Pipe Dream Spring 2013 Issue 8

Pipe Dream and the student body shares their love with ehart filled valentines. See Page 2

Purim party!

Literature Saves

BU gets rowdy at the 22nd annual Purim Carnival, See page 2

Release sits down with author David Shields and talks about his new book, "How Literature Saved My Life., See page 7

PIPE DREAM Friday, February 22, 2013 | Binghamton University | www.bupipedream.com | Vol. LXXXIII, Issue 8

Panel talks campus issues

Though administrators originally expected renovations to the New University Union to be completed before the fall 2013 semester, University officials are now saying that the food court project will not be finished until sometime during the spring 2014 semester.

Peter Napolitano, director of auxiliary services, said no date has been set for the remodeled food court to open, mainly because Sodexo needs approval from the health department and time to prepare additional staff.

But University President Harvey Stenger said on Wednesday that the food court is slated to open in January 2014.

The Sodexo area marketing coordinator, Robert Griffin, said Sodexo is waiting to train food court staff until it receives approval from the people directing construction.

Despite the delay, details of what students will see in the Union are becoming more concrete.

The food court will include new vendors, including Starbucks, a Tex-Mex station called Holy Habanero, Red Mango juice bar, a salad station, a diner, a convenience store and Café Spice, a Sodexo-brand Indian café, according to Napolitano.

Concurrent with renovations to the food court are renovations to the north portion of the Union.

“With both of these there is a variety of work taking place, generally involving getting the shell of the projects in place,” said Karen Fennie, communications specialist in physical facilities.

“This includes things like foundation and utility work, some steel work and some work on roof decking.”

She said construction is going as planned.

The elements largely completed include asbestos

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Donald Nieman, provost and vice president for academic affairs, speaks to students as part of a Student Association panel on Wednesday night. The panel answered student questions on topics ranging from the current state of campus construction to the lack of student group facilities on campus.

The Student Association hosted a large panel discussion, headlined by University President Harvey Stenger, Provost Donald Nieman, Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose and SA representatives.

The paneled answered inquiries into campus topics ranging from construction to Sodexo food.

Although they addressed wide ranging topics, Daniel Adeyanju, a senior majoring in biology, was one of several students thought that the panel could have been organized more effectively.

“I think some of the parts went by a

bit quickly, whether it was due to a lack of interest or a lack of time, I wish we were able to space it out a little better,” he said. “I also think there was a lack of balance between the students and the administration, I wish there had been more students. I think in general, questions could have been answered more directly, like those about student space.”

CONSTRUCTION, PARKING AND PERFORMANCE SPACE James Van Voorst, vice president for administration, was asked when construction would be completed, but he said he hopes it never will be.

“You never want to see construction be completed at an institution of higher

as well as our society’s obsession with being thin.

“Our culture has become With 20 years of experience very fat-phobic and has gone to in the field of nutrition and extreme measures to be thin,” eating disorders under her belt, Hodges said. registered dietitian Carolyn Throughout her presentation, Hodges lectured on how to make Hodges said that certain diets do the body burn fat to nearly 100 not work and lower caloric intake people Tuesday evening. actually lowers our metabolism Hodges discussed the effects of and makes our bodies store fat dieting on the metabolic process more easily. Additionally, excessive

education,” he said. “Once you stop building, once you stop changing, you’re dying.”

But student concerns at the forum centered on campus parking and insufficient performance and storage space for student groups.

Students worried that the growing student body will increase the competition for too few parking spaces.

“Over next summer and into the fall, we are going to bring in consultants, people who do this for a living, to look at our situation and where we’re going and give us some advice for what’s the best

aerobic activity can be detrimental to our health.

“There are many different opinions on how to burn fat, and a lot of things people do wrong,” she said.

According to Hodges, individuals can speed up their metabolism by meeting protein requirements, eating more often, paying attention to their meal times, getting at least seven hours

of sleep and exercising.

Specifically, Hodges recommended that two-thirds of total caloric intake should happen by 3 or 4 p.m. She said that skipping breakfast reduces the body’s metabolism by 10 percent.

Alcohol can also interfere with weight loss and may cause weight gain, Hodges said. She was

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

The current state of construction of the New University Union as viewed from the University Union stairway. The food court is now expected to open during the spring 2014 semester, while the north portion of the Union is expected to open in the fall.

Overlooked heroes honored

On Tuesday evening, student Luis Gonzalez stood in front of roughly 50 people and portrayed Angela Davis, a civil rights and black power leader, as the first in a series of performers presenting monologues as lesser-known black influential figures.

“Who am I?” said Gonzalez, a sophomore majoring in geography. “Ex-President Nixon said I was a terrorist, while to my beautiful black brothers and sisters I was an activist, a revolutionary and everything in between. So who am I? I’ve been called a communist, a socialist,

even a feminist.”

The Men of Color Scholastic Society and Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate (PULSE) gave attendees prizes, such as books and CDs, if they could guess a performer’s persona quickly following the monologue.

Tanesha Brown, public relations coordinator of PULSE and a junior majoring in psychology, said the groups intended the event to highlight inspirational, but little studied, black people.

“What I want students to take away is that they should take the initiative to learn about

BU gathers to celebrate Purim Costume-clad students flocked to the Events Center on Thursday for Binghamton University’s 22nd annual Purim Carnival, which celebrates the Jewish holiday of the same name that will take place on Sunday.

The carnival, which draws close to 2,000 guests every year, offered several inflatable challenges, a Battle of the Bands competition, game booths and food tables serving hot dogs and knishes alongside fruit-filled hamentaschen, three-cornered cookies traditionally eaten on Purim.

President Harvey Stenger, present as a panelist to judge the contest for the most creative costumes, attended the festival

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Students, faculty, staff and members of the local community attend the annual Purim Carnival in the Events Center on Thursday evening.

The carnival, organized by Chabad Center for Jewish Life, was held in honor of the Jewish holiday of Purim and featured several inflatable challenges, a Battle of the Bands competition, game booths and food tables serving hot dogs and knishes alongside fruit-filled hamentaschen.

for the first time.

“I like the idea, the concept of the holiday and the idea of having a carnival for it,” he said. “It gets people out of their funky, dreary cold-weather moods.”

All proceeds from the carnival’s raffles, food purchases and charity drive will be donated to local charities and the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

According to Rabbi Levi Slonim of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life, Purim is a holiday that “commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from Haman’s plot to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews.”

Slonim discussed the blend of celebration and significance that he said accompanies Purim.

“We celebrate the holiday

in a fun and meaningful way — the message is for people to understand that some people think they can oppress other people and carry out evil deeds,” Slonim said. “Purim is about God listening and answering our prayers. Purim is the happiest day of the Jewish calendar year.”

Nearly every single attendee came to the carnival in costume: princesses, clowns, hobos, cartoon and television show characters, one squirrel and even Baxter the Bearcat showed up.

Jason Gross, a freshman majoring in accounting, came dressed as a woman in tight pants, a wig and a belly-baring shirt.

“I wanted to stand out and be unique,” Gross said. “I felt like Purim is a time of celebration and happiness, and when people

look at me, they’re happy.”

Although planning the Purim Carnival began months in advance, the majority of the work is done in the weeks prior to the carnival. The event coordinators build off the success of past carnivals and student feedback, but there were no significant changes to this year’s event.

“There’s no reason to change things,” Rabbi Slonim said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Members of all the hosting organizations and other campus groups were hard at work entertaining guests. Michael Freilich, a sophomore majoring in accounting, praised the organization of the carnival.

“Chabad is an amazing organization that pulls the Jewish community together and does a great job at this every year,” Freilich said.

Pipe Line

Do the Harlem Shake

BU to host former White House and United Nations official Binghamton University will host a presentation by Eric Schwartz at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 18 in the Anderson Center Chamber Hall. Schwartz, a public policy expert and former White House and United Nations adviser, earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Binghamton University in 1979. The event is free and open to the public.

During his 25-year career in public service, he has served as U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration; U.N. deputy special envoy for tsunami recovery; and senior director and special assistant to the president for multilateral and humanitarian affairs. In 2011, he was named dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Policy at University of Minnesota.

Man hit on Route 17 Authorities said a 44-year-old Pennsylvanian man has been hit and killed by a tractor-trailer while walking on Route 17 in New York’s Southern Tier. The Tioga County Sheriff’s office said Michael Naylor of Sayre, Pa., was hit around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in the eastbound lanes of the highway in the town of Barton, on the Pennsylvania border 30 miles west of Binghamton. Deputies say Naylor was declared dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office said its investigation is continuing.

Daniel O'Connor/Staff Photographer

More than 300 students participated in the filming of Binghamton University’s take on the “Harlem Shake,” a popular viral video. The “Shake” was filmed on Tuesday night in Lecture Hall 1.

NYC sees first food truck to run on only natural gas A pizza purveyor is now operating the first food truck in New York City to be run completely on natural gas. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Texas oil and gas investor T. Boone Pickens were on hand at City Hall Park Thursday to mark the launch of the Neapolitan Express truck. Some food trucks have run some of their equipment on natural gas, but they generally also use diesel, gasoline and/or propane. Natural gas proponents say it’s more environmentally friendly, although there is controversy surrounding environmental questions about the natural gas drilling process known as fracking.

Neapolitan Express said its truck will emit 70 percent fewer greenhouse gases than a similar vehicle running off gasoline or diesel fuel.

N.Y. reports insurer claims paid after superstorm State officials reported 24 insurers have paid for more than 270,000 New York claims since Superstorm Sandy damaged and flooded parts of Long Island, New York City and its suburbs last fall. The Department of Financial Services says those companies, which account for most of the affected homeowner, auto and business policies, have received almost 390,000 claims and have closed more than 68,000 without paying as of Feb. 15. The average time from claims report to inspection ranges from three days for Arch Insurance Group, with 242 commercial claims, to 20 days for State Farm with 55,592 claims, noting its wide array of claims, complexity and damage severity. Thursday’s report cites 2,478 consumer complaints. The department has directed three insurers with complaint rates near 2 percent to explain them.

Police Watch Nite Owl on the prowl SATURDAY, FEB. 17, 4:00 a.m. — The manager of Hinman College’s Nite Owl reported to University police that he had observed a male student attempting to steal from the store, said Investigator Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State University Police. The manager said he saw the male glancing around and acting suspicious. He took an item from a shelf and was about to try to walk out with it when the manager said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The suspect put the item back, and the manager said he would watch the student if he were to come in again.

