Vol 107 Issue 14

W W W.CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 107 No. 14

A Campus Mourns Death of Two Students Leaves CCSU Stunned miChaEl walSh The recorder

Central Connecticut State University football player Rich Royster and CCSU student Brittany Mariani were identified as the victims of a car crash that occurred on Saturday morning on the Charter Oak Bridge in Hartford.

According to police, Royster, 20, and Mariani, 24, died after the car Mariani was driving crashed into the back of a parked tractor-trailer northbound near exit 90 at approximately 4:45 a.m. The truck driver was not injured.

Royster, of Ossining, N.Y., was a junior psychology major and a defensive lineman for the Blue Devils appearing in 10 games kENNy barTo | ThE rECorDEr

kENNy barTo | ThE rECorDEr

Top Left: Rich Royster and his girlfriend, Brittany Mariani, seen together from a Facebook photo. Center: Rich Royster using a swim move against a Bryant offensive lineman. Bottom Left: Football captain Jeff Marino struggles to keep his composure during a press conference. Marino and Royster shared many experiences as members of the Blue Devil defense.

Blue Devil Fallen, But Not Forgotten

Psychology Department Reflects on Two Student Deaths Sara bErry The recorder

briTTaNy bUrkE The recorder

When the word “family” comes to mind, a person’s first thought would normally be a mother, father, brother, sister or grandparents; a person or persons tied to you because of a blood relation. However, sometimes the strongest bond comes from the members of a family which aren’t predestined, but chosen.

The CCSU football team’s bonds of brotherhood were strengthened as one of its own was killed, along with a fellow CCSU student early Saturday morning in a car accident.

It didn’t matter that Rich Royster had no blood brothers in the locker room, his death affected not only the football team, but the entire athletics department.

“This is a very tight knit group, it is a very tight campus, a very tight family,” said Athletic Director Paul Schlickmann in a Sunday afternoon press conference.

“That culture stems from Dr. Miller, our president. He said it well yesterday when he said, when things like this happen, it affects us

as a family. So we react as a family, we grieve as a family, we come together as a family, so we will continue to do just that and work together.

Yesterday we lost two members of that family, and there is no doubt that that hurts.”

Royster, 20, a New York native, was a junior in the psychology department, while Brittany Mariani, 24, was a senior psychology major.

Both students were killed early Saturday morning on the Charter Oak Bridge. Royster spent two years as a Blue Devil, helping his teammates to two consecutive NEC Championship wins. Royster, a defensive lineman, transferred from Iona when the school cut its football program.

Despite his short time at CCSU, Royster’s death meant the Blue Devils lost one of their own. As a way of coping with his untimely death, the team has come together to lean on one another and support each other through this difficult start of the semester.

“Everybody on the football team is from very different backgrounds and very different situations, but we all had that bond that happened on the football field,” said senior blUE DEvil | CoNT. oN 10

STUNNED | CoNT. oN 2

As the Central Connecticut State University campus mourns the loss of psychology students Rich Royster and Brittany Mariani, the department in which they both spent their academic time studying took time to remember them on Monday.

Marianne Fallon and Marisa Mealy, both of the psychology department, worked closely with Royster and knew him well. Fallon was set to supervise Royster’s independent study on the effects of comedy on racial stereotypes.

Both referred to him as a big, intimidating guy who was really a teddy bear, and more talented than he let on.

Mealy shared an anecdote from a class she taught Royster in. Last semester, after Thanksgiving break, she came to class and shared that her weekend included a fight with her boyfriend. Royster offered to “get together a posse and get [her] stuff back,” in exchange for extra credit points for anyone who participated.

While the football-playing Royster was well-known on campus, Mariani was much more quiet. Though Fallon never met her in person, she was in one of her online classes and

gained a lot of insight to Mariani’s personality through her written work. Fallon described her writing as very honest and insightful.

Jason Sikorski, also a psychology professor, described her as a happy, energetic and devoted student with a good sense of humor who was always smiling. Sikorski remembers Mariani as being interested in social work.

Psychology Department Chair Laura Bowman had both Royster and Mariani in her cognitive psychology class last semester.

Bowman also described Mariani as being cheerful, interested and engaged in what she was learning. She always contributed in class discussions and, according to Fallon, enjoyed communicating with other people.

Mealy and Fallon also shared how they learned about the tragedy. Fallon was notified through the campus announcement sent out Saturday afternoon by Mark McLaughlin, Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications at CCSU. She then called Mealy, who was in their shared office preparing for classes.

“The conversation was like ‘No way,’ ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ ‘yes.’’ said Mealy. “When we got off the phone, I just started bawling.”

That sentiment was shared by the entire psychology department.

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NEWS

THE RECORDER Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Recorder

Student Center 1615 Stanley Street New Britain, CT 06050 T 860.832.3744 editor@centralrecorder.com centralrecorder.com twitter.com/therecorder

Editor-in-Chief Michael Walsh Managing Editor Nicholas Proch Art Director Ashley E. Lang News Editors Matt Clyburn Sara M. Berry Entertainment Editor Max Kyburz Sports Editor Brittany Burke Photo Editor Kenny Barto Copy Editor Katherine Bossardet Staff Writers Chris McLaughlin Kat Boushee Rachael Bentley Jason Cunningham Danny Contreras

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. T he pur pose of T he Recorder is to approach and def ine issues of importance to the students of Central Connecticut State Universit y.

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STUNNED | Cont. from 1 for the team this past season.

Mariani, of Ludlow, Mass., was a senior psychology major one course shy of graduating. The two had been dating.

An e-mail sent to all CCSU students by Mark McLaughlin, Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications, indicated that plans for a memorial are underway. Details will be announced by the school as soon as they are available.

“I’m sure I speak for the entire campus in saying that we are deeply saddened by this terrible loss of promising young lives and we extend our warmest sympathies to Brittany’s and Rich’s families,” said McLaughlin in the e-mail.

A press conference was held on Sunday by the athletics department acknowledging the loss of both students.

“It’s a terrible tragedy to have lost two such bright and vibrant and enthusiastic young adults who had such great promise and were doing such great things on this campus in their respective rights,” said Athletic Director Paul Schlickmann.

Counselors were made available to students on campus beginning Saturday evening and will continue to be available to students and members of the campus community throughout the week.

“We immediately put into place some counseling services right here in Kaiser Hall for our student athletes, for the entire campus community,” said Schlickmann. “We had them here early last evening and through the night and those were utilized by several student athletes as well as our coaching staff.”

Schlickmann added that the department met with the football team on Sunday evening to begin the process of talking about the tragedy, something that Schlickmann was looking forward to.

“I think when you learn of something like this you immediately try and put together or begin the

kenny barto | the recorder

The CCSU athletics department held a press conference on Sunday acknowledging the deaths of Rich Royster and Brittany Mariani. plan of making sure things are in place and people are being taken care of,” said Schlickmann. “I think it will be really good for us to come together and begin to talk as a group and as a family.”

Schlickmann, who since becoming the athletic director at the end of the spring 2010 semester has been an advocate of building an even stronger campus community, often stressed the importance of CCSU being a tightknight community as something that will no doubt come into play in the campus healing process.

“I think for me, for these young men, our coaches, our staff, our all students on campus, I think that is important that we try and hold on to all the positive and joyful memories we had of both Rich and Brittany as something to lean on, to help us get through this,” said Schlickmann.

Faculty Senate Raises Issue of Internship and Independent Study Shortages

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kenny barto | the recorder

Alondre Rush speaks about the death of his teammate.

Rachael Bentley | The RECORDER

Cindy White spoke about the importance of internships for students.

Sara berry The Recorder

CCSU’s faculty senate opened the semester with a major discussion of the limited availability of internships and independent studies for psychology students.

Rebecca Wood of the psychology department informed those present at Monday’s meeting of the department’s concern over the shortage of opportunities for their students. Wood and Jason Sikorski discussed the importance

of internships and independent studies as educational experiences that help students gain professional experiences as well as entrance to graduate programs.

Cindy White spoke about the importance of internships for students.

The psychology department’s concern over the availability of internships was echoed by Cindy White of the communications department. White said that internships are an important part of a student’s educational experiences

and provided essential skills and knowledge in environments that constantly change.

The discussion continued with comments from several other departments. Also part of the discussion was the issue of whether or not internships and independent studies should be the same across disciplines. White said that the communications department had been given a model for fashioning its internship programs that allowed for far less contact time with agencies than the department requires. It became very clear very quickly to those present that an internship for a biology student is different from that of a psychology student or an education student.

The psychology department provided the senate with research information illustrating the importance internships have in affecting student relationships with the department and faculty, as well as their perceptions of their readiness for graduate study. Sikorski handed out a graph showing the differences between the attitudes of students who have had internships and those who have not. He also noted that internships are important not only to the students, but to the department and the community.

When a relationship is formed with an agency or organization through the process of placing an intern, it benefits both the student involved as well as future students who could take advantage of established relationships.

The issue of limiting internships and independent studies is a result of financial concerns related to the increased costs of running departments on the same budgets as in prior years. The issue was referred to the steering committee for further consideration before the Faculty Senate takes any action.

