Get By Remix”

by jillian Kaplan staff writer

English singer Florence + the Machine’s second album, “Ceremonials,” is a soulful blend of folk, gospel and rock beats that fire on all cylinders as she drives eclectic tracks Florence + with constantly the Machine powerful vocals.

“Ceremonials” In her first Universal album, “Lungs,” Records Florence proOur rating: duced a blend HHH1/2 of tribal-toned beats mixed with choir-like backup vocals. She continues to weave harmonies against complementing rhythms that give each of her new songs a meditative feel.

The second track on the album, “Shake It Out,” starts off jazzy with vocals and moves into a rhythmic, feel-good song. The chorus has a

Album Review

Courtesy of rca Records

you waving a flag.” Songs like these show Clarkson has changed from her typical personal narrative song selection to a more universal style that turns outward and explores the human experience from the foundation of the album’s central theme.

Overall, “Stronger” is a musical reincarnation of human passion and endurance that weaves emotional nuances together to create a spellbinding collection of inspirational rock tracks.

Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band, will perform its 2,000th show at 7:30 p.m. at the State Theatre.

Admission is $29.50.

sunday

CU Music: CMEMME, a production by the Cornell Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Music Ensemble, will feature guests Costa Sakellariou and Margarita Poutouridou. The show will begin at 8 p.m. at Cornell University’s Barnes Hall. Admission is free.

quickening pace and fast repetition that flows directly from verse to verse. There is a pagan quality to the singer’s chanting as the hopeful lyrics create an enchanting and uplifting mood.

Overall, “Ceremonials” is a celebration of mixed genres set in a well-paced album with poignantly toned lyrics. Indie rockers should make this listen a high-priority.

Courtesy of universal Records

quickies “It’s All Good”

“Someone To Watch Over Me”

“Get By remix”

Joe Nichols Show Dog Universal Music

Susan Boyle Columbia Records

Cosmo

Get By Remix Cosmo combines a futuristic synthesizer line that bounces around Talib Kweli’s original flow with an out-of-this-world line in the chorus.

Scan This qr Code with a smartphone to learn more aboUT Music blogger Jared Dionne’s pick for the song of the week

Klezmer Dance Party, a benefit concert featuring the Kenya Hora Klezmer Band and Mel and Sol, will begin at 7 p.m at the Ithaca Reform Temple. A $15 donation is recommended for admission.

Artist calls for celebration

Clarkson escapes pop roots on strongest album to date

by Benjii Maust

hot dates

After a public battle with alcoholism, Joe Nichols is back with a mellow release that features warm guitar melodies that proves he’s left his rough-and-rowdy days behind.

The Scottish star of “Britain’s Got Talent”recently released her second album that barely breaks from the highly emotional ballads on her wellreceived first album. courtesy of Columbia Records

courtesy oF Show Dog Universal

compiled by shea o’meara

A cce nt

Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

The I th a c a n 1 7

Financial drama cashes in on acting Wall Street-centric film captures day in the life of company ruin

bY Lucy Walker

]

valid friday through thursday

cinemapolis The Commons 277–6115

Staff Writer

As people protest Wall Street in cities across the country, the men and women of the “1 percent” have come to the forefront of media attention.

It’s perfect timing for “Margin Call,” “Margin a new drama about Call” an investment bank, Lionsgate Our rating: which tells the story HHH1/2 of how bank leaders knowingly choose to ruin the economy to save their own billion-dollar salaries.

Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, this adrenaline-packed film is void of gunshots, chase scenes or a forced love story. Instead, it follows a day at work for stock market traders on Wall Street, including risk management employee Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto). As security escorts his boss and mentor, Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), from the building as part of mass layoffs, Eric gives Peter a flash drive, telling him to look into what he was working on, but with caution.

Eric and his co-worker Seth Bregman (Penn Badgley) alert Will Emerson (Paul Bettany), that the company’s downfall is already in progress, Will calls in CEO John Tuild (Jeremy Irons) who ultimately makes a life-changing decision as the tension mounts, despite moral objections from risk management head Sarah Robertson (Demi Moore) and head of sales Sam Rodgers (Kevin Spacey).

