The Statesman 11-11-19

Volume LXIII, Issue 11

sbstatesman.com

Monday, November 11, 2019

Stony Brook students face confusion at the polls

Students compete in annual WolfieTank

By Brianne Ledda and Alexander Bakirdan

By Fanni Frankl Contributing Writer

News Editor and Assistant Arts and Culture Editor

Stony Brook students faced confusion and extra paperwork when they tried to vote on campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Students who switched dorm buildings on campus since the last voting cycle were asked to fill out affidavits, worrying some that their votes wouldn’t count. Affidavit votes do count, but they have to be verified first.

Affidavit ballots are paper ballots used when a voter isn’t listed at their polling location. This might occur if a voter becomes inactive, which could happen if voters don’t reply to confirmation notices that are sent by the local Board of Elections (BOE) or when the BOE receives information that the voter may have changed addresses.

New York State law says that a voter who claims to have moved to a new address within the election district they are registered in shall be permitted to vote in the same manner as other voters unless challenged on other grounds.

“So the new thing that's happening with voting on campus

than last year, and expressed concern because she heard that affidavit votes don’t count.

“I'm still getting into the groove of voting,” Concepcion said. “I feel like after this experience it kind of did turn me away. I mean, like, I'm not going to let it stop me but like, it is a little deterring.”

Holly Rapkin, a sophomore psychology major, said that she filled out a form in the mail declaring an address change at the beginning of the semester, but needed to fill out an affidavit anyway because she wasn’t in the system.

Student entrepreneurs competed for funding at Stony Brook University's fifth annual WolfieTank on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at the Charles B. Wang Center.

The event is meant to be a spin-off of the popular television show “Shark Tank,” where entrepreneurs present their product to a panel of judges, hoping to win funding to expand their businesses. More than 90 people showed up.

Six groups competed in total, with products that encompassed cosmetics, fitness watches, oyster farms and networking apps.

Nicole Hershkowitz, a senior biomedical engineering major who led a student biomedical engineering group, won the $2,000 grand prize for their surgical adaptor tool called Apto. The tool is meant to be put over retractor tools, which are surgical instruments used by doctors to separate the edges of an incision or wound and hold back organs and tissues so other body parts can be accessed during surgery. The invention is meant to alleviate the damage

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

SARA RUBERG / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook Women's Soccer team lift up the trophy after winning the America East Conference title on Sunday, Nov. 10. The Seawolves won 2-1 against Hartford. this election is that once they've switched to an electronic system for verifying voter registration, students are being asked to verify their campus address... that they've registered with, not necessarily currently where they live,” Lucy Gordon, a junior psychology and women’s studies double major working for the Center for Civic Justice, said.

Voters were signed in with iPads this year.

If students don’t remember the address they registered with, they’re being asked to fill out an affidavit ballot, she explained. Those affidavit ballots will be verified later to confirm that the students do live on campus.

Husbaan Sheikh, a sophomore political science major also working for the Center for Civic Justice, added that sometimes a voter registration status can be marked inactive when students switch dorms on campus.

“I went to go early vote and I had to fill out an affidavit ballot because my admissions were deemed invalid and inactive because I switched dorms in the past semester,” Sheikh said.

Reimy Concepcion, a junior English major voting for the second time, had to fill out a change of address because she switched dorm buildings on campus since last year.

She said voting was more difficult

Stony Brook University honors veterans with annual ceremony

By Fanni Frankl Contributing Writer

Stony Brook University held its annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony at the Student Activities Center on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

The ceremony aimed to honor the veterans in the audience and to shed light on all they have sacrificed for the United States. More than 200 people attended the ceremony, including veterans from Iraq, Vietnam and World War II. The first speaker at the ceremony, Stony Brook student and Air Force veteran Katherine Maier, outlined her military career and the adversities she had to overcome throughout her journey. In her time in the military, she lost her grandfather, was treated for appendicitis and was forced to retire after injuring her hip, but she was still adamant about continuing her Air Force

training in the regiment and maintaining discipline.

In her speech, she described the different types of planes that she learned to fly with her regiment. She was skilled enough that she was promoted to First Lieutenant.

“The last few years have been an absolute whirlwind. I went from finding and accomplishing a goal that I set myself at 19 years old to having the rug dramatically ripped out from under me,” Maier said. “After finding my footing again, I know I ended up in the place that is the best for me.”

Navy veteran and Vice President for Facilities and Services at Stony Brook, Dean Tufts, recognized elderly veterans in the Sidney Gelber Auditorium after Maier’s speech by asking them to stand. His voice shook when speaking about the American perception of military personnel

during the Vietnam War, when the U.S. did not regard military personnel with the same respect as they did in prior wars. Americans equated the soldiers with a lost war, an idea that many could not accept; as a result, the appreciation for these veterans greatly decreased.

“When I came back from Iraq, I came back to a country that appreciated my service,” he said.

“That wasn’t always the case. For all the people who raised their hands for serving in Vietnam, I want to thank you for your service. It’s hard enough. From my heart, I thank you.”

Tufts stressed the importance of thanking American veterans for their service even if it may seem uncomfortable.

“It means the world to a veteran,” he said. “We don’t know what to say but please if you feel like you want to do it, do it because it will make our day.”

News

Arts & Culture

The hospital showcased its new four-story addition.

Artists showcase music from Schubert's final year.

Children's Hospital holds Open House.

MORE ON PAGE 4

Tufts closed his speech with advice that detailed the importance of getting over the fear of becoming a leader.

“Don’t be afraid to lead,” he said. “This world needs leaders. We are world leaders. That’s why I’m here. That’s what excites me about his place. We are graduating leaders.”

Sonia Garrido, a member of the Committee of Veteran’s Day Affairs, said that events like this at Stony Brook are important for both veterans and students.

“It brings it home,” she said.

“You always hear of veterans.

So if there’s a student speaker, a student like us who served in the military, even if they came from a different background, they are still students who we can relate to.”

Pamela Pfeil, Coordinator of Veteran Student Services, explained that the event strove to help civilians “understand

the sacrifice of veterans” and for “veterans to honor those before them.”

Stony Brook electrical engineering graduate student, Wenfeng Wan, had a different outlook on the significance of the ceremony, commenting on Tufts' segment in his speech on not taking American voting rights for granted.

“I have a lot of feelings about this because I come from China and we don’t have voting rights,” Wang said. “Yesterday was Election Day and I really hope that one day I can elect my own leader.”

Wang also said that American soldiers are taken for granted, which is why he believes an event like the Veteran’s Day Ceremony is critical in reminding American citizens of the soldiers who fight to protect their guarenteed freedoms and rights.

Opinions

Sports

Society needs to stop confusing sterotypes for fact.

Bischof leads team to NCAA Tourney in first year.

An enchanting performance at Staller.

Ignorance for Hispanic culture.

MORE ON PAGE 6

MORE ON PAGE 8

Women's Soccer wins A.E. Title.

MORE ON PAGE 12

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NEWS

Affidavits given to voters Children's Hospital holds Open House Continued from page 1 “It was mildly annoying that they still didn't have me in the system, even though I filled out the address change like a month ago, but it didn't really make a huge difference,” she said.

