vol105issue17

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Volume 105 No. 17

Discovering ordinary American stories with ‘This American Life’.

Page 9

Women Can Be Funny, Too Feminist Regina Barreca proves women can be funny, they do, in fact, have a sense of humor and a laugh hearty enough to compete with men.

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Finkelstein Discusses Israel’s Motives

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Tuition Hike Likely to Offset Budget Cuts

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

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Geoffrey Lewis

TONyA MALiNOWSKi Staff Writer

CCSU President Jack Miller confirmed Wednesday that there will in fact be a tuition increase for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Though the exact percentage is still being negotiated, the tuition hike will come as a direct result of the dramatic budget cuts the Connecticut State University system is facing.

“We have to do the very best we can to hold it to a reasonable number,” said President Miller, “but it’s safe to say there will be some tuition increase.”

The Hartford Courant reported on December 28 that Connecticut State University Chancellor, David G. Carter, proposed waiving the 15 percent cap on tuition increases if the budget is cut 10 percent or more.

“I’ve been in higher education for 35 years, in five different states,” President Miller said, “and this has the potential for being the worst I’ve ever seen.”

To help ease the blow on students from middle and low-income families, President Miller promises financial aid will not decrease.

“A substantial part of whatever the increase is would go back to fi-

nancial aid to help people pay for that increase,” he said.

If Governor Jodi Rell’s budget is enacted, the CSU system schools will each suffer a five-percent budget cut for the current year, and another five next year.

In addition to the cut, Rell suggests 295 full-time positions be eliminated by the end of the 2011 fiscal year.

The CCSU tuition, which has increased 47 percent since spring 2003, just saw a 4 percent hike before the start of this academic year.

See Tuition Hike Page 3

Shepard’s Mother Encourages Awareness

Judy Shepard Advocates for Openness of Mind and Civil Rights ChARLES DESROChERS Staff Writer

Judy Shepard of the Matthew Shepard Foundation gave a speech to discuss gay rights while relating it to the death of her son and advised people who aren’t sure how to open up about being gay.

The Alumni hall was packed with people who came to see Matthew Shepard’s mother tell her story, which was put on by CCSU along with President Miller and P.R.I.DE. “You must tell your stories or else people will go back to the stereotypes,” Shepard warned.

Shepard said that the word “gay” can be used as a derogatory word, yet people usually get away with it without repercussions.

“This is a civil rights issue, plain and simple,” said Shepard.

Matthew Shepard, who died at the age of 21, was tortured and beaten

by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, who both later received life sentences in prison. Shepard met the two one night in October, 1998 in a bar in Laramie, Wyo. and was kid-

www.windycityqueercast.com

Judy Shepard napped. Shepard was beaten into a coma and tied to a fence to die. After he was discovered 18 hours later, he laid in a hospital bed for days where he died after receiving life support.

Judy Shepard described the sight of her son lying in a hospital bed with bandages all over him and tubes running throughout his body. She told of the hours spent by Matthews bedside and the pain that Matthew’s younger brother Logan was going through seeing his brother struggling to live.

Shepard encouraged the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer members of the audience to tell friends and family or they run the risk of outing by someone else. She said if she and her husband Dennis were

told Matthew was gay the day of the incident it would have killed them because they would have known that Matthew didn’t feel he could open up to his family.

“That’s the way you make change, by educating people on what you don’t have,” said Shepard. She encouraged each LGBTQ person to educate others and become a spokesperson for the LGBTQ community on every level, at home, school, or the office.

Shepard said that Matthew at first said he would have taken a pill so he didn’t have to be different, but later decided it wasn’t true and that he loved his life the way it was.

“That’s the best thing you can do is be you,” said Shepard.

Shepard told the LGBTQ members of the audience that they needed to remind their families that they’re gay because friends and family may tend to forget. She told them to expose themselves for who they truly were to their friends and family and use that awareness to push for civil rights.

See Shepard’s Mother Page 3

Norman Finkelstein addressed Founders Hall last Thursday to discuss his side of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

Finkelstein, who is known for MiChAEL WALSh his anti-Israeli viewpoints, claimed Asst. Entertainment that what happened to Gaza was the The tragedies in Gaza have inevitable aftermath of what hapbeen impossible not to notice in the pened in Lebanon in 2006.

“It had nothing to do with elecpast few years.

Norman Finkelstein spoke in tions,” Finkelstein said.

Finkelstein likened the recent front of a full house in Founders Hall on the CCSU campus last Thursday conflict to something as unfair as “a about state terrorism in the Middle Sherman tank rolling through a East, including the recent massacre schoolyard and blowtorching the in Gaza, as Finkelstein referred to the kids.”

When asked about what Israel’s these events.

In addition to clarifying what end goal could be, Finkelstein offered happened during that “awful day”, up the difference between the Israeli’s the well known American political ideal and practical solutions.

“Ideal is that the Arabs just vanscientist, who specializes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, also de- ish. Practical is probably, among sevtailed the history of the conflict and eral possibilities, to keep pounding events leading up to where things are them enough to abject submission,” said Finkelstein. today.

Other possibilities Finkelstein “The Palestinians have a stronger case than Israel to resort to self- mentioned as Israel’s goals included conditions intolerable defense,” Finkelstein said to an eager making crowd in reference to Israel’s “self- enough that over time the Palestinians defense” explanation of their gradually leave.

Finkelstein didn’t hold back on December attack in Gaza. “That’s criticism of other voices on the situacommon sense.”

See Finkelstein Page 3

This Issue Opinion Page 4

Sports Page 16

Art in New Britain The hardware city could be the perfect place for an arts Connecticut’s rejuvenation and space to give to artists.

Download The Recorder PDF every Wednesday at therecorder.tumblr.com

Hockey Takes Home Holy Cross, NYU Wins

A New Hope for Women’s Basketball Page 7

News

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Recorder

Student Center 1615 Stanley Street New Britain, CT 06050 T 860.832.3744 F 860.832.3747 ccsurecorder@gmail.com therecorder.tumblr.com twitter.com/therecorder Editor-in-Chief Melissa Traynor Managing Editor Peter Collin Art Director Geoffrey Lewis Associate Layout Editor Crystal Maher Photo Editor Edward Gaug Copy Editor Colette Gallacher News Editor Matt Kiernan Asst. News Ariana Valentin Entertainment Editor Jason Cunningham Asst. Entertainment Michael Walsh Nick Viccione Lifestyles Editor Karyn Danforth Sports Editor Kyle Dorau Asst. Sports Christopher Boulay Opinion Editor Marissa Blaszko Asst. Opinion Shauna Simeone Web Editor John Vignali

Staff Steve Packnick P.J. Decoteau Sean Fenwick Mike D’Avino Hale Yalincak Kareem Mohamed Dan Dinunzio Tonya Malinowski Charles Desrochers Mike Theodore

About

The Recorder is a studentproduced publication of Central Connecticut State University and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of CCSU’s administrators, faculty or students. The Recorder articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Recorder and may not be reproduced or published without the written permission from the Editor-in-Chief. The purpose of The Recorder is to approach and define issues of importance to the students of Central Connecticut State University.

Meetings for The Recorder are held on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. in The Recorder office.

Moving Forward After the NIU Shooting David Thomas, Michael Brown and Katie Trusk

Northern Star | Northern Illinois University

(UWIRE) – Loud noises may trigger emotions and memories for Lindsay Ullmann. Today, the senior probability and statistics major at Northern Illinois University, said she is more aware of her surroundings.

Whenever Briana Palmer sits in a large classroom, she gets nervous and anxious. Late arrivals make her more uneasy. She said she’s also transported back to that day if she retraces her route out of Cole Hall.

Lately, she added, the cold weather has been reminding her, too.

Tim Godsey, a senior geography major who happened to skip class that day because he knew the topics covered, does not experience flashbacks like some of the others, but he feels for his classmates and continues to live with survivor’s guilt.

One year ago, the spring class of geology 104 became known to the world. The members of the lecturestyle class had gone from a list of names on a roll call sheet to a series of faces on the news after an NIU graduate student walked into their 200-student oceanography class where he shot and killed six, including himself, and wounded 18.

As they continue to blend back into society they are healing in their own ways and embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Harold Ng, who received head wounds, finds it strange that so many people recognize him, even though he does not know who they are and described his life right now as being “kinda like paparazzi or even some sort of local celebrity.”

As he was sitting in Neptune Central that day being treated for his wounds, he had a smile on his face as he joked with a few of his friends.

After being seriously asked what else he needed, he said, “PlayStation 3” with a smirk.

“It is also weird to have so many people want to talk to me and get my account of what happened that day,” Ng said.

Daniel Ciamprone, a sophomore journalism major, didn’t want the shootings to dictate his actions.

“I tried to stay the same and not let the incident change my life,” he said. “It was important for me to survive not only in the classroom but then afterward in everyday life.”

“I definitely thought about it in the weeks after – I went through my own ways of healing,” he said. “I replayed it in my head and thought about the victims, but I didn’t dwell on it too long. I didn’t want it to weigh me down.”

Despite her memories at times, Ullmann said that she doesn’t want anyone to pity her or to feel sorry for her having been in Cole Hall Feb. 14, 2008.

“I am moving forward,” Ullmann said. “I have little setbacks here and there, but I am moving forward. I’ve definitely made progress from a year ago.”

Palmer said the help she received in the days and weeks following the shooting has allowed the sophomore undecided major to cope.

“I think of something that makes me happy,” Palmer said. “My friends [and] my family, my interests in studying overseas.”

But it wasn’t just her loved ones that reached out to her. Palmer said she has received help from people she did not expect would help.

