Volume 108 Issue 17

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Central Connecticut State University

Faculty Senate Request To Athletic Department Raises Questions justin muszynski the recorder

During the last Faculty Senate meeting, a motion was passed that requires the Athletic Department to disclose their financial report to several administrative and faculty committees.

Guy Crundwell, of the University Planning and Budget Committee, who initiated the motion that called for “transparency” in the athletic department, gave a presentation at a UPBC meeting last semester in which he asked three questions: “Is there balance -spending on academics compared to spending on athletics?,” “Is the athletic program sustainable?” and “Where does the money to support athletics originate?”

“Coming across that Knight Commission report, it shocked me,” said Crundwell, who is also a professor of chemistry.

The report he is referring to found that at many bowl championship series schools, spending per athlete is rising much faster than spending on education-related activities per student.

The report that Crundwell referred to was in regards to Bowl Championship Series schools however, CCSU is a Football Championship Series school.

Paul Schlickmann, the director of athletics, says this is like “comparing apples to oranges.”

But Crundwell insists that CCSU is very similar to BCS schools.

“We fit the same profile,” said Crundwell. “We kind of follow what the smaller schools and the BCS ones are doing.”

He also explains why he decided this was something CCSU should look into.

“It was never a desire to say, ‘Athletics shouldn’t get the money and Academics should,’” said Crundwell. “We do a lot of assessments in the UPBC, we

have all this data in academic departments of cost per student that’s available. When I read the Knight Commission Report I thought that a (Full-Time Equivalent) student is a great metric.”

However, the motion submitted that would call for the athletic department to break their numbers down into this category was shot down by the UPBC. Schlickmann says should the Athletic Department be asked to put their numbers together showing how much is spent on each FTE student they will be glad to do so.

“We will work collaboratively to figure out what the best way to put the information together is so we can discuss it,” said Schlickmann.

At the last Faculty-Senate meeting it was decided that Schlickmann, Crundwell and another member of the UPBC would return to discuss this matter further and figure out what’s the next step in this process, should there be one.

In Crundwell’s presentation, he indicates that preliminary data acquired from USA Today and Institutional Planning shows a “ballpark” estimate of athletic spending per athlete, suggests it is growing faster than spending per academic students.

He feels that should this data be confirmed, it is “problematic.”

Crundwell is very adamant that this is not an attempt to move CCSU from a Division-I school to Division-II. He says that wouldn’t solve anything because the report he read shows that D-II schools are facing the same challenges that D-I schools are.

Instead he says this may be an opportunity to look into alternative ways to increase the revenue that’s created by the REQUESt | cONt. ON 4

Volume 108 No. 17

The Buried Life Comes to CCSU

kenny barto i tHe recorder

Jonnie Penn from The Buried Life greets students during the event last Tuesday. racHael bentley the recorder

The guys from the MTV reality show The Buried Life came to visit CCSU to ask the question: “What do you want to do before you die?”

On Tuesday night, in Welte Auditorium, over 500 students sat and listened to how this group decided to pack up and travel around North America, in a purple transit bus named Penelope, in the hopes of completing their list of “100 Things To Do Before You Die.” The twist is that for every item they cross off of their own list, they vow to help a total stranger cross something off of their own “Bucket List.”

The company was created by Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn and Jonnie Penn who are British Columbia University students. They created this “extreme hobby” after being inspired by a specific stanza in the 1852 Matthew Arnold poem

entitled “The Buried Life.”

“But often, in the world’s most crowded streets, but often, in the din of strife, there rises an unspeakable desire after the knowledge of our buried life”.

During the presentation, students were able to get up and tell the cast of the show, and the entire audience, what they wanted to do before they died, as well as show off some of their own talents by singing or dancing on stage.

The cast joked around and retold the stories of their travels and narrated a few key moments about what made them realize this is how they wanted to spend their summers.

Backstage after the show, Jonnie Penn explained why they ask students the famous question and what stuck out to them the most.

“The people who were forthcoming and honest about what they wanted always hits home, and being able to stand up and say it in front on that many people takes a lot

of guts,” Penn said. “Once you say out loud what it is you want to do, it gets you really thinking about it and that’s important”.

Many CCSU students at the event were impressed that CAN and Events Management were able to put together an event this large with a group as famous as they are.

Stanley Dombrowski was one of these students and he and his friends were one of the many who were lined up outside the doors of Welte Auditorium to get inside.

“We came because I’m a big fan of the show, it’s a great thing that these guys are doing and I’m happy to support it,” Dombrowski said. “I just feel like something really positive will come out of it.”

Freshman Kailyn Craham didn’t know much about the show, but the event was still something she looked forward to.

“I actually didn’t know what it was but a lot of my friends were really into the show so I just decided to come and see what it was going to be like,” Craham explained.

Pfizer Recalls Millions of Birth Control Packets racHael bentley the recorder

Drug company Pfizer Inc. has recalled over one million packs of birth control after a packaging malfunction. This error could leave women with an inadequate dose of the hormone-based drug, which would increase the risk of getting pregnant.

A company spokesperson told USA Today the problem occurred after both mechanical and visual inspection failures, but that the problem has been corrected.

The malfuntion effects 14 lots of Lo/Ovral tablets and 14 lots of generic norgestrel and ethinyl

estradiol tablets. Not every pack of these products are affected, only certain lot numbers.

Medication packages are tracked by lot numbers that are printed on the packages, usually next to the expiration dates.

Most oral birth control tablets use a series of 21 drug tablets and seven inactive tablets to regulate and control a woman’s period while also providing contraception.

Dr. Christopher Diamond,

University physician and Director of Health Services, explains that even though CCSU health services does not prescribe

“The first thing to remember is that the pills are not dangerous, it’s just that they were mixed up so that the birth control may not be effective,” Diamond explained. “We come back to this idea that if someone had been taking pills from one of these packs, they need to make sure they are using another form of birth control until they are sure they are back on a steady contraception.”

CCSU graduate student Alli Johnston has had her own bad experience with birth control in the past. “I used to take Yaz a few

“The first thing to remember is that the pills are not dangerous” - Dr. Christopher Diamond Director of Health Services Pfizer birth control to students, if anyone has any questions about the recall they are encouraged to stop in and ask.

Follow Us On Twitter: @TheRecorder

years ago and after I went off of it I noticed that my body was never really the same,” she explained.

“So I decided not to use birth control again after that. The long term effects are too risky for me and I don’t really trust the companies.”

For More Info: Students can go onto Central Pipeline for a list of affected lot numbers. Students that have been taking the affected product should notify their doctor and return the product to the pharmacy.

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 8, 2012

NEWS

Bergenn Amends Club Audits Bylaw Change

kassondra granata The Recorder

The Student Government Association approved a proposal that outlined specific details behind the new bylaw change that allows them to put clubs on probation if they misspend their funds.

Treasurer Nick Alaimo recommended a bylaw change at the previous senate meeting that enabled the finance committee to discipline clubs. The committee would be able to put a club on probation and monitor them to make sure they did not make another mistake. If the club did, their account would be frozen for the rest of the fiscal year.

Afterwards, the club would be put back on probation.

“We just want to make sure that the clubs are on the right path,” Alaimo said at the meeting. “I think it is a fair way to go about this process, and we will be more responsible with the audits in the future and how to penalize clubs.”

The amendment passed with 19 yes votes and seven no votes.

According to President Eric Bergenn, before this change was approved, the bylaws stated that the finance committee could punish a club in any way they saw fit.

“This process is now laid out so that there is no way that the senate or the finance committee will be able to abuse their power,” said Bergenn.

Bergenn’s written proposal laid out actions that clubs would have to do to be put on probation as well as steps that clubs must go through while on probation.

“I wanted to make sure that there was no way for anyone to make any assumptions and

KENNY BARTO I THE RECORDER

President Eric Bergenn speaks to the senate during last week’s meeting. create penalties based on those assumptions,” said Bergenn. “There was a lot of talk at last week’s meeting about it ruining clubs if we imposed penalties, and I realize how scary it

would look to clubs if left unrevised.”

The Student Government Association has eight club audits every year, and according to Bergenn, a few clubs would spend over their

budget or spend their money improperly.

Bryan Kopp, a senior and President of Theatre Unlimited, a student-run theater club, said that being in a club is a business and should be treated like one.

“I know that filling out budget request forms and going to contingency to request funds for events is hard,” said Kopp. “I know that as a club board member, the amount of hoops you have to jump through in order to aquire the funds can be time consuming, frustrating and confusing at times. However, it’s very easy to see how necessary this bylaw change is and I understand all of it.”

Kopp also said that it is beneficial for clubs when it comes to learning how to living in the real world.

“Being in a student organization is an opportunity to find leadership, and it is also a learning experience,” said Kopp. “Having a system in place that allows you to work with SGA through your mistakes and balance your club’s budget is great. After that, if you keep on making mistakes, then you should be punished.”

Bergenn said that he understands the feedback he has received since the bylaw change. He also said that if anyone has any concerns, he would sit down with them and explain it in full detail.

“I hope that they come and ask us any questions about it if they are confused,” said Bergenn. “The previous bylaw change was a little vague before I had a chance to add specifics and fix it. Were not trying to make anyone look bad, we are trying to stop people from taking other people’s money. Anyone who thinks that this is going to kill their club is wrong, it’s that simple. This is set up to protect the clubs, not the senate.”

Student Goverment Passes Resolution For Child Care Service joe suszczynski The Recorder

After an active debate, the Student Government Association passed a resolution to work on creating a child care center in order to help parents on campus succeed.

Senator Kim Towler brought a resolution to the senate to build a pilot child care drop-off center. The program would provide a space on campus for students to drop off their children and would help improve attendance, retention and graduation rates of students and dependability of faculty and staff.

“The center provides students the opportunity to study without worrying about childcare,” said Towler. Her plan is to have the facility located in the library.

