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THE RAMAPO NEWS

Conservative Pundit Ann Coulter Visits Ramapo A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community

THURSDAY, April 15, 2010

XL No. 21

Coulter Talks Healthcare, Global Warming, Political Trends

By AMY FEZZA WITH KAITLIN MCGUINNESS Staff Writer

The controversial Ann Coulter came to Ramapo on Tuesday, bringing her brand of staunch conservatism to New Jersey’s liberal arts college. She took to the Berrie Center stage and launched into a impassioned criticism of President Obama’s health care plan and other Democratic policies.

The audience was a mix of supporters and protesters.

“I think it’s great that they’re bringing an alternative perspective to Ramapo,” SGA President Tom Ng said. “I may not agree with most of what she has to say, but I’m excited to see how she articulates her points and how the campus responds.”

The main focal point of her presentation was a trend she sees in government.

Coulter’s theory of Democrats being in office all has to do with being reminded.

“After being reminded what a Democrat in office is like, people catch on,” Coulter said.

Following Carter’s presidency, 12 years of Republican leadership succeeded by Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Sr. allowed the public time away from Democratic leadership.

“Through those 12 years, people forgot what they didn’t like about Democrats so then came Clinton,” Coulter said.

photo by Stef Mauro

Ann Coulter was invited by the College Republicans and came to campus on Tuesday

President Carter was the starting point.

Coulter believes Carter’s hopeful campaign deceived the American public.

At the same time, she made the point that all politicians deceive the public to some extent.

“Is hope and change really that new? I

think everyone who has ever ran for some type of office claims to be dealing with despair that they need to fix,” Coulter said.

Through Coulter’s books and political correspondences, some may say she takes the first amendment to a whole new level. She used humor to highlight her beliefs.

presidential duties include meeting with President Mercer at least once a month and attending all SGA organizational meetings as well as executive board and Board of Trustees meetings.

zations. This year’s presidential and vice presidential candidates are juniors Jason Krisza and Mitch Gorbunoff, respectively.

Together, they make up The United Student Leaders party.

When asked what makes their party qualified, Krisza replied, “Mitch and I have similar experiences in Student Government.

This year Mitch currently holds the position of Senate president that is one of great prestige and responsibility. As for myself, I have been in the organization since my freshman year. I was elected as a senator, held the position of Senate president last year, and currently sit as the secretary of Student Affairs on the executive board. Mitch and I have the experience, drive, and know-how to lead Student Government to a successful and fun year.”

Issues that the United Student Leaders party would address include proposing an alternative school budget; a reevaluation of

“Hello my name is Ann Coulter. Press one to hear this message in English,” Coulter said as she approached the podium.

“I think she’s insightful and funny,” said Joe Bock, a law student whose sister attends Ramapo. “Often she makes jokes that her opponents take seriously. While I agree with her basic ideology, I don’t take all of her jokes seriously.”

In relation to current times, President Obama is another example of how this trend has continued.

“The classic speech like others before Obama did with his campaign,” Coulter said. “Speaking with no drama and having moderate intentions.”

Coulter demonstrated this by reading a speech by Clinton from 1992.

“Some believe Obama to be the second one coming. Well, I think that it is his second term that isn’t coming,” Coulter said.

Coulter’s first order of business was President Obama and the contentious health care bill. Coulter believes that this is something the American people will find it hard to obtain. She presented two reasons why.

“First, it is very difficult to get health care and second, it is impossible to get the health care that you want; people need to understand that.”

see COULTER page 6

Ramapo To Vote in New Student Government Leaders

By DIANA STANCZAK Staff Writer

The polls opened on Monday for the Student Government elections for the 20102011 school year. The leadership positions being voted on included president, vice president, commuter council representative, three class council representatives, 10 senators-at-large and five school senators, each representing one of Ramapo’s five schools.

Altogether, there are 25 students running for 21 open seats in the Student Government. Here’s a breakdown of the roles and candidates: President: The SGA president’s job is to carry out the goals of the executive board, which consists of the vice president, class council representatives and commuter council representative, as well as the presidential cabinet, which the president gets to appoint.

Besides being the voice of the student body,

“Mitch and I have the experience, drive, and know-how to lead Student Government to a successful and fun year.”

-Jason Krisza, candidate for SGA president

Vice President: The role of the SGA vice president is to assume all responsibilities of the president, should the president be unable to fulfill them. Also, the vice president acts as speaker of the General Assembly, which consists of the presidents of student organi-

the housing selection process; better communication between students, staff and faculty; and an improved sense of community through a partnership with on campus clubs and organizations.

Commuter Council Representative: This position acts as the voice of the commuter council, which is open to all non-resident students. The commuter council representative must attend all SGA meetings.

Running for commuter council representative are Jeremy Dela Cruz and Stephanie de Ruiter.

Class Council Representative: The class council representative works with the students of his or her respective class. At this time, the class representatives for the classes of 2013, 2012 and 2011 are being elected.

A representative for the class of 2014 will be

see SGA page 6

Recycling Program Keeps Ramapo Green

Page 2 The Ramapo News

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Student-Run Initiative Finishing Its Third Year

By KRYS TA DANIELS Staff Writer

For the entire student body, the recycling crew at Ramapo collects bottles, cans and paper. This initiative began in September of 2007.

“From my knowledge, this job was created by a couple of students who thought it would be beneficial to the school as well as the environment to recycle on campus,” sophomore Andrew Wong said.

Senior Jennifer De Shields supervises Rick Caban and Wong. The team reports to Teddy Goodman and Gene Ritchie in facilities. The recycling crew is unrelat-

“Although getting paid is very nice, the good it does for the environment is starting to outweigh the money.”

-Jenni fer De S hi el ds, seni or

ed to 1S tep (S tudents Together for Environmental Progress).

“At first it was about the money, but after I started working my concern for the environment grew. Although getting paid is very nice, the good it does for the environment is starting to outweigh the money,” De Shields said.

“If the recycling crew wasn’t around, I highly doubt students would recycle their own plastics and paper,” Wong

said.

The recycling crew goes to each of the residence halls and separates the materials into two bins; one for plastics, glass and aluminum and the other for paper and cardboard.

Despite the job’s “feel good” rewards, there are pros and cons.

“Well the major enjoyment from this job is the feeling of helping out the environment. A dislike is sorting through student bins. For example,

De Shields said.

The pay varies, depending upon credits earned. The recycling crew is currently advertising for students to apply for open positions, as some of the members are graduating.

At this present time, the group looks for a recycling coordinator and a recycling manager.

“Well the major enjoyment from this job is the feeling of helping out the environment.”

- Andrew

Wong, sophomore

When looking for a job, consider a job that promotes green efforts. If interested, stop by facilities for an application.

photo cortesy of Ramapo.edu

Through rain, snow, sleet or shine, the Ramapo recycling team runs on time.

On average, the crew works between 5-8 hours a week. These hours are flexible though.

“The amount of hours we work depends on a lot of factors: the amount of recycling, the weather and who comes to pick up. We’ve been missing one worker for a little while now, so lately we’ve been working a bit more than usual, so we’ve been averaging 2.5-3 hour pickups for each resident hall,” De Shields said.

when a student puts plastics into a garbage can,” said Wong.

De Shields agrees that the job has its pros and cons.

“Although we have supervisors in facilities, the job is student-run so I like that we’re the ones who are more or less in charge. Although I like working outside on nice days, it’s pretty terrible working outside when it’s raining, snowing, icing, or bitterly cold and we’ve had a lot of that weather lately,”

photo courtesy of Flickr

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A publication by the students for the Ramapo College community

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ARCH

AROU N D THE

Students Meet Potential Employers at Job Fair

By HUMA MUNIR Staff Writer

The annual Job Fair at Ramapo was a chance for students to become aware of opportunities available after college. Each member made it easier for students to navigate all the opportunities being offered.

“There are opportunities from communication public relation, to health care, banking, management, marketing and seasonal,” Assistant Director of Career Services Debra Stark said.

Job Fair at Ramapo is an event that requires a lot of time and planning. It takes place during the spring season, which allows the Cahill Center to have about six months to prepare and gather volunteers.

Positions offered at the fair, imcluded an array of fields that Ramapo students were familiar with. Communications/Public Relations, Education, Environmental, Finance/Accounting, Healthcare, Insurance, Government, Management, Marketing/Sales, Seasonal, Social Services and Technology were all present in Friend’s Hall.

Students from different majors were present at the event. The majority of the participants blended in with the professional atmosphere, which filled up Friend’s Hall.

Eager students looking to impress future employers provided resumes in hopes of finding some type of opportunity.

“I am looking for an internship for the summer. I am hoping to find one in Design,” Helen McConald, a communications major at Ramapo said.

photo by Huma Munir

Students gathered in Friends Hall last Thursday for networking opportunities with prospective employers.

The fair was also able to provide students with many opportunities regarding different positions and time constraints. Full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions were offered, as well as many other positions that students could partake in. This particular event is a tool for students to begin networking as graduation approaches.

Well-known businesses such as the YMCA were seeking students interested for summer jobs.