You don't know Jack MONDAY, FEB. 18, 10:51 p.m. — Officers on patrol responded to a report of an intoxicated student in Collegein-the-Woods’s Onondaga Hall, Reilly said. The officers found the suspect, a 19-year-old female student, unconscious in a bathroom stall. Harpur’s Ferry was called, and when they tried to move the student, she began projectile vomiting. The suspect’s friend first told officers that the suspect had taken three to four shots of Jack Daniel’s, but later said it was more like five to six shots. The friend had been drinking Jack Daniel’s as well. The suspect was transported to Binghamton General Hospital.

Double D-pressing MONDAY, FEB. 18, 11:01 p.m.— A 19-year-old female student reported to University police that some of her clothes had been stolen while she was doing her laundry in College-in-the-Woods’s Cayuga Hall, Reilly said. The victim put her clothes in the dryer, but when she returned around 45 minutes later, she found the clothes missing. Another female student was in the room, and helped her find the clothes in a different dryer. As she was bringing the clothes back to her room, she found she was missing three bras. She went back to the laundry room to look for the bras, but could not find them anywhere.

The victim did not want any action taken other than filing a report.

Too twisted on Tuesday TUESDAY, FEB. 19, 12:06 a.m. — Officers on patrol were called to the Hinman Nite Owl after a report of two intoxicated students, one male and one female, Reilly said. The officers found an 18-year-old female student sitting on the ground outside the dining hall. The suspect said she had been drinking beer and mixed drinks in her room. The suspect was taken to Binghamton General Hospital. The intoxicated male was not found.

Corrections An article in the Feb. 8, 2013, edition of Pipe Dream about Tom & Marty’s misstated the agency that was responsible for shutting down the bar. It was the Broome County Health Department, not the New York State Health Department.

An article ab in the Feb. 19, 2013, edition of Release about presidents incorrectly identified Andrew Jackson as Stonewall Jackson. Stonewall Jackson is a nickname for Confederate Civil War General Thomas Jackson, not the seventh president of the United States.

Did you know...

About 5% of people dream about sex at any point in time

This Day in History

Did you know...

February 22nd 1980 Miracle: In Lake Placid NY, the US hockey team beats the Soviet hockey team 4-3

The Harlem shake, originally called the albee, is a dance introduced in 1981 by a Harlem resident named "Al B". The dance was initially referred to as "albee" after his name, but later became known as the Harlem shake as its prominence grew beyond the neighborhood. The dance became mainstream in 2001 when G. Dep featured the Harlem shake in his music video "Let's Get It".

February 22nd 1990 Roslin, Scotland: scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned.

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With many students in the midst of their hunt for a summer job or internship, the Career Development Center held a discussion Thursday night to prepare those entering the professional world for one of the most dreaded endeavors of job hunting: the interview.

“Students definitely need to work on their interviewing skills,” said Francis Borrego, a career counselor from the CDC. “Résumés and cover letters already get you a job interview, and it’s in the interview itself where you’re actually going to earn the position.”

Borrego talked about three important questions that interviewers want to know: Can you do the job? Are you passionate about the work? Are you a good fit for the organization? Responses to these questions, Borrego said, should be between 60 and 120 seconds.

Employers expect their candidates to be knowledgeable about their company, according to Borrego.

“Commonly what we hear from a lot of employers is that they’re not familiar with the company they are applying to,” Borrego said. “So one part of the interview process is doing your research in terms of the position your applying to and the company you’re applying to.”

A common question that

interviewers ask is the openended, “Tell me about yourself.”

Kelly Brant, a graduate assistant in the Career Development Center, said that the goal is to answer this question professionally and to tell employers why you are right for their company. The question should not be answered as if you are on Match.com, Brant said.

Another common question is, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” To answer this question, presenters advised students to use the STAR technique: Situation, Task, Action, Result. This technique uses personal anecdotes to put a positive spin on a weakness.

According to Borrego, employers want to know that interviewees are self-aware and have assessed their own skills.

The CDC offers interview preparation services like the mock interview program, which students can apply for through eRecruiting, and a book with potential questions that employers may ask.

“These info sessions are extremely helpful,” said Moushumi Dhar, a senior double-majoring in English and economics. “I was actually jotting down notes as they were going along each point. I actually wrote down answers that I would reply if asked the question.”

Sam Weisman, a junior double-majoring in psychology and human development, said the handouts from the presentation were helpful.

“I especially liked the packets

Daniel O'Connor/Staff Photographer

Francis Borrego, a career counselor at the CDC, outlines techniques to master any job interview during his 45-minute seminar, “Interviewing: How to Answer Commonly Asked Interview Questions.”

they gave out and how they went over different types of interviews like the phone interview, the Skype interview and in-person interview,” Weisman said.

CDC presenters stressed that enthusiasm, confidence and

preparedness are elements of a successful interview.

“A lot of interviewing is about self confidence,” Borrego said.

“You need to be relaxed and open.”

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met with gasps from students in the audience when she used an analogy involving butter to demonstrate the unhealthiness of alcohol.

“Think about it this way — one shot is equivalent to one tablespoon of butter, so four or five shots is a half stick of butter,” she said.

Hodges also discussed how prevalent and harmful eating disorders are, giving the statistic that 50 percent of females between ages 18 and 25 say they would rather be run over by a truck than be fat.

The lecture was the first installment in a series sponsored by the Eating Awareness Committee and Sodexo. The series coordinates with Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which is the last week in February, and National Nutrition Month in March.

Jennifer Wegmann, a lecturer in health and wellness studies at Binghamton University and a member of EAC, talked about the group’s mission to provide resources, education and outreach relative to nutrition, fitness and body image.

“College life poses some challenges to students, but the bottom line is that we all, college

or otherwise, have the capability to maintain our health; it just takes time, effort, and planning,” Wegmann said. “That’s some of the problems that college students face, the time and planning involved gets pushed down the priority scale because there’s work, studying … a lot of things.”

Meredith Abel, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said that Hodges shed a different light on caloric intake.

“While society incessantly stresses cutting calories, the speaker really stressed that it’s quality of calories rather than quantity that counts,” Abel said.

Monica Efman, a junior majoring in human development, said she also learned from Hodges’ lecture.

“I thought it was interesting how she discussed the differences between eating disorders and disordered eating,” Efman said.

“She made interesting analogies to make it clear how bad certain things we eat and how we eat are actually harming us.”

Chris McQuade, a junior majoring in finance, said good nutrition is important and too often neglected.

“I think the presentation really reiterated the idea that the food you eat can either be

Time of day is important —Skipping breakfast reduces your metabolism by 10% — You should have 2/3 of your caloric intake by 3pm — Average 5 hrs between meals Sleep is important Sleep deprivation causes increase in cortisol, which increases body fat

Interesting Facts — 1/2 of females 18-25 would rather be run over by a truck than be fat — Underfeeding the body, accelerates aging of the body — Over-exercising and underfeeding can actually result in storing body fat — Cleanses are not healthy from the metabolic standpoint — 1 drink is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of butter the safest, most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison,” McQuade said. “I think it’s important for students to learn about the complexities of the metabolic process because nutrition is a vital aspect of everybody’s daily life and is often something that is overlooked or misconceived.”

Forum discusses food, diversity way to have people come to campus, do what they have to do, and leave campus,” Van Voorst said. “That’s the full spectrum: buses, park and ride, additional parking spaces perhaps. We will be looking at this issue very closely.”

— Brian Rose VP for Student Affairs

Multiple students complained about insufficient performance space for student groups, and Khasim Lockhart, a panelist and president of the Men of Color Scholastic Society, said his organization is hosting Reverend Run in the Mandela Room later this month, but he is worried space constraints will force him to turn people away.

Brian Rose, vice president for student affairs, said that a larger theater is “likely to be funded within the next couple years,” after data is collected to determine the number of student events affected by space constraints.

He added that the University had considered building a larger theater, but its priority level was downgraded before construction began.

Rose also mentioned the food court renovations, saying that they will add more than additional dining options to the New University Union.

“We also hope to use the space in a variety of ways, which we may have to do in a couple of phases,” Rose said.

“But we want to add a lot of media as well, in terms adding the ability to play audio and video, so we want to try to activate the space in a number of different ways.”

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into hiring and admissions practices at BU, according to the panelists. The office was part of a proposal adopted from Stenger’s Road Map. Samson Widerman, a representative of the Student Association’s Student Assembly, suggested expanding the Multicultural Resource Center.

“I think as it is, the Multicultural Resource Center is pretty small, and considering their size I think that they really do a lot on campus to create diversity and inclusiveness, and I’m really excited that that sort of area in our university is going to be expanding, but I do think it’s about time that Binghamton University had an LGBT resource center,” he said.

Mark Ochweri, a sophomore majoring in economics, attended the discussion, but felt that the University still struggles with increasing diversity.

“I think diversity on campus is an issue,” Ochweri said. “Just look at this panel, there was only one person of color and he isn’t even a part of the Student Association.”

GREEK LIFE Greek Life, considered by SA President Mark Soriano and Donald Nieman, provost and vice president for academic affairs, to be among the most controversial issues on campus, elicited only one question all night.

“I guess that’s mine,” Rose said. “President Stenger gets questions like ‘What are your dreams?’ and I have to answer about Greek Life.”

Despite some recent highprofile scandals, Rose said Greek students in general have a higher GPA, retention rate and participation in outside organizations than the general student body.

“What we’re going to do is to establish some standards that organizations must meet to be recognized by the University, we brought in a national consultant team earlier this year, that met with a group of our students, faculty and staff, and we’re about to receive a report from them containing a number of recommendations,” Rose said.

SODEXO Food choices and prices in the dining halls also raised

questions Wednesday night.

“Our board plan is a relatively simple one,” Van Voorst said. “When you pay your board rate, which most typically is $2,200, immediately $1,300 is taken off the top and put into a pool that pays the people who make the food, deliver the food, store the food, and to pay for the utilities and equipment etcetera, that is needed.”

For meal plan C, that leaves $882 available to spend every day on solely the cost of the food. According to Van Voorst, contracting with Sodexo provides the University with numerous benefits.

“One of the best parts about using Sodexo, is that they’re worldwide,” Van Voorst said.

“If anyone’s going to get the best price on a chicken wing, it’s Sodexo.”