“Everyone here has shown kindness,” Palmer said.

Ullmann said the tragedy bonded her to the school and the community. She made three close friends who were in the classroom at the time

Photo: The Northern Star / Northern Illinois University

NIU mourns the loss of six students as a result of the Feb. 14, 2008 shooting.

of the shootings, and she moves forward with pride.

“I wear my NIU clothes because I’m proud of my school,” Ullmann said. “I feel a closer connection to the school. There was a huge outpouring of support.”

Many students said they now take more time to what’s important

in life. Ullmann values more time with her family.

The events of that day have renewed Palmer’s determination to study abroad in Japan and China.

“It made me realize that I want to achieve my dreams,” Palmer said, adding that she will be studying in

China over the summer and will then spend a year in Japan.

Like the others, Palmer has embraced “carpe diem” as her motto.

“You never know what can happen, so I’m living my life to the best and fullest that I can,” Palmer said.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / NEWS

Tuition Hike Likely to Offset Budget Cuts Continued from page 1

Student Government Association President, Alexander Estrom, said that raising the cost of college for students will not compensate for the amount of money lost due to budget cuts, however, and could end up pricing many students out of the opportunity to return next semester.

“Our financial aid needed improvement in the best of times, it certainly needs improvement now,” Estrom said. “That is not consistent with Governor Rell’s ideals. From what I can tell, Governor Rell is interested in keeping financial aid where it’s at.”

The University of Connecticut has delayed action on a proposal to raise tuition 8.7 percent at the request of Governor Jodi Rell, who also issued a press release on Feb. 9 re-

questing the Board of Trustees defer from any discussion about tuition increases.

In a Dean’s meeting with the Arts and Humanities chairs, a departmental budget cut of 10 percent was announced for the current fiscal year, with word of 20 percent next year. Internships and independent studies will face harsh curtailing, and low-enrolled classes will be carefully scrutinized.

“I think we will weather the storm,” said Dr. Laura Tordenti, Vice President of Student Affairs, “but it will mean changing the way we deliver programs.”

President Miller said to avoid a direct impact on course offerings, professors should not expect layoffs, but administrative positions are not being refilled as they are vacated.

The budget report, to be sent to the Board of Trustees for approval in midMarch, will raise issues of priority amongst programs and services on campus.

The Student Government Association feels that programs and services that will benefit CCSU as a whole, such as funds for career fairs, should remain untouched.

Tordenti said the focus of Student Affairs, however, will be to preserve services that maintain health and counseling to students, such as the Counseling and Wellness center and security in residence halls.

“These are the kind of times that demand that we rise to the occasion and be more resourceful than ever,” Tordenti said.

“It might be beneficial in helping us find more creative ways to deliver programs.”

Shepard’s Mother

Continued from page 1

Matthew was a student at the University of Wyoming and majored in political science after having years of interest in current events and politics. Shepard’s mother said this started when he was a child and was described as a bright individual who was accepting of everyone.

“He knew that judging and stereotyping was a loss of an opportunity,” said Shepard.

“What makes us individuals is how we live our lives,” said Shepard. Shepard also said that same-sex couples should have the right to get married and that it’s no different from any other marriage.

Shepard said that she didn’t blame Henderson and McKinney for the death of her son, but blamed society for making people think it was fine to commit such crimes.

Finkelstein Discusses Israel’s Motives Continued from page 1

tion. He criticized columnist Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, who referred to Israel’s actions in 2006 as “educating Hamas”.

“That’s called terrorism,” said Finkelstein.

The controversial speaker wasn’t without his combatants. Dniety Schachar Siman-Tov, who claimed to be a former professor at the University of Haifa in Israel, spoke up during the early portions of Finkelstein’s lecture, raising the tensions in the room.

When Siman-Tov received the chance to speak during the question and answer portion of the event, she was met with a restless crowd who eventually drowned her out. Siman-Tov was upset with the way Finkelstein portrayed Israelis as “monsters”.

Finkelstein touched on issues closer to home when he brought up the new Obama administration. He said that the recent statements made by President Obama concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were “very discouraging.”

According to Finkelstein, President Obama says they will always defend Israel’s right to defend themselves against legitimate threats.

“Don’t Palestinians have the right to defend themselves from people who steal their land?” Finkelstein questioned. “Should we disarm Hamas so next time the kill/death ratio is 1300 to 0?” asked Finkelstein.

Kaylin Brennan, a senior at Bacon Academy in Colchester, went to the lecture on her own after a teacher suggested the event to her class.

“I really feel uneducated sometimes,” Brennan said of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“I wanted to learn about what’s going on.”

Dr. Evelyn Newman Phillips, director of international studies and anthropology at CCSU, was one of the professors responsible for bringing Finkelstein to campus as part of the continuing state terrorism lecture series.

Phillips cited Finkelstein’s experience and reputation as why they brought him here.

“His research is very in-depth and thorough,” said Phillips.

Author Mark Perry, foreign policy analyst and Co-Director of Conflicts Forum of Washington D.C. and Beirut, Lebanon, will be the next speaker to talk about the issue in Gaza with a program entitled “After Gaza: The Catastrophic Status of the Israeli-Palestinian

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

HEALTHY ADULT MEN NEEDED FOR ALCOHOL STUDY

Healthy males, 21-45 years old, with no history of substance dependence or psychiatric illness, are needed for a UConn Health Center study to evaluate whether the effects of an FDA approved medication, dutasteride, and genetic variation modify the effects of a moderate dose of alcohol. Although dutasteride (Avodart TM) is FDA approved for the treatment of bladder problems in men with an enlarged prostate, it is not FDA approved for the purpose of this study.

The study involves blood samples, interviews, questionnaires, and four 9-hour sessions where you will be asked to consume placebo or alcohol drinks (containing the equivalent of 4-6 standardized alcohol beverages, based on your body weight). 24 days prior to each alcohol session you will attend a brief office visit to take dutasteride or matching placebo capsules. $485 paid for full participation.

For information call 860-679-4186 or go to www.uchcalcoholstudy.com (refer to study #2) IRB# 06-218-2 Approved on 2/11/08; Valid Through 3/10/09; CCSU HSC Approved 4/18/08

Life is pretty dull without comic artists.

Contact us at ccsurecorder@gmail.com and make life good again.

4 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Editorial

Editorial/Opinion

Taking Advantage of the Opportunity to Change Minds Riflery and Marksmanship Club Could Promote Rosier Outlook On Guns Although gun control has been a highly disputed topic, it certainly isn’t as hot button as it was just a few years ago, when the second George Bush ran for reelection.

Still, with this year’s founding of the Riflery and Marksmanship club on campus around the two-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting and the first of the Northern Illinois University shooting, the topic may once again resurface on the Central campus.

One of the challenges facing the students in Riflery and Marksmanship will be shaking the image that guns, on or off campus, seem to have.

In the news, weapons only seem to surface as an issue when a standoffish student brings one onto campus; in movies, guns are used for only serious violence or slapstick

Letter to the Editor To: Colette Gallacher I thank you for printing your article on complaining and taking a stand. I cannot begin to express how many times I say this to people throughout the day. Students at CCSU don’t understand the power we have if we are united for or against something.

Too often we complain and do nothing about it. I for one am sick of only complaints and no action. I’m trying to form some type of student alliance where we can be one united voice for what needs to be changed on campus. Similar to Subog- but for issues outside of the student center- be in budgets, school policies, condition of walkways, whatever it may be. I appreciate you willing to do that article and hopefully more people will awaken to the power we posses. I should write an editorial or something I know. Thanks again!

Christopher D. Leahy Central Activities Network Central Connecticut State University (860) 384-4222 leahy_chd@ccsu.edu Re: “Make Alternate Plans”, The Recorder Feb. 4.

1) Eliminate the club ice hockey program 2) Replace it with varsity hockey for men and women 3) Allot the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA to both teams 4) Build a legitimate Division I hockey arena on the CCSU campus Too expensive? How can it be when we spend billions of dollars a day on war and corporate bailouts?

D.J. Roger Houston WFCS Radio Station

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Write us a 200-300 word signed letter to the editor at

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humor, which usually involves some violence.

Gun owners are portrayed as aggressors – never as hobbyists or citizens concerned with protecting themselves.

Gun ownership, as most citizens know, is a basic right; whether it’s to protect ourselves from a burglar or an unruly government, guns have been an important staple in both present and historical America.

It wasn’t until fairly recently – the last fifty years or so – that they became debated.

The question at CCSU is no longer whether or not we should have a gun club on campus, but how the new club will affect students’ thoughts about firearms.

It will take more than responsibility and good aim to win some converts within the student body.

Besides working on their own improvement, Riflery and Marksmanship should work on reaching out to new, undecided students through events and education, just like any other club.

The importance of finding not only new members, but new supporters should be self-evident. With the Democrats, who for good or bad now control Washington, pledging for harsher gun control laws; the existence of not only the club but the rights of gun owners hangs in the balance of forces between two opposing sides.

It will be the majority of people that feel indifference on the issue that will need

to be won over to one side or the other in order to bring some level of closure to the debate.

Whether gun enthusiasts at Central know it or not, they play a part in the future of gun control.

The problem will, of course, be the same one that any other alternative viewpoint club has; there will be students who are not only opposed to your club’s existence on campus, but will probably try to take a stand against it.

But starting a rifle club on campus was a chance in itself; now, Riflery and Marskmanship needs to take a leadership role at CCSU in order to defend not only its rights, but the rights of all citizens to protect themselves.