Other issues addressed during the meeting included the search for a new Connecticut State University Chancellor due to last semester’s announcement that current chancellor David Carter would be retiring. Senate President Candace Barrington informed the gathering that the search committee has been formed and are working on a document specifying the characteristics that are desirable for the next chancellor to possess.

Faculty and staff were asked to view the document and suggest any changes they felt necessary prior to midnight Wednesday.

In addition, there was discussion of the need for gender-neutral language to be used on campus and that action groups had been formed to examine the issue and make recommendations for action. Chief Diversity Officer Rosa Rodriguez has also been asked to provide a statement on the issue.

Also mentioned was the need for faculty to complete an online training module regarding the FERPA law, which deals with students’ academic privacy.

Faculty senate will next meet on Feb. 7.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / NEWS

New Britain Mayor Running for State Senate Stewart’s Fate To Be Decided in Special Election on February 22 Matt clyburn The Recorder

New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart will run for the State Senate in Connecticut’s 6th District, making the announcement earlier this month before a crowd of supporters at Celebration Foods downtown.

The office was vacated after the former State Senator Donald DeFronzo was selected to head the Department of Administrative Services for the new Malloy administration. He will be campaigning for the legislative office against well-known former state representative Theresa Gerratana.

The four-term mayor referenced his ability to “tell it like it is” while he outlined his plans for representing the district that includes New Britain, Berlin and parts of Farmington.

“I’m here today because I don’t want to stop fighting for the people who have entrusted me to represent them for so many years,” Stewart said. “As mayor...we were able to hold the line on taxes for six of my seven budget years, improve the city’s bond rating while other city’s ratings fell, introduce single-stream recycling, consolidate city functions and create other efficiencies to reduce costs to taxpayers.”

Stewart for senate Facebook

New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart anounced last month his intentions to run for state senate.

Stewart for senate Facebook

Erin Stewart, CCSU graduate and daughter of Mayor Stewart, has been her father’s co-campaign manger the last two elections.

The setting for Stewart’s announcement on Jan. 7 was symbolic. The mayor worked hard a decade ago to bring Celebration Foods to the city, a $20 million project that is largely credited with creating more than 300 jobs. According to their website, the company is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of frozen desserts, including the best-selling ice cream cakes from Carvel.

Co-campaign manager for the mayor’s last two campaigns has been his daughter and CCSU alumna Erin Stewart.

“I think it’s the right choice at the right time in his political career, and

it’s about time Hartford had some representation that isn’t afraid to tell the truth, make bold decisions and get our state back on track to job growth and development,” said Ms. Stewart. “I don’t think the state Capitol is ready for Stewart-style politics.”

Ms. Stewart graduated from CCSU in 2009 with a degree in political science with specialization in public administration.

“I’m excited to be an integral part of his campaign for senate,” Ms. Stewart said when asked about her long-term aspirations.

“New Britain needs intelligent young people to get involved in the

political system and bring attention to the issues that affect the everyday lives of our taxpaying residents, but my first goal if I were to run for office would be to move out of my parents’ house.”

As for her father, there are still many things to accomplish before election day, including convincing voters that he is worthy of the Senate seat in Hartford. “I think my greatest attribute,”Ms. Stewart said, “will be to bring common sense back to state government, particularly in the area of economic development.”

Voters will decide in a special election on Feb. 22.

Lieberman Won’t Run in 2012, Everyone Else Will Bysiewicz, Murphy Throw Names Into 2012 Election Matt Clyburn The Recorder

Independent Senator Joe Lieberman has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2012, signaling the end of a controversial era in both state and national politics.

Senator Lieberman delivered his address in Stamford Wednesday in front of a crowd of long time supporters, members of the press and three generations of family members.

“I feel good about what I’ve accomplished, but I know that it is the right decision and I must say, having made it, I’m excited about beginning a new chapter of life with new opportunities,” Lieberman said in his address.

Following Lieberman’s loss to businessman and adjunct professor at CCSU Ned Lamont in the 2006 Democratic primary, many political analysts believed a second run under an independent banner would be unsuccessful.

The four term senator downplayed the speculation Wednesday, asserting that his decision to step aside was for personal reasons.

Lieberman quipped, “Some people have said that if I ran for reelection it would be a difficult campaign for me - so what else is new?”

Lieberman’s confirmation of departure from the U.S. Senate

followed a press conference by former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz Tuesday announcing her intentions to run for the legislative position next year as a Democrat.

According to News 8, internal polling conducted and funded by Bysiewicz in recent weeks shows that she would win a potential match-up against all Democratic and Republican candidates that have been mentioned for the race, including former Republican senatorial candidate Linda McMahon, Second District Congressman Joe Courtney, Branford lawyer Ted Kennedy Jr. and Fifth District Congressman Chris Murphy.

Wasting no time, Murphy announced on Thursday his intentions to challenge Bysiewicz in the Democratic primary next year an early indicator of a long and hardfought campaign to come. To be sure, many political insiders expect McMahon, former gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley and former Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele to decide on the 2012 race within the next few months.

The slew of announcements came to Connecticut residents just under 80 days after the conclusion of the 2010 election in which former Attorney General Richard Blumenthal battled McMahon for the chance to represent the state alongside Senator Lieberman.

Blumenthal emerged victorious after

the Nov. 2 election and assumed office on Jan. 5 of this year.

Senator Lieberman will serve the rest of his term through January of 2013, until the new Senatorelect assumes office. Until that time, Lieberman will likely face continued criticism from both sides of the aisle for his positions on major issues.

Lieberman began to show divergence from the Democratic ‘party line’ during the presidency of George W. Bush, as he supported the executive branch on matters of foreign policy. Most notable among these was his support for the Iraq War and the ensuing ‘troop surge’ largely credited with stabilizing military operations in the country.

Liberal and progressive members of the Democratic Party began to distance themselves from Lieberman during his 2006 bid for reelection, many of whom supported challenger Lamont.

Upon losing the nomination, Lieberman formed the Connecticut for Lieberman Party and ran as an independent. Gaining significant ballot support from Connecticut’s unaffiliated and Republican voters, Lieberman won reelection and assumed his fourth term in January of 2007.

In 2008, Senator Lieberman chose to endorse the Republican candidate for president, Arizona Senator John McCain, and worked as a speech preparation coach for

Photo | lieberman.senate.gov

McCain’s running mate and vice presidential candidate, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Leading up to the passage of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Lieberman was in the news again for blocking key provisions of the proposed health care reform in committee.

Lieberman voted in favor of the PPACA and the bill was signed into law in March of 2010 by President Obama. More recently, Senator Lieberman led the charge to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military.

Speculation is mounting that Lieberman may take on a diminished role as a special envoy or adviser to the president. Others

believe he may be considered for the Secretary of Defense post in the next administration or at the beginning of President Obama’s second term. Arizona Senator John McCain and longtime friend told CNN that Lieberman is “one of the most informed members of the Senate on national security issues and homeland security issues.”

Former state senator from Stamford and legal counsel to Governor Malloy, Andrew McDonald told the Hartford Courant Wednesday that Lieberman is “very comfortable” with his prospects for the future.

“I’ve never shied away from a good fight,” Lieberman said in Wednesday’s press conference, “and I never will.”

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / NEWS

UConn Spring Week-End? maTT ClybUrN The recorder

University of Connecticut Interim President Philip E. Austin accepted the recommendations of a task force Thursday that will result in sweeping changes to university policy regarding the school’s unsanctioned spring weekend activities.

The accepted proposals include prohibiting dormitory guests for the entirety of the weekend, working aggressively to prevent non-students from entering the campus, as well as calling for a voluntary moratorium on spring weekend 2011 out of respect for the two students killed on campus during the 2009-2010 school year.

Jafar Karzoun, 20, died at Hartford Hospital last year due to injuries he sustained on the first night of spring weekend 2010. Jasper Howard, 20, was fatally stabbed in October 2009 after achieving a career high number of tackles and an important fumble recovery with the UConn Huskies football team in their homecoming victory over the Louisville Cardinals.

Spring weekend is an infamous tradition of revelry and debauchery that has spanned more than four decades at the university, taking place during the three days that precede final exams. According to the task force’s report, the “modern

spring weekend had become vast, unwieldy, unpredictable and dangerous” and played host to “vandalism, medical emergencies, recklessness, drug and alcohol abuse, aggression and violence.”

Attempts to tamper the weekend gathering after violent confrontations between police and an assembled crowd in 1998 were futile. Partnerships between town officials, state police and UConn administration since that time have yielded little result, as estimated numbers at the gathering have increased three-fold.

Eighty-three percent of people arrested and more than 80 percent of people treated for medical issues during the three-day weekend last year were non-students, according to the report. Further highlighting the administration’s difficulties with off-campus visitors, the task force noted that there were between 6,000 and 7,000 registered guests staying on campus with students during spring weekend 2010.

The task force, created in May 2010 by former President Michael Hogan, was chaired

by Provost Peter Nicholls and comprised leaders from the town of Mansfield as well as members of the Connecticut State Police.

The undergraduate Student Government held a public forum last week and sent a survey Sunday inquiring about how the new

policies might affect students’ spring weekend plans. Results of the survey have not yet been released.