Other students who either just moved on or off campus, such as freshman physics major Matthew Oldaker, were told that they needed to vote in their home district.

Oldaker, who was voting for the first time, was turned away from the polls. He was living at home in West Islip until a week ago, when he moved on campus.

“My voting location is there right now so to vote I would have to go back home,” he said. West Islip is approximately a 40 minute drive from Stony Brook for Oldaker. He said he didn’t plan on going home to vote.

Around 3 p.m., an election official told a Statesman reporter who was trying to vote that the polling station ran out of affidavit forms.

They were turned away again when they returned an hour later. The reporter returned a second time around 5 p.m. and was able to vote via affidavit ballot.

A representative from Suffolk County’s Board of Elections said that students who switched dorms on campus and are not new voters should not have been required to fill out the affidavits since their names should still be in the system.

Trouble at the polls wasn’t the only issue for students this election day either. Members of the Stony Brook College Democrats were asked to stop canvassing, according to multiple sources from the club. “[The poll coordinator] pulled me aside and he said that he'd received a complaint that we were harassing people, telling them to vote,” Sean Lange, a senior political science major and member of the College Democrats, said.

The College Democrats were encouraging students to vote along Zebra Path and inside the library. It’s illegal to canvas within 100 feet of an active polling station, which, in this case, was the Student Activities Center (SAC).

A representative from Suffolk County’s Board of Elections said

that if inspectors receive complaints about canvassing, they’re expected to move the canvassers.

Lange said he was meeting a friend who was confused by the affidavit form in the SAC when he was first pulled aside. He and other College Democrats were later asked to leave the SAC a second time when Lange tried to learn more about the complaints.

“The same guy from earlier who had come up to me, he came out and he started yelling at us, saying that we needed to leave now and we were blocking people from voting,” Lange said. At the time, he was talking to a friend that he’d run into, junior political science major Joshua Koff.

Koff, who is also a member of the College Democrats, said that they were confused about why they were being reproached. They were standing in the hall between SAC Ballroom A and the back entrance to the SAC. In a video obtained by The Statesman, an election inspector tells Koff and his friends, “If you don’t get out of this area, I will have you removed from the building.” The inspector walked away when they tried to ask why.

The Statesman decided not to disclose the video in this article because the official is identifiable and the Suffolk County Board of Elections did not respond to a request for comment before this article was published.

“We were just standing there having a conversation,” Koff said.

“He refused to answer us. He just kept saying that we had to go and if we didn’t leave on our own, he would force us to leave.”

Steven Adelson, Coordinator from the Center for Civic Justice, came out afterwards to figure out what had happened, Koff said.

Adelson did not reply to a request for comment before this article was published.

The Stony Brook College Republicans were not canvassing on campus and did not encounter any issues. However, at least two members were confused by affidavits, Eric Wagner, vice president of the College Republicans and a junior economics and political science double major, said.

Gary Ghayrat contributed to the reporting.

By Meenu Johnkutty Contributing Writer

Stony Brook Children’s Hospital Open House showcased its $73 million four-story addition in an event boasting over 1,200 registered attendees on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The open house allowed community members to explore the hospital’s new infrastructure.

New features include patient rooms with multi-colored wall lights, hospital beds that capture and transmit patients’ data directly to their charts and nautically-themed art and live video feed from the Long Island Aquarium. Other new additions to the hospital include a general pediatrics ward, a pediatric procedure suite, separate child and teen playrooms and an outdoor rooftop garden.

As a nod to Stony Brook’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, bright blue dolphin-shaped balloons adorned the walls and entrances of the hospital, highlighting the marine elements found in the hospital’s design.

While celebrating the hospitals’ new infrastructure, the hospital staff prioritized educating the community at various tables.

Families roamed from table to table, learning about various topics, including sugary drinks and safe sleeping positions for babies.

Those working at the hospital were seen tabling events, talking to families and speaking to children and adults alike. At the “Rethink Your Drink” table, Sydney Kurnit, a master’s student in nutrition and diet and a dietetic intern, and her classmates explained sugar content in popular drinks like Gatorade and fruit drinks.

“We wanted to make the community aware of how much sugar was in their drinks,” Kurnit said, explaining that consumers of sugary drinks should carefully check serving sizes on nutrition labels.

Dr. Susan Katz, a pediatric nurse practitioner, at the “Sleep Safety for Babies” table, demonstrated how babies should sleep on their backs in cribs, free from heavy blankets and toys.

“Babies should be alone on their backs in the crib,” Katz said, ex-

plaining that when people sleep with their babies, they risk rolling on them and potentially killing them.

Other events at the open house included meeting with a pet therapy dog, climbing aboard an ambulance and touring the hospital.

Dr. Margaret McGovern, physican-in-chief of the Children’s Hospital and pediatrician of 30 years, oversaw construction of the Children’s Hospital. When she arrived as Chair of Pediatrics in 2007, McGovern said that she and her team recognized that much work was needed to advance pediatric health care in Suffolk County.

“There’s about 440,000 children in Suffolk County, so that size pediatric population absolutely justifies and supports the notion of having a separate Children’s Hospital,” McGovern said.

“We had experts and national figures in children’s health care look at the feasibility of such a project.”

Over the past decade, the hospital has built up its intellectual infrastructure, with over 180 full-time pediatric specialists working for the Renaissance School of Medicine, McGovern explained.

“Any sick or premature baby winds up at Stony Brook,” McGovern said. “We have the only burn unit in Suffolk County and about half of the patients at any time are kids.”

Apart from structural work on the hospital, McGovern and her team have strived to make the patient experience as comfortable as possible. Single-bedded rooms will now be available for patients as a part of this new initiative, she said.

“This is not a luxury or a frill,” McGovern said, regarding the new feature. “There’s a lot of research and data to support single bedded patient rooms. We can promote infection control, more privacy and allow more families to comfortably stay with their kids. When children are accompanied by a parent or caregiver, they recover better. Their hospital stay is less traumatic.”

Michael Reed, a former patient at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, spoke highly of the physi-

cians and his stay in the hospital. This coming February will mark the sixth year since his kidney transplant. The new single-bedded rooms appealed to Reed.

“This project absolutely resonated with families and members of the community and is something important to have in Suffolk County to provide the best care for kids.”

-Margaret McGovern

Physican-in-Chief of the Children's Hospital

“I feel like with those new rooms, it will be a better environment for patients,” Reed said.

“It’s like a warm welcome, in a way.”

Since the program’s inception in 2010, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital has scaled tremendously, now standing as the only children’s hospital in Long Island to have single-bedded patient rooms and the only children’s hospital in Suffolk County, according to Kali Chan, director of medicine media relations.

“This project absolutely resonated with families and members of the community and is something important to have in Suffolk County to provide the best care for kids,” McGovern said.

The building of the Children’s Hospital is part of a larger $450 million project designed to expand Stony Brook Hospital through the construction of a 10-story hospital pavilion and cancer center, according to Chan.

Inventors of surgical adaptor tool win grand prize of $2,000 Continued from page 1 done by retractors in surgeries at hospitals today by placing 3-D printed sleeves over the adaptor, which ease the tension placed on the instrument.

