The Statesman 11-18-19 by The Statesman

Volume LXIII, Issue 12

sbstatesman.com

Monday, November 18, 2019

2 19 USG judicial branch removed in campus vote

By Maya Brown and Sherin Samuel

Assistant News Editor and Contributing Writer

Stony Brook University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) is eliminating its judicial branch in a constitutional referendum that was passed on Friday, Nov. 15, with 324 “Yes” votes from students. In the USG Constitutional Referendum Cheat Sheet, USG argues that removing the judiciary branch will improve “operational efficiency, cost-benefit of payroll, lack of constitutional checks/balances for accountability, and legal liability issues of hearing cases and FERPA laws.” “The judiciary has no formal application process and there was no procedure to keep them accountable,” Shaheer Khan, senior political science major and USG president, said. Unlike the legislative and executive branches, which consist of elected positions, judiciary members are nominated by the president and approved by the senate. Although the terms of the legislative and executive branches finish

AMAYA MCDONALD / THE STATESMAN

L’afrique Dance Team performs at the 19th annual Multicultural Show and Food Tasting event. Students, faculty and cultural clubs and organizations gathered in SAC Ballrooom A on Thursday, Nov. 14. at the end of the spring semester, judiciary members continue in their positions until “the end of the second subsequent academic year” after their initial appointment. According to the rough draft of the constitution,

USG said the judiciary is seen as “highly concentrated power.” Andrew Machkasov, a former USG senator who graduated in May, argued against this point. “The key is to make the judiciary independent of the politicization

of the elections,” he said. “The fact that they’re independent and not up for reappointment every year makes them more impartial since they won’t be likely to shift their vote in exchange for reappointment.”

According to the old version of the constitution, the duties and responsibilities of the judiciary branch include jurisdiction over the impeachment of

in USG, hears cases involving USG from students and helps to oversee club constitutions. “I think one of the biggest concerns people have about USG is that we're too bureaucratic,” Shaheer Khan, senior political science major and president of USG, said. “And we're adding extra steps for students to kind of get their services. We're trying to find a way that makes it more accessible, and less, you know, burdensome on students.” Impeachment oversight under the amended constitution requires support from three-quarters of the executive council and three-quarters of the senate, as compared to twothirds of the senate and three-quarters of the judiciary under the previous constitution. Oversight of club constitutions now entirely falls to the Department of Student Engagement and Activities. As far as student cases go, footnote 208 in the rough draft of the proposed constitution claims that USG has “historically had issues of violating University policies to … hear cases involving certain circumstances such as Title IX issues or [HIPAA]

laws. These can be taken care of by the University administration, and removing USG’s role in such provides us safety from legal liability.” Khan said that those types of cases should fall to professional staff members, such as the Title IX office or an administrator. Data from the New York State Education Department released last August showed that out of 24 reports of sexual misconduct, domestic violence and other related incidents filed with the university’s Title IX office, only two resulted in some form of sanctions for the respondent, and none resulted in expulsion or suspension. He explained that more specific Title IX language will be added when USG writes an operation manual. “So every student-assembled student association, undergraduate student government is obligated by SUNY Chancellor guidelines to have an operation manual,” he said. “USG doesn't have one, but we will draft one and within that operation manual will have a more detailed Title IX language.”

By Alek Lewis

Takeback Day; the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated that 9.9 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. Takeback Day is an opportunity to safely dispose of drugs that may be used by other members in a household for abuse, according to their website. The last National Take Back Day on Oct. 26 collected 882,919 pounds of drugs across the country.

Continued on page 4

Referendum passes revised USG constitution SBU "Sheds the Meds"

By Brianne Ledda News Editor

Proposed changes to Stony Brook University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) constitution were approved on Friday, Nov. 15, effective immediately. The referendum, which opened on Monday, Nov. 11 at noon, was passed with 73%, or 324 votes. Twenty-seven percent, or 119 students, voted “No.” At 443 votes, less than 3% of the student body voted in the referendum. A campus-wide email announcing the referendum and elections for freshman and senior class senators was sent on Saturday, Nov. 9. The email included a link to a Google Drive folder with an annotated draft with the proposed changes, a final draft of the new constitution and a document describing major changes, in addition to the current constitution. There are more than 250 footnotes denoting changes, but the most significant change to the constitution is the removal of the judiciary, which oversees impeachments with-

Continued on page 6

Contributing Writer

Stony Brook University hosted a pharmaceutical take back effort on Wednesday, Nov. 13 to help the Stony Brook community safely dispose of old and unused pharmaceuticals using an “environmentally supportive” incineration process. Organized by SBU Student Health, Wellness and Prevention Services and the Suffolk County Police Sheriff Department’s prescription drug take back program “Shed the Meds,” sheriff’s deputies and members of those organizations collected old medications and sunscreens at the Student Activities Center (SAC) lobby kiosk from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. At the end of the three hours, the Sheriff's Department collected 82 pounds of old medications and waste to dispose. Last April, the same event disposed of 62 pounds of medication. The event took place on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s biannual National Prescription Drug

“I think [the collection is] important for the campus community and the outside community." -Suzanne Sciortino

Peer Health educator at CHILL

Continued on page 6

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NEWS

USG argues removal of judiciary will improve lack of checks and balances Continued from page 1

members of the legislative and executive branches. The new constitution delegates impeachment procedures to the legislative and executive branches. Machkasov said that the argument that there is not a sufficient check on the judiciary does not mean that there should be no judiciary. Rather, he argued, there should be better checks on the judiciary. In a Facebook post, Machkasov wrote, “There are plenty of checks: the Justices are appointed by the President (check by Executive), confirmed by 2/3 of the Senate (check by Senate), and can be impeached and removed from office by a 3/4 vote of the Senate (final check after the members are in office). The judiciary itself serves, by virtue of being a non-elected entity, as a last-resort check on the elected officials.” He argued that the checks and balances were in place to ensure that everyone is doing their job properly. “If they [the legislative and executive branches] are effective at checking each other, the judiciary won’t need to intervene, but the past year [has] taught me that the third branch is very needed,” he said. During his tenure last year, Machkasov sued to overturn a senate confirmation of former Chief Justice Aravinth Pushparaj after he went more than a year in office without confirmation. The USG constitution at the time required the chief justice to be confirmed within the academic year they were appointed. The USG judiciary unanimously voted to remove Pushparaj from his position in April. Khan said that eliminating the judiciary branch doesn’t mean that USG goes unchecked. He pointed out that they have several professional staff members “making sure that we’re doing what’s right and accountable.” Additionally, he argued that cutting the judiciary branch will save costs. According to Khan, running the judiciary branch costs more than $10,000 per academic year. “Since they were at an ad-hoc basis, there was no functional work,” he said. “There is no reason for people to be on payroll. We want to use our time and the student activity fee more responsibility.” He believes the money can be used instead for funding additional clubs and USG-hosted events on campus, equating the branch’s administration fees to the cost of First Night Out. All judiciary members were required to hold at least two office hours — defined as any tasks in accordance with an active brief filed with the Supreme Court — per week. The chief justice were required to hold at least four. Like the executive council and senate, they were paid a stipend for completed office hours. They were not paid for more than the minimum hours required. Justin Ullman, junior economics and political science major and vice president of Academic Affairs in USG, said that the executive council sat down with members from

GARY GHAYRAT / THE STATESMAN

Undergraduate Student Government President, Shaheer Khan, speaks to town hall attendees about the constituional referendum. The town hall was held on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Frey Hall room 102. the judiciary branch to talk about the role that they’ve had in the previous years. “[We] talked about how, number one, they haven’t had much work to do; number two, there is no system of checks to make sure that they complete that work and number three, the work that they’re supposedly completing they’re getting paid for,” Ullman said. He added that the creation of the judiciary branch was solely because USG was attempting to mimic the structure of the U.S. federal government’s system of checks and balances. “[So] they added the judiciary, but nobody added checks and balances on the judiciary, only the other way around,” Ullman said. According to the old version of the constitution, the associate justices of the judiciary were responsible for reviewing club constitutions to ensure that they are following all legally binding documents of USG. In the rough draft of the current constitution, an endnote reads, “In practice, the USG Judiciary does not regularly view compliance of clubs to their constitutions. The Department of Student Engagement & Activities does.” Since the new constitution was approved, it will solely be the responsibility of the Department of Student Engagement & Activities. Isaiah Momplaisir, a senior chemistry major and associate justice, explained that though it is not explicitly stated in the constitution, over time the judiciary branch began checking club constitutions after the Department of Student Engagement & Activities finished looking over a club’s constitution. Stony Brook graduate Thor Hawrey, who was an associate justice last year, said that in his first year on the court in 2017-

2018, they were reviewing “dozens of constitutions.” “So when I was on the court for the first year, we reviewed dozens of constitutions that year. There was actually work to be done, we were able to fill the required time each week, you know, the required office hours,” Hawrey said. Things didn’t change until last year. “There was some weird issue where we weren’t getting constitutions, but we knew, especially myself, I knew that there were clubs that wanted to be recognized. So I know that there wasn’t a lack of constitutions, there was just some weird break in the chain where it wasn’t being handed to the judiciary,” he said. Momplaisir said that it would be more sensible if justices were solely paid for the cases they were working on. Although he said that he understands there needs to be judicial reform, Momplaisir said he was “blindsided” by the Executive Council’s idea to get rid of the judiciary as a whole. He said he wasn’t informed that they were thinking of getting rid of it completely until a Sept. 25 executive council meeting. Momplaisir thought that he was going into the meeting to talk about what the judicial branch was going to look like in the future; he was shocked when he found out it was the opposite. “In my mind, we’re going to have a conversation … [but] one person had already looked at the constitution and removed every time the judiciary was mentioned, and other people were already discussing what USG would look like without the judiciary,” Momplaisir said. Hawrey said that during the two years he played a role in the court, “there was no real effort to make the judiciary a better organization, a better branch, and some of the push-

back came from the EC [executive council] itself.” Momplaisir pointed out that the decision will interfere with the student government’s system of checks and balances. When Momplaisir voiced his concern at the meeting, “they said that they can just check each other anyways, but like, y’all are so close … you are significantly closer than we are, so it definitely wouldn’t be the same unbiased level.” The Senate and the executive branch would meet on a regular basis, while the judiciary branch intentionally stayed outside those meetings in an effort to remain unbiased, according to Momplaisir. Hawrey emphasized that the judiciary would also be responsible for making sure that amendments and elections are fair — eliminating the branch means that “USG won’t be held accountable.” Hawrey argued that the branch is underutilized by students because it is not effectively marketed the same way as the executive and legislative branches. “Students don’t know that they have the resources of the Supreme Court to go to arbitrate issues that they have with their clubs constitutions,” Hawrey said. He also criticized the USG marketing team for encouraging students to vote yes in the referendum on Facebook. “The USG marketing team is supporting a yes vote for the amendments, which is bizarre … a body that is holding elections should not try and sway voters to vote a certain way,” he said, calling the referendum a real “power grab.” Hawrey further emphasized that it is a “huge problem” for all the different amendments to be conjoined into one vote. “There are some changes in there that are definitely needed and that

the students will want, but they have to juggle that with the really bad stuff,” he said. In contrast to Hawrey and Momplaisir, however, former judiciary member and senior political science and economics major, Eric Wagner, said that he agreed with the proposed change to get rid of the judiciary. “We considered several reforms, but after a while it became clear that the judiciary itself has fundamental issues that couldn’t be fixed,” he said. According to Wagner, who is currently a USG senator, judicial appointments are currently two years long “to serve as a check and keep them from being removed for ruling against the other two branches, but it also means that inactive Justices get to stay on there without any recourse and pick up a $100 payroll check every two weeks.” He added that Justices aren’t “uniquely” equipped to hear student cases either, since they don’t have law degrees and many don’t have background knowledge on how USG functions. He said that last year, when he was confirmed as a Justice, other people were confirmed who hadn’t read the constitution yet. “There is no reason to give those people unchecked power over the two elected branches when they have no way to demonstrate they’re more qualified to interpret the Constitution,” he said. Additionally, the separation between the judiciary branch and other branches makes it harder to communicate, he said. “This was the case last year when the judiciary couldn’t approve club constitutions in a timely manner and couldn’t get the case decided early enough.” Khan said he has been working on the constitutional referendum since he took office, and USG has been working collectively on it for the past five to six months. Brianne Ledda contributed to the reporting.

