The Statesman 9-16-19 by The Statesman

Monday, September 16, 2019

Volume LXIII, Issue 4

sbstatesman.com

9/11 memorial recognizes those lost By Alek Lewis

Contributing Writer

Metabolomics LLC and Empyrean Biosciences LLC, which he formed in or around 2013, to skim from the funds. Girnun “caused” the submission of false invoices for NIH grant funds for “equipment, goods and services that were never received or provided,” the indictment read. Stony Brook University and NIH allegedly paid thousands of dollars to Girnun’s companies as a result. The indictment stated that Girnun transferred some of those funds into his own bank accounts via cash withdrawals, wire transfers and checks. He allegedly used the money to cover personal expenses, including mortgage payments on his house. “The University is outraged and appalled by the allegations

that led to the arrest of Geoffrey Girnun today,” Lauren Sheprow, media relations officer at Stony Brook University, wrote in an email. “This alleged behavior is absolutely contrary to the ethical and professional standards expected of our faculty.” Stony Brook has “fully cooperated with the investigation” and is considered a victim by the FBI, according to Sheprow. Girnun was immediately placed on administrative leave, she said. Ginrun pleaded not guilty in Long Island federal court this afternoon and was released on a $250,000 bond, according to John Marzulli, a spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office. Ginrun’s next court

date is Oct. 4. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to the press release. The case is being handled by the Department of Justice’s Long Island Criminal Division. “Professor Girnun’s alleged theft of federal and state grant funds earmarked for cancer research can be explained in two words: pure greed,” United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Richard P. Donoghue, said in the press release. “He will now be held to account in a federal courtroom.” The attorney listed as a contact for the case did not reply to a request for comment before the article was published. Girnun could not be reached for comment.

“No suspect packages were located; however, it is still an open and ongoing investigation,” Monette said. About a week prior, on Aug. 28, two students were arrested for threatening terrorism against Stanley on the MSU Reddit thread, in a post that’s now deleted. Monette said that if the suspects — freshman computer science majors Jennifer Spicer and boyfriend Rami Souguir — are convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison. The police are still investigating the incident.

Stanley’s arrival at MSU followed the resignation of MSU’s previous president, Lou Anna Simon. She was pressured to step down, according to the New York Times, for how she handled a scandal in which more than 150 women accused former MSU faculty member Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. Nassar, who worked as a team physician for two female varsity sports teams, had spent decades on the faculty at the university and treated its athletes, including members of the United States na-

tional women’s gymnastics team. Olympic gold medalists Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman were among his patients. On Sept. 5, MSU agreed to pay a record $4.5 million federal fine after the Education Department determined that the school failed to report and address claims of the sexual abuse by Nassar. According to a New York Times article, the MSU police

Eighteen years to the minute that the North Tower was struck on Sept. 11, 2001, the Academic Mall fell hush to the tolls of campus bells, which rang 21 times to honor the 21 Stony Brook alumni and community members who were lost during the attack on U.S. soil. The Stony Brook University Alumni Association hosted a memorial service on campus to honor the dead, outside the east side of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library on Wednesday. Volunteers encouraged passing students and staff to plant a pinwheel decorated with the American flag in a patch of grass outlined by the organizers. Two permanent memorials for the 21 victims reside on campus: a memorial arch donated by the Alumni Association near the Humanities building and the trees planted in the Student Activities Center courtyard in honor of the victims. As junior biochemistry major Halyna Sabadakh placed her pinwheel in the ground, she wiped tears from her eyes as she remembered a family friend who died on Sept. 11. “He was one of the first responders that came to the scene,” she said. “This day is always something that I hold true to my heart, and during certain times — like [at] 8:45 and 9:03 when the planes hit — during that one minute, I really like have to walk out of class and take a moment to myself.” Sabadakh, who is still close with the family of the friend who died, said that she tries to remember that he was saving lives. “So yes, of course, he passed away, but I know he passed away for the good of the people,” she said. Janet Masini, associate director of Alumni Relations and one of the event’s coordinators, feels that the annual memorial has an impact on campus and the student body. “The memorial garden just turns into this beautiful display that we think reminds everyone

Continued on page 4

SAMANTHA ROBINSON / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook University hosted its annual 9/11 memorial on the Academic Mall on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Passersby planted American flag-themed pinwheels in the grass to honor the lives that were lost.

SBU professor charged with stealing cancer research funds

By Melissa Azofeifa and Brianne Ledda

Arts & Culture Editor and News Editor

Stony Brook University Professor Geoffrey Girnun was arrested on Sept. 12 on charges of stealing more than $200,000 from cancer-related research grants, according to a Department of Justice press release. Girnun, an associate professor in the department of pathology and director of cancer metabolomics at the Renaissance School of Medicine, allegedly funneled National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funds “for his own personal gain,” according to a seven-count indictment unsealed on Sept. 12. According to the indictment, Girnun used shell companies Atlas

Former SBU President Stanley faces threats at MSU

By Maya Brown

Assistant News Editor

Former Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. has faced two terrorist threats since starting his tenure as the 21st president at Michigan State University (MSU) on Aug. 1. On Sept. 6, Stanley and about 400 others were forced to evacuate from an MSU Board of Trustees meeting because of a bomb threat, according to Capt. Doug Monette of the MSU Police. News

Arts & Culture

He became the 21st president at MSU on Aug. 1.

The annual concert was canceled twice in a row.

Stanley faces terrorism threats.

MORE ON PAGE 4

Back to the Brook cancelled yet again. MORE ON PAGE 5

Opinions

SBU is not a “Far Beyond” school.

Administration fails to support student needs. MORE ON PAGE 7

Sports

Seawolves bounce back on Saturday.

Seawolves victorious over Bryant at home. MORE ON PAGE 12

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NEWS

Stanley faces two terrorist threats at MSU SBU holds 9/11 memorial Continued from page 1 received a report about Nassar as early as May 2014. As a part of a settlement with the department, the multi-million dollar fine has initiated two investigations into the university’s handling of the sexual abuse and the complicity of William Strampel, a former dean of the university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. In response to this news of the federal fine, on Sept. 5, Stanley announced several courses of action, including accepting June Youatt’s resignation as provost, effective immediately. Additionally, he formed a new oversight committee that will ensure the actions MSU will take are fully responsive to the steps outlined in the agreements with the Education Department, as well as the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) letter of findings. “OCR’s letter of findings is very clear that the provost and former president failed to take appropriate action on behalf of the university to address reports ofinap-

