Recorder Volume 108 Issue 22

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 108 No. 22

In this issue...

REVIEW: The Hunger Games Page 7 OPINION: My Toothbrush Problem Page 5

SPORTS: Baseball Continues Winning Ways Page 9

kenny barto | tHe reCorDer

The athletic department supplied complimentary t-shirts for the rally, which took place the Tuesday prior to spring break.

No Tolerance For Hate

kenny barto | tHe reCorDer

Lexi Pennell (left) and Siobhan Dooley (right) both shared their experience of falling victim to a hate crime at the Educate Over Hate rally. kassonDra Granata the recorder

The CCSU community joined together at a peaceful rally to support two female students who were subject to a hate crime.

On the night of Mar. 7, Siobhan Dooley and her roommate Lexi Pennell received hateful letters on their door in one of the dormitories regarding their sexual orientation. Dooley and

Pennell were moved to another dorm while the case is still pending.

Provost Carl Lovitt sent out an email to the University the night after the incident, explaining what had happened and endorsed the rally.

“We define our University as a community of learners, helping communities depend on the bonds of respect and civility,” Lovitt said.

“Acts of violence and hatred have no place here.

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Celebrating difference is one of the values we place on this campus. All of the support and people here at this rally makes me proud to work here at CCSU.” “I never thought that a simple piece of paper would become something that I would actually care about,” Dooley said to the large audience. “I don’t like that when I walk into the dining hall,

see RALLY - page 2

2 THE RECORDER Wednesday, March 28, 2012

NEWS

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

Students and faculty gathered around the Student Center Circle to show their support for the LGBT community following the incident involving two female students.

Rally Draws Passionate Crowd Following Hate Crime Continued from page 1 I feel that I am not safe. I don’t like that when I sit down, I feel that my attacker is somewhere near me to follow me back to my home. It’s not a comfortable feeling and it’s not right.”

Students, faculty and administrators gathered in the student center circle on Mar. 13 to attend the “Educate Over Hate” rally to show their support and to show the two students that there is a community that has their back.

“These type of crimes aren’t just a problem in the gay community, they happen to everyone on campus,” said Pennell. “Central is my home just like everyone else’s. I am proud to call it my home.

All I have to say to the person responsible for this is that I will not be run out of my home and I will not be intimidated by hate. I am proud to be an ally to anyone who is going through their own struggle and I am proud to be a Blue Devil.”

Student Government President Eric Bergenn, who hosted the event, introduced those who wished to speak on behalf of the incident.

“We are here to highlight that this is not a representation of this campus community. Even though the reason for this event is inexcuseable, hopefully we can make today a positive event, highlighting and broadening the acceptance at this campus,” Bergenn said. “We were all accepted into this University, on the letter it said ‘you are accepted into this University.’ That’s the only acceptance we need here. All of our guests should be treated with the same respect. Even though I am extremely mad, I will not allow my heart to fill with hatred in response to hatred.” kenny barto | THE RECORDER University President Jack Miller said that he was satisfied with the turnout of the rally and expressed his gratitude to those who attended.

“This is a pretty big community and we and said that she suffered harassment for her cannot tolerate disrespect of others within our sexual orientation in the past. community,” Miller said. “What do we do when “Pride is here today and it is great that this we don’t tolerate hate? many people got together to The first meaningful that we will not tolerate “This rally should not say way is for all of you to this on campus,” DiPlacido be here in this size of be about blaming others, said. “The University’s a group today to show support is awesome. When I your support for the it should be a celebration heard about this event it was entire community. painful partially because I love, compassion, was a target of harassment, I Don’t let people engage of in this kind of behavior, know what it feels like. I also we need to take action. peace and understanding know what it feels like when This is not some slap on of others. Everybody no one says or does anything the wrist offence, this about it.” is something you don’t needs our love, whether PRIDE is a student-run want on your record for organization that supports they deserve it or not.” the rest of your life.” gay, lesbian, bisexual and Those who attended transgender students on had the option to sign Bobby Berriault - Student campus. Erika Dawsona banner as well as Head, a member of PRIDE receiving a free t-shirt attended the rally to show her donated by the Athletics Department that said, support.

“Educate over Hate” on the back.

“When I found out about about this, I was Psychology Professor and Faculty Advisor totally saddened. I was at a public hearing when for PRIDE, Joanne DiPlacido spoke at the rally I got the email on my phone, it took everything

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

I could to finish the meeting because I was so upset. And it made me realize how valuable and how wonderful it is when we have a community that accepts people that are different and who they really are.” said Dawson-Head. “This rally is amazing and it is so important because as students we all support each other. It’s not often when we can all get together as a community and show each other how much we care.”

Student Bobby Berriault spoke at the rally, emphasizing that this is a gathering of love, not hate.

“It is always easy to blame others, we must be reminded that there is a greater number here who’s love, knowledge, and good will towards one another benefits the entire community,” Berriault said. “This rally should not be about blaming others, it should be a celebration of love, compassion, peace and understanding of others. Everybody needs our love, whether they deserve it or not.”

Surrounding CSU schools also attended the rally in efforts to show support to the victims of the hate crime.

SCSU student Robby Diaz said that he heard about the event on Facebook and is a part of Southern’s LGBT club.

“I think it’s great; there is no place for hate speech anywhere,” said Diaz. “Just because we are a different sexual orientation, no one has the right to make us feel out of place. The fact that it came together so quickly is awesome. I am proud to be a part of this.”

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 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 Managing Editor Kassondra Granata kgranata@centralrecorder.com

Art Director Ashley E. Lang News Editor Justin Muszynski news@centralrecorder.com Sports Editor Brittany Burke sportsed@centralrecorder.com Photo Editors Kenny Barto kbarto@centralrecorder.com Daniel Saunders dsaunders@centralrecorder.com

Upgrade Editor Rachael Bentley upgrade@centralrecorder.com Copy Editors Sara M. Berry Maxine Eichen Staff Writers Ciara Hooks Acadia Otlowski Kyle Penn Nick Rosa Joe Suszczynski Eric M. Valad Dan Wanat Amanda L. Webster Irene W. Yukash

Students Gather to Witness a Veteran’s Panel for NPR Broadcast Acadia Otlowski The Recorder

Students gathered in Thorpe Theater to listen to veterans describe their experiences in the Middle East. The event was recorded for the show Where We Live to be broadcasted on WNPR Hartford.

The program began with a ceremony in which Dr. Susan E. Pease, The Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, gave a plaque to Dr. Richard L. Judd, former President of CCSU, thanking him for his role in setting up the endowed chair.

The first time that the new veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were recognized was in a parade that was held in St. Louis during late January of this year. This was the first event of its kind, because none of the modern day veterans received the glory of their predecessors when they came home.

John Dankosky, who serves as the Robert C. Vance Endowed Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication, a Professor of Journalism & Mass Communication at CCSU, the news director at WNPR and host of Where We Live, said that he aimed to bring awareness to the situation of the veterans so the American public will not forget what these men are sacrificing for the country.

Michael Zacchea ascended the stage wearing sunglasses, due to an injury that caused him to have extreme light sensitivity.

Zacchea called this program the “Iraqi Truth Commission.”

“The American people deserve to know the truth ... This encompasses the good, bad and the ugly,” said Zacchea. His main goal is

to reintegrate veterans back into society.

Katie Dexter claimed her place onstage and described the difficulties that she found being a female veteran. She was a water treatment specialist, something very important in the Middle East.

“I’m not a nurse!” Dexter said. Her profession is something that she has had to reiterate often to those who find out she is a veteran. She describes the stigma associated with military women.

Similarly, all the panelists agreed that being in the military was like being in a family.

The first set of panelists were replaced

by Fausto Parra, Robert Rachaba and Shalandara Wright.

Fausto Parra described himself before the military as the typical teenager. “ I liked drinking, partying, and hanging out,” Parra said. He watched 9/11 occur in the last phase of boot camp, citing it as the day he turned from a teenager into a man.

Robert Rachaba described speaking about his time to non-veterans as a sort of healing process.

“Some people have tattoos, I have a whole backpeice,” Rachaba said.

Rachaba struggled with adrenaline addiction, doing things intentionally to risk his life once he got home. He described in tears how his wife saved his life.

“If it weren’t for my wife, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Rachaba said, looking into the crowd.

The night finished with Parra inviting the audience to come to the Veteran’s Association in West Hartford to aid more veterans in their transition into civilian life.

