Volume 108 Issue 1

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 108 No. 01

IRENEʼS AFTERMATH

KENNy BaRto | thE RECoRdER

A CCSU Police cruiser blocks the eastbound side of Ella Grasso Boulevard near Arute Field, where a downed light pole caused by Tropical Storm Irene blocked the roadway for a few hours on Sunday. matthEw ClyBURN the Recorder

Hurricane Irene swept through Connecticut as a tropical storm Sunday, claiming millions of dollars in damage and two lives.

One person died in a house fire caused by fallen power lines in Prospect, while another died during an attempt to canoe on a flooded roadway in Bristol.

Widespread damage was reported along the shoreline due

to falling trees, high winds and heavy rains. Forecasters accurately predicted that between two and 12 inches of rain would fall between Saturday evening and Sunday night.

At CCSU, Irene delayed moveins for returning students and led to the postponement of the first day of classes. Returning students were asked to stay home as the storm passed through Sunday and move in to residences on Monday.

University officials met with President Miller Thursday afternoon

to discuss weather forecasts and potential safety measures, according to Media Relations Officer Janice Palmer.

“The University regrets postponing the events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday and the beginning of classes, but the safety of the campus community is our most important concern,” CCSU Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications Mark W. McLaughlin said.

Few students were impacted

by the storm, as many chose to stay at home or with friends while Irene passed. Those that stayed on campus were virtually unaffected.

“There were no reports of serious problems on campus,” McLaughlin said. “Electrical outages were being quickly addressed and power was shifted as needed.”

Some students went to the campus bookstore for supplies before Irene passed through the state.

“Students came down Saturday

and bought DVDs, rain boots, and snacks to get them through the storm,” Barnes & Noble CCSU Bookstore Director Jack O’Leary said. “Business has been good.”

O’Leary said that the delivery of textbook orders was not affected by the storm and student purchasing had resumed as normal Monday morning.

CCSU student Cody Palmer was driving a friend home to Worcester, IRENE | CoNt. oN 2

CCSU Invites Malloy to Partake in Ground Breaking saRa m. BERRy the Recorder

Last week’s groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies were held to showcase a few of the renovations taking place on CCSU’s campus.

On August 24, ground was broken for the new academic building, which is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2013.

The new $38 million, 75,000 square foot building, which is not yet named, will house

classrooms and offices for the Anthropology, Geography, History, Political Science and Sociology departments of the Carol A. Ammon School of Arts & Sciences. After the new building, which will be built between Davidson and Sanford Halls, is completed, the Willard and DiLoreto buildings will undergo major renovations, said University President Jack Miller. The University is looking to name the new building after a donor.

CoNstRUCtIoN | CoNt. oN 3

Photo Illustration of New Academic Building on Campus

Photo CoURtEsy of CCsU.EdU

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2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Recorder

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

Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Proch nproch@centralrecorder.com Managing Editor Matt Clyburn mclyburn@centralrecorder. com Art Director Ashley E. Lang News Editors Sara M. Berry, Assistant Kassondra Granata, Assistant Justin Muszynski, Assistant news@centralrecorder.com

NEWS

The Tropical Storm Disrupted the Lives of Citizens Across the State IRENE | Cont. from 1 Mass. when the hurricane hit. The minivan he was traveling in got stuck on flooded roads and they were forced to abandon the vehicle in waist-deep waters. When Palmer returned to Gallaudet Hall, though, he found that the storm’s affects on campus were less than expected.

“It was overhyped,” Palmer said.

“Came back after the storm...[and] it’s a beautiful day.”

Governor Dannel Malloy signed a Declaration of Emergency Thursday evening that granted special powers to the office in light of the storm. Malloy used the emergency powers to order a handful of evacuations and close two highways in southern Connecticut.

“It’s quite clear that the number one issue is power,” Malloy said in a press conference Monday. “We understand it, we’re hearing it... that’s why I can assure you that representatives of these [power] companies are going to make themselves available to you at the appropriate times.”

According to Connecticut Light and Power, more than 750,000 Connecticut residents were without power at the height of the storm Sunday. It may take more than a

week for power to be restored to all customers as crews come in from other parts of the United States to assist.

“We’re doing everything we can

to have made more crews available to Connecticut,” Malloy said.

The semester officially began on Tuesday when classes commenced as scheduled.

Entertainment Editor Danny Contreras entertainment@ centralrecorder.com Upgrade Editor Kat Boushee Sports Editor Brittany Burke sportsed@centralrecorder. com Photo Editor Kenny Barto kbarto@centralrecorder.com Copy Editor Maxine Eichen Staff Writers Jonathan Stankiewicz

About

The Recorder is a student-produced publication of Central Connecticut State University and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of CCSU’s administrators, faculty or students.

The Recorder articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Recorder and may not be reproduced or published without the written permission from the Editorin-Chief. T he pur pose of The Recorder is to approach and def ine issues of importance to the students of Central Connecticut State Universit y.

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Photos: Kenny Barto | the recorder

CCSU was extremely fortunate in terms of damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. Flooding was minimal, and the only casualties suffered was a few tree limbs that were scattered across the campus, as well as a downed light pole on Ella Grasso Boulevard.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / NEWS

Bergenn Looks to Promote Transparency and Build Bridges SGA President Hopes to Promote Student Involvement kassondra granata The Recorder

As the only candidate in last year’s Student Government Association Presidential Election, Eric Bergenn looks to promote transparency and strengthen communication with the community in his new position.

“I’d like to be able to get everything out there and make sure that everything is carried out correctly and is available to the CCSU community,” Bergenn said.

After discussing ideas with SGA Vice President Liz Braun and Treasurer Nick Alaimo, their main objective is to reach out to the CCSU community for more feedback while raising awareness about campus issues.

One action Bergenn is taking in order to reach out to campus is the issuance of a biweekly newsletter.

The newsletter will contain bullet points and short articles pertaining to reports on SGA and matters on campus in the hope of being more visible to the eyes of the student body.

“I don’t want to necessarily flood

student’s mailboxes,” Bergenn said.

“But at the same time I want to get all the info out there.”

Bergenn also has created a Facebook account along with a Twitter account to expand the networking that SGA can have with CCSU. “We would encourage students to get in touch with us through both social networking sites, as well as our mysga@ccsu.edu email account, or by stopping in our office on the second floor of the student center.”

Another option Bergenn wants to take is make sure that the community can be more “in touch” with SGA when necessary.

Bergenn is hoping to move “open floor time,” a time during the Senate meetings to discuss important matters, to the beginning of the meeting in order to make it more convenient to students and the community who would like to share input or ask questions.

“How we respond to these different modes of communication will depend on the amount of feedback we receive. We do plan to

make an effort to respond personally to everyone who reaches out to us,” said Bergenn.

In mid-August, the Senate met together in Rocky Hill for a retreat to discuss matters and familiarize themselves with the operation of student government.

“It went really well,” Bergenn said. “People new to the [SGA] Senate got a good hold on how we operate and we got a lot accomplished.” Bergenn said the Senate went over procedures and finance and made a few changed in their organization of committees.

Instead of those volunteering for committees, the Senate decided to assign members to committees, hoping to have an equal amount of people in each group.

Last year, many clubs, such as hockey and lacrosse, believed that the amount of money distributed to their budget was unfair. Many SGA Senators received negative feedback following the distribution of funds, so the organization plans to discuss ways of remedying the situation this year. One possible solution would be the creation of a separate fund

for club sports similar to the way CCSU’s media board is funded.

“There are a lot of ideas out there, and I want to see it change this year.” Bergenn said. “If this is accomplished, clubs would have more control over their budgets.”

N i c k A l a i m o , treasurer of the Student Government SGA Pres. Eric Bergenn A ssociation, also believed said. “Every club should be funded that a change should be made when fairly; we definitely have numbers it comes to club funding. Alaimo to play around with.” agreed with the idea of giving Freshman elections for four club sports its own independent senate positions are being held funding.

September 20-21 for those who “It’s a tough thing to do, but I’m are interested in joining the student hoping to make this work.” Alaimo government community.

President Miller Delivers Speech, ‘Report Card’ to CCSU Community Kat Boushee The Recorder

In a speech made to faculty and staff on Wednesday, August 24, CCSU President Jack Miller spoke frankly to his audience about what he thinks CCSU is doing right and what he believes could be improved.

Miller, whose mother recently passed away, reflected on his own upbringing and how it has shaped him, and how he is using the lessons he learned in the past to develop the CCSU community.

