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Volume 87, Issue XVII

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Have you ever been convicted of a felony?

Yes

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No

OUT

Investigative Report Examines SUNY New Paltz Convicted Felon Attrition Rate STORY ON PAGES 3 & 7 | EDITORIAL ON PAGE 9

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

• Local Bridge To Be Replaced In 2016................................Pg 4 • Jason West Announces Mayoral Candidacy..........................Pg 6 • New Paltz School District Capital Budget Approved.........Pg 5 • Award For Drug Arrests Sparks Campus Protest..................Pg 8

NEW PALTZ ORACLE THE

Abbott Brant EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kristen Warfield MANAGING EDITOR _________________

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The New Paltz Oracle is the official student newspaper of SUNY New Paltz. Our circulation is 2,500. The New Paltz Oracle is sponsored by the Student Association and partially funded by the student activity fee.

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Volume 87 Issue XVII THE GUNK

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THE DEEP END EDITORIAL OPINION

MELISSA KRAMER AMANDA COPKOV

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Sage Higgins

Incident: Alcohol/Drugs Date:3/13/15 Location: College Hall Suspect in possession of marijuana and alcohol. Placed into custody. Appearance ticket issued for New Paltz Town Court.

Incident: Drugs Date: 3/15/15 Location: DuBois Hall Strong odor of marijuana detected. Subject denied smoking marijuana. Matter refered to campus judicial.

SUNY New Paltz University Police Department Emergencies: 845-257-2222

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High Attrition Rates, Difficulties For Convicted Felon New Paltz Applicants

By Abbott Brant

Editor-In-Chief | N02167035@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

SUNY New Paltz’s felony application attrition rate is 81.1 percent, as reported in a 2015 study conducted by the Center for Community Alternatives.

The felony attrition rate refers to the number of applicants who check the “yes” box on their college application when asked if they have ever been convicted of a felony, but do not complete the subsequent steps required of them for acceptance.

The study, entitled “Boxed Out: Criminal History Screening and College Application Attrition,” looks at the application attrition rates of 30 SUNY institutions. The SUNY system requires that all SUNY schools ask potential students on the application if they have received a felony conviction. According to the study, each university then determines what documentation they will require from the applicant for further review as a potential student. If a student obtains these documents, they are then often required to go in front of a review committee that assesses their potential as a future student.

“The supplemental documents and information required by SUNY campuses are so discouraging and onerous that many people are driven out of the application process.

While the supplemental process is not uniform across the SUNY system, every campus asks the felony conviction question and then further scrutinizes the background of the applicants who disclose a felony,” according the study’s executive summary.

Within the 85-page report, the Center for Community Alternatives estimates that each year, approximately 2,924 SUNY applicants disclose in their application that they have had a felony conviction. Of these applicants, 1,828 do not complete the application process. The result is a mean attrition rate of 62.5 percent.

With only 18.9 percent of felony-convicted SUNY New Paltz applicants finishing their application process in full, New Paltz surpasses the mean and ranks number three in highest recorded attrition rate in the study behind SUNY Potsdam (98 percent) and SUNY Binghamton (91.4 percent).

The Center for Community Alternatives, a nonprofit organization that promotes reintegrative justice and a deduced reliance on incarceration, conducted the report as a follow up study on a national study they created in 2010, said Alan Rosenthal, director of justice strategies at the center and lead author of the report. The report is the first of its kind to look at these rates within a major public university

system.

“In our previous study, we wanted to look at the extent to which criminal history screening was occurring at colleges across the country,” he said. “What we found from that study was that 55 percent of all colleges and universities were doing some type of screening. That was alarming because I don’t think anyone in the U.S. was aware it has taken such a strong foothold.”

Dr. Alexandra Cox, sociology professor at SUNY New Paltz and Brookwood Secure

reviewed due to the high attrition rates resulting from unreasonable standards. Rosenthal said the type of information SUNY schools are requesting of an individual once they reveal they had a felony conviction is “rigorous, verging on the absurd.”

SUNY New Paltz’s, he said, were ludicrous.

“If [high attrition rates] are not because of these requirements, how do you explain how schools like Stony Brook only have a 38 percent attrition rate,” Rosenthal said. “At

With only 18.9 percent of felony-convicted SUNY New Paltz applicants finishing their application process in full, New Paltz surpasses the SUNY mean and ranks number three in highest recorded attrition rate of SUNY colleges in the study.

CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ALTERNATIVES Center juvenile facility teacher, said the current lack of cohesion between New York State universities and prisons is interesting in light of the connection these two institutions once had, specifically at SUNY New Paltz.

A college sociology program run through SUNY New Paltz was offered at the Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch and many students from that program attended SUNY New Paltz upon their release, Cox said. In 1994, the federal government cut funding for education in prisons and the program was removed from the facility.

The study used the New York State Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) — which requires state agencies to provide records and data upon request — to collect university policy and admission rates. The data collection requested the school’s policy and procedure of felony history screening, as well as five years of recent acceptance information. Many schools said that they did not keep that type of information on record in their data bases, Rosenthal said, and therefore could not be included in the study.

While SUNY New Paltz boasts a 0 percent rejection rate of felony applicants, Rosenthal said this is a result of the few application candidates that truly have an opportunity to be

’

New Paltz, one of the things they are asked to provide is a letter from the administrator of the last prison they were in. Pretty much everyone who has been to prison knows that is not going to happen. The superintendent of a prison would never take the time, or even know me, on a personal level. A letter from a prison psychologist? What if you didn’t see a psychologist? They then want a report from ‘a parole board/officer.’ So you want a report from one, or the other, or both? You’re certainly not going to get anything from the parole board. It’s simply not realistic.”

SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian said he does not believe the study’s data illustrates an accurate picture of why these felony-convicted applicants are not finishing their application to the fullest extent.

“One of the areas that I know has been a source of confusion is the interpretation based on convicted felons not completing their application for admission to SUNY New Paltz,” Christian said. “We have lots of students who are not felons that don’t complete their application for admission. So you really want to be careful on how you interpret.”

New Paltz’s Ex-Offender Admissions Review Committee Chair, Tonda Highley, spoke similarly.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

“I don’t know if [the attrition rate of felony applicants] is 81 percent. I don’t know the percentage and I don’t know why they don’t follow through. I can’t answer that,” Highley said.

In its coverage of the study, the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news source covering America’s judicial system, underscored the fact that while the mean attrition rate is 62.5 percent — or two out of three — among SUNY applicants with a felony criminal record, the application attrition rate is only one out of five for those without a felony conviction, or those who only needed to complete the general application.

Compared to the attrition rate of those with felony convictions, SUNY New Paltz’s general application attrition rate is 4.7 percent.

Nineteen-year-old James [name changed due to youthful offender status], a student at Brookwood taking classes through ColumbiaGreene Community College’s program there, is currently in the process of applying to SUNY New Paltz after checking “yes.”

“When I saw that question I felt like I already had a disadvantage,” he said. “Then they sent me a letter, and then another letter, and I have to hand in all these things I can’t get. There’s no way to get them. I wanted to give up, but I’m not.”

James, who wants to study computer technology and engineering, said he applied other places, but New Paltz is his number one choice. When asked how he feels about going in front of a review committee, he seemed bewildered.

“I didn’t know I had to go in front of a review committee. They didn’t say that,” he said. After a pause, he shrugged. “I have to go in front of a committee before I get out of here anyway. It will be practice.”

Highley said that contrary to what the study suggests, SUNY New Paltz requirements of felony applicants are on par with SUNY guidelines.

The SUNY system lists the required policy of all SUNY schools toward applicants with felony convictions in document number 3300, Admission of Persons with Prior Felony Convictions or Disciplinary Dismissals. In the document summary, it requires “applicants for admission as undergraduates and graduate students to report whether they have been convicted of a felony or have been dismissed from an institution of higher education for disciplinary reasons. Applications from such candidates must be reviewed by a campus committee.”

Continued on Page 7

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NEWS BRIEFS WORLD

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Plans Underway To Rebuild Aging Bridge

PRESIDENT OF YEMEN FLEES BY SEA; SAUDIS BEGIN AIRSTRIKES President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi fled Yemen by sea Wednesday as Shiite rebels and their allies moved on his last refuge in the south, captured its airport and put a bounty on his head, officials said. Hours later, Saudi Arabia announced it had begun airstrikes against the Houthi rebels.

FRANCE JET AUDIO SHOWS PILOT LOCKED OUT OF COCKPIT The first half of Germanwings Flight 9525 was chilling in its normalcy.

It took off from Barcelona en route to Duesseldorf, climbing up over the Mediterranean and turning over France. The last communication was a routine request to continue on its route.

Minutes later, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Airbus A320 inexplicably began to descend.

WORLD’S HUDDLED MASSES USE 4 KEY LAND, SEA ROUTES TO EUROPE Most migrants who live illegally in the European Union fly to the 28-nation bloc on valid visas and simply overstay their welcome. But for the poorest and most desperate travelers of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, the journey often takes months by sea or land, with payments to trafficking gangs. Frontex, the EU agency that helps member nations detect migrants on the bloc’s frontiers, documents the flow of illegal immigration on principal smuggling routes.

US DENIES MEXICAN VISA FOR TREATMENT IN US Family and friends raised thousands of dollars to send Jose Chua Lopez to the prestigious Mayo Clinic for an urgently needed heart and liver transplant. But the 20-year-old Mexican born with a heart defect has twice been turned down for a U.S. visa, and relatives and his doctor say his life is in danger.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

By Kristen Warfield

Managing Editor | Warfielk1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The Carmine Liberta Memorial Bridge of New Paltz that carries Route 299 over the Wallkill River at the foot of Main Street is set to be demolished and rebuilt next year.

This overpass is the only direct route to the west side of the river from the village. County Executive Mike Hein has vowed to have a temporary, two-lane bridge installed just north of the existing structure to keep this heavily-trafficked roadway open during construction. This will avoid forcing motorists to take lengthy detours through Gardiner or Rosendale in order to access the opposite side of the structure, he said.

Although the bridge itself is currently safe for motorist usage, the growing age of this 75-year-old steel truss is enough to prompt its replacement, according to Ulster County Planning Director Dennis Doyle.

“We recognize that the bridge is near the end of its useful life,” Doyle said. “Rather than risking a closure in the future, we want to move proactively to make sure that we could do work on the bridge while still keeping the road open.”