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Resolution Passes for Immediate Suspension of Hate Crime Offenders Joe Suszczynski The Recorder

President Eric Bergenn proposed a resolution to the Student Government Association regarding the immediate suspension of students in regards to hate crime.

The resolution stated that if students are caught making threatening comments in regards to another’s race, gender or sexual orientation, they should be immediately suspended.

Bergenn said that the students who make these comments will be approached by the Student Conduct Office which will enforce punishment.

The chair was passed over to Vice President Liz Braun in order for Bergenn to speak for his resolution.

“The reason I find it to be grounds for immediate suspension is because threatening and hateful comments directed at somebody leads to violence often times and threatening is threatening violence,” said Bergenn. “It’s basically telling someone that they’re unsafe living or being where they are. They need to be removed so they can learn about how serious of an offense that is and what that means.”

No opposition was taken form the senate, but the wording in the resolution was up for debate.

Earlier in the meeting, a resolution to provide bus passes to CCSU students was moved by Senator Isamar Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said that CCSU does not have a bus pass program and that students spend almost $200 on bus transportation every semester. The resolution stated that the Student Government Association would

request CCSU to set up the UPASS program with CT TRANSIT to avoid the problem.

Rodriguez said that the proposed resolution is a good idea because it could encourage students to stay on campus who do not have a vehicle, whereas if they had the bus pass, they could go around the town.

“It would benefit not only commuters, but a lot of residents too,” said Rodriguez. “A lot of residents go home on the weekends because they don’t have anything to do, they don’t have cars. If we give them bus passes, they’ll stay on campus.”

Treasurer Nick Alaimo spoke in opposition, and said that he is against the resolution because of the lack of information and facts presented along with the concern that his tuition will pay for it with him not being able to use the program.

“I feel that this plan has no demographics right now,” said Alaimo. “We don’t have all of the facts in front of us and the fact that my tuition dollar will be paying for this service, I don’t like, and I won’t be eligible for this. I don’t feel it’s appropriate for CCSU to pay for students to go to school, I feel that school is a privilege, not a right. To respect people that live outside of the bus system, what happens if they ask for our gas money? Will we fund for their gas? These are things we really need to think about.”

Senator Shelby Dattilo moved to have an amendment to change the some of the wording in the resolution. Dattilo amended by inserting, “with the help of ” and “and the Student Government Association” making the resolution read “…with the help of Senator Isamar Rodriguez and the Student Government Association.”

The amendment was passed, to which the resolution was then passed.

Administration Addresses Security Breach Concerns At Open Forum justin muszynski

new chief information security officer who could investigate. What he found was that 22,775 SSNs and four credit card numbers For the many whose social security were potentially exposed. But after looking numbers have potentially been exposed, most at how many SSNs were unique and how questions were addressed at an open forum on many matched CCSU’s database, the number March 15 that was hosted by James Estrada. came down to 16,365. Of those, Estrada says Estrada, CCSU’s Chief Information a little over 10,000 are not active employees Officer, entertained the question that has been and about 6,500 are current faculty, staff or on most people’s minds students. since hearing about the Once the “It is designed to infect the analysis breach: Why did it take was so long for CCSU to tell computer, report keystrokes complete and everyone?

President Jack He explained it and information, and at a later Miller was notified, by giving a timeline CCSU alerted of all the events that date return that information to everyone whose transpired. information was The virus was first a control server someplace else” possibly exposed. detected on Nov. 28, “From the time within CCSU’s network. the president was It was automatically James Estrada informed it was deleted but Estrada says about three days, that doesn’t mean it Chief Information Officer maybe 48 hours wasn’t resident. before we actually A resident virus can attach itself to several handcrafted the strategy that we were going to other programs on a computer and even the use,” said Estrada. operating system itself, as opposed to a nonThe virus, which was detected in the resident one that is limited to the infected payroll office, was a keystroke logger. What’s program. dangerous about a key logger virus is that the Estrada says December was spent looking hacker can potentially gain administrative at the virus but CCSU didn’t have the login information and essentially see any essential tools to conduct a forensic analysis. privileged material that the person using the In January however, the system office hired a infected computer is allowed to view.

The Recorder

“It is designed to infect the computer, According to Estrada this was in part due to report keystrokes and information, and at a UConn’s recommendation, which experienced later date return that information to a control a breach of its own in 2010. server someplace else,” said Estrada. “The virus After Estrada’s report there were does have the potential to expose whatever it surprisingly only a few questions, seemingly captures, including [personally identifiable because all the bases were already covered. information].”

However, one that most people appeared PII, according to Connecticut’s General interested in was regarding what options are Statutes, is considered a person’s name, an available after the two-year Debix protection initial, last name and either, but not limited to, expires. a SSN, driver’s license number or credit card Mark McLaughlin, Associate Vice number.

President of Marketing and Communications, The information that was breached says additional protection is offered with no was potentially exposed, meaning after further charges. But if one wishes, they can pay investigation it’s still impossible to know for the full security. whether or not the hacker ever got his hands The open forum took place in the on it.

Connecticut Room in Memorial Hall and was “Was the data breached? We don’t know almost full. that,” said Estrada. “The forensic analysis didn’t show that it was breached.

However, the law calls for us to notify people regardless of whether the data was actually taken.” Because it was exposed, New & Used Restring and Restorations... notification is required, he said.

The reason why SSN’s are used for students is because they are often utilized to identify someone rather than using the University identification number that’s given, according to Estrada.

16 Washington St. New Britain, CT The company CCSU chose to provide identity theft protection to those affected is Debix.

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4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / NEWS

Faculty Mull Over Board Of Regent’s Transfer Policy justin muszynski the recorder

Faculty Senate spent the majority of their meeting discussing the recently approved transfer and articulation policy proposed by the Board of Regents for Higher Education.

Candace Barrington, President of the Faculty Senate, says it is very similar to the recommendations that came from the committee that was made up of the provost and faculty leadership. However, there are still some things that concern the senate, one being how faculty will be compensated with all the work they are expected to complete over the summer.

Provost Carl Lovitt says the board is trying to set aside funds that will cover these expenses.

“There will be one large committee made up of 17 members, one representative from each of the institutions,” said Lovitt. “There will also be funding to pay faculty members on a consulting basis at the campuses.”

Another issue with the policy is that the language implies a student coming into a university will complete their degree within two years of transferring in. However, the senate says the new wording only insinuates that a student will not have to earn any more credits than if they had started here. This would apply to majors like education which make it nearly impossible for a student to achieve a degree in four years even if they take all the right classes from day one.

But Jason Jones, President of the CCSU

chapter of the CSU American Association of University Professors, says the problem still remains that fewer than five of all the community colleges within the state teach all the necessary classes to earn a bachelor’s degree at a university.

Another thing modified to the policy was that it indicated a “single” pathway in for students to achieve their degree of choice.

“My understanding is that once the word single was taken out we could have individual pathways for each major,” said Lovitt.

It also seemingly gives each university the freedom to have their own pathway that’s provided to students as opposed to a general design that all schools must embrace. Barrington says that she believes some of these pathways have already been established.

The senate also passed a resolution from the AAUP that will make it easier to understand financial documents concerning CCSU’s budget.

The problem is that even though financial statements may be transparent, they may also be too complicated for anyone who doesn’t specialize in finances to understand.

“University finances are very complex,” said Jones. “They’re so complex, in fact, that it’s extraordinarily difficult for faculty to find information that is sensible to them.”

But some members of the senate are concerned that this resolution could lead to people questioning how much a faculty member earns every time they have an issue with them.

Jones says that things like salaries are already

Candice Barrington, Faculty Senate President. available because they are employed at a public institution.

This resolution would force CCSU to break down its finances further than they typically do stipulating that a report be made that “reveals specific expenditures” and include a breakdown of “spending by schools, centers and departments and any and all other expenditures.”

Cindy White, Professor of Communication, says that making a rundown of budget matters more transparent can be misleading if they aren’t properly handled. She says an employee’s

kenny barto | tHe reCorDer

salary sometimes isn’t truly reflected in budget documents such as the ones at ctsunlight.org.

“It doesn’t distinguish sources of income, so for example if you get a $100,000 grant, they’re going to count that as salary,” said White.

But Jones says this is a good example of why this resolution is a good idea.

“We want to publish some of this information so we have reliable information that’s accessible to all,” said Jones.

The senate meeting took place in Vance 105 at 3:05pm.

Committee Submits Final Gen Ed Reform Proposal justin muszynski the recorder

The Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee has submitted their final general education proposal to the Senate and Curriculum Committee after numerous open forums, blog discussions and meetings.