New Britain Could Provide Perfect Space for Art Marissa Blaszko Opinion Editor

According to a front-page article in the New Britain Herald earlier this month, post-industrial New Britain has an art scene “surprisingly robust for a city of 70,000 people.” The mayor, a business owner and New Britain’s commissioner for the arts all agreed, and were quoted in the article throwing around words like “culture,” “imperative,” “opportunity” and “unique.”

Unfortunately, the article failed to quote any actual artists or CCSU art students. Had it, the piece would have probably have been littered with words and phrases like “cheap”, “better facilities” and “what art scene?”

The idea that the town, or state, has been at all hospitable toward local artists is ridiculous. Last year, when Central art students began their “art needs space” campaign, in which about a dozen CCSU students fought for studio space for students to work, the school gave them two ill-equipped rooms on the third floor of the ITBD building – an off-campus conference center for local businesses.

Before professors stopped bringing classes over to the space because of its inadequacies, whenever the petty professionals that work in the building walked by the “studios” – one of which had walls constructed out of glass – students were given the impression they were sitting in a fish tank. In at least one instance, a man in a tie actually rapped his knuckles against the glass to get the students attention for some unknown purpose.

The best part of this story is probably the fact that the Herald’s article featured a map of downtown, including the ITBD building, but never labeled the studio space that the school toted as progress for the arts. It did point out, however, sites like Central Park – a glorified road median, where “Musicians play during summer lunchtimes.” The entire piece ignored the actual events taking place in the area, like last week’s AVIARY opening, in favor of mentioning some vague “art programs” at Central, or stating that City Hall counts as an art gallery.

The reader is given the impression that the two contributing writers had a theory, in which New Britain was an “arts mecca” instead of a collection of abandoned buildings, and sought out to prove it at all costs.

Now, that isn’t to say that this postagestamp of a city doesn’t have potential. The fact that most of New Britain seems to be made up of abandoned buildings might actually make it the ideal candidate for an arts rebirth – and the creeping economic depression might finally force politicians to begin funding the arts again.

Industrialization isn’t coming back to Connecticut. This, it seems, we may have already accepted. But why not try something new? Hartford has insurance and New Haven has the ports—so when will Connecticut get an arts city?

If the town were to purchase a cluster of buildings relatively near each other (buildings that can be purchased, between the location and the bust real estate market, for nearly nothing) and give them as nearly rent-free space to

artists, with yearly solo exhibitions as part of the lease contract?

What about other abandoned spaces around town? CCSU is the only school in the country with a mural painting program; New Britain High School has an art teacher who has painted murals not only all over the state, but internationally. Why not actually give the schools the resources – and the space – to make art a community experience? There are guaranteed more than enough talented street artists and storeowners that would be willing to work together in order to make something that would benefit both themselves and the entire town.

Following the 1929 economic collapse our country saw the state hire muralists to both create jobs and use public art to propagate ideas of the wealth that was promised to come. Why not hire any of the number of qualified sculptures, painters or designers graduating from Central every semester to both ensure jobs and foster a creative culture?

Arts means culture and, more importantly to tax payers, it means commerce. It means restaurants, the buying and selling of paintings, jazz cafes, bars and an actual reason to read the Herald. It would mean a new reason for students to attend Central, and offer them something that no other state school can—a real art program with a high success rate for graduating art students.

New Britain has a long way to come in not only art, but in every way. What city officials, as well as CCSU administrators need to think about is how, in a failing business climate, to invest money in new and more creative ways.

Baylor’s New Sports Facility is Worth Cost Editorial Board

The Lariat | Baylor University

Wednesday was national signing day for high school recruits and the Alwin O. and Dorthy Highers Athletic Complex played a huge role attracting talent to the Baylor football team.

The new sports facility was originally slated at $12.1 million, but grew to a price tag of $34 million with the inclusion of donations and additional projects. With that price tag, the university took some flak from alumni, local media and other supporters, but when compared to other Big 12 Conference schools, the prices are nearly identical.

While the price tag may be higher than originally expected, the success Baylor will have in athletic endeavors, as a result, will pay for it.

In football, it has been no secret that the Bears have held the lower standings of the Big 12 in place for the past decade. However, that all began to change with the Highers complex.

The Baylor Board of Regents proposed the building of the center on Feb. 7, 2007, nearly a full year before new head coach Art Briles and star quarterback Robert Griffin came to campus. In the next few months, the Bears’ recruiting class improved drastically - all on the notion of a yet-to-be-built building.

“It put us on a whole different level,” Briles said. “You would hate to think that we wouldn’t have gotten some of these guys if we wouldn’t have had it, but the reality is it wouldn’t have happened. We would have missed out on at least four to eight of these prospects. We are definitely thankful for having that facility and for the people that allowed it to happen because it made a huge difference in our recruiting process.”

Now with the building completed, the Bears have scraped together one of the best recruiting classes Baylor has seen. Several of the recruits have claimed the building to be one of their top reasons for signing with Baylor.

For those who doubt the importance of athletics in a university setting, take this note to heart. The amount of exposure a school like Baylor receives from athletics is invaluable.

During sporting events shows on television, Baylor gets to host several free 30-second advertisements for the school. Depending on the sport, the network and the time slot, that is saving the university millions of dollars.

Beyond that, simply having a sport can create a market for the school. Schools such as Southwestern University in Georgetown, the University of Texas at Dallas, Trinity University have amazing programs in health, computer science and other related fields. However, the average high school senior – and even the hiring

manager looking at a resume – has likely never heard of it.

Schools like Baylor, Wake Forest University, and to some extent even Southern Methodist University would fall into this category if it weren’t for athletics.

Furthermore, success in athletics attracts more applicants. Just look to the national championship in football and the corresponding applications the following year.

In 2000, Virginia Tech lost to Florida State, but saw its applications jump nearly 12 percent. At the University of Texas, 15 percent more students applied. It was the largest percentage increase in more than 20 years, presumably due to the national championship victory.

Except for the possibility of tennis, baseball or women’s basketball, Baylor won’t be winning a national championship anytime soon.

Whatever success the athletic program has, the rest of the university will follow.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / OPINION

Sexting is Stupid, but Not Criminal Shauna Simeone Asst. Opinion

Six Massachusetts middle school students are facing possible child pornography charges after sending a nude photo of a female classmate on their cell phones. If convicted, they would be forced to register as sex offenders.

One of the boys, age 13, took a nude picture of his girlfriend and then proceeded to send it to his friends. When school officials became aware of what was going on, the boys were immediately reported to the principal, who then confiscated the cell phones and then reported the incident to the police.

The six boys will now be forced to attend a hearing to determine if they should be charged with possessing, distributing and exhibiting child pornography.

These boys acted distastefully and immaturely, but should they be branded as sex offenders for the rest of their lives? The intent of child pornography laws is to prevent perverted adults from exploiting children, and these boys were clearly not attempting to do this. As it is, the girlfriend allowed the boy to take a picture of her.

Occasionally the legal system loses sight of common sense. That explains why robbers are able to sue you if they get hurt when stealing something from inside of your home. Americans need to take a step back and use some common sense in this situation.

These boys are not sex offenders or child pornographers but products of an overly sexual society, who simply decided to ogle over a classmate.

Unfortunately this phenomena known as “sexting” has become somewhat of an epidemic. According to a national survey conducted by the National Campaign to Support Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, about 20 percent of teens admitted to participating in “sexting”.

The survey also found that 22 percent of teen girls have taken part in “sexting”.

As evidenced by this recent case, girls need to realize that “sexted” images often get distributed to a much wider audience than the intended viewers. This statistic is somewhat troubling as well as telling of the culture that we live in.

It is time to smarten up. An underdeveloped frontal lobe is not excuse to abandon all foresight. In the age of the Internet, these types of pictures will remain in circulation forever.

5

Unless you plan on becoming the next Paris Hilton, or feel that your future boss seeing you naked will help increase your chances of being hired, take the smart route and don’t give naked pictures of yourself to anyone. Boyfriends can become ex-boyfriends quickly, and many times break-ups can cause people to do nasty things like revealing personal pictures that were meant to be private.

As college students, we are the leaders of our generation. We cannot let promiscuity define us and we cannot allow explicitly sexual behavior to appear at such early ages. Legally, there should be no consequences for such actions, but we must reevaluate what defines appropriate behavior as our cultural standards of decency continue to decline.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / SPORTS

SPORTS STARTS ON BACKPAGE

Blue Devils Fall at Home, Defeat Bryant for 1000th Win Continued from page 12 points late in the first half. The Blue Devils were able to fight back and take a one-point lead with 3:28 remaining in the game. The cushion was short-lived, as FDU’s triumvirate of Galvin, Tyler, and Baptiste all made baskets as part of an 8-0 run in the following 1:46.

The lone bright spots for CCSU included Robby Ptacek, who had the hot hand offensively all night. The freshman guard shot seven for nine from the field en route to a careerhigh 20 points.

Thompson also played well, scoring 11 points and dishing out nine assists. He played all 40 minutes for the Blue Devils.

“I thought Shemik did a solid job as far as distributing the basketball,” said Dickenman. “Robby Ptacek was solid on offense, but as far as everyone else is concerned, I don’t think we got much of an effort.”

FDU attempted to establish the inside game early, involving 6’8” Czech forward Kamil Svrdlik in the first couple offensive possessions. He scored eight points in just 15 minutes, but left the game with an apparent lower leg injury.

From that point on, it was John Galvin’s. The Knights scored 46 points in the first half, with 34 of them coming from in the paint.

“It’s tough playing from behind,” said Thompson. “We shouldn’t have been down in the first place. We gave up way too many points. They did whatever they wanted to do on offense.”

The crowd of 1,786 on hand was looking for anything to cheer about, but had nothing to celebrate except fleeting one-point leads.

