Vol 107 Issue 16

W W W.CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Central Connecticut State University

CCSU Hockey Fights Adversity Wins, Forfeits and Cancelations Headline Up and Down Stretch

Volume 107 No. 16

Off-Campus Parties Smaller and Fewer, Says New Britain Police Town and Gown Meeting Updates Community on Neighborhood Relations

sara M. berry The recorder

Kenny barTo | The recorder

Jon Knobloch and the CCSU hockey team has had a turbulent couple of weeks with wins, forfeits and cancelations heading into the playoff push. Stories on pages 10 and 12.

The number and size of off-campus house parties in the Central Connecticut State University neighborhood have decreased ever since the New Britain Police Department began paying regular visits to “party houses.”

Sgt. Mike Baden of the New Britain Police Department says that there have been 261 arrests so far this school year, which is down slightly from last year. He also noted that since the visits to hot spots started, parties have become smaller and more manageable. Some parties in the area used to have 70 or 80 people in a house at a time, but most of the parties that police have been called to lately have gone down in size to around 10 to 15 people, Baden said.

Of particular interest to the Town and Gown Task Force at the semester’s first meeting was CCSU students and their behavior off campus, especially in relation to parties. The task force, who seeks input from residents, students and other outside sources, are trying to address some of the concerns that have risen from complaints made by residents of neighborhoods in the CCSU area.

Jonathan Pohl, CCSU’s alcohol and drug education coordinator, gave an overview of some of the strategies that the committee is looking to implement. A newer initiative includes New Britain

police paying visits to houses based on complaints having been made about that location. Five buildings were visited on Jan. 25 and four were visited on Feb. 4.

During visits, police provide the residents, often CCSU students, with information on having safe and responsible parties, as well as the consequences of having police called to address issues stemming from a party. Residents also receive an informational brochure called “House Parties for Smarties,” put together by the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education and the Counseling and Wellness Center. The brochures contain information on how to have respectful parties and what the consequences can be for parties that are out of hand.

Students who receive citations involving parties usually do so for drug and alcohol issues.

Once a student receives an infraction, he or she receives a referral to the Wellness Program Administrator and is asked to go to a session of the ‘Choices’ program. The ‘Choices’ program is intended to “educate and disseminate information,” said Pohl. Students who are involved in drug and alcohol related issues also have letters sent home to their parents.

Another possibility that the Town and Gown Taskforce is considering is placing a registry of places where arrests have taken place on the CCSU Police ParTies | conT. on 2

Bill to Allow Sunday Liquor Sales Filed, Again MaTT clyburn The recorder

A bill to repeal Connecticut’s ‘Blue Laws’ has been filed in the Connecticut State Legislature, marking a nearly annual attempt to strike down the laws that prohibit the retail sale of alcohol on Sundays.

Connecticut remains the only state in New England and one of only three states across the U.S. that enforces a Sunday ban on all retail liquor sales, according to a 2009 report by the Program Review and Investigations Committee. The report estimated that the state loses between $7 and $8 million in revenue annually to the laws that have remained in effect for more than three centuries.

Rep. Kathy Tallarita (D-Enfield) submitted the bill Jan. 10 because package store owners in her district expressed concern over competition with Massachusetts stores

that can conduct sales on Sunday. Tallarita is a CCSU alumna and Deputy Majority Leader.

“I am encouraged that the public overwhelmingly supports Sunday liquor sales and that Governor Malloy has said he supports repealing the current ban,” Rep. Tallarita said in a statement in January. “Our state will gain millions in new revenue from Sunday alcohol sales, revenue that is badly needed as we work towards digging ourselves out of a projected large deficit.”

Despite that support from Malloy and overwhelming public support, lobbyist Carroll J. Hughes for the Connecticut Package Stores Association (CPSA) says that giving liquor stores the option to open an extra day would hurt small package stores competing with larger grocery chains. Hughes estimates that if the law is passed, Connecticut could lose more than 300 liquor stores and 500 jobs. liQuor | conT. on 2

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT: www.centralrecorder.com

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NEWS

THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 9, 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 mwalsh@centralrecorder.com Managing Editor Nicholas Proch nproch@centralrecoder.com Art Director Ashley E. Lang News Editors Matt Clyburn Sara M. Berry news@centralrecorder.com Entertainment Editor Max Kyburz entertainment@ centralrecorder.com Sports Editor Brittany Burke sportsed@centralrecorder.com

Students Encounter South African Wildlife Over Break sara M. berry The Recorder

Over winter break, 24 CCSU Biology students and three professors spent two weeks in South Africa. While in South Africa, students traveled to a number of educational destinations and took part in several unique experiences.

Students visited the Cradle of Mankind in Gaunteng, an active mine containing human fossils dating back to cavemen.

They also visited the area of Soweto in Johannesburg and learned about the history and reality of apartheid in South Africa. “That was crazy, “ said biology major Tom Allison, “It’s hard to remember that it happened so recently, and that the effects of it are still having effects today.” In Cape Town, students toured Robben Island, home to the prison that housed Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners during the apartheid. Giving tours of the

prison turned museum, was a man who was a former prisoner on the island that became employed there after his release.

For the majority of the trip, students stayed at South African Wildlife College. The college, which trains students looking to preserve and protect the wildlife of South Africa, is a private reserve attached to Kruger National Park. Students stayed in tents, where they were visited by lizards in bed and geckos in the shower. The Wildlife College is enclosed by an electrified fence for safety, and students leaving the campus had to take two armed guards in case of attack by wild animals.

At the college, students took walks in the morning and evening looking for wildlife, which they could hear at night. They saw “every type of animal imaginable,” said Allison, including leopards and thousands if impala (deer-like animals). They also attended a poaching seminar

Photo Editor Kenny Barto kbarto@centralrecorder.com Copy Editor Katherine Bossardet Staff Writers Chris McLaughlin Kat Boushee Jason Cunningham Danny Contreras Tom Liljedahl Nick Rosa

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.

Staff meetings for The Recorder are held on Mondays at 8 p.m. in the Blue and W hite Room in the student center and on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Recorder off ice.

Monkeys were only one type of animal CCSU students were able to observe Tom Allison | Photographer during their visit.

A lion licks his chops while sizing up CCSU students visiting Kruger National Tom Allison | Photographer Park. where they learned how rangers are trained to combat poaching, much like American soldiers are trained at boot camp. At that point ( January 12), five rhinoceroses and five poachers had been killed so far this year. One of the guides was Hannes, a 22 year old professional lion tracker who brought the CCSU group out on game drives and pointed out the different animals that they encountered while in the park. In the park, the wildlife roams free of human interruption.

Students learned to track elephants and about wildlife migration patterns, as well as bovine tuberculosis. Bovine tuberculosis is an animal disease that is believed to have traveled to Africa from Europe in the 18th or 19th centuries.

Buffalos, who live in herds, are

prone to the disease. The high rate of the disease in African buffalo has had serious effects on the lion population. When the lions prey on infected wild buffalo, they become infected with the disease, too.

While in Cape Town, the group visited Boulders Beach, where they encountered African penguins, known as “jackass penguins.” The penguins roam the beach and sometimes even the streets near the beach.

The 24 students who traveled to South Africa learned things that they could never have learned in a traditional classroom. The shared passion and excitement of the students made their trip that much more enjoyable, and everyone came home with unique experiences that they will have for a lifetime.

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Giraffes roam in Kruger National Park, adjacent to Scouth African Wildlife College

Tom Allison | Photographer

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / NEWS

Student Government Finance Committee Discusses Potential Budget Woes MaTT clyburn The recorder

The Student Government Association Finance Committee held their second meeting of the semester Monday afternoon, a precursor to allocating funds for clubs and organizations on campus for the 2011-12 school year. The deadline for in-person club base budgets is March 11, for all others, March 18.

“Organizations need to start compiling their information and plans for the upcoming school year,” Commuter Senator Erika Dawson-Head said Monday evening. “It is important that people come and present as much detailed information as possible so that the finance committee can begin to make decisions about fund allocation.”

The committee is responsible for all fund requests under $5000 and presenting those requests to the SGA Senate, while requests greater than $5000 are automatically voted on by the entire representative body.

The SGA is responsible for $44 of each student’s activity fees, used to “promote and fund student clubs, activities, services and forums for the benefit of the students and their educational opportunities,” according to their website.

Last semester, the SGA created an ad hoc committee to research self-sustainability, meaning that in the future the financial governance

organization would cease using student money and only receive funds through various fundraising enterprises and donations. The body will vote soon on whether to keep the ‘SGA Economic Sustainability Committee’ a permanent fixture.

Clubs that failed to apply for budgets in a timely manner last year approach the SGA under extenuating circumstances throughout each fiscal year, so new budgets are often allocated out of contingency funds intended for unforeseen expenses.

This has led some to speculate that the organization may go overbudget for this school year.

“It’s a huge concern if we go over-budget because we haven’t been fiscally responsible with our spending,” Senator Nick Alaimo said Monday. “We’ve been striving for consistency in how we vote on funding, but it’s not easy. Clubs need to realize that these decisions aren’t personal, there’s just a lot of money out there for a lot of campus organizations.”

CCSU students are encouraged to review documents relating to the financial business of SGA, all of which will be posted on their website, accessible via the university’s web portal.

Students are also encouraged to attend SGA meetings Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. in the student center’s Bellin Gallery. The SGA Finance Committee meets each Monday at 3:30 p.m. in the student center’s Blue and White room.