The big-city skyscraper in which most of the film is set looks authentic, without flashy special effects. Even

[

ticket stub

The hedgehog 7:20 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. and Weekends 2:20 p.m. and 4:25 p.m.

Film Review

Margin Call HHH1/2 7:15 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. and Weekends 2:15 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.

The Way 7:10 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Weekends 2:10 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Drive HHH 9:35 p.m. and Weekends 4:35 p.m.

Mozart’s sister 7:05 p.m., except Wednesday, and Weekends 2:05 p.m.

Risk management employee Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) and co-worker Seth Bregman (Penn Badgley) discover their investment bank is on the edge of ruin in “Margin Call.” The film follows the downfall of Wall Street bankers.

Courtesy of Lionsgate

the costuming is minimal. The camerawork is simple but crisp, never straying from the calamitous tone — over-the-shoulder shots tighten on the action. The gripping instrumental score and fitting absence of pop songs supports the tense atmosphere of caution and danger. Without frills, the film relies on the ensemble cast filled with well-known stars.

Chandor’s script delves into the morality of what the traders will do to millions of people through brilliant debates and speeches. His writing outshines his directing, though the direction emerges with strength in the boardroom scenes, showing the coordination and

thought necessary for a film without a main character, focusing on wide shots of the group and balancing individual character moments.

Standout performances come from actors in smaller roles. Irons delivers with a cruelty typical for the power-hungry, and does justice to his part. Moore deserved more screen time as she proved to be excellent in a mature role with her illustration of a powerful woman whose wise decisions were overpowered by male co-workers. Spacey plays intensely emotional moments perfectly without making the crisis seem dull or drawn out.

Audiences can guess how the

Period Bard film plays up mystery

story ends, having seen it many times over in banks since the financial collapse began in 2007. But the drama is not wasted. Detailing the motivations and decisions behind the economic decline in this retelling does justice to the huge impact of the decisions.

“Margin Call” is not only appealing because of its star power and strongly written dialogue, but because it is a story of current times, when the actions of a few can impact many. This striking film elucidates how just a morning of trading caused years of chaos.

“Margin Call” was directed and written by J.C. Chandor.

Immortal combat strengthens film

By James Hasson staff writer

By KElsey Fowler Accent Editor

Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” are some of the better-known words in English literature, but what if their author, William Shakespeare, didn’t write them at all?

“Anonymous” speculates that the plays and poems credited to William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) were actually written by Edward de “Anonymous” Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Rhys Columbia Ifans). The Earl must remain Pictures anonymous in order to cover Our rating: up his illicit affair with Queen HH Elizabeth (Vanessa Redgrave).

While not a new theory — Oxfordians believe de Vere is the true author behind the “whodunit” Shakespeare question — the historical drama gets lost behind flashy sword fights.

Director Roland Emmerich, known for his disaster flicks “Independence Day,” “2012” and “The Day After Tomorrow,” continues his tradition of cinematic spectacle. His version of London is shown in largely built sets, and the break from the overabundance of computergenerated locations in films today is certainly a welcome one. London, from its world of theater to its striking class divisions, comes to life on screen. Lisy Christl’s period costume designs are intricate and beautiful as well.

Where the film succeeds visually, it’s countered by a strikingly bland story. It shows Shakespeare as an illiterate actor, barely able to write his own name. Spall manages to capture the character’s opportunist nature with an ego to match, showing a side of the recognized intellect not often portrayed. But the storyline comes apart too easily, as Emmerich attempts to follow characters from

childhood to adulthood and later years. The jarring leaps across time often make the film challenging to follow. John Orloff’s screenplay could have used a rewrite by de Vere — or whomever.

For the record, de Vere died in 1604 before the plays “Othello” and “King Lear” were even written. The film shows him writing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at age 9, and the illogical fallacies of the Oxfordian theory are never really justified in the movie. A director with more experience working with the time period than Emmerich might have been able to address the question at hand with some fitting depth.

