The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 81, Issue XI

NEW PALTZ ORACLE THE

oracle.newpaltz.edu

Volume 81, Issue XI NEWS

Constitution To See Change

Thursday, December 3, 2009

NEW PALTZ PLANS TO IMPROVE GRADUATION RATES

CRC, SA held a constitutional convention to update legislation.

Page 3 FEATURES

Campus Composting Jay Hogan uses independent study project to bring composting to campus.

Page 2B A&E

Composing Couple Twee indie pop group QUARTERBACKS emerges in New Paltz.

Page 1B SPORTS

Soccer Club Closes Season Men’s team makes great strides this season.

Page 17 EDITORIAL

Advising Needs Amending Academic Advising is key to improving graduation rates.

Page 11

PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO

One of the areas in which the administration is hoping to improve is academic advising, which they hope will increase graduation rates.

By Nicole Papantoniou Copy Editor | Papant63@newpaltz.edu

SUNY New Paltz administrators are in the process of researching factors that affect graduation rates and seeking to devise a plan to bolster them.

In the September 2009 State of the College Address, President Steven Poskanzer highlighted SUNY New Paltz’s most recent achievements. While he said he takes pride in the college’s improving integrity, he also outlined eight goals for improvement; most regarded academic and residential quality. One of his goals was to raise the four-year graduation rate.

“We do well there, but we could do better,” Poskanzer said. “Students don’t come to college just to stay in college.

They aspire to earn a degree.”

Provost Donald Christian was given the task of crafting an effective plan for raising graduation rates. Christian said he is optimisitc that they will see progress gradually over time.

“There’s a national concern about graduation rates and whether we’re serving students in the nation as well as we can as a collective enterprise,” said Christian. “Our graduation rates, as an institution, are actually above national aver-

ages. We’re pleased and we’re happy with that, but we believe strongly that you don’t have to be bad to want to get better.”

Four-year graduation rates at SUNY New Paltz are 42.8 percent, with the five-year rate at 64.3 percent and the six-year rate standing at 69.1 percent.

The rates have increased over the past seven years, but are still lower than comparable four-year institutions such as SUNY Geneseo, the College of New Jersey and SUNY Binghamton. Each of the competitors have four-year graduation rates approaching 60 percent or higher and six-year rates of almost 80 percent or higher.

In the State of the College Address, Poskanzer cites factors that he said affect retention and graduation rates, including living on campus, leadership programs, conducting research with faculty, honors programs and internships. New Paltz administrators hope to strengthen these aspects by evaluating what courses are offered and when, whether graduation rates should differ across majors or schools and how advisors can keep students on track as their academic interests evolve.

See Graduation pg.8

The New Paltz Oracle

University Police Blotter

Disclaimer: This is only a partial listing. For all incidents, please visit the University Police Department. ter with her roommate, which she had previously reported to Residence Life.

VI wanted the report on file with UPD because she believes her ex-roommate could be attending in the spring semester.

VI advised to contact UPD if any further incidents occur regarding the subject.

established 1938

Kristen Henry EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Pierce Lydon MANAGING EDITOR _________________

Julie Mansmann NEWS EDITOR

Emily Herendeen FEATURES EDITOR

Zan Strumfeld

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Mitchell Epstein SPORTS EDITOR _________________

Felice Bernabo PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Christian Marra CARTOONIST _________________

Sunya Bhutta Steven Casale Justin McCarthy Nicole Papantoniou Pete Thompson COPY EDITORS _________________

Elizabeth Damiano BUSINESS MANAGER _________________

Jon Carlos Torres DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Maxim Alter, Steve Arenius, Allie Bernhard, Sarah Boalt, Jeffrey Canino, Emily Canty, Sarah Fine, Aramis Grant, Elexis Goldberg, Alec Horowitz, Sarah Hurd, Michelle S. Kramisen, Emily Kurland, Chelsea LaDue, Becky Longley, Lyndsey Lovinger, Jessica Mingoia, Jesse Ordansky, Jessica Ostrow, James Petrich, Casey Quinlan, Danielle Quitoni, Michelle Ravit, Regina Rivers, Shawn Rubenfeld, Jordan Siwek, Alex Silverberg, Sam Speer, Alison Stevens, Emily Sussell, Ashley Thompson, Pamela Vivanco, Harris Wichard, Kelly Young

STAFF

Corrections Spot an error? Let us know via e-mail at oracle@newpaltz.edu

Incident: Loitering Date: 11/19/09 Location: BH M/N/S arrested for loitering and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Incident: Harassment Date: 11/20/09 Location: EH F/S reported an incident of harassment that occurred in the fall 2008 semes-

About The New Paltz Oracle The New Paltz Oracle is the official student newspaper of SUNY New Paltz. Our circulation is 3,000. The New Paltz Oracle is sponsored by the Student Association and partially funded by the student activity fee.

The New Paltz Oracle is located in the Student Union Building, room 417. Deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. on Fridays in The New Paltz Oracle office and by e-mail at oracle@newpaltz.edu.

All advertisements must be turned in by 5 p.m. on Fridays, unless otherwise specified by the business manager. Community announcements are published gratuitously, but are subject to restriction due to space limitations.

There is no guarantee of publication. Contents of this paper cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the editorin-chief.

The New Paltz Oracle is published weekly throughout the Fall and Spring Semesters on Thursday. It is available in all residence halls and academic buildings, in the New Paltz community and online at oracle.newpaltz.edu. For more information, call 845-2573030. The fax line is 845-257-3031.

The New Paltz Oracle holds assignment meetings every Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Building, room 401/405. Articles, photographs and illustrations are assigned to the pool of staff and contributors.

Incident: Loitering Date: 11/22/09 Location: STL One M/N/S and one F/N/S arrested for loitering in Jazzman’s men’s bathroom in STL. Incident: Criminal Mischief Date: 11/22/09 Location: GROUNDS P/P’s unknown placed graffiti on the walls of several structures throughout campus. FOC notified.

Volume 81 Issue X

Incident: Alcohol/Drugs Date: 11/23/09 Location: SOUTHSIDE LOOP M/S/ arrested for unlawful possession of alcohol; person under 21.

Incident: DMV Suspension Date: 11/27/09 Location: SOUTHISDE LOOP/RT 32 F/N/S arrested for a suspended and expired driver’s license.

Incident: DWI Date: 11/29/09 Location: RT 229 & PUTT CORNERS M/N/S arrested for DWI.

SUNY New Paltz University Police Department Emergencies: (845) 257-2222 www.newpaltz.edu/police

Five Day Forecast Friday, December 4

Index

News................................................ 3-7 Editorial..............................................11 Letters................................................ 12 Cartoons............................................ 13 Reflections................................. 14 - 16 Community Calendar.......................... 9 The Deep End................................. 12B The Gunk................................ 1B - 12B Sports .........................................17 - 20

Partly Cloudy High: 39 Low: 28 Saturday, December 5

Sunny High: 40 Low: 27 Sunday, December 6

Don’t Be Shy! Visit us online at

www.oracle. newpaltz.edu

Mostly Sunny High:42 Low: 29 Monday, December 7

Showers Partly Cloudy High: 42 Low: 30 Tuesday, December 8

Everyone is entitled to take one free copy of The New Paltz Oracle.

If you need additional copies, please contact the editor-in-chief at x3030 or at oracle@newpaltz.edu

Cloudy High: 41 Low: 34

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 3

NEWS

Students Work to Clarify SA Constitution

By Julie Mansmann News Editor | Jmansmann60@newpaltz.edu

Editing and drafting legislation was on the agenda at the Student Association’s (SA) constitutional convention.

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Brenna Fearey and other members of the Constitution and Rules Committee (CRC) were joined by Executive Vice President Abe Uchitelle, Vice President of Finance Yasmin El Jamal, Council of Organizations Chair Hana Akimoto, Chief Justice Josh Gorfein, former Sen. Colin Mills and Sen. Caitlin Ryan on Nov. 14 and 15 to further examine the document governing SA processes for an extended period of time.

According to CRC member Rose Faber, the convention allowed the group to look more

comprehensively through and eradicate inconsistencies within the document.

“Over the last five years, it had gotten so bad,” she said. “We didn’t even understand what it said in certain portions because a lot of it is worded so weirdly and articles have been deleted.”

Those in attendance worked to compile the constitution and bylaws to get a general sense of what no longer belongs in the document. Each section was edited to be in uniform with the others and so that duties or rules were listed in correct succession.

According to Fearey, eliminating outdated processes and conflicting legislation from the constitution will help make the document more cohesive.

“A lot of what we built is a very interac-

PHOTO BY PIERCE LYDON

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Brenna Fearey speaks to student representatives who spent two days trying to simplify the SA constitution and bylaws.

tive system where different aspects of the legislation affect each other,” she said.

Certain sections of the bylaws dealing with subjects such as legal matters were also moved to the constitution. Faber said the bylaws can be more readily edited and changed by the student senate, and therefore certain matters needed to be institutionalized in a more concrete format.

According to Faber, the constant editing of bylaws caused a lot of the problems those at the convention attempted to correct.

“Bylaws were changed really quickly and people didn’t realize they conflicted with other amendments, and that’s why we needed to have a convention,” she said.

In addition to editing the document for uniformity, convention-goers decided to “firm up” the duties of the executive vice president and judicial board.

Under the current constitution, the executive vice president is required to assume the duties of the President in the event of the President’s absence, serve as the student liaison to the College Vice President for Student Affairs, serve as a member of the Campus Auxiliary Services Board, and to “maintain a vigilant observation of matters that affect the college at a local, state and federal level.” The group at the convention decided that membership in the Landlord Tenant Relations Committee, Transportation Implementation Committee and the New Paltz Police Commission should be delegated as official duties of this position.

“As of right now, working with these groups is something that I do just because I see it needs to get done,” Uchitelle said. “We wanted to make this an institutionalized thing.”

Fearey said the judicial process and the duties of the board were also not currently well defined within the constitution and bylaws. The group decided to formally outline what the judicial board responsibilities are in terms of interpreting and reviewing the constitutionality of all actions of SA, in addition to their meeting times and office hour duties of the chief justice.

A major point of discussion at the convention was the judicial process regarding the hearing of appeals. Fearey said that the current procedures, in which the senate hosts student appeals regarding decision handed down by SA, is inconsistent with the supposed duties of each group.

“It’s not really something the legislative body should be doing,” she said. “We wanted to make kind of a mock court in which stu-

dents can bring appeals to the judicial board.”

Guidelines were established for the hearing timeline, what parties should be present and what information needs to be presented to the justices. The board would have two days to reach a verdict on an appeal. No decision has been made on whether or not the justices must reach a consensus or if verdicts will be finalized by a two-thirds majority.

Duties of certain members of the Council of Organizations were also reassessed at the constitutional convention, with those in attendance proposing the creation of committee made up of senators, the council chair and representatives elected by each house.

The houses, which would now be defined in the constitution as groupings of organizations based on like purpose and activity, would elect one representative to lead round table discussion and serve on the committee.

The committee would work to delegate office space, review and approve charters and give a bi-weekly report to the student senate with suggestions for legislation.

Fearey said by establishing a group of Council representatives that would consider ideas for legislation, the group as a whole would become more empowered.

“We wanted to give Council more of a purpose and means of action,” she said.

All of the proposed changes to the constitution and bylaws suggested at the convention will be discussed with members of the student senate and SA E-board. Fearey said students will then be able to vote on the revisions as a whole on the spring election ballot after the student senate.

Faber said she feels this semester’s convention was successful and she hopes it will foster further discussion of the constitution.

“It went really well,” Faber said. “It was nice that we had the convention because it allowed others outside of CRC to be involved with developing legislation.”

However, Feary said that while those in attendance made significant progress, she had hoped the turnout would have been greater.

“I wish more students showed up from senate and Council because I know there are those out there who care and they would have been able to see how muddled the constitution and bylaws really are,” she said, “But I do think it went really well and that we were productive.”

The current constitution can be viewed online at newpaltzsa.com.

Interested in becoming a copy editor for The New Paltz Oracle?

Contact the editor-in-chief at oracle@newpaltz.edu for more details!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pg 4

NEWS

News Briefs National Descendants of a Boston Roman Catholic cardinal are fighting a plan to move his remains from land once owned by the Archdiocese of Boston to a suburban school he founded. The Catholic church sold the land to Boston College. ***** A Republican Senator contended Tuesday during rancorous floor debate that President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul will shorten the lives of America’s seniors by cutting federal coverage for the elderly. A senior Democrat decried such comments by Republicans as scare tactics designed to kill legislation that he said would improve some benefits for the elderly. ***** A Missouri company said Tuesday its recalled dried cat food has sickened 21 cats and the pet food was distributed in multiple states in the South and along the East Coast. ***** The economic recovery gained traction in late fall as Americans spent a bit more and factories bumped up production. That assessment Wednesday by the Federal Reserve marked its most upbeat view since the U.S. economy tumbled into recession two years ago. ***** A Utah cave’s narrow crevice that trapped and eventually killed a medical student will become his final resting place, and the dangerous cavern will be permanently sealed. State and county officials said Friday that any effort to recover the body of 26-yearold John Jones from the cramped passage would be too dangerous. ***** Authorities in Florida were searching Saturday for a man police said opened fire on his family after Thanksgiving dinner and killed four people, including his pregnant sister and a 6-year-old cousin who was sleeping in her bed.

World Briefs, pg. 5

The New Paltz Oracle

Senate Looks to Impeach Absentees

By Justin McCarthy Copy Editor | Jmccarthy46@newpaltz.edu

The student senate voted to confirm a nominee to the Curriculum Committee and discussed the possible impeachment of particular senators who have missed too many meetings.

John DeMartino, a nominee made by President Steven Poskanzer, appeared before the senate in hopes of convincing them that he was fit for the Curriculum Committee.

“I think it’s important that students have a voice in the type of learning we have at New Paltz. I’d be very honored if I get accepted to the committee,” DeMartino told the senate.

“It sounds like a great opportunity. I’d like to get involved with SUNY New Paltz before I leave.”

During the questioning session of the confirmation process, Sen. Caitlin Ryan asked DeMartino about his personal issues with curriculums and his ability to communicate with administrators. DeMartino said he felt there was “a lot of extraneous material” and that he was very confident in being able to effectively represent the student voice when dealing with administrators.

Issues of frustration and confusion with the nomination process arose amongst some of the senators during the discussion period of the proposed nominee.

“I feel like a lot of times what happens with these nominations is that we don’t have competition and we don’t know the questions to ask,” said Ryan. “Some people might go on these committees and we don’t even know what they do on them.

Sen. Martin Geraghty argued that many of the senators were not familiar enough with the roles of the committees to make an informed decision “because the information is so often presented to us en masse and there’s no real reference point.”

After some clarification from the Vice

PHOTO BY PIERCE LYDON

The senate confirmed DeMartino and discussed the possible impeachment of absentees.

President of Academic Affairs and Governance Brenna Fearey, the senate began to further discuss the nomination on the table. Some senators verbalized their respect for any nomination that came directly from Poskanzer. Many senators and E-board members, who said they knew DeMartino personally and what his capabilities were, advocated for his confirmation to the Curriculum Committee.

“He’s extremely intelligent and he’s always ready and prepared with everything he has to do,” said Sen. Jonathan Freifeld.