Sishir Pasumarthy, a senior biomedical engineering major and a member of the Apto team, said that their company is planning to spend the winnings on preclinical testing to see if their product works on animals. Eventually, they want to test Apto on humans.

Pasumarthy emphasized that WolfieTank is important for prospective entrepreneurs because it

allows students to pitch their ideas — a first time experience for a lot of young entrepreneurs.

“It was our first experience with entrepreneurship and working in a professional setting,” he said. “To push a product to people who do not know essentially about the science interested in our product is one of the most important things… to be able to jump in and learn from the experience is very valuable because no pressure, no diamonds, right?”

Sharon Kim, the Lead of Outreach and Communications of iCREATE, the program that runs WolfieTank, pointed out that WoflieTank’s embrace of different studies can help a

variety of Stony Brook students gain insight into the business world.

“I think having this creative, entrepreneurial atmosphere and culture on campus is important because there are a lot of business majors here,” she said. “And it doesn’t even need to be business. We have people from science, cosmetics, and people from the actual business field. It is a helpful community to be building at Stony Brook… to gain insight on the young entrepreneurial spirit.”

David Ecker, the director of iCREATE, said that WolfieTank provides students with a learning experience that they may not receive in their classes and gives them

the exposure they need to be successful in their field.

“It’s more than just getting the prize money, it’s helping them grow as students as people in their business and moving things forward,” Ecker said.

The second place winner was Ethan Dountey, owner of Dune Fishery. He pitched an expansion to his oyster farm, so that he could maximize production and better compete with other oyster farms on Long Island. Previously, because of a lack of funding, he could not buy more cages to put more oysters on the market. Dountey was concerned about the pace of his work

and the number of cages he had to grow these oysters. He plans to use his prize money, $500, to buy more cages for growing oysters.

A social entrepreneur honorary mention was also given to Jenny Xu and Anthony Xiang, creators of the app Hacker Matcher that seeks to match groups in hackathon events. Individuals with similar ideas are sorted into groups.

Hackathons are events where computer programmers and others involved in software development — including graphic designers, interface designers and project managers — collaborate on software projects.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Songs from Schubert’s final year come to the Staller Center

By Alek Lewis Staff Writer

Baritone Randall Scarlata and pianist Gilbert Kalish presented “Triumph and Tragedy: Songs from Schubert’s Final Year” at the Staller Center for the Arts Recital Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Scarlata, a former faculty member of Stony Brook University (SBU) and baritone singer, was accompanied by Kalish, SBU’s leading piano professor and head of performance faculty, as they performed the songs written by Austrian classical composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) in the last two years of his life.

Both accomplished musicians, Scarlata and Kalish were nominated together for a 2018 Grammy award for Best Classical Solo Album for the recording of their performance of Schubert’s “Die Winterreise.”

Some songs performed include “Sehnsucht,” “Ständchen,” “Der Winterabend,” “Abschied” and “Die Taubenpost,” his last composition.

All of these songs were composed with the lyrical poets at Schubert’s time in mind: Johann Gabriel Seidl, Ludwig Rellstab and Heinrich Heine.

The performers mentioned that Schubert wanted to write for the opera, and this performance definitively showcased his talent for setting lyrical poems to music. The concert was performed in German, a language that I do not know; thankfully, the program provided the lyrics to the songs, so it would

ALEK LEWIS / THE STATESMAN

Pianist Gilbert Kalish, left, and baritone singer Randall Scarlata, right, presented "Triumph and Tragedy: Songs from Schubert's Final Year," at the Staller Center. be easier to understand what Scarlata was singing.

I felt like looking for the lyrics in my program was distracting from the performance, so I was caught with a dilemma: should I focus my attention on the performers or on a piece of paper?

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once expressed the opinion that “music

is the universal language of mankind.” I felt that a viewer would gain the most enjoyment out of the performance by focusing the attention towards the performer’s physicality and emotion instead of trying to translate a language that one does not understand; I am extremely glad I made this choice because it accentuated the quality of the performance and

escalated the amount of emotion the performers attempted to convey to the audience.

Scarlata does not simply sing; he performs, he acts and becomes a poet. His baritone voice bleeds deep masculine qualities as he expresses a wide range of intense performance qualities and emotions through conveying Schubert’s mu-

sic that includes anger, power, passion, vulnerability and joy.

Scarlata’s impeccable vocal control makes complete and articulate phrases that blend together naturally; he hits the highest highs and lowest lows both musically and emotionally. Scarlata’s face is as much of an instrument in this performance as his voice since his expressions escalate the dramatic aspects of the music in ways that make this a performance not just a necessity to hear, but a necessity to watch.

On the piano, Kalish shows the reason why he is the leading piano professor at SBU. He plays with incredible precision and technical skill, controlling the dynamic quality of the music and picking up the lead when the vocals dwindles down.

Kalish’s Steinway piano and Scarlata’s vocals trade the leading role in Schubert’s beautiful melodies.

Kalish’s and Scarlata’s chemistry is undeniably clear with every song they play and you never doubt for a second why these two have been Grammy-nominated for their performance of Schubert’s work.

The performance was incredibly entertaining and impressive for anyone who enjoys classical and lyrical music.

Even for someone like myself, who doesn’t know a word in German, their performance is able to still astound, entertain and communicate the deep sentimental qualities of Schubert’s lyrical compositions.

Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” is immortalized on screen

By Niki Nassiri Contributing Writer

The movie “The Prophet,” screened at the Charles B. Wang Center Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 7, celebrates love, freedom and death through a series of visually stunning animated essays.

Mexican-Lebanese actress Salma Hayek spearheaded production of “The Prophet,” which is based on Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran’s 1923 collection of 26 poems about the questions of life. Director Roger Allers (“The Lion King”) and nine international animators carefully weave eight selected essays into a cinematic experience.

“The Prophet” retells its prose through Almitra, voiced by Quvenzhané Wallis, a young girl shocked into selective silence by her father’s death. Mustafa, voiced

by Liam Neeson, is a foreign poet and political prisoner under house arrest.

Almitra runs around town, stealing goods from the market and skipping school to the chagrin of her mother, Kamila, voiced by Hayek. Mustafa befriends Almitra after Kamila, his housekeeper, discovers Almitra has followed her to work instead of attending school.

That same day, Mustafa is released on the condition he leave the fictional Lebanese town of Orphalese and reunites with the townsfolk who croon at his reappearance on his way to the port. Halim, Mustafa’s bumbling

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Poster for the Charles B. Wang Center's showing of "The Prophet," on Thursday, Nov. 7.

skinny guard, serves as comic relief in between the sermons of poetry. His repeated tough-man act combined with his head-over-heels feelings for Kamila leads some light-hearted moments. “I have one thing that fills me with fear,” Halim dramatically whispers to Mustafa.

“Expressing feelings of love.”

The film overlooks character building to focus on the breathtaking vignettes that depict Gibran’s poetry.

We only vaguely know why Almitra refuses to speak and is known as the town nuisance or why Mustafa is imprisoned in the first place.

“The Prophet” fails to build a world outside of Gibran’s words, and the little time spent with the main characters makes it hard to really care about their story.

The film also struggles to recognize its audience. Despite the Pixar-esque animations, “The Prophet” deals with heavy-handed issues of authoritarian government and censorship that may be too scary or confusing for a younger audience.