According to Towler’s proposal, the child care center would provide “shortterm, intermediary drop-in care until the long-term construction plans of the university are addressed and space is available for on-campus child care facilities that address campus needs.”

Senator Sims Sonet said that he agreed with the premise of the proposal, but opposed certain aspects.

“I like this a lot,” said Sonet. “But the proposal itself is loose and iffy at the moment. There would need to be a few things addressed before I would go through with this.”

The senate passed the proposal with one abstention. The rest of the senators voted for the proposal.

President Bergenn then brought to the table a general education proposal outlining his views on education at CCSU. Senator Jamie Canny motioned to table voting on the proposal until the senate’s next meeting due to lack of research.

Canny suggested that if there would be another proposal like this in the future, it would be best if they received it before the next meeting.

“I don’t feel comfortable voting right now,” Canny said. “I may love this or I may hate this. I want to sit down and study this so I will be able to know what I am voting on. ” After some deliberation, the motion

was passed to table the proposal until Feb. 8.

Bobby Berriault, a student, spoke to the senate and suggested his idea to have CCSU host a debate with U.S. Senators.

Through a slide presentation, he mapped out his plan on how to host this debate. Berriault ended the presentation with President John F. Kennedy’s quote about going to the moon, comparing Kennedy’s determination with his vision of hosting a debate at CCSU. “I think this will be a great idea to get more students involved here at school,” said Berriault. “I know how hard it is to get students on campus to be interested in politics or events and I think that this would be an interesting event and would draw the students in. How often do U.S. Senators come to colleges?”

Senator Ryan Baldassario said that he was on the fence about the idea.

“It sounds a little lofty,” said Baldassario, “But it really is a great idea and it can be done.”

President Bergenn said that if the debate were to happen, it would send good messages not only about the SGA, but the school itself.

“This is an awesome idea, I love it,” said Bergenn. “I feel like it can be done and it would be an amazing opportunity.”

Senator Chris Marcelli took the time to update the SGA on Bergenn’s plan to get students on the Faculty Senate.

According to Marcelli, to raise awareness, the Student Government Association’s “Coffee Talks,” along with promotions on their Facebook page, would help immensely.

In regards to collaboration, it was decided to have the meeting minutes be passed on to the Faculty Senate, regardless of the seats being filled or not.

According to Bergenn’s plan, in order to maintain ties with their representatives, a new standing committee will be created to facilitate coordination between students on the committees as well as a connection with the Student Government Association.

“This is something we need to work on to last long term,” said Marcelli. “This is important.”

Senator Conrad Meurice speaks during open floor.

KENNY BARTO I THE RECORDER

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / NEWS

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

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Going Mobile: New Website Offers Easy Access Sara M. Berry The Recorder

CCSU introduced a mobile website that allows students to access many of the features of the main University site from their smart phones or other electronic devices.

The appearance of the site is simpler than the full site, with large blue blocks that clearly lay out where the user needs to go to obtain information.

The mobile version features links to campus news and events, the staff directory, the athletic department, the library, Central Pipeline and links to CCSU’s Facebook and Twitter. On the first day of classes, the mobile site had 1,900 visits.

“It was something that had been on our todo list for at least a year and a half,” said Derek Pierce, Manager of CCSU Internet Services.

Pierce, along with several students and the University IT department, developed the website completely in-house, eliminating the need to pay for an outside developer.

“Our Chief Information Officer created a Mobile Computing Committee, formalizing a group of people that fairly well represent the entire campus to get input from all areas,” said Pierce. The committee included representatives from Marketing, IT, the library, athletics, student activities and human resources. The committee began formally working on the project in September.

According to Pierce, the mobile site essentially pulls together the most important and commonly used aspects of the full site. All of the components of the mobile site were already in existence and were simply reorganized into a format that was more mobile friendly.

Using the mobile version of Central Pipeline, students can check their grades, view their schedules and view holds on their accounts from virtually anywhere. The only thing that is not available on the mobile site that might be useful is access Blackboard Vista.

The library link provides the same functionality as the library’s full website, including searching the library catalog for both books and journal articles as well as useful reference guides. Using the mobile site to search for books in the library, the student can walk through the stacks with device in hand and find

the call numbers without having to worry about writing them down. There is also an email and save search results option for use later. Through the “Contact Reference Librarian” link students can call, text or email the reference staff to ask questions. There is also a chat option, where students can instant message librarians with any questions at their convenience.

The events calendar lists special events that are scheduled on campus.

The Athletics link provides access to scores and schedules, athletics news stories, team rosters and statistics. The way that it is set up is easy to follow, and provides the user with the top stories instantaneously. It also provides a search option as well as directions and the athletics staff directory.

The “People Directory” provides phone numbers, email addresses and office locations for all CCSU staff, making it easier for students to contact their professors when they do not have access to a regular computer.

The mobile site also includes important contact numbers for some of the most common departments on campus such as the Registrar, Bursar and Campus Police. There are also links to the bookstore, student center, health services, technology support, academic departments and the A-Z index for all things CCSU. At any point, students may switch to the full version of the CCSU website, which includes all of the capabilities that students are able to access via computer.

In cases of emergencies where classes may be delayed or cancelled, a red bar will appear at the top of the site informing students of any schedule changes that might affect them. This concept comes as a result of the October power outages.

Pierce said that during the power outages that occurred after the October snow storm, the number of mobile visits to the school’s full site went from an average of 800 per day to 11,000, presumably as students who did not have regular internet access tried to see if classes were meeting.

Pierce said that students can go online to the full site and leave feedback about the mobile site. Several responses have been received, and all of them have been positive. Some of the suggestions that have been made, including adding a campus map and an academic calendar, are improvements that the committee has already discussed making.

CCSU To Hire 38 Tenure-Track Positions justin muszynski The Recorder

CCSU is searching to fill 38 tenure-track positions for the fall that are open either because of retirements or emergency hires that will be concluding, up from 17 in fall 2011.

Twenty three of these positions were approved early last semester by President Jack Miller. The other 15 were added shortly before the end of 2011.

“For the past two years, because of the budget crisis, President Miller adopted a strategy of filling more faculty positions than usual with emergency appointments,” said Carl Lovitt, the Provost. “The reason for doing so was his reluctance to make tenuretrack offers to incoming faculty members that he was not sure we would have the resources to make long-term employment commitments.”

Miller says being able to hire tenure-track faculty is more about finding someone fully qualified than it is about finding money in the budget for it.

“These positions being tenure earning

as opposed to short term commitments are far more about being honest with people concerning their potential future at the University than they are about cost,” said Miller. “There is no significant cost difference between ‘emergency’ hires and tenure line hires. Thus this is really about honesty in terms of the potential length of the commitment the University can make to an individual.”

The desire by many faculty members for the university to hire more professors will not be accomplished by these positions because they are simply filling what would be vacancies.

“None of the positions are ‘new,’ they are either replacing an emergency hire or replacing a tenure track faculty member who resigned, retired, etc.,” said Anne Alling, the Chief Human Resources Officer.

However, these positions will address the issue CCSU has had for the past three years in regards to the increase in emergency appointments.

“Over five years, our average number of emergency appointments at CCSU was around 40,” said Lovitt. “Over the past three years, that number climbed to over 60. When we fill the

38 tenure-track searches the President approved last semester, we will be well within the previous five year average for emergency appointments.”

The issue of hiring more emergency appointments wasn’t helped by former Gov. Jodie Rell’s two retirement incentive programs that were passed during her administration. This encouraged many state employees, including faculty, to retire sooner than they normally would have. This added to budget cuts the state has been making and made it difficult for CCSU to commit to faculty long-term.

CCSU’s administration isn’t as optimistic as one might think. Lovitt says that while he is glad the university has made room in their budget for these tenure-track positions, it will still face many hardships in the near future due to the economy’s current state.

“It would not be accurate to suggest that we are escaping the effects of the recession,” said Lovitt, who is also the Vice President for Academic Affairs. “The Governor has just imposed a recession on all state agencies, including the state universities, and we are planning for a further recession in 2013. Many non-teaching positions remain vacant as a result

of budget cuts, and all operating budgets have been reduced.”

However, he also feels the university will be able to continue on this path in hopes that it will maintain a faculty roster that minimizes emergency hires.

“Even though it is clear that the state has not fully emerged from its economic difficulties, we believe that our cost cutting measures and careful stewardship of resources over the past few years will enable us to meet our commitments to additional tenure-track hires,” said Lovitt.

Miller says this decision did not need to go through the Board of Regents and was ultimately made by himself with input from Lovitt.

“These were approved prior to the Board taking full charge, but of course we forward all decisions regarding personnel and budgets to them,” said Miller.

The university hopes to have these positions filled by the fall.

“The desire is to have all the searches completed and the positions filled for Fall 2012. Some searches take longer than others, depending on the discipline,” said Alling.

4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / NEWS

Students Seek Alternate Book Providers justin muszynski the recorder

With the pending closing of Another Bookstore and an increase online vendors it begs the question ‘where are students getting their books from?’

While CCSU has its own books available at the campus bookstore, which partners with Barnes & Noble College, many students find its offerings rather pricey.

Parth Dholakia, a senior, says he always buys his required textbooks on Amazon.com.

“It’s cheaper compared to the bookstore here,” said Dholakia. “Ever since I came here I knew I could find better process online.”

He also shares his thoughts about what the CCSU bookstore needs to do in order to benefit students.

“They need to do something to make the books more affordable,” said Dholakia.

“Often times I could find a new copy of the book I need for cheaper than the campus bookstore sells it for used.”

After investigating, it’s found that most books are considerably cheaper on sites like Amazon or Half.com. Even ones offered on Barnes&Noble.com can sometimes fall under the list price at the CCSU Bookstore.

Jack O’Leary, manager of the CCSU Bookstore, says that it’s impossible to compete with online prices, even ones at Barnes & Noble.

“Website prices are generated from third party vendors,” said O’Leary. “Usually a lower price is available in one or two copies from an independent bookseller. Unfortunately we do not source our inventory in this manner.