propriate behavior and conduct, specifically related to former Dean William Strampel,” Stanley said in a press release. According to Kaitlyn Kelley, editor-in-chief of MSU’s campus newspaper, Stanley said during the presidential search at MSU this summer that he wanted to meet with survivors of Nassar’s sexual abuse to talk to them and help them heal. “The community wants someone who is open and willing to talk to them,” she said. Responses to MSU Facebook posts featuring Stanley, however, invoked mixed comments. “Sir, Lead from out front like a true Spartan,” Facebook user Thomas Crew commented on a Facebook post of Stanley helping students move in at MSU. “Our past leaders left a bit of tarnish on our shields, but they will shine up nicely if we face our challenges with courage and integrity.” Facebook user Penny Maroldo similarly commented on another Facebook post announcing Stanley’s presidency that she was “thrilled with the

choice and looks for great things in the future at MSU under his leadership.” Under the same post, Facebook user Carol Wellington Botts wrote that “Stony Brook is a disaster. Hopefully, Stanley will not bring that school’s low standards to MSU.” MSU senior genetics major, Angelina Sdao, said that she believes Stanley’s initiatives are more beneficial than any actions taken by the previous administration, though she admitted that she now finds it difficult to trust any administration with issues related to sexual assault and violence. When referring to an email Stanley sent out to MSU students and faculty, Sdao pointed out that it was very direct and had a large focus on the survivors on campus. “It was something that our campus really needed,” she said. “Up until this point, the survivors had always been pushed to the end of an email.”

ALEEZA KAZMI / THE STATESMAN FILE

Former SBU president, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., during a media briefing on Feb. 20, 2019. Since his tenure as president at MSU on Aug. 1, he has faced two terrorist threats.

SAMANTHA ROBINSON / THE STATESMAN

Pinwheels on the Academic Mall during the 9/11 memorial. The Alumni Association hosted the event. Continued from page 1 to take that minute and stop and remember, and then when it’s done, it’s beautiful and it continues to be this memorial,” she said. Linda Unger, senior instructional designer for the Center of Excellence in Learning and Teaching, also planted a pinwheel at the memorial. Her husband lost two colleagues on the day of the attacks and other colleagues later passed away from diseases related to the incident, she said. Unger’s husband, who worked as a law enforcement chaplain for four months to tend to the emotional needs of first responders, also developed diseases from the attack that still persist to this day. “In a wider sense, this is probably the single most impactful event of this generation,” she said. William Jimenez, another coordinator of the event, was at the World Trade Center two weeks before the Sept. 11 attack with his aunt, who worked in one of the towers. Fortunately, his aunt took off the day of the attacks. “It’s still a somber sight, just seeing where the towers were,” he said. “I was there two weeks before it happened; being there

and then seeing the devastation, [I thought] ‘What happened?’ ‘Who would do this?’ ‘Why would you do this?’” Jimenez believes that the memorial reminds students that were born after the attack — or those who were too young to remember it — of its significance. Most incoming freshmen this year were born in 2001. Freshman information system major, Eram Alam, who stopped to place a pinwheel, was just over a month old when the attack occurred. Alam’s cousin, who worked in the World Trade Center, was thankfully late for work that day. “It’s important not to become desensitized to all the assemblies and moments of silences, and continue to respect the people who are lost because it is such a tragedy,” Alam said. Teaching the next generations what happened, he added, is the best way to honor those who died. “Even if you were born five years ago, I think we should still teach our children, teach the next generation that this happened, so that we can respect those who died, and those who gave their lives to help, and also so we can prevent this from ever happening again,” he said.

President's Office announces committee members for presidential search

By Maya Brown

Assistant News Editor

The official list of members making up the presidential search committee were announced by the President’s office in a campus-wide email sent on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The committee members will represent the university as they search for Stony Brook University’s sixth president. Michael Bernstein is currently acting as the Interim President. “The members are committed to conducting a search that will yield an accomplished, visionary and inspirational president to lead Stony Brook University as it continues its forward trajectory as one of the top public research universities in the United States,” Kevin Law, chair of the presidential search committee, said in the email. Faculty, staff, Stony Brook Foundation members, students,

administration, alumni and Stony Brook Council members were chosen to be on the committee, in accordance with SUNY guidelines and policy. SUNY guidelines dictate that the committee should be “diverse and have representatives from principal campus constituencies.” The President’s Office also hired the firm Isaacson, Miller, which specializes in recruiting “leaders for mission-driven organizations,” according to its website. Its clients include universities, research institutes and advocacy organizations. Michael Baer, partner at Isaacson, Miller, is the lead search consultant, and will be assisted by Ernest Brooks, a senior associate at the firm. Later this month, the two will meet on campus with the committee members for help crafting a “position profile” to advertise to potential candidates, according to the email.

According to the SUNY Presidential Search Summary and Timeline, the next step will be for the search committee to hold its first meeting. Chancellor Kristina Johnson will officially give the charge to the committee and discuss her expectations for the top candidates. Isaacson, Miller will also go over their plan for the search with the committee. Diversity and confidentiality will also be overviewed, according to the guidelines. Law encouraged the university to share “thoughts on the qualifications that the next Stony Brook president should possess to be successful in leading the institution” via email at presidentialsearch@stonybrook.edu. Presidential nominations can be submitted to www.imsearch. com/7264. The university also has a website that will post updates on the search.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Committee Members

Linda Armyn, Stony Brook Council Mark Aronoff, Faculty Representative (Linguistics) Kimberly Joy Dixon, Member of the Professional/Support Staff (Career Center) Axel Drees, Faculty Representative (Physics & Astronomy) Joshua Dubnau, Faculty Representative (Anesthesiology) Brooke Ellison PhD '12, Faculty Representative (Health and Rehabilitation Sciences) Richard L. Gelfond ’76, Hon. ’04, Stony Brook Foundation Christopher Hahn, Stony Brook Council Shaheer Kahn, Undergraduate Student Representative Father Alex Karloutsos, Stony Brook Council Kevin S. Law '82, Stony Brook Council and Search Committee Chair Celia Marshik, Faculty Representative (English) I. Memming Park, Faculty Representative (Neurobiology & Behavior) Clint Rubin, Faculty Representative (Biomedical Engineering) Nicole Sampson, Interim Dean, College of Arts & Sciences James H. Simons, Hon. '92, Stony Brook Foundation President Harvey Stenger, Binghamton University, Chancellor's Designee Christina Vargas '90, MA '93, Alumni Representative Xiaoqing Zhang, Graduate Student Representative