Older audiences may itch for the juvenile dialogue to pass to the next animated essay sequence.

The truly exciting moments arrive when the scene transitions into another fantastical artwork, each time surprising the viewer with a different style.

From Bill Plympton’s pencil sketches in “Eating and Drinking” to Joan Gratz’s flowing claymation in “On Work,” the poems become a feast for the eyes. Not an inch of screen is wasted.

Gabriel Yared’s original score, decorated with original songs by singer-songwriters Damien Rice, Glen Hansard and Lisa Hannigan helps with the modern rehashing of Gibran’s poetry. Their soothing baritone voices elevate the audience to a dreamy, entranced state with the artwork.

“'The Prophet' fails to build a world outside of Gibrans words, and the little time spent with the main characters makes it hard to really care about their story.”

For art-lovers, poetry ponderers and philosophical musers, “The Prophet” is a mustsee ode to the wonders of humanity. Those looking for a casual night in should opt for a Disney film instead.

The Statesman

Arts & Culture

Monday, November 11, 2019

7

A Conversation with composer Simon Taufique on “The Interpreters”

By Melissa Azofeifa Arts and Culture Editor

“The Interpreters” is a documentary that follows the lives of three interpreters in Afghanistan and Iraq. Phillip Morris, Malik and Mujtaba represent over 50,000 local interpreters who helped U.S. soldiers on the ground communicate with locals and gather intel.

The people who agreed to be interpreters were deemed traitors and they accepted this job at great risk to themselves, their families and loved ones.

The risk only grew once coalition forces had fully left the area by the end of 2014.

Conscious of this risk, the U.S. began to offer the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program in 2008. However, it only approves 50 visas per fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30 of the following year.

“It's a story of two very different cultures that are driven by the same impulses, they’re driven by family, they're driven by the connection between people who are all trying to get ahead in their lives to help each other,” Simon Taufique said in a phone interview.

Taufique is the composer for the musical score in this documentary. He is also one of the producers for the film along with Sofian Khan, Andrés Caballero and Mark Steele.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Poster for documentary film "The Interpreters."

Simon Taufique is the composer for the musical score.

Taufique was born in the United Kingdom and moved to the United States with his family, who is from India; he is now based in New York.

Taufique was a student at Stony Brook University in 1987 for “barely a semester,” but he remembers his brief time at Stony Brook fondly.

“It was a great sanctuary for learning and for making great connections,” Taufique said of the university.

Taufique graduated from New York University with a Master’s in Music Technology and is an award-winning composer and film producer. He is a founding partner of the film fund, Atomic Features, and he teaches film production and post production at Studio4, a James Franco-founded acting and filmmaking school in NYC. Taufique used his own experience as an immigrant to figure out the sound of the score for the documentary.“There was a lot of research, but it was also a lot of soul-searching... I emigrated from England but my family is from India, and as immigrants we struggled… I knew how important it was when people helped us and that was very meaningful, so I had to go back to what that felt like when researching the story,” he said.

There are still tens of thousands of interpreters waiting for visas and the number of interpreters actually getting visas is dropping dramatically under the Trump administration, NPR reports. These interpreters took this job under the prom-

ise that they would be safe, and now they feel like they are being abandoned. This documentary is important because it shows how there is still a severe ripple effect from this decade-long war.

“It's a story of two very different cultures that are driven by the same impulses...”

-Simon Taufique

Composer and Producer

“These are universal struggles and regardless of how they pray, who they pray to, what food they eat and what they look like, we're all the same, and the emotions that these people experience are the same emotions that your neighbors here are experiencing and elsewhere, so it's really just about a universal struggle,” Taufique said.

You can watch or stream “The Interpreters,” which premieres on PBS on Monday, Nov. 11 at 10 p.m.

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PUBLIC DOMAIN

A flag collage of Hispanic countries. According to the Census Bureau, 18% of the current U.S. population is Hispanic, and expected to grow to be a little over 28% by 2060.

Ignorance for Hispanic culture will divide us

By Gabby Pardo Opinions Editor

Gabby Pardo is a journalism major and creative writing minor. She is also a U.S. citizen of Hispanic descent.

On Nov. 4, 2019, The New York Times published two news articles about prejudice against Hispanics in the U.S. I was casually scrolling on Twitter and saw both articles tweeted minutes apart by The Times.

One was about a Hispanic student who couldn’t get medicine for himself, while the other was a hate crime against a Hispanic U.S. citizen. My heart sank and I felt disgraced. I never understood why people can be so sinister about someone’s culture.

According to a SurveyMonkey poll, 64% of adults say that racism in the U.S. is a major problem for them.

The biggest motives behind hate crimes in our country stem from race and/or ethnicity.

Our country is divided on what seems like a never-ending list of problems. I’m not saying we can stop racism and prejudice in one day, but people across the U.S. need to be further educated on the facts behind racism and immigration policies, including employees of both public and private companies.

The first article my eyes pondered on earlier this week was about a 20-year-old Puerto Rican student at Purdue University, José A. Guzmán-Payano. He tried buying Mucinex at a CVS Pharmacy near his school when he was asked for identification by an employee. Once he presented his Puerto Rican driver’s license, the CVS employee asked for a visa and claimed he was not from the U.S. I read the article and was fuming even more about how embarrassing it is to live in a country that cannot understand my culture. I’m half Puerto Rican. My grandmother came here from Puerto Rico, later having my mother and uncle in the U.S. Guzmán-Payano came to the U.S. for school and better opportunities.

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, mean-

Corrections

ing that Puerto Ricans are considered U.S. citizens. If the employee was educated on this, none of this would have happened.

The second news story that broke my heart further was a video story

by ABC Eyewitness News but also published in The Times. A Hispanic man, Mahud Villalaz, had battery acid thrown at his face and was harassed outside of a Mexican restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was called “illegal” by the white male attacker and was told that “you came here to invade.”

The most horrifying part of this incident is that the mayor of Milwaukee, believes the crime was triggered by anti-immigrant statements made

by President Donald Trump.

I’m not our President, and cannot change his opinions; however, he has stereotyped Hispanic women by calling Alicia Machado, “Ms. Housekeeping” because of her Hispanic background and “Miss Piggy” because of her weight. And we wonder why hate crimes like this happen.

The number of immigration laws and limits on people from other countries being welcomed here to escape violence — and overall have a better life — are a little excessive.

There is no full certainty if Trump’s comments were the motive, but what happened in Wisconsin is classified as a hate crime.

Villalaz is originally from Peru and is a U.S. citizen. The fact he has to justify himself when getting harrassed is ridiculous. In addition, this incident now causes permanent burn damage to half of his face.

My father immigrated here from Ecuador with his family when he was seven years old. He is a U.S. citizen and works for a government agency.

When I was growing up, my father always told me that my grandparents wanted to come here to have a better life, and so they did.

My father came to the country and grew up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Not knowing any English, he eventually learned it and now speaks it fluently. He graduated high

school and earned a college degree. My family has not had any hate crimes directed towards us, but we should never have to justify who we are nor worry about this happening to us.

