Ramapo News March 4, 2010

SPORTS: Men’s Volleyball Looks Ahead to ~ page 13

A&E: Casey O’Toole’s is the Place to Be ~ page 8

THE RAMAPO NEWS

World Language Symposium Promotes Diversity A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community

THURSDAY, March 4, 2010

XL No. 16

Event Features Films, Presentations, Food Tasting and More

By AMY FEZZA WITH DIANA STANCZAK Staff Writer

The AIS World Languages Symposium, which occurred Monday through Wednesday, featured films, speakers, food tastings and career information sessions—all intended to promote diversity at Ramapo College.

The highlights included career opportunity sessions on world languages, keynote speaker Micheal Strolle, student and faculty presentations on foreign countries, a French film and a multi-cultural poetry reading.

Paula Straile-Costa, associate professor of Spanish, was excited for the symposium, which was held for the second time in the college’s history.

“What we have here today is truly a kick-off event into the world language week we have going on,” Costa said.

Career Options

The discussion “The Careers in World Languages” was a chance for panelists to discuss their stories as well as how knowing a second language opened their career options.

There were a total of six panelists; members from Ramapo, Alumni or local teachers in neighboring areas were explained their passion for being bi-lingual.

Many of the panelists discussed the difficulties associated with learning a new language. English was the primary language of many panelists, and it wasn’t until high school or their first year of college that they realized they could excel in another language and benefit from it.

In the end, the panelists benefited greating with the knowl-

photo by Amy Fezza

Senior Marlene Botros presented a slideshow about Egyptian culture and history.

photo by Amy Fezza

A panel discussed career options in world languages, as well as the importance of being bilingual, to expand career opportunities.

edge of a second language.

“It’s great to have a profession where you have a second language and are able to share your knowledge with your students,” said Jasmine Sanchez, a Spanish teacher in Hackensack of Dominican decent.

The panelists whose first language is English are true examples that anyone can learn a second language as long as they put their minds to it.

“I’m of Cuban decent, but I don’t speak Spanish. I’m thinking of learning how to, they make it sound so easy,” Senior Tom Villa said.

Eric Weiner, associate professor of ecology, and Sanchez have first-generation parents in the United States and never learned their parents’ language. It was only until Weiner traveled to the rainforest in Costa Rica and Brazil that he was able to pick up foreign languages.

“We were able to help each other [learn the language]; I learned their language and they learned mine,” Weiner said.

“You have to swallow your pride and make mistakes when learning. It’s the only way,” Weiner said.

Sanchez felt that learning a new language was difficult but definitely attainable.

“I tell my students that I know how hard it is to learn, but its not impossible,” Sanchez said.

Sophomore Melanie Orinski was put at ease for her future career in Spanish.

“It’s comforting to hear that because I too hope to be a Spanish teacher in a couple of years. I want my students to relate to me so we can help each other,” Orinski said.

First-year student Patricia Alon found the session to be

encouraging.

“I wasn’t expecting to hear such remarkable stories, but their journey in reaching their bi-lingual goals is truly inspiring,” she said.

Delivering the information to such a tiny audience allowed there to be more connection amongst audience members; the atmosphere was relaxed and allowed everyone a turn to speak.

Keynote Speaker: Strolle

Jon M. Strolle’s keynote speech urged students to pursue a second language for the sake of diversity.

Hassan Nejad, dean of American and International Studies, introduced Strolle.

“We need to invest in a language and unfortunately, the U.S. is a monolingual speaking country,” Nejad said.

Nine languages are offered at Ramapo, and sign language is undergoing development as a field of study.

“We will do everything we can as long as we have the desire from the students,” Nejad said.

Nejad ended his introduction with a proverb: “If we only know one language, we will only live once.”

Strolle’s objective during his speech was not only to encourage a second language but also to look at how society can improve in the next decade.

“We need to recognize our realities,” Strolle said. “The American public has a difficult time placing another language in their lives and that is a problem.”

Strolle, a professor at Monterey Institute, believes that language should be at the core of education, beginning in see LANGUAGE on page 6

Graphic Novelist Alison Bechdel Visits Ramapo

Page 2 The Ramapo News

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Ramapo Students Learn Process of Creating Cartoon Strip

By HUMA MUNIR Staff Writer

Alison Bechdel, author of “Fun Home: a Family Tragicomic,” an autobiographical graphic novel, detailed her life experiences as well as the process of creating a cartoon strip on Tuesday as part of Women’s History Month.

Bechdel started her first comic strip, “Dykes to Watch Out For,” in 1983. The strip dealt with topics such as politics, sexuality, consumerism and the death of independent bookstores, Associate Professor of American Literature Ed Shannon said.

However, “Fun Home” was much different from the comic strip “As accomplished as her strip was, I don’t know if it prepared readers for her remarkable book ‘Fun Home,’ which was published in 2006 to great acclaim,” Shannon said.

Bechdel showed clips of her journal entries, which helped shape her writing and drawing ability. Literature also shaped her cartoons, as she read from an early age.

“I loved words and pictures together in almost mystical way. I am going to try and explain it to you tonight,” Bechdel said.

“What’s personal is political.

Our intimate lives have political implications.”

-Alison Bechdel

Bechdel’s journal entries were very detailed when she was a child. She suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and writing was a means for her to exhibit these compulsions. She used a symbol for “I think,” which was drawn throughout the journal. Eventually, she obliterated entire

pages of her journal with the symbol.

She had other strange compulsions as well; her symbol was just one. A major milestone in Bechdel’s life occurred when she discovered she was a lesbian. She creatively

politics, and she explored the juncture between politics and her intimate life.

“What’s personal is political,” she said.

“Our intimate lives have political implications.”

shot.”

She also read a chapter from her book. Her story was honest.

“I grew up in a house filled with secrets,” she said.

There was a disjuncture between reality and appearance, she said. When she was 20, her father died, possibly via suicide.

“I thought it was wonderful. I am a writer myself, so just hearing other people talk about their own writing is really, really interesting to hear,” said Eric Weiss, a literature major.

Someone asked how her family responded to her novel.

“I don’t recommend writing about your family and their personal lives if they want to keep a harmonious relationship with them.”

-Alison Bechdel

photo by Huma Munir

Alison Bechdel signs a book for Ramapoʼs Director of Student Development, Mandy Restivo. Bechdel detailed her life in her visit to Ramapo as a part of Womenʼs History Month.

expressed this through her cartoons.

“When I figured out that I was a lesbian, I wanted to be open and very up front about it,” Bechdel said.

Because lesbianism was not a topic expressed in most cartoons, she felt even more compelled to share her story.

“I didn’t see images of women like me in the culture around me, and so I thought I would make them myself,” said Bechdel.

Another common theme of her cartoons is

Bechdel explained her cartoon process. She used pictures, such as ones found on Google Images, to redraw from different angles. If she couldn’t find a picture online, she took pictures posing in the way she wanted to draw her character.

“I pose for almost all the figures that I draw. I just do quick digital camera shots of myself,” Bechdel said. “You would think you could draw someone just standing there but somehow I need to have a reference

“I don’t recommend writing about your family and their personal lives if they want to keep a harmonious relationship with them,” she said.

Saranda Elezaj, a literature major, found her lecture interesting.

“I thought it was very interesting and it answered a lot of my questions about her life,” Elezaj said.

Shannon felt that almost every student could get something out of “Fun Home.”

“It’s a book about sexuality, dealing with death and a family memoir. It’s also illustrated. So art students can appreciate it, psychology students have something there and gender students had something to look forward to,” Shannon said.

THE RAMAPO NEWS: STAFF, CONTACT & POLICY A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community

Charlie LaPlaca & Joey Lewandowski Co-Editors-in-Chief

Megan Anderle

Morgan Balog

News Editor

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Sports Editor

Business Manager

Katie Sobko

Michelle Angelino Online Editor

Daniel Rist

Dan Sforza

Stefanie Mauro Photo Editor

Technical Advisor Staff: Erica Buchman, Krysta Daniels, Stephanie de Ruiter, Angela DiMari, Amy Fezza, Keri Ann Flaccomio, John Fraze, Andrew Gould, Jill Grimaldi, Lauren Haag, Julianne Ilaria, Michael Jagendorf, Kevin Johnson, Bryan Kaminsky, Jeremy Kelly, Tara LaFemina, Michele McKenna, Sharon Meyer, Huma Munir, Diana Stanczak, Matt Thompson, Marissa Torr, Amanda Valenti, Melissa Veloz

Contact us at:

The Ramapo News Robert A. Scott Student Center 505 Ramapo Valley Road Mahwah, NJ 07430

Telephone: (201) 684-7842 Advertising: (201) 684-7842 Fax: (201) 684-7939 E-mail: rcnjnews@ramapo.edu

Whenever necessary, The Ramapo News will publish corrections or clarifications in the following issues. All corrections must be brought to the attention of the editor as soon as possible. The Ramapo News strives for accuracy. In keeping with journalistic standards, pre-publication review of any article, quote or editorial is not allowed. Viewpoints may be dropped off at SC-218 or emailed to rcnjnews@ramapo.edu. The Ramapo News reserves the right to edit viewpoints for content, style and space. Anonymous viewpoints will not be accepted.

Paid advertisements are accepted at the sole discretion of The Ramapo News staff and are due no later than the Monday of that weekʼs issue. Rates are available by contacting the editorial staff by e-mail.

ARCH

AROU N D THE

History of Black Panther Party Recounted at Ramapo

By KRYSTA DANIELS Staff Writer

Beta Kappa Sigma founder Lakeesha Eure presented on the New Black Panther Party last Wednesday.

Eure, a Ramapo alumna, graduated in 2002 and shortly thereafter got a job at Independence. She became the party’s newest member in 2004.

“The black panther is the mascot for the Black Panther Party. We never attack until cornered. We fight for the freedom and liberation of our people,” Eure said.

The difference between the New Black Panther Party and the original is that the New Black Panther party is governed by secular ideology and is in no way religious, according to speaker Brother Zied.

The New Black Panther Party is diverse in terms of religion. They have Muslims, Christians and Israelites, as well as other religions.

Panthers are supposed to be revolutionary to the Afrikan Peoples Liberation Struggle.

This means that advocates must bring change to the Afrikan/Black community by any means necessary.

The struggle is against white supremacy, racism, oppression, capitalism and the other forces that have historically undermined and oppressed Afrikan peoples. In general, the advocate population includes anyone who is non-white or non-European.

Zayid Muhammad, national minister of culture for the New Black Panther Party,

spoke of the roots of the Black Panther Party and how the message is still taught to the public.

He spoke about his involvement with the Newark Antiviolence Coalition. The

gram.”