Our commitment in fulfilling the needs to this academic community requires us to order for an entire classroom. The bottom line is acquiring enough textbooks for all 12,000 students.”

However, freshman Joe Abele feels that despite whatever efforts the bookstore is putting forth, his main interest is saving money and he does that in an interesting manner.

“To tell you the truth I usually buy my books at Half.com and sell them to the campus bookstore,” said Abele. “Last semester I bought my books online for about $250 and sold them back here and got like $200. I don’t even know if that’s allowed,” he joked.

Sites like Amazon are always encouraging students to purchase their textbooks from them by offering prime accounts for free if you’re currently in college. The only thing you need to provide is an .edu email address and you can receive free two-day shipping which allows for books to arrive quickly in time for classes.

O’Leary points out that the markup in the bookstore is minimal, 25% gross margin. He also says that a lot of that money goes back to the school rather than towards Barnes & Noble’s bottom line.

“We have a great relationship with the school and every time a student buys a book here it helps the university,” said O’Leary.

“If you go online and get your book all that money is profit for that particular company.

Torrie Wojick, a senior, says that she’s always bought her books at the CCSU bookstore even if they cost a little more. She also likes the idea that money goes back to the school.

Vizix Monitors to Enhance Memorial Hall Signs tom lilijedaHl the recorder

CCSU is currently looking to place monitors in Memorial Hall with the aid of Vizix, a digital signage software company.

These new monitors will be small LCD screens, which scroll through different tabs of information. Their main purpose will be to display a menu for the day, as well as nutritional information and images of the food.

“Because we are required to use Sodexo recipes, there is specific nutritional information that we have, and that must be conveyed to our customers,” said Don Degruttola, General Manager of Sodexo Campus Services.

However, the monitors will show much more than just dining information.

The screens will alternate between weather, news and various campus events. They also will be used to inform students of offers they may not be aware of, such as saving 20 percent on each purchase by using their blue chip.

“There’s a whole lot of information we want to get out to our customers, and Vizix seems to be a phenomenal way to do so,” expressed Degruttola, “We really like the idea.”

As for where the monitors would actually be located, Degruttola said, “Whenever people have a moment to pause, we’re trying to have one.”

This includes the grill line, the deli line and the salad bar as all being potential locations for Vizix monitors. Even the stairway outside the dining room, which often becomes crowded with students waiting to enter, is a place monitors may be located.

Currently, Memorial Hall’s signs consist of printed menus and nutritional facts, which are far from visually stimulating.

The information is there, but it is not being presented adequately.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been proactive in getting nutritional information out, and Vizix should further enhance our ability to do so,” said Michael Lorusso, Operations Manager of Sodexo Campus Services.

Lorusso, who is in charge of the current signing system, expressed other positives that will come out of working with Vizix.

“We create menus and signs on a daily basis, which consume a great deal of time, paper and ink,” said Lorusso. “With these monitors, a lot of people’s time can be maximized and a lot less supplies be wasted.

Because it can be done electronically, it will also be much simpler to make changes at any moment.”

Funding for the Vizix monitors will come from the University’s food services account, which Sodexo contributes to in order to maintain the campus dining facilities.

“Our hope is to try and have it functional for the coming fall,” said Student Center Director Otis Mamed, “We were happy with our online demo from Vizix, and the student feedback has been extremely positive.”

Michael Remesic, a junior, wholeheartedly supported the idea.

“I think monitors around Memorial Hall would be great,” he said “A lot of students are looking for menus and food options, and this puts them right in front of everyone. The nutritional facts on everything will also raise students’ awareness of what they’re eating.”

According to Mamed, Vizix monitors would not be limited to Memorial Hall, but would also be implemented in the Student Center. These screens, however, would be geared more towards item prices, student activities and campus events.

These changes must be approved by the University’s digital signage committee before being carried out, but if all goes according to plan, CCSU students should see Vizix monitors on campus as early as fall 2012.

“There’s a whole lot of information we want to get out to our customers, and Vizix seems to be a phenomenal way to do so,” -Don Degruttola General Manager, Sodexo

kenny barto i tHe recorder

“I think it’s a good thing that you’re supporting your school when you buy books at the store on campus,” said Wojick. “It’s going to benefit students who are coming in if the school gets more money like this.”

However, Salam Measho, a freshman, points to all the other costs a student faces as a reason why they need to cut corners whenever possible.

“If my $20,000 tuition isn’t enough then I guess I’ll consider shopping at the bookstore,” Measho joked in response to being asked if students should buy from the bookstore in

order to support the school. “I rented two books for a grand total of $60 from Chegg. com. Those books would have cost a lot more had I chosen to support the school and buy them here.”

Jessica Plourde, a sophomore, likes the idea that the bookstore isn’t just making pure profit but still thinks the prices are “outrageous.”

“I had to get two books for my physiology class that each cost over $100,” said Plourde.

“I think in the future I’m going to have to find a cheaper way to buy my books.”

Schlickmann Says Athletics Doing Its Part REQUESt| cONt. FROM 1 athletics department.

Schlickmann however, says his department is always doing what they can to generate more revenue.

“We make it one of our core operating principles to operate with fiscal integrity and to maximize our resources and to maximize our revenue generation,” said Schlickmann. “We’re already doing that, we’re doing everything we can in multiple ways.”

He also says that should the university decide to spend less on athletics they will deal with it in every way they can.

“Whatever we’re fortunate to receive

from the university as a budget allocation, we take that and if we have to endure a cut like other entities on campus then we endure a cut,” said Schlickmann.

Crundwell explains that he has nothing against sports on the collegiate level, but when he finds trends that are happening to colleges around the country he likes to investigate further to find out whether or not they are occurring at CCSU. Schlickmann understands that sports always has a tendency to stick out and doesn’t feel that the athletics department is being singled out by being the only ones who have to now submit their financial data to several committees.

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Community Central (OPEN TO THE PUBLIC) 117 W. Main Street, New Britain, CT. 06051 Thursdays 1-4 & Saturdays 10-1

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OPINION

5 THE RECORDER Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Beyond Bulletin Boards: Use All Outlets On Campus The cast of the MTV television show, The Buried Life visited CCSU last Tuesday, and about 500 students attended the CAN-sponsored event.

Considering how famous and influential this group is, it was surprising to see how empty Welte Auditorium was.

In the past year, CCSU has sponsored other big events such as Robert Gates, a former U.S Secretary of Defense and, for the fall concert, rapper Big Sean. The lack of participation from students was low at both of those events as well.

This raises the question, why? Other CSU schools, such as Southern, host events and have their venues packed.

What are they doing differently than we are?

This past week, students have been bombarded with emails about an upcoming event hosted by MTV’s television show, “MADE.” There will be a

casting call hosted by SALD for students to have the ability to accomplish one of their lifelong goals. Reflecting on CCSU’s poor student participation, how many will go and try their luck?

What it really boils down to is the lack of advertisement on campus. There are the occasional posters on the bulletin boards, but how many students actually stop and take a good look at them? We run a publication and we rarely receive any advertisements for upcoming events, which would be beneficial to all and would definitely raise awareness.

It seems that one way news is spread around campus is by word of mouth. That in itself is surprising given the fact that we have all forms of media on campus. CCSU has student run magazines, a radio station and a newspaper along with organizations such as CAN that frequently interact with the student body.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

CCSU also has multiple Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and they could utilize the university email list to notify the students. All of these factors have the ability to get the word out, but yet there seems to be some missing piece.

One can point fingers in both directions, either by arguing that there is not enough advertisement or that there is a lack of student input given to the university. Either way, something needs to be done.

Student run organizations such as CAN have a large influence on what activities or events are to being held on campus and will most likely welcome outside input into their decision making process. If there was more collaboration between CAN and the campus media, surely there would be a drastic difference in attendance at events that this university pays a lot of money for.

If this problem is tackled appropriately

Living Life Without A Bucket List kenny barto The Recorder

It’s Still Just A Game nicholas proch The Recorder

This should be my opportunity to rub it in the faces of all the Patriots fans who have been talking about how superior their team is to the Giants for the past year. Here I should also take the time to say how frustrating it is that the Eli-haters are still chirping about how much better Brady is. I guess I just did that, oops. I shouldn’t say these things, but everyone else does anyways.

Sports culture in this country is baffling.

It’s far too important. Nothing can keep me from leaving my house every weekend except Sunday football. If the Giants win, I’m happy. If they lose, I’m miserable.

Winning in athletics breaks down some of our most important values; unity and peacefulness among them. We go from loving one another and our country, and then want to see the linebacker of your team pound a quarterback into the ground.

Take, for example, the beginning of the average postseason National Football League game. Commissioner Roger Goodell trots out another pop star to sing an either butchered or splendid version of our national anthem.

During which players are crying, fans are standing in respect and the announcers are commenting on the beauty of this scene.

After that, the hatred finds its way back to the forefront. This isn’t something that is exclusive to the die-hard fans who sit in the front row of the Oakland Coliseum, either. It’s almost everyone who has even a minor interest in the game. It makes it acceptable for a crowd of fans to laugh at Giants tight end Jake Ballard when he falls wincing in pain.

My mother was making fun of her friends after the ball hit the ground just out of the reach of the hobbling Gronkowski, who didn’t have a problem dancing during the Patriots postgame party despite losing, as time expired.

Winning and losing is very important in this country. It’s also too pervasive. This short interaction almost started a fight in my living room. It’s football, calm down.

The Super Bowl is a national, if not worldwide, event. It’s nothing short of a spectacle.

The next of this magnitude in the world’s eye will be the 2012 summer Olympics in London this year. Then we’ll see that our irrational passion for competition extends beyond our

and attendance of these events does get higher, then current students are more likely to speak highly of this university’s student activities. Schools like UConn and Southern have a reputation of hosting great student events where students from other schools attend.