The solutions to the two issues reported this week are not enough to end this stereotype of how all Hispanics are considered “illegal.” The CVS store apologized for the situation and retrained their employees. The white man who threw the battery acid was arrested. I understand employers and schools have diversity courses and education, but we need to add even further education about assuming stereotypes and immigration. If employees and students were educated on topics like citizenship and stereotyping from a young age, many situations such as the two that happened earlier this week could have been avoided.

Being Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian as well as having a parent who immigrated here struck a strong chord with me when I read about these issues. I have written previously about being a Hispanic living in a predominantly white community, along with the stereotypical comments I have faced as a Hispanic woman in her 20’s.

18.1% of the U.S. population is Hispanic. This number is expected to grow, with the Census Bureau expecting the population to be a little over 28% by 2060.

I’m not saying Hispanics are the only ones going through hate crimes and immigration stereotypes. All cultures face it, but the only way we can possibly decrease the amount of hate crimes, racism and prejudice we have in this country is by gradually educating people more.

I am a proud U.S. citizen and Hispanic. Just because I have tan skin and curly hair does not automatically make me dangerous or a threat to this country. My culture is growing and prospering. Get used to it.

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Readers can send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com regarding any errors made in articles.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, November 11, 2019

9

Decrease in library funding affects people in impoverished neighborhoods

By Fanni Frankl Contributing Writer

Fanni Frankl is a sophomore journalism major and political science minor.

As I took the latest Twilight book off the shelf of my nearest library at the age of 11, I was filled with an undeniable sense of satisfaction because I was able to continue the series that had left me glued to my seat for weeks. Looking around, I saw countless students doing their homework and waiting for pages to be printed out and I could not help but feel completely at home. I would come here daily to print out work for my classes like the other students or to return books that I pored through at home.

Libraries have been receiving less and less funding every year in the U.S. They provide an educational outlet for children, teens and adults alike and provide free services to people who do not have the money for them. Libraries offer a large array of resources and programs for mind-enriching experiences away from the TV, smartphones and computers. We must do everything we can to support libraries by emphasizing how much economically-disadvantaged adults and children rely on them.

Fewer people every year are using libraries and taking advantage of its resources. Only 44% of Americans visited a local library or bookmobile, a vehicle with an interior designed to resemble a library.

Three years earlier, however, this percentage was higher. Less people are using the library programs and

as a result, funding has decreased since not enough people are taking advantage of them. Some people cannot afford such technologies like laptops or Wi-Fi, especially in the inner cities. It is the city’s responsibility to provide another way for these citizens to get their work done and be successful.

People in impoverished neighborhoods do not have money for tutors or private classes to learn English or take citizenship classes. Libraries play a crucial role in allowing these educational and citizenship classes to be free. It gives them the opportunity to become success-

ful when their neighborhood and social status make it increasingly more difficult.

Impoverished neighborhoods especially benefit from a public institution like this because 62% of those living in households in the lowest income bracket (less than $30,000 per year) use the internet, compared with 90% of those making at least $50,000-$74,999 and 97% of those making more than $75,000. The libraries give these low-income neighborhoods an opportunity to decrease this divide and integrate public access to the internet so the divide between

the rich and poor is not so large.

Children in low-income neighborhoods who are part of the 38% of households who do not use the internet now have an educational environment to succeed.

Programs libraries also offer citizenship and English classes for children and immigrants to receive a free, enriching experience that they may not have access to otherwise.

When I was young, I would go to libraries for arts and crafts and to learn another language with many other children. I also would notice countless flyers advertising

DESHAUN ROBINSON/THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook students studying in Melville Library. Only 44% of Americans visited a local library or bookmobile, a vehicle with an interior designed to resemble a library.

free classes being taught there to teach the elderly how to use the internet and work a computer. Many of these programs will become unavailable if we fail to take advantage of these opportunities and stand up for them. I did not have reliable internet in my home, so the library provided me with the information I needed to do my homework and print school work when I had no other alternative.

“Only 44% of Americans visited a local library or bookmobile, a vehicle with an interior designed to resemble a library.”

Students like me rely on a place like this for themselves and it offers a safety net for students who have a drive to succeed. It is the city’s and the public’s job to make sure that these vital programs remain afloat to ensure that students and people in impoverished neighbors have access to educational programs and technology.

Polls are snapshots, so don't let them mislead your judgement

By Anya Marquardt Contributing Writer

Anya Marquardt is a freshman English education major and journalism minor.

Polls are one of the many ways we have collected data over the years.

Their questions are generally based on a set of interviews and written questions used to determine or predict what people believe, how they feel about something (usually a specific topic, like an advertisement), or how a group of people will react to something. Polls play a very prominent role in the political landscape.

They have been a favorite tool for many politicians, who use polls for everything from feedback on TV commercials and advertisements to policy approval ratings. However, Americans are beginning to distrust polls such as the 2016 election more and more due to their public inaccuracies. Polls are only predictions; there is never a guarantee that they will be accurate, and therefore, we should stop using poll results as much as we do now.

Polls are being used more frequently by political candidates and — by association — political journalism. Journalists often use a candidate’s poll results in their articles about the candidate or the political topic at hand. According to a survey done with registered voters

by The Hill, 52% of voters doubt polls they hear about in the news, with poll usage in the media beginning to push people away from the news instead of towards it. If a

voter doesn’t trust the evidence at hand, the poll is useless.

So why do we see polls as inaccurate? There are many outliers and issues with polls. For instance, many polls are optional; therefore, you often do not get the large and diverse population that you need to have an accurate poll. It is also hard to contact a large enough number of people for an accurate poll. In 2013, 41% of U.S. households had a cell phone but no landline, and this number has been increasing ever since.

Polling companies are suffering due to this because of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, which states that cell phones cannot be autodialed. This makes it incredibly expensive and time-consuming for companies to poll those who do not have landlines. Most of those without landlines have been proven to be younger households and lower income households, which are a large part of the voting population; those who have not been represented by various polls due to these issues have been coined the “silent majority.” The media also has a large influence on polls. New poll results are often posted in newspapers and on websites, which often boosts the popularity of the candidate through name recognition. For example, President Donald Trump was polling at 2% before he announced his candidacy. After he announced his run for president, Trump’shis support immediately jumped to 11% immediately. Just seeing his name in the papers boosted his popularity.

The 2016 presidential election has been seen as one of the most infamous poll inaccuracies in modern history. For months on end, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was leading President Trump in all pre-election polls in the battleground states that ended up determining the presidency, yet Trump came out victorious. Over time, three likely reasons for these inaccuracies have been discovered: later voters, voter turnout increases and an underestimated number of Trump supporters because undecided voters decided to vote for

President Trump in the days leading up to his candidacy, after polls were taken and released. Turnout for Trump’s supporters also turned out to be higher than originally predicted, which led to him winning many of the battleground states that Clinton had been predicted to win in pre-election polls.

These polls had underestimated the amount of supporters that Trump had, which included many states that were extremely important to the election results, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. It has become very hard to trust polls

when they very poorly predicted the results of the most recent presidential election.

Overall, polls are losing their prominence in the media for these reasons. Polls are predictions of the future, and unfortunately, we can’t predict the future as well as we would like to. Our dependence on wpolls has led to many errors and shocks in large elections, such as the 2016 election.

If we loosen our grip on polls, we may have less surprises in the future when it comes to prominent elections.