In the end, what “Anonymous” is missing, in spite of its literary subject, is poetry.

The earth shakes and rivers of blood run through ancient Greece as gods and men fight in Tarsem Singh’s “Immortals.” Despite a tired story, Singh’s offbeat visual style reigns supreme.

Driven by revenge, human king Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) declares war against both the mortal and divine worlds on a “Immortals” quest to release the immorRelativity Media tal enemies of the gods, the Our rating: Titans. Though the gods are HH all-powerful, their leader, Zeus (Luke Evans), forbids them to interfere in human affairs unless the Titans are unleashed.

The meak peasant Theseus (Henry Cavill) stands as humanity’s best chance.

The film is enthralling with its dream-like surreal imagery. The polished and cubic architecture also enhance the ancient setting.

“Immortals” takes artistic liberties with ancient Greek mythology. The story is typical of most action-packed Greek sword-and-shield epics. Though the plot is unoriginal, a few fights are spectacular. Heads explode in bloody, slowmotion bursts. The battle between the gods and the Titans overshadows the humans’ duel with faster Kung Fu pace and bloody carnage.

The 3-D element, highlighted in previews, is remarkably absent. Since the visual fascination deals mostly with sets and costumes, not flying objects whizzing by, the 3-D feels misused.

“Immortals” may be worth watching for its visual style, but its dull story outweighs any exciting eye candy.

“Anonymous” was directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff.

“Immortals” was directed by Tarsem Singh and written by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides.

Film Review

Film Review

Edward de Vere (Rhys Ifans) is thought to secretly have written Shakespeare’s works in “Anonymous.”

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

The Help 7 p.m. and Weekends 2 p.m.

regal stadium 14 Pyramid Mall 266-7960

Happy Feet Two 1 p.m., 3:50 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 9:10 p.m.

Happy Feet Two 3-D 2:35 p.m., 5:15 p.m., 7:50 p.m., 10:25 p.m.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking dawn Part 1 12:20 p.m, 1:20 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:10 p.m., 3:40 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 4:50 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 8:10 p.m., 8:50 p.m., 9:20 p.m., 9:50 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11 p.m.

Immortals 3-D HH 1:10 p.m., 4:25 p.m., 7:20 p.m., 10 p.m.

Jack and JIll 12:50 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:20 p.m., 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:45 p.m.

J. Edgar 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:50 p.m., 10:10 p.m.

Tower Heist HH1/2 2:20 p.m., 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 10:20 p.m.

A very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas H1/2 2:10 p.m., 4:40 p.m.,7:10 p.m., 9:40 p.m.

In Time HH 12:25 p.m.

Puss in Boots 12:10 p.m., 2:50 p.m., 6:10 p.m., 9 p.m.

Puss in Boots 3-D 12:40 p.m., 3:20 p.m., 5:45 p.m.

Footloose HH 12:45 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

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Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

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sports

Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

Small build, By kevin mccall sports editor

Senior Seth Ecker was calm as he approached the Blue and Gold mat in the center of the massive Glazer Arena in the Athletics and Events Center. He took his stance in the circle and looked casually at his opponent before pinning him with one wrap-around motion.

A few moves later, Ecker defeated his To see a video first opponent and was on his way to of Seth Ecker becoming the Most in action, visit Outstanding Wrestler theithacan.org. at the meet.

Victory has become the norm in Ecker’s career as a Bomber. From his freshman season when he won against an undefeated opponent in the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Championships to his first-place finish in the 133-pound weight class at last year’s NCAA Championships, he has shined on the biggest competitive stages in Division III wrestling.

Ecker’s brother Leif has attended most of Ecker’s tournaments since he started wrestling

From left, Ecker wrestles with SUNY-Oswego freshman Michael Gentilcore last season.

file photo/the ithacan

The I th a c a n 1 9

Senior Seth Ecker goes into his stance Sunday in the Wrestling Room in Ben Light Gymnasium.