State Comptroller Announces Cost-Savings Plan jason cunninghaM The recorder

Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced a cost-savings plan during a press conference last Thursday that could overhaul the way Connecticut purchases prescription drugs. Potential savings, he said, could reach $66.5 million in state tax dollars annually.

The plan would merge prescription drug purchasing currently conducted separately by the state Department of Social Services and the Office of the State Comptroller. According to Lembo, the change would occur in the back end of the process with the discounts that come from the benefit of a larger purchasing pool. Lembo said that this kind of coordinated purchasing has been encouraged by various legislative items passed last year that pushed for this kind of movement, and that he is currently in ongoing conversation with many municipalities to make the group larger.

Lembo believes that savings could be seen as soon as the 2012 fiscal year if legislature in both chambers moves quickly. Lembo said that the Malloy administration

will receive the bill when it comes their way and Lembo hopes that it will be part of the Governor’s larger budget proposal.

Eventually, Lembo wants to hit the bottom of volume discounting by bringing more people into the pool, including small towns. The savings number could increase by an additional $13.5 million after talks with smaller, independent pharmacies who are the only providers to smaller areas are concluded. This additional research is needed to not tighten access to medications in those smaller communities.

Lembo noted that the state DSS currently fills about 9 million prescriptions a year. Between 3 and 4 million are directly out of Lembo’s office. Currently, the drugs ordered through the state DSS with pharmacy benefits his office covers are for state workers and retirees.

Lembo emphasized that there will be no change for the recipients of the pharmaceutical benefit and that state employees would stay in the same plan they are in now.

Lembo believes that the change will help make the state DSS more sustainable over time. A public hearing on the matter is to be held soon.

News Briefs Memorial Services for Two CCSU Students Today

History Month Lecture with Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles. Feb. 10 at 3:00 p.m.

CCSU announced last week that the memorial services for Brittany Mariani and Rich Royster, the two CCSU students killed in last month’s crash, will be held today at 4:15 p.m. in Alumni Hall. All are welcome to attend.

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"The Reverend Kyles is the only person alive to witness the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is a Black History Month Lecture, developed from CCSU African American Studies Instructor Stephen Balkaran's "Civil Rights Movement Project" at Central.

Spring Blood Drive Dates Set

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CCSU Spring Semester Blood Drive, Feb. 15 11:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., Feb. 16 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., February 17 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. in Alumni Hall. You can sign up at the Student Center Information desk or call 860832-1970 to make an appointment!

Civil Rights Legend Bernard LaFayette to Discuss Dr. King's Work

--CSUS Board of Trustees Meeting at CCSU Today The Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees will hold their annual meeting at CCSU on Wednesday , Feb. 9 in Alumni Hall. The meeting will include both a student and faculty open forum beginning at 11 p.m.

--Latest Art Exhibition on Campus Features Hurricane Katrina-Inspired Works Beyond Katrina: An Exhibition of Works by Rolland Golden and Donald Boudreaux is being held in Maloney Hall's S.T. Chen Fine Arts Center now through March 10, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m or by appointment.

--Next Faculty Senate Meeting Feb. 14 The next CCSU Faculty Senate meeting will be held Feb. 14 at 3:00 p.m. in Robert Vance Academic 105.

--Witness of Dr. King's Assassination to Speak at CCSU Witness: Dr. King & the Movement, a Black

liQour | conT. froM 1

Continuing King’s Work of Nonviolence: Confronting Injustice Then and Now, A Conversation with Dr. Bernard LaFayette - Feb. 11 at 10:00am in Davidson Hall's Founders Hall.

"Dr. LaFayette was a leader in the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. He played a leading role in the early organizing of the Selma, Alabama voting rights campaign, was a member of the Nashville Student Movement, was cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and was a Freedom Rider. As an executive staff member for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he was appointed to be national coordinator of the Poor People’s Campaign. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Scholar-in-Residence at the Candler School of Theology, at Emory University in Atlanta and continues to conduct Kingian Nonviolence training around the world.

--Valentine's Day Concert 'Romance de la Guitarra' Will Feature Daniel Salazar Jr. CCSU will host a concert on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Torp Theatre that will feature acclaimed guitarist Daniel Salazar Jr. The Spanish and Latin American-based concert will also feature the Melinda Márquez Flamenco Dance Company and Argentine Tango dancer Michèle Evans.

The event will feature Salazar's original music, including a number of romantic guitar pieces. Admission to the concert is free.

“The Booze Barons from London and Paris just want to sell pints and half-pints to people with drinking problems,” Hughes said to the Connecticut Post. “This is the richest market in the world and they want 24-7 sales. Anything else, they say, is a Blue Law.” Tallrita remains optimistic.

“We’re gaining support every day from places we didn’t have support in the past,” she told The Recorder this week. “I think this is the year, the stars are all aligned.”

“If someone wants to open their

business, they should have the right to do that like every other business in the state of Connecticut,” Tallarita said. “We’re not trying to pass a mandate, we’re trying to make this as inclusive and as fair as possible. This is the only industry where we tell them they can’t be open on a certain day of the week.”

The End Connecticut Blue Laws Coalition, a grassroots organization funded by the Connecticut Food Association, agrees. In a January statement, the coalition said that the “Sunday sale of beer, wine, and spirits at neighborhood grocery and package stores will increase convenience for consumers, prevent

loss of business to neighboring states and generate up to $8 million in new revenue for the state.”

The organization cites the statistic that more than 73 percent of Connecticut residents have made a trip across the border to buy alcohol on Sundays.

Tallarita points out another, perhaps more obvious, benefit for CCSU students. Upon passage of the bill, “those that are over the age of 21 will now have the availability to buy beer on Sunday.”

Tallarita serves on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding, Aging, General Law and Legislative Management Committees.

ParTies | conT. froM 1 Department’s website. Names, addresses and charges of arrested individuals is public information and may be acquired from the New Britain Police Department.

An online listing would make the information more available to the residents of the neighborhoods near CCSU. Pohl also stressed the importance of perceptions, both of students and members of the New Britain community. The

CORE survey, administered every two years, asks students anonymously about their drug and alcohol related behaviors.

The 2010 survey polled 892 students and revealed that 84.3 percent of CCSU students have never gotten into trouble with University authorities and 74.4 percent have never gotten a bad test score related to partying the night before. Pohl notes that these numbers are much higher than people think.

The inaccurate perceptions

of college students can lead to hostility from the community, and may influence the drinking habits of new students. Studies have indicated that students who think their peers drink heavily are going to drink heavily themselves where they might not otherwise.

The next open meeting is scheduled for April 11 in the Connecticut Room of Memorial Hall. Two closed meetings will also be held, one in March and one in May.

OPINION

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THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 9, 2011

EDITORIAL

WE CAN HANDLE ‘FORNICATION 101’

If this past week’s protest surrounding the ‘Fornication 101’ lecture has shown us anything, it’s that society is narrow minded and doesn’t use facts to back up arguments.

‘Fornication 101: The Study of Sex College Tour’ leaves a lot of question marks in the mind of observers, near and far. While some people are taking the title as a laughing matter and brushing it off as just another lecture, others are taking extreme offense to the presentation and what it could entail. The lecture was postponed due to weather this past week, which allowed the bickering to continue.

This country was built on the foundation that we can challenge authority and that we have a right to know where our money is headed. There is something noble, in fact, when a taxpayer actually does their due diligence and has solid facts to support their argument. However, when their squawking is taken to the public, it’d better leave no room for more research.

In response to many emails and quibbling blog posts, the Marketing and Communications Department issued a

press release backing the speaker, Megan Andelloux. In saying that the uproar was caused by misconceptions, it only enhances the view this office has.

Most of the individuals and sects who had problems with this lecturer were basing it upon the fact that they believed their tax dollars were paying the measly $600 for Andelloux to appear. The money for this came from a group of private donors to the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center.

This office doesn’t ever discourage the partaking in argument or even disdain for a particular event, but in saying that, we will only support this when it is not just slanderous activity. The fact that Andelloux received hate emails and the university was cast into a bad light for featuring a one hour lecture is appalling.

The other general issue that objectors had with this event was its overall subject: Sex. The problem with their argument was that they were assuming it would be only covering the topic of sexuality, and it would not be an educational program on sex. They were wrong. Just as students in grade school learn what the ‘birds and

Smaller Liquor Stores Might Not Be Able to Afford Sunday Sales KaT boushee The recorder

I will admit it: I have driven to Massachusetts to buy liquor on a Sunday. Once, my friends and I drove to New Hampshire after finding the Massachusetts stores closed due to a holiday. Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you find yourself with no alcohol the night of a big bash or impromptu get-together.

I remember living in New York City and marveling at the “bagel stores” that sold beer and embarrassing myself by saying to one of my sorority sisters in a matter-of-fact manner that, of course we couldn’t buy alcohol, it was Sunday! When I was newly 21, I railed against Connecticut for banning liquor sales on Sundays. I thought that there was no reason to ban liquor sales other than antiquated laws made up by people who must want to join my parents in the “Spoil Kat’s Fun Club.”

However, I can now see the flip side of the issue, and I am against an across the board repeal of this law at this time. The people who would most benefit from this law being repealed are not the angry barbecue crowd, nor is that crowd the most well-connected, generally speaking. No, the well-connected people behind such legislation are the large supermarket chains.

They benefit much more than any local liquor store would from such legislation.

