Volume 108 Issue 5

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 108 No. 05

Seeking Alternate Routes

The sidewalks around Memoral Hall and the Vance Academic Center are closed as the construction starts across campus.

kaSSondRa GRanata the Recorder

If you’re wondering what happened to the Vance lawn, you’re not alone. The majority of the popular area for outdoor activity has been fenced off.

James Grupp, professional engineer and coordinator of capitol projects and facilities planning, arrived at Vance lawn sporting his casual dress wear, along with his bright neon construction vest and hat.

Grupp is also the CCSU project manager overseeing the construction of the new academic building between Maria Sanford and Davidson Hall and the fencing off of the Vance lawn.

According to Grupp, the department of energy and environmental protection will not allow rainwater or surface runoff to go directly to rivers and streams.

“On campus, whenever we build a

new project, we need to build a system to collect the rainwater and let it percolate slowly into the ground,” says Grupp.

With this process, the rain water from the construction of the academic building will be piped down into four 36-foot perforated pipes that will be underground going into Vance lawn. Grupp and his team are putting stones around the pipes so the water will percolate into the stone and into the ground.

One side of Memorial Hall is blocked in order to install a man-hole and a piping system to go under into Vance Lawn. Fences currently block the side thus preventing students access to travel through.

The fencing of Vance Lawn does not cover the whole field, but at least twothirds are now blocked off.

“This green is designed for future projects, so the next major project that

goes on at CCSU we will need to use Vance lawn again,” says Grupp.

Students on campus are disappointed that their favorite spot to relax and play numerous activities is blocked off.

“Vance lawn being closed is such a deterrent for programs and having a sense of community down the hill,” says Kerry Lusebrink, a senior. “The next closest space to be active and hang out is all the way on the other side of campus.”

The blocking of Vance Lawn hinders the incoming freshmen the opportunity to use Vance lawn as they begin their first year at CCSU. John Risme, a freshman, is disappointed that he is unable to use Vance as a place to hang out and enjoy campus.

“It’s really tough for us freshmen because we barely got to experience it,” Risme said. “It’s really too bad, I was looking forward to playing Frisbee with

kenny baRto | the RecoRdeR

my friends.”

Grupp, aware of the negative student feedback, is sympathetic and says the time frame is smaller than most students think.

The excavation and vacancy of Vance lawn will span for two months. “When we are finished,” Grupp adds, “We will put sod on top and by the Spring Vance lawn will be restored to its current condition, perhaps even better.”

“Its very difficult to build a building in a campus environment,” states Grupp.

“You’re going to have noise, sidewalks blocked off, greens blocked off. There’s not much we can do, it’s a very long process.”

Grupp said he hoped to start the process in the summer but CCSU did not have the proper funding and all contracts weren’t signed until construction began.

With construction starting on Sept. 6, the new academic building is estimated to take 18 months to complete and has a

SGA Senate Rejects Representation Motion President Bergenn Creates Ad Hoc Committee To Explore Issue Further Matthew clybuRn the Recorder

The SGA Senate rejected a motion to change the way student constituencies are represented on the representative body last Wednesday. Fourteen senators voted against the motion and eight voted in favor.

The motion, submitted by Senator Baldassario, would have eliminated two resident and two commuter seats from the senate and created four new at-large positions in their place.

Before the motion went to a roll call vote, many senators expressed opposition to the proposal. Several, including Senator Dattilo, said that the motion was not enough.

“There’s probably a deeper issue here,” Dattilo said. “We should vote this motion down so we can [create] another motion that will solve the problem.”

Baldassario stood by his motion, saying that students should vote for the proposal in a referendum during elections on October 11 and 12.

“This [motion] may not...make the elections as competitive as we’d like, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Baldassario said. “This is a step towards positive change...and if this is isn’t enough we can go back and change it again.”

Following the motion’s defeat, Jamie Canny, a senator and former interim SGA president, made the point that debate only hindered progress on the issue of student representation.

“We have to investigate this issue further,” Canny said. “This is not something that can be solved on the senate floor.”

Canny proposed, and a motion was later submitted, that would create an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter.

That motion, and another submitted by

Treasurer Alaimo, were both defeated.

Senator McLaughlin said that the number of representatives on the SGA Senate is second to getting commuters involved in the student government process.

“Our main objective should be to find ways to involve more...commuters as a whole,” McLaughlin said.

At the end of an unusually lengthy open floor session, President Eric Bergenn used an SGA executive privilege to create an ad hoc committee to be chaired by Baldassario and Senator Sirois.

The ad hoc committee’s first task will be to survey a sample of the CCSU student population to determine student opinions about SGA representation. Following survey distribution, the committee will report back to the senate.

“I was a little surprised at the voting numbers,” Bergenn said. “I didn’t think that

there was any certainty that it was going to pass the two-thirds vote, that’s hard. I think it’s a sign that the Senate doesn’t think that a change like that is ready to happen right now.”

“They might be right.”

Bergenn said he hopes the ad hoc committee can integrate the opinions of resident and commuter students into any changes in the long term.

“At this point, there is no reason to be in any sort of hurry to try and make a big change. If a change is going to happen regarding the constitution, it’s eventually going to have to go to referendum so that everyone can vote on it.”

But at the end of the day, Bergenn recognizes that a larger issue looms.

“The biggest problem that we’re facing isn’t necessarily the overall number of seats, it’s overall participation,” Bergenn said.

“Engagement is the first priority.”

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT: www.centralrecorder.com

2

NEWS

THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Recorder

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

Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Proch nproch@centralrecorder.com Managing Editor Matt Clyburn mclyburn@centralrecorder. com Art Director Ashley E. Lang News Editors Jonathan Stankiewicz, Assistant Kassondra Granata, Assistant Justin Muszynski, Assistant news@centralrecorder.com Entertainment Editor Danny Contreras entertainment@ centralrecorder.com Upgrade Editor Kat Boushee upgrade@centralrecorder. com Sports Editor Brittany Burke sportsed@centralrecorder. com Photo Editor Kenny Barto kbarto@centralrecorder.com Copy Editor Maxine Eichen Sara M. Berry, Assistant Staff Writers Nick Rosa

About

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

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

Staff meetings for The Recorder are held on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue and W hite Room in the student center and on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the Recorder off ice.

Campus Food Offerings Receive A Facelift Kassondra Granata The Recorder

Students criticizing campus food offerings may notice changes this semester due to an effort to integrate student suggestions into various food service locations.

According to Otis Mamed, director of student center operations and Central Reservations and Food Service Qualitiy Assurance, Sodexo has been working hard over the summer to implement these changes.

Sodexo, the food catering service at CCSU, receives mixed reviews from students based on the quality and quantity of the food they provide.

Sodexo made a change to the “commuter meal plan” where a student who commutes will receive 20 percent off by using their blue chip card.

“This is a really good value,” Mamed said. “It beats any of the local fast food places at cost.”

The Devil’s Den has new items and changes. Sandella’s is gone and Sub-Connection has taken its place.

“We did a survey with Sodexo last fall, and students by far preferred a ‘Subway-like’ option over any other food type,” said Mamed. “Students felt like this would be a healthier choice and more to their daily liking.”

Starbucks has also added a new product called “F’Real,” which is a line of milkshakes, smoothies and other frozen coffee choices.

Starbucks also continues to have the “Grab n Go” sandwhiches, along with other items all for good value if students take advantage of the 20 percent discount.

“Commuters don’t often take advantage of the very best deal that Sodexo has to offer,” said Mamed.

“Another option is the 20 percent off cash cost of meals at Memorial Hall. You can visit there and have a large variety of food choices available.”

For commuters, it costs $5.60, $6.40, and $7.20 for breakfast, lunch and dinner respectively if students use their blue chip card.

“Captain Al’s, Tom’s Pizza and Olive Garden cannot beat these prices, especially if you take full advantage of the ‘all you can eat’ deal,” said Mamed.

According to Mamed, there has also been some changes that meal plan students can appreciate. There is a newly renovated dining room ending their four year project to create different dining ambiance experiences for students.

“A few years ago, every room looked the same, like a ‘cafeteria,’” says Mamed. “Now, you can visit a breakfast place (NW), a 1950s diner done 2010 (SE) and a more

Comparing Rate My Professor to Semester Evaluations Jonathan Stankiewicz The Recorder

The only avenues students have, currently, to voice their opinions on faculty are ratemyprofessor.com (RMP) and the end of semester student opinion surveys.

Students know the routine: Faculty say they have to leave the room and put someone in charge of the envelopes. Students fill out the surveys and everything goes back to normal.

It’s true at Central and it’s true anywhere else that students don’t care about the opinion surveys, said Faculty Union President Jason B. Jones.

“If the first time your students think that you care about what they think about your classes is the last day of the semester your evaluations are probably not going to be very good,” Jones said.

“It’s helpful to kind of establish that repore earlier.”

There are no real awesome answers, said Jones.

“Motivating student evaluations is a well known problem in higher education and has been for a long time,” said Jones who is in his eighth year at Central.

Jones does offer ideas for faculty to get students engaged more.

“I think that part of what you can do is try to sell it a little bit,” Jones said. “And explain that you will take them seriously and that other people in the University will take them seriously. There is nothing to stop you from doing evaluations several times throughout the semester.” Jones

admitted that it’s not a standard practice.

Or faculty can develop their own evaluation for students, said Jones.

“My wife [English professor Aimee Pozorski] and several other faculty design, every semester, personal evaluations for their classes, that they supplement the real evaluation for,” Jones said. “As long as they do the generic one.”

Jones said that Pozorski wanted each evaluation to provide her with information that she needs to help adapt and help her teaching to benefit her students.

“Aimee [Pozorski] spends a lot of time asking specific questions about specific readings what things would you drop, very specific,” Jones said. “Not everybody takes them seriously, but even if she get’s a third or half of her class to give answers on most of those questions then she has really useful information.”

Dean of the Carol A. Ammon School of Arts and Sciences, Susan Pease understands why students feel the need for RMP, but wants them to know to take them seriously.