“I understand the school’s concern about non-sanctioned spring break events, especially following the tragic death of a student last year, but it would be a little sad to see the other spring weekend traditions taken away,” freshman Erin O’Brien said Monday. “I’m not even sure a moratorium on spring weekend events would effectively discourage students from holding off-campus parties. It could have the complete opposite effect.”

Many students, including philosophy major Nicholas Tuzzio, turned out to support the task force’s recommendations.

“It’s a dangerous weekend, it’s not a tradition that the University of Connecticut should be proud of,” Tuzzio said at one of the public forums, “last year somebody...was killed during spring weekend.”

Still, some defied the commission’s conclusions and suggested other solutions.

“I think it should be a graduation requirement for people to attend the spring weekend X-Lot meeting on Saturday,” UConn alumnus Nicholas Roberto said of the event. “Instead of handing out plastic cups at X-Lot, they should hand out plastic helmets this year.”

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SGA to Give $28,000 in Fall Scholarships Revamped Program Offers New Scholarships for Students

miChaEl walSh The recorder

The Student Government Association scholarship committee has announced the 10 types of scholarships it will be giving away to full-time students planning to attend CCSU in the upcoming fall semester.

Twenty-six scholarships, totaling $28,000, will be awarded in the following 10 categories: working student, improved student scholarships, returning student, up the hill, down the hill, commuter, book scholarships, course study abroad, semester abroad and childcare scholarships.

According to Jamie Canny, chair of the scholarship committee, the SGA completely redid the program.

“The only scholarship students might recognize is the book scholarship, however, the questions and amounts are different this year,” said Canny.

Scholarships will be chosen through a blind application process with names and personal information being withheld from the application evaluators.

“A selection committee made up of several senators with diverse values, backgrounds and opinions, including myself and my co-chair [Senator] Nick Alaimo, will be selecting the winners based on credentials that we created,” said Canny. “These students are not eligible to apply for any SGA scholarships.”

All full-time students are eligible to apply for at least one scholarship, so long as they’re not on academic probation.

“The application process gives all students an equal chance at winning,” said Canny.

The working student scholarship is intended for students who work 20 or more hours at a job while attending CCSU. The scholarships,

which according to the SGA are meant to “help alleviate the pressures of working on top of being a full-time student,” are worth $1,500 each. Two will be awarded.

Two improved student scholarships, each worth $2,000, will be awarded to students that have shown improvement in academic standing, extracurricular involvement and an increase in student leadership.

A single returning student scholarship worth $2,000 will be awarded to a student who was unable to finish their higher education following high school, but has now made it a top priority.

The up the hill and down the hill scholarships are intended to award students that live on campus.

One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student living “up the hill” in either Robert Vance Hall, Thomas Gallaudet Hall, Sam May or Robert Sheridan and one $1,000 scholarship will be given to a student living “down the hill” in either Catherine Beecher Hall, F. Don James Hall, Catherine Carroll Hall, Mildred Barrows Hall or Seth North Hall.

Alternatively, three $1,000 scholarships will be given to commuter students.

To help offset the high prices some students have to pay for their textbooks, four $500 book scholarships will be awarded to students. According to SGA’s description, the scholarship will not be awarded in time to buy books for the fall 2011 semester.

In an effort to help students visit a new country, two course abroad scholarships worth $2,000 each will be awarded to students seeking to take a trip over winter break 2012, spring break 2012 or summer 2012. SGA will give preference to students who have not yet studied abroad. Also, five $1,000 semester abroad scholarships will be awarded to students planing to spend a semester in another country in the

spring of 2012 or the fall of 2012.

The SGA will also award two $1,050 scholarships to help subsidize half of the “drop in care” at the CCSU Early Childhood

Learning Center. In addition, two $500 scholarships and one $400 scholarship will also be awarded in this category.

The deadline to apply for one

of the 26 available scholarships is March 16. Applications can be picked up in the SGA office, room 211, on the second floor of the student center.

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THE RECORDER Wednesday, January 26, 2011

EDITORIAL There are weeks in a person’s life that you don’t want to experience. For anyone who knew Brittany Mariani and Rich Royster this has been one of those weeks.

By now you must have read what has happened to our fellow scholars, so we’re not going to make you read it again in this editorial.

Honoring these two students will be a saddening task for the university, but one that will be worthwhile to us all. Proved by the high number of comments made on Facebook, Twitter and already around the CCSU campus it was obvious that the two were great friends to everyone they met and their time with all of us certainly came to an end too soon.

Our university has already handled this ordeal remarkably well. They notified the student body in a timely fashion and have certainly made all the right moves in keeping counseling available for anyone

OPINION Putting Campus Tragedy in perspective who needs it. It’s also been confirmed that they will appropriately conduct a memorial for the two. As a gesture to the families and friends of these two, the attendance to this should be high. When we lose our fellow classmates we have to show that we aren’t going to forget them, whether we personally knew them or not.

It's been made clear by those that knew Royster that he was a kind and caring individual. If he could have a voice at this moment in time he would be asking us to not forget about his girlfriend while he is receiving vast amounts of attention.

While Royster certainly deserves attention after this tragedy, it’s easy to see how he could be remembered for slightly longer than Mariani. The football team will likely play their next season in his name and might even put his number on their helmets or some other visible location.

There will be those who might donate

Remembering Rich Royster nicholas proch The Recorder

For anyone who lost a friend this past week, you’re not alone. If you didn’t know Rich, you’ll never understand how great of a person he really was.

The first time I met ‘Big Rich’, as a lot of people liked to call him, I was immediately intimidated by his gigantic frame. As I familiarized myself with him, he frequently impressed me with his words and actions. He was never cocky or mean to anyone, except of course an opposing quarterback.

There is a reason that so many people are upset about this incident. He was a teammate, friend, and scholar. He made connections on so many levels of his life. Rich always had time for everyone. He could balance school, friends, football, and Brittany all so well.

Football was just one of the things in his life, and he would want you to know that. Above all, he was a student like the rest of us. None of us should alienate ourselves from this just because we aren’t athletes.

Even though I’ve never met his parents, I can do nothing but send my deepest sympathies to them. You’ve truly lost an outstanding son who had nowhere to go but up.

5

His parents will have to bury their son, which almost makes me want to stop writing this article. A mother and father shouldn’t have to do that, but these things unfortunately happen.

I’m very happy with the way that the university has handled this incident and hope they continue to do so in such a way. There will be memorial services and things to honor Rich in the coming months, but it shouldn’t end there. It’s not going to end there for his family and it’s not going to end there for his friends and teammates.

It’s really hard for me to swallow the fact that this has happened to such an amazing person. It shows me how short our time on this earth really can be. Rich had so much to live for, but was cut short. It can certainly happen to any of us, so let’s not waste our time. For his sake, take advantage of the rest of your education and career…he would if he could. He was a person who could change the dynamic of any group and immediately bond with others. That’s going to have a lasting effect on me. We all thank him for that.

He was a great person who will be loved and missed for a long time. I speak on behalf of those who knew him and wish they could have one more day with Rich: Thanks for the time we had together.

money to the football team in his name.

Even though these are very nice gestures and we aren’t discouraging them, we shouldn’t forget that these two were loved members of a family before anything else.

The families of these individuals won’t ever forget this and it's likely none of us can understand what they are feeling. Losing a child has to be the toughest thing that any parent can face. We send our deepest condolences to the families involved in this tragedy.

Royster's future was undoubtedly off of the football field. It's important to acknowledge that in Royster and Mariani were two smart academic minds, described by their psychology professors as positive, cheerful and engaging students with great potential to do good in this world, were lost on Saturday morning.

After the CCSU-held memorial, it’s possible that Mariani won’t be remembered

for as long as she should be by the CCSU community. People still remember UConn football player Jasper Howard a great deal after he was murdered, but it might not be so if he weren’t in a position of celebrity like he was. A tragedy as close to home as this should, at the very least, make us all stop for a moment and reflect on what happens around us.

Unfortunately, it usually takes a tragic event for most of us to realize how short and unexpected life can be. Our two fellow students clearly had much to live for and their time was cut far too short. The bright side of any event like this, and we’ll admit there is barely any, is that we can take this as a learning experience. Young, lively and energetic college students might lose sight that they aren’t invincible and that no one is going to live forever. In turn, we should all make the most of our time to live the best possible life each of us can.

Balancing the Budget: All Puzzle, No Prize? kat boushee The Recorder

We’ve all heard the phrase “balance the budget” before, and usually by the end of an election we tune it out; it’s just one more tired political phrase. However, for the candidate that wins the election, the headache associated with the phrase has only just begun.

It seems like such a simple solution: just don’t spend more than you make. But when you look at where the money is going it becomes much more complicated. Governor Malloy has the unenviable task of trying to reconcile state spending with state income.

The Hartford Courant projects the budget gap at approximately $3.5 billion in the next fiscal year, so that task may be somewhat futile. Furthermore, with unemployment still an issue, it will be very difficult for the state to try to get more out of its tax base without hurting its citizens. However, Malloy has suggested some creative options.

One of his suggestions has been to maintain a higher hotel tax, which had previously been planned to be temporary.

As the majority of hotel revenue comes from out-of-state, this burden would primarily fall on non-Connecticut residents. The Courant estimates that this could raise between $550 million and $600 million, which would

represent a strong step in the right direction.

