vol105issue23

www.therecorderonline.net

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Party Starters Establish ‘Union’ In Hartford Hartford Party Starters Union seeks to bring a new life to Hartford’s scene

Tuition Increase Set for 5.3 Percent MATT kiERNAN News Editor

Students will see a 5.3 percent increase in their tuition in the fall 2009 semester to balance out the decrease in the state budget and what’s being given to the university.

In an interview with University President jack Miller, he discussed the cost rise of 5.3 percent in the university’s tuition. With a decrease in state funding, undergraduate in-state students will see their tuition increase by $372.

“Even though there’s an increase in the school’s tuition, we’re still cheaper than the CSU schools and UConn,” said Miller.

The main objective of the university is to make sure the tuition stays below the CSU schools’ average.

Although there will be an increase in the tuition, students will see some of the funds spent on them with 15 percent of those dollars spent on financial aid to help students who need it.

“We’re committed to a minimum of 15 percent to student finan-

cial aid per year and we’ve put more than 15 percent every year,” said Miller.

“We didn’t know how much people were going to pay,” said Miller.

Until now, there has been an examination of how much the school would have to raise the tuition for students and raise was announced last Thursday.

As indicated earlier in the semester by the CSU Board of Trustees, for jobs held by faculty members, layoffs are still an unknown since there needs to be a concession of salaries.

Management positions will have a reduction of 10 percent in total.

Miller said that as the bigger picture comes into view, the future for faculty members will become clear. He said that if his plans work out the way he expects for upcoming semester, he will let no one go.

Salary negotiations are being conducted to determine how much of a raise in a faculty member’s salary will be added. The university has already determined that there will be

News Editor

Free testing for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV will be provided by the university and the state on April 22 for students looking to be tested for either or both.

University Health Services and the State Department of Public Health will be holding a Get Yourself Tested day that will be available to students without the need for an appointment from 9 – 4 p.m. in the University Health Services office next to Marcus White.

The testing will check for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia using a urine sample and H.I.V. using a mouth swab. The drawing of blood and use of shots will not be used during the testing.

Page 16

Ted Turner Speaks, Preaches Optimism

Ted Turner stopped by last Tuesday for an open Q and A session in Alumni.

“The testing is painless,” says Associate Director of Health Service Patricia Zapatka.

The tests will be sent to the Department of Public Health and will take a few weeks to be sent back with results. The rest of the year the testing for STD and HIV diseases has a fee at the university.

The push to start the day for testing was made by the federal government because of an increase in the number of people with the diseases from ages 14 – 24 years old.

People who have an STD are 50 percent more likely to contract HIV. Out of the 169 towns in CT, New Britain is ranked no. 5 on the list for populations with STDs. Walk-ins will be accepted for anyone looking to be tested.

News Empty Holster Protest Planned

Page 5

Men’s Soccer Claims Victory in Spring Season Opener Midfielder Eddie Floyd leads the team in goals

See Tuition Increase Page 3

Free STD and HIV Testing on Wednesday, April 22 MATT kiERNAN

Page 9

Volume 105 No. 23

JASON CuNNiNGhAM Entertainment Editor

The man known as “Captain Outrageous” seemed to make a lot of sense to the students and faculty of Central Connecticut State University.

Business mogul Ted Turner received a generally positive response from the audience of almost 300 who came to see him speak last Tuesday at Alumni Hall.

The man responsible for founding CNN, the United Nations Foundation and the Goodwill Games spread his message of environmental protection, world peace and his philosophies on the role of the media in our world during his conversational lecture at CCSU. “I was Time’s Man of the Year and they let me go,” joked Turner with the audience.

He answered question after question, as Ned Lamont, who introduced the speaker, helped moderate the curious audience members who formed a line behind the microphone in the center isle.

Questions ranged from topics of his personal history, his contributions to society and the worlds of business and media, and his views about the future of man’s existence.

“If humanity’s struggle for existence was a baseball game, we’d be about in the seventh inning and down by two runs,” Turner said. “But the game’s not over with.”

The topic of global warming was repeatedly addressed, Turner advised the audience to invest and consider careers in clean, renewable energy, often times repeating the advise jokingly to the audience.

“We’ve got to change over our energy system from a fossil fuel based

This Issue

Opinion

General Education Classes Not Worth the Time Page 6

Jason Cunningham | The Recorder

system to clean, renewable, locally produced energy. It’ll help bring us out of this recession,” Turner said.

He also focused on the importance of world communication through the media, stating that we’re more connected now as a world than ever. He also expressed dissatisfactions with his old network, CNN. “I liked CNN better when I was running it... They cut back on international coverage, which I think is a mistake...When I was running CNN we tried to play down personalities rather than play them up... I think the news should come first, not the personality,” Turner said.

Turner touched on politics quite a few times, often poking fun at the Bush administration and praising President Obama for his intelligence and ability to deal with difficult situSee Ted Turner Page 5

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Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

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News

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, April 15, 2009

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Students Come Together to Take Back the Night

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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 Editors Matt Kiernan Tonya Malinowski Entertainment Editor Jason Cunningham Asst. Entertainment Michael Walsh Nick Viccione Sports Editor Kyle Dorau Asst. Sports Christopher Boulay Opinion Editor Shauna Simeone Asst. Lifestyles Charles Desrochers

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.

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Ginny Winters-Troche Special to The Recorder

People from all parts of the CCSU community came together in support of victims of sexual assault as the university hosted its nineteenth annual Take Back the Night last Wednesday night in Semesters.

An event that first took place in 1877 England as a protest against the sexual violence, Take Back the Night made its first appearance in America in 1978 when a group of people began to chant the event’s slogan after an anti-pornography conference.

“I came to support the cause, and brought along members of [the Latin American Student Organization] because abuse affects everyone,” said Inez Vera, sophomore, who is on LASO’s executive board.

Over 55 Take Back the Night events were scheduled on campuses

Photo: Conrad Akier | The Recorder File

throughout the country during the month of April.

“We’ve come every year to support this cause,” said Nicole Cylkowski of Phi Sigma Sigma.

Attendees crowded around quilts displayed across the room that had been put together by different groups during the years that CCSU has hosted the event. Each piece of the colorful quilts held a different message such as “Stop Violence”, “Shatter the Silence” or “No more Rape”.

“We saw the date for it on Facebook, and recently, a girl we knew suffered from abuse,” said CCSU senior Jessica Velardi.

Appearances were made by CCSU President Jack Miller, Student Affairs Vice President Laura Tordenti, Connecticut State Victim Advocate Michelle Cruz and other anti-abuse activists such as Evelyn Miller, who

also detailed her lifelong experience with sexual abuse.

Miller said she had dealt with molestation, beatings and incest that began when she was a child and lasted until she had her own daughter and finally said no to her molesters.

“I will never be a victim again, because I will never be silent again,” Miller said to conclude her speech.

Such was the mood of the night: that speaking up turns victims into survivors. Student coordinator Amy Howard began the forum portion of the evening by opening the stage, podium and microphone as an invitation for those who have also suffered from sexual abuse to share their stories, speak up, and be heard.

After minutes of the audience staring in pin-drop silence at the empty podium, a girl got up to speak.

She wanted to give advice for those who were “secondhand survivors”, also known as people who had vic-

timized loved ones. Her advice was to be patient and be present in the person’s life.

After over an hour of open podium the audience was none the thinner, with people sitting in scarcely placed chairs, squatting on the floor, standing around the room, while victims stood up and turned themselves into survivors by telling their stories and “shattering the silence” in honor of the night’s theme.

Amy Howard, the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center, and all else who were involved in the Take Back the Night event would like everyone to understand that there is help available.

Ruthe Boyea Women’s Centre is located in the Student Center, 215, 860-832-1655.

Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, 24 hours hotline – 1-888-999-5545.

Ted Turner Speaks, Preaches Optimism Continued from page 1 ations. In addition, he discussed his adverse feelings towards war, addressing the war in Iraq as a waste of time.

“Wars cost a lot, you don’t get anything done. You know, when you go and bomb the libraries and the schools, and then you’ve got to go rebuild them... And it’s not good for tourism... Who wants to go to a war zone,” he said.

Though most of the questions he received learned towards dark topics, including nuclear threat and human suffering, Turner remained optimistic throughout.

“You’ve gotta have hope...I can’t prove anything, except that, that we’re trying. There was a little song, sung by a little girl that most people didn’t hear, but I heard it on the radio years ago...The little girl’s song said, ‘if you take all the good in the world, and subtract all the hate and the pain, there’d still be some good leftover, and that’s what gives us hope,” Turner said.

Hope aside, Turner acknowledged that humanity’s future is everyone’s responsibility, preaching that awareness is key to fixing the problems of the world.

“I believe that social responsibility goes along with being in business... I have a strong sense of social responsibility and I’ve made lots of money,” Turner said.

Jason Cunningham | The Recorder

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / NEWS

Tuition Increase Set for 5.3 Percent

Students Fight to Decriminalize Pot

Continued from page 1 no raises for management position salaries.

Hiring for new faculty is being conducted through interviews and the university is still accepting applications for positions that are open.

The university is careful to make sure the person coming to fill the job is the right candidate, and is paying close attention to how its money is spent on each individual.

Miller doesn’t believe that the amount of students enrolling at CCSU will have a big increase. He estimates the figure at a couple hundred students more or less.

Many of the students that would have normally been accepted under better economic conditions are now going to be put on a waiting list for admittance.

A projected increase in student population is also believed to not have an effect on the amount of housing that will be available to students.

Although obtaining on-campus housing is already difficult, it’s predicted that the process of securing dorms will not become more difficult than the current conditions.

The university plans to increase places for housing on-campus by more than 50 percent within the coming years. The plans are being conducted already but will take some years to be taken underway.

Negotiations for all of the subjects are still underway.

Students protested last Thursday in front of Memorial Hall for the decriminalization or marijuana.

Jason Cunningham Entertainment Editor

If students were walking on campus last Thursday outside of Memorial Hall, they may have seen several students displaying a giant sign supporting the marijuana decriminalization bill, SB 349, as well as the complete legalization of the drug.

The activists, some of which have previously attended demonstrations in support of the bill, said they wanted to spread awareness to the student body about what they feel are injustices found within our current marijuana laws.

“We’re doing this because nothing is ever done. The prohibition of marijuana is a waste of time.

People shouldn’t get arrested for the

Jason Cunningham | The Recorder

possession of it because so many peo“Regardless of whether or not ple smoke it,” said CCSU student the bill passes we need to continue to Brendan Meehan, a pro-marijuana fight the good fight. Drinking alcohol activist. is worse than smoking pot, but that’s The bill, which recently passed still legal, so why not pot?” Ford 24-14 in the legislature’s Joint asked.

