FIRST PLACE AWARD WINNERS
FROM THE
NEW YORK PRESS ASSOCIATION & AMERICAN SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION
Pace Chronicle The
VOLUME IV, ISSUE V
PACE UNIVERSITY, PLEASANTVILLE/BRIARCLIFF MANOR, NY
WWW.PACECHRONICLE.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014
Students Question Reasoning Behind Cancellation TAYLOR LONGENBERGER NEWS EDITOR Harmful student actions, including a sexual assault and two hospital transports during Townhouse Day 2013 on the Pleasantville campus, were only part of the reasoning behind the prevention of the event’s planning, according to school officials. Rather, a pattern of bad behavior over a the course of several years, capped by last spring’s actions caused Pace administration to release that the university would no longer be able to support the event due to student behavior and mentality. Many students were concerned that specific events that occurred during Townhouse Day in 2013 directly resulted in the investigation. However, the sexual assault and two hospital transports that did occur last year were said to be events that only added to the existing safety concern that administration has had in previous years. “It was not just one event or ‘spark’ that caused the evaluation of Townhouse Day. It was due to a culmination of events and continuous violation of policy over the last few years,” Head of Security Vincent Beatty said. Pace Security, Residential
Life Staff, and Townhouse Hall Council have worked together in previous years to provide a safe and happy environment in which to celebrate Townhouse Day. The continued use of alcohol by minors and illegal drug use, however, has forced the administration to create and enforce a stricter set of safety guidelines. Students have been found consistently violating three of the Guiding Principles of Conduct on Townhouse Day, including “the unlawful use, possession, sale, distribution or manufacture of controlled substances and paraphernalia”, the “consumption of alcohol by any member of the University community…under the age of 21 which is illegal and prohibited on University premises and at University-sponsored events,” and, even if otherwise lawful, “alcohol, in limited circumstances… is also not permitted at University sponsored events.” Based on police reports, no more than two hospital transports due to intoxication have consistently occurred on each Townhouse Day in the last four years. However, student hospital transports on days other than Townhouse Day have exceeded that amount. “Our job is to provide a safe
environment for students to have a positive mentality about their own health and the way that they choose to have fun,” Dean of Students Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo said. Security and Residential Life staff monitored the event for the past four years until the shooting
of a Pace student caused police presence to be unwelcomed by students. “After the loss of DJ Henry, police presence on campus was a difficult situation because students felt uncomfortable with armed police officers on a campus that doubles as their home,”
this year’s seminar—Dr. Ross Robak, Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department, and Dr. Harold Brown, Professor and former Chair of the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department. The seminar’s schedule began with a screening of the 2013 science fiction, drama film Her on Friday night. The movie was followed by a discussion on the implications and difficulties of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as what human consciousness is, and how machines do or do not achieve a human level of consciousness. On Saturday there were a series of talks on the history of cognitive science, the-
ories and research on consciousness, what AI is, and the brain and belief in God. Among the guest speakers were Dr. Robert Keegan, Professor at Pace’s Psychology Department; Dr. Paul Benjamin, Director of Pace’s Robotics Lab and Professor of Computer Science; and Dr. Michal Klincewicz, Pace alumnus and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Humboldt University of Berlin. “The weekend seminar is meant to allow students to have a voice in the intellectual life of the university,” Robak said. “This is an opportunity for students to exchange ideas, turn them over, and examine them carefully.” “[The seminar] had a really
interesting dynamic; the students, alumni and professors were all connecting on a casual and relaxed level that helped open up the discussions,” said Amanda Ghosh, a senior women’s & gender studies and theatre-dance major. “The topics were outside of my major and comfort zone, so it really expanded my mind, it was an enriching weekend.” “One of my favorite parts of the weekend was meal time when we were able to sit next to new people each time and discuss our lives, the seminar, and various other educational topics,” junior psychology major Vanessa Vitiello said.
Photo from Pinterest Beatty said. Police presence will be requested for events exceeding participation of over one thousand people in the coming years as part of the Master Plan. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 “TOWNHOUSE DAY”
Dyson Society of Fellows Ponders Mind and Machine CARLOS VILLAMAYOR MANAGING EDITOR The Society of Fellows of Dyson College of Arts and Sciences held its annual weekend seminar last weekend in Warwick, NY. The theme for the seminar was Cognitive Science and the Meaning of Life. Some 60 people, including both alumni and current students, gathered at the Warwick Center from Fri., Oct. 10 to Sun., Oct. 12, and attended various talks and discussions centered around cognitive science and questions of the human mind, consciousness, and artificial intelligence. Two professors designed and led
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HOMECOMING
N THIS
ISSUE
Feature Page 4
Were you at Homecoming 2014? Check out what happened, from Step and Stroll to the very last Broadway show!
