vol105issue18

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

This Week in Album Reviews From Britain’s Lily Allen to one half of the Black Keys’ gone solo, plus a new release by the Black Lips

Volume 105 No. 18

Dorau the [Sports] Explorer Calhoun Earns His Keep: Pay raises have no place at the post-game press conference.

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College Demand Increases Despite Recession

Professor Called Police on Student After Presentation SHAuNA SiMEONE Asst. Opinion

For CCSU student John Wahlberg, a class presentation on campus violence turned into a confrontation with the campus police due to a complaint by the professor.

On October 3, 2008, Wahlberg and two other classmates prepared to give an oral presentation for a Communication 140 class that was required to discuss a “relevant issue in the media”.

Wahlberg and his group chose to discuss school violence due to recent events such as the Virginia Tech shootings that occurred in 2007.

Shortly after his professor, Paula Anderson, filed a complaint with the CCSU Police against her student.

During the presentation Wahlberg made the point that if students were permitted to conceal carry guns on campus, the violence could have been stopped earlier in many of these cases. He also touched See Professor Page 2

Center for Student Success to Revamp Advising MATT KiERNAN News Editor

Central has seen a 14 percent increase in undergraduate applicants. time this year due to the high TERENCE STEwART demand.”

Special to The Recorder The surge in undergraduate apWhile many businesses are los- plications continues a three-year uping customers thanks to the reces- ward trend, according to the Office of Research and sion, Central Connecticut State Institutional University is seeing a spike in poten- Assessment. In the fall of 2008, there were 6,061 full-time undergraduate tial clients.

“We’ve seen a 14 percent in- applications compared to 5,668 in crease in undergraduate applications 2007. In the fall of 2006, there were undergraduate full-time compared to this time last year,” said 5,313 Lawrence Hall, director of recruit- applicants.

Hall attributed the rise in unment and admissions at CCSU. “Some schools created waitlists for the first dergraduate applications partly to the slowing economy and CCSU’s

Photo: Andressa Argenta

low cost of attendance, as cashstrapped families are looking for a decent education without the high price tag.

CCSU’s undergraduate tuition for the 2008 to 2009 academic year is $7,042, making CCSU the least costly university within the Connecticut State University system. In addition, more than half of the full-time undergraduate students who applied for need-based aid had their need satisfied.

See College Demand Page 3

CCSU Author Presents Book on Postsocialist Romania COLETTE GALLACHER Copy Editor

Central Authors Presents saw David Kideckel discuss his latest book, “Getting By in Postsocialist Romania: Labor, the Body, and Working Class Culture” last Wednesday in the bookstore.

The inspiration for Kideckel’s book stems from an active role in cultural anthropological research in Eastern Europe for 30 years, focusing specifically on communism and its impacts on society.

Kideckel spent time in Romania in the Jui Valley and Fagaras region, comparing both the employed and unemployed workers, researching

the effects that the Postsocialist era has had upon people as individuals and within family units.

Throughout his time in Romania, Kideckel interacted with the societies, taking time to involve himself in the roles of the people of the Jui Valley and Fagaras region.

He went to the extremes of working amongst those in the coal mines and the factories, whilst also socializing amongst the communities, playing backgammon, simply to see life from the point of view of those affected by post socialism.

Kideckel made many observations, not least that the workers, who had been the backbone of the socialSee CCSU AuthorPage 2

Students’ potential for success is now the focus of a new center that will redesign advising in place and will be overseen by a committee of faculty and administrators to spearhead its creation.

The Center for Student Success, which is in the early stages of initiation by President Miller and Provost Lovitt, will combine with the current advising center to form a system in which freshmen and transfers will be able to speak to an advisor who can direct them to the right path for majors and courses.

“What they’re proposing is that every new student go there,” said Dr. Candace Barrington, of the English department and leading coordinator of the new advising center and a member of the ad-hoc committee of the Faculty Senate to oversee it.

What the university has found is that many students have said that they are unhappy with the current advising system because they have to go from See Center Page 3

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Candace Barrington will lead the ad-hoc committee.

Diversity A Constant Work in Progress TONYA MALiNOwSKi Staff writer

Melissa Traynor / The Recorder

Prof. David Kideckel spoke Wednesday.

Diversity and issues of prejudice still remain prevalent at Central Connecticut State University, despite the July publication of a recommendation report by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity.

The commission, formed in direct response to two controversial publications by The Recorder, identified the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community on campus as the most marginalized group due

This Issue

to lack of counseling and support programs and prejudice by other students.

“We still need to make some changes in how we take care of students,” said Dr. Antonio GarciaLozada, university ombudsperson. “I believe [GLBT students] still feel isolated and disconnected here.”

The One-In-Ten Committee, formed by members of the PRIDE club to work more closely with administration, published a goals and See Diversity Page 2

News

Opinion

Sports

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Lamont Discusses Financial Threat

One Shot Too Many by the New York Post

Blue Devils Overwhelmed by Pioneers

Growing Up with Thursday

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News

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Recorder

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Continued from page 1

T 860.832.3744 F 860.832.3747 ccsurecorder@gmail.com therecorderonline.net 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

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

Melissa Traynor / The Recorder

Kideckel discussed the bleak political climate of Postsocialist Romania.

Professor Called Police on Student After Presentation Continued from page 1 on the controversial idea of free gun zones on college campuses.

That night at work, Wahlberg received a message stating that the campus police “requested his presence”. Upon entering the police station, the officers began to list off firearms that were registered under his name, and questioned him about where he kept them.

They told Wahlberg that they had received a complaint from his professor that his presentation was making students feel “scared and uncomfortable”.

“I was a bit nervous when I walked into the police station,” Wahlberg said, “but I felt a general sense of disbelief once the officer actually began to list the firearms registered in my name. I was never worried however, because as a law-abiding gun owner, I have a thorough understanding of state gun laws as well as unwavering safety practices.”

Professor Anderson refused to comment directly on the situation and deferred further comment.

“It is also my responsibility as a teacher to protect the well being of our students, and the campus community at all times,” she wrote in a

statement submitted to The Recorder.

“As such, when deemed necessary because of any perceived risks, I seek guidance and consultation from the Chair of my Department, the Dean and any relevant University officials.”

Wahlberg believes that her complaint was filed without good reason.

“I don’t think that Professor Anderson was justified in calling the CCSU police over a clearly nonthreatening matter. Although the topic of discussion may have made a few individuals uncomfortable, there was no need to label me as a threat,” Wahlberg said in response.

“The actions of Professor Anderson made me so uncomfortable, that I didn’t attend several classes. The only appropriate action taken by the Professor was to excuse my absences.”

The university police were unavailable for comment.

“If you can’t talk about the Second Amendment, what happened to the First Amendment?” asked Sara Adler, president of the Riflery and Marksmanship club on campus.

“After all, a university campus is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas.”

HEALTHY ADULT MEN NEEDED FOR ALCOHOL STUDY

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.

CCSU Author Presents Book on Postsocialist Romania

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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

ist era, were suffering greatly during the Postsocialist era.

In researching for his book he interviewed many people from the Jui Valley and Fagaras, asking how they felt living in a Postsocialist environment.

“People found it very difficult to articulate how the felt, they simply felt stressed,” said Kideckel.

He said that in 1997 there were 52,000 employed miners, yet by 1999 – following drastic layoffs – there were only 18,000 employed workers.

A total of 34,000 jobs were lost in the mines. With no other jobs available the communities began to change.

Kideckel observed that the symbolic change was that the work-

ers, formerly the backbone of the country were now, in the Postsocialist era, viewed as the “others” and considered outcasts.

Also explored in his book are ideas that heart disease increased, the divorce rate rose significantly as did family abandonment and rape and sexual abuse, all as a result of changes following a socialist era.

Whilst pursuing research for his book, Kideckel also produced a documentary, which defines the life, social and political circumstances of the Jui Valley miners – “Days of the Miners: Life and Death of a Working Class Culture”.

Adam Golaski from the English department will next be presenting at Central Authors Presents, with his latest book, “Worse Than Myself ”.

Diversity A Constant Work in Progress

Edward Gaug / The Recorder, 9/2007

Yessica Amparo protested The Recorder in response to a cartoon published in September 2007. The discussion surrounding diversity, prompted by that cartoon, has since been broadened.

Continued from page 1 mission statement in September. The list of goals includea floor specifically for GLBT students that include gender-neutral bathrooms.

“The past couple of years, we have really been fighting for a lot of things,” said Melissa Cordner, president of PRIDE. “We need a place to go and just be ourselves.”

“Lack of coordination has resulted in a series of activities and responses that are not sustainable and have no real way of impacting a longer term solution,” the Blue Ribbon Commission’s report stated.

In an effort to coordinate a higher-profile activity, CCSU is discussing the prospect of a Lavender Graduation, a commencement reception specifically honoring GLBT graduates.

“Any constituent group that has an identity and wants to celebrate it is great,” said Dr. Laura Tordenti, VicePresident of Student Affairs. “They have worked really hard for this.”

The issue of diversity on campus runs deeper than the GLBT community, however. The Blue Ribbon Report also identified AfricanAmerican and Latino isolation on campus, and recommended the Provost review allocation of all faculty assignments to ensure equity in race, ethnicity, and gender.

The Commission also suggested that CCSU look for opportunities of community outreach to help extend the university to diverse surrounding areas, such as New Britain and Hartford.

About 6 percent of Central’s 9,700 undergraduates are Latino. In

the surrounding city of New Britain, 27 percent of its 71,500 residents are Hispanic.

“This University needs to create a stronger connection with the outside community,” said GarciaLozada, “but I don’t think President Miller asked me to do this because I am Latino.”

In addition to bigotry from the student body, many students have faced discrimination from faculty as well.

One-In-Ten’s goal statement expressed the need for a GLBT Center, set to open soon, because the Counseling and Wellness Center does not have adequate information on sexuality and coming out.

Cordner said the addition of the GLBT Center is a huge victory for PRIDE, who has been pushing for its creation for several years.

“To have that taken off our shoulders is huge,” she said. “We can actually just be students again.”

Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Moises Salinas, with cooperation from Garcia-Lozada, has created nine specific task forces to assess diversity and acceptance of different groups on campus. They are to publish their findings at the end of the spring semester.

Although Central has made some improvement toward acceptance and diversity, both GarciaLozada and Tordenti admit there is still a long way to go in order to be seen as a truly diversified campus.

“I’m not sure when we will know we have arrived,” said Tordenti. “It is something we need to continually work on.”

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / NEWS

Lamont Discusses State’s Financial Threats, War Center for Student Success to Revamp Advising Continued from page 1

Edward Gaug / The Recorder, 10/2008

Ned Lamont criticized Governor Jodi Rell’s budget and discussed the potential for financial collapse for Connecticut families.

Ariana Valentin Asst. News

In a discussion surrounding President Barack Obama’s first 30 days in office and ties between war and looming threats an economic depression, Ned Lamont examined these issue on a local scale.

Last Wednesday, Lamont, a lecturer at CCSU and a businessman who unsuccessfully ran against Joseph Lieberman for the U.S. Senate seat in 2006, spoke to a large crowd packed inside Marcus White Hall’s living room.

“We don’t want police and teachers laidoff,” said Lamont. Lamont expressed the importance of how people are being affected, especially those needed to maintain a structured society.

He also cautioned against a slippery slope, in which spending or cutting funds should be approached carefully and added that he was disappointed in Governor Jodi Rell’s announced budget plan.

Lamont spoke about how Connecticut was once classified as a very wealthy state.

Although, the state may be suffering less than others, Lamont pointed out that there is a lack of new jobs.

When asked why it is important for CCSU students to be aware of Obama’s administration, budget changes and their education, Lamont said that it will come back to CCSU students.

“It’s about how the budget will impact your tuition, how it will impact if your professor would be there or not next year,” he said.

“It is important to know what is going on with the Obama administration,” said Erika Dawson, 34, who is a CCSU senior and political science and social work major.

As a proud Obama supporter, she feels the need to be aware of changes in the country and how it impacts her.

Laid-off from work approximately two years ago, Dawson returned to school in hope of a better future.

“It’s hard – real hard,” added Dawson who is a mother of a 10- and 3-year-old. Dawson

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talked about cutbacks she has had to make in groceries and other expenses.

“You have to think twice before getting in that car and where you are going,” said Dawson.