The most notable difference between the proposal and the current system is the flexibility that it offers students. The existing system has four study areas and four skill areas. The committee’s proposal reduces this number to four core areas.

A smaller number of required areas is thought by the ad hoc committee to be able to coincide with any requirements that the Board of Regents for Higher Education and State Legislature are more than likely going to mandate.

“Certainly, our new proposal is much more flexible than the current program,” said Thomas Burkholder, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee. “The areas are aligned with the proposed areas of general education in the BOR’s proposal which would only transfer 30-some credits in any case.”

One topic that was heavily debated in most gen ed discussions was the issue of foreign language.

The proposal indicates that there will be no change to the current requirement.

“The committee sought to discover consensus regarding this element of general education but ultimately did not believe that there was sufficient clarity to propose a change at this time,” said Mary Anne Nunn of the ad hoc committee.

They did however include a stipulation that will fuel future discussions regarding the validity of a student’s proficiency that is gained by completing the language requirement in high school. Every incoming first-year student will take an exam to demonstrate their understanding of a foreign language.

The results of this assessment will not count against a student or aid them, it is only for the purpose of gathering information.

The proposed system also requires certain “foundations.”

These include freshman composition and a critical inquiry seminar (CIS). Robert Wolff, chair

of the Ad Hoc Committee, says these will serve two purposes.

“First, the CIS will play a role in supporting writing across the Curriculum, as well as the development of Information Literacy,” said Wolff, also a professor of history. “Second, the CIS would adopt most or all of the current objectives of the FYE program, with Critical Inquiry Seminars phasing over time as a replacement for FYE.” Another element that adds flexibility to this new system is the idea of tagged courses. These are designed to let students take courses that aren’t included in the gen ed requirements that have a particular theme.

“Any major could require of its students the inclusion in general education of one or two courses that have a specific tag, but, again with the large goal of flexibility, the blueprint does not propose any general requirement for all students regarding the tagged courses,” said Nunn, Associate Professor of English.

Should the proposal be approved by the curriculum committee and faculty senate, a new committee will be assembled to implement it. One challenge it might face is the timeline given by the Board of Regents concerning their transfer and articulation policy.

“If our target is the Board of Regents’ deadline, the implementation committee will have to get to work right away,” said Wolff.

But one thing the committee has reiterated is its goals contrasted to those of the Board of Regents and the state legislature. While the state is seemingly most interested in improving graduation rates, Wolff has said the Ad Hoc Committee is more concerned with improving student’s education. Burkholder says the participation by the Student Government Association made the process that much easier.

“The participation by students and the SGA is the most involved I’ve seen students be in a curriculum issue in the past 15 years,” said Burkholder, professor of chemistry.

“I hope that students will continue to voice their opinions on this proposal as it moves forward.”

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OPINION

5 THE RECORDER Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Long-Awaited Student Turnout Two weeks ago, the University received an email concerning a hate crime that occurred in one of the residence halls the night before, resulting in the removal of two students from that room due to their fear.

The two students approached their dorm room to find pieces of paper with threatening comments regarding their sexual orientation posted all over their door.

CCSU arranged events in order to raise awareness to let the university know that hate crimes will not be tolerated on this campus.

Last week, CCSU hosted a rally, called Educate Over Hate. Dozens of students, faculty, and administrators gathered into the Student Center circle to show their support to the two students. The amount of hands that were reached out to the event ultimately shows that with the right cause, how much of a community this University can really be.

Many people reached the podium that

day to say their piece. Student Government Association President Eric Bergenn was asked to be the master of ceremonies for the rally due to his great empathy towards the incident.

University President Jack Miller, Vice President of Academic Affairs Laura Tordenti and Provost Carl Lovitt also spoke at the rally, reiterating that on this campus, everyone is accepted for who they are and that those who committed that act should keep out a watchful eye, for everyone at this university are allies.

The number of people in the crowd demonstrating their support encouraged the two students to come up to the podium and to reveal their identities. Both of them said that at first, they wished to remain anonymous, but as soon as they felt the love and care, they were not afraid. They openly admitted their sexual orientation and that no matter what is thrown at them, they will not be thrown out of their home. They are proud to be Blue

Devils.

That’s saying something. In a situation full of threats and fear, it is incredibly courageous to reveal that piece of one’s self.

The two students created a domino effect, and soon enough students and faculty were approaching the podium to announce their differences in sexual orientation.

The university made a firm statement that any form of hate crime will not be tolerated on this campus. It clearly shows that with the immense turnout that the other parts of the University are completely behind this.

As Bergenn stated in his opening speech, we are all accepted to this University equally; we all received the same letter that says, “You are accepted here.” We are all members of this community, our differences are what makes us one. There is no tolerance for others to believe that they are above one another due to their differences.

Members of this community should feel

safe to live peacefully with one another, they should not have to fear showering alone, or walking back and forth to the cafeteria alone.

CCSU is supposed to be their home. When one thinks of a home, a warm, peaceful and open-armed place is imagined. It is absurd that someone thought that they had the right to threaten another member of this community and attempt to run them out of their home. No one is above one another in any way, everyone is equal here.

The Educate Over Hate rally held one of the biggest turnouts many faculty and administrators have ever seen. This was not just branching off of these two students.

Any form of hate or threatening comments to anyone will not be tolerated. The point of the rally was to teach and learn about others differences and to respect one another for their choices. If one cannot handle differences amongst people and are prone to ignorance, then get off this campus.

Editors Column: My Toothbrush Problem Nicholas Proch The Recorder

There’s a line in one of my favorite Avett Brothers songs, titled “Incomplete and Insecure,” that says, “I haven’t finished a thing since I started my life, I don’t feel much like starting now.” Hits me in the gut every time I hear it. Sometimes it even works its way up and slaps my face in the process.

My fixation with tooth cleaning products will continue this week. I have a lot of strange habits and tendencies, but the one that most will find borderline narcissistic is the fact that I change my toothbrush on a weekly basis.

Usually every Saturday I throw out my perfectly fine

Oral-B miracle on a stick and replace it with a slightly less used cleanser. For me, that is an unmatched high. I like to think that there are worse things I can spend three dollars on each week, but realistically it might be slightly absurd.

It’s actually fairly simple for me to justify this tendency.

In the process of changing my brush, I am fulfilling a healthy fix. Think about it. The only time it’s enjoyable to brush your teeth is when you have a new tool to do it with. By changing my cleaning utensil each week, I ensure that I will have the motivation to keep doing that thing that nine out of ten dentists recommend (Who is that last dentist? He should be fired for malpractice).

Transitively, this is how I

view my life. Besides being a narcissist, I have a strong case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. However, that OCD only applies to whatever I’m interested in at the time. So, to keep things fresh, I’m always looking for something new to obsess about.

One week it’s building model cars, the next I’m practicing bow hunting. It’s self-admittedly bizarre. But, I would never give any of those things up. And along the way I’ve realized the things that have stuck with me throughout all of these changes in interests.

Over spring break I went with other journalism students on a course abroad to Paris. In between all the croissants and escargot, my passion for news

reporting was rekindled. This has been a flame that refused to go out, but once again, a new view of news, specifically internationally, made me entirely more motivated.

The last few weeks I’ve been gearing up to graduate and have begun to think about what exactly I’m going to do with my free time that is now this newspaper and the full class schedule that I am a slave to.

Now I’ve reminded myself that I need to work in the media in some capacity. I’ve been toying with the idea of working in other fields, but that would be a waste of the time I’ve put in and the passion that has never wavered.

Paris was my new toothbrush.

Finally I might be able to finish something I’ve started.

‘Taken’ In Our Own Backyard Amanda l. Webster The Recorder

During spring break this semester I ventured overseas with my JRN 418 class to do some reporting in Paris. I can’t speak for everyone but for me personally there may have been a little bit more of an emphasis on sightseeing then reporting. Regardless, everything that needed to get done was done and I had an amazing time.

One of the popular jokes amongst our group during the trip was that we all needed to be careful or we would end up being taken, in reference to the 2008 movie Taken starring Liam Neeson.

For those of you who have not seen the movie, the basis of the plot is two teenage girls, one being Liam Neeson’s daughter, who take a trip to Paris in order to follow U2 on tour around Europe. The girls are kidnapped once they arrive in Paris and are sold into prostitution, causing Liam Neeson, a retired CIA agent, to hunt down his daughter.

Fortunately for the daughter in the movie, her father is equipped with a set of unparallelled combat skills and is able to single-handedly fight his way into the malicious and corrupt sex trafficking circle and rescue his daughter. (What did you expect? It is Liam Neeson after all).