“I am hiring counselors to work with children with special needs for the summer,” Jennifer Kaplan, a social worker from the YMCA said.

For adventure-seeking students, Six Flags was also present at the event with internships as well as part-time, full-time and seasonal positions available.

However, due to the tough economic state our country is in, job findings have become harder to come by. Some students expressed

President Mercer was unable to attend the event but sent a message: “I am with you in spirit as we remember them this afternoon.”

Family and friends stood as their loved ones were remembered, and a moment of silence followed.

A man playing a bagpipe, dressed in a traditional kilt, led the crowd into the procession. A large tree with a big red bow stood outside of the Berrie Center in Memorial Grove, and was watered by the loved ones of the deceased as they passed.

A memorial plaque with the names of those honored at the ceremony was also placed on the site.

Light refreshments were served, and guests were able to converse. It was an opportunity for all to celebrate the lives of those who left an impact on our community. Paper and envelopes were available for guests to write down their memories.

By JILL GRIMALDI Staff Writer

Ramapo Remembers Community Members

By ANGELA DIMARI Staff Writer

Friends, family members and guests gathered to honor members of the Ramapo community who have died in the past year.

Remembrance Day took place yesterday in the Sharp Theater.

Staff members Marilyn Comeskey, Kerren Henry and Thomas McPhillips were commemorated. Gary Kettlitz, a faculty member, and George Potter, a founding president, were also honored at the event. Daniel Buckiewicz, an alumnus from the class of 2009, was also honored at the event.

Their legacies have left a lasting impression on the Ramapo College community.

Short biographies of the individuals were read, as slideshows of photographs were presented.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

their fears about the future, but seem to remain optimistic.

“I hope to find a job when I graduate,” said Alyssa Giuliano, Finance Major.

Chen-a-Wanda, a summer camp located in the mountains of Pennsylvania was looking to hire students as well. Marah Peresechensky, representative from the camp, was looking for students who were looking to make money in a less work-like atmosphere.

“At Chen-a-Wanda, we are just fun,” said Peresechensky.

Also, Chen-a-Wanda understood that credits were a major necessity of students with internships.

“You definitely get compensated for it, but if you need internship credits, we will work with you on that,” Peresechensky said.

“I am having a great time. I think it is a very good opportunity to meet possible employers as well as network for the future,” Eydlish said.

Job Fair has been known to be a successful event provided by Cahill Center for many years. It is a way for students within the community to gain better opportunities that are looking to get ahead or are graduating from Ramapo.

“We are always looking for feedback though because a lot of students say that it is primarily for business majors,” Pat Chang, associate vice president for student affairs said.

Chang encourages students to look beyond that because businesses are looking for communication, public relation and graphic art majors.

Haiti Relief Committee Sponsors Crayon Drive

The Haiti Relief Committee is sponsoring a crayon drive during the next few weeks to donate crayons to children in Haitian hospitals, as part of their ongoing relief efforts.

The Haiti Relief Committee has been working all semester to raise money and awareness about Haiti after the country’s late December earthquake.

“The Haiti Relief Committee is doing a great job; their efforts to encourage people to help even though the tragedy is no longer fresh in our minds is commendable,” Sophomore Travis Nicol said.

The crayon drive is just one of the committee’s endeavors; many more are in the works.

The kickoff of the New York Meets Ramapo event on April 23 will feature a Haiti Benefit concert. Artists like The Jay Everett Band, The Frontbottoms, Ale

Potosnak&Co are scheduled to perform.

This event takes place in Laurel Courts and will begin at 4 p.m.

“The progress is going great, we still have clubs and organizations coming up with fantastic ideas on how we can help out in Haiti,” Student Chair of the Haiti Relief Fund Whitney Breckenridge said.

Other campus organizations have contributed to Haiti relief. On Monday, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, the Diversity Action Committee and the American Democracy Project came together to bring New York Times photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ozier Muhammad, to campus.

He gave a presentation on his experiences in post-earthquake Haiti. Organizers of the event did not charge a donation fee, but they accepted donations for Haiti at the event. Every little bit helps.

Contact Whitney Breckenridge via e-mail at wbrecken@ramapo.edu to donate.

Page 4 The Ramapo News

Roving

Reporter

Thursday, April 15, 2010

“What are your plans for summer vacation?”

Question and Photographs by Erica Buchman

“Working and spending time with my nephew.”

-Karron Franks Sophomore

“Work and chill out at the Jersey Shore.”

-Jhamil Ervin Senior

“Hang out at the Shore and work.”

-Darryl Bridges Sophomore

“Interning at a law firm and going to the beach.”

-Jason Krisza Junior

“Iʼm going to the Dominican Republic.”

-Shadi Elzahy Junior

Always Greener: Earth Day Celebrates 40th Anniversary

By BRYAN KAMINSKY Staff Writer

Earth Day is just around the corner and this year is more significant than most. April 22 marks its 40th anniversary and, according to EarthDay.wilderness.org, the holiday has come a long way.

Senator Gaylord Nelson had an idea to spread awareness about the environment seven years before the holiday had become established, leading to many achievements.

“The American people finally had a forum to express their concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes and air and they did so with spectacular exuberance,” wrote Nelson on the Web site.

From peoples’ concerns regarding environmental issues, the public has acted promptly when it comes to getting involved.

“Earth Day is a great opportunity to take time out of our usual schedules and not only celebrate the Earth and all it gives to us, but also to learn how we can protect it so that future generations may celebrate it equally,” said Brendan Flanagan, member of 1STEP (Students Together for Environmental Progress).

In recent years, Earth Day has turned into a weeklong appreciation for the planet in certain areas, including Ramapo College.

“I feel as if a lot more people are becoming more aware of the effect they are having on the environment. Extending it a full week would definitely have a more positive effect towards helping the planet,” said Ramapo student Krista Fiorentino.

Numerous events are occurring during Earth Week, many of which are different from previous years.

“We're going to try to have an interactive experience this year where students can learn more about the environment while still celebrating the earth,” Flanagan said.

The first event of the week, Clothing Swap,

photo courtesy of Flickrʼs creative commons

is hosted by both Feminists United and 1STEP, and features the donation of unwanted clothing. This will be held on Sunday, April 18 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in A100 and A102. This event invites students to bring unwanted clothing and accessories to swap with clothes other students bring.

There will be piles of clothing in various sizes, as well as light refreshments and music. Any clothing left over at the end of the night will be donated to either the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

Also, on Earth Day, 1STEP will be hosting an Earth Day Carnival from noon to 3 p.m. at the Laurel/Linden courts.

“The various games with environmental themes will be fun and educational. People

realize that you really don't have to suffer in order to be sustainable,” Flanagan said.

Some of the games available at the carnival include planting flower bulbs in recycled water bottles, recycling toss, sand castle building and “Getting Down to Earth” Twister. 1STEP has held the recycling toss before in other events and they find it to be very successful.

The ring toss will feature recycled bottles, cup stacking will use reusable cups and world trivia will involve environmental questions requiring participants to point out a region on a globe where they think the answer to the question is. The main purpose of these games is to have participants distinguish the difference between what is good and bad for the environment.

Adding to the eco-friendly activities, bottle caps from plastic bottles will be used as tickets and tokens. They can also be traded in at a prize wall.

Other events such as “Common Ground: Connecting Humans, Music, Art, and the Natural World” and the screening of No Impact Man in the H-Wing auditorium will be held on Earth Day at Ramapo.

Common Ground will be presented in part with RCTV and MEISA. This symposiumlike event on April 22 and April 23 where speakers, presentations, performances and panel discussions connecting various subjects and interactivity will be held.

As part of the symposium, No Impact Man will be screened on Thursday, April 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the H-Wing auditorium.

According to IMDb, the plot of this documentary “[follows] the Manhattan-based Beavan family as they abandon their high

consumption 5th Avenue lifestyle and try to live a year while making no net environmental impact.”

By showing their appreciation for the Earth during Earth Week, Ramapo has encouraged students to become more involved with going green, but students seem to have mixed reviews.

“I think that at the very least, Earth Day brings up discussion, which is always the first step in making progress.”

- Brendan Flanagan

“I think Earth Day has a positive influence on how people value the planet.

Unfortunately, I believe it holds a temporary effect. I feel as if they want to help, but as the days pass, they seem to forget all about trying to go green and end up going back to their old ways of wasting energy and not recycling,” Fiorentino said.

“I think that at the very least, Earth Day brings up discussion, which is always the first step in making progress,” Flanagan said.

Green Fact of the Week:

Earth Day 2010 is the 40th anniversary of the holiday.

Haiti Relief Committee Poetry Reading Sponsors Crayon Drive Enlightens a Dark Topic Page 5 The Ramapo News

Thursday, April 15, 2010

By JILL GRIMALDI Staff Writer

By JILL GRIMALDI Staff Writer

The Haiti Relief Committee is sponsoring a crayon drive during the next few weeks to donate crayons to children in Haitian hospitals, as part of their ongoing relief efforts.

The Haiti Relief Committee has been working all semester to raise money for and awareness about Haiti, after the country’s late-December earthquake.