DeMartino was ultimately confirmed to the academic committee by the senate.

The other item on the agenda for the meeting was the possible impeachment of senators who had missed too many meetings according to a bylaw.

Senate Chair Jennifer Sanchez explained that two members of the body who have missed multiple meeting, Sens. Daniel Ford and Terrell Coakley, were currently holding year-long

seats. If they aren’t impeached, it would not be possible to fill their seats during the upcoming elections.

Some senators argued that the impeachments should be held during the following meeting in order to give the missing senators fair notice so that they can either explain to the senate why they’d missed so many meetings or so that they can resign their seats.

Other members of the body argued that it was more important to abide by the bylaw requirements for the meeting attendance of the senators.

The senate ultimately agreed to postpone discussion of the impeachments to the next meeting. Before that time, the senate chair will contact them in order to alert them of their potential impeachments.

The next and final meeting for the semester of the student senate will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Senate elections will be held from Dec. 9 to 11.

Council Hopes to Maintain Attendence in 2010

By Julie Mansmann News Editor | Jmansmann60@newpaltz.edu

At their final meeting of the semester, members of the Council of Organizations heard reports from the Student Association (SA) E-board and were treated to free pizza during round table discussions.

Council Chair Hana Akimoto said she was pleased with the efforts of the group this semester and hopes they can work together to make the council meetings better.

“I just wanted to thank you guys for being so great,” she said. “We’ve made a lot of progress and I hope we’ll do more in the spring.”

Akimoto also said she hopes attendance rates will remain high for the mandatory meetings. The policy mandating that each campus organization representative miss no more than three meetings “resets” next semester.

In her report to the council, SA President Stephanie Samuel discussed a possible new policy regarding campus groups hosting

events where alcohol is present. According to Samuel, SA recognized groups technically cannot sponsor programs such as a “night at the bar” because the school does not have alcohol insurance. This creates the possibility of the college being sued if an incident occurred.

According to Samuel, an “alcohol policy” will be in the works; however, it is in the preliminary planning stage.

“Right now, we’re at a halt as to what we’re going to do,” she said.

Samuel also reported that the College Council is working to finalize funding for the scholarship geared toward students in need due to a change in their family’s financial circumstances. Director of Financial Aid Daniel Sistarenik will decide which juniors will receive awards this fall.

Executive Vice President Abe Uchitelle announced that the University Police Committee has discussed hosting informal conversations with police officials rather than organiz-

Thursday, December 3, 2009

ing a panel forum. These events will be held in the spring.

Uchitelle also said that rider rates for the New Paltz Loop shuttle service were discussed at the last meeting of the transportation committee. Between July and September, 7,853 rides were logged. Uchitelle said the county executive was pleased that the service has been actively utilized.

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Brenna Fearey urged council members to vote in SA elections from Dec. 9 to 11. Fearey said a general interest meeting for those who are considering running for student senate will be held on Thursday, Dec. 3 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Student Union. Forms for potential candidates are due on Friday, Dec. 4 by 2 p.m.

The first meeting of the Council of Organizations for the spring 2010 semester will be held on Monday, Feb. 8. It is mandatory that each club be represented at the meeting.

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 5

NEWS

URGENT Makes New Paltz Drug Bust

By Justin McCarthy Copy Editor | Jmccarthy46@newpaltz.edu

Five Ulster County residents were arrested for drug trafficking in New Paltz on Friday, Nov. 13 after an ongoing investigation by the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement and Narcotics Team (URGENT), according to the Daily Freeman.

The team seized a total of 6 ounces of cocaine, marijuana, handgun ammunition and drug packaging material.

“It was pretty substantial,” said Lt. Edwin Brewster of URGENT. “They were very busy in the New Paltz area.”

Brewster said the five people arrested had held jobs in the town, but he didn’t believe they were SUNY New Paltz students.

He did, however, believe they were selling to students.

“I would assume so because they were selling in bars,” he said. “If you’re in a college town, there’s going to be drugs.”

University Police Chief Ray Bryant said that although drug busts take place in New Paltz “on occasion,” they do not occur frequently.

“New Paltz is a party town.

We have other major cities in the area like Newburgh, Poughkeepsie and Kingston,” he said. “To people out there selling drugs, this is a marketplace because of

News Briefs World Investigators on Saturday were considering whether the train derailment that killed at least 26 people was caused by a bomb on the tracks — which would make it Russia’s deadliest terrorist strike outside the volatile North Caucasus in years. *****

PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO

New Paltz police hope to end the reputation the town gained for drug use in the ‘60s and ‘70s. all of the students.”

Bryant said he doesn’t believe that the popular concept of New Paltz as a place for drug use has anything to do with a local drug trade. He said that while New Paltz may have earned a name for itself as a harbor for drugs in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the town is not what it used to be.

“Why that reputation still exists, I have no idea,” said Bryant. “New Paltz is not that way anymore.”

URGENT had been conducting the investigation for six months after complaints of drug trafficking in the area, according to the Daily Freeman. The five were arrested and two homes at Meadowbrook Circle in New Paltz were searched after drugs had been sold to undercover police.

To some students, the bust was not a major shock.

“It’s not a surprise to me that there would be a drug trade,”

said Paul Fernandes, a third-year business major. “It seems to me there are plenty of people on Main Street who would be into that.”

Although no students were involved, Lt. Brewster advised that students take no part—buying or selling—in the drug trade.

“It’s hard enough to find a job these days,” he said. “Having something like that on your record is not going to make it any easier.”

Students Speak Out For Marriage Equality

A ferry packed with people going home for an Islamic festival capsized as they disembarked in southern Bangladesh, leaving at least 30 dead and scores missing, authorities said. ***** A 26-year-old doctor who exposed the torture of jailed protesters in Iran died of poisoning from a delivery salad laced with an overdose of blood pressure medication, prosecutors say. The findings fueled opposition fears that he was killed because of what he knew. ***** A coffin containing the body of an Austrian billionaire has been returned to his family, more than a year after it was stolen from a graveyard by thieves who blackmailed the relatives for $150,000 (euro100,000), police said Wednesday. ***** Macedonia says it will send more soldiers to Afghanistan. President Gjorgje Ivanov has promised to deploy an extra 80 soldiers in February, raising the strength of its contingent 250. ***** A Greek shipping company says an oil supertanker Somali pirates hijacked four days ago has reached the coast of Somalia. *****

PHOTO BY KRISTEN HENRY

Students put up signs on campus in the wake of the State Senate’s decision to put off voting on same-sex marriage for the second time in less than a month. Yesterday, the Senate voted against the legislation 38 to 24 in a special session called by Gov. Paterson.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Conservationists say two baby mountain gorillas have moved to a lush jungle sanctuary formerly closed to them because of violent instability in eastern Congo.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

Pg 6

NEWS

The New Paltz Oracle

Vigil Lights Support for Gay Marriage

By Zan Strumfeld A&E Editor | Sstrumfeld34@newpaltz.edu

A candlelight vigil was held at dusk last month in New Paltz in support of the same-sex marriage bill. The bill was voted down by the New York State Senate Wednesday. The Hudson Valley Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Community Center, Big Gay Hudson Valley and Marriage Equality New York came together in order to “light the way to equality,” according to the Big Gay Hudson Valley Web site.

Although the bill was passed by the Assembly, the legislation failed in the Senate by a vote of 38 to 24. New York would have become the sixth state in the nation to legalize gay marriage.

New Paltz has a history when it comes to gay marriage. In February 2004, then-Mayor Jason West married 25 same-sex couples in front of Village Hall illegally. Having the recent candlelight rally in the same area made it that more historical.

The vigil was in response to a request from the Marriage Equality New York Web site, meny.us, asking to help support the bill to be passed. Vice President of the Board of Directors of LGBTQ Lance Ringel then publicized it on his Web site to spread the word.

“When you put something like this out, you never know what the turnout will be. I’d say there was about 125 people there,” said Ringel. “There was a nice mix of age ranges, along with students from Vassar College and New Paltz.”

Jake Edmister, a third-year English and Spanish major at SUNY New Paltz, participated in the rally.

“We were set at the intersection at P&G’s and Starbucks and there was a good amount of traffic,” he said. “There were many people who would honk if they supported the cause.

The night went pretty much like that, all of us sitting with candles, chatting and cheering whenever someone would show support.”

Edmister said that he feels same-sex marriage should be looked upon in the same way as opposite-sex couples.

“Attempting to legalize gay marriage on a secular level becomes extremely problematic because it appears as if there is some form of assault on churches across the country,” he said. “Hetero or homosexuals should be allowed civil unions which give them the same rights as government issued marriage licenses do currently. This will ensure that there is no infringement on religious tradition, while allowing equality in terms of civil rights across the nation.”

Stephan Hengst, who works for the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, felt that the vigil really brought awareness to the issue.

“We needed to bring awareness of the issue to the Hudson Valley and to the doorsteps of senators, who are all opposed to the legislation,” said Hengst. “It’s important to realize there is a community in their backyard dealing with this.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHEN HENGST

Supporters gathered in New Paltz to show their support for the same-sex marriage bill which the State Senate voted down yesterday.

Hengst and his husband Patrick were married by the mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands in the summer of 2009 and are recognized as legally married in New York. Returning to the states, they created biggayhudsonvalley.com, a Web site to stay current with the gay and lesbian local community. Hengst believes it is a good portal for people in the community

to access information to “gay-owned, friendly and sensible businesses, events, resources and happenings in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley,” according to the Web site.

“Overall the vigil went pretty well, with not only gay/lesbian residents,” said Hengst.

“It’s not just a gay issue, it’s a civil rights issue.”

While rallies like candlelight vigils are important, Hengst said that there are other ways in order to get the message across.

“Organizing events, writing letters to senators,” said Hengst. “Get involved in elections.

There are so many New York State residents at SUNY schools and they can vote politicians out of office who are of opposing views.”

Scenic Spots Preserved for Future

By Pete Thomspon

Copy Editor | Pthompson51@newpaltz.edu

The town of New Paltz’s Clean Water and Open Space Program (CWOSP) is working with the Open Space Institute to help preserve scenic spots in the surrounding area.

Each conservation easement organization is contributing $100,000 for its first project in order to purchase and protect a 51-acre plot on the road to the Mohonk Mountain House from further development.

The property, located on the northeast corner of Mountain Rest Road and Canaan Road, belongs to the Palmateer family, who showed interest in preserving the land and even offered some aid so that it could be done. It has an approximate value of $360,000.

“The owners were willing to sell at a discounted price,” said CWOSP Co-Chair Seth McKee, requiring only $100,000 from each organization for the permanent restriction to be put in place.” The scenic gateway to the ridge will always remain available for wildlife.”

According to CWOSP Co-Chair Cara Lee, “it protects a great scenic view” of the

sight hundreds drive by daily. This is also beneficial as a lasting endeavor, because of the conservation easement the landowners sign saying that this will stay in effect forever. This can either be offered or sold. “[The easement] leaves out two parcels where homes can be built,” said Lee of the 51-acre lifetime estate. When the land is purchased by another party it will be understood that a limitation is in effect and they’ll be required to adhere to it.

The property was chosen over a number of others by being compared in regard to the criteria noted in the CWOSP’s Project Rating Form. A variety of property aspects are taken into consideration, staying along the lines of significant biodiversity, scenic views and recreational use. The Palmateer plot managed to score amongst the highest in the rating system, and all parties were enthusiastic about the endeavor at hand. “They wanted the first property to score high,” said Hokanson. “It could be a showpiece.”

This has not been a simple process; many steps were necessary in achieving this protection. An Open Space Plan was proposed several years ago with the intent to preserve the natural environment so preva-

Thursday, December 3, 2009

lent in New Paltz. “A few people came out to support it, and no one came to oppose it,” said Town Supervisor Toni Hokanson, who believes the town took quite well due to open participation in its creation.

“The next natural step or task item was the open space bond,” said Hokanson.

This granted the program a cumulative $2,000,000 budget for its goal of preserving scenic areas. The bond was voted upon by a town member, and resulted in a promising three to one favorability, while two other towns did the same with the bonds passing by only one or two votes. The first portion of these funds to be put to use is the $100,000 in which the town is responsible for in procuring the preservation of the Palmateer property.

After local laws, committee formations and hearings, plans for the project are finally about to be put into action. The purchase is in progress, since the Open Space Institute will lay out the initial $200,000 and resell to the town for $100,000. In two or three months, “[The land] will stay basically forever wild,” said Hokanson.

“Protecting the environment protects every resident now and into the future,” said Hokanson.

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 7

NEWS

New York Expands Bottle Recycling

By Allison Summers Contributing Writer | Allison.summers67@newpaltz.edu

The New York State Returnable Container Act has expanded the nickel deposit to water bottles and other non-carbonated beverages as of Oct. 31, 2009, with the passage of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill marking the end of a seven-year campaign for NYPIRG and other environmental organizations.

The Bigger Better Bottle Bill has been passed due to the recent growth in popularity of non-carbonated beverages such as bottled water, sports drinks and iced tea.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, the percentage of non-carbonated beverage sales rose from 22 to 34 percent between 2002 and 2006. Environmental groups began noticing an increase in beverage container litter, primarily consisting of water bottles.

The original Bottle Bill of 1982 only included beer and soda under the nickel deposit law. By expanding the nickel deposit to water bottles and other non-carbonated beverages, NYPIRG officials said they hope to significantly reduce the amount of litter by offering better incentive to recycle.

“I think adding the 5-cent deposit to

water bottles will make a large difference,” said Lauren Brois, coordinator of the SUNY New Paltz Recycling Club. “The Bigger Better Bottle Bill is really exciting because it should cause a shift in people’s habits. Many people already recycle their soda and beer cans because they get a 5-cent deposit at the supermarket, and now adding water bottles to the returns list will increase recycling a lot.”

According to Brois, SUNY New Paltz is now in the process of trying to make it more convenient for students to redeem their 5-cent returns, as Facilities Management is working with Campus Auxiliary Services to get a deposit machine.

“I’m really hoping to see this project work out,” she said.

However, third-year student Kimberly Hair said she doesn’t think the expansion of the nickel deposit law will make much of a difference in reducing the amount of litter.

“As a college student, I just do not see myself or my peers following through with something like this,” she said. “I guess one would argue that the money should be motivation enough to deposit their trash, but let’s be honest.

In order to make just one dollar you would need 20 water bottles. Personally, that is just not enough motivation for me.”

Other provisions of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill include a handling fee increase and the transference of unclaimed nickel deposits to the state. According to nypirg.

“The Bigger Better Bottle Bill is really exciting because it should cause a shift in people’s habits”

— Lauren Brois

org, the previous Bottle Bill required “beverage distributors to compensate retailers for the cost of collecting and recycling empty containers by paying them a small handling fee per container.” The Bigger Better Bottle Bill has increased this fee from two cents to 3.5 cents in an effort to keep more redemption centers open, which will make it more convenient to return empty containers.

In addition, beverage companies are now required to transfer 80 percent of their unclaimed nickel deposits to the state’s General Fund. NYPIRG Project Coordinator Ariana Basco said she feels this provision has the potential to directly benefit students by helping to fill the state budget gap with between 100 and 200 million dollars in revenue.