The New Black Panther Party recognizes violence in Newark as a public health issue.

They rally and protest so that political officials act against the violence.

photo by Krysta Daniels

Students gathered in J. Leeʼs to hear about the New Black Panther Party. The party is governed by secular ideology and is in no way religious.

Antiviolence Coalition has held weekly protests against street violence every Wednesday since early July.

Alisa Smith, Member of Beta Kappa Sigma and senior music industry major, talked about how the new organization came to exist.

“Founding mother, Lakeesha Eure, has always talked about the New Black Panther Party so we decided to finally have this pro-

“Why are more youth prone to violence?” asked one of the party members.

The New Black Panther Party is progressive; they are raising consciousness and awareness in areas such as drugs and gun violence in inner cities.

Brother Zied, a poet, has been a part of the Black Panther Party for 32 years, fighting for human rights. He touched on subjects such as the apartheid movement in South

90 percent of pilot program participants reported that they would like to return to the program next year.

“Gender neutral housing was an amazing experience to be a part of the pilot program. I love my roommates and wouldn't have it any other way,” said junior Ali Mellilo, a pilot participant.

“I can't wait to continue to be a part of the program and I really think it's going to make a difference on this campus. It's going to offer so many more options to students and help the campus to become a stronger, more diverse and accepting place.”

Housing will be available this fall and anyone can apply. Students applying for gender neutral housing had to have handed in an application by today at 4:30 p.m.

All applicants must sign a housing agreement, which states that they will commit to maintaining a comfortable and safe living environment, free of discrimination based upon gender and sexual orientation.

Room assignments are based upon credits earned as of the beginning of the spring 2010 semester. Students must have earned

a minimum of ten or more credits to live in the Overlook, 32 or more credits to live in Laurel and 64 or more credits to live in the Village.

“The program is an amazing addition to the campus. It sends the right message to the community by reaffirming that Ramapo stands on the pillars of diversity and acceptance,” said Zaneta Rago, the queer peer services coordinator of the Women’s Center, who assisted in the original gender neutral housing proposal.

“I had quite a few issues with my floor-

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Africa, segregation in the south and Nelson Mandela’s presidential victory in South Africa in 1994.

Zied stressed the fact that original Black Panther Party members paved the way so that current students could be here today.

According to Zied, Politicians need to recognize what is going on in their cities and do something about it.

“If they don’t, we will embarrass them until they listen,” said Zied.

In addition to Newark, cities like Trenton, Camden, New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago need help.

Zied spoke highly about Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a pivotal figure of the 1960s. Zied described him as a man who articulated the need for self-defense and who was a tremendous organizer. Malcolm X also articulated what the New Black Panther Party is today.

“I hope someone here becomes an organizer and an original revolutionary thinker,” said Zied.

“What inspired me was the conviction of the delivery he spoke. He didn’t second guess himself. He knew what he wanted to say and he said it, but if he hurt your feelings he apologized. It got the point across,” said Storm Flowers, the president of Organization for African Unity.

Zied also spoke about Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman. Tubman was an African American abolitionist who was a key figure see PANTHER on page 6

Gender Neutral Housing Expands Reach in 2010-11

By JILL GRIMALDI Staff Writer

The Office of Residence Life has expanded gender neutral housing to the Overlook, Laurel Hall and the Village for the 2010-2011 academic year, as it was approved by the President’s Cabinet.

An estimated 30 colleges and universities across the country permit gender neutral housing, according to the National Student Genderblind Campaign.

Gender neutral housing began last year as a pilot program in Laurel, where 16 students lived in four gender neutral suites. It is intended to serve as a housing environment where students are not restricted to the traditional limitations that come with gender binary.

Essentially, this means that students are free to choose roommates and suitemates, without traditional gender constraints, because Ramapo recognizes that same-sex room assignments are not ideal or appropriate for all students.

Last year’s pilot run was highly successful; it had a 100 percent retention rate, and

Gender neutral housing’s pilot run last year had a 100 percent retention rate, and 90 percent of the participants said they would return to the program next year.

mates when I came in as a first-year student due to my sexual orientation. It was

not a pleasant experience, and at the time I wasn't aware of any resources for me on campus. I'm graduating this year, but I'm so proud to be leaving Ramapo a safer place than when I entered.”

Coordinator of gender neutral housing Kat McGee also feels that the expansive housing will benefit the Ramapo community.

“It is so important that our housing policies evolve to meet the needs of students and to create an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone. Expanding the program to additional residence halls allows us to provide this opportunity to a greater number of students,” McGee said.

“I hope that in the future all housing is gender-blind,” Rago said. “Gender is not an indicator of roommate-compatibility.

Cleaning habits, music tastes, and sleeping patterns, dare I say it, cross the boundaries of the gender binary.”

For more information about Ramapo’s Gender neutral housing program, visit the Res Life Web site.

Page 4 The Ramapo News

Roving

Reporter

Thursday, March 4, 2010

“If you could go anywhere for spring break, where would you go and why?”

Question by Jeremy Kelly, Photographs by Erica Buchman

“Venice because it's such a beautiful city.”

-Katie Delay Freshman

“Hawaii because itʼs awesome!”

-Alex Mendelson Junior

“Jamaica because I've been there once before and have always wanted to go back.”

-Latoya Watson Junior

“Cancun because it's the ultimate spring break destination.”

-Mike Acharya Junior

“Cancun because it has amazing beaches.”

-Monique Graham Freshman

Always Greener: Nissan “LEAFs” Other Green Cars Behind

By BRYAN KAMINS KY Staff Writer

Scientists are looking to create more sustainable forms of transportation. Nissan, a Japanese car company, has created the Nissan LEAF. The company claims that the LEAF is electric and has a zero emissions mobility. It will be sold at an affordable price, which will be announced in April. The car is expected to be a family sedan, as it has a five-person capacity. The significance behind its name, LEAF, is that the car will purify mobility.

Even though it is not expected to go on sale until late 2010, there was a recent LEAF tour that occurred in multiple states and cities. Pictures from the tour in Seattle and a video in New York City can be viewed at Nissan’s Web site in the “Tour” section.

Although the LEAF isn’t the first electric car to be built, the LEAF is the first that has zero emissions. Exhaust emissions from cars contribute to pollution and harm the planet, which is why zero emission technology is so innovative.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Mobile Sources, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides (two types of exhaust) can form ozone, which “irritates the eyes, damages the lungs, and aggravates respiratory problems.”

Hydrocarbons are also a possible cause for cancer and are toxic; nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of acid rain. Another exhaust emission is carbon monoxide, which “reduces the flow of oxygen in the bloodstream,” and carbon dioxide, which “contributes to the potential for global warming.”

The LEAF is produced in a way that is environmentally-friendly.

According to Nissan’s Web site, the car is almost completely recyclable. Components from the battery are reusable, and the car

While the method Nissan takes to charge the battery is still unclear, the company is developing a home charging station that will make charging the car easier. It is possible for the LEAF to be charged in 110V (Volt),

photo courtesy of Flickrʼs creative commons

The Nissan LEAF will be able to travel roughly 100 miles on a fully charged battery in everyday weather.

itself is made partially from recyclable materials. Part of the factory where the car is produced is powered by wind turbines. Making the battery is “less than or equal to the impact of producing a similar gas car.”

Also, in regards to emissions from the power plants where the electricity comes from, the Web site says, “Even in its dirtiest form, the grid is 60 percent cleaner than gas.

And it will get cleaner over time, unlike gas.”

220V or quick-charge stations. The time it takes for the car may vary depending on the amperage. The charging time is estimated to be 16-18 hours at 110V or eight hours at 220V. In recent years, more and more charging stations have been installed throughout the country.

For people concerned about the battery, the LEAF uses a laminated Lithium-Ion battery that will not leak or overheat. According to the Web site, the car’s “braking will be

regenerative to help maintain battery charge and optimize driving range. It will be fourwheel disc.”

The car is expected to travel approximately 100 miles on a fully charged battery in everyday weather. This distance is the distance that an average American travels per day. The battery’s expected life is five years and will not drain in traffic when the car is idle, unless systems such as lights and stereo are in use.

Nissan’s Web site says that the LEAF will have brake and washer fluids but will eliminate other engine fluids like motor oil and transmission fluid. The car will also have a rear camera and “will have AM, FM, CD and USB interface for iPods and other MP3 players” installed. However, the Nissan LEAF will not have a sunroof, because sunroofs cause drag and will lessen the distance the car is able to travel. Cold weather should not have any effect on the battery power.

For anyone concerned about the performance of the LEAF, the USA Nissan Web site says that the car has “100 percent torque at 0 RPM” and “accelerates like a V6 car and has a top speed of up to 90 mph.”

The LEAF appears to have a lot of potential, and one way to be greener is to support the development of environmentally-friendly technology.

Green Fact of the Week: Ninety-nine percent of batteries in conventional cars are recyclable.

Chin Tells “Herstory” Page 5 The Ramapo News

Def Jam Slam Poet Discusses Details Life Experiences As an Advocate

By KAITLIN MCGUINNES S Staff Writer

The Women’s Center kicked off Women’s “Herstory” Month with poet and activist Staceyann Chin on Tuesday. Chin read excerpts from her new memoir, “The Other Side of Paradise,” and performed some of her poetry, discussing experiences as an activist.

The event was organized by Zaneta Rago, Queer Peer Services Coordinator for the Women’s Center. Rago became acquainted with Chin at the National March for

“ I’m in the business of saying the ‘unsayable.’”

-S t acy ann C hi n

Equality, where Chin spoke at a rally. Rago subsequently asked her to speak at Ramapo.

Chin is a slam poet who has worked with Def Jam Poetry and taken part in offBroadway one-woman shows. She has been featured in several anthologies and the “New York Times” and “The Washington Post” and has travelled the world for her activism.

Her memoir deals with her childhood in Jamaica. She referred to herself as a “lightskinned oddity” living in a black community. She moved to America when she was 24 and started writing shortly after that.

In Jamaica, lesbianism is illegal, which is why she was excited to move to America.

“I thought America would be this huge utopia,” she said. “Then I realized race is an issue in America, and I became angry and

from that I began writing.”

She described the book as “dragging you throughout my childhood.” She was raised by her grandmother, because her mother abandoned her when she was a child.

She received no birthday presents, because she was told that God put men above women.

She frequently interrupted herself to tell jokes or go off on a tangent. She moved about, walking up and down the aisle. At several points, she jumped onto the stage and launched into song and sank to her knees.

“I’m in the business of saying the unsayable,” she said.

She considers herself an “activist first,” and said that “a true activist is a multi-issue activist.”

