Vol. 109 Issue 08

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 109 No.8

Interim President Endorsed By Board Of Regents kASSondRA gRAnATA & JuSTin muSzynSki The Recorder

The state’s Board of Regents for Higher Education wasted no time Friday endorsing Philip Austin for interim president only hours after Robert A. Kennedy resigned from the position.

Kennedy was under much scrutiny in the days preceding his resignation for granting raises to staff members that weren’t approved by the board. Former Executive Vice President Michael P. Meotti also announced his resignation Friday after receiving a $48,000 raise despite the state’s hiring freeze.

Austin, the former UConn president who was recommended to Gov. Malloy by the BOR at an emergency meeting, only wishes to serve in the position temporarily, said Lewis J. Robinson Jr., chairman.

“I have accepted President Kennedy’s resignation, and thank him for his service. I’m sure this was not an easy decision at which to arrive, but I appreciate his willingness to put our students first,” said Robinson in a statement.

The Associated Press reported that the pay increases that Kennedy had permitted totaled about $250,000. After these were made public, many called for Kennedy to step down in order to allow the board’s focus to divert back to the education reform that the state is undergoing. These raises have since been suspended by the board.

The crowd that gathered in the Hartford Community Room reacted uniquely as the board announced Austin would temporarily serve as president. It wasn’t clear if the reaction was in shock or if the spectators had expected the decision.

Robinson is enthusiastic about Austin serving as interim president, citing his success as UConn’s president from 1996 through 2007.

“I’m so pleased that Phil Austin has agreed to return, once again, to Connecticut’s higher education community to help lead our organization and move forward a change agenda that focuses on meeting the needs of every student in Connecticut by providing an accessible and affordable higher education opportunity to them all,” said Robinson.

Alex Tettey Jr., a student-elect from Middlesex Community College, abstained during the board’s vote to endorse Austin.

“I do respect the opinion of my fellow board members and I do believe that Dr. Austin is a phenomenal candidate, but personally I feel that I did not have enough information,” said Tettey. “As a student-elect, if I had to answer to my constituents why I voted, I would not want to say ‘because everyone else on the board did.’”

Michael Fraser, another student-elect from Western Connecticut State University ,said that he felt the same reservations as Tettey, but realized that the board needed to act swiftly. Fraser also said that because the rest of the board held him in high respect, he was persuaded to vote in favor of Austin.

“I’m glad the board took action I think that the time for action was now,” said Fraser.

“I know of Phillip Austin and I know his rep as the former president of UConn. He’s very widely respected throughout the state and through higher education as well.”

When asked his opinion on the reaction of the crowd when the interim president was announced, Fraser thought that it was because of how well-known Austin is.

“A lot of these people here report on higher education, and he’s a well known name in Connecticut,” said Fraser. “I don’t think it was shock, I think it was just an ‘a-ha moment,’ as well as name recognition.”

Fraser said that in the light of recent events, he wasn’t surprised that Kennedy resigned.

“I was expecting it as well as others throughout the state,” said Fraser. “I think he made the right move.”

kASSondRA gRAnATA | THe RecoRdeR

Lewis J. Robinson Jr., (right) announced the endorsement of Phillip Austin for the interim president after Kennedy’s resignation.

Man Sentenced To Three Years After Making Threatening Call To CCSU

JuSTin muSzynSki The Recorder

The man charged in June with threatening to kill people at CCSU unless officials fired his former girlfriend has been sentenced to three years in prison.

A phone call made by Ruffino CottoMartinez, 47, caused the University to go into lockdown for more than an hour June 13 as police worked to locate him and bring him into custody.

Cotto-Martinez pleaded guilty to first-degree threatening and was sentenced Oct. 4.

On June 13, CCSU police received a phone call from Cotto-Martinez in which he expressed his dismay that the school still employed his ex-girlfriend, Vangie Vasquez, even after he attempted to get her fired, court documents said.

“Excuse me, you no put out Vangie Vasquez, I go to university killing everybody, OK?” said Cotto-Martinez, according to court documents.

The school quickly notified students, faculty and neighboring homes via text messages, emails and a post on its website of the situation, advising them to lock their doors and dial 911 in case of an emergency.

After about an hour-and-a-half, the lockdown was lifted as the school announced that the police had located Cotto-Martinez in Willimantic after working with AT&T to find him through his mobile phone. He was apprehended, and while being brought back to the CCSU Police Department, “became combative and had to be physically restrained,” according to court documents.