So our jokes continued. None of us had a father who had the skills or money to come rescue us if we should be taken, so there would be no happy ending for any of us.

Here’s the reality of the situation though, for the majority of girls and boys alike that are forced into sex trafficking, there is no Liam Neeson character coming to save them.

It’s easy for us to watch movies like Taken and think of prostitution rings as a far

away reality; a way of life for less civilized countries, something that Americans would never have to deal with. We are aware of internet sites and advertisements that offer “escort services” but imagining underage girls involved in the act seems inconceivable.

So when a book is published about human trafficking on the Berlin Turnpike, a mere 10 minutes away from CCSU, people tend to get upset. Especially knowing that some of the women involved in these actions are college aged, sometimes even younger.

Our “superior” civilization is just like every other country, our crimes just dressed up in fancy new technology cases and hidden behind computer screens. Our sales are made through phone calls and web advertisements instead of on the street.

With every type of relationship and fetish interest posted on sites like Craigslist is it really that shocking that minors get caught up in the scandal? Or are we as a society just putting a blind eye to these confrontational transactions because we don’t like to read what’s on the receipt?

The thought of women being sold like an expendable gadget churns my stomach. I would like to believe that most people would agree but it has occurred to me that there is a naiveté involved with this type of operation that should be addressed.

It shouldn’t take crime to hit right next to home for people to begin thinking about these types of issues, but usually that is the case. We can make all the jokes we want about Craigslist and hookers but I think we need to start being more observant about what really is being sold to us.

You don’t have to travel outside the country to worry about sex trafficking. It’s been in our backyard this whole time.

Have something to say?

We want to hear it! email us at: editor@centralrecorder.com

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / UPGRADE

REVIEWS

Hill And Tatum Take It To The ‘Street’

joe suszCzynski the recorder

21 Jump Street was a popular TV series in the 1980s. It was about cops going undercover in high schools because they had young faces and would blend in easily.

It was a TV series that essentially made actor Johnny Depp, who has a cameo in the movie, a rising star in Hollywood.

Over 30 years later, MGM Studios decided to do a full-length feature remake of the hit TV series.

The movie stands up well to the already legendary series. The characters are funny and are easy to relate to. The plot was well written and the movie moved at a steady but exciting pace.

Jonah Hill plays Morton Schmidt, who is a loser in high school, has braces and looks dorky. However, he is very bright and a good student. Channing Tatum plays Greg Jenko, who is your typical high school “meat head.”

He has an athletic build, he’s popular and has women swoon over him; his problem is that he isn’t the brightest bulb in the box.

We meet both of these characters in high school and find out that they are not the best of friends. The film then skips seven years later where the two meet again in the police academy. They eventually become friends helping each other with their respective weaknesses.

When they do finally become police officers, they first end up patrolling the park while riding bicycles. They eventually make an arrest, but due to the lack of Jenko’s knowledge of the Miranda Rights, the suspect is freed. Despite their mishap they are transferred to Jump Street.

While at Jump Street they are under the command of Captain Dickson, played by none other than Ice Cube. Dickson is a self-proclaimed “angry black captain” who says to embrace your stereotypes. He sends the two to high school where they will be undercover to find out about a new drug.

Their mission: Find who’s supplying it and who’s dealing it.

I found myself getting attached to the characters in this movie who are particularly funny. Tatum, who is usually known for being the “hunk”, actually did a good job

Wiz Khalifa

Taylor Allderdice

keVin jaCHimowiCz the recorder

Amidst several server crashes on different music blogs and websites alike, artist Wiz Khalifa dropped his newest mixtape, named after the high school he graduated from in Pittsburgh just a few years ago, Taylor Allderdice.

Since his April 14, 2010 mixtape Kush & Orange Juice, Khalifa has maintained stardom for the most part. He has created an album with Snoop Dogg, which will have an accompanying movie at some point this year, the Cabin Fever mixtape, as well as his solo album, debuting at #2 in its first week, titled Rolling Papers.

In a recent interview with YouTube channel and blog website Hard Knock TV, Khalifa mentioned that he felt inspired by the Odd Future sub-group “The Internet,” and that their work had a lot to do with his attempt to go back to what brought him to fame in the first place.

The new cd starts off with a song titled “Amber Ice,” a reference to something quite rare and amazing. It is a great start to the new disc with relaxing, smooth, “in-house”

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill star in the classic 1980’s television remake “21 Jump Street.”

PHoto i Columbia PiCtures

delivering jokes, so it is impressive.

Hill’s performance was very reminiscent,

production from I.D. Labs (E. Dan & Big Jerm). The following track, “California” maintains that feeling and has a vacation vibe, “I go any where in the world and just make it my home,” Khalifa boasts.

Highlights from the mixtape include the early release, “Mary 3x”, an ode to marijuana in which he claims, “All I need is mary, mary, mary, I ain’t f****** with no other drug”.

“Never Been Part II” was also an exciting track considering it is the sequel to one of his classics off of Kush & Orange Juice, and features his quite recent engagement partner, Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend, Amber Rose, who is featured on the chorus of the song.

Another exciting track is “O.N.I.F.C”, which is also the title of Khalifa’s upcoming album. The music as well as the production is refreshing. Although the lyrics are sort of typical for Khalifa, his lyrical ability has improved, along with his musical creativity.

Most fans would also enjoy the collaborations on this tape which include Juicy J, Rick Ross and Amber Rose, along with a number of his long-time group members and recent signee to his group, Lola Monroe, a female MC. The instant stand-out track is most definitely “The Code”, which is accompanied by mesmerizing production, featuring an interesting quick guitar loop by popular new-generation producer, Lex Luger, who was all over Khalifa’s prior mixtape, Cabin Fever. Monroe, Juicy J, Khalifa, and Chevy Woods all trade quick verses on this song along with a classic, catchy chorus from Khalifa, with minor vocal manipulation.

The mixtape held serious hype behind it, and lives up to it. It is refreshing music for any Khalifa fan, and has an original, new sound to it, although some songs may take time to grow on people, while others such as “The Code,” “My Favorite Song,” “Amber Ice” and “Mia Wallace” seem to be instant classics.

which reminded me of his role in Superbad, given that both movies take place in a high school setting.

Thankfully for the viewers, Hill and Tatum have good film chemistry together.

They constantly feed off of each other dishing out the laughs to be had.

The script writing in this movie was very well done. Hill shows his talent as a budding writer, co-writing the screenplay.

Even though the story has clichés, it makes notice of them and makes fun of them, in an almost fourth-wall breaking way. It also has the perfect balance of twist and turns.

I only found myself questioning the plausibility of one of the scenes and the consequences that took place afterwards.

In the scene where Schmidt and Jenko

PHoto i Columbia PiCtures

make their first arrest, Schmidt pulls out his firearm and begins firing it in the air in a celebratory manner. Later on, when their captain is chewing them out, there was no mention of the specific incident.

The issue I have with that scene is that if any police officer in real life did discharge their firearm in a park, I’m pretty sure they’d be thrown off the force. Not only because they putting their own life, and their partners’, in danger, the civilians around them are also put in danger. No competent police captain would ever let that slide.

All in all, other than that specific nitpick 21 Jump Street is a highly entertaining movie.

The acting, writing, and directing were solid.

I recommend paying ten dollars to see this in theaters.

20 Under 20:

Corey’s Catsup And Mustard This weekly segment features ideas of fun things to do that are $20 or less and under 20 miles from CCSU. kenny barto the recorder

There are countless places within 20 miles that you can visit, but if you want to stretch the limits, head about 17 miles from campus to Corey’s Catsup and Mustard in Manchester for some great food.

The restaurant sits on the corner of Main and Pearl street in downtown Manchester.

The area has plenty of things to do, providing the perfect opportunity for you to come here for lunch or dinner. C&M was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives briefly, as Guy Fieri did not visit the restaurant, but did send a camera crew.

The restaurant is simple and very small in comparison to the volume they receive at peak times. They have an extremely large bar with tables in the back. If you come during the peak times, bet on the fact that you will have to wait for a table.

The food is what sets this place apart from the rest. C&M’s specialty is burgers that are exotic and will feed your every craving. In my two times here, I have tried two different types of burgers, both of which were outstanding.

The first was the 7-Burger, which is by far my favorite. It’s two peppercorn-seared patties with a heaping portion of barbecue

brisket and bacon combined with lettuce, onion, pickles and American cheese, all on a sesame seed bun. The blast of flavor in this burger is everything you want and then some.