She is concerned with multiple issues in society, including race, class and gender.

The first time she returned back to Jamaica, she received a standing ovation, but the second time there was a riot. She stayed there regardless.

“I have to deliver the message or I can’t live with myself,” she said.

Chin said that she was inspired to be a writer because topics in literature were not diversified.

“There weren’t enough black, Chinese, lesbian immigrant poets,” she said.

She plans to follow this book by publishing a collection of her poetry.

The rest of March will feature additional speakers and activities to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Weis Fellowship Helps with Environmental Education

Thursday, March 4, 2010

16-Week Program Offers Ramapo Students Opportunities in Teaching

By ANGELA DIMARI Staff Writer

The May H. Weis Scholarship, an environmental education teaching fellowship, promotes scholasticism in the area of environmental studies by providing tuition for a recipient interested in pursuing the field.

The scholarship covers full tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year, as well as $400 towards books. The recipient teaches at Weis Ecology Center in Ringwood. The participant may choose to receive coopera-

“ Every student who has received the fellowship and worked at the Weis Ecology Center has had a great experience.”

-Eri c Wei ner, Env i ronm ent al S ci cnce Professor

tive education credit for the fellowship.

The Weis Ecology Center is a private, non-profit environmental education center owned by the New Jersey Audubon Society.

The center is on Snake Den Road in Ringwood, and it focuses on environmental education programs for schools, scout groups and weekend programs for the public. Weis has over 160 acres of land, where there are hiking trails, views of the Wanaque Reservoir, a butterfly and songbird garden and the Chikahoki Falls.

The summer fellowship requires 16 weeks

of teaching environmental education classes at multiple levels. The classes include freshwater ecology, interpretive hikes, wildlife ecology, woodland ecology, cultural history and group cooperation skills.

The recipient must demonstrate an ability to organize, as he or she will help organize public programs. The recipient will write press releases and public service announcements as well as help develop programs. Housing is available to the recipient if he or she needs it.

To apply, one must be an Environmental studies/science, biology or elementary education major with at least 59 completed credits and a minimum GPA of 3.0. Strong communication skills, self-discipline and motivation are required. Teaching experience is a plus.

“Every student who has received the fellowship and worked at the Weis Ecology Center has had a great experience. Several have gone on to launch their careers in environmental education after graduating from Ramapo,“ Eric Weiner, Associate Professor and Convener of Environmental Science, said. “And it is quite a deal.“ The application deadline is March 10 and should be given to Claudia Esker. In addition to the application, applicants must submit a letter of intent, his or her transcript and three references. For more information, contact Esker at cesker@ramapo.edu.

Ramapo Focuses on Diversifying Program Options

New Africana Studies Major Available to Students in Fall 2010

By KATIE S OBKO Sports Editor

Ramapo College unveiled a new Africana Studies major Feb. 22, which aims to help students learn more about the culture and heritage of Africa.

The program, which has come to fruition after a 35-year movement, is part of the college just trying to stay competitive with other higher education institutions.

“This is all part of the college helping students to become world citizens,” Professor Karl Johnson said. “The world is a global village, so this program helps to complement that.”

The program really developed progressively. The movement really began in the 1960s during the civil rights movement. People had trouble finding higher education institutions that provided courses about Africa and its people. Gradually courses were added to the social sciences curriculum that pertained to African studies and heritage.

“The addition of this program took time because it was all about acceptance,”

Johnson said. “It was this way in the beginning for subjects like philosophy and psychology too. People weren’t ready for it.”

Johnson feels that this program is a great recruiting tool for the college as well because any institution that wants to be recognized on a global scale should have courses about Africa and its history that are offered with regularity. The Ramapo Community supports this program as well.

“Offering an Africana studies program seems like an obvious thing to do,” senior marketing major Ali Szczepanski said. “The world is an international market and it just makes sense for courses about that region to be available.”

It isn’t only practical to offer these courses though. It is a legal requirement. The New Jersey State Legislation passed the Amistad Act in 2002, which requires all New Jersey schools teach the history of African Americans.

Johnson held a presentation in Friends Hall on Feb. 22 to discuss the advantages of the Africana Studies program as well. He noted that of all of the higher education institutions in the country to have such a program,

photo courtesty of ramapo.edu

Karl Johnson explained the benefits of the new Africana Studies major.

Ramapo would find it most beneficial. The proximity of the school to such an international marketplace as New York City certainly has an impact.

“Africa is an American business partner for

everything from uranium to oil to diamonds,” he said. “So for people who go to school and live so close to a major business location, it is a valuable resource.”

Knowing the world and its history is helpful to people pursuing everything from business to writing to teaching as well.

People who have had the Africana Studies concentration at Ramapo have gone on to great success as well. A recent graduation has actually just been hired by the CIA, according to Johnson.

Students enrolled in the African studies minor or in the concentration will be given the opportunity to choose to stay in the program they have now or enroll in the new program this fall. The concentration will not be offered in the fall though. Johnson feels that the new courses and new program nicely compliments the curriculum that is already in place at Ramapo.

“In the end, it is all about helping the students,” Johnson said. “That’s the mission of the college and the mission of this program.”

Panther Past Explained Page 6 The Ramapo News

Continued from page 3

in freeing slaves during the Civil War. Zied described Tubman as a great military soldier, commander and general.

She used her military skills to move, hide, shelter and protect slaves in hopes of freedom.

“He was a very inspirational speaker.

What really inspired my interest was what he said about Harriet Tubman. I didn’t know that,” said Brian Jordan, a member of Brothers Making a Difference.

“Where is he attaining this knowledge?” Jordan continued. “I knew she was a fighter but didn’t know she was an organizer or trained militarily. I’ve done my own research and never found

this information.”

Parks fought for human rights. She decided not to give up her seat on a bus on Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala. Parks' act of defiance when she was told to move to the back of the bus was an important part of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

“What inspired me the most was when he talked about black women, because they were such uplifting women.

Woman can be organizers just like men,” said Christina Gibbons.

Zied is recruiting members for the Black Panther Party, so if you are interested in joining the New Black Panther Party, you can contact him on his Facebook.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Got camera skillz?

We could use your help.

Mondays and Wednesdays 7:15 p.m. in SC-218

Ramapo Community Learns of World Cultures Continued from page 1

Strolle, a professor at Monterey Institute, believes that language should be at the core of education, beginning in elementary school.

“We have to communicate to people. We are fortunate enough to have English, but that should be the spring board in using that to learn others,” Strolle said.

Strolle then went on to talk about the 20th century in comparison to the current 21st.

“We haven’t made a lot of progress; we went backwards.”

During World War I, America chose to stop teaching the German language for political reasons, even though German was once a popular language to learn.

“We weren’t doing what we thought we could,” Strolle said.

Strolle devised guidelines that the American people need to follow in order for language to succeed.

“We need to make the message stick, learning language is important, we must join in on the action and make it happen, and strengthen diversity,” Strolle said.

In the end, Strolle believes that the U.S. can learn and understand that importance better than it’s current state.

Slideshow Presentation

Rather than booking a world expedition for spring break, four countries were brought to Ramapo. The presentations used pictures to illustrate the speakers’ homelands. Food from each country was available.

“The food smells so good, I don’t know if I can wait,” Sophomore Colleen Steel said.

Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan and Greece were the countries presented by students and faculty. The slideshow allowed the audience to follow along with the information.

When traveling to Egypt, Marlene Botros gave facts that were very informative.

Rather than focusing on present day Egypt, Botros gave insight to the country through a history review on how the Egypt came to

exist.

Not only did she provide well-known information on pyramids and sphinxes, she also gave hidden facts on writings that were done on papyrus paper, rather than stone.

“I also thought I knew all there was to know about Egypt, but I was wrong,” Sophomore Ken Rodenheiser said.

The next presenter focused on Lebanon.

Rayanne Hammoud, Ramapo faculty member, born and raised in Canada, was of Lebanese decent. She described her country passionately.

“Lebanon is beautiful. I am Lebanese and proud of it,” Hammoud said.

She showed the audience rather than just told her story through pictures. Lebanon’s

“We have to communicate to people. We are fortunate enough to have English, but that should be the spring board in using that to learn others.”

- Michael Strolle, keynote speaker

landscapes were presented, allowing the audience to feel as though they were on Lebanese soil.

During the Pakistan presentation, culture was described not only through words, but also through appearance.

Huma Munir, a Ramapo student, is of Pakistani decent. Born in her country, she was able to provide first-hand experiences.

Studying to be a journalist, Munir wanted to provide information that was from the other side.

“As a journalist, I know that there are always two sides to the story and that is what I want to do today,” Munir said.

Munir was able talk about Pakistan in a light of which most people are unknowl-

edgeable. Rather than focusing on its wellknown violence, a more positive side was shown. Information on Pakistan’s history and traditional values were shared.

Lastly, the presentation ended with Greece, the birthplace of Democracy. Maria Zalokostas, a history major, gave basic facts of the country’s background. She spoke of her parent’s home cities and provided pictures from her actual journeys of the country, which gave it a more family-oriented feel.

“These presentations truly brought international to this room,” Hassan Nejad, Dean of American and International Studies, said when closing the event.

French Film Screening

On Monday evening, the French film Prenom was screened at the Trustee’s Pavilion as part of Ramapo’s second annual World Language Symposium. Val Flenga, Professor of French and Literature, and Laura Nicolas, Fulbright scholar from France who is currently teaching French courses at Ramapo, introduced the film and gave a brief overview of the film’s director, Jean-Luc Godard, and his reputation in France.

“Godard’s work is very controversial in France. He’s not necessarily popular, but people have many different opinions about his work,” Flenga said.

Prenom, which was produced in 1983, told the story of an eccentric retired filmmaker with a niece who yearns to break out into the filmmaking business as well. The film focused heavily on classical music and conversation, but never both at the same time due to the fact that Godard used only one voice recorder when editing his film.

“This movie is unique because Godard himself actually acts in the film. He says that he got tired of seeing himself from the back. It’s a different idea,” Flenga said.

Surprisingly, none of the four viewers in

the audience were French students.

“I’ve never taken a French class, but its good to be exposed to diversity,” junior Lisa Markstrom said.

Nicolas believes the small turnout was due to the lack of publicity about the event. “I think it’s a pity because mostly only students of the School of American and International Studies know about the World Language Symposium’s events,” she said.

Multi-cultural Poetry Reading

On Wednesday afternoon, the final day of the symposium, a multi-cultural poetry reading took place in Friend’s Hall.

Six countries were represented, including Italy, Uzbekistan, France, Russia, Iraq, and China.

Students and faculty took turns reading the works of famous poets in the language of the country they represented, followed by an English translation of each piece presented.