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News

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Monday, November 18, 2019

Recently approved USG constitution carries 264 changes into effect Continued from page 1 SUNY guidelines require student government associations (SGAs) to have “up-to-date comprehensive policies and procedures manual. The manual must specifically address the budget certification process, budget changes, procurement and disbursements, a system of bidding and quotes for purchases over a specified dollar amount, travel reimbursement requirements, cash receipt controls, inventory management, and governance requirements,” according to the website. The “Campus President or designee” is required to annually review the SGA’s policies and procedures, in addition to the SUNY Guidelines, with the SGA’s executive officers to make sure there is “proper understanding of the internal control procedures and requirements enumerated in the SUNY Guidelines.” It’s recommended that the SGA develop an employee handbook or manual for its employees on policies and procedures, according to the website. Besides removing the judiciary branch, the new constitution also significantly changes election procedures. Candidates running for office within USG need to win an “excess of votes … for the respective position over those cast for any other candidate.” Previously, candidates needed to receive 50% plus one vote in order to win. If no candidate won that minimum, a runoff election would be held. Additionally, the number of senate positions is increasing from 23 to 25 — 23 at-large senators and representatives for CSA and RHA — in order to gain “broader representation of the student body as a whole.” The previous constitution allowed one representative for every “1,000 members of the undergraduate student body of the University in the following Colleges, Schools and collection of Colleges and Schools.” The document goes on to list the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Business; the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences; the School of Health Technology and Management; the School

of Nursing; the School of Social Welfare; the School of Journalism; and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. The proposed voting system with mostly “at-large” senators is meant to allow for “broader representation of the student body as a whole, especially for schools which do not meet the 1,000 student mark such as the School of Journalism and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences,” according to footnote 130 in the edited constitution. The same footnote claims that there’s no system to check the number of students enrolled in each college each year. The Stony Brook University Fact Book publishes school enrollment for each college every semester. “In practice, USG Senators do not make policies benefiting only their academic college or represent specific interests of the academic college, so we see little reason to restrict voting based on that category,” footnote 130 in the rough draft document reads. “At-large voting, alternatively, allows proportionate representation of the voters since everyone could vote for every candidate, rather than some positions requiring under 50 votes to win a seat while others may require several hundred.” Khan said that the change would make “the votes of everybody on this campus equitable.” Students in larger schools and colleges at the university are able to vote for more senators; Khan pointed out, for instance, that some might be able to vote for 10 senators while others might be limited to only three. “That's a huge disparity right there, your voice counts three times more,” he said. “But now with everything being at-large senators, even though you're not voting for somebody who's in your college, this makes students or people run for senators to advocate for every single student regardless of what major they are a part of.” Former College of Arts and Sciences senator Andrew Machkasov, who graduated in May, wrote over Facebook Messenger that “the goal behind the [previous] system isn’t to limit which students a college-specific Senator advocates for, but rather to

set a baseline of what they should be doing at a minimum.” So for instance, a CAS senator should make an effort to be involved in “CAS shared governance, such as the Arts and Sciences Senate, the CAS Dean’s Advisory Council, the CAS curriculum committee, and more, while communicating between those bodies and students in the college,” he said. Under the new constitution, students will also vote for class senators based on their year, rather than their current academic credit standing, as they did previously. Class senators used to be determined based on academic credit standing. “That's not representative of who you are. So, by eliminating that structure as well voting for a class, you're able to vote directly for who you want. It's a more successful method of voting,” Khan said. The president also now has the power to appoint a person to fill vacated senate seats within two weeks of the original senator’s departure. The appointed replacement needs to be approved by a three-fourths majority of the executive council, and win a twothirds majority vote in the senate. In the previous constitution, a special election would be held to fill senate positions vacated before Oct. 31. The Election Board, an independent agency within USG that oversees elections, now has the added responsibility to ensure that “elections for all clubs, organizations, and entities funded by the USG whose line budgets exceed a minimum of $10,000 function properly and fairly, in accordance with the [USG] Constitution and the respective organization’s constitution.” According to footnote 229, this is maintained in practice because it’s in the USG Code, but it’s not currently in the constitution. This responsibility is also laid out under the Elections Board’s jurisdiction in the Spring 2019 Elections bylaws. Additionally, the new constitution eliminates the minimum number of office hours that executive council voting members are required to hold per week. In the previous version, they were required to hold a minimum of 15 office hours per week, for

which they were paid. Now, the stipulation simply reads that they are required to hold office hours. So long as they’re fulfilling “their respective duties and responsibilities,” voting members of the executive council will receive a flat stipend for “duties completed,” rather than hours. Khan said that this would lower the cost of payroll. “This is to make us legally compliant with New York State labor laws and compensation purposes, since many students work over the constitutionally obligated number of hours, despite extra hours of work being unpaid,” an endnote read. Senator terms now begin immediately after the end of the spring academic semester, rather than the summer. Terms end with the spring semester in both constitutions. Khan said that money would be allocated to clubs and initiatives before it is allocated to payroll. “We don't have the numbers yet, because we don't know how many people we're going to hire next year. But once we have a running list, we'll be able to provide a more accurate stipend,” he said. The process to pass constitutional amendments was relaxed as well. In the previous constitution, an amendment referendum requires either a two-thirds majority from the executive council and senate or a petition with signatures from one-third of the undergraduate student body. The new constitution changes the second condition to a petition with signatures from one-tenth of USG members, which Khan said is now defined as any student who pays student activity fees. Language throughout the new constitution is changed to clarify that, although USG provides funding to clubs, it “does not acknowledge organizations.” It now automatically recognizes clubs and organizations with constitutions recognized by the Department of Student Engagement & Activities. Despite social media posts from USG members this week and the email sent out Saturday, the proposed changes were not well publicized among students. Twenty out of 21 students randomly interviewed by The Statesman around the Frank Melville Jr.

Memorial Library and the SAC did not know about the referendum. One student said they saw the email. Statistics from Student Engagement and Activities show that out of the 17,583 emails sent, 9,040 were opened and 126 people clicked on the links. Rhea Manjrekar, a junior computer engineering major, said she didn’t know about the referendum and she didn’t plan to vote. “I don’t want to vote for a policy or someone that I don’t necessarily believe is going to happen,” Manjerkar said. Thor Hawrey, a Stony Brook graduate and former USG associate justice, called the referendum “sad.” He criticized lumping all the amendments together as a package. “Students are forced into sacrificing a whole branch of the student government which is designed to serve them and keep the rest of USG accountable (and so far has been the only branch which has done so effectively – see last semester’s Supreme Court decision) for other incredibly important changes such as improved language furthering equal opportunity,” he wrote via email. He added that students should be given at least a semester to review the changes. “In order for students to fully review and pass judgment on the changes, USG is currently requiring them to put classes, classwork, personal health, and sleep on hold,” he said. “Simply not enough time or notice was given to the students to make this a fair referendum.” Hawrey went on to say that the proposed changes had flaws that would impact students’ vote. “USG badly needs some changes to its Constitution and I personally like some of the changes,” he said. “Unfortunately, these good and useful amendments are packaged with absolutely terrible and corrupt amendments such as the abolition of the Supreme Court. What’s worse is that students cannot individually vote for amendments. They have to vote on all of them as a package. I find this to be incredibly concerning.” Maya Brown, Samantha Robinson, Taylor Beglane and Sara Ruberg contributed to the reporting.

Pharmaceutical take back effort collects 82 pounds of old medications Continued from page 1 Supporting the event on location were members of the Stony Brook community, such as Suffolk County’s Fifth District Legislator Kara Hahn and the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Richard Gatteau. The event was sponsored by the Student Health Advisory Committee. “The sheriff's office disposes of the collected medications — put it in the box, no questions, [and] they dispose of it in an environmentally supportive way,” Kathleen Valerio, Stony Brook University health educator and event organizer, said. Sher-

iff police cars were parked in front of the SAC to provide a safe trip back to the sheriff’s office, where everything collected is incinerated in a process which does not release carcinogens in the air, Valerio said. Suffolk County sheriff's deputies in attendance were unable to comment. “This year, as we have in the last four collections, we are focused on raising awareness of the harm being done to our environment because of inappropriately disposed — not only over the counter pharmaceuticals — but also of products that contain ingredients that harm our environment,” Valerio said.

According to DisposeMyMeds. org, the pharmaceuticals detected in the environment could be impacting water, affecting drinking water and aquatic organisms. Valerio said the event is meant to help raise awareness to certain sunscreens that are currently on the market that contain two chemicals, oxybenzone and octinoxate, that damage coral reefs and have negative effects on skin. Suzanne Sciortino, a senior business major and Peer Health educator at CHILL, was on staff at the event to help collect pharmaceuticals with the Sheriff’s Department. “I think [the collection is] important for the campus community and the outside community. Long

Island is known for its opioid epidemic, so with any drug and we are plugging sunscreen too, it's good to help the community realize there are ways to dispose of the medicine,” she said. ”It helps the students realize we take this issue seriously, and there's ways they can get rid of what they have.” According to the New York State County Opioid Quarterly Report, 641 deaths related to opioids or heroin overdoses were reported in 2018. Student Health Services Pharmacist, Edward Eschmann, said that part of the opioid epidemic could be a result of the use of prescription drugs after the intended medicinal purposes.

“Once you get past [the intended use], you shouldn’t be holding onto that medication for someone else to be going into your medicine cabinet,” Eschmann said. “We don’t want non-medical professionals giving their meds to other people, then they suddenly become the doctors. It’s important, we gotta get them off the street and work with your medical professional when you are taking drugs.” In addition to events like these and “Shed the Meds,” the Food and Drug Administration's website has information regarding their recommended process for drug disposal. The next campus take back event is scheduled for April 22, 2020, Valerio said.

NO SENIORS, NO PROBLEM FOR NEW-LOOK SEAWOLVES

BASKETBALL

Youth is in the Stony Brook Seawolves’ blood entering the 2019-20 season, and they know it. This is a team with zero seniors on the roster after graduating just one last year. Nine juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen will be counted on to lead Stony Brook through the America East as they seek their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, looking to ensure that 2016 isn’t the only banner hung up in the rafters of Island Federal Arena. The Seawolves will have to do it all with a first-year head coach. Geno Ford was promoted in March after serving as the associate head coach since 2016. The decision to opt for continuity stands in contrast to the team’s last coaching change, when former head coach Jeff Boals was brought in from Ohio State instead of appointing 11year Stony Brook assistant Jay Young to the position. “The leadership is really a big key,” Ford said. “This is the first year I’ve ever been in coaching and not had a senior in the locker room. It’s an odd feeling.” Stony Brook returns a number of key players from a squad that finished in second place in the America East last year, the program’s eighth top-two regular season finish in the last 10 seasons. Junior forward Elijah Olaniyi, the 2017-18 America East Rookie of the Year, took huge strides last season and leads all returning players having averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting at a 43% clip. “Leadership’s nothing that I’ve shied away from in the past,” Olaniyi said. “So even last year, with one senior, I was still looked to as a leader on the team. It’s just stepping into a bigger role, which I’m ready for.”