The brisket by itself would be outstanding, but combining it with the two beef patties and the fresh veggies make it easily the best burger at this place.

The second burger I tried was the Jersey Shore. Although I enjoyed this burger, I wanted to order the 7-Burger again because it was just that good. This one has a ½ sausage, ½ beef patty with provolone, ham, roasted peppers and garlic mayo on a ciabatta roll.

The flavors were great, but I’m not sure the use of a ciabatta roll was smart with this burger.

In addition to these two burgers, I highly recommend getting the sweet potato fries, which are complemented with a sweet and savory maple mayo dipping sauce. The maple mayo is what puts these fries over the top, adding the right amount of flavor to the sweet potato fries.

This place may not be the closest establishment to visit, as it takes about 1520 minutes to get there from campus, but the food will not disappoint. I don’t always follow the idea that says “If it’s on TV, it must be good,” but this place was awesome way before DDD featured it.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / UPGRADE

The Hunger Games

7

'Hunger Games' Adaptation Captures Strength Of Novels kassonDra Granata the recorder

Avid readers will not be disappointed as they scurry to the nearest theater to view the latest worldwide phenomenon, The Hunger Games.

After just discovering the trilogy in October, it is impossible to say the excitement that I had when heard that they were making my new favorite books into films.

The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America, called Panem. Panem consists of the “Capitol,” a wealthy area where the President resides, as well as thirteen different districts surrounding it. In the past, these thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol and ultimately failed, resulting in the thirteenth district being completely decimated.

As a punishment for the rebellion, a male and a female in the age range of 12 to 18 are chosen from each district to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” where each will fight to the death and one victor will remain. We meet Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in replacement of her 12-year-old sister, Primrose.

The film, emanating from the first novel, premiered on Friday, and being a huge fan of the trilogy, I arrived two hours early with a complete Katniss outfit, with the single braid.

It is common for films to conclusively butcher the books, but director Gary Ross followed the book spot-on.

The characters were just depicted as a reader formulates their images in their minds as

they read the novels. All of the characters in and out of the Capitol were incredible, with the inhabitants of the Capitol just as they were described, with their bright colors and ridiculous style.

It was wonderful to actually see the characters just as I pictured them.

The actual competition was very suspenseful and Ross clearly made sure that viewers would be at the end of their seat until the very end.

With the film being PG-13, it was refreshing to see that the violence and the individuals fighting one another was not geared to a younger audience. All of the blood, killing, and injuries occurring with the characters was realistic, just as described in the book.

The characters were believable, with all of the acting pretty decent.

Jennifer Lawrence’s performance was flawless, as she portrayed Katniss in the film. Josh Hutcherson, who played Peeta, the other competitor from District 12, did a good job, taking on his first big role after small leads in Disney films.

It was interesting to see Lenny Kravitz play Cinna, Katniss and Peeta’s designer, he actually did a good job and was convincing. I grew to love him as Cinna by the end of the film. I was also happy to see Donald Sutherland play President Snow; he is a perfect actor to play the villian in the film. I am expecting great things from him, for I enjoyed viewing him as Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice as well as John Bell in An American Haunting.

Every emotional event that occurred in the book was perfectly demonstrated in the film, hearing sniffling sounds and nose blowing from start to finish. The film had very little humor, being a serious

PHoto i lionsGate

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games.”

PHoto i lionsGate

novel, but there were a few comic relief scenes from the characters.

Haymitch, a victor for District 12 in the 50th Hunger Games as well as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, was played by Woody Harrelson, and was a great comic distraction to release the tension. He gave a great performance as well.

After the film ended, I spoke to those who sat beside me, two that read the trilogy and one that did not read it. He was not disappointed in the film, but declared that he was going to read the trilogy after the movie. He wished not to be named.

“This was definitely a great film,” he said. “The plot line is awesome and there is a lot of violence, which I like. The characters were very interesting and it was great quality.

The only problem is that if you don’t read the books, you’ll walk out of the theater having no idea what the hell just happened, like

me.”

A girl next to him had read the series, and said that she agreed with his statement that those who read the novels would understand the film more.

“There is a lot more emotion derived and an attachment with the characters that the readers formulate as they continue through the series,” she said. “I know that I did not stop crying and being emotionally distraught from start to finish, where a non-reader can just watch the movie but not totally get it.”

The film did explain the plotline adequately in the beginning, as words came up on a black screen explaining the fall of North America as well as rebellion, but the full understanding of all of the characters and the plot will be lacking if one did not read the trilogy.

Bookmark It! The Hunger Games: MockingJay raCHael bentley the recorder

After reading the last page of Mockingjay, the final book of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy written

by Suzanne Collins, I was left feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and despair.

Anyone who has read this book may understand where I am coming from, but for those who haven’t, prepare yourselves for an emotional ride.

It took me all of one day to read this book, simply because I refused to put it down. The fast paced, heart racing writing style that Collins became a master of in the two previous books was taken to a new level with her final book.

At the beginning of the book we find Katniss Everdeen, the female heroine, wandering the streets of her obliterated town, District 12. She looks at the all of the destroyed houses and piles of ashes that used to be people she knew, trying to figure out how saving herself and Peeta could have caused the annihilation of her home.

After being re-located to secret rebel District 13, which has begun to openly rebel against the “Capitol,” Katniss, her mother and sister, fall into the hands of the rebels.

While the Capitol’s main interests are in overthrowing the Capitol and killing President Snow, Katniss only wants to save Peeta, her Hunger Games lover, who was captured when the second Hunger Games arena was destroyed. The District 13 leaders start pounding Katniss with the fact that she is not the face of the rebellion, whether she wants it or not, and that it is her duty to become “The Mockingjay” and a symbol of hope for her people.

The already tumultuous confusing love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale becomes even more confusing in this book before it gets better. A major twist in the plot towards the last third of the book makes it impossible for anyone to guess how the story is going to end, and readers are left sitting on the edge of their seats until the very end of the book.

In comparison to the other books in the series this one is by far the

most violent. This can be tied into the fact that Collins first wrote this series as a sort of play off of young people going to fight wars in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. She also wanted to explore the impact of reality TV on young people through her writing. This all blends together in parts of the book where there are intense war scenes. Those with a weak stomach and a sensitive demeanor may have a difficult time reading this book. It’s a hard dose of reality for those of us who live sheltered lives.

Readers have to deal with bitter and sudden goodbyes to some of the most prevalent characters in the books. Unlike book series like Twilight, where everything turns out all right in the end for everyone involved, Mockingjay provides readers with a cold, hard dose of reality that forces them to look at our society with a different perspective.

If you are interested in writing reviews or recommendations please email us at entertainment@centralrecorder.com

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / SPORTS

COLUMN

The American Sports Media Machine

SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

Twin Killing: Brown Brothers Anchor Pitching Staff

brittany burke the recorder

It figures that the one week I leave the country is the week that some of the biggest news in sports takes place. In my preparation for traveling to Paris I had to deactivate all of my ESPN alerts, my twitter updates and my game center notifications on my iPhone. Basically I was a sports fan stranded and deprived of the news that I usually rely on to get me through my day.

I didn’t know whether or not the CT Whale had won or lost in the five games I wasn’t there to work. I wasn’t getting Bruins updates so the fact that they won 8-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs was complete news to me on Sunday. And seemingly the most important thing to happen was Peyton Manning choosing to go to the Broncos and Tim Tebow getting shipped off to New Jersey to share time with Mark Sanchez.

The entire time I was in France I was thankful for two things: One being the fact that my mom sprung for me to get an international plan on my phone and two, I was able to get wi-fi at the hotel we stayed at.

Don’t get me wrong, the last thing I was doing was staying connected to my phone 24/7 as I was in what I consider to now be one of the prettiest cities in the world, but it did keep me somewhat connected.

While I couldn’t read too much into the sports news, I was able to get on Facebook and see the quick headlines and I did manage to glimpse at my ESPN app before our group left to start our day.

I nearly had a heart attack when I read statuses about Manning’s decision, but I didn’t have anyone to talk and argue about it with … that’s what I get for being in a foreign country. But being in Paris did get me thinking about a few things.

The main thing that I kept thinking about was how much emphasis Americans put on the sports industry. Sure, France has their own top sports like football (soccer), rugby and even tennis, but it’s nothing compared to the American sports industry.

Where the United States has multiple broadcast and print outlets to fuel the sports obsession, France has just one sports newspaper called L’Equipe. That’s it, one singular source. Sports are virtually kept out of the other “harder” newspapers, whereas in America sports sections are highly popular and that’s just in print journalism.

