November 10

November 10, 2010

Serving The Community Since 1948

volume lXv Issue IIX

The Pace Press

digital illustration by HILDA ADENIJI

University residents confused and outraged about winter housing fee brIAN rENtAs arts editor

the University’s office of Housing and residential Life (oHrL) has implemented a new $1,000 winter housing fee for students, who choose to stay in their dorms over the month of January, starting this winter. While in previous years winter housing has been free, the new fee has been a shock to some University students. according to oHrL New York City 2010-2011 Pace University Housing agreement, a student may only get per-

mission to access winter housing by completing a “Winter Break registration Form prior to the University’s closure for thanksgiving,” having a legitimate reason for winter housing, as well as paying “in advance for Winter Break housing (the fee for Winter Break will be a flat rate of $1,000, applied as a charge to the student’s account, regardless of the residence hall to which a student is assigned for the Winter Break period).” in addition to this, the Winter 2010 Checkout agreement handed to residents at recent floor meetings states that

“residents, who do not register for winter break, will be expected not to return to the residence halls until Jan. 22. Nonregistered residents, who access the premises during break, will automatically be assessed the winter break housing fee of $1,000.”

The Pace Press spoke to oHrL director andrew Patrick roger-Gordon about the changes in winter housing policy. When asked what the need for a fee was, roger-Gordon responded, “there are many reasons, but the most compelling and obvious reason for this change is fiscal responsibility.

“the bottom line is that the modest cost of winter break housing (it breaks down to about $33 per day, far less than even the lowest cost residence hall during the academic year) helps insure that we can extend housing to the greatest number of students during the academic year by insuring that we do not take a financial loss during the break.

“No portion of the basic fall/spring rent paid by students covers the costs associated with winter break, and those costs are real (staying open for break, even for a small number of people, requires security and housing staff, in-

creased utilities costs and maintenance).

Working toward fiscally responsible policies is a commitment we have to our current students and the future of this university,” roger-Gordon added. roger-Gordon discussed several concerns that oHrL hopes to solve with the addition of this new winter housing fee. one of those concerns is “the number of students who would remain for ‘free’ break housing but then cancel just prior to the start of the spring term.

When this happens, it creates a situation

Continued on Page 3

ArON rALstON AND JAMEs FrANCO ON 127 HOURS on page 9 • rALLY tO rEstOrE sANItY on page 13

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NEWS

2

November 10, 2010

St. George and Clark Street residence halls hold blood drive OHRL and New York Blood Center aid with student resident donations DJ McErlean-Hopson WeB editor

the Clark street and st. George residence halls sponsored a blood drive open to residents and the surrounding Brooklyn Heights community oct.25. the office of Housing and residential Life (oHrL) paired with the New York Blood Center to bring out the mobile blood unit to make the donating process more comfortable. sign up forms, bright colored bandages and juice boxes were available to everyone. resident advisors (ras) took turns going around the residence halls to promote awareness and also talked to members of the community to ask them to consider donating as well.

“We wanted to give back to the community in some way and Halloween was coming,” aisha shepard said, st. George resident director. “so in order to make it appealing to the students we had a ‘true Blood’ drive. We gave everyone who donated blood tickets to win a raffle of either ‘true Blood’ drinks, the Bon-

ton t-shirt or the ‘true Blood’ season 1 [dVd set]. it was a success!” donating for the first time can be a little unnerving, but with the help of the New York Blood Center anyone who wanted to help out was given a full explanation of the process.

We wanted to give back to the community in some way and Halloween was coming. so in order to make it appealing to the students we had a true blood drive.

-Aisha Sheppard, Resident Director according to their website, as you fill out your registration form you are asked about your medical history, any recent travel and current medication. it is important to know all of these factors to make the process efficient.

after the form, your blood is tested for the iron levels. if you are anemic you will be unable to continue with the process. if you pass those steps then you are able to donate. the process can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes and afterwards you are welcome to stay at the donating site until you feel you are able to continue your day without any residual dizziness. the center also suggests that those who donate drink extra fluids for 48 hours preceding their donation. “donating blood is so fulfilling. For only 30 minutes of your time you can save three lives,” senior abby Miller said.

Miller who donated one pint of blood. ra alyssa donigan helped organize the event,7 said, “the blood drive event was highly successful in the fact that over 30 people donated blood…People still wanted to donate blood after the event was ending, and i believe that it opened up people’s eye to realizing that they can do a little to give back a lot to those in need.” overall with 47 attempts to give blood, 33 were able to donate and walk away sporting bandages.

1 1. Student fills out consent form prior to her donation.

2. New York Blood Center provided the area for students to donate.

3. Promotional blood drive sign on Clark Street.

4. OHRL Resident Advisors after they donated blood.

2

3

4 all photos by DJ McErLEAN-HOPsON

NEWS

November 10, 2010

Fare hikes on bridges, tunnels

3

ARC funding may go to Second Ave line subway

AMANDA sCHIAvO staFF Writer

CrAIg HELD

the Metropolitan transit authority (Mta) announced its decision to increase bridge and tunnel toll costs as part of its 2011 fare hike plan on oct. 27. the price increase will take effect dec. 30. the Mta has already voted to increase the fare on MetroCards for subways and buses. the bridges and tunnels that will be affected include the Verrazano Bridge, which connects staten island to Brooklyn and will increase $13. the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel will go up to $6.50 and the Henry-Hudson Bridge will now be $4. e-ZPass users will not have to pay as much as cash paying New Yorkers. e-ZPass users will only have a five percent toll increase, compared to the 18 percent toll increase for cash payers. “i think it’s unfair due to how the economy is, the [toll] hike makes it harder for people to get to work because they have to pay for their commute,” senior and commuter student Nicole Matos said. “this will affect my commute, it will be harder to pay the fare and i’ll have to find alternative ways to school,” she added. the toll increase is an attempt to fill the Mta’s billion dollar budget gap. according to their website, after this year’s increase, there will not be another until 2013. staten island commuters will likely be hit hardest by the toll increase. Getting from staten island to the other boroughs is a challenge itself. the NYC subway system does not reach staten island and the ferry only goes there from Manhattan. in a statement issued on his website NYs Congressman Michael McMahon said, “the tolls and traffic staten islanders endure are completely outrageous.”

Commuter student ariel Bukhsbaum says the Mta should “offer student discounts on tolls” the way it does for MetroCards. Bukhsbaum added, “it won’t affect my commute but it will affect my wallet.”

staFF Writer

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie officially cancelled the access to the region’s Core (arC) project, which would have doubled transit capacity entering Penn station, New Jersey transit’s primary hub in NYC, oct. 7. New Jersey’s $1.25 billion funding for the arC Project may go towards the second avenue Line in Manhattan. oct. 8, Gov. Christie promised to launch an investigation in order to find economic alternatives for the plan. He attributed the cancellation to budget concerns, stating that overages could land approximately in the billions. oct. 30, Gov. Christie cancelled arC again, re-stating his initial concerns and saying that the project was absolutely dead. in a public statement, Gov. Christie said, “it's a dollars and cents issue. i cannot place, upon the citizens of the state of New Jersey, an openended letter of credit.” reports soon surfaced of the lost arC funding moving elsewhere in the tri-state area. the day Gov. Christie announced the final cancellation of arC, New York state senator Kirsten Gillibrand allegedly met with members of the obama administration to ask if the funds dedicated to arC could be moved to the second avenue subway Project, which has been ongoing since 1919. there are many reasons for the second avenue subway Project’s delays until today. shortly after the idea came to fruition, the project was delayed by the Great depression and further delayed by

the U.s.’ entrance into World War ii. the plans for the second avenue subway were revised after the allied victory but U.s. involvement in the Korean War sent the prices of construction materials skyrocketing which further delayed the subway. in the mid-1960s, Congress passed a plan that would dedicate funds of the federal budget to cities with large mass transit systems—NYC being one of them. a massive groundbreaking ceremony took place, however, the subsequent economic downturn in NYC halted construction and further delayed the approximately 50-yearold project. the 1990s brought a new interest in the project and a plan was announced to move the Long island railroad (Lirr) to the Grand Central terminal. Commuters knew the immense strain that would be placed on the 4/5/6 trains as the only line to serve the east side. since the recent economic downturn, many parts of the project have been simplified and all together cancelled. the Metropolitan transit authority (Mta) claims that construction is continuing according to schedule.

Last year, the Mta announced that construction on the first phase, from 96th street to 63rd street, would be completed in 2016. the department of transportation has not made any comment on what would happened with New Jersey’s returned funding, but people living on the east side of NYC remain optimistic that New Jersey’s loss could be New York’s gain.

Chris ruvolo

OHRL to charge University students to stay NYC and EHS dorms for winter break From Page 1 in which we are not aware of vacancies that we can offer to new incoming students until it is often too late for them to accept them.”

He continued to explain, “this is a disservice to our incoming students, and it increases our spring vacancies (which is a contributing factor to cost control issues). We believe that with a break housing charge, applied to the student’s fall semester billing account, we will minimize the number of students who choose to wait until the last possible minute to notify us that they will not return for the spring.” another of oHrL’s concerns is keeping a form of consistency within the several housing options.

“We have been exploring ways to increase the fairness of winter break housing for the past five years. it has never made sense that in Brooklyn, where you find some of the lowest housing rates, students would get ‘free’ winter break housing, while in [the Manhattan residence halls] (where the

average housing rate is higher) students when we moved in, but before move-in would need to pay for winter housing, day there was no indication that we and in some past iterations of the policy would have to pay in order to stay over were precluded from winter housing al- winter break.” Colangelo currently retogether,” roger-Gordan said. sides at educational Housing services’ “We first addressed this by allowing (eHs) st. George residence hall. free winter break housing to any student who could demonstrate a need, but this It is not fair to the students did not address the costs to Pace for win- in brooklyn to be told that ter break housing, or those students who simply because we pay less took advantage of free break housing but per year we cannot have later cancelled for the spring. the curaccess to our rooms. rent policy creates a consistent solution for all students who are genuinely in -Karlie Colangelo, student need of break housing,” he continued. there has been some student backlash to this recent change — a handful another resident, sophomore anof students expressed not knowing about gela rose, said, “My r.a. explained to the change until fall semester move-in me why they're doing it, but still some weekend. kids can't afford a $500 flight home for “i think it's ridiculous that we're the holidays, let alone a $1,000 dorm being charged a winter housing fee that stay. i don't know if it's needed, but i we were not told about when we signed wish that Pace would have some kind of up for housing last semester,” sopho- seminar where they broke down all of more Karlie Colangelo said. their expenditures to make it feel like “Granted, it's not being sprung on us we're actually paying for something.” right now because we were indeed told she continued, “i found out about it

i think in the beginning of the semester, but i didn't really believe it until my r.a. made an announcement at our last floor meeting.” in response to the question of whether or not students were notified of this policy change, roger-Gordon said that all students “at room selection, signed the form that explicitly notified them of this policy change.”