“I carefully examine the student opinion surveys and read each and every student comment written on the back of the bubble sheets or at the bottom of the questionnaire distributed by some departments,” said Pease. “Student opinion surveys have greatly influenced my recommendations to the Provost regarding faculty renewal, promotion, and tenure.”

The more thoughtful and detailed the comments are for Pease the more helpful they are overall. Pease believes that

the majority of faculty, not all, also pay close attention to the feedback they receive on the student opinion surveys.

Professor Jones agrees with Pease and like every other professor on campus has his evaluations in his office. Jones, a tenured professor, is eligible for full professor this year.

“Every professor who is trying to get promoted or tenure has to have all of their evaluations... on hand,” said Jones.

Since students aren’t taking the opinion surveys seriously they turn to RMP. “I can certainly understand why students feel the need for a RMP,” said Pease.

Jones also agrees with Pease that, “in the absence of information about faculty there is a space for RMP to come in.” He knows that there aren’t very good tools for understanding if someone is doing a good job in the classroom.

“Student opinion surveys and RMP, both give some data, but it’s not the best,” said Jones. “You don’t know about the design of the course and all these other things.” The problem for Pease is whether RMP is a valid measure of success for what students are looking for in their teachers.

“Students have a legitimate interest in who will be teaching a class and whether the teaching style of the professor would be a good match with the learning style of the student,” said Pease.

Pease continued, “And I don’t define success as receiving a good grade, but as demonstrating a true mastery of the learning objectives of the course. I would love to see us develop something

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a little more scientific than RMP to help us match students and professors.”

RMP isn’t the greatest source of information, agrees Jones.

“The real complaint that faculty have about sites such as RMP is that it’s totally asymmetrical,” Jones said. “For good reason there is never a reason where your evaluating your students in public, that would be creepy and wrong.”

One of the real pain points for Jones is that there is no comparable evaluation of administrators, ever since they have no public avenue.

“You guys evaluate us, we don’t evaluate the administrators, you guys don’t evaluate the administrators and often the decision of administrators is just as important in your progress towards a degree as ours,” said Jones.

No matter the case students check RMP and use what it has to offer, said Jones.

“I think they look at the scores and see if that teacher is okay,” Jones said, “and maybe look at the first few comments to see how they are.”

Without another avenue for students Jones doesn’t disagree with the notion of students going to and using RMP. “I don’t understand what we think students are going to do,” Jones said. “They have choices in their classes and they need to have information. Some of that information is captured in RMP.” RMP isn’t perfect, said Jones.

“We are not giving them a better way to evaluate those things, so what do you expect?” said Jones.

Corrections

In the article: ‘Scholarships Can Bring Adventure Within Student Reach’

Advertising

If interested in placing ads, please contact T he Recorder’s Ad Manager at ads@centralrecorder. com. For more information including our rate card, please v isit w w w. centralrecorder.com.

formal dining room feel (SW).”

Alongside the atmosphere changes in Memorial Hall, Sodexo has added fresh fruits, a new hydration station, Mediterranean choices and a sushi night.

Sophomore Brandon Matthews complained that the food provided in Memorial Hall needed “more variety.”

“There are the same things to eat every day,” said Matthews. “The ‘South Side’ should be open more and have more healthy choices.”

Summer Nagy, a freshman, was on the fence about Sodexo.

“The food is good, but [there are] not a lot of healthy options,” said Nagy. “When they try, it still isnt healthy enough. I used to be a health freak, but now I just eat unhealthy.”

Those with dining feedback can provide their input by visiting ccsudining.com and can click to comment.

Email: editor@centralrecorder.com

Melissa Pierce was inaccurately quoted and referred to as “Michelle Harris.”

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / NEWS

Students Rally Following Execution of Troy Davis Rachael bentley the Recorder

Central Connecticut State University students in the NAACP arranged a rally in Semesters on Thursday to raise awareness of the execution of Troy Davis. Students and faculty from around the campus came to take part in the event.

Troy Davis was executed at 11:08 p.m. Wednesday night, September 21, after being tried and found guilty of the murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989.

McPhail was working as a night security guard when he ran to help a homeless man who was the victim of an assault. During the assault MacPhail was shot three times, and police never found the murder weapon. Several witnesses claimed that Davis was the shooter.

The Davis trial drew a lot of attention because much of the evidence that had convicted him was witness testimony, and 7 of those witnesses recanted. 2 of the officers involved claimed to have been pressured by officials to convict Davis.

The CCSU rally started

with a video titled, Grass Roots International to stop the Execution of Troy Davis, in which dozens of people stood firm and said, “I am Troy Davis”.

Some students believe that Davis was denied due process and a fair trial. Alyssa McDermott, a senior at CCSU, expressed her thoughts on the situation.

“I am Pro- Death Penalty, but I feel that in this particular case injustice occurred. This man should not have been put to death because of the lack of physical evidence.”

During the rally, there was a poem reading and student Ashley Hunter sang, “The struggle is not over.” Even when the microphone went dead, she continued to sing and a clear message was sent to the audience.

Troy Davis’s last words before being executed were, “I ask my family and friends to continue to fight this fight.”

CCSU student Andrew Nave was a speaker at the rally and stated his father knew Davis personally.

He explained that Davis was a leading figure in the Anti-Death

Penalty movement in Georgia, and that his own father was the same in Connecticut. Both the men had exchanged letters in the past.

“We have blood on our hands…who is going to kill the judge, prosecutors and corrupt police officers?” They were the real murderers, said Andrew.

He also asked the crowd, “Where was Obama during this matter? He turned his back on the nation and on Troy.” This got a handful of shouts and cheers from students who agreed.

At the end of his speech he asked students to take part in an outdoor rally that was going to be held after the event in Semesters.

There was also a banner that read, “We Are Troy Davis.” Nave asked students to sign their name on a paper cut out of their own hands and join him outside.

Other students involved in the rally spoke to the crowd, explaining that even though Davis’s struggle is now over, the struggle is not over for the people of the U.S, and that turning a blind eye on situations like this one will only hurt the nation in the future.

Campus Divided Over Death Penalty JuStin MuSzynSki the Recorder

In the wake of one of the most talked about and debated death row cases ever, Troy Davis being executed leaves us no choice but to go back and question the death penalty and the rationale behind it.

Whether Davis was guilty or not is not the issue. The real question is, should there be a death penalty at all?

Declan Gallagher, a junior who supports the death penalty, says that what happened to Davis was wrong but we can’t let one case decide whether or not we use the death penalty.

“They’ve gotten a lot better with forensics these days and many times can determine for sure if someone is guilty,” said Gallagher. “But until they can establish 100 percent that someone committed the crime, it shouldn’t be done.”

Amanda Pizzoferrato, a sophomore who is against the death penalty, disagrees with Gallagher, feeling that executing someone is an inhumane thing to do. She also thinks life in prison might be a better alternative that doesn’t necessarily let murderers off easy.

“Part of me feels like maybe if someone kills someone else they might deserve to die, but I also

think if you do put them to death you’re stooping down to their level and that makes you no better than them,” said Pizzoferrato. “It’s almost more of a punishment to lock them up for life because then they’re suffering for years and years.”

While at the time of Davis’ trial, the prosecution had nine witnesses saying he did it, at the time of his execution seven of those nine had changed all or part of their testimony in favor of his innocence.

Also, one of the two witnesses who remained in favor of Davis’ guilt is one of the original suspects in the murder.

Stephen Maruzzella, a sophomore who is pro-death penalty, also feels what happened to Davis was wrong. However, the death penalty should still be made available for the judicial system to implement on murderers who have committed more horrific crimes.

He cites the “Petit” murders as an example of when the death penalty should be used.

“There are always exceptions to the rule, Troy Davis is an example,” said Maruzzella. “Some of the crimes people commit, they deserve to die. The two charged in the Cheshire murders shouldn’t be allowed to live.”

While both men charged in the Cheshire case haven’t been

convicted yet, many feel they are guilty and should be put to death.

Of the two, the one who has already been convicted has already been sentenced to death Ishita Shah, a senior who studies law here at CCSU, agrees that crimes like the Cheshire case are the reason the death penalty can’t be abolished and must remain available.

“I’m not really familiar with the case, but from what I’ve been hearing it sounds like they’re guilty of a horrible thing,” said Shah. “But you can’t point to Troy Davis as a reason to get rid of it, justice isn’t in the hands of the people, no matter how many thought he was innocent the judicial system may have had their reasons for what they did.”

Will Leguisamon, a senior against the death penalty, says it’s an irreversible action and shouldn’t be something the government has the power to do.

“If you make a mistake you can never change it,” said Leguisamon.

“You’re not God and nor is the judicial system, leave death up to God. If someone’s really guilty then they’re going to hell, it’s not up to us to put them there.”

While students are certainly not on the same page when it comes to this controversial topic, most agree cases like Troy Davis’ certainly shouldn’t be decided by death.

Breaking Down The New Fees Jonathan Stankiewicz the Recorder

The first of October is coming, consider yourselves warned.

Starting this Saturday, the way students will be paying for things will be drastically changed.

All credit card payments will be accepted online only and will be processed through the online QuickPAy ebill/payment service provided on CCSU’s Web Banner system. No mailed, faxed or inperson credit card transaction will be accepted anymore. Debit cards will also be accepted online and will be processed as a credit card transaction subject to the same 2.5% convenience fee.

It should be of note that the convenience fee is only added when a credit card is chosen as the method of payment and added only at the time a payment is made.

“Other schools in the CSU System requested it as a way of targeting the cost involved in accepting credit cards to those using this method of payment, rather than the whole student body absorbing the cost with increased tuition and fees,” said Bursar Betsy Fan Fangiullo.

Fangiullo wants students to understand that paying by eCheck/ACH from a checking or savings account carries no fees, so if they were previously using a branded debit card, they should instead enter the routing information for their bank account.

“If they were previously using a branded debit card from a checking account, they may instead enter their bank routing information so they are not assessed the fee,” added Fangiullo.

To help combat the new 2.5% increase students can take advantage of Central’s current payment plan for next semester.

Though, there isn’t any room to expand the five installments per term.