GO DIGITAL/FLICKR VIA CC BY SA 2.0

A increasing line with the rotunda of the U.S. Capital. According to a survey done with registered voters by The Hill, 52% of voters doubt polls they hear about in the news.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, November 11, 2019

10

Shows like “The Politician” educate viewers on pressing issues through satire

By Xenia Gonikberg Contributing Writer

Xenia Gonikberg is a freshman journalism major.

Unlike your typical sitcom or teenage drama, the Netflix original series, “The Politician” — produced

by Gwyneth Paltrow — follows a group of students as they navigate the challenges of high school and the contentious elections in the fictional Saint Sebastian High School in Santa Barbara, California. The main character, wealthy Payton Hobart, played

by Ben Platt, is going to become the president of the United States, but in high school, he is focusing his attention on running for student body president and getting accepted to Harvard University.

While there are elements of high school drama, like cliques and bullying, it also provides insight into the mind of a politician in Capitol Hill, a residential area in Washington D.C. After watching this show, I think that it’s not only suspenseful, but it also provides a satirical yet realistic look at politics in the U.S. The show uses humor to comment on the socioeconomic and racial boundaries that are in place in government by creating characters that are diverse in terms of race and sexuality. It also addresses issues like mental illness in a realistic way, with many students dealing with things like depression, anxiety and addiction.

If anything, this show is a commentary on how politicians are so focused on their own goals that they fail to see the plight of those around them.

ACROSS 1. Outcome of a sew sew job 5. They bring in the paper 13. Ceramic soup cooker 14. Who a cop detains 15. Submarine maker 16. Pennsylvanian football team 17. Church helper 19. Schooling fish in an aquarium 20. Playpen for piggies 21. Protection 23. Cell phone card 24. Alcohol suffix 25. “__ apple a day…”

26. Something to pick with someone 27. Hedgehog alike, from Madagascar 31. Father of macroeconomics to most 33. Corporate top, abv.

34. Tasty constant 36. First word of the constitution 37. To play in a play 38. One not meant for college 40. “I’m the __” - The Killers 43. Cut 45. Subject to change?

47. Nutella ingredient 49. No good 50. What a hard worker puts in 51. Japanese soup 52. Writers’ aliases 53. Hammer back

Politics is a very ruthless field, and “The Politician” exemplifies this in every aspect. It moves the focus away from adults and to teenagers. Many of the campaign promises that Payton and his rival, Astrid — one of the few other wealthy students at Saint Sebastian — mirrors the promises politicians typically make to get votes.

At first, Payton is willing to sacrifice his relationships in a bid for the presidency. However, after the suicide of River Barclay — Payton’s love interest and Astrid’s

“ . . . it also provides insight into the mind of a politician in Capitol Hill, a residential area in Washington D.C.” ex-boyfriend — Payton begins to question his motives and starts to advocate for things that the students want. Throughout the series, sexuality and race are prevalent, but in a way that doesn’t stigmatize or stereotype. For one thing, many of the central characters on the show showcase various sexualities and gender identity, like Payton’s running mate McAfee Westbrook, who is openly gay, DOWN 1. Pops?

2. Vote into office 3. Metal mix 4. It has letters 5. Hindu hierarchy 6. Daniel ___, Nicaragua’s President 7. Before, when before the rest of a word 8. Throws for power over accuracy 9. Small island 10. Big name in hats, 11. French meatloaf equivalent 12. Some seeds famous in Asian cooking 18. Connecticut ivy 22. What a pen brings to paper 24. An ugly mythical brute 26. “See ya!”

27. Café for a kettle 28. Territory that’s separate from the rest, French guiana e.g.

29. A redditor’s role on the web 30. Brain for a computer 32. Some female sheep 35. Bury 38. A change in your math?

39. Things in your bib.

40. What you see in the dark 41. Come up 42. Synthetic fabric 44. European large hadron collider org.

46. A new guy at work who may not last 48. Matchstick game

and Skye Leighton, who is gender non-conforming. Even Payton’s sexuality is questioned throughout the series, with him hooking up with Barclay in the first episode but later getting into a heterosexual relationship. The show does a really great job of highlighting different classes, races, sexual orientations and abilities, which creates a much more accurate picture of modern America.

The show is very liberal. Its characters are used to comment on privilege and wealth inequality. “‘The Politician’ shows that all people from all walks of life struggle with the same issues of identity, authenticity and proving themselves,” Ryan Murphy, the show’s creator, said to BBC. My own personal feelings arose as I was watching this show. Most of the time it is meant to be satirical, but at the same time, they do cover a lot of real-world problems, which I really admire. Even the spoiled rich kids on the show had many layers to them, and as I kept watching, I kept wanting to know more.

Everybody had a story to tell, which was why I was so drawn to the show. It is well-written, but it also has a variety of perspectives on the show, which is why the audience connects to it.

Some aspects of this show can be compared to other Netflix shows like “House of Cards,” “Scandal” and “Dear White People.” I feel like this is a show that everybody should watch because of its satirical viewpoint of high school and its political themes. This show, in its comparison of high school

By Owen Lewars

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Poster for “The Politician,” starring Ben Platt. The show follows a group of students through school elections. elections to Washington politics, displays an incredibly nuanced view of reality and the problems with society.

More shows like “The Politician” need to be created because

they help educate viewers on topics like mental health through a comedic lens, which helps the audience make connections between their own experiences and those of the characters.

The answer key will be shared next week.

SPORTS

Stony Brook briefly flirts with upset at No. 12 Seton Hall

By Ethan Tam

Assistant Sports Editor

For three-fourths of the way, the Stony Brook men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with one of the best squads in the nation. The Seawolves looked to make ripples in the college basketball world, going up by six late in the first half against the No. 12 Seton Hall Pirates on Saturday, Nov. 9, but the upset alert faded away in the final minutes as Stony Brook fell 74-57 at Walsh Gymnasium to drop to 0-2 on the season.

“We battled with them neck and neck for 35 minutes but couldn't finish the game,” head coach Geno Ford said in a press release. “They were able to continue to make big plays down the stretch and that was the difference. I liked our energy and toughness for the bulk of the game but we shot the ball very poorly from three and that was a major factor in the outcome. All of that being said, there is plenty that we can learn from moving forward.”

The Pirates suffered a big loss early when star senior guard Myles Powell left the game five minutes in with a sprained ankle and did not return; Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said after the game that Powell, the Big East preseason player of the year and AP preseason All-American who averaged 23.1 points and shot 45% last season, could be facing a “prolonged absence.”

It was a slow start out of the gate for Stony Brook, who started the game out 2-for-11 with five turnovers in the first eight minutes. The Pirates went up 16-5 and it initially

looked as if the strength of the Big East opponent would be too much to handle for the young Seawolves.

Not willing to bow down easily, Stony Brook embarked on a 14-2 run soon after. Nine unan-

possession, junior forward Elijah Olaniyi followed with his own long ball to put the Seawolves up by four.