A Community Advisory Committee (CAC) formed by Hein consisting of citizens, government officials and business owners met March 11 to discuss preliminary details of the planning process of the project. The CAC’s purpose is to promote community involvement and representation during this time where decisions are being made regarding an integral part of the locality, Hein said.

“We’ve dealt with many bridge projects and the last thing I wanted to see was the community, tourists, businesses, students and all residents impacted negatively by a closure,” Hein said.

One member of the CAC, Transportation Implementation Committee Chairwoman Gail Gallerie, said she thinks that the temporary bridge will prove economically sound for the community since local businesses on either side of the bridge will still be easily accessible.

“If current users of the bridge needing to reach points west of the bridge had to drive through Gardiner or Tillson/Rosendale, business would suffer very significantly because of the volume of cars that wouldn’t be passing by them,” Gallerie said. “Businesses along Main Street would [also] feel the impact since the detour routes would divert drivers off of Main Street in large measure or entirely.”

Other topics on the table with the committee are discussing which style of bridge will be best for the area, the potential for it to be solarlighted and the addition of designated pedestrian and cyclist lanes.

Hein said it is in the works to maximize pedestrian and bicyclist accessibility in the area — which in turn may call for two separate bridges.

“The new bridge may incorporate significant pedestrian usage on it. Another choice is to place a pedestrian bridge on the same abutments of the temporary structure after the new bridge is open,” Hein said.

The CAC is expected to finish their advi-

Thursday, March 26, 2015

sory work this June or July, which will allow the county to then review the design and approval processes. The new bridge is planned to be finished during late fall of 2016 and is estimated to cost between $1.7 million and $2.5 million in county funding.

“We had an advisory committee once before for [a previous New Paltz project] and they were helpful in ensuring that needs of the community were met as the county went through with that project — and we’re looking for similar success here,” Doyle said.

This gateway over the river is no stranger to construction — this new bridge would mark the fourth structure to be erected in the same area in two centuries. Before the current bridge was built in 1940, two other bridges had served the community: a wooden covered bridge in 1845 and later an iron bridge in 1891. The bridge was formerly known as County Bridge No. 135 until 2008, when it was officially named after longtime New Paltz resident and Korean War veteran Carmine Liberta, who had actively organized veterans’ affairs in the area.

“It’s a unique opportunity for the community to participate in one of its signature buildings,” Doyle said. “This is an iconic view for New Paltz and making sure that we can meet the needs of the community not only in terms of its vistas but also in terms of its mobility is very important.”

The County Executive’s Office will be hosting a second meeting on April 8 at 1 p.m. at the New Paltz Community Center to further discuss the project.

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News

New York State Proposes Carbon-Emission Tax

By Sam Manzella

Copy Editor | Manzells1@hawkmaiil.newpaltz.edu

In late February 2015, the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets (NSFM) proposed a Carbon Tax and Refund policy in New York State, which would “place a sales tax on fossil fuels produced or distributed in New York State,” according to a news release from PR Newswire.

This tax would provide more than $3.3 billion in new tax revenue for New York, which would be remitted back to households and eligible corporations through tax refunds.

According to the release, NSFM aims to alter heavy consumer and producer reliance on fossil fuels by sending a “price signal” of the costliness of fossil fuels. NSFM also plans to rally support among activists, politicians and businesses on smaller local levels within New York State.

Other states and provinces in North America have enacted similar carbon taxes with successful results. The official website of the Carbon Tax Center, an American organization of activists who support sustainable energy sources and encourage fair carbon taxes, cites a successful, “straightforward” and “transparent” carbon tax in British Columbia (BC), Canada. This tax prompted a 15.1 percent decrease in BC’s use of fossil fuels from its onset in 2008 to 2012, as well as a

9.9 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 to 2010, according to the Carbon Tax Center.

Despite this global push for sustainable energy sources and green solutions to climate change, many Americans only support such tax increases on conditional terms. An article from the Los Angeles Times cited a study from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, which determined that “a sizable majority of Americans can support a tax on carbon [only] if it’s structured the right way.”

In essence, many Americans only support smaller-scale carbon taxes, which the study says may not be large enough to make a noticeable dent in harmful carbon emissions.

SUNY New Paltz and its surrounding community have similarly supported environmentally-friendly policies. The college’s department of Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) unanimously passed a ban on plastic water bottle sales in December 2014. Additionally, the university installed six electric vehicle charging stations in the Elting Gym parking lot in February 2015 with the aim of encouraging carpooling and more environmentally-friendly transportation, according to Sustainability Coordinator Lisa Mitten.

First-year sociology major Ali Dahlem called New Paltz a “very environmentally con-

scious community” and recounted her experience at the People’s Climate March in New York City during November 2014, which she attended with over 200 other students and activists from New Paltz.

“It definitely revealed that the environmental crisis is an issue that a huge number of people need to see resolved and soon,” Dahlem said. “I was also proud to be a part of the New Paltz group traveling to the city. We had our own special balloons, signs and chants and it made me feel really lucky to be a part of a community that cares so much about the environment and taking action.”

Dahlem also said that she thinks this carbon tax is “a step in the right direction.”

“I do think that if the tax was imposed, it would really alert people to the reality that pollution is costly, not only financially but in every way possible,” Dahlem said. “I [also] think that imposing more policies like these will definitely allow the U.S to catch up to other nations. I remember reading an article the other day about France passing a new law that requires all new buildings in commercial areas to have either solar panels or ‘green roofs’.”

At the time of this writing, no politicians or activists from New Paltz have spoken in favor of or against the proposal.

Capital Project Budget Passes After Second Vote

By Melanie Zerah

Copy Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The New Paltz Central School District’s $52.9 million capital project was passed Tuesday with 56 percent of votes, 1,913 in favor and 1,518 votes opposed.

The districts four schools, Duzine Elementary School, Lenape Elementary School, New Paltz Middle School and New Paltz High School will undergo several repairs and upgrades under this budget.

“Obviously we are very happy about it; it will take care of the much-needed repairs and upgrades to our buildings,” New Paltz Board of Education President Brian Cournoyer said. “It’s something we’ve been struggling with for years now, so this is good news for our students, our district and the community.”

Cournoyer said that some of these renovations will take place over the summer. The timeline of these renovations was pushed back due to the initial failure of the budget proposal in October 2014 with 1,380 in opposition and 1,230 in favor.

“We have a few theories as to why it didn’t pass initially but we will never know

for sure we think that a lot of people just stayed home the last referendum,” Cournoyer said. “So therefore the turn out was higher this time.”

According to Cournoyer, there was some trepidation on the part of the voters, that they were concerned about some of the aspects of the project that they didn’t understand because the board did not fully communicate the information. Cournoyer said that the board did a push to try and get the right information out there about the budget so that people would understand what was trying to be done. There were a lot of meetings, public forums, news letters released, in addition to some tours of the middle school, the building most in need of repair.

“This four building capital project takes care of the infrastructure needs in all four buildings. This includes heating and cooling system, and addresses capacity needs for undersized classrooms,” Board of Education Vice President Ruth Quinn said.

According to the New Paltz Times, the 2015 renovation plan calls for work to be done at all the school buildings, with funds

being divided as $2.5 million for Duzine Elementary School, $1.6 million for Lenape Elementary School, $25.4 million for the middle school and $13.4 million for the high school “The first tour we did was special because the students, seventh and eighth graders, lead the tour in the middle school and talked about their concerns,” Cournoyer said. “Their concerns were in regards to cramped classroom and out of date, old equipment.”

According to The Poughkeepsie Journal, the plan will increase property taxes about $20 annually per $100,000 of assessed value during the life of the approximately two-decade bond.

“I am personally thrilled with the passage of the bond vote,” PTA President Alison Easton said. “As someone who has actively followed the work of the BOE the last few years in developing a long term strategy in regards to facilities, I strongly applaud all of their hard work in developing a plan that addresses the district. This is a win for the district, the students and the taxpayers.”

Thursday, March 26, 2015

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NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL

US CONDUCTING AIRSTRIKES TO HELP IRAQ RETAKE TIKRIT At Iraq’s request, the U.S. began airstrikes in Tikrit on Wednesday in support of a stalled Iraqi ground offensive to retake the city from Islamic State fighters. The bombing marked a significant expansion of the U.S. military role in Iraq.

1 PERSON KILLED WHEN TORNADOES HIT OKLAHOMA The slow start to the nation’s tornado season came to a violent end Wednesday, when tornadoes raked Tulsa during its evening rush hour, killing one person and injuring others.

Tulsa County Sheriff’s Capt. Billy McKelvey said one person was killed in a mobile home park near suburban Sand Springs that was nearly destroyed Wednesday amid severe weather.

GOP-CONTROLLED HOUSE PASSES BUDGET TO ERASE DEFICITS

Normally quarrelsome House Republicans came together Wednesday night and passed a boldly conservative budget that relies on nearly $5 trillion in cuts to eliminate deficits over the next decade, calls for repealing the health care law and envisions transformations of the tax code and Medicare. Final passage, 228-199, came shortly after Republicans bumped up recommended defense spending to levels proposed by President Barack Obama.

DIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND PLANT LIFE IS THREATENED From picturesque coastal estuaries of Cape Cod to the soaring White Mountains, much of New England’s rich native flora is fighting for survival against increasing odds, according to what conservationists call the most comprehensive accounting ever made of the region’s plant life.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

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Village Mayor West To Run For Reelection

By Melanie Zerah

Copy Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

New Paltz Village Mayor Jason West has announced that he will be running for reelection in the mayoral race for his third, non-consecutive term. West held office from 2003 to 2007, then again from 2011 to the present after a four-year gap.

“I think we’ve made a great start on where we need to go as a community,” West said.

According to West, most of the jobs carried out by the village board include projects which concern finance and traditional infrastructure such as water sewage, snow plowing and road paving. West saidthat he is trying to find ways of doing the traditional work of government in a more environmentally conscious way.

Ten years ago the solar panels on village hall were installed, running the building on 15 kilowatts of solar energy, costing about $100,000. According to West, to run the entire village on solar energy would require two square miles of panels and additional funding. Maintaining infrastructure is 90 percent of the work done in village hall for the community and West said he would like to continue implementing these types of environmentally-friendly changes.

“At this point I don’t think being an environmentalist is an option, it is a necessity,” West said. “We’ve made a start on this, but it is not funded the way that traditional infrastructure is, so trying to find the money and the projects where we can to green our village from the ground up is a focus of mine.”