Cotto-Martinez was also convicted in July 2011 of threatening in the second-degree and harassment for a similar incident in which he bothered Vasquez. He was sentenced to one year in jail, suspended after 120 days, as well as two years of probation.

PHoTo | couRTeSy of ccSu

Martinez made a phone call on June 13 to the University threatening to kill people.

According to court documents, Cotto- failed to report to the halfway house that he was Martinez’s probation officer was already in assigned to, according to court documents. the process of citing him for violation of his CCSU declined to comment about Cottoprobation because of complaints by Vasquez Martinez’s most recent conviction. saying that he had harassed her several times He was originally charged with an act of days before calling CCSU. One of his probation terrorism, threatening in the second-degree, stipulations stated that he was not to have any criminal mischief and refusal to be fingercontact with her. Vasquez reported Cotto- printed. Instead he pleaded guilty to first-degree Martinez was calling and texting her repeatedly threatening in exchange for a three-year prison as well as waiting outside her apartment. He also sentence followed by two years of special parole.

Follow Us On Twitter: @TheRecorder

2 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

NEWS

Student Government Constitutional Amendment Postponed Joe Suszczynski The Recorder

Senator Bobby Berriault moved to mend the Student Government Association’s constitution giving the president the ability to appoint undergraduate students to vacant senator positions at its last meeting.

The recommendations from the Internal Affairs Committee were to strike out Article 2, Sec 6(E) of the SGA constitution, which reads: “No senate position may – under any conditions – be filled by appointment, by indirect election, or by any form of selection except open and direct election by the constituents of said position.”

The committee motioned to insert: “Shall a senate position become vacant and such vacancy occurs during the regular academic semester and such vacancy does not include the position of the President, Vice President, or Treasurer, the president shall have the power to nominate any undergraduate student who meets the proper requirements of that vacant position with approval by 2/3 (twothirds) of the senate by roll call vote.

Once that vacancy has been filled, the term of the interim senator shall be until the next general election.”

Berriault spoke in favor of the motion and said that it would be up to the senate to support or oppose whoever the president chooses.

“It gives the student government the resources and the tools that are necessary so that we can be able to continue to be responsive to the needs of the students,” said Berriault.

“More content can be added later,” Berriault said to an opposing senator.

“This can be added quite simply to our bylaws. What this constitutional amendment does is only sets the boundaries of what should happen.”

Sen. Ryan Baldassario then motioned to postpone the

erin o’donnell | THE RECORDER

Sen. Ryan Baldassario motioned to postpone Sen. Bobby Berriault’s amendment to the constitution until the next SGA meeting. amendment to its next meeting, and the motion subsequently passed.

Later in Finance Committee Recommendations, Sen. Kory Mills motioned to approve the Marketing Club’s line-item change. The club requested to move $290 from their Six Flags trip to refreshments for their three speakers. The Marketing Club also asked to move $800 from their Six Flags trip to their Worx Branding Trip, and $695 to their marketing conference.

“They cannot go to Six Flags

because they were able to talk them into coming here,” said Mills. “They want to take one trip and put it towards three different events for three different line-items, so I think that’s pretty commendable.”

The motion passed. Mills also motioned to deny the Accounting Society’s contingency request and said that some of its requests were “ridiculous.”

“All the things they asked for were ridiculous. They asked for a kickball and an ice cream social and we didn’t think those were appropriate,” said

FINISH IN

FOUR

It’s almost registration time. Do you know where your advisor is?

Mills. “Those are a couple more specific reasons as to why we moved to deny it.”

Sen. Baldassario motioned to approve the volleyball contingency request for $1,050 for tournament fees and said it was a “fair request.”

“There are not a lot of club sports on campus that cater to both genders,” Baldassario said. “So far there’s one before this, now this club is expanding into fully including both male and female students.”

The motion passed.

Sen. Alex Kitchener motioned to

approve the Latin American Student Organization contingency request for $898 from the SGA’s contingency funds to be used for refreshment costs for their retreat.

Kitchener spoke in favor of the motion and said that it was a good cheap alternative for them.

“Their retreat, they can’t go due to circumstances they could not control, they cannot be at where they were going to have their retreat. It’s a true contingency,” said Kitchener.

The motion passed.