During his speech he presented the distinguished service award to Dr. Helen Abadiano, a professor in the Language and Reading Arts department. Miller commented that often her colleagues refer to her as a “petite dynamo,” and discussed her achievements made in 19 years of service to the community.

Dr. Abadiano took the stage to thank her peers for the award and said that she was thankful to everyone else who deserved the award as much as she did. “I have been fortunate through all my years here,” Abadiano said.

President Miller also talked about

the report card that he has given CCSU in regard to the Strategic Plan, and copies were passed out to those who attended. The report card gives grades to the University in a variety of categories with areas of evaluation such as “Increase the number of courses that incorporate educational technology,” “Increase effectiveness in Academic Advising,” and “Reduce ratio of credit hours taught by part-time rather than full-time faculty.”

The report card gives grades in seven different categories, with marks ranging from A, like in the category “Improve safety, health and security on campus,” to D as in the category, “Increase the number of students involved in applied or experiential learning.”

Each category shows the goal, the “start,” meaning what the school was at when the plan was implemented, and the current state of the University. The report card can now be found on CCSU’s website.

After President Miller concluded his speech, he adjourned to the groundbreaking ceremony and ribbon cutting at the Elihu Burritt library.

Gov. Dannel Malloy Joins CCSU Officials for Groundbreaking Last Week

Photo Courtesy of CCSU.edu

New Academic Building Will Be Only a Small Part of Future Upgrades CONSTRUCTION | Cont. from 1 Over the summer, the renovation of the first floor of Burritt Library was completed.

That project spanned two years and cost $1 million. The process of installing restrooms on the third floor of the library began over the summer. Over the next year, the library will also receive a new HVAC system and lighting, and the existing space will be reorganized.

The Welte Hall window replacement project was finished over the summer, and Memorial Hall’s Southwest Student Dining Room and Northwest Beverage Station have been renovated. Memorial Hall will also receive new doors. The faculty offices and Student Services Center in the School of Engineering were also finished, and an engineering lab is in process. New artificial turf was installed on the soccer field and lighting was replaced on the recreation field.

Over the next year, the athletics

department will receive a new track and new seating in the lacrosse/football field.

Davidson Hall will receive new windows and doors, as well as fire code improvements.

Fire code improvements will also be made in Marcus White. Barnard Hall will receive new windows and the roof replacement will be completed. A new public safety building will also be constructed. The sidewalks outside of Memorial Hall were replaced last week, and other sidewalks on campus will continue to be fixed throughout the year.

Representatives of Residential Life, Student Affairs and Facilities Management are in the planning stages for a new residence hall to be built near the Student Center garage on Ella Grasso Boulevard. It will house approximately 630 students.

HVAC conversions have been completed in May Hall and will begin in North Hall.

These and other projects are part of the CSUS 2020 project, managed by the State

Department of Construction Services. The CSUS 2020 projects, developed through the CSUS 10-year Master Plan, are funded

through the state legislature. Smaller projects are funded by the general fund and allocated through the CSU system.

Photo Courtesy of CCSU.edu

The New Academic Building Will Be Located Between Barnard and the Power Station.

4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / NEWS

International Students Get First Impression of CCSU JUstIN mUszyNsKI the Recorder

You’re thousands of miles away from home and you’re not returning for four months. You might not have a strong grasp of the language or culture. The experiences that an international student will have in their first month are vastly different than those of their American peers.

Central Connecticut State University hosted an International orientation for foreign exchange students on Friday August 26 and while some students had mixed emotions about the event, most agreed it helped them settle in.

Louis Wright, from England, said after a long trip over here a warm welcome was “just what I needed.”

“Everyone was very welcoming,” said Wright. “People literally dropped everything to help me.”

Spanish student Irene Reyes Resina had similar feelings, saying she was a little uncomfortable coming into a new school in a foreign country but the orientation helped put her mind at ease.

“I had doubts about everything, all the paperwork I would have to do, registering for classes, but the orientation told me everything I needed to know,” said Resina.

While some may have liked all of the information being provided at the orientation Wright says it was just too much of the same.

“It was a lot of repetition,” said Wright. “A lot of the things they said I heard about five times in a row.”

Anton Servetnik, from Estonia, says he agrees that the event is worth while for the student, but says that adding a little more personality to the whole thing wouldn’t hurt.

“It was very informative and helped but, it was all very serious and it could have used a little humor to lighten things up, said Servetnik.

However, Melissa Pierce, a study abroad advisor at CCSU, says she thinks the orientation went “very well.”

“This is part of the University’s initiative to expand our community,” said Pierce.

“Students can take this opportunity to get acclimated and hopefully when classes start, they’ll be all set.”

Servetnik also says he thinks the effort to help the students meet new people is a bit too hopeful on the part of the University.

“I’m not living on campus and most of the people I meet I won’t have any classes with, so trying to get to know people won’t really make a difference,” said Servetnik.

Wright says that despite the speaking portion being very repetitive the information you gain helps tremendously.

“Aside from the pure administration side being said over and over again the knowledge you get from it is invaluable,” said Wright.

When asked if the event should be modified in the future, Resina had this to say: “I don‘t think I‘d change anything, they tell you everything you need to know then they give you a tour of the University. Come time for classes, I think I’ll be much better off having come to this.”

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New Technology Center in Willard Ready for Students JoNathaN staNKIEwICz the Recorder

The Instructional Design and Technology Resource Center here at CCSU has been busy helping faculty get courses ready during the summer and is ready for the Fall semester.

The Center, as it’s known, opened last year to help faculty successfully integrate technology into their courses and students with multimedia questions, said Instructional Design Manager Sherry Pesino.

And now with the Fall 2011 semester starting up The Center will be able to accommodate more students and faculty from designing online courses to learning and using new software.

Located in the basement of Willard Hall, The Center isn’t in the greatest location, said Pesino. But being located in an academic building and next to two others, Pesino is optimistic that there will be traffic.

“We want to see that all faculty get the support they need to integrate technology into their coursework, successfully,” said Pesino. “Anyone can click on the teaching station [in Blackboard] and say that they are integrating technology, but having student’s coursework improve because they are using technology is different.”

Offering computers that use Windows and Macintosh platforms, The Center allows for students and faculty to learn about and use software products from Microsoft Office to Adobe Flash. It has a classroom to facilitate a 10 seat workshop and conference space for webinars. Students and faculty can also edit video using iMovie or Adobe Creative.

The Center caters to people looking for help in Blackboard Vista, online course development, scanning documents, website editing, and other technologies.

In the beginning of the year, it’s pretty busy as students are working through their courses and online course design with faculty, said Pesino. With faculty The Center is steady year round.

And as demand increases more staff for The Center is being considered.

“It’s a long-term goal to ultimately hire additional staff,” said Scott Erardi, Director of Academic Technology. “I do think that it’s a little understaffed right now and hopefully we are going to be able to address that going forward.”

Erardi admitted that it will be tricky to hire people in the future with the current budget changes, but added that The Center hours

could expand to cover more time if the need is there for help.

If students want peace and quiet from the Marcus White Annex computer lab, The Center provides that resource to students, said Erardi.

“At the student center you can work collaboratively, but you don’t have access to the technology,” said Pesino, “unless you have laptops for everyone you are sitting with.”

The Center provides that multimedia exposure with new Mac computers, chairs, tables, and a new flat screen TV. “We worked really hard to design and decorate The Center,” Pesino said.

Pesino doesn’t want students coming in to write term papers, but students do have the ability to sit at multiple computers, use the tables for collaboration, record presentations, and ask questions.

They encourage walk-ins, but if you really need help make an appointment, said Pesino.

The Center’s website offers a one-on-one workshop schedule that can guarantee time with someone from The Center.

“If you come in-between classes and don’t have an appointment we may all be busy and won’t be able to help you,” Pesino said. “I don’t think we are seeing the volume we could be.”

Last semester, The Center was able to help pyschology professor Marianne Fallon, Ph.D., while she was on maternity leave both at her home and in the hospital. Using Adobe Connect, and with the help of The Center, Fallon and her class were able to do their final presentations live.

“Students would come in and do their presentation,” Fallon said. “I could see their slides and media and ‘be there’ not speaking, but by chat and make comments and such.”

The students were nervous at first though, but they got used to it pretty quick, said Fallon.

The Center also offers ProfCast, the ability of faculty to record presentations or lectures and put them online for students, classroom collaborations, a way for classes to come down and learn about technology.

Management professor Chet Labedz has used the recording studio in The Center since Fall 2010 to record his course lectures in Human Resource Management.

“I was responding a bit to the frustration of falling behind due to weather-driven class cancellations,” Labedz said. “I wanted to shift the use of in-class time from my delivery of technical content to students participating in content application.”