He continued, “While some returning students may have legitimately missed notification, they represent a tiny minority of students who returned to housing. We collected signatures (on those special forms that only outlined changes to the housing contract, so those details did not get lost in a deluge of information) specifically so we could document that students were informed.” another cause of concern for some dormitory students is the state of winter housing for those who reside in both the st. George and Clark street residences in Brooklyn Heights. the University is not the only college to take residence within eHs’s property, so some wonder

if other schools have placed a charge for winter housing on their students as well. requests to eHs for comments had not been answered as of press time. “it makes sense that keeping the buildings open over winter break would cost more money, however, the eHs building in Brooklyn will be kept open no matter what — at this moment in time it is assumed that only Pace students are being asked to hand back their id's, not as a demand from eHs, but rather from Pace itself,” Colangelo said. “since the [Manhattan] dorms are only Pace students, it makes sense that the buildings would close for break.

However, the Clark street and st.

George buildings will remain open no matter what. it is not fair to the students in Brooklyn to be told that simply because we pay less per year we cannot have access to our rooms —we also live farther away from the school itself. in the long run it all equals out. if the building will be kept open, why should we be kept away?” Colangelo continued.

NEWS

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November 10, 2010

Pace’s Official Programming Television set to launch in December University organization POP TV aims to help students interested in broadcasting stEPHANIE HANsEN staFF Writer

Pace’s official Programming television (PoP tV) will launch in december on Channel 36 in Maria’s tower, 106 Fulton st. and one Pace Plaza. PoP tV was originally scheduled to premiere oct. 1, but, there have been some setbacks.

PoP tV was founded in spring 2009 by students who wanted to create a television station for students interested in going into broadcasting.

PoP tV provides commercials about activities and services at the University and is used not only to inform students about events and news relative to the University, but also to entertain by covering events. according to the PoP tV’s website Poptv36.wordpress.com “PoP tV shall organize programming that will entertain and/or inform the University at large and establish a better sense of community on campus.”

PoP tV executive editor samantha Bassford is hoping to pursue broadcasting as a career. “even though there is broadcasting major [in the PLV campus] i think the networking in the city is better. “each member of the e-Board brings their own unique talent and that is why with PoP tV we can make anything possible,”

Bassford said.

Part of the delay in starting PoP tV was limited resources, “it is really hard to build our club up because we don't have the money resources, equipment or space to do what we really can potentially do,” Bassford said. another issue that PoP tV is dealing with is working with their budget because they had recently received it this semester.

When asked about the types of programming that students will be exposed to Bassford said, “a big accomplishment we covered was dance out Loud. it was the first dance show at Pace and it was amazing that we got to cover it.” students can get a taste

Co-Op hosts Alternative Options for post-graduates JAMEs rYDEr staFF Writer

the University Co-op and Career services hosted an event called, “alternative options after Graduation” Nov. 4. assistant director of Career services Jenna Campolieta led the event and gave insight into the different options available for students finishing or finished with their undergraduate degrees aside from immediately going to graduate school or beginning their careers.

Co-op and Career services handouts listed programs, resources and their respective descriptions available for those uncertain about the “next step.” ‘ the options were roadtrip Nation, which is “an organization devoted to inspiring and empowering others to seek out their own paths based on individuality, passion, and exploration.” their website is located roadtripnation.com.

Many teaching programs were available ranging from NYC teaching Fellows to the Japan exchange and teaching Program, a program geared toward english-speaking individuals looking to teach english in Japan. Many of these organizations Campolieta said, help students receive their teaching certificate so they can continue with a career in education if they are interested. sta travel was listed as an organization that helped students find work or volunteer opportunities abroad. the website lists countryspecific information to further aid students in their abroad decisions. there were also several volunteer organizations listed, such as the Peace Corps. Campolieta advised students to choose a volunteer opportunity that aligned with their own individual morals and values. “Many

volunteer organizations are faithbased or have a goal to accomplish,” Campolieta said. two former students, Leah Hoffman and sara Phillips, spoke about their specific experiences within a volunteer organization known as City Year. Phillips said that the final goal of City Year, “is to help kids graduate,” in lower-income areas where drop-out rates may be high. City Year seeks to be a, “constant positive force in [the students’] lives when maybe no one else is,” Phillips said.

Hoffman, also a Project Leader and City Year team member, said that, “City Year brought urban education service to the forefront of my mind.” as in the case of Hoffman, volunteer programs such as City Year may influence someone who is confused or uncertain about their career goals to decide on their life path.

“City Year definitely influenced my career goals. i am now applying for a graduate program in social and cultural educational studies,” Hoffman said.

City Year is an ameriCorps organization that has 20 sites all over the country. students in school or who have just graduated can apply on Cityyear.org and, if accepted, will be deferred to a website that helps them find housing with other City Year team members. team members do receive a stipend for their work.

Campolieta stated during her speech, “at the end of the day, you’re living your life.” Graduate schools, she says, “aren’t going anywhere.” she advised students to explore their options after graduation and to take time to figure themselves out completely, whether through one of these programs or of their own accord.

of PoP tV on Youtube where Bassford says there is an account where PoP tV has “posted commercials and segments of different things.” according to Bassford, they are looking for recruitments for next semester, “i would tell students to join PoP tV because we're up for any kind of show or programming ideas. it really helps you learn skills that you can apply to most majors. it's a flexible club and it can definitely be a learning experience,” Bassford said. although PoP tV was created for students by students, not all students are excited to hear about PoP tV. “i believe that it will just add to the list of pointless expenses that Pace takes on. a large majority of Pace students do not care about events at Pace due to the lack of opportunities they offer students and would therefore make the new program obsolete,” junior Matthew shyman said. sophomore tracie Walker said, “i don’t really watch tV, but i’m sure some people would. i think it's a good way to hear what our generation has to say as oppose to what older generations throw at us.” digital illustration by HILDA ADENIJI

Pace Energy and Climate Center receives award for Outstanding Outreach Partner by ACE NY CArOLINE CrAIg staFF Writer

the Pace energy and Climate Center was awarded outstanding outreach Partner by the alliance for Clean energy NY (aCe NY) at its annual meeting in albany, N.Y. executive director of aCe NY Carol Murphy said the Center has “dedicated efforts at the Legislature, the New York independent system operator (NYiso) and other state agencies and regulatory bodies, which help further positive policy developments for clean energy technologies.”

Former Congressman and dean emeritus of Pace Law school, richard L. ottinger founded the energy and Climate Center in 1987. the Center’s mission is to conduct policy analysis, provide legal and technical assistance and support education and outreach to promote energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies. aCe NY is a nonprofit “dedicated to promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, a healthy environment and a strong economy for the empire state.” the Pace energy and Climate Center is one of the aCe NY members ranging from nonprofit consumer advocacy groups, alternative energy consultants and power companies. the list also includes sunedison, the Hess Corporation, Union of Concerned scientists, CUNY sustainability Project and Natural resources defense Council. the outstanding outreach Partner award is given to the individual, company or organization deemed most helpful in promoting the goals of aCe NY and sustain-

able energy through activities such as membership outreach, participation in public affairs and advocacy efforts and government affairs.

the environmental law program at Pace Law school provides students with an opportunity to engage in one of the fastest growing influential fields of law.

-Christopher Schweitzer, student Much of the energy and Climate Center’s work involves achieving alternative energy solutions, particularly in New York. For example, they have been ensuring that the state meet its “15 by 15” energy efficiency target which is a 15 percent reduction in projected energy usage by 2015. this will be done through involvement in proceedings at the Public service Commission. the Center opened a full-time office in albany, N.Y. in January and Jackson Morris was hired as the senior policy advisor.

He has since been working on legislative matters, interacting with key organizations and agencies involved in energy issues. the Center’s executive director Jamie Van Nostrand credits Morris’ “tireless efforts” and all those that helped with the opening of their albany, N.Y. office for the award. the promotion of solar energy, greater energy efficiency and the

reduction of greenhouse gases are just part of what the Center hopes to achieve through their presence in New York state (NYs). the recent elections affect the work and the Center’s environmental contribution to NYs. “as we welcome a new administration in albany in 2011, it will be essential that we continue building on our important relationship with aCe NY and other key players in the energy and environmental community,” Van Nostrand said. “these are critical times for laying the foundation of New York’s energy future.” the Center also works with the University’s Law school, which gives law students the opportunity to pursue their interest in environmental law further.

Junior Chris schweitzer said, "the environmental law program at Pace Law school provides students with an opportunity to engage in one of the fastest growing and influential fields of law.

By maintaining the program at such a high level the University gains a reputation for their graduate programs and furthers the environmental studies programs at the undergraduate level.”

For more information on the Pace Environmental Law Program visit: law.pace.edu

NEWS

November 10, 2010

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U.S. returns the House of Representatives to the Republicans Democrats still hold onto the Senate but not with a strong majority quINN WAssON staFF Writer

the republicans won the House of representatives during the Nov. 2 Midterm elections.

Voters cited disapproval and frustration with the current U.s. administration and with government spending and gave Congress back to the republican Party. the senate remains under democratic control, although republicans have gained six seats. alaska is the only state with pending senate results for elected candidates which have yet to be determined at press time.

Nationwide, republicans also did well in gubernatorial races, resulting in a net gain of nine seats.

President Barack obama admitted that his party had suffered a “shellacking” and admitted that he had been sent a message by voters, saying, “i’ve got to do a better job, like everybody else in Washington.” Pres. obama stopped short of apologizing for the healthcare overhaul that had angered many voters and helped spawn calls for downsized government. after two years of strong democratic representation in Washington d.C., Pres. obama must work with the republican-controlled House, a diminished democratic majority in the senate and a large number of republican governors.