Among the presenters was Yige Zhu, a Fulbright Scholar from China. Zhu recently did a poetry reading at the White House. At the reading, Zhu recited the poems of one of China’s most admired poets, Tu Fu. Faculty member Julia Ivanova, who has been in the US for two years as part of an exchange program from Russia, presented two of Alexander Pushkin’s poems. “The World Language Symposium is a very good attempt at bringing cultures together. Students are not exposed to different cultures enough,” Ivanova said.

The event, which lasted an hour, was followed by a food tasting made up of ethnic food from all of the countries represented at the poetry reading.

VIEWPOINTS

Trying to Find a Common Ground with Public Safety

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Voicing Your Opinion Is Easier Than You Think

Campus views are the sole opinion of their respective authors, submitted to The Ramapo News and in no way reflect the views of either The Ramapo News or Ramapo College of New Jersey.

By CHARLIE LAPLACA Co-Editor-in-Chief

Last week, President Mercer expressed his concern regarding the amount of alcoholrelated incidents on campus that end with a call to the local police. He worries that the health of the students, as well as the school’s reputation, may decline due to this supposed drinking problem.

On one hand, I think Mercer makes a great point. College students should not be drinking to the point where cops need to come on campus to either break up a “melee” or to assist the paramedics because someone drank too much.

On the other hand, maybe Public Safety over-polices the campus and calls the local authorities too soon and too often.

I’ve been a Ramapo student off-and-on for about seven years. I’ve seen this college grow quickly and dramatically over that time. While many things have changed, perhaps the one true constant (aside from homework) has been partying.

In some years, it seemed as though campus security (as they were called at the time) let the students enjoy themselves, while other years it seemed like the words “Ramapo” and “fun” were incapable of co-existing.

While I have no facts or figures to support my anecdotal evidence, I firmly believe that the level of partying on campus has not increased. I believe with the new name and new personnel, Public Safety is giving students too hard of a time.

I understand that if it’s a Monday or Tuesday night and there are 50-plus people in a dorm room and a neighbor is trying to sleep, the party needs to be broken up.

However, one time in 2005, I was watching television in my friend’s Village apartment with no more than four others when security responded to a “noise complaint.”

Nobody was drinking, but somebody had music playing in his bedroom. Security walked in and saw an empty beer can in the corner of the room, and they wrote every

single person in that dry apartment, including me, an alcohol violation. For one beer can.

Was that beer can supposed to be there? Of course not. Was it within security’s right to punish us? Absolutely. But did that make any sense at all? No way.

On paper, nobody in the administration can order Public Safety to cut students a break once in a while, but somebody should give them a nudge or a wink.

This is a college and kids are going to drink. Nobody is saying drinking is healthy and helps improve your grades, but this is a good school with thousands of smart, responsible students. So what if they want to unwind a bit after writing a 20-page paper?

I sympathize with the position Public Safety find themselves in at times because they have an obligation to keep the campus and its students safe. Sometimes that safety is compromised, which means they can either issue violations or call for police assistance.

Ramapo is becoming more and more synonymous with “no fun allowed.”

However, it is my amateur opinion that sometimes Public Safety overreacts, and that some members may flat-out enjoy punishing students for behavior that is mostly normal for people our age.

My call to action is for Public Safety to use their common sense and judgment when issuing violations. Have a little empathy, too, please.

At the same time, I call on the student body to try and make sure that they don’t get too out of hand. I have been woken up at 3 a.m. on a weekday because someone was outside, screaming at the top of his lungs. But that kind of stuff is fixable: just don’t scream at the top of your lungs when it’s 3 a.m.

Please, Public Safety, when it’s a Friday night, let us have some fun. Most of us are working hard all week long. When weekends come, let us unwind a bit.

Why do you think a large percentage of students go home on the weekend? To work? Yeah right. It’s because Ramapo is becoming more and more synonymous with “no fun allowed.”

By TOM NG SGA President

It was the end of spring 2009 when I first received an email from soon-to-be Ramapo News editor-in-chief, Cortney Collins. She asked if I would be interested in writing editorials about on campus happenings as the SGA President.

I gladly accepted this opportunity, hoping to promote what SGA was doing to contribute to campus life and also to increase transparency of the Student Government Association. After writing my first few editorials, however, Cortney sat me down to have the talk.

The talk I am referring to is the one every reporter (at least in the movies) seems to have with their editor, setting forth a chain of events that ultimately results in increased happiness for everyone (i.e.

Superman, Marley and Me).

These events include: Step 1: The editor sits the journalist down and tells him they stink.

Step 2: The journalist leaves angry.

Step 3: The journalist changes his style and his writing improves.

Step 4: Everyone is happy.

My journalism experience followed the same path (sort of).

“I would like to offer a solution to student concerns on campus: complain more!

Let your voice be heard.”

The first step was a little different for me because Cortney was very nice about giving constructive criticism. Cortney explained, “Tom, your editorials are definitely covering important topics and well written, but too often SGA editorials end up promoting events. These opinions

aren’t for advertisements.”

Step 2 was also a little different because I was not angry. In fact, I was thrilled that she liked my writing! I did, however, take what she recommended to heart.

I thought about famous columnists and what made them great. I realized the only editorials I remembered were by angry people complaining about the flaws they saw in their community, nation or world. I wondered if I had enough complaints to fill editorials for the rest of the semester.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. The fact that people could use editorials to complain about their situation was noteworthy in and of itself. Rarely do people have as great of a chance to express themselves to a receptive audience as they do in editorials.

The OpEd section of the newspaper is not the only place on campus where complaining is encouraged, however. Student Government ENCOURAGES people to come to meetings to complain about the challenges they face and get involved in the process of finding solutions.

With this realization, Step 3 quickly followed: I changed the structure of my editorials to promote opportunities for students to have their voices heard and to make the change they want to see on campus. Step 4 also followed close behind when the newspaper staff gave me a Ramapo News T-shirt. Happy ending achieved.

This is not the end of the story, however.

This realization helped me to better understand the importance of editorials in both our society and our school. It also helped me change my editorial writing to not only try to address complaints students face, but also to offer a solution to the problem.

I would like to offer a solution to student concerns on campus: complain more!

Whether you complain to the Student Government Association at a meeting or anonymously via e-mail, or to the Ramapo News in your own editorial, let your voice be heard.

Just to clarify, I am by no means advocating being disrespectful with your gripes. However, I encourage you to speak up about what you would like to see changed on campus or in the world, along with any possible solutions you have come up with.

I have found getting ideas down on paper as the first step in making my ideas a reality. What better to do with that idea than publish it in an editorial that can inspire others?

ARTS

&

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

Casey’s a Good Alternative for the Average Tuesday Night Thursday, March 4, 2010

BY MICHELE MCKENNA Staff Writer On Tuesday Feb 23, the women’s volleyball team sponsored a night out at Casey O’Tooles in Wayne. This was used as a fundraiser to help them pay for equipment and uniforms.

Although the snow and slush made some reluctant to venture out, the turnout was great. This place is perfect for people looking to get off campus for a night of dancing and socializing. The team charged $7 at the door for girls and $9 for guys. Ids were checked at the door by a bouncer and all students 21 and over got a wristband.

Casey O’Tooles is a bar and restaurant located approximately 20 minutes from Ramapo College. The college-student hot spot is also easily accessible to William Paterson and Montclair students, allowing for a good mix of people from your campus along with some new faces.

Casey O’Tooles offers plenty of tables, booths and a bar during dinner hours. The menu includes burgers, salads, appetizers and entrees for under 20 bucks. As a restaurant, it is a good place to come with a few friends, but silly to come all the way there for a mediocre dinner.

At 11 pm, Casey O’Tooles transforms from restaurant to a bar and club. The tables are removed, the lights are dimmed and the music comes on.

Most Ramapo students are familiar with

Casey OʼTooleʼs is located fairly close to campus.

photo by Michele McKenna

this bar as a good alternative to Pub 17 on a Tuesday or Thursday night. It is also beneficial for those who are under 21 since the age limit is only 18 to get in.

The only problem with coming with a partly under age and partly-21 crew is that you tend to get separated.

At Casey O’Tooles, there is a dance floor open to everyone, and a bar surrounded by bouncers allowing only people of age into the area. If your 21-yearold friends would rather hang by the bar

than dance, you might as well kiss them goodbye as soon as they get a wristband.

The Ramapo women’s volleyball team offered their own DJ, who was definitely a crown pleaser. Everyone was on the dance floor at some point of the night.

The crowd at the bar enjoyed some good conversation, ample bar stools and average-priced drinks. Mixed drinks were around $6 and beers were $4. As the night went on, more and more people piled into the bar area. The service became very

tries. The coffees come from famous roasters, such as Intelligentsia. Ridgewood Coffee Company offers espresso drinks that other places do not commonly make. These drinks include Guiness, peppermint, banana crème and raspberry. If snowstorms ever stop coming, the iced coffee should be tried.

It is one of their best sellers. The freshly baked pastries have won awards and keep people coming back.

to blues.

They also have all the typical drinks that would be found at a coffee house. Their menu is not as large as that of Ridgewood Coffee House. The only thing that sets them apart is different kinds of chai. They serve them in iced, hot or blended and some unique flavors such as gingerbread, green tea and spiced apple.

Cool Beans has more food to choose from than many other coffee houses. They have quite a few salads to choose from. If you are very health conscious, salads could be served with organic greens. They also have healthy wraps if you view salad as ‘rabbit food.’ It is still healthy, with prices about the same as you would expect to pay at any restaurant or diner.

If you ever find yourself in Montclair check out Café Eclectic. It has a different feel from many of the other coffee shops.

Café Eclectic looks a bit dingy, with old school couches and vintage tables. The art may be a little off beat and the paint may be chipped but that is the intended atmosphere.

It lives up to its name, andt is definitely eclectic.

slow, almost unbearable. The bartenders seemed to pick one spot to serve and basically ignored everyone else. After doing some jumping jacks and flagging around dollar bills, one was able to finally get a drink and get back to their friends.

Looking around the bar, it was impressive how many people came out to the party since the road conditions were pretty bad. I heard a lot of people say they were happy there was finally something different to do. Others were excited to come out for the event because they knew so many people were going and it would be worth it.

Casey O’Tooles is a great place to hold a fundraiser. Several sororities and fraternities have done it in the past with great success. The cost is minimal because you can provide your own DJ. This Tuesday night gave everyone a reason to go out to the same place. It gathered a lot of people together and also helped the women’s volleyball team in the meantime.

OVERALL GRADE: B+

Fun and Cool Places to Visit Close to Ramapo

By TARA LAFEMINA Staff Writer

Believe it or not there are a handful of cafes and local hangout spots in the area.