Imagine what it would be like if CCSU could be put on the map as one of the better state schools when it comes to the student experience. Attendance rates would go up, along with taking on the problem with campus being a ghosttown on the weekends. Alongside that, the university would have the opportunity to provide popular, successful events year round.

There is a lot of potential that CCSU has to offer when it comes to events and, if we as an institution fill in the cracks, we have the ability to make CCSU everyone’s first choice.

borders. This is when the United States will go against dozens of other countries in an attempt of appearing all-dominant on the world athletic stage. Hold on, what’s that?

Aren’t we supposed to be trying to unite the globe? Are sports off limits to this rational thought? I can’t say that I won’t be right there with most fans screaming at the television for tenths of seconds in a swimming relay, a sporting event which the majority of us who are yelling don’t pay attention to until the athletes don red, white and blue, because I will be. That’s besides the point.

While we are yelling at the screen one moment and hoping that our track team is better than China’s, we’re upset that the same country won’t work with us on economic differences. That’s not comparing apples to oranges, that’s just being hypocritical. This is a subconscious-level thing, but that doesn’t mean we cannot change it.

It would be nice to think that we’ve evolved since the 1936 games in Berlin, Germany.

These were dubbed the ‘Nazi games’ due to the fact that this was a pitting of the United States and Nazi Germany. This same mentality still applies to the major sporting events that take place today and that’s terrifying.

If we were this passionate about oil prices, for example, it would be a lot easier to fill my gas tank. Instead, we’re busy worrying about who’s going to beat who in the next matchup.

During which, we also know every thing about each player’s health and marital status.That’s some deep research. Where are these people hiding? Go help Congress with our deficit.

I’m tired of reading Tweets about player’s personal lives and fanatics hoping that a team’s star player gets hurt. You really want to see a person get hurt because he doesn’t play for the same team? If we apply this to other professions, we’ll see FedEx and UPS drivers bickering at one another on the way back to their trucks. I don’t think that will happen.

There’s a certain point when sports will lose their fun if people don’t stop and think that it’s only a game. Being highly competitive isn’t a bad thing, passiveness might be equally as bad for this country, but when you take the game too far as a fan it breaks down friendships, relationships and some times takes lives. There are more important things than winning, but finding this level of passion in something else besides sports in our country is no easy task.

If I were told today that I was going to die, I would be perfectly fine with it. I have peace of mind knowing that I’ve lived my life to the fullest and I’ve done everything in my power to enjoy everything I’ve done. If any case arose where I was presented with grim news, my last days would be filled with spontaneity instead of worrying about crossing things off of a list. Now how many of you can say that?

This mindset comes largely in part from my late grandfather, who was a hardworking father of four. Growing up in Quebec, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces before he moved to Connecticut where he started a family. He spent most of his working life as a mason and eventually retired to Florida after he earned a nice pension. One day during the early days of his retirement, he decided that he wanted to visit all fifty states, which he did and was something that I admired him for.

Hearing him talking about the sheer beauty of Alaska and having seen the polaroids of the Sequoia National Park in California was captivating. The best part is, he decided to do all of this on a whim, without much of a plan involved, which is exactly how I’ve done some of the most enjoyable things in my life.

When it comes down to it, I simply can not grasp the entire idea of creating a bucket list. I went to see the guys from MTV’s The Buried Life to attempt to understand it.

Although I respect these guys a lot for going out and helping people accomplish goals with some simple encouragement, I still don’t think that living a portion of your life off of a list is really a good thing. Look at it

this way: You make a grocery list, you have a list of homework assignments and then now you make a list about things you want to accomplish before you die?

A buddhist quote says, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” It’s not cryptic, nor is it complicated. Yet, it’s a mindset like this that helps keep a clear mind, which goes a long way for the average college student.

To be clear, I’m not a hater. I respect people’s right to do what they want, and I respect people even more who can go out and do crazy stuff to make themselves better people. But, I almost have this feeling that a lot of people make these lists and never follow up on them, which is just sad when it comes down to it. The reason these people don’t follow through is pretty simple; their goal is always just out of their reach, and since no one expects to die, they always put things off.

Now, the expression “living life in the moment” doesn’t necessarily mean that if you have a good idea you do it that very second.

For me, I tend to have good ideas every now and then, and some of them take planning.

But, I almost always take things one at a time and never turn down an opportunity to do something spontaneous.

Life throws you a lot of curve balls. Some of which can absolutely destroy some of the things on bucket lists. Deciding how to live your life is your choice, and I won’t argue whether you’re right or you’re wrong. But, if you look at how simple things are when you don’t have a list, major achievements are more powerful and feel so much better in the long run.

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Contact: editor@centralrecorder.com

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / OPINION

Letter To The Editor: Gen. Ed. Not A “Scapegoat” Dear Editor, A short answer to the question, “is general education a scapegoat?” is: No. It is only one of the problems that need to be addressed systematically at this University in the immediate future. Also on the list of things that need to be addressed as soon as possible are academic advising and class scheduling, to name a couple.

What we shouldn’t do, however, is marginalize the issues that are only a small part of the picture. We can’t fix it all at once, especially when Student Government Association Senatorsare jumping through hoops to have their voices – and substantive suggestions – heard.

So, considering that General Education is a problem, it might be necessary to explain the proposalthat I have laid out.

This proposal would in no way challenge a student’s ability to graduate on time; it was writtenwith that particular problem in mind. By dividing the number of required areas in half, and removing all mandated classes, its purpose is to allow students to try a larger mix of

different disciplines before getting into upper division classes. The plan does this without lowering standards for graduation because each student would still have to display proficiency in reading, writing and math.

The four areas cover the ‘Hard’ Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, and a Personal Development category. This last category resolves the issue that almost every professor seems to agree on: that his or her class is so important it should be mandated that every student takes part. I don’t plan on debasing any particular course; but there is no single course that should ever be required.

The biggest mistake in formulating a General Education plan is trying to create a ‘program.’ General Education is not, and should not be, a program. If it was, it wouldn’t be general education; it would be an educational program. This is, after all, a university and a reputable institution of higher education.

Students pay money to come here and get a degree in a particular area. In the process we should be encouraged to expand our knowledge outside of our field of study. We shouldn’t be required to take more than one-third of our coursework from a collection of classes mandated by a groupof professors from an array of fields. This is not an affront to the credibility or intelligence of these professors, but resistance to the notion that a committee so composed can determine themost important curricula for reasons unbeknownst to students.

In upper division coursework, the professors within each department are the most capable of creating course outlines. The justification behind this policy is that those professors all have graduate and doctorate degrees in the fields they are making decisions about. There is not a single professor at this university who has a PhD in General Education. Such a degree, to my knowledge, doesn’t exist.

There is an obvious reason that every English professor on Faculty Senate will vote to keep

at least one required Literature class. It is the same reason that every Physical Education professor will vote to keep PE 144 mandated. What is that reason? Self-preservation. I don’t blame them for voting that way; most anyone would vote in favor of protecting their job, but their expertise and specialization is keeping them clouded from the will of the consumer. In most of the world, however, that doesn’t work, and it would be considered “unethical” to do anything other than the expressed interest of the consumer.

Faculty Senate has an obligation at this point to seriously consider allowing student voting membership to join its ranks. Students are the group with the most vested interests in the successof this University, and these decisions being made affect us more than anyone. This affects what the professors get paid to do, and what we students – alongside the taxpayers in the State of Connecticut – pay them to do.

Including students in this process will provide new input, guiding policy that could fix other problems at CCSU. Taking

surveys and lackadaisically studying data will never supersede the value of direct input from the source, and those methods are often used as an evasion to real solutions.

If the Faculty Senate is going to be both the judge and jury in resolving these issues, we should at least have our representation and due process.

That being said, I would be remiss not to mention that this Faculty Senate has other advisory and decision-making authority. You may remember a couple examples from at the beginning of this note (academic advising and class scheduling). Imagine if the students who were actually affected by these shortcomings were included in coming up with the solution? It’s about time for the students of this University to have control of the education we are paying for while it still has value.

Thank you, Eric Bergenn SGA President

JOIN THE RECORDER

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / UPGRADE

Lana Del Rey Born to Die

Interscope January 31

compared to the teen pop explosion that has overtaken the music charts in previous months. Her originality is awe-inspiring, her voice a brilliantly colored fuse of old school alternative brimming with soul. She sings with somber vocals, almost in a drunken slur, beautifully masterful and charming in a broken sort of way.

“Video Games,” The first single off the album, is a whimsical ballad of young, reckless love. Softly crooning “It’s you, it’s you, it’s all for you.

Everything I do, I tell you all the time, heaven is a place on earth with you. Tell me all the things you want to do.

I heard that you like the bad girls, honey, is that true?”

Del Rey, pulling inspiration from musicians likes Kurt Cobain and Elvis Presley, generates her own style, adding something of an awkward twist of pop infused hip-hop for songs like “Off to the Races” and “National Album” but somehow manages to make it work. However, much recognition should go to her smooth vocals which allow her to pull off various genres in one song, let alone an entire album. At times

she echoes a more put together Keisha with less ecstasy binges, passionately revealing her soul to anyone who plugs in. Mix that with a beautifully damaged soul, and Del Rey deserves to be noticed.

“Radio,” a catchy tune, bursts with an oldschool style. She croons into the microphone “American dreams came true somehow. I swore I’d chase until I was dead. I heard the streets were paved with gold.

That’s what my father said,” before mixing a hip-hop instilled “no one even knows what life was like. Now I’m in LA and its paradise…now my life’s sweet like cinnamon, like a fucking dream I’m living in.”

In an erotic and melancholy melody, “Million Dollar Man” airs the dirty laundry of a broken heart constantly beaten down.

“One for the money, two for the show, I love you honey, I’m ready, I’m ready to go. How did you get that way? I don’t know. You’re screwed up and brilliant, look like a million

The album starts off with a slow-paced song,“Straight for the Sun,” which is hard to determine if its intent was to be an intro or a song, but it was a decent way to start off the album as “Desolation” turns into a faster paced multi-time signature song with catchy hints of Egyptian riffs with the guitars.