ARTS & CULTURE

USG announces that Back to the Brook is canceled, again By Ethan Tam

Assistant Sports Editor

For the second year in a row, Back to the Brook will not be happening. This evening, Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) posted on its social media accounts that the university’s annual fall semester concert had been canceled yet again. In its official statement, USG stated that the decision to cancel Back to the Brook was made because its usual venue, the Island Federal Credit Union Arena, will be unavailable as a result of current construction efforts being made to the arena’s basketball court. “Despite this development, we want to ensure that you get the most out of your Student Activity Fee. We will focus on bringing both a bigger and better production to campus for our Spring Brookfest concert – and introduce new programming and initiatives throughout the year,” USG said in its official statement. Included was a link to a Google Forms survey regarding USG Event feedback, however, Back to the Brook and Brookfest were not listed. Stony Brook Director of Athletics, Shawn Heilbron, first announced an upcoming renovation for the Island Federal Credit Union Arena’s basketball court on Twitter in July, and construction began in August. Aside from an aesthetic makeover, the updated basketball court will also have to comply with

ARACELY JIMENEZ / STATESMAN FILE

Fetty Wap performing at Back to the Brook in September 2016. The Undergraduate Student Government anounced the cancelation of Back to the Brook for the second year in a row this semester. the NCAA’s new three-point line regulations. The NCAA announced back in June that the three-point line would be moved from 20 feet, 9 inches to the international distance of 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches. Last year, USG canceled Back to the Brook a week before its scheduled date due to low sales. Only 24 tick-

ets were sold for planned headliner Ashanti, and the concert’s original lead act, Teyana Taylor, had pulled out two weeks before due to unforeseen circumstances. Stony Brook University has hosted concerts in various locations in the past. Mac Miller played 2013’s Back to the Brook

at the Staller Steps, while 2014’s Brookfest featuring Childish Gambino and Diplo was held at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. More recently, Brookfest in 2017, headlined by DNCE, Joey Bada$$ and Alison Wonderland, was held at the Student Activities Center Parking Lot.

The Statesman reached out to the USG President, junior political science major Shaheer Khan, and the Vice President of Student Life and health sciences major Hadi Mohammed, amongst others in USG but none replied to a request for comment before the article was published.

Stony Brook Art Crawl 2019 is back with bigger art and bigger crowds By Lajiere Blake Contributing Writer

For its fourth year, Stony Brook’s Art Crawl provided students, faculty and community members with guided tours of art exhibits scattered throughout campus. This year, the Art Crawl started at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics. Nestled in a corner of campus, the building is home to the Simon Center Gallery, where the exhibit “Art of Science” is on display. The exhibit is a true reflection of the name where the intersection of art and science become jumbled together. Along the walls of the gallery, visitors are thrust into this world where artists and professors like Eric J. Heller are featured. His digitized prints are the visualization of quantum mechanics, work based on calculations he’s done. Next year the Simon Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary and there will be an art book of photography. “It’s about intellect and heart,” Director and Curator of the Simons Center, Lorraine Walsh, said. In a pack of 30, people wandered across campus to the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library for the next exhibit. Here, they were introduced to 35 pieces of art and four students responsible for some of the artwork. Katherine Maier, a senior studio art major, was present. Her work loomed behind her as she explained the ruby red and black piece. She numbered

LAJIERE BLAKE / THE STATESMAN

Artwork in the Staller Center featured at the Stony Brook Art Crawl. It was the fourth annual Art Crawl on Stony Brook University's campus. her work to avoid preconceived notions that usually came with titles, an attempt to encourage the viewer to gather what they will from the work. Maier appreciated the Art Crawl. “I think it’s really great to call attention to the fact that we have such a strong art program.” Next was the Staller Center where “The View From Here: Contemporary Perspectives From Senegal” was displayed at the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery. In three sections titled, “Negotiated Identi-

ties,” “Urban Textures” and “Icons and Symbols,” the viewers were pushed into an experience shaped by the Senegalese perspective. Through drawing photographic parallels between the past and present, the idea of navigating identities became clear. At this point in the Art Crawl, the group had grown to a little more than 30, composed of students, faculty and community members. Karen Warren, a staff member at the Consortium for Inter-Disciplinary Environ-

mental Research (CIDER), was also present. “My favorite part is the insights that I get into such different types of artwork,” she said. “Especially when the students present their own work I love to hear them explain it and see their enthusiasm.” Karen Levitov, director and curator at the Zuccaire Gallery, has been part of the Art Crawl since its inception four years ago. The Art Crawl originated when Levitov and the directors of the

Charles B. Wang Center and Simon Center — Jinyoung Jin and Lorraine Walsh — respectively, got together with the Student Affairs Department. When asked about some of the challenges that could come from an event like this, Levitov insisted that the biggest challenge wasn’t so big anymore. “Its really been amazing you know when we first started we had a really tiny group, we had like eight or twelve people and the challenge was to let people know about it and figure out how to do that and it’s grown as you can see we have over 50 people on this one,” said Levitov. Levitov wanted visitors to come away with a newfound affinity for art. “This is open to anybody. You don’t have to know about art or have any background in the art or cultures that are being talked about,” Levitov said. The Art Crawl is a testimonial to the drive, vigor and support that goes into the arts here at Stony Brook. It provides an avenue of access to the exhibits on campus amongst a diverse group of people with one major thing in common — a love for art. Two curator talks by Joseph L. Underwood are taking place on Sept. 23 and 24 with an artist talk by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn on Thursday, Oct. 10. Check out zuccairegallery.stonybrook.edu for more information.

The Statesman

Arts & Culture

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Lumineers want you to get to know the Sparks family By Sara Ruberg Multimedia Editor

Three generations of crime, tragedy, drug addiction and alcoholism ravages the Sparks. Their stories come to life in a small, yellow house that stands alone in a field — perhaps symbolic of each character’s loneliness and distance. It’s all part of a compilation of music videos from The Lumineers’ newest album, “III,” which was released on Friday, Sept. 13. The stories may be fictionalized, but the band knows the characters all too well. The two founding members of The Lumineers — Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites — based the song lyrics and video series off their family members’ experiences with addiction. At an event to premiere the visual album on Thursday, Sept. 12 in New York City, Schultz told the audience how the duo began the short film process. “I [thought we could] kind of retell this story visually and then also disguise some of the people I was singing about in a new family instead of it having to be my own family,” said Schultz. “It gave them a sense of cover.” Their music videos, directed by Kevin Phillips, are combined to create a short film, which has already been accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The album itself is separated into three EPs — literally called “I,” “II” and “III” — to spotlight a family member from each generation of the Sparks. It all begins with Gloria Sparks. She’s a mother and

PUBLIC DOMAIN

The Lumineers released their newest album on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. The release of their album was accompanied by a performance in New York City. wife, but also an alcoholic who is constantly getting into serious trouble that jeopardizes her life along with the lives of her husband and child. Her EP sets the mood that carries on through the rest of the album, solemn and serious but paired with upbeat tunes.