Besides some software limitation in the ProfCast application Labedz appreciates what they provide.

“The recording studio is quiet and it has good hardware,” Labedz said. “What more could an artist want?”

Later this week, they will be teaching a history class about social networks, blogging and Google Docs.

“The students will be learning other technical skills, such as digitization, tagging and metadata, podcasting and exhibit building using the open source program Omeka,” said history professor Heather Prescott.

Prescott and her class will be using the small classroom provided in The Center.

“It’s really the only place on campus where I can do this,” said Prescott. “The facilities are the best and there is staff on hand when the Center is open to help me and the students. It also is nicely designed and well appointed.”

For faculty on campus, going to The Center isn’t mandatory at all.

“We cannot make them come to us,” said Pesino.

Though, The Center offers an instructional

design program for faculty teaching a fully online course, said Pesino. Faculty are able to go down and meet with the team and tell us their content, have a discussion about their objectives, and how they are going to teach and build the course around that.

“We offer the training customized to them [the faculty] and what they are doing,” said Jennifer Nicoletti, Instructional Media Coordinator at The Center. “I think they have to want to come down here and spend the time.”

Erardi and The Center will ensure that faculty understand what they are doing completely.

“We will show you how to do it and we’ll work with you,” Erardi said. “We don’t just let you loose. There is a constant communication there; we work with you continually throughout the semester.”

For any questions about The Center you can call at (860)832-2081, email at idtrc@ ccsu.edu, and visit their website at www.ccsu. edu/idtrc.

Follow The Center on Twitter @ TheCenterCCSU.

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OPINION

THE RECORDER Wednesday, August 31, 2011

5

EDITORIAL

Did We Really Want Anything More From Irene?

What have we learned in the last few days? By the time Irene made her way to Connecticut, she was downgraded to a tropical storm. How did the general college public react to that? For the most part, they were disappointed. Calling Irene a ‘tease’ or a ‘let down’ online was a common practice.

What would have been a good scenario?

Would it have been better if a tree fell through everyone’s roof? Is it not bad enough that there’s still large sections of the state that don’t have power? How miserable would you be if it was your house that was directly affected?

It seemed as if the media played into this problem. Throughout the week leading up to the storm, the news media sought to boost ratings by covering Irene nonstop. Granted,

comprehensive coverage can help inform the public, but overkill can make us numb.

Numb in the fact that we expected to see something catastrophic and, when we didn’t, some of us weren’t happy about it. If you ask anyone from New Orleans about how much fun it was when they had their lives turned upside-down, they would probably spit on you.

But the question remains: how did we get to this point of media over-saturation? Did we need to see the Weather Channel putting a reporter on the beach in North Carolina?

Was there any value in seeing him getting pelted in the face with sand, salt water and wind? Beyond boosting ratings there was no point. We knew the hurricane was bad, we

didn’t need to make a mockery of the event.

The media isn’t afraid to sink vast amounts of resources into covering a natural disaster, and that can be a good thing if they are doing a civil duty, but often times they are doing so because it seems like a way to draw viewers or readers.

So what should a media outlet be doing in a time of crisis? Our organization is full of students working hard to try and learn good ethics and practices of modern journalism.

In our opinion this situation was completely overblown. It led to a massive letdown in this area and a lack of coverage of what’s going on in other areas where Irene passed.

A news station or newspaper shouldn’t just focus on the flooded parking lot down

the street, but the chaos that ensued in North Carolina and Virginia. They should talk about what happened when thousands of people were forced to evacuate New York City.

And what happened to those who refused to evacuate? These are the questions that the informed viewer is looking for and not getting.

There were nearly 40 deaths this past weekend due to the storm and the destruction it caused. Was that not enough for some people? Before we make light of the fact that it was a ‘tease’ and it was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it got to Connecticut, let’s stop and be thankful it wasn’t much worse and the death count wasn’t much higher.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

A Pork-Barrel In a Time of Need

nicholas proch The Recorder

In my first week as Editor-in-Chief of the Recorder, I’ve had to get up to speed on running this publication, learn the faces in administration whom I’m going to rely on, start assigning stories for press on the first Wednesday of the semester and finally get ready to write and edit stories at a rapid rate. All of this went on while preparing for a hurricane.

Like many of the new students on this campus, we’re getting thrown into this together. We’re all battling the floods.

You’re trying to settle in to your dorm room or apartment on or off campus and simultaneously our staff was working overtime to make sure our weekly product stayed at that rate of publication.

It started to make me think of what could possibly be the motivating factors to drive to campus during inclement weather and risk our lives (I use that term loosely) on a 16page collection of words on events pertaining to the University. Why do we do it?

We have an obligation to you, our readers, to make it to press every week. We realize you might not be relying on us for your up-tothe-minute news, but we depend on you to pick up copies of our paper every Wednesday to ensure our purpose is fulfilled.

The same can be applied to the political backbone in this country. Members of Congress and other lawmakers depend on their citizens. They rely on them for funding, for support and, most importantly, their vote.

They wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the voters going to the polls and electing them. This descends from the highest levels of power in our country all the way to the SGA on this very campus. Why do we vote for a certain candidate? The simple answer is, they promise us things.

The fact is, most of the time they can’t follow through on things they promise. A great politician, in hindsight, may only come through with a small amount of his promises.

This can only happen when the majority of other lawmakers are on their side.

Right now we’re still seeing the effects of a down economy. The government thought

that the $787 billion stimulus package would boost our economy. It was supposed to increase spending by private companies and help keep the unemployment rate below 8 percent. This was supposed to happen. It didn’t. While we certainly aren’t in as bad of shape as we were in 2009, we haven’t taken the strides that were hoped for.

President Obama is not going to get another stimulus through Congress. He’s not even going to get any type of tough legislation through. Obama is up against a Congress that doesn’t agree with most of the things he says, privately or publicly. So what can he do?

I’d like to view our country as the world’s most powerful company. We have officers in different locations who are at different levels, and they’re all asking for the same thing.

They want to please their subordinates.

The CEO keeps coming to the board asking for legislation and protocol updates and changes, and he’s getting shot down.

However, the promises that those officers made are never brought into question by the CEO. So what can Obama do? What he should be doing is writing the biggest porkbarrel farce in history. If he wants legislation changed, then bundle it in the same package as a bridge to nowhere. If he really wants a stimulus, write it into a bill that promises new roads in Waterloo, Iowa.

The congressmen from these locations will not be able to turn these offers down.

They may stand firm when facing opposing political parties, but they will not relinquish the chance at getting something signed that they promised to their citizens. It’s time for Obama to stop being a great talker and to start being an assertive jerk. Put these offers on the table and make it clear they will only be there once.

I’m sure the Democratic Party doesn’t want to bend this far, but this will not break our system. In fact, it will help. At the rate that average departments of transportation move along on projects, a new highway will employ hundreds for several years. These workers will have money in their pockets and help keep the economic cogs in motion.

A pork-barrel stimulus might just be the thing we need to both help our outlook and our divided Congress.

SPEAK YOUR MIND! Write for our opinion section!

editor@ centralrecorder.com

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / UPGRADE

REVIEWS

Paul Rudd Shows He Can Play The ‘Idiot’ Matthew CLyburn The Recorder

Within just a few minutes of the start of Our Idiot Brother, it was hard to ignore the similarity in tone to 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine. In Sunshine, funnyman Steve Carrell is walking away from a botched suicide attempt; in Idiot Brother, funnyman Paul Rudd is walking away from prison after selling drugs to a uniformed police officer.

Both films begin with an embarrassing and darkly funny low point in the leads’ lives, but become a larger portrait of dysfunctional family living in modern society.

Rudd plays Ned, a “biodynamic” farmer whose recent release from prison leads to perpetual homelessness after his girlfriendturned-landlord has decidedly moved on to another bearded pothead. Bouncing around from mom’s house on Long Island to the homes of his three sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer), Ned bemoans the loss of his dog, Willie Nelson, to his stubborn ex-girlfriend and tries to regain footing in today’s cruel world.

Ned’s approach to this cruel world is perhaps the most interesting thing about the film. Rudd’s character is a simple, kindhearted, gentle person with a true heart of gold. His inability to grasp the complexity of everyone else’s lying and scheming becomes his tragic downfall, while a well-intentioned losing of his temper becomes the unlikely climax of our story.