The album’s first hit is different from previous hits such as “Ghost Walking,” which begins with an acoustic guitar and feels as if the person playing the guitar is in the room with you. It doesn’t sound digitized or sampled differently, but it’s a good first impression. The lyrics are somewhat generic especially coming from the metal-vocal legend Randy Blythe, who manages to pull it off.

The songs start to change up a tad when “The Number Six” plays. It doesn’t sound like the typical metal song you would headbang to, but rather has the intent of paying attention to its differentiation of instruments and its arrangement. There’s also a digital intro and the bass guitar is more apparent.

Lamb of God has always branched out their style, this is apparent in “Cheated,” which at first sounds like an extremely heavy punk song. Imagine The Offspring turned darker.

An even bigger surprise occurs, and especially to dedicated Lamb of God fans, when in “Insurrection” Blythe sings cleanly instead of screaming at certain parts.

“King Me” is the song that ties up the album and ends it on a superior note. It catches my attention with an acoustic beginning that similar to the feel of the protagonist in a western film entering the towns bar before winning a shootout against a bunch of thugs with a

revolver. “King Me” is completely different from the rest of the album in that the typical Lamb of God sounds, style and transition all make their appearance here.

Resolution proves itself to be an album worth listening to. You can tell that the band’s dynamics and goals have changed a little more since their previous album, Wrath.

Some parts in the songs remind me of something the band Powerglove (a video game theme band) would play and their expansion on adding other styles such as hints of Egyptian and Western guitar riffs gives this latest album a mark of the maturity and a giant leap of the band’s music peripherals.

However, if you’re looking for a good old “In your face,” Lamb of God that a martial arts student would want to spar to, or even play a first person shooting game to gunning down many pixilated enemies, Resolution doesn’t quite meet up to those expectations.

The songs are a lot less driven to make the person bang their head to compared to Sacrament or Ashes of the Wake (doesn’t mean it still doesn’t, just not as much). You could take two songs off the album and it would still be just as good, and Blythe’s lyrics some people might find are a little more generic this time.

Dashboard Confessional, Good Charlotte, and Linkin Park, just to name a few.

The album has a total of 12 tracks, one of the band’s longer productions. However, with most of the songs barely reaching four minutes long, it is surprisingly easy to listen to in full without wanting to rip your ears off.

While Evanescence-like vocals mixed with machine gun double bass does not make for the perfect combination that real metal fans are looking for, Lacuna Coil’s cult like following of what is known as “Alt Metal Heads,” will surely applaud the band’s newest production.

The first two tracks, entitled “Trip the Darkness” and “Against You,” set the album off at a good pace. Fast guitar progressions and signature Lacuna Coil dual male and female vocals are just what you would expect to hear, and the songs do just that.

Whether their placement was intentional or not, these first two songs are hands down the best on the album.

“Against You” even breaks away from the verse, chorus, verse, chorus monotony that dominates this genre of music by throwing in a much needed guitar solo. Not just a cheesy one either, the guitarist really goes at in true heavy metal fashion.

The fifth song on Dark Adrenaline, titled “Upside Down,” is another good example of the band’s musical talent. Gut wrenching guitar chug patterns follow a very “tech-metal” intro that sounds reminiscent of old, The Acacia Strain. However, the repetitiveness of the songs main riff is almost too much to bear.

“Kill the Light” is by no means a stand out track on the album, it just highlights the simplicity of most of Lacuna Coils songs.

Beginning with a predictable guitar intro that turns into a mind numbing two-step beat, the song becomes boring and played out not long after the first verse.

“Give Me Something More”, “End of Time”, “Intoxicated” and “The Army Inside” all follow similar musical patterns and repetitive meaningless lyrics about you guessed it; needing more from your significant other, the end of days, and selfdestruction. The subject matter of the songs and the continuous switching on and off of male and female vocals really starts to get to you by this point in the album, and not in a good way.

Track 10 offers some comic relief (to me at least) with the bands attempt at R.E.M.’s “Losing my Religion.” While the attraction for a metal band to cover an early 90’s alternative hit song is understandable and gaining popularity, Lacuna Coil’s version comes up a bit short. The instrumentals are spot on with little tweaks here and there to add some diversity. Also, Cristina Scabbia does truly show her talent as a vocalist on this track, overpowering synthesized drums and unnecessarily distorted guitars. Where the song takes a very wrong turn is when the male vocalist, Andrea Ferro, jumps in on the chorus. He takes the song from almost enjoyable to horrendous. While the two vocalists usually highlight each other, this cover would have been better without his

“She sings with somber vocals, almost in a drunken slur, beautifully masterful and charming in a broken sort of way.”

asHley e. lang the recorder

Born to Die, Lana Del Rey’s first full length studio album is a breath of fresh air

Lamb of God Resolution

Roadrunner Records January 24

eric m. valad the recorder

Released under Epic and Roadrunner Records, Lamb of God returns to the scene with their 2012 production Resolution, which came out in stores on Jan. 24th.

The album certainly strikes a different proposition than the five-member metal squad would usually develop, and the Richmond, V.A natives never cease to amaze anyone with every new album they come out with.

Lacuna Coil

Dark Adrenaline

Century Media January 24

joey bacHand the recorder

Lacuna Coil Fans rejoice! The Italian “gothic metal” band has released its sixth studio album entitled Dark Adrenaline.

This album comes in response to the very successful 2009 release of Shallow Life.

Dark Adrenaline is produced by Don Gilmore, who is well known for his work with the likes of other popular acts such as;

7 dollar man, so why is my heart broke?”

Del Rey’s style and tone mirrors that of an atypical Hollywood beauty. Her pouting and sultry style should move her up the charts. She’s a mastermind of talent, and this world desperetely needs a surge of style after the broken records that have been streaming from our stereo speakers. It’s about time some talent showed up on the scene, and her name’s Lana Del Rey. This songstress’ sweet Lolita voice should earn her some solid recognition in the months to come.

Gogol Bordello/Viking like chants included.

As you reach the end of the album, the last song, “My Spirit,” shows a different side of the bands musical ability. It is significantly slower than most of the songs on this production and does really give you the sense that the album is coming to a close. Mystical sound effects make you feel like you are drifting in and out of a dreamlike state as the song slowly but surely builds up, leading to a very impressive high pitched guitar solo that wraps up the song.

Overall, Dark Adrenaline is a combination of twelve songs that all sound painfully familiar after you’ve listened to the first track.

With no storyline or plot to follow in the lyrics, the whole album loses some oomph somewhere around tracks six and seven, where the average listener is sure to have had enough of Ferro’s barbaric yelling and mind numbing repetition (my biggest peeve with this album). While I don’t think all metal fans are going to be rushing to put this record on their iPods, it surely has some hits I wouldn’t be surprised to hear on an alternative rock radio station or blaring from that alt-metal kid’s dorm down the hall.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / UPGRADE

Between The Sheets: Strip Clubs

racHael bentley the recorder

After watching movies, reading articles and hearing guys talk about strip clubs, I found myself driving past the Gold Club in Hartford one day and wondering “What is it really going on behind those windowless doors?”

I asked a good friend what he thought of strip clubs and I was suprised that the had never been to one before, and he too had always wondered what it would be like inside. I jumped at the opportunity to finally get my answers and asked him if he would want to go together.

Now, I know what you are probably thinking. “Why would a girl who isn’t a lesbian want to go to a strip club with someone who isn’t her boyfriend?” That’s a great question, but the truth is I am just a curious person, and I wanted to figure out what all the hype was about. After we told our friends of our plan, I had another friend (a female) who also wanted to tag along and see what the big deal was.

After pulling into the parking lot, the first thing I noticed was that the place was packed. It was a Thursday night, around 11 p.m., and I was lucky to get a parking space. We accidentally walked into the 21+ section and were quickly told to go next door to the 18+ section, which was a surprise because I didn’t realize strip clubs

actually did that. Finally we got into the right section, I paid my $5 ladies special fee, got my hand stamped with a smiley face and took a good look around.

First off I noticed that the 18+ side was much cleaner and smelled alot less like sweat and smoke than the 21+ section. There were also a lot fewer people sitting around the stage.

My girl friend and I took seats further away from the stage, while my male accomplice made a bee-line for a front row seat.

Now this may come as a suprise to many, but what I learned was that the section for people over 18 actually had more nudity than the 21+ section, mainly because there is no alcohol involved and people are less likely to try something with one of the strippers.

As we sat down, one of the strippers was just finishing up her dance, and soon afterward a new girl came out. To my sheer dismay, I realized there were no outfits involved. I was under the impression that strippers came out in outfits like cops or nurses and that they made a real show of taking their clothes off. Instead, they came out in just a bra and a thong and started rolling around on the stage.

After about half an hour of watching this dancer and some others doing their bit on stage, I came to the conclusion that my $5 would have been better spend on a Subway sandwich and that I would have enjoyed it more.

While the dancer was finishing up

Spring Break Spending Tips

her routine, she started to collect the cash that had been thrown on the stage, and it disturbed me greatly how many times she said thank you to the guys around her.

Hearing her say “thank you” each time a guy threw a couple ones or a five her way seemed excessive. Both parties, the stripper and the customer, know that the correct thing to do is to pay a stripper if she skakes her butt in your face or lets you motor-boat her breasts.

I figured the guys should be saying thank you to the stripper for letting him get up close and personal.

Soon after the first stripper got off stage, she came over to us and asked if we were having a good time. Obviously not trying to be rude or arrogant, we said yes. She then asked us if we were planning on having any “personal dances,” to which we quickly replied “no.”

But instead of walking off and looking angry like I expected her too, this stripper sat down and started talking to us about our night, asking questions like “What brought you guys here tonight?” “Are you two a couple?,” and being generally pleasant. After I explained that I was doing research for a column, she opened up completely.