“The Haiti Relief Committee is doing a great job; their efforts to encourage people to help even though the tragedy is no longer fresh in our minds is commendable,” sophomore Travis Nicol said. “It’s really important that we continue to help Haiti rebuild.”

The crayon drive is just one of the committee’s endeavors; many more are in the works.

The kickoff of the New York Meets Ramapo event on April 23 will feature a Haiti benefit concert. Artists like The Jay Everett Band, The Frontbottoms, Ale Potosnak&Co are scheduled to perform.

This event will take in the Laurel court at 4 p.m. Moe’s will be sold, and a portion of the proceeds will be put toward Haiti relief.

“The progress is going great, we still have clubs and organizations coming up with fantastic ideas on how we can help out in Haiti,” student chair of the Haiti Relief Fund, Whitney Breckenridge, said.

Other campus organizations have con-

tributed to Haiti relief, and on Monday, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, the Diversity Action Committee and the American Democracy Project came together to bring New York Times photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Ozier Muhammad to campus.

He gave a presentation on his experiences in post-earthquake Haiti.

Organizers of the event did not charge a donation fee, but they accepted donations for Haiti at the event. Every little bit helps.

As far as the crayon drive goes, anyone who is interested in donating new or used crayons should e-mail Whitney Breckenridge at wbrecken@ramapo.edu.

The Ramapo community viewed artwork, poetry and clothesline project T-shirts from the Rape Crisis Center’s collection on April 6. All of the work on display was created by survivors of sexual assault or the loved ones of survivors.

The day-long event, “A Day to End Sexual Violence,” was sponsored by the Bergen County Rape Crisis Center and made possible by the Women’s Center.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing the impact the event can have on those who come and see it, especially those who have never experienced ‘A Day to End Sexual Violence’ before,” Rape Crisis Center director Chrisula Tasiopoulos said at the beginning of the day.

“One of [the Women’s Center’s] biggest responsibilities as an office is educating about the issue of violence and sexual harassment. Sometimes the best speaker isn’t a professional but people who have survived violence,” Women’s Center director Kat McGee said. “The artwork and poetry by survivors of sexual assault speaks volumes and people are really touched by it.”

Small numbers of students, as well as Ramapo faculty and staff, were in and out of J. Lee’s all day to spend time looking at the artwork or watching the related videos.

“I feel like it’s very emotional,” junior Abraham Shahinian said. “The artwork shows that this is a serious issue.”

“It definitely gets the point across of what

survivors have gone through, and continue to go through on a daily basis,” junior Jason Kenyon said.

In addition to the Women’s Center, the sorority Theta Phi Alpha staffed, handing out information and talking to the people who came to look at the artwork.

“Sarah Costello, one of our sisters, helped us to get involved with the Rape Crisis Center originally,” sophomore and Theta Phi Alpha member Megan Kosztyu said.

“Sexual assault is an issue that some of our sisters have dealt with; when one of us goes through something, the sorority comes together to help with whatever the issue may be.”

A few hours after the event, J. Lee’s opened again for a poetry reading.

“The poetry reading is my favorite part because it’s for the survivors,” a Rape Crisis Center advocate said. “It is very moving and powerful for the audience, too; everyone walks away feeling something.”

This event has been taking place for over 18 years at other institutions, and Ramapo has held it since 2005.

Over 50 people crammed into J. Lee’s to listen to survivor poetry read by volunteers, as well as by survivors themselves.

“The stories and poems the survivors recited were amazing. I felt so empowered that each person shared their experience, which often times can leave survivors feeling guilty and full of shame,” senior Tony Harris said. “I appreciated that the survivor poetry serves as both art and a form of therapy for those who have experienced sexual or domestic abuse.”

Alumni Panel Shares Interview Strategies With Students

By MICHELLE HA Staff Writer

A panel of Ramapo alumni returned to campus recently to provide strategies to students preparing for job interviews.

The panel of alumni reviewed what skills and values employers are looking for in prospective candidates. Kimberly Albano, Jennifer Grinthal, Melissa Schmieder, and Scott Stahlmann were the four Ramapo graduate panelists that came to lend some valuable tips on being successful in job interviews.

“Everybody thinks you need an edge to nail a job interview, but it’s all about relationships and communications.”

- Scott Stahlmann, panelist

Entering a job interview can be intimidating, but proper preparation and understanding of the company’s demands can boost confidence, they said.

The alumni said that it is important to plan

ahead and do homework on the company. Do some initial research before the job interview.

Also, the candidate should ask the right questions related to the position; this shows

should dedicate a considerable amount of time to preparing his or her resume. One should review his or her work experience and be prepared to expand upon past career

Quick Tips for Scoring a Job:

- Do your homework. Find out what the company is about.

Be prepared to answer questions about the company.

- Ask some of your own questions related to the position to show that youʼre interested.

- Remain calm, but professional at the same time. Stay personable during interviews.

- Strong resume; making sure itʼs factually and grammatically correct.

- Eye contact and open body language

the candidate is enthusiastic, and the company will begin to see him or her as an asset.

The group agreed that strong resumes are another component to a good interview. One

accomplishments.

Stahlmann, who graduated from Ramapo in 1979, currently works for Talent Acquisition Asset Management (TIAA-CREF). He said it

is important for one to be articulate and personable.

“Everybody thinks you need an edge to nail a job interview, but it’s all about relationships and communications. Contact people and say, ‘Hey, I saw that there was this opportunity and I’m interested.’ From there, you send your resume and you make a follow up call,” Stahlmann said.

As simple as it may seem, the alumni pointed out that it is important to make sure your resume is factually correct. Companies will read them. Also, they should be concise and clear.

Marketing oneself as a “team player” is a good idea, according to the group.

As far as body language goes, make eye contact and be sure to have open body language.

Be a good listener, the group said.

Albano, who graduated from Ramapo in 1983, currently works for ESPN as the vice president of Customer Care Operations. She believes that applicants should be open to new experiences.

“I want to hear from you [the interviewee] that you love to learn things. Don’t ask, ‘What can I do for you?’ because that is a turnoff. You should already know what the company wants in you. You have to sell yourself, and if not, there is no next discussion,” Albano said.

Coulter Draws Diverse Crowd Page 6 The Ramapo News

Continued from page 1

Coulter said that the money coming from taxpayers and American citizens who are trying to get their fair share of health care is going to a small percentage of people, who have issues such as social anxiety, fertility problems and gambling addicts.

“We brought Ann Coulter here for a number of reasons.

One because she’s awesome, but mainly because of diversity. This is something that Ramapo can benefit from greatly.”

-Lauren Scirocco, member of Ramapo Republicans

Global warming was another issue of concern to Coulter. She said that global warming is a conspiracy, and she explained how she feels that the Cap & Trade Bill is leading the American public to believe something that is false.

Coulter said that Democrats are too quick to take on new initiatives.

“Democrats tend to denounce the

Republican Party as the party of ‘NO’,” Coulter said.

She feels Republicans are more consistent on issues.

Coulter was invited to speak by the College Republicans.

Before the event, some students were wondering why Coulter was asked to come to a liberal arts school such as Ramapo in the first place.

Lauren Scirocco, junior and member of the College Republicans, answered this when she introduced Coulter and spoke on behalf of the organization.

“We brought Ann Coulter here for a number of reasons. One because she’s awesome, but mainly because of diversity,” Scirocco said. “This is something that Ramapo can benefit from greatly.”

Others say Coulter may be more concerned with shocking people and selling books, rather than promoting constructive political discourse.

“That’s what she’s known for – it’s how she’s built her career, “ student Ysabel DelaRiva said.

However, most agree that hearing all sides of an issue is beneficial to constructing a persons viewpoints.

“Become informed from a multitude of sources,” Professor Anne Barretta said.

“Expose yourself to a variety of viewpoints, research [and] opinions before you come to your own conclusions.”

SGA Urges Students to Vote

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Continued from page 1

chosen during the fall semester.

Running for the Class of 2013 Representative is freshman Steven Wiltbank.

When asked why he would be an ideal candidate, Wiltbank said, “As I am currently the 2013 Class Representative, I believe I am more than qualified for the position. I desire to have the students’ voice be of highest importance and help create an environment at Ramapo where we can all work together to get what needs to get done. I am a hard worker and dedicated to my position.”

Running for the 2012 and 2011 Class Representatives are sophomore Samantha Pezzimenti and junior Olivia Hanz, respectively.

Senator-at-large: A Senator is a student who represents the study body and exercises their vote on various issues, as well as communicating new ideas to the administration. There are 10 Senators-at-large, and they meet four times per month. Senators have the power to vote on SGA policies, bills, legislation and resolutions.

There are 14 candidates running for Senatorat-large. They include: the Check M.A.R.C.S. the Spot party (Adam Rinaldi, Danielle Mascio, Valeria Canubas, Allison Snyder, Megan Anderle); The Situation party (Alexa Glynn, Caitlin O’Toole, Brandon Martin, Maria Sallustio); The Voice Party (Sabina Ulysse, Ysabel Dela Riva); S.C.N. (Sara Gordon, Nicole Mazewski) and Damian Meza.