Locally owned liquor stores are, of course, closed in Connecticut on Sundays. To remain open an extra day would entail paying employees

for those hours, and in some cases, even hiring new employees if they do not have the available manpower. Liquor stores that are family businesses would be forced to give up their only day off or hire new employees to work the Sunday shift.

At this point you may be thinking to yourself, “Why can’t locallyowned liquor stores just continue on as before and not open on Sunday if it will tax their resources so much?”

Good question. The problem is, their competition will be open on Sunday. Liquor stores cannot afford to lose those last-minute Saturday sales that prepare for Sunday, but those sales will not be necessary if the grocery chain down the street is selling beer all day Sunday.

Another problem is that we humans are creatures of habit.

We, as a rule, like to go to the same places to make our routine purchases. If one store is open seven days a week selling a product you wish to purchase, and another is open Monday through Saturday, you may get out of the routine of shopping at that second store.

While shoppers who are already out buying groceries will surely appreciate the convenience of buying their alcohol at the grocery store, I believe it will severely limit the amount of customers who stop by their local liquor retailer.

I do agree that our liquor laws are outdated at best, but I think that we need to think of ways to protect local liquor stores when considering new alcohol legislation. It may take time easing into these laws, but I firmly believe that it will be worth it in the jobs that are saved.

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

EDITOR@CENTRALRECORDER.COM

bees’ are all about, we were getting a refresher with an emphasis on how the unprotected, non-safe forms of sex aren’t the way to go.

It’s almost too simplistically comical that the same people who are ranting about a sexual education lecture, which isn’t coming out of their wallets, have no problem with the seemingly mandatory lessons in the grade school level. If college is supposed to be the last stepping stone into the real world from your education, then we should be able to handle a simple talk about sex. It’s insulting when a group of elders who think they know best try to tell us what we can and can’t apprehend or manage. Besides, attendance isn’t mandatory. Any student who is uncomfortable with the material or against the lecture can choose to not attend.

This also isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a lecture on a sexual topic. When Ron Jeremy came to this campus to advocate for the rights of pornography and porn stars, there wasn’t a campus-wide orgy following the panel. We can handle it.

The difference between this lecture and copies of the same sexual education books which have been passed down through generations is that this one is trying to break the mold, not conform to it. Andelloux tries to connect with her audience by putting it in terms that they will actually understand.

Considering that the tactics of teaching birth control and preventing the spread of disease aren’t making considerable bounds, she should be commended for trying something new. It’s highly unlikely that this lecture will unravel any sparse sense of control that has been shoved down our throats since elementary school and turn us into lustful primates.

It’s time for those who are too concerned with where private donations are being used on sexual education lectures to step down and be quiet. When the lecture happens in March you can bet that the following day there will be no local news stations following the coverage of a CCSU-sanctioned orgy. If there is, those of you who had objections to this can say ‘I told you so’, but until then, put your faith in the fact that we can handle it.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

Learn by Experience, Not Criticism

Michael walsh The recorder

Last week at The Recorder’s weekly critique session, where we both praise and tear into our very own newspaper, a letter was handed to me by my adviser, Dr. Vivian Martin.

The letter, dated Dec. 15, was from CCSU professor Andrew Moemeka and his Communication 345 class and was titled “The Recorder: Need for guidance and writing upgrade.”

The gist of it is as follows: Moemeka sees our newspaper as a tool to teach students how not to write, particularly in his writing for the broadcast media course last semester.

My amazement upon receiving the two-page letter lead to this column, not to defend my writing skills or my staff ’s writing skills, but to question the merits of actions and the point of the letter, if there is one.

Moemeka, who I can only assume wrote the letter that was signed “Comm 345,” gets a few things right. It’s right to say that The Recorder is a learning environment and instrument. We’re all learning as we go. The staff, myself included, makes mistakes, that we ourselves use as examples to better ourselves.

None of us are oblivious to that. It’s also right to say that the newspaper is only cared for by a few usually busy students. But those sentiments, which seemed only in place to soften the blow laid upon us, is where my

approval of the letter ends. It’s not that we take huge offense to the accusations the letter makes, we just believe it could have been handled a little bit differently.

Anytime you receive a letter that calls the work you obsess over “disturbing,” you’re not going to forget it. I can take a little constructive criticism, but this letter contained none of that. It was more like a memo informing us that we suck and that we should know it. Being compared to an orphan and being told you fall so “way below standard” that you give the university a bad name and image fits into the same category of astonishment. I do hope that the class knows what the standard is for a college newspaper, because it’s typically not very high. Reading an assortment of student publications on visits to college journalism conferences across the country has given me a standard to shoot for, one that I think our remarkably small staff surpasses on our best days.

I certainly don’t mind being criticized. It’s going to happen. I’ve dealt with it before at this newspaper and I’ll continue to deal with it until I graduate in May. What got me and my fellow Recorder staffers going was the sheer pointless nature of the letter vaguely explaining our faults. Ultimately, and I’m saying this on behalf of all my editors, it served no purpose. The process of deconstructing the writing of a student newspaper could have gone better if the nine students who signed the letter, who were studying writing for the broadcast media, had been encouraged to come down to the newspaper, or one of CCSU’s other media outlets, to take part in the process, or try their hand at writing an article or two of their own.

It’s not uncommon for me to receive stories from staff writers that need a little work. Print journalism is a beast of a vocabulary and a writing style unlike any other kind. Different from broadcast journalism, different from research

papers and different than letters, cramming a large amount of sometimes heavy and complicated information into a small amount of space is not an easy thing to learn.

My staff, which is made up of less journalism majors than you think (where are you guys, by the way), works hard at improving what they do. After the edits our top editors make, the pieces are typically fit for print.

But I’ll tell you what our standard of practice is: signs of growth and an excitement in what we do.

Encouragement and constructive criticism is what a student needs, and learning comes best from experience. I propose that instead of sitting in a classroom and merely looking at stories written by fellow students in the campus newspaper, students should be challenged to get out there and create their own, especially in a class such as writing for the broadcast media.

Contents of the letter are also misinformed and not researched.

The letter states that we aren’t given sufficient incentives to care for the newspaper like we should, which is false. All editors receive a monetary stipend for their time spent working on the newspaper and while nice, it isn’t the reason my editors and I stay in the office well past midnight on Mondays to finish production of the newspaper we’re so very proud of.

And although the letter correctly states that the newspaper is not an extension of the classroom, it skips a beat when it uses the word unfortunately before it. The Recorder has no supervisor, just a single adviser, who doesn’t have the authority or the ability to supervise our work and edit submitted articles, like the letter suggests they should.

Our adviser critiques us and runs training sessions, but that’s as far as her helping hand reaches. And this is for the better. We have as much publishing freedom as any student newspaper does in the country and we only benefit from that.

Our mistakes are our mistakes and we at The Recorder wouldn’t have it any other way.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / OPINION

How We Got Here : Max Kyburz

Max Kyburz The recorder

I guess I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was in eighth grade. I was never the best reader of books, but I always loved magazines. Back then I skateboarded, so I was always eager for the newest issues of Thrasher and Slap. When those weren’t handy, I would leaf through my brother’s old issues of Rolling Stone. Needless to say, my reading habits were suitable for my short attention span. That all changed when my mom’s friend gave me a book as a present. It was called The Answer is Never by Jocko Weyland, a longtime zinester and world traveling punk rocker. In the world of skateboarding, he’s a small name, but

knowing nothing about him didn’t matter in the least. I loved his attention to detail, his extensive knowledge of skateboarding and music history, and his unending treasury of stories. By the time I finished the book, skateboarding became an after thought.

Writing was for me.

Regrettably, it didn’t become an active pursuit until sometime afterward. My high school had its own student newspaper, but I couldn’t have cared less about it. Weyland’s book inspired me to craft my own handmade zine, which I called Serenity Now!, but that sank into development hell. In my senior year of high school I took a poetry class, which required me to get my creative juices flowing.

Poetry’s never been my bag, but I didn’t care.

I felt power when I wrote it. It didn’t have to be any good, just the act of being creative was enough for me. Since blogging wasn’t the big kahuna it is now, I would write reviews and personal anecdotes on Myspace and LiveJournal. It was an unrealized passion, something to do to pass the time. My eighth grade ambitions got lost in the shuffle, and I didn’t know jack about what I really wanted to do.

Like all high schools do when they pretend to care about your career path, mine administered a personality and interest survey to students in order to see where we wanted to go to college and why. Just as I am now, I was fascinated with the media, so I figured, why not go into communication and broadcasting? I wanted to go to a New York school, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I checked out only three state schools - Eastern, Southern, and Central. Their communication departments seemed about the same, and I felt underwhelmed. I applied to the latter two, got into both, but I chose Central since

I knew people there. Somehow I wound up enrolled as an English major, and it took me a while to figure out why.

My first couple years of college were fruitless as far as my writing went. Frankly, it took me a couple years to realize my potential. I figured my English degree would go towards me becoming a teacher, and not much else. Being a writer barely crossed my mind. It was just a way to kill time. I never ventured much into fiction, just think pieces and little film reviews. Strangely enough, I can credit Facebook with pushing me in the right direction; the Flixster application allowed users to rate and review films, and I took advantage of the opportunity. Again, it was just to kill time (and maybe even allow myself to be a bit of a pretentious snob).

Having studied Roger Ebert’s movie reviews for years, I wanted to produce mini critiques in the same style. I liked it, and my friends seemed to as well. People were agreeing and disagreeing left and right, and a few suggested I look into it as a career path. Being the stupid putz I can be from time to time, I brushed it off with an “Eh, maybe.”