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Last season, the Seawolves lit up the defensive categories, ranking first in the conference in rebounding and blocking. Their offensive numbers were what left something to be desired, finishing last in three-point success rate and second-to-last in overall field goal percentage as the team impressed early with a 12-3 non-conference record before weaknesses began to show. “We’ve made some wholesale changes on the offensive end,” Ford said. “I expect that will have some bumps in November because it’s new, but the hope is in January and beyond that the offense is clicking. We feel like we’ll be a good defensive team and a good rebounding team — we haven’t changed our strategies or gameplanning on that. On defense, we were good enough to win the championship [last year].” Stony Brook’s non-conference slate is certainly tougher than a year ago. Three teams – defending national champions Virginia, Seton Hall and Providence – rank in the top 35 of the KenPom preseason ratings, with Virginia and Seton Hall ranked No. 11 and No. 12 respectively in the preseason AP Poll. North Dakota State and

Yale both reached the NCAA Tournament last season, while a road trip to Nassau County for a “Battle of Long Island” bout with Hofstra is always a difficult draw. “We didn’t put a schedule together where we were like, ‘Let’s try to win 24 games’,” Ford said. “The bottom line is, this schedule was designed so we can be grizzled and a little more of a finished product come February and March. Last year, we didn’t finish the way we wanted.” The Seawolves remember just how close they came last season to a more glorious ending. Having roared back from a double-digit deficit against the Vermont Catamounts, the Seawolves held a second-half lead and looked as if they were about to knock off their America East foes on the road in the hostile battlefield of Burlington’s Patrick Gym. The victory would have put Stony Brook in the driver’s seat for the regular season title and home field advantage in the conference tournament. Instead, their lead evaporated, the Seawolves settled for the No. 2 seed instead, and were improbably upset at home by perennial cellar dwellers Binghamton to crush the team’s promising NCAA Tournament dreams. A week later, Boals suddenly departed from the team before the season – and his contract – ended to accept the position at Ohio University, his alma mater. The heartbreak would not stop for the Seawolves. In the first round of the postseason College Basketball Invitational, Stony Brook coughed up a 25-point lead against South Florida, ultimately falling 8279 in overtime and ending the season on two straight crushing defeats. Rumors about the transfer of Akwasi Yeboah, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, followed the Seawolves throughout the offseason until he officially announced on May 2 that he would play out his final season of eligibility at Rutgers as a graduate transfer. Yeboah recorded 1,317 points in three seasons, enough to make him the sixth-leading scorer in the program’s Division I history before he left the confines of the America East for the bright lights of the Big Ten. Boals and Yeboah are not the only faces that will not return. Sophomore guard Jules Moor transferred to Texas State and junior guard Cor-

BY: Ethan Tam ry Long went to Division II Southern New Hampshire. Point guard Jaron Cornish graduated and now plays for the Bahamas National Team, where he led them with 20 points in their defeat of national runners-up Texas Tech over the summer.

That’s a lot of talent gone, but the Seawolves are armed with a cast of fresh faces. The freshman class consists of two 6-foot-3 freshman guards, Tyler Stephenson-Moore and Tavin Pierre Philippe. Junior forward Mouhamadou Gueye is a 6-foot-9 JUCO transfer from Monroe College, and redshirt-junior guard Makale Foreman, who played two seasons at Chattanooga, is ready to make his Seawolves debut after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations. Foreman started all 33 games in his sophomore season, averaging 10.2 points per game for the Mocs. “I’m highly excited [to be back],” Foreman said. “The game has slowed down for me a lot. I’m making better reads, seeing my teammates, getting my teammates open. I’ve gotten a lot better with my shooting form.” Redshirt-junior guard/forward Andrew Garcia will look to impress in a starting role after winning America East Sixth Man of the Year. Garcia made two starts but appeared in 33 games as a redshirt sophomore; he had missed nearly two years due to knee injuries before blossoming in his first healthy season, shooting 52% on two-pointers.

“[Garcia] had a great year last year,” Ford said. “He’s been a guy who’s been able to score, and we’re going to need him to be more of a defensive presence and on the backboard for us, two things he’s certainly capable of doing.” Over the summer, Stony Brook traveled to Europe to play three games against professional competition. The Seawolves won all three, but the true impact of the voyage is felt outside the box score. “We came together as a team since our Europe trip,” Garcia said. “We’ve really honed in on everybody’s strengths as an individual.” With a combination of returning stars and fresh faces, it was crucial to gain experience as a team. “We’ve been building chemistry ever since then,” Olaniyi said of the trip, “through being able to play games, team bonding and being forced to spend time with each other since everybody else didn’t speak English.” Between the Europe trip and the challenges set for the beginning of the season, the Seawolves have doubled down on forging themselves through adversity. It may wind up backfiring on them, but this team has confidence that they can make it through. Just don’t tell the Seawolves to settle for anything less. “That’s funny,” Olaniyi said with a chuckle when asked if he thought the team was in a rebuilding year. “We’ll see in March.”

Ford's first class prepares to make an impact on the court BY: Ryan Pavich

There are a lot of new faces in the huddle for the Seawolves this season. In his first year as head coach, Geno Ford took over a roster without a single senior and constructed a rotation filled with newcomers who are being expected to contribute. Among them are the two players he personally recruited out of high school, freshman g u a r d s Ta v i n P i e r r e P h i l i p p e a n d Ty l e r S t e phenson-Moore. “ I t ’s h i s f i r s t y e a r, s o I f i g u r e f r e s h s t a r t f o r b o t h o f u s ,” Ph i l i p p e s a i d re g a rd i n g h i s d e c i s i o n t o c o m m i t t o S t o n y B r o o k . “ I t ’s close to home, I live like an hour and a h a l f a w a y, a n d I r e a l l y l i k e t h e c a m p u s a n d t h e f a c i l i t i e s , e v e r y t h i n g ’s l i k e b r a n d n e w. We c o u l d c o m p e t e w i t h a n y b o d y i n t h e c o u n t r y, b r o t h e r.”

That understanding can come on a gameby-game basis. Philippe played just 13 minutes in his season debut, picking up two rebounds and failing to convert on three shot attempts. In his third career game, however, Philippe earned 27 minutes on the court, picking up 11 points and four assists. The opportunities may not be consistent for him yet, but Philippe has shown the potential t o d e v e l o p q u i c k l y a l r e a d y.

Un f o r t u n a t e l y, h i s c o u n t e r p a r t S t e p h e n s o n - M o o r e w a s n’t a b l e t o c o m p e t e a t t h e start of the season. A foot injury suffered a week before the season opener derailed his progress, keeping him on the sidelines with a c a s t t e m p o r a r i l y. Fo r d d e s c r i b e d S t e p h e n son-Moore as “playing his best basketball the last few weeks” before getting injured The transition into the college game has and hoped that Stephenson-Moore would be been an enlightening one for Philippe, who ready to play before Thanksgiving. jumped right into the system and was impressed by the lessons it taught him. Stephenson-Moore made a swift recovery and debuted by playing 12 minutes in Stony “ I t ’s d e f i n i t e l y h a r d e r t h a n h i g h s c h o o l , ” B r o o k ’s 6 8 - 6 3 v i c t o r y o v e r Te x a s A & M C o r P h i l i p p e s a i d w i t h a l a u g h . “ Fo r s u r e , e v - p u s C h r i s t i o n Fr i d a y, N o v. 1 5 . S o f a r, S t e e r y b o d y h e r e c a n p l a y. E v e r y b o d y ’s t a l e n t - p h e n s o n - M o o r e h a s p l a y e d j u s t 2 8 m i n u t e s e d . Y ’ k n o w, i n h i g h s c h o o l I d i d n’t r e a l l y i n t o t a l , a n d t h e S e a w o l v e s w i l l b e c a u t i o u s have to use everything I had to score or easing him back into the rotation, but the rebound, cause I was bigger and stronger expectation is that he will be another oft h a n e v e r y b o d y. B u t n o w i t ’s l i k e g u y s , w e f e n s i v e o p t i o n o n t h e f l o o r f o r t h e t e a m . g o t s e v e n f o o t e r s a n d p o i n t g u a r d s t h a t ’s like 50 pounds heavier than me when I came As the team develops over the season, it i n . Yo u g o t t a b u y i n t o t h e p r o g r a m , y o u w i l l n e e d m o r e t h a n t h e c o a c h i n g s t a f f t o gotta lift, you gotta eat right, you gotta bring the freshmen along. The veterans on w o r k o u t , w o r k o n y o u r g a m e . B u t y’ k n o w, I t h e t e a m a r e t a k i n g u p t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f transitioned good, gained weight, followed backing up their teammates. the program, lifted, kept working hard, and I t h i n k I ’m d o i n g g o o d .” “I think the leadership of the older guys h a s b e e n p o s i t i v e ,” F o r d s a i d . “ Yo u k n o w, I t ’s a t o u g h t a s k f o r a n y f r e s h m a n l o o k i n g t h e r e t u r n e r s t h a t p l a y e d a l o t h a v e f o u n d to adapt and find his fit into a program, but a v o i c e . B u t , y o u k n o w, t h e y’r e g o i n g t o Fo r d b e l i e v e s t h a t h e’s o n t h e r i g h t t r a c k . have to continue to lead and get guys organized and make sure that they are in the “ B o t h f r e s h m a n h a v e b e e n i m p r e s s i v e ,” Fo r d s a i d . r i g h t s p o t s b e c a u s e w e ’ r e g o i n g t o h a v e “ Ta v i n’s r e a l l y h a d a n i c e p r e s e a s o n f o r u s a n d h e ’s a l o t o f n e w f a c e s o u t t h e r e a t c e r t a i n a v e r s a t i l e g u y. H e ’s g o t a l o t o f a b i l i t y a n d j u s t t i m e s . S o m e l i n e u p s m a y h a v e a s m a n y a s needs to improve his understanding of the speed t h r e e f i r s t y e a r g u y s a n d t h a t c a n b e a l i t of the game at this level and the intensity required t l e t r i c k y, s o w e n e e d t h e v o i c e o f t h o s e t h a t e v e r y f r e s h m a n h a s t o a d j u s t t o .” older guys.”

Philippe believes that he already feels the benefit Philippe believes that he already feels the of working with the group of veterans on the team. b e n e f i t o f w o r k i n g w i t h t h e g r o u p o f v e t e r ans on the team. “I think the leadership of the older guys has been p o s i t i v e ,” F o r d s a i d . “ Yo u k n o w, t h e r e t u r n e r s t h a t “ It ’s n o t h i n g b u t p o s i t i v e e n e r g y,” P h i l i p p e p l a y e d a l o t h a v e f o u n d a v o i c e . B u t , y o u k n o w, s a i d . “ Y o u k n o w , e n e r g y i s a b i g t h i n g . C o a c h t h e y’r e g o i n g t o h a v e t o c o n t i n u e t o l e a d a n d g e t a l w a y s w a n t s t o s e e p o s i t i v e , g o o d e n e r guys organized and make sure that they are in the g y, h e w a n t s t o b e u p b e a t , f l y i n g a r o u n d . r i g h t s p o t s b e c a u s e w e’r e g o i n g t o h a v e a l o t o f n e w T h e y ’ r e a l w a y s t e l l i n g m e k e e p m y h e a d u p f a c e s o u t t h e re a t c ertain times. Some lineups may i f I m a k e a m i s t a k e , o r j u s t k e e p d o i n g w h a t have as many as three first year guys and that can be a I ’ m d o i n g , t h e y a l w a y s e n c o u r a g e m e , a n d I l i t t l e t r i c k y, s o w e n e e d t h e v o i c e o f t h o s e o l d e r g u y s . ” r e s p e c t t h a t . ”

Foreman ready to lead the way after year off

Makale new start.