We learned that she was a part-time stripper, in the sense that she only works once or twice a month. She makes around a thouand dollars every night she works.

Even more shocking was what she was doing with the money: saving for her tuition to

Iced Earth Displays Domination at the Webster danny contreras the recorder

racHael bentley the recorder

Most college students will attest to the fact that time flies during the semester.

Spring break may seem like a lifetime away but it will be upon us soon enough, and for those who want to make the most of their festivities, there are a few things that you can do to save some money and get the most out of your seven days of freedom.

When choosing and designing your vacation, there are a few factors to take into consideration such as price, location, the number of people in your party and your maximum budget. What many people don’t realize is that location is a large factor in determining price. Staying away from the hot spots can save you some major dough and you can find dozens of small beach towns in Southern California, Florida and the Carolinas that offer the same sand and surf as somewhere in the Caribbean.

After deciding where you want to go, you should start shopping around. Most people don’t commit and marry the first person they ever date, so treat vacation hunting the same way. Don’t jump the gun and go for the first great deal you find, because odds are there are even better deals out there just waiting to be found. When booking air travel and hotel reservations, it’s a good idea to check on different websites like Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity as well as the website for the actual airline or company. Another way to check for the best prices is to call the airline or hotel directly. If it is close to the travel date they will usually discount the prices so they can fill unsold seats or rooms.

The difference in prices can amount to some significant savings, and the money you save can be spent on going out and making some awesome vacation memories.

Contrary to what many think, it can actually be cheaper for you to look into longer stay packages, because hotels and resorts are more likely to discount packages that have

a longer duration. Generally speaking, the longer your trip and the more services you are bundling, the better package deals you can find. Switching up the dates that you want to stay can also make a big difference in your total bill, so rather than fly on a Saturday (one of the most expensive days of the week) try shipping out on a Tuesday.

Now for all of you who do not want to fly or spend too much money there are plenty of great destinations within a reasonable driving distance where you can have a great time. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of beach houses on the shores of Cape Cod, Rhode Island and New Jersey that are cheap to rent from a few days to a week. Websites like Craigslist offer plenty of options and locations. This can be very appealing to students who are looking to have a party or two, and have to take noise control into account.

Depending on how many people you want to include, this can also be one of the most affordable options on the table. Living in a house for a week with a bunch of friends may seem like it would be very expensive, but there are a few ways to fix that. Carpooling is a great option for those who don’t want to take multiple cars to the same destination.

Buying groceries is also a way to ease the cost of the trip, rather than paying to eat out every night. What some students will do is assign each person a night to cook and pay for dinner for everyone else. Sounds like a pain in the butt, but one night of hard work is worth all of the other nights of free food and it saves you a ton of money.

With all of the work and stress that many of us have to deal with during a semester, giving yourself a few days to relax and reenergize is completely normal and is highly encouraged by health professionals. Saving money while you have fun just adds to the list of reasons why spring break shouldn’t be a headache. That is, until you get home and have to untag yourself in photos on Facebook.

the police academy! Yes, you read that correctly. She told us that her uncle was a state policeman, and that she was only doing this for the money.

“I know what people must think when they see me dancing on stage, but I’m not like a lot of other strippers. I don’t allow any touching, I don’t do personal dances, I don’t do coke and I don’t suck c***. I’m basically an angel compared to alot of other girls here.” She seemed like she wanted to continue talking, but when her manager came up and told her to do another dance, she smiled and waved goodbye.

After a couple dances, and a lap dance for my guy friend, we decided to head out. To my suprise, even my male counterpart was pretty unimpressed with the whole event and decided that he probably wouldn’t be going to a strip club again any time soon.

I left the strip club with a profound sense of gratitude, feeling thankful that I will probably never have to do something like the women on that stage. That does not mean I think less of them, for I understand that everyone needs to make their own way in life. And deep down I somewhat envy the fact that they can be brazen enough to be so open and comfortable with their own bodies. Although the entire experience didn’t really entertain or excite me in any way, I am very glad that I took a chance to open my eyes and see things in a new perspective.

American heavy metal heavyweights Iced Earth performed at the Webster Theatre on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2011 as part of the North American leg of their 2012 tour in support of their latest album, Dystopia.

Founded in 1984, Iced Earth began as a strict heavy metal band in the mold of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. However, as the years went on, they delved into progressive and power metal, evolving their sound from dark, gloomy heavy metal into fast and complex arrangements.

However, their lineups have consistently changed with only Jon Schaffer remaining from the original band and featuring a new vocalist, Stu Block of Into Eternity fame.

The concert began with the lead single from their last album, “Dystopia,” a six minute song that pounds from the very beginning, no holds barred. Stu Block quickly showed his vocal expertise alternating between the guttural noises he does for Into Eternity and of course, melodic, almost operatic clean vocals which did justice to every past singer before him.

Starting off intensely, “Angel Holocaust” and “Slave to the Dark” played right after. Here the standout member award goes to drummer, Brent Smedley, who coolly performed both songs with the vigor of a death metal drummer. Block would direct the crowd to headbang, do the devil horns or simply stare as Schaffer and Tony Seele synchronized their rhythms and exchange guitar solos.

The band went on to play four new tracks, all of which sounded amazing. Iced Earth showed their support of anarchistic believes in “V,” which featured a mask from Alan Moore’s graphic-novel-turned-movie V for Vendetta. It felt a little ironic to sing this song as the lyrics say, “We are the resistance” but that would imply that we are a minority, and on Tuesday we weren’t.

Almost predictably, Jon Schaffer would introduce us to the songs we all wanted to hear: “Damien” from Horror Show. The concept behind their album was to theme every song to monsters and characters

from horror literature and film. Inspired

by Richard Donner’s 1971 flick The Omen, the slow guitars ominously brought forth the son of the devil into the crowd as Block powerfully sang the lines “When the Jews return to Zion, and a comet fills the sky the Holy Roman Empire rises,” preparing us for the end of the world.

They performed “Declaration Day” soon after, which drove the crowd wild, with many of the attendees moshing in the back as the ones in the front synchronized with the band in headbanging. The show that started as if it were the last tour of this band peaked with this song, and though the rest of the show was amazing, this song just blasted through the Webster Theatre. Everyone in attendance in a state of trance as the powerful double bass drum blasted away.

They ended the show with my two favorite songs, and simply their best songs ever: “Dante’s Inferno” and “Iced Earth” to very different songs with very different lyrics but amazingly performed, written, arranged and produced.

From Burnt Offerings, “Dante’s Inferno” started off eery and scary.

The lights dimmed and shadows encompassed the crowd as the song built up into a growl from Block who interpreted the song masterfully. “Lucifer!” sang Block as the song reached the most beloved part, the crowd echoing along, headbanging. The 16 minute progressive song then transitioned into their best song: “Iced Earth” from their first album Iced Earth. It’s not necessarily easy to explain how amazing this song is with human words.

“Iced Earth” is that song that defines the band. Metallica for example has “Enter the Sandman,” Slayer has “Raining Blood” and Rush has “Tom Sawyer.” This is that song, it has everything you love about the band and the best closer I’ve seen yet.

The show ended soon after with applause from everybody in attendance. Although Symphony X had an amazing show after, the intensity could not be matched, Iced Earth stole the stage.

The band will tour all of North America until the summer with Warbringer and Symphony X.

“Although Symphony X had an amazing show after, the intensity could not be matched, Iced Earth stole the stage.”

9

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / UPGRADE

20 Under 20:

Bowl-O-Rama

This weekly segment features ideas of fun things to do that are $20 or less and under 20 miles from CCSU.

Brittany Burke The Recorder

Have you ever had a Saturday night when you and your friends were just sitting around staring at each other because no one could come up with something to do?

It’s two in the morning and you’re thinking the bars and everything else seemingly worthwhile is closed. Think again. Less than five miles and ten minutes from CCSU is Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama.

The 24/7 bowling alley is located on the

Berlin Turnpike next to Fat and Happy and provides a good source of cheap entertainment at any time during the day or night.

With different time rates you can play a game with your friends for just $4.75 if you go between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. or $3.75 if you go during the day Monday through Thursday.

Weekend times vary from weekday and the more expensive rate kicks in at 6 p.m.

Friday through Sunday opposed to 8 p.m. the rest of the week.

Netflix It: Waterworld

nicholas proch The Recorder

Kevin Costner has been quoted as saying that he believes Waterworld will eventually be looked at as one of the greatest science fiction adventure films of all time. He might be the only one.

For those of you who don’t know, this film is regularly featured on lists far less endearing.

It’s frequently regarded as one of the worst flops ever. A swing and a miss. Terrible. Luckily for Universal, Warner Bros. took the heat off of them with Battlefield Earth; a consolatory victory.

Any film that is in such company, whether remembered for its greatness or its failures, needs to be watched. It’s a microcosm of the film industry; how to take a great idea and run it right into the ground or, in this case, drown it.

Costner and his crew were given an outstanding $175 million to produce this shouldbe epic. While they did make money in the end, they were expected to make a lot more. He took this role because he believed in it and you can tell as his performance is strong throughout.

Although, one might assume that his character shows such convincing anger because Costner was genuinely frustrated with how poorly the project was going.

The overwhelming criticism isn’t always warranted, to be fair. There are plenty of other of these types films that tend to be less watchable than this. What’s missing, making this fall into the worst flops of all time rather than just another average sci-fi movie, are good computer generated effects. This might not be fair either because we can only look at it now after we’ve seen Avatar. By all means, the story is equally weak in both films, but Sam Worthington and his ‘Na’vi’ friends got some assistance from some captivating visuals.

It reminds the viewer that a good idea doesn’t always carry inherent greatness. This happens over and over throughout film history, but this may be just one of the most remembered. A postapocalyptic society that is struggling to survive in a water-filled world as they find paradise.

How would that not make the mouths of studio executives, for lack of a better term, water? That premise is original, but relatable. 2001: A Space Odyssey meets Homer’s original epics. It should have gone that way.

