Vol 107 Issue 23

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 107 No. 23

CSUS Approves Tuition Hike

Extra 2.5 Percent Increase for Students Using Credit Cards

Miller: CCSU Least Expensive Four-Year Institution in State

MATT ClYBURn

kASSondRA gRAnATA

The Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees approved a 2.5 percent increase in tuition and fees for more than 36,000 students last Thursday, along with a new credit card transaction fee that will impose an additional 2.5 percent for student using a card to pay their bill.

The credit card transaction fee was a last-minute addition to the board’s proposed changes and aligns to similar fees charged at other local institutions of higher education, including UConn.

According to the Hartford Courant, officials estimated that nearly 40 percent of CSUS students use credit cards for payment, in whole or in part.

Students also have the option to enroll in the CENTRAL Payment Plan for a $35 fee, which allows payers to divide the cost of attendance into five equal monthly payments.

It is unclear whether students using credit card-branded debit cards would be charged the fee, but students may use an ‘e-check’ to have payment drawn electronically from any bank account. CCSU students may also use a personal check, money order, cashier’s check or a Blue Chip debit account to make payment of tuition and fees.

A press release from the CSUS said that the increase is the smallest since 2000, but follows a vote by the board in September 2010 that indicated tuition would be frozen for next year.

“It is important that CSUS maintain the accessibility and affordability of its universities to the greatest extent possible,” said Angelo Messina, chairman of the Finance and Administration Committee, in September.

“Our students and potential students are among those that are most affected by the prolonged economic downturn.”

Tuition and fees will increase by an average of $198 for in-state undergraduate commuters and $446 for in-state undergraduates that living on campus, according to a press release from the system. Exact rates will vary based on university, course schedule and additional program requirements.

Another change approved by the board Thursday will add a lab fee for nursing students to provide required materials during non-lecture course sessions.

Board Vice Chairman Richard J. Balducci echoed Governor Dannel Malloy’s recent call for shared sacrifice and said that cost-cutting measures are being implemented across the system to keep the tuition increase at 2.5 percent.

The governor asked Connecticut public universities and colleges earlier this year not to raise tuition by more than the level of inflation. Since the request, state officials

A day before the Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees passed a 2.5 percent tuition increase for all four CSUS schools, President Jack Miller spoke to the CCSU Student Government Association about the hike, making sure the senate understood that CCSU is still one of the least expensive schools in the region.

“At Central we are the least expensive four-year institution in the state,” said Miller.

“Our tuition and fees and our overall cost are the least.”

Miller stressed the fact that CCSU will remain the least expensive state school despite the cut.

“For a commuting student here it’s $500 less than for a commuting student at Eastern,” said Miller. “If you are living on campus compared to Southern, it will be $600 less, with Western $700 less, Eastern $700 less and UConn $2500 less.”

The 2.5 percent increase that proposed by the CSUS Finance and Administration Committee of the Board of Trustees at all four State universities is the smallest one-year increase since 2000.

The Recorder

TUiTion | ConT. on 3

The Recorder

MillER | ConT. on 3

President Jack Miller shows just how small he said the tuition hike is.

kEnnY BARTo i ThE RECoRdER

Bergenn Disappointed at Unopposed SGA Presidential Run kASSondRA gRAnATA The Recorder

Senator Eric Bergenn is the only presidential candidate in this month’s Student Government Association election and he isn’t too thrilled about it.

“To be honest, I was really looking forward to running against somebody,” said Bergenn. “I put a lot of work into the idea of campaigning.

It’s a little disappointing.”

Bergenn ran for the position of interim president in February after former President Matt Vekakis resigned, but lost the special election to Jamie Canny.

“During the nomination of interim president back in February, I put it out back there and it was already a goal of mine.” Bergenn said of his decision to run.

Bergenn is disappointed that no one stepped up to take him on in the 2011 presidential race.

Sen. Eric Bergenn finds it ‘disappointing’ that he is running for SGA president unopposed. kEnnY BARTo i ThE RECoRdER

“Although I do have a lot of support, no one is going to feel like they got their guy in there verses the other guy,” Bergenn said. “I was looking forward to running a race because I had a lot more faith that I would be the favorite in the election by the entire student body.”

Bergenn, who has always enjoyed being influenced by members of the student body, is currently the chair of the Student Life Committee. It’s the committee’s job to go out and obtain feedback from the student body and make sure that the SGA acts accordingly to their wishes.

“I heard a lot of complaints about SGA being closed and no one knows what they do,” Bergenn said. “I’ve even heard responses to the questions ‘What does SGA do?’ and the answer was ‘I don’t know, take my money and do whatever BERgEnn | ConT. on 3

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NEWS

THE RECORDER Wednesday, April 13, 2011

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Braun, Dawson-Head Vie for Vice Presidency

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Sara m. berry The Recorder

SGA Interim Vice President Elizabeth Braun is looking to get rid of the interim status currently sitting before her title.

Braun has served as a senator since the fall of 2009. She first became involved in the SGA after serving as an orientation leader.

Through this experience, she met and became friends with other orientation leaders who were involved in the SGA. She saw that by getting involved in the SGA, she could have her voice heard rather than simply complain about what was wrong on campus.

Braun’s favorite part of the SGA comes in her opportunity to advocate for others. As a member of the finance committee and the student life committee, she is able to interact with students and speak on their behalf. Through finance committee she is able to speak on behalf of clubs and try to get them the funding they need. As a member of the student life committee, she is able to interact with students and give voice to their opinions.

While serving as interim vice president, Braun says she has worked on the club liasion program. A major part of the SGA is determining club budgets and Braun feels that the SGA cannot accurately and fairly distribute money to clubs that they do not know about. In that spirit she has urged SGA senators to meet with club e-boards so that clubs can show the SGA what they are about and how they can use the money given to them.

One of Braun’s major goals is to make the SGA more productive.

“There tends to be a lot of unproductive debate,” Braun admits.

She wants to create an atmosphere where the SGA can accomplish things that make a difference to students.

While one of the major functions of the SGA is to determine club budgets, Braun would like to “limit

finance discussions to the finance committee,” so that the SGA can move their focus to other things.

“We received budgets from 74 different clubs, all of them with at least ten documented active members,” said Braun.

She also notes the turnout at SGA-sponsored events and activities.

“Students may not be directly involved in SGA, but they are involved in the clubs that SGA funds,” said Braun.

Braun also wants students to know that they can make a difference. Few people know that they are welcome to attend SGA meetings to voice their opinions, or that there are student spots on administrative bodies such as Faculty Senate. “I would like to see senators take some of those spots,” she said.

Recently the SGA has begun holding coffee talks, where SGA members go out across campus with coffee and donuts for students.

In return, students are asked for their opinions and concerns, and those issues are then taken back to the SGA. Braun says that these talks are one of her favorite parts of her job.

One of her goals is to make students aware of these opportunities and to see more students get involved. Braun would like to be a mentor to the senators in the same way that previous SGA members have been mentors to her.

“If I can get senators to be more productive, it will be like a hierarchy of influence,” said Braun.

Braun hopes to be able to influence senators to reach out to students and then they can impact what goes on in the SGA and on campus.

SGA Elections Vote for president, vice president, treasurer and the rest of the senate on April 19 and 20 online at Collegiate Link or in the Student Center lobby.

Skyler Magnoli The Recorder

Erika Dawson-Head, the selfproclaimed “underdog” in this year’s Student Government Association elections for vice president, wants to use the prospective position to advocate diversity and represent the student body.

Dawson-Head has a lot on her plate. She is raising a family, is a member of multiple clubs around campus, dual majoring in sociology and political science and is now in the race for SGA vice president.

Dawson-Head’s goal is simple: she wants to make CCSU a better place for the students. She wants to create an atmosphere on campus that fosters diversity and promotes what the student body and clubs organizations want.

“I am running for vice president because I need to advocate for students and because I need to make things happen,” said Dawson-Head.

“I’m not running for vice president for me, I am running for all the clubs out there and for all the students.”

Dawson-Head first joined the SGA two years ago through her involvement with clubs and other organizations around campus. She was attracted to the senate because she wanted to help clubs and organizations meet their goals.

“I really enjoy when I see a program come off and I know I had a hand in making that happen,” said Dawson-Head.

She uses her current senator position at the SGA to help students with their organizations so they can be heard within the senate and around campus.

Dawson-Head is the mom of a mildly autistic son and has been advocating for autism for the past three years. She wants to use this experience and start advocating for students and diversity around campus.

“I have been on senate for two years, I have also been on finance committee for two years. I have

talked to groups and been totally involved around campus” said Dawson-Head.

When it comes to club organizations Dawson-Head has a vast level of experience. She is a member of multiple clubs, along with the SGA, and she has also helped create the SGA Economic Sustainability Committee where they’re trying to start programs to help raise enough funds for the SGA to be able to eventually operate on its own. Outside of CCSU she has held managerial positions at companies and was Parent Teacher Association president at her sons’ school.

If elected, Dawson-Head would like to make some internal changes to the SGA. “One of things that I think that can make our senate better than it already is that if we made the vice presidential position where we are more assertive in allowing people to voice their opinions,” said DawsonHead.

She wants to have fairer unbiased voting when it comes to voting for a club’s budget by asserting equality.

Outside of the SGA DawsonHead would like to create a new committee geared towards on campus programs that would be something separate from the Central Activities Network that would give money to students who would want to create on campus programs.

“Try to create a programming board with a set amount of money where you have funds that are allocated to on campus events,” said Dawson-Head.

She wants students to have resources to plan and create what they want CCSU to be. DawsonHead also recognize some leading issues that affect CCSU students, such as students not graduating CCSU in four years, the high cost of living and attending CCSU, and the limited parking around campus. She hopes by addressing these issues students will become more involved in on campus events.

Dawson-Head says she is hoping for the best during elections and says that it would be an honor to be elected by her peers.

Although she wants the students of CCSU to be fairly represent in SGA meetings and says she wishes the best for everyone who is in running for a position.

“Being vice president personally means to me that I would have a chance to make things better for students at CCSU,” said DawsonHead.

Reenactments, Old Time Baseball Game Highlight Civil War Commemoration SARA M. BERRY The Recorder

The CCSU campus and nearby Stanley Quarter Park will be the site of Connecticut’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Beginning on April 12 and continuing through April 17 a number of events will take place to remind us of the impact Connecticut had in our nation’s civil war.

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861 with the first shot fired at Fort Sumter. By the time the war ended four years later, 55,000 Connecticut men had served and 5,354 of them had died. They assembled within days and fought in all of the war’s major battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg.

CCSU history professor Matthew Warshauer is the cochairman of the Commemoration Commission. The idea for

the events came out of a class Warshauer was teaching several years ago, where students worked on research projects surrounding Connecticut’s role in the Civil War. The event has been in the planning process since 2008.