Some of his other suggestions, like allowing towns to locally adjust their own sales tax, present some problems. While it is likely that this would raise money for certain municipalities, it may also increase the gap between wealthy towns and cities like Bridgeport and New Haven. As Connecticut is already a state with a tremendous gap between the haves and the have-nots, this measure could be very counter-productive.

A better solution is to spend on projects that are sure to benefit the state. For example, Malloy has proposed borrowing $444 million to fund a number of capital building projects.

While this is not a small price to pay, Malloy suggests that it could save or create 6600 jobs in the state. By providing so many people with jobs who would not otherwise have income, Malloy is improving his tax base, as many more people would have income, providing the state money through the income tax. They would then spend some of this income on goods and services, providing the state money through the sales tax. Some would even be buying higher-priced property, providing the state money through the property tax.

Governor Malloy faces a difficult job at a difficult time, but his plan seems sound, and his creative application of resources may yet put the state on the right track.

Letter to the Editor: An Incident On Campus Dear Staff, Recently, one of our colleagues, an adjunct instructor, was walking towards her class on campus. The only things in her mind were ideas of what she would teach that morning.

As she walked in one direction, a group of white girls was walking towards her (the instructor is black). As they were walking by, one of the white girls said, “What up, Oprah?”

Then they continued walking.

As an instructor on campus, I find it extremely shocking that one of my colleagues who has the same professional credentials that I do, who is the same in every way except for the color of her skin would meet up with this kind of disrespect just walking to class. Granted it was not an egregious racial slur, but it is still ignorant, stupid and hateful. I only hope that the other girls walking with her would rebuke her afterwards.

Although it’s hard to know what the speaker’s motive was in saying that, it made the teacher uncomfortable. Even if the person were trying to make some kind of odd joke, this is not a joke that would be made to me as a white instructor. No one would come up to me and say, “What’s up, Meryl Streep?”

Part of becoming a mature adult is learning how one’s words affect other people and learning how to control the ones that make others uncomfortable. Part of our life’s education is learning simple courtesy towards others. If we apply the golden rule, we will never be subject to worrying about which of our words are offensive to others.

Personally, as I travel around the CCSU campus, I almost unfailingly encounter students who are polite to me and open doors for me. I would hope that the same courtesy would be extended to all of our faculty and in fact to all of the student body simply because we are fellow human beings.

- Anonymous, English Department

Have Something to Say? WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR AT

EDITOR@CENTRALRECORDER.COM

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / UPGRADE

REVIEWS ‘Second District’ Promises Grit, Hartford Style max kyburz The Recorder

Connecticut’s finest in the crime drama viewing public may have a reason for celebration. A new series depicting, well, Connecticut’s finest in solving crime drama, is under consideration for airtime on the small screen.

The show is to be called The Second District and the expletive-ridden pilot trailer (which has garnered over 50,000 views since October) looks somewhat familiar. It appears to be another hard-boiled series that depicts police procedural realism and is filled with tales of the struggle of keeping a weak inner city intact. The series also portrays the difficulty of maintaining the police status quo in a trying environment. What’s a fragile police force to do when crime waves crash in patterns and parts of the city are overtaken by gangs? The struggles persist to no end.

Appearances prove not to be deceiving; The Second District Facebook page describes the series as “a high intensity police drama depicting the power struggle within the inner city of Hartford.” (What, Bridgeport couldn’t make the cut? I suppose there’s always next year.) Even if the premise seems a little tired, there’s an intensity and rhythm about it that gives The Second District (a title given to the harshest beat of Hartford) a needed edge, and the production value is crisp and labored.

Needless to say, its sincerity could help it go a long way. The fact that the show takes place in Hartford seems to be the main difference from other shows, but it’s the little difference that could. Connecticut is not usually portrayed as anything beyond a heavily populated Tommy Hilfiger ad. The Second District, which shows the capital city in a markedly different light, has been a long time coming.

District has already received some light press. NBC Connecticut did a short feature on it, and hopefully there’s more to come. Lesser known outlets, like Hartford Party Starters Union and The Day, have already written small pieces on it, showing that any word of mouth

The Decemberists The King Is Dead

Capitol Records January 18

On the set of 'The Second District.' Credit | Facebook.com/TheSecondDistrict is beneficial to success. Connecticut needs something to be excited about, even if that “thing” is the harsh conditions and crime webs that are rampant in Hartford. To see them unfold on the small screen would make up for all the grief caused by other Connecticutbased shows like Judging Amy and Gilmore starting with a harmonica, among an eclectic mix of instruments. Rise to Me and Rox in the Box both showcase how lyrically talented the band is, and are filled with words and phrases that are wonderfully outdated. “This Is Why We Fight,” one of the last tracks, would be at home in an indie-musical about a revolution.

Perhaps The Decemberists are planning a remake of Les Miserables with this album as a springboard.

This is a solid album that I fully enjoyed, and have been listening to almost nonstop for a week. I don’t think that fans of The Decemberists will be disappointed in this one, even if it is a bit of a different sound than we’ve gotten used to with their last few albums.

Girls.

The hopeful series will be the long-awaited love/hate child of Hartford police officer Mark Manson and Felix Soto, a criminal who is serving time for bank robbery and other charges. With the help of attorney Donald L. Williams, they were able to get the pilot

Dorothy and Toto Find Their Way to the Bushnell

kat Boushee The Recorder

“You rise to me and I’ll blow you down,” sing The Decemberists on their new album, The King is Dead, and if they are singing to their critics, they just might be telling the truth. Their new album, released in January, marks a departure from their previous British-folk sound and signals a jump back into American country music.

The album is composed of ten tracks and is only forty minutes long, which makes it perfect for listening to on repeat. It is the perfect album to listen to while riding around in your car with the windows down, and if your car happens to be a time machine that can take you back to the late 80’s; so much the better: you’ll fit right in with this album, reminiscent as it is of R.E.M.’s work.

In fact, Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, tweeted on March 25, 2010 about making Peter Buck, co-founder and guitarist of R.E.M., play his “fake-REM riffs.” These riffs, played

by Buck on the album, lent it a delightful, vintage air.

The album opens with “Don’t Carry it All,” an uplifting song that immediately introduces you to the group’s new sound by

episode off the ground and in the running for airtime. With any luck, The Second District may get on Showtime or HBO (which, given the show’s apparent grit, seem to be the real options). With eight shows already written, it’d be a crime for the series not to develop.

(Ha! See that little pun I made? Well, I tried.)

Photo | tMI Touring Company

Sara berry The Recorder

Last Wednesday I was treated to a performance of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz at the Bushnell in Hartford. The last time I had seen The Wizard of Oz, I was a second grader who was deathly afraid of the flying monkeys. This time around I left the performance far more impressed.

Presented by the Wizard of Oz Company, LLC, the show was exceptional. It starred Kate Bristol in her first professional role as Dorothy Gale. She was very believable as a young girl wishing she could be somewhere else and then learning that there’s no place like home.

The rest of the cast was equally talented, with several of them performing multiple roles. Aunt Em was also Glinda the Good Witch, and the Gale’s farmhands were also the scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion.

The ensemble of Munchkins, Trees, Poppies and Jitterbugs were a talented group of singers and dancers performing complicated choreography. The orchestral music, sets, and costumes were very colorful and inviting, especially in Munchkinland and the Emerald

City. The Poppies were dressed in the evil red of the Wicked Witch, and suddenly turned to the pure white of Glinda the Good Witch. The transition between Kansas and Oz was creatively done on a video screen, as a tornado lifted Dorothy’s house out of Kansas. During the tornado, images of the house and Dorothy’s friends, family, and neighbors circled the screen.

However, my favorite part of the entire show was Toto. Played by Dusty, Toto was an actual dog! The dark colored terrier ran across stage and to Dorothy, allowed Dorothy to hold and carry him, and behaved perfectly throughout the show. Toto also received the most applause at the end…

As an adult, I also got a lot more out of the story than I did as a child. The Scarecrow’s search for a brain, the cowardly Lion’s search for courage, and the Tin Man’s quest for a heart remind us that we all have a brain, courage, and a heart if we just look for them and use them.

While The Wizard of Oz has never been my favorite, in either play or movie form, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. Now I just have to find a local performance of Wicked.

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / UPGRADE

‘The King’s Speech’ Commandeered by Masterful Performances max kyburz The Recorder

Perhaps the greatest thing a director can do is make a film in which the outcome is already foretold, but getting there is three quarters of the fun. In Alan J. Bakula’s All the President’s Men, we knew that Woodward and Bernstein would blow the whistle on Nixon, yet throughout we were wondering if it’d actually come true. Now, with The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper has accomplished such a task, as we follow a reluctant monarch through the chrysalis period of his reign.

While Hooper is to be credited with his directorial triumph, the perpetual light is shone upon the marvelous ensemble work. At the helm is Colin Firth, who will undoubtedly win the Oscar for his turn as King George VI, a man with a spirit as stubborn as his tongue. It’s a blossoming and hopeful period for a young, uncertain king, but it’s a little trickier when you’re faced with an emotionally paralyzing defect.