Fall 2009 was the semester it all began to fall into place. I found solace in my film studies courses which basically allowed me to be as much as a nerd as I wanted, and my writing portfolio grew. Eventually I found myself at the Blue and White Room, where the Recorder meetings take place. I didn’t know what I’d write, I just knew I wanted to write movie and album reviews. I was given my first assignment - a review of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I got to see for free. Not much money in journalism, but it’s got its perks. It felt good seeing my name in print.

It was an accomplishment. I knew I wanted more. I wrote a couple more reviews for the

‘Netflix It’ column and then I went away for a semester abroad. During that time I knew I needed to follow my dreams before settling into teaching, which just isn’t my passion. I began to write more, which I found as my real source of inner peace. When I got back, I got in touch with Recorder editor Michael Walsh, who asked me to be Entertainment editor. I said, why the hell not? It’d keep me sane, and it’d look good on my resume.

Being an Entertainment editor isn’t the toughest role to fill, but it’s always a bit of a challenge. Every week I have to track down the upcoming movie, album and video game releases, as well as find out what events are occurring. Then I have to narrow it down to make sure its just enough to fit our slim margins. The tough part is keeping a balanced mix of stuff readers know and things they may not know. It’s almost as difficult when pitching ideas to writers; it’s not easy getting somebody to write about something they are unfamiliar with or just plain hate. I do my best each week to keep writers and readers up to date with current entertainment, as well as present The Recorder as possessing wellrounded, unpretentious taste.

I am now on my second semester as Entertainment editor, and I wish I walked into the Recorder office even earlier. I’ve been blessed with all the good-natured, creative, devoted people I’ve met and worked with these past several months. This is my last semester at Central, and I look to the future with high hopes. I don’t know exactly where my writing will take me, or whether I’ll make a dime off of it, but if I was worried about finances I would’ve been a business or computer science major. I’m already up to my neck in debt, but thankfully writing and being creative doesn’t cost a dime.

News Coverage Abroad is Becoming Routine and Mundane

nicholas Proch The recorder

For the past several weeks when I log onto my computer and check my regular news spots on the web or my usual blog rolls, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the amount of press and attention that the Egyptian government, or lack thereof, has received.

In this time I have seen more front page headlines about the state of this sputtering nation than our own. I’d like to consider myself worldly, but I can’t help but think: ‘I’ve Had Enough.’ If I’d like to read about the Egyptian government every day, I would put Al-Ahram Weekly or Cairo Times in my RSS feed collector.

I don’t mean to sound shallow, but there are more pressing issues, which pertain to me, happening in my own neighborhood, city and state. Heck, I’d even take a story about something on national level, but no, I have to flip to the bowels of the New York Times to find that.

This country is stuck in two wars, we don’t have a solid direction to take in regards to our health care and we certainly aren’t a model economic nation. However, with all of this going on, it can be easy for us to forget about it when a group of miners get stuck in a mine, there is political chaos in Cairo or an earthquake in Haiti.

Those who are responsible for repackaging the same material over again after every political and natural disaster should do so with caution.

The front page coverage has become a reflection of the readership. This worldwide news

has always been available in something like the Times, but you had to search for it. City stories or national stories would have almost certainly been on the front page over an international story. Now it is quite the opposite.

It appears to me that the syndicates in this country are trying to combat and overcompensate against the notion that they are only focused on themselves. In doing so, and even over doing it, they have essentially alienated a great deal of readers.

The negative press is very easy for the writers to hand out when talking about another nation or nationality’s problems, but critically focused stories aren’t found anywhere but a commentary section when referring to the U.S. It saddens me to say that we might not have the strength or tough enough skin to take criticism as a nation. There’s an overwhelming amount of pride which shines through into our press, making it easier to write about another country’s problems.

While I certainly do sympathize with those in Egypt, Haiti and Chile who have been involved in unbelievably terrible situations, the American press chooses not to cover the problems at home like they should. There is a plethora of issues in which we should be hearing about first, only to be supplemented by those from abroad.

There’s a part of me that loves international journalism, but it’s started to be outweighed by my great distaste for writing to fill space, which is what the majority of the conflict in Egypt has become to journalists.

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Follow tHe RecoRdeR on twitteR @therecorder for breaKing news MulTiMedia and liVe TweeTing @recordersports for liVe TweeTing and blog conTenT

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / UPGRADE

20 Under 20: Winding Trails a Local, Affordable Winter Adventure Throughout the semester, we will feature destinations and locations that you can enjoy for under $20 and within 20 miles. These will be called our ‘20 Under 20’ features.

Katherine bossardet The Recorder

Winding Trails, located in Farmington (less than 8 miles from CCSU), is a non-profit organization that offers year-round outdoor activities for people of all ages and abilities. During the winter, the facility boasts cross country skiing, snow shoeing, ice skating, sledding and snow tubing. Mary Collins, a professor in CCSU’s English department, is an avid cross country skier who frequents Winding Trails.

“Winding Trails is a wonderful local resource that’s really underused” said Collins. “The trails have been fantastic this year and I recommend Winding Trails to all-experienced and newcomer.” In addition to skiing, ice skating is available under the site’s pavilion, and the sledding hill is 150 feet long at a 20 degree slope.

As for cost effectiveness, a day at Winding Trails can be tailored to your budget. Bring your own sled, ice skates or snow shoes and you can use the facilities for $6. If you do need to rent gear, prices range from $6 (for a snow tube) to $10 (for snow shoes).

If you’re looking to cross country ski the prices jump up a bit, but when you consider that you’re paying for a workout and a day of fun, it’s worth it. Day ski passes for adults are $12.

For those who don’t own their own cross country gear, rentals are $15

Winding Trails serves as a year-round outdoor activities area for people. Photo courtesy of Windingtrails.org. for traditional skis and $17 for skate skis.

Robb Armstrong, Winding Trails’ Recreation Coordinator, acknowledges that, while patrons take advantage of all of the site’s activities, “Skiing is by far the most popular.” The staff and enthusiasts

there have been making the most of this year’s record snow fall. “This winter has been great for us” said Armstrong. While some trails have been shut down this season due to renovations, the ones that are open are groomed daily and offer a great skiing experience.

Perhaps the best part about this ‘20 Under 20’ destination is that it will get you active during a time of year when simply getting out from under the warm covers of your oh-so-comfy dorm bed is painful.

And rather than shuffling off to an indoor gym, you get to enjoy the

great outdoors during a beautiful time of year. As Collins notes, “It’s a low cost way to have some fun in the hard weather and it’s incredible exercise.”

Winding Trails is open daily from 9-5, December through March, depending on conditions.

REVIEWS Earth

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light: I

Southern Lord February 11

katherine Bossardet The Recorder

Try as I might I could not get into Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light: I, the latest effort by, the Seattle-based band, Earth.

The skill of the band members is certainly unquestionable – their talent and passion for their craft comes through strongly in the five tracks that make up this hour long album. What is lacking, I think, is accessibility for the average listener. While other instrumental groups such as Trans Siberian Orchestra offers a unique but relatable listening experience, Earth seems unattainable to an untrained listener from the very first track.

For a novice listener of purely instrumental bands, Angels is a heavy first choice. My first issue was that I could not differentiate between songs; one blended into the next without my noticing the transition. It is certainly arguable that this is a good thing. A disc that is so well composed that it presents itself as a unified work is notable, for sure. My problem with Earth’s continuity is that it sounds like the same slow guitar chords and brushed snare drum beats are used in every song, in the same way, with the same result. As I

admitted, I am a novice instrumental music listener, so through my second and third and fourth listens to the CD I tried to discover the singular nature of each piece. I was able to, sort of. The problem? It wasn’t enjoyable getting there. Listening to the album several times was, at best, depressing. Even the track titles (which I know are ultimately trivial) kind of put me in a bummer state of mind.

“Old Black” and “Father Midnight” could have probably been combined into one 21 minute track with “Hell’s Winter” serving as the 11 minute conclusion.

A highlight is the album’s title track, which boasts plenty of sad yet sweet cello spots, providing temporary relief from the electric guitar riffs that, by album’s end, I found oppressing. Although my mind knows that Earth are talented individuals who certainly have a unique vision, my ears were not having any of it. I’d recommend the album only to someone with a developed affinity for the heavy instrumentation that permeates Angels, or to someone who is looking for a soundtrack for their dark and dreary movie.

Esben and the Witch Violet Cries

Matador Records January 31 max kyburz The Recorder

Imagine if the minimalist brits, The XX, and goth queen, Siouxsie Sioux, took a nightly stroll into the deep woods on Walpurgis Night, armed only with a few sheets of acid and a copy of Anton LaVey’s The Devil’s Notebook. Odds are that they’d end up with something as riveting as Violet Cries.

In all reality, they didn’t, so instead we have Brighton-bred goth kids Esben and the Witch, and Violet Cries is their debut. Fear not, they are far from the bonded parachute pants wearing elite you saw hanging around Hot Topic circa 2002. If anything, they’re more ritualistic, perhaps vampiric (think Let Me In, not True Blood).

Named for an old Danish fairy tale, Esben and the Witch are a three piece specifically tooled for the dark. The whole album is a crawling vermin, amplified by Rachel Davies’ deeply entrancing vocals.