Warshauer calls the Commemoration a “living history lesson.” Planned events include Civil War reenactments, lectures, exhibits and an old-fashioned baseball game. The goal of the commemoration is “That the generations might know them,” a quote from a Connecticut Civil War monument located in Northfield, Conn. There are over 130 other similar monuments throughout the state.

What current generations do not know about the Civil War is the role that Connecticut played in it and how divided of a state it was.

Most people think of the Civil War as a division between “good north and bad south,” Warshauer

said. What people don’t know is that good and bad existed on both sides. While Connecticut was a pro-union free state, it was also very prejudiced and antiblack.

The Commemoration is just that - a commemoration and not a celebration, Warshauer stresses.

“We don’t want to celebrate war,” he said, rather the intent is to remember what it was.

Warshauer also notes that by looking at the past we can draw some parallels to the present.

Both now and 150 years ago our nation has faced serious problems. However, back then people were active. 47 percent of Connecticut men between the ages of 15 and 50 volunteered to go to war while the women were instrumental in sending supplies to the troops. Manufacturing companies like Colt sent arms and ammunition to the troops. Today

Courtesy of Matthew Warshauer. there is only 50 percent of eligible voters participating in any given election.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / NEWS

With Marijuana Legislation on the Table, CCSU NORML Plans Second 4/20 Event nick rosa

The Recorder

With Governor Dannel Malloy backing bills for marijuana reform in Connecticut and April 20 (4/20) right around the corner, there is much to talk about.

Ever since the bill to allow medical marijuana in Connecticut was introduced in 2007 by the state legislature, it has been in and out of discussion. The 2007 bill to legalize medical marijuana was passed by the legislature, but former Governor Jodi Rell vetoed it.

Another bill has been proposed

by Malloy to go along with the previously proposed medical marijuana bill. This new bill, the decriminalization bill, would reduce penalties for people who have less than an ounce of marijuana.

They would be charged with an infraction, equivalent to a parking ticket, and would be charged with a $100 fine.

“I think the bills are good, for one thing it’s a step in the right direction. People will realize marijuana isn’t really that bad, it’s been relatively hyped up by the government and people in power per se. Decriminalization hopefully will get rid of imprisoning nonviolent offenders,” said Larry Vitko, president of the CCSU chapter of the National Organization for Reforming Marijuana Laws.

Vitko also said he is against the medical bill because of certain fallacies in the debate, but overall supports it as a step in the right direction for legalization.

The medical marijuana bill would require patients to register with the Department of Consumer Protection and also have their physician certify that there is a medical need for marijuana. Another

proposal would allow patients to grow their own marijuana for medical use since no dispensaries will be placed in Connecticut.

If Connecticut passes the bill for medical marijuana it will become the sixteenth state to allow it, and if the decriminalization bill passes Connecticut will be the fourteenth state to have marijuana decriminalized.

The new decriminalization bill would work with Malloy’s efforts to reduce Connecticut’s prison population, which will help save the state millions of dollars. A report in 2009 by the Capitol’s Office of Fiscal Analysis said that there were 9,928 marijuana arrests in 2007. A third of those arrests were of possession of less than an ounce.

According to the report, the decriminalization bill could help the state save up to $11 million and generate $320,000 annually in revenue from fines.

At a hearing earlier in March, Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney said, “Our state should not encourage illegal drug possession and use; however, possession of small amounts of illicit substances and related paraphernalia for personal use should not leave a person with a life-long criminal record.”

Malloy and Looney both agree that incarcerating small time offenders isn’t good for Connecticut and marijuana prohibition isn’t working.

With April 20 right around the corner and the new legislature still up in the air, Vitko and the other members of CCSU’s NORML chapter are putting together a daylong event in the student center circle on campus as a follow-up to last year’s event.

“This is our headline event, the 4/20 event, and last time I checked we have eight bands coming to play from 12 to 8 p.m.,” said Vitko.

“During the event we will be handing out different educational pamphlets and different things to raise awareness about marijuana and try to educate the public on this issue. Most people don’t know really know all the facts, to be fair it’s kind of hard to know all the facts since we have been shielded from them our whole lives.”

The music festival, which has CCSU NORML working with booking group The Arc Argency, will feature local bands and others from the northeast including (The) Tony Castles, Jacobi Wichita and Deadhorse. Before next week’s event Vitko is getting advertisement ready and trying to get some radio time to get the message across. The event will be have marijuana awareness to help the young voters realize what these bills are and what they will do for Connecticut.

“There’s going to be education, fundraising, a little bit of everything,” Vitko said. “I expect some decent turnout no matter what and last year there was a phenomenal turnout but I hope this year will be better.”

NORML wanted to do something different this year to get awareness out there, so Vitko did just that.

“The big difference is the bands because the Central radio station played last year and we didn’t really agree with it, they really didn’t play our requests, they just kind of played their own music and wasn’t really music you’d play on 4/20, so we’re just going to play some bands and should bring in a bigger crowd,” said Vitko.

Miller Talks Tuition

TUITION | Cont. from 1 have pegged the rate of inflation at 2.5 percent and the University of Connecticut trustees voted a tuition increase at precisely that rate just a few weeks ago.

The system-wide tuition increase last year was 6.3 percent for in-state undergraduate commuters and 5.6 percent for in-state undergraduate campus

MILLER | Cont. from 1 “If you are a commuter you’ll either be $50 less, $200 less or $500 less depending upon whether you are talking about Western, Southern or Eastern,” Miller said.

Miller hopes that the senate will send his input along to fellow students that might have questions concerning the tuition increase topic.

“You’ll get questions from people,” Miller said. “I’d like you to be able to have the information to give to these students.”

Miller encouraged the senate that regardless of the tuition increase, CCSU will still remain to be a great institution.

“While 2.5 percent is an increase and I think in these times it’s tough to justify any increase because everyone’s struggling,” Miller said.

“I think that holding it down to 2.5 percent and making sure we still remain to be the best value in terms of access is an important thing for everyone to remember.”

Bergenn: Key is to Get More Students Interested BERGENN | Cont. from 1 they want with it.’”

This discouraged Bergenn and helped him in setting his goals of what he wants to achieve as president.

“I feel like we need to be a lot more open to campus and people need to feel that the senate and SGA belongs to them, because it does,” said Bergenn.

Bergenn says that the SGA is currently doing a great job in keeping the students in mind and representing the student body.

“We’re really focused on what needs to be changed around the campus and representing the students on a bigger level while trying to enable all the different clubs to be able to do whatever they want as long as it’s in the guidelines of the school policy,” said Bergenn.

What Bergenn would like to see is better collaboration between the SGA and groups on campus such as the Central Activities Network, the Inter-Residence Council and the Student Union Board of Governors.

“I think that more collaboration

with these other organizations could potentially provide more benefit to the campus community,” said Bergenn. “This collaboration could also create a better network of student leaders on campus that could lead to a stronger student voice on campus, and in turn a stronger campus community with more CCSU pride.”

Bergenn said it will be key to get more students interested and involved with the student government for change to happen and that a motivated SGA can achieve that.

“If we get a group of people who are more enthusiastic about it then we’ll have more people running for positions meaning more competition, meaning better campaigners in positions,” said Bergenn. “Competitions lead to good things. It’s all about tradition, that’s where it starts.”

Elections for president, vice president, treasurer and the rest of the senate will be held on April 19 and 20 in the student center lobby and online.

Administration Faced With 2012 Commencement Location Decision Kassondra Granata The Recorder

Smallest CSUS Tuition Hike Since 2000 residents.

“Currently, the cost of tuition and fees falls about midway compared with public universities in the Northeast, and is the lowest when compared with 11 competitor universities in the region which CSUS students had considered attending,” the CSUS statement said.

Photo | facebook.com/deadhorse

Deadhorse is one of the local bands playing at NORML’s 4/20 event.

New Tuition Comparison:

Commuters: CCSU: $8,055 ECSU: $8,555 SCSU: $8,248 WCSU: $8,104 Residents: CCSU: $17,869 ECSU: $18,894 SCSU: $18,479 WCSU: $18,443

While 2011 commencement ceremonies are all set for the usual XL Center setting and first Saturday after finals date, administration has been met with a problem for next year’s ceremonies.

President Jack Miller, Student Affairs Vice President Laura Tordenti and Provost Carl Lovitt were on hand at the Student Government Association’s meeting Wednesday to let the senate know that the XL Center in Hartford is not available for next year’s commencement ceremonies at its usual date and that a decision for other plans must be made soon.

With exams ending on Friday, May 11 next year the goal was to hold the ceremony that next day. Putting a potential squash on continuing the use of the traditional XL Center was the announcement that the venue would not be available that day or the following Saturday, May 19.

Nicholas Pettinico, associate vice president of institutional advancement and university marshall, said that the XL Center, formerly the Hartford Civic Center, has been the site of commencement ceremonies for “a long time,” likely since the early 1990s.

Lovitt opened up a handful of options to the consideration of the senate.

One of the possibilities was to hold the ceremonies on a weekday between being Tuesday, May 15 and Friday, May 18 or Monday, May 21 at the available XL Center.

The second alternative was to change locations and bring commencement to the Connecticut Convention Center on Saturday, May 19. It was noted that limited seating and guests would be a drawback to using the convention center. The XL Center would be a more spacious venue and has an unlimited amount of guests.

“To our knowledge the XL Center is the only facility that is

able to accommodate an unlimited number of guests for the number of graduates that we have,” said Lovitt.

The final possibility would be to keep the ceremony at home by holding the event on campus inside either Kaiser Hall Gymnasium or Welte Auditorium. That option would lead to the breaking up of the event into more than one ceremony to accommodate the small size of the venues.

Both Sen. Ashley Foy and Sen. Erika Dawson-Head agreed with having the ceremony on campus.

“I really like the on-campus option,” said Dawson-Head. “It makes it more personal and I think that sometimes when you’re in the huge XL Center and you have all these students around you, it would be so nice to have a smaller, more intimate setting where students can actually feel part of the team that is there.”

The senate questioned whether Kaiser or Welte would be more suitable to hold the ceremony.

“I feel like a lot of people have friends in other schools and just to graduate with them is meaningful to people,” said Interim Vice President Elizabeth Braun, who said that the option of holding commencement on a weekday at the XL Center was the best.

Sen. Heidy Sanchez agreed with Braun.

“XL Center is a good option only for the sake of tradition,” said Sanchez. “I know students whose parents and family members went here and they just want to walk the same venue.”

Much of the senate agreed that the weekday XL Center option was the best.