Ryan LaDuc, a senior double-majoring in political science and environmental studies, stood up to comment on the limited availability of organic and locally grown produce in the dining halls, receiving the only applause of the night.

— James Van Voorst VP for administration

“It has very limited organic and local options, I do feel like it’s detracting from the food we’re eating that could be organic, and could be local,” LaDuc said. “I think if you polled most students, the one thing they would be willing to pay more for, is better food.”

According to Van Voorst, 20 percent of Sodexo’s products are locally grown, and noted that organic options are available for students who seek them out.

Other topics covered in the panel included academics, campus safety and sports.

our history and our culture, even though it’s taught to us, it’s not restricted. We can go search and find it out,” she said.

The hosts of the show, Julius Ojo, class of ’12, and Ese Olumhense, a junior majoring in English, kept the audience entertained between acts with quips and audience interaction.

“I heard there was a sheet going around with all the answers on it,” Ojo said, pointing to several audience members. “What are you doing, what are you up to? I feel like they got the answers as soon as the act is over.”

Olumhense quickly pointed to another.

“Can we turn the lights on and

see if there actually is a sheet,” she said. “That one was too quick with the answer!”

Several acts after Gonzalez, Jibri Easter, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, portrayed Nat Turner, an American slave who led a large slave rebellion, by tying him to the film “Django Unchained.”

“I was the original thug life. I was the revolutionary of my time.

I put my neck on the line for my people … you see, it wasn’t about my ball and chain, it was about all the balls and chains,” he said. “See I was real, I did real things that we’ll remember forever. Y’all families, they didn’t know nothing about a Django, they knew about me. From east to west, I became freedom personified.”

Before the show, Easter explained his decision to tie Turner to Django.

“I kinda feel like everyone saw that movie and thought it was a great movie and seeing the freed slave fight back, but the ending, it’s not real,” Easter said. “People know, or people should know, that Nat Turner was one of the few people to actually fight back during those times.”

Oladapo Onasnaya, a senior majoring in biology, praised Men of Color for coordinating the show and its work pioneering black history awareness.

“I hope [Men of Color] spread and expand and get black history as far out over this campus as possible,” Onasnaya said.

Students react to construction removal, demolition, excavation and building the foundations and underground utilities, according to Fennie.

The University expects that the north portion of the Union will be completed in fall 2013. The north portion will house the Career Development Center, Center for Civic Engagement, Tutoring Center, Educational Opportunity Program and a federal program designed to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds called TRiO. The cost of construction on the north portion is projected to be $11.8 million, and the renovations to the food court are expected to cost an additional $8 million.

Students like Karl Miller, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, said they are frustrated with the ongoing Union construction.

“I personally thought it would be done by now, and it’s a bit annoying when other kids that have been here in the past tell me about how awesome the food at the Union was because I want to experience it,” Miller said.

Stephanie David, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, is both excited to see the Union completed and disappointed that construction has taken so long.

“I am hoping though that at the end of the day all of the inconvenience will have been worth it,” she said.

Fennie added that the East Campus housing project is in the final stages of construction.

Fennie said that the work on what will be the new Dickinson Community includes painting and ceiling, lighting, cabinet and tile installations, all of which will be completed in the next several months.

Steve Saltz, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said he is coming to terms with the constant construction on campus.

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Saltz said. “It seems there’s never-ending construction on this campus, but I know it’s for a good cause and this campus will look a lot better once construction is over.”

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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Beachfront property?

5 Sp. misses 10 Robert who played Anthony Soprano Jr. 14 Jumbo__: scoreboard display 15 Sacred five-book collection 16 Residencia room 17 Numerical prefix 18 Words to a drunk?

20 “Is there more?”

22 Chigger, e.g.

23 Creedal holding 24 One concerned with 13-Down 26 2000s Senate leader’s turndown?

29 Rifles 30 Indian royalty 31 Morning glistener 34 Has 35 Amazes 36 “Was it you?” answer 37 “Scream” director Craven 38 Stinker 39 Bourne portrayer 40 Hilton on the ice?

42 Vague 45 Novelist Shaw 46 Apply to 47 Pharyngeal tissue 50 What you never see after strikes?

53 Breakfast area 54 Spelling of TV 55 Excavated again 56 Years during Nero’s reign 57 2000 N.L. home run champ 58 Brotherly love 59 D-day transports DOWN 1 Lade 2 St. Louis landmark

3 Marginal 31 India and 40 Everycity, USA comments Pakistan under 41 Kmart founder 4 Evidence in British influence, 42 Windy day paternity suits e.g. features 5 Actress Trudie 32 School founded 43 Finland’s second who’s married to

by Henry VI largest city Sting 33 What birds take? 44 Comes close 6 Motorboat’s 35 Medical supplies 47 Verdi’s slave girl wake 36 Like some pride 48 “Stop” 7 “Right you are” 38 Strategic WWI 49 Street supplies?

8 Rhine tributary river 51 Carol syllable 9 Miss 39 First light 52 Enrolled: Abbr. identification?

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 10 Where Mount Carmel is M A V S S L R S J E T T A 11 Scottish P E E T A T W A R E L I A landowner C O M I C S H O R E D I O R 12 Collège attendee U C L A P A V I L I O N 13 It can trap a S E E S A T E E N I D O L 24-Across C O L A A S T O R I A 19 Circus T E N T O O N E Z E D performers P A R R O T M O V I E 21 Middle Earth C H E S E M E S T E R beings A M A J K E N O S H A 24 Eggs order I N K E R B O L O G N A S 25 Preceders of omegas B E R G E N O F F I L M 26 Stream I D I O T E C H S C H O O L 27 “Lady Jane Grey” A D I O S A U R A S O U R dramatist S L A Y T O M Y M T A P O 28 Man-goat deities 04/03/09 xwordeditor@aol.com

By Jack McInturff (c)2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

04/03/09

Sponsored by the Binghamton Center for Writers, the Spring Readers’ Series invites authors to speak and take questions in a forum open to all students.

All readings are held at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in Science I, room 149. This information can also be found on the Binghamton Center for Writers website at binghamton.edu/english/creative-writing/ binghamton-center-for-writers/readers-series.html.

Tuesday, March 12 Pam Houston, award-winning author of two collections of linked short stories “Cowboys are My Weakness” and “Waltzing the Cat,” the novel “Sight Hound,” a collection of essays called “A Little More About Me” and her hard-to-categorize but irresistible newest release “Contents May Have Shifted.”

Tuesday, March 19 Meg Wolitzer, winner of the Binghamton University John Gardner Book Award in fiction for “The Uncoupling.” Other books from this New York Times bestselling author include “The Ten Year Nap,” “The Position,” “The Wife” and the recently released “The Interestings.”

Moving literature forward Jacob Shamsian | Assistant Release Editor David Shields is a radical.

When his book “Reality Hunger: A Manifesto” hit shelves in 2010, it didn’t so much mean to contribute to the literary world as to destroy it. The book is a collage of quotes and ideas that amount to an argument for the death of traditional literature and for a new form, without genre and better suited for the changes of the 21st century.

“Reality Hunger” is fiercely intellectual and uncompromising, but in real life, Shields is friendly, talkative and modest about his success.

Shields’ 8 p.m. lecture on Feb. 19 was the opening event for the Spring Reader’s Series sponsored by the Binghamton Center for Writers.

The series runs in conjunction with a mini-course, “Writers and Other Artists,” where students can meet with writers in informal settings to discuss their work and lives.

Visiting from the University of Washington, where he is a Milliman Distinguished Writerin-Residence, Shields spoke about his new book, “How Literature Saved My Life,” and how it takes the abstract theories of “Reality Hunger” and puts them into practice, breaking a few genres along the way.

“If you want to be a serious artist, you have to be willing to break the form. All great forms of literature either dissolve a genre or reinvent it,” Shields said. He’s particularly interested in using nonfiction not as a tight, uncompromising genre such as journalism, but as a promontory from which

we can jump into existential, veridical and epistemological questions.

Shields read two chapters from “How Literature Saved My Life.” In one chapter he compares himself to George Bush, finding disturbing echoes in personality that lead him to conclude that Bush is his “worst self realized.” The other chapter is about a romance with his dorm neighbor at Brown University, enabled by his surreptitious reading of her journal and broken by his revealing of that fact.

In a conversation I had with Shields Tuesday afternoon, he spoke about films that influenced him, ranging from Abbas Kiarostami’s “CloseUp” to the works of Steven Soderbergh. Two films in particular are important to him.

— David Shields

The first is “Sherman’s March,” the 1986 film by Ross McElwee. The documentary was intended to be an exploration of Sherman’s March to the Sea, a pivotal movement by Union General Sherman in the Civil War, but the story gets sidetracked by different plotlines, until those seemingly unrelated subjects finally converge in a scene that

changes the meaning of the entire film.

The other is “The Clock,” a 24-hour movie by Christian Marclay, which was released the same year as “Reality Hunger.”

The film, shown in museum exhibits, compiles timetelling moments from tens of thousands of different movies and is synchronized to tell the time perfectly and, because of the way scenes are edited are recontextualized, the camera’s objectivity is disturbed.

Both of those movies exemplify David Shields’ theories; a presumed nonfictional or objective subject is channeled through an artist to create something novel from its source. Shields is interested in blurring reality, fiction and identity into a messy cacophony — or, in his words, “getting the frame to wobble.”

For Shields, 21st century writing needs to address a crucial issue: moving the art form forward so that the stories of the past are not just endlessly retold.

“It’s my view that if contemporary writing is going to reflect how life is now, it has to be searching for what the filmmaker Steven Soderbergh calls ‘a new grammar,’” Shields said.

While he describes “Reality Hunger: A Manifesto” as a book that “burned literature to the ground,” Shields sees himself as part of a tradition of constant change. His next book, yet untitled, is in the form of a dialogue between him and his student of over 20 years, with whom he always disagrees, Caleb. To the suspicion of his wife, they spent five days in what he described as a “meth lab cabin” and recorded their

conversations, which are being edited down to a reasonable size. Shields called me up in the middle of the lecture to read Caleb’s line in his upcoming book, which is targeted for a 2014 release. Having a book in a conversational format is a tradition that goes as far back as Plato and Aristotle and is as modern as Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s “The Trip,” two comparisons he used to illustrate the expanse of genre.