Registrar Confident In New Block Scheduling Amanda Webster The Recorder

FINISH

The new block scheduling system that went into effect spring semester of 2011 has eased the process of scheduling classes for the Registrars Office.

Registrar Patrick Tucker said that the new schedule times have greatly reduced the number of conflicts that teachers face when trying to schedule their classes and thinks that the new schedule works much better for both students and faculty.

“We had some time blocks previously but we didn’t always follow them and sometimes it gets to be challenging,” said Tucker. “The implementation of the new time blocks was something that was really supported from the top down in the university strategic plan.”

One convenience that the new schedule provides is the university hour. The university hour falls on Tuesday and Thursday from 3p.m. to 4 p.m.

This time is meant for students to attend meetings, catch up on homework or do anything that they may not have time to do during the rest of the day. It is also a chance for faculty to schedule events for students and with most of the student body available during that

time it makes scheduling more convenient.

According to Maria Alvarez, chief scheduler for the Registrar’s Office, there are only about two classes that are scheduled during the university hour this semester.

“I think there are a very few number of exceptions,” said Tucker about classes during university hour. “If there’s a course that’s scheduled accidentally we just let the department know that they made a mistake in scheduling and ask them to change it.

Now that we have a couple of semesters under our belts I think faculty and staff are used to the scheduling pattern and they’re used to the expectation that university hour is to be devoted to non-instructional activites.”

Tucker said that in order to find out if students really find the new class times as an improvement, the office looks at the Noel-Levitz satisfaction survey. The survey is conducted every other fall and has questions about the availability of class times for students.

“We’ll be looking at those responses to let us know how we’re doing,” Tucker said.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / NEWS

The Recorder

Student Center 1615 Stanley Street New Britain, CT 06050 T 860.832.3744 editor@centralrecorder.com centralrecorder.com twitter.com/therecorder Editor-in-Chief Kassondra Granata kgranata@centralrecorder.com

Layout Editor Sean Ferris Copy Editors Maxine Eichen T.J Coane Web Editor Rachael Bentley rbentley@centralrecorder.com News Editor Amanda Webster news@centralrecorder.com

Managing Editor Justin Muszynski jmuszynski@centralrecorder.com Sports Editor Matt Aveni sportsed@centralrecorder.com

Upgrade Danny Contreras Irene Yukash, Assistant upgrade@centralrecorder.com Photographers: Erik Durr Erin O’Donnell Staff Members Paige Brown Brittany Burke Tommy Liljedahl Skyler Magnoli Gunarso Nguyen Acadia Otlowski Alyssa Pattison Corey Pollnow Joe Suszczynski Derek Turner

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 T he Recorder is to approach and def ine issues of impor tance to the students of Central Connecticut State Universit y.

Staf f meetings for T he Recorder are held on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue and W hite Room in the student center and on T hursday at 4:30 p.m. in the Recorder off ice.

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

Advising: A Concern Among Students Alyssa Pattison The Recorder

This coming Monday marks the beginning of a three-week student advising period for the approaching Spring 2013 semester. During the advising period, students are expected to meet with advisors to ensure that the courses chosen fulfill their requirements for graduation.

In the past, hurdles such as prerequisite errors, lack of seats in required courses and time conflicts have been troublesome for students looking to reach a timely graduation.

“I feel that I go and they can’t answer my questions,” said Angela Burbank, a senior at CCSU focusing on art education. Burbank is required by the department to have a minor ,which she decided would be writing. Now, she believes that she may have been taking the wrong sequence of courses due to their ranging topics in the writing field.

“I’ve been taking different classes, which has set me back for an entire semester,” Burbank said.

Glynis Fitzgerald, chairperson of the communication department at CCSU, said

that the administration has done a lot to make advising better over the past couple of years. In recent semesters, changes such as new time blocks for courses as well as an online waitlist system have been made to the advising process on campus. School-based advising programs such as the Arts and Sciences Advising Place, or ASAP, are also available to students.

“The waitlist function worked beautifully.

There were some issues that we are working on,” said Fitzgerald. “The idea is that we have a certain capacity for our classes.” Courses in the communication department draw the line at 25 students.

“If you are a senior, you would be able to get to the waitlist first. As soon as a seat opens, either a student drops a class, decides not to come back to the University, or they don’t pay their bill on time, you receive an email message that goes to your student account,” Fitzgerald said as she explained how the waitlist function through Webcentral is a more fair solution compared to previous methods of overriding courses.