Schultz says his honest lyrics are paired with upbeat music on purpose to balance the songs. “I think there’s nothing wrong with [honest content],” Schultz said. “But when isolated it can get a little dark if you just want to read the lyrics to yourself. I wouldn’t recommend that.”

Later in the bonus tracks of the album, Schultz references Gloria — and possibly his own grandmother — in a song called “Old Lady.” “II” is all about Junior Sparks, Gloria’s grandson. The first song “It Wasn’t Easy to Be Happy for You” is a song about Junior’s first

Ryan Hamilton performs at The Paramount Sept. 14

lonely life, recognizability (in this case lack thereof ) and his gullible personality to tell memorable and strange moments in his life that consistently got laughs.

By Alek Lewis Contributing Writer

Comedian Ryan Hamilton, famed for “Happy Face”, captured the venue’s audience and filled them with unbridled laughter when he performed at The Paramount last Saturday. With only one stand up special on Netflix, his recent work is bound to get him a second one. Hamilton’s observational comedy excels at bringing ridiculous situations to life, much like the T.V. sitcom, “Seinfeld.” Although he wants you to know he’s from Idaho, he bleeds New York stand-up comedy. A large contributor to Hamilton’s success, besides his material, is his physical comedy. He moves around the stage while acting out and hilariously mimicking those in his stories. His physicality coupled with impressions and a masterful understanding of observational comedy plants hilarious scenarios in your head. It’s hard to look away when he’s on stage. Hamilton, 43, succeeds in connecting with his audience; he jokes about how his age changed him, obtaining the attention of the majority older to middle age audience with the shared experience of getting older and criticizing the younger generation. The connection with the older audience sustained the energy of The Paramount. Hamilton was preceded by the up-and-coming comedian, Jeff Scheen, whose set complement-

“Hamilton’s observational comedy excels at bringing ridiculous situations to life.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOSHAK PR

Comedian Ryan Hamilton performed his standup at The Paramount Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. ed and transferred easily into Hamilton’s set. The highlights of Scheen’s act were jokes about his experience at the

Canadian border and his relationship with his parents as an only child. Hamilton often used self-deprecating humor, including his

Hamilton occasionally brushed on current topics, as many observational comics attempt to do, and he did it successfully without controversy. He talked brilliantly about the absurdity of buying Greenland, a teenager winning millions of dollars from Fortnite, media influencers and health care. With topics such as smoking and diets, Hamilton examines the puzzling behavior of humans and exposes their stupidity and hilarity. He deals with hecklers with quick wit, not shutting them down but engaging even more with his audience by interacting with them and turning their heckles into quips.

heartbreak. The story of this song might be lighter, but the gruesome lyrics of Junior’s bitterness match the rest of the album’s theme. The other two songs on Junior’s piece give listeners a look into the life of a child of an alcoholic, which gets lyrically and musically intense. His father and Gloria’s son, Jimmy, bring it home in “III.” Every single song in his EP portrays the relentless pain of addiction and heartbreak. The songs become suddenly harsher than the rest of the album, mirroring Jimmy’s harsh life in the short film. One song in this section, “The Salt and the Sea,” was actually originally made for an M. Night Shyamalan movie, but was never used, so the band put it on their album. There are three bonus tracks at the end of the album that aren’t included in the short film. They all don’t exactly tie into the story being told in the rest of the album and sound musically different. Listening and watching “III” is a deeply emotional experience. The short film is graphic, and when paired with the haunting lyrics, it becomes extremely powerful. It brings to light an important message on addiction and family trauma — topics that are often taboo and covered up. Schultz and Fraites called the experience cathartic, and they hope listeners feel the same way. The Lumineers will be touring North America throughout 2020 for the album. The full short film has yet to be released, but six out of ten parts are currently on YouTube. The full album, “III,” is available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.

Need a break?! Chill out from a stressful week and jam to the music from these albums and EPs! September Releases: • Death Cab for Cutie: “The Blue EP” - Sept. 6 • Alessia Cara: “This Summer” - Sept. 6 • Charli XCX: “Charli” - Sept. 13 • Emeli Sandé: “Real Life” - Sept. 13 • Tove Lo: “Sunshine Kitty” - Sept. 20 Blink-182: “NINE” Sept. 20 • Fitz and the Tantrums: “All The Feels” - Sept. 20 • Adam Lambert: “VELVET: Side A” Sept. 27 • Kanye West: “Jesus Is King” - Sept. 27 October Releases: • FINNEAS: “Blood Harmony” - Oct. 4 • Third Eye Blind: “Screamer” - Oct. 18

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The Administration Building at Stony Brook University. The message from the university to its student body: if you strive for success, Stony Brook will propel you towards it.

SBU fails to go "Far Beyond" with students By Noah Brigham Contributing Writer

Every day at Stony Brook, each and every one of us is bombarded by “Far Beyond” signage. The message from the university to its student body: if you strive towards success, Stony Brook will propel you to it. The university has fallen short on their end of the bargain. The student body and the faculty here direly need an administration that goes “Far Beyond” in supporting them in their roles and aspirations. Students cannot go “Far Beyond” and faculty cannot send them there when students do not have access to quality affordable-housing and faculty lacks job security. Until these crises are resolved, “Far Beyond” is nothing more than an empty promise and a vanity project. In the past two decades, Stony Brook University has become swept up in a wide trend of public universities that have transitioned from engines of social mobility into profit-driven corporate structures. These universities are characterized by extensive branding and ad campaigns; conciliatory and bureaucratic administrations; and the development of oversized and financially burdensome athletic programs. As early as 2013, USA Today reported, “Nearly every university loses money on sports. Even after private donations and ticket sales, they fill the gap by tapping students paying tuition or state taxpayers.” At Stony Brook, this fact is clearly demonstrated by the intercollegiate athletic fee that each student pays as part of their tuition. For full-time resident students, this fee is a whopping $286.25 per semester. Administration treats the university as a profit factory. To them, students are little more than revenue streams. In the past three weeks, incoming students have likely come face to face with this reality. Hundreds of freshmen arriving at Stony Brook every year are tripled in rooms and expected to