“Students are currently footing the bill for the state in the form of tuition hikes that go directly to the state and higher education budget cuts that cut programs and professors and impede learning,” said Basco.

“The unclaimed deposits have been wrongly going to the bottling industries all these years. Those nickels belong to the public. They are our deposits, and the money should be used in the public interest.”

SUNY Plans Strategy

By Pierce Lydon Managing Editor | Lydon47@newpaltz.edu

From the 12th floor of SUNY Plaza, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher took part in a webcast conversation with student journalists about the implications of SUNY’s strategic plan that will be unveiled next spring as well as other SUNY issues, including tuition increases.

Zimpher stressed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between students and SUNY administration.

“You don’t get to do a strategic plan very often; about once a decade. And so, that’s why this is an important time and of course a great time to have Student Assembly and ... the leadership team providing input,” said Zimpher. “Nothing could be more important than the future of the State University of New York.”

Zimpher said that the strategic plan would be one way for SUNY to help the state out in a time of economic hardship and in return New York State would reinvest in SUNY. “There has been a significant underinvestment in higher education,” said Zimpher. “If we can convince the state in these tough economic times that we are a growth industry, then they’ll have a choice

Thursday, December 3, 2009

and I think they’ll decide to invest in the growth industry.”

Students also asked about a recent two percent increase to SUNY tuition, wondering if the money that students would be paying would be going back into SUNY schools.

Zimpher assured them that that would be the case.

“Let us be on record as saying that when tuition is increased, those tuition dollars must come back to the campuses to serve the students who paid the tuition,” said Zimpher.

“That has not been the case in the recent past and that’s just absolutely unacceptable.”

Zimpher maintained that the strategic plan would continue efforts to remain as environmentally conscious as possible and was encouraged by the response she received from her tour of every campus.

“I think, generally speaking, everybody wants to be served in the highest quality they can. I think I heard our students very respectfully saying, ‘I like what I have here. I like what you’re doing here. I want to make sure this high quality and this commitment to quality is sustained,’” she said. “That’s both a challenge and a very positive observation because students like what they get at SUNY.”

Pg 8

NEWS

The New Paltz Oracle

Professor Researches Speech-Development

By Steven Casale Copy Editor | Casale75@newpaltz.edu

Students of the communication disorders department, along with Professor Leah Fabiano-Smith, have started speech-development testing research for bilingual children. The locally conducted research will help the SUNY New Paltz team to learn how languages are acquired simultaneously in bilingual children.

Fabiano-Smith performs speech and language screenings at the Agribusiness Child Development Center (ABCD). ABCD is an established Head Start program in the Hudson Valley. Head Start programs, funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, offer education, health and parental involvement services to low-income families. Head Start began in 1965 and was revised and updated by the Head Start Act of 1981.

Each semester, Fabiano-Smith visits ABCD on a weekly basis with a few students to conduct research on bilingual children ages 0-5.

“This program serves the children of migrant workers who come mainly from Mexico to work in agriculture in the area,” she said.

The team’s work at ABCD also aids in communications research.

“We record the children’s speech while we are performing the screening and use those recordings in my research studies to help us learn how bilingual children acquire two languages in the same amount of

time that monolingual children acquire only one,” said Fabiano-Smith.

According to Fabiano-Smith, many of the children speak English and Spanish, making the services offered in the testing unique in the area, since there are very few bilingual pathologists who can perform bilingual evaluations. The child testing, which searches for possible speech and learning disabilities, cannot be accurate unless it is done in both of the child’s fluent languages.

“Schools continue to wrongly evaluate children in English only causing over-diagnosis of disorders and the placement of typically-developing children in special education,” said Fabiano-Smith. “This has both emotional and financial costs.”

Bilingual evaluation for bilingual children could help greatly to offset such disenfranchisement.

Founded in 1946, ABCD is located statewide, with its New Paltz location on Route 32. The organization is “a non-profit provider of high quality culturally and linguistically diverse child development services for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers.” Families eligible to receive ABCD services includes those of local farmers and migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. Services include nutrition, health, transportation, disability services and education.

Fabiano-Smith said that that the future of her research includes “not only how typically-developing children acquire two languages, but how disorder presents itself in a system that manages two languages.”

PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO

Leah Fabiano-Smith visits ABCD on a weekly basis.

Administrators Hope to Bolster Graduation Rates Graduation continued from page one First-year mental health counseling graduate student Nicole Giordano changed her major when she was a second-year undergraduate student and was still able to graduate in four years. She believes her advisors had a great impact in helping her achieve her goal.

“I had a fantastic advisor when I switched majors,” said Giordano. “[Glenn Geher] was always really aware of what classes I needed to take. He always double checked to make sure I fulfilled my requirements, and never tried to push me in one specific direction.”

According to Christian, while advisors go through an orientation and training, administrators are looking to improve the process. New technological advising tools are in the process of being introduced, which will offer students better access to their academic progress and allow them to chart their progress and identify deficiencies.

“I just hate hearing stories of the student that plans to graduate in December and realizes part way into the fall semester that they’re lacking a general education course – they and an advisor should have noticed that last fall so the student could

have had an option of taking that class in the spring or in the fall and be on track to graduate,” said Christian.

In addition to keeping on track, students must also consider course availability, since sometimes a course isn’t offered every semester or there are limited sections.

Christian said he plans on closely examining such instances to avoid potential bottlenecks, he said. Christian said administrators want to be more strategic about the online and summer courses that are offered to help with “bottlenecks and barriers.”

While the administration hopes to improve graduation rates, some students are choosing to stay in college for another year or two.

“Most of my friends graduated in five years,” Giordano said. Not knowing what to do after college, raising GPAs and taking advantage of health insurance policies were some reasons she said contributed to their decision. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing, and I don’t think there’s any negative connotation against it anymore.”

The administration has acknowledged this hinders the overall four-year graduation rate.

“Some of that is managing what a baccalaureate degree should be,” said Christian. “We have a few majors where students hang around because they want to keep taking classes beyond the minimum number required for a baccalaureate degree. So then, they’re here for five or six years earning what really amounts

“Some of that is managing what a baccalaureate degree should be”

— Donald Christian

Thursday, December 3, 2009

to something between a baccalaureate degree and a graduate degree, but it’s before they’ve completed their first baccalaureate degree.”

However, administrators said the amount of time students spend in college does not only affect them as individuals. According to Christian, the four-year graduation rate affects the number of new students the college can welcome each semester.

“We’re limited in the number of new students we can take in; if we’re graduating students and moving them out at a higher rate, we increase our capacity for serving more students to provide broader educational opportunities,” he said.

Poskanzer said that by raising graduation rates, administrators, faculty and students will further bolster the reputation of SUNY New Paltz.

“New Paltz is well on its way to being a superb, highly selective, residential liberal arts college,” he said in the address.

“There are wonderful private liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, but there is an opening for a small number of public colleges to emerge as powerful rivals, competing successfully both on quality and price.”

Pg 8New Paltz Oracle The

The New Paltz Oracle Pg 9

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS World AIDS Day December 4 7 p.m. in the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center in Kingston The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center will observe World AIDS Day. The event, planned in conjunction with the AIDS Related Community Services (ARCS) and the pastor of the Dutch Reform Church, will include a display of panels from the AIDS Quilt, a slide show of photos of loved ones lost to AIDS and an opportunity for participants to share memories of their loved ones. As part of the event, the Center is asking people to submit photos of friends and loved ones they have lost to AIDS to be included in a slide show that will be presented at the event. In addition, participants are encouraged to donate clean, serviceable warm clothing (coats, gloves, hats, sweaters) for ARCS to distribute to keep people with HIV warm this winter. People who cannot attend the event can still donate warm clothing directly to ARCS at 138 Pine Street in Kingston, N.Y. Contact ARCS at 845-339-3281 for more information about clothing donations.

“Rock Band” Competition December 5 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. at the College Terrace Ready to play in a virtual band? You know the video game! “Rock Band!”

Join in on the fun or watch your friends compete! Enjoy free weekend entertainment @ the College Terrace with free drinks and desserts!

Swing Dance and Special Workshop December 6 5:30 – 9 p.m. in the Arlington Reformed Church in Poughkeepsie Michael Jagger will teach an intermediate workshop from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and a beginner’s lesson from 6-6:30 p.m. It will be followed by a dance to DJ’d music from 6:30-9 p.m. Admission to the workshop is $12 while admission to the beginner’s lesson and dance is $8 or $6 for students.

The church is located at 44/55 eastbound and Raymond Avenue in Poughkeepsie.

For more information call 845-519-7585 or 845 454-2571.

Collegium Musicum December 6 3 p.m. in the Nadia and Max Shepard Recital Recital Hall Hear Ye, Good Citizens! The SUNY New Paltz Collegium Musicum, under the direction of Dr. Joël Evans, will present an afternoon of Renaissance songs and dances from England, France and Germany including lute songs of John Dowland, chansons from northern France and instrumental dances from the collection “Danserye.” Cost is $6 general admission, $5 SUNY New Paltz faculty and staff and $3 for students and seniors. Tickets will be available at the door half an hour prior to performance.

event is open to everyone older than 21 including students, faculty, staff and business people. Space is very limited, so we encourage everyone to sign up early.

Guest speaker Yancy Stanforth-Migliore from Whitecliff Vineyard will discuss entrepreneurship in the wine industry to be followed by a tasting and then networking opportunities at which wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. The cost is $15 for everyone except AMA members and $10 for AMA members. To register for this event please contact the President of the AMA Bridgette Muller at muller56@newpaltz.edu or the Faculty Advisor Professor Ted Clark at clarkt@newpaltz.edu or visit his office in Van den Berg Hall 311.

Indigenous Movements in Latin America December 6 6 p.m. at the New Paltz Village Hall The public is invited to a talk on Indigenous Movements in Latin America. Professor Gerardo Renique, a professor of history for CCNY and CUNY, will cover current resistance to land theft and environmental devastation and examine issues of sovereignty and autonomy. The presentation is free and open to all and will be followed by Q&A and discussion. It will also be preceded by a 5 p.m. potluck for anybody interested. It is sponsored by the Caribbean & Latin America Support Project (CLASP).

NYPIRG Internship for Spring 2010 Want to have fun doing something you care about and get college credit for it?

Want to learn media skills, public speaking, and community organizing? Learn to be a leader and get credit through the NYPIRG Internship! Work with the New Paltz community through the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange, the Family of New Paltz, the Village of New Paltz Environmental Conservation Commission, and more! For more information contact NYPIRG Project Coordinator Ariana Basco at abasco@nypirg.org or 845-257 3085.

Rave without the E! First-Year Bash!

December 7 8 – 10 p.m. at the College Terrace Get your friends together to celebrate the last day of classes! Wear white to the first ever Glow in the Dark First-Year Bash!

Class of 2013 students, bring a guest!

There will be glow in the dark giveaways, glow in the dark food and a guest DJ!

Join the University Police Committee The Student Association is looking for students to become part of our University Police Committee. The committee is meant to improve relations between students and the police and to raise awareness around campus about relevant issues such as police conduct and the recent assaults on and around campus. Any interested students may contact Abe Uchitelle at executivevp@newpaltzsa.com.

Marketing Secrets of an Entrepreneur Wine Event December 9 5 – 8 p.m. at the Samuel Dorsky Museum The SUNY New Paltz American Marketing Association (AMA) is hosting “Marketing Secrets of an Entrepreneur” wine event co-sponsored with the New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce. The

CAS Internship Stipend Students participating in a Spring 2010 internship or student teaching placement may be eligible for a scholarship in an amount up to $1000! Don’t delay! The deadline to apply is Dec. 4. Contact the Career Resource Center at 845-257-3265, visit us in HUM 105, or go to newpaltz. edu/careers for more information and to download an application.

To submit an announcement write down the name of the club/event, date, time and location. Then e-mail it to oracle@newpaltz.edu. All submissions are due by Sunday at 5 p.m. Submissions are printed at the discretion of the editor-in-chief.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

OASIS OASIS is a student-staffed counseling and crisis intervention center and telephone hotline. OASIS volunteers are trained and supervised by the Psychological Counseling Center to respond to anonymous telephone calls and walk-in requests for support, information and referral. Peer crisis intervention is provided in college-related areas such as academic stress, loneliness, sexual orientation, suicide, drug and alcohol-related problems, relationship and family conflicts.

OASIS, located in the Deyo Hall basement, room G13C, is open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. while classes are in session, and the extension is x4945.

HAVEN HAVEN of OASIS is the studentstaffed hotline and walk-in center, supervised by the Psychological Counseling Center. HAVEN volunteers provide support, information and referral for students who have been the target of rape, attempted rape or any unwanted sexual experience.

HAVEN is located in the Deyo Hall basement, room G13c and is open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. while classes are in session, and the extension is x4930.

Call or stop in when classes are in session. The 24-hour HAVEN beeper is 845-455-6093.

Campus Escort Call x3338 for an escort from anywhere on campus to anywhere on campus. 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. every night. Not a taxi service — for safety, not for the lazy!

Safe Rider Need a ride home from the bars?

We provide FREE rides home or back to campus please give me a call at 845-834-2213.

Facilities Management Having facilities related issues?

Please call x3301.

Pg 10

Ad Page

The New Paltz Oracle

3,000 pairs of eyes saw this page.

Your ad could have been here.

For more information on advertising, please contact our business manager at oracle@newpaltz.edu.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Gunk

QUARTERBACKS Are QT’s

Indie couple Dean Engle and Madeline Kimlin focus on playing live settings with happy music that people can dance to.

By Sunya Bhutta Copy Editor | Sunya.bhutta94@newpaltz.edu

QUARTERBACKS is a new indie twee pop band that has generated an enthusiastic fan base after their first show on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Cantina in New Paltz. The band consists of Dean Engle, a first-year English education major, as lead vocals and guitar with his bandmate, girlfriend and best friend Madeline Kimlin, a third-year psychology major as backup vocals and a snare drum called “Once a Pawn.” The two are adorable as separate beings, but when combined, they create one super cute pop-rock couple.

Engle and Kimlin first met outside Rhino Records where they discovered they were in the same human evolution class.

“One of the first things me and Dean talked about was the music scene here,” said Kimlin.

She was interested in forming a band

and Engle took that as an opportunity to get to know her better.

“The band was initially an excuse to hang out,” Engle said. The couple began dating and collaborating ideas, eventually creating QUARTERBACKS. They started their set at the Cantina by pumping up the crowd with a cover of the Black Eyed Peas hit song “I Got a Feeling.”

The audience radiated with excitement as energy emanated through every one of the storytelling ballads. The room got rambunctious when they played “Simple Songs” and Dean bellowed out the lyrics, “I don’t have a life plan, I just have this little band. Simple songs with simple chords but simple songs won’t save your soul!” The upbeat and cheerful melodies were catchy and quaint. They ended the show with the song “Loveseat” which was sweet and affectionate with verses like, “Making conversation we

have identical intentions for tonight. I’m pretty sure you want to kiss me, but I’m too nervous to lean in and find out if I’m right.”

All the songs are based on experiences that have happened between the duo and they also write songs about each other.

“You can just write the songs you want to write, and not worry about what people think about them; it’s unashamedly whatever you want it to be,” Engle said.