Judiciary Committee after being Under current law, possession amended to exclude minors, will en- of marijuana in Connecticut of under sure that anyone caught with one half four ounces can lead up to one year in ounce or less of the drug will only be jail and up to a $1,000 fine for a first punished with a maximum $121 fine. offense, up to five years in jail and a Some supporters of the bill say that $3,000 fine for a second offense. decriminalization isn’t enough.

The protesting student argued “It’s ridiculous that pot is illegal that they don’t want to be arrested for today,” said CCSU student Sarah possession of marijuana, when they Ford. “Historically, it only continued believe that the drug should be legal racism. It was meant to criminalize to begin with. people. Prior to its illegalization it The group encouraged all who was perfectly acceptable. It was used were interested to join them and othin various religious ceremonies, as a ers on April 20 for a peaceful demonmedicine sold in pharmacies – even stration at Bushnell Park in support one of our first flags was made from of the bill. it.”

The group NORML The activists also expressed an- Connecticut, who was recently feager towards Gov. M. Jodi Rell for her tured on several local news broadopposition to the decriminalization casts earlier this month for a small bill, as well as he opposition to the demonstration, is organizing the medical marijuana bill that she ve- event.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / NEWS

After Murder, Princeton Alumna Leads Gettysburg College Through Tragedy PAOLO ESQuiVEL

The Daily Princetonian | Princeton

Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs GS ’82 learned last Thursday that a sophomore at her school had been stabbed and strangled that morning. Moreover, she discovered that the young woman’s ex-boyfriend, a Gettysburg senior, was being held as a suspect.

“I am shocked and terribly saddened, as is our entire college community,” Riggs said in an e-mail to The Daily Princetonian. “My heart goes out to the families of both of these students; both families are feeling such tremendous pain.”

Police have charged 21-year-old Kevin Robert Schaeffer in the killing of 19-year-old Emily Rachel Silverstein in an off-campus apartment provided through the college housing office. Officers were called to the apartment at 6:44 a.m. on Thursday morning, and authorities have said they believe Silverstein was killed sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Schaeffer, a native of Oley, Pa., was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime and tampering with physical evidence.

As details emerged throughout the weekend, an autopsy on Friday revealed that Silverstein, a native of Roosevelt, N.J., died of strangulation, blunt-force head injuries and sharp injuries to the neck – likely inflicted with a steak knife – according to an article in The Evening Sun. After being taken into custody, Schaeffer was transported to the Adams County Prison. He was arraigned and a preliminary hearing should take place sometime this week.

Gettysburg, a private liberal arts school, has 2,600 undergraduates and is located roughly 170 miles southwest of Princeton.

Riggs said it is unclear what kind of long-term impact the tragedy will have on the college community.

“It’s very hard to understand how this could have happened,” she said. “I don’t know that we’ll ever fully understand … We are devastat-

ed; it’s difficult for our community to take this in, and we are all hurting.”

The incident has prompted Gettysburg alumni, members of nearby colleges and members of the local community to express their condolences on the college’s Web site, Riggs noted.

“The entire campus community at McDaniel College sends our sympathy, thoughts and prayers to our friends and neighbors at Gettysburg College. May you begin to heal,” a poster who self-identified as McDaniel College President Joan Develin Coley said.

Riggs said she believes her college community’s cohesion and sense of togetherness will heal the school, eventually allowing it to deal with the other challenges it is facing.

“The Gettysburg College community truly is just that – a community,” Riggs said. “We know each other; we support each other. I have certainly appreciated that, and our sense of community is what will help us through this tragedy.”

A native of suburban Philadelphia, Riggs graduated from Gettysburg in 1977 and earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton in 1982.

“I had a tremendous graduate school experience that prepared me well for my life as a faculty member,” she said. “I would also say that my training as a social psychologist has come in handy in many ways, and never more than in my role as president.”

After graduating from Princeton, Riggs returned to her alma mater and rose from professor to department chair and provost before being named interim president in March 2008. She was named the college’s 14th president this past February.

“The opportunity to lead an institution for which I have such great affection and respect is truly an honor and a privilege,” she said. “[As president] this tragedy is by far the most challenging [thing I have encountered],” she added. “A week ago, I would have said the economic situation has been the biggest challenge; that’s now moved down the list.”

‘Sustainability’ is the Word at U. Iowa Engineering MEGAN DiAL

The Daily iowan | u. iowa

The future of engineering is changing directions, and the interests of University of Iowa students are expanding to encompass environmental awareness.

Dean of the College of Engineering P. Barry Butler said renewable energy is taking off in the field, and the UI is offering more environmental courses as funding becomes available.

“I’m teaching a course on wind energy — partly because of the demand. Students want it. And partly because in the state of Iowa we have more wind farms. They are wanting more students who are educated,” he said. “When a field starts emerging as more popular, all of those pieces grow together — the job market and the student interest.”

Keri Hornbuckle, a UI engineering professor and the head of the civil and environmental engineering department, said she has seen an increased interest in sustainability.

“The stimulus package definitely has big components,” she said.

“Many students are seeing that will play out in many civil-engineering projects.”

Though, consulting firms haven’t been hiring as much as in the

past since the lending market has slowed down, Hornbuckle said.

“The job opportunities are somewhat less,” she said, but it’s still not as bad for engineers as other professionals.

UI civil-engineering student Kyle Crowley is one student who plans to stay out of the engineering job market longer by going to law school. He wants to eventually be an environmental lawyer.

“I figure the longer I stay out of the job world, the longer I won’t have to worry about it,” the UI junior said.

UI junior Ryan Feld also hopes to go to graduate school before trying to get a job.

“They tell us that we should be fine with the economy, but yeah, I’m a bit worried,” he said.

Butler said the number of students going on to some type of postbaccalaureate education, such as Crowley and Feld, is increasing.

“It’s good because those students, they’re continuing to build up their résumés, build up their educational portfolio, and so when they do get into the job market, they have a lot more to offer,” he said.

But students are often tempted by the prospect of large salaries after completing a four-year program, Butler said.

“It’s a tough decision,” he said.

“In some ways, that kind of corrects itself during times like this.”

Still, Butler said he is optimistic about the future for engineering.

“It’s a little bit of ‘wait and see.’

My sense is things will start turning around here pretty soon,” he said.

“I’ve told our students to just be a little extra aggressive in going out and trying to find jobs.”

Butler said a huge benefit for the field of engineering is its broad range of possible careers — but that type of breadth requires more diverse schooling.

“Companies are very interested in people who can work at the boundary between the different engineering fields,” he said.

Butler said faculty members are also beginning to work on the edges of other specialties — engineering and medicine are two areas more closely related now.

“We’re looking at people who have an interface between a couple of different disciplines,” he said. “Right now in our college, probably 15 percent hold a joint appointment with another college.”

Crowley said he knows engineering is rapidly modifying.

“Every day, it changes,” he said.

“You don’t stop school.”

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / NEWS

5

Displaying Empty Holsters on Campus Tonya Malinowski News Editor

Days after the two-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, students at CCSU and hundreds of other college campuses will be seen carrying empty gun holsters.

The students, mostly members of the Riflery and Marksmanship Club, will be carrying the empty holsters between April 20-25 as part of a protest for the right to carry concealed weapons on college campuses.

“We really hope people notice and ask questions,” Club President Sara Adler said.

“We just want to educate the campus and try to break the stigma that guns are bad and people who own them are criminals.”

The protest was organized nationally by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a group of students, professors, parents and citizens who founded the organization following the Virginia Tech shootings.

The group currently has chapters at 363 campuses in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

“There’s really no difference between people carrying [concealed weapons] here than at the supermarket or the mall,” Adler said. “It wouldn’t change anything because really you wouldn’t even know.”

According to the NRA, one out of every 50 American adults, or 1.3 percent of the Connecticut population, have a concealed carry permit.

The Riflery and Marksmanship Club has already seen opposition to the protest by having their posters torn down.

Adler said she hopes the protest will help change the policy and allow students with permits, to carry firearms on campus.

“I don’t believe in handing over my personal safety to anyone else,” Riflery and Marksmanship VicePresident Steve Khemthong said.

“It’s not like the old West where people are just shooting everything that moves; it’s just about personal safety.”

To obtain a permit to legally carry a firearm in the state of Connecticut, one must be 21 or over, complete an 8-10 hour training course and pass a written exam.

Fifteen states currently leave concealed weapon decisions entirely up to the university, but Utah is the only state allowing concealed weapons on all public universities.

Adler said she doesn’t believe that concealed carry on campus will result in an escalation of violence or a culture of fear, but rather a better sense of safety.

“I see gun-free zones as disarmed victim zones,” Adler said.

“Making laws against law-abiding citizens doesn’t affect those who already don’t follow the law.”

The protest, now in its third year, will take place over Spring Week, with around 30 participants anticipated.

The Riflery and Marksmanship Club has over 50 active members.

Khemthong, who carries a concealed weapon in places that allow him to do so, said he hopes the protest changes the way people see weapons on campus.

“I like to know I’d be able to protect myself if I need to,” Khemthong said.

“When seconds matter, the police are only minutes away.”

Photo courtesy of: Flickr

6 THE RECORDER Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Editorial The CSU system announced that there would be a $228 increase in tuition starting in the fall of 2009.

As of Spring 2009, there were 7,233 full-time undergraduate students attending CCSU. This would mean that the university would be approximately taking in an additional $1,649,000 in tuition.

Considering the fact that 500 more applicants have been accepted for the upcoming fall, that amount could potentially rise to $1,763,124 in additional revenue. After compensating for the 4.8 percent funding cut from the state, we ask that the university use its additional income to help improve advising resources for its students.

While the money could be spent towards school promotion in the form of new ads, commercials on TV or sending representatives to college

Letter to the Editor In their April 8 “letter”, the editors tried to vindicate themselves for the controversial firing of former opinion editor Marissa Blaszko. Four weeks ago, Marissa was locked out of the Recorder’s office for not renouncing her campus activism and membership in Youth for Socialist Action.

The editors confess that Marissa was fired because she wouldn’t “dismiss her political and external activities.” In case readers missed the point, they spell it out: “political beliefs and opinions that are acted upon in public are not tolerated.” In other words, any student who has ever opposed racism, sexism, homophobia, or war need not apply.

The Recorder fired Marissa for offending its conservative notion of journalism which it copied and pasted from the New York Times. But the Recorder doesn’t answer to stockholders or journalism professors; it answers to students. Its editors can’t discriminate against student views the way that the corporate media can.

This politically-motivated firing of Marissa Blaszko sets a dangerous precedent for free speech on our campus. It leaves us no option but to publicly oppose your disregard for democratic freedom – and we have reason to believe that the campus will stand with us.