ADMINISTRATION PROTECTING THEMSELVES Opinion Page 6
Are administrators on campus covering up sexual assaults? Is the cancellatoin of Townhouse Day just another way to bury the truth?
The seminar’s theme was in line with the development of a program on cognitive science that will begin with an interdisciplinary course and would eventually be offered as a minor, according to Robak. “Cognitive science is a fascinating field, which has impact across many disciplines,” Robak said. The Society will have followup events on the same theme throughout this semester, and next spring it will host its Annual Meeting, where students will present scholarly research or artistic projects completed under the supervision of a Dyson faculty mentor.
GROUNDBREAKING Sports Page 8
Pace Athletics celebrated the groundbreaking of the new athletic fields this week. Many hope this will open new opportunities for the Setters.
NEWS
The Pace Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 PAGE 2
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CLASSIFIEDS: Pace Chronicle The Pace Chronicle is looking for a Distribution Manager. You would be in charge of distributing the Chronicle. For more information, email Emily Wolfrum, Editor-inChief, at ew88172p@pace. edu Finance and Planning The Department of Finance and Planning is looking for a student assistant. Tasks will be assigned based on the student’s major, skill level, and willingness to learn. The department will work around a student’s schedule, and the student will not work more than 20 hours a week. To apply, visit the eRecruiting website. Pace 4 Kids Volunteers Needed The Pace 4 Kids Dance Marathon is looking for volunteers to help with planning and events for Maria Fareri’s Children’s Hospital. Contact Joselyn Dewitt for more information on how to get involved. Pace Makes a Difference Day Volunteers Needed Registration is still open for Pace Makes a Difference Day. To sign up for P.M.A.D.D or Paint a School Day, register on OrgSync. Email Shawn Livingston at slivingston@ pace.edu, or Caitlin Kelly, at ckelly@pace.edu, for more details. Environmental Center The Environmental Center is looking for a part-time Animal Keeper. Responsibilities will include feeding, cleaning, and medical care for the animals at the Environmental Center. Applications will be accepted through November. Apply on the eRecruiting website. Mortola Library Mortola Library is looking for a part-time Interlibrary Loan Assistant. This is a non-work study position. To apply, visit the eRecruiting website at pace.experience.com. They will be accepting applications through November,
Multicultural Affairs Leads City Saturdays GABRIEL SOLANO FEATURED WRITER This past Sunday Cornell Craig, Director of the Office of Multi-cultural Affairs, led Pace students to New York City as part of the office’s City Saturdays program. The trip, which took students to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, was postponed due to conflicting homecoming events. However, future scheduled events will return to their intended Saturday afternoons. City Saturdays, which began last year, make use of Pleasantville’s Metro North station with round trip tickets provided at no cost to students.
“TOWNHOUSE DAY” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The Mount Pleasant Police Department Chief of Police suggested that the school provide educational presentations to Pace students regarding alcohol and drug usage and sexual assault prevention in response to underage drinking and unsafe student activity during Townhouse Day. “Whenever there is a collaboration with Pace Administration, Security, and a third party for the purposes of educating, I believe that it should always be an option,” Beatty said. “Police are a great source of training and edu-
These trips, according to Craig, are intended to give Westchester students an opportunity to explore and experience NYC. “I like going to the city, and walking the Brooklyn Bridge is always nice to do; especially with friends” said Pace student Susan Harris. Craig urges students to take advantage of City Saturdays, which will include an upcoming visit to New York’s Tenement Museum. For more information about these trips and how to get involved with the Office of MultiCultural Affairs, visit the MultiCultural Office in the upper level of Kessel. cation for students, security, and administration. Students tend to listen more to police because they can ultimately affect their lives outside of Pace.” Despite student understanding of safety issues, many are frustrated by the lack of Administrative trust when expressing concern with Townhouse Day and were disappointed with the lack of student consultation. Townhouse Hall Council continues to create a proposal for a new event that can be held in the spring in order to start a new tradition for townhouse residents and the Pleasantville campus. The details of this event have yet to be released, but the goal is to have a safe, yet enjoyable, environment for all students, regardless of their age.
SGA Meeting Updates: Oct. 10 TAYLOR LONGENBERGER NEWS EDITOR Student Government Association (SGA) met in Miller Lecture Hall Fri. Oct. 10. SGA committees (Elections, Programming, Budget Allocation Committee, Judicial Board, Constitution Committee, Unity Committee, Administrative Outreach, and Academic Affairs) have set times and dates for meetings, and will begin action planning in the coming week. Lisa Miles, Title IX Coordinator and Affirmative Action Officer, presented to Senate regarding the awareness of sexual assault on campus and the ways in which students can report an assault. A Sexual Assault Committee has been formed and is in search of student voices to be a part of the sexual assault and consent discussions. A New York Times represen-
tative provided Senate with a proposal for student assistance in the budget required in order to renew the subscription for digital and print copies of their paper. Senate will vote next week on a decision whether or not SGA will provide funding for the Times. John Wrench, SGA President, announced that there will be a Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 16 in the Goldstein VIP Room at 3:25 p.m. SGA executive board presented on the initiatives and ideas that they learned at the ASGA Conference in Washington D.C. the weekend of October 5. Students with comments or questions can find the SGA office located near the Higher One office in Kessel Student Center and can also attend the SGA meeting this Fri. Oct. 17.