They want to focus on live settings and playing happy music that people can dance to.

“It’s just for fun between us and it just makes it more fun to share with other people,” said Kimlin. “I thought that I was gonna freak out and be incredibly nervous but it was mostly just adrenaline, I was just really excited.”

QUARTERBACKS appreciate the independent music in New Paltz and are

PHOTO BY LAURA KLEIN

thankful to all the locals and students who contribute to the scene and provide musicians with places to play.

“We’re interested in playing for whoever, wherever and doing it as much as we can and helping other people out too,” Engle said.

They stress how they hope the hype around local music doesn’t fade and how it has brought so many people together.

“There is something established here. A lot of people are very into it and very proud of it. It’s refreshing,” said Kimlin.

QUARTERBACKS next show will be at aveFEST in Poughkeepsie on Dec. 12 and they are also looking for other house shows to play. To check out their music visit myspace. com/quarterbacks.

“Our music is cute stuff and you probably have an evil soul if you don’t like it,” said Engle. “You have to be a fun hater to not like QUARTERBACKS.”

2B | FEATURES

The New Paltz Oracle

Students Push for On-Campus Composting HOGAN AIMS TO EDUCATE BY PUTTING WASTE TO GOOD USE

By Jessica Gross

Staff Writer | jgross83@newpaltz.edu

Food thrown away at Hasbrouck Dining Hall doesn’t just end up in the garbage, it goes across the river to Vassar College.

Jay Hogan, a retiree returning to school to study music at SUNY New Paltz, is working on bringing composting to the campus as part of his independent study project for the honors department.

“The school currently has a contract with a company that works out of the Vassar College campus,” said Hogan.

“Waste from Hasbrouck Dining Hall goes to Vassar right now. Our goal is to see what we can do on our own campus.”

With an New York Institute of Technology degree in architecture and a diploma in construction management from New York University and much work in the field, when Hogan heard that SUNY New Paltz had an environmental task force, he was interested.

“Having developed the recycling program for the city of Kingston and managing [it] for 10 years, I heard about the task force and asked if it was open to the public.”

Upon hearing that it was, he joined the force as well as the recycling club on campus.

“Since I did it for 30 years,” said Hogan, “I could give them the answers. It developed into an idea of composting the food waste on campus instead of sending it to landfills or just disposing of it.”

The compost breaks down into material similar to topsoil, which can then be used on the athletic fields and to fill in the grass.

“You don’t have to buy it,” said Hogan. “You can manufacture it yourself and it reduces waste. It gives you a product you can use. It’s cost effective and environmentally friendly.”

Brian Pine, Hogan’s supervisor and director of Facilities Operations, is allowing Hogan the south end of the campus to research his independent study experiment. It will involve the mixing of various combinations of materials in the four home composting bins, the size of garbage cans, provided by the Ulster Country Resource Recovery Agency.

The material will be tested to measure the time it takes for it to decompose into usable compost material.

Hogan said, “I contacted the biology and chemistry departments and they are interested in performing the tests.

We have a good set of data from the small bins. We will build a set of bigger bins where we can transfer material from bin to bin. We will do some analysis of the compost time and that will lead to the ultimate goal which is to make working windrows.”

When the composting process is complete, the end product of the windrows will yield material that will eventually be used for landscaping on campus.

“It is a win-win situation on campus,” said Hogan.

Composting works the same way for a large commercial institution as it does for a small backyard.

Material gets mixed together and the decomposition process generates heat. At 155 degrees, pathogens in the mix are killed. If it gets too hot or cold it does not work as well.

“One of the reasons for monitoring the compost is to check the core temperature, which should be at least 155-180 degrees,” said Hogan.

The pile is turned over every so often to ensure an even

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWPALTZ.EDU

The compost breaks down into material similar to topsoil, which can then be used on athletic fields to fill in the grass. mix and steady rate of decomposition. Once this process is completed, the material is usable.

Hogan has toured the New Paltz campus and said that, “the school is making an effort to do everything that the environmental laws require. But many things we can do better.”

A big problem is getting everyone on-campus to cooperate and put the proper items in their separate bins.

“To put plastic in the container for bottles and paper in the papers,” said Hogan. “Then facilities can handle it and see it is disposed of it a proper manner. We can’t put pressure on Facilities Mangement to separate stuff out of the bags that they pick up – if you can manage to put the item in a regular garbage can, you can put it into its specific can.”

Lauren Brois, SUNY New Paltz Recycling Club president, agrees that the school can always do better. “The main challenge is bin contamination,” said Brois. “This happens when people put trash in the recycling bin and recyclables in the trash bin causing recycling to become difficult.”

Brois added that when 10 percent trash is mixed into a recycling bin with 90 percent recyclables, the entire bin becomes garbage.

Hogan believes that bringing composting to the campus will also bring along an educational component.

“It [composting] gives you a product you can use. It’s cost effective and environmentally friendly”

—Jay Hogan

Thursday, December 3, 2009

“It will be teaching everyone on campus, from administration to the staff to the students, what not to put in –what’s compostable and what should or shouldn’t be thrown in a garbage can,” he said.

The more the school can recycle and reuse, the less it is shipped off to landfills. This would reduce the amount of money the school has to spend removing waste from campus.

“When we send trash to the dump and include bottles, the school is paying to have that bottle hauled off campus and dumped,” said Hogan. “Recyclables don’t cost anything to get rid of.”

And although Hogan will be handling the compost experiment, along with the recycling and biology clubs, it is open to anyone who wants to help and join in the project.

“The idea is to involve everyone,” he said. “With everybody’s cooperation it will work and we will benefit from it.”

Brois feels that having a composting site on the New Paltz campus would be a step in the right direction. “I’m really hoping students follow through on their end by putting their food waste materials in the correct bin,” Brois said.

“Right now it’s all a test. So if the program goes well, it can become institutionalized, which would be one of the main goals.”

“There is an old saying from the ‘80s when it comes to forefront in the environment,” said Hogan. “It’s only garbage when you mix it all together.”

The composting experiment is said to take three to four months to do. The whole project will start the end of the 2010 spring semester.

FEATURES | 3B

The New Paltz Oracle

Teja Arboleda Does Clean Comedy COMEDIAN LECTURES ON RACE AND COMEDY

By Sarah Boalt Staff Writer | N01833989@newpaltz.edu

Is it all right for comedians to “cross the line?” This is the question that comedian Teja Arboleda attempted to answer. In “Crossing the Line: Comedian, Politicians & Shockjocks,” Arboleda explored why people use racial slurs and profanity in comedy.

Arboleda questioned the allowance to use these racial slurs. He brought up the points of race, ethnicity and religion when it comes to comedy. Arboleda is multi-racial himself and has lived all over the world in places like Japan and Germany.

The first thing I noticed was his ability to engage the crowd. He was warm, friendly, articulate and quickly caught my attention. The lecture was not just him standing in front of students talking, he was accompanied by a slideshow to illustrate the points that he was trying to make.

Arboleda also involved the crowd, which made the students listen and actually think about the things he was saying. He asked our opinions and encouraged us to ask questions. I found myself actually considering and evaluating the subject matter rather than just sitting and only hearing what he had to say. It made me as well as the other members of the crowd think about the use of racial slurs and whether or not it was OK to use them. He also made it a point to address whether there were some people who could use the slurs if they wanted to, which was a great way to involve all different sorts of perspectives.

Not only did Arboleda make some very interesting points on the use of racial slurs, but he also made the audience consider what actually defines race. He made a valid argument about “where black begins and ends.” To further demonstrate this issue, he used his slide show to project different faces of people from all different races and ethnicities. The faces blended together and showed that there is no real defining line when it comes to race. When no one could pinpoint how many people were used in that segment to show all the different races, it only further strengthened

his argument that defining a race is something that is hard to do.

Arboleda was also not afraid to challenge what the students had to say to him, which was another tactic in really trying to get people to understand his views on race and “crossing the line.” It got the audience to think about what they were saying and get a clear view on how they felt on the issue.

He also used pop culture references, such as clips from “South Park” to make his point. He targeted the age group well and held our attention with things that we watch and are relevant to us.

Arboleda is a comedian and does not use racial slurs in his comedy and does not feel it is necessary for other comedians to do so. What one person may consider humorous really has a much deeper meaning than they may think and only makes racial lines and discrimination worse. Those terms were created for a reason and should not be used a comedic device, regardless of the comedian’s own race or ethnicity.

At the end, Arboleda got on an even more personal level and took his microphone off to talk to the crowd one on one.

Jessie Anne Heine, a first-year creative writing major felt that he effectively addressed an issue that is important. “He got a good range of perspectives and he did an effective job using sarcasm and humor in getting his point across. I think that he was speaking about an important issue,” said Heine.

Becky Millman, a fourth-year sociology major attended the lecture because it pertains to what she is studying.

“I liked how he showed us things that famous people have said and asked us if we thought they crossed the line.

I do think, however, that the things people say- regardless of race or ethnicity- further perpetuate dominant ideology of white supremacy,” said Millman. “If we want to promote social change, we have to breakdown racial ideologies--no one should really use the “N” word.”

Editor’s Edibles: Cashew Dusted Cookies These cookies are simple yet rich and are a perfect after dinner treat.

The spice of cardamom, a delicate pod of the ginger family, pairs well with buttery cashews. These cookies will scent the house and go great with tea or coffee.

2 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into pieces ¼ cup of confectionary sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup raw cashews, coarsely ground 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 ½ tsp. cardamom pinch of salt 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl to a stiff consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients, and form into a dough. Using your hands works well.

3. Roll small balls of dough with your hand and place on baking sheet. Press the balls flat with the bottom a glass that has been gently dipped in flour, to prevent sticking.

PHOTO BY SARAH BOALT

Arboleda is a comedian who does not use racial slurs in his comedy and does not feel other comedians should either.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and dust with more confectionary sugar. Let cool.

-Steven Casale

4B | FEATURES

The New Paltz Oracle

International Students Give Thanks

NEW PALTZ OFFERS THANKSGIVING TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

By Angela Newland Contributing Writer | Newlan27@newpaltz.edu

For more than 10 years SUNY New Paltz has hosted a Thanksgiving dinner specially prepared for international students. Faculty and staff of ESL and International Student Programs held this year’s holiday celebration, which took place on Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the College Terrace.

“This is my second year going,” said Leo Lin, a second-year computer science student. “I really like the event.”

Whether they are familiar with the event or are first time participants, part of the goal is for international students to be introduced to American traditions and are able to get a sense of the culture.

“The challenging part is that you miss your close friends and family,” said Seline Donmaz from Turkey. “It’s hard to adapt to different traditions, but it helps to have things like this.”

While most students went home for the holiday, international students whose homes were too far to visit stayed at New

Paltz.

After experiencing an American Halloween, Osama Khalil, a fourth-year international student from Egypt said he couldn’t wait to see what a Thanksgiving holiday was like.

“Halloween was a shock. Everyone was out on the streets and it was great,” said Khalil. “On the real Thanksgiving some of us [went] to New York City.”

After students get here they have many obstacles to overcome, the most obvious being the language barrier.

“I like the family atmosphere,” said Khalil. “The Thanksgiving dinner is a chance for international students to meet with friends and share their experiences.”

But the international Thanksgiving isn’t just for international students. Many American students, employed by the Conversation Partner Program to help students learn the language were also at the event.

“We want to give international students a chance to learn English outside of the classroom and make friends in America,” said Wiliam Borchert, student coordinator of the Conversation Partner Program and biology major.

In addition to American students, many staff and faculty members of the ESL and International Student Programs office came to enjoy the plentiful food and music.

“I tried pumpkin pie for the first time in my life—and stuffing!”

—Seline Donmaz

PHOTO BY BETH VARGA

This year’s international Thanksgiving included food, music and of course, turkey.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

“My favorite food since I came here is turkey,” said Khalil who had never eaten turkey before. Among the delicious turkey and trimmings cooked by campus catering and funded by Campus Auxillary Services were other foods students were trying for the first time.

Nearly jumping out of her seat, Donmaz said, “I tried pumpkin pie for the first time in my life, and stuffing!”

In between eating, students were entertained by the sounds of piano, drums and vocals. Dedicating his performance to women and mothers, Leo Lin sang “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban, while another student played the piano.

Toward the end of the feast, the dean for international students asked attendees to vote on a design for a logo that would represent the international program and be displayed on T-shirts and pens.

When asked what his favorite part of America was so far, Khalil replied, “study hard, party harder.”

FEATURES | 5B

The New Paltz Oracle

Jewish Fraternity Comes to New Paltz NATIONAL JEWISH FRATERNITY GETS LOCAL CHAPTER

By Mitchell Epstein Sports Editor |Epstei84@newpaltz.edu

Early next semester, a new set of letters will start becoming familiar to students around campus.

The letters, AEPi, are those of a new Greek fraternity at SUNY New Paltz. Alpha Epsilon Pi, a nationwide Jewish fraternity, is adding a chapter here due to the efforts of several students.

One of these students, Adam Kalan, a third-year elementary education major, proposed the idea of founding a new chapter to some of his friends over a month ago and it quickly went from dream to reality as the fraternity will be officially recognized on campus in the first few weeks of the spring semester.

Kalan, the president of the upcoming fraternity wanted to start a new chapter for several reasons.

“I felt that AEPi was something that this campus needed. We needed another organization to promote Jewish unity and brotherhood in particular,” Kalan said.

Forming another chapter of a national fraternity is a difficult process as Kalan and some of his friends found out.

“It wasn’t easy. We had to get the representatives [from the national and regional headquarters] down here for a general interest meeting. If a lot of people did not show support at the general interest meeting, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” he said.

The founding class of the fraternity consists of eight members including Kalan. The representatives individually interviewed each of them to determine their commitment to the startup process.

Other members of the fraternity, which is

known as the Nu Rho chapter, include Vice President Ari Buziashvili, Treasurer Shawn Rubenfeld, Secretary Alex Moser and Brother-at-Large Brett Rothstein. Kalan cited Buziashvili for his efforts in helping to form the organization.

For Buziashvili, a second-year history major, starting up the new chapter was an idea that he quickly became interested in.

“We brought together a good group of guys. Not only are we Jewish, but we’re brothers,” Buziashvili said. “It’s going to bring us closer together. It’s great for the Jewish students on campus.”

In order to become an officially recognized fraternity, the group of eight students has to hold three different events broken down into the categories of athletic, social and philanthropic. The chapter’s first event featured a softball game between its members and an intramural team.

The second event, the social element, will be held this Sunday, with a showing of “The Hangover” in the basement of Lefevre Hall at 7 p.m. Food and drinks will be served.

The third and final event is taking place at the beginning of next semester and involves a philanthropic activity. Kalan and the other members are still working out the details of that, but they have several ideas of what they might like to do.

After the charitable event, the chapter will become an official one in an initiation ceremony at New York University, where the first chapter of the organization was founded almost 100 years ago.

Buziashvili has a number of plans for the spring semester after the initiation is complete, including a rush week, where the chapter will recruit members for its first pledge class.

“I would [also] like to see us have some parties, a few intramural games and some more philanthropic work,” he said.

Expanding the fraternity will be key in establishing it among the other large and small Greek organizations on campus.

Moser, a first-year student, will be among those working hard at this and has already started.