For more: http://freespeechcentral.wordpress.com Sean Howard, Youth for Socialist Action President ED: Please see The Recorder’s “Letter from The Recorder’s Editorial Board” in the April 8 issue.

Got something to say?

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

ccsurecorder@gmail.com

Editorial/Opinion fairs, nothing speaks louder to potential students than a good graduation rate and quick process to move students through the school. With that said, the process needs some attention.

As class registration approaches, students are reminded of the lack of beneficial guidance that they receive. In some cases, advisors do not even meet face to face with students, but simply give them their pin number.

In other cases, advisors direct students to take certain courses to help fulfill a certain requirement, and the students later learn that the course was unnecessary.

Part of the problem may arise from the fact that advisors continue to look at the most current course catalog, when requirements for stu-

dents will be different depending on the time that they declared a major or started their schooling.

We recognize that the school is making attempts to improve the advising situation with the creation of the Center for Student Success. This center which aims to help new CCSU students, and students with undeclared majors will begin in the fall and contain an advising force of about 15 to 16 people.

According to a report by the CCSU Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, in the fall 2008 semester, there were 636 students with an undeclared major. If these students utilized the new advising center there would be approximately one advisor for every 40 students. That is a lot of students for one person to handle.

It would be difficult for those advisors to be able to impart adequate advice tailored to each individual student’s circumstances. And this does not even include the first year or transfer students that the office would be geared toward helping.

Although the university is demonstrating that it understands the need for a higher level of advising, more must be done than to simply recognize the problem and make suggestions for the future.

It would be beneficial for advisors in each department to fully understand the degree requirements and general education requirements that students need to fulfill in order to graduate on time.

Advisors need to become more informed on how to help their students as they plan their schedules.

We suggest that each department

take action in the form of some kind of training session at the beginning of every year to fully equip professors with the knowledge that they need to impart useful advice to the students that they advise.

Choosing the right courses is an important decision for students because of the fact that it may affect whether or not they graduate on time, or how much more money they spend on classes that they don’t need to take.

We hope that the university invests as much money as possible into improving the advising system for its students. Advising expertise is crucial in ensuring that students are pursuing the best path for their education.

General Education Meal Plans Should Classes Not Worth Not Be Required the Time ShAuNA SiMEONE Opinion Editor

College is a time for students to further their education and to specialize in a field that relates to a possible career. Universities should emphasize classes that focus on specific skills, but unfortunately most higher education institutions focus too much on general education courses.

Students spend four years in high school learning a variety of general subjects that make them intellectually well rounded. Subjects are covered varying from English, math, science, foreign languages, health, history, music, as well as many other available electives. High school classes can be taught at a high level and provide sufficient knowledge in a plethora of subject matters. In American society today, college freshman may enter CCSU and realize that they are in for much more of the same general education classes.

CCSU requires a total of 44-46 credits of general education. This is an enormous amount of credits considering that nearly every major program requires fewer credits to complete. This includes degree programs such as geography, economics, biology, English, and many more.

As CCSU students are well aware, the general education program requires courses from four different study areas, which are arts and humanities, social sciences, behavioral sciences, and natural sciences.

Four different skill areas must also be fulfilled. They are listed as communication skills, mathematics, foreign language proficiency, and the new university requirement that requires all students to complete PE 144. The majority of a student’s first two years at CCSU will be taken up by fulfilling general education requirements.

The university states in the undergraduate catalog, that the general education program “aims to provide students with the basic foundations for life-long learning as rational members of society, to awaken the pleasures of intellectual exploration and to elevate aesthetic sensibilities”.

It seems that a high school education is completely sufficient to provide “basic foundations for life-long learning”. In fact, high school curriculums aim to expose students to a variety of subjects that are necessary

for them to be educated in a wellrounded manner.

It is completely fine for students to further their general education at college, but they should have the option to do it on their own terms. A large portion of students are attending college to get the necessary educational background that prepares them for a certain career or field.

Those students who already know what skill area they want to pursue should not be forced to dally along in classes that are not helping them to reach their career goals.

In a lot of technical majors, such as physics, a lot of lab courses are required. There are also a lot of mathematical prerequisites that are required for students to complete before moving on to the upper level physics courses. When coupled with the general education requirements, students with a physics major may not be able to get into their meaningful physics classes until their 3rd year of college. It should also be noted that many upper level courses are not offered every semester or even every year. The large amount of required general education courses makes it difficult for students in certain majors to graduate on time. This may even be a deterrent for students to pursue technical majors, which are a necessary part of developing our country’s future.

General education courses can be a wonderful thing for students who are interested in participating in them. But for students who are satisfied with their “basic foundations” of education, general education courses can be a huge hindrance on their aspirations of mastering a certain subject.

Imagine the amount of background a student could gain if they spent four years taking courses that pertained to their major. They would probably be able to attain knowledge that is equivalent to a master’s degree today. A growing number of careers and employers expect employees to have a master’s degree or higher. This probably relates to the lack of technical work done at the undergraduate level today.

The general education requirements should be lessened at CCSU and at colleges across the nation.

Students who go to college to concentrate on a specific subject should be allowed to do so without completing an absurd amount of general courses that will not greatly benefit their career ambitions.

ShAuNA SiMEONE Opinion Editor

CCSU requires that all students who live on campus have to purchase a meal plan. This is an unfair restriction and CCSU students must be allowed to have more say in the matter.

The cost of attending college is already significant. But CCSU imposes another $1,800 expense on students who live on campus by requiring them to buy a meal plan for the school dining hall. The meal plans start at a minimum of $1,800 and vary based on the number of guest meals or blue chip card funds that you add. The minimum meal plan gives students an all-access pass to the dining hall. This means that students can go into the cafeteria as many times per day as they want.

The available options for meal plans are very restrictive. All meal plans are for unlimited meals. Many students do not eat every meal in the dining hall, but choose to eat at different restaurants or in their rooms.

When students buy food outside of the dining hall, they are essentially paying double for a meal since they were already forced to pay for their entrance into the dining hall at the beginning of the semester.

Although there are a variety of different foods inside the dining hall, some residents would prefer to provide their own foods of their choosing. For example, some students just don’t like the taste of processed chicken and beef, but still want to incorporate meat into their diets. The school should not be allowed to force students into buying certain foods that they may not like.

In the school’s defense, they are probably trying to ensure that students actually eat the food in the dining hall so that less food is wasted.

But the school should meet halfway with students and provide more options for meal plans. It would make sense to provide a plan in which students pay for a set number of meals, such as seven meals a week. This is more realistic for students, and it will be less expensive for them while still ensuring that students eat food provided by the school occasionally.

A large majority of CCSU students struggle to pay for their education. Some students cannot meet the costs of payment plans for the meal plan upfront. But they are still forced to cover the expense, or force being kicked out of school. This does not seem fair at all.

Students who value an education and need to live on campus for logistical reasons may see a meal plan as an unnecessary expense. If they can afford tuition and room costs, they may be kicked out of school for not buying a meal plan, which they may not even want!

The administration should attempt to be more flexible when giving out payment plans that cover meal plans. Since the school is forcing students to purchase one, they should work harder at tailoring the plan to fit the individual needs of the student.

If CCSU is going to force residents to buy a meal plan, then they need to work with students who are struggling to afford it. Getting an education is the most important priority. Meal plans are an added expense that should not prevent anyone from receiving an education.

8 THE RECORDER Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Upgrade

Spring Week is a Step in the Right Direction for

The Smyrk

The Smyrk’s Doron Flake (vocals).

Charles Desrochers Asst. Lifestyles Editor

The summer is coming and like most Central students, Chris Barone will be looking for a job.

Barone doesn’t call them jobs though. He calls them gigs, and he won’t be alone. He’ll be with his band The Smyrk.

A friend of the band Mathew Morgan labeled their band as Motown Metal, since the bands eclectic mix of soul and rock left them scratching their heads when fans would asked them what their genre was.

“We have trouble finding bands that fit our genre in Connecticut theirs like a handful outside and it’s just weird,” said Barone, drummer for The Smyrk.

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Last March The Smyrk’s Doron Monk Flake, Ari Sadowitz, Barone and Alex Marans won CAN’s ‘Battle of the Bands’ at Central Connecticut State University. By winning, the band also earned the opportunity to play at the Spring Week concert.

Almost immediately after The Battle, The Smyrk boarded a plane and headed to Austin, Texas for the festival South By Southwest, starting what they hope to be a busy summer as a part of Afro Punk, a group that promotes multicultural bands and audiences.

“We met a lot of different people like The Matches, The Hard as Lions,” said Barone. “We played a lot of great shows and met a lot of different people, did a lot of promoting. I lost about 12 pounds in one week just from all the walking.”

Taking time for the group is nothing new for him. Barone, now in his fourth year at CCSU, has been balancing the band and school since ’02. He’s even taken time off to go on self-promoted tours, eventually ending up in California.

The band is even considering a show in Maryland in May that would be on a Thursday. “I got three classes on Friday,” said Barone. “It’s gonna be hard because you either don’t take the show or we have to drive 5 or 6 hours. It’s not a problem but it’s a bit of pressure.” “[SXSW] was a week before spring break. So my professors weren’t too happy with me,” said Barone. “We’re all in it a hundred percent. Me, Ari and Doron, we all want this so much. Alex comes in on the train every time and that’s expensive.

He’s been showing his commitment since January.”

Practicing for up to eight hours each session, the band thinks of each other as family.

They are all equally committed to making The Smyrk work and be one of the few bands to come out of Connecticut. Barone said he speaks for the entire band when he says their breaking point isn’t in the near future.

“The music scene here is not that big, but that’s even more incentive to keep going. We want to be one of those few bands that come out of Connecticut,” said Barone.

“What I really want to do is go overseas we get emails in our inbox and on Myspace from, like, UK and Brazil. We have people listening. I think that if we went overseas we would get a good response, but we

don’t have any money yet,” said Barone.

After Spring Weekend and the end of school, Barone says that once school ends it’s constant gigging throughout the summer.

“Our goal is to work with bigger bands and travel with them,” he said.

Already the band has recorded with Incubus’ Ben Kennedy and a producer who worked with Missy Elliot.

Recording a new album isn’t what The Smyrk is focusing on right now.

“You have to get people to listen to your album first,” Barone said.

So that’s what they will try to do, get fans to listen.

The Perry Bible Fellowship

9

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / UPGRADE

Party Starters’ Gift to Central Connecticut

Photo courtesy of: Alyssa Silvestri

(From left) Patrick Kennedy, Neil Brewer and Ben Grippo.