When all was said and done, I wondered to myself how this film came to be widely released. It felt like a festival film, rather than a traditional stoner comedy. The acting was all-around superb and helped to convey the struggling family in great depth. But for all the star power (and Rudd’s reputation), the

David Guetta

Nothing But the Beat

Capitol August 29

Danny Contreras The Recorder

David Guetta is one of Europe most popular producers but his success in the United States didn’t come until he produced the song “Memories” with Kid Cudi. The song charted number one on the United States. Though short lived, his American success revived house and many artist went on to produce similar music. Now, a year after his number one charting release with Cudi, Guetta returns to American airwaves with Nothing but the Beat, featuring collaborations from heavyweights Nicki Minaj, will.i.am and Usher.

The album has a nostalgic feel. The songs are meant to incite the summer feeling but don’t let you forget that the summer just ended. The synths are slow but up-tune; you can dance to them but don’t expect a workout. You would rather drive to his music with friends than dance to it at a club with strangers. In all, Nothing but the Beat will make you do one of two things: wish the summer went better, or longer. Truly, the album is great but its release date and period is rather odd.

Though altogether the album is a great production, it doesn’t do justice to Guetta’s music and production skills. Individually, however, you can almost feel the 27 years of experience from the French producer.

“Lunar”, the opener, is a chill song. There are no vocals and feels a little too much like a intro instrumental than an actual song;

Photo I Facebook/Ouridiotbrother

Paul Rudd stars as Ned in Our Idiot Brother, alongside Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer. we can blame that on the time it takes to build up. The song doesn’t fit into the house genre; rather it’s more progressive, akin to Deadmau5.

The heat doesn’t really get turned up in the album until his collaboration with Nicki Minaj, on the third song “Turn Me On”.

Minaj’s rapping makes a brief cameo at the end, but it is her oddness and random lyrics that truly make the song stand out from the rest. Her melody vocals are nothing special, though, and to listeners of house music, they’re average at best.

Usher follows Minaj’s and it’s almost a letdown. “Without You” is neither danceable nor catchy, but it’s there and you can’t ignore it. It’s a little too disappointing, honestly, because you don’t expect such a slow, boring song after Minaj. But, Guetta atones for his poor choice by following a song with the Black Eyed Peas leader, will.i.am.

“Nothing Really Matters” has amazing music; a little to much BEP but nevertheless fun. The dirty-bass synth from “The END” is present; an obvious showing of will.i.am’s influence, but it doesn’t feel old. It’s a rather interesting choice for a synth lead because after being overplayed by the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie’s make-shift melodic voice, it feels refreshing when it’s only one auto tuned voice.

Lil’ Wayne and Chris Brown make a duet cameo on “I Can Only Imagine” and it’s an explosive song that remains the album’s best.

It’s rapping and R&B with very danceable rhythm. It begins on a high and ends in a bang, characteristics not seen in the genre that relies on songs that just flow into the other. Nevertheless, it remains a great song, and should be the leading single of the album.

The production has great songs that, while good to replay, are not good enough to replay and annoy your friends with. That is until “Sweat” with none other than Snoop Dogg. I’ll be first to admit that Snoop Dogg is one of the best rappers in the world. So, when you combine these two, you get an amazing song. Hyper-sexualized, the song is a staple of the album and contains everything from catchy lyrics to catchy synths. It fails to produce the atsmophere from Lil’ Wayne and Chris Brown but it’s almost there, and it’s worth listening to over and over.

The album is worth buying. The money won’t be wasted, and though some songs fail to make this a part album, there are songs that will definitely be played over and over on the radio and clubs.

Red Hot Chili Peppers I’m With You

Warner Bros.

August 29

Peter Stroczkowski The Recorder

‘Monarchy of Roses’, the opening track from I’m With You, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ tenth studio album, begins uncharacteristically with feedback-drenched guitar squawking, tribal drumming, and the filter-heavy vocals of Anthony Kiedis.

Moments before the listener begins to doubt the avant-garde direction taken by the band, the song gracefully transitions into a head-bob worthy, bass-propelled verse (anchored by the fleet-fingered Flea, unsurprisingly in top form throughout the album). The track from this point on alternates between the aforementioned noisy section and the funky verse until an atonal and atmospheric solo pierces the mix, courtesy of

film was only rarely punctuated with laughout-loud moments. How could this be?

Well it turns out Our Idiot Brother actually is a festival film; it garnered much attention at Sundance and only came into wide release following the good showing there. That’s not to say that the film is not funny at all, quite the contrary in fact. I found myself laughing quite a bit, but not in a Hangover sort of way.

In other words, if you don’t appreciate smart, dark comedy, then you will not enjoy this film.

The pacing was a little slow at times and painfully fast at others. It took a great while to arrive at some of the action, and the resolution at the end was rushed beyond comprehension. Conflict and drama that took nearly 90 minutes to unfold was resolved in less than four minutes. This really undermined the legitimacy of the complex world that was built up around Ned, by assuming such complexity could be disassembled so quickly.

Rudd gives an understated performance that is, in a way, irresistible. Banks, Deschanel, and Mortimer were forced out of their comfort zones a bit and succeeded quite nicely. I’m especially becoming a fan of Deschanel and look forward to her future endeavors as she expands the characters she is able to play convincingly. Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks and Recreation, The Social Network) plays Deschanel’s quiet lesbian lover, and hits the nail on the head.

All in all, Our Idiot Brother is a worthwhile viewing for people that enjoy dark comedies in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine. The average college student would do well to avoid the film if they prefer Rudd’s raunchier comedies; pick up I Love You, Man instead and wait for This Is Forty (Knocked Up spinoff) to hit theaters next year. newest member Josh Klinghoffer.

Klinghoffer replaced longtime axeslinger John Frusciante (who left the band amicably in 2009 to pursue his solo career).

This is Klinghoffer’s first album with the band, and he doesn’t disappoint, filling his predecessor’s shoes and then-some.

He provides all of the songs with both an understated, ambient gentleness as well as a pugilistic, funky and psychedelic bliss when called for.

Admittedly, the Chili Peppers’ albums haven’t been idiomatic examples of artistic change and advancement since the band hit their stride with 1999’s Californication.

I’m with You, however, strikes a balance between the band doing what they do best quirky, funky rock with incessantly rhymed vocals ready for mainstream radio - and showcasing new sonic ideas - the pseudofolk ballad “Brendan’s Death Song” - as well as the nearly post-rock influenced break in “Goodbye Hooray.”

Some new elements seem insincere and alien to the band’s style. Most memorably, the saloon piano of “Even You Brutus?” which is reminiscent of a Cold War Kids single. However, the phenomenally dance-y, blissful closer “Dance, Dance, Dance” ranks among the band’s best work.

I’m with You is divided into three parts: the standard Chili Peppers funk-rock fare, familiar-sounding songs augmented by the incorporation of brand new sounds and styles and the rest of the album, which inevitably blends together and remains forgettable, even for die-hard fans.

The greatest strength of I’m With You as an album is the display of a band unafraid to mix up the formulas that have worked for them, even now, almost three decades into their career.

Photo I facebook/redhotchilipepers

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / UPGRADE

20 Under 20: Relax with West Hartford Yoga kat Boushee The Recorder

The school year has officially commenced but it does not have to signal the advent of stress and anxiety. Positive thinking, deep breathing and exercise can keep stress away. Practicing yoga is the perfect way to incorporate these habits into one’s life.

West Hartford Yoga offers classes to help you de-stress and increase your energy levels.

At the studio located on Brook Street in West Hartford, classes are generally $17 each, but there is one special $6 class each day.

On select Saturdays the studio offers a free “Intro to Yoga” class for beginners. Classes include Power Yoga, Gentle Yoga and Hot Yoga. Class packages can be purchased at a discounted rate.

They also offer a “Community Yoga” class on Sundays. This class only costs a $5 donation to charity and will resume on September 25th.

It is a cheap and easy double whammy, a kickstart to feeling better: not only an uplifting yoga class physically, it also leaves one with an emotional high from the charitable donation.

For those who get swept up into the relaxed world of yoga practitioners, they also offer teacher-training programs. The programs comprised of 200 or 500 hours of training help to deepen the attendees practice as well as certify them to teach yoga.

West Hartford Yoga requests that students arrive early to get situated in the studio and

Photo I WestHartfordyoga

recommends wearing comfortable, loose fitting clothing. For students who do not own a yoga mat, they can be rented or purchased in the studio’s on-site store.

Netflix It: Memento

Orientation Leaves Much to be Desired alyssa klancic

Special to The Recorder

After graduating with my class of about 200 and living in my quaint town for the summer, I had no idea what to expect when moving into a school that inhabits more students than I could fathom. Aside from the bundle of nerves that was permanently pitted in my stomach, there was some excitement about finally moving out of my parent’s house. Ah...sweet freedom.