Many of these places offer live entertainment at a reasonable admission price. For some of us who commute to school, we do not have the chance to know what is happening in the Mahwah vicinity. Others go home on the weekends, maybe missing out on what is in the area. These are just a few of the popular places worth checking out.

Ridgewood is a town that offers a lot in a small space. One popular place is the Ridgewood Coffee Company.

There is a Starbucks down the street, but Ridgewood Coffee Company is always crowded. This may be the only drawback as the seating is limited, but crowds can be avoided if you go at the right time.

It is a very popular spot to go after eating at one of the many restaurants in Ridgewood. The prices are typical of a coffee shop, but the friendly staff and atmosphere make it worth it.

They offer a variety of beverages and pas-

Near Montclair? Check out Café Eclectic!

Ridgewood Coffee Company offers free wi-fi and entertainment on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday nights have two or more hours of music.

Oradell is home to another extremely popular coffee shop. Cool Beans is a perfect place to hang out during the day or enjoy some music by night.

Cool Beans has open mic nights on alternating weekends. They also have bands that vary in genres from jazz to indie to rock and

Café Eclectic has a surprisingly large menu. They have everything from coffee, espresso drinks, soft drinks and Italian sodas to milkshakes and tea. They also have salads, paninis and, oddly enough, Cubaninspired dishes. Even though Café Eclectic does offer a varied amount of food, there may very well be somewhere better down the road.

Music is not as big here as the other places.

Café Eclectic is better to visit during the day. At night, Café Eclectic seems to be a spot for local high school students to hang out. During the day the crowd is fixed.

Independently run coffee shops seemingly only last a handful of years. Perhaps it is the comfort of going to places such a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, where there is a predictability, which keeps people away from the independent shops.

If you are one of these people, maybe it is time to break out of your comfort zone. You would be supporting local businesses and musicians. It is worth a shot and you might walk away being pleasantly surprised.

Two Weird N.J. Places to Definitely Check Out Page 9 The Ramapo News

By MATT THOMPS ON Staff Writer

There are some pretty strange places in the Garden State and “Weird New Jersey” pretty much covers all of them. They have fabled stories, abandoned buildings, haunted houses, ghosts and mysterious. But when it comes to Weird New Jersey, two tales stick out like a sore thumb.

Mi dg etvi l l e: Perhaps the most synonymous with “Weird NJ” is what is known as “Midgetville”. Located in Totowa, New Jersey, the legend has it that there is a small street located just off Annie’s Road filled with little people. This street has “little houses” with four foot doors and small windows. And it is true; there is a street with tiny houses located in Totowa just off Annie’s Road.

It has become somewhat of a phenomenon in recent years, especially among teenagers. On drunken nights, often well after hours, teens decide it would be funny to ride down this road at night shouting obscene remarks at what they think are little people.

On Weird NJ’s official website under “Midgetville”, Mike K posted, “The lil’ guy saw us, then ran onto this back road.

We turned down the road, but no midget all we saw was woods. We went up and down this small stretch for about 25 minutes and saw no trace of the midget. We never found any houses or small stop signs

Thursday, March 4, 2010

but ever since then we all now believe in average house at $4.17 million. This only Midgetville. We always cruise on down adds to the excitement the tower brings.

There are two ways to get to the tower, that road now, hoping to come in contact with another one of the infamous lil’ peo- one is off 9W coming from New York City ple.”

This isn’t the last of the claims. Legend also has it that if you go down this road, the little people will shoot you or throw rocks at your car.

In retaliation to these teenage acts, police have had to put up signs warning that any disturbance on the street is worthy of a $500 dollar fine.

However, there’s a catch involved with “Midgetville”. Conflicting reports have indeed surfaced on websites such as “Lostinjersey.com” as well as other online forums that these houses are not the homes of midgets, but rather summer vacation homes that were built decades ago.

It only became known as “Midgetville” once these houses became public.

In my personal experience, there were little houses and I did see a couple of little people, but the latter reports seem truer than the legend. It may be time for the students of Ramapo to visit “Midgetville” to find out for themselves.

The Dev i l ’s To wer: Second on the photo courtesy of Weird NJ Weird NJ list is the “Devil’s Tower.”

Located on Rio Vista Drive in luxurious The “Devilʼs Tower” in Alpine, NJ Alpine, NJ, it creates a haunting appearance. Many of the Ramapo readers may rec- and the other is taking back roads that lead ognize Alpine as being the richest town in up to Rio Vista. 9W is faster, but taking the United States with Forbes listing the the back roads is much scarier.

When scrambling through the roads to find it, the big and daunting mansions create an imposing presence in the area. It’s quite a spectacle to see so many humongous houses all in the same place. When the “Devil’s Tower” is finally located, it creates an even larger presence. To get the scariest results, go at night.

The legend around the “Devil’s Tower” is that Manuel Rionda built the tower in the early 1900’s for his wife. It’s said his wife was looking out of the top of it one day and she saw her husband with another woman so she committed suicide by jumped off. Rionda stopped any further progress on the tower and never continued.

It has been said if you go around the tower six times backwards that his wife’s ghost will appear to throw your car into the nearby tree.

But how true is this? Manuel Rionda is the actual architect of the tower. Facts lead to Rionda’s wife dying by natural causes, but her body was interred in the “Devil’s Tower” for years. However, there are reports that one girl actually was killed by going into a tree. Whether this was a drunken night for high school kids or Rionda’s wife, we may never know.

The “Devil’s Tower” provides more of a haunting appearance than the actual tale.

But for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t try going in there.

Weird Happenings by the Dark

Page 10 The Ramapo News

By MATT THOMPS ON Staff Writer

After reading the previous article, Ramapo students should be more familiar with what Weird New Jersey’s all about.

They have hundreds of things included in their official website and book, but one thing that deserves to be mentioned alongside Midgetville and the Devil’s Tower is the Hawthorne Boat House. It’s just as creepy, if not creepier than those two.

The Hawthorne Boat House: Located merely a few miles from Mahwah is Hawthorne, New Jersey. At the end of a rocky, narrow Lynack Road lays a deserted boathouse.

They call it the Boat House because of its boat shape. It was burnt down many years ago in a devastating fire, which turned the interior to shambles.

However, the outside is still intact. If you’re wondering so far whether this is a farce or not, don’t worry, it really was burnt down.

The Boat House has graffiti spread throughout the exterior, a deserted tennis court in the background and a creepy wishing well. There also happens to be a bomb shelter and a small library with a view of the New York City skyline.

What’s even creepier is the house next door is also deserted. The front door is elevated off the ground and there is no way of entering. From the looks of it, it looks like half of a house. As the years go by it seems like more and more of this house has been cut off.

Many adolescents have developed stories over the years about what exactly happened at the Boat House and some say there are “ghosts” inside. There are variations of a story claiming that in 1954, a man lived there with his family and set the house ablaze, escaping to Pennsylvania,

only to die later.

Another myth is that a man went crazy and shot his wife and kid in the house, only to commit suicide. More myths include that it was burnt down much more than one time.

Much like Midgetville and the Devil’s Tower, this has become a hotspot for teenagers at night. Police have been more active in patrolling the area as of late.

The house had to be boarded up due to so much activity going on with fraternities and gangs. It was becoming a concern for the town that people would get hurt in this unstable, dangerous house. In further developments, people have claimed to have found guns, cocaine, crucified squirrels and gang symbols in the basement.

Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of information that can be found on this house lays on “lostinjersey.com,” where a blogger claims to have lived in the house as a child. “For those of you who knew me and my family, we can almost laugh at these stories that have been derived from creative minds. My father did not kill us, no ghosts… no one ever even died in this house and there are no hauntings, just wonderful memories for my family.“ He later stated, “Yes, there is a bomb shelter. Yes, there is a tennis court. Yes, there is a library and tower with views of the NYC skyline.” He goes on to state that a delinquent developer planned to purchase the house and renovate it, but went bankrupt. To further verify he lived there, he claimed he could tell anyone where his dead pets were buried.

Whether this person actually lived in the house, we may never know.

But this house deserves to be included in Weird New Jersey and it has enough of an interesting back story to support it. One thing’s for sure; go at night and I assure you you’ll be scared.

How to Create Your Own Soundtrack

By S HARON MEYER Staff Writer

All is ‘just’ in the world when a digital pickle has more fans than the band Nickelback, and Aerosmith is reuniting for a European tour titled “Cocked, Locked, and Ready to Rock.” What more could music lovers ask for?

Lets start with this week’s Hot 100’s top 5, where the Black Eyed Peas “Imma Be” takes the number one spot from Ke$ha knocking her single down to the second spot on the chart.

Maybe some people are beginning to use their senses or maybe they were discouraged by how Courtney Love was recently found tweeting on singer Ke$ha.

“I really think I could mentor @Keshasuxx given a week and id be willing to do it. I dont think LinPerry would touch her. I see a spark tho,” tweeted Courtney Love.

Of course Courtney Love would want to pass on her legendary tips on “How to ruin your music career” to new artist Ke$ha. Her mentor book could be titled ‘From One Hot Mess to Another.’

Sticking to the tweets of the week, Lil Wayne was caught tweeting, “ Love is a road without signs yet we still drive bekuz we Kan only imagine whats ahead.” Alright Lil Wayne, way to promote your grammatical skills to your younger fans. Maybe your stint in jail can give you time to brush up on the English language.

Moving on to real music news, Billboard.com has named Alice in Chains’ new single “Your Decision” off their newest album Black Gives Way to Blue the number one song on the Rock Charts.

Following Alice in Chains, is Three Days Graces’ single “Break” from their album Life Starts Now at number two, and at number three is “Uprising” by Muse, who found their break through a performance at the VMA’s last year.

Close behind at the fourth spot is 30 Seconds to Mars, with

their single “Kings and Queens” off their latest album This is War. Rise Against takes the fifth spot on the Rock Chart with “Savior” off their album Appeal to Reason.

Speaking of Rise Against, singer Tom Morello will be featured on Cypress Hill’s new single “Rise Up.” The CD will be released some time in April. The track is bringing back the true mix of rock and rap like Run DMC and Aerosmith style.

The Glee Cast will be touring the U.S. this summer starting in May according to billboard.com. They kick off their tour in Phoenix on May 18.

They will travel to Radio City Music Hall for two performances on May 28 and 29. For those of you who are Glee fans, tickets go on sale to the public March 13.

If you are a Super Glee fan, pre-sale tickets are available on Friday for American Express cardholders.

Check out this application on billboard.com, it is called “Soundtrack of My Life.” All you have to do is register to become a Billboard member-it is free- type in your birthday and check out what your “life sounds like.”