The purpose of this section is to suggest movies that our readers need to see. That shouldn’t be limited to the greats. It easy to see what’s coherent and well-written cinema, but how can you know what is the next classic without understanding what isn’t?

The cheap prices don’t end there for CCSU students. If you bring your CCSU blue chip card to the bowling alley the shoe rental is free. On top of everything else there are always coupons that can be printed to get a game free, but that coupons can’t be used with the blue chip.

Equipped with a bar lounge open at 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 6 p.m. on Mondays, Bowl-O-Rama offers fun for all ages. Families can bring the young kids while college students can avoid homework

Vizio Provides Affordable Tablet Solution

PHOTO I VIZIO.com

Kassondra Granata The Recorder

Photo I Universal Pictures

Middletown’s Cozy Coffee Shop Eric M. Valad The Recorder

As you enter the mini-plaza from the Main Street doors, to your left you will find what seems to look like an Alaskan log tavern. The New England Emporium is more of a restaurant and a special place to shop if you’re looking for particular spices and extravagant types of coffee flavors.

Right away, entering this place gave me a feeling of comfort with its log-house like atmosphere and loft chairs if you’re just dropping in with a coffee and a book. The restaurant also has wifi and on occasion they will have musical guests performing music. It seems like a place the Doors may have played. The music in the background is at a comfortable level to ensure a relaxing visit.

The selection of salads, soups and sandwiches are plentiful. Their menu ranges vastly and you can even fill out a form for how you want your sandwich prepared. The service is quick and they can deliver your food to your table if you feel the need to not stand.

The roast beef with swiss cheese sandwich is a mouth-watering meal and the fries come straight from the fryer, giving it the crispy taste you’ve always longed for.

The Cuban sandwich is decently prepared, but if you must give it a chance, it’s best to ask for the least amount of Dijon mustard sauce available in order to give in to its sublime tang and aftertaste. The soups are changed daily for a different experience on each visit if you like to be creative. I highly recommend giving the soups a test-drive whether it’s broccoli and cheddar, chili, clam chowder or any other soup available.

The location of this restaurant is easy to pin-point on 386 Main Street in Middletown. The atmosphere is comfortable even if you’re just coming in for a quick look at the food for sale and even though some of the sandwiches could use a little less of some ingredients the food is still vast and creative. Whether you’re going alone or with some friends it’s a great place to kill time. The Emporium is a good visit in many ways, from business related visits to just a cup of coffee and a good read.

for a few hours, drink, bowl and have a good time.

Bowl-O-Rama isn’t just about strikes and spares. If some friends in your group aren’t the best bowlers and for some reason doesn’t like the idea of putting up bumpers then they can always go to the Bowl-ORama karaoke nights on Thursday and Friday instead.

Bowl-O-Rama is always a close and inexpensive alternative to sitting around and doing nothing.

A person on a tight budget and a love for obtaining the latest trends in technology should pick up the Vizio Tablet.

Vizio is not an unknown company to most. Over the past few years, the company has been perceived as a great provider of cheaper high-definition televisions, so it is not surprising that they would come out with a tablet for half the price as its competitors.

The price range of the Vizio starts from $275 to $330. Unwrapping the Vizio on Christmas Eve was a pleasant surprise; it is an ideal gift for any college student or a lover of reading.

The 8” device has up to 11 hours of battery life, which is perfect for someone who is always on the go and spends most of their day away from an electrical outlet, like myself.

The tablet is not the thinnest one out there, but it certainly is not a strain to carry around. The fact that it is a heavier build is reassuring, a guarantee that it won’t snap in half at any small amount of pressure.

The Vizio has a handsome appearance with the ability to function at a landscape or portrait orientation. The security is also a good feature, providing the ability to create a lock code or password, much like many Android devices.

The tablet runs with Android 2.3, plunging the user into an unlimited market place with any app imaginable. With a library varying from Fruit Ninja to the New York Times, it is impossible not to be satisfied. A lot of the apps are free, but there is a small fee for buying an eBook or a more

sophisticated app.

An incredible function the tablet can perform is that the user can operate it as a universal remote, having any device under your control in minutes by just typing in the model number.

The Vizio offers a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front that works for both pictures and videos, but the quality is subpar. Instead of a crystal clear picture, a sepia tone-like shade takes over the screen. For a company that represents high quality televisions, it is disappointing that this is what they have to offer.

In terms of performance, the speed is a lot slower than expected.

The tablet seems to be exhausted and frequently takes a quick rest before it finally switches over to the next desired task.

When compared to the Samsung Galaxy, a user can visualize a race between a Ferrari and a station wagon.

It is difficult to type on this tablet, but the auto-correct function is definitely a positive tool when taking notes in class or sending a Tweet to followers. With two options for the appearance of the keyboard, the user can adjust the space between the keys and have the ability to type in their comfort zone.

Overall, the Vizio has an outstanding battery life, a great three-speaker sound system and a price that is unbeatable. It’s fully functional and has great visual quality.

It is basically a small computer with a sturdy build providing the ability to send emails, check Facebook, catch the latest news, update a bank account and scoop up the bestselling novels all with the freedom of your fingertips.

“The Vizio has an outstanding battery life, a great three-speaker sound system and a price that is unbeatable.”

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

COLUMN

Are They Really World Champions?

brittany burke the recorder

Nothing in the world of fandom can compare to your team winning the championship game. I got to watch the Giants bring it home my senior year of high school, I saw the Bruins hold up the Stanley Cup last June and after Sunday they can proudly show off the Vince Lombardi trophy again.

Every time the team I tirelessly root for wins a major game I scream, celebrate and am on this high for what seems like days. I wear team memorabilia for a week straight and I’m one of those people who needs to have at least one thing that proclaims the team as champions.

Headed into today I knew I wanted to write about the Super Bowl, especially since my team won, but I didn’t know what to write. The ratings, half-time show, commercials, Eli’s eliteness and the Pats downfall since ‘spy gate’ has already been beaten to death (in some cases before the coin flip even happened) so what else is there to write about?

Instead of wracking my brain for an idea I went to the next best thing … Google. When searching the phrase “Super Bowl Champions” one headline popped up that proclaimed the New York Giants as the “World Champions,” and then I knew.

My dad and I have been having this discussion every year for as long as I could remember, especially during Super Bowl time. It stemmed off of my young self asking him how the winner could be a world champion if they didn’t play other countries. How is that? How can organizations like the NFL and MLB proclaim their winners the World Champions when in fact they haven’t played outside of North America?

Don’t get me wrong, the Giants are champions, but Super Bowl champions, not world champions.

Think about it. The NFL may only ever play teams in the United States while baseball, the NBA and the NHL have games played in both the U.S. and Canada, but again they don’t leave North America.

I understand that the terms stem from the earliest of the games played, but I still don’t think that it makes sense. As early as the 1800’s, the baseball championship was promoted as the “World’s Championship Series” and “The Championship of the United States,” which later got shortened to what we’re used to today but that still doesn’t make them World Champions, it was just a promotional thing.

The way I see it, there are very few instances when championship winners can boast the title as World Champions, two being the winners of the World Cup and Olympic athletes.

In both instances teams and individual athletes not only face opponents from their own country but in countries across the pond and halfway around the world. It only makes sense to bestow them with such a prestigious title, in the case of the NFL Super Bowl champions not so much.

Women Fall To LIU 57-43 WOMENS BBALL I cONt. FROM 12 “There’s no doubt it’s tough to go out there and play the entire game,” Piper said.

“We’re not making any excuses, but there’s no doubt that towards the end of the game they didn’t have much left, they left it all out on the court today.”

Much like the men’s basketball game that took place directly after, the Blue Devils fought hard in the first half, leading by as many as six points. However, a 12-3 run by the Blackbirds gave them a lead that they would hold on to for the rest of the game.

The half ended on a buzzer beater that gave LIU a 31-24 lead.

CCSU closed the lead to within three points at three separate times during the second half. In the end, LIU was able to overpower the fatigued Blue Devils by going on sustained runs. In the last 6:30 of play, CCSU was outscored 18-7.

“There was a few things that we said that we had to do that we didn’t,” Piper said. “One of them being transition points. We took a few bad shots that led to transition points, and that just bit us in the end.”

Kirsten Daamen contributed eight points and five blocks during 35 minutes of play, but despite the presence of CCSU’s alltime blocks leader, LIU-Brooklyn outscored the Blue Devils 34-18 in the paint. This was largely due to the 6-foot-2 center Tamika Guz’s 11 points, as well as Ebony Davis’ 16 points off of the bench. Two other players contributed ten total points off of the bench for the Blackbirds, giving them 26 bench points compared to zero for CCSU. “We saw some good things, though,” Piper said. “Seeing production from Kaley and Jackie is big, we just have to worry about keep going out there and playing hard. If we concentrate on that and get these last few wins to get in the tournament with a healthy team, I think we’ll be ok.”

Although Jessica Babe dressed for the game at LIU, she did not see any game time for the Blue Devils. She injured her ankle during the Sacred Heart game on Jan. 21.

“She started practicing this week and she warmed up today,” Piper said. “I don’t think she’s ready just yet, but she’ll do anything to try to get back and start playing again.”

The women’s team will return home on Saturday to face Quinnipiac at 1 p.m.

daniel saunders i tHe recorder

Freshman Kaley Watras contributed 10 points while playing all 40 minutes.

2012 CCSU Football Schedule September 1 @ Stony Brook September 8 Lehigh September 15 @ New Hampshire September 22 Wagner* September 29 @ Sacred Heart* October 13 Duquesne* October 20 @ Robert Morris* October 27 St. Francis (Pa.) * November 3 @ Monmouth* November 10 Bryant* November 17 @ Albany (N.Y)* Home games in bold * Conference game

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / SPORTS

Hockey Finishes Weekend Winless Brittany Burke The Recorder

CCSU hockey couldn’t scrape out a win this past weekend, falling to Siena on the road and the University of Massachusetts at home 5-4.