New York state (NYs), however, remained under democratic control. in the senate, voters re-elected senator Charles schumer and senator Kirsten Gillibrand as well as new Governor-elect andrew Cuomo. “i don’t really vote on party lines [but] i’m happy with the outcome,” freshman sean Green, a registered democrat in NYs, said. “i was really only concerned with governor because New York needs a good leader.”

NYC residents also voted to return city term limits to two terms, after Mayor Michael Bloomberg extended the limit to three so that he

could run again in 2008. in the House, New York republicans gained five seats. a sixth race in the syracuse and rochester area, with republican ann Marie Buerkle against democratic rep. dan Maffei, is still too close to call. should Buerkle win, republicans will hold eight of New York’s 29 House seats.

New Jersey only had Congress to vote on and will be represented by seven democrats and six republicans. only the third district switched parties from the previous election, with republican Jon runyan defeating democrat rep. John adler. the Connecticut senate race between richard Blumenthal and Linda McMahon ended up in a rather easy victory for Blumenthal, who won with 54.5 percent of the vote despite controversy over his claims of serving in the Vietnam War when he had not. in the state’s governor race, Connecticut’s secretary of state declared democrat dan Malloy the winner, but the republican challenger, tom Foley, did not concede and now leads by a slim margin, causing the Associated Press to switch its projected winner. adding to the confusion, both candidates have declared victory and have begun preparing for the transition into office. Malloy is the projected winner at press time. the races for Connecticut’s House seats were decidedly less contested as all five democratic incumbents were re-elected.

Pennsylvania, a traditionally democratic state swung republican with this election. Voters elected a republican governor, tom Corbett and senator, Pat toomey. they also gave five House seats to republicans, tossing out four incumbent democrats in the process. although the election was a highly successful one for the republican Party, not all went as planned. two republican senate candidates— Christine o’donnell of delaware

tri-state area still holds strong with Democrats richard blumenthal

Andrew Cuomo upi.com

Charles schumer

Kirsten gillibrand electioncandiates2012.com

and sharron angle of Nevada—took potential victories and bungled them with a string of highprofile, and sometimes downright bizarre, incidents, such as o’donnell being dogged by rumors that she practiced witchcraft and angle telling a group of Hispanic children that “some of you look a little more asian to me.”

English Department holds annual ‘Poets at Pace’ featuring James Tate and Dara Wier KAtE HAMzIK CoPY editor

Poets at Pace was held at the University oct. 25 and featured poets James tate and dara Wier who are married to each other. the event was held in the Michael schimmel Center for the arts lobby and was sponsored by the office of the Provost.

I published some poems here and there when I was an undergraduate.

-James Tate english department Chair dr. Walter raubicheck said that this was the third year that Poets at Pace has been at the University, with a reading that happens every semester. dr. raubicheck introduced the University’s Poet-inresidence Charles North. “[it is] a wonderful series at Pace,” North said. North then introduced both poets to the audience.

Wier has published 10 books and has received numerous awards for her work such as the san Francisco state Poetry Center award. Currently, she is the director

nydailynews.com

of the MFa Programs for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) at amherst.

Wier was the first to read some of her poems that included, “one enchanted evening,” “today i regret everything,” “More than We Knew What to do With” and “Was.” tate has published many books including the Pulitzer Prize winner, “selected Poems.” He has also won many awards for his work including the Wallace stevens award from the academy of american Poets. tate also teaches in the MFa Programs for Poets & Writers at UMass. tate read some of his poems which included “Long Live the Queen,” “My Brush With Greatness,” “National security” and “the ice Cream Man.” after Wier and tate read their poetry, there was a question and answer session with the poets. Both poets were asked if they influenced each other’s work. “We have spent times working together,” Wier said. While tate added, “We did work together for a number of years.”

When asked about getting their work published, Wier who started writing at a young age said, “i didn’t even think of publishing as existing.” tate said, “i published some poems here and there when i was an undergraduate.”

Wier said that some of her influences are William shakespeare and edgar alan Poe while tate said that some his favorite writers are Wallace stevens and James Wright.

examiner.com

to oversee all of Congress, a new speaker of the House was elected. the new speaker is republican John Boehner from ohio, taking over from California democrat Nancy Pelosi. the 112th Congress will convene for the first time on Jan. 3, 2011.

NEWS

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November 10, 2010

ITS Dept. shows students new perks at annual Tech Expo IvONNA tHOMPsON NeWs editor

the University’s information and technology services (its) department hosted the first annual tech expo 2010 oct. 3. there were various seminars presented by apple, Microsoft, Crestron, iBM, Verizon, adobe, at&t, dell, HP, eCHo 360, Cisco and Google. the company Crestron specializes in the latest technology for video conferencing. Crestron representative Howard rose said that 80 percent of the University uses Crestron technology. rose said that interface is simple to use with a touch screen V-Panel that can dim lights, change slides and has video conferencing capabilities. the video conference room in e319 uses Crestron products including new flat screens, telecom capabilities and V-Panels, which control the entire room by touch screen. some of the seminars included Microsoft’s presentation of Windows Phone 7, apple’s “the iPad as an educational tool” and at&t’s “examples of innovative solutions Higher education.”

University professors gave presentations including dr. Barry Morris who held the seminar “Using diY, easy to Learn, easy to Use technologies Like audacity, twitter, iPad and smartphone applications.” Professor darren Hayes presented “3d design in Virtual Worlds” and dr. Linda Calloway presented “integrating Web 2.0 tools into a Learning Platform.” in regards to how the first time event went, rose said, “i think for first timing it was very well run and had a good turn out.”

Blackboard has made new changes and there were representatives there to show and explain new and different features including smart phone apps. the new feature that the University has access to is Blackboard through smart phones via sprint phone carrier. the smartphones include the android, Blackberry and HtC. Blackboard is also working on more smartphone apps. one of the prominent ones is custom making an app for a college or university. this app includes navigation of a campus such as shuttle schedules, mass transit schedules, locations of buildings around the area, news feeds from the college or university itself or student publications.

Blackboard representative Liam Ferris said, “it’s a great way to engage alumni, current and prospective students. You don’t have to be part of [a] campus in order to use it.” the college or university app is available through Blackboard as part of a mob strategy. it takes approximately eight to 12 weeks to create with the college or university to license the app for users to access information. another additional University change is the statistical analysis system (sas). sas is a graph that tallies up the enrollment rate of undergraduate students, the graduation rate and students who move onto graduate school. each rate of the graph is based on each academic school year. information from the college or university sas graph will be available to all faculty and staff. its Business intelligence developer Glenn Jemmot said, “it is a great product. one of the ways to use it is to see how we can get a better retention rate. Corporations use this to turn

businesses around to be a better company.”

University faculty and students attended the tech expo as well as high school students in the downtown area who were invited through their school. its Manager of resource Centers shikha Bajracharya said, “We had about 1,000 students and faculty [attend the event].” at&t also had a special offer for University students. those who purchase a smartphone through at&t get a 20 percent discount off the monthly rate and data plan.

adobe also introduced their latest package, which is the new Creative suite 5 (Cs5) that was introduced in late april. Cs5 is available to University students for $350 instead of the commercial price, which is $1,000. adobe will be introducing acrobat 10 at the end of the month. adobe representative david Gasek said, “[the event] was very busy and was a great show and had different people from other universities such as Fordham. it was well organized.”

photo by HILDA ADENIJI

Luxury high-rise Beekman Tower projected to open in early 2011 University students don’t mind construction, but are wary of potential crowding DANIEL LEE HuE CoNtriBUtor

the Beekman tower on spruce street is currently under construction and now stands 76 stories high with stainless steel framework. the Beekman tower, also known as 8 spruce st., is slated to be finished in 2011. according to the building management Geto & deMilly, the tower will stand to be the tallest residential building in NYC over seeing even the trump tower.

Lying south of City Hall and adjacent to the University’s campus, according to the tower’s Public relations firm Geto & deMilly representative Joyce Baumgarten confirmed that the tower began construction in 2006. in regards to the construction senior Matthew Bernucca said, “the traffic doesn't affect me that much because i don’t drive to school. i did not know what they were building [the tower] for but i wish that they had made their plans for the building more public [with a sign]. once it fills up with people, i can't begin to imagine how crowded things will be. the impact it will have on Pace, i am unsure of, hopefully a positive one.”

Baumgarten said that the tower will “open the first quarter of 2011” and the building will be home to many with “903 units when operating

at full capacity.” the apartments are all luxury rentals, with no plans or reservations for low to mid-income housing.

Baumgarten was unable to give exact prices of each unit.

My only complaint on the construction would be that the construction workers made me feel uncomfortable with some comments I won’t repeat.

-Jennifer Dragga, student

With a price of $80 per square unit the building cost comes in at three times the average city rental rates. the building will hold various sized apartments from three-bedroom units to 450 square foot studios. the tower was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. the building has spiral steel frame, backed with reinforced concrete.

Baumgarten said that the building’s first few floors highlighted by its brick exterior will be home to over 600 public school students, ranging

from Pre-K through 8th grade. this portion of the building will be completely owned and operated by the New York City department of education (doe). other spaces will include an expansion the New York downtown Hospital, parking and retail space. sophomore Jennifer dragga said, “i didn't know much about the construction of the tower, but i think the addition of a public school and more apartments to the area is great! My only complaint on the construction would be that the construction workers made me feel uncomfortable with some comments i won't repeat.”

University director of Public relations Christopher Cory believed the building seems to be a positive thing for our campus.

Cory said “Pace is pleased that our downtown campus is rubbing shoulders with work by one of the worlds most famous living architects…the building is a prestigious addition to a prestigious neighborhood.”