Charles Desrochers Asst. Lifestyles Editor

H

artford has never been accused of having nightlife. What little bars there are cater to a crowd that enjoys Bud Light But for the kind of people who think Nickelback suck, a good concert normally means driving to New Haven.

Out of this frustration and a love for their city, Neil Brewer, Ben Grippo and Patrick Kennedy, a.k.a. DJ Party Time, established The Hartford Party Starters Union.

The HPSU is a nonprofit group that organizes and promotes concerts for a niche that isn’t being catered to in the state’s capitol.

“The whole thing and the whole interest in this is a reaction to what I see as a tremendous amount of shitty stuff,” Brewer said.

This calling didn’t come overnight to the three friends. Brewer, a CCSU ’08 graduate who works for the Mayor of Hartford, explained that it all started a year ago when he had a surplus of “I Love Hartford” buttons that were normally given to legislators to sway municipal funding.

So with nearly 200 extra buttons, he started handing them out to people he would see when he, Kennedy and Grippo would go out.

“People were really hot for these pins,” said Brewer. “People were like, ‘Where are those pins? I need those pins. My mom wants those pins!’”

From this, they were surprised to find that a lot of people were interested in Hartford. So they made more T-shirts and buttons as well as a logo that resembles Hartford’s seal for their official group.

At a New Years Eve party the trio threw their first official party as the HPSU. Since then the HPSU has been gaining popularity and snow balling.

“We specialize in Guerilla house parties,” said Grippo, whose tattoos wrap his arms and lay under his collar like a necklace made of red stars.

Grippo and Brewer spoke about one house party in particular when the second floor apartment was packed from wall to wall. They easily credited Internet promotion for the outstanding attendance and said that people arrived from as far away as Willimantic, Conn.

“It was scary, you could feel the floor moving and the people were shoulder to shoulder. I was staying out of the room because I thought we were going to end up downstairs. But it was a great time,” said Grippo.

The Hartford Party Starters Union isn’t in it for the money. After making an initial investment of about $200 each, the three haven’t seen one dime in return. Every dollar made by The HPSU goes towards planning and executing the next show.

Each one is meant to be bigger than the next. Always attempting to outdo themselves, they have moved from basements to apartments to actual venues. Their next planned show is April 25, featuring The Death Set and Ninjasonik at The Warehouse in Hartford.

“We had picked them because we saw them in New York and just thought that they were awesome. They just rocked the party,” Brewer said of The Death Set. Some of the highly stylized flyers can be seen on campus cosrkboards. Emphasis was put on the design in response to the perceived lack of effort put into flyers that are routinely stuck under windshield wipers.

Grippo remembered when he was young that bands’ flyers were more of an art than the usual promotions seen on car windows today.

He remembers lining his wall from floor to ceiling with all his favorite bands. That added focus on design, he said, is something that he thinks will attract more people to the HPSU flyers.

Despite wanting to plan bigger shows, they say they don’t choose bands on popularity. The bands are chosen on how much fun the audience is in for and the performance value.

They expressed they want the HPSU to be a name someone can trust when they can blindly go into the night knowing they will have a good time.

For the most part the trio is having fun in their new hobby. They could care less whether or not the “brand” of the Hartford Party Starter Union survives. What they want to last is the idea the HPSU represents – that Hartford can be fun again.

The HPSU’s Next Show: The Death Set and Ninjasonik with DJ Party Time @ The Warehouse 45 Bartholomew Avenue Hartford, Conn. $10 / 9:30 p.m., 21+

CAN Expounds on Spring Weekend Reformat Charles Desrochers Asst. Lifestyles Editor

There is a method behind the madness of Central Activities Network’s decision of having five smaller bands instead the big name for Spring Weekend.

CAN representatives Emily Jerrard and Chris Leahy explained that CAN is attempting to give Spring Week a festival feeling as apposed to one big name.

Leahy, who organized the bands for Spring Week, says CAN was working with a budget of $50,000. Last year CCSU’s Spring Week bands were a part of a bundled concert promoted by Crocs Footwear called Crocs 360.

This year the same kind of “sponsored concert” was not available.

The advantage of having a bundled concert is that; lighting, sound and talent are all included in the same lump sum. With this year though, CAN was responsible for acquiring the production equipment separate from the bands,

which Leahy said added 20 percent to the bands total.

CAN also had a two week window in which they knew they wanted the concert to occur. When looking for bands in the area that fit the budget CAN had difficulty finding the right balance between schedule and budget.

Working with $50,000 and a limited pool of talent, CAN set out to find what they thought CCSU would enjoy.

“We didn’t have a lot of input from the students this year. Not a lot of students came so we tried to reach out there and unfortunately no one really offered any suggestions,” Leahy said.

“It was kind of tough to decide what we thought was best for the campus as well as comedians.

We wanted to combine some genres that you don’t normally see on campus.”

“We looked at last year’s headline concert and we saw there was a good turn out for the Reel Big Fish and there was actually a real big culture around that style, that ska, that punk, that culture setting,” Leahy said.

Reel Big Fish headlined last year’s Spring Weekend as the replacement for the original band, One Republic.

“A whole lot of people had mentioned to me this band called Streetlight Manifesto, so we looked it up online and we saw that they were going on the Warped Tour this summer and we thought that, you know, it would be a pretty good attraction,” Leahy said.

CAN is also featuring comedian D.L. Hughley as part of the Week’s festivities on Monday, April 20, as well as rides and booths on the Saturday of the concert. The show itself will include five bands as well as a stage for local bands and be from noon until 6 p.m. so that students may also have time enjoy a night out.

Not many other colleges in the area have gone for the a lot of a little approach before, but Leahy, Jerrard, and the rest of CAN just say, “A lot of state schools take that rap and hip hop route - we wanted to try something different. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”

Photo courtesy of: Flickr

Alto and baritone saxophonist Mike Brown of Streetlight Manifesto

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / UPGRADE

St. Vincent Actor 4AD Records May 5, 2009

Actor, the new album from St. Vincent, a.k.a. Annie Clark, seems to contradict itself at every turn. The singer/songwriter’s follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut release, 2007’s Marry Me, shuns expectations by making things a bit darker, a direct contrast to her pretty, but unassumingly quiet appearance (her curly black hair and big, bright eyes grace almost every inch of the album’s cover).

In the release’s first single, “The Strangers”, she repeatedly follows verses with the line “paint the black hole blacker”, but the melody remains almost ethereal, with Clark’s breathy vocals leading the way until the song breaks out into a swirling, guitar-riff and reverb-heavy climax.

Many of the album’s eleven songs fit the same contradictory mold. “Laughing with a mouth full of blood”, what would presumably be the album’s darkest track, is a sultry jazzy song that would seem at home in a lounge club, while “Save me from what I want” marries a heavy synth beat, chimes and an overall upbeat tune that sporadically jumps into minor-note guitar picking and Clark’s imploring someone to save her from what she wants.

“Black Rainbow”, easily one of the album’s strangest tracks and treads lightly over a soft keyboard before bombastically unleashing a torrent of violins and bass.

Perhaps the biggest contradiction of all, then, is that Actor somehow manages to be more cohesive than her first outing. Where

Marry Me sometimes felt as though it was trying too hard to be unique, Actor travels at its own pace.

The disparity of the melodies, Clark’s beautiful voice, and the actual content of the songs, as well as the strange compositions, make the track listing an unpredictable affair that invites the listener to go along with the ride.

Even when Actor slows down at some parts and gets bumpy at others, it retains its own strange momentum while showcasing that St. Vincent, though early in her career, is already carving out a sound that is uniquely hers.

P.J. Decoteau Staff Writer

Observe and Report Delivers Enough to Overcome Flaws

Nick Viccione

Asst. Entertainment Editor

Seth Rogen has become a household name to the college demographic. It therefore would not surprise me in the least bit if this movie gets talked up beyond belief.

It seems that people will see any movie Rogen is in; he’s become like Jim Carrey in the 1990s.

However, with Observe and Report, it is obvious that this was a roll that Rogen wanted to play, and tried his best to make interesting. In the end, there is just enough to enjoy.

Rogen takes the reigns in Observe and Report as Ronnie Barnhardt, a bi-polar security guard at an ordinary mall that has suddenly been plagued by a pervert who makes a habit of swearing

Photo courtesy of: allmoviephoto.com

and exposing himself to women in the parking lot.

The flasher gets the movie rolling quickly, but throughout the majority of the movie, is forgotten about. As far as plot is concerned, the backbone of the film is Ronnie’s quest to prove himself to everyone and anyone he comes into contact with.

Ronnie tries desperately to woo Brandi, your typically idiotic

female (played by Anna Faris) who is not worthy of any male’s time – even the flasher. Ronnie also tries to impress his boss, who gradually loses all confidence in him, and the “bad guy” of the film – the local police detective, Detective Harrison, (played by Ray Liotta).

Like always, it takes the entire film for Ronnie to start having an effect on his colleagues and peers in the movie. Ironically, I felt the same way as a member of the audience.

Observe and Report has all of the standard comedic practices that tend to elicit laughs: liberal swearing, the name-calling, the awkward stares and silences, the medley of supporting characters with various ethnic backgrounds, the quirky one-liners. You name it, Observe and Report has it.

However, this tends to give the movie a stale feeling throughout. There is nothing that was remotely interesting from a comedic standpoint to warrant mention.

Also, I felt that every time there was a new scene, there was a clip in it that I had remembered seeing in the trailers.

Some people may criticize me for saying that I long for character development in movies, even the low-budget comedies. But, from a viewer’s standpoint, I feel that if I can have a deeper connection with characters, I will be able to laugh at the things they say, and the crazy situations they get themselves into even more.

Observe and Report lacks heavily in this area, and it brings the whole film down. I never once put myself in the shoes of any of the characters, let alone Rogen’s.

So now that I have voiced my opinion of why I thought this movie was sub-par, what about all of this “good enough to overcome flaws” nonsense?

Well, frankly, the movie was entertaining enough to be able to sit through and not want it to be over any sooner than it was. It was a manageable length (not like all of these 2 plus-hour Apatow comedies) and there was enough interesting physical humor, like beating the hell out of a bunch of skateboarders, after getting glazed on booze and cocaine, and then taking out a horde of police officers with a Mag-Lite, to off-set the trite script.

The ending itself was epic.

That is all I am going to say in order not to spoil anything for anyone.

The bottom line is this: if you are a fan of the same types of lowbudget comedies that have been coming out with Rogen in them, ones where he just ad-libs scenes and makes up rubbish, then you’ll probably enjoy this movie for all that is it worth.

But if you are someone like me, who looks for that extra something, then wait until you can catch a matinee showing. Observe and Report doesn’t dazzle, but it gets the job done.