But in CCSU President Jack Miller’s report card in “Objective 2.11: Increase the total amount of financial aid awarded,” Financial Aid and Student Affairs greatly surpassed the $52.7 million in aid given out in the 2005-06 academic year. For the 2010-11 academic year they were able to award $88 million to students,

greatly surpassing their goal of $65 million.

Today many people have Visa cards and the Bursar’s office and Fangiullo understand that. Due to compliance with PCI regulations CCSU can no longer accept them.

“Visa regulations do not allow for flexibility in the assessing of a convenience fee and require that when accepting Visa and charging a convenience fee, an institution must charge the fee on all methods of payment, not just to credit cards, as well as a requirement that the fee be a flat or fixed amount, rather than the percentage as approved by the Board of Trustees,” Fangiullo said.

Or we can just say “Visa regulations do not allow a convenience fee charge unless the fee is also charged for every payment method (check, cash),” says the Bursar’s website about Visa acceptance being discontinued. “Due to these restrictions CCSU will not be able to accept Visa credit card as a method of payment.”

Fangiullo is adamant that this new fee “is not a way to push more people to pay online.”

“Paying online continues to be the most secure, accurate, accessible and convenient method of payment,” Fangiullo said. “The QuikPAY eBill/ePayment service has been certified compliant with credit card security regulations, ensuring continued security for students and authorized payers’ financial data.”

The entire CSU system has been affected and the Bursar’s offices have worked together accordingly.

“The four Bursars have worked closely with each other throughout this implementation,” Fangiullo said. “We have done the research on other schools that have made similar transitions and have received positive feedback from all.”

Fangiullo said that she and the Bursar’s office will continue to ensure a smooth transition for students.

“As the forms of currency/ payments evolve, I understand the need to make changes but also understand that these changes may be difficult for some of our students,” said Fangiullo.

News Brief New York Times Readership Program SGA President Eric Bergenn announced last week that Sodexo and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs will donate funds to the New York Times campus readership program.

Sodexo will contribute $750 to the program. The Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs will donate $3000.

The New York Times program provides for the daily delivery of the nation's newspaper of record to the CCSU Student Center in support of current events education.

The program also provides funding for speakers from the Times to deliver programs on campus through special arrangements with student government.

4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Message from the SGA

You won’t want to miss this year’s Pep Rally!

September 30, 2011 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm in the Student Center Circle, with special appearances from Pep Squad, A Cappella Society, SCHLOCK, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, DanCentral, C.O.L.A.D.A., our CCSU Football Team with Coach Mac, Dance Team and Cheerleaders, and A.D. Paul Schlickmann. Not to mention you’ll have an opportunity to dunk SGA and SA/LD members in a dunk tank.

There will be door prizes, and we will be announcing the winners of the banner competition.

This year, for the first time ever, you could win the CCSU Cheermeister award and receive $1k, have your picture hanging in the Student Center, and be forever known as the pioneer of this new legacy, just for going to sporting events throughout the semester.

Applications for the National Conference on Student Leadership in Miami are available now, and due by this Friday, September 30. They can be picked up and returned at the SGA office.

Keep your eyes out in the next week and a half for students campaigning for votes in the upcoming election. The best vote is an informed one, so get to know your candidates. The elections will take place October 11 and 12 in the Student Center and online at ccsu.collegiatelink. net.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the Student Government at MySGA@ccsu.edu.

Join The Recorder!

OPENINGS AVAILABLE FOR THE FALL 2011 SEMESTER The Recorder Meets Every Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue and White Room and Every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in The Recorder Office

OPINION

5

THE RECORDER Wednesday, September 28, 2011

EDITORIAL

Don’t Bring Us All Down With You There’s an obvious need for community involvement on this campus. We’re called a commuter school and a lot of students dislike the stigmas that are attached to it.

Some of us are even embarrassed to say that we call CCSU our home.

You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. You’re getting a good degree at a very reputable University. This University has taken enormous strides in the last decade.

We’ve built new academic buildings, hired many staff members and updated our facilities and technologies around campus.

The one thing that hasn’t been lifted is the feeling of what it means to be a student of this University. Why is it that people love to say they go to UConn and not CCSU? It might have something to do with the fact

that our grounds turn into a ghost town from Friday to Sunday. There’s a chance that it could be the administration, but that seems like we might be making them a scapegoat.

Students are what a university is made of.

Our moods and reflections will build what others think about our learning institution.

Sadly, many of our classmates choose to only focus on the bad things about CCSU. We like to complain about not having a voice, but don’t take the time to even read about what SGA is doing, let alone take the time to go to a meeting. We complain about the food, but offer no constructive criticism that would show the University what we’d like to be eating. Instead of tackling problems, we complain.

Our former Editor-in-Chief, Michael Walsh, made his stance issue after issue that the students of this University need to be more involved on campus. He wanted people to talk about the problems on campus, but not forget about the good things either. He took advantage of everything that was available to him, and would never bash this University for the sake of a joke or argument.

This is where some students have found themselves recently. By using social mediums, such as Twitter and Facebook, many of us have lashed out against CCSU. It’s sad to see that the only thing you can find when you type in “#ccsu” is complaints about a professor or how terrible the food is.

Where did all these complainers come from? Maybe that’s why we can’t shake the notion that we are a lesser school. It’s completely false, but we are still attached to it. Why? No one likes to look at the fact that this University is made up of extremely hard workers. Lots of us are balancing jobs, families and school at the same time. We work hard for our educations and value every lesson we learn.

Let’s stop focusing on the negatives at this school and take advantage of the great opportunities that we have in front of us.

There are many places that you can assert yourself on this campus, but if you choose not to, don’t bring the rest of us down with you with your grievances.

EDITOR’S COLUMN

We’re Not Your Publicists

SGA Professionalism Jonathan Stankiewicz The Recorder

nicholas proch The Recorder

If you were to look at my inbox on my computer right now, you’d be astonished at the amount of emails I receive on a daily basis to my Recorder account.

I get numerous questions, stories, ideas and inquiries. It comes with the territory of being the first name on the masthead on page two. All questions find their way to my desk, which I prefer so that I can be aware of what is going on at this publication.

Unfortunately for me, I also get several emails a week asking for some club, organization or sometimes administrative body, at both this University and not, to have someone come down and write a story about them.

Let’s be honest. If you’re asking a newspaper to write a story about you, usually you have interests that extend beyond what our publication should be.

Newspapers were founded to be the voice of the people. They were meant to keep political and social institutions in check. The reporting of current events, tragedies and notable feats all find their way into the pages.

What had happened over the years to some publications was the curtailing of transparency and fairness. They let advertisers influence what and how they are writing.

Then the bottom fell out for newspapers economically. Print publications are not what they used to be. Journalists from the old school will tell you that the changing of corporate and economic practices have changed newsprint for the worse. They are struggling to fill pages. Shrinking staffs and funding, especially from advertisers, make it harder to report stories.

We feel this at our level as well. While we operate on a fixed budget, which allows us to print without feeling the pressure of the economy, we are finding it harder to keep people interested in reporting.

Many in this society have the general

feeling that newspapers are dead. They will not come back and they will be online. More importantly, they feel the money has dried up and publishers are clinging on to a dead medium.

Does that mean bloggers will be the world’s journalists? I hope not. There will always be a need for trained reporters. There are ethics involved.

If Woodward and Bernstein hadn’t followed some sort of ethical code and process, Watergate as we know it may have turned out much differently. It’s not just about the leaks, it’s also about the accurately reported story.

This is where blogs come up short.

So what does this mean? It means that less people are coming into school looking to report solely for a newspaper. They want their hand in video, online publications and social media. This translates to our staff shrinking to reflect that notion.

This all brings me back to our original dilemma. It’s very tempting to take a story based on the fact that it is there, it’s sitting in my inbox. The 500 words someone can write about it would help fill space. There are many positives to taking a story that is basically a glorified and reported press release, but the negatives far outweigh them.

A student newspaper is a lot of things. It’s something to belong to. It gets you to be a part of the CCSU campus. It’s one hell of a resume builder. Above all, it’s a learning tool. I’m not going to say that I don’t have a lot to learn, but I’ve seen a lot here in my time down in the offices of the Student Center trying to create a weekly product.

I’m faced with real ethical questions and have to make the decisions that best suit my staff. With all that being said, I’m not going to let anyone use this publication as a public relations pamphlet. It’s not good practice for anyone here at the Recorder.

I’m not afraid to be the bad guy, but I get the impression that it’s been the norm for some to get press whenever they see fit and that has to stop.

As a student body, we elected them.

As a governing body, they have the power to fund our clubs and make changes to our lives on campus. However, the Student Government Association, our paid campus representatives, do not seem to be taking the role seriously.

During the weekly SGA meeting, one of the few weekly requirements for senators, our governing body has been spotted on Facebook and on cell phones. SGA President Eric Bergenn and Vice President Liz Braun have appeared visibly frustrated and embarrassed by the ongoing pattern of inappropriate behavior and outbursts that routinely take place at meetings.

The first time I saw a senator snicker after another senator had finished speaking, I did a literal double take. The second time, I tried to ignore it, and the third time I witnessed it, I promised myself I would write this piece.

The Student Government Association is, in many ways, a circus. I haven’t seen cotton candy and peanuts yet, but I’ve seen the giggling and laughing. As a reporter for the Recorder, the funniest part to me is that SGA knows who we are and where we sit at their meetings.

We are a newspaper; we are journalists.

We are here to serve as the eyes and ears of the campus community. Quite simply, we go to SGA meetings so you don’t have to. Our lofty goals aside, we cannot always speak for the entire student body here at CCSU and we encourage students to attend SGA meetings to see it firsthand.

The Student Government Association meets every Wednesday in the Bellin Gallery at 3:05 and few students who are

not on the staff of the Recorder show up to keep the SGA Senate honest.

I cannot claim to know all of the ins and outs of Robert’s Rules of Order. I cannot honestly say that I’ve never giggled when I was supposed to be a focused and responsible individual; we are all human here.

What our senators must realize is that they chose to be elected officials. They can no longer fall back on the excuse of being mere students. They ran a campaign and were elected to office through our votes.