FEATURE
The Pace Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 PAGE 3
Pace Welcomes English Professor Robert Mundy JOSEPH TUCCI FEATURED WRITER This fall semester, Robert Mundy joined the Pace community as a full-time English professor. Mundy’s passion for teaching stems from his love of art. He felt that the best way to further his artistic pursuits was to explore the medium of writing with other people, namely his students. “I always felt that I wasn’t getting nurtured in terms of writing, being an artist, or even just exploring the arts as a student,” Mundy said. “[T]here were all these different conversations that could be had, and that really got me thinking about writing, talking, and working with students. So, I [thought that teaching] was really the direction--to create
these communities of writers.” Mundy currently teaches English 120 and English 201. Before coming to Pace, Mundy was a professor at St. John’s University and SUNY Old Westbury, and served as Assistant Director of the writing center at SUNY Old Westbury. There, he taught classes like basic global literature, American literature, Shakespeare, and a course about road novels from around the world. Mundy identifies his style of teaching as student-centered; he does not like to spend much of the class lecturing. He hopes that his courses will forge relationships between members of his class, and that they will learn as they go through the writing process together. He also wants to bring out the
best of the students’ preexisting writing abilities. “I want students to be able to articulate their writing process-to take something that is very natural, and sometimes becomes kind of convoluted, and be able to articulate what they do and why they do it well,” Mundy said. “I think we are all natural in terms of our writing; we need to just start thinking about what we do that’s effective, and play on strengths.” Outside of the classroom, Mundy’s hobbies include painting and playing with his Jack Russell Chihuahua. He is also currently working on some personal writing projects on composition. “I write about composition, and a lot of it presently focuses on the construction of writing through a class gender perspec-
tive,” Mundy said. “I’m interested in working class identities, specifically working class male identities in writing classrooms.” Mundy chose to work at Pace because he is very familiar with the New York area, having been born in Manhattan and lived in both Long Island and White Plains. He feels that this familiarity will help him to serve the Pace community. “Pace is interesting; it is very similar to Saint John’s where I went to graduate school, so I’m familiar with the area,” he said. “[Teaching here is] about me fitting in with the population as much as the population fitting into my classroom. I think I’ll translate well.” Photo by Joseph Tucci
John Robb Squashes the Competition for King SARA MORIARTY FEATURE EDITOR Saying “yes” to opportunities, from studying abroad to photo-
shopping his head to a piece of corn, is something John Robb has learned to do throughout his college career. Robb decided to say “yes” to
Photo courtsey of John Robb
running for homecoming king; it was an opportunity to have some fun during his last semester at Pace, to “step out of his comfort zone,” to make fun of the contest itself. Last Saturday, Robb won the title of homecoming king. “It boils down to a popularity contest, and it’s stupid that someone can win $500 for a popularity contest,” Robb, a native of New Paltz, New York, said. “I ran to make fun of it.” Robb, a senior communications major and co-author of a scholarly article on mobile app design, won the homecoming contest by photoshopping himself into scenes filled with vegetables. His vegetable, pun-filled campaign began over the summer, when he came up with poster ideas just to make people laugh. Robb then decided to actually use the jokes as a real campaign; he spent hours on Photoshop to make the flyers. “I’ve known Photoshop since tenth grade,” Robb said. “I’ve used it numerous times as the public relations manager for WPAW.” Robb’s technological and design skills go beyond Photoshop. His career goal is to run his own development and design firm. He
established this goal after taking advantage of the opportunities available to him to enhance his knowledge of user experience design during his time at Pace. User experience design, basically, is enhancing the usability of a certain product. In Robb’s case, the product is usually some sort of mobile app. “I first discovered that I like user experience design when I entered the Pace Pitch contest freshman year,” Robb said. “We (he and his team) won the Barcelona Mobile International Congress’s mobile app development competition in 2012. Robb would later take on two internships where he worked closely with mobile app design teams. He also continues to work on a series of mobile apps with the mobile app team at Pace. One of the apps they worked on was presented at Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference. While working on the app, Robb and his team co-authored a scholarly article called Alive Inside: Developing Mobile Apps for the Cognitively Impaired. In the article, Robb wrote about the effect of application design on both older and younger generations.