“I completely agree with the Friday night, the XL Center,” said Interim President Jamie Canny. “I think that it is a fantastic option even though it’s not a Saturday. As long as it’s at night and work is not an issue for parents taking it off then I think that it is fine.”

No timetable for a decision was given by administration.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / NEWS

Gen Ed Ad Hoc Committee Compares Academic Probation Class One Program to Other Schools Option For Struggling Students justin muszynski The Recorder

In the midst of a possible general education reform, the Central Connecticut State University Faculty Senate General Education Ad Hoc Committee is now looking at the curriculum of other universities to get an idea of which systems work most efficiently.

Their goal is to see what’s out there and what works best, but to keep the curriculum unique to the campus and students of CCSU. “We’ve looked at a lot of different models but we have to remember that we’re not other schools,” says Thomas Burkholder, associate professor of chemistry. “General education has to be a product of the faculty and the students you have in order to make it unique to us.”

The committee is still in the informationgathering phase, but Burkholder said a draft of any proposed changes to the system should be completed by the fall semester. They hope that those approved by the spring 2012 semester will take effect in the new course catalog beginning in the fall of 2013.

As far as the committee’s opinion on what changes should happen to the current general education system, Burkholder said they are trying to remain neutral for the purpose of gathering as much unbiased input as possible from faculty and staff. They are planning on sending out a survey to faculty within the next few weeks that would ask them to rank certain aspects of the current system and to express what they like and what they don’t like. As far as student input, they have several ideas on how to get them involved.

While they are pleased with the turn out of the open meetings they hosted in Founder’s Hall, they say it could have been better. One

idea they have would be to host small focus groups that would consist of students and faculty collectively expressing their views and concerns.

They are also in the process of expanding their website in order to allow more places for feedback and opinions about the committee’s ideas. Another thing they are considering is to use Facebook as a tool to gather student input.

Burkholder also warns that any suggestions made should keep in mind the budget deficit that the state is currently facing.

“Any suggestions we come up with should be revenue neutral,” Burkholder said. “Having said that, we can still reorder priorities.”

Burkholder also said the state of Connecticut regulates the minimum amount of credits that have to be a part of general education for a university, and that number is 43. Any new system would have to stay consistent with those state regulations.

Any proposed changes would also have to be approved by the curriculum committee, the Faculty Senate and CCSU President Jack Miller before taking effect. Burkholder said that the committee believes the university would most likely stick with the current general education system they use now should their proposal not make it through the approval process.

A recent survey distributed to 230 faculty members about CCSU’s general education program found that of the 230 members surveyed, 61.3 percent either agree or strongly agree that the program should be redesigned.

The current system was put in place in 1998 and requires a minimum of 44 to 46 credits in general education studies, not including the foreign language department, and has four study areas and four skill areas.

‘Take Back the Night’ Unites Survivors and Supporters max kyburz The Recorder

For over 35 years, survivors of rape, sexual and domestic violence and their supporters have stood side by side for Take Back the Night, a special event dedicated to making those who have endured such abuse to feel like they are not alone and to instill hope in a brighter future.

Last Wednesday, it was time once again for CCSU students to Take Back the Night.

In a dimly lit, closed off section of Semesters, a large congregation of students, faculty, friends, family and other visitors came together. The evening provided a platform for both men and women to listen and share, as well as feel unafraid. Though a great deal of violence had been inflicted over the course of many years, there was never a resolved notion to retaliate violently (though it is felt that victimizers deserve it). Rather, the attendees channeled their violent aggression and outrage into camaraderie. The main focus of the evening, it seems, was to never classify oneself as a “victim,” which would exert a defeatist attitude.

Posters featuring celebrities like Oprah Winfrey adorned the walls, proclaiming “I Am A Survivor of Sexual Assault.” Also on the walls were quilts put together featuring supportive slogans, made specifically for the annual event. At the event’s entrance sat signs for attendees and participants to grab, with slogans ranging from “I Am A Survivor” to “I Am A Family Member of a Survivor.” From the get-go, it was clear that the evening was far from exclusive.

Donna Chambers, a student of CCSU and survivor of marital domestic abuse, began the evening with a soulful rendition of Diana Ross’ “Reach Out & Touch.” Soon after the testimonials were under way. Preconceptions be damned, the statements did not only come from women, but men as well. Phil, a UConn student, asked for the involvement of men in support groups against sexual violence, as the issue pertains just as much, if not more, to men as women. Phil noted that nearly three million men nationwide have admitted to being sexually abused.

The CCSU police took the stage next, assuring attendees that their safety is their highest priority. They went on to remind them

that they are always there to talk to whenever needed.

“It takes a lot of courage to be here,” they said. “You should all be applauded.”

After the campus officers exited stage, the floor was opened up to those who felt enough courage to speak. After some hesitation, the first student took the stage: a sophomore named Amanda. A theatre major and a dancer, Amanda shared her story of an abusive encounter with a former babysitter. Still, she didn’t allow that experience to get in her way of overcoming.

“I am a hero tonight,” Amanda said. “We are all heroes.”

Krystal Rich, who gained attention after being assaulted by former CCSU professor and chief diversity officer Moises Salinas, came forth to share her feelings on the whole matter. Swore she, “I’d never let anyone hurt me again,” and she constantly wished to hear the words “It wasn’t your fault.” She rightly proclaimed that it doesn’t matter what you wear, “nobody has the right to touch you for any reason. It’s the climate that needs to be changed.”

Some, however, were not as able to share.

Upon approaching the microphone, one young man broke down and took a while before he finally admitted those immortal words: “I am a survivor.” He didn’t say much else, but as someone later noted, it takes a lot of courage to say just that.

While many young people were newcomers to the annual event, some participants were veterans. Jennifer joined the event for the 10th time, sharing her sordid history of abuse and the alcoholism that followed. Despite all that she painfully endured, Jennifer stands beside her husband, another sexual assault survivor, as defenders against victimizers.

“I am not, nor will I ever be, a victim again,” Jennifer asserted.

Preceding and following Jennifer’s powerful testimony, countless others came forth and gave their sorrowful but ultimately inspirational stories. It was a night that gave power to those who felt powerless, whether they be former victims or bystanders who assume little control over the state of sexual violence. For a night that dealt with an issue that inflicts in most the desire to die, the evening inspired a greater will to persevere and live.

Sara m. berry The Recorder

Most college students are familiar with the idea that if they don’t do at least a minimum amount of work, they will be in danger of flunking out of school. But few people realize that those in danger of flunking out at CCSU have some options.

In order to graduate from CCSU, students must have a 2.0 grade point average equivalent to a C average. However, certain departments within the university have higher requirements for their majors, including the 2.5 needed in business and 2.7 needed in teacher education programs.

The Academic Standards Committee changed the academic probation policy starting in the fall of 2009. This semester there are approximately 600 students on academic probation, 350 of them having been placed on probation at the end of their first semester at CCSU. Under the previous policy there was a sliding scale that determined what GPA students had to maintain in order to stay enrolled at CCSU. Students had to have a certain GPA based on how many credits they had attempted. Students were expected to have a 2.0 GPA by the time they had attempted 70 credits. If they fell short of that goal, they would be placed on academic probation or informed that they had been dismissed. Under the new policy, students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 throughout their time at CCSU. Students who do not maintain that GPA receive a letter telling them that they have been placed on academic probation at the end of the first semester that their GPA has gone below the required 2.0. They are also required to participate in some sort of academic intervention. Students have several options for interventions.

Under the new policy, those students that are placed on academic probation after their first semester at CCSU are required to take either sign up with an academic coach to develop a personal program and strategy or take either the reading efficiency class or the master student class.

“We want more students to graduate. We want more students to succeed. That is why we put resources into supporting students as early as we can,” said Meg Leake, director of the Learning Center and teacher of the master student class. “And so the bulk of our resources right now for academic support from the probation policy is geared toward those students at the very beginning of their careers. But there are all sorts of other supports available.”

The master student class, which has been a class at CCSU since 1989 in different forms, is a one-credit pass or fail course that helps students develop study skills that they can use in their other classes. It began a class primarily taken by first semester students looking to

acquire skills to help them succeed in college from the beginning. In the 1990’s it was also used by the center for student athletes to help their students. However, it has now evolved into a class designed to help struggling students.

“Some students come to get help kicking and screaming,” said Leake, and if asked why they are in the class will say, “’Well, I don’t really need it, but I need to do this so that if my grades aren’t strong enough at the end I’ll be able to appeal.’”

“I think it is a good idea but it depends on the circumstances,” said CCSU student Holly McMahon. “If a student has a low GPA because they are not managing their time well and studying in productive ways, then they should definitely take the class. But there are other reasons that someone might have a low GPA. If one of those is the case, then that person would need more of an intervention than just having to take a class on study skills.”

Leake said that the master student course is structured around the four-pronged model of strategic learning which focuses on the development of skills such as note taking, learning self-regulating behaviors like time management, understanding motivation and will and understanding the academic environment and how it impacts studying. The course consists of nine weeks of instruction, plus two additional meetings with an academic coach.

Continuing students are also assigned an academic coach and work with that person to develop an individual plan for improvement, based on their individual needs. They have the option to take one of these classes or attend other workshops as specified in their individual contract.

Academic coaches are graduate students who are mostly future guidance counselors or in the higher education program. The job of the academic coach depends on the needs of the individual student. Academic coaches can also be peer leaders from the First Year Experience program who work with first semester students.

Students who participate in academic interventions and make significant improvements, even if they don’t achieve a 2.0, are eligible for a second appeal and may be allowed to stay at CCSU for an additional semester. Depending on the student’s cumulative GPA, it may be mathematically impossible to bring their GPA up to the required 2.0 in a single semester.

“Most of the students do take advantage [of the available services] out of fear or because they really think they need it,” Leake said. “More students who participated got off probation than didn’t.”

She also said that since the policy change, there has also been a reduction in the number of students being dismissed due to belowacceptable GPAs.

takebackthenight.org

OPINION

THE RECORDER Wednesday, April 13, 2011

5

EDITORIAL

Voting In The SGA Elections Should Be a Student Priority At The Recorder, we believe students have certain responsibilities. Foremost among them, to be informed and engaged members of the campus community, to be involved in university activities, and to vote in student government elections.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, we have the opportunity to fulfill all of these expectations at once by voting for SGA senators and executive officers.

Our weekly newspaper serves as a vehicle for information and the acquisition of knowledge. In an attempt to expand that role, we hosted an SGA Candidate Forum on Monday afternoon so that students could become more informed when choosing candidates for executive office. The forum was well attended and the ensuing discussion was both informative and important.

Presidential candidate Eric Bergenn, vice presidential candidates Liz Braun and Erika Dawson-Head, and candidates for treasurer Nick Alaimo and Alex Rodriguez spoke on their backgrounds, qualifications, and ideas surrounding student government for the better part of an hour. By the end of the forum, students in attendance surely had a better portrait of the people that will lead our campus next year.