For more information on the Beekman Tower visit lowermanhattan.info photo by IvONNA tHOMPsON

November 10, 2010

7

OPINION AND EDITORIALS RUVEENA VIRK

STAFF WRITER

something “spectacular” going on in NYC For someone who has lived in New York for eleven years, i received weird looks for saying “i’ve never been to the Christmas spectacular before.” My friends all rolled their eyes as they stepped off the party bus, telling me that they’ve gone with their parents a million times before and that it was nothing too “spectacular.” i passed their comments off as teenage angst and ungrateful american child syndrome, convinced that it would indeed be spectacular. taking up the entire sidewalk we strutted in our six-inch heels and short dresses, hyper and loud off of soda in a way that only we could be. i was reminded of the Boys Like Girls lyrics, “we’ll scream at the top of our lungs and they’ll think it’s just because we’re young.” We approached radio City Music Hall, taking in its flashing lights and grand entrance. “i have a gun, a knife and some straight razors,” i said, grinning at the security guard, who laughed and waved me in. i stood awestruck at the grandeur of the lobby and, upon spotting santa’s booth, my teenage self gave way to my inner child.

We were there for one of my best friends’, Karina’s, sweet 16. she had rented a party bus to get us there and back, with a pit stop at dylan’s Candy shop. as wild as we were in the party bus — because, after all, we had come to dance — we made our way to our aisle seats quietly. the show was already five minutes in, with the rockettes performing a beautiful ballet number. each performance after that was more beautiful and grander than the last. the audience oohed and aahed at the ever-changing digital backgrounds. the performances also featured a double decker tour bus on stage and real sheep and camels for the Nativity scene. one of my favorite performances was “Christmas in New York.” i marveled at the images of Manhattan during Christmas, something i’ve never seen in person. “the best part,” i told my friends, “is that

i’ll be in Manhattan every day, thanks to Pace.” a five- or six-year-old boy sitting behind me told his mother, “i can’t wait to see santa.” i turned around and said, “i know, right?” My friend widened her eyes, saying “ruveena!” in a tone that i hear way too often. santa came on stage throughout the show to Ho-Ho-Ho and announce the acts. Finally santa had the stage all to himself while he tried to convince a teenager that he was indeed real. the teenager’s little brother believed all along, but he had to be convinced, arguing that he had seen “many santas” with red bells, hoping to collect money. santa then proceeded to explain that in order to serve all the kids, he needed to be everywhere all the time. in one brilliant scene santa flew into the air and confetti rained down on the audience as the children shouted, “We believe!” tears started to roll down my eyes as i took in the magic of the moment. My friends all gave me “What’s wrong with you?” looks and i tried to explain that i still believed in santa. i caught a few of the paper snowflakes and tucked them into my wallet, having my own little piece of santa to take home. My fiancé took my hand and together we watched my engagement ring sparkle under the stage lights. Later, he would tell me that he loved the way i showed emotion. “i can’t wait to marry you,” he said. the Christmas spectacular put me in my yearly jolly, ready-for-Christmas mood that i try to avoid until after thanksgiving. if nothing else, it added to my love for New York City and its magic, Christmastime or not.

While we stood in the lobby once again taking bathroom breaks and a group picture with santa, i tried to explain to everyone how i could still believe. “i believe that there is a real North Pole with little elves and santa, and lots of hot chocolate. He does bring us gifts every Christmas, little things we want but don’t ask for — and can’t see.”

DIsCLAIMEr: These opinions are expressed by contributors (students, faculty, administration, and staff) to The Pace Press.These opinions are solely those of the individual writers and do not reflect the opinions of The Pace Press, the members of The Pace Press staff, or Pace University. The Pace Press is not responsible and expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising out of use or relevance to any information contained in this section.

JENNI RUIZ

CONTRIBUTOR

twitter’s lack of account security concerns users With twitter’s increased popularity within the last year with its simplistic concept of a status update, one would assume that its security would be modeled heavily or at least somewhat after that of Facebook.

Modeled after Myspace’s “official” accounts for celebrities, brands and public figures, twitter introduced what was known as “verified” accounts to ensure the identity of the person tweeting. Verified accounts are meant to deter a heightened trend of fake accounts where a user is pretending to be a celebrity. i wasn’t aware of how often identity theft occurs on the internet, specifically with twitter until only recently. a friend, who is a public figure, has several fake accounts that have created usernames solely to pose as that person. this leads others to believe they are real and in turn create the illusion that the actual person tweeting is the fake.

Cyber bullying on twitter also seems to be a growing epidemic that has yet to be fixed.

When researching how to resolve the issue, twitter asks that you submit a ticket request. after submitting a request on behalf of my friend, i received a passive response stating twitter could not verify the cyber bullying, even though i had been a victim as well, without dealing with the account holder directly.

While i can understand why twitter would not want to be a third party mediating cyber-bullying and harassment, i cannot understand why their response was so short and showed a blatant disregard towards the actual safety that one lacks when using twitter services.

Facebook has spent years developing its intricate security, making it nearly impossible for one to hack into another’s account or make false accounts posing as someone else. Facebook allows users to choose their level of security, allowing one to choose how and who can view their pages.

How come twitter does not allow the choice to remove someone from a “followers” list? instead, users are forced to either block a user or report them as spam. Users are given limited options for increased security and are only allowed to “follow” and “unfollow” other users.

When reaching out to twitter about a surefire method of ceasing both fake and compro-

mised accounts and cyber-bullying, i was sent a link with tips and help on reporting a violation that led me right back to submitting the same ticket that i did in the first place. this hardly seems like a suitable method to ensure security for its users. after reaching out to twitter about having their account verified in the hopes to alleviate the faux accounts, twitter responded stating that such official accounts were done on a trial basis and upon searching for more information on the website, i discovered it is now closed to the public. research led me to find that users who have only been tweeting recently have had their accounts verified; while others received notice that there was a queue and verification via a copy of a passport or state issued id could take up to three months. so, which one is it? is verification no longer an option or is there a waiting list? twitter states, “the goal of this program is to limit user confusion by making it easier to identify authentic accounts on twitter.” With its popularity increasing and more users joining each day to follow their favorite celebrities, politicians or brands, shouldn’t twitter be working to achieve a similar approach to security as that of Facebook? it appears all too easy to create multiple accounts, even if a user has been marked as spam, in order to partake in what can be considered as libel or virtual harassment and bullying. Users can create multiple names with multiple email accounts and post damaging tweets within a few weeks without being revoked usage from the site.

Facebook allows friends to report issues on behalf of users by verifying a full date of birth. their website states that while reporting the issue is allowed, they will not release information about the account. such stipulation is of course warranted.

Not only should twitter allow friends to report violations on hacked, false or compromised accounts the way Facebook allows but they should take a page from Facebook’s elaborate security and privacy settings before more users continue to endure harassment when they simply wish to partake in leisurely updating a status, before they lose popularity and end up in the same boat as Myspace.

the pace press Editorial board Lynn rickert Editor-In-Chief Natalie gavilanes Executive Editor Kim bui Associate Editor Kaitlynn blyth Managing Editor Ivonna thompson News Editor Katherine riley Features Editor brian rentas Arts Editor Kate Hamzik Copy Editor Hilda Adeniji Digital Illustrator Leucepe Martinez Business & Ads Manager DJ McErlean-Hopson Web Editor rachel Menth Distribution Manager Mark Mcsherry Faculty Consultant

staff Mel Bailey Anneliese Blommestein Stephanie Bouvia Cristina Cerbelli Kimberly Cung Joanna Gonzalez Stephanie Hansen Craig Held Erica Kelly Jessica LaRosa Nazary Nelebuk Bethany O’Grady Jessica Owens James Ryder Amanda Schiavo Vibha Solanki Christa Tandana Ruveena Virk Quinn Wasson Julia Yeung

The Pace Press is the student newspaper of Pace University’s New York City Campus. It is managed and operated entirely by members of the student body as it appears above.

The Pace Press welcomes guest editorials and letters from students, faculty, administration and staff.

The Pace Press reserves the right to not publish any submitted material, both solicited and unsolicited.

All submissions must include the author’s full name and contact information.

The Pace Press 41 Park Row, Rm. 902 NewYork, NY 10038 www.pacepress.org editor@pacepress.org Copyright 2010

November 10, 2010

8

ARTS

“The Last Newspaper” exhibit is a stunning look at news media bEtHANY O’grADY staFF Writer

“the Last Newspaper” is the beguiling new multifaceted exhibit at the New Museum on Bowery and Prince st in Manhattan.

Co-curated by richard Flood and Benjamin Godsill, the exhibit displays the marriage of media, society and culture as seen in news publications embodied by art forms.

While the idea of printing the news has been a staple in society for centuries, it wasn’t until World War i that newspapers began to integrate the use of collages, paintings, and graphic design into their copy. running with that notion, “the Last Newspaper” reverses the concept of art supplementing the news into the notion of news becoming the art itself. the exhibit encourages patrons to participate in the interactive environment allotted for the captivating multi and mixed media art works. on the first floor, visitors are invited to create their own pieces inspired by the daily news by manipulating publications into collages on what the museum’s curators call, “the people’s board.” a type-writer is located at a communal desk nearby where the editors of the New City reader, a temporary

newspaper whose headquarters are located and are a part of the overall show, ask the public to write a letter to the editor to be published in their next edition.

Behind the desk and typewriter an evolutionary installation by Nate Lowman is displayed. each week the artist adds a new canvas to his delegated wall of images he finds in newspapers that capture his attention. images of Lindsay Lohan’s mug shot adorn affecting scenes of Muslim women tearfully pleading with government officials.

Lowman’s installation seems to comment on the unavoidable interplay between class race and gender as portrayed in the media — a theme that is continued throughout the exhibit. adrian Piper’s “Vanilla Nightmare” series speaks loudly on how race is incorporated with newspaper advertising; the artist covers pages of the New York times that she feels have overlooked racial issues with charcoal images of ghostly african american figures. adjacent to the charcoal drawings are sarah Lucas’ photocopy clippings entitled “Fat, Forty and Flabulous” in which the artist compiles a spread of the most exploitive combination of images and language

from British tabloid clippings in an attempt to point out the overt nudity and lewdness that is shoved in the public’s face on a daily basis. another enthralling piece in the show is dash snow’s “Untitled 2006” in which a collection of the New York Post’s front pages chronicling the downfall of saddam Hussein are splattered with the artist’s ejaculate and then dusted with glitter. although it is unlikely that snow intended to make a social commentary, the images of the now deceased dictator drowning in dried semen and glitter serve as a bold statement on the brutally glamorized nature of celebrity culture. “the Last Newspaper” also makes a strong comment on the future of print publication with the emergence and increased utilization of the internet as a means to obtain information. in a truly stunning work by Hans Haacke entitled “News,” a livewire feed of the news flows continuously from a typewriter. Up to the second news stories spill from the typewriter and form a sculptural mass on the floor behind it as the news keeps coming in. this concept, that the news will never stop, is implemented in “the Last star Ledger”, the fourth edition of the New City reader’s pub-

newmuseum.org

Adrian Piper’s “vanilla Nightmares #9” is featured within the exhibit.

lication, which declares, “a newspaper is never complete because news is never complete.” “the Last Newspaper” proposes the idea that newspapers have a stronger presence in society than what is believed. the exhibit presents materials that bode well for and encourage the continuation of printed news.