The senator parties seem highly motivated and ambitious. On behalf of The Situation, Glynn said, “If elected, we hope to involve

the whole student body in the organization.

We want everyone to feel like they are being represented fairly an we will try out best to do so.”

Representing Check M.A.R.C.S the Spot, Snyder said, “Joining SGA this past year has been one of the best things I have done at Ramapo College. What many students don’t realize is that if they go about things in the right way, we can really make a difference on campus.”

Nicole Mazewski, of S.C.N., said, “If I were to be elected, I would keep the students in the know about school policies, upcoming events, and other relevant topics.”

School Senator: School Senators act as a Senate liaison with the dean of the school that they represent.

Running for School Senators are: Joseph DiGiacomo for the School of American and International Studies, Garrett Santoro of The Situation for the Anisfield School of Business, Nicole Prisco of the Voice Party for the School of Contemporary Arts and Christine Pasquali for School of Social Sciences and Human Services. There is no candidate running for the School of Theoretical and Applied Sciences.

When asked what she would accomplish as CA senator, Prisco said, “As CA School Senator I will ask the students what they like about the art classes offered and if there are any others that the school is not providing.”

Today is the last day to vote. To support your favorite candidates, log into Luminus and go to the “My Courses” tab, followed by Web Self Service. Under the “Personal Information” tab, click on the “Surveys, Waivers, Ballots and Such” to cast your vote.

VIEWPOINTS

Online Dating: Good or Bad Technology?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

What Are You Waiting For? Get Involved at Ramapo!

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

My friend joined one of those online dating sites a couple months back and suggested I join, too. I told jokingly told him, “Maybe in a month,” as I’m recently single and always thought online dating was for losers or suckers. Or both.

Well, here I am about a month later and I just signed up to see what it was like. My friend is going on his first date from the site today. I figured if he can do it, why not me?

I joined only two hours ago but I’ve already gotten a message. It’s kind of weird.

I’m not sure I like “getting to know” somebody without physically interacting with them. No, I don’t mean THAT kind of physical interaction; I simply mean talking in person.

Something about meeting online first and then meeting in person scares me. Maybe I’m either too old-fashioned or just a coward. I’m not even looking for a relationship right now, but I was just curious to see if you can really meet interesting people on the Internet.

The Internet provides us with lots of useful things, but it also sucks us into this slightly vegetative state where you just sit and stare at your computer all day.

The easy answer is, “Turn off the computer,” but that’s easier said than done.

I can’t wait to hear how my friend’s date goes tonight. He’s seeing another girl right now, too – one he met “conventionally” – but she may or may not have stood him up last weekend, so he’s trying his luck with

this new lady. He hasn’t had the best of luck with relationships or even dating, so his current situation is one in which all his friends are closely following.

I know online dating works for some people – my mom’s co-worker found her husband through eHarmony.com and she seems pretty happy with the results. Heck, she better – she married the guy!

Anyway, back to my friend. When his reallife date stood him up the other night, some of our friends told him to forget about her and focus on the online girl. However, I told him to keep pursuing the girl he’d already been on a few dates and seemingly hit it off with.

For one thing, this girl has already seen him in person. We all know pictures can be deceiving and given that my friend decided to post some older photos of himself – when he had more hair – I worry this online date will not translate so smoothly to the real world.

Girls my age, more often than not, care that a guy has a full head of hair. But that topic could be a whole other editorial.

I’m often conflicted when it comes to new technology. Sometimes I think the Internet has done more bad than good, but I wouldn’t try to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

The Internet provides us with lots of useful things, but it also sucks us into this slightly vegetative state where we just sit and stare at our computers all day. The easy answer is, “Turn off the computer,” but that’s easier said than done.

Does it come down to self-control and personal responsibility? Probably. But if you’re not social networking these days, what the hell are you doing? Counting blades of grass outside?

I always tell my friend – not the online dater – that there are good and bad ways to use technology. The former, to me, is getting news and staying in touch with old friends, while the latter is hiding in your room and commenting on your roommates’ status updates without saying a spoken word to them while they’re ten feet away.

I’m just as guilty as anyone of that. But I still hate it.

Maybe it’s me, but I feel like the more we rely on electronic communication, the worse we get at personal interaction and face-to-face conversation. So while we Tweet and Facebook our entire life stories for all to see, and while we learn more about each other before ever sitting down together over coffee or lunch, I fear we might be losing our real-life social skills.

management by riding with Ramapo EMS. I learned that I really want to teach by working with freshmen in the First Year Seminar program. I learned how to lay out and catch a disc by playing with the Ultimate Frisbee team. As SGA President, I learned how to develop a long-term plan for an organization and advocate for students.

By TOM NG SGA President

With SGA elections ending today and graduation less than a month away, it is officially the time of year for waterworks, reminiscing and bittersweet goodbyes for the Class of 2010.

To be honest, I am not really looking forward to facing these aspects of the end of college. However, I do plan to exploit the increased value of my words as a graduating senior.

With that said, listen up. I am about to provide you with the secret to a great college experience.

As I look back on my time as a college student, I do not think I would have done too many things differently (other than making more time for Ultimate Frisbee and not ordering that plate of Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara at the Olive Garden last January that I am pretty sure gave me mild food poisoning).

The reason I am content with my time at Ramapo is largely a result of the education I received. While my work inside the classroom was great, I also received a great education OUTSIDE the classroom.

Like many other graduates, I learned how to work with others, earn and hold a job by working on campus through the counseling center and with the FYE orientation program. I gained experience in crisis

Join a club, explore what Ramapo has to offer and dig deep to give back to your campus.

As graduation approaches, I am realizing how valuable these experiences have been in my education and development during my career at Ramapo. It is important to see that these experiences all started simply by signing up to be part of a club.

Becoming involved at Ramapo was the best decision I made as it helped make my time at college more meaningful, successful and fun. Being in these organizations introduced me to some of my best friends and mentors, and provided me with an opportunity to make the change I wanted to see at Ramapo.

In a month I will be an alumni of Ramapo College and when people ask me what made my college experience special, I will be sure to note my involvement and the opportunities in which I was able to take part.

My advice to future students, whether you have another four years, or just one semester, is to get involved. Join a club, explore what Ramapo has to offer and dig deep to give back to your campus. I am a firm believer that you get what you give and by finding ways to involve yourself at Ramapo, you will graduate knowing you maximized your educational opportunities, and had a great college experience.

One more issue.

Sound off so we donʼt have to. rcnjnews@ramapo.edu

ARTS

&

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

Dashboard’s Chris Carrabba Doesn’t “Alter” Anything Thursday, April 15, 2010

BY MICHELLE ANGELINO Staff Writer

Dashboard Confessional is said to write songs that speak honestly and directly about life and relationships. This is due to the lead singer and core member, Chris Carrabba.

Ramapo was fortunate enough to experience those songs live on Friday, April 9, in the Bradley Center; but before Carrabba took the stage he sat down to talk about his new record, the tour and his “unabashed” love for Bon Jovi.

Michelle Angelino: You guys classify yourselves as an “alternative” band, but today that genre has so many sub-categories. What sub-category do you feel Dashboard Confessional is in and what does that mean to you?

Chris Carrabba: I don’t know. iTunes classifies us as alternative, I don’t think we did it ourselves but we generally, we don’t really think about it, we’re just a band. Rock band? But we play a lot of country songs and we play a lot of ballads so I don’t know.

I don’t know where we fit in. So there’s no category for that.

MA: Dashboard has its own category.

CC: I guess so, for good or bad.

MA: What was the inspiration behind your newest single, “Belle of the Boulevard”?

CC: Oh well umm, it was a, partially inspired by a girl, a woman I know that’s intriguing as hell and sort of on a little bit of hard times and even those were intriguing

and sort of fascinating. I wasn’t thinking about writing a song about her, and I sat down at the piano and it just kinda came out, an ode to this train wreck, this lovely train wreck of a woman. Who still like, you know, she’s one of those people that can be a train wreck yet everybody’s in love with her. I kinda like that in a woman.

MA: You choose to shoot the video in the streets of New Orleans, and there was an eclectic group of people. Did that add to it?

CC: Well yea, I think that’s closer to the strain of her world, so it seemed fitting, you know? And these kids that we worked with, most of them were kids, late teens, um guess that’s not kids, but to generalize, you know they’re all living on the streets, and they’re total scamps. I don’t know, it’s been a long time since I've had to play on the streets anywhere. Spending like a long weekend with these guys and living with them, and squatting with them, being reminded of how my life used to be, it was pretty exciting.

MA: In an interview you said that your new album, “Alter the Ending,” is a “first true band record.” What did you mean by that?

CC: Well we’ve played plenty of records, well we’ve played as a band on plenty of records, but I think this was the first time we had a cohesive approach to how we were going to make this record.

Because the first band record that we made… like we had met the guys and we had become a band essentially a month before we made the record, I had already

written all the songs, all the parts and everything. So they weren’t - they were able to do it with excitement… but they were only able to imitate me.