Before the actual college experience started, there was freshman orientation and knowing that I had to attend an event with pre-planned “super fun” events. Well, that is what should have happened.

Friday was to be a scheduled day where parents would help their students move in, followed by a presentation where parents and students would say good-bye and part ways.

Students could then participate in a variety of activities that were set up by orientation leaders. That would have been grand, had it happened.

Instead, it was one chaotic thing after another. The chaos began Thursday night when the incoming freshman learned of the new plan. This new plan told students and parents that Friday was move-in day from eight in the morning to five-thirty in the evening. Well that is not helpful at all.

Getting ambiguous messages from a school that should have had things together the night before I move in while I am already a bundle of nerves is a bad idea. Here is a helpful hint: always expect the worse, especially when the inclement weather was being predicted a few days before hand.

With nothing new to do many could just sit and dwell on the fact that they were finally on their own. Which is fine if this causes an individual to feel elated. Others, however, were probably reduced to tears because with nothing to do it is pretty easy to get homesick.

Saturday brought little relief from the previous dull day. The ominous clouds were rolling in and remaining freshman went through their typical morning routines, braced themselves when venturing to Memorial Hall for breakfast, and then returned to their dorms to basically twiddle their thumbs.

Again, the back up plans, or lack thereof, became a nuisance. The idea of a good time quickly changed from living on campus to going home and bracing for the dangerous conditions at home.

Sunday held little change. With the roaring winds and down-pouring rain, freshman did not attempt many, if any, excursions across campus. This could be my naïve freshman brain at work here, but there are plenty of lounges - one on every floor of each residence hall - and the last time I checked, board games have a tendency to bring people together.

Let’s face it: they are a primitive form of entertainment, but still enjoyable.

With doubts about reliability still running rampant, it is easy to say that this orientation left a lot to be desired. With a summer that consisted of last minute and confusing responses, this orientation fiasco did not bring any amount of joy to my life. I felt like I was dealing with my high school...on a bad day. My outlook on the overall experience has dimmed, and left me seriously considering transferring.

Bookmark It! Assassination Vacation

by Sarah Vowell Sara M. Berry The Recorder

Photo I FACEBOOK/Memento

Nicholas Proch The Recorder

If you’re like the rest of us, you don’t normally wake up in a motel room not knowing where you were or how you got there. Leonard Shelby wakes up every morning and has to piece his life together using polaroid instant snapshots and other tricks he’s learned along the way.

Shelby, played by Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential, The Hurt Locker), is suffering from amnesia, but he’s not letting it slow him down in his pursuit to find the murderer of his wife. His time-consuming, but necessary, methodical approach to his investigation works very well. All the while, there are obstacles and characters getting in his way, trying to stop him from reaching his goal.

If you’re a fan of Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Inception), then you will see this as one of the seeds that grew into his now-famous style. His non-linear storytelling and stunning visuals keep this film from falling apart.

Created in 2000, this is one of Nolan’s first works. It should have been seen as a sign of things to come but, at the time, it didn’t get much attention until his popularity grew to unprecedented levels.

Connection to the character is something that Nolan has always been good at. This is something you learn within

the first twenty minutes of this film. You are constantly put in the shoes of Leonard Shelby, while his on-screen struggle to figure out what is going on is being shown to you, not told. The viewer essentially lives vicariously through Shelby, which is not always seen in today’s film world.

This is a tactic that dates back to prespecial effects, when character was the story and not how many buildings you could blow up or how much you could afford on a post production team.

Coupled with Guy Pearce’s strong performance is that of Carrie-Anne Moss.

She plays Natalie. Natalie is very quick with her facts. Natalie doesn’t like to talk much about why she is helping Leonard.

Natalie needs Leonard to help her. Natalie helps Leonard in return.

The story of Memento is told in parts, more than a dozen times you wake back up with Leonard in the motel room. Each time you learn a little more, just as Leonard does. Your connection to Leonard is what makes this story interesting and moving forward, despite the frequent steps backwards in the story line. That might sound confusing, but think about how it must feel to wake up in a motel room not knowing where you are.

If you’re a fan of Christopher Nolan, and would like to see how far he has come as a filmmaker, then Memento is the place to start. And start again.

You would have to live under a rock to not know about the Lincoln assassination in 1865, the first assassination of a US President.

There have been countless books and movies about every aspect of Lincoln’s death, its’ aftermath, and all of the people involved.

Fast forward 98 years to a Dallas parade, and you have the other presidential assassination that everyone knows about- that of JFK. But most people don’t know about the other two presidential assassinations- those of James Garfield and William McKinley.

In Assassination Vacation, author and NPR contributing editor Sarah Vowell puts a new twist on the history of dead presidents. Vowell takes the reader on a colorful and amusing trip through the history of American presidential assassinations, from museums and presidential libraries to cemeteries, monuments, and places where important things happened that may or may not even be marked. Through this narrative of Vowell’s travels to all places relating to presidential murder, we learn a history lesson that we never really got in history class.

Of course, there is a good deal of attention devoted to Lincoln, but there is a wealth of interesting facts about all three of the presidents that were shot in a time span of less than 50 years. Who would have guessed that all three of them were Republicans? Or that one person was somehow related to all three

assassinations?

Not only does Vowell tell us about the assassinations themselves, but of the other people involved and the events leading up to them. We learn almost as much about the assassins as we do about the presidents. My history teachers never told me that Garfield’s assassin came from a polygamist cult in upstate New York, or that socialism threatened American democracy long before the world had heard of Hitler or Castro.

When lists of names and dates are presented textbook style, even the most interested history buffs can get rather bored quite quickly. But for as much factual information as Vowell packs into Assassination Vacation, there are equal amounts of sarcasm and humor to make things more interesting. And while history is clearly in the past, Vowell reminds us how many parallels can be made to the present.

Assassination Vacation is comprised of three chapters, one devoted to each president.

At 255 pages, it was a fairly quick read that I had a hard time putting down. As a person who has always loved history, even when it was a bunch of seemingly unrelated facts, I was thrilled to find an enjoyable, fun book that not only revisited wellknown people and events but delved into those that many of us never knew about. Even the familiar things were presented in a new way that made them much more real than your average history book. You don’t have to be a history major to enjoy this one.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / UPGRADE

Where To Go To Do That Thing You Need To Do Campus life can be confusing. Here is a quick reference guide we put together to help you through your time at CCSU. This guide tells you where to go to do the basic things you may need to do in order to survive your years here at Central Connecticut State University.

That Thing: Pay Your Bill, Get A Blue Chip Financial Aid Advance, Waive Sickness Insurance

That Thing: Have a Doctor’s Appointment, Get Information About Quitting Smoking Where To Go: Health Services, Marcus White Annex (Next to the computer lab) (860) 832-2579

Where To Go: The Bursar’s Office, Memorial Hall 104 (860) 832-2010 and many forms can be found online at the CCSU Bursar’s page.

That Thing: Switch Roommates, Switch Residence Halls That Thing: Get Your Computer Hooked Up to the Campus Network, Remove Spyware/Virus Removal, Get Help Using Central Pipeline or Other CCSU Campus Systems

Where To Go: This is a multi-step process. If you can wait until the end of the semester, you can do it more simply through the Residence Life Office. If it is an emergency crazy roommate situation, you need to meet with your Resident Director (your RA can get you his or her information). The Resident Director will then review the information you provide and decide if the request approved. A mediation might be necessary if it is a roommate issue.

Where To Go: The IT (Information Technology) Department, Barnard Hall 020, (860) 832-1720

The Freshman Survival Guide Surviving your first year Kat Boushee The Recorder

That Thing: Get Your Mail, Get a PO Box, Get Stamps

That Thing: Talk To A Counselor, Have A Group Therapy Session

Where To Go: The Mailroom in the Student Center, directly across from the Radio and the office of the lovely staff of The Recorder.

Where To Go: Counseling and Wellness Center, Marcus White Hall, Room 205, (860) 832-1945

That Thing: Check on Financial Aid Status, Apply for Work Study, Get Help With Your FAFSA

CCSU

Where To Go: The Financial Aid Office, Memorial Hall 103 (860) 832-2200

That Thing: Grab A Quick Snack, Buy Office Supplies, Buy Books, Buy University Apparel Where To Go: The Campus Bookstore, located in the Student Center

For those of you who will be living on campus, particularly those who will be living in a dorm for the first time, you’ve probably been gathering and packing all of the things that you believe will be essential for your dorm room.