“For every milestone you’ve reached, there’s been a #1 hit to define the times. How does your life sound as a playlist?

Just answer a few questions (best guess for dates you’re unsure of). We’ll cue it up,” states Billboard’s site. See what your life sounds like as a soundtrack!

Billboard.com is full of awesome interactive applications, another one called “Create Your Lineup,” where each week you can pick five artists who you expect to make the actual charts.

You can earn points when they go up, and vice versa. Just remember to sign up to become part of the Billboard community, which again is free, and see if your chart matches what’s really hot on the charts!

Big D and the Kid’s Table Rips it Up

Thursday, March 4, 2010

By JOHN FRAZE Staff Writer

Big D and the Kid’s Table is an energetic group of musicians who really know how to put on a good show and everyone knows that good music and a good presence go hand in hand to create a good show.

On Saturday, Big D and the Kid’s Table did just thatput on a good Ska show at Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, NJ. Brian Klemm from Suburban Legends has been sitting in on guitar for the tour and did a great job at the Kid’s table, along with the backing female voices, the Doped Up Dollies.

The band opened with “Little Bitch” off their album How It Goes. The song was super energetic and got the crowd going for the rest of the set. The night’s set list was based around How It Goes, Strictly Rude, and Fluent In Stroll.

The next tune off How It Goes that showed up was “Bender,” introduced by a definition of a bender and an invitation for the crowd to play along with the lyrics every time Big D said “drunk” in the chorus. How It Goes wouldn’t show up again until the encore.

Strictly Rude got plenty of play at the show, including “Steady Riot,” “Noise Complaint,” “Shining On,” “Hell On Earth,” “Raw Revolution” and “Strictly Rude.” “Noise Complaint” was out of control with the crowd singing along and going crazy.

But then again, playing a song about a noise complaint is destined to be nothing other than rowdy fun, especially when the crowd can yell along to the lyrics: “NOISE COMPLAINT!” “Raw Revolution” rocked the crowd even more than noise complaint, getting everyone to put on their skanking shoes and dig into the pit.

“Strictly Rude” was another notable moment when Big D himself busted out the melodica to blow along with this serious reggae infused number Fluent in Stroll, Big D and the Kid’s Table’s most recent album release featured the Doped Up Dollies who were also along for the show. “Not Fucking Around,” “Kiss A Week,” “Known To Be Blue,” and “I,I,I” are all songs off the album that were played.

“Known To Be Blue” is a slow number and featured one of the Doped Up Dollies on vocals while Big D took a break.

The rest of the songs also featured backing vocals by the Doped Up Dollies. The Dollies also served as backup singers and dancers for most of the rest of the show. “Kiss A Week” also featured Big D taking on an instrument other than his voice, a guitar to fill in the song.

The show ended, but anyone who’s ever been to a show before knows that isn’t the end. After the everpresent “one more song” chant the band came back out to the delight of the crowd with some more tunes off How It Goes.

They started off playing “My Girlfriend’s On Drugs” with The Dollies singing along and acting out all sorts of illicit drug use on stage, quite a sight to behold.

After that the band played “LAX,” a true punk ballad and an awesome way to end the show.

After all the glory of Big D and the Kids Table is said and done, the local openers all deserve honorable mention. The Explosive Sheep are a young, local Ska band doing their thing well. The Waffle Stompers tore it up with their originals and a sweet version of Tina Turner’s “Rollin’ On A River.” The Avon Junkies were also an interesting Ska group, doing something a little different.

The Crazies Brings the Carnage But Little Quality

Page 11 The Ramapo News

Thursday, March 4, 2010

of the movie—not the insane killers. These people ruthlessly run around exterminating all the citizens, reinforcing the idea that we are only just a number.

The movie’s best aspects are the mise en scene elements, but more specifically the location where it was shot.

Although the story takes place in Iowa, much of the film was shot in Middle Georgia. It was a breath of fresh air for a New Jerseyian to see such a secluded remote lifestyle on endless farmland and the peaceful tranquility, but it didn’t last long. However, all the landscape scenes were very well done and aesthetically pleasing.

The bottom line is that this movie was neither good or bad, and landed somewhere in between that blurry “I’m not exactly sure” place on the ratings scale. It was intriguing, as you were rooting for the couple to escape and survive, however you saw what was coming a great time before it even came. If you can take that with a grain of salt, and enjoy the film for what it is in that case, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

It was essentially an example of master and servant and at the end of the day who really has the final say and control as hydrogen bombs are blowing off in the background and people are lying dead everywhere in sight. It will make even the most loyal citizen to the government a little weary of its reign; so at least it stirs up thought.

By JULIANNE ILARIA Staff Writer

If you’re looking for a decent remake of a horror film, The Crazies will be right up you’re alley, but please don’t expect anything mind boggling.

The Crazies is an American horror film directed by Breck Eisner and is a remake of the 1973 film of the same name.

In addition, the film includes the director of the original, George A. Romero, as a co-writer. The Crazies is about the inhabitants of a small Iowa town who seem to live a perfectly normal, law abiding and secluded lifestyle until they are suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply.

Unusually malicious things start happening as the townspeople in Ogden Marsh seem to lose their minds; one man goes to a school baseball game with a loaded shotgun while another man burns down his own house after locking his wife and child inside. Everyone searches for answers as the chaos escalates.

The sheriff (Timothy David Olyphant), his wife (Radha Mitchell), a nurse (Danielle Panabaker), and the deputy (Joe Anderson) join together to try to survive this plague and flee the state while the military is killing the general population as per protocol.

They have shut down the town, not letting anyone exit or enter, in fear of the disease spreading, while exterminating anyone who shows sings of abnormality or craziness. This is easy to come by considering the situation they are faced with.

They are therefore left with a few bad options: they must fight their way out or die by either the plague or the military for not heeding their enforcement.

Although parts of the movie are very suspenseful like a lot of other horror/slasher films, it is in turn very predictable. You may find yourself saying, especially towards the end, “That is totally unrealistic”, which obviously takes away from the overall rating of the film. Some scenes def-

initely include a lot of gore; enough to make a strong stomached girl to even cringe, but it’s not overkill.

The movie is much more set on portraying the characters’ desperate attempt to escape than trying to make you want to throw up.

If you walk away with nothing else from this movie, it will definately make you ponder the influence of the government and its control; in a way that’s the scariest aspect

OVERALL GRADE: C+

Looking Back: Ten of Film’s Best of 2009

By JEREMY KELLY Staff Writer

This year was a great year for film. Some major milestones were made in regards to ticket sales and technological advances. There were even some unexpected surprises that came and took the box offices by storm. Here are my top ten favorite movies from the year.

10. Adventureland- You wouldn’t think that the director of Superbad (Greg Mottola) would bring us a movie with so much depth. But this surprisingly smart coming-of-age tale set at an amusement park in the summer of 1987 takes itself seriously, and shows an almost brutal honesty about life itself.

Jesse Eisenberg brings plenty of vulnerability to his leading role, and his love interest Em (Kristen Stewart) compliments him with a deep, sexy realism.

9. Inglorious Basterds- Quentin Tarantino delivers with this violent re-telling of World War II. While it’s highly commendable for its smart dialogue and its throwback to spaghetti western, I do feel there are some scenes that go on too long and are not particularly coherent.

Perhaps it requires more than one viewing. Big props to the acting in this film, most notably Christoph Waltz as the sadistic Jew hunter Hans Landa; up for a much-deserved Academy Award nomination.

8. Bandslam- One look at the poster, and you’d expect a cheap, silly Disney knock-off. Admittedly, it does star Disney veterans Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens.

But thanks to a charming Gaelan Connell in his first leading role, as well as some toe-tapping musical numbers, this movie just seems to work. It’s innocent, it’s predictable, and it’s cheesy, but it works.

7. The Hangover- Nobody would have expected this comedy about a Las Vegas bachelor party gone wrong to become

the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time in the U.S. But what makes this movie so likeable isn’t cheesy one-liners, but the characters.

They all contrast each other very well with their personalities and undergo degrees of transformation throughout the film. Zach Galifianakis undoubtedly steals the show as brother-to-bride Alan, who is hilarious even when he’s just standing still.

6. Paranormal Activity- Budgeted at only $15,000, this quietly unsettling horror movie about a couple haunted by a demon had people jumping out of their seats in theatres and screaming in terror.

It’s a rare treat that gradually builds tension until the end and reinforces the notion that sometimes it’s what is not there that scares us the most.

5. Avatar- A 12-year absence has certainly not left director James Cameron out of practice. This futuristic, epic spectacle may not seem like an original concept, but the story is surprisingly well-told, and the characters are very believable.

The 3-D element may sometimes be a gimmick, but it’s utilized brilliantly for depth of field, creating a fascinating, beautiful world within the movie.

4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- Fans of the J.K. Rowling book series may be a little biased towards this film. But these young stars are comfortably settling in as seasoned actors, and they have a very funny, character-driven script to work with.

While it may leave out several plot points from the book, it scores where it counts, and will leave the fans itching for Deathly Hallows.

3. Taken- The plot is simple: girl goes to Paris, girl gets kidnapped, girl’s father goes to rescue her. But when Liam Neeson is the father, and he’s a CIA officer, it’s gonna get very messy indeed.

We get shoot-outs and car chases, and the way Neeson brushes through it all with such casual, yet brutal behavior, is very endearing. If you’re willing to turn off your brain and enjoy the action, you’re gonna have a good time with this one.

2. The Blind Side- Even viewers who don’t like sports will be touched by this. Starring Sandra Bullock in one of her best roles, this drama based on the true story of current NFL player Michael Oher almost seems too easy to like.

But thanks to Bullock’s charisma and the heart that is felt throughout the movie, this is a feel-good story that teaches you the concept that sometimes all anyone needs is someone who will care for them.

1. Zombieland -We start and finish the list with a film starring Jesse Eisenberg, this time accompanied by Woody Harrelson. Columbus (Eisenberg) is alive in a world overrun by zombies using a list of “rules” for survival, although the zombies are constantly coming after him. It’s bloody, gory, and laugh-out-loud funny.

Add in a hilarious cameo by a high-class celebrity, and the satirical nature of the film, and you’re in for an awesome time.

These guys liked Zombieland.

Willis and Morgan Buddy Up For Cop Out Page 12 The Ramapo News

By MELISSA VELOZ Staff Writer

“Cop Out,” a buddy-cop film starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, opened in theaters on Friday, but the turnout was less than expected.

The story of the film is a tried and true formula for cop comedies - two NYPD partners who have worked together for more than nine years fight crime in a bizzare, and hopefully (for them) comedic way.