Robb used all resources available to him through Pace to gain more expertise in his subject. He learned to say “yes” to all opportunities presented to him despite the fact that none of the professors on the Pleasantville campus teach user experience design. “It’s not what resources you have available, it’s how you use them,” Robb said. When he’s not working on app development and user experience design, Robb can be found playing music. He plays the banjo, guitar, piano, and “a little bit of alto sax.” “I like playing music because I don’t understand it,” Robb said after beat boxing into a glass. “You feel emotions from music and you don’t completely understand why.” Robb does understand that he must leave Pace, even though he has enjoyed his time here and will miss it. He believes that it will be more beneficial for him to go somewhere else for graduate school, considering Pace does not have a program specific to user experience design. “I don’t think I’ll ever go to another place where I’ll be as well liked by as many people as here, and I say that gratefully,” Robb said.
Speech and Debate Organization Coming to Pace DANDRE CHERY FEATURED WRITER Pace’s Speech and Debate Club is on the last legs of being established as a student organization. Currently, the club has drawn up a constitution and set up the bylaws that the club will operate under. “Our goal is to first practice and learn methods of public
speaking,” Speech and Debate Club President Alexis Neuville said, “after which, we can finally compete in meets with other colleges.” An introductory meeting took place on Sept. 29 to introduce interested students to the club. Two meetings have since been held, with the club assigning executive positions and deciding on the structure of their meetings. “Some members just want
to debate and some are just into public speaking,” Neuville said. “What we’ve been trying to do is find a way to merge them both into our meetings.” One last task for the club will be securing a faculty advisor and a coach. The coach will mentor students on how to speak publicly and how to debate. One-on-one meetings outside of regular club meetings will be set up between the coach and club members to
individually help students with their communication prowess. “We’re all about how to help students become more confident in communication skills in a fun way,” Neuville said. Being that it is an academic club, a GPA requirement of 2.5 will be required of all members. Once the club is established, they will seek membership in the National Speech and Debate Association which holds speech and
debate competition events. “Anyone can become a better communicator, no one is perfect,” Neuville said. “What we’re doing is having a hands-on experience in a fun way that interests people.” A meeting time of Mondays at 12:15 p.m. has been set. The club will meet bi-weekly beginning Oct 13.
FEATURE
The Pace Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 PAGE 4
Homecoming
2 014
CRISTINA CUDUCO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kicking off this year’s Homecoming weekend was the Step and Stroll competition held in Goldstein gym on Thurs Oct. 9. The event featured performances from most of the cultural Greek organizations on campus as well as Pace’s very own step team, the 8-0-8’s. The organizations represented this year included Alpha Phi Alpha, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Omega Phi Beta, Sigma Lambda Upsilon, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta.
Each team was given the task of performing their own original step or stroll to the tune of three random songs given to them beforehand by Student Development and Campus Activities (SDCA). The final round of the competition involved all competitors strolling to the same mystery song that was assigned the night of the competition. First place in the stepping portion of the competition went to Delta Sigma Theta, while Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Lambda Upsilon took first and second place in the strolling portion, respectively. Each routine performed in the competition took roughly two
SDCA hosted a trip on Fri, Oct. 10, to The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Croton on Hudson. The exhibit featured over 5000 hand carved and illuminated jack-o’-lanterns in a light show that spread over the grounds of the historic Van Cortland Manor estate.
weeks to learn, while routines seen off the stage, like those performed by alumni, were older routines passed down to members over many years. Judges for the competition included Dean of Students Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo, Director of Multicultural Affairs Cornell Craig, North Hall Resident Director Samantha Bassford, Martin Hall Resident Director Tiffany Bermudez, and Student Government Association President John Wrench. First place teams were each rewarded with checks for $1000, while the second place stroll team took home their own check for $500.
Homecoming King and Queen titles were announced during the intermission of the Step and Stroll competition on Thursday night. After competitive campaigning, seniors John Robb and Helen Yu-Holguin took the wins for King and Queen.
Photo from Pace Pride’s Instagram The Gay-Straight Alliance, or newly known as Pace Pride, won the Chili Cook-off Competition with their Rainbow Chili. The first place prize was $100. Students, families, and faculty were all invited to try the different chili, and members of the community voted on who made the best recipe.
FEATURE
The Pace Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 PAGE 5 Right: Students and families were given the chance to travel to Agrabah and the Land of Oz on Sunday, October 12. For a reduced price, families could see either one of two Broadway shows: Aladdin or Wicked. Both shows were sold out to the Pace community within the first few days of the tickets being available. Bottom Right: Director of SDCA Rachel Carpenter was just one of the many people who took to the mic at the Homecoming Extravaganza. The day featured tables from multiple student organizations, as well as a live band, a barbecue, and the Chili CookOff. Inflatables were also set up as the weather cleared. These included an inflatable bouncehouse and a mechanical bull ride.