Among the stress and mess of moving out of home and in to college, several things often slip through the cracks. We at The Recorder have compiled a list of simple things that students often forget to help you on your journey through CCSU’s hallowed halls.

Commonly Forgotten (But Fairly Important) Items: Shower shoes: You really don’t want to walk around barefoot in the bathroom or in the showers. Bring a pair of flip-flops that are designated shower shoes so you can slip them on when venturing to the bathroom. Having shoes that are just for showering is smart: who wants to wear wet flip-flops outside?

Power strip with surge protector: This is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll probably be sharing a room with at least one other person and there aren’t nearly enough outlets for all

of your electronics.

Cleaning supplies: Your dorm room will get dirty. It is going to essentially be your entire house condensed into one room. You will be sleeping and hanging out there, not to mention eating and hopefully working on schoolwork. You’d be amazed at how quickly your room can get gross without the proper supplies. Not to mention, if you are as crazy as I am, you’ll want to scrub down the entire room before putting anything into it.

Tupperware: At some point you are going to eat in your room. Chances are you may have

leftovers you want to save for later. No one wants to open the fridge he or she shares with their roommate(s) to find old pizza or oozing Chinese food containers sitting directly on the shelf. But pop that food into an airtight container and you’ve got a tasty meal.

First Aid Kit: Band-aids, Neosporin, medicine for headaches and any medicine you take on a daily basis are all important dorm supplies. You can always go to Health Services for help, but having the basics in your room is definitely a good idea.

Headphones: You and your roommate(s)

may not be soul mates that like all the same music and always want to listen to the same thing at the same time. You may, in fact, want to watch a movie or TV show on your laptop before going to sleep. Even walking to class can be made more enjoyable by adding musical accompaniment courtesy of headphones and an MP3 player.

Rain gear: It does rain on this magical place we call CCSU, and when it rains walkways tend to flood. Rain boots, an umbrella and a rain jacket are all things to consider bringing with you.

9

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / UPGRADE

E-Readers Present an Interesting Alternative to Backbreaking Book Bags kat boushee The Recorder

Buying books for school is expensive and can be a hassle, but the pain doesn’t end at the register. Carrying books across campus can cause serious back issues for students, not to mention bringing up

the eternal question of whether to use a backpack for comfort and portability or a more fashionable tote or messenger bag.

However, with the invention of the e-reader, students have more options when it comes to what school bags to pick and where to buy books. There are many e-readers on the market and it can

Nook Touch

be difficult for a student to decide which e-reader is best for his or her situation.

The Nook Touch, the Kindle 3G with WiFi and the Sony Reader Touch Edition are the forerunners in the e-reader market.

Although the iPad seems like a viable option, it isn’t profiled here because of the critical lack of e-ink.

Amazon Kindle The Kindle 3G with WiFi has a six inch screen much like the Nook, but weighs more at 8.5 ounces. It is also a larger e-reader at 7.5 inches by 4.8 inches with a width of 0.335 inches. The Kindle holds more books on its own with a 4GB memory (3 GB is available for reader content) that can hold about 3,500 books.

It cannot support additional memory, so the Nook does hold more books when coupled with a memory card. Both the Kindle and the Nook have the same approximate battery life of two months. The Amazon Kindle has special features such as text-to-speech and the ability to upload MP3’s so readers can listen to their favorite music while reading.

Amazon, Kindle’s developer, is promising that library books will soon be available, and the Kindle currently supports the Kindle format of AZM, as well as TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP.

The Nook Touch weighs 7.48 ounces and sports a 6” touch screen. The Nook Touch’s dimensions are smaller than the original Nook: it is 6.5 inches by 5 inches, with a width of 0.47 inches. It has a battery life of roughly two months with one charge, and holds about 1,000 e-books with its 2GB memory, but it can be supplemented with a memory card of up to 32GB to hold around 30,000 e-books.

The Nook Touch, developed by Barnes and Noble, has over two million titles currently available for it. Barnes and Noble offers the “More in Store” feature, allowing Nook owners to download special content while in a Barnes and Noble store.

Owners of the Nook Touch can also download pictures to the Nook to use as a screensaver, and utilize the “LendMe” feature that enables readers to lend certain books to other Nook owners. The Nook supports EPUB, PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP formats. The EPUB format is especially important because it makes it possible for Nook owners to download free books from local libraries.

The e-ink feature, which all of these e-readers share in common, allows the reader to read without the strain that a typical computer screen puts on the eyes.

E-ink actually looks like paper and unlike an iPad or computer screen it produces no glare and can be read easily even in direct sunlight.

Sony Reader Touch

The Sony Reader Touch Edition weighs in at 7.58 ounces and is 6.61 inches by 4.68 inches and 0.38 inches wide. Like the Nook Touch and the Kindle 3G, it has a six-inch screen and e-ink.

The Sony Reader Touch edition has 2GB of memory and, like the Nook Touch, can be made larger with the addition of a memory card up to 32GB. The battery life is considerably shorter than on the Kindle or Nook: only 14 days compared to the Nook and Kindle’s two months.

MP3’s are supported on the Sony Reader Touch, so like on the Kindle, it is possible to listen to music while using the e-reader.

The Sony Reader Touch supports ePub, PDF, BBeB Book, RTF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP formats, so like on the Nook it is possible to borrow library books.

Send us your story: • Do you have a roomate from hell? Tell us your story!

•Do you know a student or professor who is outstanding in some way? We want to hear about it!

•Do you have an opinion on something that you’ve read in our paper or in the community? We’d like to hear from you! email us at editor@centralrecorder.com

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / SPORTS

COLUMN

Don’t Wait to Say You’re a Proud Blue Devil

SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

New CCSU Blue Devils Logo Unveiled for Upcoming School Year logo I CoNt. fRom 12 Rickbaugh was in charge of creating designs for the mascot and new marks that he presented to Schlickmann and his department. Once the initial designs were chosen focus groups comprised of various athletics department staff, student athletes and CCSU constituents were used for feedback.

“It was an effort of a lot of people and I think that’s important when you’re doing

The New Blue Devils Logo Was Introduced Earlier This Month

BRIttaNy BURKE

something like this because it’s driven by us in athletics, but you’re representing the University with something like that and that’s why I felt it was important to be inclusive in the process so a lot of people were involved, and I think it yielded a good result and I always like to say the integrity of the process determines the integrity of the result so in this case I think it,” said Schlickmann.

One of Schlickmann’s top priorities is getting the CCSU community involved, and in his latest efforts, the athletics department has created a contest which allows the student population as well as others to take part in the history of the rebranding.

Schlickmann and the rest of the athletics staff have put out a challenge to see who could come up with the best name for Mr. Blue Devil. The contest is open through the first week of school and the winner will be announced on Sept. 3 as the CCSU football team opens the 2011 season at home against the Southern Connecticut State Owls.

“[The contest is] an effort to have people feel like they are a part of [the rebranding] because that’s important and the response to the contest has been terrific. I have a whole pile of names,” said Schlickmann. “It’s been great. People have responded really well and we have some really cool names so it’s going to be a tough decision I think, but it was neat and I think it was a way for us to again just as we did with the focus groups keep people excited and get them involved and feel like they are a part of it because they are. Our athletics family isn’t just people in Kaiser. It’s everybody on campus and beyond that.”

If the winner of the contest is a student they win free textbooks for the year and if the winner happens to be a non student the prize stands at four football and basketball season tickets as well as a gift card to the book store.

The new look isn’t just for the athletes. It’s an attempt to heighten the pride of the Blue Devil community, beginning with the Sept. 3 football game.

2011 Football Schedule

the Recorder

To be honest, coming into this new semester I wasn’t too sure that I would resurrect this column. The idea of coming up with weekly topics and writing the articles 11 p.m. on Monday nights was a bit too daunting, but the closer I got to this first week of school the more appealing the idea of this column started to get.

The deciding factor of whether or not to write this was when I drove by the electronic sign near Arute Field and Kaiser Hall and saw a phrase along the lines of, “A new brand, but the same heart,” flash across the screen. It only lasted a few seconds, but the idea of heart really struck a chord with me.

Each year always starts with the same messages, the ones put out by the University reminding students to have school spirit, join clubs, come out to games and proudly wear the name CCSU Blue Devils.

While we get told these things year after year, it never seems to stick with some students other than with a rare few and, while the persistent push may seem like a broken record, it’s one that the student body should truly listen to.

What I read was obviously about the new branding initiative launched by the athletics department, which could bolster the recognition of the CCSU athletics program, but the message extended far beyond a new mascot and new marks.