The plot is trite, relying on contrived situations to develop laughs.

For instance, the duo is suspended for failing to execute an undercover bust. It’s just after that that Jimmy (Bruce Willis’s character) happened to find out how much his daughter wanted a beautiful big wedding complete with a $48,000 price tag. He commits to pay for the wedding, just so his daughter’s step-father would not throw it in his face.

He is forced to beg his boss to rescind his suspension, but gets denied. Instead, he decides that the only way he’d be able to pay for his daughter’s wedding is to sell a rare baseball card he had owned ever since he was a young boy.

Once he goes to sell the card, the pawn shop is robbed with the inclusion of his rare card and he and his partner decide to find out who had stolen card. Once Jimmy and Paul (Tracy Morgan’s character) begin their search for the rare baseball card’s robber they find that his baseball card was sold and is now linked to the gang related case which they

were suspended for to begin with.

Throughout their journey they face a couple dangerous people and also find clues to the gang related case in which they help solve towards the end of the movie and helps both NYPD officers become unsuspended.

Most of the times the character’s roles are a little too exaggerated which may have helped with the comedic perspective Kevin Smith (director) was trying to get across to the audience, but in fact it did the opposite and made it cheesy.

The film was also rated R but the main reason why it must of been rated R was for the amount of profanity used throughout the film, other than that there should have left it as a film that teens could also watch in the theaters as well as when it comes out on DVD with their friends.

For those looking for something to do this weekend, if you have nothing better to do, then you should go check it out. You may get a few laughs throughout the film, but after a couple hours it’s very unlikely you’ll remember the majority of scenes that took place.

This film would be graded overall as a B- for those who enjoy comedic films. The reason why is because it is appropriate for most ages to watch even if it may require an adult to be with a younger crowd since it is rated R.

OVERALL GRADE: B-

Thursday, March 4, 2010

RAMAPO SPORTS

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Volleyball Continues to Win, Looks Ahead for More

By MARIS S A TORR S taff Writer

The Ramapo College men’s volleyball team picked up their fifth win in the NECVA Metro Conference Tuesday at the Bradley Center, with a 3-0 (30-20, 30-14, 30-10) sweep over Sage College. Ramapo improves 13-6 overall and 5-1 in the conference.

In game one of the best out of five match-up, the Roadrunners earned a ten-point, 30-20 win. Sophomore Josh Castillo led the way with six kills on seven attempts and only one error, giving him a hitting percentage of .714.

Others contributed offensively as well. Rookie Joel Castro had two kills and no errors on three attempts, while Colin McNeill made four of the team’s 18 kills in the game.

Ramapo combined hitting .310 with 18 kills on 29 attempts, while Sage went 4-17 with one error hitting .176. Matt Scott delivered 12 assists and Kevin McNerney led the defense with five digs.

The Roadrunners took an 8-0 lead before a Sage timeout.

Ramapo never let go of lead, taking the game, 3014. McNeill went 6-7 with no errors, hitting .857, while the team as a whole hit .500 with 17 kills. Mike Hrehovik dished out 13 assists and McNerney led the defense again, but this time with three digs. McNeill put away five blocks to help put Ramapo up, 2-0 on the night. Sage went 6-24 with ten errors hitting -.167 in this loss.

Ramapo jumped ahead again in the third and final game, but this time Sage let one more point go by before they called a timeout. After the timeout, the Roadrunners added four more consecutive points to take a 13-0 lead. Castillo added seven kills in the game, while Kurt Backlund and

McNeill recorded five and four kills respectively.

Backlund, who was named to the Endicott Tournament AllTournament team a couple of weeks ago, also led the defense with three digs. The team went 20-26 with two errors and a hitting percentage of .692. Sage, on the other hand, hit -.182 with three kills on 22 attempts and seven errors.

By the end of the night, sophomore Castillo had racked up a team high of 16 kills. McNeill had 14 kills, while Scott and Hrehovcik together combined for 47 assists. Ramapo hit .494 with 55 kills, while the Gators ended up leaving Mahwah -.079 with 13 total team kills.

While happy to have come away with a win, Head Coach Don Vanderbeck felt the game “was more of getting guys playing time. It was a non-conference game and we had played this team once before. Plus, going into tonight they’ll be a little more rested and fresh.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the whole team gave back to the community by going off campus to do a service project. “We visited an elementary school in Riverdale. The team gathered with kids to talk and interact with them during lunch. Then, there was an assembly, where we talked about sportsmanship and the players did a demonstration of their volleyball skills.”

The Roadrunners have two important games coming up on their schedule. Wednesday night they will face off against Suny New Paltz at the Bradley Center again. Saturday afternoon they travel to Brooklyn, N.Y. to play Polytechnice University.

Wednesday, March 10 will be another important match-up against Stevens Institute of Technology away in Hoboken.

Suny and Stevens are NECVA games. If they can win both of those games, they will be second place in the division.

photo by Michael Jagendorf

The Roadrunners are currently ranked second in NEVACʼs Metro Divison.

Womenʼs Basketball Proud to Now be “In the Mix”

By MICHELE McKENNA S taff Writer

The last two weeks of the women’s basketball season were like a whirlwind. The NJAC playoffs were so close they could taste it, and the last two regular season games would determine their fate. For this team, making the playoffs was nothing but a fantasy until now.

“When I started at Ramapo I always thought about how great it would be to change the reputation of the team,” junior guard Brittany Hoffman said. “Last year, we were very close to making that change so we knew this year was definitely our year to do it.”

The last time Ramapo women’s basketball made an appearance in the playoffs was in the 1992-1993 season.

After several years of rebuilding the program, no one could turn it around the way Coach Mike Eineker did and it is only his second season here.

“It was great for the girls to feel some success. The vibe of our team is now a very positive one and I’m hearing great feedback from fellow coaches and everyone at Ramapo,” Eineker said.

With Eineker’s inspiration, the team turned the season around after a tough loss to NJCU. “I think the girls really came to together after that game and became much more committed and focused,” Einieker said.

“The hard work that we put into practice is what got us

to NJACs and playing as a team when we really needed it,” sophomore guard Alexandra Brown said.

With only a week left of the season, there was a three-way tie for the last playoff spot in the North Division between NJCU, Rutgers-Newark and Ramapo.

“We had previous lost to NJCU and only beat RutgersNewark by 11, but when we faced them the second time we

“It was great for the girls to feel some success. The vibe of our team is now a very positive one and I’m hearing great feedback from fellow coaches and everyone at Ramapo.”

- Mi ke Ei neker, head coach

knew it was for the playoffs,” Eineker said, “I told the girls that today is like playoff day for us. We need to stay alive.”

Ramapo pulled out a win against NJCU in the last five minutes of the game, and four days later defeated RutgersNewark 63-41.

“Every collegiate athlete dreams of being on a successful team. It is a great accomplishment knowing how much hard work goes into it,” junior center Danielle Beam said.

Ramapo faced the number two seed of the south division

in the first round of the playoffs. Ramapo came out with fire with a 7-0 lead right from the start. Ramapo was up by three at the half.

“The entire gym had an indescribable tension,” Beam said.

“Everyone was hyped from the moment we got off the bus, you couldn’t help but feel it.”

Rowan entered the second half much hotter. With four minutes left in the game, Rowan was up by 14. Not willing to give up just yet, Ramapo cut it down to a five-point deficit. After leaving their hearts on the court, the lady Roadrunners lost 65-72 to Rowan.

“I was so proud of them because we weren’t just content making it to the playoffs, we played with the intention of winning,” Eineker said.

The team is now getting much more recognition because of this breakout year. Freshman Megan Reilly received Second Team All-Conference.

“Our freshmen were key players this year and now that they have this experience, it could only help us in years to come,” Eineker said.

“This team has a great future because we never backed down and kept fighting in every game we played,” Hoffman said.

“Things are changing, Ramapo is now getting in the mix of teams to beat and our program is moving forward,” Eineker said.

U.S. Makes History at Winter Olympic Games

Page 14 The Ramapo News

By KEVIN JOHNS ON Staff Writer

The 21st Winter Olympic Games came to a close on Feb. 28 with the traditional closing ceremony and the ceremonial passing of the Olympic flag. The flag, which has been on display in Vancouver since 2006, was passed from the host city’s mayor, Gregor Robertson, to the next host city’s mayor, in this case Sochi, Russia’s Anatoly Pakhomov.

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver concluded with the U.S. men’s hockey team falling to the Canadian team in overtime by the score of 3-2.

The silver medal earned by the hockey team capped off a record setting 37 medal performance by the U.S. The 37 medals were more than any other country, marking the first time the U.S. has won the medal count at the Winter Olympics since 1932.

Canada also excelled in the games by capturing a record setting 14 gold medals. The pressure to excel for the Canadian athletes was immense because of their previous lackluster performances at home. They failed to, as they have failed to capture any gold medals when they hosted the on their home soil. They finished 27th in the medal

Thursday, March 4, 2010

remains the only athlete to win the event since its introduction to the Olympics in 2006.

The U.S. team dominated the podium on Feb. 17, claiming three gold medals.

Skier Lindsey Vonn became the first American woman ever to win gold in the Ladies’ Downhill in her first event of the games. Vonn came into the Olympics with much uncertainty as her badly bruised shin became a media obsession in the days leading up to the events. Vonn participated in all of her events despite the injuries, and also won bronze in the Ladies’ Super-G. Following Vonn’s stellar performance in the Ladies’ Downhill, speed skater Shani Davis won the fourth gold for the U.S. in the games. Davis out-skated the competition in the Men’s 1000 meter and defended his Torino title while, capturing the only gold medal for men’s speed skating.

Snowboarder Shaun White closed out the memorable night with a dominant gold medal run in the Men’s Halfpipe. White gave the audience a victory to remember having clinched the gold before his second run. On the second run, White unleashed his latest trick “The Tomahawk,” which is his nickname for the Double McTwist 1260.

His final run totaled a near perfect score of 48.4.

Figure skater Evan Lysacek won the next gold medal for the U.S. with a shocking upset over Russian Evgeni Plushenko, the defending champion from Torino. Lysacek seized the first gold medal for the U.S. in the Men’s Free Skate since Brian Boitano in 1988.

The hype was low for skier Bode Miller in Vancouver after failing to meet the high expectations set for him in Torino. Miller surprised the competition and redeemed

count of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and 13th in theor the 1988 Winter

Olympics in Calgary.

Hannah Kearney captured the first gold medal for the U.S. on the first night of the competition in the Ladies’ Moguls. Kearney won on the last run of the event, setting the tone for the Americans throughout the games.