Nevermind the countless radio and television networks dedicated specifically to sports.

It really is amazing just how much we let sports consume our lives, myself included based on my own withdrawals after just one week.

This also led me to my second sports related thought of the week … Thank God for social media and my iPhone. A few weeks ago, I had to write an article for my sports journalism class talking about whether or not the internet has kept fans more or less informed. The article was probably the worst thing I’ve written in a long time, but I actually experienced what I was writing about while in Paris.

If it wasn’t for wi-fi, Facebook and my ESPN apps, I would’ve had no idea what was going on. Even if I couldn’t get the whole story, the bits I did manage still kept me in the loop.

The sports obsession is definitely a cycle. Without the sports obsession, all of the apps and social media outlets would be pointless, but I don’t know if America would be as sports-crazed as we are if we didn’t have something fueling the fire 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

kenny barto | tHe reCorDer

Identical twins Casey Brown (Above) and Cody Brown (Below) have been a huge part of the success of the CCSU pitching staff thus far. kenny barto the recorder

Identical twins are rare. In fact, they only happen in three out of every 1,000 deliveries worldwide. The CCSU baseball team is fortunate to have one of those pairs, Cody and Casey Brown. Both of them are left-handed pitchers that have made an immediate impact on the pitching rotation in the early portion of the season.

“There’s no indecision or second-guess that they belong right where they are,” Coach Charlie Hickey said. “Coming out as freshmen and doing what they’ve been able to do has been great for us.”

There is no way you can tell the two apart, except when they are on the mound. Cody has a jerky windup, while Casey is more fluid with his.

Even then, both throw from the same arm slot, at roughly the same velocity, while having very similar repertoires.

“I’ve never had twins on the team before,” Hickey said. “They’ve come in, they’ve kept their mouth shut, and they’ve worked hard.

They respect their teammates, and I think they’re having fun.”

Cody has shown early that he has very high potential to be the top pitcher in the conference.

After pitching 6 1/3 shutout innings against LIUBrooklyn on Saturday, he brought his ERA down to 1.59, which is good enough for the second in the conference. His WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched) is 0.93, which is extremely good for college baseball. He has given up 22 hits in 28 1/3 innings, which includes one double and one home run, while the rest have been singles. His record stands at 3-1, which includes an impressive performance at Navy, CCSU’s first win of the season, a shutout against St. Joseph’s during the Villanova Classic, and his 6 1/3 shutout innings this past Saturday.

Casey has had two fewer starts than his brother, but he has shown a lot of growth and that he can settle into the Sunday starter role. In his first start, his pitch count was limited because he had been working out of the bullpen, but this past weekend he threw 5 2/3 quality innings while the bullpen picked him up for his first win of the season. Although there is a lot of room to improve, it’s important that the Blue Devils have a solid starter for the Sunday conference games.

“I’ve played with Casey my whole life,” Cody said. “It’s always a competition, who can out do the other one, but in the end we’re out there to win and help the team.”

Casey laughed, but emphasized how important it was that he always wanted to see his brother do well.

“We subconsciously try to out do each other,” he said. “With wanting the other one to do good,

kenny barto | tHe reCorDer

but each one of us wants to do better. So, it makes us more competitive than anyone else would be, but we’re still brothers.”

The brothers are no strangers to being winners on the mound. Their high school, Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.), won back-to-back state championships. In Cody and Casey’s senior season, they had a 31-2 record, and won the championship game by a score of 14-2.

The team is currently ranked eighth in MaxPreps Top 25 national rankings.

“There’s no substitute for winners,” Hickey said. “When you come from a culture where that’s what you expect and that’s how you prepare, that was something that was very attractive when recruiting them.”

During that year, Cody pitched his way to a 12-0 record with a 0.80 ERA, while also batting .390. The Rams won 20 of their 31 games by the ten-run ‘mercy’ rule.

“We had a great team both years,” Cody said. “A lot of great players, a lot of fun people.

It’s actually the same way around here, everyone wants to play baseball, everyone wants to win, and we all work hard to achieve that.”

Casey had a 3-1 record with a 1.71 ERA while the team also ranked number three in the USA Today’s national rankings after the season ended in June.

“Being on a team like that helped us get used to it here,” Casey said. “It’s what we’re used to.”

Casey started off in the bullpen, but to him that was only motivation for him to make it to be a starter.

“I knew in the offseason I was going to come in and be in the bullpen,” Casey said. “But, I wasn’t mad, I just worked hard and I knew I had to show that I wanted it, and I was really happy to get those starts.”

Although Casey’s ERA is 5.40, Cody was happy to see his brother get that first win on the mound this past weekend.

“I thought he got pulled a little too early in his first start,” Cody said. “But, he did great this weekend, and it was good to see him get that start out there.”

The brothers will continue to start on Saturday and Sunday respectively, and look to continue their winning ways with Quinnipiac coming into town this weekend.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / SPORTS

Baseball Doing Well In The Early Going

kenny barto The Recorder

The CCSU baseball team was busy over spring break, playing 10 games in 10 days, eight of which were match ups against conference opponents. The Blue Devils (118, 5-3 NEC) won seven of the 10 games, and have won 10 of their last 13 dating back to March 10th.

“We’ve continued to win while we’re getting better,” Head Coach Charlie Hickey said. “We haven’t solved a whole lot offensively but we’re still winning. It’s not that you can’t keep winning with pitching and defense, that’s a good formula, but we just have to be able to create more from an offensive standpoint with people who I think are capable of doing that.”

CCSU kicked off spring break with a four game series at Sacred Heart, which was played at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport. The Pioneers (7-13, 6-2 NEC) won the conference tournament last year, and are still considered to be one of the top teams in the conference.

In game one on Friday afternoon, Todd Savatsky struggled for the Blue Devils, as Sacred Heart got eight runs on nine hits, a walk and one home run in 2 2/3 innings.

Harry Glynne was able to control the damage, and only let up one hit for the rest of the game, while giving up one earned run and struck out four. The Blue Devils didn’t get anything going offensively as the Pioneers’ Troy Scribner won his first game of the season while going seven innings, giving up five hits, two walks and struck out eight.

The Sacred heart bullpen didn’t falter, as they finished off the final two innings with only one walk, while striking out three more Blue Devils to make it 11 total for the 9-0 shutout.

On Saturday, CCSU didn’t fare much better in the opening game of the double header. Cody Brown, who hadn’t given up a walk yet in the entire season and had a sub-2.00 ERA, gave up five runs on five hits and three walks in five innings for his first loss of the season. Tom Coughlin gave up three more runs in relief, as the Blue Devils’ offense could only muster up three runs in the fourth inning while being quiet for the rest of the game, as the final score stood at 8-3.

Jack Greenhouse took over in game two, pitching a complete game shutout in the shortened seven inning game. He gave up just four hits while he walked two and struck out five, which was his best performance of the year while the offense racked up seven runs to support him.

In the final game, the Blue Devils were able to hold on to a 7-4 victory to split the series 2-2 with the Pioneers. Casey Brown made his first start, and pitched well up until the fourth inning. But, Brendyn Karinchak and Josh Ingham were able to pick up the slack to secure the victory.

“I always say that any time you can get two on the road, it’s a good series,” Hickey said. “That’s a team that’s probably the best team in the conference, so for us to go out

there and take two from them, that’s a great thing.”

From there, CCSU moved to a nonconference game at Northeastern, where a combination of Nick Boyd, Mike Krukiel, and Coughlin secured a 4-3 victory over the Huskies. The Blue Devils got all of their runs in the second inning, while Northeastern clawed back with runs in the fourth, sixth, and eighth innings.

The next day, CCSU played host to another non-conference foe with Fairfield coming to New Britain to face the Blue Devils. Jesse Frawley pitched well, giving up three runs on five hits in 6-plus innings. The Blue Devils were down 5-4 going into the ninth inning. They tied the game up on an error by the third baseman, which brought up J.P. Sportman, who hit a lazy pop up in front of the Fairfield dugout on the first base side.

Both the first baseman and the catcher went to catch it, but the pitcher did not cover the plate. Josh Ingham tagged up from third base, and although the pitcher beat Ingham to the plate, he was unable to get the tag, and CCSU won the game 6-5.