Foreman

wanted

The Kingsport, Tennessee native and former Moc transferred before his junior year at Chattanooga, opting to join Stony Brook in May 2018. The motivation behind Foreman’s exit was Chattanooga’s head coach Lamont Smith joining the Mocs’ staff right before his sophomore year. With Foreman transitioning into a new style of play and feeling that the coaching didn’t allow him to reach his full potential, he wanted out of Chattanooga.

BY: Ross O'Keefe

with the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints and made it as far as the preseason roster, Makale decided football was not the sport for him. “I liked playing football, but I didn’t feel like taking the beatings,” Foreman said, laughing. “So basketball is not too much beating around.”

The one unforeseen circumstance for Foreman was former Stony Brook head coach Jeff Boals, who recruited him but left during the offseason to become the head coach at Ohio “I felt like it didn’t fit the way University. While Foreman’s caI play,” Foreman said. “It was just reer has been rife with transition, good to get some new scenery and considering he has experienced start over, refresh.” four different head coaches, he had other reasons for coming to Back home, Makale had some- Stony Brook. thing in common with his brother Malik, starting a new family tradition of college athletics in Tennessee. Malik was a former starting defensive back for the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 2013 to 2016. Makale played defensive back in high school as well, earning All-Conference honors as a senior at Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett High School. Unlike Malik, who signed

He liked the little things that came with it, things that seemed much more stable than the coaching situations he’s experienced in his playing career. “I liked the campus, the scenery,” Foreman said. “I went to Port Jefferson and liked that. I saw a candy shop I liked, that was nice.”

However, Foreman had to face the consequence of transferring to the Seawolves, as NCAA eligibility regulations forced him to sit out all of last season. This did not sit well with him, yet he seems to be taking it in stride.

[with me], seeing my teammates succeed,” Foreman said.

Foreman only averaged 1.8 assists per game at Chattanooga, but with an extra year of chemistry with his teammates and a system that’s more favorable to “It was stressful not being able him, he should be in an advantato travel or play, but it was a geous spot to average substantialgood learning experience,” Fore- ly more this season. man said, describing his year off. “I was able to get stronger, Don’t forget about Foreman’s improve my skill set. It was a shooting ability either, as he averaged good year for me to take off and nearly 40% from 3-point range in the just get better at every aspect of 2017-18 season with Chattanooga. my game.” Given that he’s had an entire year to hone his craft, it is difficult to imagWhen it comes to Foreman’s ine he will not be better in 2019. He skill set, he prides himself on one characterized himself as being “able big aspect of being a point guard: to score at all three levels, but mainly sharing the ball. “[I am] more of a shooter.” a leader type of guy,” Foreman said. “[I am a] floor general. I Foreman has inserted himself like to get my teammates in- smoothly into the offense so far, avvolved first and then get myself eraging 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, involved later.” and two assists through six games. Foreman has lived beyond the arc, Foreman seems to genuinely making multiple threes in every game appreciate that structure of his played. His voice on the court figures game. He is content with re- to be a big factor in the Seawolves’ maining unselfish with the ball success and whether they can push because he knows basketball is a towards their first America East team sport. “That really just jives championship since 2016.

Otchere primed for big year following DPOY season BY: Ryan Magill

When two players meet at the rim, YouTube highlight reels will tell you that it’s going to end in one of two ways: a slam dunk or a block. Either one could be a poster play that leaves the crowd shaking. For junior center Jeff Otchere, it’s going to end with him blocking the ball — like he nearly always does. Yet, he never stops amazing people. So what allowed the 6’11”, 243-pound junior from the Bronx to deny 78 total shots from going into the basket last season?

Not bad for a player going from Garden City Community College in Kansas to play his first Division I season. This type of production was not surprising from the guy who got 3.9 blocks per game at Garden City. In what Otchere called a “smooth transition,” the result was the 2018-19 America East Defensive Player of the Year award. For Otchere, however, winning the most prestigious defensive award in the conference was not just a goal, it was an expectation.

“I think my timing is what helps with blocks,” Otchere said. “I’m quicker than your average guy my size, so I’m also able to block people on the ball. I can block people off the ball. I can be in help defense, and if somebody gets beat to the lane going for a layup, I can block that. And I can be on the person in the post and I can block that on the ball. I can block on the perimeter. I can just block in almost every area.”

“My confidence in my game isn’t in my offensive side,” Otchere said. “I take pride in defense. I know my strengths. When I came here, not to sound arrogant, but I kinda knew I was gonna get it. I knew I was gonna get it once. I told my coaches I was gonna get it.”

If it isn’t already clear, Otchere is good at getting blocks. Very good. Those 78 blocks he totaled last year, and the 2.4 blocks per game average that came with it, put Otchere ahead of all others in the America East and in the top 20 nationally in NCAA Division I. Even more impressive is that national ranking was good enough to place Otchere ahead of Jaxson Hayes, the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and the first center taken that year.

Now, those coaches look a little different. With Geno Ford taking over the head coach position that Jeff Boals occupied last year, Otchere sees his role on the team changing with new offensive and defensive schemes. To prepare, he has worked extensively on “post moves, pivots, catching the ball” and “just basic fundamental stuff.” The coaches want to work through different looks than before, with Otchere citing the big mens’ involvement in the pick-and-roll play as a prime example of this.

His main goal isn’t about blocks, however. Rather, Otchere’s main focus lies in helping his team in new ways and for longer stretches in-game. “My goals for this season would be able to stay in the game for 25+ minutes,” Otchere said. “Increase my rebounding to eight [per game] and above. Just continue to do what I do defensively and up my points in games. I am dedicating myself to offensive rebounds this season and I’m making it the mission.” How does Otchere plan to reach these new challenges and continue to improve as a player? His answer is all about the mentality. “You can’t turn off that dog in you,” Otchere said. “You gotta keep being relentless on the boards. You can’t let anybody box you out. The more relentless I am on the boards, the more I’ll get.” Otchere is already off to a hot start this season, posting ten blocks and 5.3 rebounds per game through six games this year. But by now, that’s to be expected from Otchere.

WO M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L

The hunt for the elusive America East Championship BY: Andrew Zucker

Coming off their best season record-wise in head coach Caroline McCombs’ five-year tenure, the Stony Brook women’s basketball team is looking to get over the hump, win the program’s first ever America East Championship and earn a spot in the NCAA’s Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. A sour taste was left in the Seawolves’ mouth last season after their America East semifinal playoff loss against the Hartford Hawks. Now, the reloaded Seawolves are on the hunt for one thing: redemption. “As a team, obviously we want to improve. We want that ring. We want that championship. We want to go all the way,” junior forward McKenzie Bushee said. The Seawolves are led by numerous upperclassmen including junior guard/ forward Hailey Zeise, junior forward India Pagan and redshirt-junior forward Oksana Gouchie-Provencher. Stony Brook graduated two of their most productive on court players in school history, guards Shania “Shorty” Johnson and Jerell Matthews, and have replaced them with transfers Kaela “KK” Hilaire and Victoria Johnson. Hilaire came to Stony Brook as a graduate transfer following three years at Seton Hall. “I actually committed to Albany first, to Abe (Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, now head coach at UCF) and when she switched, I de-committed. Seton Hall swooped in. But Albany was good, winning five championships in a row and I wanted to be a part of that.” Hilaire enjoyed success with the Pirates, including being a unanimous Big East All-Freshman Team selection in 2016-17. During her freshman season, Hilaire set Seton Hall’s freshman record with 125 assists in a single season, and also led all conference rookies in scoring, assists and steals.

Johnson was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) First Team All-American this season, averaging 21.6 points per game. Her 21.6 points ranked 9th nationally in the NJCAA and while her 83.9% free throw percentage was 13th. In her freshman year, Johnson was honored as a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American and FirstTeam All-Region 23, while finishing 2nd in the NJCAA, scoring 22.6 points per game. “We’ve tried to build a culture where it doesn’t matter who comes in or who goes out,” Zeise said when asked how the newcomers will fit into the team. “It remains the same we call people up when they come in. We want to have the standard set, and the newcomers learned from it.” Zeise started all but one of the 31 games she appeared in last season, averaging 4.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Her 2018-19 season was an improvement from her previous season total of 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game and this season she has continued her upward trend. Through the first four games of the 19-20 season, Zeise is averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. This season is a special one for Zeise. Back in April, the Seawolves in collaboration with Team IMPACT, signed Amelia Garcia. Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Garcia, who is currently battling type 1 diabetes, just so happens to be a diehard Seawolves fan. Zeise made a promise to Garcia: “I will dye my hair blue all season long in solidarity with Amelia,” While Zeise has been seeing improvement each of the past two seasons, Pagan took a significant step forward last season, averaging 12.1 points per game, which was the 3rd highest on the team. Over the summer, Pagan was the youngest member of the Puerto Rican team that played in the 2019 Pan American (Pan Am) Games in Lima, Peru.

Pagan and her teammates ended up finishing 3rd in the tournament — good enough to take home a shiny bronze medal. Following her success at the Pan Am games, Pagan spent 9 days in China competing in the Four Nations Tournament, again representing Puerto Rico. Stony Brook University profiled Pagan back in September; in the profile she discussed how playing for Puerto Rico has and will help her during her time as a Seawolf. “Freshman year I wasn’t sure how everything was going to play out or how I was going to adjust to the college world,” Pagan said. “My confidence shot up after playing for the national team the summer before my sophomore year. And now coming into my junior year after playing in the Pan Am Games as the youngest on the team, I’m embracing the big role I have on my SBU team.”

obviously want to do everything she did, and bring Stony Brook an America East championship,” Hilaire said. When asked why she chose to transfer to Stony Brook even though she had offers from Rutgers and Temple, Hilaire pointed out something numerous other players said. Players do not consider McCombs just a head coach; rather, she is someone who looks out for them and has their best interests at heart. “You don’t get too many coaches that are that genuine and caring in this business, and it is a business at the end of the day,” Hilaire said. “But at the end of the day, she cares about us off the floor which Is a big part. She’s going to help me be the best person I can be, on and off the floor. I know that if I want to be a pro, she’ll make me a pro.”

Through the first four games, the starting five has not changed. Zeise, Pagan and Hilaire have been joined by graduate forward Cheyenne Clark and sophomore guard Anastasia Warren. Warren, the lone underclassman in the starting 5, spent the entire 18-19 season playing behind “Shorty” and studying her every move. This has helped Warren become an integral part of the team.

While only being at Stony Brook since the middle of August, Hillaire has the interconference rivalry down: “I hate Albany.”

Clark missed all of last season due to personal matters, but has shown so far this season that no rust collected during the down time. In only four games, Clark already has one double-double, while averaging nine points and 8.8 rebounds.

“This is the deepest team I've ever had,” McCombs said.