Ecker won a national championship in the 133-pound weight class at the end of last season.

photo illustration by michelle boulÉ

Nationally ranked wrestler uses small size to his advantage

big achiever

as much as the other guy.”

Ecker would take down McInally 6-2 in the second match of their careers to become the college’s first national champion since Tommy Hall ’02, who also wrestled at 133 pounds.

Senior Max Cohen said honesty is Ecker’s best quality.

“It’s great to have him as a friend and teammate because he’ll always put things into perspective and is willing to tell you things you may not want to hear,” Cohen said.

Senior Tom Heckman said Ecker downplayed earning District I All-Academic honors as a business administration major.

He said Ecker is always motivated to perform better academically.

Though Ecker said he remembered being so overwhelmed by wrestling that he left the wrestling room in tears as a child, he said meeting other wrestlers helped him notice the mutual respect between opponents and motivated him to continue with the sport.

“When you meet another wrestler, whether he was a state medalist or a national champion, you have a common ground and a common respect for each other,” he said. “And that’s one of the things that has pushed me through the sport and always made it fun.”

for the Blue and Gold. He said Ecker’s stoic de- Priest ’11 and graduate student Nick Sanko.

Both Ecker and Sanko have matching meanor before a match is sometimes mistaken tattoos of the Superman “S” on their back for a lack of enthusiasm.

“A lot of wrestlers just go around and put between their shoulder blades to signify the meanest face on that they possibly can to their membership in the Steel Mat Club. intimidate you, but he’s not like that,” Leif said. Ecker said the tattoos symbolize the pride “He’s pretty even-keeled all the time, which they took in their hard work with the club.

“For both of us, wrestling was one of the caused people who don’t know him to underfirst things in our lives where the hard work estimate him at first.”

Leif, who is five years older than Ecker, said we put in was directly related to our sucthe two of them were rough and competitive cess, and that empowered us early in our with each other when they were young. Leif careers,” he said.

Ecker said his experience training with is four inches taller than Ecker, standing at 6 the Steel Mat Club feet tall to Ecker’s has had a positive 5-foot-8 frame. impact in all his colleThe only one giate matches, but the of his four sibpinnacle of his career lings to wrestle at came March 12 when the collegiate levhe won a national title el, Ecker said he —Seth Ecker’s brother leif Ecker in his weight class. benefitted from Ecker said the most being the smaller intense part of the of the two when they wrestled. He said being smaller forced NCAA Championships was right before the him to be more precise in his movements, 133-pound final match when he was feeling which compensated for the weight difference joy, nervousness and excitement. between him and Leif.

In the final, “No matter what I did, I wanted to be the best at it, or at least be better than my Ecker squared off brother,” he said. “I always had to focus more against then-senior McInally on technique because I couldn’t just muscle Mike from Rochester a move and erase a mistake.”

The Pottstown, Pa., native said he has Institute of Techalways focused on the more subtle nuances nology, a wrestler of wrestling since he started competing in the from his weight sport at five years old. He wrestled all through class that he had middle school, practicing twice a day, before defeated in the competing for an elite wrestling group called conference finals.

“For me, I liked the Steel Mat Club, which prepared him to be the pressure of the recruited for college teams.

Kriss Bellanca, one of four coaches in moment,” he said. ranked the club, invited Ecker to compete with “Being the club prior to his sophomore year of third, I was on a mission to prove high school.

Ecker participated in strength and agil- to everyone that ity workouts during the summer with many my ranking was From left, Ecker stands with Steel Mat Club Coach Kriss Bellanca after wrestlers on the Steel Mat Club who also wrong, and I de- Ecker won his third state medal as a senior at Pottstown High School. wrestle for the Bombers, such as David served the title just Courtesy of seth ecker

“He’s pretty even-keeled all the time, which caused people who didn’t know him to underestimate him at first.”