For example, this past Wednesday, the SGA Senate spent the entirety of their meeting debating how to get students more involved, specifically with their upcoming elections. The question I wish to pose is this: how can a student be expected to get involved in SGA if the conduct at the meetings remains unchanged?

If the senate of the SGA does not take their meetings or the jobs that we elected them to seriously, how can they expect the students to take the SGA elections seriously?

What I am saying is that there needs to be a serious and conscious effort to conduct meetings in an orderly fashion. No Facebook or giggling at meetings should be permitted.

It’s not just about the lack of respect being shown to one senator from another, it is about the common courtesy of representing your constituents.

Things will continue to go undone if this behavior continues. Things need to change.

Quite simply, this is unacceptable. The need for change is now and should be quick and noticeable.

The hope is in your hands, do the right thing.

SPEAK YOUR MIND! Write for our opinion section!

Contact: editor@centralrecorder.com

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / UPGRADE

REVIEWS

Matt and Kat Go To The Movies: Killer Elite Matthew Clyburn

kat boushee

If you take only one thing away from this review, let it be this: Killer Elite is a terrible movie. Unfortunately, it’s also one of those movies where it’s difficult to put your finger on exactly what went wrong.

The acting isn’t too bad. Jason Statham (Transporter), Robert De Niro (many good movies made in the last 30 years) and Clive Owen (Closer, Inside Man) do the best they can playing fairly simple characters.

Statham has made several terrible career decisions lately. He’s become a disposable everyman for B-level action movies. Owen plays a bit outside of his norm on this one as a retired British special forces agent teetering between paranoia and heroism. De Niro really isn’t in the movie long enough to blame him, but when he is it’s not bad.

The script is really the weak spot here.

There is no subtlety whatsoever; every single plot detail is spelled out with annoying clarity.

Most of the punchlines were painfully awful, creating awkward transitions to the next scene and endless head-scratching.

Just when I thought the movie was over, I looked down at my watch and saw that we had a full 32 minutes left to go. The relatively short 105 minute film felt like 105 hours. We went to see the movie at noon, so I felt like I was emerging from a full blackout drinking binge as I stepped out of the theater and into the blinding sun.

The most surprising thing in the movie was the arrival of Dominic Purcell, otherwise known as Lincoln Burrows from TV’s Prison Break. Purcell dons the most accurate thick British accent I’ve ever heard from an American actor and kicks some serious butt.

The action that leads up to his character’s demise is by far the best scene in the movie.

In conclusion, Killer Elite is a waste of time. It doesn’t bring anything new to the genre and doesn’t advance anyone’s career in the slightest (except maybe Purcell, if anyone takes notice). Statham will be lucky if he emerges from this travesty with his reputation intact, and you will be lucky if you emerge from this travesty with your brains intact.

Let me preface by saying I love awful action movies. I’ve seen The Transporter more times than anyone should have, and when the last Die Hard movie came out I was there at midnight to watch.

That being said, Killer Elite really was terrible. I can’t find much to redeem it, though I tried to force myself to like it throughout the whole first half.

The love story plotline, told primarily through flashbacks, seemed incredibly forced.

Jason Statham’s love interest, Anne, played by the lovely Yvonne Strahovski, is a character

Andrew Jackson Jihad

Such songs as “American Tune,” wherein Bonnette waxes philosophical lyrics about being a heterosexual caucasian male in the U.S., singing “I’m a guy getting paid more than a girl with a degree, and I can walk down the street after dark/no one wants to rape me.” “Back Pack” and “No One” are emotionally riveting, and display more artistic passion than many punk bands are even able to contemplate, let alone harness.

However, the band is most comfortable with uncompromisingly bratty rants, such as “Distance,” “I hate whiny fucking songs like this but I can’t afford a therapist. Sorry guys, here’s a solo!” Lastly, “Zombie by The Cranberries by Andrew Jackson Jihad” (not actually a cover song), is filled to the brim with brilliant one-liners like, “if I had a cigarette for every time a perfect stranger asked me for a cigarette, I’d have enough cigarettes to get me through the day.”

Andrew Jackson Jihad stands out from their punk contemporaries because they achieve what most of those bands cannot: making a listener think for themselves, contemplate the state of our nation as well as the human condition, and most importantly, feel, all the while carving out a niche in their own genre, free of the narrow constraints of punk rock. Knife Man is a great leap forward for the Arizona natives.

The Recorder

Knife Man

Asian Man Records September 20

peter strozzkowski The Recorder

Knife Man, Andrew Jackson Jihad’s fourth album serves up the band’s signature shaky vocals, scrappy instrumentation, and all-too-honest, politically charged lyrics.

Though the duo, made up of Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty, usually perform with acoustic guitar and upright bass live, the album is also peppered with drums, piano, mandolin, horns, kazoo, electric guitar and bass. The band’s arrangements throughout are enhanced by their collaboration with other instrumentalists, while their uncanny ability to imbue each song with contrasting vibes and emotions indicates that the band are capable of far more than their modest DIY punk moniker may suggest.

Despite its 16 song-tracklist, Knife Man flows fast as only 4 songs cross the 4-minute mark. Each song stands out in their own right, whether it is fraught with introspective confessions or political contemplation.

The Recorder

that seems to have been thrown into the mix as an afterthought.

The “twist” in the movie is so underplayed that it is easily miss-able, and there was more than one time during the film in which I had no idea what the characters were talking about.

Statham’s character was so poorly written and inconsistent that by the halfway mark I was frustrated. At one point, Statham uses his instincts and gut feelings to make a bold, but ultimately true, statement. However, less than an hour later, he follows his hunch and ignores what everyone in the movie and the theatre knows to be true and makes a silly mistake.

The only good thing about this movie is that I was able to tune it out somewhat and develop an elaborate fantasy about being an assassin myself. For the record, I was unstoppable and deadly.

I hated to agree with Matt Clyburn on this one, especially after defending the action genre so strongly while waiting to see the movie, but Killer Elite was not worth the eight dollars that I’m being reimbursed for. (Yes, we went to the matinee).

Instead of watching this movie, may I suggest watching the The Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger? It is a throwback, but much more enjoyable and believable than this mess of a movie.

Photo I Open Road Films

PhotoI Myspace.com/andrewjacksonjihad

The Return of Glee kassondra granata The Recorder

Glee has returned for another entertaining, fast-paced season with its first episode: ‘The Purple Piano Project’, leaving the audience back at home.

The episode begins with a nerd-like character named Jacob (AKA Jew Fro) interviewing members of the musical group “New Directions” on their status and what their summer vacations consisted of. The questionnaire reveals what year the glee club members are in, who will graduate and who is going to warm our hearts for another year.

Sue Sylvester, coach of the “Cheerios”, is still on her ambitious run to destroy Will Schuester’s dream along with the glee club.

This time, however, Sue has more than just her two faithful sidekicks, Santana and Brittany; she has voters as well. Sylvester is now campaigning for a seat in Congress, campaigning against Music and Arts in schools around the nation.

Romance, a main component of Glee, is still in bloom as the characters return to McKinley High. Tina and Mike Chang are still together, but with Chang graduating this year, it seems like it might spark some conflict later on in the season. Rachel and Finn are still together after their surprising kiss during Nationals at the end of last season, resulting in them destroying their chances at winning. Finn however had very little dialogue throughout the episode as he remains uncertain of his future after High School, falling into a funk.

Blaine and Kurt are thriving as Blaine decided to leave ‘The Warblers,’ and join the McKinley High Glee Club to spend their last year together before parting ways to college.

Although both relationships are striving, Rachel and Kurt have developed a bond, forming their own “dynamic duo” while they figure out what college to attend together.

New relationships have sparked in the

third season. At the end of last season, we discover that Sam and Mercedes formed a relationship; however, as Sam and his family “packed up and moved away,” Mercedes is now dating a football player. Will Schuester and Emma now live together and the two share a precious scene where they spend a morning together getting ready for work and pack each others’ lunch.

A change is exposed when Quinn throws in her head cheerleader position, uniform and glee member status for pink hair dye, cigarettes, a nose ring and a Ryan Seacrest tattoo on her lower back to compliment her ‘I don’t care’ attitude.

The music selection for this episode is just like the old seasons: show-tunes and oldies.

Mr. Schuester gives The New Directions a new assignment for the week to get them back on track for Nationals. The assignment instructed The New Directions to sing a song every time they approached one of the purple pianos Schuester placed around the room.

That afternoon at lunch, the New Directions supply entertainment to their cafeteria by performing The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” resulting in a food fight by their less than enthused classmates. Rachel and Kurt team up with their own theatrical rendition of “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead” from The Wizard of Oz that is fun and upbeat with a tint of jazz. Blaine performs a version of Tom Jones’ song “It’s Not Unusual” to begin his life at McKinley High.

Lindsay Pierce, one of the top four of the reality musical show The Glee Project, led a group in a combination of ‘Anything Goes’ from the identically titled musical, and “Anything you Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun. The Glee cast ended the first episode out with a bang with the finale act “You Can’t Stop The Beat” from Hairspray, leaving the audience anticipating next week’s episode to fulfill their quench for drama, romance, and of course, glee.

Glee shows on Fox on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / UPGRADE

Opeth Captures Crowd at Webster with Mellow Songs Derek Turner

Special To The Recorder

When I drove up to the Webster Theater on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 20 to see Swedish metal band Opeth with my cousin, I was surprised how long the line was to get in. I had not seen a line that long since Aaron Lewis of Staind did an acoustic solo show for charity and tickets were only $10.

The variety of people was also unexpected for a first time death metal show attendee.

Just as one would think, many large guys with long hair and girls covered in tattoos, but there were also quite a few middle-aged couples dressed business casual, yet 95 percent of the audience was wearing black of some sort.

Roaming drinks also makes for an interesting night. Usually at the Webster Theater when you get a drink at the bar, you can only keep it at the bar until you finish, then you can leave. When the crowd is expected to be large, like it was last night, the Webster will allow people to take drinks wherever they want, just not outside. This was the second show where this policy was in effect, the other one being the Aaron Lewis show. Both events included acoustic guitar sections and since these parts are normally quiet, most of the people who were having casual conversations could be heard over the music. Not an ideal sound when you are there to listen to music. I was begging for them to bring back the electric guitars and ramp up the sound.