Foreman then drove into the paint for the score to extend the lead to 33-27 with 1:07 remaining in the

Seton Hall came out of the second half strong, going up by four after a 10-0 run put them ahead 3733. Stony Brook missed their first six shots coming out of halftime but remained within striking distance,

EMMA HARRIS / THE STATESMAN

Redshirt-junior guard Makale Foreman dribbles the ball during the Stony Brook Men's Basketball home opener against Yale on Nov. 5. swered points helped them take their first lead in 12 minutes after redshirt-junior guard Makale Foreman sunk a deep three to put the Seawolves up 19-18.

Foreman again put Stony Brook on top with another three giving the team a 28-27 lead. On the ensuing

half. The six-point advantage was Stony Brook’s largest of the afternoon, capping off eight unanswered for the Seawolves. They would enter the half up 33-31 after Pirates junior forward Sandro Mamukelashvili dunked the wide-open inbound pass as time expired.

taking the lead back when Foreman connected from downtown for the fourth time to give the Seawolves a 38-37 lead.

It would be the last time that Stony Brook led all afternoon. The two teams went back and forth for most of the second half, but Seton

Hall’s depth allowed them to overcome the loss of Powell as well as overpower their opposition. Down five, the Seawolves appeared to switch the momentum when redshirt-junior forward Andrew Garcia got the steal and finished with an emphatic dunk to make it a one-possession game again. However, he was called for a technical after hanging on the rim, and Seton Hall took advantage of both the free shot and the extra possession to go up 51-45 with 8:46 left.

Foreman’s jumper cut the deficit to four, but that was the closest that Stony Brook would get. Ford called a timeout at 4:11 to try and halt a 9-2 Seton Hall run that grew their lead to 11, but the Seawolves’ offense sputtered and could not mount the comeback.

Mamukelashvili led all players with 17 points despite missing some time in the second half after he was elbowed in the face. Making his first start for the Seawolves after playing a large role off the bench on Tuesday, Foreman’s 16 outpaced all Seawolves while Olaniyi and junior forward Mouhamadou Gueye both scored 14.

Gueye continued to play a large role on defense, leading the team with seven rebounds while adding in three more blocks. Junior center Jeff Otchere, limited to 17 minutes as he racked up four fouls, recorded four blocks off his own.

Seeking their first victory of the season, the Seawolves return home on Monday, Nov. 11 to take on the Division III Farmingdale State Rams, with tip-off scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Island Federal Credit Union Arena.

Clark powers Seawolves to victory MSOC finishes in last place

By Andrew Zucker Assistant Sports Editor

An early first quarter scoreless streak proved to be a distant memory for Stony Brook Women’s Basketball as the team slowly crept its way to a victory against the Manhattan College Jaspers 59-54 at Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Friday, Nov 8.

The Seawolves (2-0) found the bottom of the net for the first time in the game more than halfway through the first quarter.

With 4:46 left in the first, graduate transfer guard Kaela Hilaire hit redshirt-junior forward Kina Smith with a pass that led to the first bucket.

“We got off to a slow start.

Manhattan did a really good job coming out early and throwing the first punch,” Stony Brook head coach Caroline McCombs said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “We responded to that, and it was a back and forth game, like our previous game, until the fourth quarter.

We were gritty and tough down the stretch getting stops on defense that we needed to, inching our way back to a couple baskets more than them on offense.”

Stony Brook, which grabbed its first lead of the night a little more than halfway through the

third quarter, was led by graduate forward Cheyenne Clark.

Clark produced a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, almost made it a triple-double. She finished the night with six steals, four shy of the triple double.

“We were gritty and tough down the stretch getting stops on defense that we needed to, inching our way back.”

-Caroline McCombs

Women's Basketball Head Coach

“We really focused on Stony Brook basketball on our home court tonight. Having that home advantage was really good for us,” Clark said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “We had to exceed their energy, exceed everything that the [Jaspers]

did. We did a really good job at playing together at both ends of the floor.”

Clark was not the only Stony Brook player who scored double digit points in the victory. Sophomore guard Anastasia Warren chipped in a team high 13 points, including hitting three of her three-point shots, along with two rebounds and assists. Meanwhile, junior guard/forward Hailey Zeise added nine points and eight rebounds as well as a block and two steals.

After the game, Zeise commented on the rough stretch at the beginning of the game. “Tonight, we faced a little bit of adversity, going back and forth, but we got it and that's what it’s all about.”

“You want to protect your home court, and we talked about that before the game. This is our home and we needed to protect home court,” McCombs said. “You want to enjoy a win; we’ll get some rest and start preparing for Hofstra. We’ll evaluate the first two games and see how we need to improve going forward.”

Stony Brook now has five days to rest up and enjoy the victory as they prepare to take on rival Hofstra University Pride on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in the battle for the Island. Tipoff at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex is set for 7 p.m.

By Ross O'Keefe Staff Writer

In the battle to avoid finishing in last place in the America East conference standings, Stony Brook was dominated as they lost 4-1 on the road to the UMBC Retrievers on Wednesday, Nov. 6 and conceded twice as many shots as they took. The loss ended the Seawolves’ season with a record of 4-11-2 (1-6 AE), one point behind the Retrievers for eighth in the conference.

This game had absolutely no playoff implications whatsoever as both teams had been eliminated from America East postseason contention, but UMBC did not play that way. The Retrievers put on a playoff performance by sending 20 shots to the Seawolves’ nine, with almost more shots on goal with seven than Stony Brook had shots at all.

The scoring started in the 15th minute for UMBC and they never looked back. The Retrievers would score a pair of goals in the first half, in the 15th and 26th minutes, with no response from the Seawolves until the 85th minute, when the game had already been decided. UMBC senior forward Tre Pulliam scored a pair of second-half goals in a span of two minutes as the Re-

trievers put the Seawolves away for good. Sophomore midfielder/ striker Jack Valderrabano would score Stony Brook’s lone goal in the 85th minute.

Following the loss, head coach Ryan Anatol’s overall record falls to .500 at 62-62-22. He is currently the sixth coach in the history of the Stony Brook men’s soccer program to be .500 or below.

Anatol will be busy preparing for next season, as Stony Brook has several holes to fill in the offseason. The team will graduate leading scorer and Second-Team All-Conference striker Jarred Dass, as well as defenders Mark Irvine, Gustavo Fernandes and Arni Jakobsson.

The Seawolves were forced to watch the America East Quarterfinals at home, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. On Saturday, Nov. 9, No. 3 seed Hartford defeated No. 6 seed Binghamton while No. 4 seed UAlbany fell to No. 5 seed UMass Lowell. The America East Semifinals kick off next week on Wednesday, Nov. 13, with No. 1 New Hampshire hosting UMass Lowell and No. 2 Vermont hosting Hartford. The America East title game will take play either Saturday, Nov. 16 or Sunday, Nov. 17 with the highest remaining seed hosting.

Sports

The Statesman

Monday, November 11, 2019

12

Seawolves hold off Hartford 2-1 to win the 2019 A.E. Championship

By Ryan Magill Staff Writer

In a season that easily could have been considered a turnaround year for a team with a new head coach following a first round exit in the playoffs, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team capped off an unforgettable season as the 2019 America East champions following a 2-1 victory over the Hartford Hawks.

The Seawolves thoroughly controlled the first half of play, outdoing the Hawks in nearly every

category. The Seawolves earned five shots to the Hawks two, also leading four to one on shots on goal, six to zero on corners, and 56% to 44% on first half possession.