“We probably should give the fans their money back,” said Dickenman. “This is the first time I can remember in Detrick Gym that I heard a lot of disgusted fans, some catcalls, some clapping that was sarcastic,” Dickenman said. “But you know what? We deserved it.”

Marcus Palmer and Aaron Hall each scored in double digits in the loss. Hall left the game with an injury

in the second half, and did not return.

He did not play on Saturday, either.

“It’s disappointing,” Thompson said. “It’s embarrassing. We should have beat them. This is a game that we needed.”

Coming off such a staggering loss, Central’s next challenge was the Division II Bryant Bulldogs, who are making the transition to Division I and will join the Northeast Conference in 2012.

“They have six wins against [Northeast] Conference opponents,” explained Dickenman. “Every game against a league opponent is their big game.” Central’s head coach made it clear that he would rather be facing another NEC opponent instead of going out-of-conference after such a sub-standard effort.

The Blue Devils were able to bounce back on Saturday against their future conference rivals, beating Bryant 65-61 on the road in Smithfield, R.I. Ken Horton made up for a lackluster performance on Thursday, scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds as he led CCSU to victory, number 1,000 in the program’s history.

Central shot over 54 percent from the field in the game, as they were able to keep the strong outside shooting of Bryant at bay. It was a close contest, as the game was tied eight different times and the lead changed four times.

With the game even at 33 entering the second half, Marcus Palmer immediately responded to whatever was said to him at halftime. The senior forward alone outscored the Bulldogs 7-0 to start the second half, with all three baskets being assisted

by Shemik Thompson.

The Blue Devils now find themselves 7-7 in the NEC, and 1213 overall. They head back into conference action this Thursday as they host the Sacred Heart Pioneers, who defeated the visiting Blue Devils 7769 on January 31. Gametime is 7 p.m. as Central attempts to put themselves back in position to host a home game in the NEC tournament.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Sophomore Ken Horton scored 23 points and pulled down eight boards in the Blue Devils’ win over Bryant.

Mallia Reaches Milestone; Blue Devils Continue to Roll Continued from page 12 was that we were fluid,” Butler said.

“We had good energy. The first five minutes, we had a bit of a lapse. But the best way to deal is to be fluid.”

CCSU would add two more goals in the third from Dabkowski and Mike Diclemente, both on the powerplay.

“Tonight we didn’t play the deepest team, but they are improved from the last time we played them when we won 16-4,” Mallia said. “I give them a lot of credit.”

Netminder Craig Height saved 27 of 29 shots for the Blue Devils.

Height praised his teammates’ defensive effort throughout the game.

“We got some guys in that haven’t been playing and overall we played pretty well,” Height said. “We talked in between [the first and second] periods about how we needed to tighten the defense. [The effort] was definitely big.”

Height already is looking forward to the postseason, which CCSU will be playing in regionals, as well as

the national tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“We now need to win two games in Albany and then we can go to Michigan for nationals,” Height said.

CCSU also defeated New York University on Saturday, by a score of 10-4. Dabkowski, as well as the Diclemente brothers, scored twice and had three assists each.

Anderson, Jeff Pease, Ryan Beaulieu and Erich Stoneman also added a goal each.

Hugo Goodwin added two goals for NYU and Matthew Anderson and Patrick O’Keefe added a goal each in a losing effort. Carmine Vetrano stopped 34 of 38 shots for the Blue Devils, helping the team sweep the weekend’s games.

Blue Devil hockey returns next weekend with an alumni game at the Newington Arena on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m., followed by a match against Sacred Heart University at 8:30 p.m.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Senior Goalie Craig Height had a tough time keeping his crease clear in the Blue Devils’ 9-2 win over Holy Cross.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / SPORTS

7

The New Hope for Basketball at Central Peter Collin Managing Editor

Women’s basketball at CCSU hasn’t had many moments in the sun. They have spent the majority of their Division I existence in the bowels of the Northeast Conference.

Much like the basketball program, head coach Beryl Piper finds herself sitting in the bowels of Kaiser Hall, out of sight and out of mind for much of the CCSU campus.

Until now.

In a remarkable turn of events the CCSU women’s basketball program has burst from the NEC basement to contention in just one season.

The Blue Devils have already tallied 16 victories with four games remaining in the season and only one year after they managed just four wins.

With the team only losing one senior after the season and a strong group of underclassmen returning next year, women’s basketball at Central looks to be a strong contender for years to come.

The biggest reason for this sudden turn of events can be found just underneath Detrick Gymnasium in the form of the team’s secondyear head coach.

Winning seems to follow Piper wherever she goes. During her senior year at Central, 1985-86, she led the Blue Devil basketball team to its best season ever.

She won a national championship in Ireland and when she landed her first head coaching job at New Britain High School, she supervised the turnaround from an 0-20 team, to perennial contenders for the state championship. She then proceeded to capture three during her final five seasons with the Hurricanes and became a CCSU Alumni Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee in 1999.

Then she got the call to return to her alma mater, Central Connecticut, and was charged with the task of rebuilding a program that hadn’t won more than 10 games in six seasons. But the task of rebuilding is not something that she gravitates to.

“I don’t know why I do that,” said Piper. “I guess it’s about opportunity. At New Britain it was an opportunity to coach and I really wanted to coach and I think here, when I was approached about the job it was just an opportunity – something I wanted to do out of college.”

Her office is simple and unassuming; it doesn’t have to be anything luxurious, as Piper tends to spend most of her time on the court.

Her new job no longer allows her the luxury of seeing friends and family on holidays or spending as much time as she’d like hiking with her two dogs Oliver and Reilly.

There are two basketballs that sit above her desk. Both are game balls commemorating her first collegiate victory and her first NEC victory. Those victories were not easy to come by for Piper. She had to wait until game 10 on Dec. 12, 2006 for that first win and game 14 on Jan. 7, 2007 for that first conference win, a hard fought affair at Wagner College that the Blue Devils pulled out in overtime.

There were only two more victories for the Blue Devils that season and many wrote them off for the 2008-09 season. The NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll had them finishing dead last in the conference.

“I was kind of happy that the conference picked us 11th,” said C.J. Jones the Athletic Director at CCSU and the man responsible for bringing Coach Piper into the fold at Central.

“Because I would have bet the house, the ranch and everything else that we were not going to finish 11th in the conference.”

Jones has been a fan of Coach Piper for years all the way back to Piper’s days as a player

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

and Jones’ days as an assistant for the men’s basketball team. He looked to bring her in on more than one occasion, but encountered resistance from some at CCSU who felt it would be a mistake to hire someone with no college experience.

“Probably about five or six years ago I had some interest in her coming in to coach Central,” said Jones. “There was some hesitation on the administration’s part that someone from high school would be successful on the college level. Obviously I didn’t have any doubts, but at that time it wasn’t the right time to fight city hall and bring Beryl in.”

Piper has always been a part of Connecticut and that is something Jones has always wanted in his coaches. After playing three sports for Trumbull High School, Piper jumped at the chance to play basketball for the Blue Devils and CCSU Alumni Hall of Fame coach Dr. Brenda Reilly as a freshman in 1982.

It wasn’t long before Piper helped lead a turnaround in the Blue Devil program. Central went from 9-18 her sophomore year to 24-4 in her senior season. The season was the perfect stepping stone for the Blue Devils to make the jump from Division II to Division I women’s basketball.

“Knowing the success that she had at New Britain, it makes you want to be around people that are successful… The record speaks for itself,” said assistant coach Glenn Senecal. “I saw New Britain play and I knew the style that they play and the style she likes to play – and to me that’s a lot of fun.”

Senecal watched Piper as he was recruiting some of her players at New Britain High School. Like Piper, he feels at home at Central, which is a far closer commute than his last job at the University of Albany.

“She makes it fun to come to work,” said Senecal. “The success that we’ve had so far, it shows just what kind of style and what kind of coach she is.”

That aspect of fun in Piper’s game is what keeps her players going, too. Piper reaches her team through hands-on coaching, as is evi-

denced by her heavy involvement in practices and her desire to show players rather than just telling them about how they need to improve.

“She’s been there. She was a player when she played here in college, so she knows what it’s like. The monotony sometimes of a four- or five-month season – she knows how to break that up,” said junior P.J. Wade, who is one of three players left from the pre-Piper era. “We have extremely hard preseason workouts and a lot of times people used to give up in past seasons.”

Like Wade, most of the players on the team respect Piper’s former experience as a college player and for her time playing professionally in Ireland. Piper’s open-door policy and that of her coaches allows them to easily relate to players.

Even though Piper has been part of numerous turnarounds in her career, she isn’t necessarily looking for the tough assignments; they tend to find her. She was simply looking for the next opportunity and it just so happened that every time she had the challenge of rebuilding the team in front of her.

For now, the only things in front of her are the NEC playoffs and pushing her players to go farther than any other team before them in the tournament.

Wade says that the “never say die” attitude of this year’s team is something that has rubbed off from Coach Piper.

“This season people really wanted to get it done,” Wade said, “to be the best that we could be in the preseason.”

Losing has been a pattern for women’s basketball at CCSU, but it’s something that Piper and the team haven’t let it become acceptable.

“It hasn’t been because the kids haven’t allowed that to happen,” Piper said, “… they stepped up in a positive way.”

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / SPORTS

CCSU Swimming and Diving Repeats Cheer for the Game as Northeast Conference Champions Avoid Idolizing the Player Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

ccsubluedevils.com

The Central Connecticut swimming and diving team led by 18 points heading into the final day of competition and ended it with a 17 point victory to repeat as Northeast Conference Champions on Saturday at Yale University. Despite losing 11 champions from a year ago, the Blue Devils held off Wagner to win the 2009 NEC Championship with 552 points.