The whole reason I went out on a Tuesday night instead of trying to get some reading done, Opeth took the stage at around 9:30 pm. Four large strobe lights rotating and changing colors the entire time really set the tone of the show. “The Devil’s Orchard,” a brand new song off the album Heritage released the day before the concert, opened the show. These songs, like the rest of the songs played that night, were considered mellower than usual. None of the songs included the “death metal growl” which I was looking forward to hearing. The most amazing thing about Opeth’s death metal growls is that Lars Mikael Akerfeldt does all the vocals himself, unlike a lot of death metal bands where they have one singer and a different screamer.

A total of twelve songs were performed from the albums Watershed, Still Life, God of War: Blood and Metal, Damnation, Blackwater Park and Deliverance.

As pointed out by my cousin before the occasion, Akerfeldt is a very entertaining front-man and loves to get the crowd involved. Between every song he almost has a conversation with the crowd. A couple of the quotes I heard last night were pretty entertaining...

“Tonight’s set will be pretty strange...

Some of it will be good, some of it will be shit, all of it will be strange.”

Guy in the crowd: “NICKELBACK!” Akerfeldt: “Nickleback huh? I see Nickelback as that guy. Like, ‘Hey, how’s it going Nickleback?’” “When we first signed

Netflix It: Twelve Monkeys dalton silvernail

Special To The Recorder

If there’s a movie I could try to over sell, it would be Terry Gilliam’s 1995 Twelve Monkeys. A psychological/suspense thriller, Twelve Monkeys is film making at its best.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has been forced underground by an air born virus, criminal James Cole (Bruce Willis) must travel into the past to gather information on “The Army of the 12 Monkeys” and its connection to the virus in exchange for a pardon.

In his first trip Cole is placed in a mental hospital where he meets psychologist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and the lunatic son of a pharmaceutical company CEO, Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). Haunted by a recurring nightmare and increasingly questioning his sanity, Cole struggles in a world he doesn’t understand. Forcing Dr. Raily to aid him, he slowly uncovers the connection between the virus, Goines, and The Army of the Twelve Monkeys.

Watching this movie made me realize how capable Bruce Willis is of portraying more than a strong, silent hero or wisecracking, cut loose cop. Willis’ convincing portrayal of a complex and troubled character did not fall short of enthralling. I find it somewhat upsetting that he was not cast in that sort of role more often. And while the plot itself effectively creates great suspense, the slow emotional progression of Willis’ character makes every twist and turns even more mesmerizing.

Not to be outdone, Madeleine Stowe’s performance astounds differently.

Her character evolves from a rational, emotionally stable, psycho-analyst to an impulsive, desperate woman who finds herself believing Cole’s insane narrative of the dystopian future from which he comes.

Complementing Willis’ performance, Stowe’s characterization is easily one the better examples of an effective supporting role I have ever seen.

Perhaps the most surprising and entertaining performer is Brad Pitt.

Surprising, not because I thought of him as an incapable actor, but because it was a role so different from any other of his I have seen. This is all the proof anyone will ever need that Pitt is capable of method acting and portraying demanding characters.

It’s rare to find an actor comfortable with becoming a character so detached from reality and even rarer to find someone who masters every subtle, physical detail of the role. Every twitch, nail bite and gesture is so convincing that you wonder if Pitt actually went insane during filming. Even the way he blinks befits the character. While there is little to no emotional or personality development of his character through the film, Pitt knew Giones so well that from his first frame to his last, the character never became jaded.

Every shot, line and set is so befitting of the genre, that it’s difficult to believe this film shares a director with Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Comparing this film to Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Holy Grail, I can only conclude that Terry Gillium is a man that doesn’t simply understand a particular genre, but rather understands the art of film in its entirety.

Photo I Universal Pictures

PHOTO| facebook.com/Opeth

with Roadrunner Records they said they were looking for a Swedish Nickelback, here I am.”

People keep yelling out songs for them to play...

Guy in the crowd: “Play whatever you want!”

Akerfeldt: “We are playing what we want.”

At the end of the show, my cousin and

I were both surprised that none of their heaviest songs were played, but me, being a new listener would not have really known the difference. I enjoyed the show quite a bit.

Heavy metal guitar and drum parts, mellow acoustic pieces, amazing Swedish vocals and commentary with the audience between songs, Opeth definitely gained at least one new fan after their show in Hartford at the Webster Theater.

Bookmark It! Lucia, Lucia

By Adriana Trigiani sara M. Berry The Recorder

It’s been a long time since I read any book in one sitting.

But the first time I read Adriana Trigiani’s Lucia, Lucia, I read all 260 pages in one night, and stayed up until 1 a.m. doing it.

Lucia, Lucia quickly became my new favorite book, and I’ve read it twice more since that first night.

Trigiani is perhaps best known for her four-part Big Stone Gap series, but Lucia, Lucia is my favorite of her works that I have read so far. Most of her novels star young Italian heroines trying to balance their heritage with growing up in America.

The story opens in modern day New York City. Playwright Kit Zanetti agrees to have tea with her neighbor, an elderly woman known to everyone in the apartment building as Aunt Lu. Over tea, Lu tells Kit her life story.

The young Aunt Lu was 25-year-old Lucia Sartori, the only daughter of a successful Italian grocer growing up in New York City in the 1950s. While Lucia’s brothers work with their father in the family business, Lucia works as a dressmaker at B. Altman’s, one of the largest department stores in the city. Lucia’s dream is to become a designer, and she has landed a job as an apprentice to a well-known designer working at the department store.

Despite Lucia’s dreams, her parents have other plans for her. She is engaged to Dante DeMartino, the son of an Italian baker, who she has known her entire life. While she loves her fiancé, she is less fond of his parents, who expect her to quit her job once they are married in

order to keep house and raise children, as all “good” Italian girls did.

By the end of chapter 2, Lucia realizes that, in her heart, she would not be happy as a housewife, and breaks her engagement. Her parents are furious, and pressure her to find another fiancé, get married, and become a housewife. Lucia, however, has other plans.

It isn’t long before a mystery man enters Lucia’s life and sweeps her off her feet. Much to the dismay of Lucia’s parents, he is far from Italian and could not be different from her former fiancé. He is, however, a mystery man, and not quite what Lucia expects. The rest of the story follows Lucia as she grows up, follows her heart and learns a number of lessons in the process.

I’ve always been a sucker for a good love story, and Lucia, Lucia is no exception. I’m especially interested in anything even remotely traditional Italian, and the Lucia character reminds me of my Italian grandmother, who was approximately the same age as Lucia at the time the story takes place. I’m also a fan of historical fiction. The 1950s were a time that has always fascinated me, when this country was very much in a time of change. The combination of historical fiction and a traditional Italian cast of characters grabbed me as soon as I picked up the book off the Barnes and Noble shelf, and kept me entranced the entire time.

If you like old-fashioned love stories and are looking for one that reads much quicker than Romeo and Juliet, page one of Lucia, Lucia is a good place to start.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / UPGRADE

J. Cole Provides Insight Into His Life with ‘Cole World: The Sideline Story’ kevin jachimowicz

Special To The Recorder

After three highly successful mixtapes, J. Cole’s released his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, on September 27, under Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation, distributed by Sony Music.

The album begins at a slow pace with a peaceful instrumental intro. Cole states at the end of the song that “I’m coming for what I’m owed.” A beautiful combination of synths and strings then carry the listener from the introduction into the next track, a continuation of one of his mixtape songs, now titled “Dollar and a Dream III.” This one is a stand-out, and showcases Cole’s ability to flip all types of lyrics. For example, “Mozart meets Humphrey Bogart with this from the heart shit,” and “whether a scholar or a fiend, watch a pawn turn into a king.” “Can’t Get Enough” is next on the disc, and features popular young singer Trey Songz.

The album flows right into an older track, a fan favorite, “Lights Please,” which he even performed at the concert last spring here at Central Connecticut State University.

Four tracks in, it is obvious the quality of the production of this album is very high and stable. Track in and track out there is no forced feeling whatsoever, they just flow in and out of each other wonderfully. The interlude is another interesting piece, which showcases a

story of Cole being jailed the same night he signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, and how easy that night went.

The album then reaches what seems to be a more personal segment and the interlude drags you into the title track, “Sideline Story.”

Cole introduces the track saying, “I put my heart and soul in this game. I’m feeling drained, unappreciated, unalleviated.”

As the album unfolds, a few huge artist features appear on a couple of songs, including Jay-Z on the new collaboration, “Mr. Nice Watch”, as well as Missy Elliot. Another track which helped J. Cole spring up into his success, and is part of the album, “In the Morning”, features Drake, a newer artist who has honed some acting credentials of his own.

A positive vibe seems to close the album out, starting with the track “Cheer Up”, with Cole boasting various examples of how he sees both sides of a situation, and that it’s all he really knows. The album flows like silk into his recent single, “Work Out”, produced by Cole himself, along with the majority of the album, but features a sample from a Kanye West song titled, “Kanye’s New Workout Plan”. The album proceeds to finish off with an insightful track about women and life.

This is definitely not your typical hiphop album, and I would recommend that any true hip-hop fan give this album a true, deep listen, because this is high-quality, thoughtprovoking art.

20 Under 20: Lyman Orchards Continuing from last semester, this weekly segment features ideas of fun things to do that are $20 or less and under 20 miles from CCSU. sarah bogues The Recorder

What’s better than spending an afternoon picking apples, munching on apple cider donuts and choosing the “perfect” pumpkin during this autumn season? Well here at Lyman Orchards, a visitor can do all that plus so much more.

Nestled away a little under 18 miles from CCSU, lay the infamous, busy Lyman Orchards between routes 147 and 157 in Middlefield CT offering anything from baked goods and fall decorations to deli meat, fruit, and produce.

There are two main entrances to the Apple Barrel Market, one off Lyman Road and the other off Reeds Gap Road yet both bring visitors to the same place: delicious, yummy food.

