INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Movie Review: “Act of Valor” Page 4
Interview with Dr. Kakumba Page 2
Season Recaps of Viking Sports Page 5
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Volume 61, Issue 6 Student Senate Organizes Humanitarian Effort
GREG KULSACEK STAFF WRITER This March, from the 16th to the 21st, the Student Senate has scheduled a Habitat for Humanity trip down to Melbourne, Florida. Up to 16 students will be headed down to help set up a yearly event which raises money for Habitat Builds throughout the year. One of the students will take the trip for free, sponsored by the Student Senate, if their 300 word essay is judged better than the rest. The essays were due Feb. 24, the $75 down payment is due March 2, and the final $300 is due on the 12th of March. The event that students will participate in while on the trip is the 24 annual Strawberry Festival, which will occur on the 17 and 18 in Wickham Park. The Strawberry Festival raised over $250,000 last year, which sponsored builds for the rest of the year. In addition to all of the strawberries, there will be a car and bicycle show on the first day of the festival, an arts and crafts fair both days, and a 5K run on the second day of the festival. The cost to go on the trip for each student is $300, while nonstudents who would like to go will CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
February 28th, 2012
www.thehudsonian.org
Student Dies in Motorcycle Accident
Jared A. Brenz’s jacket hangs at the corner of Williams Road and Meadow Drive in remembrance of him. Romanda Mentor
MARTIN ROBINSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF A student died from injuries from a motorcycle accident last Wednesday on Williams Road at the intersection of Meadow Drive. According to a press release from the North Greenbush Police Dept, Jared A. Brenz, an automotive technologies major, had ran his motorcycle into the backend of a passenger car. The
impact caused the vehicle to spin and threw Brenz and the motorcycle to the ground. After hearing reports of the accident at around 4:30 p.m., North Greenbush emergency services arrived at the scene. Brenz was treated at the scene and sent to Albany Medical Center Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Brenz was 22.
While investigators were still in the process of interviewing witnesses, they had deemed the accident to be caused by “reckless operation of the motorcycle,” according to the press release. “Another senseless death, 22 years old is much too early to die,” said North Greenbush Police Chief Rocco M. Fragomeni in a press release. “We can only hope that the reports of this tragedy
cause someone else to pause before they operate a vehicle in a reckless manner.” On Thursday, College President Drew Matonak sent an out e-mail to all students and staff regarding the accident. “Jared, a student in automotive technologies, was a wonderful young man who will be missed by his classmates,
friends, and the faculty,” said Matonak. “I extend my sincere condolences and sympathy to Jared’s family and friends, and take comfort in knowing that the entire Hudson Valley community joins me.” In the e-mail, Matonak said that Brenz, along with others in the college community who have died this year, will be remembered at the HVCC’s annual Memorial Service on April 2. The Public Safety office sent an e-mail on Friday to remind students to drive safely and to obey all traffic laws. The college offers counseling services to those who may need it at the Center for Counseling and Transfer in Campus Center Rm. 260, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The counselors are available by phone at (518) 6297320. Additional counseling and support is also available through the Campus Ministry in Campus Center Rm. 260. Chaplain Cylon George, who runs the ministry, is available Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, and Tuesday through Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. George may also be reached by phone at (518) 629-7168.
Roy Pompey and the CASP Office: An “Educational Family” for Students
FATIMA HUSSAIN STAFF WRITER For students seeking a warm and personal learning environment and one-on-one academic help, the Collegiate Academic Support Program (CASP) office in CTR 230 is the place to go, and Roy Pompey, CASP coordinator, is the man to talk to. Pompey has been with the college for over 24 years. He started working at HVCC in 1987 as the director of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). When this program lost funding, it was replaced by CASP and Pompey stayed on as a retention specialist. During this time, Pompey has influenced, and continues to influence, countless students in need of help. “For me, it’s all about the students. My job is to make sure students stay in school,” said Pompey. One student, Joshua Seaton, refers to the environment created by Pompey in the CASP office as “an educational family.” Kami Lacourt, a freshman, said, “Mr. Pompey has helped me a lot…when he sees I’m not doing anything right, he puts me on the right path, like you have to do this, do this, you should be doing this. He’s like my father, kind of like.” The CASP office is a learning center that offers one-on-one help with schoolwork, especially with math and writing, in a close-knit environment. Michael Engle
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the
and Carroll Hammond are the math and writing specialists, respectively. Additionally, four peer mentors are also available to support fellow students. Not only does Pompey direct students to CASP specialists for academic support, but he also offers them emotional and spiritual support. He calls his approach to helping students “holistic and humanistic.” “My approach has been to look at the person coming in the door as a person first and as a student second. That’s the main difference that I see,” said Pompey, referring to the uniqueness of the CASP as a learning center. In keeping with this approach, Pompey makes an effort to do more than just guide students academically. He is available to listen to their personal problems and provide support in any possible way. Pompey goes so far as to keep ten-ride bus passes and $25 Price Chopper cards on hand so that if a student is in crisis, he can make sure he or she still has a ride to school and food to eat. “It’s those life sustaining things that enable them to come back to school. If you’re hungry, you don’t feel like doing school work, so that’s a need that can be easily met here,” said Pompey. The warmth and support provided by Pompey to students coming into his office is apparent from these students’ expressions CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Pompey standing with some of the students he has helped and inspired. Left to right: Avianca Lockwood, Roy Pompey, Michell Rodriguez, Vinny Otto, and Danielle Cartagenis. Fatima Hussain
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News
February 28th, 2012
Student Senate Organizes Humanitarian Effort CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 be charged $600 to cover food and sleeping accommodations. On Tuesday, the day before students return home, students will have a day off from their humanitarian efforts. The day off destination, under the disclosure of the president, is to be kept secret as the purpose of the trip is to donate one’s time and effort rather than have a vacation. One student, Angelia Relyea, a pharmacy major and a mother, commented, “I thought it was going to be a build, they really didn’t elaborate in the fliers.”