Lamont also discussed the foreign policy issue that President Obama has inherited and the hope to reduce violence in Iraq, while balancing America’s financial problems.

As an example of this hope, Lamont pointed out the peaceful election in which Iraqis voted for provincial councils and that they are taking part in the transformation.

Lamont shared that Obama is sending 17,000 troops to Afghanistan, but raised the question of how to approach the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

He volunteered his opinion that Obama’s intentions are to protect Kabul and keep al Qaeda out.

“Obama is ready, committed to take on war,” said Lamont. “It will be his war, Obama’s war.”

one place to another to receive information on signing up for courses and majors.

Some faculty members are frustrated with the plans to create a new advising system because they wish they had greater input and the process had more open discussion.

“We don’t know what the problem is, [however,] we know that students aren’t happy with advising,” said Dr. David Spector, professor of biology and member of the Faculty Senate.

Other members of the faculty feel that there is not enough information at the moment to make a full decision on how they feel about the formation of the advising center.

“We’re gratified that the President is showing notice to advising,” said Elizabeth Hicks, associate director of the Advising Center.

The ad hoc committee formed to oversee the formation of the student success center will include nine current faculty members and a director position that will give one faculty member a new position as their full-time job.

“When students are well in their major, they will be transferred from the master advisor to a professional advisor familiar with academic programs and career planning in that chosen major,” Miller wrote in an email sent to all CCSU students.

The e-mail also discussed how the center will help students with disabilities, students looking to declare a major and provide transfer students with adequate orientation.

The center, slated to be installed for the Fall 2009 semester, doesn’t have an exact location specified yet.

“I think the March 10 Board of Trustees meeting will have to have some movement,” said Miller at the Feb. 18 Student Government Association meeting.

The center will have advisors who can answer student questions whenever they need with increased hours and more available advising. President Miller said 15 or 16 employees will work in the center.

“If I could have it my way,” Barrington said, “this committee will remain alive for a long time.”

College Demand Increases Despite Recession

Continued from page 1

CCSU’s affordable cost is what drove prospective freshman Jordan Bouchard to apply for admission.

“My first choice was always Plymouth State University,” said the Meriden, Conn. resident, “but they only wanted to give me $7,000 in financial aid when it costs almost $20, 000 to go there, not including room and board.”

When Bouchard’s parents couldn’t foot the bill, he was forced to work for a year in order to save money.

CCSU is just one of several Connecticut universities seeing a jump in demand. According to the State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education, Fall 2008 enrollment at state sponsored colleges and universities rose 3.5 percent or 3,884 students, thanks to the recession.

“Clearly, we’re experiencing great demand for college,” wrote Michael P. Meotti, Commissioner of Higher Education in Connecticut, in a press release. “As in past tough economic times, people are turning to college to improve their prospects.”

Regardless of the cause of the increase in applications, education officials can all agree that the demand for higher education is becoming a financial burden for the state and universities.

“I know first-hand from visits to campuses across the state that colleges are doing their

best to meet surging demand, particularly our community colleges where enrollment growth is outstripping all other sectors,” stated the Commissioner.

“As for everyone, the challenge before us is the uncertain economy. On one hand, economic downturns tend to benefit higher education as more people seek retraining.

On the other hand, financial pressures strain our capacity to serve more students and keep costs down,” Meotti wrote.

However, school officials are quick to add that the recession isn’t the only reason for the growth in applications.

Hall also credited the boost to CCSU’s budding reputation, aggressive marketing campaign and academic offerings. In 2007, the Princeton Review named CCSU one of the “best northeastern colleges” and the university continues to receive positive limelight.

He also pointed to the method in which the Office of Recruitment and Admissions uses social networking sites, such as Facebook, to market the university.

Recruitment officials are also targeting high school underclassmen as actively as they pursue high school seniors.

“When high school freshmen are ready to graduate, they have a lot of information about Central,” said Hall.

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4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / NEWS

On Average, Residents Maintain Higher GPAs Than Commuters Michael Torelli

Special to The Recorder

The difference between a dorm full of friends and a comfortable home can alter CCSU students’ grade point averages drastically.

Braden Hosch, Director of Institutional Research and Assessment at CCSU, determined which group was responsible for recording higher GPAs on average between on-campus students and commuters.

With the most recent study of GPA comparisons, on-campus students excel on paper slightly more in terms of their average GPAs. “Part-time students are excluded, since they’re not supposed to live in housing,” Hosch said. “And parttime students tend to be older (older students earn higher grades).”

First-year students with zero to 25 credits who lived on-campus in Fall 2008 had an average GPA of 2.73, where first-year commuters had an average GPA of 2.51.

The trend continues with upperclassmen as well, though, in contrast, seniors who lived on-campus averaged a 3.06 GPA, where commuters maintained a 3.08.

A variable in this comparison lies in the ratio of residents to commuter. There were 2,037 students living on campus last semester and

5,248 students that lived offcampus.

“It is only possible to say that higher GPAs are associated with campus housing, not that the campus housing causes the higher grades,” Hosch said.

He explained that the cause of the higher GPAs for underclassmen residents could depend on the type of student.

“Students who live in campus housing tend to want a more traditional college experience… and students who live off-campus tend to work more hours,” he said.

Kara LaBissoniere, 19, and an elementary education major, commutes to CCSU. A second semester sophomore, she has worked throughout her entire college career so far, and has managed to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.7.

“Right now, I’m just a waitress at Rick’s on 5 in Wallingford; however, at one time I did have three jobs.”

She doesn’t work every day at Rick’s, but when she had the three jobs as a second-semester freshman, she struggled to juggle her work hours with time for homework.

“I’m too close to school already; there’s no need to live at school if I only have to drive a few minutes to get here,” she replied, when asked if she would ever live on campus.

Katrina Joerg, 20 and an elementary education math major, is an on-campus student who enjoys living in her dorm.

“My parents told me I had to live on campus the first semester and if I didn’t like it, then I could commute. I’m glad I lived here,” she went on to say. With an average GPA of 2.9,

she works every night on her homework.

“I had a rough first semester trying to get comfortable with the college setting,” Joerg said. Most first year students do have trouble when coping with being away from home, but she continued through it.

Joerg works at Lego in Enfield, Conn. on Sundays and sometimes gets extra hours from coworkers.

Braden Hosch mentioned that “it is quite possible that when CCSU does build more housing, we will also see grades increase slightly.”

Students Compete for Fleeting Internships Melissa Loewinger The Daily Princetonian | Princeton

(UWIRE) – Operations research and financial engineering (ORFE) majors lined up with English majors and pre-meds Friday to hand their resumes to recruiters from the pharmaceutical organization Merck, one of the 46 companies represented at the annual Career Services internship fair.

In the crowded Frist Multipurpose Room, more than 150 students engaged in what Jessica Westerman ’12 called “the frantic search for jobs” that has emerged this year. In the continually shrinking job market, students who once would have sought internships in specific, specialized industries are broadening their searches, Westerman added.

“There are a lot of people out there looking for something, just throwing their applications out,” she said.

Students looking for summer internships in organizations in the financial industry are facing even stiffer competition than usual this year, employers said. As several of these companies scale back their internship programs, many prospective interns are choosing to branch out and apply for summer jobs in other industries.

Small companies with little name recognition, many of which offer only unpaid internships, are also experiencing higher demand for their limited positions, recruiters said.

The internship shortage has been good news for some employers, though, as the shrinking number of jobs in the big banking and finance firms is forcing many students to explore other options.

“In terms of highly qualified candidates, there are more today as opposed to even last year,” said Michael Doyle, managing director and recruiter from Novahill Partners, a small boutique investment bank based in Princeton. “I think it’s supply and demand. There are fewer jobs out there.”

According to a new Jobfox poll, 76 percent of the 200 recruiters polled said that the recession is an opportunity to bring in higher quality job candidates. “[The economic situation] certainly has changed,” said Alan Barnes

’08, a recruiter for the financial news and data company Bloomberg. “You see guys that had jobs, and suddenly they didn’t have jobs ... There’s a lot more people who are like, ‘Jobs?

Jobs?’ ” Economics major Randy Wang ’10 said he was having trouble finding jobs in finance.

“There are just fewer opportunities, because so many of the big banks that were once here are now gone,” he said. “I’m looking more into investment banking, and there’s only one investment bank here, and it’s a boutique firm.”

ORFE major Teck Hsien Ho ’10 agreed that it’s been difficult to find a job that fits his career goals this year.

“Maybe [that’s] because of the recession, maybe because of some other factors, but definitely it’s been a challenge so far,” Ho said.

A representative from one of the pharmaceutical companies at the fair commented that the company’s applicants come from increasingly varied academic backgrounds.

“We’re looking for chemists, chemical engineers, biologists [and mathematicians], and typically we don’t have finance people coming to us,” said the representative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“This year, there were finance people coming to our table.”

The recession is also boosting the applicant pool at FG Companies, a small boutique investment bank in New York that only offers unpaid internships, said Kai Chan GS ’04, an associate at the firm. “[The downturn] is great for guys like us, honestly, because we’re finding a lot of people who are saying, ‘Yeah, we’re happy to work for you for free,’ ” Chan said.

“I noticed last year when we did interviews and said, ‘Just to be clear, this is an unpaid internship,’ some people were wavering,” Chan explained. “This year, when I explicitly start off the interview saying it’s an unpaid internship, they’re fine with that, and just say, ‘Let’s proceed.’”

Director of Career Services Beverly Hamilton-Chandler said in an e-mail that some employers are streamlining the hiring process in light of the economic crisis.

“In some cases, as employers utilize a variety of cost-cutting measures, some employers are posting their positions and have shortened

the interview process in order to make offers sooner,” she said.

As juniors apply for more internships in a greater variety of industries, underclassmen are facing a very competitive pool, freshmen and sophomores said.

“I think there are [fewer internships] for sophomores, a lot more just

focused on juniors,” ORFE major David Pan ’11 said, Engineering student Sarah Lux ’12 agreed that it’s been difficult to find an internship as a freshman.

“I want something in civil and environmental engineering, but because I’m a freshman, I don’t have the same experience as some of the older students do,” she said.

Students with less experience are particularly vulnerable in the shrinking job market.

“There aren’t a lot of companies willing to hire an expendable intern to get them coffee when they’re downsizing to begin with,’ Westerman noted.

THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Editorial

5

Editorial/Opinion

Talk radio has been significantly dominated by conservative voices in recent years, and with Democrats now in power of Congress and the Oval Office, talks of reinstituting the Fairness Doctrine have been floating around Capitol Hill.

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy implemented by the FCC in 1949 in order to ensure that radio hosts presented both sides of controversial issues of public importance. In 1987, the FCC abolished the doctrine, which has since prompted discussion about instituting Congressional legislation of the same nature.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Fairness Doctrine, and its potential violation of First Amendment rights.

Opponents of the doctrine claim that setting restrictions on material that is discussed on radio shows is an infringement on free speech.

In a 1969 Supreme Court case, Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, the court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the Fairness Doctrine stating that since there is only a limited radio spectrum, the material of

speakers could be regulated in order to maintain and uphold openness.

Many prominent democrats such as John Kerry, Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, have expressed support for the reintroduction of the Fairness Doctrine, but recently Barack Obama stated publicly that he was against reinstating the policy.

There is a general consensus among top conservatives that the Fairness Doctrine is an attempt by Democrats to regulate their views on the airwaves. Rush Limbaugh, host of the most-listened-to radio show in the country, has been publicly outspoken about his fear and discontent that congress may attempt to put policies in place to regulate content on the radio.

According to the standards of the free market, and the way in which material on the airwaves should, in fact compete for listeners, the Fairness Doctrine is an infringement on the First Amendment. Essentially, the Fairness Doctrine would be the Title IX of the radio in guaranteeing certain amounts of time or space to opposing views, regardless of quality or listenership.

When a radio show gets a large amount of listeners, then they will stay on the air since the demand for that show is high. It just so happens that conservative talk shows generally get more listeners, and therefore are entitled to continue what they are doing in order to bring in ratings.

This involves spreading their opinions. If a law were imposed to guarantee airtime to alternative views, this would not serve the viewers who have clearly expressed a preference for conservative talking heads.

Just because liberals views are our there and can be given adequate time on the air doesn’t mean it should. What the government would be doing if they reinstalled the Fairness Doctrine is endorsing a side so that liberalism would rival radio’s conservatives. Frankly, liberal media doesn’t need the help and shouldn’t receive extra attention to spite its conservative counterparts.