The Blue Devils traveled to Albany for their first game of the weekend less than one week after dropping another road game to Marist last Sunday. Looking for a win to get back on track the Blue Devils just couldn’t capitalize and allowed for six Siena goals.

Back on home ice the result was closer, but in the end the team finished weekend play winless.

“I can’t remember the last time we didn’t win in a weekend, probably the first time in the whole year and it’s definitely tough to swallow and we’ve got to figure it out right now before Regionals come along because if we lose one game there we’re out,” said Ryan Stanley.

The Blue Devils began with a strong offensive game, gaining a two goal advantage over the UMass Minutemen.

CCSU’s first goal of the game came as Conor Stanley skated up a puck he was fed from his older brother Ryan and linemate Jon Knobloch.

Nearly three minutes later Ryan Stanley buried the puck with assists coming from Conor and Knobloch.

“Losing a tough one to Siena [Friday] night it’s always good when someone comes out and scores a couple of goals, so it was nice to get a couple goals early and give our team confidence,” said Conor Stanley.

CCSU managed to score the two quick goals, but UMass’ defense stepped up against the Blue Devils’ offense and eventually the Minute Men were able to cut the lead in half with a goal from Greg Berube.

The first period remained clean with both teams staying out of the box, something that CCSU has been working on all season.

Going a full five-on-five for a full 20 minutes allowed the Blue Devils to head into the first intermission up by one, 3-2.

Midway through the period Craig Charest found the net for UMass to tie the game at two, but once again Conor Stanley was able to connect with Ryan and Knobloch to produce the team’s third goal of the game. Conor Stanley now has 40 points in 28 games on the season.

“Conor Stanley got two goals and that was good to see, the blue line was really working tonight you know they accounted for three goals I believe. We would have liked to have a couple more but their team defense from a UMass stand point did a very good

Conor Stanley scored two goals during the game against UMass-Amherst on Saturday night. job at limiting us,” said Head Coach Ben Adams.

Even though the team went into the break with a lead it didn’t last long during the second intermission.

In the second 20 of the game UMass kept CCSU out of the net while scoring two more goals of their own to take the lead from the home team.

The first penalty of the game was given to Matt Reckdenwald with 13:05 left to play.

He was sent to the box for roughing after a small scuffle broke out near Ross Mocko in goal.

Following the burst of goals in the first, CCSU couldn’t get a strong offensive game going until Andrew Mazurkiewicz tied the game up at four in the third. Indicated by the tie, the game was very back and forth

with UMass getting the final goal with five minutes to play.

CCSU tried to capitalize with an extra man on the ice by pulling Mocko from goal but the UMass defense stopped them.

“We have a tendency when we get up to think the game’s over and we have the talent just to roll them but we don’t,” said Ryan Stanley. “I think we scored a few goals quick and kind of just let up, let our guard down a little bit and against a team like UMass you can’t do that and they capitalized on that and came out in the second and third and just beat us, played more physical and played faster.”

A noticeable presence missing from the behind the bench was Assistant Coach Glen Schmelter. Schmelter was suspended for one game due to an ejection at a previous game,

Kenny Barto I THE RECORDER

but will be back for the final weekend of regular season play.

“He provides a lot of energy and the guys feed off of that for the most part. It was interesting test for our guys to see if they can get themselves up without the emotional presence and I think they did a pretty good job,” said Adams.

The Blue Devils have two more games in the regular season. The team will play at home for the final time against UConn on Feb. 10 before travelling to Boston University on Saturday.

After the season’s fifth ranking period CCSU sits at sixth and will play at the Northeast Regionals in Danbury Feb. 25 and 26 in Danbury with the hopes of clinching one of two national spots.

Spring Football Enrollees:

Spring Football Signees:

Dillon Abell- LB - Freshman - Torrance, CA

Aaron Berardino - WR - Freshman - Windsor, CT

Darnell Benjamin - DL - Junior - Massapequa, NY

Travis Buzzo - OL - Freshman - Culpepper, VA

Jonathan Connors - OL - Junior- West Seneca, NY Joseph Dowling - OL - Sophmore - Sag Harbor, NY Austen Fales - QB - Junior - Salinas, CA Brandon Hollomon - DB - Freshman - Phila. PA

Brandon Cusmano - WR - Freshman -Monroe, CT Joe Demichele - DL - Freshman - Madison, CT Tyler Hurd - OL - Freshman - Saratoga Springs, NY Michael Money - OL - Freshman - Fairfield, CT Cre’Shon “CJ” Morrison - FB - Freshman - East Hartford, CT

Robert Holloman - RB - Sophmore - Phila. PA

Darius Parson - LB - Freshman - Woodbridge, VA

Anthony Maggio - OL - Freshman - Lafayette, NJ

Chuck Watson - LB - Junior - Middletown, CT

Dominick Zook - OL - Freshman - Chesterfield, NJ

Austin Wezenski - DL - Freshman - Killingworth, CT

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 8, 2012 / SPORTS

Not Without A Fight Kenny Barto The Recorder

Bad blood spilling over from three technical fouls called during the CCSU Men’s Basketball game at Long Island UniversityBrooklyn led to a post game scuffle that could cost athletes some playing time.

The fight began when players started shoving during the post game handshake line. It wasn’t clear who or what started it, but the scuffle quickly escalated and the action moved towards the basket in front of the CCSU bench. In some photos taken, you can see Kenny Horton playing peacemaker and doing his best to hold back Joe Efese, who was called for a technical foul at the 17:40 mark of the second half after some trash talk with LIU forward Julian Boyd.

“Coaches were shaking hands, and all of a sudden I looked up and it was just a rumble,” CCSU Head Coach Howie Dickenman said.

“I don’t know anybody that saw exactly what happened, but we should have a tape of what happened and we’ll study it.”

After all was said and done, the Blue Devils (10-12, 7-5 NEC) fell to LIU (17-7, 11-1 NEC) by a score of 95-80. They have lost five of their last seven games, including a Thursday night loss at St. Francis (N.Y.), just a few blocks away from the LIU-Brooklyn campus.

“We got beat up inside, they are very good,” said Dickenman. “We played good in spurts, but it’s tough to play 40 minutes

Daniel Saunders I THE RECORDER

Robby Ptacek scored 24 during the loss against the Blackbirds.

against a team like that, the defending champions of the league.”

The Blue Devils faced incredible odds going into the match-up at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletics Center sitting in the middle of downtown Brooklyn, where the Blackbirds have defended their home court since a Dec. 8, 2010 loss to Iona.

“They came in and won 21 consecutive home games,” Dickenman said. “I had started to believe we were going to break that streak, but we came up short.”

In the first half, CCSU’s offense came out strong, and at the 12:30 mark led the Blackbirds 15-9. The Blue Devils held the lead until the 9:28 mark when Jamal Olasewere gave LIU the lead, 25-23. The Blue Devils would fight back to tie the game at 31 before the Blackbirds went on an 18-5 run to close out the first half with a 49-36 lead.

CCSU did come out strong in the second half despite the deficit, and quickly closed the lead to within five points at the 15:43 mark.

However the deficit was once again extended when LIU went on yet another run, this time an 11-0 to put the Blue Devils down by 16 with 12:54 remaining.

“I thought we came out strong in the second half, we closed the lead to four or five, and then I look up and they just went on an 11-0 run,” said Dickenman. “I thought we battled, but in the end, they were just better than us.”

The Blue Devils would never recover, and were down by as much as 24 points, but LIU subbed out a few players and played a relaxed defense that allowed CCSU to get within 15 points.

Horton had a strong second half showing, going 7-for-8 from the field, including 2-2 from 3-point range. He finished the game with 29 points and 10 rebounds, six of them being on the offensive glass.

“He had a strong second half,” Dickenman said. “That was the Kenny Horton we had been looking for and hoping for, and he’s just got to carry it over to the next few games.”

Robby Ptacek added 24 points as the second highest scorer, shooting 9-18 from the field, and was a perfect 5-for-5 on the free throw line.

The one missing ingredient seemed to be Kyle Vinales, who has shot 14-for-49, 28.6 percent in his last three games.

“Kyle is struggling, he doesn’t seem to have the speed and quickness that he had earlier this year,” Dickenman said. “He’s in a slump, his confidence is down a little bit, but the only way to get out of it is to shoot the ball, so I don’t have an issue with him shooting the ball 13 times per game.”

The Blue Devils have back-to-back games against Quinnipiac this week as a part of “Rivalry Week.” CCSU will play at the TD Bank Sports Center in Hamden on Wednesday night before hosting the Bobcats on Sunday at noon.

Daniel Saunders I THE RECORDER

Kenny Horton led the Blue Devils in scoring with 29 points and 10 rebounds during the 95-80 loss at LIU-Brooklyn.

Injury-Ridden Blue Devils Fall To LIU kenny barto The Recorder

The CCSU women’s basketball team suffered a tough loss at Long Island University-Brooklyn, falling 57-43 on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Devils (10-12, 4-7 NEC) went into the matchup against the Blackbirds (16-7, 5-6 NEC) marred by injuries to key players Jessica Babe and Brooke Bailey. Due to the injuries, first year players Kaley Watras and Jaclyn Babe were required to play all 40 minutes. Watras, a freshman, scored ten points and turned the ball over nine times, but ran the offense for almost the entire game.

“I thought Kaley did a good job tonight,” said CCSU head coach Beryl Piper. “You never like to see your point guard turn it over nine times, but as a freshman, she came up big for us to play all 40 minutes.”

Jaclyn Babe, who sat out last year due to her transfer from Duquesne University, also played the entire game, leading the Blue Devils in points with 14, and steals with four.

WOMENS BBALL | cont. on 10

Daniel Saunders I THE RECORDER

Junior Jaclyn Babe was the top scorer on Saturday with 14 during their 57-43 loss at LIU-Brooklyn.