Moving forward after graduating one of the greatest players in program history is never easy. “Shorty” left Stony Brook holding program records in single-season assists with 228, as well as career three pointers with 191 and single-season three's with 96. Hilaire was brought in not to replace “Shorty” and do exactly what she did on the court, but to help the program move forward. “What she (“Shorty”) did, I have big shoes to fill, I actually have tiny feet, but I

McCombs has many weapons at her disposal and will use them anyway she can, although that may not be necessary, according to her.

The deep team has helped McCombs win the first three games of the season, bringing her career win total to 89. Already the winningest coach in team history, McCombs needs 11 more to crack 100. While the season is just getting started, the team is aiming to be on a crash course for the America East finals with the twotime regular season and tournament champions: the Maine Black Bears. Time for the Seawolves to go hunting.

TOP THREE TEAMS (PRESEASON)

For Hilaire, home is where BY: Ryan Magill the heart is

D o m i n a n c e . C o n s i s t e n c y. E x p e rience. Leadership.

These are the qualities that t h e S t o n y B r o o k w o m e n’s b a s k e t ball team is looking to get out of their newest graduate transf e r, K a e l a “ K K ” Hi l a i r e . T h e s e are the qualities that Hilaire has always brought to the court

since her days in Floral Park, at Seton Hall and now at Stony

“I genuinely appreicate [coach McCombs]. Just the fact that she cares ...”

Fo r H i l a i r e , s h e i s n’t j u s t a leader in the huddle and breakd o w n , s h e’s a l e a d e r b y e x a m ple. During her time with the Pirates, she became a unanimous Big East All-Freshman Te a m selection in 2016-17 while setting the program's freshman record in assists and also pacing all rookies in the conference in scoring, assists and steals. She was a threeyear starter for the team as their point guard and finished her career with 7.4 points per game, a 37% field goal percentage, 76% free throw percentage and 3.7 assists per game.

These statistics are not shocking to those who watched her play in high school. Newsday's 2016 Girls Basketball P l a y e r o f t h e Ye a r, H i l a i r e scored 29.8 points per game as a senior at Floral Park and became just the 22nd player in Long Island history to surpass the 2,000-point mark. Hilaire led Floral Park to a Long Island title while also being named a two-time Nas-Kaela Hilaire s a u C o u n t y P l a y e r o f t h e Ye a r, Women's Basketball graduate guard a m e m b e r o f 2 0 1 6 M S G Va r s i t y F i r s t Te a m A l l - L o n g I s B r o o k . B u t f o r H i l a i r e , i t ’s l a n d a n d a f o u r - t i m e N e w s d a y the last quality that she feels All-Long Island team member. is the most important and her No w, “ K K ” i s l o o k i n g t o b r i n g biggest asset. her talent back home. “Since I was a freshman at Seton H a l l , I w a s t h e l e a d e r,” H i l a i r e said. “That would probably be my biggest asset, being able to get these guys to follow me and they are doing a pretty good job at it. They are letting me lead t h e m , a n d e s p e c i a l l y o n t h e f l o o r, they are allowing me to just play m y g a m e .”

“ We l l , obviously I never really wanted to go far being that Seton Hall was right there,” Hillaire said. “But family is a big thing for me and the fact that a lot of them can come to this game without paying a toll or a ticket for a t r a i n . [ … ] It ’s l i k e m a y b e a 45-minute ride.”

Now representing the Seawolves, head coach Caroline McCombs is expecting Hilaire to show up big for the team on game days. Calling her “our floor general,” McCombs expects a lot, but to Hilaire, that is not pressure, it is trust. “KK's experience over the past three seasons in the Big East Conference will continue to elevate our program,” McCombs said. “KK has a natural ability to lead on and off the court.” “That is not something that I am used to,” Hillaire said. “I genuinely appreciate [McCombs]. Just the fact that she cares that much about all of us, and she shows it on and off the floor. She just gives me more confidence and I want to play better for her. I want to bring her a championship. And we all do because she deserves that.” With her family in the stands, her teammates following her lead and a coach with full faith in her abilities as a player and leader, Hilaire is ready to elevate her game and bring a championship home. “I felt like I was a different player when I was [on Long Island]. So I kinda wanna bring back that Floral Park ‘KK’ and just be a better player and a better leader and just grow more, but why not do it in front of the people that I’ve been doing it in front of.”

Victoria Johnson plans to attack season and go ring-chasing BY: Ross O'Keefe

The Stony Brook women’s basketball team needed offensive weapons following a 23-8 season where they lost in the America East Tournament semifinals, seeing two vital players — guards Shania Johnson and Jerell Matthews — graduate. They found the answer in last year’s NJCAA First Team All-American and ninth overall scorer, junior guard Victoria Johnson. Johnson transferred from Hinds Community College in Mississippi — less than 60 miles from her high school in Camden, Mississippi — where she scored over 1,000 points in her high school career. Now over 1,000 miles from home, Johnson was unafraid to travel but seems to have found her east coast home in Long Island. “I was just looking for a school that made me feel like I was at home,” Johnson said. “The school that has the

type or style of the game I play and really good coaches.” Stony Brook Women’s Basketball head coach Caroline McCombs seems to fit that bill, accumulating an 87-67 overall record and having the second-best winning percentage among head coaches in Stony Brook Women’s Basketball history. Johnson has found her requirements for a school here and has been happy with her transition so far. Stony Brook has taken her in with open arms. “It was a big transition,” Johnson said. “[It was] all new to me, but quickly the coaches and veteran players wrapped their arms around me and made the process easier.” As for what Johnson adds to the Seawolves — other than a scoring threat — is her mentality, and she emphasizes

that. “I’m always on attack mode and I’m always on go, just really aggressive,” Johnson said. If her attitude did not already give it away, Johnson has a love affair with the game of basketball — one that stretches the distance between Camden, Mississippi and Stony Brook, New York. “I just love the game so much, I’m very passionate about it,” Johnson said. “I just like being on the court.” When asked who she idolized as a player, she pointed to one of the biggest stars in the WNBA right now. “Candace Parker,” Johnson said. “She motivates me.” Parker is a WNBA champion, two-time MVP and five-time WNBA all-star, along with being a two-time national champion with the Tennessee Volunteers during her

college career. Parker’s legacy as a winner is one that Johnson hopes to emulate beginning in Stony Brook. She does not just want to go far; she wants it all. Johnson has big ambitions for Stony Brook’s 201920 season and certainly does not sell the Seawolves short. “We’re looking to get those rings, go to the NCAA Tournament,” Johnson said. “I want a ring badly. I’m going to do anything it takes. An America East ring is not good enough. I’m not settling for that.” The Stony Brook women’s basketball team has never reached the NCAA Tournament in program history, coming closest in 2002 and 2014 when they reached the America East Finals, losing both times. So what would be the key for Stony Brook to finally claim an America East title and beyond?

“I would say defense,” Johnson said. “It’s really big for us. To win ball games, you have to be greedy on defense and the offense will come.” The recent results in the conference back her up. The past three winners of the America East championship have finished in the top three in scoring defense, with Stony Brook being the only team in the last three seasons to finish number one in scoring defense and not win the title. The Seawolves will have the offense to compete, as Johnson has the second highest scoring average on the team in the early going despite only averaging 17 minutes per game. The team’s ability to hold its own on the other side of the court will be the determining factor for how high the Seawolves can climb, and Johnson is committed to going far.

Zeise works as the glue in the Seawolves' gameplan BY: Ryan Pavich

Junior guard Hailey Zeise took a huge step forward last season, jumping from a bench player averaging 10 minutes per game to a full-time starter getting 30 minutes a night. As she became a core of the Seawolves’ rotation, Zeise’s contributions to the team became defined in the minds of herself and her coach by one phrase: glue player. “I think that last year I was the quintessential glue player, and I’ll always claim that as my role,” Zeise said. “But while I’m happy with that, I am just looking to you know, expand or evolve my role a little bit more. Just being able to do more for the team on both ends of the court and just trying to make myself a little bit of a bigger presence than I was last year.” Zeise’s biggest improvement in the gap between her freshman and sophomore years was her development on defense, learning to handle opposing guards and becoming a lockdown defender. That effort quickly got noticed and led to her rise in usage in head coach Caroline McCombs’ system.

“I think from freshman to sophomore year as a player is a huge time for growth,” McCombs said. “She was much more comfortable in understanding the system, the expectations, you know, having played a limited role in your freshman year. A lot of times you strive and you want a bigger role going into your sophomore year and we really talked about her being that glue player for us. She does a lot of the dirty work — the tough stuff— usually guards the other team’s best guard. So there was a huge role for her last year to be filled.” Now, the next step for Zeise is learning to become a stronger two-way player. “It’s about being able to have more of an offensive presence as well,” McCombs said. “We are in need of some players to step up and score the ball offensively for us. So what does that look like for her, y’know as a bigger guard or rebounding guard, whether that’s posting up smaller guards, knocking down threes, taking a pull-up jump shot, you know, handling the ball, just all of those things.”

So far, being more selective with her shot has worked out well for Zeise. Through four games, Zeise is averaging 4.3 points per game and is shooting more efficiently from beyond the arc. Her efforts on the defensive end aren’t suffering either, as Zeise is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game and over a block per game as well. Zeise is building a strong start to her season, picking right up from where she left off. Zeise tied her career-high with 11 points in last season’s finale, a semifinal loss to Hartford. While the personal performance was a highlight of her improvement, being unable to advance in the playoffs left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Yeah, I mean, I think that every setback is a setup for a comeback,” Zeise said. “I think that, in hindsight, it’s easy to look back and be like, maybe it wasn’t our time and you can look back and look at all the things and everything leading up to it. But at the end of the day, you just gotta learn. The biggest takeaway I guess I took was just the feeling in that locker room after, I just wasn’t really satisfied with the way that I felt, and I just never really want to feel that again. So just using that to drive us forward.”

Zeise is an upperclassman now on a team that’s looking to reinvent itself after the departure of their top two scorers, guards Shania Johnson and Jerell Matthews. Zeise said that the team has progressed well and is looking for things to constantly improve on, but she also stressed the importance of taking everything in while the team is together. “It’s now or never, we always have to play with a sense of urgency, whether you’re a freshman or a senior,” Zeise said. “You’re never going to get this time back with your teammates, you might have three more years here but you will never look in the locker room and see the same people, it’ll be a completely different look like you just never know. So I just really think playing with a sense of urgency and really valuing the time that we have together and to be able to put our best foot forward.” Looking to keep the team aware of the opportunity they have in front of them and keep them appreciative of everyone around them: a perfect description of the glue holding the team together.