Corrections

academically perform as if their living situation should have no bearing on their attitude or potential. Residential problems go further than a simple lack of space. During my first semester here at Stony Brook, I was living in Eisenhower College in Kelly Quad. This quad had decades old suitestyle rooms that were built quickly and cheaply, to begin with and are notorious for shortcomings. One day in November, I came home to discover that the heat was not working and the shower would only run cold. At least I didn’t have two roommates. I would overcome some frustration by screaming into my pillow in private. These kinds of difficulties aren’t exclusive to underclassmen either. Jules Niedermeyer, a senior biology major, relayed her experience of moving into a West G suite this semester, describing it as featuring plenty of mold, stains and even a bit of litter, obviously not having been cleaned thoroughly enough after the former occupants departed. So, why isn’t the university allocating funds to address these issues with the current residential buildings or to build new affordable student residences? Money certainly isn’t funding academic programs or being used to hire and maintain faculty departments. In fact, in the past three years, some of Stony Brook’s oldest and best faculty members have been curious as to just what university funds are being used for. The university is currently embroiled in a controversy that was most recently addressed by professor David McKinnon. The university has been in a crisis state for the past two years following the administration’s announcement of a $25M budget deficit and their subsequent slashing of faculty positions, instatement of a hiring freeze and issuance of a non-renewal notice to young tenure track faculty. McKinnon described faculty morale as being at rock-bottom. He outlined two demands of the

faculty to the administration: A return to the fiscally conservative practices of the university’s recent past and financial power returning from administration back to department heads. McKinnon writes “Ultimately we need sympathetic leadership.” Amidst this ongoing crisis, former President Stanley felt it was appropriate to jump ship, the administration remains conciliatory about its financial practices both past and present, specifically about what spending practices ultimately led to the budget crisis in the first place, and department heads have no more financial power than they did at the time of McKinnon’s writing. Although these demands will take time, the administration has proven itself to be untrustworthy in the past. The student body must not dismiss themselves as powerless. There is a long history of student movements on campuses having a vast impact on universities. Organized efforts may take some time to effect but they must begin this semester. A great place for an individual student to begin is by reading the history of phenomenal reporting on this subject. College is a place to first take on certain civic duties. Despite hefty workloads, keeping up with the news is absolutely a part of this. All of us rightly concerned must also boycott athletics events; spending money on these events only reinforces the administration’s current financial policies. Finally, we should speak with our professors and faculty about the topic. Be curious about what they might have to say and what you could learn about the history and culture at Stony Brook. Last year, when the university had the opportunity to anticipate a large incoming class in the fall and construct sufficient housing to accommodate them, they, instead chose to invest in the construction of what appears to be a new indoor soccer stadium. This stadium can be seen under construction behind the soccer fields across from the LIRR. Residential problems go further than a simple lack of space.

No corrections were made to the last issue (Volume LXIII, Issue 3) of the paper. Readers can send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com regarding any errors made in articles.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, September 16, 2019

Misandry in feminism is real and needs to be acknowledged more By Andrew Infantino Contributing Writer

In the wake of #MeToo and Brett Kavanaugh, feminists have become increasingly vocal that men should be held accountable for sexual misconduct and discrimination. Some refer strictly to the perpetrators of those ills while others refer to inactive bystanders as well. However, a growing trend has been to hold all men collectively responsible for them. “It is our responsibility in particular to support the #MeToo movement,” a male feminist said in praise of last year’s #MeToo campus rally. “[Rape culture] is a problem caused by and perpetuated by men, and it’s men’s job to be part of this movement.” Some have openly expressed this opinion with outright hatred. As Suzanna Danuta Walters, director of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Northeastern University, wrote for The Washington Post, men should account for “all the millennia of woe [they] have produced” by “pledging to vote for feminist women only. Don’t run for office. Don’t be in charge of anything. Step away from the power … We have every right to hate you.” I am not blind as to why #MeToo exists. I know several women who were stalked, sexually assaulted, threatened with firearms and raped. Rather than arresting the perpetrator, police officers asked one of the victims why she didn’t fight him off. In other incidents that took place on campus, Ti-

tle IX and other university authorities took no effective action. Last year, I was sexually harassed by a male student at work. My boss told me it was my fault when I reported it to her. After the semester ended, I was laid off. I have also been sexually harassed throughout my public school years. At parties, I’ve seen people of both sexes groping others while bystanders condoned and even encouraged the acts. Society has failed to prevent sexual misconduct and provide justice for its victims. However, this does not justify the vilification of men. Misandry has caused harm in my life and will continue to do so in many others if more feminists help normalize it. In the 2018 midterm elections, one of my family members voted Letitia James for Attorney General of New York solely because she didn’t want “any more men in office.” When I first started college, another family member had lectured me about “how horrible guys are,” demanding that I take responsibility for it in all of my interactions with female students. “Never approach girls,” he told me forcefully. “Let girls approach you.” That didn’t help me cope with the hostility I’ve received from several female students for trying to befriend them. I’ve heard other feminists justify it with the argument that all men are potential predators to women. One woman close to me praised the “SCUM Manifesto,” which calls to “destroy the male sex.”

GARY GHAYRAT/STATESMAN FILE

Protestors at the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance March on Feb. 28, 2018. Feminists feel that men should be held accountable for sexual misconduct. Feminists who scapegoat men ultimately shun many of the people they claim to support. Those who blame gun violence against women on “male entitlement,” for example, disregard the men who die from gun violence and the influence of fatherlessness on men who perpetrate it. Meanwhile, by stigmatizing male behavior, some feminists in power have already influenced policy to the detriment of men. Under the influence of organizations such as the National Coalition for Sex Equity in Education, the Department of Education and schools across the U.S. have tried to combat male aggression by policing how boys play, targeting games such as dodgeball and tag. Male health and academic performance are declining, and two education researchers are worried that such initiatives would exacerbate this fall by undermining boys’ psychological

development. Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo attributed the decrease in part to “political correctness,” explaining that men are given “a set of rules about what not to do, but no guidance about what they should do.” Boys need to express themselves in school on terms they can relate to, especially through interactive and technical coursework. Many feminists in the U.S., however, have resisted attempts to promote male students in career and technical education. Some men would try to rectify women’s issues by externally overhauling femininity and creating new standards of permissible female behavior. Feminists would most likely — and rightfully — resent that. Most men do not share women’s perspectives; hence, they should not make those dictations.

However, attempts to fight “toxic masculinity” by feminizing men are equally wrong. Males are not inoculated from such measures or institutional discrimination. Stoicism, competition, strength, assertiveness and many other qualities associated with masculinity are not toxic. Feminism, meanwhile, has an image problem; most women, despite believing in gender equality, do not identify with the movement. Many of them associate it with misandry and substantiating that stereotype would only drive them further away. Many men, meanwhile, have valuable perspectives on sexual violence and gender issues — both of which are complicated subjects. If feminists want productive public discourse about them, they need to acknowledge that doing so requires more than one participant.