As we’ve said time and time again, SGA and involvement therein is tremendously important. Controlling nearly $800,000 in student activity fees and deciding campus issues, consulting and influencing administrators on academic policy, the people we elect matter. That being said, The Recorder has decided to take on the controversial task of endorsing the

candidates we believe will be best suited to fill these positions.

For treasurer, The Recorder would like to endorse Nick Alaimo. Nick is a solid fiscal conservative who seems to have a tangible plan for his tenure as treasurer.

He has held leadership positions in the past, and will bring an empirical approach to the role that he hopes to attain. Nick has alluded to a potential reform to the club funding appropriation process that we believe is both logical and necessary.

For vice president, The Recorder would like to endorse Liz Braun. Liz is an intelligent, thoughtful, and organized member of our campus community. Liz is a student leader, in our opinion eligible for even a greater position than the one she currently pursues. Her priorities are in the right place and she has a

clear understanding of her role as vice president of the SGA, an indispensable characteristic in a time of great change.

For president, The Recorder would like to endorse Eric Bergenn. Though there isn’t another choice for this particular position, we believe that Eric is a smart and level-headed leader who will bring pragmatism and transparency to the role.

Our opinion is neither omnipotent nor prescient, but merely an informed and hopeful look to the future of our student government. No matter who you support, or the forthcoming results, take the first step to learn about, vote for and support the candidates so that they may better fulfill their duty to serve you and the campus community.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

The University Is Not To Blame For Student’s Unprofessionalism

nicholas proch The Recorder

In my last column, I wrote about how certain students at this university don’t act or dress professionally, with a focus on the latter. It was an essay from which I expected to receive comments that were in defense of putting giant gages and plastering your body with tattoos.

As a matter of fact, the only person who commented on my previous column was a person who was criticizing questions of fact surrounding policy and cautioning to be careful at putting too much blame on the university.

I wasn’t directly trying to put blame on the university, but my full intentions may have not come through in the piece. Alternatively, I suggested that it should be the students’ responsibility and goal to become more professional. I may have an opinion about what the university should do, but I’m going to continue to say that the student body is more responsible for themselves.

Students around campus are starting to think about what to do next, considering graduation is looming. Those who are smart about it, are looking for a professional opinion from whoever has something valid to say.

Recently, students in the business department got the idea. Headed by Kevin Leaver, who is President of the International Association of Business Communicators here on campus, there was a workshop with tips and lessons on how to ‘dress for success.’

The talk was hosted by Mary Jones, who has her own radio show on the WDRC-AM 1360 station and Debbie Wright, who owns her own company, Project Closet, which helps individuals on professional wardrobe and appears on WFSB’s Better CT every

tuesday.

They had a lot of useful tips and tricks, as well as guidelines pertaining to the workplace: both dress code and personal conduct.

“Education level is deduced in a first impression, whether it’s right or wrong,” according to Wright, who added, “people associate well-dressed individuals with winners.”

With that being said, if your first impression to your future boss included you smoking outside their office building and arriving with a metal-clad ear, they are instantly going to presume your education level is lower than it is.

I’m not preaching because I agree with this, but because it’s true. It’s human nature.

We’re all checking each other out and sizing each other up as soon as we are introduced.

If what someone, especially if this person is a potential future employer, initially notices about you isn’t a positive, you’ve failed your one and only first impression.

Mary Jones, who formerly owned a local hiring agency, had a lot of suggestions for entering an interview. Since an interview is the first time you’ll likely meet your employer, this is also another chance to not make a bad impression.

Again, my criticism isn’t directed towards the university or the business department in this situation. They, along with the help of the students, put on an informative and helpful event. Unfortunately, again, students dropped the ball on this one, all except nine.

That’s right, nine people showed up for this talk. One that could have been extremely useful to several hundred, if not more, at this university. The people they were addressed, who did show up, probably already have a grasp over professionalism. They are going out and seeking advice to better their careers.

How We Got Here: Kat Boushee

kat boushee The Recorder

I’m really nosy. When I was young and precocious I was called “curious,” but let’s be honest, I’m really just nosy. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to know everything about everyone. I’ve always loved mysteries, and believe that the only thing better than having a mystery is actually solving one.

I’ll take a mystery any way I can get it.

For television mysteries I prefer Law & Order (the original and SVU, don’t try to pawn me off on Law & Order: LA), Castle and Veronica Mars. I’m uncannily good at solving mystery shows and some friends have banned me from talking during them, because I solve them too quickly. I’m a reading-loving English major and I’ll read a good mystery any day. The best mysteries, however, are real-life mysteries.

I’ve worked at two different law firms in the past, and I’ve considered going to law school because in my mind cases are like little puzzles. I was even once asked to not dig quite so deep when doing my case files for an attorney because I cost him a personal injury case when I found evidence that the client was lying.

I also like to write, and one day this past January I read an article about a woman

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who’d read 462 books in one year because she was a book reviewer. I felt like the heavens had opened up and harps were playing because this was a dream come true for me. Getting paid to read and write seemed like the biggest scam ever, I mean who really gets paid for doing what they love anymore?

I decided to see if I could get in on this, and I emailed The Recorder to see if they might have any need for a book reviewer. They emailed back the next day and suggested that I attend the first meeting of the semester. I did, and quickly started writing for The Recorder.

However, I wasn’t writing book reviews, I was primarily writing news.

Being a reporter is one of the only jobs that I know about where you are allowed to be nosy. In fact, you are supposed to be, it’s expected of you! I’ve always been excited about politics and current events, and digging into the background of a story was just second nature to me. When I was lucky enough to be offered the Assistant News Editor position by Michael Walsh and Nick Proch, I jumped at the chance.

My main responsibility at The Recorder is to come up with news story ideas and to help write as many news stories as possible.

I’ve also written album reviews and opinion pieces, and I try to help out wherever I can.

I’ve learned so much in the four months that I’ve been working here and I look forward to all that I’m going to learn in the future.

I definitely think that journalism is a career possibility when I graduate. I love writing for The Recorder, and it is nice to indulge my shameless nosiness for a good cause. I couldn’t be happier with where I’ve ended up, and with the talented and helpful staff at The Recorder.

Oh, and to all of you out there who, like me, love writing and are, perhaps, looking for a place to get involved: come to The Recorder office. We can definitely find some work for you and maybe you too will fall in love with the amalgam of joy, stress, and pride that comes with seeing the words you write printed in a newspaper.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / UPGRADE

REVIEWS

The Vivian Girls Share the Joy

Polyvinyl April 12

marisa volo The Recorder

What do the Vivian Girls sound like?

Okay, picture garage rock meets indie pop, plus cute hipster girls. Put them all together and you have the Vivian Girls. They’re the perfect combination of everything indie straight out of New York.

And if you should know anything about Vivian Girls it should be that they’re a band of awesomely talented pretty girls that make music about love and loss and then some.

Their latest album Share the Joy is simply the perfect combination of indie and girl rock that you’ll ever want.

Share the Joy opens with a six and some odd minute track called “The Other Girls.”

It’s a song all about how the Vivian Girls are trying to be unlike every other girl group in the indie-pop industry. With lyrics like, “I don’t want to lie like the other girls,” what girl couldn’t agree more? Especially when you’re used to songs that last MAYBE three minutes, a six-minute intro song with a cute

TV on the Radio Nine Types of Light

Interscope April 12

Jason Cunningham The Recorder

TV on the Radio’s Nine Types of Light has a lot going for it. It’s catchy and, at points, it radiates a gritty glow and it sounds like a natural progression for the band. Opposed to completely reforming their sound like some bands who stick to a formula through their careers, TV on the Radio has managed to develop their unique style into a solid blend of soulful, hard driven, punchy rock that teeters between a sultry punk and hovering experimental noise.

During most of Nine Types of Light, we roller coaster through the dark spots if impending doom, the endless joy in love for life and one another and the fight through confusion in this all to confusing world. The listener is guided through the ultimate search for meaning with death crushing in through fuzzy guitars, warm keyboards that buzz under floating horns and beats that stick to the taps under the bottom of their feet. TV on the Radio hasn’t made a bad album yet and Nine Types of Light delivers a set of songs that only reinforces their creative consistency and thoughtful, intelligence song writing.

“Second Song” is a gripping opener that sheds light on the confusion of our impulses.

The song pushes into the following tracks “Keep Your Heart” and “You” which both

guitar piece halfway through is exactly what I want from these garage-rock queens. You go girl!

Personally, I’ll always love the Vivian Girls. I’ve been a major fan of their selftitled album and so Share the Joy is like a day in candy land for me. I’m so happy with this album, it’s exactly what I expected. It’s like Tilly and the Wall, only better. You get the soft wails, the catchy tunes, and the oohs and ahhs right from Share the Joy. My favorite song, seriously (as if you didn’t see this coming), is “Dance (If You Wanna).” It’s just a fun-loving song about getting down if you want to. Forgetting everything that’s around you, and dance if you want to! If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ll know that I’m totally about a song that can make me forget my problems and want to dance and this song is my indie heaven!

Of course, no album is perfect. To some, I could imagine Share the Joy seems super boring and repetitive, but it’s all about what you like. I love the garage rock, I love the Vivian Girls!

If you’re a fan of No Age, Dum Dum Girls or The Babies (featuring Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls!) you’ll love the Vivian Girls!

Photo I MYSPACE.com/viviangirlsnyc

answer Nine Types of Light’s opening longing for purpose with one simple answer: love.

“No Future Shock” almost reminds me of Modest Mouse, but the similarity never seems intentional. While this track carries more obvious elements of influence than others on Nine Types of Light, it never feels completely derivative of any one sound.

“Killer Crane” and “Will Do” add some sunshine and deep funk pulse to the album while the “New Cannonball Blues” brings an unmatched attitude that peaks its progression.

“Repetition” finds itself in the aftermath of this peak and builds on the leftover energy to create the album’s catchiest track. I predict that this song will most likely be an audience favorite at shows.

“Forgotten” eases the listener out of “Repetition” and into a melodic mellowness that feels like the passing scenery from the backseat of a car. “Caffeinated Consciousness” closes the album in with a garage rock victory lap that defines the band’s overall sounds better than most of the songs on the album, but it never manages to stand out as the Nine Types of Light’s best song.

While TV on the Radio has established themselves as a band to echo the dying world, diving into the joy, heartache and overall darkness of modern times, they’ve never been able to reflect these messages with one smooth sweep in prior albums. They do this to perfection on Nine Types of Light. Not all of the lyrics are as moving as they try to be, but the band seems to be coming from a very sincere place and overall their grander points are easy to appreciate within their musical context.

Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone’s voices have never sounded better and work well together to create both a drifting static gruffness and weight carrying falsetto melodies that thickly pour over the music.

This type of lyrical presentation sets a specific tone of burning emptiness and unimaginable joy to the entire album. Nine Types of Light gives off enough pop to reach a wide audience, but remains true to the band’s rougher and often times more interesting experimental roots. This is music you can dance to, but it’s never mindless; you can think about it, but it’s not pertinacious. While some moments on the album may seem familiar here and there, Nine Types of Light is arguably TV on the Radio’s best album to date.

Ponytail

Do Whatever You Want All The Time

We Are Free April 12

jason cunningham The Recorder

Ponytail combines the innocence of childhood with the intensity of a sugar tornado. Each track on Do Whatever You Want All The Time feels like watching spin art in progress through miniature sound to vision converters in your ears. The energy is dizzying, the diversity of noise is captivating and whimsical and overall the album plays like the psychedelic soundtrack to an intense video game version of life.

This isn’t only the kind of album you can listen to over and over again, it’s the kind of album you want to be playing on. During the uncontrollable leg movement and occasional air guitar this album pulls you through the fantasy to be a member of Ponytail starts to occur. Everything you hear sounds like something you’d like to be creating. Even Molly Siegel’s yelping, stuffed animal-like vocals sound more charming than ever on Do Whatever You Want All The Time. Her performances on this album are a testament

Between the Buried and Me

to untraditional singing methods working well in music.

“Easy Peasy” and “Flabbermouse” open the album in what feels like two parts of the same jam. This makes these two songs extremely effective in building up the energy and cementing the style surrounding the album. “Honey Touches” bursts in afterwards with a head bop heaviness that makes my shoulders boat sway. “Beyondersville/ /Flight Of Fancy” feels like a fluffy instrumental by the Liars if the band had taken some sort of cotton candy and ecstasy cocktail. “AwayWay” provokes the feeling of being hugged by a world’s worth of snugly people and forest animals while maintaing a shredding thrash of layers, including some beautifully piercing guitar parts near the song’s end. “Tush” is an inspiring song, bringing together all the best things that Ponytail has to offer. If “Tush” was extended to the length of an entire album’s worth of jamming it’d be a worthwhile listen.

“Music Tunes” closes Do Whatever You Want All The Time with a bouncing fever that pulls rubber bands through the center of your brain, ending the album a with passion that is only matched by its sophistication.

Although guitarist and Ponytail founder Dustin Wong had announced that the band’s last show was to be in 2010, they still recorded and released Do Whatever You Want All The Time for April 2011. If this is the final chapter in the Ponytail story then it certainly ends happily. Do Whatever You Want All The Time is a fun and creative album that you’ll find yourself falling in love with for all of the right reasons.

Photo I MYSPACE.com/ponytailtunes

continues with a desperate voice in this song, rarely ever letting go of the intensity. The song The Parallax: Hypersleep feels like an evolution of the music found in The Silent Circus’s “Ad a Dglgmut”. It’s a good Dialogues song that relies heavily on the most unheard band members, Richardson and bassist Dan Briggs. If you have good quality speakers or headphones, their awesome ability shines through amazingly. Not to be outdone by their counterparts, guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring throw in a guitar solo to melt your brain.

“Lunar Wilderness”, the EP’s final track, follows suit to “Augment Rebirth” in that it is the second best song of the album. It’s similar to “Swim to the Moon” and “White Walls” in the sense that it picks up from where the songs prior to them leave off and slow down the intensity of the song. It begins with an acid jazz-like guitar solo that plays on for a good 2 minutes until Rogers screams back at you. It’s interesting to hear so many lyrics; the last two albums he was nonexistent save some songs.

His minimal keyboarding leaves something to miss in this last song; one would think Rogers Danny Contreras would’ve included some good melody—but The Recorder the singing probably kept him from doing Progressive metal heavyweights Between so. However, it is Richardson and Briggs who the Buried and Me finally return to the stage steal the show with some accurate drumming with The Parallax, a very interesting EP that and slap-bass playing. It’s evident, the slapping of the bass, because will remind old listeners of desperate and why they love the band, and “This EP is a worthy itfast,feelsunlike his more summarize the evolution of sophisticated pick the band to new listeners. buy for fans, and a playing in 2005’s The Parallax opens with “Specular Reflection,” decent entry for new Alaska.

In all, this EP is a an eleven minute epic that listeners..” worthy buy for fans, rarely ever surpasses the and a decent entry for “Ants of the Sky” (from new listeners. It feels their 2007 album Colors) amazing to get new feeling. It’s long, it’s smart and it’s catchy. There are some moments when Between the Buried and Me material; but the Tommy Rogers goes to his old voice found in quickness of the EP leaves the mind to wonder earlier albums (think of the self-titled and The where the band is heading with this music.

Silent Circus). The song unfortunately strays Have they reached their pinnacle? Doubtful. too much on the sound found in Colors and The drumming and bass playing would prove otherwise. After Roger’s release this past fails to deliver anything new for the band.

Following is “Augment Rebirth” and it is January, Pulse, it seems like the band will have the star song of the EP. It opens up with in-your- better material for the second half of this EP. face intent; Blake Richardson, the drummer, Pulse was a great album and it showcased to a is very fast in this—his style shines through very good extent how talented Rogers is. The the whole song. If AllMusic described the EP is a great listen, though it does not take two previous albums as “guitar albums”, then from or add anything to Between the Buried The Parallax is most definitely a drumming and Me. Their music is expected to progress album and this song is the reason why. Rogers with their next release.

Metal Blade April 10

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / UPGRADE

‘Kentucky Cycle Part Two’ Brings in the Cold max kyburz The Recorder

For every trilogy, sustainability is key. After all, what would a trilogy be if not looked upon as one whole body?

While The Kentucky Cycle is essentially one long, nine-act series, breaking it up into thirds and showing them separately only enhances the drama. That’s what the CCSU Theatre Department has been doing over these past few months at Black Box Theatre.

After presenting the first part last month, this past weekend held the second and part three will take place in early May. The second part is the bridge between beginning and destination, and in this case, nothing crumbles.

In case you missed the first part, here’s a little recap: Michael Rowen (played by Michael DiCello), a burly settler who comes to America in 1775, begins a slow but destructive domino effect by deceiving Native Americans.

After giving them weapons and a smallpox-riddled blanket, a scourge and rape of the Natives ensues. This broad act by many settlers is codified in Michael’s own act of force - the kidnapping and rape of a young Native girl named Morning Star (Annie Capobianco).

She bears him a son, Patrick, who grows to fall into forbidden love with Rebecca Talbert. Patrick kills Rebecca’s father so that she may be claimed as his wife. After revenge has been exacted and double-crosses have been made among (and within) both families, the first part ends under a cloud of uncertainty.

Now for part two: Under the high command of his brimstonetongued father Zeke, Jed Rowen fools Talbert by joining the militia in the Civil War, where he will avenge his family’s plight by killing him. Jed’s experiences are hellish; everywhere around is misanthropic violence and deceit.

He even becomes an ally of the infamous William Clark Quantrill, a notorious Confederate guerilla leader. Even after he’s carried out his duties, his homecoming is anything but sweet. The painful memories never leave.

Twenty years pass. Jed raises a family of his own: a wife named Lallie (Sarah Miller) and a hormonal daughter named Mary Anne. They cross paths with a charming traveler named J.T. Wells who cunningly swindles the Rowen family out of their beloved land, breaking the heart of the daughter who has fallen head over heels for the new visitor.

Soon her beloved land is ravaged into the bittersweet development of industrial cultivation. As the adult Mary Anne (Theresa Dugan) recounts these memories, she delivers the wistful lines that end the second installment: “I try to tell my boy, Joshua, what it was like, so he’ll know, so it won’t be forgotten but he just laughs. ‘Mama’s tellin’ stories again.’ Maybe I am.”

Rather than adhere to a straightforward type of storytelling, The Kentucky Cycle flows by blending realism with haunting surrealism.

Part two embarks with haunting visions, all told from within the agonizing psyche of young Jed Rowen. Fitting considering elaborate abstractions are right up director Thom Delventhal’s alley.

I had only seen one Delventhal play before: 2008’s The Tempest.

I was not fond of that production, as it took too much advantage of Shakespeare’s lack of limitations.

Kentucky Cycle, which has specific settings and timeframes, offers less freedom but still plenty of room for creation. As in the first installment, a mood is created that can only be described as anti-warm.

From the get-go, Delventhal maintains control. He utilizes the same scenery and backdrops as the first part so that it remains an individual work without straying

Netflix It: Pulling Jason cunningham The Recorder

BBC Three’s Pulling brought viewers the complexities of ending a long term relationship and beginning a new single life.

It combines edgy laughs and smart writing during the course of its two six-episode seasons and hour-long special. The show focuses on 30-year-old Donna, an incredibly selfish and impossibly likable character who naively stumbles through love. She’s very easy to root for.

Played by Sharon Horgan, who along with Dennis Kelly created and wrote the show, Donna is relatable and warm, yet consistently frustrating as she tries to escape her mundane unhappiness in everyday life.

She suffers from a painful case of boredom that’s constantly itching at her nerves.

We meet Donna in bed with her finance Karl, played by Caven Clerkin. She’s giving him a handjob. This act is as comically depressing as it is true to the nature of the waterboarding-like relationship that Donna feels stuck in. Donna doesn’t notice when Karl climaxes and quickly runs off to get ready for her day after he announces that he’s “finished” in a way that clings to the severe awkwardness British humor can deliver. He cleans himself off with a leaf from the house plant at their bedside. After being together for five years, things have gotten stale for these two.

From that very first scene, Pulling pulls the audience into a world of disappointment in both endings and beginnings. During a drunken euphoria near the end of what started as a rocky bachelorette party Donna decides that she can’t go through with her approaching marriage to Karl.

After the break, Donna moves in with her two her two closest friends Karen and Louise. This begins the trio’s adventures in the dating world. Karen, played by Tanya Franks, is a biting, self-destructive alcoholic primary school teacher who jumps from man to man like a chronic overeater shovels through their food options at a buffet. Louise on the other hand is a traditional offbeat misfit who fights a life of disappointment after disappointment

Photo I Facebook.com/ pulling

with proud optimism and a cheery smile.

She often offers undeserved comfort to her friends and counteracts Karen’s mostly vile behavior with grace.

Each roommate plays a distinct role in their ‘Three Musketeers’ dating scene chemistry. On a couple of occasions, this formula excludes the “All for one, and one for all” mentality and, for the most part, each character is consumed with their respective romantic pursuits. Donna’s luck, being in love after Karl is a constant emotional tug of war between her lingering feelings for Karl, inconsistency in dating standards and wavering disappointment with the dating world. Karen doesn’t really care who she’s with as long as he’s willing to have sex and she seems to do the best with men who are as equally self-destructive and lewd as she is.