“We’re not nostalgic or alarmed

about [the history and future] of newspapers,” said co-curator richard Flood. “We’re not trying to forecast the end of newspapers, they’ll adapt. i have no doubt [that we’ll] always need newspaper. i do believe they’re the quickest way to get everything out there…once the circuit blows.” “the Last Newspaper” runs through Jan 9.

ARTS

November 10, 2010

9

127 Hours depicts the true story of climber Aron Ralston KIM buI assoCiate editor

in 127 Hours, the latest film by acclaimed director danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and actor James Franco (Pineapple Express, Howl) we learn the moving true story of mountain climber aron ralston (Franco) and his fight for survival. in 2003, ralston was hiking in the canyons of Utah one minute, and found himself pinned to the wall of one the next. With no one knowing of his whereabouts that day, any hope for being found was lost. an early morning hike for ralston began like any other. He packed his normal gear, along with his trusty camcorder and a multi-tool, replacing his usual swiss army knife, and headed to Blue John Canyon. encountering two other hikers on the trail who appear to be lost, Megan (amber tamblyn) and Kristi (Kate Mara) put their faith into ralston to lead them to their destination.

With a warm smile and thrill for the terrain, he takes them on a journey that only someone who knows the area like the back of their hand could show them.

Hiking through the canyons and exploring hidden caves, the three quickly form a bond before ralston finds himself breaking off to be in his

own world again. soon after, ralston finds himself climbing and loses his grip on a boulder, a boulder he would soon come to know all too well.

With his arm pinned against the wall, ralston is unable to free himself and thus begins the longest six days of his life, challenging his body, mind and ultimately testing his willpower and the will to live.

Predominantly filmed in the small crevice of a canyon, it is not easy to keep the setting and scenes from becoming tired or repetitious, but Boyle manages to make the secluded area a world of its own. “i thought it was an impossible adaptation was my first reaction,” writer Christian Colson said during a recent press conference on the film. “a beautiful book but enormously challenging to adapt.”

Colson continued, “the biggest single challenge of telling a story like this, which is it’s one guy in one place with no one to talk to for six days, facing almost certain death and actually magnify that problem rather than reduce it… and in order to do that, we’re going to have to develop a new grammar cinematically to keep motion and dynamism and interest and variation in the story.”

Using close range shots and even the point of view of ralston’s cam-

photo by KIM buI

left to right: Aron ralston, co-writer simon beaufoy and director Danny boyle discuss 127 Hours.

corder, the audience feels as trapped as ralston does. “there are a lot of contrasts in this movie,” Franco said. “there’s an incredibly intense situation, but there’s humor. the character is static, but the cameras and the technology they’re

using is cutting edge…they’re using the cameras to serve the film and to serve the experience. “one of the most common things that we hear is ‘i’ve never had a movie experience like that.’ it’s because you’re drawn into the character and

[that] really speaks to the way that [writer] simon [Beaufoy] and danny structured the script, told the story through behavior, and then, when the character does speak, it’s as if he’s

Continued on Page 11

Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls is an emotional journey for all audiences

quantrell Colbert/Lionsgate

Kerry Washington, Phylicia rashad and Anika Noni rose star in For Colored Girls.

HILDA ADENIJI diGitaL iLLUstrator

For Colored Girls expresses the collective tragic experiences of african-american women shared across many generations. the film is inspired by and strongly based around Ntozake shange’s off-Broadway production “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered suicide When the rainbow is enuf.”

tyler Perry’s movie adaption gathers a distinguished cast that includes Janet Jackson, Loretta devine, Michael ealy, Kimberly elise, omari Hardwick, Hill Harper, thandie Newton, Phylicia rashad, anika Noni rose, tessa thompson, Kerry Washington and Whoopi Goldberg. the movie interlaces the stories of nine different women and their various melodramatic lives. Keeping with the structure of

shange’s original piece, Perry integrates the series of 20 poems throughout the film with the character’s dialogue. the setting of the film is based on the theme of one of its poems titled “i Used to Live in the World.” in the poem a woman explains how her universe had shrunk into six blocks in Harlem. therefore the nine women mostly live and interact within these boundaries.

the film opens with the poem “dark Phrases” which introduces the nine women — Crystal, Gilda, tangie, Kelly, alice, Yasmine, Juanita, Jo and Nyla — as they each take a verse to narrate. the movie then proceeds to follow their individual stories as most of the women indirectly interact with one another. the paths of all nine women finally unite under unfortunate circumstances during Crystal’s poem “a Night with Beau Willie Brown.” the movie’s subjects and situations are occasionally brutal and very raw, making it an emotionally hard film to endure. the slight discomfort in the stories forces the viewer to have more identification and empathy with these nine women. the movie vividly addresses topics such as: rape, abuse, HiV, death, homosexuality, hyper-sexuality, infertility and molestation.

Perry manages to hit these topics while still keeping the characters relatable. despite the notable cast, all the acting was not as anticipated, but their performances were each decent enough to hold the movie. although Perry is famed for very dramatic and sometimes ridiculous movies and plays, For Colored Girls is surely different from his past features and is an enhancement to his directoral catalog.

Perry does a good job of integrating the poetry with dialogue, music and dance. in comparison to his Madea series, he also shows better character development despite the challenging story line. in all, For Colored Girls is great addition to shange’s original choreopoem. its messages continue to serve as inspirational for women of many generations.

ARTS

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November 10, 2010

Hemingway’s Garden of Eden fails to impress bEtHANY O’grADY staFF Writer

impawards.com

director John irvin adapted american author ernest Hemingway’s posthumously released novel “the Garden of eden” into a 111-minute feature length film entitled Hemingway’s Garden of Eden. the film, which stars Mena suvari of American Beauty fame, explores the relationship between a successful american writer, david Bourne (Jack Huston), and his wife Catherine (suvari), while the pair travel europe in the 1920s on their extended honeymoon. on holiday in spain and the French riviera, Catherine decides to test her husband’s devotion to her by inviting a dark haired italian girl, Marita (Caterina Murino), into their lives. When both Catherine and david fall in love with the woman, their once happy marriage deteriorates on the spot. it is often debated whether or not Hemingway intended to share “the Garden of eden” with the world — as it is likely the novel is semi-autobiographical. in any case, the book was well received at the time of its publication in 1986, 25 years after Hemingway’s suicide. despite implementing gorgeous coastal scenery that would ignite envy in any NYC dweller’s mind, the film adaptation fails to erect the erotic plot that is so passionately embedded within the pages of Hemingway’s original work. irvin’s film is rife with subpar acting and melodramatic dialogue. the producers boast that the plot is “erotically charged” when in reality it is trite and at times boring due to poor character development and scripting. throughout the duration of Hemingway’s Garden of Eden the cast’s performances make it feel as if the audience is watching a high school play. suvari, in particular, delivers her lines in such an air that forces the audience to almost cringe at her over-acting. although her character, Catherine, is endearingly referred to by her husband as “devil,” her demanding and pompous demeanor is

overtly distracting to the film at large.

Hemingway intended to present the slow fade of a dying marriage but irvin’s film seemingly refuses to achieve that. the dialogue is neglectful in allowing the audience to really invest any emotions in the characters on screen and the script is often pretentious and lacks a natural flow from scene to scene. the film jumps back and forth between what feels like two very different movies as david recalls parts of his childhood spent in africa.

Flashbacks of an elephant hunt interrupt the depiction of the weary three-way love affair between david, Catherine and Marita in a jarring manner. Had the flashbacks paralleled the ménage a tois storyline in some way, it might have served as the saving grace for the film.

Continually, as the film neared the end, the characters started employing the use of four letter expletives. the suddenly harsh jargon was not coherent with the rest of the film’s usually ostentatious dialogue. the soundtrack, however, was substantial and on par with the period depicted in irvin’s Hemingway’s Garden of Eden. the costuming was appropriate albeit resembling current fashion typical on the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Hemingway’s Garden of Eden is set to open in select theatres on dec 10.

Want to check out Hemingway’s Garden of Eden’s trailer?

Head on over to our website! www.pacepress.org

“Merry Wives of Windsor” makes its debut at the University NAzArY NEbELuK staFF Writer

shakespeare’s Globe theatre is bringing one of the great bard’s comedies to the University this autumn. “the Merry Wives of Windsor,” lampoons the shakespearean era middle class and has a great balance of word play and slapstick humor. the play acts as a good counterbalance to the gloom and doom of shakespeare’s other works that we may be more familiar with, such as “romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet.” the play tells two stories — of Knight John Falstaff and Mistress anne Page. Falstaff tries to woo two married women in the hope of using them as financial beneficiaries, while Mistress Page is wooed throughout the play by three suitors — slender, her father’s favorite, dr.

Caius, her mother’s favorite and Fenton, her favorite.

Much of the comedy comes

from the interaction between the two groups of people, who all know each other. emotions run high as Mister Ford believes his wife is actually cheating on him with Falstaff and the many suitors compete for Mistress Page’s affection. as egos and characters clash, some of the best humor in the english world emerges. the jokes, despite being 400 years old, are still funny and fresh. the play is a testament to shakespeare’s skill —that he could write both such stirring dramas and entertaining comedies. shakespeare’s Globe theatre does an excellent job in the production. they work tirelessly to preserve the bard’s works and make them appealing to new audiences. they ensure that we can still enjoy the hilarity after all these years. the companies’ actors are superb. each character is realistic and full of energy. No role is over acted and each member of the cast is

clearly giving it their all. shakespeare is particularly hard to do, as the lyricism of the iambic pentameter must be preserved while speaking, and the actors do it well. the pronunciation is spot on, as it should be. the play uses a lot of wordplay, relying on mispronunciations, misuse of words and even accents to provide humor. this production of “Merry Wives” succeeds triumphantly as it brings all the passion of the shakespeare Globe theatre to the University. the performance is a delightful part of the shakespeare at Pace initiative, which brought the University the acting Company’s “romeo and Juliet” earlier this semester.