Angelia continued and said, “It’s good to know that the event will be raising a lot of money for other builds but I’ve got a daughter and a job- I wish there were some more local volunteer opportunities!” The Student Senate is, in fact, planning a few upcoming local events which will be taking place in Troy. As soon as she learned this, Angelia said, “That’s good to hear… I’d hope that students who have kids could bring them.” Angelia continued, “I’d love to bring my daughter to that sort of
An Interview with Dr. Fredrick Kakumba
TYSHEEMA REID STAFF WRITER Fredrick Kakumba, an HVCC instructor and prominent figure at Hudson Valley, discusses his thoughts and experiences on Black History. Dr. Kakumba, who is from Uganda, started teaching at Hudson Valley in 1970. Dr. Kakumba currently teaches economics and history, part-time. He acquired a passion for teaching because he always wanted to work and be around young people. He said, “Coming from Africa where most people didn’t have and still don’t have a chance to go to school, I thought I’d pass the knowledge that I acquired from the United States and Africa to educate people.” Dr. Kakumba is PanPompey used to work for the Africanist, and he believes that New York State Department of people of African descent should Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. “I left there in early 1987, and I was collecting unemployment benefits, and my unemployment benefits ran out on Dec. 17, 1987, and I started working here on Dec. 18, 1987. It was a miracle,” said Pompey. The people in the CASP office, students and staff alike, welcome new students to come in and join their “educational family.” “We have an open door policy. Everyone -slash- everybody is welcome at any time. We’re big on diversity, we’re big on people,” said Pompey. “I do highly recommend it to any student that has problems… just come in here, get comfortable, get acquainted. It’s kind of like a little cocoon,” said Joshua Seaton. For more information on Pompey and the CASP center, stop by their office in CTR 230 or call (518) 629-7550. thing…start her off on the right foot and letting her know that volunteering your time is good for her, good for her family and good for her community, too.” Brevard County branch of Habitat for Humanity has been judged by America’s largest evaluator of charities, the Charity Navigator, and they earned a four-star-rating for the last two years in a row, with four being the best on the Charity Navigator’s scale. Students interested in this trip may find more information at hvcc.edu
Roy Pompey and the CASP Office: An “Educational Family” for Students
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of gratitude and appreciation of his work. His entire office is covered with grateful cards and photos from past students. Students speak with admiration about the emotional and academic assistance provided by Pompey and the other CASP specialists, including Aaron Nooney, Carroll Hammond, Michael Engle, and Jerri Bayly. “Everybody, actually, that’s in this office has been a big inspiration to me. Studying-wise, perfect to come here. It just helps me all the way around, nothing negative about it, just helps me,” said Bernette ‘Bubbles’ Riley, a peer mentor in the CASP. Matt Thatcher, a senior, said that the CASP has increased his confidence in his ability to do math and has also acted as a social haven. “It doesn’t matter what problems you’ve got because as soon as you walk here, it’s like you’ve got a family here, so
you get your work done [and] whatever problems you have out there don’t really come here with you,” he said. According to another student, Jesse Elmore, the CASP is like an adoptive family and his personal hideout. He said, “I have an HVCC mother and father and sister and I like that. So, everybody says, ‘Oh, is that your mother?’ and I’m like, ‘No, that’s my HVCC mother.’ Peer mentors help a lot, too.” While students speak highly of Pompey, Pompey speaks highly of the rest of the CASP staff. He referred to them all as “excellent” and said that he has watched the math specialists take students from an F and bring them up to an A+. Pompey considers his job to be personally rewarding because every day is different and he gets to influence the lives of students. “Whatever I do for a kid is going to impact his or her life in some kind of way,” he said. Before working at HVCC,
work together, especially the students. Dr. Kakumba has participated in many activities on campus, such as the EOP program committee, Affirmative Action committee, and working for the Dean. He’s known for being professional and compassionate. He said that he would like to see more students of African and African American descent. “We need more role models. We need people more like us who are positive in the classrooms.” The advice Dr. Kakumba gives to other students is to respect education, authority, family, religious values, become involved in your community and give back. He said education is important because it helps build your character, responsibility, sense of purpose, maturity and independence, and, most
importantly, values. He also explained how education draws your character and exposes you to different people. “We still are left behind in terms of performance; I encourage students not to be a victim. Pass on your education; it is more important than money. Education is like planting a tree with more seeds to grow. Don’t sit back, contribute and pass on that’s really my philosophy.” Dr. Kakumba said, “Globally, we are not the majority, in times of economic hardships, and in times of influencing policies within the country. Although, we have shaped history for us in the United States we are still are the minority.” Kakumba states “We need not only black history but history in general to raise consciousness to people in all parts of the world.”