“I’ve been trying to talk to a lot of people. Hopefully, my search will be successful

next semester,” Moser said.

Kalan said that the chapter’s main form of advertisement will be its Jewish roots and he is confident in being able to grow its membership.

“We’ve bonded together a normal brotherhood bond and a Jewish brotherhood bond,” he said. “Our fraternity offers something different than any other fraternity on this campus already.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM

AEPi is a national Jewish fraternity brought to New Paltz by eight founding members.

Last week, Hasbrouck dining hall composted 5,665 pounds of food.

With 18,617 people, that’s about 4.87 ounces of waste per person!

Although it’s 1.86 ounces of waste less than last week, we can do better!

WATCH YOUR WASTE! Thursday, Decenber 3, 2009

6B | FEATURES

The New Paltz Oracle

Comedy Central Star Comes to New Paltz COMEDIAN MYQ KAPLAN PERFORMED TO SMALL AUDIENCE

By Alison Summers Contributing Writer | Alison.summers67@newpaltz.edu

Though the turnout was slightly low, that didn’t stop comedian Myq Kaplan from giving students a good laugh on Nov. 21 as part of Saturday Nights @ the Terrace, sponsored by The Center for Student Development.

“Thank you guys so much for coming out and sitting up front in the middle,” said Kaplan, pointing at the nine seats in front of him. “Look, it’s a joke because there’s nobody in there.”

Kaplan has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham,” been a finalist in the Boston Comedy Festival and Comedy Central’s Open Mic Nights, and has been voted Best Local Comedian in The Boston Phoenix. Kaplan also won the 2009 Caroline’s March Comedy Madness competition and has a half-hour special scheduled to air on the 2010 season of “Comedy Central Presents.”

Throughout the one-hour performance, the short, slender-looking comedian had students chuckling at his unique perspective on a variety of different topics ranging from popular books and television to his own Jewish heritage, one of the most popular topics of the night.

“I like to talk about the things we all share and have in common, like holidays, for example,” said Kaplan. “Passover is very similar to Christmas because you leave out a place setting for Elijah the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALTCOMFESTIVAL.COM

Kaplan has a special schedule to air on the 2010 season of “Comedy Central Presents.” prophet, much like you leave out cookies for Santa, you have something that hangs on the wall or door and brings good tidings, whether it’s mistletoe or lamb’s blood, and then, there’s a guy who flies across the land delivering things to non-Jews, whether it’s

toys from Santa, or death from the Angel of Death.”

Second-year student Susannah Hershey said she decided to check out the show since she knew Kaplan from when he was a camp counselor at Buck’s Rock, a performing and

creative arts camp in New Milford, Conn.

“I thought the show was really good,” said Hershey. “I liked how he would start off with one story and it would make you wonder where he was going with it, and you wouldn’t really get it until the end.”

Kaplan also delivered a fair share of self-deprecating humor, discussing personal experiences from not being athletic and bullied in high school to audiences not paying attention at his shows.

“I did a show last night in Lowell, Mass., and I would say the show went low to well at Lowell,” said Kaplan. “It was in a room this size with maybe four people watching and the same number of people eating and not watching the show. Occasionally there’d be a conversation and laughter would erupt, and sometimes it would be at the same time as the ending of one of my jokes, and I’d be like, ‘Hooray!

I don’t even care that it wasn’t at my joke, let’s just all be on the same rhythm.’”

Second-year student Tamarrah Henry enjoyed the show and was glad she attended the event after hearing about it from friends.

“I thought it was good,” said Henry. “It started off pretty slow but it was funny.”

At the end of the show, Kaplan said he enjoyed performing for the students of SUNY New Paltz.

“I had a great time. I thought this was a really great, attentive, intelligent, savvy audience,” said Kaplan. “It was the kind of audience that makes me feel good about what I’m doing.”

Student Art Alliance Hosts Chad Curtis

ARTIST INSPIRED BY EVERYDAY OBJECTS AND THEIR AESTHETICS

By Lexia Reynoso Contributing Writer | Reynoso@newpaltz.edu

Sponsored by the Student Art Alliance, ceramist and technologist, Chad Curtis, came to New Paltz to share his artwork.

Starting with a video of the process of milking cows, Curtis opened up his experiences as an artist.

Curtis obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics and printmaking from the Minnesota State University and earned his Master in Fine Arts from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

“My work often deals with simulation and refinement, utilizing highly processed materials removed from the context of their origin, to create a synthetic experience,” said Curtis.

When introducing his audience to his early work, he explained that everyday objects made him curious and inspired his work. He draws inspiration from urinals, soap dispensers and even a Black & Decker buffer––all items he said have been technologically enhanced to be aesthetically fitting, but in reality their initial purpose and

function has not changed in over 50 years.

Curtis went on to explain the development of his work through his experience after graduate school. His work was displayed in various spaces and the heaviest focus shifted from the work itself to how to exhibit it.

This shift led to his “self contained work” and pieces within suitcases lined with foam and lighting.

Five years ago Curtis had his first experience with Google Earth, making it his next root for inspiration.

“It was mind blowing,” he said, “It changes our relationship with landscape and the knowledge and understanding we have

about the Earth.”

It was with this resulting piece that Curtis had a significant impact of color, using it as labels, symbolizing the mapping out of different spaces.

Furthering his education as an engineer artist, Curtis used the internet to teach himself how to build a machine that creates a drawing that explors what he called “the idea of a distinction between the biological and the industrial, or the human and the digital, and the blurring of that distinction, is explored both as subject matter in the work and also in the production.”

The drawings are composed digitally with a marker casting doubt on the distinc-

“My work often deals with simulation and refinement, utilizing highly processed materials removed from the context of their origin, to create a synthetic experience” —Chad Curtis

Thursday, December 3, 2009

tion between the hand and the machine.

“While the sculpture aims to potentially simulate an environment, the drawings serve as illustrations, or as a postcard or souvenir of a strange, lost world that happens to look a lot like the world we live in,” said Curtis.

Curtis is currently living and working in Philadelphia as an assistant professor at the Tyler School of Art in Temple University.

He is still finding inspirations in the simplest of places, like his daughter’s Dr. Seuss book and is looking to technologically enhance his work further.

During the question and answer portion of his presentation, Curtis was asked that if in building a computer–controlled machine, which does the drawing for him, does he think that he has deviated from his initial creative intentions.

“Everything is made by hand, still achieving the conceptual goal,” Curtis said.

Curtis closed his presentation and said that he loves the materials he uses because of “the language they bring to the work,” he said “an artificial quality, beauty and sensibility–that I love.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7B

The New Paltz Oracle

Aspiring Artist Explores Different Mediums ELIZABETH CONWAY EXPRESSES THAT DANCE PROFOUNDLY IMPACTS HER ART

By Justin Schwartz Staff Writer | N01784996@newpaltz.edu

Elizabeth Conway, a third-year student at SUNY New Paltz, has been shaped by art for much of her life.

“I feel like I have always been making art. I can’t pinpoint the exact point where all of a sudden I was making art,” she said.

As with all aspiring artists, Conway has sided with a medium that she feels she is most comfortable working with while allowing her to express her creativity at its utmost potential.

“I feel most connected to water mediums, but I mostly like to draw and work in inks,” she said.

And with those mediums, an artist must choose what he or she prefers to create. In Conway’s case, she usually creates humanoid figures.

“My drawings tend to lean towards figures–often dancers or circus performers,” she said.

That’s not all that Conway does. She has also found an interest in wood design.

From this, one may ask what propels such artistic variation.

“Dance has always had a profound impact on my art,” she said.

Dance, an ever kinetic, ultimately expressive art form is very much the antithesis of the stillness of drawings, woodwork

or inks. The sheer contrast between dance and still art, both of which Conway is passionate about, poses the age-old question: what is art?

“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” said Conway.

So to Conway, perhaps art is whatever it is. Posing such a question may very well be comparable to asking anyone else what “blue” is. It is nearly impossible to prescribe an origin to the meaning of art, but it is possible to divulge Conway’s origin of her artistic talents.

“Many, many people have taught me how to create art,” she said. “Every teacher I have ever had has taught something valuable that I have learned and grown from, not to mention the artists, past and present, who I have studied and have been inspired by.”

Her teachers and dance, among other simple joys are what drive Conway’s artwork to life.

“My subject often involves the female form, whether it’s a self-portrait, imagined or a model, it intrigues me. I am also interested in illustration and stories. I have always been an avid reader and will be until I am blind; then I’ll have people read aloud to me until I am deaf.”

It’s not just the prospect of artistic expression that inspires Conway; it’s the appeal to every sense, much like Leonardo da

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZABETH CONWAY

Conway is inspired by Georgia O’Keefe, George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey and others.

Vinci professed, that various forms of art might convey.

“My life has great impact on my art.

My idea of beauty and the experiences I call my own are what I try to express and universalize so others can feel the joy!” she said.

With her open-minded attitude at her disposal, Conway looks toward her future.

“I plan to make art as often and as

much as I can.”

But again, what is art? Is it a list of your favorite artists? Conway managed to list her current favorites of Georgia O’Keefe, George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Piere-Auguste Renoir and John William Waterhouse. But, is it the work of those individuals that shape Conway’s art, or is it the experience and the way in which she views the world around her?

The sheer contrast between dance and still art, both of which Conway is passionate about, poses the age-old question: what is art? PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELIZABETH CONWAY

Thursday, December 3, 2009

8B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The New Paltz Oracle

THE HAUTE HAWK

The holiday season is in full swing and that means it is time for family, parties and giving gifts. The Haute Hawk is here to help you through this fun time with some fashion and beauty ideas and gift giving suggestions. Still want fashion updates during break? Check out The Haute Hawk online at: hautehawk.blogspot.com or email Haute_Hawk@hotmail.com with suggestions.

Until next time,

-Emma Clarke, Contributing Writer

Fashion

With invitations rolling in for dinner dates, parties and other festivities, wow the crowd by dressing up. Metallics and sequins bring ‘80s inspired glamour back and illuminate its mannequin. For women, the trend can be seen anywhere from hats to gowns, made possible by all designers from Nanette Lepore to Forever 21. If you’re going to a more casual party, try a mini-sequined body hugging skirt paired with a single color, dressy short sleeve shirt or a simple, thin long sleeve v-neck shirt. Wear black tights and patterned shoes based in the opposite color to the skirt. For dress occasions, wear a mini, short-sleeved or sleeveless Jackie O cut gold dress with chunky velvet black boots or heals. For men, bowties are the new tie, being more hygienic. Bowties have also been hit by the metallic sequin trend. Pair yours with a slim black suit, plain or subtly patterned shirt to let the off-beat neck attire take center stage.

Beauty In keeping with the glitz theme, classically glamorous ‘40s style is reigning.

The top of the hair is slicked back to contrast soft curls falling free and flowing around the shoulders or to one side. The hairstyle oozes femininity and is a precursor to the spring trend of shiny hair.

To achieve this look: Part the hair off center and use a styling crème such as Bumble and Bumble’s styling wax to keep the hair shiny, but stable on top. For the curls, either use old-fashioned roll curlers or a curling iron, making sure to comb with fingers to make big waves united. Use hairspray to hold these curls and add shine. Put a bobby pin or pretty clip on the side to further accentuate the side part. Pair this hairstyle with matte, bright red lipstick.

Lifestyle No matter what you celebrate this season, gifts are in order!

With freezing temperatures and stress from life, what better way to give someone the gift of relaxation then with time at the spa! Bliss Spa has several locations around the globe, with many in Manhattan.

With a relaxing atmosphere, quality products and a range of services for every budget, Bliss makes for the perfect pick me up your recipient will surely enjoy. Not a city kid? Make it an event to come into the city and go to the spa with your buddies.

Multiple layers are needed also. No need to sacrifice style for comfort. Right here in New Paltz, the Groovy Blueberry has unique and beautiful knit gloves, slippers, hats and other warm weather accessories. Might I suggest some boot slippers? They keep toes warm and are great for cold winter nights around the dorm and house.

FASHIONISING.COM, JCREW.COM, FRENCHCONNECTION.COM, PRO.CORBIS.COM, ELLE.COM, BUMBLEANDBUMBLE.COM, COLIDER.COM, SUGARNSPICE.TYPEPAD.COM

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The New Paltz Oracle

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 9B

‘Saw VI’ Shocks Viewers Into Thought SURPRISINGLY SATISFYING SEQUEL COMPLETE WITH CHEAP THRILLS

By Kristen Henry Editor-in-Chief | Henry38@newpaltz.edu

I have a confession to make – I love horror films. I was raised on “Pumpkinhead” and Freddy Krueger instead of Disney movies, and now I’m kind of scarred. I love every horror movie I see, even the really dumb low budget ones on the shelves of Blockbuster that I laugh my way through. Maybe I’m biased, but I’d like to think I know a thing or two about what makes a good horror movie and what doesn’t. So, when my Halloween weekend was killed on account of a bad flu, I dragged myself to the theater to see “Saw VI” and I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed. And, it’s not for the reason you might think.

Now, the “Saw” series and I have a love-hate relationship. I saw the original and couldn’t wait for a sequel. Then they just kept going downhill. I almost thought “IV” redeemed itself, but then “V” was a grave disappointment. I expected to leave this theater frustrated and wanting more, but instead I left surprisingly pleased.

I love to stick up for horror movies. It’s generally a genre that gets crapped on and overlooked for being cheap thrills with no substance. I tend to disagree. I’ve written about the nuanced political meaning in horror films and I genuinely believe that they tend to represent the underlying political fear of our society at that time.

But this isn’t about other movies; this is about “Saw VI,” so I’ll get back to the point.

A lot of horror films tend to hide or cover up their political meaning, like “Hostel” for example. Audiences

thought it was just about torturing the crap out of people for no reason, when it was really a political message about America at large, but “Saw VI” did not. The film had all its cheap gory thrills, but this time it also shoved a political message right down your screaming throat: health care reform.

This film was based around an executive at a health insurance company, who constantly decides who and what gets covered and what doesn’t. Without giving too much away, you learn that he had a run-in with Jigsaw before he was actually Jigsaw. And, he falls victim to what they call throughout the film, “Jigsaw’s final test.”

He has to fulfill four tasks and get through a maze in an old zoo to save himself and his loved ones. And, each task deals with his role in the company, essentially deciding who lives and who dies along the way. Jigsaw even tells his victim in the film’s death wheel scene, “Health care decisions should be made by doctors and their patients, not the insurance company.”

While the plot and stunts are typical for the series, the politics of it all shocked me in a good way. Maybe some will think it’s a cheap cop-out to get across the director and writer’s agenda, but I think it’s more about what’s on our mind as a country right now. Congress just passed a new health care reform bill, and we’re all worried about what the future of our health care industry will be. Now, either the film’s capitalizing on a hot debate topic right now, or it’s putting a social concern across in a way that millions of eyes will see. Well whatever the producers’ intentions, it worked.

“Saw VI” isn’t one of the scariest I’ve ever seen.