Diversity plays a crucial role in making a college experience worthwhile By Sarah Tantawy Contributing Writer

Prior to transferring to Stony Brook University, I attended the University of Maine, a school with an 82% white student body. It was located in Orono, Maine, a town closer to Canada than my home in Queens, N.Y. Many factors went into choosing this university. One reason was because I wanted to attend a school in a rural environment far from home to challenge myself. The other two were finances and research opportunities. One thing that I did not consider, however, was the school’s diversity. After living in Woodside, Queens — which is predominantly Hispanic and Asian — I overlooked what a big factor diversity played in my life. Having been born in an Egyptian household with brown parents, I didn’t realize how my cultural environment became an important part of my identity until I was pulled out of it. I went to a predominantly white high school, so whatever diversity or lack of culture I didn’t have at school, I got at home from my mother’s cooking or from the sounds of Arabic soap operas like “Sokoot Hor (Free Fall),” playing in the background. For years, my siblings and I had swapped out certain English words for Arabic words, so two languages were always being spoken in my household. I had become so accustomed to being surrounded by a multitude of backgrounds, that I was in shock when attending UMaine. Despite having made great friends and memories, I felt a growing void. I was surrounded by people who

looked alike, spoke alike and had similar life experiences. A majority of them went to the same high schools, played the same sports and hung out at the same locations. This observation was not something that was unique outside the classroom, as I found it happening quite extensively in many of my classes. Professors would ask questions and everyone would regurgitate answers, often echoing similar discussions that are colored in all-white experiences. This did not allow for many in-depth conversations about topics outside of their perceived comfort zones. They could not allow themselves to look outside of the tiny bubble they had created, and this led to many ignorant conversations surrounding politics and immigration laws, amongst other things. While it is fine to stay within your comfort

zone and share the same life experiences with others, it simply does not allow any room for growth. As my classes began to blend together, I felt like I wasn’t learning anything new. Had I known this prior to attending, maybe I would have never gone in the first place. This leads to an even bigger problem: the way colleges choose to advertise diversity on campuses. If you go to any university or college website or pick up a flyer or calendar, you’ll see students of different races, ethnicities and beliefs with clubs and other organizations that support those same people. When arriving on campus, however, it’s a completely different story. The clubs at UMaine that support those students are often underfunded and understaffed. They are overlooked by universities and

are often overshadowed by other clubs. A clear example of this would be when The Feminist Collective wanted to put an event called “Love Your Melanin” alongside the Black Student Union (BSU). Ciarra Jazzay, a psychology student and one of the heads of BSU, immediately approached The Feminist Collective to put a stop to the event. “The event was created in order for ‘allies to help people of color on campus learn to love themselves’ with the implication being that we hate ourselves so much that we need white people to tell us how to love ourselves,” Jazzay said. “It was the epitome of white paternalism with a dash of cultural racism. Also in their slideshow for the event they included the paper bag test and an image of kidnapped Africans who were sold into slavery.”

WONDER WOMAN0731/FLICKR VIA CC-BY-2.0

Diversity is an important aspect in picking a college. Stony Brook University is considered to be one of the best non-historically black colleges and universities in terms of diversity.

With a little over half of our campus being made up of minorities, Stony Brook University is considered to be one of the best non-Historically Black Colleges and Universities in terms of diversity. This yields the question of how to define “diversity” on college campuses. Can campuses get away with calling their school diverse if they just admit students of different ethnicities, but don’t provide any opportunities for those students to actively get to know one another? At orientation, we are given diversity inclusion lectures and taught about microaggressions. There are also resources that are put in place, and Stony Brook University has also chosen to implement a new core requirement of taking a diversity class. However, while 65.2% of the school is not white, 34.8% of the school is, which is still a large number considering it is a homogenous population. Regardless, the new implementation of required courses like these are moving us towards a better school community. Pondering these questions on a deeper level was not possible at UMaine because much of the campus was oblivious to the problem at hand. When considering attending an institution of higher education, diversity should be one of the top three factors the enrolling student considers. To that same effect, colleges and universities should make better efforts to make sure their campus is diverse. Students need to interact with others who do not look, speak or think like them.That is how you grow as an individual and member of society.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, September 16, 2019

World Suicide Prevention Day is a reminder that mental health is a priority By Isabelle Panza Contributing Writer

Between social media showing highlight reels of extravagant lives, the beauty industry pressuring people to look “beautiful” under society’s unattainable standards and academic competition more intense than ever, it is no surprise that poor self-image is considered typical. A poor self-image often leads to harrowing mental health conditions such as eating disorders, anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts. Worst of all, students don’t make mental health a priority, with 40% of students failing to seek help. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and it is a reminder to every student that their mental health is imperative to leading a happy, healthy life. While Suicide Prevention is the focus of the whole month of September, National Suicide Prevention Day is Sept. 10; it is a pivotal day for everybody to become more aware of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline, (1-800-273-8255), a fantastic resource for anybody struggling with suicidal thoughts, created that hashtag #BeThe1To to bring awareness to this crucial month. The hashtag is designed to have something after it, such as #BeThe1toAsk. If you see someone struggling and you believe that they may be having suicidal thoughts, then you should

step up and ask them in the most caring and gentlest way possible if this is true. Danielle Merolla, Assistant Director for Outreach and Community Based Interventions at Stony Brook University, said that “acknowledgment goes a long way.” Merolla also noted that it’s essential as a friend to “destigmatize getting help,” but also it’s crucial to “know the resources in order to be the bridge to those resources.” The Suicide Prevention Line website provides stories of people who struggled with contemplating suicide, and in some cases, even attempted, but saved their lives by getting help. Mike Liguori was a 9/11 first responder as well as a Marine. He struggled from severe PTSD and had extreme suicidal thoughts until he reached out and got the proper help. He now produces podcasts and helps people write books and scripts. Terry Wise attempted suicide after her husband’s death. After being found close to death and spending days in the ICU, she reached out to a therapist and got the help she so desperately needed. Today, she is the author of “Waking Up: Climbing Through the Darkness” and a motivational speaker who has spoken in all 50 states. While the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is an excellent resource for students, Stony Brook University has services to help as well. Stony Brook’s Counseling and

Psychological Services (CAPS) program offers completely free services to students struggling with anything. It’s equipped with professional counselors to speak to, dogs to pet when feeling stressed and meditation classes. Merolla reminded students that there is also a Let’s Talk program where “any student can walk into these sites, no appointments, no paperwork, and they can speak to a counselor about anything that’s

on their mind. They can be confidential. It’s free, of course, and the student can be anonymous.” CAPS also offers Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR), which teaches students how to tell the signs of a potentially suicidal person, how to ask about suicide and how to get them to the proper resources. CAPS is located on the second floor of the Student Health Services Center and its walk-in

hours are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with hours of operation until 5 p.m. They also have a 24-hour phone line for students to connect with CAPS. The number is (631) 632-6720, and as explicitly stated on the CAPS website, the phone line doesn’t just have to be used for emergencies. Remember that getting help is courageous and that mental health should be a top priority in your life.

PARV JOSHI /STATESMAN FILE

The Student Health Center includes the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) program. It offers free services to struggling students and has a 24-hour phone line.