Photo from hearye.org
Photo by Lesley Donelan
Nu Zeta Phi Dares You To Think SARA MORIARTY FEATURE EDITOR Pace sorority Nu Zeta Phi worked to “save second base” during homecoming last week. With events including “Take a bite out of cancer” and their annual “Think Pink fashion show,” Nu Zeta girls educated Pace students and raised money to fight against breast cancer. Students filled Willcox gym for The Think Pink Fashion Show, their main event. They sat around the runway, prepared to watch their peers strut all dressed in pink. Several students—both male and female—participated in the event by modeling in three categories: professional, sleepwear, and sexy. Judges, comprised of Nu Zeta Phi alumnae and two professors, determined who was able to “strut their stuff” the best
in all three categories. Sophomore Diego Caro of Delta Kappa Epsilon received first place at the event, while junior Steven Cosentino and sophomore Damen Bonis of Alpha Phi Delta took second for their modeling of silly pink clothing that brought laughs and applause from the audience. “Typically I’m a shy guy, but having the opportunity to do this event for a cause like breast cancer awareness makes me proud I did it,” Cosentino said. “I had fun doing it, and the fact my pledge brother [Bonis] and I got second was just awesome.” However, the show was not just about fashion. Sisters of Nu Zeta Phi also educated the audience about breast cancer, what it is, what they can do to learn more, and how to help the cause. They spoke about their participation in the Susan G. Komen “Race For
Pink
The Cure” and presented statistics on breast cancer in both men and women. “We raised a great amount of money for the philanthropy, and hopefully we raised more awareness,” Nu Zeta Phi sister and senior Sara Annese said. Breast cancer awareness is the philanthropy of the sorority, and all of the money raised during the fashion show will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. “All of the participants in the show had fantastic attitudes and showed off their vibrant personalities in support of breast cancer awareness,” Kathryn Trujillo, junior and sister of Nu Zeta Phi, said. “We were so pleased with the responses we got from people that attended, and are thankful for everyone coming out to show support.” Students model "sexy pink" clothing to raise awareness for breast cancer at the Think Pink fashion show.
OPINION
The Pace Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 PAGE 6
Helping Students or Covering their Butts? Pace Administration Chooses the Latter
EMILY WOLFRUM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TAYLOR LONGENBERGER NEWS EDITOR Pace University administrators continue to claim that the decisions and choices they make are in the best interest of the students. The administration, however, seems constantly to be misrepresenting facts and hiding the truth in order to save their own reputation, as well that of the university, in making these decisions public. These decisions have been made in the wake of poor behavior on the part of the students, including a sexual assault, underage drinking, and the mentality associated with Townhouse Day. However, the administration has provided little to no evidence or transparency for the actions that they have taken in regards to that behavior.
Why is it that the administration hides the truth about sexual assaults that occur not only here on the Pleasantville campus, but also on the New York City campus? Why are newspapers the only source of investigation into recent issues that can be presented to students?
With a sexual assault occurring last year on Townhouse Day and another occurring on the city campus, the administration turns the blame on students for acting irresponsibly. While that may be true, when does the administration ever mention the lack of understanding and apparent maltreatment they gave to those involved? Many have read the article published by the Huffington Post regarding Pace’s unclear policies in reporting sexual assault, and how one unfortunate female victim from the New York City campus was forced to suffer
through a legal process that she did not seek.
And, what about the male and female involved in the sexual assault that occurred last spring during Townhouse Day on the Pleasantville campus? Few students were even aware of its existence when arguing for the event’s continuation, a fact which was deliberately withheld from all conversation and could have helped students develop more informed opinions. We have yet to hear either story from someone of authority at the university.
When given the opportunity to address the matter in an e-mail sent to students in mid-September about sexual assault, our deans of students spoke only of federal agendas, failing to acknowledge its relevance on our own campus. The resulting campus-wide efforts to “address” the issue of sexual assault have been futile at
best, speaking in broad and legal terms which ignore its very presence at Pace. Presentations are purely conceptual, shying away from the topic’s severity and often containing an element of university promotion. Perhaps the most telling initiative is the administration’s embrace of Step Up Bystander Training, a program that uplifts the passive bystander and diverts all attention from the parties involved.
The administration has tried to bury the events that took place by cancelling Townhouse Day under the umbrella rationale that the “university can no longer support” the event and cannot “condone the behavior” of students. What response did they expect from students with such vagueness? Did they truly think students would blindly assume responsibility for an event that the school had conspicuously fa-
cilitated for years?
Why is it only now that they are taking a stance?
Yes, student safety is important, but that is also why it is important for students to understand the reasoning behind the cancellation.
When the administration makes a decision without student consultation (especially regarding an event that students plan), providing no evidence as to their reasoning, it is pretty clear that students will make waves to uncover the truth. In regard to sexual assault, we will see how the administration responds further. But, as for right now, they are doing a poor job of both helping students and covering their butts. Perhaps, they should reevaluate which plan is more favorable.