CCSU claimed four out of five individual awards from the meet.

Head Coach Bill Ball was named NEC Coach of the Year for his team’s performance at this weekends championship meet.

“We lost 11 champions from last year. We were short-numbered with only 16 scorers, so for us to pull this off is somewhat of a minor miracle,” said Ball after the meet.

“Especially with the way we did it, winning 16 of 20 events.”

Diving coach Dave Maliar and Mallory Miller captured both the individual diving awards, with Maliar being named NEC Diving Coach of the Year for the second straight year and Miller earning NEC Diver of the Meet in her first year of collegiate competition. She won both the one and three meter diving events this weekend. Alex Czaplicki took home NEC Rookie of the Meet honors for her victories in the 200 IM, the 100 and 200 backstroke as well as being part of the victorious 800 free and 400 medley relays.

Early Saturday morning, CCSU got off to a good start in the three meter diving finals. Mallory Miller backed up her one meter performance

with another first place finish, scoring 235.10 points. Sam Smolicz helped the Blue Devils dominate the diving portion of the meet with her second silver performance of the meet, recording a score of 207.55 to place second in the three-meter dive.

Madison Vestergaard took fourth for CCSU to take a 58 point lead heading into the 6:00 p.m. finals.

To start off the Saturday night portion of the meet, Megan McGorry had everyone on their feet as she was swimming ahead of pace to break the NEC record in the 1650 freestyle.

The sophomore shattered the previous record held by CCSU’s Kristen Jurzynski last year, touching in at 16:45.96. The mark also gave McGorry the Central Connecticut school record. Lindsay Ciancola took fourth for the Blue Devils, recording a time of 17:58.79, while Brittany Honrath placed 10th, touching in at 18:22.13.

Alex Czaplicki continued the run of CCSU victories as she took gold in the 200 backstroke. The freshman finished in 2:01.85, just .42 off of former Blue Devil Lindsey Snyders NEC record. Kelly Kreho placed eighth in the event, touching in at 2:14.03.

The third event of the final night was the 100 freestyle. Erin Crowley picked up her third gold performance of the championships and defended her 2008 title, setting a personal best of 51.63 seconds. After the meet Crowley said I’m elated. This wasnt anything we expected with the losses we had this year. To go out on top as a senior truly shows what the

We have not completely crumbled as a society – yet. Sports, however, is standing on wobbly knees. The sporting world is its own little society.

So many ideas and modes of thinking can be applied from one sport to another. The sports world is not limited to just competition, but also the front office, fan bases, revenue streams, and sadly, the courtroom.

In the past two weeks, we’ve seen some of the lowest of the low in the world of sports: an Olympic hero showing incredible stupidity and one of the all-time greatest legends being exposed for his use of illegal performance enhancers. It’s a disappointing time to be a sports fan, right?

Wrong. It’s only disappointing because we as a society allow it to be.

We fans are nothing but naïve sycophants. We put athletes on pedestals and worship the ground they walk on.

We memorize their hometowns, career batting average, where they played college ball and their mother’s maiden name. We beg them for their used equipment as they walk down the tunnel before and after games, and buy jerseys with their names on sport can give back to you when you the back. We name pets and even children after them. put everything you have into it.

The hypocrisy takes a more Kandra Kane was the only other Blue Devil to score in the 100 free, pronounced turn when we demand placing seventh, touching in at a per- the most of our athletes. We want sonal best 54.32 seconds. Despite them faster, stronger, more agile. We Crowley and Kane’s performances, demand perfection. Athletes with Wagner cut into the CCSU lead as flaws are to be hidden, unseen, relethey had five Seahawks score in the gated to suburban gyms and fields event. Central led 479 to 461 with where their once promising talent goes to die. So when Alex Rodriguez, three events remaining.

It was a two woman show in the the best player in all of baseball is re200 breaststroke with Kristen Malski vealed to have used steroids, it’s aland Alyssa Carlucci finishing nearly most comical how fast the morality five seconds ahead of the nearest police get up in arms.

Baseball is just one small examcompetitor. Malski recorded her first gold of the championships, touching ple of where we’ve gone wrong. People in at a personal best of 2:24.35, while act so outraged at those who use steCarlucci also set a new career best, roids, but can you blame them? What taking second in 2:24.80. Shauna do you see on Sportscenter? Home Lynch added a ninth place finish for runs. Bombs. Dingers. They don’t CCSU, recording a time of 2:37.40. show walks, opposite field base hits, With Wagner only getting points or well-placed bunt singles. We fell in from two swimmers, the Blue Devils love with the long ball, a small part of increased their lead to 34 heading the game, and placed it above all other aspects of the sport. Very similar to into the final two events.

In the last individual event of how we’ve fallen in love with players the meet, Heather Vendetta picked for all the wrong reasons. We forget up some valuable points in the 200 that athletes are people like you or butterfly. The senior was seeded fifth me. They share the same fears and from the prelims and held on for a struggles that we all do at our core. third place finish, recording a life- A-Rod, for all his talent, has (some time best of 2:09.38. Lindsay pretty hefty) flaws.

Put your thoughts aside on Ciancola added an 11th place finish, touching in at 2:20.97. The CCSU whether or not smoking marijuana is 400 free relay team of Carlucci, a big deal. Michael Phelps, for all of McGorry, Czaplicki and Crowley fin- his superhuman talent, is flawed with ished off the night with a second place the decision-making ability of your average 23-year-old American. When finish, touching in at 3:31.98.

The relay capped off the Central parents expressed such disappointConnecticut repeat performance as ment in him for letting their children Northeast Conference Champions as down, it did nothing but showcase they held off Wagner to win 552-535. their own ignorance.

Simmons Scores Career-Best 26 Points, Udenze Posts Double-Double in Blue Devil Loss at Bryant ccsubluedevils.com

Freshman Shontice Simmons scored a career-high 26 points to lead Central Connecticut (15-9, 10-3) in an 85-76 non-conference loss at Bryant (7-16). Sophomore Justina Udenze posted her second career double-double for the Blue Devils, totaling 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Gabrielle Oglesby, meanwhile, had 16 points and five rebounds.

Bryant made 5-of-8 shots to open the game. The start helped build a 13-3 lead, the largest of the half. The Bryant advantage was 2112 before a 9-0 Central Connecticut run tied it with 7:30 remaining in the half.

Oglesby started the Blue Devil run with a layup and two free throws.

Simmons followed with a three-point play, and Udenze capped the stretch with a pair of makes at the line. Junior Kelsey O’Keefe ended Bryant’s drought with a three-pointer, putting the Bulldogs up for the rest of the opening 20 minutes. They led 34-32 at halftime.

Simmons led CCSU with nine first half points. Udenze added eight points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. O’Keefe had 15 points and two blocks for Bryant, which finished the half 14-of-32 (43.8 percent) from the floor. Central Connecticut had a 23-21 rebounding edge and eight steals. The Blue Devils forced 11 Bryant turnovers.

Junior P.J. Wade tied the game at 36-36 early in the half, but the Bulldogs continued their hot shooting (12-of-18) and went ahead 67-48 with just over eight minutes left to play.

Bryant shot six of eight to start the second half and push its lead out to 47-41. The double-digit lead held until a pair of free throws from sophomore Kerrianne Dugan made it 7465 with 1:59 remaining.

A three-pointer from Simmons got CCSU to within eight, 82-74, with less than a minute to play, but that would be the closest margin. O’Keefe made 9-of-10 free throws over the final two minutes to secure the win.

O’Keefe finished with a seasonbest 32 points to lead all players. In

addition to Simmons, Oglesby and Udenze, Wade (12) and Dugan (11) scored in double figures for the Blue Devils. It was the second straight game CCSU had five players reach double-digits. Bryant, which shot 65.2 percent in the second half, made 29-of-55 shots (52.7 percent), including 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) threes, for the game. Senior Cara Johnson added 14 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds for Bryant.

Central Connecticut will keep to the road, resuming Northeast Conference play on Monday, Feb. 16 at Fairleigh Dickinson. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

We cheered on an athlete all summer who long before Beijing had earned himself a DUI. And now, with so little to gain from smoking pot and everything to lose, he cost himself sponsorship money as well as his reputation with a large number of Americans.

While it may just be strike two against him in the eyes of society, it’s a continued trend that shows once again he’s just an idiot who can swim better than anyone on the planet.

The swimming is the only difference. There are plenty of other idiots out there that show a lack of judgment. You don’t have to go far to see it in action.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s Tim Tebow, who is everything the previous three guys are not. Yet, we’re still guilty of doing the exact same thing in relation to him. We place him on this pedestal and paint him as a Messiah figure.

We are collectively waiting as a nation for pictures of him fondling two naked co-eds at a frat party to surface, so we can have the sick enjoyment of tearing him down.

Here on our campus, our athletes are accessible. I see basketball players walking to class. I see a baseball player in my communications class first thing in the morning.

Soccer players can be seen working on projects in a computer lab around midday. Athletes can be seen practicing on Arute Field on nice afternoons.

While I lamented a lack of fanaticism in this very paper earlier this year, perhaps a lack of student enthusiasm is a good thing. Maybe it keeps these athletes grounded, and that’s why we don’t have steroid controversies and multi-million dollar endorsements being lost here at CCSU. In the rest of the world, we live in a hero worship complex at its worst. We build all these athletes up just to tear them down. Whether it be for their lack of talent, their age, off-field habits, or personality, we find ways to pick them off. There are ways to change the tide of this epidemic. Pass on asking a player for their autograph next time. Ignore the supposed “sanctity” of records, which are nothing more than numbers. Instead of attaching our egos to a team, let’s respect the hard work, celebrate the talent, root for a win and leave it at that.