Looking to adopt a cat?
Corrections
Merlin and Oreo are not related, and desperately need love and a new home. Oreo is a 7 year old black and white female. Merlin is a gray striped cat who is 15 years old. Both are fixed. Please help these two cats!
The Hudsonian erronously reported that the Washington DC trip was cancelled by an unanimous vote by the Student Senate. A majority of the Senators had abstained from the vote, which had the effect of cancelling the trip. The Senate was not able to supply the newspaper with the exact numbers of the vote.
The
We apologize for this error.
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: MANAGING EDITOR: LAYOUT EDITOR: COPY EDITOR: PHOTO EDITOR: NEWS EDITOR: CREATIVE EDITOR: SPORTS EDITOR: WEB EDITOR: VIDEO EDITOR:
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Features Letter From The Editor The Hudsonian sends its condolences to the friends, family and those in the HVCC community that knew and loved Jared Brenz, who died in a motorcycle accident on Wednesday.
We urge those who may need support in coping with this tragedy to use the counseling services offered by the college or to speak to any friends, family, or any other individual you may trust to help cope with
this tragedy. In light of this tragedy, the newspaper encourages all students who drive to do so safely and to obey all traffic laws.
What’s Coming Up Around The Capital Region February 29 Steve Aoki | Northern Lights With Special Guests: Datsik, DJ Prophet 1208 Rte 146 Clifton Park, NY 12065 9:00 p.m. Door and Show Tickets are $25 Adv / $30 Day of Show March 2 Jane’s Addiction | Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave # 6, Albany, NY 12207-2211 8:30 p.m. Cassidy | Northern Lights Presented By :S&L Productions, Hoodgentlemenz And Hollywoodhustle 1208 Rte 146 Clifton Park, NY 12065 7:30 p.m. Door / 8:30 p.m. Show Tickets are $20 Adv / $25 Day of Show Tom Briscoe & Mark Riccadonna 200 Wolf Rd - at the Best Western Albany, NY 12205 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 Adv / $20 Day of Show March 3 Martin Sexton | The Egg Center For The Performing Arts | Empire State Plaza | Albany, New York 8:00 p.m. $34.50 Tom Briscoe & Mark Riccadonna 12 Ballston Ave - at the Starting Gate Restaurant Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 7:30 p.m. 200 Wolf Rd - at the Best Western Albany, NY 12205 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 Adv / $20 Day of Show Moe. | Palace Theatre 19 Clinton Ave # 6, Albany, NY 12207-2211 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $30 Adv / $35 Day Of Show March 4 SFJAZZ Collective: The Music of Stevie Wonder | The Egg Center For The Performing Arts | Empire State Plaza | Albany, New York 7:30 p.m. $28
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February 28th, 2012
Writers’ Bloc
Dances – and Writing – Can Be Informal, Semiformal, or Formal JIM LaBATE WRITING SPECIALIST IN THE LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER Did your high school instructors are using the informal sponsor dances for students? If writing not to judge your ability so, you probably know that not to write but to get you to think all dances are the same. Some about a topic for discussion or are simple, informal, Friday- to move you closer to a more night get-togethers. Others are formal writing assignment. somewhat special, semiformal Semiformal Writing. parties. Still others are much more Semiformal writing is much special and extremely formal more structured than informal affairs. Your college writing, writing, and most of your college generally speaking, falls into the writing will be semiformal. same three categories: informal, When you’re writing for college semiformal, and formal. instructors, you need to spell Informal Writing. Informal your words correctly, you need writing is basically writing to use correct punctuation, and without rules. You don’t have to you need to follow all grammar worry too much about spelling, rules. This is especially true for grammar, and punctuation all your English courses. because your readers are more In addition, you should concerned with content than they probably be a bit more creative are with correctness. In your with your language. Most personal life, informal writing instructors don’t want you to is the type of writing you use use slang terms, street language, to communicate with family offensive words, or clichés members, friends, and neighbors. (overused expressions). Instead, For instance, you might take a you may want to use a thesaurus phone message for your sister, to expand your vocabulary. you might write directions to For instance, rather than use a your house for a friend, or you simple phrase like “he said,” might send an instant message you may want to use a verb or an e-mail to your significant that is much more precise and other. As long as these people provides a better description can understand your message, of the speaker’s situation: they probably won’t worry about he whispered, he grunted, he your mechanics, your point of chattered, he argued, or he view, or your language. Thus, screamed. You may even want to anything goes. use similes (comparisons using While most of your college the words “like” or “as”) and instructors will not want to see metaphors (direct comparisons) informal writing, some may to give your writing more life allow it in certain circumstances. and vitality. For example, some instructors Formal Writing. Typically, may require you to keep a diary of you will use formal writing for your actions or a journal of your your college research papers. thoughts. Some instructors may When you write a research paper, ask you to write your reactions you must use proper language, to a piece of literature. Some and you must use correct spelling, may even ask you to do some punctuation, and grammar. In free writing or brainstorming to addition, you must obey certain prepare you for another writing rules about contractions, names, task. In these situations, the and point of view.