SPORTS

Men's Soccer splits midweek contests, earns first victory

By Ross O’Keefe Staff Writer

The Stony Brook men’s soccer team traveled to Philadelphia to face the St. Joseph’s Hawks on Tuesday, Sept. 10 and hosted the Siena Saints in Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Friday, Sept. 13, hoping to capitalize on whatever semblance of momentum they earned last week in a 2-2 tie with Fairfield. The team received mixed results following their 0-3 loss to St. Joseph’s and their 2-1 win against Siena. “You know, we’ve controlled big parts of the game,” head coach Ryan Anatol said in an interview with The Statesman after the Siena game concluded. “You look at possessions and opportunities, but the challenges were what we haven’t been doing as well in – air challenges and ground challenges. We challenged the guys to come out today and try to win that part of the game, especially against a team that we thought was pretty good at restarts, and I thought they did a pretty good job in that area tonight.” At St. Joseph’s Sweeney Field, the Seawolves had a strong performance in goal during the first half, as sophomore goalkeeper Yamil Montenegro allowed only two shots by the Hawks. However, the floodgates opened in the second half and Montenegro gave up three goals in the 60th, 66th and 82nd minute, more than enough for the Hawks to claim victory. Freshman midfielder Danny Jara made his first career start versus St. Joseph’s after a strong performance against Fairfield that saw him score his first career goal in his fourth game, along with three total shots on goal. Jara’s minutes

have increased every game so far this season, starting from 23 in his first career game and escalating to 78 minutes as a starter.

“We challenged the guys to come out today and try to win that part of the game ... and I thought they did a pretty good job in that area tonight.”

Friday’s home match. Early on, both teams fought hard for position, but neither team could quite get on the scoreboard in the first half despite 10 total shots from both teams combined. The second half was a story written on the same paper, but with a much different outcome. Both teams took another 10 shots combined, but Stony Brook struck first in the first minute of the second half with freshman midfielder Birkir Gudmundsson scoring his first career goal as a Seawolf. Siena would tie Stony Brook a few minutes after with a goal in the 60th minute, knotting the score at 1-1 and keeping the tension alive between two teams that have both been desperately

searching for wins to start their seasons. Stony Brook senior striker Jarred Dass became the hero of the night when he scored the game-winning goal for Stony Brook in the 69th minute. Dass wasn’t too keen to take all of the credit though, as he gushed over senior midfielder Mark Irvine after the game, who made the assist of the game-winning goal. “I scored the goal, but the work wasn’t done by me,” Dass said. “It was done by Mark and the whole team to win back the ball … I’m just getting all the glory for the goal, but that was really his job.” Anatol had plenty of positive remarks to spout about Dass. “He’s a handful up top. He’s quick and he can get in behind

defenders. The back four always have to worry about the spacing behind, because he can expose that,” Anatol said about his senior striker that leads the team in goals with three. “He’s pretty good with his back to the goal as well holding the ball up. He’s pretty good in tight spaces. He’s scored two goals now in the box with his head, which has been an area that we’ve tried to work with him to get better at, his finishing in front of the goal. So it’s good to see that he can create chances in different areas and score goals in different ways.” Fresh off their first win of the season, Stony Brook will take a short road trip to face Hofstra in a battle of Long Island rivals on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

-Ryan Anatol

Men’s Soccer Head Coach

While Jara earned the start against Siena, he had to be helped off the field early in the game due to injury. He tried to come back in the second half but ended his night on the bench. “He came off in the first half and he felt like he could go back on in the second half,” Anatol said. “I think it is his ankle and we won’t know until he gets looked at tonight. Hopefully, it is not too serious and we’ll practice tomorrow and take a look at it and hopefully he’s available for Wednesday [against Hofstra].” Jara’s ascent had been a fast one for a struggling men’s soccer team, and it would be a huge loss for the program if he were to miss any games. The Seawolves earned their first victory of the season during

BERNARD SANCHEZ/THE STATESMAN

Senior striker Jarred Dass during the game against Siena on Friday, Sept. 13. He scored the game-winning goal for Stony Brook in the 69th minute.

The Statesman

Monday, September 16, 2019

CommUniversity Day Celebrating the Best of Stony Brook University & Hospital for Students, Families, Employees and Neighbors

SATURDAY

Enjoy a festival of fun and discovery for all ages! Here’s some of what you’ll find: Student Performances • Sports Demonstrations • Outdoor TV Studio • SBU Marching Band • Kazoo-niversity Free Ice Cream • Drowsy Driving Simulator • Fly a Drone • Rubber Duck Race • Improv for All • and much more!

SEPT.

12 pm to 4 pm

21 2019

ACADEMIC MALL (RAIN OR SHINE)

Free Admission ★ All Welcome

For more details and to register, please visit stonybrook.edu/SBUCommUniversity

Parking and admission are free. Register online to receive a free, reusable tote bag. Bring your registration receipt to an Info Tent to receive your bag and program schedule. Bags and all other giveaways are while supplies last. This event is part of Stony Brook University’s Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Initiative • Stony Brook University/SUNY is an aﬃrmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. 19070123

JOIN THE STATESMAN Are you interested in writing, photography, copy editing, graphic design, business, social media management, IT and more? Email editors@sbstatesman.com or visit section meetings to find O

out more and get involved! Sports: Mondays @ 7:00 PM Opinions: Tuesdays @ 5:00 PM Location: News: Tuesdays @ 5:30 PM SAC 307F Arts: Tuesdays @ 6:30 PM Multimedia: Tuesdays @ 7:00 PM Copy Editing: Tuesdays @ 7:30 PM

Sports

The Statesman

Monday, September 16, 2019

White carries football to bounce-back victory over Wagner By Andrew Zucker Assistant Sports Editor