And then the record we did after that, which was “Dusk and Summer,” the first one – that one was “A Mark, A Mission,” then after that we did “Dusk and Summer,” and I was disconnected. So the band was playing great - playing as a band, but I was just, kinda lost in the recording approach.

Then when we made “Shade of Poison Trees” it was a very simple acoustic record where the only rule was we can’t spend more than a few hours recording each song.

Because that’s how it was when I made “Swiss Army Romance” in places, you know, I just did it on a Friday night and a Saturday night and a Sunday morning, and I

photos by Alan Mooiman

liked, that. And I’ve never been able to share that with the other guys and I wanted them to know what its like to feel that pressure but also that lack of pressure. Cause it’s more of a race to the finish line. So having that experience together let us to be able to play “Alter the Ending” just as a band.

We’ve learned how to be ourselves completely with each other, and how to trust each other’s instincts 100 percent. So the only, like on this record the only rule was don’t write anything, I’ll write all the songs and for the most part I’ll keep the production stark, in exception of was like “Belle” I played on the demo - I played all the instruments and most of those parts kind of stayed because its hard to erase that from your memory, but for the most part I played just one acoustic guitar and a vocal.

And then I never listened to it again. I write it, I record it, and I put it away and I never listen to it again. I email it to the guys, and I said listen to it, you know, kind of know it, academically, here are the changes, it goes G-A, whatever and um, but don’t uh - don’t write anything.

So everybody stuck true to it, so when we got in the room to record the record it was really fresh, we had this idea of how it went, we were knowledgeable about what the parts - what the song was, structurally what it was, but everything that ended up on the record was reactionary and all by instinct.

So that sounds like a band just getting in the garage and playing for the first time…

We had fun doing it; I would do it again.

see DASHBOARD on page 9

Dashboard: Ten Questions with Chris Carrabba Page 9 The Ramapo News

Thursday, April 15, 2010

CC: Well it just happened to be that we have a lot of days off on the Bon Jovi tour because they only do like two shows, three shows a week.

So we were filling them with our own dates and we weren’t gonna do any days this week but ‘cause we had last week off and we start with them on the proper tour again on Tuesday, but we got a few, a couple, maybe three, four college offers. I don’t know it just kinda fell into our laps.

Like people heard we were on tour so they threw in some offers and we took them.

Cause I mean – what’s the point of being home?

Continued from Page 8

MA: You guys have re-started the tour and now you’re playing with Bon Jovi, even though you started originally with New Found Glory. How much of a difference is that for you touring?

CC: We started with New Found… oh oh!

Our last tour was with New Found Glory and the fun part of having New Found Glory open for us on that tour, was that they decided they were going to play all acoustic. It was just me and Johnny playing all acoustic and they had never done that before, so it was pretty fun to watch them play that way.

But I mean it’s hugely different- our own shows from Bon Jovi’s shows where we’re just an opener - not just an opener, we’re fortunate to be the opener, and um you know are able to essentially reach out to an audience that would probably have otherwise never heard of us.

And we get to watch Bon Jovi every night; I say without hyperbole, they’re one of my favorite bands.

I was already sort of an unapologetic fan, you know like people are like revisionists, like they liked stuff in the 80s so they apologize for it later like, “Oh yea I liked them but you know I was you know five or whatever,” but I just love it - I love the stuff. And it’s turned me from unapologetic fandom to like unabashed fandom; I’m like losing my mind over it. I’m deconstructing their songs

every night like, “Oh my god! How did they think of that part? Look at the light show.”

It’s great – it’s great fun.

MA: I understand; my mom had us listen to it from like little babies until now. I get the Bon Jovi craze.

CC: Yeah? So you know. Well if you’re in the tri-state area they issue it to you with your birth certificate I think, they give you “Slippery When Wet.” MA: How did Ramapo fit into your tour schedule?

MA: Well thank you. What do you feel the major differences are between playing a theatre or arena, a place set up for concerts, versus playing a college?

CC: Well I mean they’re worlds apart, but somehow I’m a sucker for like a gym. You know like hot, sweaty, people are - you remove the chairs from the setting and people sort of like erase their own inhibitions.

Sort of a raw-er kind of environment to play in, which I like better.

MA: So you would say playing a college show has a different vibe than playing an arena?

CC: Yeah, for sure.

MA: Whose music can’t you get enough of lately?

CC: Whose music can I not get enough of lately? That’s a good question. I have been listening a lot to, well, Bon Jovi, for obvious reasons. There’s a cat named Cory Branan... and he’s become a friend of mine, but only because I fell in love with his music and I reached out to him and invited him to do a bunch of shows. And his songwriting is out of this world.

MA: What is your favorite song to perform?

CC: Well that kind of changes every nightit’s always predicated on how the audience performs a song, ‘cause they’re part of the performance too. So a song that was a highlight one night wont be the next; it will be a different song.

For me, though, a song that has - what I like about - it’s hard to choose what you like about a song, but playing live - a song that has, that keeps, remains fiery year in and year out- is something that I’m drawn to.

And it’s a very simple song I wrote that’s just a drone of just four chords; it’s called “Remember to Breathe,” and somehow we’ve never played it the same twice, so for me-for a song that old to be new every nightthat’s one of my favorites.

Ramapo Tames a Classic Shakespearean Performance

Page 10 The Ramapo News

By MELISSA VELOZ Staff Writer

Twenty-two Ramapo students participated in this semester’s play which premiered on Friday, April 9, at 8 pm, and had a pretty successful turnout based on the number of audience members who attended for its opening night in the Sharp Theater at the Berrie Center.

In “Taming of the Shrew,” a play written by William Shakespeare, the basic concept of the story resembles those of many ancient folklore tales, signifying that the play offered realistic solutions to a complex situation that of having a bad wife.

The solution in this case was based around Katherine’s (played by: Amanda Castro-Conroy) taming and demonstrated how literally you must tame your wife in order to train her to interact and/or behave in public as well as behind closed doors.

This is something that many forms of entertainment such as movies, plays and TV shows often tend to implement in their scripts and is something that we are likely to see in the gender roles that for many years has been society’s social form of brainwashing.

In the Director’s note, Maria Vail mentions that when she began to consider on how to do the play she naturally felt “to approach the play in the Commedia Del’ Arte style. We took some liberty with the text— reintroducing some elements of the ‘bad quarto’ and generally ‘had at it’ in the spirit of total irreverence.”

Vail also said that she decided to set the play “inside the dreaming mind of the drunkard Christopher Sly” (who was played by Bobby Textel, a junior and literature major) who just happened to ingest some really bad Chinese food.

Aside from the play itself, Ramapo has been known to host about two plays per semester. Although, that

Thursday, April 15, 2010

may seems like a small amount, each play takes weeks in advance to put together in order to create a play as close to perfect as possible.

What some of you may not know is that there are actually classes at Ramapo which help teach students about stagecraft, costume design, lighting, etc.. and students from these classes actually play a big part in the play as well.

From setting up the scenery, electronics and even costumes for plays such as “Taming of the Shrew;” which alone took about several weeks of planning and building in order to build the set, as well as setting everything properly so that come opening night all will be ready.

These students have demonstrated how creative and just how authentic the play’s scenery, props and costumes could be when working together to create small projects put together for one big show.

The play “Taming of the Shrew” itself was in fact very comedic and had the audience laughing throughout if not the whole entire play. The actors also did a great job playing their characters’ parts and showed the audience no mistakes or faults, which could have made the play seem very sloppy and not well rehearsed in the short amount of time they had to put everything together.

The set, props and costumes used in the play helped us envision exactly what Vail had intended for the entire vision of the play and as she mentioned “helped stay true to William Shakespeare’s vision” aside from some of the changes they had made to better accommodate this play for Ramapo’s audience.

If you have yet to see a play here on Ramapo’s campus or take any courses such as stagecraft, producing the play, and even costume design, It is highly recommended by students this semester to do so even if you are looking to fill an elective because you not only learn so much in so little time but after working on

projects no matter how big or small each makes a huge impact once everything comes together for opening night.

It is truly amazing to see how much work these students put into these plays and how satisfying your experience with these courses will be once you see it all together knowing you built or helped make a set, prop, and/or costume for your school’s plays.

without the hurt on the wallet.

At the table, eaters will be presented with sour dough and focaccia bread along with a side of spiced dipping oil. The focaccia is made fresh daily and is topped with the perfect blend of herbs and spices.

A popular pick is the large or personal size margarita pizza. The thin fresh crust is packed with flavor, not to mention the fresh plum tomato sauce and mozzarella topped with basil.

Customers also have an option to have their pizza cooked in a brick oven, which brings that extra touch of Italy to the meal. The aroma this style brings out is past what words can describe. The consumer will know when their pizza is about to arrive as the smells overtake the nose.

The fresh sauce bursts with flavor before mixing with the bread and cheese to create an unforgettable experience of flavors. The fresh basil adds a touch of earthiness to an already perfect pie.