In formal writing, you can’t use contractions. So, instead of writing the contraction “can’t,” you must use the longer form of those words: “can not.” Regarding names, you should spell out a person’s full name the first time you use it, and use only the last name in later references. Thus, if you’re writing about Stephen King, after you mention his full name early in the paper, you always refer to him later as “King” and not “Stephen” or “Steve.” Finally, formal writing requires you to use the thirdperson point of view. That means you can’t use the first-person pronouns (I, we, me, us, etc.) or the second-person pronouns (you and your). Some students struggle with this rule because they may want to conclude their papers with statements such as “I think abortion is wrong,” or “You should vote in the presidential election.” Fortunately, you can still express the same ideas by using the third-person point of view: “Abortion is wrong,” and “All American citizens should vote in the presidential election.” Now that you understand the different types of writing, can you tell if this essay is informal, semiformal, or formal? Obviously, this essay can’t be informal because the spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct, and the language is proper. But, the essay can’t be formal because it includes contractions, and it’s written in the second-person point of view. Thus, this essay on informal, semiformal, and formal writing is semiformal. The Writing Center is located on the upper level of the Marvin Library, and you can go there for help at any stage of the writing process.
Shakespeare at the Hudson
MICHAEL BARANOWSKI STAFF WRITER This past Thursday, Hudson Valley was graced by a troupe of actors bringing a 400-year-old play to the Maureen Stapleton Theater. At noon, the actors of Shakespeare and Company presented “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. The namesake parts starred Sean Kazarian as Macbeth and Emily Ehlinger as Lady Macbeth. Banquo was played by Doug Seldin, and rounding out the cast were Caroline Calkins, Alex Stewart and Thomas Randle. Not having seen or read the play in quite a while, it was entertaining watching the drama unfold. I had difficulty following the plot at times, namely owing to the fact that I was watching for the actor and not the character. Since the company was so small, their costume changes were integral in understanding of the progression of the play. That being said, the lines were, as always, timeless. Kazarian did an excellent job portraying the transformation of Macbeth from loyal subject of King Duncan into a man driven by the twin desires of power and loyalty who eventually descends into a hallucinatory madness. Ehlinger did wonderfully in showing Lady Macbeth’s desire for prestige and power, leading her into a web of deceit, treachery, corruption, and over-wrecking guilt that eventually drives her, too, insane. Both of them used their chemistry to convey a husband
and wife team who lead one another into actions that most, if not all, would find reprehensible. Ehlinger’s performance in the beginning of the play, convincing Macbeth to hide his desires, “Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,But be the serpent under’t,” was convincingly played. At the end when she goes to the famous “out damned spot” soliloquy, you could see the ravages of the mind that her lies gave her. The beginning of Act four Scene one, the one scene most recognizable to all audiences, was the famous/infamous scene with the three witches and the cauldron. As the scene was being performed, there was indeed magic being shown in the theater. The theater grew quiet as they knew the end was coming. The murder of Lady Macduff and her child was particularly chilling in the depiction of her strangulation. Had I not known it was a play, I would have believed it to be real. The fight scenes were
choreographed well and used real (not to say dulled) weapons. The effect of hearing metal clash on metal as men and women were seemingly flung without regard across the stage made for a degree of realism that is lost when watching a presentation on the television or in the movies. No real blood was shed, but the effect of the violence was not lost upon the audience. In this case, loss of the original stage directions has allowed subsequent generations to improvise and add their interpretations of the fight scenes. No excessive liberties were taken and all original directions that were part of the scenes seemed to be followed. No head of Macbeth was shown displayed, but the action of the axe by Macduff and the sound of it biting into the wood of the stage left little doubt in the audiences minds what had happened. In all, it was a job well done and a treat for those who were able to make it.