Another side of the controversy is providing listeners with adequate and fair reporting on important issues. In journalism, Americans have come to value and strive for objectivity, but some have lost sight of its meaning.

At times, it had represented a mathematical formula or prercentage determined in order to give fair share to different, opposing sides. In actuality, a journalist knows when to give each side their space, but is smart enough to know accurate reporting transcends space and time.

Whether it is a talking head on a radio show or a print journalist, people who consume this media are owed the truth and should be able to see through the mandated veil of balance.

The radio should not be treated differently than any other facet of the media. As stated in the First Amendment, Congress has no right to abridge freedom of speech, or of the press. Mandating that hosts discuss all sides of controversial issues is demanding that their opinions must be downplayed in the name of fairness.

Reinstating the Fairness Doctrine would wrongly allow the government to regulate broadcasted content, and this would be a gross violation of the First Amendment that is essential to maintaining the open discussion that is relevant to the needs of its citizens.

Re-evaluating CCSU’s Technological Reach

University Should Implement a New System to Reach Students

Alex Jarvis

Special to The Recorder

My part-time job at the computer lab provides several things that average students may not be privy to: free printing, for example, or dominion over a vast array of computers, for another.

But one of the things I am most cognizant of and most excited to be witness to is the amal-

gam of personalities and ideas that come in. I get to hear what they are talking about, and as a person of (wholly transparent) authority, I am often the first person they go to when they have a CCSU-related question.

After one and a half semesters of listening, I am certain of one fact: Central students don’t have a clue as to what is going on with this university. And more importantly, I really don’t think it’s their fault.

One Shot Too Many Dan Dinunzio Staff Writer

Political cartoons have been a unique part of American history. Last week a cartoonist for the New York Post walked a tight rope that has drawn national attention.

Sean Delonas illustrated two current events together, one being the chimpanzee attack in Stamford, Conn. and the other, the recently-approved economic stimulus package.

As you may have seen, a picture tells a thousand words.

The cartoon shows two police officers with their weapons drawn and a recently shotdead monkey, with one cop commenting, “They’ll have to find someone else to write our next stimulus bill.”

What would possess a person to have that published? This picture draws a fine line between racism and a political ploy. During an economic crisis like the one this country is facing today combined with an unfortunate wild animal attack could there be a real message behind this illustration.

The newspaper has stood by the columnist entirely. They even went as far as calling out the outspoken African-American activist Al Sharpton who was outraged by this cartoon.

The fact that Mr. Obama is part AfricanAmerican and is the President of this country spells out public backlash – all they had to do was compare him to a monkey and mention his stimulus package.

This controversy has raised new questions of racism in our world. The media is a very powerful tool and when people say or draw whatever they want it can be dangerous. People are going to have their own opinions and interpretations, but linking the President of the United States to his ethnic background in a derogatory way is indeed one shot too many, even if it wasn’t intentional. A dark cloud will certainly loom over the head of this cartoonist because of his lack of judgment and inability to relate to current events in an appropriate way.

His defense was that Congress is on a wild spending spree, and it has become an animal that has gone out of control. It does relate exactly to the mauling by a chimpanzee in Connecticut, but that doesn’t make it justified.

Central has a very curious system set up called “Today@CCSU”. In theory, it is very tech-forward. It is parable, archivable, and can even have a limited export function. You can, in your Central Pipeline account, register for things you think you might be interested in and have them appear on that page. You can also just go to today@ccsu, found at http://today. ccsu.edu, and search via interest.

The reality of this is that the limitation, while seemingly willing to jive with some interesting tech, fails at several key points. The limited exportability onto a knowable interface means that these cool, interesting speakers and events get thrown on a page that students check twice a year for class registration. The Today@ CCSU interface is confusing to a newcomer, and is ultimately too awkward to use intuitively.

Even worse, actual need-to-know information is very often lost in transmission; I stopped counting how many times people asked about parking bans during snow storms, early dismissals – little details that are supposed to be sent through email. And I don’t doubt they are - but they are sent to places that students do not check, and CCSU’s exhaustive notification system becomes tantamount to yelling in the wind.

It’s time for a revamp.

My suggestion is not even really that complicated; it’s a shift in paradigm to accept new technology. First, you need to reevaluate the Today@CCSU calendar system (keep the calendar, sure, whatever, that’s not important).

Increase its operability to be downloaded as a general RSS feed so that you can publish it as a calendar on... the CCSU facebook account!

Yes, we have a group, but you can only do so much with a group. A full-fledged account would allow us so much more in the way of disseminating information.

An RSS-ed calendar would be great for taking that weird Today@CCSU interface and putting it somewhere popular and knowable. In fact, the next step is to drop Today@CCSU all together. Actually, I misspoke. Not the whole thing, just the “Today”.

Creating a Twitter account, “@CCSU”, does two important things: one, it allows Central (heh) Pipeline (heh heh) to post all information regarding incoming events. It also allows itself to be ported to the CCSU Facebook account, as well as providing a 100 percent free text-messaging system to all students – you don’t even need a formal Twitter account to follow someone via almost any mobile device.

Suddenly, Central will find itself with a very simple method of information dissemination.

Students would be connected the way they want to be connected, not the way CCSU imagines it.

The school could become a little bit more solid, and with a little bit less of that “commuter school” reputation. It is absolutely possible, and immediately implement-able, all at the cost of, perhaps, a student intern to manage the system.

I think I might know someone perfect for the job.

In a nation that has overcome the extremes of segregation and Jim Crow laws, no one in their right mind should draw the comparisons in such a manner that was done last Wednesday. Obviously the right decision wasn’t made and the public has been critical in a lot of ways. The satirical approach to political cartons has been deeply diminished over time. There have been wide debates on this issue and the involvement of race relations in itself is a risk.

The repercussions of this drawing are yet to be seen. Whatever they are, they can’t change the damage already done. This cartoon has offended a wide variety of people on many different levels. Hopefully this will be a lesson learned in moving forward.

Whether you’re a freelance writer, cartoonist, a professional or citizen journalist, always think about the content of the words and pictures intended for publication. The challenges and problems facing this country are real.

There’s no need for cartoonists to put in their two cents in a way that is sure to spark outrage.

Partially displayed at right is the New York Post cartoon that ran Wednesday, February 18. Sean Delonas is the author.

Photo: Sean Delonas / NY Post

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / SPORTS

SPORTS STARTS ON BACKPAGE

Smead Scores Three In Lax Opener, Men’s Track Places 4th at NECs, Sanderson Wins 5,000 Meters CCSU Falls to Villanova 13-5 Matt Berube, Nick Trifone and Eric CCSuBLuEDEViLS.COM

With a gold medal performance in the 5,000 meters and a third place finish in the 3,000, junior Ry Sanderson led the Central Connecticut men’s track and field team to their best finish at the Northeast Conference Indoor Championships since joining the league in 1998.

The Blue Devils placed fourth out of 11 teams in competition at the 2009 NEC Indoor Championships in Landover, MD. Sanderson recorded a time of 14:51.69 to win the 5,000 and crossed the line in 8:43.31 to grab third in the 3,000 meter run.

Seven other individuals put forth top ten performances to help the Blue Devils tally 58 points and hold off Sacred Heart (55.5) and Bryant (40), who finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Seniors Sean Smith and Matthew Whalen as well as junior R.J. Simeone scored points for CCSU in the track events.

Smith placed fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 50.47 seconds. Whalen took home second in the 800, crossing the line in 2:00.53, while Simeone finished the 500 meters in 1:05.86 to place fourth.

Rathbun all finished in the top ten in the high jump at the NEC Championships. Berube grabbed second in the event with a jump of 1.98 meters, while Trifone had a bronze medal performance, jumping 1.92 meters. Rathbun was ninth in the high jump, recording a mark of 1.82 meters.

Berube and Rathbun each recorded 10th place finishes in the long and triple jump, respectively. Berube traveled 6.57 meters to grab 10th in the long, while Rathbun jump 12.92 meters for 10th place in the triple.

Tristan Roberts also scored points for the Blue Devils, placing sixth in the triple jump, with a mark of 13.2 meters.

The CCSU 4 x 400 meter relay team of Dionis White, Simeone, Smith, and Myles Mason placed sixth in a time of 3:25.96.

Whalen, Shawn Buchanan, Dan Watson, and Robert Weston made up the Blue Devil distance medley team. They finished in fourth, recording a time of 10:39.63.

St. Francis (P.A.) won the championship with 121 total points, just edging out Monmouth who finished second, recording 116. Long Island was just ahead of CCSU in third place with 84.5 points.

Women’s Track Finishes Competition at NECs in 10th CCSuBLuEDEViLS.COM

Photo: CCSuBlueDevils.com

CCSuBLuEDEViLS.COM

Freshman Alexa Smead scored three goals in her first collegiate game, but the Central Connecticut lacrosse team (0-1) fell to Villanova (1-0) 13-5 on the road on Sunday afternoon.

The Wildcats started the game with a seven to one run and held on for the victory, out-shooting the Blue Devils 37-19. CCSU senior captain Stephanie John added two goals in the defeat.

Villanova got on the board early as Taylor Lucy scored the first goal of the game with only 19 seconds off the scoreboard. The Wildcats would finish twice more before Smead got CCSU on the board nearly halfway through the first period to cut the lead to 3-1. The Averill, N.Y. native scored her first collegiate goal on a free position shot.

Wildcat attacker Katie Stone scored two goals amidst a four to zero run, as Villanova took a 7-1 lead over the Blue Devils with five minutes remaining in the first half. John then answered for CCSU on a free position of her own getting the game back to within five before halftime.

Villanova out-shot CCSU 20 to 11 at the half, while picking up nine ground balls to

Central’s seven. Blue Devil goalkeeper Alice Lee recorded nine saves in the opening frame.

CCSU let Villanova get off to another quick start in the second half as Stone put the Wildcats up 8-2 after only 1 minute and 38 seconds in the period. From the 24:19 mark to 22:10 left in the second frame, four goals were scored.

Villanova recorded three in the stretch, while John put in another unassisted goal for the Blue Devils, as they trailed 11-3. Near the end of the game Smead tallied two goals in a row to cut into the Wildcat lead, but CCSU let in another with 13 seconds left to make it 13-5.

Villanova out-shot the Blue Devils 37-19, while collecting 17 ground balls to CCSU’s 12 for the game. The Wildcats were a perfect 10-10 on clears, while Central failed on three attempts, finishing 10-13.

Lee finished the game with 18 saves. Villanova was led Taryn McKenna’s five goals and two assists as well as three goals each from Carly Miller and Stone. Lucy finished with two goals and an assist.

Central Connecticut will continue their road trip against Presbyterian on Friday Feb. 27 before traveling to Davidson on March 1 and returning home to host Siena on March 8.

The Central Connecticut women’s track and field team finished competition in the Northeast Conference Indoor Championships today in 10th place out of 12 teams in Landover, MD. The Blue Devils totaled 18 points and were led by freshman Amanda Kelley, who came away with two top eight performances in the throwing events.

Kelley, last week’s NEC Rookie and Field Athlete of the Week was third in the weight throw with a mark of 15.6 meters and followed that with an eighth place finish in the shot put, recording a distance of 12.27 meters.

Other top performers on the weekend were freshman Kate McGuire, senior Kathleen Lima and sophomore Katherine

Bossardet. McGuire took fifth place in the 500 meters, crossing the line in 1:20.57. Lima placed sixth in the 800 meter run, recording a time of 2:24.26, while Bossardet was ninth in the 5,000 meters in 18:51.09.

The Blue Devil 4 x 400 meter relay team of Katrina Ainsworth, Kim Savino, Aneta Pytel and McGuire finished in eighth place, recording a time of 4:11.51. The CCSU distance medley team crossed the line in 13:01.41 to place sixth. The four-member team was Megan Jaswell, Savino, Lima and Nicole Coiteux.

Monmouth won the team championship with 140.50 total points, while Long Island and Sacred Heart battled it out for second and third place, respectively. LIU finished with 134 points and the Pioneers recorded 132. CCSU defeated Bryant and St. Francis (N.Y.) in the meet.