The six-slice-pie is just enough to fill up on, but also enough to split as an appetizer if another dish is desired. Some may agree this pizza is too delicious to share. If that is the case, a large margarita can solve those woes.

Mangia’s is also well known for their Sicilian pizza made on their famous focaccia bread. The eye-crossing deliciousness of the Sicilian pie will make customers forget about any past pizza they may have eaten, unless it is the margarita pie.

Thick slices oozing with cheese call out to those who order it beckoning to be eaten. One slice of the large pie is very filling, but it is too good to only have one slice.

Another Mangia’s favorite is their penne and vodka

sauce. The pasta is cooked to perfection and the sauce is cooked with just the right amount of everything.

Unlike many Italian places, the vodka sauce is not watery and not too creamy.

Mangia Trattoria really nails this Italian restaurant with delicious food and reasonable prices. A couple can walk out spending between $25 and $35 depending on the dishes ordered.

It is bring-your-own, so feel free to bring a favorite bottle of wine to compliment any dish.

The prompt and attentive wait staff makes the experience all the more enjoyable by always tending to their customers. A customer is never left with an empty glass or dirty dishes in front of them.

Once going to Mangia’s for the first time, it will definitely become a favorite and a frequent spot to visit.

It is not a place people can go just once with all the delicious items on the menu. There is something to satisfy everyone.

A truly wonderful and enjoyable experience will be had by all that choose to eat at Mangia Trattoria.

Mangia!

Mangia Trattoria: It Is Good. Really, Really Good

By AMANDA VALENTI Staff Writer

Mangia Trattoria is located in Glen Rock, only 20 minutes away from campus. The frequent customers refer to this Italian eatery as “Mangia’s,” which means “eat” in Italian.

Placed in a small strip mall, Mangia’s might be a little hard to spot, but once the maroon sign and gold letters are seen, they will not soon be missed.

The walls are beautifully painted and the floors are adorned with gorgeous tiles. TVs are available so people can keep up with their sports scores or news. They are not loud enough to hear so they offer captioned programming, as not to ruin the serene ambiance.

Customers also have an option to have their pizza cooked in a brick oven, which just brings that extra touch of Italy to the meal

The small setting is fresh and up-to-date, welcoming customers to sit and catch up on their busy lives.

Unlike many pizza places, Mangia’s does not offer slices which allow the atmosphere to remain serene with no high school kids invading the place with loud chatter.

Helpful and patient wait-staff are very attentive to refills and promptly bring out the hot food.

Once customers enter, the aromas of Italy overtake the body, mind and soul. It is like traveling to Italy

OVERALL GRADE: A

Meyer’s Music: Taking Back Sunday Not Really Disbanding

Page 11 The Ramapo News

By S HARON MEYER Staff Writer

Last week I mentioned the track B.o.B has laid down with Hayley Williams, singer of Paramore, and rapper Eminem. Well, before Eminem was asked to lay down some rhymes on the track, the original version, called ‘Airplanes,’ has premiered and is now available for download on iTunes.

Williams opens the song with a catchy hook, “Can we pretend that airplanes/In the night sky/Are like shooting stars/I could really use a wish right now (wish right now) (wish right now)/Can we pretend that airplanes/In the night sky/Are like shooting stars/I could really use a wish right now (wish right now) (wish right now).

The beat is held by steady claps in the background of the track during Williams vocals, which then leads to B.o.B’s opening verse.

“Yeah back when I was tryin’ to get into the subway/And back when I was rappin’ for the hell of it/But now a days we rappin’ to stay relevant/I’m guessin that if we can make some wishes outta airplanes/Then maybe yo maybe I’ll go back to the days/Before the politics that we call the rap game/And back when ain’t nobody listened to my mix tape/And back before I tried to cover up my slang,” spits the 22 year-old Atlanta native.

Being compared to the likes of Andre 3000 from Outkast, B.o.B has only seen the beginning stages of the limelight and fame but he is already releasing tracks about getting back to a life of simplicity. It is frightening how a catchy tune can flip your life upside down.

For all of you Taking Back Sunday fans - if you have been keeping up with their site - you may have noticed that there was some confusion as to whether the band was breaking up or reuniting with original

Thursday, April 15, 2010

members according to Myspace music reports.

Well, the good news is that they are NOT breaking up and have reunited with the original members, ironically leaving the ‘original replacements’ Matt Rubano and Matthew Fazzi, behind.

Taking Back Sunday just announced that they’ll be recording their fifth full-length this summer with Louder Now’s producer Eric Valentine.

Young pop singer Jason Derulo is making waves and history on Billboard’s Pop Songs radio airplay chart, becoming the first solo male to notch consecutive No. 1 with his first two entries in the survey’s 17-

year history reports Billboard.com.

Both his singles “Whatcha Say” 2009s big summer hit, bumpin’ in cars across the country and recently released ‘In My Head’ helped his record sell over 92,000 according to the Nielsen Soundscan.

The catchy beats and smooth vocals actually make his standard pop songs tolerable. Well, at least until Z100 plays them 9,227 times. Good for you Jason, Congratulations!

I want to finish up this week with a pretty sick tour announcement this summer that I came across during my daily music news search.

First, the Lilith Fair 2010.I have never heard about this tour or show before I came across this Myspace blog about it. The headline reads ‘Lilith F air announces 2010 Lineup, and shockingly, its kind of good’ written by Mikael Wood.

She was not lying. Whatever this tour was or is, the line up is pretty sick. Wood reports, “Erykah Badu, Gossip, Ke$ha, Cat Power, La Roux, LIGHTS, Tegan and Sara, Metric (pictured above), Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson and literally dozens more. Even Rihanna is jumping on for the July 12 date in Salt Lake City.”

For a tour that I have never heard of before, this seems pretty cool, and definitely one worth checking out - until I searched for tickets and there is not link for tickets on the East coast!

The site says the 2010 tour will be heading to the East Coast July 28th in Philadelphia, PA and on July 31st will be at the PNC Bank Arts Center but when you click to buy tickets or more info, there is none.

Although saddened, I decided to include this in my article for the simple fact that if you will be in the West Coast area this summer, check out this tour! It seems like it would be pretty amazing and worth the basic price of $40 for lawn seats.

Whose Idea Was It To Cast Miley Cyrus As a Lead?

By MATT THOMPS ON Staff Writer

“The Last Song” conveyed a strong message across to the audience. It was inspiring, but at the same time depressing and had some major plot holes.

As soon as my girlfriend and I entered the AMC theater at the Garden State Plaza on Saturday night, we were anticipating a good showing for the movie. The film was put in the-

ater one, which houses the most people. But the audience was thin, which was surprising for a 10:20 p.m. showing.

The film centers on Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) who is a rebellious 17-year-old, distraught over her parents’ divorce years before. She lives in New York with her mother (Kelly Preston) and her brother (Bobby Coleman). Her mother sends Bobby and Ronnie to Georgia for the summer to spend some quality time with their father (Greg Kinnear). Initially reluctant on the idea, Ronnie gets in a lot of trouble. Her relationship with her father is severely on the rocks, but it seems as though they’ve always been linked through their passion for playing on the piano.

Eventually she meets the popular Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth) and they begin a romance. The movie explores some serious family issues not suited for children as well as the complications of a romantic relationship. But the director and writer fail to convey the message in a constructive manner.

Miley Cyrus was not the right choice for Ronnie. There were at least a dozen other actresses who could have done a heck of a better job at the role than Cyrus. She had her moments, but for the majority of the time she was not convincing in the role. She made uncanny face expressions, didn’t seem passionate enough in the most emotional moments and carried on as if this was a corny two-hour Disney movie special.

There wasn’t anything particularly likeable about her character. Nicholas Sparks tried to throw in some moments to get the audience on her side, but they just didn’t work. Aside from her acting skills, I didn’t realize how awkward looking Cyrus was before this movie.

What makes the casting of Cyrus even odder is the demographic they were shooting for. Cyrus is notorious for drawing a young audience to films, but the plot and mechanics of the film are geared towards late teens and 20-somethings.

What they needed to do was cast someone who hasn’t been a

child magnet their entire careers.

On the flipside, Greg Kinnear was a phenomenal choice for the role of Ronnie’s father, Steve. Almost completely opposite from Cyrus, Kinnear’s demeanor just screamed that of an experienced actor. His expressions and emotions throughout the movie were authentic and the audience genuinely felt for his character. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a better actor for this role than Kinnear. What I didn’t like was what the makeup artist did with Kinnear in the latter part of the film.

Aside from the questionable decision to cast Cyrus, there were some major plot holes. It seemed as though the beginning and the end of the film were different movies. The beginning focuses on the love story between Will and Ronnie while the end of the film seems like its geared more towards the serious family issues between Ronnie and Steve.

The scenes don’t flow right and the audience gets information in the middle of the film that should have been made clearer from the beginning. For such a great book, Nicolas Sparks failed to adapt it properly. Despite all its faults, the film was enjoyable when you ignore logic.

It also performed fairly well in the box office. With a budget of $20 million, it’s made $42 million domestically over the first two weekends in theaters. When comparing how well it’s done against other Nicholas Sparks adaptations, it places fourth out of six films with the potential to move up to third. However, it won’t catch up to “Dear John” which was released earlier this year.