More performances are schedule for the spring semester, with the next one being theater for a New audience’s “Merchant of Venice.” shakespeares-globe.org

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November 10, 2010

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Comedians show no fear on stage at Caroline’s for New York Comedy Festival NAtALIE gAvILANEs exeCUtiVe editor

the New York Comedy Festival kicked off with ‘Comics to Watch’ on Nov. 3 — featuring a buffet of up and coming stand up comedians whom really brought their best material. Held at the famous NYC comedy club, Caroline’s, the show’s host Christian Finnegan warmed up the crowd with classy jokes about adopting children before he introduced the first jokester, adam Newman.

Newman, known best for being a part of the College Humor show, opened gently hitting the crowd with “Jew” jokes. teaching an audience how to explain anne Frank to a 14year-old girl was a tough challenge, but by and large he accomplished it.

Preying on one’s own heritage is nothing new for stand up comedians, after all, the material has to come from somewhere. the audience was not surprised, but just laughed harder as his stab at the proverbial “grammar Nazi’s.”

Lemont Price, best known for his multiplatinum Cd Retaliation — dived right into black jokes concluding that he doesn’t trust black dudes with freckles — just kidding, of course. With no surprise, Price breezed right through jokes about President Barack obama and the real reason why he voted for him — because he is black. one comedian shined among the rest during this showcase — ali Wong. the asianamerican comedienne from san Francisco,

adam Newman

ali Wong like2laugh.com

Calif. focused on the realities of respect after sex and the real effect women have on men — anatomically speaking.

Harrison Greenbaum kept the momentum going and he also won the andy Kaufman award on Nov. 2. With his high-pitched voice, it is easy for someone to think about the questionable sexual orientation, but he quickly calmed the crowd’s concern by saying, “i may sound gay, but i’m straight.”

Christian Finnigan asiancdc.com

Comedienne sarah schaffer, who brought light to the almost believable tLC hit shows that shock you every sunday night like “tree Man” and “i didn’t Know i Was Pregnant.” she also delved into the loveable “tramp stamps,” and why quotations around a butterfly would make things just a bit ironic.

Jayne smith, best known for his work on “Flight of the Conchords,” ended the night on a high note about tiger Woods. His accepting

comedians.jokes.com

attitude about Woods cheating behavior was not only honest, but also convincing. although, he was not a fan of all of Woods’ mistresses, the punch lines about the now infamous golfer hit spot on. the ability to make people laugh on stage is comprised of no fear paired with maybe a couple of beers yet, these comics showed they have reason to call themselves ‘comics to watch.’

James Franco plays real life amputee Aron Ralston in raw biopic From Page 9 speaking right to the audience.”

Having the real footage that ralston recorded while in the canyon, Boyle, Franco and a select few were able to view the actual footage and live those days as ralston did. “[the video] was really fascinating because then you can explore what on earth this guy was doing down there, which is something we talked about a lot, is what it is that drives people like aron to push themselves nearer and nearer the edge of something, and challenge themselves more and more and more until they get to a place where they’re sort of walking a very dangerous edge,” Beaufoy said. “that was, to me, the most interesting part and what makes this screenplay more than just a story about an extraordinary man getting out of an extraordinary situation. it makes it accessible, [it is] a hope to everybody who watches it…which we could never have done without an incredible amount of trust from aron who was extremely open about where he was in his life at this time and his relationships with everybody in his life. and that, to me, was sort of [the] heart of the film — he trusted us, extraordinarily allowing us to portray some fairly difficult parts of people’s personalities,” Beaufoy continued.

With such heavy material, execution in both the acting and production were key to making the film what it is. the audience is with ralston every step of the way, right until he swallows the very last drop of the mere 50 milliliters of water he has for his survival.

“it’s a human being who’s been decimated and turned into a ghost,” ralston said about seeing himself on the footage recorded while in the canyon. “and that was so difficult for my mom to endure that i promised her that i would never share that publically. and she also understood that it would have a role in the telling of the story and things like sharing it with among a private group, who obviously were all very intimately connected with needing to replicate it. But that it was something that was just, first and foremost, for my loved ones, so in the end, that’s where it will stay.” although audiences may never get to see the real firsthand footage of ralston’s miraculous feat, the film and Franco’s performance will have you believing that you are watching the real tape, watching and waiting to see what happens to ralston. “i remember seeing Pineapple Express and thinking, ‘Whoa, great movie,’ but also thinking, ‘Wow, Franco, he’s got real range, hasn’t he?’” director danny Boyle said of Franco’s acting. “that was a key ingredient actually.”

With the material and the way that the script was written, ralston’s character and Franco’s personal portrayal of him “allowed [him] to explore the kind of further reaches of what’s happening to his mind and his thought process at the time.” it is always difficult when having to portray someone’s real life story, but Franco brings us into the shoes of ralston without difficulty. “i was attracted to the setup. i

mean, the amazing story and aron’s very incredible true story aside, just as a performer looking at a script — that was very exciting to me,” Franco said.

Franco was also able to meet with ralston to get to know the man behind the boulder.

“ What we had was a real way to just study what it is to be human, what’s important in our lives, what we hold onto from our outside life, and then, what pulls us out, and what really gives us strength.

-Aron Ralston, on his personal experience and its depiction in 127 Hours “aron asked me why i wanted to play this role, and i still believe this: i love the way that it strips down this character and this person, that everything that is familiar in our day to day lives with other people… just emotional dependence, everything that is familiar to us, and also just the daily activities that keep us from looking at ourselves in a very intimate way — all of that is taken away and it’s a man

alone. and it’s a man facing death,” Franco said. “and so, i imagined that— that what we had was a real way to just study what it is to be human, what’s important in our lives, what we hold onto from our outside life, and then, what pulls us out, and what really gives us strength.” “i think that’s one thing that danny has long said about this, [is that Franco] was the right guy,” ralston said on casting Franco. “He gets it, he wants to tell this story the way that i want it to be shared with that message, which is that, even if the results might have been different for any given person, whether you live or die or get out on the first day instead of the sixth day — that it’s. it’s still that, that we are, i think, unified in this being a human experience of really emphasizing, as James mentioned earlier, about what’s important in life.”

Not only having to find other ways to survive without food and water, ralston must also find a way to free his arm. intensely graphic and definitely not for the weak stomached, one scene depicts ralston, his arm, and a dull keychain knife that will have you on the edge of your seat and possibly watching it peering through your fingertips.

“We didn’t want to make it for a horror audience,” Boyle said. “We didn’t want to make it so that it was watchable by everybody. it was obviously going to be something that had to truly [reflect] his experience, and the key things in it are that it took aron over 40 minutes…and that it had a de-

gree of pain in it.”

“We decided that people would go through this as part of the experience of watching the film. and the euphoria or the exhilaration, the ecstasy you feel at the end of it is deeply earned because you, like him, have been through some kind of intense experience. “and that was always how we judged it. it’s done to the book, and it follows very carefully the book like that because there’s no one else, not even doctors who do it under very different circumstances. there’s no one else you can trust or who can teach you about it other than aron. so, it was aron’s voice,” Boyle said.

We see ralston at his worst. We feel his pain. We see him hanging onto his last moments of life, not knowing how it will all end. “it’s a chance to examine what life is about,” ralston said about the film and his experience in the canyon. “and for me, it was about relationships, how they sustained me while i was there, how they motivated me to get out of there, and how they built me back, as my friends and family did to getting through that second childhood and adolescence again. “and so, i do think that it does speak something to the human spirit.

But mostly, from not just the will to live, but from this idea of the will to love. that the reason that i did all of that, everything that i went through was to get back to my friends and my family. and i think that’s inside each and every one of us.”

127 Hours is currently out in select theatres.

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November 10, 2010

“Inside The Actor’s Studio” kicks off new season with Bradley Cooper KAtE HAMzIK CoPY editor

James Lipton welcomed Bradley Cooper to “inside the actors studio” on oct. 26, where they discussed Cooper’s film, television and stage work.

Lipton started the evening off by telling the audience that he often gets asked who he wants as a guest on the show, with his response being a student who has graduated from the actor’s studio drama school. Lipton stated, “the moment has arrived,” as Cooper graduated from the school in 2000.

Like any other episode of “inside the actors studio,” the interview began with Lipton asking Cooper about his childhood. Cooper talked about growing up Philadelphia, Penn. and his parents, who were in the audience.

Growing up in an italian family, Cooper liked to cook, “i was obsessed with dough and flour,” and that he, “definitely shied away from most artistic stuff.” He stated that the only drama he did in high school was, “try[ing] to impersonate my teachers.”

Cooper attended Villanova University his freshman year and then transferred to Georgetown University where he graduated with a degree in english in 1997. Lipton asked Cooper why he decided to apply to the New school’s MFa acting Program and Cooper responded, telling Lipton it was for a reason that he probably did not want to hear: “because [the school] had rolling admissions.”

“My time at this school was heaven,” Cooper said. Lipton stated that Cooper was known for his depths of research in the MFa acting Program. one of his professors from the acting Program, elizabeth Kemp,

was in the audience. to this day, he still goes to Kemp whenever he needs help working on a script.

While in the acting Program at the New school, Cooper appeared on episodes of “inside the actor’s studio.” “i rehearsed it for two weeks,” Cooper said in reference to asking sean Penn a question during Penn’s taping of “inside the actors studio.”

Cooper stated that one of the reasons he wanted to be an actor was robert de Niro. during de Niro’s taping of “inside the actors studio,” Cooper asked him a question. de Niro told Cooper the question that he asked him was a good one. “i held on to that for a long time,” Cooper said.