“The audience at the Tuesday evening reading, and the class members at Wednesday morning’s conversation, were attentive and engaged with the provocative issues David raised about the nature of genre and authorship in the 21st century,” said Christine Gelineau, associate director of the Binghamton Center for Writers and instructor of “Writers and Other Artists.”

For young writers, Shields’ advice is to harness our generation’s trend of digital manipulation to push art forward in new and interesting directions, just like Marclay did.

“Find a form that releases your best intelligence,” Shields said. “The fundamental thing is to be searching for that new grammar. That is the most exciting thing to me right now.” The best literature, in Shields’ opinion, is so novel that it evokes in a reader the feeling of “stumbling around in a dark room, not really quite sure where they are.”

Fully aware of the skepticism that his critics express toward his enthusiasm for a radically new literature, Shields refers to a paraphrasing of Jay-Z: “I’m not looking at you; I’m looking past you.”

Tuesday, April 16 BU alums Metta Samá and José Antonio Rodríguez.

Samá is the author of “South of Here,” and Rodríguez is the author of “The Shallow End of Sleep” and the newly published “The Backlit Hour,” winner of the Stephen F. Austin University Press Poetry Prize.

Tuesday, April 23 Martin Espada, winner of the Binghamton University Milt Kessler Book Award in Poetry for “The Trouble Ball.” A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize with his 2006 collection “The Republic of Poetry,” Espada has published more than 15 books as a poet, editor, essayist and translator.

Emily Mancini | Release Author David Shields loves a particular phrase of Picasso’s: “A great painting comes together, just barely.”

Shields’ newest book, “How Literature Saved My Life,” does just this. Combining dissonant elements of confessional criticism, painfully honest autobiography and artful observation, Shields ponders why we seek salvation in literature and how it can (and can’t) make people less lonely and life more livable in a passionate and thought-provoking way.

Like its deceivingly straightforward title, the book refuses any one conclusive interpretation. Shields favors the literary style of collage, where the text is comprised of staccato fragments of essays, quotations, musings and anecdotes that flow like a conversation or stream of thoughts rather than a conventional, linear narrative.

Shields incorporates the thoughts and works of countless other writers and artists like David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon, Cormac McCarthy and Kurt Cobain and builds them upon his own painstakingly honest and

often humorous experiences, creating something of a textual springboard for his thoughts.

What stands out in “How Literature Saved My Life” is Shields’ brilliant insight into the workings of our present culture, acknowledging that in a technology-dominated and entertainment-saturated world, literature still plays a vital but rapidly changing role. Shields wants his readers to know that he takes literature very, very seriously; seriously enough that he’s fed up with literature that “simply allows us to escape existence.” Shields revels in the idea of a “transfer of consciousness” between reader and writer, of breaking conventional literary forms to create a kind of “postmodernism with a human face.” He quotes Kafka in this respect: “A book should be an ax to break the frozen sea within us.”

Throughout the book, Shields does his best to hack away at the icy waters as he questions art, literature and life. Raw, unique, thought-provoking and altogether human, “How Literature Saved My Life” is a worthwhile read for anyone who has ever sought solace in the written word.

What to expect, fear and hope from the 2013 Oscars Jacob Shamsian | Assistant Release Editor When the Academy Award predictions were announced on Jan. 10, the usual snubs and surprises were discussed, but one name stood out: Ben Affleck.

Since its release in October, Affleck’s “Argo” was considered a frontrunner in the Oscars. Its truestory plot, about a CIA mission to use a fake Hollywood film to smuggle American diplomats out of Iran during the 1982 hostage crisis, is Ben Affleck’s career comeback after several flops. It’s the type of film Academy members gravitate toward. And that’s why it’s so surprising that “Argo” was snubbed by the directors’ branch of the Academy — 80 percent of the time, best picture and best director are awarded to the same movie, and only three times has best picture gone to a movie not nominated for best director.

But now with a pile of precursor awards in its trophy cabinet, such as the SAG ensemble award, the producers guild award, the BAFTA for best picture and even the directors guild award, “Argo” is poised to become the first best picture nominee to win without a directing nomination since 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy,” also joining 1927’s “Wings” and 1931’s “Grand Hotel.”

But what else could the movie win? Another aspect that disturbed Oscar pundits was the number of Oscar nominations “Argo” received: seven, well behind “Lincoln’s” 12 or “Life of Pi’s” 11.

In fact, “Argo” is in fifth place for nominations, also behind “Les Misérables” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” which each got eight.

“Argo” will likely win best editing — not only is the movie a thriller, the genre that frequently wins in this category, but the editing winner usually matches the

Rich Kersting | Release If you’re like me, you were born and raised on television.

In fact, if you were born and raised on television, you share something in common with most people our age. From birth to adulthood, television has been there, offering valuable life lessons and manipulating our minds to “believe TV.” It’s even gotten to the point where we live vicariously through fictional characters, whose lives we are more invested in than we are in the lives of the people around us. Shows have come and shows have gone.

Characters have been created and erased. In the TV world, almost every program has a certain limited nature — there’s always an expiration date. But some shows go a little further than just providing simple entertainment after a long day. Some shows do more than just distract and detract from everyday life. Some shows become an element of personal character.

The cult television phenomenon had a definitive start in the 1960s with shows like “Star Trek: The Original Series,” which inspired millions and created a subculture commonly known as Trekkies. But before exploring the many TV cults that have formed under the surface of mainstream culture, what exactly is a cult TV show?

According to TV Guide, a cult TV show is one that “generates more than viewership, water cooler chat, and big ratings … series so unusual that they inspire what can be only called

Movie Critic Assassin

winner of best picture.

Best adapted screenplay is a tough category to call. You have “Lincoln,” written by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner who adapted a Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “A Team of Rivals.” David O. Russell has received strong reviews and precursor attention for “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Twentieth Century Fox, who marketed “Life of Pi,” has insisted that the novel was “unfilmable” despite its relatively simple plot, but will voters buy that hype?

Despite the pedigree of the other movies, I think that the Academy will choose “Argo” over the others, given how well-liked it is by the industry.

For best director, Steven Spielberg is the best bet, considering “Lincoln” seems to be in second place after “Argo.”

Ang Lee is being touted by some for “Life of Pi,” but it’s important to consider that the acting branch is the largest part of the Academy.

“Life of Pi” received zero acting nominations while “Lincoln” has three, so it seems that the Academy as a whole prefers “Lincoln.”

Spielberg should win his third best director statue alongside his wins for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.”

worship.” These shows go beyond ratings and popularity, with most of being cancelled within two seasons. Cult TV shows are infamous for poor ratings, hiatuses and premature cancellation.

However, for whatever reason, these shows have inspired fan bases so loyal that they can be seen as followings.

“Star Trek”: Perhaps the most well-known cult TV show following are Trekkies. Despite its widespread recognition, “Star Trek” was originally cancelled after a three-year run on NBC because of low ratings.

Today, the show has inspired several spin-off series and a plethora of films that only a true fan could enjoy (like the one where Kirk had to save the dolphins?). The beauty of this cult is that it’s still very much open to newcomers. Plus, with the highly anticipated “Star Trek: Into Darkness” film coming out in May, there’s never been a better time to explore your Vulcan side. Live Long and Prosper.

“Twin Peaks”: The latter half of the 20th century had even more notable cult TV shows produced and, naturally, cancelled. “Twin Peaks” is a serial murder drama that ran

Robert De Niro hasn’t received much precursor attention for his performance in “Silver Linings Playbook,” but the Weinstein Company’s campaign strategy echoes the one that won Meryl Streep her third Oscar last year – that a veteran actor hasn’t won in a while and deserves a third win. Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained,” also backed by the Weinstein Company, won the BAFTA, and the film has been going strong since its release in late December, so it has the best shot of winning in my opinion.

Supporting actress, on the “Lincoln’s” likeliest win is for other hand, is very predictable.

Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role Although Sally Field is two-forfor best actor. No male actor has two so far at the Oscars, winning ever won three Oscars for leading both times she was nominated, performances; he previously Anne Hathaway is set to ruin won in 2008 for “There Will be that ratio. Her performance in Blood” and in 1990 for “My Left “Les Misérables” has swept every Foot.” Katherine Hepburn is the precursor award this season. only person to win three leading performances (though she also won once in supporting), but Oscar records are meant to be broken, and Day-Lewis will be adding another award to shelves already groaning from their weight.

For the first time ever, every nominee for best supporting actor has won once before, and the sheer acclaim for every performance makes this the toughest category to predict. Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s lead performance, miscategorized as a supporting one, is in my opinion the best of the bunch, but the Academy probably finds “The Master” too obtuse to give him the award for his Wellesian performance. Alan Arkin doesn’t have much screen time in “Argo,” but the film could sweep and make him a victor.

For a while there, it looked Tommy Lee Jones won the SAG like Jessica Chastain was the award in this category for his frontrunner for “Zero Dark Thirty,” performance as Thaddeus Stevens but then Jennifer Lawrence started in “Lincoln,” but he’s since fallen winning nearly every major out of popularity. precursor for “Silver Linings

on ABC from 1990-91. Although the show was only on for two seasons, the networks were planning on cutting it midway through the second season.

Fans took action, organizing into the COOP, Citizens Opposed to the Offing of Peaks.

It was a letter-writing campaign that convinced the networks to finish the second season, tying up all the loose ends of the show.

“Lost”: In the past 13 years alone the media have seen a multitude of cult TV shows introduced. Perhaps the most mainstream of all these shows is, of course, “LOST,” an ABC drama in which everybody goes crazy. By 2010, if you weren’t already watching “LOST,” then you were that person by the water cooler feeling completely out of the loop with all that “island” bullshit with the “numbers” and the “hatch” and the “others.” 4 8 15 16 23 42.

However, here we are nearly three years later and people still aren’t done talking about it. There’s something to be said about withholding answers for six seasons and subsequently never giving them. Like what was up with that polar bear?

“Firefly”: Then there’s “Firefly,” a show that lasted all of 11 episodes, yet still caused a drastic boom in the sci-fi community. When asked what was so great about a show that got cancelled after 11 episodes, Gavin Morrow, a freshman majoring in chemistry, offered: “Describe to me how it isn’t great. Cowboys, prostitutes, Nathan Fillion, spaceships.

It’s the greatest thing ever.”