S ports

2 0 The It hacan

crunch time

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

Division I transfer brings scoring touch By andrew kristy staff writer

harlan green-taub

Scandal rocks iconic squad By now everyone has some idea of what is going on at Penn State University. It seems like every news show is devoting time to it, every blogger or columnist has an opinion on it and new horrifying details are emerging every day.

There have been people who have had their reputations irreparably damaged, legacies that have been tarnished and, in the middle of it all, stands arguably the most identifiable college football coach ever, Joe Paterno.

But from the footage I’ve seen of Penn State students rioting and people expressing their support for Joe Paterno on social media, I know that this is not a story about football. This is the story of a sick man, former assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who allegedly molested 10 young children — I’m sure more will come forward in the coming weeks — and the people who stood by and didn’t do a thing. This is easily the biggest sports-related story since the murder trial of O.J. Simpson in 1994. But again, this story is about more than sports — it’s about a disturbed man who started a foster home, which he later allegedly used to fulfill his sexual fantasies with young boys.

As someone with a connection to Penn State — my aunt and uncle attended graduate school there — who has rooted for the Nittany Lions football team my entire life, I had to step back and not rush to make my judgment.

I had to wait at least a week for more information to come out before expressing my opinion in this column. My opinion, however, has not changed one iota since the news first broke.

The university has fired the administrators who allowed this to go on and the iconic coach who said nothing. People who defend Paterno, saying he did enough simply by telling a school administrator what happened, have a warped sense of morality. It doesn’t matter that this is a man who supposedly impacted countless lives and ran one of the few scandal-free football programs left in the NCAA. He did not fulfill his duty as a human being. This is a man who, as athletic director of the school in the 1980s, allowed an openly homophobic women’s basketball coach to continue her career at the school. This is a man who allowed his assistant to run a football camp and maintain an office in his football complex while that assistant was being investigated for crimes of child molestation.

This isn’t a story about sports, it’s a story about human integrity and a revered college football head coach who apparently lacked it.

Harlan Green-taub is a senior televison-radio major. Contact him at hgreent1@ithaca.edu.

Last season, he was donning scarlet, gray and black on the court and playing against top Division I basketball teams like Syracuse University and Villanova University in the Big East Conference. But this season, sophomore forward Frank Mitchell is wearing blue and gold.

A Hillsborough, N.J. native, Mitchell was an all-conference selection Mitchell scored 1,116 points as a junior and senior at during his four Hillsborough High School. years playing He averaged 16.2 points at Hillsborough per game as a senior and High School. is placed seventh on the school’s all-time career scoring list, scoring 1,116 points in four seasons. He committed to Division I Rutgers University and appeared in seven games as a freshman forward for the Scarlet Knights last season, during which he scored two points and grabbed four rebounds.

Mitchell said though he was only at Rutgers for a year, his tenure was a beneficial experience and one that he enjoyed.

“It was definitely a positive experience just learning a lot from those players, those coaches there, being a different experience to play in different arenas like Madison Square Garden,” he said.

But Mitchell said his ultimate thirst for more game experience led him away from Division I and to South Hill.

“It was a great experience for a year, but it’s just the playing time and the situation about not getting too many minutes up there was a factor,” he said. “I knew coming here I’d have a significant role on a team that was very good in the past and has a chance to be very good every year.”

The Bombers have had three consecutive 20-win seasons, and this year three starting players and key role players are returning who said they want to extend that streak. DIII News picked the Blue and Gold to win the Empire 8 Conference.

Center Phil Barera ’11, who was named second-team All American and Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year during his last season, has graduated, leaving Mitchell a spot in the starting lineup.

Junior forward Andrei Oztemel said Mitchell

stat check

Sophomore forward and center Frank Mitchell drives to the basket during practice Monday in Ben Light Gymnasium. Mitchell was a forward on the Rutgers University basketball team last season.

shawn steiner/The ithacaN

will easily fit into the Bombers’ lineup. “[Barera’s] going to be a lot to replace, but Frank stepped in immediately,” Oztemel said.

“He’s got such quick feet for a big man. He’s an actual nightmare for pretty much any big man in our league that we go up against.”