Louise is desperate and on occasion displays stalker-like tendencies while going after the men she desires. Each approach to love provides a good reason to laugh during most episodes while never really suffering from the dullness that comes along with being character defining.

Pulling delivers great insight into modern dating, misguided feelings and the struggles of boredom and loneliness. It also also showcases the devastating and empowering results that can occur after a long term relationship meets its end. Witty writing and impeccable delivery make this British comedy both hysterical and intelligent.

Series 1 and 2 of Pulling and its series finale hour-long special are currently available for instant streaming through Netflix and through gaming systems for subscribers as well as for DVD queues.

too far from origin. The stage becomes crowded with family members and red herrings, people of his past and present. These people pop up in many forms throughout. Additionally, cast members of the previous part find their way into this one, but under different monikers. This casting is a reflection of the play’s major theme: the cyclical repetition of history. By employing some of the same actors, the play is able to practice reincarnation. In the play, as in life, people never truly die.

As with the first time around, part two enjoys some truly fascinating performances. Jake Frey exhibits raw agonized energy as Jed Rowen. Eva Galanis and Zach Heidorn portray Joleen and Ezekiel Rowen, Jed’s parents who are hellbent for revenge. Their characters are truly reprehensible, which only means they’re playing their parts well. Kayla Teel and Theresa Degan do especially well as the younger and older incarnations of Mary Anne Rowen, acting opposite an exceptional performance by Lucas Veo as JT Wells. Let’s also not forget the laundry list of performers who appear for brief but powerful moments: Jamie Petronis, Brooke Ferguson, Lindsey Pearsall, and several others all encompass an altogether well-constructed cast.

While The Kentucky Cycle isn’t the first work to present the Civil War as a dark passage that resolved with pointless deaths, but the long term effects have never seemed more profound. Along with the innocent men, women and children that were cruelly robbed of their lives, those who remained breathing endured a greater tragedy: the crippling of hope and will. To be continued.

‘The Kentucky Cycle Part 3’ May 3-6 7:30 p.m.

Black Box Theatre

Delightfully Crude ‘Your Highness’ Works Well on Low Level michael walsh The Recorder

When David Gordon Green finished making his independent masterpiece George Washington, I’m not even sure he himself knew where his career was going.

The filmmaker and writer spent time slipping out of serious films like the aforementioned drama and other early career highlights like All the Real Girls and into silly world highlighted by Pineapple Express. But none of Green’s adventures to the new genre has been sillier than Your Highness.

Working with writer and actor Danny McBride, part of the creative company that turned out HBO’s hit comedy series Eastbound and Down, Green is paired up with McBride and Ben Best for this delightfully crude and immature medieval tale of revenge and genitalia jokes.

While I gained much euphoric and pleasant pleasure from my time spent with Your Highness, the film probably wasn’t as laugh out loud funny as it should have been given its all-star pedigree that matches James Franco up with the successfully funny minds of McBride and Best.

Franco plays Prince Fabious, a most successful man of the medieval world, who must quest to save his kidnapped princess with the help of his lazy brother Thadeous (McBride).

Those who enjoy watching McBride portray controversial relief pitcher Kenny Powers on Eastbound and Down will have a good time watching him quest the way he likes. If you’re anything like me, then McBride just speaking makes you giggle, and you’ll enjoy this film. Add in the lowbrow crude, dirty and immature humor amassed by this cast and there’s enough to smirk at.

Where the film meets it’s struggle is with the lack of actually constructed jokes. The film tries hard to be a Mel Brooks-esque spoof on Hollywood’s medieval age films and relies very heavily on the deadpan delivery of a charismatic Franco and the whimsical, funloving McBride to make ends meet in the comedy business. If the idea of those two fantastic men talking about profusely dirty situations, drugs and sex makes you want to laugh you’ll find Your

Highness to be on a certain level of funny that those unfamiliar with McBride’s past work won’t be on. It’s a low level, but it’s funny nonetheless.

The idea of an entirely dwarf village is a riot and the attention of detail paid to the penis of a minotaur is worthwhile of anyone’s appreciation. The wise wizard is a pervert and the catastrophic magical event the two questing men quest to stop is dubbed ‘The Fuckening.’ What’s there to not like again?

Despite the assortment of solid gold humor and comedic situation there’s a sense of slight disappointment that unfortunately comes with the film. There’s no way a cast and creative team this strong should meander along the ‘okay’ line, especially when it’s wit is matched by such a great concept as this.

Franco and McBride are helped only a small degree by the strong-named supporting cast of Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschannel, Justin Theroux and the relatively unknown Rasmus Hardiker. I laughed enough, but my gut didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.

Your Highness is a shameless film. It isn’t afraid to let it’s mature guard down and it obviously wasn’t created to impress those critics that only accept highbrow entertainment. Those who are willing to put their shame away for nearly two hours will find themselves on the inclusive side of a huge inside joke by Green, McBride, Best and Franco.

There’s no doubt in my mind that these four witty and smart men created what they wanted and while Your Highness wasn’t quite the same film I had in mind I still appreciate the grand effort and the willingness of successful and Academy Award-winning and nominated actors to take part in such a product that is clearly the result of a couple of brilliant deviants.

Photo I yourhighnessmovie.net

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / UPGRADE

Calendar 4.13 - 4.20 FILM

MUSIC

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4.13 Parts & Labor @ BAR New Haven, CT FREE / 21+ / 9pm doors 4.14 Black Veil Brides (AP Tour 2011) @ Toad's Place New Haven, CT 4.15 Attack Attack @ Toad's Place New Haven, CT $15 adv. / all ages / 6:30 doors 4.16 I Anbassa @ Acoustic Cafe Bridgeport, CT $7 / 21+ / 9pm 4.17 Local H @ Daniel Street Milford, CT $12 / 21+ / 8pm 4.20 Grandchildren / M.T. Bearington @ BAR New Haven, CT FREE / 21+ / 9pm

$7 (with student ID) / 7:30 pm The budding romance between a rising U.S. congressman and a gifted ballet dancer is unexpectedly complicated by otherworldly forces seeking to drive them apart by altering the very fabric of reality in this high-concept sci-fi thriller based on a story by famed authorPhilip K. Dick. David Norris (Matt Damon) is a rising New York congressmen whose everyman charisma has earned him a loyal following among locals. One night, after suffering a crushing political defeat, David is rehearsing his concession speech in a hotel bathroom when out of a stall wanders Elise (Emily Blunt), who was hiding out from security guards after crashing a wedding. The chemistry between David and Elise is instant and electric. But as fast as she appeared, Elise has vanished, leaving David to wonder if he will ever see her again. A few days later, as if by chance, David is boarding a bus for work when he spots Elise in a window seat. Though he manages to get her number this time, David is terrified when he arrives at his new job and discovers a mysterious group of men performing an unusual procedure on his paralyzed coworkers. Informed by the imposing and sharp-dressed Richardson ( John Slattery) that he has just seen behind a curtain that few will ever know even exists, David agrees never to tell anyone of their encounter or talk to Elise again lest his entire memory be completely erased. But three years later, when David spots Elise walking down the

street from the window of a city bus, he can't resist the urge to rekindle their romance. Unfortunately for the two young lovers, the mysterious agents at the Adjustment Bureau are determined to keep them apart at all costs in order to ensure there is no deviation from the master plan drawn up by "The Chairman" for the future of all humankind. - Jason Buchanan, Allmovie 4.14 The Green Hornet @ Semesters (CCSU Student Center) FREE / 10pm The hard-partying son of L.A.’s most powerful media magnate realizes his true calling as a crime-fighting vigilante after his father perishes under suspicious circumstances in this big-screen adaptation of the popular radio serial, comic book, film, and television series originated

by Lone Ranger creators Fran Striker and George W. Trendle.

James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) singlehandedly built a media empire, but unfortunately his industrious genes weren’t passed down to his son, Britt (Seth Rogen). Irresponsible, slovenly, and frequently inebriated, Britt is shaken out of his drunken stupor upon receiving word that his father has died. Shortly after Britt learns that he has inherited the family business, he forges an unlikely alliance with Kato ( Jay Chou), one of his father’s star employees, and together the pair hatch a plan to pose as villains in order to get close to the city’s most high-powered criminals. Outfitting their indestructible custom-made car, The Black Beauty, with the absolute latest in technology and high-tech weaponry -- and arming

themselves to the teeth with an array of gadgets that would make Batman blush -- the masked duo hit the streets as The Green Hornet and Kato. As the public’s fascination with the mysterious crime fighters hits an all-time high, Britt’s resourceful secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), helps them to gather intelligence on notorious underworld kingpin Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), a criminal who holds the entire city in the palm of his hand, and represents everything that Britt’s father fought against. Little do the Green Hornet and Kato realize that Chudnofsky is already on to them, and that he’s not about to go down without a fight.Rogen and frequent writing partner Evan Goldberg provide the screenplay, with visionaryMichel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) handling directing duties. - Jason Buchanan, Allmovie 4.17 - 4.19

Travis when he cluelessly takes her to a porno movie. After an encounter with a malevolent fare (played by Scorsese), the increasingly paranoid Travis begins to condition (and arm) himself for his imagined destiny, a mission that mutates from assassinating Betsy's candidate, Charles Palatine (Leonard Harris), to violently "saving" teen hooker Iris ( Jodie Foster) from her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel). Travis' bloodbath turns him into a media hero; but has it truly calmed his mind? - Lucia Bozzola, Allmovie

Taxi Driver (New 35mm Restoration) @ Cinestudio (Trinity College) Hartford, CT $7 with student ID / 7pm "All the animals come out at night" -- and one of them is a cabby about to snap. In Martin Scorsese's classic 1970s drama, insomniac ex-Marine Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) works the nightshift, driving his cab throughout decaying mid-'70s New York City, wishing for a "real rain" to wash the "scum" off the neon-lit streets. Chronically alone, Travis cannot connect with anyone, not even with such other cabbies as blowhard Wizard (Peter Boyle).

He becomes infatuated with vapid blonde presidential campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), who agrees to a date and then spurns

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9

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

COLUMN

We Should Mourn Deaths; Not Profit From Them

BRiTTAnY BURkE The Recorder

Insensitive. According to the dictionary the word insensitive means, “deficient in human sensibility, acuteness of feeling, or consideration, unfeeling.”

I have never felt the need to use the word insensitive more so than I have this past weekend. The words alarming, disgusting, sleazy, and unethical also come to mind.

What pains me even more, besides the fact that I actually have to group those words together, is I have to use them to describe a former writer and photographer for my own paper.