It’s not even the goriest or the smartest. The twists aren’t that shocking. But it has something more than any sequel in the series. It really makes you sympathize in areas you wouldn’t expect while simultaneously making you seriously question our country’s health care system and why it is the way it is. “VI” is psychological, questioning the morals of how decisions are made and on what basis. It features pitiful dying patients (Jigsaw one of them) who lose health care coverage because of executives looking for flaws in paperwork. Yes, maybe the political message comes on a little strong, but it also brings up great questions about our system today and asks them of an audience who normally wouldn’t consider the issue. You don’t really expect a group of screaming teenagers expecting to see a gore-fest going c home and discussing health care issues, but at least this film shows them one side of the argument.

It’s meatier than any “Saw” film I’ve seen yet. It doesn’t have the intricate thought and shock value of the first film that I believe is so hard to replicate, but it has much more emotion, pity, anger and something to contemplate on the drive home from the theater. So to some, it may not be the best horror film out there. It isn’t as gory as other films I’ve seen and it won’t make you squeal and cover your eyes from terror. But, it will give you a different way to look at the series and maybe our health care system.

Maybe it will show that horror films can have more meaning behind them than you think. In any case, “Saw VI” isn’t playing the same old game.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB.COM

“Saw VI” is based around an executive at a health insurance company, which can be related to the recent health care reform bill Congress just passed.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

10B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The New Paltz Oracle

The Year’s Top Four Films

By Alec Horowitz Staff Writer | N01877795@newpaltz.edu

(500) Days of Summer This movie works like our memory. It isn’t edited to be from point A to point B. “(500) Days of Summer” is a romantic comedy that doesn’t play by the rules of a romantic comedy.

It’s refreshing to see a film that isn’t about the wackiness of a relationship, but is instead an honest and funny story about how we often have exceptions that are created in our mind as opposed to the reality of what we are. The director, Marc Webb, comes out of the music video world and uses his ability of fast cuts and unique little episodes to craft the emotions, thoughts and feelings of the main character, Tom, as he tries to figure out what was real about his relationship and what was romanticized. It’s definitely the most original film of the year.

A Serious Man The Coen brothers have brought us their version of the Book of Job. This film is a story about a good man without a backbone. Michael Stahlberg gives a great performance in every scene, in what is probably not the easiest character to play. He plays a physics professor with bad luck throughout the entire film, searching for some clarity in his life. The suspense builds as you wait for him to either snap or get even one piece of good news. Though, as the film continues, nothing good happens to him. His kids are indifferent and his wife runs off with a pompous man who holds a more substanial role in the community. With a cross of Woody Allen and Kurt Vonnegut, the Coen brothers present a story about how one good man lets himself become a doormat to a world full of evil. Dark humor is on full display here.

Ponyo

Star Trek While many Trekkies were quick to shun the new “Star Trek” picture, it struck the right balance between the old and new films. The new cast is cool, too. A “Star Trek” reboot with a young cast could have felt like an episode of “Star Trek” for kids, but instead avoids all the pitfalls that often happen when trying to update a franchise in desperate need of a tune-up.

“Star Trek” has a fragile universe and a reboot needed someone who would be careful with Gene Roddenberry’s vision. We need this film to pass “Star Trek” down to the next generation.

Between the comeback of ‘Star Trek’ and the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” this was a good year for nerds.

Hayao Miyazaki is an animation rock star in Japan, and has a cult following in America.

Miyazaki is a hero of John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Pixar, and because of this, continually gets Disney to back a U.S. release of any film that comes from the mind of this amazing man. On a dark and stormy night, something wonderful is brewing in the ocean.

A boy meets a fish, which turns into a human girl, and the magic begins. In a well-dubbed American release with voices of Tina Fey and Liam Neeson, the film provides a story that draws on some of the biggest themes that usually take place in a Miyazaki film: nature and children. At times it feels like a family film, but like most Myazaki, he never lets animation or family films turn to fluff. A Miyazaki movie can simply be described as magic.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IMDB.COM AND ACESHOWBIZ.COM

Thursday, December 3, 2009

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |11B

The New Paltz Oracle

Klessa Says Aloha to New Paltz BASS CLARINET, SINGING SAW, GLOCKENSPIEL, ACCORDIAN...

By Connor Syrewicz Contributing Writer | Csyrewicz56@newpaltz.edu

If you skulk around the New Paltz coffee shops and grassroots festivals, it is hard to miss the new home grown indie folk troupe, Klessa. Made up of SUNY New Paltz students Simon Thrasher, Kate Larson, Cheryl Ernst, Matt Gordon and Matt Ross, the group has been easily finding audiences and new fans with its beautiful, haunting melodies and strange instrumentation.

Klessa has an interesting sound made up of a mix between Arcade Fire and The Microphones to make songs that are truly creative and engaging. What might be the best thing about this band is that unlike many of the exceptional bands that are around the New Paltz music scene, Klessa has a full length album of wonderful recordings. Their first album, Aloha Demon, is easily worthy of praise.

What really kicked me in the balls about this album is that it captures every great part of their shows and duplicates it in their recordings. The album is technically full-length but a very short one, with three of the 10 songs being under two minutes long.

The other songs on the album could be criticized as repetitive. Yet, the melodies and vocals are creative and spacey enough to carry most of the listeners with attention spans larger than five-year-olds, even making them sad when the song is over.

The album starts with “Echo Mountain,” which serves as a perfect motif for many of their songs. It begins with a somber vocal line before stopping and starting a fast glockenspiel riff and bass clarinet melody that really set the tone. They then slowly build up the song with the addition of an accordion and drums. This main pattern carries the song until nearly the end, but still stop for interesting instrumentals before ending the song.

“Echo Mountain” is beautifully haunting and is easily one of the highlights along with “Secret Plancakes.”

There aren’t any bad songs on the album but “The Vessels Goes & Goes” is easily the best. It’s a sad, awkward tune with different parts weaving between each other, some off-key at times, but all chilling. The chorus of the song really twists my ear nipples with the line, “So long, if the weather is good, water-logged or drift wood dry. The vessel goes and goes.”

Other songs can be praised for their creativity like “Siren’s Song” and “She, Lady or Daughter.” The latter is amazingly minimalistic with a sparse

Making Music History

drum beat and a single note bass line. The instrument that carries the melody (if you can call it that) is a very sloppily played singing saw. It’s so short that it can get old but just the unique sound produced is enough to keep a listener at least entertained. It’s not an abrasive sound but one that is surprisingly enjoyable.

Their CD can be purchased at She & Him finished their second album!!! myspace.com/plancakes for a $7 to $10 Following their debut Volume One, donation as well as at their live shows.

Volume Two will be released in spring Make sure you keep an eye out for their 2010. local shows and their mini fall tour through a good portion of New York and this corner of the country.

::

Actor Jason Segel performed a short set with the Swell Season at the band’s gig in L.A. this past week.

:: The Flaming Lips will ring in 2010 by channeling Pink Floyd for a performance of Dark Side of the Moon during the Embryonic New Year’s Eve Freakout!

:: Pete Doherty apologized to fans and Germans alike after the former Libertines frontman sang the controversial first verse of the German national anthem during a concert in Munich on Nov. 28.

:: Pavement just announced they will be touring Europe, still finishing the tour with four shows at Central Park in 2010.

:: Klessa’s new full length is creative, haunting and beautiful.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYSPACE.COM

Behind Enemy Lines’s Top 10 Picks of the Week

1. “Unforgivable” - Weekend Nachos 2. “Godless Noise” - Infernal Stronghold 3. “Helgrind” - DödsÄngel 4. “Tyrant” - Thou 5. “El Dia Despues Al Fin De La Humanidad” - Nashgul

6. “Quantos Possunt as Satanitatem Trahunt” Gorgoroth 7. “ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ” - Arckanum 8. “Decent into Depravity” - Dying Fetus 9. “Pillars” - Fleshpress 10. “Sanojesi Äärelle” - Horna

List compiled by DJ Joe His show is every Wednesday night from 11 p.m to 1 a.m..

Only on the Edge!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley have teamed with Anthrax’s Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano, Every Time I Die’s Keith Buckley and bassist David Karon to form a new heavy metal side project called the Damned Things.

:: Word is out that Beyoncé and of Montreal may be collaborating. Holy shit.

:: Oscilloscope Laboratories, the film production house and distributor started

by Beastie Boy and cancer survivor Adam Yauch, has started releasing movies.

All information derived from Rollingstone.com, Pitchfork.com and Spin.com.

12B | THE DEEP END

The New Paltz Oracle

This Week in the Deep End:

Katie Sussman

NAME: Katie Sussman ART: Gouche and mixed media on paper YEAR: Fourth MAJOR: Drawing and Painting INSPIRATION: Narrative in her head about her own domestic needs and fantasies FAVORITE ARTIST: Andrew Wyeth DREAM: To someday illustrate books and make paintings that are approachable to everyday people.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATIE SUSSMAN, CAPTION BY FELICE BERNABO

Thursday, December 3, 2009

OPINIONS

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 11

EDITORIAL

IMRPOVING GRADUATION RATES STARTS WITH ADVISING 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.

As of 2008, approximately 43 percent of students graduate from SUNY New Paltz in four years. We are aware that budget cuts do make it tough for the school to offer more classes, but SUNY New Paltz should start at the heart of the problem: the misuse of advising. We believe that the advising process is a crucial part of our low fouryear graduation rate and that students as well as faculty and administrators can make an effort to improve this area.

Administrators are trying to find ways to improve graduation numbers through possibly re-evaluating the curriculum and major programs, offering more necessary courses, using the summer program more efficiently and making changes to the advising process. By focusing on the advising process and keeping students informed, the school will be able to help students graduate on-time or faster. By making students aware of the tools at their disposal, the administration can boost graduation rates.

When you come to SUNY New Paltz, you are paired with an advisor that is supposed to suit your needs. They help you through the registration process and discuss your major plan options until you are moved to an advisor that specializes

in your major. Unfortunately, sometimes you are paired with someone who may not understand the classes you are interested in taking because they are not familiar with the subject. Students end up trying out a bunch of different classes, flailing around in undeclared

waters. All the while, they are ruining their GPAs, never getting any closer to land, or in this case, a college degree.

Even students with advisors who are experts in their fields can abuse the advising system because some advisors are not strict enough about their

policies. Students are supposed to meet with their advisor to obtain their registration number but that can be acquired simply by sending out an e-mail in some cases. Advisors need to maintain stricter standards in order to help students realize the importance of advising

and having a guide on their scholastic voyage.

Of course, this is on students too. Students need to be more proactive about their futures. Not everyone knows what they want to do right away, but they need to recognize that there is help available if they seek it out.

They should ask questions, do research and know what they are getting themselves into.

And if an advisor isn’t working out, they should not be afraid to make a switch. It’s a lot easier than it seems.

Students should take registration seriously as well.

Registration times are there for a reason. Don’t just let it pass and register whenever you get a chance. Wake up at the crack of dawn and get online if that’s what needs to be done.

We realize that this comes a bit late since registration for next spring has already passed but we hope that frustrated students will heed these words.

SUNY New Paltz should try to stress the importance of using the advising staff as much as possible. These people have been there. They know. Tell students that the advising staff is another lifesaver they can use to help them wade through the oceans of uncertainty and confusion that comes with registering for classes and choosing the right major.

That’s what will improve graduation rates: knowledgeable students using the tools available to them to their fullest extent.

How have your experiences with advising been? How do you think the current advising system could be improved?

Letters to the editor can be submitted to oracle@newpaltz.edu or via mail to SUB 417 by Sundays at 5 p.m.

We ask that letters are no more than 250 words, for spacial limitation issues.

We reserve the right to edit letters for length and letters may not be printed if they are slanderous or offensive. Letters are printed at the discretion of the editor-in-chief.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pg 12

OPINIONS

LETTERS

A Green Future Dear Editor, SUNY New Paltz has made great strides towards fulfilling its commitment to ecological sustainability.

Just five years ago, the college didn’t even have a functioning recycling system. Today, the college has a number of energy efficiency initiatives, a food waste composting system, the New Paltz Loop shuttle service, two environmental academic programs, a recycled paper purchasing policy, electric facilities vehicles, a campus farmer’s market, a nationally competitive solar car team, water saving plumbing fixtures, a sustainable food purchasing plan and, yes, a well functioning recycling system. The college has come a long way in a short period and this represents a laudable commitment to future generations and to the sustainability of our planet.

Yet, perhaps the single greatest example of environmentally sound practice is the design of campus buildings. Energy use in buildings represents 39 percent of all energy consumption in the United States and accounts for 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

Given their significant environmental impact, using the most ecologically sound building design technologies is imperative.

The structures that we build today will still be standing a century from now, thus buildings that fail to incorporate ecologically sound design will stand as monuments to waste and shortsightedness well into the future. In contrast, the investments made in energy efficiency and ecologically sound design today will pay themselves back for

By Alec Horowitz Sarah Palin had sold in her first week of the release of her book, “Going Rogue: An American Life” 700,000 copies. I would like to remain upbeat and not think poorly of the taste of the American people. Granted a lot of these books were bulk orders of conservative organizations, or at least I hope. I also rather subscribe to the school of thought that Sarah Palin might have a base, but not a big enough one to win a 2012 election.

Terrifying thought, as SNL made clear with their fake trailer for the new blockbuster, “2012.” I’m not one who thinks Obama is a shoe in for a second term. Though, at the moment, Palin does have something powerful so she can’t be ignored.

She has a microphone.

Yes, we can?

Dear Editor, The exciting “change” that so many of us hoped for after the November 2008 election has ground to a screeching halt. And it is largely the fault of Congress. Members of the House and Senate have blocked forward movement on such critical issues as addressing climate change, reforming the college student loan process, really fixing the health care system, regulating the big banks, and examining the ethical lapses of their own members.

Why? The short answer is money, money, money, and more money - the huge campaign contributions given to politicians by representatives of energy companies, oil and gas corporations, health insurers, pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, banks, student loan companies and more.

Examples? (check out www.openscrets.org for more specifics) Since 1990 the big banks, real estate and financial companies have contributed $2.2 billion to federal campaigns. And in only the last year — as Congress debated the need for new regulations — the industry gave $42 million more in campaign contributions.

A recent USA Today editorial concludes: “A wealth of evidence suggests that the way to get a defense contract is to hand over thousands of dollars to influential lawmakers’ campaigns.”

Ariana Basco and Brian Obach (Nov. 16, 2009) In the last three months, the top 13 health Co-Chairs, SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force insurers spent nearly $8.2 million dollars to influence Congress. And House members voting “no” on reform received $2.3 million

generations.

Happily, SUNY New Paltz is now utilizing a design approach that focuses on environmental sustainability. Old Main, a classic early 20th century structure, is the first building on campus to be renovated based on the design standards of the US Green Building Council known as LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This is an important achievement and credit is due to the designers who sought to prioritize environmental concerns and to the SUNY administration, which committed the resources necessary to make this a certified green building.

We still have a long way to go towards achieving true ecological sustainability and many more reforms are needed on campus.

But building design is paramount. With new construction planned for a science building and other development on the horizon, we hope that SUNY New Paltz will remain committed to the highest level of certified green design standards. Buildings are a legacy that we bestow on our children. What better way to educate the youth of today and to demonstrate our concern for future generations than to leave them with structures that embody our concern for the environment and for the well being of those yet to be born?

The New Paltz Oracle

OP-EDS

more in health insurance campaign donations than others.

Sallie Mae, a major student loan lender, has spent over $5.8 million to fight a bill that would invest $50 billion in new programs for higher education.