Upgrade

THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Giant Squid The Ichthyologist February 3, 2009 Unsigned

Imagine sinking into the deep, surrounded by mystery, darkness and haunting cries as you succumb to your long death. This is what Giant Squid’s latest album The Ichthyologist sounds like.

Based on front man Aaron John Gregory’s graphic novel, The Ichthyologist is a tale of the sea and the heroes it swallows. Another theme of the album is the tale of a man who is left with nothing but the sea, causing him to loose his humanity. He adapts to survive the pain of human loss and emotional tragedy and by the end he resembles something else entirely.

Very rarely does a metal album have such deep meaning and wide sound. Gregory’s dooming vocals lead the journey as Bryan Ray Beeson’s bass pounds away relentlessly much like the waves of a storm. On drums is Chris Mellvile Lyman a hard-hitting musician who uses his art form to propel the band into uncharted waters filled with rich textures underlying with the constant mood of depression and loss.

Giant Squid even features cello, played by Jackie Perez Gratz, along with her vocals she accompanies Gregory providing ground for the slower paced songs “Dead Man Slough” and “Sutterville.” The use of cello isn’t even the strangest part of this album; they use flutes, trumpets, violin, even a banjo.

One would think that the use of such instruments in a metal album would become cloudy and clut-

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tered. These guys have put together what could be called an orchestra that just keeps up with itself and never loses it flow or interest.

When vocals are brought up its hard not to mention that Gregory and Gratz role play as sea creatures, victims and even the sea itself is given a chilling voice that haunts and intrigues.

Some of the heavier songs like “Throwing a Donar Part at Sea” feature the best of the entire band, with a trumpet solo that acts as one of the album’s defining moments.

In short this album is brilliant. From track to track you will not be disappointed. It’s one of the true great metal albums of the year.

Giant Squid has given their best in The Ichthyologist, filling it with intelligent solos, lyrics, and deep themes and allowing it shine throughout.

SEAN FENWICK / Staff Writer

CALENDAR 'This American Life' Podcast of the Week:

Week of 2/18/09

Karyn Danforth Lifestyles Editor

Intricate, thought-provoking storytelling takes a back seat in today’s fast food news reports: Americans want it short and concise, so they may finish their morning routine and be out the door.

On a long commute or a boring day in the dorm room, instead of listening a mindless pop station or your roommate’s World of Warcraft battle sounds, popping in those ear buds and listening to a hearty, hour-long stereophonic version of a “This American Life” podcast might make a seemingly agitating day less morose.

Produced by Chicago Public Radio and hosted weekly by executive producer Ira Glass, the NPR staple since 1995 has been showcasing simple, complex Americans that are not famous, just ordinary people who search for the meaning in everything; the big picture.

Having recently transpired to podcast format in the past few years, every episode screams American: naïve, full of hope and lots of laughs (and people should appreciate that it’s free).

The rambling storytelling is what makes the show so hypnotic; there is no need for imagery and visuals. “This American Life” takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary in non-fiction, essays, memoirs, field recordings, and found footage, along with the journalistic

expertise conducted by the production staff and Glass himself.

Each episode is like a theatrical production of sorts. Comprised of a prologue and acts, the theme takes shape and winds its way in and out of every situation. From usual aspirations to zealotry, the theme can literally involve any word in the dictionary.

Having won a Peabody Award in 2006 for excellence in radio and television broadcasting, it continues to win numerous other awards and has recently gained recognition for its explanatory reporting of the economic downturn, speaking to Americans who were stock brokers, business analysts, and victims of foreclosure.

While stories range from heartbreaking to hysterical, here is a personal recommendation of a recent episode, so that you may get your feet wet, per se.

In “My Big Break”, Glass reports on individuals who persistently work hard to only find out what they envisioned to happen didn’t: two honor students in high school not having the ability to snatch scholarships because they weren’t U.S citizens; a comedy duo landing their big break on the Ed Sullivan show in the 1960’s, only to be overshadowed by the Beatles’ first performance on American soil.

Hearing the trembling despair in a little girl’s voice and actual footage of screaming girls going gaga over the British phenomenon pulls the stories out of a small part of America and into the limelight for all to enjoy (www. thisamericanlife.org).

Healthy Volunteers Needed If you are 21-30 we need you for research studying the brain’s reaction to alcohol at the Alcohol Research Center VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

Eligible participants will be paid $150 per test day (3 test days) To find out if you are eligible, please call:

(203) 932-5711 ext 5688 evenings weekends: (203) 843 7031 All calls are confidential HIC #12310, HSS IP17, IP22

MUSIC 2.18 M. Ward @ The Somerville Theatre Somerville, Mass.

8 p.m.

2.19 Mercy Mercedes w/ Goodbye Terminal The Hoodies Modern Hearts Break Faster @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

MERCY MERCEDES hails from the streets of Greensboro, North Carolina where they have molded a new wave of pop rock music with a craze that will make you want to throw your hands up in the air and sing along. After recently acquiring a full-time touring schedule and self-releasing their own EP Casio Rodeo (produced by Paul Leavitt), Mercy Mercedes went on to sell over 4000 CDs online and on the road in a matter of a few months. Not long after, they inked a deal with The Militia Group and are planning big plans for 2009 and beyond. Expect a full-length record in early ‘09 and full US touring throughout the entire year.

There’s no telling where you’ll see these 5 young gentlemen in the coming years but you can rest assure, they’ll be moving on up!

2.20 George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ Toad’s Place New Haven, Conn. $30 / 8 p.m.

George Clinton is a legend in the world of funk and hip-hop culture. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, George Clinton has had a career in music spanning almost 50 years. He is widely seen as one of the most important innovators of funk music along with acts such as James Brown and Sly Stone. He has collaborated with countless artists such as Tupac Shakur, Outkast and The Wu Tang Clan. His career has spanned into the world of film with appearances in House Party, Good Burger and various other popular movies. He even provided the voice for a radio personality in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. With Parliament Funkadelic, he continues to tour and play to large crowds of devoted fans.

2.21 The Queen Killing Kings @ Cafe Nine New Haven, Conn. $5 / 10 p.m.

2.24 Ben Kweller @ Somerville Theatre Somerville, Mass.

7:30 p.m.

2.24 Tokyo Police Club @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel Providence, R.I. 8:30 p.m. / $12 2.25 Hamell on Trial w/ BJ Snowden and Lach @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

FILM 2.18 How About You @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn.

7 p.m.

Starring Vanessa Redgrave as Georgia, a retired musical star. Over the Christmas holidays, Ellie is left in charge of the residential home run by her older sister. Most of the residents have left to be with family, but the four most difficult residents, known as “the Hard Core,” remain. Fed up with being the “Hard Core’s” 24-hour on-call maid, Ellie decides to bring them together for a Christmas dinner.

2.20-26 JCVD @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn.

7 p.m.

Jean-Claude Van Damme is Jean-Claude Van Damme... sort of. The film follows a failing international action star named Jean-Claude Van Damme who returns to his home country of Belgium after losing a bitter custody battle for his daughter. The star’s first stop is the post office, where he stumbles into a robbery in progress. Given his difficult past, the police assume JCVD has finally snapped. More Being John Malkovich than biopic, JCVD confounds the common perception of a famous persona.

ART 2.19 Creative Cocktail Hour @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $10 / 6 p.m.

On the third Thursday of every month, creative people come together for conversation, art, and music.

Taiga Ermansons is in the Real Room, creating “contemporary samplers” on Kleenex tissues that contain traces of fractured traditions anchored on fragile, disposable ground.

Ermansons, a Brooklyn native, moved to Massachusetts in 1998. She has a BA in studio art from Smith College and studied art at the School of Visual Arts and the New School in NYC. Her work was shown most recently at the Fitchburg Art Museum and Springfield College in Massachusetts. Music: DJ Bongohead

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / UPGRADE

The Recorder’s Oscar Picks MiChAEL WALSh

Asst. Entertainment Editor

The dust has cleared and the curtain has dropped: it’s finally time to acknowledge the best of the big screen. 2008 was another exceptional year for films and on February 22 we’ll find out who takes home the big prizes for their hard effort. After seeing every film on this list here I have consulted with my Magic 8-Ball and have chosen who I think should win and who will win each of the major awards along with a few quick picks for other notable awards. I’m leaving “Achievement in sound mixing” to the experts.

Best Picture Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Frost/Nixon Milk The Reader Slumdog Millionaire Who should win: Slumdog Millionaire Who will win: Slumdog Millionaire If you read my gushing review a few weeks back of Slumdog Millionaire you’ll find this selection comes as no surprise. Slumdog seems to be leading the way with everyone. A potential upset can be had with Milk thanks for Sean Penn’s terrific performance.

Frost/Nixon is a deserving dark horse candidate but it didn’t make an impact like Milk did. Benjamin Button and The Reader, both good films, don’t deserve to be on the list when exceptional films like The Wrestler and Doubt are nowhere to be found.

Slumdog takes this.

Actor in a Leading Role Nominees: Richard Jenkins, The Visitor Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon Sean Penn, Milk Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler Who should win: Mickey Rourke Who will win: Mickey Rourke I know who should win, I just don’t know if the Academy does.