If you want to take your girlfriend or boyfriend out, go ahead and see this movie. But it’s up to your discretion whether or not you want to see it. I’ll give it a B-.

OVERALL GRADE: B-

Page 12 The Ramapo News

Thursday, April 15, 2010

RAMAPO SPORTS

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Roadrunners Softball Learns to Succeed Through Teamwork

By MICHELE MCKENNA Staff Writer

Nineteen girls, three coaches, 26 games down and they all still have their eyes set on the same goal. This year, the women’s softball team is striving for nothing less than victory. As they approach the middle of the season, they say there’s only one way to do it: together.

“All of us believe in each other and that is all we need,” shortstop Tiffany Fischer said.

The Lady Roadrunners started their season off in Florida where they faced some of the top teams in the country, including number three Louisiana College. Although they fell short to many of the teams, they knew they were ready for the season ahead.

“Our record did not show it in Panama City, but we definitely could play with those teams,” pitcher Lauren Shaw said.

“Honestly, the team we have now has so much talent and I really do believe we can win the NJACs.” The talent spreads across the roster from freshmen, like Amanda Kent – who has the second highest batting average and fielding percentage on the team – to juniors like cocaptains and standout pitchers Lyndsay Buehler and Deanna Giordano, to senior outfielder Katie Donnelly. All players, from those returning to newcomers, contribute to the team making a dynamic combination.

“We all want to win NJACs. It has never been done before in Ramapo College softball, so winning it would absolutely be the highlight of my softball career,” Donnelly

said.

The peak of their season thus far was the conference win over rival William Paterson University, defending NJAC champs.

“It was a huge win for us because we had lost four games in a row and needed to gain our confidence back. Right from the begin-

our hitters produced, as well as everyone else who believed in me and pumped me up form the dugout,” Shaw said.

Ramapo shut out Hunter in the first game 8-0. Junior Rachel Wong had one run scored and one RBI and freshman Ashley Schirripa completed the shutout in the fifth inning

currently tied for fourth place. They have yet to face The College of New Jersey, who holds the top spot for now.

“Our goals for this season are of course to win NJACs and make it into regionals but for right now I want us to take one game at a time and focus on that,” Giordano said.

“Conference games are always big ones and anything can happen on any day, especially in the NJACs,” Shaw said.

Roadrunners softball continues to push through their season with leadership from both Beuhler and Giordano and dedication

“The team we have now has so much talent. I believe we can win the NJACs.” - Lauren Shaw, pitcher

photo by Michele McKenna

Junior co-captain Lyndsay Buehler leads her team with eight wins. She also boasts a 1.15 ERA and has nine complete games on the season.

ning we set the pace of the game and never gave them a chance to come back. These games are our turning point for our season, our ‘spark’ as Coach Allen calls it,” Fischer said.

The team is currently on a six-game winning streak, including their doubleheader on Saturday against Hunter College, where Shaw pitched a perfect game.

“It felt great, but wouldn’t have been possible without the flawless defense, the runs

with a home run.

“Everyone contributed and that was the most important. Everyone came up big in both games in certain situations. Lauren pitched a great game the first game and Amanda Kent tied the score in the second with a two run homer as well as Katie Donnelly, who got the winning run in,” captain Deanna Giordano said.

The team’s current record is 16-10, including a 5-3 conference record, where they are

from each player.

“Our captains have stepped up and motivate us while having fun. All of the underclassmen also play a big role and we have much more spark in our play this year,” Shaw said.

The next conference game is RutgersCamden on Saturday at home at 1 p.m. They are all hungry for a win.

“Our assistant coach has a chair that he brings to every game with a 31 on the back of it. He and Coach Allen both believe that we can win 31 or more games. All of us on the team set high expectations and we all want to prove we can win the NJAC,” Fischer said.

Men’s Volleyball Ends Season With Quarterfinal Loss in NECVA

By KEVIN JOHNSON Staff Writer

After a successful 2010 season, the Ramapo College men’s volleyball team was eliminated from the NECVA tournament, falling to Nazareth College in the quarterfinals.

The Hyannis Youth Center hosted the tournament in Hyannis, MA. The Roadrunners came into the tournament as the seventh seed with high expectations.

In the first round of the tournament Ramapo faced off with the defending NECVA champions, Stevens Institute of Technology.

The Roadrunners defeated Stevens handily, winning the matchup in three sets, 30-25, 30-27, 30-26.

Senior Kurt Backlund excelled in the match, registering a team high 16 digs. Backlund also received support from fellow senior Matt Scott. Scott executed a team high 40 assists and also contributed ten digs. Sophomore Paul Konopacki led the offensive attack for Ramapo with eight kills in 17 attempts for an impressive .412 percentage.

Following the first round victory, Ramapo faced off with the 15th seeded Nazareth College.

Ramapo found early success against Nazareth, capturing

the first set by the score of 30-27.

Nazareth tied the matchup in the following set with a 3025 win, and maintained their hold over the Roadrunners for the remaining sets. They went on to win the third set 30-28, and the fourth set in overtime 32-30, effectively ending the Roadrunners’ season.

Backlund contributed 16 digs in the matchup, his second straight match with 16. Scott led the team in assists for the second straight game in the tournament, registering 53.

Konopacki excelled once again with 12 kills and a .364 hitting percentage on the attack.

Despite the disappointing loss to Nazareth, the Roadrunners finished the season with an impressive overall record of 20-10, and conference record of 7-2.

Four players were recognized for their contributions to the team by the NECVA and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

In his last year with the team, Backlund received the honor of being named to the 2010 AVCA Division III AllAmerican Second Team. He was also named to the NECVA Metro All-Conference First Team and the NECVA All-Conference First Team.

“Kurt every year has been doing a great job, getting better and better. Just to see him receive that award is great,” assistant coach DJ Pinton said.

Joining Backlund on the NECVA Metro All-Conference First Team is Scott and Konopacki. Scott was named to the NECVA All-Conference Second Team. Freshman Steve Vahalla also was named to the All-Conference Second Team for his excellent play this season.

The season was filled with ups and downs for the Roadrunners. Their inconsistency can be attributed to the young core of players on the team this season. “We played at high levels against some teams like Baruch and we would play at low levels like we did in the second round of NECVAs,” said junior outside hitter Jeff Elsasser.

“Next season I expect us to do much better overall,” Elsasser said. “I expect us to not only qualify for the NECVA tournament, but to really contend to win. I want to win the Metro Division which we didn’t do this year.”

Elsasser expects the team to excel under the leadership of the three returning seniors, and the team’s highly touted youth. “We expect a lot of things from those two coming into next year,” Elsasser said regarding Konopacki and Vahalla.

“We don’t look to rebuild. We bring kids in with the intent of keeping at the level with the best teams in the nation,” Pinton said.

After Much Guessing, Eagles Trade McNabb to Rival Redskins Page 14 The Ramapo News

By ANDREW GOULD Staff Writer

After months of speculation, the Eagles finally traded their starting quarterback of the last 11 years, Donovan McNabb.

Although McNabb’s tenure as an Eagle appeared to be coming to an end, nobody expected Philadelphia to trade him to one of their closest rivals.

The Eagles did just that though, shipping off McNabb to the Washington Redskins for their second round draft pick in this year’s draft along with a third or fourth round pick in next year’s draft. Since the two teams play in the same division, McNabb will face his former team twice each season he remains in a Redskins uniform.

After making the playoffs for the seventh time, yet falling short of a championship again, the Eagles decided to turn over the starting quarterback duties to Kevin Kolb, who played well in two games last year when McNabb was injured. He piled up 391 passing yards against the Saints, but it came with three interceptions and a loss. Kolb threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns in a win against the Chiefs. Michael Vick, who played sparingly in the Wildcat formation, will either be traded or serve as Kolb’s backup.

McNabb had a more than eventful career in Philadelphia that began with him being booed by unruly fans who wanted the Eagles to select Ricky Williams in the 1999 draft instead. McNabb took the Eagles to five

Thursday, April 15, 2010

NFC Championship games and led them to Super Bowl XXXIX with help from wide receiver Terrell Owens. They lost to the New England Patriots in a hard fought game.

Besides Owens, who brought as much con-

offensive-minded coach Mike Shanahan.

McNabb always had the support of head coach Andy Reid, who faced the scrutiny along with McNabb when the Eagles failed to win a championship. The end of a season

photo by Liana Evans, courtesy of Flickrʼs creative commons

The Redskins hope that McNabbʼs leadership, both on and off the field, will translate into a better season in 2010. The only place for the ʻSkins to go is up -- they finished 4-12 last season.

troversy to the team as talent, McNabb never had a big name wide receiver to work with.

This appeared to change last year when DeSean Jackson flew his way to the elite class of receivers with 1167 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. In Washington, McNabb again finds himself with a young core of receivers he will need to help mature, but he’ll have the help of newly

inevitably always led to disgruntled Eagles fans calling for a new coach and quarterback in spite of their regular season and early postseason success.