As issues concerning housing in the village have become more prominent, West said he has been extremely attentive to the topic. According to West, when he moved to the village 20 years ago, rent for a bedroom ran for about $200 a month and a house could be purchased for around $100,000. Now, on average, buying a house can cost a minimum of $300,000; renting a room, a minimum of $600 a month — well beyond the ability for many people to pay, West said.

“What you see is a growing income inequality in the village where you’ve got people who can afford relatively expensive houses and then there are people who are living five or six people together, just because that is the best way for them to af-

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW PALTZ TIMES

ford to be able to live in the village,” West said. “It’s just getting more and more unaffordable, and that’s happened in the span of just 15 years.”

West said that he wrote a stronger rental inspection law that provides more protection for tenants and makes it easier for building inspectors to enforce the codes so that people are living in safe housing, streamlining the inspection process. Currently all rentals are inspected but this law created more specifications.

In addition to this, West created a provision in that law for displaced tenants so that if a tenant moves out of their housing unit because their landlord is negligent, the landlord has to put that tenant up until the problem with the housing is fixed.

“We had more than one instance where people were kicked out of places they had signed a lease with because of issues such as sewers breaking,” West said.

“We’ve also created a housing board and passed an affordable housing law this winter.”

This law requires developments of a certain size to set aside 15 percent of the units for affordable housing in hopes of relieving pressure. According to West, affordable is defined as a certain percentage of the average income in the area and that 75 percent of the village residents are tenants and only 25 percent are home owners.

Village laws that would limit the number of non-biologically related individuals legally allowed to occupy a single residency has been the main issue of concern for students of SUNY New Paltz who live off campus. Supporters of this law have been called “anti-student” or “anti-tenant.” According to West, there is a struggle to find a better definition of “family,” which can be defined as a group of people either related by blood or marriage or a group of

Thursday, March 26, 2015

people in the functional equivalent of a family such as paying bills together, owning furniture together, etc.

“In no sense do we want to prevent student housing. That would be ridiculous.

I’m the last person to be anti-student or anti-tenant,” West said. “We’re trying to change a law that doesn’t work for us for obvious reasons: we don’t want to evict half the village, that is just not going to happen.”

West said that if reelected, he would like to explore possible sources of clean energy for the village in order to continue his effort in moving towards a more green infrastructure. West also said he plans to encourage more development in regards to building four-story, mixed use buildings right near each other in the rezoned Route 32 North to look more like Main Street in order to create hundreds of more housing units and dozens of more retail shops.

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Study Finds SUNY Application Requirements For Convicted Felons Unrealistic Continued from Page 3 Within the policy itself, it is required that “the University-wide application for undergraduate admission to campuses of the University contains a question regarding whether the applicant previously has been convicted of a felony or dismissal from an institution of higher education for disciplinary reasons. It is the policy of the University that such a question be included in applications for both undergraduate and graduate admissions, full-time and part-time, by campuses processing local applications or not participating in the Application Service Center (ASC).”

In reference to the document’s policy on the review committee, the policy cites New York State Corrections Law [Sections 750, 752 and 753], which forbids discrimination against individuals previously convicted of criminal offenses, but states that the university counsel advises that the law allows an institution to deny admission to an applicant based on prior criminal convictions where such admission would involve an unreasonable risk to property or would pose a risk to the safety or welfare of an individual or the general public.

It goes on to say that campus policy should include “procuring appropriate information related to previous criminal and incarceration records and obtaining recommendations from corrections officials and, at times, current employment or educational supervisors.”

The policy states that the committee is able to request the applicant to provide the specifics of the felony conviction or disciplinary dismissal, such as criminal background, charges filed and date of occurrence. Records that must be included, however, are references from the Department of Correctional Services, Division of Parole, including the name and addresses of parole officers for further questioning and possible conditions of parole, as well as a personal interview to either clarify or verify information.

According to SUNY New Paltz spokesperson Melissa Kaczmarek, candidates for admission who have indicated that they have been convicted of a felony are asked to provide the following information/documentation: a copy of their full criminal record (convictions, dates, etc.) that each applicant is to obtain from Department of Criminal Justice Services and a report from the parole officer/board and/or probation officer if the applicant is on parole or probation. Kaczmarek said a report from the prison psychologist may be asked for, but not in all cases. Highley also included that they try to obtain some documentation that speaks to

what the applicant has been doing since they were released from prison; schooling, working, etc.

Finally, the applicant must go through a personal interview with the Ex-Offender Admissions Review Committee.

This committee consists of the Chief of University Police, Dean of Students, and the Directors of Student Counseling, Student Health Services, Residence Life and the Career Resource Center.

further documentation after the interview, was denied admission to SUNY New Paltz. Cadwallader received no reason for the denial, aside from being told that SUNY New Paltz “is very competitive.” Within his previous college program through Sienna College, he had a 4.0.

When the committee does approve an applicant, Highley writes the committee’s decision into a letter, which gets approved or denied by Vice President of Student Affairs, David Rooney.

’

It’s discrimination. This is not about safety.

All of these policies, there is not one iota of evidence that having a formerly incarcerated person on a campus is a danger.

ONAJE BENJAMIN The study uses anecdotal references of real SUNY applicants who have gone through the application process as a convicted felon.

Adrien Cadwallader applied to SUNY New Paltz in 2014.

He states in his account that he was required to provide a full criminal record, a report from a prison administrator that included a quote about his behavior, a report from the prison psychologist, a report from the parole officer/board and proof of a permanent residence since release.

“I felt like I was being set up to fail,” Cadwallader said in the study. He obtained the closest documentation or alternative documentation he could obtain and was given an appearance in front of the Ex-Offender Admissions Review Committee. Coming out of the interview, he said he felt “hurt, insulted and humiliated” by the questions that were asked.

“I always have a conversation with anyone who is seriously wanting to take care of this so that they can go to college. There’s probably no one that I don’t talk to at least a few times as they go through the process, trying to work out and help them get what they need to get in order so we can meet with them to move the thing along,” Highley said. “If they are denied, they’re given a reason as to why.”

Cadwallader, after being asked to provide

“The study has brought to light that our procedures may be requesting information our applicants might find hard to produce,” Rooney said.

Highley, however, said the required documentation is necessary “to have some sort of knowledge before they come in for the interview.”

“We’re very different, for example, than Empire State,” Christian said. “They’re not a residential campus. They have students taking courses online, staying at home. We’re a residential campus, so we pay careful attention to campus safety considerations. And that’s the balance in this whole process: how do we provide opportunity for people who have paid their debt to society to integrate into society and get educational access while at the same time [ensuring] we’re protected and paying attention to the campus environment.”

Sean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link, a program that supports and coordinates higher education in prisons, said that these worries are invalid.

“The students who have been in prison, and get out of prison and go to college, are the ones that don’t get into trouble on campus,” said Pica, who was convicted of a felony as a juvenile. “They are staying away from the elements that they know from their history that

Thursday, March 26, 2015

will lead to bad things.”

The Center for Community Alternatives states there is no evidence that criminal history screening makes campuses safer. The study cites Cleary Act data, which stated four-year SUNY colleges had reported a total number of 31 robberies and 45 aggravated assaults in 2013, with zero homicides. There was no reported information to identify any evidence that these crimes were committed by students with criminal records, according to the study.

During the 2013-14 academic year, there were 238 sexual assault complaints filed by fouryear SUNY schools. There was no evidence that illustrates these crimes were committed by students with criminal history records.

Mary Donnelly, academic coordinator for Sullivan Correctional Facility and Teconic Correctional Facility, said suchconcern is not often relevant, because students do not want to be put back in a residential situation — most would be part time and focusing on reuniting with their families.

“We have a lot of women from this area [in Teconic]. Without the ability to come to a college such as New Paltz, they’re right back where they started. That box is not helping anybody, its actually hurting them more than anything,” Donnelly said. “My experience with SUNY schools has not been very good.

They’re just asking for a chance.”

“If that’s how they interpret something being harder to get in — yeah, it’s an extra step, but that extra step was generated based on their own decisions, and what circumstances got them to have to check that box,” Highley said.

Onaje Benjamin said the box that he had to check while applying to Fordham University is not just a box, but a major barrier.

“It’s discrimination,” he said. “This is not about safety. All of these policies, there is not one iota of evidence that having a formerly incarcerated person on a campus is a danger.”

Despite these obstacles, the 65-year-old recently graduated from Fordham’s Graduate School of Human Services with a 4.0 and a double major in Social Work and Social Justice Centered Counseling & Program Development/Administration. He works in the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office in the Jail Division as a RESTART Program Coordinator, assisting with counseling, reentry and discharge plans of inmates.

“I work at a correctional facility, so I know,” Benjamin said. “The most significant color someone can have isn’t black or white, it’s orange. I do believe formerly incarcerated people are the most discriminated people in this country.”

8 oracle.newpaltz.edu

News

The New Paltz Oracle

Senate Sponsors New Legislation

By Melanie Zerah

Copy Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The 59th Student Senate met on Wednesday, March 25, beginning with discussion over the fast-approaching election process for next semester’s senate. Candidate seat forms will be released March 30, and due for submission on April 13 at noon.

Concern over voter intimidation by candidates was brought to the forefront of conversation, such as in-person campaigning tactics that are potentially viewed as harassment by some students.

“Not campaigning during election time because of voter intimidation is not preferable as campaigning preserves competitiveness and effort,” Sen. Fernando Cintron said. “It educates possible student voters. They want to see that candidates are interested in their campaign.”

Sen. Zach Grossman said that it is unnecessary to tell candidates not to campaign and proposed a solution that limits

candidates to campaigning online only in order to reduce possible harassment to voters. Another suggestion was the possibility of a small description of why the candidates are running next to their names when students are voting as a mini version of a letter of intent.

“This is an election, although I am strongly against voter intimidation because that is an underhand move pulled out of desperation, we cannot monitor that, I do not think we should eliminate campaigning during election,” Sen. Rookie Reynoso said. “Some people really work hard for this.”

Senate then took a vote with few in favor of campaigning with absolutely no stipulations or limits, none in favor of absolutely no campaigning, a majority vote of campaigning with certain rules and three abstain.

SUNY Purchase passed legislation against the rational tuition increase and senate intends to follow this lead.

On Tuesday, March 31, “New York Student Rising” (NYSR) will be hosting a walk-out, rallying outside of the Humanities Building to speak out in opposition of tuition hikes and student debt as well as inviting students to share their stories concerning student debt and have their voices heard.

This rally looks to take a stand against the “rational tuition increases,” freeze tuition, call attention to the student debt crisis, oppose Start Up NY and call President Donald Christian out on his support of the tuition hikes.