Coming off a heartbreaking 62-7 loss at Utah State last week, the Stony Brook football team was happy to be playing at home again. The Seawolves took on the Wagner University Seahawks on Saturday, Sept. 14, and easily won, 26-10, thanks to big performances from team captain, redshirt-senior running back Isaiah White and redshirt-junior quarterback Tyquell Fields. “Obviously, after last week’s game we really wanted to get back onto the field and have the opportunity to play again. We did a great job of being focused and leaving last week’s game behind us,” Stony Brook head coach Chuck Priore said in a postgame press conference. White, who ran for two touchdowns on the night, finished the game with 134 yards rushing on 31 carries. This marks the third straight game where he has found the endzone, following two rushing TD’s in the opener versus Bryant and a receiving TD last week at Utah State. “It’s just about being resilient, coming back from adversity and conflict. How do we respond, because we don’t want to go down as ‘that team’ … we handled it right,” White said in a post-game press conference. During halftime of the Utah State game, it was announced that Fields had barely practiced throughout the

week due to injury and that he would not return for the rest of the game. Fields came out strong against Wagner and showed the coaching staff that the injury to his acromioclavicular joint (AC) suffered against Bryant was all healed. “I probably should not have played him, to be honest with you,” Priore said in a postgame press conference, referring to Fields playing the first half against Utah State with an injury. “I apologized to him on Sunday, but he was able to not worry about that and he had a good week of practice and had fun out there today, was more at ease.” Fields finished the night passing for 11-19 for 282 passing yards with a passing TD and 54 rushing yards on seven carries. His 282-passing yards are the most by a Stony Brook QB since Lyle Negron threw for 395 on Nov. 16, 2013, at James Madison. The offense — which produced 551 total yards, the school’s highest since 662 yards against Lehigh on Nov. 25, 2017 — did not rely solely on White and Fields. Redshirt-senior wide receiver Andrew Trent enjoyed the Fields passing attack by hauling in three catches for 114 yards, while graduate transfer, wide receiver Jean Constant caught two passes for 39 yards, including Fields’ only TD pass of the night. While the offense shined, the defense got down and dirty in the mud — almost literally. With the heavens

open and rain falling for part of the game, redshirt-sophomore defensive back Justin Burns along with redshirt-junior rover Augie Contressa and junior linebacker Keirston Johnson, each had five total tackles on the night. In all, the defense gave up only 259 total yards including just 17 rushing yards, while not allowing Wagner to score a TD until 8:42 left in the fourth quarter. The final score would have been much higher if not for two key penalties. One negated a Constant punt return touchdown of over 70 yards, while another took away a red-

shirt-sophomore running back Seba Nekhet 52-yard rushing TD late in the fourth. The Seawolves racked up 10 penalties for 111 yards overall on the night. The Seawolves, who have now won 11 straight games at home, defeated Wagner with several players unavailable for the game. Redshirt-freshman running back Ty Son Lawton who has not suited up in two weeks due to an ankle injury, and redshirt-senior defensive back Synceir Malone were amongst the Seawolves not to dress. Stony Brook also dealt with some injuries during the game. Junior wide

receiver Brandon Benson went down in the third and did not return, while redshirt-freshman defensive back Greg Young II went down with in the second, only to return that same quarter. After the game, longtime starting offensive lineman, senior Mason Zimmerman had a precautionary X-ray done on his right hand. The Seawolves will stay on Long Island and close out their two-game homestand against the Fordham Rams. The matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

EMMA HARRIS / THE STATESMAN

Redshirt-senior running back Isaiah White in a game against Bryant. White scored two touchdowns on Sept. 14 in a game against Wagner.

Volleyball victorious in one of three games at Seminole Invitational

By Ethan Tam

Assistant Sports Editor

Fresh off their first victory of the season against Georgetown, Stony Brook Volleyball traveled down to Tallahassee, Florida to participate in the Home2 Suites Tallahassee Seminole Invitational. While the Seawolves dropped the first two games of the tournament against St. John’s and No. 25 Florida State, the team earned their second victory of the season by defeating Florida A&M on Saturday, Sept. 14 in four sets. “We are happy to be heading back to Long Island with this win,” head coach Kristin Belzung said in a press release. “I didn’t think we entered the match focused enough to execute our defensive responsibilities but I am happy that we were able to settle in and earn the result. We are looking forward to being back in Pritchard this Tuesday.” Senior outside hitter Liz Pulver was named to the Home2 Suites Invitational All-Tournament team after recording 32 kills, seven digs and a solo block in the team’s three games. Pulver currently leads the team with 88 kills on the season. The team opened the tournament facing off against local opponents St. John’s on Friday

morning. The Red Storm took full control of the match from the first set, going up by eight points before the Seawolves began to string together a consistent offensive attack. By then, it was too little, too late, and St. John’s took the first set by a 25-19 score. Set two was more of the same, as the Red Storm created a lead that was too large to come back from before the two teams went back and forth. Stony Brook was able to cut the deficit down to four at 21-17, but St. John’s notched the final four points of the set to secure a 25-17 win. With their backs against the wall, the Seawolves took advantage of several Red Storm miscues to take an 11-7 lead in the third set. However, St. John’s quickly gained the lead back and ended the frame with eight straight points to win 25-16 and sweep Stony Brook, who fell to 2-13 in program history against their Queens foe. The team regrouped on Friday evening to take on a challenging Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent in No. 25 Florida State. The Seawolves played the Seminoles tough in the first set, not allowing the lead to grow any larger than five and notching timely kills to keep the team in the game, but Florida State

pulled away to win 25-21. Stony Brook started off the second set keeping pace with their opponent until Florida State utilized a series of bad sets and service aces to go on a run and take the 25-14 victory. Having let the Seminoles dominate the back half of the second set, it looked as if the Seawolves would go down with a whimper as Florida State jumped out to a quick 17-7 lead in set three and had their eyes on the sweep. However, Stony Brook began to fight their way back into the match, displaying some of their strongest resilience and offensive energy all year. Freshman outside hitter Amiyah De’Long laid down three kills in a row and sophomore libero Paige Jaeger recorded two consecutive service aces as part of a 16-3 run that gave Stony Brook a 23-20 lead over Florida State. Ultimately, the Seminoles ended the set with five straight points, four on kills, to take the 25-23 set advantage and a sweep of the overall match. Stony Brook began Saturday on a much different note, taking the first set against Florida A&M 25-20. In set two, the Seawolves took a five-point lead but allowed the Rattlers to tie the frame up. The two teams went back and

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forth until Florida A&M took advantage of an attack error by senior middle blocker Kendra Harlow to win 29-27. Stony Brook’s offense struggled in the set, recording 10 errors and a .119 hitting percentage, the only set where they hit under .300 in the entire match. With the game tied at one set apiece, the Seawolves took charge in the third set, capitalizing on several Rattler attack errors to open up the previously deadlocked match. De’Long notched the final kill of the set that gave Stony Brook the 25-16 victory, the widest margin that the team had won a set by all season.

The fourth set was much more closely fought, as neither team held a lead larger than three. At first, it appeared that Stony Brook had gained control with a 15-12 advantage, but Florida A&M put together six points in a row to take the 18-15 lead. With the set all tied up at 23, a kill from De’Long and another from the recently-substituted in Pulver gave the Seawolves the 25-23 victory and their second win of the season. Stony Brook briefly returns home for a one-game homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 17 to face the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers at 6:30 p.m. in the Pritchard Gym.

EMMA HARRIS / THE STATESMAN

Senior outside hitter Liz Pulver spikes the ball over the net during a match against Hofstra on Tuesday, Sept. 3.