Cooper missed his graduation from the MFa Program because, as he put it, “i was having sex with Michael ian Black,” in reference to a scene in Wet Hot American Summer, the filming of which coincided with his graduation. after graduating, Cooper got a role on the television series, “alias,” as Will tippin. He stated that the cast of “alias” was, “a real ensemble.” one of Cooper’s first starring roles in a major motion picture was as Zachary ‘sack’ Lodge in Wedding Crashers.about Lodge, he said “He was like so many guys i knew in high school.” He also said that he knew the movie was going to be a big hit and that his co-star Vince Vaughn “is a force of nature.” in 2006, Cooper starred in the Broadway play “three days rain” with Julia roberts and Paul rudd. “oh fuck, how the fuck am i going to do this play?” he remembered wondering about the role. He also said that throughout rehearsal for the play he always thought he was going to get fired and that if “i don’t succeed in

this play i’m going to give up acting,” but that the play ended up being a,“life changing experience.” after starring in the play, actress ellen Burstyn invited Cooper to be a lifetime member of the actor’s studio. Lipton asked him what he likes in a director to which he said, “point of view” and that he does not like an “unprepared” director. Lipton also asked him how many takes he likes to do to which Cooper replied, “i love acting so you’re not going to get me complaining about another take.”

Lipton then asked Cooper about his most successful film to date, The Hangover. He stated the film originally was supposed to be about losing a friend to the mob and that his character was supposed to own a car dealership.

“We all became very close,” Cooper said about the cast of the film.

The Hangover is the highest grossing r-rated comedy of 2009 and has grossed over $400 million worldwide.

Cooper stated that the weekend the movie opened he kept getting phone calls that the movie was getting bigger and making more money. “then you get greedy and are like what about the second weekend,” Cooper said. “it was a rite of passage.”

For The A-Team, Cooper stated that he did not watch the television version to prepare but that “i’m a napper and i didn’t nap once during that movie. i had so much energy.” the audience also got a sneak peak of Cooper’s upcoming film, The Dark Fields, with de Niro. “i didn’t have to do a fucking thing, it was effortless working with [de Niro],” he said.

Lipton asked about The Hangover 2, which he is currently filming.

Cooper said, “i’m having a ball

imdb.com

[shooting the film],” and “all the key guys have returned.” Lipton then pointed out that Cooper’s Hangover co-star Justin Bartha was in the audience. then it came time for the acting students to ask Cooper their questions. one third year student in the MFa Program asked what advice Cooper would give to them seeing as they will

be graduating, to which he replied, “i hope you want it,” and that “great actors are everywhere.” another student asked what seduces him to a role. “i like a role where i feel an immediate connection to,” Cooper said. He was also asked how the MFa acting Program has been a part of his career. “it has been invaluable to me,” he said.

The Narrative wins over fans with their self-titled album brIAN rENtAs arts editor

the Narrative, a New Yorkbased indie pop band, released their self-titled debut full length this July.

Having a rather eventful fall and winter season — opening for Fred Mascherino’s the terrible things during CMJ 2010 as well as touring with the secret Handshake and a Cursive Memory — the three-piece has already proven themselves to a rather large audience. the album starts off with “Fade,” which is easily one of the more widely appealing songs off the album.

Vocalist suzie Zeldin’s quiet yet powerful voice charms her listeners with the very first note of the song — adding the gentle keys that drive the song and the Cd starts off on a high note.

With lyrics reminding the listener of any strained past relationships (“and drinking is no excuse/it’s an easy one to use when

lack of self control has left you making poor decisions for yourself…. if we don’t leave now, we will break/we will falter, we will fade.”) the album segues into “Cherry red,” which brings in the band’s second vocalist, Jesse Gabriel, who also plays guitars.

While Zeldin’s vocals tend to lean into whimsical territory, Gabriel’s vocals are less quirky but

are still a welcome addition to the band’s sound. the highlights of the album are when Zeldin and Gabriel both share the spotlight in terms of vocals — while there are a few songs where only one of the vocalists take the position of lead vocals, their voices mesh so well that the listener starts to wonder why they don’t share lead vocals more often. the album continues on with

the indie-pop sound that definitely works for the band — while remaining catchy and pop-oriented, the Narrative doesn’t sound like just another band in their genre, and it intrigues the listener to keep listening, as the album progresses rather well.

With diversified song styles, like the ballad “don’t Want to Fall” and the rather angry break-up song “starving For attention,” the Nar-

rative shows some great potential through their different songs, and for the most part, they all work. the Narrative is set to explode within the near future — make sure you pay attention to this band, as you’ll hear some great things about them very soon.

For more information on the Narrative, be sure to visit their website: myspace.com/thenarrative.

myspace.com/thenarrative

November 10, 2010

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The real reason why New York is the city that never sleeps The issue of noise pollution in the boroughs keeps New Yorkers up even later at night stEPHANIE HANsEN staFF Writer

the city that never sleeps is also one that never shuts up. NYC is famous for being lively and bustling, but it also leaves some residents complaining about the noise. according to Nyc.gov, “noise is the number one complaint in New York City.” NYC has many sources for noise pollution such as construction, boats, helicopters, factories, airplanes, bars, clubs and neighbors.

NYC residents can dial 3-1-1 for government information and non-emergency services, but what residents might not realize is that it can take police up to eight hours to respond to a noise complaint. a huge problem in a big city like NYC is that people live above bars that stay open until 4 a.m., things are constantly being built, taken down, being renovated and neighbors fail to understand the concept of thin walls. “the noise in NYC is a significant problem and there is little done about it. When i lived on the Upper West side i had to call 311 at 1 a.m. due to the noise outside. i was kept awake with the noise for hours and i don’t think police ever came because it was not an emergency,” junior Jessica Welborn said about the noise problem.

Noise pollution is not only annoying, but can cause stress-related health problems like hypertension and high blood pressure.

“Welcome to living in a city, [you] should [have] considered that when you chose a place to live. the city is loud. Get used to it,” junior ryan LaMarca said. in 2009, 311 released neighborhood statis-

digital illustration by HILDA ADENIJI

tics regarding noise complaints. the information released contained the percentage of complaints per 10,000 residents in neighborhoods divided by community board for each borough. the highest percentage in Manhattan was 164.72 percent in inwood and Washington Heights, community board 12. in the Hunt’s Point section of the Bronx, community board two, it was 142.02 percent.

in Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, community board eight, it was 152.8 percent in and in Queens the highest was 103.56 percent in Long island City, community board 17. the website Passiveagressivenotes.com features notes from angry people and although not all pertain to noise complaints, the ones that are on the website all seem to be from people who live in NYC.

a few of the people who have notes on the website include a fed up neighbor leaving a note for a bad flute player in her building, and another complaining about a neighbor calling escorts and then not answering the door.

Noise pollution is a never-ending problem in NYC and even with many laws in effect about noise pollution it still seems impossible to control.

Stewart and Colbert team up to restore sanity and keep fear with success NAzArY NEbELuK staFF Writer

over 21,500 people descended on the National Mall in Washington, d.C. oct. 30 to attend Jon stewart and stephen Colbert’s rally to restore sanity/March to Keep Fear alive. the rally was seen as a response to Glenn Beck’s rally to restore Honor held in august. stewart denied this, saying the rally was suppose to be non-partisan and have no political agenda. the rally received a lot of mixed responses.

Brooklyn resident stefan stawnychy called the rally “a much needed breath of fresh air amid the vitriolic discourse and fear-mongering that has replaced rational dialogue on most cable news networks.” the first was Colbert, claiming that stewart was doing america a disservice and that fear needed to be kept alive. therefore, he announced his own counter-rally the March to Keep Fear alive. the two were ultimately combined into one rally. arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post was a major supporter of the rally. she announced on “the daily show with John stewart” that The Huffington Post would transport as many peo-

ple as possible to the rally from the New York metropolitan area. the sign-up was discontinued after a little over a week after the announcement. The Huffington Post ended up getting over 200 buses and transporting close to 10,000 people to Washington, d.C. and back. attendees of the rally came from a wide range of demographics. stewart quipped, “Here is represented a perfect demographic breakdown of the U.s., i can’t believe this happened.” Most of the attendees seemed to be college students — stewart’s key demographic. the rally was full of signs displaying people’s political views, with some calling for the statehood of Washington, d.C. and others calling the war insane. others invoked stewart’s satire and made signs proclaiming “God Hates Figs” and “i’m with that man of reasonably average intelligence.” the rally started at noon on a stage in front of the Capitol Building. the roots played an opening and then had John Legend join them for songs such as “God 2.0.” then Mythbusters took the stage to do a few experiments with the crowd. one of them attempted to start an earthquake and measure the

Continued on Page 15

all photos courtesy of comedycentral.com

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November 10, 2010

October hosts traditional Indian Festival Karwa Chauth Annual celebration honors the “pure bond” of marriage and brings good husbands ruvEENA vIrK staFF Writer

India is a country known for its richness in culture, tradition and year-round festivities. The traditional festival Karwa Chauth, which was celebrated Oct. 15, showcases the “pure bond” of marriage. It is full of light, color and plenty of henna.

India is often called the “Land of Religions,” for the numerous religions that are practiced throughout the country. A common significance is placed on marriage across these religions.

On Karwa Chauth, married women pray and fast for their husband’s longevity, prosperity and well-being. It is mostly practiced by women in North Indian states such as Punjab, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

A fast is also observed by single women who believe it will bring them a good husband. The fast lasts all day, starting before sunrise and ending after prayers are offered to the moon. During this time, women cannot eat or drink anything, not even a sip of water.

The preparations for the “Karwa Chaut,” or fast, begins a day before as married women buy the shringar, or adornments, and items for the prayer. The shringar includes a new sari or Salwaar Kamiz, a bindi, a decoration worn on the forehead in

the form of a dot or other design, golden jewelry and glass bangles, henna, make-up and, most importantly, a Sindoor.

These are all things that represent a women’s marital status.

A Sindoor, or vermillion, is used to fill the bride’s maang, or middle parting of hair on the head, by the groom during marriage.

The vermillion is very important, because if it is placed by a man onto a woman’s head, they are then considered to be married.

The pooja, or prayer, items include a decorated plate,called a thali, a strand of red thread, Sindoor, various sweets, money for charity, Karwa or a metal or clay pot containing water and a small diva or lamp.

On the morning of Karwa Chauth, the women wake up at 4 a.m. to bathe, drink and eat before sunrise. Freshly prepared food, especially potatoes and bread are consumed. Non-vegetarian food is avoided and no food or liquid is consumed after sunrise.