The Seawolves also had the ball on Harftord’s side of the field for 70% of their first half possessions.

Their dominant first half was highlighted by the first goal of the game in the 28th minute. Coming off an assist from freshman midfielder Paula Petri, junior forward Erin O’Connor fired an attempted pass from outside the box that bounced over Hartford

SARA RUBERG / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook women's soccer team after winning the 2019 America East championship on Sunday, Nov. 10.

junior goalkeeper Maia Perez’s head for the goal.

The Hawks came out of halftime strong with the first three corners and the first two shots of the second half.

The Seawolves stretched their lead to two in the 72nd minute as junior forward Fanny Götesson sealed the game with her sixth goal on the season, off of fellow junior forward Alyssa Francese’s first assist of the season and her 24th point accounted for.

Hartford finally answered back in the 81st off a goal from Hawks redshirt-senior midfielder Molly Socha that barely got by the Seawolves’ junior goalkeeper Sofia Manner.

Hartford led the game in shots and corners with 13 and eight respectively, but it was the Seawolves’ ability to put seven of their nine shots on goal that made the difference in the end. Despite a heroic five save performance from Perez, the Seawolves pulled through for the win.

“We won,” Stony Brook head coach Tobias Bischof said during a postgame interview with The Statesman. “The plan was at the beginning of the year when we prepared for preseason, through preseason, the first non-conference game, trying to figure out who the team is, what the team is and what we can do. The goal always was playing this game today.

It’s good for the team and I am happy for the team. I am proud of the team that we found a way to get here. Winning in this is absolutely awesome.”

O’Connor, Götesson, senior defender Francesca Lee and junior midfielder Chelsie DePonte were named to the 2019 All-Championship Team for their efforts. O’Connor, who found the back of the net only once in the regular season in her first season at Stony Brook after transferring from LIU Post, netted three of the Seawolves’ four goals in the team's two playoff games. For her efforts, O’Connor was named the 2019 America East Championship Most Outstanding Player.

“It's more of a team effort, so I'm just thankful that I have 30 other players behind me to get us where we are today” -Erin O'Connor Junior forward

“I’m just really thankful that we are champs,” O’Connor said in a postgame interview with

The Statesman. “It’s more of a team effort, so I’m just thankful that I have 30 other players behind me to get us where we are today.”

Fellow All-Championship Team member DePonte echoed O’Connor’s sentiments. “Our team worked so hard to get to this point, and it’s so nice to see everything pay off.”

Now, the team prepares for the next big challenge: the NCAA Tournament. The team feels ready for anything they may face.

“One of our goals that we always set in the beginning of the year was winning our first NCAA Tournament game,” Lee stated happily.

“We’re not letting up yet.”

As for who the Seawolves credit for this season, they praise the fans above all else for this season.

Bischof, the man who came in just this year, summarized it best.

“Great fans. Stony Brook is a great university. Great place, great people involved with the program.

The fans are awesome and they give us the energy that we need sometimes to push through even those hard games and especially those hard conference games.”

But for now, the team stands alone on top of the conference. Led in the playoffs by a transfer with one regular season goal, a Stony Brook team that has grown throughout the season has beaten the odds to be crowned champions.

Tigers maul Seawolves despite career night from Anderson

By Andrew Zucker Assistant Sports Editor

After winning every home game last season and a 12-game home win streak spanning parts of the past three seasons, the Stony Brook football team has now lost three straight home games.

Following a 31-14 loss to the Towson University Tigers (6-4, 3-3) at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, the Seawolves (5-5, 2-4) are all but eliminated from the FCS playoffs.

“You’re not going to win when you don’t have the ball for 40 minutes. When you commit 11 penalties, things did not go correctly,” Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore said in a postgame press conference. "We did not play the disciplined football that we should play. Give credit to Towson, they created some of those issues. I’m not disappointed in our effort, but in the execution of what we need to do to be successful.”

Towson controlled the ball for 39:08 and got on the board first with 0:40 remaining in the first quarter after senior kicker Aidan O’Neill drilled a 29-yard field goal. The successful kick made O’Neill the all-time leader in field goals in CAA history.

On the following possession, redshirt-junior quarterback Ty-

quell Fields found redshirt-senior wide receiver Nick Anderson, which resulted in a 71-yard catch by Anderson. Two plays later, Fields was picked off in the end zone by a Towson defender on an under-thrown ball.

Stony Brook was able to stop the Tigers from scoring off the turnover, thanks in part to redshirt-junior rover Augie Contressa, who sacked Towson redshirt-senior QB Tom Flacco for a 12-yard loss. The Contressa sack forced the Tigers to punt, and on the next drive, Fields found Anderson for a 44-yard touchdown, putting Stony Brook up 7-3 with 7:19 left in the second quarter.

But after a quick three and out for the Seawolves, the Tigers owned the remaining time of the quarter, scoring two touchdowns within four minutes of each other, to go into the half with a 17-7 lead over Stony Brook.

“We had a bad seven minutes in a row and the game went from 7-3 us, to 17-7 Towson. That's been our Achilles heel,” Priore said in the press conference.

Although Stony Brook started the second half with the ball, the Tigers were able to score less than three minutes into the third quarter after forcing the Seawolves to punt on the previous drive.

Stony Brook went nearly 20 minutes without a point during

the game. The Seawolves found the end zone for the second — and final — time during the game with 2:27 left in the third.

The two-yard pass from Fields to Anderson was Fields’s 13th touchdown pass of the season.

Anderson had a career night for himself, pulling in eight catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Anderson’s 205 yards were the most receiving yards by a Stony Brook player since 2012, when Kevin Norrell pulled down 214 yards against Charleston Southern on Oct. 6.

It was also only the fifth time in program history that a player had a 200-plus yard receiving game.

After the game, Anderson commented on the career day, “Take the fact that we had so many opportunities, that’s a good thing. We had an opportunity to make plays, and we made them at certain times. The end result was not what we wanted, but there’s a confidence factor in know that explosive plays were made today. Scoreboard did not reflect those plays.”

Fields’s night ended with mixed results. Completing only 13 of his 35 passes, he threw two touchdown passes and as well as three interceptions for a total of 241 yards. He also was the lone Seawolf to rush for more than 40

you could pick it up on the way to class... ...but sometimes that’s just too much effort.

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yards, finishing with 77 yards on only seven carries.

Defensively, the Seawolves consistently pressured Towson, and even sacked Flacco five times for a total loss of 31 yards. Redshirt-senior defensive back Synceir Malone and redshirt-sophomore linebacker Reidgee Dimanche led the defense, gathering 14 and 13 total tackles, respectively.

During the course of the game, redshirt-sophomore tight end

Anthony Del Negro managed to block a Towson punt, which was recovered by redshirt-freshman linebacker Souleymane Camara.

The blocked punt placed the Seawolves in an excellent field position that led to the second Fields to Anderson touchdown.

Stony Brook heads to Newark, Delaware next Saturday, Nov. 16 to face the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens. The Blue Hens (4-6, 2-4) will be celebrating Senior Day, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

EMMA HARRIS / THE STATESMAN

Redshirt-senior wide receiver Nick Anderson runs downfield during Saturday's home game against Towson.