While the show isn’t very much

Playbook,” and will probably win the Oscar as well. The dark horse is Emmanuelle Riva, who stands to become the oldest winner in history (The Academy Awards are actually on her 86th birthday). Her performance in Michael Haneke’s “Amour” won the BAFTA, but I expect that the American Academy will side with Lawrence.

Best original screenplay is another tough category to crack.

“Amour” has received great acclaim, but I imagine the Academy will be put off by the movie’s foreign-ness and misanthropy.

Mark Boal beat Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” with “The Hurt Locker” three years ago, but I believe Boal’s “Zero Dark Thirty” will lose to “Django Unchained” this time — “Zero Dark Thirty’s” supposedly thorough research has been criticized by many prominent politicians and journalists, while Tarantino’s foul language has garnered much love.

Best documentary is a weird category this year. Four of the movies have extremely serious, political subjects, which the Academy usually loves — “The Gatekeepers” and “5 Broken Cameras” deal with the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, “The Invisible War” is about rape in the U.S. military and “How to Survive a Plague” is about AIDs. However, “Searching for Sugar Man,” about the search for a rock music artist who disappeared into obscurity, has won most precursors, so it looks like that will win.

Best animated feature seems to be between “Brave” and “WreckIt Ralph,” both by Disney but the former by Pixar. “Wreck-It Ralph” seems generally more well-liked, and came into theaters later in the year, and sometimes the factor leading to a win is as simple as that.

And the winners will be…

Best picture “Argo” Directing Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln” Actor in a leading role Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” Actress in a leading role Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” Actress in a supporting role Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables” Actor in a supporting role Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained” Animated feature film “Wreck-It Ralph” Documentary feature “Searching for Sugar Man” Foreign language film “Amour” Writing – Adapted screenplay “Argo” Writing – Original screenplay “Django Unchained”

Paramount Studios

missed in the mainstream media, there are sci-fi junkies all over the place looking for a fix to replace this one.

“Doctor Who”: Lastly, there are the cult shows that were never cancelled — shows that don’t seem to die. I’m referring, of course, to “Doctor Who,” the show from which the Whovian’s hail. “Doctor Who” has garnered an immense cult following in America, though it’s merely pop culture in Britain. The series (spanning 50 years) is composed of 26 seasons, seven series, and 790 aired episodes. It’s the perfect show for any Brit-Pop-loving American’s TV palette.

People today have a lifelong relationship with televised media. We laugh with it, we cry with it, we grow with it. But all

ABC Studios

throughout history there have been those shows that don’t stop when the tube is turned off. There are those programs that can’t be shut down. They become a part of your life, a part of your culture. So stop

wasting your time with shows that are “hip” right now. Go find a genuine televised experience, a community, a doctrine.

Do you do a lot of driving, or just a lot of spending? The Coupons app is a mobile app that updates to show you the cheapest gas prices according to your location. Additionally, it provides printable and mobile coupons for places like Starbucks, American Eagle and Office Depot.

Shopkick is a mobile app that gives you rewards and offers simply for walking into stores.

You fire up the app when you walk into Target or Best Buy, for example, and instantly collect walk-in “kicks,” which you later trade in for gift cards. You also usually have the opportunity to scan certain items and rack up more kicks. It’s fun, and I’ve personally redeemed mobile Shopkick-exclusive coupons with the app, too.

RetailMeNot is a wildly popular coupon website that now offers its service in the form of a mobile app. You can manually open the app and search for in-store coupons whenever you please, but it also sends a push notification to your phone when you get close to places like the Oakdale Mall.

Clicking the notice will take you to a page in the app that lists coupons available for nearly every store in the mall, and you just show your phone at the register.

This app also offers online promo codes.

Ever have the urge to manage all of your finances on your iPhone?

Mint.com is the most foolproof way to manage your budget with easy-touse personal finance tools and calculators. You can track your spending and monitor your online banking account from your phone, and once you hook up your accounts, it’s simple to set monthly and weekly budgets and alerts. One of my favorite features is that the app updates in real time, so you can see exactly how much you spent at any store right from your phone. It even offers monetary advice — why don’t you have an IRA yet — and the app will show the funds that you’ve earned.

Even Target has an app worth downloading. Once you designate your store, you can shop the weekly ad ahead of time and plan your purchases accordingly. It includes mobile coupons that can even be added to your Passbook.

The app will also link you to the website’s daily deals.

Ever want to give your friend a gift on Facebook? Then this app is perfect for you. Wrapp is an easy way to give free and paid gift cards to your Facebook friends. You must have a Facebook to use it, and the app will tell you when a friend has opened your gift card.

You can give several free gift cards at any given time for stores and websites like H&M, Threadless, trials for Hulu Plus and digital subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. These are free for you to give and get, but you also have the option of buying paid cards for hundreds of other stores.

Phewtick: the low price of privacy Tiff Moutakas & Sam Steiner | Release Need a quick buck, but it’s too cold on State Street for you to turn some tricks? Have no fear, Phewtick is here!

Phewtick is the latest smartphone craze on campus.

Topping last semester’s popular GroupMe and SnapChat, Phewtick makes socializing a full-time job.

It allows you to earn points by scanning a QR code from any other smartphone. Those points translate into cash via Paypal. And who doesn’t love money?

Don’t hang up your red boa just yet, though. All of your meet-ups and scanning will be for nothing if you don’t cash in those points. The point system varies from code to code. A rare code can result in almost 4,000 points, while a standard one can give you 58.

At the extremely low end of the spectrum, all of your hard work might only get you seven.

Phewtick is yours free, for the low price of one soul. The app’s logo, an adorable kitten holding a bag of money in its mouth, will haunt you in your dreams. Gone are the days of “hello” and “nice to meet you.”

You will now approach friends, lovers and strangers in the Nature Preserve with a manic glint in your eye and demand that they scan you. Your new greeting: “PHEWTICK?!”

“Phewtick is one of those games that really make you think twice before you download,” said Ruben Martinez, a senior majoring in economics. “Questions race through your head: What is this? Why am I getting free

money? What’s with the cat?

The app is so addicting, you don’t need to know. Phewtick has become an impulse among friends that connect with each other. I’ve noticed that whenever there’s a quiet moment and it seems like we need to pick up the energy, we’ll start a Phewtick train.”

— Ross Pohling Senior majoring in physics

Parmy Inc., the company behind the app, was founded in Japan in 2007. A trip to the Phewtick website explains the business model behind the app: “Phewtick displays a local shop advertisement at the appropriate time to the appropriate user … There are few shops with seating

immediately available for six people, so if you were able to make a reservation with the app, it is easy to imagine its convenience.” The website is plastered with college students holding Solo cups (pun intended). Clearly, Parmy is targeting a demographic.

The Phewtick Facebook page may have over 14,000 likes, but it’s also overflowing with complaints about points and payouts.

Ross Pohling, a senior majoring in physics, appreciates the social aspect and financial perks Phewtick provides, despite the amount of work that goes into steering a profit.

“Don’t download this app thinking it’s an easy way to get rich. Phewticking takes skills,” he said. “You need to meet with lots of people and for long periods of time. Also, after the first $10.00 or so, the amount of points you get from Phewtick diminishes considerably.”

One of the caveats he noted was that Phewtick records your location every time you scan phones.

“A lot of people find this creepy, but it doesn’t really bother me,” he said. “There are so many other apps that communicate with your phone’s GPS, and at least Phewtick is very honest about its motives.”

So the next time the Binghamton weather gets in the way of your, ahem, side business, don’t hesitate to ask your clients if they have Phewtick. It’s a win/win situation. Trust us.

Mikiko Umeda/ Contributing Photographer

Eurih Lee | Release

Along with the new year, the Binghamton University Art Museum boasts a new exhibit called “Quiet Cruelties” by Rimer Cardillo, an art professor at SUNY New Paltz.

“Quiet Cruelties” is a collection of different prints, sculptures and various visual statements revolving around themes of nature rather than people. The exhibit features unique works of art that include butterflies, birds, grasshoppers and scenic prints. Cardillo’s exhibit is highlighted by neutral colors accented with reds to evoke a stark contrast between power and vulnerability.

Originally from Uruguay, Cardillo experienced the oppression from living under military rule. This exhibit showcases over 40 years of Cardillo’s artistic career, displaying art from the 1970s to present day. The exhibit strategically placed the artwork to demonstrate the progression of Cardillo’s pieces throughout time.

Cardillo continues to incorporate hints of his heritage and background by naming all of his artwork in Spanish.

Cardillo weaves themes of power and vulnerability with nature in his artwork by showing how all living beings are susceptible to violent forces beyond their control.

Cardillo exhibits “Quiet Cruelties” to be seen as a visual protest against oppression.

Through the layered images of tortured insects and birds, Cardillo’s sculptures and silk prints force viewers to reconsider the application of violence toward all aspects of nature.

“Quiet Cruelties” will be included alongside the permanent exhibit until March 23.

Cardillo will continue his crusade against violence with international exhibits of his work. For more information on Rimer Cardillo visit: www. rimercardillo.com

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His response left us hungry and wondering: What role should the University be playing in mediating disputes between students and Sodexo?

The University seems to have sided solidly with Sodexo. And it almost seems that Van Voorst didn’t even read the editorial before responding to the prepared question.

Van Voorst started by explaining that the $1,200 in operating fees that Sodexo charges are meant to keep the facility open. We acknowledged this in the original editorial. We will also acknowledge that Sodexo’s contract with the University requires them to keep dining facilities open even during periods when few customers eat and that this adds to the operating cost.

But our point about burritos and salmon still stands. If you were to go to Chipote, buy a burrito for $6.85 and bring it to the College-in-the-Woods Dining Hall and weigh it at the register (21.5 oz at $0.32 per oz), it would cost $6.88 on your meal plan or $12.38 in cash. That’s not the cost of the food.

Van Voorst continued that since Sodexo is so

large, “If anyone’s going to get the best price on a chicken wing, it’s Sodexo.” This actually seems to back up our original point. If we can buy salmon at Wegmans for $6.99 per pound, we fail to understand how Sodexo charges $15.36 per pound.

We’re willing to swallow Sodexo’s fees in exchange for the convenience of the dining halls.

We’re sure that the CIW dining hall doesn’t get many customers at 7 a.m. or 9:30 p.m., but it’s great to know that we can rely on it during those times.

What we’re not willing to swallow is the inflated ingredient costs. We understand the difference, but it seems that either Van Voorst doesn’t or is hoping that we don’t.