Friday afternoon brought the start of the second conference series of the season with Long Island University at Brooklyn in town to face the Blue Devils. In game one, Glynne started for CCSU, and although he wasn’t hitting on all cylinders, he pitched eight innings, which was key to keep the bullpen rested for the rest of the week. He let up two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six. Glynne left the game with the score tied at two, with Karinchak coming in for the ninth inning and giving up one run to give LIU the 3-2 victory.

The Saturday double header brought success for the Blue Devils, with Cody Brown pitching game one and Greenhouse going in game two. Brown bounced back from the disappointing performance the week before at Sacred Heart by going 6 1/3 shut out innings, giving up just five hits, one walk, while striking out five. Ingham came in for the last two outs with runners on second and third. He struck out the first batter he faced, but walked the second to load the bases.

Ingham was able to make some big pitches to strike out LIU’s Mike Garcia to end the game. CCSU’s offense accumulated only three hits, but capitalized on three errors by the Blackbirds that helped them get the 5-0 victory.

“I thought maybe Cody should have been able to finish that game,” Hickey said. “He pitched well, but we got in a bad situation and had to bring Josh [Ingham] in to close it out, but I definitely think in the future he should be able to go all seven innings without getting into that situation in the last inning.”

With Greenhouse on the mound looking to repeat his performance at Sacred Heart, he simply did not look the same as he did the week before. He missed spots, and got himself into trouble, as he only went 4 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits while striking out three. The fourth run came in unearned when Nick Boyd overthrew a pickoff attempt, which scored a runner that

Josh Ingham turns a double play during CCSU’s sweep of the Saturday double header.

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kenny barto | THE RECORDER

CCSU shortstop Anthony Turgeon tags out LIU’s Brad Greve during a run down.

Greenhouse was responsible for.

Dominic Severino led the offense, going three-for-four with two runs batted in.

Severino had not gotten a hit in five at-bats prior to the LIU series. Given the offensive struggles, Hickey decided to put the 6-foot2, 215-pound freshman in the lineup after many games of offensive struggles, and the decision paid off.

“Sometimes the best logic is no logic,” Hickey said. “We’ve got guys struggling up and down the lineup and sometimes it’s good to put a guy in there that’s not feeling bad about himself.”

The game wasn’t won by a pitcher or by a clutch hit, but rather a key defensive play by catcher Danny Hickey. With one out and a runner on third base, there was an attempted squeeze play, with a bunt going to Mitch Wells. Wells didn’t hesitate, and went home immediately, and Hickey blocked the plate perfectly and made the tag to keep the score at 5-4. The next batter popped out to secure the victory.

“I’ve always said Danny [Hickey] is as good of a tagger as there is,” Hickey said.

“That was a great play, and sometimes you have to win it with your defense when your pitching and offense weren’t good enough.”

The final game of the series saw Casey Brown taking the mound for his second start of the season. The offense supported him with all of their runs in the fourth inning, led by a Dylan Delacruz single-turned inside the park home run after the catcher overthrew the third baseman while Wells tried to get to third base.

Brown pitched 5 2/3, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking

out two. Karinchak came in for the final 3 1/3 innings, and gave up only one hit and one walk, while otherwise shutting the Blackbirds’ offense down. He struck out four and earned his first save of the year.

“It was refreshing to see Brendyn [Karinchak] have a performance like that,” Hickey said. “We always want a strong showing by our bullpen, and I think he’s done that a few times now. We’re still working on a few things with guys out of the bullpen, but he’s definitely someone that we want to go back to.”

Statistically, the offense is struggling, but there are a few bright spots. Ingham sports a .364 batting average and a .488 on-base percentage in 33 at-bats. A.J. Lowers has eleven fewer at-bats, but has the same average and a .481 on-base percentage.

Ingham also has a 1.08 ERA in eight relief appearances. In his 8 1/3 innings of work, he has eight strikeouts and only one walk while earning three saves for the Blue Devils.

Freshman Cody Brown is second in the conference with a 1.59 ERA, which is just short of the league-leader Ryan Van Spronsen of Wagner, who has a 1.58 ERA. CCSU will travel to UConn on Wednesday afternoon before hosting Quinnipiac in their third conference matchup of the season. The first game will be Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., followed by a double header at 1 p.m. on Saturday and a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.

“Any time you can take three out of four against a team like LIU, that’s great,” Hickey said. “Now we’re back at home against Quinnipiac, it’s going to put us in a great position to get a good record early in the season.”

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

Dylan Delacruz is congratulated after scoring a run on Saturday afternoon.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / SPORTS

Two Pitchers Injured In 2011 Make A Comeback kenny barto The Recorder

There’s no question that injuries can ruin a career. We’ve seen players with concussions never return to play, while other structural injuries have also sidelined many players for good. On the baseball team, two players have made valiant comebacks to the field from serious injuries.

Frawley Back To Normal After Fractured Skull Jesse Frawley is a left-hander, who worked out of the bullpen to start last season. During his fourth appearance, he suffered a seasonending injury that every pitcher dreads. He took a line drive to the side of his head, which started what was a few days of fighting for his life.

The CCSU medical staff took him from the baseball field to the facilities in Kaiser where they monitored his condition. When he showed no signs of improving, they called an ambulance and took him to the hospital.

“As soon as it happened, everyone thought I wouldn’t remember anything, but I remember everything,” Frawley said. “I just remember opening my eyes when I was laying down, and I’ve seen the videos of people getting hit before, so I just couldn’t believe that it happened. From then on everything happened so quick and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital.”

Frawley suffered a fractured skull, along with severe hemorrhaging that required major surgery.

“I guess you could say blood was just pouring into my head,” Frawley said. “It was supposed to take them a half hour to stop it, but it took over two hours.”

The Blue Devils team rallied around Frawley immediately after to start his recovery. It turns out that Assistant Coach

Pat Hall was the one that helped him get back into baseball.

“A lot of credit goes to Coach Hall,” Frawley says. “I was in the hospital for six or seven days, and he kept telling me that I had to come back. From then I knew that there was no doubt that I had to come back, I’ve been playing this game all of my life, I have to come back.”

From then, Frawley started his recovery, slowly but surely. During the summer, he was able to return and play baseball. Instead of pitching, he played outfield primarily, but ended up getting a few innings in at the end of the summer.

“I was finally able to get the courage and go out there,” Frawley said. “My coach finally convinced me, and it was great to get back out there.”

Frawley has pitched well in the early going of the season. He has started one game, and has pitched three relief appearances, giving up 12 hits in 8 2/3 innings while holding his ERA at 5.19. Given his injury, it doesn’t seem that he is remotely scared on the mound.

“I’m more skiddish warming up,” Frawley said. “The first time, I was shaking uncontrollably when I was warming up, but as soon as I got out there, I forgot about it. And that’s how it is now, I just focus on pitching and that’s how I get through it.”

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

Jesse Frawley took a line drive to the head last year, which fractured his skull.

Greenhouse Pitching Strong After Torn ACL

Two seasons ago, Jack Greenhouse led the team with a 3.86 ERA, and had just five walks in 39 2/3 innings. The crafty lefty used to start game two, after the harder throwing Dave Krasnowiecki on Saturday double headers. He was shut down for the conference tournament with tendinitis, but he even led the Northeast Conference in ERA at one point.

The winter prior to the 2011 season, Greenhouse tore his ACL in his left knee during a team activity.

“When I first tore it, I thought I didn’t tear it,” Greenhouse said. “Everyone thought it wasn’t a big deal at first … I didn’t actually know until after the MRI came back.”

Greenhouse had reconstructive surgery on his knee, and immediately started rehab.

“It was a lot of commitment every day in the training room,” Greenhouse said.

“Even when I wasn’t doing some sort of strengthening, it was icing for swelling and just a constant grind for six months.”

Greenhouse’s recovery went well, but faced a setback in the fall after getting the chance to pitch.

“I was healing well and doing everything well,” Greenhouse said. “But, my leg wasn’t strengthening as fast as I wanted it to because I’m impatient. It was bothering me a little bit in the fall, and I pulled a muscle in the

back of my knee. I only ended up throwing seven innings or so where most people threw around 15.”

Even though Greenhouse’s impatience cost him some throwing time in the fall, he knew that patience was the key to coming back strong.

“No one told me [to be patient] because I really already knew that,” he said. “It was just a question of keep grinding, and stay patient. I knew how long it would take, but I’m an impatient person and just wanted to get back to playing baseball.”

Greenhouse had his first good performance against Sacred Heart, as he got the complete game shutout. So far, he is 1-0 with a 3.43 ERA, and has struck out twenty batters in 21 innings of work. Although he has had a few games where he has struggled, Greenhouse is showing signs of promise despite coming back from a serious injury.