Men's Basketball Nov 23 at Wagner Nov 27 at Delaware Dec 2 vs Manhattan Dec 7 vs Brown Dec 10 at Hofstra Dec 14 at Providence Dec 18 at Virginia Dec 21 at American Dec 29 vs Norfolk State Jan 5 at Maine Jan 8 at Vermont Jan 11 vs UNH Jan 15 at Hartford Jan 18 vs Albany Jan 22 vs Binghamton Jan 29 at UMass Lowell Feb 1 vs UMBC Feb 5 vs UMass Lowell Feb 8 at UNH Feb 12 at Binghamton Feb 20 vs Vermont Feb 22 vs Maine Feb 26 vs Hartford Feb 29 at Albany Mar 3 at UMBC

Photos by Sara Ruberg and Emma Harris Design by Chris Parkinson and Sara Ruberg

Women's Basketball

Nov 21 vs Iona Nov 24 vs Sacred Heart Nov 27 at LIU Dec 3 vs Molloy Dec 8 at Pittsburgh Dec 15 at Wagner Dec 20 Morgan State* Dec 20 Western Michiigan* Dec 29 vs Bucknell Jan 2 vs UMBC Jan 5 vs Maine Jan 8 vs Vermont Jan 11 at UNH Jan 15 vs Hartford Jan 18 at Albany Jan 22 at Binghamton Jan 29 vs UMass Lowell Feb 1 at UMBC Feb 5 at UMass Lowell Feb 8 vs UNH Feb 12 vs Binghamton Feb 19 at Vermont Feb 23 at Maine Feb 26 at Hartford Feb 29 vs Albany

Puerto Rico Clasico*

ARTS & CULTURE

University Orchestra keeps up with symphonies from great composers By Lajiere Blake

Assistant Arts and Culture Editor

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the Stony Brook University Orchestra performed renditions of Claude Debussy’s “Fetes” from “Trois Nocturnes” and Johannes Brahms’ “Symphony No. 2” led by conductor Susan Deaver at the Staller Center for the Arts. Winner of the 2019 Stony Brook University Undergraduate Concerto Competition, Thomas Lei, was the featured soloist and he performed Aram Khachaturian’s “Concerto for Flute and Orchestra” with the orchestra. First on the bill was Debussy’s “Fetes.” The program reads, “Fetes opens with great energy and vibrant dancelike rhythms in quick high energetic passagework.” The orchestra was able to embody just that; their intensity was apparent from the very beginning of the movement. The music soon fell into a reduced rhythm, but the orchestra quickly picked back up before coming to a conclusion. Although the audience was small, the orchestra received applause that lasted longer than they expected. Lei took the stage for Khachaturian’s “Concerto for Flute and Orchestra.” Although the concerto was originally written for violin, its transcription to flute by French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal in 1968 is widely adopted. Each movement

COURTESY OF STALLER CENTER

The Stony Brook University Orchestra performed at the Staller Center for the Arts on Tuesday, Nov. 12 with conducter Susan Deaver of the concerto was executed with the joy and affection that composer Khachaturian intended it to have. According to multiple biographies, Khachaturian “wrote music as though on a wave of happiness; my whole being was in a state of joy …” when he composed his “Violin Concerto.” Lei’s flute leads the way for the orchestra, a large task for an instrument so small. And yet, his talent allowed him to do this undeniably well with an aura of excitement. The second movement, specifically, “Andante Sostenuto,”

was rich with a playfulness and a softness that feels authentic to the University Orchestra. After a quick intermission, the orchestra is back — sans-Lei — to perform four movements of “Symphony No. 2 in D Major, OP. 73” by the late Brahms. The shoes of the symphony are very big to fill, as Brahms is “considered one of the 19th century's greatest composers and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic era.” However, the orchestra didn’t seem to falter under the weight of the challenge.

Each movement evoked a different feeling, with the final two conveying a deep energy that wasn’t there before. This energy was found within each section of the orchestra, with everyone being able to keep up with the rapid changes of pace. No matter what work the University Orchestra played, their passion for the music was clear. Each piece felt natural for the members, but do not mistake this for ease; it was abundantly apparent that hours of practice formed their foundation.

Without a passion for music, it is hard to imagine how successful the orchestra could be. Jasmine Goley, a sophomore music major, is the assistant and principal second to the orchestra. When asked what her favorite musical pieces are, she directs straight to the night’s program. “I like all the repertoire tonight and the Khachaturian flute concerto is a personal favorite. The soloist Thomas did a really awesome job,” Goley said. “It was really amazing to see one of my favorite pieces come to fruition and be a part of it.” Sophomore physics and music double major, Rory Lesperance, is a bassoon player for the University Orchestra. The audience for the concert made for a more personal performance. “It is noticeable that there isn’t a huge turnout,” Lesperance said, but he seemed to still be content no matter the size of the crowd. “I’m happy with who comes and it’s still nice to see people in the audience.” The Stony Brook University Orchestra seems to be in a league of their own. One full of talent and passion that bursts much further than the campus of Stony Brook University. Their performing next on Dec. 8 — titled “‘Messiah’ Sing-Along” — at the Staller Center for the Arts at 3 p.m.

Stony Brook student and singer Annelise prepares to release an EP

By Amaya McDonald Contributing Writer

When asked what advice she would give to students pursuing their dreams, junior music major Analise Buker said, “Don’t be afraid of anything.” A student at Stony Brook University and an aspiring singer, Buker has learned that the best way to follow her dream is without fear. The pop/alternative singer spells her artistic name Annelise. She has been performing since the age of five, when she made her debut at a school talent show singing “Listen to Your Heart” by Roxette. Influenced by classic and modern artists alike, Buker modeled her musical career after the success of singers like Freddie Mercury, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. When asked about her biggest inspiration, Buker referred to the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson. Buker considers Jackson to be “one of the greatest entertainers of all time” and credits his interaction with his audience as a reason why she worked to become comfortable singing in front of crowds and pursue a career in performing. Now working on an EP, Buker released two singles entitled “Deeper Roots” and “Turn You Cold.” Buker revealed that the lyrics in her songs are inspired by her own life experiences. “I’m only 20 years old. I’ve lived a short life. I’ve learned a lot of

“I'm only 20 years old. I've learned a lot of significant lessons in this life. ” -Analise Buker

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Cover for Annelise's single, "Deeper Roots." Singer Analise Buker is a junior music major at Stony Brook, currently working on an EP with two singles already released. significant lessons in this life and I just want to make people feel like I feel when I sing,” she said. In addition to music classes and focusing on developing her career, Buker takes education classes to be

a middle school choir teacher. Looking back on her adolescence, Buker remembers performing Michael Jackson’s “Ben” in the fifth grade. She believes that this performance was a turning point in her journey

to stardom as she began to mature as a performer and develop singing techniques that she still uses in her work today. While Buker harbors undeniable passion and enthusiasm for music

and learning about the art, she admits that simultaneously being a musician and a student can be difficult at times. “It’s hard for me to find free time — because of school — to write songs and take a second to play something on my guitar. But I’m able to do that here [at Stony Brook]. When I don’t have the free time, I can find a practice room here,” Buker said. Buker proves that with determination and self-confidence, achieving an impossible dream might not be so impossible after all. For some, it might be difficult to imagine being a recording artist with experience performing in front of an audience of 10,000 people. After releasing two singles and singing the National Anthem during a Jets pre-season game, this is Buker’s reality. Today, after 15 years of persistence, Buker’s hard work has paid off as she transforms into the performer she has always envisioned herself becoming.

Arts & Culture

The Statesman

Monday, November 18, 2019

Port Jefferson boutique brings independent fashion to Long Islanders

contribute to the fast fashion chain. Fast fashion refers to how quickly the clothes are produced to keep up with the release of seasonal trends, which ends up at landfills due to the way it’s produced and how quickly things go out of style. Through means of mass-producing clothes, underpaying and overworking the workers, brands often make poorer quality items that last — if you’re lucky — eight to 10 uses.

By Anna Correa Staff Writer

When someone typically walks into a Long Island boutique, they’re faced with two options: bright athleisure apparel with the town’s name on the front or dainty, overpriced trendy clothes that look like they came out of a Francesca’s at the local mall. There simply isn’t a lot of variety. Origin of Era, a store with vintage-inspired clothes made by small independent brands run by women from all around the world, is trying to give another option that involves classic cuts, some sustainable and fair trade clothes as well as quality craftsmanship. The clothes often showcase European street style, but there is also a bohemian chic vibe. Depending on the time of year, clothes can be inspired anywhere from the early 40s to the 70s. “I always lean very heavily on vintage inspiration but I decided not to bring in the vintage with the clothing because the women who were shopping here didn't differentiate between vintage and thrift. And there's a huge difference,” Renee Goldfarb, owner of Origin of Era, said. “But when you were selling, you know, an NOS vintage leather jacket for $300 and you hear ‘Oh, it's used,’ you know that that's not your demographic. Right? and you have to know who you're selling to. So we scaled back on the vintage, went heavy on the vintage inspired and then just kind of did a little sprinkle of vintage with our accessories and our belts, our jewelry, which is worked out really nicely for us.”

“The brands available in the store are an integral part of what makes it unique.” ANNA CORREA / THE STATESMAN

-Anna Correa

specific,” fashion historian and adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Raissa Bretaña, said. “One of the reasons why I know a lot of people start wearing vintage is that they like the idea of, you know, not everyone is going to have this, like this could be one of a kind thing. No one's going to relive the same outfit as you. So I think that's definitely an aspect to that as well.” So what’s the cost? Sustainability, morality and quality. The brands available in the store are an integral part of what makes it unique; and they do not

“The system [of fast fashion] that we have now is rather new, but the idea of, like, disposable fashion really gained steam in the 60s when we start getting all of these technological advancements in textiles. And this is when I started to see a million different kinds of polyester that can be made cheaply and quickly,” Bretaña said. “But there was even a fad for paper dresses in the 60s. So, like, this idea of throwaway fast is usually born in times of plenty. I feel like the paper dress is kind of a historical marker for this idea of shorter lived clothing.” Read the full article online at sbstatesman.com

Vintage inspired store, Origin of Era in Port Jefferson, owned by Renee Goldfarb. The stores showcases European Street Style as well as a bohemian chic vibe. Long Island native Goldfarb opened Origin of Era in January 2019 to provide more diverse clothes and give a city-like feel to Long Island. Formerly, Goldfarb opened a vintage store called SlapBack in Brooklyn for about 20 years. For local communities throughout the Long Island suburbs, it’s all about knowing what your community wants and likes. Stony Brook University students who dress cool want to find pieces that mix into their current wardrobes or an interesting piece of vintage. Women in their 30s to their early 50s want to get

fashionable classic pieces. Other people who follow fashion and runway shows want recognizable pieces that look like they're from designers pieces, says Goldfarb. “Shopping vintage is definitely like a very sustainable way to participate in the fashion system. But also, we're living in this like this postmodern world where, you know, almost everything that you see in fashion has been done before. And so we're living in a world where we can mix like a 60s skirt with a 90s top. And you know, 80s clip on earrings and you can like collage together of imbecilic, that's not

Socially Engaged Art Project brings serendipity to the library By Lajiere Blake

Assistant Arts and Culture Editor

On Tuesday, Nov. 11, Stony Brook professor Nobuho Nagasawa of the Department of Art unveiled her latest art project, titled “Emotional Treasures, Emotional Revelations: Socially Engaged Art Project,” in the Central Reading Room of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library. The installation is simply a bookcase and an area where participants can find booklets. Students, faculty and the general public are encouraged to be both browsers and confession writers for the project. They can write a confession in a tiny, specially-made booklet and insert it within one of the books from the stack or they can simply browse the stack and find a booklet that may have a confession within it. According to the flyer for the project, “[p]eople can return to the library and check out the small booklets of confession [and] add more comments to them so that the confession and the comments will be handed down.” The project is a process of sharing secrets and books — something that is lacking within New Age book-buying habits. “This is an art project that creates serendipity that is not possible with