Van Voorst then continued to defend what seem to be inflated prices.

“We don’t jack the prices up because we have a captive audience, because to be honest, you all could go somewhere else,” he argued.

But the reality is that Sodexo does have a captive audience. Over 33 percent of undergraduate

students are required to purchase a meal plan, whether they want to eat at a dining hall or not.

Plus, even if they wanted to eat off campus, freshmen are not allowed to have cars, making the prospect difficult.

We realize that Sodexo doesn’t have much incentive to act. We, the students, aren’t their customers. The University is. Plus, there wasn’t a single other bidder in 2005 when the Sodexo contract was last renewed.

But we’re the University’s customers. We think that we did a pretty good job at laying out our case.

If you want us to show our math, we’ll be more than happy to.

We asked Sodexo to be more transparent in their pricing. Now we have a request for the University: Can you please have an open and honest conversation with us? We’re willing to listen. We’re willing to publish your response. All we ask is that you take our concerns seriously.

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The most amazing thing about politics is the ease with which different subjects enter and exit the national conversation.

Last week President Obama used the State of the Union to address an issue of economic and moral concern: the minimum wage. In doing so, the president took advantage of an opportunity to achieve a political win for his base and build on the success of the Occupy movement in bringing income inequality back into the national conversation, while actually doing something to work to remedy the problem.

The minimum wage laws, in existence

since the 1930s, were most recently voted on in 2007, when the minimum wage increased from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. This bill was voted against by John Boehner, the U.S. representative from Ohio’s eighth congressional district and current speaker of the House, but was passed later nonetheless. Unlike most of the economy, which rises with inflation, the minimum wage has never been indexed to inflation, so its value does not rise with the price of goods, in effect decreasing its value annually.

Last week President Obama made a national call to raise the minimum wage: “Today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year.

Even with the tax relief we’ve put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong. That’s why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.”

“Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour … Working folks shouldn’t have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here’s an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let’s tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.”

President Obama’s call to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour poses an interesting question: can businesses handle this 24 percent increase in the minimum wage? While the Wonk Blog of the Washington Post says that economists disagree about whether the minimum wage increases unemployment, Speaker Boehner shot back following the speech: “Listen, when people are asking the question ‘Where are the jobs?’ why would we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?”

While my first inclination is to question the speaker’s insincere obsession with the deficit, the obvious response on the left is that the marginal propensity to consume of the poor is so much greater than that of the rich, that the overall increase in consumption should dictate that firms need to produce more and thus jobs should stay about the same.

measures aren’t taken to right the growing levels of inequality here.

According to professor Salvatore Barbones, the minimum wage adjusted for inflation was at its highest value in 1968, at $1.60, worth $10.55 in today’s dollars.

He goes on to make a stronger call for greater equality through the minimum wage, “If our standard for minimum wages had kept pace with overall income growth in the American economy, it would now be $21.16 per hour … I grew up on the idea that America stood for progress, continual progress toward a better society. Even a $21.16 minimum wage wouldn’t represent progress. It would mean socially standing still, just with better technology and higher productivity levels.”

With income inequality at a stark rise since the 1970s, these levels of inequality only increased with the economy crashing.

As Mother Jones Magazine shows, from 2007-09 Wall Street profits rose 720 percent while the unemployment rate increased 102 percent and the average home equity of Americans decreased 35 percent. At some point we actually have to stop this trend of middle class wages stagnating while the rich get richer.

Raising the minimum wage $1.75 and indexing it to inflation seems like a simple start.

Beyond this, I am also drawn immediately to the moral duty to increase the minimum wage. The American dream and our national identity are based on this infallible concept of fairness, that everyone gets the same shot and that we’re all in this together. This is cited in political rhetoric across the spectrum, whether it be Democrat or Republican, rich or poor. It is this trust that holds a country together and — Geoffrey Weinberg is a senior because of such, it is this trust that seems double-majoring in history and political to be on the path to ruin if substantial science.

Zachary Hindin Kimberly Bower

There's a wrong way to dress at FitSpace

A one-night stand. That drunken night you went home with the guy who faked genuine interest while you chugged the three fruity drinks he generously provided for you.

The social stigma in our society discourages having sex on the first night, but let’s face it: sometimes we just can’t help it. Why is it that we’re supposed to go home in the morning regretting our decisions? The so-called “walk of shame” should be more like a “walk of victory.”

The perk of random sex is that who cares if a person you’ve never met before thinks you’re an animal in bed or a freak in the sheets? No judgments, no worries, no limits. Anything goes and you both know it, and no one has to say a thing. The unwritten rule that rids the situation of all expectations should only encourage an allor-nothing mentality. There is literally nothing to lose.

It’s an opportunity for the two of you to explore your bodies in the company of a stranger who’s equally curious. What more could you want out of an incredible sexual experience?

We all know it’s nervewracking the first time you ever bump uglies with someone you actually like. The infinite number of questions that fly through your head before you drop your panties can make the experience just a little bit shaky and painfully awkward. And to top it all off, that first time is

usually sober. Now juxtapose that with the drunken reverse cowgirl you did with that random frat boy, and the answer is clear.

People sometimes use the word “kinky” as if it’s a genre of sex. That only certain types of people would give it a go. False.

Anybody can enjoy a little spice now and then, and when you’re going to commit to it, the more twisted the better. The issue is when and how you’re willing to admit it. The man of your dreams might be a little confused if the girl he wants to marry demands to be slapped in the middle of making love. Frat boy? Pssht. I guarantee he’ll grin from cheek to cheek, and he’ll slap like you’ve never been slapped before.

One month till spring break and FitSpace is packed to the brim. All those Wednesday night beers and midnight McDonalds runs seem to have caught up with the world, and in a last-ditch attempt to shed the weight, hoards of would-be dieters flock to the gym. And much to my displeasure, I find myself fighting for a treadmill. But if the crowds weren’t enough, it seems everyone has forgotten basic gym etiquette. You don’t have to be an athlete to work out.

I commend you all for trying to get in shape. But this isn’t Planet Fitness. This is a Judgment Zone, and I have a few bones to pick.

First order of business: sneakers. I though this would be common sense — you work out in sneakers. Asic, Nike, hell, even Converse, are better than nothing.

But never, and I mean never, are RAIN BOOTS okay to wear to the gym. Cardio is impossible in rain boots. There is no

way you are running in those so don’t even try and pretend. Lifting in boots also seems a little far-fetched. So really, if you aren’t lifting weights, using an elliptical, or using any of the machines, why are you at the gym?

important. Every single person on this campus has suffered through 12 years of PE. There is no way that your school allowed you to wear jeans at PE. So why, after 12+ years of physical education, did you decide that gym shorts were overrated and jeans were the best option for exercising? They aren’t, and that is a fact. Wearing jeans to the gym, strutting around, does not make you cool. Similar to the rain boot philosophy, if you are wearing jeans, you are not running, you are not lifting, so why are you at the gym?

Maybe you are at the gym to hang out with the girls who look like they chose their gym attire in the dark. Cropped tops and fancy shirts are not gym apparel. T-shirts are. There is no person at this University who doesn’t own a t-shirt. With the number of free ones I have collected throughout my three years here, I’ll even give you one. My gift.

So please, if you are going to crowd FitSpace, do so with the proper courtesy to those of us for whom the gym is a daily routine, and not just a one-time deal.

Perhaps you are sitting on the exercise mats playing Angry Birds. Here is rule No. 2 for the gym: If you are going to play videogames at the gym, DON’T! Playing with your iPod is just as much fun. It’s also probably more comfortable if you play with it in your bed. It probably smells a lot better too. Checking Facebook in-between sets? That is fine.

No need to be bored while you rest. But to sit for 15 minutes on a mat, ignoring the lines of people waiting to stretch or work out their abs is extremely annoying, — Paige Nazinitsky is a junior not to mention rude. double-majoring in graphic design and Improper apparel will finish off this political science. tirade, but not because it is the least

So no, when Yosef picks me up in the morning from the random frat house Downtown with a smirk on his face, I won’t be looking down at my feet asking to go home. Drop me off at Denny’s please; I’m always starving after a good workout.

— Leo Manning is a sophomore double-majoring in classical civilization and philosophy, politics and law.

Wikipedia, like YouTube, can be a place of great learning, but also an abyss into which you can easily fall, filled with videos of goats yelling like humans, articles on Nea Morin, the apparently famous British rock climber, and other assorted oddities.

The things, people and objects you find in the abyss have no use, really, other than maybe being able to impress dinner guests with your thorough knowledge of King Size Dick, the German rock singer who sings in Kolsch.

Every once in a while, though — the key words being “once” and “while” — you stumble upon something so fascinating, so thought provoking, that you think to yourself, “Hey, maybe the hours and days I’ve frittered away sitting sedentary and growing paler in front of this screen

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were worth it.”

My discovery of the Cymothoa exigua, discovered while looking into Red Tide, an algae that infects certain marine animals and the humans who eat them, was one such “something.”

The Cymothoa exigua, a crustacean found in many different parts of the world, is notable for this: a male and female enter a fish through its gills and, after latching onto its tongue and draining it of blood, cause the tongue to atrophy. What happens next is the fascinating, disgusting, scary part: the crustacean then seats itself where the tongue used to be and becomes the fish’s new tongue. The fish, apparently, notices no difference, but there is now a parasite doing the work — collecting the dividends of the tongue.

At this point, you’re probably wondering, “What, exactly, does this have to do with anything?” In literal terms, nothing. The Cymothoa exigua is harmless to humans. But on the metaphorical level, the tiny crustacean is a powerful symbol of the danger of the Fourth Estate, media.

Media arose first as a sort of representative institution, to promulgate the messages of equality,

freedom and civil rights monarchs would rather the people not hear, but the people were dying — quite literally — to hear. The advent of the printing press allowed Martin Luther to spread his anti-establishment message — what would become Protestantism — to an audience he previously would have been unable to reach. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter said, “Without a free press there can be no free society.”

The next line of Frankfurter’s quote is the crux of this piece: “Freedom of the press is not an end in itself but a means to the end of a free society.” In other words, press does not ensure

freedom. The people must make the press make them free.

How? By ensuring through vigilance that the free press is just that — free. And while in the past, newspapers have sprung up to spread politicians’ messages, they were counterbalanced by the proliferation of independent-minded, independentspeaking newspapers across the country.

Today, it’s a different story.