Do you think the administration is covering up sexual assaults? Send a letter to the editor at pacechronicle@pace.edu.
Homecoming 2014 Martin Mailroom A Downgrade Missing in Action
DANDRE CHERY FEATURED WRITER The fall semester is synonymous with the start of classes, leaves changing color, and of course, homecoming. Colleges across the country take part in this tradition that has become a staple of life on campus. There is the selection of homecoming king and queen, there are specialized events like the step and stroll show, and the big homecoming game. That is, unless you go to Pace, where we did not schedule a game this year. Instead, our football team traveled to play Assumption College where we lost 52-0 before coming back home. That is not the purpose of homecoming. It is to celebrate our current student body and our alumni returning to campus. Homecoming games are traditionally played at home after our longest road stretch, when we nobly beat our opponents, boosting school spirit for all. We took the path less traveled by going on the road and taking the loss. In no way am I shaming the football team for their performance, but maybe if it had been a home game, the score would’ve been different. Much like anyone else with any amount of school pride, I would like to see the
team turn things around and see them get a win every now and then. How can they do that if our school is not proud enough to schedule a homecoming game on their behalf? Construction going on around campus can complicate things and make events harder to plan. Our football home games are more than 15 minutes away in Ossining. However, that is still closer than Assumption College, located in Worcester, MA. With everything that is being put into the future of the school, I think we are forgetting the students who are here right now. I am all for improvement, but not at the cost of my enjoyment during my time at Pace. I do not want to be the sacrifice for the future students of our school. However, that is a feeling I get when events like the homecoming game are brushed away. The current students of Pace are already putting up with a lot of changes, and most of us will be long gone before getting a chance to reap the benefits of those changes. Having a homecoming game may not matter that much in the grand scheme of things, but it is something that could have increased school spirit and boosted morale during a transitional time in our school’s history.
CATHARINE CONWAY OPINION EDITOR
The charming melody of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” comes to mind when I think of the Pleasantville mailroom. “Three strikes, you’re out” is the lyric most befitting in this scenario. Three times this semester I have attempted to send and receive mail at the mailroom in the basement of Martin Hall. The first time was during the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. I had gotten an email informing me of my package’s arrival on the Thursday of the holiday. School was closed, so I called the mailroom at 3:30 that afternoon to ask them how late they were going to be open. I was told they were open regular hours, which meant they would be closing at 8 p.m. that evening. I headed down to Martin from the townhouses at 6 p.m. just to find out that they were closed. Two hours prior to their alleged closing time, the boards were already up. I turned and found a piece of paper lying face down that
stated, “Be Back in 2 minutes!” Two minutes passed, then 10 minutes. After the 20-minute mark, I went on with my life knowing I wouldn’t be able to get my package until the following week. The second strike, small yet just as irritating, was being shut down for wanting to send a card. After asking three people where I can send my card and receiving three wrong answers, I was bewildered at what to do. I tried the mailroom to send my letter, but I had gone on the Jewish holiday, which had been ultimately fruitless. I ended up going to my grandparents’ house about 20 minutes from Pace and sending it there. At least there I knew it would be sent successfully. The third strike was the delayed delivery of my second package of the semester. It was a care package, a wonderful gift to receive from my father; a gift full of goodies that remind you of home while you’re away. In my excitement of receiving my package, I kept checking the
U.S. Postal Service website with the tracking number to make sure it arrived on campus safe and sound. When the tracking number told me the package had been delivered to 861 Bedford Road, I was ecstatic. After calling the mailroom to see when their deliveries were expected, I was informed that everything had already arrived. But how was that possible? The website told me otherwise, the Pleasantville Post Office told me the same, therefore my package had to be in the mailroom in Martin. It was not. Days later, painfully excruciating days, my package still had not arrived. Only after many phone calls did my package finally find its way home. We all know how frustrating this construction is for all of us, but when will Kessel be completed so we can have our proper mailroom back? When will the outgoing mailbox be reopened? When will the Pleasantville mailroom finally has its act together? Hopefully the January 2015 deadline will be met so we can find out.