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / SPORTS

Dorau The [Sports] Explorer

Salaries Have No Place in the Post-Game Press Conference Press conferences are a delightful combination of eccentric behavior, frustrating clichés and fluctuating emotions that make sports journalism so appealing to guys like me. Some days it may not Kyle Dorau seem like it, but Sports Editor there really is something special to speaking with a coach or player right after they’ve engaged in an on-field battle.

That’s why I’m frustrated by the actions of a writer who badgered University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun this past weekend.

The reporter, apparently trying to make a name for himself, repeatedly questioned Calhoun on his annual salary of 1.6 million dollars. That sum makes him the highest paid employee in the state. Calhoun, instead of having to explain why his team only put up 64 points against a sub-par University of South Florida, found himself having to justify his paycheck in front of the assembled press corps.

I’m not suggesting that 1.6 million isn’t an absurd salary for someone to coach college basketball players, but this overzealous do-gooder needs to learn that there are appropriate times and channels for that line of questioning.

There’s a reason I’m the Sports Editor here at The Recorder. I don’t have the mental strength to follow political, economical, and social intricacies. I’m far too aloof to recognize perceived injustices. I wrote just last week about the negativity in the sports world, a place that is supposed to be an escape for our society.

Coach Calhoun doesn’t have to justify his salary, neither do the second and third highest paid state employees UConn football coach Randy Edsall and women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma. They generate tremendous amounts of revenue, and have more or less built programs.

The vast majority of the athletes they coach will not be turning pro in their respective sports. These coaches, just like the coaches here at CCSU, are motivating the athletes to do their best in every aspect of their lives. The impact of such mentors cannot be measured in a paycheck.

When I sit in on a press conference after a tough loss and see Coach Howie Dickenman wring his hands from start to finish, I know there’s no greater motivator for those kids in the locker room than this coach sitting in front of us.

When Coach Jeff McInerney asks the reporters after the game if we mind that he sits down, it’s tough not to laugh. He’s only been executing a meticulously detailed game plan, meeting potential recruits, and managing over 50 kids between the ages of 18 and 22 for the last six hours. Not once during the past year have I wondered what any CCSU coach makes in a season, and frankly, I don’t care to know.

I know we’re in a recession, depression or whatever nickname they’ve come up with for it this week. Making a high-profile coach take a pay cut is not going to fix America’s economic troubles any time soon. That’s fixing a gaping wound with a single band-aid.

Calhoun may be a state employee, but he built a program from the ground up that not only makes millions for UConn, but think of the economic stimulus each Huskies game at the XL Center brings to the surrounding businesses in an otherwise dreary Hartford.

The writer, whose illustrious accomplishments include writing for High Times Magazine, has a “manifesto” on his Web site, which more or less endorses vandalism. Mentioning his name or home page would just garner him publicity I don’t feel like handing out.

In the ensuing article, the writer floats the notion that a pay cut from Calhoun could help sustain programs at the University, providing scholarships and equipment for other sports.

Here at CCSU, the Ice Hockey Club is in dire straits, being financially abandoned by the SGA. Never in my wildest dreams would I ask a Central coach or faculty member to take a pay cut in order to fund that program or any other on campus. I hope aspiring journalists would have the common sense to do the same instead of playing hero to hippies.

UConn Basketball coach Jim Calhoun was confronted about his $1.6 million salary at a post-game press conference after the team’s win over the University of South Florida.

AP

Blue Devils Far from the End Peter Collin Managing Editor

“What do you do when teams shoot the ball like that?”

It was an impressive performance for CCSU women’s basketball coach Beryl Piper to watch when the Sacred Heart Pioneers rolled through New Britain on Monday.

The CCSU women’s basketball team has come a long way from last season but they haven’t travelled past the Sacred Heart Pioneers yet. The Northeast Conference regular season champions came into New Britain and served notice to the Blue Devils, defeating them 8162.

It’s hard to complain about what the Blue Devils have done this year under second year head coach Beryl Piper.

Going from four wins to 17 is a remarkable feat no matter what the outcome of their season.

But the Blue Devils recent performance begs the question of whether or not they will ever be able to step up beyond the elite SHU squad. So far they have been able to overcome all of the other opponents that have stood in their way like Robert Morris and Monmouth.

Much like the Blue Devils, the Pioneers are a very young team and will retain most of their major pieces for the next two seasons.

This has all the makings of a classic rivalry that will last. The teams are geographically linked and both have a young core of players who have exceeded expectations for this season, albeit CCSU has exceeded theirs by leaps and bounds.

Plus SHU has been the one opponent that the Blue Devils, or any other team in the NEC for that matter, haven’t been able to figure out

this season. Like Peyton Manning, the Blue Devils are up against their Tom Brady and the Patriots and right now things aren’t looking good. It may be awhile before Central gets to write its chapter of the rivalry.

The Blue Devils may go further than anyone expected except they probably won’t win the one game no one will expect them to.

Central players were upset about their second defeat at the hands of the Pioneers and it is a certainty that this one stung all the more considering it happened in their own gymnasium. But it just might not be their time yet; at least not yet their time against the Pioneers.

“Our kids were upset,” said Piper. “And that’s a good thing. You don’t want them to be like, ‘we’re not suppose to win this game’ they wanted to win this game and they were upset with themselves.”

It is good to hear that the Blue Devils learned that losing is something they should never settle for after it had become such a tradition at Central.

The hope would have to be that the Blue Devils take that anger and use it to make sure they never get complacent with the gains they have made this season.

The Blue Devils may get a third try at SHU in the NEC Tournament but the match up will be at the Pioneer’s house and Central will need to do a better job at defending the perimeter, something they have done well, except against the Pioneers.

For all of the tactical lessons the coach Piper will take from their most recent encounter with the top seed, the main lesson for her to take away, is that for once, losing is something that is hard to swallow for women’s basketball at CCSU.

“They wanted to win this game and they were upset with themselves.”

-Coach Beryl Piper

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Junior Guard P.J. Wade hits the floor after a non-call in CCSU’s 81-62 loss to Sacred Heart.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / SPORTS

Blue Devils Overwhelmed by Pioneers in 101-67 Loss

Continued from page 16 just kind of reacted and was very energetic.”

Shemik Thompson, who had a team-high 13 points on the night, also was complimentary of Desmarais’ play.

“I know he got me going,” said Thompson. “He definitely stepped up. He plays hard.”

Thompson was once again the most consistent Blue Devil on the floor, grabbing a pair of rebounds and dishing out two assists in a losing effort. His effort did not match his stat line, in large part due to his teammates’ struggles to finish.

Central shot just 33 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, almost half of what Sacred Heart was shooting. Once again, just like the previous week’s upset at the hands of FDU, missed lay-ups proved costly for the Blue Devils.

“Even though we started bad,” said Thompson, “if we made those lay-ups that we missed, then we would have been right in the game.”

Central never led at any point in the game, while Sacred Heart found themselves up by 19 after just the first half. The Blue Devils trailed by 15 in the first half, found a way to whittle the deficit down to 4, but could muster no further comeback. It was a far cry from the game at the William H. Pitt Center in January in which Central lost 77-69.

The Blue Devils were able to bounce back from such a crushing defeat on Saturday, as they took down

St. Francis (NY), 78-73. An undermanned CCSU team missing Ken Horton, Tamir Johnson, and Chris Baskerville was able to overcome the short bench to get a key win and clinch a NEC Tournament berth.

“There was a little bit more pressure, with eight players and needing a win, there was a bit more, but not a lot,” Thompson said. “With three people out, we had to step up.”

Freshman Robby Ptacek and senior Marcus Palmer each contributed a team-high 17 points in the victory, while sophomore David Simmons posted a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds.

Simmons played a key role down the stretch as Central tried to preserve the lead. With a two-point lead, Shemik Thompson was fouled with just 11 seconds left. He missed both free throws, but Simmons was able to grab the offensive rebound, and was fouled.

Despite shooting just under 52 percent from the line on the season, he knocked down both free throws to ice the victory for CCSU. “This was a statement game for ourselves,” said Simmons. “We are normally a great team at home.”

Central hosts Monmouth on Senior Night this Thursday at 7 p.m., before closing out the regular season at in-state rival Quinnipiac on Saturday in a key NEC match up. With the split this past week, CCSU is now 13-14 overall and 8-8 in the conference.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Head Coach Howie Dickenman yells at an official over a missed charge call.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Freshman Kyle Desmarais scored a career-best 11 points in CCSU’s 101-67 loss to Sacred Heart.

Blue Devils Turn Back Pioneers

Continued from page 16

“In April, you schedule the teams and you don’t know how the teams are going to be,” said Mallia.

“That’s just how the season ended.”

Dabkowski, a three-year veteran of the team, knows how important the past couple weeks have been for Central despite the lack of quality opponents.

“You’ve got to make sure you do all the little things that you always do. You go back to the basics against lesser opponents,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure you don’t get into any bad habits. It’s really just to build confidence, put the puck away, play well defensively and make sure you have everything in gear heading into the postseason.”

Seven different Blue Devils scored in the victory, as six players had multi-point games. Craig Prema and Mike DiClemente each had three assists.

“That’s what we need,” said Dabkowski. “We need everyone putting the puck away and everyone playing defensive hockey.”

Senior Craig Height got the start in net, splitting time with

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Mike DiClemente tallied three assists in the Blue Devils 9-4 win over the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Senior Night.

Carmine Vetrano. Height allowed one goal in thirty minutes and earned the victory, his seventh of the season.

Central’s regular season record comes to a close at 17-8-1.

Corey Emilia led the Pioneers offensively, grabbing a goal and two helpers.

CCSU now looks ahead toward Regional competition, held in Albany, N.Y. this weekend. The teams ranked third through 10th in the Northeast will take part in a single elimination tournament, and two semifinalists will qualify for the Division II National Championship.

Central reached Nationals last year, and looks to return for the second consecutive season.

Standing in the Blue Devils’ way in round one are the Nittany Lions of Penn State University. While they are no longer members of the Super East, Penn State is a familiar foe for CCSU. “They’re primarily the same team as last year that we beat 5-0 and tied 5-5,” Mallia said. “It is ironic.

You had to figure one of the Super East teams would face them in the Regional, and it happened to be us.”

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Kevin Butler spent 14 minutes of the second period in the penalty box.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / SPORTS

Crockett Thrives in Comeback Year for Women’s Basketball

With 8.7 rebounds per game, Crockett has been a force on the boards for the Blue Devils.

Continued from page 16 focused demeanor. That allows her to go relatively unnoticed during game play, until you look at the stat line and see the numbers she produces.

“She just makes a difference,” said head coach Beryl Piper.

Inside the paint, she has proven that she can hang with the best in the Northeast Conference, ranking in the top five in rebounds per game as a sophomore.

“She’s a big, strong kid,” explained Piper. “I’m not sure there’s a player in the conference that is as physically strong as Leanne is.”

That strength allows her to pull down over eight rebounds a game despite being just a shade under six feet tall.

Away from the basket, Crockett makes just as much of a difference to the team. She averages ten points per

game, and has shot better than 38 percent from beyond the arc this season.

She has made more three-pointers this season than anyone else in the Northeast Conference and is in the top ten for rebounding.

“I think the kids want her to take the game-winning shot,” Piper said. “It’s funny, when she shoots, [the team] is always saying ‘knock, knock’ because they just assume it’s going to go in the basket all the time.”

With Central’s rebirth from 4-25 overall just a year ago to being seeded second in the NEC Tournament next week, such success may be unfamiliar to some of her teammates.

However, Crockett is no stranger to big games or success in them. In 2003 and 2005, she helped lead the Manchester High School Indians to Class LL State Titles.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Crockett leads the Blue Devils in 3-point field goals this season with 39.

Playing alongside Crockett at MHS was teammate-turned-conference rival Khalia Cain, now of Sacred Heart.

“It was weird playing against her,” said Crockett. “I played with her for three years at the high school and she’s a good player. It was funny being on different teams.”

The two played against one another for the first time on January 31 at the William H. Pitt Center. While Cain’s Pioneers got the 76-64 victory, Crockett had the better stats on the day, scoring nine points and grabbing ten rebounds.

High school basketball also allowed Crockett to become more familiar with Piper.

“It worked out because I knew Piper from Manchester,” referring to Piper’s time as head coach of New Britain High’s basketball program.

With Manchester in the same conference as the Golden Hurricanes, the two were acquainted with one another and would soon cross paths in the future.