Prince Albert, Duke of York (and eventual King) can barely speak in privacy, let alone on his public platform. Enduring a lifelong speech impediment is death for a king; who can hold stock in a man that cannot speak to his own people, especially through a time as turbulent as the 1930s, a gap between two game-changing wars? This problem plagues the character throughout the film, first as Duke and then as the new King, with each opportunity for public speech approached like a man anticipating his noose.

Rather than play out the “look-at-me-I’mdisabled” funk that has soured many actors in the past (ahem, Sean Penn), the story allows growth and serenity. Enter Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, a speech coach who becomes

the young King’s mentor, confidant and soothsayer. He teaches the King to find the roots of his problems, but more importantly, to believe in himself. He turns into a mouse that roars, a master of eloquence usually found in Shakespearean kings. Throughout the film, the King’s struggle is largely internal, but Logue teaches him that he’s not as alone as he thinks. It’s an unlikely friendship between monarch and common-or-garden folk that becomes the heart and soul of the film. As much as The King’s Speech is about perseverance and finding self-confidence, it’s a film that celebrates friendship.

The aforementioned duo are but a small sampling of the acting ensemble, the true lifesblood of the film. At Firth’s arm is Helena Bonham Carter as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, a surprisingly less-than-kooky role than usual. Her charm shines through as the always assuring wife who never naysays her husband despite her doubts. Guy Pearce, following his fantastic work in Animal Kingdom, delivers a delightful role as the short-termed King Edward VIII, a young man caught between personal desire and family duty.

The film faces (and thankfully forgoes) opportunities to become cheesy Oscar-bait rather than Oscar-worthy. The confrontation of various obstacles leading into tantrums of self-doubt, only to surrender to self confidence again, is something we’ve all seen before. Yet Hooper and his crew make it work, placing his players in front of brilliant production design to be framed by brilliant cinematography. The King’s Speech is a tired story, which will render it unworthy of Best Albert, Duke of York, played by Colin Firth, alongside his wife Elizabeth, played by Helenda Bonham Picture glory, but its elevation is found in the Carter, in “The King’s Speech.” performances. A fine job indeed.

Netflix It: Michael Walsh The Recorder

Words uttered during the on-air breakdown suffered by long-time network evening news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) early on in Network mirrors the real breakdown suffered by politician Budd Dwyer 11 years later. Beale, just fired from his network’s failing prime time news show, threatens to kill himself live on the air. Dwyer killed himself live on television a day before his sentencing for charges of bribery.

Sidney Lumet’s highly satirical look inside a major television network is all about the power of television and the influence it can have on people. When Beale loses his mind and becomes the world’s favorite raging prophetic television personality, the losing network finally wins. Beale becomes a hot commodity for the suits at the fictional Union Broadcasting Station, and after a string of highly successful evening news rants denouncing evil in the world, Beale gets his own show featuring phony prophets and the anticipated nightly fiery rant from Beale himself, inspiring his viewers to show just how angry they are.

Dwyer’s disturbing and unfortunate suicide isn’t so much a way of saying Lumet was right about television and the power it holds over people, but just another conscious incident and thought to add to a long list of ways the new media has changed our lives forever. Presidents win and lose races because of it and our productivity can suffer from too much of it. Paddy Chayefsky’s masterful script touches on all those motifs and then some, making UBS the most psychotic network you’d never want to work for.

Corruption, politics and affairs are just some of the daily occurrences inside the UBS offices. Head of programming Diana Christensen aims to make her departments next hit show, “The Mao Tse-tung Hour,” a dramatized glorification of a group of local terrorists who videotape themselves robbing banks. Christensen, played by the beautiful, charming and charismatic Faye Dunaway, is a cunning, rising figure in the UBS world, and when she is given control over Beale’s new direction, she exploits and manipulates his wretched, lost mind for the highest ratings

Network

she can. The highly fictional proceedings of Christensen’s direction at the network are prophetic to today’s over-saturation of lousy, cheap and exploitative programming television feeds down our throats, almost as prophetic as Beale’s loony rants were meant to be.

The character of Beale means so much to the satire’s success and most of that is because of Peter Finch’s tremendous job portraying the insane madman. Finch passed away before being able to receive his well-deserved best performance trophy from the academy at the Oscars, becoming the first actor to win the award posthumously. Finch’s enraged performance, delivered while suffering from a failing heart, led to one of the more memorable speeches delivered in film history. Finch’s “Mad as Hell” speech is delivered with defined anger from Finch, perhaps only the kind an Australian could muster up. The soaking wet Beale comes in from the rainy streets of New York City and heads right to his desk, barely in time for his live spot. Beale criticizes the world before delivering the classic line “I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” while rising from his desk and marching around the studio floor all the while a smiling and pleased Christensen happily watches.

Network focuses on a lot. It doesn’t lose that focus ever, but from marital problems to onthe-job difficulties of both the old and young of UBS employees, Lumet and Chayefsky cover a lot of controversial ground. Their film is a scalding hot rip at the news and television in general, highlighting the manipulation and exploitation that could potentially exist in a maligned business model focused on how high your ratings are and how much money you bring in rather than the ethical and moral grounding all of us naïve folk want to believe in.

A winner of four Oscars, three of which honored the wonderful cast of actors Lumet was fortunate enough to work with, Network is a seminal entry into the satire genre. It’s more than a film, it’s a dehumanization of the industry and to this day is a far more important film than people credit it to be. It’s message is sound and with a cast as strong as Finch, Dunaway, Robert Duvall, William Holden and Ned Beatty delivering it, the transmission couldn’t be clearer.

‘Black Swan’ A Twisted Fairy Tale Rachael Bentley The Recorder

In a dark and wildly entertaining thriller, Darren Aronofsky outdid himself yet again in his new movie Black Swan, starring up-and-coming actress Natalie Portman. Aronofsky also directed Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler, which have both been nominated for awards, including three Oscars.

Portman continues to capture audiences with her performance in this film as she plays Nina, a young ballerina who wins the lead role in Swan Lake in the New York Ballet Company. She is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan, but is tortured by the difficulty to perform with passion and dark emotions as the Black Swan. The ballet Swan Lake requires that the same ballerina perform both roles, and it is a difficult task for any performer.

When we first meet Nina, she is a young woman seemingly trapped in the world of her 13 year old self. Her bedroom is adorned with stuffed animals, pink bedding and a music box, and Nina’s relationship with her mother shows the audience that Nina’s mom wants to keep it that way.

As the movie progresses, we see the pressure of the role start to crack young Nina and alter her relationships with her instructor, played by Vincent Cassel, and with a new dancer from California named Lily, played by Mila Kunis. They both push Nina to embrace her darker side, but ultimately push her over the edge. Nina becomes paranoid that other dancers, including Lily, want to steal her role, and her new personality destroys the loving

and guarded relationship with her mother.

Eventually, Nina is unable to determine what is real and what is a product of her imagination. At this point, she hallucinates a pretty steamy love affair between herself and Lily.

Black Swan is a totally mind blowing experience that, with a combination of subtle visual and sound effects, causes you to question what you are seeing. Portman’s performance is captivating to say the least, and her ability to play both evil and good so well only adds to the movie. She was recently nominated for and won the Golden Globe for best actress in this role, an honor that speaks for itself. Vincent Cassel also brings great talent to the movie as the cut throat instructor who pushes Nina to be greater in controversial ways. He does an excellent job of portraying how difficult it is to perform and work in a professional ballet company with other guest stars. His character also has a tendency to get intimate with some of his dancers, and it is seemingly unclear in the movie whether he is really interested in Nina, or if he is just trying to push her into letting go of her morals and show real passion. Lily is the complete opposite of Nina, living on the edge, having random love affairs and using drugs.

One of the best features of this movie is the fact that, to a certain degree, it mirrors the story line of the ballet Swan Lake.

What begins as simply wearing red lipstick and having her hair down leads to nastier things. It was hard to find any faults with Black Swan, as it had the perfect ending along with excellent actors and script. This film is a must see for anyone who likes a movie that makes you second guess your assumptions.

Natalie Portman

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / UPGRADE

Calendar 1.26 - 2.1

Beautiful ‘Blue Valentine’ A Heartbreaking Tale

All Good Things @ Real Art Ways

matt clyburn The Recorder

Hartford, CT $6.25 with student ID / 7pm

MUSIC 1/26 Jarred Gorbel @ BAR New Haven, CT 21+ / FREE / 9pm doors 1/28 Less Than Jake @ Webster Theatre Hartford, CT $16.50 adv. / 7pm doors

The wealthy heir to a prominent real-estate magnate becomes caught up in a high-profile murder investigation in this thriller inspired by the real-life case of Robert Durst, who was suspected of murdering his wife, Kathie, after she vanished without a trace in 1982.