Since 1990, oil and gas interests have donated $245 million to federal campaigns.

And to make matters even worse, the Supreme Court is soon expected to lift the 100 year old ban on unlimited corporate contributions, unleashing a flood of additional special interest money into the political system.

What can you do??

The Democracy Matters chapter at SUNY New Paltz is part of a national coalition of groups fighting to get big money out of politics and people back in. We want young people to be able to run for office and for politicians to listen to voters, not bankers, as is already happening with “Clean Elections” public campaign financing laws in states like Connecticut, Arizona, North Carolina and New Mexico!

Want to learn more about how you and other students can have a voice on the issues that affect you? Contact Democracy Matters at SUNY New Paltz by emailing newpaltzdemocracymatters@gmail.com.

Students have always been at the forefront of the most important changes in our country — from civil rights and environmental protection to peace and women’s rights. We played a huge part in the 2008 election. Now we need to step up and raise our voices again. Because working together…yes, we can!

Rachel Williams

Sarah, Palin and Tall After all, no one has stroked the flames of paranoia more than Palin has. During the 2008 election, Palin did nothing but make Americans scared of change.

I’m not talking about the slogan “Change” or something dreamt up

by Obama 2008 manager David Axelrod. Palin went for something much more obvious. With her, it isn’t about policies. If one watches her answer to policy questions, it’s all really the same. Economic woes? Cut taxes. Education and health care system down the toilet?

Cut taxes. Iraq war? Cut taxes and gosh darn it, support the troops! In 2008, Palin represented what she does now. She represents one of us as opposed to the other. She went around the country doing what the tea baggers are doing right now. She

stroked racial and ignorant flames.

She went on the campaign trail and called her opponent a terrorist.

Now, she’s making a career out of this.

After all, if anything, Sarah Palin is the slogan machine of the GOP and the GOP is nothing, if not, the WalMart of American politics. They want it all, but for low low prices. Lets have a war, but cut taxes at the same time. During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hanntiy, she used the same paranoia she stoked during the 2008 election, when she spoke of the shooting at Fort Hood. She used the shootings at Fort Hood to argue for racial profiling. “Now, because I used the word ‘profile’ I am going to get clobbered tomorrow morning,” Palin said, “The liberals,

their heads are just going to be spinning. They’re going to say ‘she is radical, she is extreme.”

Your right my head is spinning. I don’t have to be a liberal to have my head spin over that. All that takes is a little critical thinking and an IQ above 5. Forgetting that she used a shooting to argue for racial profiling, she shamelessly pulls the same act out over and over again.

She comes onto the stage and what she does is simply throw red meat to middle America. No wonder she told the AP that she would consider having Glenn Beck as her running mate. There’s another person who is making a career out of stoking flames.

Glenn Beck is a perfect example of the type of political machine Sarah Palin has created.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

He basically has made a career rallying up the emotions of this new group of people who march on Washington. The Tea Baggers, who hold up signs questioning Obama’s birth certificate. She told Oprah that Katie Couric annoyed her when she asked the hard question of what a vice presidential candidate reads.

What? Though, she did answer the question, saying it was “her bad”.

She reads the Frontiersman, a local newspaper out of Alaska, the Wall Street Journal and News Max, a trashy right wing tabloid on the internet. At the end of the day, the loser in all this is John McCain.

He has fallen victim to the monster he has created, as she badmouths him in her book. His lacy ends in a hockey game, cheered on by a mom from Alaska

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 13

OPINIONS

CARTOONS

Christian Marra Cartoonist marra17@newpaltz.edu Christian once drew a comic for his high school newspaper, but it was rejected. Swearing revenge, Christian came to SUNY New Paltz and became a visual art major. When he’s not drawing comics for the newspaper and running the New Paltz Gaming

Society, he is drawing in his sketchbook and playing video games with his friends.

He also posts all of his comics on tristianarram.livejournal.com for further ridicule. Christian does not enjoy long walks on the beach if it is too hot out.

Do you have cartoons that you want to see printed in the New Paltz Oracle?

Send them to us at oracle@newpaltz.edu!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pg 14

REFLECTIONS

REFLECTIONS

Kristen Henry Editor-in-Chief Henry38@newpaltz.edu I’ve been on The New Paltz Oracle E-board for four semesters. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, and I’ve read a lot of reflection columns by editors looking back on their time spent in our usually overcrowded office with disturbingly orange walls. I’ve always thought this was a cheesy concept, and almost each and every one came out fluffy and sentimental. I guess I always thought mine would be different, but coming to it, I’m sure it’s not. And, to an outsider of The New Paltz Oracle reading this it probably seems pointless and uninteresting but here it goes.

This may seem like a bit of a stretch to many, but working on The New Paltz Oracle and being a part of our school’s journalism

Mitch Epstein Sports Editor Epstei84@newpaltz.edu For five semesters, I have contributed to The New Paltz Oracle in some shape or form.

For five semesters, I have put some part of myself, however small, into this newspaper. For five semesters, I have eagerly awaited the next issue to hit the stands to see one of my stories in the paper or just to see my name on page two, for the past three semesters under the headline: Sports Editor.

Looking back on all of this, all of the time spent in The New Paltz Oracle office or on my laptop working on an article, I can say with complete confidence and honesty that working for the Oracle was one of the best decisions that I made in my three and a half years of college.

Where would I be without The New Paltz Oracle? My resume for one would certainly not look as impressive.

Beyond that though, I have experienced many things being part of

The New Paltz Oracle

program has changed my life a bit over the past few years. I came to college expecting to party and walk out with a set job from almost no effort. It didn’t take me long to realize that this was never going to happen.

When I started at The New Paltz Oracle it was just for the resume. I didn’t really care what I put out there and I didn’t care what I was covering. I just wanted to be successful. But this changed. Walking into that office the first time and working closely with some amazing people really showed me how much I could love the field I was going into. It showed me that hard work can pay off, that not sleeping on a Wednesday night could be a really productive thing and that somehow, even when everything in the world seems to go wrong, we can get everything done and get an issue out each week. It made me care about what I was writing and who I was writing it for. Yes, I admit some of our coverage over the years has been less than perfect, but I’ve learned something from each and every mistake.

I was a different person four semesters ago. I had different friends, different priorities, different problems and my experience has changed that. It was with great professors and great peers that I’ve become confident in my writing and in myself. It introduced me to an internship in Washington, D.C. that gave me

the staff and E-board of this paper that I otherwise would have never lived through.

I have met many people and had both good times and bad ones.

In the end, it does not feel right “retiring” from The New Paltz Oracle and moving on to an unpredictable future after I graduate in two weeks. I will truly miss working for The New Paltz Oracle.

I will miss Wednesday production nights, where we could all be in the office until 2, 3 or even 4 in the morning laying out the next day’s paper. I will miss having random people stop by the office during the day to ask directions to another room in the SUB, hearing a diversity of music from my fellow E-board members, even though I might not have liked it half the time, and having the opportunity to interview different people around campus.

I will miss putting together the sports section every issue, finding new and exciting ways to fill space. My fellow E-board members will be missed, as well.

The thing that I think I will miss most aside from staring at a blank highdefinition TV screen in the office that is seldom used, will be seeing the finished product every Thursday night. The feeling of knowing that I had an important role in that product and the satisfaction of having a nearly mistake-free section most of the time will be greatly missed.

The New Paltz Oracle was an important part of my college life for five

experiences some people only dream of.

It let me interview celebrities, listen in on an Obama concert, meet a Russian spy and even embarrass myself horribly in a Senate hearing with John Kerry. It led me to meet some fantastic people I may never have looked twice at on campus. It led me to my first real relationship. And, it connected me to so many more people I never expected to connect with on campus. It led to fights, to parties, to huge mistakes and small victories, and I think I am better because of it.

What people outside our office may fail to realize is that The New Paltz Oracle isn’t just about journalism, getting our issue out each week, practicing our writing, getting something for a resume or covering local news. It’s about the people we see each week, the satisfaction of having hard work pay off and the strange feeling of seeing your name in print as hard proof of the time you put in. It’s about the fun we can have listening to music on production nights, the jokes around the office that make it onto our quote board, the stress we feel each week and about the friends sitting around us. I only hope that other people will feel the attachment and the impact of something like The New Paltz Oracle in their time in school. I hope they find something, like I did, that will help them find themselves and

semesters, particularly the last three.

Even when there were times where I did not want to be in the office or stay up late on a Wednesday night, I still believed in what I was doing and wanted to provide the campus and town communities with a solid, well written publication.

I do not know where my career path lies after I graduate in two weeks, but I do know that working for The New Paltz Oracle made me want to be a journalist even more. The Oracle strengthened my already deep passion for journalism.

The biggest lesson that I think I learned from my time with this newspaper is that people always manage to surprise you whether it is in interviews, awkward encounters or just a normal day or night at the office.

I will take away a number of things from my experiences with the Oracle and will truly value every hour that I spent working for this publication.

This will be the last story or column that I will write forThe New Paltz Oracle.

Wow, I cannot believe that I am saying those words.

It has been a pleasure putting this product out almost every week for the last three semesters, but its time for me to move on to hopefully a decent journalism career.

Thank you to our readers, everyone who has picked up a copy of this paper.

Helping to put out this product for you has been a true privilege.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

their future. After all, that is what college is about, finding your future.

Now, as a sort of tradition with these types of columns, I have to say some things I will never forget: - Being called a Canadian for calling it “pop,” trying to keep a certain swear word out of a headline, breaking up run-on sentences and the great friend and partner (especially in beer pong) that I have found in Pierce Lydon, who I’ve worked with since the beginning.

- Alyssa Jung (whom I miss terribly) singing Hannah Montana and having bitch sessions with me in the office corner.

- Having an intimate relationship with each and every news editor…though one was a bit more involved than the others.

- A certain person’s love of Asian babies.

- Julie Mansmann apologizing for everything, even when it was far from warranted. That, and sharing our somewhat guilty pleasure in the “Twilight” series.

- A former managing editor’s Nickelodeon-themed birthday party that led to new friends and a great night with great stories.

- My “fake Facebook relationship” and the “Man with Amusing Mustache.”

- Shawn Rubenfeld serenading Pierce with Clay Aiken.

SEE YOU NEXT SEMESTER!

The New Paltz Oracle

REFLECTIONS

Pg 15

REFLECTIONS

Emily Heredeen Features Editor Herend56@newpaltz.edu The New Paltz Oracle and I have an interesting relationship. I hate the long hours in the office, editing and reading over articles that are boring, poorly written and staying up late on Wednesday nights. This semester, it’s been the dread of my Monday-Wednesday, sorry to say.

The best part of working on the staff is the banter that happens in the office. Everyone’s joking and throwing funny ideas off of each other.

We’re watching YouTube videos or talking about pop culture nonsense. In the midst of layout and copy editing, we have to do something to keep us sane.

I’m sure everyone in the office will classify me by saying I was usually doing one of these three things: singing, doodling or laughing. Depending on whose playlist was on, I was undoubtedly singing along to some song, whether I liked it or not. When I started out as a copy editor, in between reading seconds and thirds I would whip out my pen—or Sharpies (I often came fully prepared) and make nameplates for my fellow Oraclers. And well, the copy editors say some pretty funny things when they’re bored. I can’t help but let out an uproarious chuckle or two.

This semester I was a little more absent from the staff than I’d have liked to be. Having a job, class and The New Paltz Oracle became a bit overwhelming at times. I wish I’d written more, macroedited stories more and been able to shape the minds and pens of my little writers who

Steven Casale Copy Editor Casale75@newpaltz.edu And so The New Paltz Oracle concludes.

Honestly, I couldn’t be happier. I’m ready to move on to bigger and greater newspapers (and by newspapers, I mean magazines). The New Paltz Oracle offered me an outlet to perform my editing fetish. I meticulously dug around sentences every week once, twice, thrice…

diligently came week after week and allowed me to have a section, even if it was small.

I will certainly miss the staff, particularly the copy editors who I started with, those two years younger than me that are now the future of the paper. Julie, who wins “best office hours attendance” by a landslide is the only one who consistently laughs at my jokes. And Zan, you will have to recruit a new buddy to accompany you to the haunted bathroom. I will miss the hilarity of Steven and Justin (not so ambiguously gay duo?) and I hope someone continues the new features tradition of including recipes and food reviews. I’m sure the office won’t miss the marital-conflict between Steven and I, I guess that’s what happens when you take classes, live with and work with your best friend. I’ll also miss Pete’s hilarious headlines and random outbursts and well, the insanity that only happens at 3 a.m. after you’ve been in the office for 12 hours.

I won’t miss submitting slugs or annoyingly ending my weekends with a Sunday night meeting. But beyond just the camaraderie and hilarity that comes with working in a tight-knit group, I’ll miss the times when stories seemed to matter and that all our hard work was obviously not for nothing. Stories like the asbestos case, reporting on the senate and the budget were important and obviously affected students. I can only hope the readers recognize our hard work and care about these issues, because of how much we put into them. It’s harder than it looks, with long hours and a heavy reliance on infrequent or inexperienced writers.

For two semesters, The New Paltz Oracle has been a time-consuming part of my life. The reward is knowing that instead of sitting back and being inactive in my community, I reported on issues relevant to students and tried to contribute to the news. While I won’t miss the stress of putting out a student-run paper, I’ll miss the friendships and bonds I’ve made and the feeling of that contribution. Hopefully, as I continue my career as a journalist I’ll be able to keep writing and growing, reporting on issues that people care about, trying to make a difference. four times. I swatted away commas, squashed some colons and threw around some quotation marks. It may be nerdy to say, but I really like correcting other people’s writing.

It was great being a part of this small journalistic endeavor that I’m still not sure people read. Journalism is what holds society accountable, and without it all other processes would fail. The press is essential, so it was important and humbling to have a hand in that, even if it was on this minute level.

So, here’s to The New Paltz Oracle, consumer of part of my Tuesdays but all of my Wednesdays. Here’s to that microwave not smelling like cat litter next year and making sure Justin always has his Limerick green pen.

The New Paltz Oracle, in its four-walled orange glory, may you remain orange (even though I hate the color). Good luck to everyone with whatever paragraph they write next. And copy editors, remember, groups of people are singular.

FALL 2009 MEMORABLE QUOTES “Wait. I just missed something involving death and sandwiches.” - Steven “I want to have philosophical conversations with sloths.”

- Pierce “Don’t ask me. I’m a Jew and I have to go interview a zombie.” - Zan “I didn’t know we were a therapy group.”

- Steven “If I could reach his face, I’d probably slap him.”

- Kristen “Do you guys know that the plural of vagina is ‘vaginae?’”

- Justin “You were thinking about vagina?”

- Kristen to Justin “Oh no! A rogue sheet!” - Pete “So if you smell festering coriander tomorrow, there’s a curry in the trash” - Steven “New Paltz adventure town!” - Pete “I’ve been going to Hell since I was seven.” - Steven “I need to leave or I’m gonna start doing weird things from when I don’t sleep.” - Pete “OK, read guys and stop talking about nasty things.”