Junior guard Sean Rossi, who is currently on pace to become the all-time Division III leader in assists, said Mitchell’s presence on the paint pays dividends for the entire team.

“He knows exactly where to go after setting a pick,” Rossi said. “He knows where somebody’s going to be open, and he can get them the ball.”

Rossi said Mitchell has exhibited positive attributes on and off the court for the Bombers thus far.

“When we just started playing in the beginning of the year, he didn’t try to do too much,” he said. “He just played within his own ability, and he was doing great for us.”

New forwards fortify size and depth in low post By matt kelly staff writer

After posting a 15–1 record in Empire 8 Conference play last season, the women’s basketball team will feature a bigger and deeper cast of forwards who should make them even stronger contenders this season.

With the addition of freshmen forwards Geena Brady, Francesca Cotrupe and Jessica Reichl, and junior forwards Devin Shea and Elizabeth Conti and sophomore forward Jennifer Escobido returning, the Blue and Gold can create a rotation of at least five players who hover at around 6 feet tall.

Cotrupe said the Bombers’ depth in the low post could be overwhelming for their opponents.

“Most teams don’t have as many forwards as we do — especially with our size,” Cotrupe said. “Their forwards will end up getting more tired, and we’ll just be able to sub in, and we’ll never stop running and putting pressure on the opponents’ low post.”

Head Coach Dan Raymond said the freshman forwards have faced a steep learning curve in practices.

“The one thing they’re learning is that there are more people of their size that are skilled,” Raymond said. “Most of them come from places where they were the biggest players on the floor, and that’s just not the case anymore.”

From left, freshman forward Geena Brady looks to pass as senior guard Jackie Shinall defends her during practice Monday in Ben Light Gymnasium. emily park/the ithacan

The new players have found able and willing mentors in their upperclassmen teammates, though.

Cotrupe said players like Shea and Escobido haven’t been afraid to both encourage and motivate her.

Brady said she has learned as much from seeing the veterans play as she has from hearing their advice.

“They’re very aggressive, and they know their positions very well, so just watching them — and not

even asking questions — just watching them play I’ve learned a lot,” Brady said.

The Bombers favor an up-tempo playing style, but they received most of their offensive production in the paint last season. Escobido and Shea were second and third on the team with averages of 8.7 and 8.5 points per game, respectively.

Raymond said the team will still look to its players to score points from underneath the basket. He said the new depth up front could allow the Bombers to play three forwards at once — including Conti and Escobido — and create matchup problems for opponents all over the court.

The starting rotation is far from set, since the Bombers have played just one regular season game so far.

Raymond said he envisions Shea — who has fully recovered from a knee injury — to emerge as a dominant inside player, but said it was too early in the season to speculate who will get the most playing time.

Regardless of the five-player combination on the court, Brady said the primary goal for the new class of post players is to deliver wins for the Blue and Gold.

“We’re just working hard to get as much playing time as we can and help the team all together,” Brady said. “It’s about the team progressing and succeeding.”

Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

S ports

The I th a c a n 2 1

Powerful freshmen make early splash by doug geller contributing writer

The men’s swimming and diving team has added another strong group of freshman talent to this year’s squad that has already earned individual wins and contributed to the team’s winning streak.

There are 11 freshmen on this year’s team, and four have already stood out by winning nine individual events. Clement Towner leads the Bombers’ freshmen with six individual wins through the first four meets of the season. Logan Metzger, Peter Knight, and Ben Kennedy have picked up the other three wins.

These four freshman, along with Matthew Morrison and David Sager, have averaged more than 72 points per meet in the individual and relay events in the first four meets the team has competed in this season.

Senior captain James Sica said he was expecting the freshmen to perform well this year, but he was surprised at the immediate impact they had on the team.

“I think we all were surprised at how well they adjusted,” he said.

“Especially after the first meet, I remember everyone on deck watching had their mouths open in awe.”

The Bombers’ freshman class earned 83 of the 454 combined points in the team’s first two wins against SUNY-New Paltz and SUNY-Fredonia on Oct. 15 in the Athletics and Events Center Pool.