Fast and Furious Surprising for Series Charles Desrochers Asst. Lifestyles Editor

Prepare to be disappointed when seeing Fast and Furious, even though for the series, it’s actually a decent movie.

This fourth installment of the series brought back its core group of characters. While the trailer made it out to be another exercise in driving fast and delivering cheesy lines about how fast said driving is, Fast and Furious dropped the scantily clad women and florescent import cars halfway through for an attempt at real story with depth.

After this point the movie turns into a Smugglers Run type film while the audience sits in their seats asking, “Where was this 45 minutes ago?”

They are also probably saying, “Where do they get the money for all these cars they keep destroying?

Their credit must be horrible.”

The flashy bright pink Japanese cars are wrecked, dirtied and ugly by the time the plot gets off and the female booties are left in the first act.

This leaves us to appreciate Fast and Furious’ story of all things. Chris Morgan, who wrote last years surprise action hit Wanted, does a fantastic job of teaching this old dog some new tricks.

I’m not going to comment on the driving sequences because by now we’ve seen it all.

Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Connell is now an FBI agent trying to bring down a multi billion-dollar drug smuggling operation from Mexico.

We see that after five years of being on the run, Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, is in the Dominican Republic stealing gasoline and selling it on the black market. Do you get it? Diesel is stealing petrol.

Toretto’s long time girlfriend, played by Michelle Rodriguez, is murdered in a car wreck, leading him to return to Los Angeles and investigate her death. The story finds O’Connell and Toretto looking for the same person and joining forces.

As important as the surprise quality of the story is the fact that, since The Fast and The Furious, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel have turned into very competent actors. The only reason this movie was possible was because both seemed to have stumbled on hard times in their careers.

Walker, and especially Diesel, look old in this movie, which I applaud. Torretto and O’Connell are played as if their characters have not only aged but have matured. This isn’t a case of rehashing the same tired “I love NOS” characters into a

Photo courtesy of: allmoviephoto.com

cookie cutter plot. There is an implied growth that’s happened since the last we’ve seen these two. Yet we are not bludgeoned over the head with back-story. Through their performances we realize that both are tired and the past five years have weighed heavy on their souls.

Racing ultimately has nothing to do with the story as far as the pride of winning goes, like the other three Furious movies. What plays out is a tale of revenge that ping pongs across

the Mexican border in order to bring down a drug cartel.

I’d like to point out that the way the cartels get the drugs into the US, via underground tunnels, is not as outlandish as it may seem. The evening news in southern California is constantly showing reports of underground tunnels and other inventive ways the cartels get their product into America.

For the first time in the series the cars are a distant third to the ac-

tors and story. Now don’t get me wrong, this is just a decent movie.

The plot has plenty of holes in it but my expectations were so low it was like ordering ramen noodles and getting chicken parmesan. Sure it’s not the fanciest dish in the world but it’s much classier than the one you were expecting to get, especially if you were expecting those noodles to be sprinkled with glitter and G-strings.

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / UPGRADE

Catching Up with Brian Haas

of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

Photo courtesy of: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

Michael Walsh

Asst. Entertainment Editor

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey has always been about exploring new boundaries and evolution. 2009, the group’s 15th anniversary, marks a new date in change for the abstract jazz group that is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. In January, the new quartet, whose new album Winterwood is available free at www. jfjo.com, made its live debut in New York City at the Winter Jazzfest. In anticipation of the group’s show on April 18 at The Main Pub in Manchester I had the chance to speak with Jacob Fred’s only founding member still remaining, pianist Brian Haas, about new musical directions, where the unique sound came from and why he and the band are playing the best music of their lives.

Michael Walsh: You’ve got two new albums, Winterwood with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and one solo titled Petting Sounds, and you went digital with both and you went free with both. What were the reasons behind those tactics?

Brian Haas: Well you know it’s our 15th anniversary and we’ve been doing this for a really long time and have so much appreciation for our fans who have stuck with us for 15 years and who keep turning on other people to our music and our fans are the lifeblood of the band. Our fans turn just as many people on to Jacob Fred as we do. So basically the concept behind Winterwood and Petting Sounds was to give our fans a gift. But then it also has a double intention because we know that free music obviously is going to turn a lot more people on to our music and it definitely has. It has completely expanded our fan mail list. We’ve way over doubled our fan mail list in a little over a month. In addition to it being a gift to our fans it’s also in my opinion some really smart capitalism.

MW: In a follow-up to what you said to give back to the fans and reach new fans, did any of the reasons have to do with the economy?

BH: Oh absolutely, just the state of the music business with CD sales way down, digital downloads way down, that definitely influenced our capitalism for sure. When you’ve

been doing this for 15 years like I have, you’ve seen the music business change so much in a short amount of time. It’s a constant challenge and it’s a constant goal to try to engage in creative capitalism and to try to do new things to gather new people listening to your new music.

MW: Now you guys are an everevolving band, you always change, so was there a different approach to the new album at all?

BH: Winterwood was a super unique record for us because we recorded it basically all at once with a few exceptions. We didn’t really do a lot of add-ons. We did tons of recording all at once and then spent about nine months after that actually refitting everything and reconfigurating and remixing and adding effects and stuff like that. It was different in that it was a super short recording process within a very long production process.

MW: How about you as a personal musician with your solo stuff? How does your personal approach separate you from others in the genre?

BH: Well I come from the Midwest – I come from Oklahoma – and I just have a really different take and language that I play on the piano.

I definitely think there are a lot of young jazz pianists today that have certain things in common. I just feel like my voice is unique to me. I feel the same about a lot of the really great guys that are in my generation. You can always tell that it’s them. I can always tell when I’m listening to Jason Moran, I can always tell when I’m listening to Ethan Iverson, I can always tell when I’m listening to John Medeski. I feel like a lot of the people that are rising to the top right now in my generation are people like me that have really unique voices on the instrument.

MW: So do you have any inspirations that led to the unique voice you have?

BH: One of my main inspirations for the last year has definitely been the symphonies of Beethoven.

It’s something we’ve been working on a lot. I definitely feel that my solo piano record Petting Sounds came out of all the work we had been doing on Beethoven’s third and sixth sympho-

nies. I just feel like it’s an ambient approach to something that is so classical in nature. I sort of feel like that’s been one of my biggest influences for the pasts year. Not just the third and sixth, the ones we’re working on, but really all of them.

MW: This year you debuted a new lineup with Josh Raymer, Chris Combs and Matt Hayes. Did you know them previously?

BH: Josh Raymer has been with the band for about three and a half years, Chris Combs has been with the band since the beginning of last year and then Matt Hayes has been with the band since the end of the last year, but yeah, at the New York City Winter Jazzfest in January we debuted the new quartet. But in a lot of ways like I said Raymer had been with the band for three and a half years and then Combs started last year and Hayes started last year as well, so it’s something that was a long time in the making and all of these guys are younger than I am and they all grew up listening to my music.

They were all listening to my music in late middle school and early high school. It’s something that was really gradual from my perspective but seemed really natural as well.

MW: I know they’ve been around for a few years now but how does the new lineup compare to other formations and do Raymer, Combs and Hayes bring new things to the table that might help expand your music?

BH: Absolutely. I feel like Reed [Mathis] and I and just the trio for the last few years haven’t really been playing the best music of our lives. I feel like it’s been a little more inconsistent with the trio and I just feel like there’s a lot more consistency now and a lot more passion and just a lot more connectivity in a way. It’s kind of hard to put into words but I definitely feel like the band is sounding better than it has ever sounded. If I didn’t feel like that I don’t think I’d be touring it I’d probably hang out in Tulsa and rehearse a lot to get it sounding to a point where it’s sounding at least as good but I definitely feel like Jacob Fred is playing the best music it has ever played in the life of the band.

MW: You’ve played with a lot of different artists and have opened for a lot of different artists, so I was wondering if any of them stand out to you for any reason?

BH: In some ways everybody is my hero. It just depends on what night I might hear them. You know what I mean? Sometimes I might hear somebody and they just blow my mind and change my life and then I might go and hear that same band two weeks and it does nothing for me.

I think the reason my music keeps at such a rapid rate and I keep evolving at such a rapid rate is because I’m really non-judgmental and I’m really open to a wide variety of styles and textures in everything that’s going on around me.

MW: You said you have a vast taste in music and you always like different things. JFJO has covered songs from artists like Bjork and Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young, so does that all play into it?

BH: I do consider what we do to be within the jazz idiom and I’m proud to be apart of a jazz band but at the same time just because we’re a jazz band doesn’t mean we’re limited by any genre or anything. I know it’s really trendy in this day and age to say no it’s not a jazz band don’t put a genre on me well you know I’m proud that I play in a jazz band and what I’m doing is furthering something that was started in America. At the same time I don’t want to be limited by it. We just stay really, really open to all different styles of music and it’s just cause we genuinely love all those different styles. When I was a kid all I listened to was classical music. I didn’t even discover Hendrix until I was 16 years old, so it’s the kind of thing where I had a really great background in music and grew up playing music from basically age two on and got to be exposed to lots of music and I pretty much just love all music. If you’re making music it’s definitely better than making bombs and pharmaceuticals.

MW: You guys have been touring pretty much the whole United States this year. What has gone well and what can fans expect if they come out to one of your shows this year?

BH: Definitely some of the most unique jazz they’ve ever heard in their lives. The new band is super influenced by the Tulsa sound. The Tulsa sound is characterized by artists like Leon Russell, JJ Cale, and early Eric Clapton when he was living in Tulsa in the early ‘70s. Our jazz just has a really strong Americana twang to it in a lot of ways. Our guitarist Chris Combs, he only plays guitar on maybe one or two songs, he mostly plays lap steel the entire night.

And then Matt Hayes plays upright bass and he plays double bass. He only plays acoustic bass he never plays electric. I just think it’s some of the easiest music you could ever try to listen to. It’s challenging spiritually but sonically it’s really easy to listen to.

MW: So it’s has got to be a little rejuvenating for you huh?

BH: Oh man it’s so inspiring I can’t even tell. That’s one of the reasons I’m playing the best music of my life is cause I’m surrounded by these young, just vigorous super intense cats. It’s interesting because when you hear them talk about Jacob Fred from their perspective it’s theirs, it’s their band. I always hear them talking about it and I’ll hear them talking about it when I’m not around and from their perspective it’s their thing.

From their perspective they created it and they’re the reason the band sounds so great and I love to hear them talking like that because it express equal ownership.

MW: Well that’s all I’ve got for you in terms of specific questions, do you have anything else you’d like to add?

BH: Just that I’m looking forward to playing that room in Manchester. It’s a totally fun club man we always have great shows there and I just encourage everybody to come out because it’s a really intimate room and it’d be a great way to spend a Saturday night.