Instrumentalists Daniel Copeman and Thomas Fisher lay down a rippling, layered chorale to help make the experience all the more exciting and terrifying. (If Rachel is Esben, I guess Thomas and Daniel are the Witch - suck it, linguists!)

Creeping is the right way to describe the flow of the album. The opener “Argyria” is a stunning intro that slowly fans the fire to develop in due time. Beats drip like heavy, sluggish rain before pounding demonically in “Marching Song.” “Light Streams” borders on oblique self-destruction, as though the album (and the band) is about to fold on itself, only to become spritely in “Hexagons IV.” The strobing, flickering trance of “Chorea” is Violet Cries’ strongest suit, bringing to mind the recurrent image of mysterious creatures parading upon dark ground.

By the last couple of tracks, though, the album bobs down and begins to lose steam. It picks up again halfway through “Eumenides,” and for the rest of the song, you wish the preceding few minutes were erased entirely.

It saves itself in time for “Swans,” a gloomy (surprised?) closer that rattles at a snail’s pace. It’s a shrill track that allows the album to escape like a cold wind rather than simply end.

Board up the windows, hide your young – Esben and the Witch aim to creep the hell out of you.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / UPGRADE

‘Rabbit Hole’ Packs Emotional Punch, Thanks to Stellar Cast max kyburz The Recorder

There’s no question about it; Natalie Portman’s going to win the Best Actress Oscar. But if on that fateful night the same ceremony from a parallel universe supplanted Portman with Nicole Kidman, it wouldn’t be all that bad.

The film in which Ms. Kidman is nominated for, Rabbit Hole, touches upon the concept of parallel lives. It does so without being portentous, as the concept is but a tiny garnish on the larger platter it presents - one that is often hard to chew.

Based on David Lindsay-Abare’s play, Rabbit Hole is a heartbreaking family drama that focuses on the desire for past events to unfold differently, and how difficult it is to cope with perhaps the most horrific thing to confront any parent: the tragic death of their child.

Nicole Kidman stars as Becca, an angel-haired woman constantly battling her inner demons. Eight months before Rabbit Hole begins, Becca and her husband Howie (Aaron Eckhart, in an equally astounding performance) lose their young son Danny in a car accident just outside their house. The grieving process seems far from over; throughout, Becca and Howie find themselves continuously faced with everything a mourning couple would hope to avoid. Becca’s sister Izzy is recently pregnant.

The support group is filled with the same old cliches. Jason, the young man responsible for the accident, keeps popping up. Everybody wants to make nice, but you can only put up a front for so long.

The toughest part for them, of course, is moving on. Is it fine to keep Danny’s heirlooms around, or do they stunt the

ability to overcome? Does selling the house or giving the dog away change anything?

If no, why? As the movie progresses, these questions continue to stew, creating an almost unbearable amount of tension between Kidman and Eckhart. It’s unbearable not just within the movie, but in life as well; who would want to even consider what it’s like to cope with such pain? It’s difficult enough to watch it through a tiny pinhole such as Rabbit Hole. At times I was reminded of Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist (similar subject matter, but fueled by crack cocaine) and Todd Field’s overlooked In the Bedroom (which pretty much catapults the characters fifteen years forward), though this film never sticks the way those films do.

Having seen this type of drama before, it’s hardly the most memorable story, though it saves itself many times from being run of the mill. There are many avenues Rabbit Hole can go down and doesn’t, and for that, it’s a recommendable movie. More essential to the film’s watchability is the visceral ensemble work. Nicole Kidman leads the way as the long suffering mother, once again proving her knack for emotion and depth without performing any heaving charades. She plays the kind of mother women wouldn’t want to trade shoes with, but her handling of the situation is something many will find relatable.

It’s a pity the rest of the cast received no recognition from the Academy, as it helps share in the emotional burden of Kidman’s performance (though she carries most of it).

As Howie, Aaron Eckhart engages with his manifestation of how a man would deal with such a tragedy. Though he receives less screen time than Kidman, he is equally irreplaceable; this is especially true in the scenes in which

Netflix It: danny contreras The Recorder

If there is one absolute truth to everything in this world, it is that death is inevitable.

We’re all going to die. Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu takes this truth and bases it in a trilogy adeptly called The Death Trilogy. The films all revolve around one incident that affects the lives of three different people. The incident varies in each movie, as they all take place in different time periods and places. While all the narratives are great—each have received collectively 10 Academy Awards nominations—the one that stands out the most is 21 Grams.

21 Grams is a very experimental film. It is not the first movie to incorporate a nonlinear story line, but the way the story is told will make you feel like a stalker. Camera shots feel as if you were crouching behind places trying to listen in on conversations and character interactions. Yet, the whole movie is not shot this way; rather, these shots were perfectly executed to give the viewer a sense of intimacy and/or a sense of understanding of the characters. The sounds work similarly to the viewing portion of the movie; if the movie has a soundtrack then it is well hidden. The sounds that are heard in the movie are ambience sounds picked up (not accidentally) from the setting, giving the viewer a sense of ‘being there’. This almost forces the audience to connect to one of the characters that is presented in the movie. But it is obviously the acting that propels this movie forward.

Although every movie in the “Death Trilogy” has an all-star cast, 21 Grams is the senior all-star cast from the three. Combining the talents of Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro, the movie’s characters are assumed to have lived their lives because of the precarious situations in the movie. For example, Watts and Del Toro play recovering addicts, while Penn plays the part of a mathematician with a fatal heart condition.

Each actor portrays their character so well it is creepily realistic.

The most impressive aspect of this movie is how well Gonzalez pieced all of their lives into one movie—each character has enough background to have their own individual

21 Grams

film. But it is no surprise given that Gonzalez has proven with Amores Perros that he is able to understand human nature and interaction.

It is exactly this understanding that allows the viewer to connect with the characters and the setting. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never had a recovering addict for a friend, just knowing that a person has struggled is enough to make you connect to them. And because this movie is so personal, the connection is easily achieved.

If you’re not focused, the movie can become confusing at times; but catching up is fairly easy.

The theme of death is so universal that a person in high school or a graduate student can still connect to it similarly. It is the ubiquity of this film and the characters that make it stand out in the trilogy. Not everyone is involved in a dog fighting business, as in Amores Perros; likewise, not everyone is involved with herding sheep in Afghanistan, as in Babel. This is definitely a movie to watch over and over—unfortunately, the movie is DVD only on Netflix.

he and Kidman are past their bottling points.

Sandra Oh, as always, is a joy to see as the commiserating Gabby, herself enduring the long term effects of child-loss. Newcomer Miles Teller, for such a young actor, shows great maturity as Jason, and his coming work is greatly anticipated.

Though comparatively tamer than similar family dramas, Rabbit Hole is a

captivating and heart-wrenching film. While it fails to break any new ground, narratively and thematically, there are too many good performances to pass up. Director John Cameron Mitchell (Shortbus, Hedwig and The Angry Inch) provides a steady pace to complement his actors, carving a piece of work that’s short of great, but certainly better than average.

Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart star in Rabbit Hole. Image: Google

“Classic Fridays at CCSU” Returns max kyburz The Recorder

If you’re a fan of classic movies, or just looking for an alternative hangover cure, you may want to check out Classic Fridays at CCSU. The monthly program, held at Torp Theatre, is back for the spring semester, and this time the theme is “Women in Focus.” Starting this Friday with the 1939 classic Greta Garbo comedy Ninotchka, each film features a woman at the forefront, usually struggling with the limits of a patriarchal society. The

program will run the gamut of film genres, ranging from comedy to drama to film noir.

The program is curated by English professor Gilbert Gigliotti, and is produced in association with the CCSU Alumni Association. Each screening will be presented by assorted CCSU professors; this Friday’s screening of Ninotchka will be introduced by Dr. Paloma Lapuerta, professor of Modern Languages.

Each screening will be preceded by a reception at 1:30 pm. The films begin at 2 pm. Admission is free and all ages are permitted.

Sean Penn

Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas star in Ernst Lubitsch Ninotchka. Image: Google Natalie Portman

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / UPGRADE

Calendar

FILM 2.9 - 2.10

2.9 - 2.16

Enter the Void @ Criterion Cinemas New Haven, CT $10 / 6:50 & 930 pm

MUSIC 2.10 The Diplomats / Dipset (reunion) @ Toad's Place New Haven, CT $35 adv. / 8 pm doors Taproot @ Webster Theatre Hartford, CT $15 / 6pm doors

Death takes one man on a journey that is by turns beautiful and terrifying in this feature from writer and director Gaspar Noé, who describes it as "a psychedelic melodrama."

Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) is a small-time drug dealer who sells his wares at a club in Tokyo called "The Void." In the midst of a deal that goes sour, Oscar is shot dead, and finds himself crossing from one plane of existence to the next. When he was younger, Oscar made a pledge to his younger sister, Linda (Paz de la Huerta), to always look after her, and as his soul leaves his body, the spirit is led on a journey through Tokyo, past traditional consciousness, and into the moment of human creation as he struggles to be reunited with Linda, who now works as an exotic dancer. Soudain le Vide (aka Enter the Void) received its world premiere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Mark Deming, Allmovie

Taproot

2.9 - 2.12

2.11 Escape the Fate @ Webster Theatre Hartford, CT $16 adv. / 6 pm doors 2.12 The McLovins @ Hoops and Hops Simsbury, CT 21+ / 10pm 2.13

Rabbit Hole @ Cinestudio (Trinity College) Hartford, CT $7 with student ID / 7:30 pm Boston-bred writer David Lindsay-Abaire and director James Cameron Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for their stage production of Rabbit Hole, and their collaboration on a screen version loses nothing in translation.

Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart take on the difficult roles of parents desperate to find a new normal after the accidental death of their four-year-old son. Edgy, moving, fiercely intelligent and even occasionally funny, Rabbit Hole is a study of grief that

travels the unpredictable road to healing.

Recognizing Nicole Kidman’s wrenching and darkly humorous performance– and her Academy Award nomination for Best Actress – Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia wrote: “It is the actress’ most engaged and emotionally layered work, and a triumph for all involved.”

2.13 - 2.15 Casablanca @ Cinestudio (Trinity College) Hartford, CT $7 with student ID / 7:30 pm

2.13 - 2.14 Burlesque @ Torp (Sunday) / Semesters (Monday) FREE / 7pm Christina Aguilera makes her dramatic feature debut as Ali, a small-town singer who takes her shot at stardom performing at a neoburlesque nightclub in Los Angeles. Situated in a regal old theater that's still dazzling despite having fallen into disrepair, The Burlesque Lounge is the kind of club where legends are born. When club owner Tess (Cher) hires charismatic Ali as a cocktail waitress, the ambitious big-city newcomer goes to great lengths to make a good impression.

Taken under the wing of a friendly featured dancer ( Julianne Hough), Ali quickly realizes that not everyone is quite as nice when she forms a friendship with bartender/aspiring musician Jack (Cam Gigandet) and incurs the wrath of the club's cattiest showgirl (Kristen Bell). After making her leap to the stage with a little help from a sympathetic stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and the club's playfully androgynous host (Alan Cumming), Ali becomes the star attraction at The Burlesque Lounge, and the crowds start packing in.

Later, a wealthy businessman (Eric Dane) makes a bid for the club while trying to charm the talented young performer straight into his arms. - Jason Buchanan, Allmovie

The best part of working at a cinema is the chance to introduce new people to Casablanca on the big screen. If this is your first – or fiftieth – time, Casablanca reveals the ways “the fundamental things apply” in making a great film: a tight plot, inspired acting, wickedly smart dialogue, romance, and a moral question in the face of brutality. In an occupied North African city during World War II, an apolitical American (Humphrey Bogart) runs Rick’s Cafe. Unfazed by his motley crew of customers (partisans, Nazis, desperate emigrés, swindlers, crooked police and more), Rick’s cool is shaken when the woman who left him in Paris (the luminous Ingrid Bergman) walks back into his life.

Bogart’s jaded ambivalence thrills, but it’s his emerging moral code that still stands as a response to apathy and existential despair.

Academy Awards®: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay.

2.16

Ill Nino @ Webster Theatre Hartford, CT $18 adv. / 6pm doors

Somewhere @ Cinestudio (Trinity College) Hartford, CT $7 with student ID / 7:30 pm

2.16

Definitively breaking free from the long shadow of her famous father, writer/director Sofia Coppola (who made Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette) is this year’s winner of the Venice Film Festival’s top award, the Gold Lion. Knowing more than a little about growing up in Hollywood’s rarified ether, Coppola delivers a spot-on portrait of a dissolute A-list actor (Stephen Dorff) whose cocaine & pole dancer-filled lifestyle is put on hold by the arrival of his 11-year-old daughter, played by a marvelous Elle Fanning.

From the vapidity of the Chateau Marmont to an awards show in Naples, Fanning’s heartbreaking clarity begins to shatter her father’s isolation. With the Antonioniinspired cinematography of Harris Savides, Somewhere sweeps the audience away with tender and subtle melancholy. “If you pay close attention, “Somewhere” will show you everything.” A. O Scott, New York Times

Family Band @ BAR New Haven, CT FREE / 21+ /9 pm Rooney @ The Middle East Boston, MA $15 / 8 pm doors

Central Activities Network 2.10 Due Date @ Philbrick FREE / 10 pm

Rooney

Director Todd Phillips re-teams with his break-out Hangover star Zach Galifianakis for this road movie concerning a soon-to-be father (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and his cross-country trip to make it back in time for his baby's birth -- with the only roadblock being the dubious passenger (Galifianakis) who's along for the ride. Michelle Monaghan and Jamie Foxx co-star in the Warner Bros./ Legendary Pictures production. - Jeremy Wheeler, Allmovie

2.16 Open Mic Night @ Semesters FREE / 7 pm

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

COLUMN

Fan Girls, Air Headed or Smart?

Radden Continues to Break Records on the Track nicK rosa

The recorder

briTTany burKe The recorder

Last week I tried to figure out exactly where a fan should draw the line between being an admirer of the game and just being crazy. While I still haven’t quite figured that out I have decided to dissect the other areas of fandom amongst the sporting world.

Of all the fans that I’ve seen, the ones I can’t seem to get over and the ones I tend to continuously gripe on about (including, as of right now in this column) are the “fan girls.”

No, I’m not referring to female fans in general, then I would hate myself. Fan girls are an entirely different species of fan.

These are the women who are obviously only paying attention the game to either get the attention of the athlete and/or male fans or trying to impress their boyfriend or significant other.

Every sport has female fans like that. Call them puck bunnies, football floozies, soccer sluts, whatever you’d like, the bottom line is “fan girls” are annoying and probably as big a nuisance as the fans I encountered last week.

They can be seen at any sporting event. They’re the girls who come dressed to a hockey rink or football stadium as if they were going to a night club, with tight shirts and jeans, high heels and too much makeup.

What’s even worse is when they act like they know the sport and come to a game in a tight, pink, bedazzled jersey, circa Jessica Simpson when she was dating Tony Romo.

Personally as a female fan I don’t want to wear a white and pink jersey; I want to wear my team colors. I go to a sports game to watch the game, whether it’s hockey, football or even baseball.

While yes, I’ve worn heeled boots to a hockey rink, it was because my jeans were too short for my fake Uggs, I still refuse to wear my heels. There’s a time and a place for heels, and while yes they are magic shoes that can improve a girl’s derriere, a sports arena is not the place to wear them.

I don’t go to a game with the intentions of hooking a guy; I dress in jeans, boots/ sneakers and a jersey while arguing with the guys about the game. For all I know this could be why I’m still single, and yet I still won’t humiliate myself and stick out like these particular fans do.

Each week I see girls walk through the doors at the XL center with platform heels and outfits that aren’t exactly cut out for keeping you warm at a rink. As they walk around the atrium I can’t help but wonder if they actually think one of the players are going to notice them.

Well news flash for the girls out there who think that, they don’t. Athletes are focused on the game and remain so for the entire 60 minutes.

I’m not saying there aren’t serious female fans, the ones who go to the games with their boyfriends or husbands because they enjoy the game; i’ve met a lot of them at the XL Center as well.

However, it is the girls with their chests hanging out that the normal female fans are compared to and categorized with.

My advice to female fans? If you want to hook an athlete or sports guy, don’t pretend and don’t be a groupie. Do the research and know the game.

Though, like I said, I’m the single one, so maybe the “fan girls” know something I don’t.

Breaking records, owning school records and looking to repeat at NEC championships this year, sophomore Aaron Radden is having a stand out season.

Radden began his track career as a freshman at Sacred Heart High School and has only blossomed since. After not making the basketball team, he wanted to do a sport that lasted all year round, so it came down to track or swimming.

“I wasn’t wearing a speedo,” Radden said with a smirk, “so track ended up winning.”

Track wasn’t the only thing he did while attending Sacred Heart. Throughout his high school career, besides burning up the track, he played soccer, football and ran cross country.

A big influence in Radden’s life was his uncle.

“He pretty much was the person who got me to this level right now,” he said. “I had made New England’s my senior year the same day as my graduation party and he told my mom that I was going to New England’s no matter what.”

That is the race where head coach Eric Blake decided to recruit him for CCSU. “If it wasn’t for my uncle I probably wouldn’t be in this situation I am in now.”

Former head coach George Kawecki and head coach Eric Blake were interested in bringing Radden’s speed to CCSU. “He [Blake] came and saw me run at New England’s for indoor and state opens for outdoor my senior year,” Radden said.

“My number one school actually was Southern and my number two was Central, but I called the Southern coach and he said I wasn’t good enough to run there. The same day I called Coach Blake and a few days later I had a huge packet in the mail and from

there on out it was Central.”

Eric Blake saw potential within Radden; potential the Southern coach overlooked.

He owned the 100 meter and 200 meter records for the high school which he broke his senior year. At New England’s his last year he placed second in the 100 and sixth in the 200.

He continued to break records as a freshman Blue Devil at CCSU. As a freshman, Radden was the top sprinter in the NEC, setting the school’s 200 meter record with a blistering time of 21.03 and placing first in the 60 and 200 meter races at the NEC championships.

During the 2009-2010 indoor season he was also awarded with NEC Rookie of the week.

His biggest awards were being named Most Valuable Performer, Outstanding Track Performer, and Outstanding Rookie Performer at the NEC championships last year.

After achieving these as a freshman, he will look to capture MVP and Outstanding Track performer again this weekend at NEC’s.

In outdoor his freshman year Radden suffered the first injury of his running career, which sidelined him for two weeks. He stretched his shoulder away from the joint which requires a few weeks to heal but he went back to running as soon as he could.

Despite missing a couple weeks he was still able to receive the honor of NEC athlete of the week and helped the Blue Devils get to third place at NECs, a program history best.