“In my eyes, I don’t think about knee,” Greenhouse Said. “When I’m pitching I think about the hitters and their tendencies, what they’re doing, where they’re standing, and the catcher and what they’re calling. I try to keep it simple and focus as much as I can. Even if I’m having trouble, I’ll just stare them down until they call time out, and I’ll try to mess with everyone else so I can play my game.”

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

Jack Greenhouse has pitched well this year after missing 2011 with a torn ACL.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / SPORTS

Successful Spring Break For Softball Despite Injuries derek turner The Recorder

Coming off a solid spring break stretch of games where the Blue Devil softball team won nine of 13 games and led in each game, this was looking like a dream season until three undisclosed starters went down with injuries in the final days of the trip.

The goal of this team since day one has been to make the conference tournament and by the way they were playing the first half of the season, it looked like it would come with ease. But after two position players went down with separate broken hands and one pitcher with a knee injury that will likely keep them out for the rest of the season, the goal remains the same. It will just be that much more difficult.

“We want to continue to work hard and stay positive and get in that top four, I don’t care if we are fourth, none of us do,” said Head Coach Jeff Franquet. “Just know that if we make the tournament, we’re going to have a chance, because our starters will be back and arguably we’re the best team in the conference when we’re at full strength.”

From Mar. 16-18, the Blue Devils made their way to Hampton University in Virginia for the Hampton Tournament where CCSU went 3-1 with wins two wins over Maryland-East Shore and split the two games versus Hampton, winning on Friday and losing on Sunday. Freshman pitcher Laura Messina tallied her fifth win of the season in the opening game where CCSU defeated Hampton 3-2. Sophomore Julie Marks picked up her first win of the season the next day as she one-hit the Hawks of MarylandEast Shore in six innings and cruised to a 9-0 victory. Nicole Springer also gained her first win of the season in the circle as she tossed her own shutout in the second game of the day against Maryland-East Shore, a 7-0 victory.

Monday the Blue Devils took a short bus ride north to Norfolk State University for two doubleheaders in which they outscored the Spartans 21-6 over two days while picking up four more wins Messina won three of those games bringing her total to seven at that point. Kelsey Barlow picked up her first homerun on the season in the second game of Monday.

The road trip continued along the Chesapeake Bay when the Blue Devils made their way to Coppin State University for two games on Wednesday. Messina won her ninth game of the season in a 5-0 victory over the Eagles allowing only two hits over the seven innings. In game two, Arielle Bruno collected two triples and two runs batted in in a 5-4 loss.

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

Freshman Pitcher Laura Messina.

CCSU made their way back home Thursday for one game against Holy Cross University. Bruno and Springer each hit homeruns in the victory. Bruno’s was a solo shot in the third inning and Springer’s of the 3-run variety to cap the six run sixth en route to a 9-3 victory. Messina won her tenth game of the season with a complete game, 10 strikeout performance.

Now more than ever CCSU will be leaning on their pitching, especially Messina, the ace of the staff. Franquet knows that Messina will keep the team in games, they just need to come up with “bigger hits and more timely hitting.”

“That’s what it’s going to take for us to get to where we want to get to,” said Franquet.

Northeast Conference play began with a doubleheader on Sunday at Fairleigh Dickinson, the first games where the Blue Devils could feel the impact of the injuries.

After leading 2-0 going into the sixth inning, CCSU gave up three unanswered runs and lost 3-2. In game two, CCSU lead again 2-0 going into the sixth, this time giving up two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, losing their second straight game for the first time since Feb. 26 versus Arizona State where they dropped their first four games of the season to the number four team in the country.

“Julie Marks threw well yesterday, but we left eight or 10 runners on base and you have to drive those runs in. If we do that, we win both those games,” said Franquet.

Heading into conference play, the Blue Devils will have their work cut out for them.

“They still believe that we can get it done, their hearts are still good and we’re going to continue to plug along and try to make those other kids better, that’s all we can do right now,” said Franquet.

kenny barto | THE RECORDER

Arielle Bruno makes contact during their game against Holy Cross last week.

OPINION

Derek Fisher Breaks His Silence And Ruins His Reputation Dan Wanat The Recorder

To those of you readers expecting to encounter an article filled with statistics and analysis then I begin this with my sincerest apology. Something happened this week in the world of sports that filled me with more anger and rage than when Bruce Banner poured himself a bowl of cereal only to realize somebody finished the gallon of milk.

This situation wasn’t a huge headline and didn’t rock the sports airwaves at much more than a miniscule murmur, which infuriated me even more because nobody chose to call this man out for what he did.

To those of you who may have missed it, Derek Fisher was traded to the Houston Rockets on the NBA trade deadline. In return, the Houston Rockets traded the Los Angeles Lakers a young talented center of theirs, Jordan Hill. This may seem like a stereotypical, normal trade lacking the glitz and glamor, but there is something underlying that I refuse to let go unnoticed.

Fisher refused to show up in Houston to play for his new team. He turned them down harder than when Mike Vick asked to be a PETA spokesperson. He left Houston more disappointed than a teenage boy watching Coyote Ugly hoping to see nudity and he needs to lambasted and held accountable for his selfish decisions.

In the modern era of prima donna athletes and huge contracts, this may not seem outlandish, but allow me to explain why Fisher not living up to his contractual obligations is asinine.

First and foremost, YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. You get traded and you deal with it. You take your multimillion dollar contract and you help the team that pays your contract. The Houston Rockets traded away a young prospect hoping to add a veteran leader to help this team make the playoffs and you proverbially spit directly in their eye by refusing to show up. It is one of the most unprofessional and selfish things an individual can do to a team that has traded away valuable assets to acquire your services.

What adds insult to injury in terms of this refusal to show up is that this is the second time in Fisher’s career that he has demanded that a team buy out his contract so that he could go play on a championship caliber team.

In 2007, he told the Utah Jazz he wanted his contract to be bought out so he could move to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers.

His reasoning was heartfelt and admired.

His daughter had a form of eye cancer and according to Fisher he needed to be in LA for the medical treatments. I am in no way diminishing his daughter’s illness in any way, shape, or form and I really don’t know any of the details of which doctors can treat which diseases, but due to his disapproval of playing for a team that doesn’t have a legitimate shot

at winning an NBA title, it really has to make you wonder. Were there truly no doctors or hospitals in Utah that could help treat his daughter?

Now again, I may truly be completely wrong and she really needed to be in LA, but the bottom line to the ordeal is that Fisher has twice stubbornly refused to play for teams and broken contractual obligations to join a team with legitimate title aspirations.

Another aspect to the buyout that I find more disgusting than the idea of Ray J having Whitney Houston sex tapes is that Fisher already has five championships. Fisher isn’t Juwan Howard. He’s not an old veteran who latches onto the NBA elite in hopes of finally capturing that elusive championship.

Again, he has five of them already. Players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim (averaged 18.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg during his 12 year NBA career) have never even played in a single playoff game. Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone and Reggie Miller had long, illustrious NBA careers without ever winning a single championship and yet Fisher is so self-centered and uppity that he can’t even bear to play with the lowly Houston Rockets. How is this even tolerated by other players in the NBA? If I was Karl Malone, I would sign a 10day contract with a team that will be playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team Fisher signed with after clearing waivers this past week, just so I can body check him Jason Smith-style in hopes of knocking his stupid

facial hair right off his upper lip. Fisher has five championships and yet just refuses to abide by his contract in hopes of winning yet another. Just unbelievable!

The final factor that has been building my ire towards Fisher’s well-being is that he is the President of the NBA Players Association. What kind of standard is this setting for the players that you are representing? Basically, what Fisher is telling all the young players in the league is that if you don’t like where you are traded then the solution is simple: Just don’t show up. In fact, to go along with your refusal to show up, you then demand to have your contract bought out so that you can play for a championship contender. Perfect. Refuse to show up and throw childlike hissy fits.

That’s the way to solve the problem.

This all just shows that Fisher is a worse role model than Britney Spears when she was chunky and bald and that it certainly isn’t the appropriate behavior out of a man that is the President of the Players Association.

Throughout Fisher’s career he has been labeled as a consummate professional, but this latest bout of ridiculousness brings to light that maybe Fisher is just a very good manipulator.

He has been tricking us his entire career with this nice guy persona working for the good of others when in fact he is just as selfcentered and spoiled as everyone else in the NBA.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / SPORTS

On A Roll

CCSU Baseball wins 7 out of 10 games during spring break.

kenny barto | THE RECORDER