Crockett attended the University of Maryland-Baltimore County her first year out of high school, but returned home after one year to enroll at CCSU. “I liked the kids on the team, the coaching staff was nice, [but] it just wasn’t a good fit for me,” Crockett explains. “I just didn’t really like it there. I never felt comfortable.”

A return closer to home is apparently just what the doctor ordered for the Connecticut native. She sat out the 2007-08 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but was still able to practice and be around the team.

That allowed her to have perspective on what the differences are between last year’s struggles and the accomplishments this season.

“We know how to finish and win games now,” she said.

Winning certainly is made easier when Central’s team added a player who went on to win the NEC Rookie of the Week award twice, named among the top rebounders in the NEC, and nearly averages a doubledouble on the season.

Not only is she beneficial to the basketball team, but one school’s loss is the gain of two athletic programs.

Crockett will also be competing as a member of the women’s track team in the throwing events. Last season she threw the javelin and discus, and placed third in the Yale Springtime Invitational with a javelin toss in excess of 31 meters.

For now, her sole focus is leading the women’s basketball program to a NEC Championship. When asked about the young team’s potential, her outlook is bright.

“We’re only going to continue to get better,” she said.

The same goes for Central’s most versatile weapon.

CCSU Defeats Terriers, Clinches Second Seed in NEC Tournament Continued from page 16

by the Blue Devils, they would not trail for the remainder of the game.

Dugan spoke positively on the defensive effort of the team, which held St. Francis to 31.8 percent from the field.

“The past couple of games we have been struggling on defense, but today we picked it up,” she said.

The Blue Devils were without one of their players as Leanne Crockett is stricken with bronchitis.

Freshman Shontice Simmons only played 16 minutes as she is dealing with a bad cold. “[Simmons] was struggling, but other kids stepped up,” Piper said, “We gotta pick it up without [Crockett].”

CCSU had their biggest lead of the game with 11:41 remaining, when Udenze hit a layup to make it a 24 point gap at 49-25.

For the Terriers (4-22, 3-13) Kendra Williams led the way with a double-double of her own, scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds. Karla Babica added 10 points and eight rebounds while Vianca Tejada added 10 points in a losing effort.

Freshman Gabrielle Oglesby who added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Blue Devils, said in regards to the overall success of the season, “coming off of last year, [the success] is not the icing on the cake, but [it shows] that we are for real.”

The Blue Devils were unable to carry Saturday’s momentum into Monday night’s game against the Sacred Heart Pioneers as the fell 8162 to drop their record to 17-10 overall and 12-4 in the conference.

The Blue Devils started out strong against the Pioneers and made several runs during the first half, but the Pioneers held onto the Blue Devils and kept it close.

Central led 23-17 with less than nine minutes left in the first half when the Pioneers began a 22-10 run

9

that put them on top by six points heading into the locker room.

Freshman Shontice Simmons led the early Central charge, scoring 12 of her 18 points in the first half.

But the Blue Devils could not slow down the best shooting team in the conference. The Pioneers entered the game shooting a conference high 45 percent from the field and leading the NEC with 69.4 points per game.

The Pioneers outscored the Blue Devils in the paint 18-14 but it was that high field goal percentage that hurt Central the most.

Led by sophomores Alisa Apo and Maggie Cosgrove the Pioneers extended their lead to eight points to start the second half.

The Blue Devils managed to pull within four points of the Pioneers with just over 14 minutes left to play but then SHU took over. It would be another 5:14 seconds before the Blue Devils scored again.

The Pioneers went on a 15-0 that saw Apo and Cosgrove score a combined 13 points in just over three minutes, including three three-point baskets. Apo led all scorers with 19 points for the game.

“They just keep nailing shots.

Every time we made a mistake defensively they took advantage of it.

They’re a smart team like that,” said Piper. “I don’t know you just can’t make mistakes against them. We have to do everything right to beat that team.”

Oglesby and junior P.J. Wade added 10 points to the Central effort while Udenze led the team with 11 rebounds and fell one point shy of her fourth straight double-double.

CCSU has two games left in the regular season. On Saturday they will travel to Hamden to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats as 1 p.m. and the will end the regular season at home against the Monmouth Hawks on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m.

Christopher Boulay contributed.

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

After recording a double-double on Saturday, Sophomore Kerrianne Dugan managed 5 points and 4 rebounds against Sacred Heart.

10 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 25, 2009

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Cool Kids to Play Toad’s Place

Edward Gaug Photo Editor

When the Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, also known as the Cool Kids, popped up on The Recorder’s radar back in the winter of 2007, they had just released their Totally Flossed Out EP and had never played anywhere near Connecticut.

A few months later they were the opening act for Wesleyan’s Spring concert and ready to release their now-acclaimed The Bake Sale EP. What do two twenty-somethings from Chicago

have to offer that makes them so popular with no full-length albums recorded? The Cool Kids have pure talent and a flare for throwback rhymes with infectious beats.

After getting their name and music out to the public via their MySpace page, tons of people starting seeking out their presence. Pitchfork Media booked the duo to their 2007 Pitchfork Festival and they were also book for performances at the College Music Journal Music Festival in New York City.

With two high profile appearances, the Cool Kids blew up to their current status of the

premier indie hip-hop group. Throughout 2008, the Cool Kids continued to tour lightly and start making fans across the country.

During 2008, the group also became one of the most popular to mix and mash amongst DJs and mashup artists. Girl Talk, E-603 and The Hood Internet all mixed the Kids’ songs amongst other Top 40 and hip-hop tracks.

This week the Cool Kids are hooking up with Kid Cudi, a Cleveland-based electro-hop artist who has been featured on Kanye West’s Sky High Mixtape as well as his video for the track “Heartbreak.”

Photo: David Emery

Their show at Toad’s Place in New Haven starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are going for $30. It doesn’t look like either act is playing any more shows in the area according to their Web sites, so it’s a no-brainer that heading to the Elm City for this show is a great way to spend a Friday night outside of New Britain.

Oh right, get ready to dance too, because this will become a party before you can finish your first drink.

Black-Eyed Sally’s Presents Perfect Atmosphere for Jazz

Charles Desrochers Staff Writer

Black-Eyed Sally’s walls are covered from front to back with blues and rock legends like Buddy Guy, Hendrix, Elvis and Stevie Ray Vaughn, but every Monday night the lights are dimmed down, the candles are lit and the smooth sounds of jazz fill the air.

On Monday, Feb. 9, the Kris Jensen Quartet was swinging away as couples were sprinkled through the dining area enjoyed the house’s barbeque and whatever else looked tasty on the menu. The people at the bar, who greatly outnumbered the diners, sat and watched Jensen and his quartet breeze though songs like “Body and Soul” and Freddy Hubbard’s “Birdlike”.

The atmosphere was comfortable and the bar seemed decent, but it was obvious that almost everyone was there to see the band. Peter Greenfogel, a personal friend of Jensen and the rest of the quartet consisting of Steve Porter, Craig Hartley and Ben Bilello, said there weren’t too many places he knew of to hear America’s greatest contribution to music.

“I’m only here for the jazz,” said Steve Nebbia, who is a regular at jazz nights, and added that he didn’t even

Charles Desrochers / The Recorder

bother looking for any other venues since every Monday night at Sally’s was always a guaranteed solid performance.

There is no cover at the door, so the experience won’t even cost a dime. The patrons are friendly if newcomers are in the mood for conversation.

“I’m still trying to get the kinks out, you know, getting over these winter doldrums,” said Jensen, on the tenor sax, in between songs.

Ironically, by the sound of the band, it didn’t seem like they had many cobwebs to dust off.

The stage appearances from week to week, depending on who decides to play. Sometimes a musician will decide to play a couple of weeks in row, such as the night’s piano player Craig Hartley does. It is rare that these musicians disappoint.

Sally’s is an easy-to-reach place and a laid-back venue apart from the insurance company-laden streets of downtown Hartford.

These are seasoned veterans coming out to perform, so if you’re attracted to Sally’s for the jazz, which you should be, expect some of Connecticut’s best.

Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ and Blues 350 Asylum Street Hartford, Conn. 06103

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / UPGRADE

British pop star Lily Allen has done it again no, not another paparazzi-filled night out, but a sophomore album release. This time around the lyrics remain explicit but are cleaned up nicely to fill in the blanks. They are still risqué and unfriendly for easily offended individuals.

Yet, the level of maturity in topic is noticeable in comparison to Allen’s introductory album, Alright, Still.

Allen’s freshman album was a combination of ex-boyfriend attacks, a dark sense of humor, heartbreak, dealing with a lazy brother who smokes too much and sex. So how does she go from risqué to even better and riskier? Allen does not seem to have much trouble completing this task.

“I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless, ‘cause everyone knows that’s how

you get famous,” – Allen’s lyrics to “The Fear” her first single off It’s Not Me, It’s You, set the tone for her second album.

The album has a more personal insight of who Lily Allen actually is. She still gives her listeners the sarcasm and rebellious attitude with appealing lyrics such as, “But you and I have come to our end. Believe me when I tell you that I never wanna see you again. And please can you stop calling cause it’s getting really boring,” found in track number seven titled, “Never Gonna Happen.”

It is obvious that the petite lady known for her door-knocker earrings comes off as a very self-assured artist. If by chance the confidence is lacking, it’s difficult to see through the show she’s putting on – you would be too distracted by her unique style and lyrical freedom.

Allen’s new album does not take the listeners through a standard trip down memory lane or a predictable girlie love-and-heartbreak

album. Instead she hits controversial topics such as politics and religion. But of course the album is not too serious to bore you she also throws in a song about Chinese take-out with TV watching, a small dosage of love lyrics that can’t be measured tremendously, but only in “Who’d Have Known.” She also moves onto the topic of family matters, some about her brother, some reaching out to her father.

Love or hate Ms. Allen, she probably wouldn’t care either way as long as she is doing what she does best and that’s to create her own music.

From Britain? Yes. Funk swagger? Yes. I’m sure we can make space for her in the United States – maybe even demote Amy Winehouse who seems to have gone MIA or simply gotten stuck in rehab and let a new British native take the throne.

The album kicks off with not one, but two tracks in honor of NBA star LeBron James. The first track, simply titled “LeBron” is an absolute stunner of an opener for an album. I’ve always been captivated by Buckethead’s ability to capture the sound that one would expect from his instrumental track’s titles.

The song that follows the opener, “LeBron’s Hammer”, does just this. It’s as if Buckethead was watching a highlight reel of LeBron when creating this track.

Buckethead’s music is almost indescribable to someone who has never had the pleasure of actually listening to him before. A few words do come to mind when listening to this latest album. Pulsing, energetic, soaring and obliterating are the first few that roll off my tongue. My words don’t do justice for the masked man who wears a bucket on his head.

Slaughterhouse is yet another musical success for Buckethead, after all, 25 albums is a lot.

The magical thing is that each of these 25 albums, while sometimes displaying the same side of Buckethead, never sound redundant. To keep a sound so fresh over that many years and that many albums is an amazing feat. I look forward to Buckethead’s 26th album which should be out in, oh, a few months.

also no real lows to speak of. Instead the Black Lips focus on fleshing out their sound in lieu of running from it by finding inspiration in the darker corners of their music.

“Take My Heart” and “Let It Grow” sound as though they could’ve been seedy gems on the group’s 2004 album Let It Bloom, while “Trapped in a Basement” evokes Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (of “I Put a Spell On You” fame).

Things remain dark, especially on the second half of the album, but never lose the fun sense of spontaneity that no doubt spawns from the band’s stubborn adherence to live recording sessions.

This stubbornness may, in fact, give insight into how the group manages to remain fresh without significantly altering their sound; The Black Lips know that they’re making dank, dirty, scuzzy rock music, and that they don’t need to add production or kill the fun to make it good.

72-minute, that’s right you guessed it, jazz odyssey.

Lily Allen It’s Not Me, It’s You – February 10, 2009 Capitol Records

Dan Auerbach Keep It Hid February 10, 2009 Nonesuch Records

Dan Auerbach, best known for being one half of one of indie rock’s most invigorating duos, the Black Keys, has made a career out of his thick guitar riffs and blues swagger. On his first solo release, Keep It Hid, Auerbach tones down the riffage and instead displays a knack for a mixture of melody and country-tinged sleaze that he’d only shown hints of with the ‘Keys.