Mickey Rourke’s performance as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler was above and beyond most performances in 2008. Rourke took this brooding wrestler character and made it his own. On the other hand, Sean Penn practically channeled Harvey Milk and it might have hit soft political spots among voters who value sentimental films about human rights movements over wrestlers. Toss Brad Pitt’s name off this list, he doesn’t deserve to be there. Langella, once again, falls into the upset category with his intense portrayal of Richard Nixon. Jenkins film was too little seen and known to get the respect it deserves. In the end I think the Academy sympathizes with Rourke’s remarkable comeback. This is his shot.

Actress in a Leading Role Nominees: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married Angelina Jolie, Changeling Melissa Leo, Frozen River Meryl Streep, Doubt Kate Winslet, The Reader Who should win: Melissa Leo Who will win: Kate Winslet This was a tough one. Consider me a fan of the underdogs, but I would love to see Leo win this award. Her performance in Frozen River is what the film hinges on. She, like Rourke, also put herself into the character.

When a film is over and you realize no other actor or actress would fit that role you just know something special was accomplished. That’s the way I felt about both Rourke and Leo.

Unfortunately she has no chance with Streep and Winslet on the ballot. While both terrific performances, neither struck me the way Leo’s did. Streep would be winning for being one of the best cold-hearted nuns in film history and Winslet would win for taking off her clothes lots and lots of times and making love to an 18-year-old kid lots and lots of times. I think Winslet wins it by a hair. And yes she will cry if she wins.

Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees: Josh Brolin, Milk Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road Who should win: Philip Seymour Hoffman Who will win: Heath Ledger This list is stacked. I have no doubts that Heath Ledger will pick up another well deserved posthumous award for his terrifying rendition of the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Call it a matter of taste or credit it to my biased love for him, but I was amazed by Hoffman’s performance as a priest in question in Doubt. He’s one of the greatest actors of our time and definitely deserves to pick up his second Oscar this year. Both Brolin and Shannon excelled in their roles but will probably fall short which shows credit to the strength of this list. Ledger wins, don’t rip my head off for wishing Hoffman to get it instead.

Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees: Amy Adams, Doubt Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona Viola Davis, Doubt Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler Who should win: Viola Davis Who will win: Penélope Cruz Deciding on best supporting actress is tough. All five women were good and deserving of the nomination they received, but none of them absolute stuck out as the clear winner. Viola Davis had the most powerful 12 minutes on film this year in Doubt, but will probably lose out for only being in the film for such a short time. In the end this award will probably come down to Tomei’s counterpart performance to Rourke’s wrestler and Cruz’s crazy ex-girlfriend portrayal in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I suspect Cruz ends up taking the award home and I’m not really sure why. If I had my way Davis would walk away with this prize but I’m not feeling too sure about it. Call it a hunch.

Quick Picks: Best animated feature film of the year: Wall-E Best documentary feature: Man on Wire Best foreign language film of the year: Waltz with Bashir Achievement in cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire Achievement in directing: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score): A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song): A.R. Rahman, “Jai Ho” Adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire Original screenplay: Dustin Lance Black for Milk

Regina Barreca Sets It Straight:

Women Are Funny, Too KARyN DANFORTh Lifestyles Editor

“I was a musical virgin until now,” quipped the eccentric, silver haired woman on stage. “Have you ever heard the song ‘My Neck, My Back’?” she asked the audience.

“I played it for a friend of mine, and her 16-year-old daughter yelled at me, ‘You can’t play that for my mother!’”

There was no silver bell tinkling laughter from the women in CCSU’s Alumni Hall; there were bold, thunderous shrieks and wails.

“Silver bell tinkling laughter happens when we’re around men,” Regina Barreca, author of Babes In Boyland and I’m With Stupid explained. Acting out a man who had a terrible, absurd joke to tell, she then switched roles to the woman being forced to listen. Out of her mouth came a squeaky laugh that Disney princesses perfected.

Barreca, a professor of English and feminist theory at the University of Connecticut, is dedicated to focusing on women’s trials and tribulations, yet she succeeds in coming off too feminist.

Barreca combines her wit and knowledge into a comedy routine that can make the most uptight woman or impossible man unravel.

“Real laughter from women has a slightly less feminine sound,” Barreca said. “Some definite signs are bust holding, mascara wiping, and the exclamation, ‘Don’t make me pee my pants!’” Her topic of the afternoon was exploring women and comedy; how men find it difficult to believe that the opposite sex has a sense of humor.

For 20 years, Barreca has investigated why men don’t find women humorous. Narrowing it down to

three reasons, she showcased ridiculous pop culture references that, while men find them funny, women are turned off and reject them completely.

“Women don’t like the ‘Three Stooges’, the fart scene in Blazing Saddles, or Jackass: the Movie,” she said. Mentioning the scene in Jackass when one of the men is walking over an alligator pit with a Perdue chicken in his pants, Barreca asked, “Can you imagine a woman putting chicken fingers in her brassiere? No, women don’t do it.”

While some women might contest to actually enjoying atypical male driven antics, realistically it is because they want to be ‘one of the guys.’ There is nothing wrong in this, but women need to understand that enjoying it doesn’t automatically make them a hit at the water cooler.

“Men torture each other,” she said. “Women nurture. We don’t insult other women; we compliment each other. Then we explain why the other is wrong for complimenting us.”

Barreca explained how making things up is unnecessary in our everyday lives that are filled to the brim with hilarious anecdotes. “Women make a story about everything,” she said nonchalantly. “We don’t tell jokes, we’re not genetically inclined.

Women being forced to be funny is like cross-dressing.”

“We’re lying and being disingenuous to ourselves,” Barreca said, singling out her gender in the audience. “We try to minimize; we tend to think we’re too much.”

To be meek and modest is not in Barreca’s profession. When interviewed recently by BBC about the global economy, Barreca’s solution was simple: “Allow middle aged women to spend money on clothes

that fit them!” she said as a matter-offactly. “That will bring a flood of liquidity back into the market.”

A side note that sent the audience into a fit of gender seperation was the accusation that women can’t handle money. “I googled ‘men can’t handle money’, but it just comes up with how women can’t,” Barreca said.

“Haven’t we seen the former evident in the economy currently?”

Diverting her animated character into another story, Barreca spoke of an interesting moment in her life when she tried something just to have a comical story to tell.

Living in London for two years when she was a young adult, Barreca was a freelancer, and had an attractive British boyfriend in tow. She was approached to be a contestant on a television show called Mastermind. “’We’ve never had an American on before,’ they told me. ‘You’ll make a fool of yourself,’ my boyfriend contested. I accepted.” Barreca said.

As they fired questions at a young Barreca, she realized she didn’t know the answers, and would utter ‘pass’ after each.

“They were watching this American girl setting herself on fire,” she told Alumni Hall. Sensing how uncomfortable it was, the show’s host switched subjects and asked, “What animal is a guppy?” “It’s a fish!”

Barreca yelled at the top of her voice, and the crowd went wild; she said little old English ladies approached her in the supermarket the next day, fawning over her television appearance.

As embarrassing, awkward, or odd it may have been, Barreca wanted to reach out to the audience to urge them to do anything and everything; that life is just a series of hilarious anecdotes and situations. “It’s a story,” Barreca said. “Do it. Go out.”

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11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 18, 2009 / UPGRADE

Frozen River Led By Leo

Frost/Nixon A Worthy Contender MiChAEL WALSh

Asst. Entertainment Editor

Photo: Sony Picture Classics

MiChAEL WALSh

Asst. Entertainment Editor

Some films need that extra jolt -that extra something that keeps everything together. For the 2008 independent film Frozen River, Melissa Leo was just that.

Frozen River details the struggles that two single moms face in northern New York State on a Mohawk reservation when the lure of fast money from smuggling illegal immigrants across borders is presented in front of them.

At the core of Frozen River, the directorial debut of Courtney Hunt, is a simple noir-inspired story about a single mom striving to provide for her two sons leading her to venture into the world of smuggling. It’s noirinspired for its everyday person gets wrapped up in crime that’s far over their head for the lure of money and simple for its straightforward narrative and minimalistic feel.

In no way of denying Hunt for her tremendous debut in film, this film wouldn’t be what it was without the under-appreciated Leo. She makes the character of Ray Eddy her own the same way Mickey Rourke made Randy “The Ram” Robinson his own in 2008’s The Wrestler. Both actors took control of their respective characters and let the grief pour out of the screen. What comes of Leo’s performance is the driving force of a thought-provoking character study centered on ethical decisions.

Leo gives a certain life to Ray Eddy. So stricken with grief it’s abso-

lutely painful watching her strive so hard to provide a simple double-wide house for her two boys; something most of us might cringe at if told to live in. With only one other performance sticking out (Misty Upham’s performance as the second single mom, Lila), Leo is absolutely essential to keep the emotion in the film alive. A lackluster performance in her role might have spelled disaster for a film of such nature. Again, with no discredit to Hunt, Frozen River hinges on Leo’s performance.

Frozen River is a beautifully heartbreaking film and there’s no other way for me to describe it. While the film runs at less than two hours it is a rather slow moving film. It’s a stark character study of two single moms absolutely struggling to keep their lives afloat. Each has their problems and each is dealt with. While Milk might be a frontrunner for best screenplay written directly for the screen at this year’s Oscars, Hunt certainly deserves all the consideration in the world for her gripping tale of despair, struggle and ethical decisions.

This film is a keeper if only for the performances of both Leo and Upham. Leo is a dark horse candidate for best actress at the Oscars. Hunt’s minimalist cinematography is calming and keeps a close eye on the things that matter. The story is simple but absolutely engaging and involving.

Frozen River is one of the independent hits of 2008.

One of the most significant historical events that I never learned enough about in high school was the Watergate scandal and the fallout left upon Richard Nixon. Ron Howard’s Oscar nominated film Frost/Nixon, a film adaptation of the stage play, delves into the now famous interviews between talk show host David Frost and the former president Richard Nixon.