Warned by his father (Frank Langella) that the common girl (Kirsten Dunst) he loves will never be accepted into high society, the young scion (Ryan Gosling) throws caution to the wind and marries her regardless. Later, when the girl disappears and politics enter the picture, a suspicious series of deaths leave a haunted cop convinced that the truth is closer than anyone realizes. Philip Baker Hall and Jeffrey Dean Morgan star in this period mystery written by Marc Smerling and Marcus Hinchey, and directed by Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans). ( Jason Buchanan, Allmovie)

Jukebox the Ghost

1/26 - 1/29

@ The Space

Winter's Bone

Hamden, CT

@ Cinestudio (Trinity College)

1/31

Hartford, CT

Joshua Radin

$8 / 730 pm

The words of a particular Blue Valentine review, which stated “this is not a date movie,” are ones I decided to heed. For better or worse, I was in luck, there was not a date to be brought in the first place. So there I sat, by myself, sharing a large theater with four or five adventurous couples who hadn’t gotten the message.

Needless to say, they were audibly surprised at what unfolded before them.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) are introduced to us as a married couple, but the story of the two days that the movie focuses on is interwoven with fractured memories of how the marriage came to be. Dean dropped out of high school and works for a moving company. Cindy studies medicine while living in the shadow of her parents’ broken marriage and caring for her wheelchair-bound grandmother. By chance, the two meet and fall deeply in love.

We realize, through the unfolding of the present-day narrative, that the path to their happy ending was somehow lost along the way. We learn that when Cindy discovered she was pregnant with the child of a former boyfriend, Dean stepped up in his place. The result is a shotgun wedding and lovely baby girl.

Back in the present day, Dean takes Cindy away to heal the apparent wounds of their

Seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly ( Jennifer Lawrence) sets out to track down her father, who put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared. If she fails, Ree and her family will be turned out into the Ozark woods. Challenging her outlaw kin's code of silence and risking her life, Ree hacks through the lies, evasions and threats offered up by her relatives and begins to piece together the truth.

@ Toad's Place New Haven, CT $15 / 7pm doors FILM 1/26 + 1/27

everyday lives and manages to make things worse in an explosive breakdown. Ultimately, we are left wondering if the marriage is simply beyond repair.

I imagine every couple walked away from the theater that day the way most walk away from an episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight (before the ‘Jon’ was dropped). In other words, gentlemen will wonder why the female was so mean-spirited and contest that she ruined the marriage. Ladies will wonder why the male was too cool for school and unable to see what he was doing to the marriage.

Conclusions aside, the film begs much bigger questions than petty ones derived from lessthan-decent cable television.

The boy-meets-girl tale that my fellow moviegoers expected was truly upended and not even from the start. Slowly but surely, we were brought from the brightness of beginnings to the tragedy of conclusions and back again. The viewers were shocked by the emotionally charged sensuality of one scene and the sudden, sharp turn of another.

Blue Valentine was perhaps the most graphic movie I have ever seen that was neither horror nor pornography. This film is a difficult pill to swallow because it is a heart-wrenching mirror that reflects the best and worst of the relationships that we create with other human beings.

Beautiful storytelling and impeccable performances are highlighted by a depth of cinematography that is nearly unheard of at the local megaplex these days. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams should be heartily commended for their work and director and writer Derek Cianfrance should be dully praised for bringing out the best in both of them.

Sadly, this film and the remarkable talents that created it will be snubbed by the major film organizations during awards season.

Williams and Gosling were not successful at the Golden Globes and will likely fall just short come Oscar night. If this prediction plays out, Blue Valentine may be the most underrated film of 2010 in a field of highly overrated counterparts.

Beating the Winter Blues jason cunningham The Recorder

John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone

Joshua Radin

Oh great, it’s winter. Get out the box of tissues, because you’ll either be sneezing up a storm or crying over how absurdly dark, cold and generally miserable it is outside.

The terrible drivers on the road are in their glory of awfulness, because hey, they don’t really understand how roads work.

Why slow down when you can go 80 miles per hour down a hill covered in a sheet of ice? Connecticut plowing is…well, just drive through Hartford when it’s heavily snowing to get an idea. Better yet, try to safely take a turn when you can’t see past the 20-foot tall snow pile that towers above the hood of your automobile at every corner in the state. Simple tasks like getting to work or buying groceries can become the bane of your existence when the northeast cools and Father Winter is in town to throw his weight around.

If you’re one of the folks who is already sick of the season when the year wanes past its last day and the holiday cheer has faded, then maybe I can help. There are several ways to kick the “winter blues” that take hold from December to February (although the snow might carry over into later months) and if you’re not the type to enjoy this time of year like those folks who love winter sports, thick layers of clothing and removing crazy amounts of snow with a shovel, then these tips just might help you out.

Now I’m not bitter towards winter, far from it. While our relationship is complicated, I’ve always tried to see the best in this time of year. Who didn’t love sledding as a kid? I love it at 22. I haven’t busted out the old inflatable tube yet, but it’s bound to happen one of these upcoming weekends. Snow can be quite beautiful when it’s not in a big, lumpy pile on the side of the road and covered with a billion grains of sand. Plus, who doesn’t love a nice day off when the weather is frightful?

Yeah, it can suck if the cold is biting at your face. Sure, it isn’t too fun to feel like the sun is intentionally blinding you. If winter isn’t a season that comes easy to you, you can always be a little more easygoing about it. Seems simple, right? Often times it isn’t. It’s all about maintaining a good mood.

A good mood is partly driven by your level of productivity. Unfortunately, not

everything keeping us active necessarily feels productive. Sometimes going to work or class just feels like a drag. That’s why maintaining a hobby or interest you can be passionate about is key to keeping yourself mentally healthy.

Tip number one is to find something outside of your working life that’s fun and satisfying. I enjoy listening to music. It’s one of my biggest interests and acts as one of my many hobbies.

It also helps me concentrate on a lot of the stuff that I’m sometimes not too thrilled about doing. Assigned readings and writing papers can go by much faster while I’m listening to some good tunes. Music improves my optimism about things that initially seem boring or too big to tackle. I’ve also been able to share the music I love by participating at the campus radio station, WFCS 107.7.

Putting together a show when I DJ is one of the few ways I’ve been able to make my passion for music feel like something more.

Having a good show feels like a nice little accomplishment and it’s something to look forward to during my week. Whether it’s films, photography, painting, gaming, participating in an indoor sport or one of the thousands of other interests and hobbies a person could have that don’t require warm weather, finding something fun to focus on is worth it when your world feels frozen and boring.

Another factor to maintaining a good mood is maintaining a good diet. This is something that everyone tells you. Your doctor, parents and the nutritionists online and on television have probably beat the idea into your head that eating healthy works wonders for your body and overall mood. The advice isn’t always followed, but that’s all right.

We’re all guilty of indulging in snacks, sweets, fried foods and all of those things we should feel bad about eating, but usually don’t. The key is to avoid making unhealthy eating a regular part of your lifestyle. Tip number two is to do your best to avoid meals that aren’t supporting a healthier you. My girlfriend and I started preparing nearly all of our meals together and it’s done wonders for our mental and physical well-being. Since maintaining a healthier diet together we argue less, laugh more and generally feel better throughout the day. I used to suffer from headaches on a daily basis. After incorporating more vegetables and fruits into my diet, eating smaller, more frequent meals and limiting my fat and caffeine

intake, I haven’t had a single one. Improving my diet has made life a lot less stressful. It’s the piece of advice that most people either ignore or struggle to follow. This is a reminder to try and stick with a healthy diet to have a happier life. You’re mood will be a lot less crappy if you cut out the crappy foods.

Sometimes the hardest thing about winter is feeling tensed up from the reduction of physical activity that many of us suffer from during this time of year. A simple way to ease some of the tension that comes along with being cooped up inside is to make sure you exercise. Keep a routine, keep track of it and make sure to force yourself to do some form of regular exercise at least three or four times a week. Exercise goes hand in hand with a good mood. It also improves your cognitive abilities. Physical activity leads to a healthier, happier and better you.

If this advice, as well as the prior two tips all seem like no-brainers, it’s because they are. This is all stuff that just about everyone knows to do, but being reminded to do them from time to time helps significantly. These are things that just about everyone should do year round - keeping themselves busy with things that make them happy, eating healthy diets and keeping up with an exercise routine.

Increasing your consciousness of how these things affect your everyday life is key. I make sure to hold myself accountable by keeping a journal of my activities - what I eat, when I exercise, and what physical activity I do.

I set little goals for myself for my hobbies and interests, such as seeking out new music or remixing songs I like. It all has been key in making my winters both happier and healthier.

Prior to this winter, I felt like I suffered from seasonal depression. Some serious life changes that I began in the fall have made this the first winter I’ve enjoyed. Getting sick, the common stresses of life and the prohibiting blizzards that seem to be happening more regularly than I can remember in winter’s past haven’t been able to keep me down. I’ve been able to beat the “winter blues” by rejuvenating my lifestyle with the advice that I’ve heard from what feels like a million sources time and time again. I’m positive that the same will happen to you. How you treat yourself will always equate to how you feel, so remember to treat yourself well.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

COLUMN

CCSU Handles Tragedy With Care

All Hope is Not Lost for CCSU Men’s Soccer DaNNy CoNTrEraS The recorder

briTTaNy bUrkE The recorder

Over break I was dreading having to come up with a topic for this first column. While yes, it is good to have an outlet to which you can turn to vent your frustrations and gripe on about life, but what happens when you generally having nothing to complain about?

This was my dilemma as I was trying to come up with a sufficient enough idea for our first issue back. Again, what can you really complain about in regards to CCSU when most students haven’t stepped foot on this campus in over a month?