For the full Q&A with Brian Hass visit www.therecorderonline. net and The Recorder’s Upgrade section.

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / UPGRADE

I Love You, Man Offers Us Laughs, Bromance Sean Fenwick Staff Writer

There are few movies that capture true romance. Movies like When Harry Met Sally, and The Notebook have shown what two people will do for the sake of love between a man and woman.

Photo courtesy of: allmoviephoto.com

I Love You, Man is possibly the first movie to capture true bromance.

When Peter Klaven asks his girlfriend to marry him he realizes that there has been an aspect of his life he has been missing, masculinity. Peter (Paul Rudd) is more of a gal pal then a man’s man. After his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones of “The Office”) accepts Peter’s proposal, she easily assembles her bridesmaids while Peter is realizing he has no male friends for groomsmen.

Peter is an oversensitive realtor who’s best night of his life was sharing a “summer salad and a bottle of wine and watching Chocolat.” He realizes he needs to find friends and fast.

After a few attempts and one that ends with another man’s tongue down his throat, it seems that Peter will be dudeless for life. He then runs into Sydney, played

by Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

who is the exact opposite of Peter, at an open house.

Where Peter is neat and sensitive Sydney is messy and blunt. The two of them seem to become hetero life mates when they both uncover their love for the band Rush.

The movie seems pretty slow and tame until Segel breaks onto the screen. His character in I Love You Man is a direct contrast to his recent, previous performances, while Rudd is in familiar territory, as the adorable funny guy the audience loves.

Where this movie excels is the obvious chemistry between Rudd and Segel. These are two giants who made their break on Judd Apatow’s coat tails. After Segel wrote himself as a whimpering wussy in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, it’s a relief to see his acting ability in a completely different role.

Directed by John Hamburg, I Love You, Man isn’t the type of film that does magic for the screen but Hamburg is able to keep the overall tone of the film moving along while Rudd and Segel do what they are best at.

I Love You, Man is possibly the best Apatow-like film out there. It has memorable quotes that people will be blurting out loud for months to come (namely “me slappa da bass”) and two likable characters that will only further the careers of two of Hollywood’s most popular comedic actors.

Approach Dragonball with Low Expectations Sean Fenwick Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of: allmoviephoto.com

Don’t you just love when Hollywood takes your childhood memories and turns them into pieces of crap? I know I do, and I’m sure glad they did it again with their adaptation of Dragonball: Evolution.

Dragonball: Evolution follows our hero Goku (Justin Chatwin) as he goes through high school like any other teen, except one major difference; he knows kung fu.

Trained by his grandfather, Goku has special abilities that allow him to tap into his chi, throw energy balls and kick ass. While in high school Goku has a tough time finding his place, being bullied by his classmates, “They push me so far that I want to explode!” he said.

I was hoping he would explode so that the movie would get interesting. As the movie progresses you learn about the dragonballs: these are seven magical balls that when you bring them together will grant any wish. We are also told that they were once used to banish a demon named Piccolo (Buffy’s James Masters).

CALENDAR

Now, 2,000 years later, he is back and trying to get his demonic hands on those pesky little balls. There isn’t any type of explanation of how he comes back since those balls banished him, but this is just the first of many obvious plot holes.

In his search for the dragonballs Piccolo stops by Goku’s place to pick up his grandfather’s dragonball. After a few seconds of fighting with Gohan (Goku’s grandfather) Piccolo slays him, by using the force. That’s not a joke, Piccolo walks out of the house and crushes the house in the same way Darth Vader would had it been a Star Wars film.

After Goku realizes Piccolo did this, he goes on a quest to find the other dragonballs to stop Piccolo. In this quest he runs into Bulma (Emmy Rossum) and Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) who are both looking for the dragonballs to stop the evil Piccolo.

As an adaptation, this movie is the worst. Fans of the series (myself included) will look at every aspect of the movie, and point out where they went wrong, and believe me they went wrong in many places. The orig-

inal story is completely changed so that it could be more marketable, obviously that didn’t quite help. The action sequences seemed to move at a weird pace. One that could only have been an editing flaw, rather then any type of super human agility.

On a good note the movie is only 75 minutes long, so it doesn’t drag, but at the same time a lot of important story elements are compressed and often forgotten.

As for acting goes, there really isn’t much here. Just about everyone in this film does their worst except for Chatwin, in the original comics and cartoon Goku is a fun loving idiot who is either extremely happy or extremely angry and Chatwin does justice to the look as well.

$17 / 9 p.m.

Phoenix, however, is more interested in a blonde girl with issues: Gwyneth Paltrow, who gets to explore an alluring dark side. “One of the most interesting movies we’ll get to see in 2009 Most miraculous of all, its characters are complicated and uncertain, in ways you often encounter in life but rarely or never do in American movies.”

You can hate on this movie all you want, but it was just as bad as all the fans predicted it would be. No body had any hope for this movie, not even the studios (hence not screening it to the critics). It has it’s moments where you think “hey that was kind of cool”. At the end of the day it was a valid attempt and a decent kung fu flick for the younglings.

4.15 - 4.22.09

4.15 Lucero Titus Andronicus @ Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton, Mass. $16 / 8:30 p.m.

4.18 Richard Lloyd and the Sufi Monkey Trio @ Cafe Nine New Haven, Conn. $10 / 9 p.m.

4.15 Fly Upright Kite This Car Up @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

Fly Upright Kite is an indie rock band based out of their Boston, Mass. area. With a sound that is influenced by bands like Copeland, Coldplay, and Jimmy Eat World, they consistently wow crowds with their energetic live shows. This Car Up takes the melodic sensibility and unhinged emotion of 90’s bands such as Elliott and Mineral, and filters it through the epic tendencies of post rock groups such as Explosions In The Sky. 4.16 Das Racist Francis and the Lights @ Wesleyan Eclectic Middletown, Conn.

FREE / 9 p.m.

4.16 Dear Friend Time w/ Mutually Assured Destruction Brontosaurus Teeth and more @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $10 / 7 p.m.

4.19 Of Montreal @ Toad’s Place New Haven, Conn. $20 / 9 p.m.

4.17 The Appleseed Cast @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $12 / 7 p.m.

4.19 La Strada @ BAR Night Club New Haven, Conn.

FREE / 10 p.m.

The Appleseed Cast is an indie rock band based in Lawrence, Kansas and currently comprises singer/guitarist Christopher Crisci, guitarist Aaron Pillar, bassist Nate Whitman and drummer John Momberg. The band’s predominantly guitar-based music has evolved in a relatively short span of time (arguably due to a combination of line-up changes and natural musical progression) from intense, heavy emo indebted to such acts as Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate to a unique “post-rock” sound hinging on inventive, intricate drumming, subtle guitar arpeggios and impassioned vocals.

4.19 – 4.21 Two Lovers @ Cinestudio Hartford, Conn. $7 / 7:30 p.m.

4.18 The Felice Brothers @ Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton, Mass.

Joaquin Phoenix may be experiencing a major meltdown in the real world, but in what he called his last film, he gives a performance of rare sensitivity and intelligence. In his third film with Brooklyn auteur James Gray (including We Own the Night and The Yards) Phoenix plays a troubled slacker who moves back in with his Russian-Jewish parents in Brighton Beach. His mother (Isabella Rossellini) has his future mapped out: marriage to a nice Jewish girl (Vinessa Shaw) whose dry-cleaner father needs a partner.

4.20 Tim Palmieri w/ Jeff Gitelman @ The Space Hamden, Conn. $8 / 6 p.m.

Tim Palmieri is the vocalist and lead guitarist of local favorites The Breakfast! The Breakfast is a hard-rocking jazz rock experimental quartet whose music ranges from rock to sonic landscapes.

4.20 CAN Comedy Showcase D.L. Hughley w/ Roy Wood Jr. @Welte Auditorium New Britain, Conn. $5 for students / 8 p.m.

13

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / SPORTS

SPORTS STARTS ON BACKPAGE

CCSU Soccer Receives Some Traditional Football Influence

Dorau The [Sports] Explorer

Rules Meant to be Broken in Baseball, Golf, CCSU Continued from page 16

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Christopher Boulay Asst. Sports Editor

CCSU men’s soccer has begun their spring season, and with the recent success of the team, the Blue Devils are expanding their fan base as well as instilling a traditional “club football” atmosphere.

According to Head Coach Shaun Green, the match against the Western Massachusetts Pioneers was as much of a marketing event as it was to keep the players fresh and prepared for the fall season.

“Fall is our traditional season, but the NCAA allows us to have five competitions in the spring season,” Green said. “[During the Western Massachusetts game] we had as good of a turnout as in the fall. It is a great experiment.”

Coach Green has used Facebook, as well as his CCSU soccer Web site, www.soccerccsu.com to promote the spring season, and continue to build a fan base for the team, who only are two years removed from the Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Soccer Tournament.

According to Green, he believes that between him and the players that are on Facebook, they have about 6,000 friends on Facebook, and hopes that if they can get around 10 percent of that on a regular basis, they would have a very solid start.

The match against the Pioneers is being broadcast on CPTV to further help CCSU’s quest to gain more soccer fans.

“This is an opportunity to bring back alumni and former players,” Green said. “We are trying to create a soccer culture here. In college, usually students just watch the game and go home.”

A big way that the team tries to build a culture around the team is to have post-game celebrations at Chili’s on Hartford Road, where the team goes after every home match.

“We like to create a social event afterward.” Green said.

CCSU has been ranked 14 times in three different polls in the past three seasons. These polls are NSCAA, Soccer America and College Soccer News.

Many former players attended the Western Massachusetts match, including former captain and Center Back, Gareth Wilkinson. Wilkinson, the native of Belfast, Northern Ireland who played from 1999 to 2003, now lives in Connecticut, is quite excited to be present at the match and post-game festivities.

“It is good to be back, but it is strange to be back and not recognize anyone anymore. This is the first time since I have left that something like this has happened. There was quite a few people [at the match,]” Wilkinson said. “It seems like it was last year [when I played].”

“I am still pissed that I wasn’t on that team,” Wilkinson said with a smile, regarding the team that reached the Sweet Sixteen two years ago.

The CCSU men’s soccer spring season continues until May 3. The fall season will begin on September 4 away against Vermont.

cite rule 19-2 of the 2008 United States Golf Association rulebook: “If a player’s ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by himself, his partner or either of their caddies or equipment, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.”

I think that rule is pretty stupid and doesn’t make much sense. If the numbskull caddy of the person you’re playing with doesn’t have enough sense to get out of the way of your shot and it hits him, you’re the one penalized. Sadly, more often than not, fixing faulty rules like the ones mentioned above just ends up with more rules. Trying to tweak these would just create more addendums and sub-sections and thicker manuals.