Shakespeare & Company performs “The Tragedy of Macbeth” for Hudson Valley students. Hannah Brigida Infantado
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February 28th, 2012
Commentary Look Out for More Adventures with Vinny the Viking, Exclusively on The Hudsonian!
“Act of Valor” Gives No Service to the Navy KYLE GARRETT SPORTS EDITOR “Act of Valor” started off as a Navy recruitment film, and it shows. Promoted ad nauseum as a film featuring “REAL NAVY SEALS” instead of professional actors, and conveniently welltimed in the wake of Osama Bin Laden’s death, if anything can be said about this latest film from production studio Bandito Brothers, it’s that it is sincerely reverent towards the real-life heroes performing in it. Unfortunately, there isn’t much else to say about “Act of Valor,” which sells its cast short in most, if not all, respects. After opening in a grisly fashion with a Manila school bombing, “Act of Valor” follows the real SEAL team-turned-main-cast as they go on a rescue operation for abducted CIA operative Morales (Roselyn Sanchez) in a first act that could have been a short film in itself. It has its own arc, with a beginning, middle and end, tight pacing and good cinematography, minimizing shakycam in favor of letting the viewer actually see what’s going on.
If some of the extra filling at both ends had been trimmed off, and that first bit shown as the whole picture, this might have been a rather different review. After Morales is rescued, the SEALS instead find that they have stumbled on a much bigger problem; namely, the first stirrings of a terror plot that could bring the United States to its knees. Or so the film tells us, as this is where it starts losing what momentum it built up. At no point does “Act of Valor” manage to make the viewer connect with any of its characters, none of whom really come off as individuals; the heroes spend all their time not shooting things growling stilted macho soundbites at each other (including the tired old “There’s nothing more dangerous than a man who can harness his emotions” deal), while the villains are cackling evil-for-evil’s-sake idiots who seem ripped from a cartoon or an Austin Powers movie. This is compounded by the fact that there’s no point where the villains are established as a serious threat
beyond the film telling us they are; this film has a complete lack of tension, because the SEALS effortlessly steamroll everything in sight while the bad guys seem like they can barely even tie their shoes. There’s something of a sense of jingoism, and ignorance of the subtleties of armed conflict, that can’t be shaken, as if part of the film is saying non-Americans are just inherently inferior. Over time, “Act of Valor” is quick to forget what it did right in the opening act. The film’s main selling point is authenticity - supposedly, most of the film is edited footage of training exercises, and some of the shots used live ammunition - but this is soon lost in endless shakycam, gratuitous slow motion (including the obligatory slo-mo jump on a grenade) and an over reliance on “YOU ARE THERE” type shots from helmet-cams, Modern Warfare style. This film was clearly shot to resemble, on some level, a first-person shooter, possibly so as to drag more people to the recruiting office. The writing, while
“If my elite training does not deceive me... this water is wet.” Courtesy of rottentomatoes.com respectably non-political, opts out of even trying to tell a story of its own, playing every war movie cliché it can think of to the hilt. That protagonist who’s about to get two weeks off, and has a baby on the way? Guess what happens. This includes a one-on-one shootout at the climax between the main villain and one of the SEALS that really just seems completely out of place (not to mention introduces a situation where the villain has almost won, only to be undone
by his own last-second idiocy). The pacing also rockets forwards at the expense of all else; rather than spend any time actually setting the scene, or trying to develop character, we’re dragged along to shot after shot of the perfect American supermen (all but one of whom are white, while just about all of the enemy combatants are Filipino or Latino. Hm.) gunning down everything they see with only cursory attention paid to why the audience should even care.
Presumably “yay Americans, boo dirty foreigners” is assumed to be good enough. There’s a subtly propagandistic vibe to it all that those involved seem to think we’re too stupid to notice, and just on those grounds it would be hard to recommend, let alone the myriad other things wrong here. Say what you want about the military in general and the SEALS in particular, but they deserve something a lot better than “Act of Valor”.
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Breakdown and Reactions to the 84th Academy Awards
KYLE GARRETT SPORTS EDITOR This year’s Oscars have come and gone, in a rather underwhelming show, save the Cirque du Soleil performance an hour in. Some predictions were right, some wrong, and now it’s time to look ahead to another year in the film industry, until the next time a bunch of rich people can hand each other gold statues while talking about how perfect and rich they are. First, though, let’s have a look at the winners and some thoughts on the Academy’s choices. Cinematography: “Hugo,” Robert Richardson. This isn’t surprising at all; Scorcese’s loveletter to film is easily the best use of 3D to date, turning a simple trip to the cinema into a true theatre experience. Richardson definitely deserves the win for making it all look so easy. Art Direction: “Hugo,” Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo. No real comments on this one, as I’m in complete agreement; a film this gorgeous really needs recognition. Costume Design: “The Artist,” Mark Bridges. Not my pick, but I can see why the Academy went for it, as the costume work combined with the score really brings the viewer into the film’s world, making the dying days of silent film look and feel like they happened just yesterday. Makeup: “The Iron Lady,” Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland. Really? What about Albert Nobbs? Though Streep-as-Thatcher does become much more convincing thanks to their work, almost to the point of being unnerving to look at.