Upon entering the Apple Barrel market, a visitor will immediately observe the sardine packed room with people galore either shopping or in line for baked goods, lunch, or checkout. Then a visitor will notice the many varieties of produce and fruit: apples, pears, nectarines, plums, green peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes are a mere sample of what Lyman Orchards offers.

An assortment of pies (blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, apple crumb, apple, and pumpkin), cookies (oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and chocolate chip), breads (caramel apple and banana nut), jams, and maple butter attracts the eye, once getting the past the “healthy” stuff. A line stands alongside the front of two cases filled with the infamous sugared apple cider donuts, cupcakes, brownies, apple fritters, apple turnovers, and many more varieties of scrumptious baked goods.

Baked goods range from about $1.50 to $3.00 with pies and packages of cookies going for $4.79. Eggs, milk, juices, cheese,

sausage, and of course pints, half gallons, and gallons of fresh apple cider are also available in the market area.

If interested in eating lunch, one can order off the menu and can get either a salad or a ham, turkey, and roast beef sandwich for $6.25; a specialty salad or sandwich for $7.25.

If a visitor didn’t think the Apple Barrel market didn’t have enough food then they have another thing coming. Outside of the market, servers serve hot apple crisp for $4 and hot apple cider for $2 along with hamburgers, hotdogs, drink, and other snack foods at a stand nearby. Even though there are lines after lines for just about everything at Lyman Orchards, the line for kettle corn is by far the longest.

After waiting in line for at least 20 minutes and paying up either $4 for a small, $7 for a medium, or $9 for a large, you finally get the warm, yummy kettle corn; definitely worth the wait.

Picking your own apples is just a short drive from the Apple Barrel market and costs only $1.29/pound. Macoun and Empire apples are available at this time and are both excellent for eating, baking, and snacking on. Pumpkins and mums are available for picking as well back at the Apple Barrel Market.

In one visit, a visitor can get lunch, pick some apples, get some apple cider donuts and a small kettle corn all for under $20. Good deal? Definitely.

Lyman Orchards Apple Barrel market is open everyday from 9 am to 7 pm during the months of September and October, and everyday from 9 am to 6 pm the remainder of the year. The orchard is always having new and exciting events related to each season so stop by and see what new things Lyman Orchards has to offer by hitting up their website, lymanorchards.com.

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PhotoI Facebook.com/J.ColeMusic

Tight Crew’s Ruckus 3D Rave dalton silvernail

Special To The Recorder

Defining a rave is no simple matter.

The eclectic cultural styles represented create an environment of acceptance.

While cultural elements exclusive to the rave scene exists, it would be difficult to find many aspects from pop culture that wouldn’t be assimilated by ravers with gusto.

From the night of Friday the 16th into the post-dawn hours of Saturday, a group of friends and I attended the event Black Light Ruckus, hosted by Tight Crew Productions at Club Therapy, Providence, Rhode Island. Considering the size of the venue, Black Light Ruckus’ attendance surpassed that of other raves I have attended. Ruckus also surprised me as one of the best equipped and staged events I have seen outside of a stadium.

We arrived at about 10:45, doors having opened at 9 p.m. The frigid autumn air, the equally long drive and waiting line did not keep the subtle vibrations of the music inside from reaching us. The pounding bass infused with the energy of those also waiting keeping us content as admittance drew nearer.

Jovially striding away from the ticket scanner, slipping on the complimentary pair of 3D glasses given to each attendee, I found myself enveloped by the slow, rhythmic ambiance of trance music being jockeyed by Black Sheep, his well-crafted music unquestionably fitting the mood of the room called “The Ambient Room.”

Having just arrived full of energy, and eager to dose ourselves with sound and light, we lingered only long enough to put our ID’s away and check our appearance.

Bounding two at a time up the stairs towards the main floor, the sounds of the lower floor faded from perceptibility.

Muffled, yet unmistakable, the tones and rhythm of electronic music faded in over the ambience below, snapping into perfect clarity as I reached the stairs’ summit. My senses suddenly beset by encyclopedic amounts of raw information, momentarily immobilizing me until I adjusted to the stunning atmosphere.

Shadows fluttered and darted as lasers and spot lights flashed and shifted colors skirted around us. The scents of the organic and artificial struck me. Pulsating from every direction, the harmonic, upbeat

resonance of wonderful and hypnotic house music enticed me to begin dancing unabashedly. While none of the DJs stuck out as being worse than the others, a few managed to stick out as noticeably better, in particular, the two headliners and an inhouse DJ: Nostalgia and Eddie Brock and Keither Tight Crew.

Nostalgia, a dubstep producer, is the type of artist you play for someone who insists that all dubstep sounds the same.

Utilizing the trademark “womp” bass loop without overusing it, in addition to percussive electronic effects as backbones to his songs, Nostalgia’s created sound gave us the sensation of being in a different state of mind.

Eddie Brock produces Drum & Bass.

He is easily one of my favorite DJs at the event, in part due to my affinity for D&B, because of what sets his music apart: his experimentation away from traditional D&B for a more eerie, fearsome, heavy, raw and dark sound, mimicking the ambience of a jungle, atmosphere and sound effects included.

Keither Tight Crew impressed as well.

His high-energy, cheerful, hardcore style (aside from being enjoyable on its own) made him the perfect choice as the closing DJ on the main floor. Keith’s music did two things, got you moving enough to tire out the remainder of your energy, or give you a second wind enough for one last dance, leaving everyone in a great mood after.

Holding true to form, Tight Crew made Ruckus an all around wonderful experience.

If I had to gauge the performances of the DJs in a grading scale, the worst attainable grade is a B-. Stage, lighting, and sound layouts were excellent. No sound spilled from the speakers between the two floors, and the 3D glasses enhanced the experience on the main floor.

Though Club Therapy is a good venue, normally getting a great crowd, the trips’ there are simply not worth it for small events. As a rule of thumb for measuring the scales of the event, the more featured DJs, the larger the event will be. Tight Crew Productions is known for few, yet critically acclaimed, annual themed events they host at different locations. This by no means should keep anyone from their events.

Honestly, the best way to be sure a rave will be a great one is to make it a Tight Crew event.

9

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / UPGRADE

The Eternal Question: Mac or PC? justin muszynski The Recorder

In a day and age where everything is done on computers, it’s hard to find someone that doesn’t own or have access to one.

CCSU is no exception.

Whether you’re checking your email, uploading photos to Facebook, or simply doing a paper, absolutely everything requires a computer these days.

However, a certain rivalry in the computer business has intrigued us all and simply can’t go unnoticed. Herein lies the most important question of all: Mac or PC? Joshua Johnson, a Mac owner, says having owned a couple PCs before, he chose to invest in a Mac. He seemed to have a chronic problem where all of his previous computers ran significantly slower after only owning them for less than half a year.

“I’ve owned a couple PCs and every single one seemed to get slow after a couple of months,” said Johnson. “Plus Macs don’t get viruses; that’s big for me.”

“I think I’m going to swear by Macs,” said Johnson after being asked if he’ll ever buy another PC. Kevin Randino, a ResNet tech, warns students against buying into the ‘Macs don’t get viruses’ myth.

“People think Macs don’t get viruses, that’s entirely false,” said Randino. “Macs account for about 10 percent of the entire computer market. They get viruses all the time that just aren’t designed to attack them. If you were to develop a virus, you wouldn’t target Macs either.”

Sohail Khan, a PC owner, says he’s used a PC his entire life and doesn’t feel any reason to change

now. He doesn’t think he would gain anything by owning a Mac. “I’ve always used a PC, I’m much more comfortable with them,” said Khan. “Learning a whole new operating system would be a little difficult. I think Apple appeals to a lot of students simply because of their [brand] name. I see a lot of them on campus.”

Randino, who says ResNet does not actually have the statistics to show definitively how many students own a Mac versus a PC, was able to check how many students were logged on to the network at a particular time and see how many were using which. What he found was an overwhelming dominance of PCs. “Currently there are 570 PCs logged onto the network and only 14 Macs,” said Randino. “This is only a snapshot of what’s going on, but I would say it’s a significant reflection of which computers are more prevalent.”

While there may be many more PCs on campus, this observation may not tell the story in its entirety. Sarah Burton, a PC owner, says she bought her Dell about four years ago due to financial reasons.

“Financially, a Mac wasn’t in my price range,” said Burton. “I honestly haven’t had any problems with my Dell besides it being a little slow, but it is pretty old. If I could though, I would definitely buy a Mac.” She added, “PCs just require too many security updates.”

Miranda Toth, on the other hand, feels that a Mac is a worthwhile investment. While it might cost more upfront it could save you money in the long run.

“It’s definitely worth it to buy one,” said Toth. “The amount

Photo I Courtesy of Aida fung

you’re going to have to pay for anti-virus software could cost you more overall. With a Mac you don’t need one.”

Sherry Pesino, the manager of the Instructional Design and Technology Resource Center at CCSU, owns both but prefers a Mac. She said that both work perfectly fine and the school supports both platforms; it’s all a matter of personal preference.

“I just prefer a Mac because that’s what I’ve used since I was in school,” said Pesino. “A lot of people like the look of the Macs, and while I do believe there are probably more PCs on campus, I would guess a lot of students would have them if they weren’t so expensive.”

Jennifer Rosenthal, a PC

owner, is a perfect example of what Pesino says is the reason why Macs are a minority on campus.

“I’ve always wanted a Mac,” said Rosenthal. “It was just a lot cheaper to not buy one. My Dell overheats a lot, the Macs seem really cool. But the main reason I don’t have one is financial.”

Michael Minelli, who loves his Mac, encourages students to put the extra money forth and get one because he says there isn’t anything better out there.

“It’s the shit,” said Minelli.

“Macs are the new wave, and a lot of people like them for a reason: they’re the best.”

While most students at CCSU may own PCs, many seem to want a Mac but don’t want to spend the extra money. The battle rages on.