The Redskins fell way short of expectations last year, finishing last in the NFC East with a 4-12 record. They gave a huge contract ($100 million huge) to defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, but he missed four

games and was not the dominant force the Redskins expected.

The Redskins have also brought in veteran running backs Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to complement Clinton Portis. While all three of these running backs were amongst the elite during their primes, they are now all struggling to stay healthy for a full season.

This trade likely signals the end of Jason Campbell’s stay as a Redskin. Although Campbell put up average numbers, he was also forced to learn a new style of offense as the Redskins changed their coaching staff every year.

The team with best chance to land McNabb appeared to be the Oakland Raiders, a team which has suffered to find a quarterback since losing Rich Gannon, who took them to their last Super Bowl in 2003. They now might look to Campbell to replace failed first pick JaMarcus Russell, but they also may select a quarterback such as Jimmy Claussen in the upcoming draft.

McNabb expressed interest in going to Arizona, where he could have replaced recently retired Kurt Warner as the Cardinals’ quarterback. McNabb would have been paired up with one of the best receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald in a weak division. However, the Cardinals wanted to give former USC star Matt Leinart a chance to start, and signed former Browns’ quarterback Derek Anderson as a backup.

Ramapo Falls Short Against Undefeated TCNJ Page 15 The Ramapo News

By MARIS S A TORR Staff Writer

The Ramapo College women's lacrosse team lost their second to last home game to The College of New Jersey on Monday.

The Roadrunners fell to 6-4 overall and 23 in the NJAC, while the fifth ranked Lions improved 10-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Ramapo started off on the right foot by getting a 1-0 lead during the first two minutes of the game on a free position shot by sophomore Christina Cigolini. TCNJ tied the game when sophomore Sara Keating also scored on a free position shot. At 26:01, junior Ali Jaeger took a pass from rookie Jillian Nealon to go ahead 2-1. From that point on, the Lions never looked back. They controlled the game and Ramapo spent a lot of time on defense.

The Roadrunners came within one goal when sophomore attack Amanda Barretta scored with 25:16 to go in the first half.

The Lions scored three straight goals, taking a 6-2 lead before Barretta scored again at the 21:33 mark. TCNJ then showed their dominance when they went on an eight goal run.

Cigolini scored her second goal of the half on a free position shot. Jaeger and Leigh Mitchell worked together to score the Lion’s final goal of the half. Cigolini made a free position shot as time expired,

making the score 15-5 at the half.

In the second half, the Lion’s scored five goals thanks to senior Lisa Seldeen, Mitchell, Jaeger, and two goals by Nealon. In the end, Jaeger finished with five goals, sophomore Kathleen Notos scored three goals, and senior Robin Deehan added four goals and four assists.

Lions’ goalie junior Mary Waller recorded five saves and allowed five goals.

“We played an undefeated team and we did a lot better than last year, when we lost 20-2,” Cigolini, one of the captains of the day and the lead scorer for Ramapo, said.

“We held our own a little more. The next game will be so different, like night and day, but it’s going to be sad. The seniors have been here for so long. It will be sad to say goodbye to the seniors. They’ve been such a big part of our team for so long.”

“It was a tough loss,” senior defense Jourdan Chiavaro said, “but we’ve also grown as a team. We’re going to put this game behind us and keep working hard to improve and do better at the next games.”

“It was a tough game today,” said sophomore midfielder Brittney Harraka. “We played our hearts out. It wasn’t the result that we wanted, but we’re still proud of the way that we played.” Looking forward to the next game, which is Senior Nigh and the final home game this season, “we’re excited. We love our seniors so we want to win for them. We can’t wait for

the game.”

“We played really hard today,” freshman defender Katrina Hill said. “We’re looking forward to Senior Night. We want to dominate and go out hard at the last home game of the season.”

Saturday, they’ll move on to Riverdale, NY to play the College of Mount St. Vincent at 7 p.m.

photo by Stef Mauro

The Roadrunners defeated Sage College 18-5 on Wednesday.

NBA Playoffs Appear to be Maddening Delight

By JEREMY KELLY Staff Writer

There’s simply nothing like the playoffs. The tense atmosphere, the ongoing fear of being sent home, the building of pressure with each respective game: it’s all so maddening that players and fans just can’t get enough of it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the most talked-about teams in recent years, undoubtedly due to their high-profile superstar Lebron James.

NBA legend Charles Barkley has picked Cleveland to win the 2010 NBA Finals.

They will face the Chicago Bulls in the first round if the Bulls win their last game or the Toronto Raptors if the Bulls lose and the Raptors win their last game.

The Orlando Magic, last year’s Eastern Conference Champions, have locked up the number two spot despite a lukewarm start to the season. They will face the Charlotte Bobcats, who are making their first ever playoff appearance.

The Magic’s opponents from last year’s finals, the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, have been thought by many to be the team to beat in the Western Conference, and in some cases, the entire league. They are the top seed in the West, set to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, but the path to the playoffs has been anything but easy.

The Lakers were 46-15 in early March, but an injury to center Andrew Bynum, as well as Kobe Bryant’s several nag-

ging injuries, has left the Lakers not exactly playing at their best, and at times looking disorganized and disheveled. After that, the playoff matchups get extremely murky. The Atlanta Hawks are set in at the third spot in the East, and the Boston Celtics, aging but still talented, are

photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

fourth.

However, the number of possible playoff matchups aside from the ones previously mentioned is so vast and incoherent, it would make a statistician’s head spin. Currently, the Denver Nuggets have completed their season with a record of 53-29, having struggled through a stretch in late March where they lost six of nine games.

They will be the number four seed in the West and will play the Utah Jazz if the Jazz lose their last game to the Phoenix Suns. But if the Jazz win, the Nuggets will be number five and will play the Suns. If the Suns win, they will be number three in the Western Conference. The Jazz, meanwhile, can end up at number two in the West if they win and the Dallas Mavericks lose their final game to the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks will get number two with a win, which would put Utah at number three with a win.

As for the Spurs, they will end up with the number six seed if they win and the Portland Trailblazers lose their finale to the Golden State Warriors, but will fall to number seven if they lose or Portland wins, which would put Portland at number six.

In the Eastern Conference, the variables are much easier to comprehend.

The Miami Heat will be number five in the East and play Boston with a win in their final game against the New Jersey Nets. They will fall to number six and play Atlanta if they lose and the Milwaukee Bucks win over the Celtics, which would put the Bucks at number five.

Games in the playoffs tend to take on lives of their own. Will it end up being skill or experience that carries that one lucky team to the 2010 NBA Championship? The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin in June, as a hectic playoff season is almost set to begin.

NFL Combine Results Could Impact Draft

Thursday, April 15, 2010

By JAKE EDINGER Staff Writer

Every year select college football players who have displayed exceptional talent participate in the NFL Combine. The Combine gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to NFL scouts and potentially improve their draft stock. All teams send scouts to the Combine in order to discover the next hall of fame player or franchise quarterback.

Although the Combine can measure a player’s top physical performance, it does not always translate to success in the NFL. In the 2010 NFL Combine, wide receiver Jacoby Ford from Clemson ran the fastest 40-yard dash speed in 4.28 seconds.

California running back Jahvid Best did not produce like many expected this season, dropping from 1580 yards in 2008 to 867 last season, but he help his position in the eyes of the NFL teams by running a 4.35 40 yard dash. Clemson running back C. J. Spiller solidified himself as the top running back in this draft class by performing well in the 40 yard dash and showing the scouts that he has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, which is coveted in the NFL in recent years.

The big question leading up to the Combine was whether Florida’s Tim Tebow would perform well against other quarterbacks in this draft class. Tebow proved most doubters wrong by leading the quarterbacks in the vertical jump, 60 yard shuttle, 20 yard shuttle and three-cone drill.

However, Tebow’s slow release and physical attributes show that he would probably best suit, which every team drafts him as a slot receiver or halfback. Oklahoma Quarterback Sam Bradford showed scouts that his arm injury is not affecting his throw or performance at all. Many believe that the St. Louis Rams could potentially take Bradford with the first pick.

As expected, Texas QB Colt McCoy and Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen performed well. Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount, who sat out the beginning of the season after a confrontation with a Boise St. player in the season opener, showed scouts that he has overcome his personality issues and is ready to perform in the NFL. Rutgers’ offensive tackle Anthony Davis also showed doubters that he has the ability to be a top offensive linemen in the NFL. Davis, who stands at 6’5’’ and weighs 323lbs, has the size to muscle defensive linemen out of the way as well as use his quick feet to make sure the speedy linebackers and defensive ends don’t sack the quarterback.

The Combine offers NFL teams the ability to gauge a college player’s talent before investing a draft pick and millions of dollars on them. The 2010 NFL Combine generated many interesting questions regarding certain players that can only be answered in the Draft.

RAMAPO SPORTS

DEFENSE!

The Lady Roadrunners defeated Sage College 18-5 during the Senior Day game on Wednesday.

Lacrosse hopes to finish the season strong.

photo by Stef Mauro