Foreign Language Film: “A Separation,” Asghar Faradi. I can’t make a qualified comment about this film, having not seen it, but the foreign language films’ recognition - plus giving the award to an Iranian film, the first such film to win an Oscar - is a nice gesture. Given the current political situation, one wonders if this is meant as an olive branch. Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”. Apparently you can win an Oscar based on an excrement joke. Editing: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter. It’s a bit of a buzzword, but for lack of a better term, the film was easily much more intense with their editing work, doing wonders in bringing Larsson’s novel to our shores. Sound Editing: “Hugo,” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty. The sounds are just as important as the visuals in a film, if not more, and Stockton and Gearty were perfect here, bringing the Paris rail stations, clock towers and film studios to life in a way few could have managed. Sound Mixing: “Hugo,” Tom Fleischman and John Midgely. No comment, as I don’t really know what makes this different from the previous award. Best Documentary: “Undefeated,” Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin and Rich Middlemas. Regrettably, I didn’t have the chance to see any of the nominees. Best Animated Feature Film: “Rango,” Gore Verbinski. Whether it was the visual style, the loving homages to the Western genre or Verbinski and Depp’s signature charm and ability to work with each other, this was definitely the right choice. See
this film if you get the chance, whether on its own or as a game of “spot the references.” Visual Effects: “Hugo,” Robert Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, Alex Henning. Not that there was really any competition. “Hugo’s” streak as the film with the most awards over the night continues. Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.” If anyone beat Nick Nolte in “Warrior,” it should’ve been Kenneth Branagh, both for his performance in “My Week with Marilyn” and because he’s Kenneth Branagh. There are worse choices, though. Best Original Score: “The Artist,” Ludovic Bource. Going against John Williams and Howard Shore is always a tough sell, but Bource’s work was definitely impressive enough to carry it. The score and visual design carry a silent film, for obvious reasons, and it was pulled off wonderfully with “The Artist.” Best Original Song: “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets,” Bret McKenzie. Well, there were only two nominees, so not much to say here. Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Descendants,” Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. About time this won something. Best Original Screenplay: “Midnight in Paris,” Woody Allen. The Academy, and people in general, love Woody Allen, and he’s definitely a good enough writer for that to be deserved. Best Short Film, Live Action: “The Shore,” Terry and Oorlagh George. I don’t know enough about this one to say anything. Best Documentary, Short:
“Saving Face,” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. If any of the others had been picked, I might have had to take offence. Best Short Film, Animated: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg. This was a weak category, so it’s good that the only interestinglooking one got it. Directing: “The Artist,” Michel Hazanavicius. Thus begins “The Artist’s” sweep of the last awards, though as difficult a task as bringing silent film back to the big screen is, pulling it off does deserve a nod. Best Actor: “The Artist,” Jean Dujardin. Here, I have to disagree; Dujardin’s performance came off as somewhat forgettable, and Oldman (“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”) really deserved to take his first Oscar this year. Best Actress: “The Iron Lady,” Meryl Streep. Streep’s Thatcher was far too breathy, distant and honestly half-dead, so it’s honestly a bit of a mystery as to why she not only got the nod, but pulled off a win here. Best Film: “The Artist,” of course. While not a bad film, “The Artist” really didn’t deserve this award; it’s an empty, shallow, gimmicky rom-com hiding behind its silent, black and white portrayal to glide past the others by directly pandering to the Academy. It seems the only way to take a “Best Picture” nowadays is to specifically make your film for the people at the Academy, judging by this and “The King’s Speech.” Overall: “Hugo” and “The Artist” tied with 5 wins, and “The Iron Lady” came closest after with 2. “The Help” (aka “White
People Fix Racism”) only scoring 1 award and “The Tree of Life” winning nothing are the really surprising results from Sunday; those films should’ve been right up the Academy’s alley. The show itself was unimpressive, with a boring leadup and presenters who
tried way too hard, though Billy Crystal was an excellent host as always. Anyone who didn’t bother watching the Oscars this year really saved themselves three hours, as there wasn’t anything particularly worth seeing. Maybe next year will be better.