“You then have 24 hours to register for that seat or it goes to the next student in line,” said Fitzgerald, who approves of the

new system, agreeing that it has allowed the University to open more sections of popular classes for students.

A new addition unique to the communication department is their pizza and pin night, in which students are welcome to visit the office for a slice and some direction in their field. The fairly new event aims to attract students who may have hectic schedules or live off of campus, in hopes that the open block of time will be more convenient for them as opposed to an advising appointment. The event was introduced by the department last semester and had a promising turnout.

“You can come get advised by someone else, it does not have to be your set advisor,” said Fitzgerald. “The event is also beneficial because advisers can also ask a question, because we are all there.”

Students in some programs, such as those in the music department, face challenges in course sequencing and time conflicts.

“It’s very crucial to be in sequence,” said Charles Menoche, chairperson of the music department.

“What I require for my students is to do the degree audit, as well as to bring in

the curriculum checklist,” said Menoche.

The degree evaluation is usually required or highly suggested by most advisers in order for students to have an idea of where they stand academically.

“It’s a good tool for students to use to manage their own education. When they bring it in, faculty members can work out the issues,” Fitzgerald said.

“We’ve heard back from students that they’re here longer,” said Menoche, in reference to the new time blocks for courses.

Students feel there is not enough time between classes to practice or take a break.

“We’re anticipating some real challenges with the transfer and matriculation policy with the Board of Regents,” said Menoche.

Many advisers suggest that to avoid troubles this advising period, be prepared with your degree evaluation and the knowledge of which required courses are held during odd semesters.

“If you know what you want to accomplish, then we can quickly get to that.

Unfortunately, meetings are only half-anhour or twenty minutes, so it’s important to be ready and then use that time wisely when you get here,” said Fitzgerald.

Should CCSU Professors Be Technologically Inclined?

University Has No Requirements In Place

Acadia Otlowski The Recorder

Professors at CCSU do not have to meet any sort of minimum requirement regarding technological experience within the classroom, according to administrators.

“I have yet to hear of any fouryear institutions that require faculty to utilize a particular technology,” said James Estrada, chief information officer of CCSU. “The one exception may be the use of a college’s learning management system.”

Estrada referenced Blackboard learning system, which he cites as something that faculty are not required to use, but are recommended to.

“While faculty at many institutions are strongly encouraged to utilize this tool, regardless of the vendor or product, I don’t recall any institution that actually requires faculty to use the tool as a condition of their employment,” Estrada said.

According to Thomas Burkholder, chemistry professor and former chairperson of the Information and Technology Center (ITC), the only technology faculty is required to use is the system through which students and faculty manage information and financial services.

“Only SCT Banner, the student

information and financial services software, would fall into that category,” Burkholder said.

SCT Banner is the Central Pipeline where students can access their schedules, unofficial transcripts and grades. It is through this database that advising, financial aid and other record keeping activities take place.

Many professors still use older forms of technology and are not required by the school to even utilize the email provided to them

by CCSU. “Clearly, some of our programs use specialized software, which faculty use in their classes,” said Carl Lovitt, provost and vice president of academic affairs, “But, if you are asking whether faculty are required, for example, to use a particular learning management system, the answer is ‘no.’”

Nancy Kraczkowsky, associate dean of the school of engineering and Technology, said that even the school of engineering does not require professors to use any specific programs, but for certain professors to be hired they must have the technical knowledge in the field they teach.

“The school of engineering and technology does not have a school-wide general/minimal technical requirement for faculty,” said Kraczkowsky. “Certain faculty position descriptions require specific technical knowledge related to the course content taught

Joe Surdel, a sophomore at CCSU, has had a bad experience with professors who could not use Blackboard Vista.

“He didn’t know how to use Blackboard,” said Surdel, “It was obnoxious because he wanted us to use it and nothing worked.”

Another student, Ali Kradas, believed that all professors should be required to use Blackboard Vista.

“They need to know how to use Blackboard,” said Kradas, “So students can get the notes when they miss class; for midterms and finals.”

Althought professors do not have to use Blackboard Systems, students believe that it should be a requirement.

Photo | http://www.sgsinc.net/images/academic.gif

in those faculty positions. “ Faculty are allowed to, and often do, utilize other programs, but most are not funded or supported by the school.