As I stared at my blank computer screen and let my mind wander, I got news of the accident which took the lives of Rich Royster and Brittany Mariani. I was informed of it by my editor-inchief and shortly after I received an email from CCSU (as every other student did) letting me know what the school had known to happen.

I then decided I wasn’t going to use my 400 word space to bash the school, I was going to commend it. I commend both the Marketing and Communications Department and the CCSU Athletics Department for how they handled the untimely deaths of these two students.

Instead of shying away from what had happened, leaving students to speculate with one another and on various social networking sites, the school sprang into action and kept the community informed, while keeping the best interests in mind for those who were close to both Rich and Brittany.

I didn’t know either of the students, but as I sat in a press conference set up by the athletics department on Sunday afternoon it became apparent as Coach Mac, Athletic Director Paul Schlickmann, and the four football Captains spoke that two great and honorable people had been lost Saturday morning.

As the email was sent out, the school quickly jumped in to action and set up grief counseling for those who wished to take advantage of it in Kaiser Hall. Beyond that, Schlickmann spoke of the family unit, with emphasis on the Blue Devil football team who had lost one of its brothers. At the press conference he spoke of plans to get the team together as a way to work through the loss as a family.

A memorial service is also in the works as everything is sorted out.

From the sports side of the equation, the Athletics Department did a tremendous job in working with the media, the students and, most importantly, the student athletes.

I appreciate being kept informed as a Sports Editor of the paper and a student, and everyone else should too.

The 2010 men’s soccer season was an abysmal one for CCSU. The Blue Devils came in dead last in the NEC, acquiring only six points out of a possible 30, and won four out of 17 games. Additionally, the team only won once at home.

Many Blue Devils fans were left wondering what had gone wrong with the team. How do you go from winning a championship three years ago, to finishing undefeated in the 2009 season and getting eliminated in the playoffs to finishing last in the conference?

The coaching staff remained the same, many players from the 07-08 season were experienced veterans and the team had enough talent to possibly win the championship. So why did the team fail to deliver this season?

Of course, there is no simple answer. Bad slumps happen to all the teams in the world.

For example, domestically, the New England Revolution went from one of the most feared teams in the league to a push over team in recent years.

Mentality? Frustration? New players? The fans? Well, it was a combination of all of these.

And while not every single element may apply to CCSU, it will take the resolution of these problems for the Blue Devils to advance again in the NEC. Although many teams performed better than the Blue Devils, in the majority of games CCSU dominated the opposing team. The Blue Devils looked fitter, smarter and more eager to win. Yet the team failed to deliver in

the moment.

Defenders were playing one style, and midfielders and strikers were playing another.

While defenders tried long ball tactics, midfielders were playing for possession and strikers were devising counter-attacks.

The team lacked the mentality of being in the team. The solution is simple, at least for the Blue Devils. Choose style over result.

Why? When the team has a third of its players playing one tactic and the other two thirds are doing their own tactics, nothing will come to fruition.

Simply decide on one style of game play and the team gets the result. Mentality is, at the moment, the most important acquisition for the Blue Devils and its recuperation.

Next is frustration from the team and knowing how to manage it. Yes, it sucks to lose, however, the team should not let frustration dictate the game and the result. Every game was in CCSU’s hand and the athletes caused themselves to lose.

Yes, bad refereeing decisions happen all the time, but knowing to cope with those decisions is key to defeating opponents.

Nonetheless, what needs to be understood more by the team is the fact that going down 1-0 in the first 15 minutes of the game is not a call for surrender. The team must accept that it will continue to make errors and instead of kicking themselves for it, they should try to amend it.

After the first two issues have been handled, CCSU can look at new players.

Outlined in last season’s performance was the lack of a winger. According to Coach Shaun

blUE DEvil | CoNT. from 1 captain Mike Allison.

“You consider anyone that you ever played with one of your brothers, and to lose one of your brothers is really something that hurts, but to have every single one of these guys as your brother to lean on and talk about the good times, and look forward and keep his name in motion in the CCSU family is going to be something special.”

In a press conference held by the CCSU Athletics Department, the word family was emphasized to describe the man that was lost.

Royster wasn’t just part of a unit, categorized by the title as defensive lineman; he was a member of a family and will be remembered and honored as such.

“Toward the end of the season, my father would sit together with his father in the crowd and they would talk a lot,” said senior captain Dominique Rose. “They built a pretty intensive relationship amongst each other. So our families were close. We were under the assumption that we were related, so ever since then we would call each other cousins, and that’s just the first memory that came to my mind.”

As a member of the family, Royster will be remembered as a quiet, intense force, both on the field and in the CCSU community. The number 94 will be honored each time a Blue Devil steps on to the football field. His passion will be carried on in the play of his teammates and is something that will always be remembered.

“Rich was a fantastic teammate, loyal Blue Devil,” said head coach Jeff McInerney. “His love for the game was second to none and his love for his teammates was second to none. He’ll be missed, his spirit and character will live on through our football program, and his memory will be honored every day.”

When asked to remember the type of person he was, his teammates were noticeably somber and stoic, still trying to comprehend and deal with the loss.

However, it is the memories of watching him play scrabble, recalled by Alondre Rush, and the way he would always walk into morning meetings with blaring music, inevitably waking up his sleeping teammates, that filled the blue room with laughs.

Royster was an intelligent man with an insurmountable amount of passion for his game, and it is that passion that truly stood out to his teammates and made them work harder during the season. It is that same passion that will be remembered in the toughest of times to come.

“His legacy will continue to live on as someone who fits the perfect mold of a student athlete, not just at Central Connecticut, but across the country,” said Rush.

Green, they’re in the process getting wingers to add depth to the squad.

Nevertheless, the aforementioned issues must be addressed before any new players come in. A team that has this type of turmoil cannot create chemistry with new players.

Now we look at the twelfth man, which seems to be absent for the Blue Devils.

Attendance at the games was usually low. This problem seems to be getting addressed as the new field gets constructed, however, the team still needs people to go to the games.

The fans can be a deciding factor in games.

They affect psyche more than a skilled player does - that’s why the fans are so important.

In order to fix this, the team needs more exposure. The team needs to find a way to reach to the Blue Devils fans to come to the game.

Whether it is Twitter, Facebook or Youtube, the team needs to connect with the fans one way or another. Once the team feels the pressure that comes with having people rooting for them, then results will also come their way.

There is still more than eight months until the new season begins, and surely the team is beginning a phase of rebuilding with former captain Robert Cavener leaving and other seniors at the end of their CCSU careers.

This is CCSU’s chance to explore new frontiers in soccer, mainly the winning mentality that is formed from the collective and not the individual. CCSU has the talent and the capacity to win the NEC tournament next fall and the school and team, as a collective, must help it get back there.

Rich Royster at Super Saturday 2010 on the CCSU Campus.

PhoTograPhEr | D.j. SPaDaro

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / SPORTS W. BBALL | Cont. from 12 led all scorers with 14 points and Crockett, who finished with 10, was a rebound shy of another double-double.

Throughout the second half the Blue Devils continued to pour it on offensively while never relenting on defense. CCSU closed out on the Knights’ shooters, contesting every shot. CCSU built the lead up to as many as 30 points before the end and finished only one point away from doubling FDU’s score.

Even though the Blue Devils played aggressively on defense, the team committed very few fouls. The Knights were held to only two foul shots the entire game as they seemed reluctant to drive against CCSU’s bigs.

The Blue Devils came out on top in nearly every statistical category in this one-sided game. It was the type of game for CCSU that, when the team looks back on it, will remind them of just how dominant they can be.

“We came out almost stagnant,” said Piper.

“Luckily we were able to pick it up, which is something we need to do on a consistent basis. A game like this, though, really gave the kids some confidence.”

The Blue Devils continue to get deeper and deeper into conference play and while they are in a bit of a hole at 3-4, the team appears to be on the right track after winning its second straight game.

CCSU is in the midst of a four game homestand, and will return to action Mon. Jan. 24, when Monmouth comes to campus.

kenny barto | the recorder

Leanne Crockett shoots a 3-pointer during CCSU’s 57-29 win against the Knights.

kenny barto | the recorder

Robby Ptacek pulls up for a jumper during the Blue Devils 72-67 win against FDU.

M. BBALL | Cont. from 12 it appeared that FDU was starting to take over. The team closed the half by scoring five unanswered points and the Knights picked up where they left off in the second. The small run turned into a 13-0 run as CCSU’s offense went stagnant.

FDU went up by eight before CCSU began to pick it up on offense and creep back into the game. Horton and Thompson helped trim the lead, but every time CCSU was on the verge of tying it up, a turnover would prevent them from doing so.

Though FDU maintained its lead until the final seconds, when Thompson hit the buzzer beater, the lead would have been much larger without the defensive play of De’Angelo Speech. He caused three five-seconds calls, including one in the final minute. The score was kept close and when Terence Grier missed his free throw, CCSU was given the chance to tie.

“The last play we called home run,” said

Dickenman. “Once they get it they do a head fake and go to the basket. Shemik got it, took one dribble and overtime.”

Using the momentum from the buzzer beater, CCSU came out strong in overtime.