LAJIERE BLAKE/ THE STATESMAN

"Emotional Treasures, Emotional Revelations: Socially Engaged Art Project,” by professor Nobuho Nagasawa online book purchases,” the flyer further states. Professor Nagasawa’s students were the first to participate in the process. Hana Kim, a junior political science major, was one of the students in attendance. When asked what kinds of confessions she is expecting to find, Kim says, “I think I will find more of the things of regret or the poignant feelings of, let’s say someone who passed away.” It is not lost on Kim the kind of audience that may be participating in the event, as she goes on to say the

confessions are “[m]aybe even just revelations from what they learned here in college.” These perceptions of the project are spot-on. The confessions are the beginning of the project, but the interaction of others with those secrets is what makes it truly special. The synopsis reads, “Sharing a secret transforms from an act of personal disclosure to a collective act of forgiveness, understanding, and compassion.” It seems that the project is a reaction to online book purchases and the missing intimacy within that

process. A New York Times article published in 2017 explains that “[a] s e-commerce becomes more deeply embedded in the fabric of daily life, including for the first time in rural areas, bookstores are undergoing a final shakeout.” Physical bookstores are becoming a smaller part of our lifestyles and Nagasawa’s art project is looking to bridge the gap between consumers both with each other and with their books. Bookstore revenue has been on the decline and stores like Barnes & Noble have shut down stores in an attempt to stay afloat. Journalist Andria Cheng wrote that before being sold to hedge fund Elliott Management, Barnes & Noble struggled financially. “And its shares, after topping $30 at their peak in 2006, had slumped to about $4,” Cheng explains. Kim visited a coffee shop in Manhattan that had a bookcase that implored visitors to leave their book. Kim abided and was able to briefly read a book she wouldn’t have found otherwise. “My algorithms would have never guessed that it’s something I would pick up,” she said. The power of the project is felt by many, including the Liaison to the Art Department and Data Librarian, Claire Payne. She helped put

“This is an art project that creates serendipity that is not possible with online book purchases” -Nobuho Nagasawa

Department of Art Professor

the project together because of its importance to her. “As someone who is pretty new to this Stony Brook community, I thought it would be a really great way to get to know my department and get involved in a really exciting socially engaged project,” Payne said. “Emotional Treasures, Emotional Revelations: Socially Engaged Art Project” is on display until Wednesday, Nov. 20. There are drop-in events on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m., with additional time on Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m.

OPINIONS Editor-in-Chief..................Gary Ghayrat Managing Editor..............Karina Gerry Managing Editor..........Chris Parkinson News Editor..............................................................Brianne Ledda Arts & Culture Editor..............................................Melissa Azofeifa Sports Editor.................................................................Ryan Pavich Opinions Editor...........................................................Gabby Pardo Multimedia Editor........................................................Sara Ruberg Copy Chief..........................................................Alexa Anderwkavich Assistant News Editor..................................................Maya Brown Assistant News Editor......................................Samantha Robinson Assistant Arts & Culture Editor..........................Alexander Bakirdan Assistant Arts & Culture Editor.................................Lajiere Blake Assistant Multimedia Editor.....................................Emma Harris Assistant Opinions Editor...........................................Cindy Mizaku Assistant Sports Editor..................................................Ethan Tam Assistant Sports Editor.............................................Andrew Zucker Assistant Copy Editor..............................................Donovan Alexis Assistant Copy Editor.....................................................Karla Rios Assistant Copy Editor..............................................Michelle Wong Advertising Manager ............................................. Kaylee McAllister

Contact us: Phone: 631-632-6479 Fax: 631-632-9128 Web: www.sbstatesman.com To contact the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editors about organizational comments, questions, suggestions, corrections or photo permission, email editors@sbstatesman.com. To reach a specific section editor: News Editor.....................................news@sbstatesman.com Arts & Entertainment Editor.............arts@sbstatesman.com Sports Editor..................................sports@sbstatesman.com Opinions Editor..........................opinions@sbstatesman.com Multimedia Editor..................multimedia@sbstatesman.com Copy Chief.......................................copy@sbstatesman.com The Statesman is a student-run, student-written incorporated publication at Stony Brook University in New York. The paper was founded as The Sucolian in 1957 at Oyster Bay, the original site of Stony Brook University. In 1975, The Statesman was incorporated as a not-for-profit, student-run organization. Its editorial board, writers and multimedia staff are all student volunteers. New stories are published online every day Monday through Thursday. A print issue is published every Monday during the academic year and is distributed to many on-campus locations, the Stony Brook University Hospital and over 70 off-campus locations. The Statesman and its editors have won several awards for student journalism and several past editors have gone on to enjoy distinguished careers in the field of journalism. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @ sbstatesman. Disclaimer: Views expressed in columns or in the Letters and Opinions section are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Statesman. The Statesman promptly corrects all errors of substance published in the paper. If you have a question or comment about the accuracy or fairness of an article please send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com. First issue free; additional issues cost $1.

STATESMAN FILE

The logo for Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG). USG decided to add 250+ changes to its constitution, including abolishing the judiciary branch.

The student body is being betrayed by USG By Thor Hawrey Contributing Writer

Thor Hawrey is an SBU alumnus who served a two-year term from 2017-2019 on the judicial branch for the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). I’m a recent alumnus who values integrity above all. While I was a student, this core value led me to get involved in improving the Stony Brook community and it resulted in the SUNY Chancellor awarding me the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence this past spring. Part of my activities included my two-year term on the judiciary in the USG, when I got to witness some of the most disturbing practices of any government or nonprofit organization that I have ever seen. Some examples include blatant disregard for the rules, rampant corruption and childish levels of disrespect and pettiness. I thought I had seen it all, but that changed within the last couple of days. This week, USG decided to blindside the student body with 250+ changes to its constitution, a document that I knew very well. From these changes, there are some that are definitely beneficial to the student body, such as the new language for equal opportunity. However, there are some changes that are devastating to the student body’s ability to ensure accountability in USG; the change that demonstrates this the most is the abolition of the Supreme Court. Let me first point out that there used to be a student government at SBU prior to USG called the Student Polity Association, Inc. (Polity), which was dissolved. One of the main reasons for this was that Polity failed to adhere to changes mandated by former Vice President of Student Affairs, Fred Preston, one of which was the appointment of a judiciary. Essentially, one of the reasons why the old student government was terminated was due to the lack of accountability that existed and Preston mandated the appointing of a judiciary to improve — among other things — accountability. Polity didn’t do this, so they were dismissed on the basis that the outstanding undergraduate students of Stony Brook “deserve the best from [their] student government.” The judiciary was deemed superbly important to a fair

Corrections

student government then, so I don’t see why that shouldn’t still hold true today. Who do we have to thank for this? Well, I’ve been told by Vice President of Academic Affairs Justin Ullman, that the architects of this change are mainly members of the Executive Council: the body that lost a recent Supreme Court case in a unanimous decision last semester. This case dismissed the former Chief Justice Aravinth Pushparaj from illegally holding his position as the USG president and executive vice president, which violated procedural rules for his appointment. The most shocking revelation from this decision, written by now Senator Eric Wagner, is that USG has never followed proper appointment procedures essentially invalidating the entirety of USG. It took some ingenuity on the deciding justices’ behalf to work around this grave discovery. If it wasn’t for us on the judiciary, every member of USG from the elections board to the president would be illegitimately working under the authority of the Student Activity Fee. Now I understand that regarding the Executive’s motives, I’m speculating that based on my two-year experience with USG. But it doesn’t seem too far off that the Executive Council is retaliating against the Supreme Court for finally doing its job of holding the other branches accountable for their rule breaking. Despite its advertising of increased accountability as a reason for abolishing the Supreme Court, USG seems to be averse to the concept. A perfect example of this is when USG, without much debate, voted no for proposed bylaws that would create another independent system of accountability within the three branches. Another example is from an event that happened to me personally. Last winter, after sending an email to Pushparaj asking him to step down from a position that he wasn’t legally holding, I went into the USG suite to sign some paperwork. While waiting to do so, I was asked by a professional staff member — someone I never talked to — to take a seat in their office. Unexpectedly, for the next 15-20 minutes, I was verbally attacked by this individual for sending a confidential email that I thought was right. I was told that I don’t have

any respect nor integrity and essentially that I was a bad person. This was not a discussion of the issues I pointed out in the email, but rather a full-blown freak out on a student leader trying to do the right thing. I’m not someone who reports things, but in hindsight, I should have. If anything, that attack taught me that USG cannot hold itself accountable without independent members of the judiciary. Due to these events, I find it hard to believe that people currently believe in abolishing the judiciary. They say that removing the court will improve accountability since the Executive Council and senate are familiar with each other. That due process in impeachment will exist in the new framework between the Executive Council and senate and that the professional staff members will make sure USG is held accountable for its rules. However, the most important fact to keep in mind is that USG is a one-party system, unlike the federal government. Most of the elected officials in those two branches ran on the same ticket and they won an election together under the same broad campaign promises. There is no infighting about accountability and, as demonstrated, the professional members protect rule-breaking members that they develop a relationship with (which is essentially all of those members in the Executive Council and senate). As students, you should all be very concerned about what is happening in USG. Your ability to hold them accountable for their shortcomings has just been wiped away. USG can — and will now — become an even more corrupt and nontransparent governing body than it already is. As someone who is concerned for the welfare of the student body, I hope you all realize what has just happened. Reach out to the University Administration to ask them to review USG’s eligibility to manage the Student Activity Fee — yes, you can do that. If you have ever been mad at USG, now is the time to tell the university. They are now the only ones who can fight for your interests against the corruptness of the student government. I am fighting over this because it’s about time to go out and hold USG responsible for their appalling inaptitude.

No corrections were made to the last issue (Volume LXIII, Issue 11) of the paper. Readers can send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com regarding any errors made in articles.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, November 18, 2019

The 2020 U.S. Presidential elections will make or break our planet By James Bowen Contributing Writer

James Bowen is a junior journalism major. After skipping school to strike outside the Swedish parliament in November of last year, Greta Thunberg quickly became the leading face of climate action. The 16-year-old’s emotive dissatisfaction with passive climate change reform has resonated with her 8.2 million Instagram followers, such as 18-year-old Canadian Emma Lim, who started the #NoChildrenNoFuture campaign against climate change. While the pledge already has over 5,000 signatures, there’s still a long way to go before major legislature changes are made. With a climate change skeptic in office, and older generations apathetic to the consequences of global warming, young climate change advocates find their cries for climate change reform falling on deaf ears. It’s frustrating to hear our elders say they’ll be “dead anyways” when the effects of climate change reach their apocalypse — none more so than from the man in the White House. President Donald Trump, who has tweeted over 115 times about climate change skepticism, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Accord on Nov. 4 for the "apparent" sake of the economy. In doing so, he pulled out of an agreement aimed to gauge the increase of planetary temperatures from 2°C to 1.5°C, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80% by 2030. In addition, Trump mocked Thunberg on Sep. 23 by

tweeting, “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” His condescending yet ironic demeanor encapsulates precisely what is wrong with the climate change deniers — apathy. As of now, future sea levels are expected to rise 3.3 millimeters per year. According to a study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), N.Y.C. is projected to be underwater by 2100. If these facts don’t alarm older generations about the threats posed by climate change, especially an entity as powerful as the president of the U.S., then nothing will. Regardless of whether climate change is brought up by a child, or a scientist, Trump doesn’t seem to be changing his mind anytime soon. When addressing leaders of the United Nations on Jan. 25, Thunberg told the world, “Adults keep saying ‘we owe it to young people to give them hope’. But I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.” This panic, otherwise known as ‘climate anxiety,’ is a byproduct of the United States’ lack of urgency towards saving the planet. This apathy towards global warming sparked outrage in Thunberg, who on Sep. 23 angrily told the UN, “How dare you?” This outrage was met by Trump, who on Oct. 23 told the UN, “Just a few weeks ago we had millions of people around the world hit the streets at a