“All of the Connecticut State Universities have adopted Blackboard Learn as the primary learning management system, but

faculty are free to select another system, such as Moodle or Sakai, which some have chosen to do,” said Lovitt. However, because of the University’s investment in Blackboard Learn, we are unable to provide the same level of support for other systems.”

centralrecorder.com

4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / NEWS

Elihu Burritt Library Becomes Literary Landmark

Plaque Outside Entrance Honors ‘Famous Citizen’ Acadia Otlowski The Recorder

CCSU’s Elihu Burritt Library was designated as a “literary landmark,” at a ceremony held Friday at 3 p.m.

At the event, a plaque was unveiled in honor of the library’s new status.

This plaque, located at the entrance of the library, honors the library’s namesake, Elihu Burritt.

Burrit, a New Britain native, was a self-taught scholar who gained knowledge at the library while he worked at the forge.

CCSU’s President Jack Miller spoke about Burrit at the ceremony.

“He is, almost unquestionably, New Britain’s most famous citizen,” said Miller. Besides being a pretty amazing person in a whole number of ways, he was also one of the beginners of the International Peace Movement, a writer, a distinguished writer, in that area.”

Miller also spoke of Burritt’s relationships to the library. “[He was] a great believer in breaking down the barriers of

communications, and it is particularly appropriate that the library be the place that bears his name and the collection of his works that is housed there,” said Miller.

Burritt was an accomplished linguist, mastering about 50 different languages and eventually becoming the consul in Birmingham, England.

He used his knowledge of languages as a base for open communication which he believed would bring world peace.

According to one of his many descendants, Susan Bradley, she and her relatives uphold the teachings and ideals of Burrit.

“If you look at what the members of our family are engaged in, you will see that his ideals are still carried on,” said Bradley.

Carl Antonucci, director of library services, informed the gathering that the Elihu Burrit Library will now join the ranks of many other historic literary sites, including the home of Tennessee Williams and many other libraries.

“The Literary Landmark Association is part of the American

Library Association and the Literary Landmark Association was founded in 1986. So today we join over 100 literary landmarks across the United States,” said Antonucci.

In order to become a literary landmark, a group must be found to sponsor the landmark. In the case of Elihu Burrit Library, descendants of Burrit were the ones who sponsored the library.

Present at the event were Susan Bradley and Rod Skinner, who were responsible not only for the honoring of the library, but also the presentation of a scholarship named in honor of Burrit.

The scholarship will be given to a full-time student who is engaged in a research project that requires the use of the Elihu Burrit Library and specifically show that Elihu Burrit is central to the assignment.

The scholarship is supported by the Skinner, Cargill and Bradley families, descendants of Burrit.

Students can view the plaque displayed on the outside entrance of the Elihu Burrit library.

acadia otlowski | THE RECORDER

President Jack Miller commemorated Burritt at Friday’s ceremony.

Administrators Work Together To Keep Enrollment Constant The Recorder

It takes more than just one department to ensure that the University’s enrollment figures stay consistent.

Different administrators from all across campus work together discovering new trends and finding new ways to influence students to apply at Central.

Administration has reached new heights in terms of outreach to convince students that Central is the ideal university. The team under Recruitment and Admissions go to out-of-state high schools, community colleges, college fairs and even prisons to keep up enrollment.

According to Larry Hall, director of recruitment and admissions, University President Jack Miller told the staff that if CCSU wants to be known as a unique university, then that is a route the administration should take. Miller’s goal is to have 15,000-17,000 students enrolled compared to the current 12,100.

“There are folks in prison who are very intelligent and will be coming out soon,” said Hall. “Many correctional facilities start to provide college fair type programs for inmates that are scheduled to be released. We are one of the several universities participating in that.

Our outreach is very expansive and exhausted.”

Miller plans on changing the

ratio of in-state students from 93 to 95 percent to 80 to 83 percent of students. The data that Miller is working off of is compiled

by Yvonne Kirby, director of institutional research and assessment. Hall said that Miller wants to go lower because out of state students pay more.

According to Hall, New Jersey is the only state in the region that is expected to have an increase in high school graduates. Hall said that his team will be going to the New Jersey National in the spring.

“It’s fertile ground,” said Hall.

“We will be looking at that state, we won’t remove our energy in New England, but it is a new market.”