Towner has won six races so far this year, and has won two events

at each meet. Metzger won his first collegiate race, the 200-yard freestyle against Fredonia, while consistently scoring points in the other two meets.

Head Coach Kevin Markwardt said he knew he had a talented freshmen duo in Towner and Metzger.

“Our expectations were really high, but even with that, to be honest with you, when Logan went 1:47 in the 200-yard freestyle and Clement went 10:09 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, it was a pleasant surprise,” he said. “Even I didn’t think they’d be able to go that quick that early.”

Kennedy won the 100-yard backstroke in 55.81 seconds, beating Rensselear Polytechnic Institute graduate student Alex Updegrove by nearly one second. Kennedy has also scored consistently, competing in multiple events such as the backstroke and individual medley.

Markwardt, Sica and Towner said Knight has been the most surprising swimmer in the freshman class.

Knight said he was shocked by his fast start to the season.

“I didn’t expect to be one of the fastest on the team,” he said. “I just came in expecting to get better every day, and to be where I am on the team right now is great.”

Knight has been on several relay teams that have placed first in the team’s four meets this season. He won the 50-yard freestyle against SUNY-Cortland in 21.99 seconds, finishing ahead of standout Bombers such as sophomore Zack Kundel, junior Jake Robbins

Freshman Peter Knight swims the freestyle event during practice Monday in the Athletics and Events Center Pool.

Knight finished ahead of three Bombers to take first place in the 50-yard freestyle against SUNY-Cortland on Nov. 5. kristina stockburger/the ithacan

and senior Antoine Connors.

Knight finished just behind Connors in the 50-yard freestyle at the season-opening meet.

Connors swam a time of 21.70 seconds, while Knight finished the event in 21.79 seconds.

Markwardt said he has been

impressed with Knight thus far, but said he needs to improve in the 100-yard freestyle.

“He’s one of the top three guys on the team in the event, but when you put him in the 100, he drops down to one of our sixth or seventh guys,” he said.

Sica said the Bombers’ freshmen are a vital part of the team’s goal to repeat as state champions.

“We are looking for that state title again, and they’re going to be one of the biggest factors, if not the biggest factor, in going back to states this year,” he said.

Look online for game stories from these sports: TOMORROW • 11 a.m. Women’s Soccer vs. Trinity College on Carp Wood Field • 4 p.m. Women’s Basketball at Medaille College in Buffalo, N.Y. • 8 p.m. Men’s Basketball at SUNY-Oswego in Oswego, N.Y.

SATURDAY • 9 a.m. Wrestling at Cornell Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y. • Noon Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving vs. Hamilton College, Hartwick College and SUNY-Geneseo at Athletics and Events Center Pool • 2 p.m. Men’s Basketball at SUNY-Fredonia in Oswego, N.Y. • 4 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs. SUNY Institute of Technology in Ben Light Gymnasium

Bold = Home game

The Ithacan

online | theithacan.org/sports

kelsey martin/the ithacan

2 2 The It hacan

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

[the buzzer] Th ursday, Novem be r 17, 2011

All-Ithacan Team

As temperatures drop, The Ithacan’s sports staff picks the fall’s hottest Bombers

Men’s Soccer Freshman Tim Goldman

At 6-foot-2, Goldman was a physical presence on the field, routinely winning jump balls and testing opposing goalkeepers with headers.

Goldman played in 10 games this season, starting eight at forward. He scored three goals, registered one assist and led the team with 26 shots, 12 of them on goal. Goldman scored two goals in the Bombers’ 6-1 win over Alfred University on Oct. 1.

Field Hockey Senior Heather Kozimor

When the Bombers were desperately looking to snap their six-game losing streak and scoring drought, they looked to senior captain Heather Kozimor to lead them. Kozimor scored both of the Bombers’ two goals in an important 2-1 turnaround victory against St. John Fisher College on Oct. 15. She also led the team in every major offensive statistic, with 14 points, five goals and four assists.