The deaths of Rich Royster and Brittany Mariani shocked the CCSU community. Less than six months after the fact, the family and friends closest to these Blue Devils are still in the grieving process.

Mourning is an essential part to getting past something as tragic as this, and those who are still grieving should be allowed to do so in peace.

When someone of great popularity dies, it is inevitable that there will be bottom feeders who will try and make money off of their name and the circumstances. If there weren’t those kind of people in the world, we wouldn’t have all of the Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson memorabilia littering the sketchy side shops in all of the major cities.

Now, just because the general public has fed into this type of selfish exploitation of someone’s memory doesn’t make it right.

This past weekend, I found out that a former staff member of the Recorder joined the ranks of the insensitive, and took the limited access he was given to the CCSU athletics community by the editors, including myself, as a member of my sports staff, and tried to make a profit off of the death of Royster.

This photographer/writer took photos that he shot for the use of the sports section and made the conscious decision to make up t-shirts, which he planned on selling for his own benefit. I would understand if they were t-shirts with his number, with proceeds going to his scholarship fund. However, a t-shirt with him on it, below tacky lettering? It is clear what the intentions were, especially when shirts featuring other CCSU athletes were also advertised.

How can someone feel okay about trying to make a quick buck off of someone else’s memory? No amount of time can pass, which would make something like this acceptable.

On top of using the picture, he also quoted the head coach of the CCSU football team, which he pulled from an article printed in the Bristol Press...against his knowledge.

A journalist and sports photographer is given access that most sports fans can only dream about. It is their job to take that power and present what they gather to the fans. It is not their job to violate the trust bestowed upon them and go behind the backs of the paper and team to try and make money.

In all of my journalism classes I have never learned about this type of unethical behavior, but something like this is right up there with fabricating a story or plagiarizing in my eyes.

An act such as this is appalling, and I would like to make it clear that when I wrote “former writer” I meant he is no longer associated with the paper, and most importantly my section.

I would prefer to keep Rich Royster’s memory alive with my words, not a cheap shirt.

New Bats Changing College Baseball kEnnY BARTo The Recorder

If you hang around a college baseball game long enough, you will begin to realize everyone seems to be talking about the new bats that the NCAA requires teams to use.

The standard used, called Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution, measures the “bounciness” of the bat, instead of the old Ball Exit Speed Ratio standard that measured just the speed at which the ball was going when it left the bat.

“The new BBCOR formula provides a better measure of a bat’s performance and allows the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and bat-testing laboratories to better predict field performance based on lab tests,” an August press release by the NCAA said. “The goal is for non-wood bats that meet this new standard to perform similarly to wood bats.”

The reason that the NCAA is using nonwood bats that act like wood bats is simple.

The metal bats cost in upwards of $300, but are expected to last a couple of years. Wood bats can cost around $100, but can break even after one at bat, which can cost schools hundreds of dollars more in providing bats for the players.

On the other side of things, most college players play in summer leagues, which require the use of wood bats. There are close to 50 of these leagues around the country. It is those

leagues which house the talents of most of the Division I, II and III players from around the country.

“I’m not sure you even see the same averages in the wood bat leagues, they’re pretty boring,” said CCSU head coach Charlie Hickey. “You aren’t seeing home-runs, so just because they’re using it doesn’t mean they’re hitting with it.”

There is no doubt that these new standards are affecting the statistics of college baseball around the country. ESPN reports that the average Division I team is hitting 0.47 home runs per game and scoring 5.63 runs per game, as opposed to 0.85 home runs and 6.98 runs per game at the same point last season.

“The ball obviously just doesn’t jump off the bat as much,” Hickey said. “It’s impacting our style of play to the point where we have to do different things, and try to adapt.”

Last year, the CCSU baseball team was crushing the ball. The Blue Devils set team records in runs (472), hits (679), batting average (.341), home runs (70), and runs batted in (441). This year, CCSU is only batting .283 through 26 games with six home runs.

Virginia, ranked first in the nation, has only hit eight home runs through 34 games.

If you can’t do the math, the national average was four times greater than what the top team in the nation is hitting right now.

“The bats definitely make a difference,”

said CCSU senior second baseman Sean Miller-Jones. “Now it’s more ‘baseball’, more pitching, more small ball, and better strategy.”

In addition to the drastic offensive changes, the changes in pitching statistics are obvious as well. The Blue Devils’ team ERA is 4.47, while four pitchers have ERA’s below 3.00. Last year, CCSU’s ERA was 6.64, with the lowest ERA being 3.86. Their ace, Dave Krasnowiecki went 7-3 with a 4.84 ERA , which was about average with other aces around the Northeast Conference.

Even though some fans enjoy a good pitchers duel, many of the larger schools are starting to worry about losing fans because the game may become less attractive to some people. At schools like Virginia, Florida, and even Notre Dame, fans have to pay in upwards of $6 to attend a game. Luckily, CCSU doesn’t have that issue, mostly because fans are made up of parents, alumni, and a few select students, who will show up no matter what.

The issue with the new bats will likely continue for years to come. You will never find a baseball coach or player blame anything entirely on the new bats, but the numbers don’t lie. Baseball has also always found a way to evolve around changing times, so it’s likely that even though the new bats are presenting a challenge now, baseball will definitely find a way to make things work for everyone.

Baseball Wins Three Out of Four at Home Against Mount St. Mary’s

BASEBAll i ConT. fRoM 12 him another opportunity.”

Nick Neumann went six innings, giving up seven hits, but only one out of the four runs were earned. “[Neumann] was great,” Hickey said.

“The problem was, we made him get four or five more outs than he was supposed to, but it was great to get two wins today.”

The Blue Devils’ momentum continued into Sunday, with a huge 11-3 victory to give CCSU the series victory against the Mountaineers. Mitch Wells went 4-for-4 with an RBI, Matuszak went 3-5 with two runs scored, McIntyre went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Sean Miller-Jones homered for the second time in the series.

CCSU was losing 2-0 going into the bottom of the fourth when it tied the game at two. CCSU scored three runs in the sixth followed by a five run seventh, which included Miller-Jones’ three-run home run.

“It felt good to get those three runs on the board,” Miller-Jones said. “It always feels good to put a team away, and to do so to give us the series meant a lot.”

Tom Coughlin pitched six innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs while striking out three and walking three.

Nick Boyd followed, pitching the final three innings while giving up only two hits to finish off the game.

“We talked about this as an opportunity for us as a team to get better,” coach Hickey

kEnnY BARTo | ThE RECoRdER

Top Left: Tyler McIntyre hits his second career home run agains Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday.

Above: Pitcher Dave Krasnowiecki pitched a complete game shutout against the Mountaineers in game one on Saturday.

said. “What I mean by that is we had already won two games and we came out and got the third, and that’s what good teams do, and we really hadn’t done that yet this year.”

Freshman J.P. Sportman was named the Akadema/NEC Rookie of the Week.

Sportman sported an impressive .529 onbase percentage, and reached base in all of the Blue Devils’ five games. He batted .500

(8-for-16) which included four runs scored, four RBI’s, and three extra base hits.

CCSU has a conference bye this week, and will face Holy Cross on Tuesday, Stony Brook on Wednesday, followed by a three game series at in-state rival Fairfield Friday through Sunday. Friday and Saturday will be played at Fairfield, while the Sunday game will be played at CCSU at 1 p.m.

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / SPORTS

Sacred Heart Downs CCSU on Lacrosse Senior Day Chris mclaughlin The Recorder

The Blue Devils fought and scrapped until the end, but the CCSU women’s lacrosse team was defeated on senior day 11 to 10 by Sacred Heart University.

Both teams battled hard, in what was a back and forth game. The Blue Devils (6-7) led for much of the second half, but couldn’t hold on.

SHU (3-9) went up one with three minutes left, and won the crucial draw-control to take possession and drain the clock.

CCSU pulled its goalie, trying to bate SHU into scoring and giving up its possession, but the Pioneers didn’t bite. SHU controlled the ball for most of the remaining time, but the Blue Devils managed to force a turnover with 15 seconds left.

CCSU quickly got the ball down field as the final seconds ticked.

Lyndsey Mastandrea made it to the crease and got a shot off, but Sacred Heart goalie Megan Pepe stayed in front of it, making the save and preventing the miracle comeback.

“It’s tough,” said Head Coach Rachael Tringali. “We didn’t make many mistakes so the ones we did make were amplified. I’m proud of them though, they battled all game and never gave up. This was just a very tough loss.”

Before the start of the game, the Blue Devils seniors, Mastandrea, Michele Conway, Kacey Bisinenere, Lauren Cantor, Jessica Roberts and team manager Angela Limosani, were all honored at midfield. Once the presentation was over, the game got underway.

While emotions were high for the Blue Devils, SHU got out to a quick 3-0 lead. However, the Blue Devils, led by Michele Conway, were able to erase the deficit quickly.

Conway scored two straight goals to get CCSU rolling, and picked up the assist on Betsy Vendal‘s game tying goal. Conway finished with three goals and an assist.

“Michele really stepped up,” said Tringali. “She’s a senior captain, she’s the type of kid who is going to play hard no matter the situation.

She does all the small things that need to be done and she does them

kenny barto | the recorder

CCSU’s Mackenzy Ryan fights against a Sacred Heart defender. The Blue Devils fell just short to the Pioneers, losing 11-10 in a hard-fought game. consistently.”

Despite CCSU’s new found momentum, the Pioneers were able to get its offense going again.

The Pioneers responded with two straight, unaswered goals, giving them the lead midway through the first half. While SHU continued to pressure the Blue Devils on offense, the team was unable to score the third straight. After a successful clear attempt for CCSU, the Blue Devils were able to settle into their own offense. A goal by Cara Momnie cut the lead to one, and a quick goal by Mastandrea tied it.

“I’m proud of them, we went

down three and didn’t panic and then they had another run and we were able to tie it again. It was just the bad breaks that ended up costing us,” said Tringali.

The Blue Devils took a quick lead on Meghan McCurry’s first of three goals, to start the second half, before SHU quickly tied it. CCSU won the draw-control, and took it straight down field and scored.

SHU followed up with another fast goal, but then CCSU went on a run. The Blue Devils scored three unanswered goals, giving them a lead with 13 minutes left.

SHU wasn’t about to go quietly

however, and went on a run of their own. The Pioneers scored four straight goals, including a game tying goal off of a turnover by the goalie. With the lead in hand, SHU drained enough of the clock to only give CCSU on last ditch shot.

The Blue Devils were unable to capitalize, and senior day ended in defeat.

“The girls played hard but I guess the lead wasn’t big enough or there was too much time left,” said Tringali. “They were gaining momentum and when they tied it, it deflated us. Erin was cradling the ball and it popped out and their kid

scooped it in. Then, after they took the lead, I pulled Erin to give us another defender, but we couldn’t score in the end.”