Photo from completepackaging.net
The Pace Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 PAGE 7
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Artist Spotlight: Photographer Rachel Weyhe CRISTINA CUDUCO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR For the past three years, junior journalism major Rachel Weyhe has been documenting life with her camera. The story of how she began her love affair with photography is a rather simple one. “A friend of mine had a camera lying around so I started taking photos of anything, really,” Weyhe said. “It’s simple, I know, but I was really inspired by everything around me.” Weyhe is no stranger to the art world, having been surrounded and influenced by art her entire life. Her grandfather is notable New York-based sculptor Arthur Weyhe, and her great-grandfather was an art collector and trader. “There’s always been a lot of artwork around me and in my home. Not quite photography, but certainly a lot of classic artwork,” Weyhe said. Weyhe’s talents really flourished after taking a class in the art
form, which allowed her to learn about more sophisticated cameras and lenses, as opposed to the point-and-shoot models that she was already acquainted with. “The best knowledge I acquired from taking that class was photographing on a manual setting, which I enjoy doing because it puts more of a challenge into getting the right picture. You really have to manipulate a lot on the camera.” When photographing, Weyhe focuses mostly on the people or interesting objects around her. This includes friends, strangers, architecture, and landscapes. While she admits that candid photos are always nice, Weyhe’s favorite technique is something she calls “half-staged,” manipulating readily available objects in ways that she sees fit. The young photographer feels an overwhelming sense of gratification from photographing, citing her “art-high” for the main reason she keeps going. “When I take a great picture, it energizes me and reminds me
Photo courtsey of Rachel Weyhe why I keep doing this,” Weyhe said. “It’s rather exciting, really.” Weyhe is a transfer student from Pace’s NYC campus and is so far enjoying her first semester
in Pleasantville. “I came up here because I was told by many that the curriculum for journalistic studies is far better than down there [in NYC],”
Weyhe said. “I’m just trying to absorb as much as possible here and see where it takes me.”
Horror Movies Then and Now: A Carrie Comparison MAYRA MARADIAGA FEATURED WRITER October is here, and so are sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, and of course, all the horror movies people can possibly watch. Those who frequent Netflix can now find the recently released remake of Carrie, along with the original 1976 take on Stephen King’s novel. The story is the same in both novel adaptations: a bullied high school girl discovers she possesses telekinetic powers and struggles to deal with them when
her deeply religious mother and high school peers start to push her too far. Sissy Spacek played the title character in the 1976 classic, and her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination. Chloë Grace Moretz, from KickAss, took on the role in the 2013 remake. The remake tries to modernize the story, adding elements of cyber bullying into Carrie’s everyday torments. With the help of modern technology and CGI, the filmmakers were able to visually enhance the destruction and chaos that Carrie causes on prom
night, as well as bring in elements from the novel that the original film was not able to pull off at the time. This being said, however, Moretz has nothing on Spacek. Concentrating more on just her facial expressions and head movements instead of putting her whole body into Carrie’s telekinetic abilities, Spacek was able to heighten the audiences’ fear of what she would do next. The value of any remake comes down to how it compares to its predecessor stylistically, and if it is able to stand on its
own. The 2013 Carrie changes some things, as most remakes do, but with these changes the remake actually loses the eeriness that the original has to offer. Director Brian De Palma’s original take on the horror story uses unique shots that would probably never be considered in a modern film. This style, accompanied by the music from horror movie classic Psycho, gives the original film a much more suspenseful feel, opening a world of frightening possibilities to the audience. Kimberly Pierce’s remake
falls flat and stoic, using the same lines verbatim and shots as the original. The prom scene—the movie’s meat and potatoes—has far more impact in the original film with its no holds barred destruction. Despite the new technology and visual effects, the remake seems to hold back. The original ending, which has inspired many horror movies since then, adds much more character to the film, and is not something that could have been easily outdone. If you really want to have that creep factor this October, stick with the original.
The Pace Chronicle
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Built from the Ground Up Alexander Bean NATALIA ALVAREZ PAGAN SPORTS EDITOR
JAMES MIRANDA FEATURED WRITER 0-6. 1,130 days without a “W” next to the name “Pace Football.” That translates to about three years without a win, but it’s been even longer since Pace Football has seen any success. For the 2014 season, Pace places eighth in the NE-10 with 18.5 points per game, while seven other NE-10 teams are scoring 25 points or higher per game. Their thirddown conversions are at 27 percent (27-99), which places dead last. And, a staggering statistic is that opponents score 52.0 PPG against Pace. The Setters have allowed 312 points in total to be scored against them; no other team in the conference has allowed more than 200 points against themselves. Currently, the Setters are virtually last in every category. “We’ve got to celebrate the small victories. We’ve got to recognize that’s the new standard,” new Head Coach Andrew Rondeau said. One of those small victories, Rondeau says, has been the defense’s work with blocked kicks.