Last summer Radden went to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the USATF Junior Championships where he had another great performance. He made it to the finals and placed fourth in the 200 with a time of 21.36.

“He has come a long way in just one season with us,” said Blake. “Aaron proved he

was one of the top performers in the league in 2009-10, and now he proved he can be among the nation’s elite with his performance in the 200 in Iowa. We are proud of his accomplishments and look forward to great things from Aaron as a Blue Devil.”

It seems those “great things” have already come. So far this year he has broken the school record for the 60 meter dash with a 6.83 run and was a part of the Distance Medley Relay with Mike Waterbury, Jeremy Schmid, and Mohamed Hrezi, which broke the school record with a 9:56.67.

Radden’s 200 meter time of 21.41 is ranked twenty-sixth in the NCAA, and at the Albany Great Dane Invite at the Armory in New York City he won the 200 meters and set the meet record in that race.

Going into NECs, Radden has high expectations for the team. “We have so much talent this year compared to previous years.

We just need to get mentally there, not more dedicated, just more serious about it. As far as talent and potential on the team, we are heading in the right direction.”

While the goal is to get a team championship ring, Radden also has very big individual goals for himself.

“I’d like to be able to go to nationals and be a contender there, possibly top three and to become a stronger more powerful runner,” he said. “It’s always good to have individual achievement and, obviously, the better you do individually the better you do to help the team. That’s how I take my perspective from it, I’m going to do the best I can and hopefully everyone will tune in as a whole and when you look at it we’ll do pretty well.”

As a sophomore Radden has plenty of time to accomplish his individual goals, and a possible NEC Championship ring isn’t too far away from him and this talented Blue Devil team.

Ineligible Player Leads to Forfeiture of Hockey Wins briTTany burKe The recorder

The CCSU club hockey team has had to forfeit three of its wins during the second half of the season due to an ineligible player.

“It was just some paper work and a timeline thing with a roster freeze from the league, just administrative paper work, just one of those things, nobody’s fault on either end,” said Head Coach Ben Adams.

Andrew Coronna transferred to CCSU for the spring semester and began playing for the Blue Devils in January. It has recently come to the attention of the Coaching staff and American Collegiate Hockey Association that Coronna was an ineligible member of the Blue Devil team.

When Head Coach Ben Adams found out about Coronna’s possible ineligibility, he took it upon himself to go to the ACHA and notify them. In catching the mistake themselves the Blue Devils were able to avoid a more serious punishment.

“I was the person who called the league regarding the issue and followed their recommendations to proceed. I tried to head

off the issue before it was found by another team or the league in which the penalty would be much more severe, I lobbied for a personal suspension instead of forfeiture of games. The league denied my request and issued their ruling which you have heard,” said Adams in the same email.

While Adams was able to catch the ineligibility, Coronna had already played in six games, resulting in three losses and three wins. During this ranking period the Blue Devils were able to churn out wins against the second, fourth and sixth ranked teams.

However, the forfeiture will result in the ineligibility of those wins.

“I found out that we had a player who’s transfer registration went through and then credit hours were held pending medical records. The school which was supposed to send the report delayed and, in that process, the league froze the rosters. Once I found out about the delay/ lack of credit hours the player did not play another game, unfortunately he had played a couple of games,” said Adams in an e-mail to the hockey parents and team.

Coronna’s inability to play was said to stem from missing health forms between the

school and league which resulted in a roster freeze, unknown by the coaching staff.

The Blue Devils were ranked tenth in the division before the office controversy and were dropped down to thirteenth place as a result. CCSU will spend the last leg of the season fighting to get back into to the top ten in order to advance to post season.

“We finished thirteenth and we beat the eleven tonight and we have the one next week and if we take care of business we’re in the top ten and we’re still fighting for a road to nationals through regionals in Danbury and it’s a familiar place for us the last couple of years we’ve been in regionals and we’re playing hard; we’re playing well,” he said.

The Blue Devils got back on track by beating Western Connecticut State University this past weekend, which was ranked eleventh.

“I think the guys responded very well,” said Adams. “We have two games now remaining and a lot of people have said if we win we’re in [top 10] …it hurt us but I think that if we come to play the next two games, and we get in it’s just one of those adversity things that we learn from and we grow from and we won’t let it happen again.”

Blue Devils Will Not Participate in Hockey Fest briTTany burKe The recorder

The CCSU club hockey team has been forced to cancel its game against the UConn club team as part of the Hockey Fest on Feb. 19.

“We will not participate in the Whaler Fest, CCSU has released the game due to poor communication with the company that is running the Whaler Fest,” said Head Coach Ben Adams.

The 2011 Hockey Fest is the first of its kind and is set to make Connecticut hockey history. For two weeks in Feb. Whalers Sports and Entertainment, the management company of the American Hockey League’s CT Whale, is turning Rentschler Field, home of the UConn Huskies football team, into an outdoor hockey rink.

The Blue Devils were scheduled to play UConn in a non-regulation game following the CT Whale game against the Providence Bruins; however, miscommunication between

the teams and Whalers Sports has lead to the game’s cancellation.

To play on the outdoor rink the teams would have had to pay a rink rental fee upward of $7,000, an amount that the hockey team does not have in its budget.

“We have backed out of the outdoor game, the Whaler Bowl, Hockey Fest, whatever you want to call it and that’s kind of frustrating and again that’s because we don’t have the money,” said hockey club treasurer, Kevin Leaver. “It costs $7,000 per team apparently to play in the outdoor game, and along with management change in Whalers Sports, we weren’t able to buy our time slot.”

As a way to ease the cost, the teams were offered by Whalers Sports the opportunity to sell passes and tickets, which would eventually pay for the rental fee. However, a change in leadership amongst the Whalers Sports organization caused a lack of communication between the company and two teams.

“In December, the management company of the Whaler Fest had changed. Since that

change I have not been able to communicate with the new management team until this past week. They wanted $7000 for the ice slot with no ticket sales. They said we could have sold tickets to reduce the cost, however my argument has been that they did not give us the ability to sell the tickets with enough time to generate the amount of sold tickets they wanted,” said Adams.

As a result of the lack of communication, the teams were not given the opportunity to sell tickets to the student community. With no tickets and the lack of sufficient funding, the ice time could not be rented.

The Huskies were the first to pull out of the slot, followed by the CCSU Blue Devils.

The game was an additional game out of the ranking period, which means it will not be made up and will not affect the Blue Devils’ standing in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

“I am saddened by this, as this would be a great experience for the kids and a lot of fun for everyone involved. UConn did drop the game first.”

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / SPORTS

NEC Victory Increases Women’s Streak to Five Tom liljedahl The Recorder

Guard Alexzandria Dowdy scored 18 points and had six rebounds with three assists in the Blue Devils’ 57-49 victory against the Mount. kenny barto | the recorder

In a hard fought back and forth game, the CCSU women’s basketball team defeated Mount St. Mary’s 57-49 on Jan. 31, capturing a fifth consecutive win and improving their record to 13-7, 6-4 in the NEC. After a sluggish start where scoring was at a premium, the Blue Devils came to life towards the end of the first half. Alexzandria Dowdy, who had 18 points, six rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes, hit a three-pointer, cutting Mount St. Mary’s lead to 23-21.

After a key turnover by the CCSU defense, Jaleen Thomas nailed her only shot attempt of the night, a three, as time expired in the first half, drawing the score even at 24.

“We needed that big time going into halftime,” said coach Beryl Piper of the shot.

The shot seemed to revitalize the Blue Devils, as the team came out in the second half with a greater level of intensity, particularly at the defensive end.

“When we went into the locker room our coach told us we needed to get it together intensity wise and know that we’re doing our defense as a team and not separately, I think that’s what picked us up,” said Alexzandria Dowdy.

The tenacious Blue Devil defense held Mount St. Mary’s to a mere 27.8 field goal percentage in the second half, and just 49 points for the entire game.

“Again, you know, defense wins it for us.

Our defense does a lot for us,” said Piper.

Though defense may have won it for CCSU, knocking down shots at the offensive end also played a part in the victory.

Trailing 38-30 with 12 minutes to go, Leanne Crockett provided a spark, hitting two crucial threes to put CCSU up 39-38.

Dowdy then provided the dagger, swishing a three with two and a half minutes to play and opening up a 51-47 lead, which they never relinquished.

“I think we had better ball movement

in the second half,” said Piper. “We started to understand that we couldn’t just force it inside.”

The offense was not magnificent in the second half, but the team hit four timely three-pointers, and managed to get buckets when they needed them.

“It was a gutsy effort,” said Piper after the game.

Piper also admitted that the team had not come out ready to play at the start of the game, and were “lucky” to get a win.

Nonetheless, it is a fifth straight win for the Blue Devils, and CCSU sits a mere two games behind Robert Morris and St. Francis in the NEC, who happen to be the team’s next two opponents.

The Blue Devils play at Robert Morris on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m., and at St. Francis on Monday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m.

Follow Recorder Sports on Twitter @RecorderSports for breaking Game day news

Record-Setting Leanne Crockett Making Histor y christopher mclaughlin The Recorder

In the midst of a very successful season for CCSU women’s basketball, senior forward Leanne Crockett has been making history.

Crockett has been a huge part of the Blue Devils’ success this season, averaging 8.5 points per game and an NEC leading 9.1 rebounds. She has posted two double-doubles on the season, including a 20 point, 25 rebound performance over St. Peters. The 25 rebounds sets a CCSU women’s basketball single game record, breaking the previous record of 21 set back in 1987.