Though this was the last home game for CCSU, the season isn’t over. The Blue Devils are still fighting for a spot in the Northeast Conference Tournament, and will go on the road for the final three games.

“For us right now the goal is to win out,” said Tringali. “We have three games left, and we are trying to win the most NEC games in our history and to finish with a winning record.”

Second-Year Coach Turning Softball Team in Right Direction Derek Turner The Recorder

There have only been five times that a Division I softball team scored 17 runs in a single inning. Both of which were under the watch of CCSU head coach Jeff Franquet.

It’s significant for a couple of reasons: One, he’s the only coach in Division I history to be a part of two historic innings and, two, he wasn’t coaching the same teams.

The first occurred on May 2, 2004, while he was coach of the Jacksonville University Dolphins. The other March 30, 2011 when the Blue Devils defeated Princeton 19-4 in New Jersey, thanks in part to the onslaught of a 17-run inning.

Franquet took the CCSU head coach position in August of 2009 with a resume full of achievements both coaching and playing professionally.

“I really followed my dad’s footsteps, from playing fast pitch to getting involved coaching fast pitch. It’s really been a family tradition,” said Franquet.

He started coaching with his father as a volunteer assistant at Bucknell University and Lafayette University and it has been a family affair ever since. His first head coaching position at Freedom High School was just a starting point. During the same time, he was head coach of the Amateur Softball Association’s Yuengling Patriots where he coached and recruited 12 ASA All-Americans and won the 2001 National Championship.

Franquet’s college coaching career began at Central Florida Community College in November 1999 where; in only two seasons coached two National Junior College Athletic

kenny barto | the recorder

Coach Franquet coaching third base during a game against FDU. Franquet is in his second year as head coach.

Association All-Americans and a NJCAA National Team player.

The team broke 104 offensive records in his two seasons at the helm, and qualified for the programs first Florida Community College Activities Association tournament.

In 2001, Franquet took the first softball head coaching position at Jacksonville University in almost 20 years. The program folded in the early 80s, but in 2001 they called upon Franquet to restart the program. He developed the entire program from the ground up.

He coached five All-Conference players and orchestrated the 28th highest scoring offense in the country.

His greatest success to date took place at Georgian Court University in New Jersey. From 2006 to 2009, Franquet led the team to the schools first ever NCAA tournament win in any sport after winning the first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) title. He also won conference coach of the year; the first of two awards.

The following season he led the team to their first ever National Fast pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top-25 ranking playing in the NCAA Northeast Regional and CACC championships.

Continuing with his philosophy of players buying into the system

and continuing to go every year, in 2009, Georgian Court made it to the NCAA Super Regional’s and was one win away from the NCAA Softball World Series with Franquet at the top of the NFCA East Coaching Staff of the Year.

In 2009, Franquet accepted the job here at CCSU and in a short time has already gained the respect of the rest of the teams in the Northeast Conference. In his first season, 2010, the Blue Devils were picked to finish last in the preseason NEC poll and ended up with a 19-31 record, good for sixth in conference.

In addition, the 19 wins were the most for the program in 16 years and the most since joining the NEC. Kat Knowles, Becca Mussatti and Sara Budrick were awarded all-NEC honors.

“Last year was one of the most rewarding, being able to turn a program around that has not had a level of success and we were able to instill that sense of pride, control the controllable, work hard, the commitment to the program, being loyal, following one goal…

I’m pretty proud of that,” stated Franquet.

As the 2011 season is in full swing, the Blue Devils are tied atop the NEC standings in what may be a surprise to most, but if you have watched this team play, it is easy to see that they are buying into Franquet’s system and they want to win. A core of young talent, with a few veteran leaders will take this team as far as they want to go. They may be ahead of schedule this year, but if the trend continues, Franquet could lead CCSU to a handful of firsts.

“This transition we have made in the 18 months here at this program, is pretty defining of my career so far,” said Franquet who seems to be on the fast track to the schools first NEC tournament.

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, April 13, 2011 / SPORTS

CCSU Takes Series From Mountaineers Kenny Barto The Recorder

With CCSU baseball needing a big weekend against conference foe Mount St. Mary’s, the team came away with a much needed series win, taking three games out of four against the Mountaineers.

Last weekend, CCSU (13-121, 9-7 NEC) was forced to play two doubleheaders in two days at Monmouth due to a rainout, and lost three out of four, giving them an NEC record of 6-6.

“I think last weekend at Monmouth we lost some close games but we were playing some great baseball,” said CCSU secondbaseman Sean Miller-Jones. “So, we were sticking with it, and we got some good results this weekend.”

The Blue Devils opened the weekend series on Friday with a close, low-scoring game. The Mount (12-16, 6-10 NEC) scored first, with an RBI double in the fourth inning, which was answered in the fifth after a throwing error by the shortstop. The Mountaineers would add another in the eighth with a string of singles that was quickly answered in the bottom half by a Sean Miller-Jones home run to left to tie the score 2-2.

Starting pitcher Todd Savatsky was left in to start the ninth inning against Mount St. Mary’s’ big lefthanded slugger Tommy Flynn.

Flynn promptly hit a home-run deep to right field, which would stand as the winning run for The Mount.

“On Friday, we lost a close game,” said Miller-Jones. “But, we were still playing good ball in all three phases of the game.”

On Saturday, the Blue Devils opened up with their ace, senior southpaw Dave Krasnowiecki.

Going into the match with The Mount, Krasnowiecki was only 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA, struggling in games earlier in the season against Navy, Binghamton, and Monmouth.

He did not disappoint on Saturday, however, going all seven innings in the opening game of the twin bill. He gave up only three hits, and struck out four in a game that the Blue Devils needed to have.

“It was time for him to step up,”

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

Freshman shortstop J.P. Sportman running hard to third base. Sportman was named the NEC Rookie of the week, batting .500 in the Blue Devils’ five games.

said head coach Charlie Hickey. “I get on the pitchers all of the time and tell them “You have one day a week that’s your day,” and Dave definitely stepped up big time.”

CCSU’s offense struck quickly to give Krasnowiecki a quick lead.

After Jake Matuszak lead the game off with a triple, Dylan Delacruz brought him in with a ground out to second base.

CCSU maintained their 1-0 lead until the fifth inning. With one out, Delacruz reached on an infield single to third base. Mitch Wells followed with an opposite field, line-drive double down the left field line which brought a struggling Pat Epps to the plate with runners on second and third. Epps hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in dead center field, which was more than far enough to bring in Delacruz from third.

In the sixth, Tyler McIntyre doubled to left center that drove in Andy Lalli from first. Matuszak came up two batters later and drove in Normand Gosselin, who pinchran for McIntyre to bring the score to 4-0. The game took just one hour and 45 minutes to complete. The win brought Krasnowiecki to 2-3, and lowered his ERA to 4.28 on the season.

In game two, CCSU scored all of their runs in the first two innings. In the first, Miller-Jones and J.P. Sportman both had two out RBI singles. With both of them on base, McIntyre would hit his second home run of his career to bring the score to 5-0. In the second inning, CCSU added two runs with a Delacruz single followed by a Pat Epps RBI double.

The Mount did not get on the board until the fourth, but slowly crawled their way back by following with two runs in the fifth, and one more in the sixth. Josh Ingham continued to be hot, striking out three batters in the seventh for his third save of the season, completing CCSU’s 7-4 victory.

“Everytime I see Josh Ingham in the game, we win,” said Hickey. “So, that was my thought to get him in there with a clean inning, and give BASEBALL | cont. on 10

CCSU’s Weekend Racer david whitney The Recorder

Life’s pretty sweet for 22-yearold Tony Membrino Jr. Not only does he maneuver his way through the crowded halls at CCSU as a mechanical engineering major, but he also pushes the pedal every Friday night around the Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut.

The driver that the race fans like to call “Hollywood”, started his racing career as a teenager in what most drivers call ‘go carts.’ In the racing world, these “go carts”, better known as quarter midgets, have given Membrino the ability to wheel his race car around the track, with ease.

“Racing has been in my family for a long time.” says Membrino.

When some fathers and sons threw a ball around on the weekends, the Membrino family was hard at work at the track. His father, Tony Membrino, along with his uncles, used to race, while his father now serves as the owner to his son’s racing crew.

The Stafford Motor Speedway hosts five weekly divisions that run at the half-mile track. For the past few seasons, Membrino has been getting his experience in the D.A.R.E Stock Division; a series that consist often of lower budget vehicles that produce less horsepower and less

handling than other series.

Still, the division proves to be as competitive and aggressive affair when compared to any other higher performance race cars, which keep the grandstands packed every Friday night.

Last season, Membrino was crowned 2010 champion in the division where he ended up in victory lane only once but finished in the top ten in every single race.

With that under his belt; he looks at 2011 as being another year of momentum and change.

“We’re moving up,” Membrino simply said.

This season will see Membrino piloting an SK Lite Modified which is two tiers above the previous division he raced in. He’ll now be shifting gears in a race car that delivers more power, more savvy and where limited experience isn’t an option. Knowing the intensity of the move, Membrino still remains confident that he’ll succeed this season.

“There’s definitely a learning curve, but I’m expecting to do good.

I’ve taken time to get adjusted to the car and I know you got to drive these cars a bit different.”

His goal remains the same which is finishing every race. Keeping this mentality, Membrino jumped at the chance to get into an SK Modified last year in preparation for this season. The only problem he found

Tony Membrino Jr. won the D.A.R.E. Stock Division in 2010. while running his test session is that the car ran out of gas a few laps in.

After the quick run, Membrino claimed that “it didn’t phase me at all.”

Membrino is in no short supply of finding help when needed. He credits his family, along a few racing hero’s that have long roots within the sport. Ryan Preece who’s also a winner at the half-mile speedway is his best friend and has always given him words of advice. “[Preece] has been running these kinds of cars and he’s always

there when I need him.”

Membrino also made mention that the car he’ll drive this year, will be the number 44. The same number ran by racing legend and a household name in the modified racing world, Reggie Ruggiero.

“He’s my racing hero.” said Membrino.

As far as the future goes, the CCSU scholar looks forward to continue his success in auto racing.

When asked where tomorrow may take him, he happily said his goal is to one day run an SK modified

Photo I Tonymembrinoracing.webs.com

on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour; a highly respected division on the east coast.

“My heart is there, if one day I’m able to have a tour car of my own….I can die happy.”

The 2011 season at Stafford Motor Speedway kicks off with the 40th Annual Spring Sizzler on April 29th through May 1st.

Membrino whose lone win came at the same event last year, will be there debuting with his new SK Lite Modified nicknamed “Black Betty.”