Men’s Cross-Country Senior Daniel Craighead

In his final season, Craighead helped lead the Blue and Gold to their second straight Empire 8 Conference Championship. He had the Bombers’ second-best individual finishes of the season in both the 5.2-mile run and the 8,000-meter run, with times of 27:36 at the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational and 26:15 at the Empire 8 Championships. Craighead was also team captain this season.

Golf

Freshman Sharon Li

Li shot a 71, 1-under par, in the second round of the Empire 8 Conference Championship.

It was the first sub-par score in the conference’s decade-long history and was the lowest single-round score in the college’s history.

Li also set another college record with a two-day score of 149 at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.

The I th a c a n 2 3

Football Senior Spence White

Playing cornerback, White and the reliable Ithaca secondary held opponents to less than 200 yards passing per game. A consistent player throughout his career, White is the fourth Ithaca defensive back to tally 200 career tackles.

This season, White was third on the team in tackles, with 60, and forced a team high five fumbles. He was named to D3football.com’s Team of the Week twice this season.

Women’s Soccer Junior Rachael Palladino

Palladino led the team and Empire 8 Conference with 31 points and helped the Blue and Gold get back to the NCAA tournament. Her 12 goals and seven assists earned Palladino first-team Empire 8 all-star honors for the third straight year, and she was named Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Volleyball Senior Kate Thoene

A force to be reckoned with on the front line, Thoene led the team with 149 blocks and ranked second in kills with 352 this season. She was a first team allEmpire 8 honoree, named to three all-tournament teams and was Empire 8 Player of the Week three times. Thoene’s 483 career blocks rank her fourth all-time in the college’s history. She recorded highs of 10 blocks against SUNY-Cortland on Oct. 5 and 23 kills against Lycoming College on Oct. 8.

Women’s Cross-Country Graduate Student Alissa Kersey

Kersey ran season-best times of 23:10 in the 6,000-meter run at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships and 19:04 in the 5,000-meter run at the Empire 8 Championships. She was awarded Empire 8 Runner of the Week after her first-place finish at the conference championships and helped the Bombers win their ninth-straight Empire 8 Conference Championship.

Women’s Tennis Sophomore Becky Guzzo

With the Empire 8 Championship on the line, Guzzo came through for the Bombers, winning the tournament-clinching match and earning MVP honors.

Guzzo was named to the Empire 8 Conference First Team for doubles and was a second-team selection in singles play. Guzzo partnered with junior Allison Young for a 9–6 record in doubles and was 9–6 in singles. She had a 5–1 record in Empire 8 regular season matches as the Bombers’ third singles player.

they said it Whether you’re 7 feet 6 inches or normal height, stealing someone’s bike is low.

Former NBA center Shawn Bradley after his bicycle was stolen out of the garage at his Salt Lake City home last Wednesday.

2 4 The It hacan

Th i s I S ee

Th ursday, November 1 7 , 2 0 1 1

Check out an audio slideshow at theithacan.org.

Heart ofgold

Junior Cayla Cluckey cheers on the Bombers from the home stands at the Cortaca Jug, the football rivalry between Ithaca College and SUNY-Cortland, Saturday at Butterfield Stadium.

Shawn Steiner/The Ithacan

The 53rd annual Cortaca Jug left the Bombers defeated for the second year in a row. The Bombers are still ahead in the overall Cortaca Jug series with a 34–19 record.

Senior cornerback Mike Conti takes down SUNY-Cortland senior running back Dorian Myles during the first half of the football game Saturday during the annual Cortaca Jug. Emily Park/The Ithacan

From left, freshmen Colin Benner, Justin Rowling and Adam Bushell painted themselves in blue and white to show off their home team spirit Saturday at Butterfield Stadium.

Alex Mason/The Ithacan

From left, seniors Spence White and Dan Ruffrage high-five in midair before the game to celebrate the culmination of their football careers as Ithaca College Bombers.

Rachel Orlow/The Ithacan