- Kristen “News is fun!” - Julie “Pierce, I will take it out when I top you.” - Kristen “We can’t print that. That’s offensive.” - Mitch

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pg 16

REFLECTIONS

PHOTOS

The New Paltz Oracle

TOP PHOTO BY MAXIM ALTER; ALL PHOTOS BY FELICE BERNABO

Thursday, December 3, 2009

SPORTS

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 17

Men’s Soccer Club Team Makes Strong Progress

By Lexia Reynoso Contributing Writer | Reynos53@newpaltz.edu

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the New Paltz Men’s Soccer club team completed its second season. After finishing the season with a 2-0 win over Hofstra, the Men’s Soccer club team has improved greatly in only one year.

Founded last fall, the club team was a result of Jeff Fonda’s experience on the Division III New Paltz Men’s Soccer team. During his freshman and sophomore year, being part of the school’s team was very time demanding and Fonda, 22, did not get as much playing time as he wanted.

“I wasn’t going to play much so I chose to go another direction,” Fonda said.

The club team competes against schools like Binghamton, Albany and Syracuse; it plays against players that did not make it to their Division I teams, but are very good athletes.

The Men’s Soccer club team does not fall short on talent either, since this season’s squad includes three players who started for the Men’s Soccer team last year, but quit

and joined the club team. However, Eric Watson, the coach of the Division III team, does not think the club team has conflicted with his team yet, but he has not given the club team the opportunity for a scrimmage against each other.

The club team does not practice every day, but they do have tryouts. This year 44 players tried out for the team compared to the 20 who did last season.

With a core group of 15 players and a few who come and go over the course of the se-

mester, there are roughly 25 players on the team.

As a Student Association organization, the team is funded by the school, which has provided the club team with about 20 uniforms that are given to those who are good enough and have committed their time to the club team.

Other factors that affect playing time include attendance and overall performance in practices and games.

During the fall season, New Paltz plays

“That [the club team’s performance this season] is a massive improvement in just one year” —Jeff Fonda

club teams from other schools. The club team also participated and won the intramural soccer championship at New Paltz, as it has in every semester of its existence. They played hard throughout the fall season hoping to get to nationals by finishing in the top three in a regional tournament.

Unfortunately, this year’s tournament was cancelled due to weather, but this year, they were 6-8-3 compared to last fall’s 1-7-1 record.

“That is a massive improvement in just one year,” Fonda said.

The New Paltz Men’s Soccer club team’s main season is over, but this spring, the squad will participate in an indoor league in Milton.

They will also be taking part in a few indoor tournaments in the area and as soon as it gets warm enough, they will be right outside playing games on New Paltz’s Turf Field.

In the last practice, the club team elected new captains for the upcoming year and has “rolling” tryouts all through the spring until the fall. The club team is open to any student with talent and willing to put time toward their two practices a week and their games.

Wellness and Recreation Events and Activities

Become a Fan of Wellness and Recreation on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ NPWellnessRecreation Web site: http://www.newpaltz.edu/ recreation/

http://www.newpaltz.edu/recreation/ clubsports.html to see the list of all club sports and contact information. To reserve a facility or field for your club sport contact Deck at 845-257-2343, or deckj@ newpaltz.edu or Elting Gym 206.

Spring Break Costa Rica Expedition 2010

Interested in Getting a Health Assessment?

March 13-20, 2010 Expedition mission Inspires and develops leadership, compassion, responsibility, respect for the environment and commitment to serve through adventure-based wilderness experiences led by the most skilled, safetyconscious staff.

Hike miles up mountains and through clouds and rainforests surrounded by exotic plants and animals – see monkeys, sloths, parrots and maybe even the endangered tepezquintle. Stay with local families in villages deep in the rainforest and experience a completely different lifestyle. Raft down Class III/IV rapids that slice right through tropical forests.

Learn to surf in warm water breaks on the Pacific coast. Leave the familiar and take the adventure.

• Challenge and Adventure • Compassion and Service • Social and Environmental Responsibility • Character Development • Learning Through Experience Contact Keith Kenney at kenneyk@newpaltz.edu or 845-257-6956 for more information.

Interested in a club sport?

Visit the Web site:

If you want to know where you stand, health assessments are available using the Wellness and Recreation’s Polar BodyAge System.

It’s an assessment tool, which tells an individual how their chronological age compares with that of their “body age.”

The more healthy the lifestyle and the more fit you are, the lower the body age.

The Polar BodyAge system can assess the following: body fat, weight, body size, flexibility, strength, blood pressure, cardiovascular, heart rate, nutrition, stress, lifestyle, disease risks and more.

It can produce an individual profile summary of yourself and e-mail it to you along with specific nutrition, wellness and workout recommendations.

Interested in a Personal Training Session?

Do you want to workout, but don’t know where to begin? Are you interested in an initial fitness consultation and assessment?

Are you interested in talking to a certified personal trainer who can answer your fitness and wellness questions?

Then, sign up for personal training sessions. You will get an initial

assessment, a personal training session and you have the option to sign up for up to three personal training sessions.

It’s free as long as you’re a student or a current member.

Just fill out the Wellness and Recreation personal training form and return it to Elting Gym Room 220 or 207.

End of Semester Schedule Regular Hours through Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Closed: Dec. 17 to Jan. 3 Intercession Hours (Jan. 4 to 22) Monday to Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday: 2 p.m. to 6:p.m.

Sunday: Closed Group fitness classes end Friday, Dec. 11.

Group Fitness Schedule Monday 12 p.m.

Cycle with Corinna 5 p.m.

Yoga Level One, 90 minutes with Sarah, Room 101 6:30 p.m.

Jujutsu with Lauren R., Room 101 7:30 p.m.

Dance Groove with Elisa 8 p.m.

Cycle with Lauren N. Tuesday 4:30 p.m.

Cycle with Corinna 5 p.m.

Yoga Level One-Two, 90 minutes with Sarah, Room 101 5:30 p.m.

Zumba with Jen

Thursday, December 3, 2009

7 p.m. willPower and Grace with Saara 7:30p.m.

Cycle with Starr Wednesday 7 a.m.

Cycle with Corinna 5 p.m.

Kickboxing with Melissa, Yoga Level 1-2 with Sarah 6 p.m.

“Feel the Burn” with Blanca 7 p.m.

Vinyasa Yoga with Lana, Room 101 7:30 p.m.

“Absolute Abs” with Jana Thursday 5 p.m.

Yoga Level Two, 90 minutes with Sarah, Room 101 BOSU Strength with Corinna 5:30 p.m.

Cycle with Starr 6 p.m.

Dance Groove with Ellsa 7 p.m. willPower and Grace with Saara, Cycle with Lauren Z. Friday 3 p.m.

Vinyasa Yoga with Lana, Room 101 3:30 p.m.

Cycle with Starr

Fitness Tip- False Hope Sixty-five percent of diet pill users think they will shed pounds, but do not know that most of the drugs are not government regulated, a study from the University of Connecticut in Storrs notes.

Pg 18

SPORTS

The New Paltz Oracle

Hawks Weekly Sports Update

By Pete Thompson Copy Editor | Pthompson51@newpaltz.edu

The New Paltz Women’s Basketball team traveled to Lehman College on Tuesday, Nov. 24 for a non-conference game.

The Hawks had a 73-53 victory over the Lightning, improving to 3-1 overall.

The first half ended with a 7-0 run from the Hawks, who used that to take a 33-25 lead. The team applied some more pressure on the Lightning in the second half, increasing its lead by as much as 13 points in the first five minutes.

The Hawks defense produced 18 fast break points in the second half, leading the way to victory.

Fourth-year Kristen Caban led the team with a game-high 18 points, 12 of which came from three-pointers and added six rebounds. Second-year Kaitlin Clifford and fourth-year Kristin Sitek added 10 points apiece off the bench, while fourthyear Maggie Farrell provided 11 points.

First-year Maliqua Fisher contributed a game-high nine rebounds.

Caban was named Women’s Basketball Player of the Week by the State University of New York Athletic Conference for games ending Nov. 29.

They will return to action Friday against conference opponent Plattsburgh at 6 p.m. in the Hawk Center.

The Men’s Basketball team earned itself a 75-64 win against Vassar College when it hosted the crosstown rival Tuesday night in the Hawk Center. The Hawks improved to 4-2 overall, with 20 assists on 29 baskets throughout the game.

Second-year forward Jayquan Anderson and second-year guard Harris Wichard each guided the team with a game-high 20 points.

Second-year Shereef Taylor added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, a career-high six assists and two blocks.

Each team played strong in the beginning of the first half, leading to a 9-9 tie before the Hawks went on a 12-4 run and found a 21-13 lead over the next four minutes. The Brewers were able to cut the lead to 30-26, but would not reach the Hawks who finished with a 10-4 run and took a 4030 advantage at the break.

A 7-0 run helped the Brewers pull to 50-46 with 12:55 remaining, but they would not get any further. The Hawks answered with an 8-2 run to extend the lead to 58-48.

The Hawks return to the court for their

conference opener on Friday at 8 p.m. in the Hawk Center where they will go up against Plattsburgh.

The team traveled to Keene State for a non-conference game at the Spaulding Gymnasium on Sunday. The Hawks held on for a 110-109 victory over Keene State in a tough game that went into double-overtime.

Taylor and Wichard each scored a game-high 27 points. It was also a careerhigh for Wichard. Taylor also contributed eight rebounds, two blocks and five steals with fourth-year guard Oppong Agyemang netting eight points while stacking up a career and game-high 12 assists. Anderson had a game-high nine rebounds and scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

The Hawks were trailing 47-40 at the start of the second half, but opened with a 19-6 run. They took a 59-53 advantage and never trailed through the remainder of the half.

In the first overtime, Taylor gave the Hawks a 97-95 lead with 29 seconds to go, but Keene tied the score with 11 seconds remaining on a lay-up. The Hawks had one last opportunity for victory at the buzzer, but the shot did not go in.

In the second overtime, Keene held a 108-102 lead with 1:42 remaining. The

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW PALTZ EXTREME CROQUET SOCIETY

New Paltz Extreme Croquet Society President Justin Berbig accepted his first place trophy from the United States Croquet Association President Gene Young recently. Berbig, a fourth-year student, won first place in his flight at the United States Croquet Association National Championship. Berbig also accepted a first place trophy in first flight doubles after him and his partner Micah Beck went undefeated.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Hawks finished the game, however, on an 8-1 run with the game-winning three-pointer from Taylor with four seconds to go.

New Paltz was pulled to 108-105 with a three-pointer from first-year Nick Taldi, but Wichard brought the score down to a one point difference, 108-107, with a layup with 16 seconds to go.

The New Paltz Men’s and Women’s swimming team defeated Vassar on Saturday, Nov. 21, 126-101, and, 128-102, respectively.

The women’s team won eight events and finished second in seven. Fourth-year Megan Gordon, second-year Amanda Cloer, first-year Katina Lown and second-year Allie Moorhead’s relay team won the 200yard medley relay in 1 minute, 53.89 seconds.

The men’s team won seven events and placed second in seven more. Fourth-year Zack Lowenstein, third-year Rob Webb, first-year Sam Gaynes, and third-year Matt Demerest’s relay team won the 200 medley relay, finishing in 1:42.79. The team of second-year Jesse Sweeney, third-year Keith MacDonald, fourth-year Stephen Cozzolongo and third-year Billy Papetti placed second, coming in 1:43.34.

The New Paltz Oracle

Pg 19

SPORTS

Giants, Jets Hanging On By a Thread

By Mitchell Epstein Sports Editor | Epstei84@newpaltz.edu

The New York Giants and Jets’ hopes of making the playoffs appear to be bleak with five games left to the season.

Both teams are hanging on by a thread as they face must-win scenarios in their next games. The Jets’ fate will be decided Thursday night and that of the Giants will take shape on Sunday.

The Jets at 5-6 must win their last five games to have any chance of reaching the postseason in the highly competitive American Football Conference (AFC).

The team’s tall task begins against Buffalo Thursday night in Toronto.

After that matchup, the Jets travel to Tampa Bay, host Atlanta, play at Indianapolis and close the regular season at home against Cincinnati. Looking at this schedule, making the playoffs is not an impossible goal to achieve though.

Buffalo has been inconsistent all season, Tampa Bay won only one game all year and Atlanta’s starting quarterback, Matt Ryan, is banged up and will miss his team’s

next game.

Indianapolis, at 11-0, has already clinched its division and will likely have home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs sewn up by the time the Jets arrive on Dec. 27. Taking this into account, the team might decide to rest many of its starting players against the Jets or play them for a limited amount of time, which would obviously be very beneficial for New York.

Imagine having to only face Peyton Manning for a quarter or two instead of a whole game. A win suddenly seems possible.

The last game against Cincinnati could be important for both teams’ playoff chances and with the Bengals’ unpredictable play, anything can happen. While Cincinnati has swept Pittsburgh and Baltimore this season, they lost to the woeful Oakland Raiders and defeated Cleveland, possibly the worst team in the NFL, by only nine points.

The Jets have a long road ahead of them, but if Mark Sanchez can take care of the ball and the defense continues to step up, a trip to the playoffs is not a fantasy.

The Giants on the other hand have an

even tougher challenge before them with their upcoming schedule and poor play over five of their last six games.

New York, 6-5, hosts Dallas on Sunday in a game that could decide everything for them. The Cowboys lead the Giants by two games in their division and New York has little chance of going to the postseason if they fall three games back, especially with the team also being one game back in the wild card race.

After the Cowboys, the Giants host Philadelphia, travel to Washington, play Carolina at home and end the regular season at Minnesota.

New York beat Dallas in its second game of the season on a last-second field goal, but the Giants look far different now than they appeared to be after that win and their 5-0 start. The pass rush has disappeared as have the holes created by the offensive line in the running game.

If both lines do not return to their earlier season form, then the Giants will be watching the playoffs on television in January instead of taking part. Dallas and Philadelphia will both be difficult to defeat and

Washington and Carolina are no pushovers either.

Minnesota has only lost one game all season, but might sit its starters or keep their playing time brief in that last game because the Vikings will likely have clinched their division and the second seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) by that point. However, that last game could also possibly decide home-field advantage in the NFC should the Saints drop a game and the Vikings continue to win.

The Giants and Jets this season have been like a fighter that has taken a lot of blows from his opponent and can either give up or continue on and come back from the bowels of defeat.

Both teams are mostly in control of their own fate, but its up to them to salvage their seasons and bring playoff football to Giants Stadium in the last season that its doors will be open before both teams move across the parking lot to the new Giants Stadium.

The Giants and Jets know what they must do, but will they follow through on the field?

Hawks Players of the Week For the Week ending Nov. 29 Second-year guard Shereef Taylor led the Hawks to a 1-1 record for the week. He scored 14 points and had three rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a loss to SUNY IT. He netted a game-high 27 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and five steals in a 110-109 double overtime victory against Keene State.

On the week, Taylor averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 4.0 steals and shot 60 percent from the field.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Fourth-year guard Kristen Caban led the Hawks to a 73-53 win over Lehman College, as her team went 1-0 on the week. She scored 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from behind the three-point line and added six rebounds and two steals. On the season, the senior guard averages 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

Caban’s is 3-1 on the season and hosts Plattsburgh on Friday.

SPORTS THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

Hawks Take Off

Women’s Basketball Improves to 3-1 After 20 Point Win Over Lehman PHOTO BY FELICE BERNABO