Mark McLaughlin, associate

vice president of marketing and communications said that Central is still committed to Connecticut.

McLaughlin said that Miller plans on increasing the number of students and full-time graduate students. The question that rises is whether or not this will work, because both undergraduate and graduate students have decreased on a national level. McLaughlin, Hall and other administrators are persistent in keeping enrollment sustained.

“The decrease is demographic,” said McLaughlin. “The so called ‘baby boom’ has finally hit and there are just fewer numbers of students coming out of high school.”

Hall said that if one were to

www.centralrecorder.com

KAssondra GranAta

map part time enrollment and base it on the economy, it would be evident that as the economy is bad, then enrollment will go down.

“I certainly think the economy is impacting what’s happening in our business, I use that term lightly, but obviously ability to pay is instrumental,” said Hall.

“What the federal government is doing at a national level in terms of student loans is definitely having an impact on students applying to universities. We are just seeing some of the beginning signs, and we will see escalation in the next few years.”

Another factor is the escalating tuition increase both at the federal and state level. Hall said that Central has done a great job with being as conservative as possible in raising fees.

For the 2011-2012 fiscal year, tuition for full-time undergraduate students was $8,055 and is now $8,321. For out-of-state, it went from $18,679 to $19,353. For a part-time undergraduate student, tuition went from $384 to $397 per credit hour for in-state undergraduate and from $451 to $465 for out-of-state. For full-time graduate students in-state, the tuition rose from $9,002 to $9,307 and from $19,578 to 20,290 for out-of-state. Part-time graduate students in-state now pay $498 per credit hour from $482. Graduate students part-time out-of-state see $510 per credit hour from $569.

“Finding that correct balance is important,” said Hall.

With graduate enrollment, Hall said that sometimes the lack or type of programs that Central offers can hinder enrollment.

“Most of our graduate students are part-time meaning that they are paying per credit rather than full,” said Hall. “We’re still a little less expensive than some of the other graduate programs in the area.”

McLaughlin said that the marketing program sends out special emails that target prospected students.

“It is our job as a pub institution to make sure we are accessible and a real opportunity for students that actually qualify. That’s our mission,” Hall said.

OPINION

5

THE RECORDER Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Regents Put Higher Ed First Corruption in government is just about as cliché as you can get. It should come as no surprise to anyone that two state officials resigned on Friday due to unapproved raises that were granted.

We’ve heard so many stories similar to this that the media coverage surrounding the scandal was minimal. The lack of reaction by the public shows just how old this type of story is.

We’ve seen and heard it all before. An official comes under criticism and before he or she can be fired they resign.

But what’s commendable about this situation is the Board of Regents’ abruptness in finding an interim president to replace Robert A. Kennedy. The board

made it clear several times in its emergency meeting Friday that the higher education reform must take precedence over internal issues that it had with unapproved raises.

While Lewis Robinson, chairman, expressed his regret for Kennedy’s actions and acknowledged all the good work that he has done, it didn’t cause him to bat an eyelash when the board replaced him only hours after word of his resignation.

The Board of Regents has done far too much work for it to be temporarily stalled because of your stock-standard political scandal. The most significant measure that the board has taken involves creating a system-wide curriculum that will apply to all CSU schools and the community

Editor’s Column:

colleges. If all goes well, within a few years a student entering a community college will have their general education and major pathway all mapped out for them, a luxury that students today aren’t afforded.

What the board is trying to do could significantly improve the state’s graduation and retention rate that would get students out into the workforce much quicker.

This would presumably also allow more students to outright graduate. Producing a simpler system would more than likely also decrease the amount of college dropouts. It would be a win-win for all parties involved.

The entire board shouldn’t be punished for what happened with Kennedy. As far

Government Crosses The Line Justin muszynski The Recorder

Central Park Five Controversy Will Never Be Forgotten KAssondra Granata The Recorder

On April 19, 1989, Trisha Meili, a white investment banker was chased down, raped and brutally beaten during a night job in Central Park in New York City.

Five juvenile males, four AfricanAmerican and one Hispanic, were tried and convicted in 1990 for the crime. These culprits were known for assaulting strangers that soon became known as “wilding.” Four out of the five suspects, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray and Korey Wise confessed to the crime, but Yusef Salaam refused, and all were sentenced.

Within weeks, the four had retracted their statements and said that they were intimidated to make false confessions.