Need Advice ask Ellie! [ The Recorder’s new advice columnist] Send your questions about love, sex, money, school - anything - to: upgrade@centralrecorder.com

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

COLUMN

A Little Sportsmanship Goes A Long Way

bRittany buRke the Recorder

I’ve seen my share of sports hardships as a member of this paper, and the latest one happened this past Saturday when CCSU football fell to Monmouth, ending a home win streak that began while I was just a brand new college freshman.

With the streak being the longest in the nation and so many people talking about it at each home game, you can only imagine what it feels like when that suddenly ends. As the clock wound down and the scoreboard indicated that the Blue Devils had lost the two teams didn’t separate, instead they met on the fifty-yard line and lined up to shake each other’s hands.

Walking into the post-game conference with Gunnar Jespersen and Gene Johnson, you could feel the disappointment in the air, but that didn’t stop them from congratulating the other team. The Monmouth fight song was played and Head Coach Kevin Callahan was soaked with ice water in celebration, but the Blue Devils didn’t complain or make excuses.

Saturday’s game was the pinnacle of what sports should be about … good sportsmanship. It is a lesson that every person, whether an athlete or not, learns at a young age, but it is not something that is always practiced.

Seeing Coach Mac shake Coach Callahan’s hand after the game and have a conversation with him, shows just what kind of team CCSU has.

You often see athletes in professional settings dart to the locker room upset because a game or play didn’t go their way. Sometimes they blame coaches, sometimes it’s teammates or opposing players, or even referees, like Michael Vick happened to do in Sunday’s postgame press conference. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t make it right.

It’s always a welcome change to see an athlete get tackled and helped up by the same opponent, that’s when you can applaud character. Good sportsmanship shouldn’t be hard to come by, but it is often overlooked.

Each week I speak with Coach Mac during the football season and he always makes sure to give credit where credit is due, this week credit was rightfully given to the Hawks. Head Coach Linda Sagnelli’s volleyball team won its match against Bryant, yet she commended the Bulldogs on they’re fight.

Good sportsmanship is one of the most valuable factors in any game. Any football fan should know just what an unsportsmanlike conduct more can do to a team, so why not try to emulate the good more often?

Club Baseball Team Quickly Making A Name for Itself Matthew Reckdenwald Special to the Recorder

While waiting for the remainder of their teammates, a group of excited individuals begin to take the field for stretching and batting practice. Arms are stretched, legs are loosened, and equipment is dusted off and prepared for the upcoming year.

Today is the first day of practice for the newly formed Central Connecticut State University Baseball Club. After months of hard work, the young club has gained recognition by the University as an official organization for the spring season.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said Matt Coppola, 20, a member of the club. Coppola is currently a junior but has been waiting with crossed fingers and a heavy heart since enrolling in CCSU as a freshman undergraduate student in 2009.

With the introduction of the new club, students who are interested in continuing their baseball careers on a collegiate level, but do not have the opportunity to compete on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level and in the Northeast Conference have now found a place to play.

“I played baseball all throughout my high school career and I knew I wanted to continue playing in college, but I couldn’t commit to

playing in the NCAA, which put me between a rock and hard place when making college decisions,” explained Coppola while tossing a baseball to a teammate. “With this new club, I can now comfortably play my favorite sport, baseball, with other people on my skill level and not have to worry about slacking off academically.”

Baseball will join dancing, equestrian, hockey, lacrosse, paintball, fencing, rugby, tennis, and ultimate frisbee as sports that are offered by the University at the club level.

All club sports are overseen by RECentral, a department that is also responsible for fitness classes and intramural sports on campus. As part of RECentral, the teams report to Liz Urcinas, the assistant recreation director in charge of both club and intramural sports.

At approximately 20 members and counting, the club team has seen a definitive rise in popularity since its grassroots days of pickup games with half-filled teams. Not only is campus buzzing about the new team, but so are towns and schools in close range to New Britain.

Chris Spagnoletti, 17, a senior at nearby Watertown High School, has heard about the club and will monitor its progress throughout his final year of high school. “With college decisions rapidly approaching for myself, I’m realizing that my ability to continue to

play sports in college is a huge factor in who I decide to give my money,” Spagnoletti said.

“This is what is putting CCSU near the top of my list. Not only is it a great school for the price you pay, but I also know that I can continue to be a part of a competitive team.

That’s very important for me.”

In addition to those who actually participate, the club is also satisfying the thirst for more baseball on campus that many students feel.

“I go to all of the men’s NCAA Division I games, but I am also trying to make it a point to get out to a handful of the club games each year,” says James Carpino, 20, a junior at CCSU. “I don’t think people understand this is good baseball. We’re not talking about a couple guys taking batting practice here. This club thrives on competition, which makes for some really exciting baseball games that I get to watch right in my backyard.”

Speaking of competition, the club will have its hands full right off the bat. The CCSU club baseball team is currently leading the Nortwest Division of the New England Club Baseball Association. The team, which is grouped with Babson, Vermont, Holy Cross and Trinity leads with four wins and was undefeated as of Sept. 24.

The team’s next game is a double-header at CCSU against Vermont, scheduled for Oct. 1.

Volleyball Continues Home Dominance bRittany buRke the Recorder

The CCSU Women’s Volleyball Team entered Saturday’s opening Northeast Conference game against Bryant University looking to continue its undefeated status while on home court, and after a 3-1 match win over the Bulldogs, a 5-0 home record remained intact.

“We want to protect our court, that’s the big thing this year and we’re undefeated at home right now and first conference game is always a big game and Bryant is a good team,” said Head Coach Linda Sagnelli.

The CCSU Volleyball Team is the only fall sport to currently be competing in the newly rebranded Detrick Gymnasium, and with the new court to play on comes an immense Blue Devil pride and fire to protect the home turf.

“We’re protecting the new logo, everybody is fired up about the new blue devil and it’s important that they feel a sense of pride,” she continued. “We want to play great no matter where we are, but when your home it’s your house and the kids want to protect it and right now we’re doing a good job at doing that.”

Both the Blue Devils and the Bulldogs began conference play Saturday afternoon, with CCSU claiming the better overall

season record.

CCSU got the early match advantage, winning set one, 25-17. Much of the sets went back and forth, with each team fighting for the lead, but after tying for the sixth time in the first, CCSU took the 14-13 advantage and continued to build on its score.

The momentum built by the Blue Devils in the first set was stunted in the second when the Bulldogs took the win, 25-21.

CCSU allowed Bryant to pull away with a five-point advantage, 24-19 and were not able to recover in time. The teams were matched in total attempted attacks and kills, having 35 and 13 respectively, but the Blue Devils committed four more errors than the Bull Dogs did.

The Blue Devils were led by Emily Cochran with 14 attempts and four kills, but she also led the team in errors.

“I think we sat back a little bit and I think the hardest part of any game is the psychological part and you always have to play each point equal to any other point in the game, with that same intensity, but it’s human nature sometimes people tend to sit back a little bit and I think we lost our edge off the focus after the first game,” said Sagnelli.

“You know what? Any team, especially Bryant is going to take advantage of that and they did and they took that second game instead of being up two nothing we were

tied 1-1.”

After a short intermission the team regrouped and managed to win the next two sets, 26-24 and 25-21 for the match win.

Cochran continued to lead the team, ending the day with 55 attempts and 21 kills while Blaike King finished with a .750 kill percentage, having 12 kills for 31 attempts, but it was a total team effort.

“You never know what to expect, Bryant is always working hard and always a team that you have to be prepared for,” said Sagnelli. “we always have to respect our opponent and I really thought they brought a great game with them today, and you know at points we struggled a little bit on the court … players were a little off, but the other players picked it up. Sara [DeLacey] certainly picked it up, Emily at the end, our outside hitter, she had three kills down the line. She actually, with the help of her teammates helped to turn that game around and tilt it in our favor. We made up that three point spread and then that tilt it in our favor they didn’t touch any of those balls down the line.”

The Blue Devils continue its five-game home stint homecoming weekend. On Saturday Oct. 1 CCSU will play Lomg Island at 4 p.m., directly after the football game against Sacred Heart. The following day the Blue Devils will play another NEC opponent, Sacred Heart at 1 p.m.

Cross Country Holds Annual ʻTed Owen Invitational’ nick RoSa

the Recorder

Blue Devil seniors Sam Alexander and Alasia Griebel led their respective teams to a fourth and fifth place finish this past weekend at the Ted Owen Invitational held at home at Stanley Quarter Park. The men finished with a total of 126 points, while the women finished with a team score of 119 points.

Alexander led the way for the men finishing third overall with a time of 25:30 on a soggy humid morning at Stanley Park.

Seniors Anthony Gonsalves and Ben Lazarus were next to finish with times of 27:18 and 27:47. Gonsalves finished 16 overall and Lazarus finished 26.

While the men had some runners sit out like, Craig Hunt and John Krell, the team was looking for its second consecutive win at the Ted Owen Invitational. “If we ran with a full squad, we definitely would have gone in expecting to win it. It’s still really early, it’s important for our team to remember they’re doing a lot of volume right now when a lot of other teams aren’t,” Alexander said.

Finishing 29 for the Blue Devils was sophomore Andrew Hill, with a time of 27:50.

Brian Biekert finished 52 posting a time of 28:56, while Mike Waterbury finished just behind him at 57 with a time of 29:03.

Northeastern dominated the field with a

low score of 33 points. American International and University of Connecticut finished in front of CCSU with 99 and 102 points.

CCSU finished tied for fourth with Hartford, while Wagner, Rhode Island, Bryant, Marist and Fairleigh Dickinson finished behind the Blue Devils.

Glarius Rop from American International finished first overall with a blistering time of 24:55. That mark was a mere five seconds off of the course record held by former CCSU great, Ry Sanderson, who ran a 24:50 at last year’s Northeast Conference Championships.

“Sam ran a strong race, we just need more guys up with him, that would have been a better team result,” Coach Eric Blake said.

“September is more about the training than the racing. Some guys had a good race last week, and now it’s time to get them ready for October racing. Everybody is on a different plan,” Blake added.

The women finished fifth overall while senior Griebel finished eighth overall with a time of 18:37. The second Blue Devil to finish was sophomore Elizabeth Eberhardt, who came in at 15 overall and posted a time of 19:07.