The women spend the rest of the day in anticipation of the moon. To entertain themselves they visit friends and relatives, adorn their hands and feet with henna, dress in saris, jewelry and make up and prepare themselves for mid-day prayers.

The prayer is done around 4 or 5 p.m. before sundown.

The women cover their heads and light a small lamp. They fill

the Karwa pot with water and tie the top of it with a red knot.

The eldest woman leads the prayer, in which she tells the Katha, or story, of Karwa Chauth.

The women then pass around their thalis and repeat a series of prayers. In the end they ask each other, “What did I get?” In answer they say, “Milk, husband and son.” The lamp is left to go out alone, for it now symbolizes their husband’s life.

When the moon is seen, the women head outside to the street or balconies to pray. They take a sieve and place the lamp inside it. Then, the women sees the reflection of the moon through the sieve, pours water on the ground seven times and then look through it to see the reflection of her husband.

The husband then feeds the wife water from the Karwa pot and some sweets, and the fast is broken. The fast of Karwa Chauth originates from Hindi religion, which believes that the husband is the “God figure” for the wife.

This comes from a time when the husband was the only source of support for the wife and had ultimate control over her.

Karwa Chauth is still practiced within modern homes and its meaning shows the love and respect that a wife has for her husband, even if she does not believe in its “magic.”

Studies show you can improve your memory three times a day Positive impacts for studying and recall include citrus fruits and instrumental music vIbHA sOLANKI staFF Writer

Midterm season is upon us. it is getting cold outside and many students always grow exhausted needing helpful hints on how to cram. there are some University medical studies which demonstrate that there are methods to help increase the intake of information to “stick” in one’s memory capacity. according to a study conducted by doctor richard C. Mohs, at the Mount sinai school of Medicine, there are three distinct strategies to build memory while studying. the steps include practicing active recall during learning periodic reviews of the material and by over learning the material beyond the point of bare mastery. according to University rankings, the top five foods that increase memory that impact studying effectiveness are fish as it is rich in omega- 3 fatty acids, which are the primary components of the brain and also help boost energy, enhance learning ability, boost memory and improve problem-solving skills. eat soy to amp your memory, as it impacts brain development, improves cognitive function and memory recall.

By snacking on citrus fruits it will have a positive impact on the brain and will help you recall information quickly. Fruits such as berries also boost brain power due to its antioxidant content. When studying eat lots of salads as they also help fuel the brain. “i take really good notes which help me when it’s time to study. i rewrite my notes over and over again and it sticks in my head. in addition to this, i also do a chapter outline. once i write it, it’s pretty much in my head,” junior Jacqueline M. alves said. according to eHow.com, the top three strategies include eliminating distraction, listening to relaxing instrumental music and studying at a table rather then a comfortable bed.

the game of Memory: Are your study habits helping or harming you?

photo illustration by HILDA ADENIJI

to make the information stick, re-copy your notes to learn and process the studied information even more. do not forget to take 20 minute breaks to refresh your brain.

“When i am studying i try to relate new phrases or definitions to things that are happening in my life and things i am familiar with. “if i’m studying for spanish for example, and i am trying to remember vocabulary i will take the word and connect it to a similar word in english and make a comparison between the definitions,” junior roxanne suder said. a study conducted at the University of North Carolina showed that memory is impacted by music. Music improves the recall of information. the study proved that music recall is effective due to the transfer of a response learned by one stimulus to a similar stimulus.

Music has been found to affect iQ, creative ability and other cognitive functions by affecting arousal and mood.

“For me music is the most effective element in studying. there are certain songs i listen to that are generally upbeat. Music helps me tune out distractions as well as remember things. “a certain song can help me remember certain things. i can associate a certain song with a topic as i can make some sort of correlation.

“For example, Kanye West’s Stronger helps me to remember the elements in the periodic table and helps me remember its specific function,” senior Catina Platel said. so when finals come around next month, do not be stressed, next time crank up the music when studying up for your hardest subject. according to University rankings, there is a list of top twenty foods that increase memory that impact studying effectiveness.

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November 10, 2010

15

photos by sierra Chandler

A few of the many humorous signs made by attendees spotted at the rally.

From Page 13 groundswell created by the crowd when they all jumped in unison. stewart and Colbert took the stage in persona to talk about the rally and have various musicians perform for them. ozzy osbourne played “Crazy train” for Colbert and Yusuf islam (formerly known as Cat stevens) played “Peace train” for stewart. Ultimately, the two agreed on “Love train” by the o’Jays.

after the songs, Colbert challenged stewart to a “Formidable opponent” — a segment of stewart’s show. the two argued over the role of fear in the media and the need for rational discourse. at one point, Colbert claimed to have “killed” stewart with fear, only to have John oliver come on stage dressed as Peter Pan to get the rally’s help in “saving” stewart. the rally ended with stewart delivering a speech he had written the night before “from the heart.” He called for clear and rational discourse between both parties and the media, say-

ing, “When we amplify everything, we hear nothing.”

Freshman sierra Chandler said “a lot of it was comedy and good times but the message was clear, especially when Jon stewart went up to close the rally. He got serious and got right into the heart of why we were all there” Brooklyn College freshman alan Kruchin said, “i’ve never been to a perfect event; but the rally had it all — musical performances by legends, an aura of humility and intelligence and hundreds of thousands of people who were just...friendly.”

November 10, 2010

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FEATURES

Four Loko beverage can do Harry Potter’s Quidditch played more than cause a hangover by “muggles” as a college sport MEL bAILEY staFF Writer

An alcoholic energy drink that includes the ingredients caffeine, taurine, guarana and alcohol, known as Four Loko, has hit the public hard, causing hangovers for all involved.

Four Loko was created by Phusion Products LLC, which also distributes of the alcoholic beverages Four MaXed and Earthquake. It is currently sold in more than 45 states.

Four Loko was first introduced in August 2008 and is sold in a 23.5 ounce can with six to 12 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). Currently it is available in eight flavors: orange, fruit punch, lemonade, cranberry lemonade, uva (grape), watermelon, blue raspberry and lemon lime.

“The one I had was grape, it was like ‘yuck.’

I didn’t really like it because it’s like an upper and downer in one drink. I just think it’s dangerous; it’s a dangerous drink. Your heart races with the [combination of] caffeine and alcohol,” junior John Gulinello said.

The caffeine content within the beverage is undisclosed, although the Phusion Company website states, “Four Loko has roughly the same amount of caffeine as a tall Starbucks coffee.”

The drinks are sold in a number of drug stores, markets and deli’s around the country, including stores within walking distance from the University.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine conducted a study stating that students consuming energy drinks with alcohol were more likely to be injured, be involved in nonconsensual sex or ride with a drunk driver.

When drinking alcoholic beverages the body decreases its energy level, making one more susceptible to become drunk. In adding caffeine, however, energy levels are sustained, causing one’s body to mask the affect of alcohol.

"I had all the flavors, but blue raspberry is my favorite. I would recommend Four Loko to others, but they should drink it with caution as it is mixed with caffeine and it makes me hyper when I drink it too fast,” senior Nick Yanessa said.

The four ingredients that make you

“loko”: Caffeine Taurine Guarana Wormwood (an active alcohol ingredient) Four Loko has been not loved by all though, as it has been popularly nicknamed “liquid cocaine” or “blackout in a can” by Facebook groups and anti-Four Loko advocates.

Since Four Loko has not disclosed the entirety of its ingredients to the public, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) performed an investigation to discover all active ingredients of the drinks.

The Phusion Company and Four Loko drink are still currently under investigation and as of yet have not released ingredient specific details.

"I've had the raspberry lemonade flavor. It tastes good until you get half way through it, then it just tastes like liquored up beer. I wouldn’t recommend it to others because it's very unhealthy: when you drink it, you're giving your body an intense amount of chemicals in a short amount of time so it makes your body work harder than what its used to. I don’t really drink them,” junior Edwin Perez said.

stEPHANIE bOuvIA staFF Writer

the game Quidditch popularized by the “Harry Potter” books is not just a fantasy anymore. this “sport” is now played on the ground, by hundreds of high school and college students across the nation. developed at Middlebury College in Vermont by student xander Manshel, the international Quidditch association is an organization that hosts games and tournaments. according to the association, there are 29 active teams and 34 in the process of forming. Harvard University, Boston University and ithaca College are just a few schools that offer the sport. the association also holds the annual Quidditch World Cup, for high school and college students. this year’s World Cup will be in NYC on Nov. 13 and 14. approximately 50 teams will compete on four fields over the course of two days. the event is free and open to the public. the games will take place at dewitt Clinton Park at 52nd street and 11th avenue in Manhattan. although this fad seems to have caught on with many other students, sophomore Kyle

digital illustration bY HILDA ADENIJI

o’Kane is skeptical. o’Kane said, “i think its [Quidditch] a bit ridiculous. there’s a fine line between fantasy and reality and that line is crossed when ivy League college students are personifying witches and wizards. “as much as i’d love to run around in a darth Vader outfit swinging my light saber at unsuspecting victims, i’d also like to maintain whatever’s left of my

dignity,” o’Kane said. some students, however, find the idea intriguing. “i think [Quidditch] is pretty cool,” sophomore Hayley Johnson said. “[the PLV campus] might be able to get one but i don’t really see one coming up here… i don’t know where it could happen due to our lack of campus,” Johnson said, on the subject of a possible Quidditch team at the University.

The rules of the game are all listed in the handbook on the

International Quidditch Association’s website.

Game play is as follows: 1. Two teams of seven play against each other in an open field.

2. There are three “chasers,” who shoot a ball (usually a volleyball or a basketball) through the opposite team’s three hoops to score.

3. There is one “keeper,” who acts as the goalie for their team’s three hoops.

4. There are two “beaters,” who stand in opposite corners of the field and throw (or serve with a tennis racket) two “bludgers” (foam balls) at the members of the opposite team.

5. There is a “seeker,” who attempts to find the golden snitch.

6. There is a “snitch runner,” who is not a member of either team.

This person dresses in yellow and holds the snitch (a small ball, usually a ping-pong ball). The snitch runner runs around the field and tries to avoid being caught by the seeker.

7. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible and to catch the snitch.

digital illustration by HILDA ADENIJI

8. Once the snitch is caught, the game ends and the points are tallied up. The team with the most points in the end wins.