“Save Our SUNY” is a student made video discussing this issue and can be found on YouTube created by NYSR at SUNY New Paltz, Democracy Matters at SUNY New Paltz and concerned students who believe in affordable and accessible higher education.

Sen. Brienna Perez is the main sponsor of the Hall Rounds Resolution Legislation. This resolution calls for the SUNY

New Paltz University Police Department (UPD) to end their practice of regularly patrolling residence halls, on the grounds of the dormitories being a space where privacy needs to be respected.

“The dormitories serve as the primary living space for many SUNY New Paltz students, where they are reserved the right ‘to the respect and safety of personal property, to study without interruption or interference, to be free from unreasonable noise, and to be free of intimidation or harassment,” read the legislation, quotes of which found in the Housing Handbook.

The legislation also argued that if there were a threat present to the students in the dormitories, the Residence Assistant and/or Resident Director may contact the UPD for assistance upon a need basis.

Senate then voted to sponsor the legislation, adding the organization to the co-sponsor list additionally consisting of Alexandra Miller, Fernando Cintron, Christine Rivera and Sarah Eames.

Students Protest UPD Drug-Arrest Award Ceremony

SUNY New Paltz students and community activists organized in protest of a police union award ceremony on Friday, March 13, honoring the University Police Department for having the highest number of campus drug arrests per capita in the nation in 2013 — 13.9 arrests per 1,000 students, according to federal statistics. More than a dozen people stood outside Room 62/63 in the Student Union Building across from the campus book store holding cardboard signs and chanting “don’t honor the police for disturbing the peace.” Protestors called for fewer campus police officers, a shift of resources away from enforcing non-violent drug offenses to a focus on serious crimes, such as sexual assault and a change in the current drug offense policy of potential expulsion after two drug infractions to three infractions.

PHOTOS BY SARAH EAMES AND CAPTION BY ANTHONY DEROSA

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Th ursday, m arch 26, 2015

Lisa Park: art through technology Story on page 6B Photo courtesy of Sarah Hallacher

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The New Paltz Oracle

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FEATURES The Fracking Fight Wages On NATURAL GAS INFRASTRUCTURE FOUGHT IN NEW YORK

By Jennifer Newman Features Editor | Jnewman46@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu Just because they won the fracking battle, doesn’t mean the war is over.

There is a New York State ban on hydraulic fracturing by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, yet New York can still use natural gas as a fuel option and develop infrastructure supporting it.

There is currently a proposal to have Liberty Natural Gas develop a facility called Port Ambrose which would include building a deepwater port in federal waters in the New York Bight to import gas in a liquid state. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a natural gas that has been converted into liquid form for ease of storage or transport ... up to -260 °F. The location of the proposed site is near the entrance of the New York and New Jersey Harbor, 18.5 miles southeast of Jones Beach, New York, according to New Jersey’s Asbury Park Press. The port would consist of permanent, anchored buoys where tankers would dock and vaporize the gas. A proposed 21 mile underwater gas pipeline would transport the gas from the port to an existing transcontinental pipeline at a point in the lower New York Bay. On March 12, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) sponsored an event on the SUNY New Paltz campus entitled, “Love NY: Don’t Frack It Up,” dealing with the possible dangers of liquefied natural gas, or LNG in New York. An episode was screened of the online documentary series by Lovenydontfrackitup.org, featuring New York’s Rockaways.

Supporters of this method of natural gas argue that this LNG port would assist in local job creation and a reduction in energy costs, but New Paltz NYPIRG intern Amanda Ruchak said that this comes at a

greater loss than gain. On the same day the state banned fracking, the Cuomo-led Long Island Power Authority rejected a massive wind farm off of Long Island.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Ruchak said. “If we’ve banned fracked gas, we don’t want it pumped back in New York.”

This is not the first time liquid natural gas has been attempted in New York, according to Ruchak. In 1973, an explosion of a LNG tank on Staten Island killed 40 workers, a piece of history Ruchak said she does not want to see happen again.

Recently, the application for the LNG port and gas pipeline off the coast has been delayed by federal agencies due to an overwhelming amount of public comment, but the final decision is still up in the air.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” Ruchak said about stopping the LNG facility. “New York is one of the few states that has banned fracking. It really impacts climate change. We still have to fight this.”

She said she believes investing in infrastructure where local municipalities are in control will help push renewable energy options forward.

“We need to take away the power from large corporations and give it back to the people,” she said.

NYPIRG is currently working on promoting a restructuring of New York’s energy industry.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, maintaining the current energy infrastructure is projected to cost $30 billion over the next decade. As stated in information provided by NYPIRG Project Coordinator Eric Wood, the Reforming the Energy Vision initiative seeks to define pollution reduction standards, efficiency measures, incorporate goals for renewable energy along with other regulatory standards.

Jess Mullen from New Yorkers Against Fracking speaks at event.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

PHOTO BY MAXWELL REIDE

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOVENYDONTFRACKITUP.ORG

Features

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Fresh Paltz

FRESH PALTZ’s mission is to document what some stylish people are wearing around the campus of SUNY New Paltz. #FreshPaltz Thursday, September 15, 2011 Name: Cloe Grozis Year: Fourth-year

Major: Art Hometown: Waterford, NY

cloe Grozis

Cloe is a purple princess. Her purple and gray plaid coat matches her purple nails and purple hair.

She says her style changes based on her mood. It’s either a lot of bright colors or mostly blacks. “I’ll see a movie and say ‘I like that...’ and just do it,” she said. She says she is very impulsive with her styles...especially her hair. “I said I wanted to shave the side of my head at 2 a.m. so I did.” Although Cloe is a bargain hunter, the pleather boots and most of the clothes she sports are from Kohl’s.

She has the perfect mix of punk and pretty, which is why she’s New Paltz’s fresh pick of the week!

By Jennifer Newman, Jnewman46@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

INTERESTED IN SEEING MORE OF “FRESH PALTZ?”

CHECK OUT oracle.newpaltz.edu TO SEE MORE OF WHAT NEW PALTZ IS WEARING!

THINK

Visiting students welcome!

STONY BROOK THIS SUMMER SUMMERSESSIONS 2015

» More than 500 courses in 60 subjects » Special courses for students interested in business, accounting, secondary education and more

» Flexible online courses » Affordable tuition

stonybrook.edu/summer Stony Brook University/SUNY is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. 14120872

Thursday, March 26, 2015

4B oracle.newpaltz.edu

Features

A Peek Beyond The Horizon

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONSTRUCTION

By Nathaniel Sheidlower Copy Editor | Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Wooster Renovation

The cleanest water in all of New Paltz will soon be flushed down the toilet. Of course this is not a bad thing when put into context: once the renovations to the Wooster Building are completed, the rainwater from the roof will be recycled and used to fill the buildings toilets and urinals.

The new addition will be the most energy efficient of all the ongoing construction projects on campus, according to John McEnrue, director of facilities design and construction. Other environmentally conscious features of this building will include LED light-

ing and heat recovery with the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system. Additionally, “daylight will be harvested” to limit the need for artificial light and little to no VOC (volatile organic compound) materials will be used, including in the paint, according to McEnrue.

McEnrue said there is hope to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rating, which would mean the building earns 60-79 points, determined by the various green features, when evaluated. LEED certified buildings save

Sojourner Truth Library

New Science Building

Hoping to be completed during the fall semester, the renovations to the top level of the Sojourner Truth Library have an estimated cost of $14,315,000.

Once renovations are complete, new features will include a recognized public service desk, new individual work spaces, a new faculty study room, better computer and wireless network access and a beautiful new view of the Shawangunk Ridge.

Located at the corner of South Manheim Boulevard and Plattekill Avenue, this building will house offices for computer science, geology, mathematics, physics, astronomy and geography.

The estimated completion cost of this project is $48,026,000 and it is planned to be completed in January of 2017. The two-story steel framed building will be eligible for a LEED certification once completed.

Projected plan for Sojourner Truth Library.

money and resources and have a positive impact on the health of occupants, while promoting renewable, clean energy, according to usgbc.org/leed.

The project is on schedule and should be completed by January of 2016. With an estimated cost of $36,745,000, this renovation will move student service offices, such as academic advising and financial aid, to one central location. Additionally, the new food court Element 93 will be added, replacing Jazzman’s café on the ground floor of the Jacobson Faculty Tower.

Engineering Innovation Hub

This project is not yet started, but McEnrue said he is looking forward to interviewing consultants for the design. The hub will house the new mechanical engineering major and will service the existing electrical and computer engineering needs, according to McEnrue.

Mohonk Walk West In keeping with the original Master Plan, this pathway connects Route 32, right next to College Hall, with the end of Mohonk Avenue next to Old Main. The walk is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWPALTZ.LIBGUIDES.COM

Thursday, March 26, 2015

The New Paltz Oracle

ESK D Y COP KOFF: COO

“Penne Alla Lotsa Vodka”

By Nathaniel Sheidlower Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

One of the members of our Copy Desk shares their culinary chops with you. Bon appetit!

Ever had Italian food? Me neither. I’ve eaten at Italian restaurants that served recipes from the old country but, since I’ve never been to Italy, I’ve never eaten real Italian food.

Of all the dishes I’ve eaten in all the restaurants I’ve visited, my favorite is Penne Alla Vodka. It is a simple dish of penne pasta mixed with a vodka-based sauce and offers you the opportunity to add just about any protein or veggie and still have a great tasting plate.

I worked in an Italian restaurant/pizzeria, learned the basic way to make this fantastic dish and will now share it with you.

First thing is to put up one pot of water to boil for your pasta and another to pour on the head of the first person who says they don’t like their dinner. Next is to make the sauce.

Get a saucepan and place it on the stove on medium to low heat. Add a tiny drizzle of olive oil in the pan to start heating. Drizzle not foshizzle but for real, if you put too much it’ll taste like that stuff in that white bowl in the room with the shower. Put 1/8 of a cup of chopped onions in the oil and sprinkle some dried parsley. Let the onions cook for a few minutes until they are as see through as dirty glass.

Now the exciting part: the vodka. Start off with a fifth, then take some shots. You take these shots because you only need one for the recipe and if you accidently pour the whole bottle in the pan you might burn your house down. So … shots, shots, shots.

But seriously, don’t burn down the house. Remove the pan from the stove before adding the vodka. Thirty seconds after adding the vodka add ½ cup of tomato sauce and 2 cups of heavy cream. Stir the sauce and let it sit on the stove until it is the proper thickness, the pasta is done or you just get so damn hungry you can’t wait any more.