All too often, we as a society let rules and procedures get in the way of common sense. If they are indeed as serious as they claim to be about improving their six year graduation rate, maybe some changes in how transfer credits are handled would be in order.

CCSU refers to itself on its Web site as a “learning institution.” What we learn is that us students lose out on credits faster than an 80-year-old at a penny slot machine.

This is where our good friends in the communication department come in. I’ve taken Advanced Television Production at two other schools, including a four-year university a short drive away from Central.

Despite getting an A in that class, I’m still being forced to take Basic Video Production. I’m not saying everyone should be able to jump right into the toughest class in each department and if they pass that one, they can

skip all the rest. But let’s be honest.

I’ve done production assistant work for a network broadcast of an NCAA Championship game. I can navigate my way around broadcasting and production, and have more than enough credits to graduate simply in terms of number.

Far more than just my personal axe to grind, there are plenty of students out there who are frustrated by the lack of classes offered, inconvenient times and questionable advising. However, it goes both ways. A clear and mutual understanding needs to be met. Students need to be willing to eloquently present their individual situations to those in charge and understand that they may not always be victorious.

In no way do I mean any disrespect to the instructors in that department in particular, or any professor on campus. I’ve had a number of teachers in the communication department, and enjoy their classes.

This is more of an affront directed at antiquated policies and an inability to change perpetuated by this institution. I have a sense of loyalty and emotional investment when it comes to this university.

When a student puts on an article of clothing with the CCSU name or Victor E. Blue Devil logo on it, they should feel that same sense of pride. But when decision-making is left in the hands of those in power who are not even willing to hear a case in opposition of their stance, it’s hard to muster up that school spirit. It becomes a situation similar to the rules in sports that I explained earlier: awkward, outdated and embarrassing to see from a governing body.

Boston Marathon’s Appeal Continued from page 16 Olympic marathon winners and medalists, including marathon record holders. This is especially true in 2009 since the 100-meter gold medalist Usain Bolt will be pacing the lead group of runners for the first 15 miles.

This year’s field boasts numerous world record holders all vying for the coveted title of Boston Marathon Champion. Everyone from world record holder Robert Cheuriyot of Kenya to the U.S. national Champions Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher will take part. Joining them will be 20,000 of their closest friends.

The passion that this race brings is echoed not only by those who hope to conquer the grueling course, but those who cheer from the sides. People who have never ran a day in their lives will pour out by the thousands for this incredible race.

One of the most passionate groups is the girls of Wellesley College, who have become famous for their demonstrations of fanaticism throughout the course of the race, since the course itself passes right by their campus. The ladies of Wellesley are only one of the many different attractions that the race boasts, even though some are not exactly what runners would call attractive.

Heartbreak Hill, has indeed earned its namesake by ruining personal records and even stifling world class runners in their tracks. This brutal climb on mile seventeen has reduced even the most seasoned veterans to tears by its steep climb at such an integral part of the race.

However, once a runner has conquered this part, there is nothing but relatively flat road standing between them and the finish line on Boylston Street.

To most people, the Boston marathon is something that people look at as more of a spectacle than anything else. Something so far out of the realm of their lives that it doesn’t even penetrate their thoughts other than at the passing glance at the news that night.

But for some of us it is the realization of a dream, a dream that is earned through many miles through all weather conditions, all conditions of the body, as well as the mind. But once that dream is realized and the finish line is crossed, it is an experience that few can describe. As Amby Burfoot, a top runner in the 1980’s and a leader in the research of the sport famously said, “Once you cross that finish line, whether it’s in world record time or just your time, it will change your life forever.”

THE RECORDER’S WEEKEND SPORTS WATCH

For the sports fans out there, we present to you some events of interest that you may want to check out.

THURSDAY:

SATURDAY:

CCSU Softball vs. Brown @ Uconn Storrs, Conn.

2:30 p.m.

CCSU Men’s Lacrosse vs. University of New Hampshire @ Arute Field CCSU 12 p.m

A day after a scheduled doubleheader at West Point, junior slugger Jaclyn Logan and the Blue Devils host the Bears in a doubleheader in Storrs. Those of you heading to UConn to party for the night might decide to head there a little earlier to cheer on softball.

The Men’s Lacrosse Club continues their homestan as they face the Wildcats in a non-conference matchup.

FRIDAY:

Game two of the Atlantic Division Semifinals between the New York and San Jose NHL affiliates takes place on a Saturday night in New England’s Rising Star.

New Britain Rock Cats vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats @ New Britain Stadium New Britain, Conn.

12:05 p.m.

We here at the Recorder don’t condone skipping class, but there’s nothing better than taking a day off to go catch a baseball game. Go see some of the top prospects in all of minor league baseball here in New Britain.

Hartford Wolf Pack vs. Worcester Sharks @ XL Center Hartfords, Conn.

7 p.m.

SUNDAY: CCSU Baseball vs. Quinnipiac @ Quinnipiac Hamden, Conn.

CCSU Women’s Lacrosse vs. Sacred Heart @ Arute Field CCSU 4 p.m.

Central goes on the road for its series finale against the Bobcats, who currently stand in last place in the NEC with a 2-6 mark on the year. Will Central’s pitching be able to keep QU in the conference basement?

The Blue Devils, who have yet to win at home this season, have a tall order ahead of them as they take on the in-state rival Pioneers. Not a favorable matchup for the last game of the season.

Did we miss any events?

If so, please contact us with events information at ccsurecorder.sports@ gmail.com or direct message us @ RecorderSports on Twitter.

Crazy Costume Cardboard Canoe Race

Photo courtesy of: RECentral

Sean Fenwick Staff Writer

What would you say if some one were to ask you to make a boat in thirty minutes out of cardboard, two garbage bags, and a roll of duck tape?

On April 21 RECentral is hosting their Crazy Costume Cardboard Canoe race in Kaiser at 6:30 p.m.

Teams of two are given 30 minutes to build a canoe out of cardboard, two plastic bags and a roll of duck tape but

in order to participate the team members must be wearing crazy costumes.

RECentral staff will oversee the construction of the boats and after the time is up, teams are selected to race against each other in the pool.

There are two teams racing at a time for awards in fastest time, best boat and best capsize. At the end of the day teams will have created a water-worthy boat, raced it in the pool and most likely get soaked in the process.

Check out The Recorder Sports NHL playoff predictions at

www.therecorderonline.net

14

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / SPORTS

Women’s Track Competes At UMass

Berube Sweeps Jump Events As CCSU Places 2nd At UMass

Photo courtesy of: CCSUBlueDevils.com

CCSUBlueDevils.com

CCSUBlueDevils.com

Freshman Amanda Kelley finished sixth or better in all four throwing events as the Central Connecticut women’s track and field team finished sixth out of 10 teams at the UMass Spring Meet.

She took second in the shot put, fourth in both the javelin and discus, and sixth in the hammer throw.

Kelley recorded a distance of 12.02 meters in the shot put and threw for 34.8 meters in the javelin.

She recorded a mark of 32.21 meters in the discus and threw the hammer 38.27 meters.

Photo courtesy of: CCSUBlueDevils.com

Fellow freshman Christie Leverette placed in three field events, highlighted by a third place finish in the high jump as she recorded a height of 1.6 meters. She recorded a distance of 30.97 meters to place sixth in the javelin and placed seventh in the shot put with a mark of 10.31 meters.

Freshman Amanda Prescott recorded the other top 10 finish in the field for CCSU. She took home seventh in the triple jump with a distance of 10.57 meters.

Four Blue Devils finished in the top 10 on the track on Saturday. Sophomore Katherine

Bossardet placed sixth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 11:39.96, while freshman Meghann Cocca took 10th in the 100 meter dash, crossing the line in 13.76 seconds.

Senior captain Sherry Wallace and freshman Katrina Ainsworth both placed in the hurdle events at UMass. Wallace was ninth in the 110 meter hurdles, finishing in 17.4 seconds, while Ainsworth was 10th in 17.95.

Ainsworth also took 10th in the 400 meter hurdles, crossing the line in 1:10.50.

Matt Berube won all three jumping events as the Central Connecticut men’s track and field team placed second at the UMass Spring Meet on Saturday.

The freshman won the triple jump with a mark of 13.58 meters, the high jump with 1.91 meters and the long jump with a distance of 6.83 meters.

The Blue Devils totaled 113 points and were topped by the host Minutemen who finished with 186 team points.

Two other Blue Devils finished in the top five in field events, while six CCSU student-athletes recorded top five finishes on the track.

Rashad Williams placed fifth in the shot put and discus throw, recording distances of 12.7 meters and 36.11

meters, respectively. Nick Trifone took home second behind Berube in the high jump with a height of 1.86 meters.

Sean Smith won the 200 meter dash and took second in the 100 to help CCSU to a second place finish. The senior finished the 200 in 23.11 seconds and crossed the line in 11.41 seconds in the 100.

Brian Lowe and Tristan Roberts also finished in the top five in the 100. Lowe took fourth, timing in at 11.63 seconds, while Roberts was fifth in 11.66.

R.J. Simeone put forth a gold medal performance in the 800 meters as he crossed the line in 1:55.07.

Clinton DePaolo placed second in the 110 meter hurdles, recording a time of 16.29 seconds, while Ry Sanderson was fifth in the 5,000 meter run, timing in at 14:49.37.

Lee Stops 27 In Blue Devils’ 16-15 Northeast Conference Win Over St. Francis (PA) ccsubluedevils.com

With only three minutes and 45 seconds remaining in the game the Central Connecticut (1-13, 1-6) women’s lacrosse team had just given up three straight goals and found themselves tied 15-15 with St. Francis (PA) (1-10, 0-7).

That was when junior attacker Lyndsey Mastandrea took things into her own hands and found the back of the net on an unassisted goal with only two and a half minutes left to play. The Blue Devils, behind senior goalkeeper Alice Lee’s 27 saves, held on to defeat the Red Flash 16-15 in Loretto, PA for their first win of the season.

CCSU got off to a quick start when freshman Ashley Mara took a pass from senior captain Stephanie John to put the Blue Devils on the board first with only 31 seconds ticking off the clock. After two goals from the Red Flash, CCSU went on a 7-0 run to build the lead to 8-2 halfway through the first period.

Freshman Alexa Smead kick started the stretch with two goals in a row and then assisted on another during the run.

After three straight goals from St. Francis, John got the Blue Devil lead back up to five when she scored two goals within 25 seconds of each other. The first came off an assist from sophomore Kacey Bisienere and the second was unassisted with 6:25 remaining in the opening frame.

Each squad would score once more before the buzzer and CCSU led 11-6 at halftime.

Lee was fantastic in the first half, stopping 15 shots and only giving up six goals.