This dramatization of a series of interviews granted to British talk show host David Frost in 1977, three years after Nixon resigned from his presidency, plays like a back and forth cat and mouse thriller and a boxing match rich with suspense.

The bizarre thing is that with any knowledge of the subject beforehand, the outcome of this bout is already known. While this is true with all history-based films there’s something special about this one in particular.

This isn’t a retelling of a violent war. It is merely a series of interviews.

What allows the viewer the ability to fall right into the film, whether they know the outcome or not, are the outstanding performances by the ensemble cast.

Frank Langella gives a seemingly uncanny portrayal of Richard

Nixon. Langella does something unique with Nixon. He, much like the real Nixon, gave the audience a chance to feel sympathy for him during the interviews. In the end everyone, including himself, is able to see right through this facade of coverups. Langella’s performance is an award-deserving three dimensional take on Nixon. From the flawlessly replicated mannerisms to the sulking body posture to the profoundly deep and brooding voice, Langella’s portrayal of the former president will be considered come Oscar night.

To applaud only Langella would be to applaud only part of the team.

Michael Sheen seamlessly loses himself within this out of place character of a talk show host. Frost was a man that at the time lived for the limelight.

He was a man seen as more of an entertainer rather than as an investigative journalist. Sheen portrays both sides of this before and after transformation very well by effortlessly slipping into character.

Supporting performances such as Kevin Bacon’s stern performance as Jack Brennan, one of Nixon’s protective advisors, and Sam Rockwell as the determined James Reston Jr., one of Frost’s main researchers, complete a cast worthy of praise all around.

Frost/Nixon is a film that flew right past me. Once the film reached

the second half, and more importantly the fourth interview, I was locked in my seated position and rarely looked away from the screen. With the aforementioned brilliant and realistic performances, coupled with the stark reality of the dialogue, the film is as suspenseful as can be.

Howard’s directing only adds to the mix as his up close and personal approach during the interviews locks the combatants down right in front of you never letting go until it’s all over. Every emotional portion of dialogue and facial gesture is perfectly captured.

For me to speak on the historical aspects of this riveting film would be for me to go over my head. I prefer to leave the history to those who know it best. What I do know is that Frost/Nixon is one of the more compelling and entertaining films of its kind this year. The script plays like a stage play with its limited locations and focus on dialogue but none of that does harm to the film.

Frost/Nixon will undoubtedly get its shot when the Academy Awards are announced on February 22. Frank Langella, who led a strong overall group of actors, will no doubt be considered to win best actor with his powerful and moving performance that almost made me feel a drop of sympathy for the lonely Richard Nixon.

Photo: universal Pictures

Benjamin Button Grows Similar to Forrest SEAN FENWiCK Staff Writer

Photo: Paramount Pictures

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the story of a child who is born as an old man, becoming physically younger while his mind grows older.

Directed by David Fincher, known for Fight Club, Se7en and Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button follows Brad Pitt as Benjamin through the enchanting life of a person unlike anyone else. Flaunting a cast filled with names such as Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Lance E. Nicholas, and Taraji P. Henson, this film was destined to be a masterpiece. Too bad it wasn’t even close.

The movie is shown through the eyes of a woman on her deathbed recollecting her lover, Benjamin’s, life. We are shown Brad Pitt as an oldman baby. That’s right, Benjamin Button is born as a baby that is old.

Once you put yourself past the strange aging phenomenon, this movie begins to pick up. Button grows up in an old folks’ home where death slowly takes every one of Button’s friends. This is where he learns and experiences life backwards, understanding the things that people only ever understand when they have seen it all.

When Button is 17 years old, but his body is really 60, he begins

working on a tugboat. This is where the world begins to open up and show Button things he has never witnessed before. Fincher does a great job getting Benjamin into our heads, but we never really get inside his. As the film progresses we see Button through the important moments in his life experiencing love, loss and uncertainty.

Blanchett plays Daisy, a childhood friend that becomes the love of Benjamin’s life, or so we are told. The audience is supposed to believe that the two have that special type of love that overpowers and conquers all.

But they really just seem like friends with benefits.

Fincher wonderfully shows us the world of Benjamin Button, but not the emotions. This film ends up feeling a lot like Forrest Gump, which was authored by the same person.

Like Forrest, Benjamin goes through the same type of life changing events. Of course these two films aren’t completely identical, for instance Benjamin falls in love with a red head, who, for a good portion of the film, ran away from him as quickly and as frequently as Jenny did from Forrest.

This is a long movie and midway through you will be looking at your watch wondering where this is all going, or if you even care what he does with his life. The film goes nowhere and your left regretting dropping $10 on it.

Sports 2.18

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Blue Devils Fall at Home, Reach 1,000th Win

THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Blue Devils Defeat FDU Knights Peter Collin Managing Editor

The Blue Devils continued their resurgence on Monday night by defeating the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (9-16, 8-7) 71-69 at Rotman Center in Hackensack, N.J. Central (16-9, 11-3) overcame a nine-point second half deficit to secure their first winning season since the 200001.

Freshman Shontice Simmons led Central with 15 points while sophomore Justina Udenze put up her second consecutive double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds and scoring 12 points.

The Blue Devils lead by as many as eight points in the first half, but FDU chipped away at the CCSU lead before heading into the locker room with a two point advantage.

Central trailed the Knights for most of the second half before they went on an 11-0 run that was capped off by a Udenze layup, giving them a two-point lead with 3:21 left in the game.

FDU managed to pull back in front but Central rallied again and

gained the lead for good when sophomore Kerrianne Dugan nailed a three-point shot with 1:21 left in the game.

CCSU dominated the inside game against the Knights. The Blue Devils controlled the glass against, out-rebounding FDU 44-30 and they outscored the Knights in the paint 34-24.

Two other Blue Devils managed to tally double-digit points for the game. Sophomore Leanne Crockett put up 14 points and Gabrielle Ogelsby finished with 12.

The 16 wins are the most for the Blue Devils since the 1997-98 season when they tallied 17 victories and made their way to the semi-finals of the NEC tournament. The win is the Blue Devils fourth straight conference win.

The Blue Devils will take the court again this Saturday, Feb. 21 for Dr. Brenda Reilly Day at Detrick Gymnasium when they take on the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers at 4 p.m.

Central with then host the conference leading Sacred Heart Pioneers on Monday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in Detrick Gymnasium.

The New Hope for Basketball at Central

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Sophomore Shemik Thompson scores two of his 11 points on this second half breakaway layup against FDU. Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

A game that was expected to be a historic victory for the CCSU Men’s Basketball program turned into a sobering loss at the hands of Fairleigh Dickinson.

The Blue Devils did not have an answer for FDU center and Connecticut native John Galvin as Central fell 80-73 at Detrick Gymnasium on Thursday night.

Galvin, a native of Weston, Conn., went off for a career-high 22

points on 10 of 12 shooting. He also added 13 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass. Central Connecticut had just seven offensive rebounds as a team.

Galvin was aided by the performances of teammates Sean Baptiste and Cameron Tyler. Baptiste scored 17 points for the Knights and eclipsed 1,000 points for his career. Tyler nearly put up a triple double by posting 23 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists.

“Discouraging, depressing, disappointing,” lamented head coach

Howie Dickenman. “The effort was minimal at best.”

Dickenman quickly focused on missed opportunities in his postgame comments.

“We had a pretty high number of missed layups. Might have been seven makeable layups in just the first half.” Those missed layups combined with FDU making the most of their opportunities up close was the difference in the ballgame.

Central trailed for the vast majority of the game, by as many as 10 See Blue Devils Fall Page 6

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Central sports have been on their way up for the past decade.

Men’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, swimming and diving and baseball are some of the sports programs that have won Northeast Conference championships in the past few seasons.

The only sport that has noticeably lagged behind the others in

terms of competitiveness has been woman’s basketball - but not anymore. Over the past two season’s head coach Beryl Piper has changed the culture at CCSU and has high hopes of starting a winning tradition.

Read about the new hope for women’s basketball and her journey to CCSU on page 7.

Mallia Reaches 100-Win Milestone, Blue Devils Continue to Roll Christopher Boulay Asst. Sports Editor

CCSU Hockey coach Jim Mallia won his 100 th game at the helm of the Blue Devils as they routed Holy Cross 9-2.

Mallia’s team was led by Joe Dabkowski’s hat trick and six points from Mike Diclemente.

CCSU trailed less than three and a half minutes into the game as Piero Iberti put Holy Cross on the board. The lead would be short-lived, as Rob Diclemente scored the first of five unanswered goals to finish out the first period, and the Blue Devils never looked back.

Dabkowski, Mike Diclemente, Billy Edwards and Dane Anderson also added goals for the Blue Devils in the period.

Coach Mallia was happy about his milestone victory, but refused to take all the credit.

“I am not into personal accomplishments. I started coaching here five years ago and the team was pretty rock bottom,” he said. “We have had great coaches and players, and it was great to get the win. I get the satisfaction that we have gotten [so much] out of the program.”

Matt Tyksinski scored the second goal for Holy Cross to open the second period, but it would be the final offensive effort for the visitors as the Blue Devils would score another four goals to close out the game.

Dabkowski added a goal in the second period.

Forward Kevin Butler, who scored a power play goal with 3:47 left in the second period, was pleased with his team’s smooth play throughout the game and stated that it was the main reason for their strong victory on the night.

“The most important thing about the way that we played tonight See Mallia Page 6

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Senior captain Kevin Butler scores his third goal of the year as the Blue Devils beat Holy Cross 9-2.