Of course, without drummer Patrick Carney slamming away at the set and the stomp-heavy garage-blues structure of his main gig, Auerbach’s music loses some of its blunt force. Keep it Hid more than makes up for it in a subtlety not typically found on a Black Keys album. The title track, for example, displays not only Auerbach’s better-than-expected vocal range, but also a swagger that doesn’t necessarily come from his usual brute style, employing instead a slower beat and sparse guitar.

The album also presents a more varied Auerbach, having him jump from his niche of blues-rock to country-melancholia (“Trouble Weighs a Ton”), barroom pop (“Whispered Words”), and even soft-acoustics (“When the Night Comes”).

Those expecting another Black Keys album will likely be a bit thrown off at first, but Keep It Hid holds a bevy of good whiskeysoaked tunes and some welcome deviation.

Michael Walsh

It’s a trend Black Lips 200 Million Thousand that has been seen many times Vice Music before.

Indie February 24, 2009

P.J. Decoteau

Buckethead Slaughterhouse on the Prairie TDRS Music January 30, 2009

“Crouching Stump Hidden Limb”- that’s just one example of the unique and macabre song titles guitar shredder Buckethead devises. On his 25th studio album, Slaughterhouse on the Prairie, Buckethead has references to basketball players and the chicken meat industry, among other things.

Buckethead is quite simply a workaholic.

He produces his solo albums like nobody else.

Hardly ever is there a period of production quietness from this unique fellow. Constantly teaming up with new collaborators and releasing solo album upon solo album, Buckethead is the type of artist a fan loves.

Slaughterhouse has that typical Buckethead sound. Attitude towards another Buckethead album of escalating guitar solos entirely depends on one’s favorite flavor of Buckethead. Albums of his range from straightforward shred heavy thrash inspired albums like this one to metal themed albums like Somewhere Over the Slaughterhouse (yes he loves slaughterhouses) to experimental concept albums such as Bucketheadland, which gives the listener a tour of his fantasy amusement park.

with.

rock bands with a taste for the lo-fi side of life tend to find motivation and/or sobriety by their third or fourth album and ultimately betray the very DIY production values and messy antics that gave them a name to begin

We’ve witnessed it with The Strokes and Kings of Leon just in the past few years, and while the new sounds and neat packages don’t always disappoint, they nevertheless feel a bit safer in their attempts at grandeur, as if fun is the necessary victim of higher production values and more complex artistry.

On their fourth album, 200 Million Thousand, Black Lips throw up a big fat middle finger to the very idea of more production, opting instead to lay down a thick layer of scuzz over the entire track list and proving that a band need not grow up, sonically or mentally, to show maturity.

On their last release, 2007’s Good, Bad, Not Evil, the band was able to clean things up a bit without losing their signature garage-psychrock sound that always seemed to be coming from a dank basement circa 1967. Nevertheless, in its desire to prove itself eclectic the album instead came off as scattershot, presenting a track list of mostly winners with some duds and joke songs that, though superficially entertaining, warranted skipping over after two or three listens. Previous releases provided more consistent atmospheres but were similarly uneven and sometimes too messy, even by lo-fi standards.

200 Million Thousand seems to find a healthy balance between the two and, more importantly, resists fucking around (with the exception of the “rap” song near the end, “The Drop I Hold”), the result being the group’s most consistently entertaining album to date.

Though the highs may not be as high there are

P.J. Decoteau

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Winterwood Kufala Recordings January 29, 2009 Despite their name, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is tough to place. Most of their musical style falls freely into the jazz or jazz-fusion arena.

The problem is this instrumental band is so unique, so different and so original that they sound unlike any other group also associated with jazz or jazz-fusion.

JFJO, which currently houses four members, Brian Haas on keyboards, Chris Combs on guitar, Matt Hayes on upright bass and Josh Raymer on drums, has been on the scene since 1994. Their latest album, Winterwood, which is available as a free download on their personal Web site, is their second album in as many years and showcases the band being as quirky, abstract and enjoyable as ever.

The first two tracks on this album, “Dove’s Army of Love” and “Song of the Vipers” are two of the more upbeat and jovial songs I’ve heard from this group. The album then quickly moves from these two inspiring songs to the mellow “A-Bird” before being brought right up with the up-tempo “Oklahoma Stomp”, which sounds just as you might imagine.

A few of these songs, such as “Song of the Vipers” and “Earl Hines” resonate the feel of the old West. These songs without a doubt refer back to the band’s home of Oklahoma in sound.

I can’t help but picture anything else in my mind when hearing the culmination of this band’s work. “Song of the Vipers” will make you want to get up and do a jig. It’s a feel damn good song.

The album ends on a high note. “Bumper Crop of Strange” is an amusing collection of sounds that picks the spirit of the album right back up from the mellow sounds that precede it. “Autumnal – Vernal Equinox”, the closing track for the album, is a thundering one, taking a whole seven minutes of your time. Those are seven minutes you should be willing to spare considering the uprising feel of the track.

In comparison to the rest of JFJO’s albums, Winterwood holds up incredibly well. It is, in fact, one of my favorites of theirs. It’s a

Ariana Valentin

Michael Walsh

Back in late September of 2008 Carey Mercer sent Pitchfork Media a letter in regards to his sophomore release under his solo project Blackout Beach.

“I wrote this record because I desired to make something that stays on task. I picked an easy task: desire, longing, flight, the sorrow of absence... the DNA of most good songs,” wrote Mercer in the brief letter’s opening sentences.

As a fan of Frog Eyes and Mercer’s other projects, I thought I knew what to expect from Skin of Evil. I imagined something similar to the feel of the first release, Light Flows the Putrid Dawn, or possibly something reminiscent of his songs on Swan Lake’s first album Beast Moans.

Instead of hearing a tidal wave of instruments break against Mercer’s dramatic and often times fierce delivery we hear something more focused and ultimately more intriguing this time around.

The differences between Skin of Evil and Mercer’s other work are vast and appealing.

With Light Flows the Putrid Dawn we saw that Blackout Beach was the darkest of his projects.

That darkness remains, but rather than acting as a rough commentary that wraps up the human experience in a blanket of fog, it instead reveals itself as a clear and powerful force. The album doesn’t push you through the music like other albums with a similar approach; it acts more like a guide delicately leading you through your journey.

The journey itself is a story about a temptress named Donna. She is the ideal notion of what classical Greek society would’ve considered the perfect woman. Eight of the songs on the album belong to former lovers, all still consumed with their love for Donna. The other two songs belong to Donna and her current loverWilliam. The results of each individual’s story equate to a musical triumph.

The combination of Mercer’s close attention to language and detail with his newfound minimalistic musical approach are the secret behind his brilliance. The drum machine sounds vintage, providing a fuzzy lo-fi familiarity to the songs, as if they were beats a friend was showing you in his basement. The guitar hits you like raindrops against a pond, crashing against the surface of the songs and rippling outward over the music. His vocal delivery is much more straight-forward, confined within the songs. Added to this is the presence is a female vocalist, possibly playing Donna, to help some of the tracks along.

This atmospheric and gripping album only spans a little over thirty minutes, but it remains constantly strong, building up the experience, making every minute matter to the listener. Mercer’s stage is set, we can only hope for a tour to be announced so that audiences can be pulled into the theater of his work. It would be a shame if we couldn’t share this experience with Mercer in a live setting.

Blackout Beach Skin of Evil Soft Abuse January 20, 2009

Jason Cunningham

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / UPGRADE

Friday the 13th Reboot Results in Uninspired Bore

MiCHAEL wALSH

Asst. Entertainment

Remake, reboot, reimagining, whatever you want to call it, they’ve all gotten tired. Nearly 30 years after the original Friday the 13th studio execs at New Line Cinema have decided to rework the campy slasher classic and its first three sequels the same way they put their greasy hands all over the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The new film, which is the first on screen appearance of Jason Voorhees since 2003’s Freddy vs.

Jason, reboots the series in a way so viewers are first met with scenes from 1980, the year the original film was made. Flash forward to present day where a group of young adults are camping in the woods. Flash forward again and you have the brother of one of the now missing girls searching for his sister, Whitney. Enter Voorhees, and you have your plot.

Friday the 13th has almost all the fixings of your typical slasher film. Blood, gore, laughs, sex, nudity, drag the kids into the woods and kill them plot device and so on and so forth. The problem with this film is that it doesn’t do anything new for the tried and true genre of slasher films.

These films have been around in different forms for years now. To separate your film from the other mass amount of formulaic and generic films that clog up the horror genre you have to be different.

Take, for example, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. This 2006 slasher gave a different perspective of your not-so-average serial killer. The film was a mockumentary of sorts that had the viewer on the side of the killer rather than the side of the victims. It showed how Vernon, the killer, picked his victims and planned everything out. This is the kind of freshness that is not found in any of

College Humor Better Off Staying Home CHARLES DESROCHERS Staff writer

Everyone’s favorite waste of time, CollegeHumor.com, has now made the jump to cable television.

A site more known for it’s collection of internet memes and video captured calamities, College Humor is now branching out with a show on MTV. The show itself is in the style of the Web site’s prominently featured Hardly Working series. The characters are all exaggerated versions of their real life counterparts. What will make show successful is its experience and its timing.

The actors on the show have been doing roughly the same thing for the Web site for a couple of years now. They might not be as polished as some other comedy troupes, but they’ve had time to grow into their style.

The fact that the College Humor staff has been producing content almost every day for that last three or four years gives them an edge just for the sheer quantity of work.

Other troupes like Britanick and Those Aren’t Muskets, while having more satisfying, higher quality material, only put out videos every month at most. I can’t imagine any better practice for a television show than that kind of repetition.

Rooted in the Internet, the writers have realized that quick works. The timing in each sketch is key because one of the things that seems to plague sketch comedy is its inability to know when to quit. SNL sketches seem to always be two minutes longer than they need to be and MADtv should have never started in the first place.

College Humor is like the fast food of comedy because of this: it doesn’t require too much thinking, too much time or too much commitment. Everything is presented in less than five minutes, not leaving enough time for the scene to fall apart.

The viewer never needs to commit to a character on any level other than, “He’s nerdy, I like him”. The show is literally just like the Web site.

Now before watching, it seems obvious that the Web site has something going for it that the show may not. Like I said before, people like College Humor because of its collection of stupid videos ready to be beamed to your laptop at a moment’s notice. A TV show, on the other hand, is every Sunday at 9:30.

With this, it’s no longer College Humor working around your schedule, but your schedule working around College Humor. If you are dead set on not watching MTV though, on the chance that you may witness the collapse of civilization, you can still watch the episodes in their entirety online.

I have to commend the producers of the show for this because they realized their audience is a bunch of lazy bastards who spend more time on their computer than their television.

Then again, if you’re a Web site that makes a TV show that will most likely be viewed more online, where you already have a ton of content in the same style, then why bother making a TV show instead of a Web series?

The College Humor Show is a waste of time – not that that’s a bad thing. It is what’s made them popular.

these remakes or reboots, including this one.

It’s no secret that I have absolute distaste for Hollywood’s constant usage of past ideas and brilliance to make a quick buck. That’s a whole different story for a whole different time. That said, this money-maker wasn’t all bland. If the film separated itself from the dreaded remake stigma there’d be more chance of having a fresh feel.

Director Marcus Nispel is one of these reasons. He’s already shown that he has potential for directing genre films as he helped the remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre succeed. The film is well composed and shot. Derek Mears stands out as Voorhees. He’s bulky yet athletic, creating a fearsome opponent for the victims. One look at Mears and he appears to be the modern day Michael Berryman.

The main problem was the people Mears was stalking. How many

uninteresting, stupid and bland characters can you fit into one film? Ask screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, because they know the answer. There’s your token black guy, your funny Asian, a few dumb blondes and oh, yeah, your absolute key college frat boys.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely satisfying to watch these annoying characters get killed off one by one. I’m not asking for character development that’s off the charts either. I’m just looking for a few memorable, fresh and unique characters.

This partners up with the film not being able to separate itself from the rest of the bunch to make for a charmless, formulaic, sometimes boring and all too serious horror film of the slasher variety.

I’m trying hard to be kind to this film. I noticed the effort. The writers paid some nice tributes to the original series of films that are to be appreciated. This film is certainly

better than other films in the series and other recent remakes in general.