Since stepping into the position of athletics director, Paul Schlickmann has made it a goal of his to increase the amount of support given to the CCSU athletes, and this year is no different.

I have heard CCSU referred to as a commuter school more times than I’d ever care to, meaning students come to campus, go to class and leave. I know people who have never even been to a football game, and it really is a shame. Even if you only commute to school you should still support the institution that you chose to get your education.

Whether it’s going to a basketball game or supporting the club sports, every person in the stands counts.

Not only does supporting athletics heighten the experience for the athlete, but it only enhances the college experience.

Maybe I was so affected by that message because I’m graduating and leaving CCSU in May, but no one should wait until their senior year to proudly say they are a Blue Devil.

Southern Connecticut

New Britain, CT

12:00 p.m.

Sat, Sep 10

James Madison

@ Harrisonburg, VA

TBA

Sat, Sep 17

Wagner College

@ Staten Island, NY

1:00 p.m.

Sat, Sep 24

Monmouth

New Britain, CT

12:00 p.m.

Sat, Oct 01

Sacred Heart

New Britain, CT

12:00 p.m.

Sat, Oct 08

Massachusetts

@ Amherst, MA

TBA

Sat, Oct 15

Duquesne

@ Pittsburgh, PA

TBA

Sat, Oct 22

Albany

New Britain, CT

12:00 p.m.

Sat, Oct 29

St. Francis (PA)

@ Loretto, PA

1:00 p.m.

Sat, Nov 05

Robert Morris

New Britain, CT

12:00 p.m.

Sat, Nov 19

Bryant

@ Smithfield, RI

12:00 p.m.

Sat, Sept 03

2011 Volleyball Schedule Sept 02

CCSU

N.C. Central

5:00 p.m.

Sept 03

CCSU

George Washington U.

10:00 a.m

Sept 9

CCSU

St. Peter’s

4:30 p.m.

Sept 10

CCSU

Bucknell / Stony Brook

1:00 p.m./ 3:30 p.m.

Sept 17

CCSU

@ Dartmouth

1:00 p.m.

Sept 21

CCSU

Holy Cross

7:00 p.m.

Sept 24

CCSU

Bryant*

4:00 p.m.

Sept 25

CCSU

Quinnipiac*

1:00 p.m.

Oct 1

CCSU

Long Island*

4:00 p.m.

Oct 2

CCSU

Sacred Heart*

1:00 p.m.

Oct 8

CCSU

@ St. Francis (PA)*

1:00 p.m.

Oct 9

CCSU

@ Robert Morris*

1:00 p.m.

Oct 15

CCSU

Fairleigh Dickinson

1:00 p.m.

Oct 16

CCSU

St. Francis (N.Y.)*

1:00 p.m.

Oct 21

CCSU

@Sacred Heart

6:00 p.m.

Oct 23

CCSU

@ Bryant

5:00 p.m.

Oct 26

CCSU

Hartford

7:00 p.m.

Oct 29

CCSU

@ Fairleigh Dickinson*

1:00 p.m.

Oct 30

CCSU

@ Quinnipiac*

2:00 p.m.

Nov 5

CCSU

St. Francis (N.Y.)*

4:00 p.m.

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11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / SPORTS

Athletics Director Continues First Year Plans Brittany Burke The Recorder

One year, three NEC Championships, one new mascot, 11 updated marks, and multiple new initiatives are just some of the things Athletics Director Paul Schlickmann and his department staff managed to accomplish during his first year at the helm, but now that the groundwork has been laid, he is poised to begin year two.

“I think for me, and we just had our opening staff meeting today, we talked about our opening goals for the year, and what I said in part was, that everything we did last year was about trying to assess and identify who we are and then take the next step and finding some clarity on who and where we want to be, then building the base or the infrastructure to put us in a position to be able to be successful,” said Schlickmann. “So that’s generally speaking was what we tried accomplish throughout the year and I think we’ve taken some great steps to do that.”

Establishing a base included the student athletes and athletic department, as well as CCSU community and its surrounding areas. This included prominent things such as making sure the athletes are successful in the classroom and on the field, the logo rebranding, continual renovations of the sports complex and community integration.

It is key for Schlickmann to have his athletes and coaches give back to the community, and last year he made sure to help the program find its niche while forming working relationships that will bring even more of the surrounding area on to the CCSU campus.

“Our core community engagement initiatives are certainly not the only ones, but the ones in the community are New Britain Boys and Girls Club, the Friendship Center, [and] the Hospital for Special Care … we have an operating principal on community engagement which is very important to what we’re doing,” said Schlickmann. “It’s also a core value and part of the strategic plan for the University we have an obligation to do our part and even without that it’s important for our athletes to get engaged.”

While Schlickmann assured that the athletes and coaches were making progress outside of CCSU, he was also ensuring that the advancement of the new sports complex. Throughout the summer, construction has been done to create the Arute Field restrooms and team locker rooms, which will be joined by bleachers this fall. Once the Arute Field project is complete, construction of the new soccer field and track will be in full swing.

Schlickmann doesn’t see the new renovations as something just for the athletes. A new complex is just another way to make everyone at CCSU proud to be a Blue Devil while remaining a top Division I school.

“I think it’s a great recruiting tool for prospective student athletes and general students and it gives our student athletes state of the art facilities to train and compete and that’s really important,” said Schlickmann. “Particularly at a Division I level. Every Division I school is trying to do the same thing. Everyone is trying to either get ahead of or keep up with the Jones’ in terms of high quality state of the art facilities, so we’re going to

kenny barto | the recorder

Athletic Director Paul Schlickmann started the year off strong, introducing a new mascot for CCSU athletics. have a beautiful outdoor complex when it’s all said and done.”

Despite all the advancements it is essential for Schlickmann that he sticks to the department’s 11 operating principles. Community engagement was one, but the two most important, according to Schlickmann, are the academic success principles, which involves keeping the cumulative GPA of all student athletes at 3.0 as well as the athletic success principle.

Each operating principle involves separate goals. In the athletic success principle, it is the goal not only to have winning seasons, but to also break the top four in the race for the Commissioner’s Cup. CCSU

was ranked fifth last year, moving up from sixth, but the school has yet to ever reach the top four.

All of these operating principles are designed to make CCSU the premier program in the Northeast Conference.

“I want, when other people talk about our program, when my colleagues, other coaches in the league, when our alums, our donors and people in the community, everybody we compete against, when they talk about Central Connecticut athletics, [I want them to] say, ‘Gosh dang it, they’re doing something right over there, they compete hard, their athletes are successful, they get after it,

they’re good sportsmen, everyone connected with that program is classy, it does well, I hate competing against them because they’re tough, but I respect the heck out of them,’ I want to be viewed as a model of how to do things the right way because if you do that then that will translate into athletic success and academic success,” said Schlickmann.

The new year is going to be filled with the unexpected, which is what Schlickmann has come to expect, but for now he has base goals, which not only include the athletics department and student athletes, but the entire CCSU nation.

CCSU Alumni Skates With the Professionals Brittany Burke The Recorder

It’s Friday night and despite it being the end of summer with the heat sitting still in the muggy air, droves of cars fill a Cromwell parking lot with boys and men a like filing out holding what could be mistaken for football bags, but as they head toward the Champions Skating Center it is apparent that football pads are the last thing to fill their duffels.

The end of summer may be looming and the start of football season may only be weeks away, but the sport of hockey never ended for those who love it.

Even though multiple leagues and teams play at the Champions Skating Center, owned and operated by former Hartford Whaler, Bob Crawford, it’s the Sixth Annual Pro Hockey Camp Scrimmage that fills the bleachers and area surrounding the ice.

“Six years ago Pete Asadourian started this camp for guys who, right before they leave for school or whatever team they’re on get together and train … we have the head coach from Yale [Keith Allain] come out and worked with us,” said Joe Dabkowski, former CCSU hockey player and current Danbury Whaler. “It’s all for us to get together push each other to get better and to get ready … so after the week we work out, we train and we skate throughout the whole week, then on Friday we put this game together, this scrimmage together for all the guys.”

As the players skate on to the ice, clad with red and green jerseys, more than one name looks familiar to the fans watching eagerly, but it is Joe Dabkowski who takes his position on the red team’s bench that looks recognizable, at least to anybody from CCSU. Dabkowski is the former co-captain of the CCSU Blue Devils hockey team and American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II standout.

After graduating in 2010, he thought his hockey career was going to end with the Blue Devils, but an opportunity to go out for a new level A club called the Danbury Whalers

proved him wrong.