“We just came off a tough loss and we really wanted to make a statement,” said Crockett. “I really wanted to get a win and I guess that motivated me. They missed a lot of shots and Justina had a lot of tips, so I was able to get the rebounds.”

While she set the school record in rebounds, Crockett has also been closing in on other records.

In addition to being fourth all-time in blocks and sixth in rebounds, Crockett broke CCSU’s record and became the school’s leader in three pointers against Robert Morris over the weekend.

The record had previously been held by Vicki Guarneri, at 143 which she set in 1999. However, Crockett’s pair of threes set her career total to 144, giving her the newest record.

“I didn’t know I was so close until Coach [Beryl Piper] said something the other day. It’s exciting to accomplish something like that in my three years here.”

Although she is a senior, Crockett has only played for three seasons at CCSU. Before CCSU, she played for University of Maryland-Baltimore County. When she transferred she was forced to sit out a year. Even though she has missed a year, she has been steadily climbing the ranks of CCSU’s all-time greats.

“It’s a good feeling to be among all those players,” said Crockett “Coach has developed us well, and with the focus on defense has helped me a lot. It’s helped me get all those blocks and rebounds, and it’s a big reason why I’ve been able to do it in three years.”

With her ability to hit the three and still be a presence on the boards, Crockett often creates mismatches on the court. She plays the power forward position, but her range on offense makes her unique from other power forwards. Utilizing Crockett as a stretch forward has been crucial to the success of Coach Piper’s offense since she got here.

“When she came in the first year, you knew she would have a big impact,” said Piper. “She plays smart and doesn’t make many mistakes on the court. Physically she is so strong, and it’s a huge reason she can get a ton of rebounds. There aren’t many players who can take the ball from her. On offense she creates a lot of mismatches which are crucial. It always makes it tough, with her out there we usually have a mismatch somewhere.”

Crockett and the Blue Devils have played well this season at 13-7.

The team began conference play 0-3, but it has gone 6-1 since. Though the team is in sixth place, the Blue Devils have gotten themselves back in the title race with a five game win streak.

“This season has been awesome so far,” said Crockett. “We dug ourselves out of the hole and are really coming together as a team.

Last year we kind of underachieved, but this year we’re playing better, and riding a five game win streak, so I’m excited.”

In her final season, Crockett is looking forward to getting back to the NEC tournament. The Blue Devils were eliminated in the second round last year, and both Crockett and her team expect more

Leanne Crockett taking one of her many three pointers this season. Crockett broke the record, making her 144th kenny barto | the recorder 3-pointer against Robert Morris. this year.

“I would love to get the championship this year. It was

frustrating when we lost last year.

We played well last year, and we were right there, but it wasn’t

enough. At the end of the day, the NEC Championship is what it’s all about.”

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 9, 2011 / SPORTS

CCSU Hoc key Beats In-State Rivals

Evan Mink (center) scored two goals against the WCSU Colonials helping CCSU to the 4-3 victory.

Brittany burke The Recorder

It was a clash of two state schools as the Blue Devils club hockey team took on the Western Connecticut State University Colonials over the weekend, leading to a 4-3 victory for CCSU. In a rivalry match following a losing weekend at Florida Gulf Coast University, the Colonials didn’t hold back, and the Blue Devils worked hard to ensure the much needed win.

The WCSU Colonials have a history and reputation for being a chippy team, and as the athletes took to the ice it was apparent that the third match up of the season for the two teams wasn’t going to be any different.

“They’re really chippy and those games are sometimes fun, but not when we need wins. I played some of those guys in high

school and it really is that beef we still have together and it’s never going to die,” said Evan Mink.

Prior to the win for CCSU, the Blue Devils and the Colonials had split, with CCSU taking the first game and WCSU the second, both on WCSU’s home ice in Danbury.

Two goals made by Mink late in the first and early in the second gave CCSU the quick two goal advantage over the Colonials.

“I think he had one of the best games he’s had in a long time.

He had some great shifts not just offensively but defensively tracking down pucks, back checking hard even playing the body and the two goals for him were just icing on the cake,” said Head Coach Ben Adams. “We were trying to get him the third toward the end but he just didn’t get that lucky tonight but he just threw pucks at the net and they went in.”

WCSU’s chippiness was the

downfall in their loss as the Blue Devils managed to capitalize on more than one of its power play opportunities.

With a Colonial serving time in the box, Mink was able to net the first goal of the night with less than six minutes to play in the period.

Mink took a backhanded shot and struck again with the assist from Jon Knobloch with 13:16 to play in the second. The second shot came when CCSU’s Zack Vidmosko was serving a two minute penalty for hitting from behind.

CCSU strived on the power play and penalty kills, uncovering the Colonial’s weakness. Playing well in the attacking zone, CCSU came out with the second power play goal of the game and third unanswered shot, made by Knobloch from Tom Carroll.

“We played a great game, switched up the lines a little bit and a rookie on my line, [Dan] Vasquez

kenny barto | the recorder

had a great game; [Evan] Mink had a great game,” said Knobloch.

“We just worked hard and the other lines did the same thing just went out there; tried our best and it paid off.”

WCSU goalie allowed for a fourth and final CCSU goal, made

by Eric Blewett to get past him early in the last period.

As Blewett took the shot from Matt Siracusa and Ryan Stanley, the puck sailed past the net minder and between the pipes, resulting in a goal that the goaltender wishes he could get back.

Despite the three goal lead, WCSU refused to finish without a fight. A quick power play goal at 5:08 and another with the man advantage led to the Colonial’s cutting down the Blue Devils’ lead to one with time still remaining.

“I thought they played well.

Definitely gave them a little too many chances off of loose pucks,

but I think, all in all, we played pretty hard, generated a lot of offense and unfortunately I don’t think the score shows just how lopsided I think the game really was,” said Adams.

The Blue Devils hung on in the final minute to take the win, but that didn’t stop the frustrations from running high on both squads.

WCSU’s Michael Espejo broke his stick out of anger for a two minute elbowing call while Knobloch was given a two minute minor for high sticking and a 10 minute misconduct, which led to the Colonials’ final goal of the game.

CCSU plays its final home game next Saturday against NYU following an away game against inner league rival Siena on Friday.

“They’re [Siena] a strong team,” said Mink. “I say they’re a defense first hockey, rolling out three lines so we’re all just going to have to play good. If we win there’s no tomorrow, so we all know that now.”

Track Teams Excel Going Into NEC Championships Nick Rosa

The Recorder

Indoor track and field championships are already here and a young CCSU team looks very confident going into NECs. The CCSU track and field teams this year both look to improve upon last year’s finish at NECs, in which the men placed fifth and the women placed twelfth.

Going into NECs this year the men are currently ranked fourth, while the women are ranked eleventh.

So far this season the men have proven to be a talented team, and possibly the most skilled the school has ever seen.

“Potentially the strongest and deepest team so far but, both teams need to improve off of last year to

say that they are a better team,” Coach Eric Blake said. “If we keep improving, we’ll eventually end up in the right direction. It’s really a matter of going out and doing it.”

Blake strongly believes in his young team, especially this year where eight athletes from the men’s team broke school records and qualified for IC4A’s.

School records were broken

by Rashad Williams in the shot, who threw 54-feet-10.25-inches, Mohamed Hrezi in the 1,000 meter run with a time of 2:25.52 and Sam Alexander in the 3K with a final of 8:33.78.

Matt Berube set the school record in the heptathlon with 4,514 points and Aaron Radden ran the 60 meter dash in 6.83.

Jeremy Schmid, Radden,

Mike Waterbury and Hrezi set the school record in the distance medley relay with a time of 9:56.67 this past weekend at Yale. This was the second time the record was set this season. Hrezi also set the new school record in the 800 this past weekend with a time of 1:51.69.

As of now, the high jump record is 6-feet-9.75-inches and Blake said he has three high jumpers who have the potential to break this record by the end of the indoor season. Matt Berube, Nick Trifone, and Denzell Jones have a shot at the school record and to qualify for IC4As. Many other athletes have made the standards for the IC4As this season, as well. The Blue Devils will have the distance medley and 4 x 800 meter relays, Hrezi will compete in the 1,000

and Radden will run in the 60 and 200 meter dashes. Other qualifiers include the team’s high jumpers, as well as Schmid, Hrezi and Waterbury in the 800.

The team also has many athletes who qualified for the New England Championships.

This year CCSU has only been to two scoring meets; the rest were all non-scoring. At the Boston Indoor Games the men placed third and the women placed tenth. At the Albany Great Dane Invite the men placed fifth and the women placed fifteenth.

Two athletes were also awarded NEC honors. Radden was named NEC athlete of the week twice this indoor season, one of which was a Co-NEC athlete of the week award. Denzell Jones received NEC rookie of

the week for the first time for his performance in the high jump.

Radden’s 21.41 time in the 200 and 6.83 in the 60 this season are top marks among all NEC athletes.

His 200 time is twenty-sixth best in the NCAA this season. He is also the reigning NEC champion in both events and looks to win the pair once again.

Alexander is ranked third in the 3K for the NEC while the 4 x 800 and distance medley relays are ranked first.

Hrezi, Schmid, and Waterbury are also ranked in the NEC for their times in the 800. Hrezi is second, Schmid is third, and Waterbury is fourth.

The men and women are both competing this weekend at the NEC championships in Landover, Maryland.