Courtesy of oscars.com
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Sports 2011-2012 Vikings Bowling Recap MATT WHALEN STAFF WRITER The Hudson Valley bowling team is on the brink of one of their best seasons thus far. They are currently riding a hot streak into the National Tournament. The team is coming off a perfect season last year with a record of 30-0 and a conference championship. This season, they are 27-3 with another conference title, and a regional championship. “So far we have had a very, very good season,” said bowling head coach Joe Prest. The Vikings start off every season with a system that coach Prest explains to them. “We start every season with a ladder format,” said Coach Prest. “We explain to the bowlers that there are four rungs to the season. The first rung is to win the conference. The second rung is to win the regionals. The third rung is to win Nationals. The fourth rung is to qualify at sectionals, and if we qualify for that, then we try to win the big dance.” The Vikings have completed the first two rungs of the ladder. They will attempt to win the National Tournament this week. The Vikings bowling team is much different this year compared to last year according to the coaches and players. “This is probably one of my best seasons where all the players are team players,” coach Prest says. “They don’t care what they bowl, they’re all about the team, and that’s been our biggest strength this year.” Even though bowling is a sport where there is only one player doing something at a time, Coach Prest emphasizes, “you can’t win as an individual. You have to be a team player.” Players on the team are also noticing that this is a much different year than lasts. “This season we have a team, opposed to a group of bowlers,” said
sophomore bowler Eric Birdsall. “Last year we were very much individual and for our selves. During practice, people would do what was best for them, and this year, I definitely see more of a team.” There are sort of high expectations for Hudson Valley bowling, so usually coach Prest sets his goals and expectations very high each year. “My main goal is to always make it all the way to sectionals,” said Coach Prest. “I’ve never had a men’s team win the national championship, so I would like to see that happen.” The women’s bowling team has won two national championships for Hudson Valley, and this year’s men’s team has a very good chance to win their first ever. Victoria Jansen, freshman bowler for the women’s side, is one of the top junior college bowlers in the country. She leads the conference with an average bowling score of 209 this season. Victoria has a good chance of making the All-American team this season. She has already won the Conference MVP as that was one of her personal goals this season. “By the end of the season, me and Candace Dawson (HVCC’s other women’s bowler) want to win double,” said Jansen. This is a big year for Coach Joe Prest. This is his final season as the Vikings head
February 28th, 2012
2011-2012 Vikings Men’s Basketball Season Recap MATT WHALEN STAFF WRITER
The Hudson Valley Vikings men’s basketball team is at the peak of one of their best seasons. The team had a strong performance this year all around with an impressive record of 20-9. This was an improvement from last season’s performance, which posted a record of 14-13. There was a lot of talent on this The Vikings Bowling Team basketball team with the help of Courtesy of hvcc.edu the returning players as well as coach. Coach Prest has been the freshmen. This was a season coaching at Hudson Valley for full of excitement, especially from 24 years. Since his arrival, the coaching staff. “I’m happy coach Prest has won many titles the way the guys progressed as a in his career. He has won 17 team,” said Vikings head coach conference championships Ken Dagostino. “We wanted for the men’s team and 18 for to have a successful season and the women’s team. He won 3 we knew we had to work hard regional championships for the at it, and the guys have done women and 5 for the men. He that. We are now in a position has 2 national championships to hopefully make a run in the with the women’s team, but regional tournament.” “This season was really good none with the men’s. He hopes for us,” said sophomore forward this being his final season, Kalik Parker. “It’s a complete he can bring home one more turn around from last year. The national title for the men this guys really came in this year time. Coach Prest’s main focus focused.” Kalik Parker is one of every year is recruiting. He the Vikings top basketball players goes to high school matches, at Hudson Valley. Kalik ranks conference matches and regional among the best in the region in matches to look at players. “It’s scoring and rebounding. This a lot easier to recruit at the conference championships rather year was much different than last than sectionals,” said Coach year for Kalik and his teammates. “It was a complete Prest. “It’s a lot more crowded difference,” said Kalik. “Last at sectionals because you have year things really went down for the best 40 teams in the country the most part, and this year it was there.” “Our Program is very the complete opposite. We came recognized as an elite bowling in focused. We had goals this year program,” said Coach Prest. to make regionals and nationals, The Vikings have many strong and that’s what we came to do.” players on their team that can Kalik knows a lot about what allow them a huge chance to it takes to play at the collegiate win many titles throughout the level. “The time it takes and the year. The bowling team will dedication. It really makes you head to Erie March 1, as they question how bad you want to play in the National Tournament play basketball. It is a personality and look to win Coach Prest one builder and it helps you find more National title to his already yourself.” Kalik is ranked sixth overall currently in career points stellar career. at Hudson Valley with a current total of 953 points. Kalik plans on going to either High Point University or the University of
North Carolina next year. The Vikings basketball team had many strengths this year that helped them along the way. “Right now, we are ranked sixth in the country in defense. We are fifth in the country in field goal percentage, fourth in the country in three-point percentage, and third in free throw percentage,” said Coach Dagostino. The team is riding a lot of momentum headed into the regional tournament. The last couple years, the Vikings have been up and down. The last time the Vikings won the Region 3 championship was back in 2009 where they went all the way to the second round of the National Tournament. They believe this year could be a repeat of 2009 and better. “We knew we weren’t going to accomplish our goals in three games into the season,” Coach Dagostino explains. “We wanted to peak right at the end, and we’re playing at our best, the best we have all year. We are building momentum towards the tournament.” Headed into the tournament, Coach Dagostino makes sure that the team remembers the little things. “We focus on the fundamentals. We focus on playing a team game offensively and defensively,” Coach Dagostino emphasizes. “Now, we are trying to refine our skills and strategy and just continue to ride the wave of the momentum.”