“I’m very grateful for it I’ve loved playing hockey since I was a little kid it’s all I wanted to do,” said Dabkowski. “There’s was a point in time when I was choosing colleges and where it looked like college would be it for me but things happen … I worked at it, I didn’t give up at it. I had the opportunity at Danbury which worked out perfect for me.

So now I take advantage of that opportunity.

It’s very humbling to see all the hard work finally paid off and it makes me keep wanting to work hard.”

After his first year with the Whalers, Dabkowski was signed early in the summer for his second season, returning to Danbury and continuing his professional career. The Whalers were arguably the most popular team in the Federal Hockey League and continue to garner a larger fan base.

Now, two seasons after his final season at CCSU he skates on to the ice wearing green hockey pants with the Danbury “DW” insignia and the number four, which he hasn’t worn in competitive play since CCSU, after donning the number 20 during the Whalers’ inaugural season.

What’s unique about this hockey scrimmage is it is a mix of collegiate and professional players. On the ice with Dabkowski is his Whalers teammates Nick Niedert, JD Gordon and Adam Blanchette.

Dabkowski’s team was captained by Ron Hainsey of the National Hockey League Winnipeg Jets while he went up against Nick Bonino of the Anaheim Ducks and Kris Newbury, who plays for the New York Rangers farm team in Hartford, the CT Whale.

The green team might have trounced the red team 6-2, but Dabkowski notched his team’s first goal. The scrimmage was far from serious play, it was meant more to showcase the players, let them meet the fans and put an end to the week-long Pete Asadourian Pro Hockey Camp.

Most importantly, the scrimmage helped the athletes start to get back in to game shape before the season officially starts in October.

For Dabkowski he’ll call the Danbury Ice Arena home for the next season, proving that hard work actually does pay off.

“It gives me a sense of pride knowing even though I played club hockey I’m still at level

where some Division I athletes aren’t,” said Dabkowsi. “So it doesn’t matter where I came from, I’m playing at a very high level, a level I wanted to get to.”

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

Top: CCSU Alum Joe Dabkowski with current Anaheim Duck Nick Bonino Bottom: Dabkowski scores one of the two goals scored by the red team.

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, August 31, 2011 / SPORTS

New Mascot Brings Additional Swagger to the Blue Devils

The new, yet to be named, mascot was introduced to the public on August 10th, and will be officially named on Saturday at the football game versus Southern Connecticut.

Brittany Burke The Recorder

The days of the rambunctious Victor E running around Arute Field or inside Detrick Gymnasium in an effort heighten the excitement of the CCSU crowd are over. As of Aug. 10, 2011, his smiling light blue face and white number 99 football jersey has been replaced with an edgier unnamed mascot.

The new mascot, currently known as Mr. Blue Devil is just one area of the CCSU athletics department which has been revamped in an attempt by Athletic Director Paul Schlickmann to further CCSU Blue Devil pride.

“I believe this is a critical step in not only honoring our very rich athletics tradition, the history of our success over the long haul, but

merely reestablishing and defining who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Schlickmann at the logo unveiling. “I truly believe we have a superior product to share with you today, We’ve created a whole new look and design that we are extremely proud of.”

The newer face of the CCSU program is less animated and a better representation of what a NEC Blue Devil should be. The latest mascot is more directly correlated with the concepts that the athletics department values most about being a Blue Devil.

The unnamed symbol, while still smiling, is more pointed with a gray face, cynical smile and blue features. Instead of an inclusive football jersey he is donning a broader blue top with one of 11 new CCSU symbols, matching the gray shorts with the same logo.

Unlike the simple Victor E the new Blue

Devil has been paired with both a cape and gray pitchfork.

“There’s no doubt [the mascot is] different, just by virtue of the process we knew we were going to come up with something different so I think it’s fun how different people describe it, and if you’ve got 10 people in the room, 10 people will come up with a different adjective so without a doubt it’s different,” said Schlickmann in a start of term interview.

“I wanted it to be representative of our five words, or our five, six or seven words we use to describe to mean what it means to be a Blue Devil. So that’s competitiveness, that’s commitment, that’s passion, that’s pride, that’s hard work, whether people think it’s edgy, whether people think it has a little attitude, whether people think it’s tougher, I would say it probably is and I think that’s good.”

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

The new mascot design is part of a rebranding initiative that accompanies the creation of 11 new marks/logos. The process in designing the new look has been a year in the making, and is one of the first things Schlickmann worked on after taking over as Athletic Director.

“When I was soliciting feedback, taking surveys and talking to staff and coaches and people on campus and alums, all those people … one of the things that kept coming up was, ‘I think it’s time to take a look at our brand and our marks and our logos’ and that obviously resonated with me,” said Schlickmann.

The athletics department interviewed multiple companies before settling on Eric Rickbaugh and Rickbaugh Graphics.

LOGO | cont. on 10

Blue Devils Expected to Compete for Football Title Again Brittany Burke The Recorder

As the summer season comes to an end and more and more students file on to the CCSU campus for the beginning of the 2011 academic year, the start of September can truly only mean one thing, a new football season.

Last year the Blue Devils entered the 2010 season as defending Northeast Conference champions, predicted to take the title for the second year being voted to the top spot by the other coaches in the league, and 2011 is no different.

The 2010 season brought eight wins for the Blue Devils, two of which came to fruition on the road and in overtime, as well as a shared NEC Champions title.

With just three losses at the hands of the University of New Hampshire, Youngstown State and Robert Morris the coaches once again placed CCSU at number one with five votes.

Three votes separate the Blue Devils from second place finisher Duquesne, who is then trailed by Bryant and Robert Morris, which were both awarded one vote.

“You’re always proud when the coaches honor your program and they look at it and vote for you and you got to be proud about that, but it means absolutely nothing,” said

football head coach Jeff McInerney. “You just got to go out and play the games. [The preseason Coaches Poll] means they think you’re going to be good, they respect you and your team, but you still got to win the games so there’s a sense of pride but it really doesn’t count.”

Being poised to win the title will once again not only put limited pressure on the team to post successful numbers, but also further the determination of fellow NEC rivals to travel to take on the Blue Devils and defeat them, which is something the team is used to, especially with four NEC titles attached to its program.

Even with other teams gunning to beat McInerney’s team and possibly end his team’s 14-game home win streak, he remains adamant that his staff and players plan to take one game at a time.

“We won so many close games that [the athletes] just take it one day at a time,” said McInerney. “They really like football, they like competing and when you like to compete you know there’s always that chance that you’re going to fail, but who cares? The key to anything in life is that you tried, you competed and you got out there and you gave it your best shot and you let the chips fall where they may.”

While they may take one game at the time there is no denying that the team

lost some vital senior players. However McInerney remains confident in his core group of returning veterans and incoming freshmen class, which he views as the most talented they’ve ever had.

“I think they’re a wonderful group of captains and I think the senior group has a lot of character, as the last two groups have, and that’s a huge deal and I think that’s one reason we have a chance to win some games because that group’s pretty strong now we’ve got to go out and show it.”

Two players he really sees making a difference are receiver Devan Baker as well as captain and defensive lineman, Gene Johnson.

“I think Devan Baker is going to have a huge year,” said McInerney. “He’s had a great camp and I think Devan’s worked extremely hard on the offensive side of the ball and on the defensive side of the ball I’d have to say we’ve had a lot of guys do well, but I think Gene Johnson’s going to have a really good year in the middle of the defense.”

One of the top returners for the Blue Devils will be captain and second-year quarterback Gunnar Jespersen. Jespersen took over for CCSU as a transfer, passing for 1,918 yards and 11 touchdowns, while ending the season second on the team in rushing yards with 612 yards on 141 attempts, resulting in six touchdowns.

“I think you’re going to see a better quarterback … he’s getting his feet on the ground and the fact that we won eight games and co-conference champions with a quarterback that was his first season starting you would anticipate and all things point that he’s going to have a very good season.”

The first game on the docket will be against out of division state rivals, Southern Connecticut. The Owls are certainly far from being the toughest game on the Blue Devils’ schedule, but that doesn’t mean McInerney plans to underestimate what the team is capable of.

“We can’t take Southern Connecticut lightly,” said McInerney. “If we do we’ll lose and I know that’s a little bit coach speak but I’m not saying it just to say it, it’s the truth. Obviously if you looked at the overall schedule you’d say that the toughest games would be James Madison, UMass and the road conference games but if you want to slight somebody and it goes through your locker room anything could happen and I’ve seen it, so guess what you better be on edge [because] they’re all tough.”

The football season begins on Sept.

3 at 12 p.m. against SCSU at CCSU. The team then goes on a two week road trip before returning on Sept. 24 to take on Monmouth.