Pace leads the NE-10 conference in this statistic. Eight sacks have been allowed against the team, putting Pace at second in the conference. Assumption and Pace are also tied with seven interceptions, right in the middle of the pack. Rondeau acknowledged that the team has been left with a hole in the area of veteran leadership. With a whole new staff and 41 new players, the team was being built from the ground up. “Everybody we play has a roster of 85 guys minimum,” coach Rondeau said. “Most people have a hundred; we’ve got 60-something.” Nearly half of that roster now consists of freshmen, who have been forced to learn on the run, according to Rondeau. This has been a challenge for the team and contributes to the inconsistencies that have been seen, along with some injuries. “Our number of offensive linemen is in the single-digits and those [players] go all the time,” Rondeau said. “We right now have two healthy quarterbacks on the roster. We’ve got so many young players who are stepping in and playing a lot. However, all of these obstacles
have not deferred the players from coveting that elusive smell of victory. The whole staff knows how badly everyone wants to see a winning football team. But Rondeau emphasized that it takes time. He used the analogy of an overweight person; that person doesn’t just magically shed the excess weight, they need to work and get rid of it all. “The small victories are everywhere,” Rondeau said. “It can be the second half of the [LIU] Post game, where our team took an adverse situation, and conquered adversity, and battled back. [The players] didn’t worry about the scoreboard, they just played. They got excited about the game; they removed the external influences of people challenging them for wins. They removed that and said, ‘Let’s just play.’” Sometimes it isn’t easy to “stay the course,” as Rondeau and his staff saw this on Fri., Oct. 10 when the team took on Assumption and lost 52-0, a game that Rondeau sees as a set-back. “People want to put it on a timetable, but there isn’t a timetable;” Rondeau said. “We’ll be good when we’re good.”
Photo from Stockton Photo Inc.
GEORGE DE FEIS FEATURED WRITER In an effort to bolster athletics, Pace has hired a new Cross Country Coach. Alexander Bean has been a competitive runner since his days at Somers High School, where he ran both track and cross country. Bean attended Georgetown University and graduated in 2011 with a degree in philosophy. Throughout his five year college career, he participated and exceled in numerous track and cross country events, including a third place finish in the 1,000 meter in 2007 at the BIG EAST Indoor Championship. Coach Bean credits his high school coach and a teammate for his initial interest in running. “I had a very enthusiastic coach who was very knowledgeable, along with a teammate who was also knowledgeable and enthusiastic,” Bean said. The traits that these two had helped attract many athletes to the sport, and, in his junior year, they won a state title. After high school and college, Bean began his coaching career as the assistant cross country coach of SUNY New Paltz. At New Paltz, Bean helped develop work outs, set up practices, and interacted with the runners. As head coach of Pace’s program, there is much more responsibility, including booking hotels and making travel arrangements. “There’s been a little bit of an adjustment-- just getting used to how things work here specifically, as opposed to New Paltz,”
Photo from Stockton Photo Inc. Bean said. “Every school has its own rhythm.” In the past couple of years, Pace’s program has experienced a lot of turnover in terms of coaches. With that, the program hasn’t really been able to accomplish as much as it would like, and it is still bouncing back. Bean wants to be an integral part of turning around the cross country program. “It’s exciting to me to have the opportunity to turn this into a good cross country program,” Bean said. Bean believes there are a few members currently on the team who have the potential to help this program grow. He believes that no matter how hard he recruits, or how hard he makes them train, ultimately, it comes down to the attitudes of the team members. “There’s only so much you can do as a coach. I remember when I was in school; I was more inspired by the older runners than the coaches,” Bean said. “I want to create a culture of hard work and success. That’s what I’d like to build.”
New Fields Bring New Promise to Pace Athletics NATALIA ALVAREZ PAGAN SPORTS EDITOR Despite the current state of campus, a vision of the future was painted on Thurs. Oct. 9 at the Athletics Groundbreaking ceremony. Many were in attendance, including President Stephen J. Friedman, William J. McGrath (Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for Westchester), and Director of Athletics Mark Brown, who gathered amongst their peers, students, and alumni to celebrate a historical day. According to President Friedman the new athletic facilities embody the very essence of Pace, which is the motto “Opportunitas.” The construction of new facilities shows the “commitment to Pace Athletics and the goals for the
program,” as noted by Friedman. That goal, according to Friedman, is to have prospective students come to Pace with a competitive mindset for conference championships. Pace has begun to reap the benefits of these new facilities with the recruitment of 190 athletes this past year. “Imagine what could be done when there is an actual field and building,” Friedman said. There is also the addition of women’s lacrosse and women’s field hockey teams, providing more opportunities for female sports. Women’s lacrosse has brought in 20 new freshmen to Pace, including Najma Jones, a criminal justice major who spoke during the ceremony. She noted that the opportunity to play lacrosse at Pace while also
being a part of history is what ultimately drew her to the Setters. The new facilities bring many benefits for student athletes including a new field house with locker rooms for the teams, a strength center, and a new training room. The multi-purpose field will include lights, seating for 1,000 fans, and an enclosed press box. Peter X. Finnerty Field will feature new dugouts as well as lights and an artificial turf surface, while the new softball field will include a natural grass surface. Completion of the baseball and multi-purpose fields are scheduled for the end of this year, while the new field house and softball field completion is scheduled for the fall of 2015.
Photo from pace.edu Various members of the Pace community attended the Groundbreaking ceremony for Pace’s new athletic fields. President Stephen J. Friedman hopes that this will increase athletics’ competitiveness.