The question for me is, was it necessary? Probably not. Why can’t these obviously somewhat talented screenwriters and director team up to create something new, something fresh? Where’s the spirit? Where’s the energy? Create your own slasher icon.

Wouldn’t that be more fun? I guess it wouldn’t be fun for the men in suits sitting high in their offices as they’d fear that the film wouldn’t bank for sure at the box office.

The new Friday the 13th is the uninspired film we’ve all seen before.

These films have lost their charm and as long as the media conglomerates run things it will never change.

Long gone are the days of Mario Bava’s twisting macabre tales set to slasher formula. Ah well, at least I got to see the wife of US Olympic hockey player Mike Modano get hit by a boat.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / UPGRADE

13

CCSU Insomniac

Photo: Conrad Akier

Melissa Traynor Editor-in-Chief

New Britain Diner 1130 Corbin Avenue New Britain, Conn. 06053 This diner has to be a staple for any CCSU student’s late-night excursions. With easy access from Central (a five-minute drive) and a relatively cheap menu, the positives certainly outweigh the chances of running into a noisy crowd of post-club goers who usually frequent the diner around 2 or 3 a.m.

Regardless of the crowd, New Britain Diner serves as the perfect end to any night, whether you’ve spent the majority of the last few hours showing your friends how to run the BP table - or losing – or just finished a 12-page paper due tomorrow morning.

There is nothing quite like the satisfying combination of old-school steak fries and a greasy cheeseburger with a milkshake. At 3 in the morning, it’s probable that anything would taste good (if you can, in fact, still taste), but sobriety can’t exactly alter the way a large portion of thick steak fries satisfies the stomach, or keep you from finishing a chocolate milk-

shake before your actual meal arrives.

Other tasty options include your usual eggs, toast and what looks like a whole pound of bacon, some orange juice and coffee. Scrambled, sunny side-up, the not too greasy over easy or in omelets, eggs are one of the things New Britain Diner does best.

Bowl-O-Rama 2143 Berlin Turnpike Newington, Conn. 06111 Some have said that the way Bowl-O-Rama waxes their lanes makes it easier for novices to win.

With that said, I’ll usually welcome the idea of a challenge; even though I’m no pro and am unable to consistently bowl above a 90, the idea that I may be able to out-score my friends on a fluke at this alley keeps me going.

This 24-hour bowling alley is situated on the Berlin Turnpike, a straight drive down Rte. 175 through Newington. At 1:30 a.m. on a Thursday night/ Friday morning, the crowd was sparse, the bar had already closed its doors and my size 6.5 rental pair of shoes still retained the warmth from the feet of all the people with

small feet who wore them during the day.

Luckily someone in the group had a coupon that night for “buy three games and your partner bowls three for free”. Otherwise, games cost $3.37 per person per game, shoes are free when you flash your BlueChip.

On a side note, one pair of socks costs $3 from a vending machine; while the price high, at least they are kind enough to consider girls who wear ballet flats everywhere.

Gold Roc Diner 61 Kane Street West Hartford, Conn. 06119 Another quick trip, this time up Rte. 9 to I-84 East, will bring the hungry late-night traveler to Gold Roc Diner, a ‘50s- inspired mess protruding from the left side of 84 in all of its glowing red glory. Though, in all fairness, the exterior doesn’t accurately represent Gold Roc’s appeal.

In comparison to New Britain’s, this diner fares pretty well; the French fries are of a thinner cut, service takes slightly longer and their Heinz ketchup bottle caps aren’t screwed on as tight (do not turn a bottle up-side down and shake it unless you are 100 percent confident the

cap is secured), but overall not the worst choice for a late-night dining experience.

You won’t notice minor unpleasant details anyway as you are probably more concerned at this point whether your meal of a large stack of chocolate chip pancakes will go well with previously consumed Jagerbombs. Like every diner most of

the food is affordable but you get what you pay for.

There is a chance you’ll have to deal with a crowd during your latenight weekends because everyone else will be looking for a place to sober up, but Gold Roc will do if it’s the first place you see.

Spinning in the Fish Tank Karyn Danforth Lifestyles Editor

Walking through the student center of Central Connecticut’s campus, a large glass window draws curiosity to each passerby.

This fish tank of a window looking into studio A of the radio station encapsulates the front room of the WFCS radio station at a visible piece of real estate in the student center.

Peering inside, guiding one’s eyes around the room of expansive radio equipment, there in the center sits a brown banged petite girl with headphones on. As a song ends, she fiddles with the soundboard, presses a button, and puts her mouth next to the microphone.

“You’re listening to WFCS 107.7,” said a calm, serene voice.

“The name’s Kait Jensen, and welcome to my show, Strange Sounds,” she finished. Immediately

after the last syllable, Jensen punched another button, and the first notes of a song began to resonate through the station.

As a junior majoring in English, Jensen has been working at CCSU’s radio station for over a year. Currently sporting the title of Alternative Director of WFCS, Jensen hosts her own radio show on Wednesday nights from 8-10 p.m.

Heavily involved in the station, Jensen is also currently training to become the Director of Development, as well as the treasurer position for next semester.

Jensen enjoys the power she possesses as she switches from song to song.

“There is more freedom in college radio than [in] commercial,” she said. “Students can listen to music they wouldn’t hear anywhere else.”

With a heavily influenced mélange of indie favorites like Neutral Milk Hotel, Caribou and The Pixies,

Jensen fills the airwaves with unique sounds.

“I get phone calls occasionally,” she said. “But they’re generally from people asking me to play Coldplay,” she said, as she usually tries to steer away from mainstream favorites.

As Jensen frequently stops to give the tag line and play public service announcements, she doesn’t seem to get nervous about her voice reverberating through the hallway of the Student Center – where hundreds of students and faculty stop to curiously peek inside as they scamper back and forth from classes.

“Sometimes I get reactions through the window,” Jensen said, referring to the fish tank.

“I like to press buttons when people walk by and I get weird looks,” she laughed as she demonstrated by pressing a button that let off a screaming noise.

Outside of the station, Jensen is also currently attempting to organize

shows to take place on campus, trying to bring bands in an effort to get students more involved in supporting their student organizations, and to just have fun.

Presently, the station is undergoing a lot of improvements, as they hope to use another vacant room adjacent to the main station to showcase local bands, treating their listeners to live performances.

With many individuals currently working to keep the station afloat, WFCS is constantly putting their heads together to explore new ideas to revamp the studio and keep radio alive.

“It sounds like such a cliché thing to say, but we’re like a family,” Jensen laughed, “ – an interesting one, at that.”

Karyn Danforth / The Recorder

14

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / UPGRADE

CALENDAR 2.25 - 3.11.09

CCSU EVENTS 2.28 Lee Mun Wah @ Alumni Hall Student Center 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The lecturer and trainer will facilitate a daylong workshop for CCSU students and faculty titled “An Unfinished Conversation: Creating Community in a Diverse University Environment”. Registration required.

3.4 Lizzie Simon Speaks @ Torp Theatre Devidson Hall 7 p.m.

Amalgamate that draw heavily upon nature for inspiration.

“I am most compelled by the form of objects that I am physically repelled by but intellectually attracted to,” Duennebier says.

A recurring subject in her work this year is Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus that attacks insects and caterpillars and replaces the tissue of the host. A bright fruiting body emerges from the dead insect and engulfs it. Each fruiting body differs widely depending on the species it inhabits, tailoring itself to the dimensions of the insect. The Cordyceps covers the body in a symmetrical configuration, which can at times be “eerily delectable in appearance,” the artist said.

“College to Career- 90 things to do before you join the real world”, with author and career educator Lindsey Pollack

2.28 Towers @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

ART Through 3.31

MUSIC 2.25 Blitzen Trapper w/ Adela Diane @ Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton, Mass. $13 / 8:30 p.m.

2.25 Hamell on Trial w/ BJ Snowden and Lach @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

A question, a curiosity, or an obsession? A compulsion to know? Crave to understand what great artists were thinking when they created their master works? Then catch What Lies Beneath before it ends at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Using x-radiograph and infrared imaging, explore and interpret the underimages of several works.

Through 4.26 Lincoln: Man, Myth and Memory @Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Hartford, Conn. $5 -10 In celebration of Lincoln’s Bicentennial, The Amistad Center for Art and Culture examines Lincoln’s reflection in Black America with this exhibition. With material drawn from The Amistad Center historical collection as well as from loans from contemporary artists, the exhibition explores Lincoln’s role in the Civil War, his post assassination emergence as a national celebrity and the president’s place in African American public memory.

Through 4.26 The Amalgamate: Nicole Duennebier @ New Britain Museum of American Art New Britain, Conn.

FREE The eerily beautiful and haunting paintings of a young artist who grew up in East Hampton, Conn. are the subject of a NEW/NOW exhibition that will be on view from Jan. 30 - April 26, 2009.

Nicole Duennebier of Somerville, MA, has created a series of paintings she calls The

Ed Hamell picked up the guitar at age seven and started writing songs not long after. In his early 20s, Mr. Hamell was the front man and writer for an original band, but local bands were a dime a dozen in the tough, working class neighborhoods in Syracuse, NY. So he launched a one-man act called “Hamell on Trial” (experimental, folk rock from New York).

2.26 Brave Citizens @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

2.26 The Enigma w/ Nasty Disaster Circus Delecti @ Cafe Nine New Haven, Conn. $10 / 9 p.m.

While he obviously helped reintroduce us to the amazing feats of the circus sideshow performer, what many people may not realize is that The Enigma is also an accomplished musician. This is an amazing night of music and sideshow feats not to be missed. Local purveyors of metal madness get the evening started.

2.27 MAE The Ghost Sonata Forget Paris The Tired and True @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $15 / 7 p.m.

Hailing from Norfolk, VA, MAE (an acronym for Multisensory Aesthetic Experience) is comprised of Matt Beck (guitar), Jacob Marshall (drums), Mark Padgett (bass), Rob Sweitzer (keyboards), and Dave Elkins (vocals/guitar).

Initially, the band started out as a project between Elkins and Marshall; however, recording was to be done at Padgett’s home studio.

Eventually, the five-piece came together for a

Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), his new, mysterious, out-of-place next door neighbor, and Sandra, the kind, caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family’s dry-cleaning business. As Leonard begins to fall for Michelle, the family pressures to commit to Sandra forces him to make an impossible decision.

2.27 Technicolor w/ Cool Kids and Kid Cudi @ Toad’s Place New Haven, Conn. $30 / 8 p.m.

The concert is part of the 14th annual Black Solidarity Conference at Yale, Beyond Black: Our Identity in Technicolor. This year’s theme seeks to address sexuality; media, fashion, and entertainment; black athletes; black professionalism; spirituality and wellness; and black self-identification. The keynote speaker is Manning Marable.

3.11 Living Room Lecture @ Alumni Hall Student Center 7:30 p.m.

What Lies Beneath? Revealing Painters’ Secrets @ Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Hartford, Conn. $5 -10

musical adventure in early 2001. Nearly eight months later, Mae was playing shows in and around their native Virginia. They’ve shared dates with the likes of the Movielife, River City High, and the Exit; in the process Mae recorded songs for a debut album. Destination: Beautiful was released in early 2003 on Tooth & Nail. While touring to support Destination: Beautiful, guitarist Matt Beck stepped down from his post and was replaced by former Unsung Zeroes guitarist Zach Gehring.

3.4 The Low Anthem @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

3.5 Winterpills @ Cafe Nine New Haven, Conn. $8 / 9 p.m.

3.6 Brand New @ The Webster Hartford, Conn.

6:30 p.m.

Regardless of how far you think you’ve moved on past your high school musical tastes, there is always room for Brand New. They’re not on a real tour, their last album came out in 2006, but whenever “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” comes on, there is something special, enlightening and ultimately nostalgic that you can’t deny. And even better, they’re playing the Webster.

3.1 Man on Wire @ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn.

2:30 p.m.

One of the best documentaries of the year began life in the mind of 14 year old Philippe Petit, who saw sketches for the as-yet-unbuilt Twin Towers in a French newspaper, and dreamed of walking through the clouds from one to the other. Man on Wire is part thriller and part mystery, as Petit and his crew plot his illegal and highly dangerous and incredible coup. The mystery, as in the documentary Rivers and Tides on Andy Goldsmithís transitory sculptures, comes as Petit steps out into the unknown: 110 stories above New York City, he balances between two steel giants whose existence would turn out to be heartbreakingly brief.