No DNA evidence tied the suspects to the crime, so the case solely relied on confessions. Analysis even indicated later that the DNA collected at the crime scene didn’t match the suspects, and the DNA that was extracted came from an unknown person.

In 2002, Matias Reyes formed a friendship with one of the five suspects while they were serving their sentences.

Feeling guilty that an innocent man was in prison for something that he had done, Reyes confessed that he raped and beaten Trisha Meili that night in 1989.

Naturally, the media diligently covered the case and the wrongful conviction throughout the whole process. When the victims were released, Ken Burns and his daughter Sarah Burns took action. Sarah Burns, the author of “The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of City Wilding,” investigates the case,and gives it a narrative. The book is a phenomenal example about the flaws that

can occur in journalism, and also discloses an account that the city has tried to conceal.

Following the novel by Sarah Burns, her father produced a documentary about the case outlining the glaring error that the city made to five innocent adolescents.

The documentary depicts the themes of discrimination, as well as the abysmal performance by New York City in carrying out this case.

The documentary, recently shown at the Chicago International Film Festival on Sunday, has been said to reopen the wounds that the city has tried so hard to conceal.

New York City lawyers are now demanding that Burns turn over the footage before it is released in Manhattan Nov. 23. According to the New York Daily News, the city is trying to keep composure, for it is already facing a $250 million lawsuit for their wrongful conviction.

This whole debacle is extremely unethical. Not only has the city publicly hindered the First Amendment, but they are openly defending themselves. The fact that the city is attempting to seize the documentary will only make it look even more guilty. They should let their mistake be known, and take the consequences that they will receive.

I am appalled that this city would do this. The five victims will never be able to compensate for all of the time that was wasted on the city’s end, so why not let them get some sympathy from the public?

The city can try to bury this case into the ground all they want, but with the media and other advocates on the Central Park Five’s position, it will continue to revive as one of the most controversial cases in American history.

as the public knows, not a single board member had any knowledge of what happened. In response, the board distanced itself from the situation by naming an interim president the very same week that the scandal was revealed.

The fact that the board acted immediately and endorsed Phillip Austin is admirable. Michael Fraser, a student elect said that he and a lot of other board members were not surprised by Kennedy’s resignation, and knew that they needed to take action. The board should be applauded for taking the initiative to move on and continue with their role towards the state’s higher education system putting the students first.

The obesity rate in America has become a much debated topic that has caught some additional steam the last few years as the government continues to put forth efforts that would relieve the situation.

While it is certainly the responsible thing to do to come up with some kind of a solution to this issue, one that has caught the public’s eye, for good reason, has crossed the line that borders on the edge of what our government should and should not be allowed to restrict.

On Friday, businesses and soda companies sued the City of New York to prevent a law that would prohibit the sale of large-sized sugar-based drinks. It’s good that the government is aware that there is an issue and is attempting to address it, but it’s really not its place to tell people that they cannot drink a significant amount of soda.

How can the same government that allows cigarettes to be legally purchased, turn around and limit how much soda an individual can purchase?

The Center for Disease and Prevention estimates that 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking-related deaths. And still one can buy as many cartons of cigarettes that they please without any problem. Where is the logic here?

There are plenty of things that cause obesity, yet in an outlandish move the city has decided to cut the public’s soda consumption off at 16 ounces. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has told the opponents of this law that people still reserve the right to buy a second soda. By this logic though, why limit the number of ounces that one can purchase in the first place?

The people of New York should be out protesting this law that takes away their power of choice. Is it a good idea for our society to cut down its soda consumption? Yes. But it’s oxymoronic to call yourself the land of the free when you can’t even buy a 20-ounce soda with your meal.

Freedom in this country should extend beyond such trivial tasks as purchasing soda.

Making it illegal to acquire highly addictive narcotics makes sense, but something that’s high in sugar is just ludicrous.

There is no scientific evidence that proves that soda is the leading cause of obesity. There are plenty of other things that can be linked to the increase in overweight Americans. To name a few: fast-food, lack of exercise and medications.

But I highly doubt the government will come down on fast-food restaurants for serving dishes as bad for your health as deep-fried chicken.

The real issue here is not whether or not it’s a good idea to drink fewer fluids that are high in sugar. It’s the fact that the government thinks it should be allowed to dictate whether or not people can choose for themselves. Once you give the government more power over your life, you head down a slippery slope.