global climate strike. We had students walking out of schools. This is really a betrayal of the next generation.” Instead of addressing the situation at face value, Trump decided to turn against young people. As young people, our concerns are constantly undermined by the misconception that we lack authority and experience. Trump views Thunberg not as an advocate for climate change, but merely a child who doesn’t know what she’s talking about. But when experts in the field of climatology present facts, Trump is equally unmoved. If Trump won’t listen, then climate change reversal will stagnate, leaving the planet to self-combust. But regardless of what Trump believes, Thunberg’s claims resonate with the research of scientists such as John E. Mak, an atmospheric chemist of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at Stony Brook University (SOMAS). According to Mak, “Climate change is certainly justifiable to worry about. It’s not a problem that will seemingly go away.” If scientists agree with younger generations, then they are bestowing their approval upon our worries — which is that our planet is being ruined by a generation that won’t live to see the consequences of their actions. According to the UN, 60% of the world’s population will inhabit major cities by 2030. Climate change poses a threat to urbanization according to Mak. “Long Island and N.Y.C. are coastal, so we

would be more prone to sea-level rise than inland,” he said. “Individual cities can help ameliorate the impacts of climate change by dynamic and complicated assessment of the situation. The bottom line is, the path we are on, we are likely to see continuing changes in our environment and living situation that we’ll have to deal with.” These concerns have been a long time coming, according to Dr. Temis G. Taylor, a researcher at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. “People have talked about their concern for future generations since the Brundtland Report on sustainable development in 1987,” Taylor wrote via email. “We know that the generations that will face the consequences of climate change are here, now.” Taylor cites the book, Our Common Future, to describe how older and younger generations need to work

together to solve problems that will affect them both. At the Alda Center, Taylor aims to “reduce polarization and improve trust among scientists, the public, and policymakers.” This, in turn, will help connect younger generations with older audiences who might be “dismissive of climate science,” she added. While Trump, as a 73-yearold, won’t live much longer to see the shortcomings of his negligence to combat climate change, young people aren’t going to wait around and do nothing. If young climate change advocates stand any chance of changing legislature in the U.S., then they have to vote wisely in the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential elections. If significant progress in reducing carbon dioxide emissions is made, then we’ll know we made the right decision. If not, then our planet will let us know.

EMMA HARRIS / THE STATESMAN

Students protesting for climate policy action on the academic mall on Sept. 26, 2019.

TikTok is a leading marketing tool for businesses to creatively brand By Xenia Gonikberg Staff Writer

Xenia Gonikberg is a freshman journalism major and TikTok user. The video app TikTok is surprisingly becoming more and more popular among corporations. Originally known as musical.ly, TikTok allows you to make short lip-synch or dance videos and customize them with special effects, music and text. Although the app’s main audience consists of teenagers and young adults, more companies have started using TikTok as a platform to brand themselves. Brands like Chipotle and media outlets like The Washington Post are taking advantage of the app’s popularity to appeal to a wider audience. This could prove to be a smart move for the future because TikTok can provide new

ways for these companies to be more creative with their advertising, besides just banners on the top of a screen, especially to a younger audience. The number of TikTok users has grown substantially since its creation in 2016 when it had over 500,000 users. Within the last year, the company has had 80 million downloads and gained over 75 million users as of December 2018. Furthermore, 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24. A big reason why companies are starting to move away from traditional advertising tactics and onto social media platforms like TikTok is because of its relatability. The Washington Post’s TikTok account mainly consists of several staff members showcasing the different elements of producing stories by incorporating trend-

ing songs and current events into their videos, but with a comedic twist. On the other hand, other apps like Instagram essentially only show certain elements of a person’s life. By having a platform that showcases the people behind the company, it makes the company more real and authentic. Most of the time, it isn’t the brands themselves — but certain employers — who are advertising on TikTok. Using TikTok as a marketing tool is a really smart way to get more people invested in one’s brand or company. According to Fast Company, Gen Z is the type of consumer that prefers content that is easily accessible and authentic. Gen Z is much more creative and responsive to trends and social media in general. Viral challenges, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, have become super

PROPERTY OF TIKTOK

The logo for the app TikTok. Although the app’s main audience is teenagers and young adults, more companies have started using TikTok as a platform to brand themselves.

popular over the past decade. These movements are helping spread awareness for various causes or simply just for gaining notoriety. For example, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised money for ALS research.

“Within the last year, the company has had 80 million downloads and gained over 75 million users as of December 2018.” These viral movements are just a few of the ways that brands can get recognition. It can help set an image for the company that can be marketable later on. However, it is super important to use social media marketing properly; a lot of times, older generations can seem “out of touch” because they fail to connect with younger audiences in a genuine way. Most of the time, when brands try to market themselves, they

do so through sponsorships and collaborations. Recently, ad campaigns that use hashtags, like #MyCalvins, usually get more engagement because they are reaching a wider audience and focus on body positivity and inclusivity. These are the types of campaigns that get recognition and go viral, because they focus on something that audiences can relate to, like learning to be comfortable in your body. As someone who watches TikToks semi-frequently, it’s nice to see brands making an effort to connect with the younger generation. Brands are showing themselves in a more vulnerable way and it seems to be paying off. While there are many more social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook to market on, TikTok is rising in popularity because it is so unique and different from these other platforms. In this day and age, humor and creativity are what draws an audience in, not so much perfectly-edited content that has no personality. Brands who haven’t dipped their toes into TikTok as a marketing tool should really consider it because it has become a good way for brands to promote themselves and resonate with their fanbases.

Crossword

The Statesman 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

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

By Owen Lewars

Monday, November 18, 2019 The answer key for last week's crossword.

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SPORTS

Nittany Lions second half buries the Seawolves in NCAA Tournament By Ryan Magill Staff Writer

Despite putting up a stellar first half performance, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team couldn’t match the second half play from No. 4 Penn State, losing to the Nittany Lions by a final score of 3-1. The Nittany Lions were on the attack for nearly the entire game, putting up a total of 25 shots, with 12 of them on goal. But in the face of a barrage of shots on goal, Seawolves junior goalkeeper Sofia Manner put on an incredible showcase of nine total saves, including a total shutout in the first half. Manner’s shutout gave the Seawolves an early opportunity to take the lead, as junior forward Fanny Götesson put the Seawolves ahead in the 18th minute with an unassisted goal, the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament goal. But the Seawolves efforts were no match for Penn State in the second half, as they scored three unanswered goals (two within 50 seconds of each other) to put them ahead for good. “We’re really happy,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a postgame press conference. “We

JESS ESPOSITO / THE STATESMAN

Junior forward Fanny Götesson during a game against Fordham on Sept. 17. On Friday, at Penn State, she scored the Seawolves' first ever NCAA Tournament goal. had a really good game plan and the girls followed the game plan very well. We had our goal, our goal in the first half, and we held onto it at halftime. And the sec-

ond half, Penn State did what Penn State does. They’re a very well-coached team [...] They were the National Champions in 2015. They have a couple special players,

and the special players played a very good game in the match.” “It was fun,” Götesson remarked on scoring the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament goal. “We didn’t

a 35-yard field goal attempt with the ball going wide right. On the second play of the second quarter, captain and redshirt-senior defensive back Gavin Heslop managed to get past the Delaware lineman and block a 39-yard field goal attempt. It was Heslop’s second blocked field goal on the season.

Freshman running back Jadon Turner, playing in his first game ever for the Seawolves, scored the teams first — and only — touchdown of the day on a 41-yard run with 5:43 left in the second to make the score 10-7. Turner enjoyed success in his first game, rushing for 101 yards on only 13 carries including the touchdown.

White, who has played sparingly over the past five games, provided the offense with some much needed help. After completing only 13 of his 35 passes last week against Towson, Fields managed to complete only five passes against Delaware. Fields finished the night going 5-11 for 45 yards and two interceptions and a fumble.

expect, maybe, to be up. But when we did, we felt it was a good start to the game, that we could actually give them something to fight for. Maybe we should have kept on a little longer, but it’s good.” While the 2019 season has come to an end for the Seawolves, the future remains bright for the team. The reigning America East Striker of the Year (junior forward Alyssa Francese), Defender of the Year (junior midfielder Kimmy Chavkin) and the two-time defending Goalie of the Year (Manner), as well as fellow First Team All-Conference member Götesson and Second Team member junior midfielder Chelsie DePonte, will all return next year. The 2019 America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player in junior forward Erin O’Connor also returns, as well as America East All-Rookie team members freshman forward Catharina von Drigalski and freshman midfielder Paula Petri. Led by Bischof and his crew, who took home the 2019 America East Coaching Staff of the Year honors, the team combines returning stars with developing talent and a hunger to succeed for next season.

Seawolves fall on the road to Blue Hens, record drops to 5-6 By Andrew Zucker Assistant Sports Editor

For the past 434 days, the Stony Brook football team’s record was .500 or better. Following their 1710 loss to the University of Delaware Blue Hens (5-6, 3-4), the Seawolves (5-6, 2-5) winning percentage is now .455 and they have now lost five of their past six games after starting the season 4-1. On only their third play of the game redshirt-junior quarterback Tyquell Fields heaved a pass into the air as he was falling backwards, which was caught by Delaware sophomore linebacker Johnny Buchanan who returned it to the end zone for a score. On their second drive of the game, Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore decided to go for it on fourth down for the second consecutive week instead of opting for a field goal, leaving points off the board. The Seawolves were scoreless in the second half of the game for the second time in the past three games. This was the third time this season when they did not score a point in a half, previously not scoring in the second half of a loss at Richmond. While the offense struggled to get anything going early, the defense attempted to make up for it. Redshirt-sophomore Casey Williams appeared to have recovered a fumble by Delaware redshirt-senior QB Pat Kehoe, only for it to be ruled an incomplete pass. On the same drive, Delaware missed

EMMA HARRIS / THE STATEMAN

Redshirt-senior running back Isaiah White, No. 28, running against Bryant on Aug. 29. On Saturday's loss at Delaware, White gained a career-high 188 yards. Stony Brook finally put some points on the board with 8:59 remaining in the second quarter after a 24-yard field goal by redshirt-senior kicker Nick Courtney.

Meanwhile, captain and redshirt-senior running back Isaiah White was the true offensive hero throughout the game. White gained a career-high 188 yards, rushing on 26 attempts.

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

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The Seawolves defense played rather well during the course of the game, giving up a total of 250 yards. Delaware’s passing game was stifled by Stony Brook, but the run game

produced most of their offense, with 163 yards coming on the ground. Pressuring the QB was not hard for the Seawolves. Redshirt-junior rover Augie Contressa and graduate transfer linebacker Sean Hammonds Jr. each had a half-sack, while redshirt-sophomore linebacker Reidgee Dimanche and redshirt-junior defensive lineman Brandon Lopez each had a sack of their own. Having forced Delaware to punt with a little less than five minutes remaining, redshirt-sophomore wide receiver John Corpac joined a long line of Seawolves on the day, when he stood in the backfield waiting to return the punt. Corpac ended up fumbling the ball on the return, which the Blue Hens quickly recovered. Stony Brook was forced to burn all of their timeouts on the ensuing drive, but got lucky when Delaware called a timeout of their own with 1:08 remaining. On the following play, Kehoe fumbled the ball off the snap, which was recovered by Hammonds Jr. The Seawolves now had 64 seconds to march 73 yards to tie the game. Three short in-bound completions later, game over. A lost season will come to an end for the Seawolves on Saturday, Nov. 23 when they host the University of Albany Great Danes on Senior Day at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. The teams will play in the fifth edition of the “Battle for the Golden Apple.” Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.