Seth Wescott captured the second gold medal of the games for the U.S. in Men’s Snowboard Cross, successfully defending his gold medal performance in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Wescott

himself to his country in Vancouver by winning the seventh gold medal for the U.S. in the Men’s Super Combined. Miller also captured a silver medal in the Men’s Super-G, and a bronze medal in the Men’s Downhill.

Nordic Skier Johnny Spillane captured the first Nordic Combined medal for the U.S. in the history of the Winter Olympics. His silver medal performance in the Individual normal hill 10 km set the tone for the Nordic team throughout the games. Teammate Bill Demong captured the first gold medal in U.S. history in the Individual large hill 10 km. The U.S. left the games with three silver medals and one gold medal in Nordic Combined events, solidifying their presence in the sport.

The men’s bobsled team had experienced a 62 year drought without gold medals before Steve Holcomb piloted his team to gold in Four-Man Bobsleigh. Holcomb’s memorable run marked the ninth and final gold medal for the U.S. in Vancouver.

The U.S. and Canada battled in Men’s Hockey on the final event of the Olympic Games. Canada had the gold medal in their grasp with a 2-1 lead late in the third period. Goaltender Ryan Miller of the U.S. left for the bench with time running out to provide the offense with an extra attacker. In a scramble in front of the net with 25 seconds remaining, Left Winger Zach Parise found a loose puck in front of the net and scored the tying goal.

The Americans and Canadians both found opportunities in the overtime period. With 12 minutes remaining, Canadian Jerome Iginla made a quick pass to teammate Sidney Crosby. Crosby received the puck, and fired a quick shot that got behind Miller, clinching gold for Canada.

The exciting game provided a fitting end to an Olympics that saw the Americans win a record 37 medals.

Ramapo Baseball Pitches for a Good Season

By JEREMY KELLY Staff Writer

With spring fast approaching, the focus in the world of sports has shifted to the baseball diamond, as the Ramapo baseball team gears up for the upcoming season.

The Roadrunners are coming off a strong finish to the 2009 season, in which they claimed a championship in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Division final. They finished with a record of 21-18 overall. Head Coach Rich Martin has high optimism for the 2010 campaign.

“I think we have a great chemistry,” Martin said, “Our coaching staff is very strong, and we hope to surprise a lot of people this year.” Throughout Martin’s ten-year tenure with the Roadrunners, he has amassed a record of 198-1622, and has led Ramapo into the NJAC tournament three times, the most recent being this past season, where they were seeded fifth. Martin has also said that they would like to make the NJAC tournament once again, and that it “would be nice to make it to the regionals.”

Martin has noted senior third baseman Joey Cacchiola as a key offensive player for the team, and that he expects him to anchor the offense. In 2009, he led the team in batting average (.406) and hits (56), and he also led the team with 35 hits and 30 RBIs. He achieved a fielding percentage of

photo courtesy of Creative Commons

.990, and was named to the NJAC Second Team AllConference and NJCBA Division II/III All-State Second Team.

Also expected to shine this season are sophomore right fielder Daniel Mauriello and sophomore left fielder Joe Della Serra. As a freshman in 2009, Mauriello led the team with four home runs, and earned MVP honors in the ECAC

“I think we have a great chemistry. Our coaching staff is very strong, and we hope to surprise a lot of people this year.”

- Ri ch Marti n, head coach

Championship Game. Della Serra had the team’s thirdhighest batting average with .327, and was named to the NJCBA Division II/III All-Rookie Team.

Switching to a defensive standpoint, Martin has described plenty of faith in his pitching staff, which was nationally ranked in Division III in 2009. He has mentioned the team’s excitement over freshman John McNeil, and has also given praise to junior Tim Hannes and senior Michael Murano.

Hannes started in seven games in 2009, and had one com-

plete game. In 49.2 innings pitched, Hannes struck out 32 batters, and held opponents to a .240 batting average with a 3.08 ERA. Murano started in eight games, amassing a win-loss record of 3-2, and also had one complete game. He struck out 43 batters and had a 3.12 ERA in 52 innings pitched, and was named to the NJCBA Division II/III All-State Second Team. He also earned an NJAC Honorable Mention AllConference.

The Roadrunners, as they do every year, will be following the way of the MLB teams as they take a week-long trip to Florida for a long stretch of games in Winter Haven against teams that hail from states like Massachusetts and New York. At this tournament in 2009, Ramapo went 5-5. Their first game in the Sunshine State will be on Friday, March 12 against Bethany Lutheran College.

Ramapo has their first home game on Thursday, March 25 against Drew University at 3:00 p.m. They will then be hosting a doubleheader on March 27 as part of their Think Pink Fundraiser. They play St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn at 10:00 a.m., and then University of Main, Presque Isle, at 3:00 p.m.

With an exceptionally snowy February behind us, let’s all hope for clear skies and warm temperatures as our Roadrunners prepare to take the baseball field. Play ball!

Knicks and Nets Hope for a Brighter Future

Page 15 The Ramapo News

Thursday, March 4, 2010

By ANDREW GOULD Staff Writer

After a busy trade deadline, the New York Knicks made it loud and clear that their sights are on the 2010 free agent class.

While fans expect to see a largely different team next year, management did not wait to shake up the club in deals that cleared salary cap space for the off-season. Their first move was to bring in Tracy McGrady from the Houston Rockets.

McGrady, usually referred to as T-Mac, was once one of the elite scorers in the game, but he had barely played this year before being acquired by the Knicks.

In the three-team deal that also involved the Sacramento Kings, the Knicks achieved their goal of getting rid of veterans Larry Hughes and Jared Jeffries. Hughes found his way in the doghouse of coach Mike D’Antoni, who only played Hughes in four games during the past two months.

Although Jeffries provided versatility and strong defense, the Knicks wanted to shed his large contract.

However, the Knicks paid a large price to cut this salary and acquire McGrady. In addition to giving up first round pick Jordan Hill, they also traded their 2012 first round pick and agreed to swap 2011 first round pick with Houston. The Knicks owe this year’s draft pick, which could very well fall in the top five, to the Utah Jazz.

The Knicks also shipped fan favorite Nate Robinson to the Boston Celtics to get Eddie House, a veteran with a quick and accurate long-range release who will probably play elsewhere next season. Robinson has become immensely popular for winning three slam dunk contests despite standing at only 5’9”, but his agent asked for a trade after D’Antoni benched him for nearly a month following an incident where Robinson shot the ball in the opponent’s net barely after the clock expired.

photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Knicks fans expect management to sign a big name such as LeBron James this off-season.

None of this matters to the Knicks this season though. Their playoff aspirations that stood a chance after strong play in December were quickly dismissed. The Knicks are mortgaging their future on the chance of signing LeBron James

or Dwayne Wade. New York tabloids printed photoshopped pictures of James in a Knicks uniform on the back page covers.

Fans came to Madison Square Garden with signs counting down the days until the free agency period begins. While all this was going on, the Cleveland Cavaliers added star forward Antawn Jamison to the team to give James some help during their push for a championship. James also witnessed his current team defeat the Knicks by 31 points, after the Knicks rallied against the Cavs’ reserves in the fourth quarter.

But hey, it could be worse. They could be the Nets, right?

Even after a stunning upset over the Boston Celtics, the Nets are in danger of becoming the worst team in NBA history if they can’t finish the season with at least ten wins.

Sorry anxious Knicks fan, but they probably have a brighter future than the Knicks.

At least they have a star center in Brook Lopez to build around. The Knicks have David Lee, but they seem ready to dump him in a heartbeat if they can find someone else.

The Nets have a point guard in Devin Harris that the Knicks desperately need, and they have a first round draft pick to keep hope alive. Even if they don’t win the lottery and draft Kentucky standout John Wall, they will still get a talented young player.

Although the Nets have also worked to cut their salary, they are not putting all their eggs in one basket. They are not grasping to false hopes of signing a superstar that will automatically reverse over a decade of poor basketball.

This lost cause of a season would be worth it if the Knicks were to sign one or two superstars this off-season, but fans will quickly lose patience with management if they fall short of signing James or Wade.

March Madness? Seems More like Mayhem

By JAKE EDINGER Staff Writer

This year’s March Madness tournament looks to be as exciting and disappointing as this year NCAA regular season. This past week we saw number one Kansas lose to Oklahoma State and number two Kentucky lose to rival Tennessee. We also saw Syracuse defeat a very good Villanova team and rise to the top of the AP poll, a place where they haven’t been since 1990. Although these teams have had regular season success, it is an extremely difficult feat to win the NCAA Basketball National Championship.

Going into the tournament, Syracuse is my early favorite due to their balanced offense led by forward Wesley Johnson, who is averaging 15.6 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. Another factor that makes Syracuse an early favorite to win is the fact that they play very unselfish basketball and it is also going to be hard for teams to figure out and defeat Jim Boeheim’s zone defense.

Kentucky led by super freshman John Wall also looks like a team that will be successful amongst the madness. Despite losing to Oklahoma State, Kentucky has two very good players in Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Although in the past, star players have been shut down in the tournament due to the adjustments of the many great coaches in NCAA, Kentucky should still go pretty deep.

Looking to repeat, the Kansas Jayhawks have the experience to win big. Guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich should offer an offensive bal-

ance that will make it very hard for opposing teams to defend. Ohio State also has the talent to make it to the Final Four especially the way Evan Turner is playing. He is averaging 19.5 points per game and

9.4 rebounds.

I also see West Virginia making a great run in the tournament. West Virginia coached by Bob Huggins has great perimeter game and has good shooters.

Michigan State is often regarded as a basketball powerhouse and has had relative success this year,

The March Madness tournament is often regarded as the best tournament set up in all of sports because of the pure passion and desire these young kids have for the game of basketball and winning.

photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Syracuse looks to win their first NCAA title since 2003.

yet I see them not making it very far due to their lack of three-point shooting talent.

Successful teams in the NCAA tournament throughout the years often contain a couple of key aspects that determine their success in the tournament. These include: the ability to consistently make three pointers, solid defense, ability to neutralize star players, smart and tactical coaching, experience, and the ability to make free throws when it counts.

Many believe that a having a star player solidifies a team into the Elite Eight and Final Four, however success in the tournament is often determined by the play of the role players and execution of plays. The March Madness tournament is often regarded as the best tournament set up in all of sports because of the pure passion and desire these young kids have for the game of basketball and winning. My Final Four prediction include Syracuse, Kentucky, Ohio State and Kansas State.

RAMAPO SPORTS ON A ROLL!

Men始s volleyball hopes to keep momentum going into the postseason.

The Roadrunners stop a Sage College attack during their victory on March 2.

photo by Michael Jagendorf