The Red Flash led the charge out of the locker rooms, tallying the first two goals of the second half to cut the CCSU lead to three. Central Connecticut countered with two goals of their own by Mara and sophomore Michele Conway to make it 13-8.

St. Francis then went on a 4-1 run to cut the Blue Devil lead to two

with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Freshman Ashley Perkoski scored off an assist from sophomore Jessica Roberts to give CCSU the three goal lead that they would then give away.

The Red Flash got two goals from Kate Simmons and one from Sheri Fort to tie the game at 15. As the clock hit 2:31 Mastandrea gave the Blue Devils the lead for good and

Edward Gaug | The Recorder File

CCSU left Pennsylvania with the victory.

Lee finished with a season high 27 saves, while Danielle Pokusa stopped nine for the Red Flash.

Mara led the Blue Devils with four goals and added two ground balls and two draw controls, while John tallied three goals, three assists,

four ground balls and three draws in the victory.

Smead finished with three goals, an assist and four ground balls.

To go along with her game winning goal, Mastandrea picked up a game high six draw controls.

CCSU will finish their season against Sacred Heart on Friday, April 17 at 4 p.m.

15

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 15, 2009 / SPORTS

Blue Devils Baseball Suffers Two Losses Continued from page 16

The throw was late, and Jay Schillaci’s aggressive base running paid off as he rounded third and came home on the play, narrowly avoiding a tag by Sacred Heart catcher Jeff Heppner to give Central a 10-9 win.

CCSU Head Coach Charlie Hickey recognized the efforts of Epps, but was left unsatisfied by the offense as a whole.

“These guys, we need them to become better,” he said. “And more consistent to have days like today.”

Pitching struggles have been the focus of the season for Central, and this weekend’s efforts were representative of such. The only hurler to escape the weekend without giving up a run was junior Tyler Riordan, who gave the Blue Devils two innings of relief, allowing no base runners and striking out two.

Junior Chris Chagnon was able to secure the lone victory on the weekend, improving to 4-0 on the season. The rest of the staff did not look sharp against a dangerous lineup, and they were aided by an inconsistent defense.

Tremendous outfield catches were juxtaposed against six errors by Blue Devil infielders. Those miscues resulted in 13 of the 36 runs given up

by Central pitching on the weekend being unearned.

Half the runs given up by CCSU during the series came on Thursday night alone. The Pioneers combined for 22 hits off six different Central pitchers. Sacred Heart went deep three times in the game, driving in nine of their 18 runs via the longball.

In one of the few bright spots in defeat, Blue Devils freshman infielder Angelo Buscemi notched his first collegiate hit in the loss.

The problem for Central was giving up one big inning in each contest. In the first game, a nine-run eighth was the nail in the coffin. In

game two, a five-run sixth inning allowed the Pioneers back into the ballgame. In the series finale, a five-run second inning put the Devils behind the eight ball.

“When the game’s not coming that easy, you’ve got to out-work, outhustle, and out-scrap the other team,” said Hickey. “We were fortunate to get one today. They were the better team today, they were the better team yesterday.”

The Blue Devils travel to Quinnipiac this weekend for another scheduled four-game set against their in-state rivals.

The teams will play a nine-inning game at 3 p.m. on Friday, a seven-inning doubleheader at 12 p.m. on Saturday, and a nine-inning series finale at Noon on Sunday.

Quinnipiac is currently in last place in the Northeast Conference at 2-6.

Casey Walko had two hits and an RBI during the first half of Friday’s double-header.

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

Blue Devils Claim Win Against Pioneers in First Spring Match

Continued from page 16

Eddie Floyd (2) celebrates his second goal with teammates.

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

League Division Two club, the third level in the United States Soccer Pyramid, cut into the Blue Devil lead, when Argentinean midfielder Federico Molinari scored on the 59 th minute a free kick that bent away from junior goalkeeper Chris Jones.

The game was put beyond all doubt in the 66th minute when freshman midfielder Eduardo Davila Ortiz struck the ball off of the hands of the Pioneers goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net.

Defender Mike Lima was able to pull one more back for the Pioneers in the 82nd minute to finish out the scoring during a point in the game where CCSU looked to be their most vulnerable.

“Apart from the last 15 minutes, we definitely deserved the win,” Wright said. “I was very happy with the level of communication, something we really tried to focus on in practice.”

Former CCSU co-captain and star forward, Yan Klukowski, played up front for the Pioneers, playing against his former Blue Devil teammates.

“I am sure it was difficult for Yan, but there was extra motivation from our guys to try to step up and defend better,” Wright said. “ Yan is a fantastic player, but we are still a team. We are not going to fall apart.”

As a native of Bristol, Floyd has the ability to play in front of a home crowd, literally.

“My parents were there at the game,” he said. “It is great to get a good result in front of them.”

John Webster, the first coach of the CCSU soccer team, and the founder of the team, was honored at the match.

CCSU plays their next spring match on April 18, home against Assumption College at Arute Field.

Sports 4.15

16

THE RECORDER Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Blue Devils Baseball Suffers Two Losses

Outfielder Jay Schillaci helps the umpire make the safe call after scoring the game-winning run. kyLE DORAu avoided a sweep at the hands of in- ed with a 10-9 victory in the first Sports Editor state rival Sacred Heart last weekend game of Friday’s doubleheader.

The nightcap went to Sacred at Beehive Stadium.

Giving up 36 runs in a span of Central was able to win the Heart, as they once again lit up the 24 innings is generally not a recipe middle game of what became a three- scoreboard in a 9-5 win.

Pat Epps was the offensive star for success, even in a pitching-starved game series with the Pioneers due to Northeast Conference. rain. After getting pounded 18-4 on for the Blue Devils, going 8-11 over The Blue Devils pitchers were Thursday afternoon, CCSU respond- the course of the series with a double, triple, home run, and five RBIs. His rescued by timely hitting as they

Blue Devils Claim Win Against Pioneers in First Spring Match

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

ChRiSTOPhER BOuLAy Asst. Sports Editor

CCSU was led by two goals from Eddie Floyd as the Blue Devils defeated the Western Massachusetts Pioneers 3-2 in the first match of the spring season.

CCSU dominated most of the possession in the match, and opened up the scoring in the 24th minute, when Floyd received a corner from midfielder Robert Cavener and struck a glancing header past the Pioneers goalkeeper.

Floyd was happy with his team’s collective effort.

“For our first spring game, it went well,” he said. “The Pioneers are a good team and we expected a good game out of them. I give a lot to our guys, there was a lot of effort all around. They all pulled their weight and got the job done.”

Floyd put CCSU up 2-0 in the 38th minute when he rocketed the ball past the keeper to finish his scoring for the evening.

“I had to take my opportunities.

You only get so many chances, so you have to make the best of them,” Floyd said. “We did well to create a lot of chances, we had a lot of opportunities.”

Junior goalkeeper Paul Armstrong kept a clean sheet for his work in the first half.

CCSU Assistant Coach Paul Wright, was proud of the score line and effort put forth by his team.

“It was a great result. But what was more important was the confidence a lot of young players could gain from a result like this,” said Wright.

In the second half, Western Massachusetts, a United Soccer See Blue Devils Claim Page 15

Edward Gaug | The Recorder

two-run triple tied up game one on Friday in the bottom of the sixth, helping extend the game beyond the scheduled seven innings.

Following a Jeff Hanson home run in the top of the eighth, Epps’ RBI double once again tied the game and allowed Central an opportunity to win.

The Blue Devils had Richie Tri on first and Jay Schillaci on second with two out and the score knotted at 9-9 in the bottom of the eighth.

Tommy Meade hit a ground ball to Pioneers shortstop Phil Tantillo, who opted to go the short way to second to try and force out Tri. See Blue Devils Baseball Page 15

Dorau The [Sports] Explorer

Rules Meant to be Broken in Baseball, Golf, CCSU

Forgive me if this column isn’t entirely about sports this week. By rule, generally I’m supposed to concentrate on athletics, and those of Central kyLE DORAu Connecticut Sports Editor State University in particular. However, I’m a believer in the adage that rules were made to be broken. Although, the inspiration for this column did occur during a CCSU baseball game this past weekend.

During Sacred Heart’s victory over Central on Thursday, Pioneers

junior pitcher Chris Zaccherio earned his second save of the season.

What’s so interesting about that? He was credited with a save in a game that SHU won by a score of 18-4.

While the save might be nothing more than a subjective statistic, the only thing he actually saved was the sanity of those of us in the press box by helping end the game a little faster.

The rules of baseball credit a save to a pitcher on the winning team who didn’t get credit for the victory, but finishes the game. That is, of course, provided one of a few specific criteria are met. If the pitcher enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches at least an inning; enters the game with the tying run on base, at bat or on deck; or pitches for at least three innings.

True, at the time of his entry into the game, he met two of the three criteria, but Sacred Heart went on to back him up with a three-run seventh inning and tacked on nine more in the eighth for good measure. That takes a lot of pressure off the pitcher and drastically alters how the rest of the game is played.

Maybe saves should be altered to omit ones in which the game’s outcome is decided by more than ten runs. There’s something inherently wrong about earning a save simply by pitching four innings in what quickly became a blowout. Those 14 run leads really are difficult to protect, aren’t they?

No game is perfect in its rules and design, but man, have you ever read the rules of golf? Yikes. Let me See Dorau Page 13

The Appeal of the Boston Marathon NiCk kANE

Special to The Recorder

Hopkinton, Mass.: to most people it’s nothing more than a place with less than 13,000 people and represents a quintessential New England town.

But for one day a year, it is transformed into the Mecca of a sport. For one day a year it is the center of the sporting world. Hopkinton, Mass. is home to the starting line of the Boston Marathon.

To most people, the Boston Marathon is nothing more than a spectacle that goes quicker than the runners who take on the 26.2-mile

course. But for those who look to toe this hallowed starting line, it can indeed consume their lives, causing people to border on obsession until the goal is reached.

There are many differences between your everyday weekend race and the Boston Marathon. The qualifications, the course itself, the passion that even spectators bring on race day, the competition which is only rivaled by the Olympics and of course the lore which has built over the years is something that no other race in the world can contend with.

Boston is one of the oldest road races in the world, inspired by the first modern Olympic marathon in

1896. It has been called the “Peoples Olympics” since it is the only race besides an Olympic trial, which requires a qualifying time.

For anyone between the ages of 18-34, you must run a 26.2 mile certified marathon in under three hours and ten minutes. That is equal to a 7:15 minute per mile pace for 26.2 miles. This time increases with age; however for most people (like me) people start their quest to qualify as soon as possible.

Obviously this type of competition will attract the best runners in the world, usually attracting multiple See Boston Marathon Page 13