Then strain the pasta, mix it in with the sauce and serve to all those deserving of this pristine and delicious meal.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT oracle.newpaltz.edu

Burning Emotions BLACKBOX PRODUCTION BRINGS INTENSITY TO SUNY NEW PALTZ

By Sage Higgins

Contributing Writer | Higginss1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Relatable and reflective on the bigger picture, this semester’s Blackbox production, Stand and Burn is a must see for its relatability and heart-wrenching portrayal of the struggle in finding who you truly are.

Stand and Burn, a new play written by Nick Magnanti and directed

by Casey Morris, tells the story of one man’s struggle to accept himself in a society that is suppressive toward sexuality.

This play is written so beautifully and with such keen sensitivity that the words should be treated as poetry. The play is relatable to anyone who has ever had trouble accepting or discovering who they’re truly meant to be. The characters in this piece are very complex, and when the play was over, I found myself wanting to know more about them.

The play has musical and fluid aspects to it, which heightened the emotionality of the show. The scenes invoked feelings of love or unease.

Christopher Ricci, a second-year theater arts major and the sound designer for the production said the show’s sound is powerful.

“When a sound plays, you have a goal with that sound. You want a specific reaction from the audience,” Ricci said.

Elise Smalley, a senior and a theater major, is the stage manager for Stand and Burn. Smalley provided the information of what a Blackbox production at New Paltz is all about.

“Blackbox is a student driven piece of work that’s held in either Parker or McKenna each semester,” Smalley said. “It’s a chance for a student director to bring either new work or an existing work to the stage.”

Eric Glauber, a fourth-year theater arts major, stars as the character Peter in Stand and Burn. Throughout the play Peter struggles with coming to terms with who he truly is. As a result, it affects his actions as a person. Glauber, gives a raw performance as Peter. He feels that the message of acceptance that is shown throughout the play is a positive one.

“As a college student, in some way or another you deal with acceptance and having to either be accepted or accept that you do not to care if someone accepts you,” Glauber said. “I think that is something everyone can relate to,” .

Nick Magnanti, a third-year journalism major, is the playwright of Stand and Burn, and his passion for journalism shines through his play.

“As a journalism major, a big A scene from Stand and Burn part of me feels the need to use different forms of writing like theater to bring about a story that is really specific but has characters that people are able to relate to,” Magnanti said. “I want to have people enjoy the character’s as individuals but also have their story relate to a larger social issue as well.”

For Casey Morris, a third-year theater arts major, directing Stand and Burn has been a “very exciting challenge.”

“It’s a longer and far more emotional script than anything I have directed before,” Morris said. “It was important to me for actors to make their own discoveries about their characters, so in rehearsals I would lean more towards asking them questions, and then incorporate the answers into my directing choices.”

Stand and Burn will be playing this weekend in Parker Theater on March 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. and March 29 at 2 p.m. with about an hour runtime. Admission is free.

A scene from Stand and Burn Thursday, March 26, 2015

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARLEY PUTZER

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARLEY PUTZER

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Arts & Entertainment

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6B

An Emotional Journey of Art ARTIST USES TECHNOLOGY TO CONVEY EMOTIONS THROUGH ART

By Amya Pinka

Copy Editor | Pinkaa1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

During the process of creating herwork, artist Lisa Park wanted to know how she could possibly make digital art that interacts with viewers on an intimate level.

The answer? Emotion.

On Wednesday, March 25, Park gave SUNY New Paltz a presentation of her unique take on a way to express her emotional states through the use of technology which is transformed into art.

“I use digital tools to decode and visualize my emotions,” Park said.

Park is an American-born and Korean-raised artist who is currently based in New York City. She has received her master’s degree in the Interactive Telecommunications Program from New York University. She has also recently been awarded the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship 2014 in the Digital/Electronic Arts category.

After giving a brief background of her studies, she explained how she uses technology to create performance-based installations.

Once she explored the possibilities of self-monitoring, she began to experiment with biosensors, which are devices that monitor heart rate and brainwaves to show a person their own physical and psychological states.

She uses these tools to better understand her inner state, feeling like she was making something externally representative of her inner emotions.

The first piece she showed the audience on screen was titled “Obsession is sad passion.”

In this installation, Park used a heart rate sensor, which affected the pitch of the sound of her voice in the background while narrating a story called “Depth Wish” that she recited in English and Korean.

Park’s head is enclosed in a plastic bubble as one of her most feared bugs – butterflies — fly around.

Next, Park showed a piece titled “Le violon d’lisa.”

Parks’ work, entitled “Obsession is sad passion”

In this piece, as stated on her website, thelisapark.com, “a nichrome wire attached on a cello bow is programmed to create sound when it touches a performer’s body.” When the bow comes in contact with skin, data is being collected then calibrated into sound.

This was an intimate experience for Park because she is not comfortable with exposing skin, especially in front of an audience.

“This piece made me feel vulnerable; I was going through a journey,” she said.

Park said that self-control is a reoccurring theme in her work.

“There is a conflict between desire to express self-control and emotion,” she added.

Park also spent an ample amount of time discussing an installation entitled “Eunoia.”

In this seven-to-10 minute installation, Park wears a headset EEG sensor

that uses her brainwaves in real time to manipulate the motions of water.

Seated in the middle of five pools of water in customized metal dishes that are rested upon 15 inch speakers, Park meditates as the frequencies of her brain activity are being measured.

According to Park, she used five pools of water because they represented the five emotions of sadness, anger, desire, happiness and hatred.

This piece turned out to be ironic because Park used it as meditation as she went on a tour of herself, but people wanted to see more vibration.

Park then gave a live demonstration of how that headset works. She put the device on and with her laptop showed the activity of her brain at that moment.

“I’m at a meditative state,” she smiled.

First-year MFA sculpture major Amy Cunningham, enjoyed Park’s presentation.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA PARK

“I found it interesting how she’s incorporating technology but the end result is very beautiful,” said Cunningham.

Park is currently working on an installation titled “Eudaimonia,” which translates to a state of happiness and development of a person in Greek.

After receiving hundreds of emails about people’s interest in the technology she uses in her art and people wanting to also get more in touch with their inner-self, she decided that this would be a participatory installation to explore the synchronization of brain activity of participants.

Park says this installation will answer questions she has pondered such as how different groups from various cultures, genders, ethnic and demographic backgrounds interact with one another and if emotions are universal.

“In all my pieces I try to overcome something that I always struggled with, so it’s like therapy for me,” Park said.

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Games Worth Waiting For THE GAMING WORLD HAS PLENTY TO ANTICIPATE IN 2015

By Karl Evers-Hillstrom

Copy Editor | Kevershillstrom@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

2015 is going to be a big year for gamers. There are 10 games coming out this year that I am personally excited for. Excluded are games that don’t have an official title or have not shown any gameplay footage. Sorry Legend of Zelda Wii U and Scalebound, but I just don’t know you well enough yet. Also excluded are games that don’t seem like they will come out this year. I’m looking at you, Kingdom Hearts 3.

10. Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, XOne, PC) The fourth installment of the criticallyacclaimed Batman Arkham series, Arkham Knight aims to give Batman some new tech to take on criminals with. The developers at Rocksteady Studios are finally opening up the world of Batman, as players will be able to explore Gotham on a much larger scale. Players will finally be able to drive the Batmobile, something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. The Batman Arkham games are always good so Arkham Knight has slim chances of disappointing.

9. Mighty No. 9 (PS3, PS4, PSV, 3DS, Wii U, X360, XOne, PC) This action platformer was crowdfunded in 2013 on Kickstarter, and received nearly $4 million from over 67,000 backers. It is produced by Keiji Inafune, creator of the legendary and now long-dead Mega Man series. For anyone who is a fan of the Mega Man games or any old-school action platformer, this game is for you. It is basically a Mega Man game with a new title. This will also be the most accessible game of 2015, as it comes to every single relevant console.

8. Project CARS (PS4, XOne, Wii U, PC) Speaking of crowdfunded games, here’s another one. Project CARS was backed in 2012 and raised over $3 million for its development. It looks to be the most technically advanced racing simulation game ever to come to consoles, with a powerful physics engine and stunning graphical performance. I am worried because it was supposed to come out in November of last year but has been delayed three subsequent times. We haven’t seen or

A SCREENSHOT FROM NO MAN’S SKY

Photo Courtesy of Flickr User Bago Games

A SCREENSHOT FROM KILLING FLOOR 2

Photo Courtesy of Flickr User Bago Games

heard anything about the Wii U version of the game. All of that aside, this game has the potential to be the best hardcore racing game to ever grace home consoles. Hopefully it delivers.

7. Splatoon (Wii U) Nintendo’s third-person shooter Splatoon has the honor of being the only game on this list that I have actually played a demo of.

The game consists of teams of squid-people who shoot paint at each other in a head-tohead war. Yep, that’s what it is, and it is fun as hell. It uses unconventional controls that remedy usual third-person shooter problems, making it the finest controlling third-person shooter I’ve ever played. Hopefully Splatoon has enough content to keep players interested, as its concept is fresh and exciting.

6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS3, PS4, X360, XOne, PC) The “final” game in the beloved Metal Gear series (creator Hideo Kojima says it’s the final game every time), MGS V looks to deliver more incredible stealth action and more ridiculous storylines. I’m excited to see just how dumb the plot is for MGS V, and what kind of insane scenarios arise for the player to overcome.

5. The Witcher 3 (PS4, XOne, PC) I’ve never played a Witcher game before, but according to developer CD Projekt RED, this won’t prevent me from enjoying the newest title. Witcher 3 looks to be one of the biggest and most beautiful RPGs of this generation. It has everything I look for in an RPG, with insane creatures to battle,

Thursday, March 26, 2015

mythical powers, numerous quests to carry out and deep levels of customization.

4. No Man’s Sky (PS4, PC) Called a procedurally generated open universe game, No Man’s Sky looks to be one of the most innovative games of the 21st century. Players take the role of space explorers, using their spaceships to explore unlimited amounts of planets and encounter the wildlife, as well as engage in space combat with other ships. Supposedly, players will never run out of places to explore, as the game will keep creating new planets.

No Man’s Sky promises a lot. We can only hope that the final product will be as amazing as it sounds.