That’s not to say there is some great conspiracy, that the government is using the media to cover up the fact that, say, it carried out the Newtown shooting. Cause, c’mon. That’s just silly. It’s not even to say that partisan media is making a partisan society.

No, reality is scarier. Words, as Orwell’s “1984” made famous, control what we can and can’t think about.

Without a word to pinpoint a concept — justice, say, or autonomy — how can we think it, how can we strive to achieve it?

By foregoing vigilance, by contenting ourselves with spoon-fed education — as in “I want to read some news, let’s go to CNN.com” — we allow our minds to be sculpted. And

you’ve got to believe it’s a conscious sculpting, just not on our part. If all we know is what is fed to us, and we don’t know, really, who’s behind the hand-feeding, are we really being serviced by the media at all? Or are our minds instead being shaped by them? Judging by the cyclical nature of political debate in this country, in which one day abortion is the big thing, the next it’s Wikileaks, the next it’s immigration or the fiscal cliff, then *poof,* it’s gone from the headlines, we’re well on our way to Orwell’s dystopian state.

We can’t forget that the media works for the people, not the other way around. Look around. If you’re unhappy with something, say something. Use your voice. We, the people, have one. Don’t be too lazy, too apathetic to give it up … because if you do, someone will silence your tongue and start doing the talking for you.

— Ezra Shapiro is a majoring in political science.

junior

Binghamton looks to pick up second conference win on Sunday board.”

The Bearcats head into Sunday’s game on a sevengame losing skid, most recently extended by a 64-60 loss to Maine on Saturday night. In that game, senior guard Jimmy Gray brought the Bearcats to within one with a layup four minutes in before Maine sophomore forward Zarko Valjarevic launched a 16-2 Maine run that spanned the next eight minutes to give the Black Bears a 24-9 lead.

The Bearcats tightened their defense in the second half, and freshman guard Jordan Reed scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the final 20 minutes, but Maine’s 13-point halftime lead proved to be insurmountable.

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

Senior guard Jimmy Gray will look to lead the Bearcats to their second conference win of the season when the team squares off with New Hampshire on Sunday.

field, whether it be the middies switching down to the attack position [or] vice versa,” she Very rarely does a coach said. resign in the weeks leading up to a season, but Tony Zostant relinquished his position at the helm of Binghamton’s women’s lacrosse team on Jan. 22, thrusting Stephanie Allen into the role, albeit with an interim tag.

Allen has been the top assistant for the Bearcats since 2008, specializing primarily in defense and midfield play in her tenure under Zostant.

Since she is an expert in midfield play — in addition to her coaching experience, she played the position at Limestone College — Allen said focusing on offense wouldn’t be “something that is new.”

She said that she looks to “bring innovativeness and creativity to both the offense and defensive unit,” and she is “really excited about the —Stephanie Allen direction this program is BU interim head coach heading.”

The players are also excited about Allen advancing through the coaching ranks.

“I’m excited to see all the Changes are often new things [Allen] has for us accompanied with concern, this season,” senior attack and especially after an unsuccessful captain Kimberly McGeever season — the Bearcats went said.

“She has already 3-13 in 2012 — but McGeever implemented a lot of things, said the team’s two preseason especially for our offense.” games have helped ingrain the Among those changes, new system.

McGeever said the offense “We all definitely picked up requires more player the new offense that coach Allen movement. put in rather quickly, which is a “Instead of just set plays, really positive thing for us for we have a lot more motion the rest of the season,” she said. and getting girls all over the But Allen and her offense

are not the only changes the Bearcats have experienced since last season. The team features a group of newcomers, including eight freshmen and Onondaga Community College transfer Angela Vespa. Allen said the new additions should add depth to Binghamton’s roster, which returns eight starters from a year ago.

“On the attacking side, I think you are going to see some new faces out there, especially with [Vespa], who brings some experience to the field,” Allen said.

Vespa, a junior, earned NJCAA All-American Honors last season after leading the nation in assists and finishing fourth in points.

In addition to Vespa, Binghamton’s incoming class features the program’s highestrated recruit.

ESPN.com ranked freshman goalkeeper Erin McNulty No. 4 at her position and No. 37 overall. She is Binghamton’s first-ever top 50 signee. Allen said McNulty will be competing for a starting position with sophomore goalkeeper Kara Pafumi.

And McNulty likely won’t be the only freshman in line for a starting job in the early weeks.

In the preseason, freshman midfielder Allie Rodgers acted as a “spark” for the team.

“We have kind of deemed [her] the ‘shifty’ one out on the field,” Allen said. “She goes out there and puts moves on players that, you know, are really unexpected with her small stature.”

Despite all these changes and

With the season winding to an end, the Binghamton men’s basketball team is set to play the first of its final three games this Sunday at New Hampshire. The Wildcats (7-18, 3-10 America East) stand just above the Bearcats (3-23, 1-12 America East) at eighth place in the conference standings.

The teams last met on Jan. 26 in Binghamton, and the Wildcats cruised to a 63-45 victory. Despite home-court advantage and the largest Events Center crowd of the season, the Bearcats shot just 30 percent on 15-of-50 shooting (including 0-of12 three-pointers) to New Hampshire’s 39.7 percent on 23-of-58 shooting. Binghamton also lagged behind in rebounds, collecting 37 to the Wildcats’ 44.

“I think we look at [Sunday’s game] as an opportunity to bounce back from the first time we played New Hampshire,” Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “Hopefully we can go up to New Hampshire on Sunday and have a much better performance and give ourselves a chance to win.”

Dempsey said that the Bearcats will still look to push the ball, but in order to do so successfully, rebounding and defense will also be of — Tommy Dempsey paramount importance.

BU head coach “We want to make sure that we go up there and we rebound well and we do a good job of competing for 40 minutes,” Despite sitting ahead of he said. “We will look to push Binghamton in the standings, the ball in transition and try to the Wildcats have struggled help us put more points on the this season. The team is coming

off of a pair of losses, though its last was a close one — a 49-44 defeat at the hands of fifth-place Hartford. Despite outscoring the Hawks (15-12, 8-6 America East) 32-31 in the second half, the Wildcats couldn’t overcome the six-point halftime deficit.

Notable players in the Hartford game included senior Chandler Rhoads, who posted a game-high 16 points, and junior Patrick Konan, who contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.

Rhoads played a catalyzing role for the Wildcats against Binghamton last time, scoring 15 points to go with five assists and five steals.

The Bearcats will have had nearly a week off when they enter the game on Sunday.

“We worked on a couple of different things defensively, and put in a couple of different plays that we think might be able to help us score,” Dempsey said. “[The break] gave us some time to hopefully grow a little bit as a team and to try to play our best basketball of the year in the last couple of weeks.”

Tipoff against UNH is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lundholm Gymnasium.

BU vs. UNH Date: Feb. 24 Location: Lundholm Gymnasium Time: 1 p.m.

Jonathan Heisler/ Photo Editor

Although the men’s team finished in second and the women’s team placed last, Binghamton accumulated a combined 22 medals to snap the program record at the America East Conference Championship.

new faces, Binghamton has had some trouble shaking a losing reputation. After going winless in conference play last season, the Bearcats were selected to finish last in the 2013 America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Stony Brook, which lost in last year’s conference championship, topped the poll, while reigning champ Albany came in second.

“When people have doubt in you, it ignites something in your unit, in your team, in yourself,” Allen said. “I think that it’s something we’re ready to take this season and run with

it. You know if they think that we are going to be picked last in the conference or not worthy of a playoff appearance, we are excited to prove everybody wrong.”

The Bearcats are set to open their season in Pa. on Saturday against St. Francis, which posted a 3-14 mark last season and dropped its season opener at Duquesne last Friday. Play is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Degol Field.

BU vs. St. Francis Date: Feb. 23 Location: Degol Field Time: 1 p.m.

AROUND THE PROS

NHL

Sabres 1

Maple Leafs 3

NBA

Heat 86

Bulls 67

KNICKS PICKS Minus its nationally ranked senior tandem of Donnie Vinson and Nate Schiedel, the Binghamton wrestling team closed out its dual meet season on Thursday night with a 36-9 loss to No. 16 Bloomsburg at the Nelson Field House.

With the close of the team’s dual schedule, the perfect dual records of No. 4 149-pound Vinson and No. 5 197-pound Schiedel, who sat out in preparation for the CAA Championship scheduled for March 9, became official. Vinson now sits at 27-1 overall on the year, while Schiedel is at 24-2.

Bloomsburg jumped out to a dominant start Thursday night, taking the first six matches of the meet — two by way of major decisions and one by way of pin. Redshirt freshman Mike Sardo (125 pounds), freshman Dylan Cohen (133 pounds), sophomore Joe Bonaldi (141 pounds), redshirt freshman Ben Price (149 pounds), freshman Jack McKeever (157 pounds) and redshirt freshman Brian Conrad (149 pounds) all fell in consecutive fashion to start off play.

Binghamton redshirt junior 174-pound John Paris finally broke the spell, taking down Bloomsburg freshman Christopher Smith in a 12-9 decision.

BU junior 184-pound Cody Reed followed Paris’ performance with a win of his own, pinning redshirt sophomore Sam Shirey in the third period to garner six points for the Bearcats. The win was the fourth straight for Reed, who improved his dual record

Feb. 22: Knicks over Raptors

File Photo

Cody Reed recorded one of Binghamton’s two wins against Bloomsburg, marking his fourth straight victory and improving his dual record to 10-8.

to 10-8. He now stands at 15-13 overall on the season.

Bloomsburg recovered with two more wins, however, and the victories by Paris and Reed stood as the Bearcats’ only wins of the night.

With the meet out of Binghamton’s reach, sophomore heavyweight Tyler Deuel also sat out for the Bearcats, forfeiting the final match of the night.

The Bearcats will have a break from match action until the CAA Championship in two weeks. Last year, Binghamton took second and captured three individual titles at the event, which was held at the Events Center.

This year’s CAA Championship is set for March 9 at Boston University’s Case Gymnasium.