Other finishers included Senior Amanda Asaro who came in 30 at a time of 19:57, while freshman Shannon McBride took 31 in a time of 20:02, and Meagan MacBryde finished 35 in a time of 20:32.

Marist won the meet with a total score of 55. Behind Marist was Rhode Island with a score of 56, University Connecticut with a score of 99, and Wagner with a score of 115.

Finishing behind CCSU was Northeastern, Bryant, Hartford, American International, and Fairleigh Dickinson.

Michelle Gaye finished the Invite in first, marking a time of 18:04.

“The women’s team had good pack led

by Alasia, which was good to see,” Blake said.

“They improved their one through five and is much closer then they have been all year, which is good,” Blake added.

Going into October and championship season right around the corner Coach Blake and senior- runner, Alexander is very optimistic about their experienced team.

“Our race in two weeks at New England Championships is going to be the biggest indicator of how we’re going to do later on in the season,” Alexander said.

Coach Blake is very happy with the improvement of both teams over the last couple weeks. The thing Coach Blake would like to see in both teams is having the one through five runners be much closer together in the race.

With an off week next week for both teams, they have a chance to regroup and be ready for New England Championships Oct. 8 in Boston.

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / SPORTS

Hawks Ground The Blue Devils To Break Home Win Streak

BLUEDEVILS I Cont. from 12 half at the end of the second quarter.”

Despite getting the ball back early, the Blue Devils couldn’t find a natural offensive rhythm and as a result the ball was given back to MU. Defensively, the Blue Devils allowed for major runs and extra yardage after initial contact. The Hawks took advantage of CCSU, and with less than three minutes to play in the first the lead was extended to 10.

“We were just flat,” said Jespersen. “We were flat as an offense, we were waiting for that breakout game, but you can’t wait for something, you’ve got to go get it, and I think that’s what we were doing as an offense and it started with practice.

Practice [last] week wasn’t excellent. We practiced mediocre, we played mediocre today at the best. We’re a much better offense than they are, they have a great defense but we’re a much better offense than what we showed today and we’re going to change that we’re gonna change that this week.”

The Hawks out-rushed and out-passed the Blue Devils, but a momentum shift went CCSU’s way when Lorenzo Baker forced a fumble, which was recovered by Tyrell Holmes. The defensive jolt sparked the offense, and resulted in a Brian Fowler touchdown headed into halftime, however the team remained down 17-7.

“They jumped on us early,” said Gene Johnson. “Me being on the defense side of the ball, that’s something that we gotta fix.

We can’t expect a team to go up 17-0 then just expect to just come back like that.

We let them get up early and that was the problem. We put our offense in a tough situation by going up 17-0 so we just got

to stay together and build off of that.”

Fowler led the team in rushing with 62-yards and the only CCSU touchdown of the game. Late in the game, with the Blue Devils down 24-12 it looked as if Fowler would add another touchdown to his game-day resume, but as he broke from the line of scrimmage he was in noticeable pain. Instead of running all the way into the end zone untouched, he had to run to the sidelines after 18-yards.

Last season the Blue Devils won at MU 49-48 in double overtime, and the year before that they beat the Hawks after climbing back from a 19-point deficit to win by one point, 20-19, which enhanced the reputation of being a late in the fourth comeback team. But on Saturday the magic just wasn’t there.

“What I look at this,” said McInerney.

“Championship’s not over by a long shot.

A team could win this outright with one loss and there’s been a year here if you remember it 2006, it was a three way tie with two losses, so we can’t let this one game on this one Saturday afternoon effect us. We got some things we need to clean up and pretty much, defensively I thought they fought hard and competed … what I was hoping for is we could just run the football we gotta clean up what we’re doing.”

CCSU has one week to recap before playing it’s second consecutive home game. On Oct. 1 at 12 p.m. CCSU plays its homecoming game against Sacred Heart.

“Sometimes you’ve got to get knocked down to get up,” he said. “Like I tell people, I’m gonna be the same tomorrow, whether we won this game or lost, and I’m gonna do that for the next eight weeks

because we have a bye week. Regardless of circumstance we’re gonna see how good of coaches and teachers we are, like I told the

kids it’s on me to prepare you and get you ready and if you don’t have enough of what it takes I got to replace you …”

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

Gunnar Jespersen makes one of his ten rushing attempts against Monmouth.

Coach to Cure MD brittany burke The Recorder

For the fourth year in a row the coaches of the Central Connecticut State University football team wore a patch on their left sleeve with the name “Coach to Cure” on it, in support of a terminal form of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne.

Also participating in Saturday’s game, were the Monmouth head coaches. They were not the only ones. Last season, over 500 schools and 9,400 coaches participated in Coach to Cure, raising almost $300,000 for the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, which raises awareness for Duchenne.

Duchenne only affects yung boys and is the top genetic disorder, striking 3,500 boys, many of whom won’t live to see past the age of 30.

“This form of MS is terminal, it only effects young boys, and the AFCA put [the awareness day] on … [Coach to Cure MD],” said football Head Coach Jeff McInerney. “It’s called Duchenne.

It’s terminal, in fact last year I got a card, it’s so cute in my office, this little boy thanking me. Whoever gets that dies, it’s 100 percent, they have no cure and that’s why the AFCA supports it.”

The terminal disorder resonates with the American Football Coaches Association because of the effect it has on so many young men. According to PPMD, there are at least 15,000 men living with Duchenne, but most have a projected life expectancy only into their mid-twenties.

“Our coaches have really embraced the Coach to Cure MD cause over the last three years,”said Grant Teaff, executive director of the AFCA in the organization’s press release. “Because the disease affects so many young boys, it makes sense for college football coaches to step in and make a difference. We are proud to see so much support on the sidelines every September, from coast to coast at every level of play.”

This event has grown with each year, and Sept. 24, 2011 was anticipated to be the most popular year thus far.

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

CCSU head coach Jeff McInerney congratulates Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan after the Hawks snapped the Blue Devils’ 15-game home winning streak.

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

Wide Receiver Nick Bacarella runs away from a cluster of Monmouth defenders. Bacarella led the Blue Devils’ receiving corps with four catches for 60 yards.

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, September 28, 2011 / SPORTS

HAWKS STUN BLUE DEVILS

Brittany Burke The Recorder

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

Running back Chris Tolbert gets his facemask grabbed during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. The Refs did not call it, and the Blue Devils fumbled on the following play.

Saturday’s loss to the Monmouth University Hawks isn’t the first of the season for the CCSU football team, but the 24-12 defeat is the team’s first conference loss, and even more notably, it is the first loss the Blue Devils experienced on Arute Field since the final game of the 2007 season against Albany.

Going into Saturday’s game against the Hawks, the Blue Devils boasted a homegame win streak of 15 games. CCSU’s streak, which began with the first game of the 2008 season and lasted almost four years, also happened to be the longest in the country.

“I always looked at [the streak] as one game at a time and you had to prove yourself every week,” said Head Coach Jeff McInerney. “The fact that we had that consistency for that long is a credit to our team, but my worries are always making every team I have the best it can be and one game at a time.”

The Blue Devils allowed the Hawks to get an early lead, and never managed to surpass it. Due to an explosive running game, the Hawks went 69-yards in six plays, resulting in a quick touchdown, with plenty of time on the clock in the first quarter.

“It was important that we do get off to a good start,” said MU Head Coach Kevin Callahan. “That was something we talked about this week during our preparation.

Central’s a team where they never quit.

They always play to the very end and you know you’re going to have a game in the fourth quarter no matter what happened before. I think it was important that we got ourselves out to a lead and then like a typical Central team they came back and regained the momentum right before the BLUEDEVILS | cont. on 11

Volleyball Fights Of f Quinnipiac Kenny Barto The Recorder

The Blue Devils beat Quinnipiac in four sets on Sunday, but the Bobcats did not go down without a fight. CCSU (10-5, 2-0 NEC) was forced to adjust multiple times to the changing strategies of Quinnpiac (1-13, 0-1 NEC).

“Quinnipiac had good fight in them,” said senior captain Danielle Gasser. “We just kept working, they had nice touches on the ball, and kept shutting us down on our blocks, but our defense picked up and we were able to spread out our offense and fight through it.”

The first set proved that despite the Bobcats record, they could still play with CCSU. Quinnipiac’s Kayla Lawler proved to be their best weapon against the Blue Devils, as she served three aces in a row, followed by an additional three kills in a row.

“A shout out to Quinnipiac’s defense who was phenomenal, they really took it to us, “ said CCSU head coach Linda Sagnelli.

“The kids were getting frustrated, it was very difficult to get a ball down. In the end, it was all about seeing the whole play through.”

In set number two, CCSU had to fight Quinnpiac’s attacks led by Lawler, who had 40 on the day. The Blue Devils ultimately pulled it together and beat the Bobcats 25-20 to tie the score at one game a piece.

“We had to make some changes,” Sagnelli said. “We shaded our reception a little bit, took one of our players and gave her less responsibility, and gave Emily [Cochran] more responsibility, and that’s when things started to turn around a bit.”

After CCSU made the necessary changes, the Blue Devils saw significant improvement.

Cochran and Gasser were all over the court, and played a huge part in the domination of Quinnipiac in the next two sets. In the third and fourth sets, CCSU had hitting percentages of .393 and .346, while holding the Bobcats to .067 and .226 respectively.

“In the end, it was just composure,” Sagnelli said. “We were able to keep our composure, and just fight them off.”

The Blue Devils beat Quinnipiac 25-16

Jamie Rademacher attempts a kill in action against Quinnipiac on Sunday. and 25-18 in the third and fourth sets to seal the victory. For CCSU, it was their second conference victory in two days, as they beat Bryant 3-1 on Saturday.

“These two wins are huge for us,” Sagnelli said. “Any time you can get back-to-back conference victories it’s big, and we’ve got two more coming up that are important too.”

kenny barto I THE RECORDER

The Blue Devils will continue their home stand during Homecoming Weekend, facing Long Island at 4 P.M. on Saturday and Sacred Heart at 1 P.M. on Sunday.