“Marsh has done much more than document one man’s unlikely accomplishment; he has restored those towers to us as symbols of joy and transcendence.” - Andrew O’Hehir, Salon. com.

3.6 Louis CK @ Calvin Theater Northampton, Mass.

8 p.m. / $35 3.7 Black Lips @ The Middle East Cambridge, Mass. $12 3.7 Davila 666 w/ Medication Estrogen Heights @ Cafe Nine New Haven, Conn. $6 / 9 p.m.

3.11 E for Explosion The Status @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

FILM

2.27 – 3.5 Two Lovers @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $4.50 / 7 p.m.

“Admirably bold...is something grand about the film’s sincerity and the intensity of its emotions.’ - A.O. Scott, the New York Times Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix), a depressed young man suffering from heartbreak, moves back in with his parents. The aspiring photographer, now working part-time in his parents’ shop, meets two women in quick succession:

3.14-15 Che: the Argentine Che: Guerilla @ Real Art Ways Hartford, Conn. $4.50 Part one of Steven Soderbergh’s four hour epic biopic on Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro).

Che: The Argentine covers the Cuban Revolution, depicting how Guevara and other revolutionaries under Fidel Castro’s leadership toppled the Batista dictatorship.

Part two of Steven Soderbergh’s four hour epic biopic. After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start a new revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

Che: Argentine and Che: Guerilla will play in order on Sat 3/14 beginning at 2 p.m. and Sun 3/15 beginning at 4:30 p.m..

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 25, 2009 / UPGRADE

Edward Gaug Photo Editor

When I saw that the band Thursday was back out on the road and playing a show at the Webster Theater in Hartford, I knew I had to get in touch with them. Everyone has a bond with a band that will never separate throughout the years.

Thursday is my band. They were the first band I ever photographed live, which led to my interest in photojournalism.

Their pure emotion and energy on stage gave the perfect sense for what anyone could look for in a live performance and they did it so effortlessly. Six years later, Thursday continues to release records and is finally back on the road after a short hiatus.

For Tucker Rule, Thursday’s drummer, playing music is all about having fun and doing it with your friends.

Edward Gaug: Let’s start off with the album because that’s the biggest thing right now. You just released Common Existence and are beginning to tour with it. How has this experience been compared to your past albums?

Tucker Rule: It’s been cool man, there’s not a whole lot of pressure on us right now. We wrote a record we really love and we really believe in, so it’s just more fun. We’re back on the road for the first time in a little while, so it’s nice to be back out here and supporting this record.

EG: It comes through when you listen to the album that this is definitely something that you guys did for you. Not to make it sound selfish, but this is an album that you wanted to make rather than the record label wanting you to make.

TR: Absolutely. Thankfully with our label, they didn’t put any pressure on us. They were just like, “We love you guys and whatever you are going to do is going to be cool.”

EG: I got word from a friend of mine who got to see you in San Jose, Calif. this past weekend and he said that you guys haven’t missed a step, even though you haven’t toured in a couple years. Touring now, do you see a difference from when you put out Waiting or Full Collapse in your twenties and where you are now in your thirties?

TR: Yeah definitely. It’s a lot different because everyone is getting older with us. We’re still seeing the same faces; everybody’s just a little older now. You definitely have to take care of yourself a little more on the road when you’re older. Those wounds don’t heal as quickly and bones are getting a little tired.

EG: You must be having a lot of fun, because in an age where bands go through changes and you guys have been the same group of friends since 1999. There’s not a whole lot of movement in Thursday.

TR: No, there’s no movement, no turmoil. We’re all on the same page and when you’re in a band for over 10 years, you have to be on the same page to stay that long and I feel like I’m with a bunch of dudes that understand me and we understand each other. It’s not about fads or fashion phases with us. It’s all about writing music and having a fun time.

EG: One thought that came to mind when listening to the new album was that if you had released this album 10 years ago, do you think you could have put out an al-

bum like this and do you think people would have listened to it?

music is really evolving with your fans, as well as yourselves.

TR: That’s a hard question. I don’t think we would have been able to put out an album like this, as far as our technical prowess at actually playing.

This stuff is a little more intricate it’s faster, so I don’t think that these songs would have translated back then either. I think having that whole movement start, it had to come from a more raw place. This album is a little more technically advanced for us.

I think that comes with time and age.

TR: That’s what the hope was. This record is everything we ever did, in one record. It has the experimental shit from A City by the Light Divided, it has the energy of Waiting and Full Collapse and it also has the melodies from War All the Time. I think we smashed it all into one record and I think people who liked our band way back when, they’re still hear the nuances in our record and remember that. The experimental shit might seem toned down. They’ll see it’s a mix of everything.

EG: You definitely see that progression from where you started with Waiting to where you are now.

You start off the new album really strong and then you hit all the levels that you would want to hear in a Thursday album. You definitely hit everything that people look for.

It has to be tough to put out albums and have people always look back to Full Collapse and have that as your judging point considering that was your second album.

TR: It is tough and I noticed a lot on this tour that people are coming up and saying, “I can’t wait to hear you guys play, it will be like going back to my childhood.” It brings back a lot of good memories and that’s really cool.

I feel like Thursday, especially around the Full Collapse era, had a time and a place. It had sort of an impact on the people who listened to our band. It’s kind of rad.

EG: The same people who were getting through high school with Full Collapse are now graduating college and starting careers with Common Existence. Your fans are getting to that age now. I think the

EG: As the band progresses and members are having kids, does this affect the way you guys are writing music and the way you’re going about the band?

TR: For sure man, we have a dude in our band that has two kids now and it’s hard. Touring gets a lot harder because there are some tours that he might not be able to go on in the future because obviously he wants to spend time with his kids and help his wife, so it is difficult, but it’s the best thing for him and the best thing for the band. It gives us a human perspective on how to not kill ourselves on the road. We have the capacity to do eight or nine months out of the year, but when you take a step back and think we’re all getting older and have people at home that care about us.

EG: To move the topic a little bit, you just came out with a split with Envy, this huge band out of Japan that maybe not all your fans knew about. So I guess the question is, what was it like doing a split with a band that people don’t automatically relate you guys to?

15

TR: We always try to reach out to bands we like and there a bunch of dudes in our band that like Envy a lot and it was just really cool that we had the time and they had the time and there was a point in our career where we could do something together. For the past couple of years we have been trying to get a tour with them, maybe in Japan, or bring them over to the States, but it never logistically worked out, so this was the next best thing.

Hopefully some of our fans will hear their stuff that say, “That band’s the shit,” because they really are a fucking powerful band. We’re stoked and couldn’t be happier with that split.

EG: I think it got a lot of recognition in a time when people weren’t really on the look out for it and snuck up on them. I don’t think it surprised them, but it really worked out for you guys.

TR: Definitely. We hadn’t put out anything since the DVD [Kill the House Lights] and we knew we were going to be touring again soon and writing a new record, but we had a few songs bouncing around and the opportunity just came up and we had to do it. It was good to be on a split with them and it was good for us to get a couple new songs out for people.

Like you said, it might not be on people’s radar, but then it just shows up.

Thursday will be playing at the Webster Theater on Friday, February 28 as the headliners for the Taste of Chaos tour. The doors open at 5 p.m. and tickets cost $23.25.

Sports 2.25

16

Blue Devils Overwhelmed

By Sacred Heart Pioneers

Crockett Thrives in Comeback Year for Women’s Basketball Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

Versatility is a valuable weapon in women’s college basketball.

Weapons as a whole are often far more dangerous when they go undetected.

That’s what makes Leanne Crockett so vital to the Central Connecticut women’s basketball program in the midst of this year’s incredible turnaround.

Crockett, a sophomore from Manchester, Conn., has the ability to play anywhere on the court. With all her talent, she has a soft-spoken and

In the hours leading up to the Central Connecticut men’s basketball game against Sacred Heart on Thursday, word began to circulate that Ken Horton would not be in the lineup due to a concussion. Things only got worse from there.

Sacred Heart made fifteen three pointers as they decimated CCSU on their home floor, 101-67.

It was the worst home loss in years for a Central team that is floundering down the stretch.

“Tonight, it was just an overall poor performance on our part,” said Central head coach Howie Dickenman. “We need to find some intensity. If we keep this up, we’re playing ourselves out of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.”

Pioneers’ guard Corey Hassan torched the Blue Devils for a gamehigh 21 points on eight of thirteen shooting. Five other players scored in double digits for Sacred Heart, who improved to 10-6 in the Northeast Conference.

The Blue Devils fell behind early and were never able to recover.

Each of the first five CCSU offensive possessions resulted in a turnover. Sacred Heart capitalized on those turnovers, jumping out to a 9-0 lead in the first 3:10 of play.

“They had nine points before we even took a shot,” said Dickenman. “We were never able to recover. We were never even close to recovering, to be honest with you.”

Central’s struggles with turnovers were compounded by the accurate shooting of the Pioneers.

Sacred Heart shot over 62 percent from the field in the game, was 60 percent from beyond the arc, and senior forward Joey Henley made all six of the team’s free throws.

Amidst all the negatives, Central did get some much-needed life from freshman guard Kyle Desmarais. The Montreal, Quebec native came into Thursday night averaging just over five minutes of playing time per game.

He made an impact immediately, scoring seven points to lead all CCSU scorers in the first half. By the end of the evening, he had played 29 minutes, scored a career-high 11 points, all while tacking on four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“Kyle gave us a spark coming off the bench,” Dickenman said. “He See Blue Devils Page 8

THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 25 , 2009

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

See Crockett Thrives Page 9

CCSU Defeats Terriers, Clinches Second Seed in NEC Tournament Peter Collin Managing Editor

CCSU’s women’s basketball team defeated St. Francis (NY) 6452 with double-doubles from Justina Udenze and Kerrianne Dugan on Alumni Day at Detrick Gymnasium.

Udenze put up her third straight double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Dugan added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win.

Coach Beryl Piper was pleased with the win. She said, “It is always good to win, especially with Alumni here.”

CCSU led 27-17 at halftime after a slow start by both teams. St. Francis started the game on a 10-1 run and the Blue Devils did not take the lead until 5:04 left in the first half when Udenze hit a jumper to make the score 14-13. After this 12-4 run Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Freshman guard Robby Ptacek shot a paltry 21 percent from the floor against the Sacred Heart Pioneer defense.

See CCSU Defeats Page 9

Blue Devils Turn Back Pioneers Kyle Dorau Sports Editor

Edward Gaug / The Recorder

Junior Carmine Vetrano (30) deflects a shot on goal as freshman Ryan Beaulieu (28) looks on. The Blue Devils won 9-4 on Senior Night.

In what may have been the final home game ever for the CCSU Ice Hockey Club, the Blue Devils were victorious on Senior Night, downing the Sacred Heart Pioneers 9-4 at Newington Arena on Friday.

Junior co-captain Joe Dabkowski’s hat trick powered the Blue Devil offense as they head into ACHA Regional competition on a five-game win streak.

Fifteen different Blue Devils registered points in the victory, which once again showcased a potent Central offense.

“I was very impressed with how the guys looked,” said Head Coach Jim Mallia. “All four lines were coming together at the right time, kind of

just like what we did last year,” a reference to finishing the 2007-08 regular season on an eight-game win streak.

The Blue Devils held an emotional edge with the uncertainty of the program’s future combined with saying goodbye to six senior student athletes.

The offensive explosion began just 26 seconds into the game as Dabkowski opened the scoring, appropriately with goal number 26 on the season. Less than two minutes later, sophomore Eric Blewett banged home his fourth of the season to give CCSU a 2-0 lead.

Central’s third goal was the play of the game. The Blue Devils took advantage of a three-on-one as Matt Williams scored his fifth of the year thanks to some nifty passing from

linemates Jeff Pease and Dane Anderson. The tic-tac-toe marker certainly impressed coach Mallia.

“To see that from those three guys that were put together a couple of weeks ago,” Mallia said. “When they’re doing things like that, there’s no way I’m going to change that.”

Coach Mallia continued to praise the highlight-reel goal calling it, “one of the prettier goals I’ve seen in ten years.”

A concern heading into the game was the quality of Sacred Heart as an opponent. With the Pioneers sporting a record of 1-2 against Super East teams and their only win against a sub-par New York University team, it was another meaningless game for CCSU. See Blue Devils Page 8