Binghamton vs. No. 16 Bloomsburg S. Boylan (Bloomsburg) won by pin over M. Sardo (BU)

M. Rappo (Bloomsburg) won by decision over Joe B. (BU)

N. Wilcox (Bloomsburg) won by tech fall over D. Cohen (BU)

J. Roosa (Bloomsburg) won by major decision over B. Price (BU)

J. Paris (BU) won by decision over C. Smith (Bloomsburg)

K. Hartnett (Bloomsburg) won by tech fall over B. Conrad (BU)

F. Hickman (Bloomsburg) won by major decision over J. McKeever (BU)

C. Reed (BU) won by pin over S. Shirey (Bloomsburg)

A. Petroski (Bloomsburg) won by decision over C. Wallace (BU)

J. Grant (Bloomsburg) won by forfeit

The Raptors (2132) stole one from the Knicks (32-18) back on Feb. 13 at MSG, so look for the Knicks to get their revenge tonight in the Air Canada Centre.

Despite the vast difference in the teams’ records, their recent play actually indicates they’re closer than people realize, especially since the Raptors’ acquisition of Rudy Gay. Expect a close one with the Knicks edging it out.

The Raptors’ interior defense will be too weak to fend off Amar’e Stoudemire’s presence in the paint, and despite the Raptors playing at home and the Knicks losing three straight, the revenge that the Knicks seek will be the driving force behind their win tonight.

—Zakaria Seghrouchni Contributing Writer

The Binghamton women’s basketball team will look to put the brakes on its five-game skid this Saturday against New Hampshire. In the last meeting between the two teams, the Wildcats (10-15, 5-8 America East) defeated the Bearcats (422, 2-10 AE) 60-52 at the Events Center on Jan. 26.

— Nicole Scholl BU head coach

UNH senior forward Morgan Frame was instrumental in New Hampshire’s victory, scoring a game-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while senior guard Cari Reed chipped in with 14 points.

Reed ranks third in the America East in scoring with 12.4 points per game, fifth in rebounding with 7.0 per game and fifth in 3-point shooting efficiency at 35 percent. Frame, meanwhile, ranks seventh in scoring with 10.9 points per game.

Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl said she believes the team will have to play a complete game in order to fare better against the Wildcats on Saturday.

“We need to do a much better job on [Frame] and [Reed, who] poses a little more of a threat because she can shoot the ball so well from the outside,” Scholl said. “So we have to make solid effort on that end of the court.

Offensively, we are going to look to push tempo and just try to capitalize on our post players against their defense.”

Binghamton is coming off a 74-68 loss to Maine last Saturday at the Events Center. Despite a slow start defensively, the Bearcats held the Black Bears to 32 percent shooting in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their poor free throw shooting as BU shot just 6-of-16 at the charity stripe for the game.

In the midst of the team’s losing streak, a bright spot for BU has been the play of junior guard Jasbriell Swain, who recorded her 11th career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds against the Black Bears.

Swain said the team has made a concerted effort to improve its efficiency at the free throw line

during practices leading up to the New Hampshire game.

“I feel like that’s a huge focus,” she said. “It was the determining factor in a lot of the games that we’ve lost.”

New Hampshire enters the game having won three in a row at home after defeating Hartford 61-59 Wednesday night. Junior guard Kelsey Hogan led the Wildcats with 15 points.

When Binghamton and New Hampshire last met, BU junior guard Vaneeshia Paulk led the team with 17 points in the loss, but Paulk will not play for the Bearcats Saturday after injuring herself in the Maine game. She is listed as day-to-day.

Scholl said she thinks the team can turn things around by remaining positive.

“It’s tough right now but I think we’re still looking at it day by day,” she said. “The season isn’t over with yet. With three games left and then going into the tournament, our players know once you get in, pretty much anything can happen.”

Opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m at Lundholm Gymnasium, where the Bearcats are 8-3 alltime and have won five straight.

BU vs. UNH Date: Feb. 23 Location: Lundholm Gymnasium Time: 1 p.m.

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

After tallying 15 points and 14 rebounds against Maine last weekend, junior guard Jasbriell Swain will attempt to carry her momentum into Binghamton’s game against UNH on Saturday.

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New coach, new approach Page 13

Friday, February 22, 2013

Seven of eight starting position players return to anchor Bearcats

Despite losing three critical players from last season’s squad, the Binghamton baseball team is ready to compete in 2013 thanks to its depth and balance, according to head coach Tim Sinicki.

Sinicki said that the team would not look to individually replace the two MLB draft picks, starting pitcher Mike Augliera (5th round, Boston Red Sox) and reliever Lee Sosa (26th round, Oakland Athletics), or the two-time all-conference first baseman and No. 3 hitter, Dave Ciocchi. Instead, Sinicki said that the Bearcats would look to fill the void left by the three players collectively as a group.

“Even though we lost a couple of important guys, we have greater depth than we’ve ever had,” Sinicki said. “We’ve got a lineup from top to bottom that is very balanced and very diverse.”

Returning for the Bearcats are 23 letterwinners, including all but one starting position player and three out of four starting pitchers. Picked to finish third in this year’s America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Binghamton can boast experience at the very least.

“A lot of guys have been in the program for a few years,” said Bijan Mangouri, senior outfielder and tri-captain. “I think that the veteran presence on our team will definitely help a lot.”

Among the notable returners are No. 1 senior pitcher Jake Lambert, who tied Augliera for

a team-leading six wins last spring; senior catcher Mike Danaher, a two-year starter, four-year letterwinner and tri-captain; and junior corner infielder Brian Ruby, a 2012 America East All-Rookie Team selection who led the Bearcats last season with a .371 batting average. Sinicki mentioned Ruby and sophomore outfielder Jake Thomas as players to look out for in the coming season.

“Those two guys are going to be the focal point of our offense,” he said.

But Sinicki didn’t dwell on the talents of just a few key players; he stressed the team as a whole package, as being tightly knit and having good chemistry.

“I think balance is a good word [to characterize our team],” he said. “It’s very key for us this year, not having to rely on a couple of guys, but instead counting on contributions from guys one through 30.”

This year’s squad immediately has one advantage last year’s did not: a home field.

The new multi-million-dollar baseball facility was unveiled last fall, providing BU with a more favorable schedule than last season, when the team played 46 of its 49 games outside of Binghamton — the Bearcats hosted a three-game set at NYSEG Stadium — and practiced on turf soccer fields.

“It feels great this year, finally having a place we can call home and to have people to come out and watch us play,” Mangouri said. “The community’s been really strong and supportive, so it would be good to give back to them and play a few good games here.”

The Bearcats will get a chance to do so sooner than usual, as this season features one of the earliest home openers in program history.

Binghamton is scheduled to host its first game at the new Varsity Field on March 23 against Stony Brook.

— Tim Sinicki BU head coach

The team is set to open its season with a four-game weekend series at James Madison, beginning today at 4 p.m. The Bearcats are scheduled to play an additional 16 games before kicking off conference play on March 16.

BU vs. JMU Date: Feb. 22 to Feb. 24 Location: Veterans Memorial Park

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

After redshirting last season, junior attack and captain Matt Springer returns in 2013, set for the Bearcats’ campaign to get back to the America East tournament.

Jonathan Heisler/Photo Editor

After tying MLB draft pick Mike Augliera with a team-best six wins in 2012, Jake Lambert returns this season as the Bearcats’ No. 1 starter.

Entering its second season under head coach Scott Nelson, the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team hopes to build off what it began last year.

After last season’s 4-9 record precluded the Bearcats from reaching the America East tournament for the third consecutive season, the coaches and players are focused on returning to the postseason.

“I think our first goal is to get up to .500 as a program on a regular basis,” Nelson said. “If you’re at .500 in Division I lacrosse, you’re doing pretty well. We want to be in the America East Tournament. That’s got to be the ultimate goal every year — to be in the America East Tournament.

“You got to be in it to win it,” he added.

Nelson is not alone in regards to what he considers a successful season. He has his players on board as well, led by junior captains Greg Cove and Matt Springer.

“I think we have some good leadership and got some good, young players,” Springer said. “So hopefully we can mesh well and … get off on the right foot.”

The leadership Springer mentioned comes from himself and Cove, as well as fellow captains and senior midfielders Shane Warner and Tyler Perrelle.

Younger players like freshmen midfielders Mitchell Labianca and Joey Dalfo will have to step up in order for the Bearcats to reach their goal of a .500 season and a trip to the America East Tournament. Both freshmen could be trusted to take faceoffs this season.

“One of the places we have to grow

up quickly is on the faceoff,” Nelson said. “We lost two seniors last year who did a nice job for us and that’s certainly a concern. Right now we have a couple guys that never faced off in a Division I game who are going to be taking faceoffs on Saturday.”

Some of the faceoffs may also be entrusted to junior midfielder Alex Doerflein, although he had last taken faceoffs in high school.

“That’s the interesting thing about lacrosse — you don’t get the ball back automatically if you get scored on,” Nelson said. “The faceoff is very important, so it’s going to be trying for us in the beginning of the season, and we’re going to have to be smart with the ball when we do have it.”

To make matters more interesting, this year the NCAA has changed several rules for men’s lacrosse, including one on faceoffs. This year, violations will be applied to infractions that occur both before and after the whistle is blown.

However, additional rules which add a 30-second shot clock and an elongated player substitution box should work in the Bearcats’ favor.

“It’s great for us because we like to play that way, we like to take chances out there,” Nelson said.

The increased tempo should help BU, since they scored 10 or more goals in eight of their 13 games last year, as opposed to just three the year prior.

Springer, who returns from redshirting last season, said he feels very confident in how Nelson has prepared the team for the new rules.

“Our practices are very up-tempo, very intense,” he said. “We do a lot of live game situation stuff, so it’s nice. You get

the confidence of playing in situations, so you don’t really get anything thrown at you that you’re not ready for.”

If the Bearcats do have a difficult time on faceoffs, they will need to rely heavily on their defense. Since that may be the case this season, Nelson wants to see the team be “a little meaner” come game day.

Cove, the defensive captain, agrees with his coach’s outlook.

“Well, obviously, we have to be a lot tougher this year and, as Coach described, a lot meaner on the field,” Cove said. “We got a couple new guys on the defensive side of the field and a lot of our defensive guys are returning guys as well. Hopefully we just get on the same page and take our defense to the next level this year and play hard and limit goals.”

Cove also said he saw improvements within the team during its two preseason scrimmages.

“Hopefully we can bring that into this weekend and hold Siena to a small amount of goals,” he said.

Binghamton is set to open its season at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Siena, which fell to Hobart last weekend.

BU vs. Siena Date: Feb. 23 Location: Siena Turf Field Time: 1 p.m.