3. Killing Floor 2 (PS4, PC) Killing Floor 2 is exactly like it sounds: you kill a lot of zombie creatures with guns. The original Killing Floor was one of my all-time favorite first-person shooters and it was only a mod. Killing Floor 2 is its own game, and looks to visually upgrade the satisfying action of the original as well as bring in all new weapons and gamemodes.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) The biggest and most beautiful game to hit the Wii U, Xenoblade X is the successor to the critically acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles. This RPG is absolutely massive, with numerous varying worlds for the player to explore and all kinds of monsters to take on. The player can jump inside a flying mech and light up enemies with machine guns and rocket launchers.

What’s not to like about that? This game serves as the main competitor to the next and final game on my list.

1. Final Fantasy XV (PS4, XOne) This has to be my most anticipated game of the year, as it has been in development for nearly a decade. When this game started development, I was just starting middle school, George W. Bush was still president and 50 Cent was still relevant. I can’t wait to see what a game that took 10 years to develop looks and plays like. XV has the potential to be one of the best Final Fantasy games ever. It really has no excuse to be anything short of brilliant. If XV disappoints, it could bring the entire genre of the Japanese RPG down with it. It cannot afford to fail.

8B

The Deep End

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The New Paltz Oracle

THIS WEEK IN

THE DEEP END Evelyn Darrah Major: Art Education

Year: Second

“This past semester I took the Basic Painting class with Professor Gabe Brown, who is the most wonderful teacher and she says great things like “that color is really yummy”. Prior to taking this class I did not really know very much about painting with oils and now I have decided that I want painting to be my concentration.

The last painting I did in that class was a self-portrait that incorporated the painting style of Ross Bleckner in its background.

What Bleckner does is he uses symbolic imagery rather than direct representations and I decided to play off of that. So the hazy lights against the blue background became a representation of a sort of emotional weight. Combined with the closed eyes in the portrait it becomes as if she is lost or drowning in these feelings. In this painting I also discovered by own sort of portrait making style which involves me using a very small brush and painting the entire figure with very small slashing strokes.

After finishing this painting I decided that I wanted to continue with this style and concept. I came up with the idea to create a series of these portraits that explore women’s beauty images and the emotional weight that it puts on them. I would like to see how beauty expectations vary across different races, body types, and social backgrounds. I hope that this translates to viewers and that the women in my paintings help them understand the stress that unrealistic beauty standards put on the female psyche.”

Photos courtesy of Evelyn Darrah | Captioning by Maxwell Reide

Appeal

The New Paltz Oracle

Editorial

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9

to reason

CARTOON BY MIKE SHEINKOPF

A recent study on the attrition rates of SUNY institution applications from individuals convicted of a felony has revealed that 81.1 percent of felon applicants to SUNY New Paltz do not complete the application process in full, supposedly due to document requirements that are extensive in comparison to other universities and difficult to obtain.

We at The New Paltz Oracle are concerned with the data and personal accounts regarding the convicted felon attrition rates of applicants here at SUNY New Paltz as they have been depicted in said study.

Compared to other SUNY colleges, New Paltz's processing and acceptance of convicted felons seem disproportionately complex.

One can not help but wonder, despite the explanations given by administration, why New Paltz thinks it is justified to impose harsher demands of felon applicants than other universities?

The issue of safety on our residential campus has been provided as an explanation,

which, while understandable, is to assume that every felon is convicted of a violent crime and will continue to act out upon their release in a college setting. There is zero evidence to support this assumption.

It also ignores that these individuals convicted with a felony can only now apply to college because the state has determined that they have paid their debt to society and are applying with previous experience and often success in college level courses.

It should also be noted that many of these applicants are presumed to be older individuals who were incarcerated at a young age and the likelihood that they are to become repeat-offenders after years of imprisonment is slim. On the same token, claims can be made that an applicant who is older than the average college-aged student here at SUNY New Paltz would not be choosing to live on campus.

When analyzing the applicant’s worthiness of acceptance to our university, we hope

that the selection committee is weighing very heavily on the nature of the crime committed by said applicant. People can be convicted for a large array of crimes on an equally as spacious scale of severity — some of which are non-violent and or have simply been a case of wrong place, wrong time. Circumstances surrounding an incident can be very telling about where an applicant has come from and the progress they have made to get to where they are now.

All these individuals want is a second chance at success in the world outside of incarceration. If they are truly trying to get into this college so they can be eligible for their dream career in the future, just as every other applicant, then we believe they should not be disadvantaged because of their past. They should be treated as reformed individuals and not as criminals.

It is our opinion that the documents SUNY New Paltz requires in addition to the documentation the SUNY system states must

Thursday, March 26, 2015

be submitted by felon applicants are a deterrence to these applicants, thus resulting in the 81.1 percent attrition rate.

SUNY New Paltz talks a lot about the diversity of their student population. These individuals bring in new experiences, perspectives and an appreciation for the power of education. Those applying to the school have taken the initiative to invest in their future in a positive way and that action should speak for itself.

Editorials represent the views of the majority of the editorial board.

Columns, op-eds and letters, excluding editorials, are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The New Paltz Oracle, its staff members, the campus and university or the Town or Village of New Paltz.

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AMANDA COPKOV Copy Editor

Copkova1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

To whoever is reading this: I’m going to be completely honest. This is my fourth attempt at writing this column. My brain feels fried and I’m going to blame it on the fact that all of my professors are bombarding my fellow classmates and I with endless assignments, projects and tests, and I’m positive that I am not alone in this.

But with that being said, the end of the spring semester is quickly approaching. Everyone, professors included, is anticipating summertime and being free from responsibility at last. I feel like the first two years of my college career flew by, and now I’m practically half way done.

I’ve always been a person who anticipates the future too much. I’ve always wondered how things might turn out — who I’ll still be friends with, what career path I’ll choose, where I’ll be living, if I’ll be happy, if I’ll be as successful as I want to be.

Everyone has that inherent curiosity about what the future holds, but I feel that this curiosity was ingrained in me at a very young age because in my family, I was always the youngest. I have no siblings, but I grew up alongside my cousins, with whom I share a large age gap.

I felt closest with my cousins Hallie and Pam. I spent afternoons at their Dix Hills home, going in their pool and playing hide-and-seek despite the fact that they were 12 and 15 years older than me, respectively. I always wanted to know what their lives were like. I would even go so far as to say I wanted to be just like them when I grew up.

MELISSA KRAMER Sports Editor

Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

At this point, who knows when it will ever begin to feel like spring. One thing I do know is that time is flying.

These last few weeks have been great. March is always a good month to me, it seems. My favorite things in addition to sports, which are music and food, have definitely played a role.

I discover new music every day. It is something that will always be a comfort. On Thursday, March 5, I went to a cool place called Baby’s All Right near Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There, I saw The Growlers, who are a part of the “beach goth” genre of music. I discovered them because of my favorite band, The Black Keys. Dan Auerbach of the Keys helped produce one of The Growlers’ albums. I am so glad I discovered these guys. They brought their California vibes all the way to snow-ridden New York. It was a great time and much needed. At concerts, I think I speak for everyone, no one has a care in the world for that hour and a half of time. It was a sea of people my age packed together in a small space, having a great time. I did not even mind that I was getting pushed around in the first row. It is crazy to think that the band that you discovered years ago is standing right in front of you at arms-length. A special bond forms with an audience that attends the same concert.

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The Bonds We Build Hallie was going to NYU, so for most of my childhood, I told myself that I wanted to go to NYU. Hallie played volleyball, so I wanted to play volleyball. Hallie and Pam were graduating with teaching degrees, so I dreamed about being a teacher one day, too.

And as far back as my memory can go, Hallie and Pam’s boyfriends – Ryan and Dave — were always in the picture as well. Because of this, I’ve always considered them family.

When I found out that Ryan was in a band, called Stage, I thought it was the coolest thing. Even as a little kid, I loved music. And when I was six years old, Ryan featured my little friends and I at the end of one of Stage’s songs, “Country Bleeding,” where we repeated the phrase, “We are ready,” over and over again — a tribute to those who had lost their lives in 9/11 and to those who would soon after go off to war.

I knew that Stage meant a lot to Ryan and Hallie, but I never knew how much the band meant to other people.

Flash forward to this past Saturday, March 21, 2015.

Hallie and Pam invited me to a Stage reunion show in the city.

The show was programmed to start at 11 p.m. with Stage as the openers. It was 10:45 p.m. and we were in heavy traffic on the Williamsburg Bridge. Subway trains kept passing by: the J train, then the M train. We rushed to find parking and salvaged a spot a few blocks away from the venue at 217 E Houston St.: the Mercury Lounge.

Walking into that tiny venue was like walking into a Half Hollow Hills high school reunion. My cousins knew just

about everyone there. Best friends from high school would go up to them and they would ask each other questions about how much their lives had changed since they last saw each other.

How were their husbands and wives? Were they still working the same jobs? They heard that so-and-so just had a baby and congratulations were in order. They caught up and reminisced about their high school and college days, when life was different and when they didn’t have a care in the world, quite frankly.

Stage brought together this entire community of people — a room full of ex-teens who at one point in their lives had no idea who they would have been married to, what they would name their first born child, what job they’d get settled into, or simply how their lives would play out.

After years of not talking to each other, it seemed as though the relationships between all of these people in this small, compact room hadn’t really changed much. They were still the same people they were in high school — they just had real jobs and real responsibilities now.

Being an outsider immersed in a sea of people, reminiscing about their former selves, I realized how genuine that kind of bond is. I kept feeling that I want to have that. It’s weird to think about how much your life can change and how you can get so disconnected from people who once knew you inside and out — and who truthfully, probably still do, because there is no one who knows you better than those you grew up with.

More Music Memories Before and after the show, I got to hang out with the band, which was such a great experience. For example, their lead guitarist Matt, who talked to me beforehand, talked to me afterwards and said my “thumbs up” made his night. I even got to sit down and chat with the lead singer Brooks for at least 15 minutes after the show. Both guys remembered my name from before their set and thanked me for all of the support. Of course, they are regular people but to know that they want to take the time to just talk and hang out is the best feeling. They are just regular dudes hanging out and eating dinner before they go on. It makes you feel great when bands give you their time and appreciates you like those guys did. You would never expect a band that you love to be so down-to-Earth, but for me, it has happened three times already: twice with The Black Keys and now The Growlers, and I look back on my experiences every day. I have a setlist from each band hanging on my wall.

Attending a concert is something I look forward to more than anything. I didn’t even mind that I got back to my room at five in the morning that night. Unfortunately, the bands I want to see live do not come around very often. That only makes the times when I do get to see them even more incredible. I wish I could live my amaz-

ing experiences with The Black Keys and The Growlers over again. My next musical goal is to attend a festival – that The Black Keys are playing in, of course. Yet again, my favorite band The Black Keys introduced me to something that will stick with me forever. It is like introducing friends to each other. I have a bond with The Growlers now.