Though the offense had struggled for much of the game, it showed up in overtime. While the regulation belonged to Thompson, overtime was all Horton’s. His nine overtime points kept CCSU on top and secured the team’s miracle win. Both Thompson and Horton finished with over 20 points and 10 rebounds to pick up the rest of the team.

“This is one game we shouldn’t have won,” said Dickenman. “We were down four with under 10 seconds, but I always say good players step up their games and Ken and Shemik proved that today.”

The Blue Devils have won two straight and are gaining ground in the NEC. The men’s basketball team continues conference play when Mount St. Mary’s comes to New Britain on Thurs. Jan. 27.

CCSU BLUE DEVILS Scores December

January

Thu. Dec 9

Sun. Jan 2

Mon. Jan 17

W Basketball - 43, Monmouth - 56

W Basketball - 37, West Virginia - 63

W Basketball - 65, Sacred Heart - 62

Sat. Dec 11

Mon. Jan 3

Thu. Jan 20

M Basketball - 63, Albany - 64

M Basketball - 92, Massachusetts - 63

M Basketball - 66, Monmouth - 47

Sun. Dec 19

Thu. Jan 6

Fri. Jan 21

W Basketball - 61, New Hampshire - 48

M Basketball - 61, St. Francis (NY) - 43

CCSU Hockey - 6, Marist - 8

M Basketball - 74, Niagra - 71

Sat. Jan 8

Sat. Jan 22

Wed. Dec 22

W Basketball - 63, Long Island - 51

W Basketball - 57, Fairleigh Dickinson - 29

M Basketball - 71, New Hampshire - 50

M Basketball - 67, Long Island - 72

M Basketball - 72, Fairleigh Dickinson - 67 (OT)

W Basketball - 46, Fairleigh Dickinson - 51

Sun. Jan 9

CCSU Hockey - 4, Bryant - 3

Wed. Dec 29

SWIM - 73, Vermont - 218

Sun. Jan 23

M Basketball - 67, Brown - 51

Mon. Jan 10

CCSU Hockey - 7, UNH - 3

W Basketball - 78, St. Peter's - 66

W Basketball - 53, St. Francis (NY) - 33

Mon. Jan 24

Thu. Jan 13

W Basketball - 48, Monmouth - 45

M Basketball - 88, Sacred Heart - 75 Sat. Jan 15 W Basketball - 75, Quinnipiac - 76 M Basketball - 68 , Quinnipiac - 73

www.flickr.com/ photos/centralrecrder

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, January 26, 2011 / SPORTS

CCSU BLOCKS FDU

Women’s Basketball Doubles Up NEC Rival christopher mclaughlin The Recorder

Playing lockdown defense all game, the CCSU women’s basketball team (10-7) cruised to a 57-29 victory over NEC rival Fairleigh Dickinson (10-8).

The Blue Devils used a balanced attack on offense, while completely shutting FDU down on defense. The Knights were held to 21 percent from the field and had no players reach double digits in points. CCSU had more points off the bench than FDU did as a team.

“Our defense has really been consistent throughout the season,” said head coach Beryl Piper. “This was the first game that we really worked on pressure defense and it was really effective.”

Despite falling behind 11-7 in the first half, CCSU was able to regain some momentum, going on an 8-0 run and never looking back.

After FDU got its eleventh point at the 13

Buzzer Beater Seals Comeback; Blue Devils Steal Win In Over time

minute mark, it would go on to score only one more field goal for the half.

Neither team shot particularly well for the first half, but CCSU was able to make more baskets, despite taking less shots. The Knights had nine offensive rebounds in the first half, but were unable to capitalize on any of them.

CCSU had five blocks in the first half and kept FDU out of the paint all game. While FDU struggled, the Blue Devils were led by freshman point guard Jessica Babe, who had six points in the first half, coming off the bench.

“We needed to penetrate better,” said Piper. “Jess really did that for us, and she was able to make some nice plays.”

The Blue Devils seemed in control of the first half of the game and came out in the second half determined to keep it that way.

Led by Leanne Crockett and Justina Udenze, CCSU quickly built the lead to 20. Udenze W. BBALL | cont. on 11

BUZZER BEATER: Shemik Thompson lays the ball in to tie the game and send it in to overtime kenny barto | the recorder where the Blue Devils went on to beat FDU 72-67. christopher mclaughlin The Recorder

Guard Jessica Babe goes up for a layup against FDU. Babe went on to score a career-high 12 kenny barto | the recorder points to help CCSU rout the Knights 57-29.

Using the momentum of a Shemik Thompson buzzer beater, the CCSU men’s basketball team won an overtime thriller 7267 over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Despite trailing to FDU (4-14) by four with 10 seconds left, the Blue Devils (12-7) remained poised and were able to send the game to overtime. CCSU was able to chip away at the lead and benefited from FDU’s missed free throws.

With three seconds left, the Blue Devils threw the ball down court where it was picked up by Ken Horton and dished to a wide-open Thompson, who drove straight to the basket for a lay-up to beat the clock.

“I knew I wanted the ball,” said Thompson.

“I didn’t want to lose at home, and I knew if he missed the free throw I was going to make the

shot.”

While the game had a dramatic finish, it started out as any other. The Blue Devils traded baskets with FDU for much of the first half. While the team was able to build a small lead, it was all but erased in the closing minutes of the first half.

The Blue Devils were led by Thompson who had 13 points in the first half, while FDU was led by Briahn Smith, who had nine.

Though neither team played well offensively, both played stingy defense. The teams shot from under 40 percent and committed several turnovers. The closely contested first half ended 28-26 with CCSU on top.

“Our games with FDU have always been back and forth,” said head coach Howie Dickenman. “We lost down there, so we knew we had to get one back.”

During the final minutes of the first half, M. BBALL | cont. on 11

CCSU Hockey Routed by Marist in the Third Brittany burke The Recorder

A four-goal streak made by Marist in the third put the Red Fox in the lead as time ran out, handing the CCSU hockey team its second consecutive loss.

Following a 6-1 Saturday loss against third-ranked Montclair last week, the Blue Devils took to the ice with a must-win mentality, but it didn’t transfer to on-ice play.

“I think that we just didn’t have the heart in it tonight just from the beginning. I thought that they just assumed that they were going to win - that’s why we play these games,” said Head Coach Ben Adams.

“Hockey can go either way. Three bad bounces in their favor and they got three goals out of it. It’s a tough one.”

Due to a late second period goal by Jon Knobloch, the Blue Devils managed to go into the

second intermission with a onegoal advantage, leading Marist 5-4.

However, 26 seconds into the third Marist struck for the fifth time, which began a slew of unanswered Red Fox goals.

CCSU broke down in the third, coming out slow. The team had trouble finding its rhythm and chemistry that worked with the different lines.

“I think the little things weren’t just going our way,” said Ryan Beaulieu. “We had some bounces, some bad calls, the pucks weren’t going our way, they had a couple goals that were a little tough and we probably should’ve been a little tighter defensively.”

With less than two minutes left in the game, the Red Foxes found the net for the eighth time of the night. The late period goal gave Marist the three goal advantage over CCSU, 8-5. Despite scrambling, goaltender Greg Coco remained in

net as the Blue Devils tried to skate it out and salvage the game.

The entire period wasn’t unproductive for the Blue Devils, as Knobloch netted the final goal from Dillon and Michael Joy with 30 seconds to play, but by that time it was too late to stage a comeback of their own.

Despite the third period breaks, CCSU and Marist went head to head for the first two periods, keeping the game close and even keeled.

Marist struck first, but CCSU was seemingly unaffected as Eric Blewett took the puck up center ice to tie the game at one with 16:06 still left to play.

“It’s good to see other guys getting on the score sheet, it’s definitely gonna help in the long run. By no means do I think we’re out of playoffs, out of regionals, out of post season, so it’s definitely going to help them get there,” said Adams.

Blewett, a third-year forward, tied the game up for the Blue Devils twice against the Red Foxes, finishing the game with two goals and an assist, bringing his season total to five points. Blewett struck again with 7:05 to play in the second.

With a backhanded pass from Tim Dillon, who finished the game with three assists, Blewett tied the game at four with a shorthanded gloveside goal as Eric Muroski served two minutes in the penalty box.

“I was injured first semester and I’m just trying to get back with my legs back, my game legs back and my hands, start getting used to playing with my line mates and a couple games later and we’re flowing and I’m just getting chances and taking advantage of it,” said Blewett.

A goal made by CCSU with no time left in the first period would have put the Blue Devils ahead 4-3, however it was waived off and the score remained tied going

into the first intermission. With a debate ending the first, the second began with the same amount of commotion as a fight broke out behind Coco between Tom Carroll and Marist’s Matt Rodriguez, which caused both athletes to be ejected from the game.

As of the end of the game, Carroll was still eligible to play in the Saturday game at Bryant. The Blue Devils have a full weekend schedule going into the start of the semester with a game on the road against Bryant followed by a Sunday afternoon game against UNH. “This was a statement game, we had to win and win by a big margin. It’s a team ranked below us, so it’s gonna hurt and we don’t want to make it look like a big win against William Paterson last week was a fluke. You know, it makes the games this weekend even bigger,” said Blewett.