“We prepare for the tournament by making sure everyone is on the same page with everything,” said freshman guard Jeffrey Kruzinski. Every year is a different year for head coach Ken Dagostino. “It’s different because there is a lot of different kids.” Coach also explains how this year was much better than past years, because of the better team chemistry. There are always challenges for coach when they have new kids coming in every year. “We have a system in place for offense and defense,” Dagostino explains. “Based on the kids we have each year, we might have to tweak things a little bit, but it all depends on the types of kids that we get in here.” Coach Dagostino also has his own way of preparing for seasons to come. “I watch film on the games that we played. We keep track of all our practices. The biggest thing is getting input from the players that are graduating and from my assistants on what we could do better the following year.” There were high expectations and goals set for the year, that are almost fully accomplished. “I think we accomplished a lot of goals,” said Jeffrey Kruzinski. “We still have regionals and nationals, which is our main goal.” The Vikings continue their journey into the regional tournament held on Friday, March 2.
The Vikings Men’s Basketball Team Courtesy of hvcc.edu
2011-2012 Vikings Hockey Season Recap MATT WHALEN STAFF WRITER
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The Hudson Valley hockey team ends the 2011-2012 season with an overall record of 5-14. “It was kind of a disappointing season,” said head coach Matt Alvey. “I had very high expectations going into the regular season.” The Vikings did prepare well for the season but ran into some trouble along the way. “We did a really good job recruiting,” Coach Alvey explains. “A lot of the guys we ended up recruiting fell into academic troubles. So after we lost a few guys at midterms, we tried to rally and get back into things.” Coach Alvey was not the only one on the team disappointed. “This was a tough year for us,” said sophomore forward Andrew Tedford. “We made a lot of mistakes as individuals this year and it cost us in the long run and also caused us to not be able to make the playoffs.” Although the Vikings didn’t have the season they had hoped for, there were positive aspects of the season that were noticed. “Even though I was disappointed, I liked the guys work ethics this year,” Coach Alvey said. “I thought the guys worked hard considering the low numbers towards the end of the year.” Coach Alvey really emphasizes how well the players work ethics were throughout the year. He thought that was one of their biggest strengths. “I thought one of our weaknesses were, we took too many penalties. When you find your self in the box a lot, it’s hard to win hockey games,” Coach Matt Alvey said about his biggest weak point throughout the year. “We tried to do everything we could. It just wasn’t enough to win the games we needed,” said forward
Andrew Tedford. This was a big year for Coach Alvey himself earning career win number 100 earlier this year. He has been coaching for 10 years so he is averaging 10 wins a season. “Every year we always try to grow as a program, so for myself, I always try to push the envelope a little more with them type of kid we are recruiting and other similar stuff,” said coach Alvey. The Vikings have a big number of freshman that will be returning next season. The team hopes that this year will be a good experience in getting prepared for next season. “I think this was a good experience for them,” said Coach Alvey. “I think some of them who struggled academically are working hard in the classroom to try to get back, and the guys who stayed eligible are probably pushing those guys to understand what it takes to win.” Coach Alvey also added by saying, “I think this was a good learning experience and thats what you want to achieve in any given year. If your having success or not having success, you want to make sure you’re
having a learning experience so you’re getting something out of it.” Vikings freshman forward Luis Gallego added, “I think that the freshmen, such as myself, that played this year, will be ready for next year. We learned a lot of valuable things and unfortunately some of us had to learn the hard way by not being able to play.” As the Vikings reflect on this season, they are starting to look ahead for next season. “One of our biggest goals for next season is to make it back nationals,” Coach Alvey said. “This was the first time in five years that we didn’t make it.” Coach Alvey also added, “The biggest goal for me is to have my guys be with the school and do better in school. That’s my number one goal, to move these kids onto a four year school after Hudson Valley.” The Vikings season was not how they expected it to be, but this was a learning experience for the big part of the team and next season, the Vikings hockey team’s number one goal as Coach Alvey emphasized is, “make it back to nationals.”
The Vikings Ice Hockey Team Courtesy of hvcc.edu
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