Before the show, I had a burger that was bigger than my face. Music and food are always the best combination. As I get older, I really do appreciate my favorite foods and places to go when I am home. However, being in a college town with restaurants everywhere, I have been able to try foods that I would not be able to try at home. Sometimes, you just have to take things for what they’re worth and just run with it. I can’t wait until the next concert I attend.

Melissa Kramer is a second-year journalism major whose only ability to feel warmth is at concerts at this point. She is hoping spring will be here soon so she can travel to concerts and get food that she wants in the warm weather.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Stage brought back the songs of this community’s youth. That 45-minute set brought back heartache and memories and old versions of themselves that they might have forgotten about for a little while. That set let them escape from the responsibilities of their adult lives and allowed them to embrace their teenage years again.

When you’re young and in high school and college, it’s hard to notice that the relationships you build with the people around you carry so much value. It’s not until years later that you realize the worth of the bonds you used to share with these people who were always just as scared as you might have been.

No one wants to admit their nervous curiosity, or the fact that maybe they’re scared about what the world has to offer. But the fact of the matter is that everything is pretty uncertain, and you just have to roll with the punches. And when you come face-to-face with old friends, you know that the bonds you once shared will inevitably come rushing back.

Amanda Copkov is a second-year digital media programming and management major who likes to sleep away thoughts of an uncertain future. She relates to Motion City Soundtrack’s hit song “The Future Freaks Me Out” and in her spare time makes fun of her managing editor for drinking so many milkshakes.

OP-ED The finish line for the state budget is voted on April 1st. To meet that deadline, the NY Senate and Assembly will probably advance their own budget plans and then conference to work out their differences while they negotiate with the Governor. Just within these next few weeks!

There is a severe problem with the Governor’s budget plan.

He will not include money for TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) unless the legislature approves college financial aid for undocumented immigrants and tax credits for students attending private and parochial schools. This means TAP could potentially be eliminated ($1 billion in aid for over 300,000 New York college student recipients)! To eliminate TAP is to make higher education even more unaffordable and unaccessible, which will hurt New York.

It is imperative to act now. Contact your Senator (www. nysenate.gov) and Assemblymember (assembly.state. ny.us/mem/)today and tell them that they must reject the Governor’s budget plan to put TAP at risk. Instead, urge them both to protect TAP awards and approve TAP aid for undocumented immigrants. Let your voice be heard with the issues that matter!

Alexis Polokoff SUNY New Paltz (716)-289-0780 Polokofa1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

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Sports

Sports

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DIGGING Men’s volleyball defeats New Jersey City University to win their twelfth-straight match.

By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The Men’s volleyball team has not lost a game during the month of March, as they are currently on an 12-match winning streak.

The Hawks have defeated four nationally-ranked Div. III teams since winning both games of the UVC Crossover on Saturday, March 7.

First, was No. 10 New York University, who the Hawks defeated 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-21).

Next was No. 12 Dominican University, who the Hawks defeated 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-23) on Monday, March 16.

Hawks third-year middle blocker Christopher Husmann led the team with 13 points and was tied with first-year outside hitter Anthony Bonilla for the team lead in kills with nine. Third-year co-Captain Christian Smith was also key to the Hawks’ victory, as he led the team with six digs, as well as posting 17 assists and a .500 hitting percentage.

The Hawks then competed in the Mil-

THE DOZEN

PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

waukee School of Engineering Tri-Match on Tuesday, March 17. The team first played host No. 15 Milwaukee School of Engineering, and defeated them by a score of 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-16, 30-28).

Hawks third-year outside hitter Andy Fishman led the team with 14 kills and notched 15.5 points and six digs. Bonilla also contributed to the win, as he recorded 13 kills and 10 digs. Fourth-year setter John Lutjen led the Hawks as well, as he notched a teamhigh 29 assists and 10 points.

Later that day the Hawks played Lakeland College and won 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 2523).

Husmann led the team with 11 kills and a .471 hitting percentage. Smith was key to the win again, as he recorded a team-high 18 assists and 12.5 points.

On Wednesday, March 18, the Hawks won their eleventh-straight match as they were victorious over No. 8 Carthage College by a score of 3-1 (25-18, 25-17, 20-25, 2519). The win ran the Hawks record up to 17-3

for the season.

Fishman was the star once more, as he led the Hawks with 16 kills and 20 points. Fishman was named United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Player of the Week and Corvias Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) North Player of the Week for the period ending March 22. This is the second UVC Player of the Week award for the Hawks this season, as Smith earned the honor on March 10.

Hawks second-year middle blocker Steve Woessner posted a team-high .600 hitting percentage and added six kills to his performance. Third-year co-Captain Kevin Nardone led the Hawks with 14 digs. Nardone believed the win to be one of the biggest during the team’s winning streak.

“Carthage really cemented the great road trip we had,” he said.

Head Coach Radu Petrus credits his team’s strategy for their success.

“Our strong team with skilled players as well as good physical and technical attributes have been key for us,” he said. “Our success

Thursday, March 26, 2015

has also been prevalent because our setters run a smart offensive scheme.”

The Hawks remain ranked at No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Men’s Coaches Top 15 Week #9 Poll, released on Tuesday, March 24.

On Tuesday, March 24, the Hawks shutout New Jersey City University 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-14) to extend their overall record to 18-3.

The Hawks will host Hunter College on Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. before playing a pair of conference games over the weekend. The Hawk Center will play host to three matches during the UVC Crossover on Sunday, March 29. The Hawks will play No. 11 Elmira College and Bard College “We had a couple of days off for spring break but now we are back at it practicing and have two matches this week against Hunter and NJCU,” Smith said. “Both of these matches will prepare us greatly for the crossover this weekend at home against two quality opponents.”

12 oracle.newpaltz.edu

Sports

The New Paltz Oracle

Softball Starts Off Strong

By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The softball team began their season by participating in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and now have a record of 7-5.

They won their first game of the season by a score of 9-3 against Eureka College on Sunday, March 15.

Third-year pitcher Katie Rutcofsky earned the win as she pitched four innings only allowing three hits and one run. Fourth-year first baseman and pitcher Erika Traina recorded a save in the game as she pitched the final three innings, allowing just two runs off of two hits. Traina also knocked in a pair of runs on the offensive side.

Fourth-year co-Captain Meg Brewer also contributed offensively for the Hawks. Brewer went 2-for-4 and recorded two runs batted in (RBIs) during the game. Hawks third-year co-Captain Jordan Fiore led the team with three RBIs. The Hawks continued their offensive success later that day as they defeated Keystone College by a score of 12-3.

Brewer was the star on offense again, as she went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs. She was chosen as the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Softball Player of the Week for her performance in the first two games of the season.

“Being selected as SUNYAC Player of the Week was a big accomplishment for me because I felt that I did a good job helping my team,” she said. “As a senior, I want to be a player and teammate that younger teammates respect and look up to. I was happy that I was helping my team by bringing in runs and helping us win.”

Hawks third-year outfielder Fallon Spriggs also came up huge offensively.

Spriggs went 2-for-4 including one home run and brought in four runs. Secondyear co-Captain Kiersten Carlomagno got the win for the Hawks as she pitched four innings and surrendered just one run while striking out five batters. Secondyear pitcher Taylor Corwin pitched the last three innings, and earned the save.

The Hawks most impressive wins over the week came against York Col-

lege. In two games against the Cardinals, the Hawks outscored them 35-0.

The Cardinals’ offense could not manage to get a hit in either game.

In the first game, both the offense and pitching shined as the Hawks won by a score of 24-0 on Thursday, March 19.

Rutcofsky threw three innings without allowing a hit to the Cardinals and Brewer threw two more no-hit innings before the game was called due to the mercy rule. Each pitcher struck out five batters in the shortened game.

The offense was led by Hawks firstyear outfielder Julia Perhacs who went 4-for-4 with a team-high three doubles and five RBIs. First-year shortstop Samantha Colca also contributed, going 3-for-5 with a team-high seven RBIs. The next day, Friday, March 20, the Hawks defeated York College again by a score of 11-0.

Brewer earned the win as she pitched three innings without allowing a hit and struck out six of the 10 batters she faced.

First-year first baseman and pitcher Lauren Cappello threw the final two innings of the game and didn’t allow a hit as she struck out three batters over two innings.

Second-year catcher and third baseman Megan Carbia led the offense, as she hit two doubles and recorded a teamhigh five RBIs. Colca also contributed, going 2-for-2, a double and a triple, and knocking in two runs.

Head Coach Brittany Robinson credits the team’s depth and offense for the strong start they are off to this season.

“I believe that our depth along with strong experienced players has been a large contributor to our early successes,” she said. “We have a lot of potential on offense and I believe that that will only get stronger as we move forward and the depth will allow that.”

On Wednesday, March 25, the Hawks dropped both games of a doubleheader against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in final scores of 13-5 and 5-1.

In the second game, Spriggs recorded a home run.

After conference game cancellations against SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oswego, the Hawks’ non-conference

The softball team shows depth to start the season.

doubleheader against Manhattanville College slated for Tuesday, March 31 is cancelled as well. The Hawks are next scheduled to take on The Sage Colleges in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 1 in Troy beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Coach Robinson has high hopes for her team this season in the SUNYAC conference.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

“This year we are really looking to make a push to the top of the conference,” she said. “We have been to the playoffs the last two years, and I really feel that this year could be the year we break through. It is a long, tough season, but I truly feel that we have a great mix of depth and experience to carry us to a SUNYAC Championship.”

Sports

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Baseball Remains Hopeful

Baseball looks to bounce back at home after starting the season at 3-10.

By Melissa Kramer

Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The baseball team opened up their season playing 13 games in nine days, compiling a record of 3-10.

After having nine game cancellations dating back to Feb. 20, the Hawks opened up their season with a 7-1 loss against Div. III nationally-ranked No. 15 Randolph-Macon College on Thursday, March 12.

The Hawks then participated in the Snowbird Classic as they played 12 games in seven days in Port Charlotte, Florida beginning on Saturday, March 14.

To open up the first two days of the Classic, the Hawks suffered four-straight losses against No. 20 Heidelberg University in a doubleheader (13-3, 9-7), The College of Wooster (4-1) and University of Massachusetts-Boston (15-3).

On Monday, March 16, the Hawks earned their first win of the regular season against Lancaster Bible College by a final score of 15-10.

Three Hawks tallied three hits in the contest: fourth-year second baseman and outfielder Stanley De La Cruz, third-year catcher Tyler Bell and fourth-year co-Captain Mike Sparacino.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ED DILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Hawks fourth-year first baseman and pitcher Shaun Hansen earned the win on the mound and knocked in three runs batted in (RBIs) at the plate. Hansen currently leads the Hawks with 11 RBIs on the season.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Denison University earned a 7-1 over the Hawks.

The following day, the Hawks defeated Salem State University by a score of 9-7.

Sparacino hit the first home run for the Hawks since former co-Captain Dave Lostaglio on May 4, 2013. This was the first home run hit in Hawks Head Coach Matt Righter’s second season with the team. Bell went 4-for-5 at the plate with a game-high four RBIs and a pair of doubles. Last season, Bell led the Hawks in RBIs with 15. Fourth-year co-Captain Richard Guido finished 3-of-4 with four runs scored out of the leadoff spot.

The same day, the Hawks were defeated

by University of Massachusetts-Boston 6-3.

Hawks fourth-year pitcher Tyler Mitts started a game for the first time in his career and threw five innings, striking out three.

First-year third baseman Tom Read and third-year catcher and outfielder Taylor Anderson both hit home runs for the Hawks during their second win against the Lancaster Bible College Chargers on Thursday, March 19 in a

11-2 score. The Hawks picked up two of their three victories in the Classic against Lancaster Bible College.

To close out the Snowbird Classic, the Hawks opened up their State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) schedule with three games against No. 3 SUNY Cortland from Friday, March 20 to Saturday, March 21.

On March 20, the Hawks dropped both games of a doubleheader against the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. In the first game, the Hawks fell 16-2. They surrendered eight runs in the first inning.

The Hawks then lost 6-1 in the second game and proceeded to suffer a 9-2 loss the following day as the Red Dragons held on for the series sweep.

Righter said roster depth and hitting approach have been strong points at this point in the season, resulting in an improved team from last season.

“The fact that we were putting up pretty good numbers hitting-wise against good teams, that’s a good sign,” Righter said. “I think that we’re just going to get better and better.”

Bell said playing against three top 25 teams in the nation in SUNY Cortland, Randolph-Macon College and Heidelberg University was a good test for the team.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

“It was a great chance to see where we were at competition wise,” Bell said. “Sometimes you need to learn how to lose before you learn how to win.”

Last season, the Hawks finished with a 1422 overall record and 6-12 tally in conference play.

This season’s roster includes 14 first-years and nine fourth-years. Righter said the team is very excited about the younger players.

“I think we have a lot of talented players there that are going to keep learning throughout this year and they’re just going to get better and better,” he said. “We’re happy to have them.”

The Hawks are next slated to host Mount Saint Mary College in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 on Loren Campbell Memorial Field. The first game begins at noon and the second begins at 3 p.m.

Goals for this season include making it to the playoffs, which is a realistic for the team, Righter said. The Hawks last playoff appearance was in 2013 when they were eliminated in the first round.

“That’s the biggest thing,” Righter said.

“Once you make it to the playoffs, anything can go. It’s one game at a time. I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t make it to the playoffs.”

SPORTS

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The New Paltz Oracle

Season Opener

By Melissa Kramer

Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Lacrosse Goes To California

Tennis Serves Up Spring

The lacrosse team opened up their season in California, going 1-3 on their trip.

From Sunday, March 15 to Thursday, March 19, the Hawks lost three-straight games against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (17-14 in overtime), Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (16-6) and University of Redlands (18-7).

Their first win was against Whittier College by a score of 12-9 on Friday, March 20. Fourth-year attack Kelsey Healy and second-year

The tennis team opened up their season with their spring break trip in Orlando, Florida with a record of 1-3.

The team entered the spring season with an 8-4 record in dual matches From Monday, March 16 to Thursday, March 19, the Hawks fell to the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse (90), William Smith College (9-0) and Hamilton College (6-3).

The Hawks first win was on the final day of the trip against Bethel University on Friday, March 19 in a score of 5-4. In singles action, second-year

attack Nicole Stackpole keyed the Hawk attack with four and three goals, respectively.

The Hawks home opener against the University of Scranton on Wednesday, March 25 has been postponed. State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play begins on Sunday, March 29 at 11:30 a.m. against Div. III nationally-ranked SUNY Geneseo, who are No. 16. They will play at the Rochester Insititute of Technology, a neutral site.

Olivia Ammirati was victorious at flight one (6-0, 6-3). First-year Brittany Grandville picked up a flight two win (6-1, 6-1) and first-year Carol Tyson won flight three (6-0, 6-0).

In doubles action, senior coCaptains Jessica Schmidt and Devin Tracy won at flight one (8-6). Thirdyear Allie Starke and first-year Sara O’Brien earned the flight two win, (8-6).

After 15 days between matches, the Hawks will next take on Ithaca College on Friday, April 3 at 3:30 p.m.

Peace Corps

at SUNY New Paltz Application Workshop

Tuesday, April 7 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Student Union, Room 418

peacecorps.gov - 855.855.1961

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

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BluEshirts Blueline Rhartman@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

It’s no longer about just making the playoffs.

It’s no longer about going out in the first round and improving for next year. It’s no longer about just simply making it to the finals. For the New York Rangers, it is now time to bring the Stanley Cup back to New York City. With the moves they’ve made this season and the way they’ve been playing, their goal is now evident. For the 2014-15 New York Rangers, it’s either win the Stanley Cup, or bust.

This last month has been one of the best stretches of Rangers hockey in decades. They have gone 9-3-1 since beating Arizona on Feb. 26 at the Garden. They haven’t allowed many goals against them and they have been scoring. Cam Talbot has been a rock in goal and has shown that he can be a number one goalie somewhere in the future. He has provided stability in the net while Henrik Lundqvist healed from his vascular injury. Many analysts said the Rangers would free-fall in the standings without “The King” in net; well the “The Goalbuster” has been just fine and has helped lead the Rangers to second place in the Eastern Conference, first place in the Metropolitan Division and second place overall in the league.

Talbot has proved all his critics wrong and he will get a well-deserved rest. Lundqvist is set to make his return this Thursday, backing up Cam Talbot against the Ottawa Senators and will get his first start this weekend either against the Boston Bruins on March 28 or the Washington Capitals on March 29. The Rangers will be getting the best goaltender in the world back in their net and the fact that he can get some games under his belt before the playoffs is huge. He will obviously have some rust and playing the end of the regular season will help rid him of whatever rust might plague him. The Rangers will need Lundqvist to be in top form come playoff time.

The Rangers look a bit different from the last time Lundqvist played with them. The day before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 2, General Manager Glen Sather pulled off a blockbuster of a trade. Sather traded top prospect Anthony Duclair, defenseman John Moore, a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the Arizona Coyotes for All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle, defenseman Chris Summers and a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Yandle is one of the NHL’s best defensmen.

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It’s The Cup Or Bust He is a monster of a puck mover and always finds seams in the opposition in which to thread his passes. On the powerplay, Yandle is one of the best due to his ability to always find the open man and his ability to get shots through to the opposing goaltender. He makes plays, is precise and

Henrik Lundqvist returns to action this week.

general can throw out any of their defensive pairs on the ice and know that they will be alright.

Does the loss of top prospect Anthony Duclair hurt the Rangers? Yes and no. The kid has an insane amount of talent and in my opinion will be a top goal scorer in the NHL in a few years.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER JUSTIN YAMADA

deadly with the puck and rarely commits costly turnovers. Acquiring Yandle was a game changer.

Make no mistake; the acquisition of Keith Yandle gives the Rangers the best defense in the NHL. Yes, that’s right, the best.

Yandle, along with Captain Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Kevin Klein and Dan Boyle, are the best top six defensemen in the league and when healthy are an absolute nightmare of a unit to try to get past. Yandle has helped solidify the defense of the Rangers greatly since his arrival and over the past few games has started to look a lot more comfortable on the team than he did when he first arrived. He will only continue to grow with the team and be a great asset to have come playoff time. The Rangers in

I think the combination of Duclair and Coyotes prospect Max Domi will give the Coyotes a great offensive force in the years to come. Of course, this is all projection and the Rangers, at their current stage, don’t have time to hope a prospect will develop into a goal scorer.

Their window to win the Cup is in the next few years. Acquiring Yandle helps them now and increases their chance to win a Cup immensely.

Lundqvist is 33, Martin St. Louis is 39 and Rick Nash who is now in his thirties. The Rangers window to win a Cup is now and yes, Duclair may have helped in the future, but when you have a team like the Rangers do, Yandle could be the final piece to a championship puzzle. When you have the chance to acquire someone like that you

Thursday, March 26, 2015

take it.

Sather also traded forward Lee Stempniak to the Winnipeg Jets for prospect Carl Klingberg and traded a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks for center/forward James Sheppard. In Klingberg, the Rangers get a 24-year-old prospect that could help them in the coming years. In Sheppard, the Rangers get a very versatile forward who can play center or wing and wins over 50 percent of his faceoffs.

The Rangers have been a horrible faceoff team all year and Sheppard can help them in that category greatly. He is being used on the fourthline as a winger currently but his faceoff skill can be useful in certain situations. Both were quality acquisitions made by Sather and didn’t cost a whole lot.

This group the Rangers gives them the chance to do something very special and it shows in the way they have been playing. Players have been stepping up when they have to, key injuries haven’t slowed them down and they find ways to win games whether it’s a tight-checking, lowscoring contest or a goal fest.

One of the players I’d like to spotlight is Kevin Hayes. The rookie, who the Rangers signed as a free agent over the summer, has been nothing short of spectacular recently. He sees the ice a lot better than he did earlier in the season and now uses his size and skill to greatly help the Rangers on a nightly basis. His play has greatly improved over the course of the season and he is the reason why Anthony Duclair became expandable according to Sather. Sather said signing Hayes was essentially like getting a first round prospect, which is very true since Hayes was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Hayes has a bright future ahead of him with the Rangers and he will be an important piece for years to come.

The New York Rangers have been winning games all season, and at their current pace will win the Metropolitan Division and could possibly take home the Presidents’ Trophy as well.

The return of “The King” will only help them in their quest. The last time the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy was in 1994 and well... we all know what happened that year. If the Rangers can keep playing at the ridiculously high level they have been, and Lundqvist returns to form soon after his return, New Yorkers could very well be seeing a parade down the Canyon of Heroes this coming June, I for one, can’t wait for the playoffs.

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