If this law stands, it will lead us one step closer to a country that gets less free over time.

What makes our country so special is the fact that people can do things that are bad for them without legal consequences. Educating the American public about the obesity rate and teaching it ways to cut it down is sensible.

But telling it that it can no longer buy a soda over 16 ounces because it’s not good for you is outrageous.

Follow The Recorder on Twitter @TheRecorder for breaking news multimedia and live tweeting @RecorderSports FOR LIVE TWEETS DURING GAMES

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / OP-ED

Letter To The Editor

In Response To ‘Maya 2012’ Article Concerning the article, “Yale Professor Discusses Maya 2012”: As a History major here at CCSU, I was very excited for the three-part lecture series on the Maya calendar that the History Club organized. As a loyal reader of The Recorder, I was thrilled there was an article about the most recent lecture, given by Dr. Oswaldo Chinchilla from Yale University, on the front page of the Oct. 3 issue.

The two lectures so far were great, the article…not so much.

First of all, was the author even there? The very first sentence, saying Dr. Chinchilla said “the Mayans actually believe that the world will end December 21, 2012”, is not correct. At no point in the lecture did Chinchilla state this. He deals specifically with ancient Mayan archaeology, art, and decipherment, not modern. Also, there is not enough sufficient evidence to show what the Mayans truly believed; there are many different Mesoamerican myths, which were covered by Chinchilla. Who’s to say they know which one the Mayans held to be dogma? Chinchilla did not claim to know.

To say that the Mayans, who are still present to this day in great numbers, believe the Hollywood-hyped story about December 21, 2012 would be a sweeping generalization of an entire people.

After this, the author swiftly delves into and through the pivotal topic of the 13th baktun. While Dr. Chinchilla did explain that the end of the 13th baktun is the end of the Mayan calendar, which happens to land on December 21st this year, he perhaps did not emphasize that the Mayan calendar is not like the calendar we have today. Instead of going on into the future as a straight line like our calendar, the Mayans had a circular calendar. In other words, at the end of the 13th baktun, the first baktun starts, as has happened in the past and will happen again.

The author also failed to mention that the one person who she got a comment from about the lecture, interrupted Dr. Chinchilla every time he tried to answer one of their questions. Professor Mary Ann Mahony had to speak up and ask the participant to let Dr. Chinchilla have a chance to answer their questions.

Overall, the article was a misleading and poor representation of an interesting lecture from an expert on the ancient Maya.

I look forward to the next and final lecture in the series on the Maya calendar, I do hope, however, that if The Recorder sends a writer, they pick someone who will pay more attention.

Shannon Carrigan, Student

Letter To The Editor

Retort To ‘Drinking Age Should Be Upheld’ In response to the opinion piece “Drinking age should be upheld,” which argues that the drinking age in this country should be kept at the current age of 21; I would like to respond by advocating that the people in this nation would be better off if the drinking age is lowered to the age of 18.

People are going to drink at parties no matter how many laws are passed and how many lectures we have to listen to from our teachers and our parents. Those who oppose lowering the drinking age are blind to that sad yet true fact that as long as there are the methods to get alcohol, through legal and sometimes illegal means, people are going to consume it. People want to drink, not because the taste is pleasant, but because we want to fit in while we are at college.

Lowering the drinking age would allow for all college students to consume alcohol in a safer manner. College students aren’t stupid.

I think that in the contrary they are very smart and innovative. But no matter how hard we try to act in a safe and responsible manner, accidents happen and problems arise especially in the midst of a large and loud party.

However, if the drinking age is lowered to 18, college students can then legally socialize and drink with their friends and their buddies in bars and in restaurants.

There would be no need to ever be consuming alcohol in the basement of a friend’s apartment. Instead, we could drink in a bar where the bartender can be present in case something bad happens or if someone looks like they’re drinking too much. Personally, I would much rather have my friends legally drink in a bar or a restaurant then in a basement of someone’s house where anything can go wrong, and medical help will be very hard to come by.

However, we cannot continue to sit here and pretend that we are going to solve this issue just by

passing more laws in this country. This problem of binge drinking and getting excessively drunk is a social issue, and we have tried many times in the past to stop bad social behaviors by passing all kinds of new laws and resolutions and putting into effect new regulations. But, nothing positive ever comes as a result of these types of actions.

The problems we face with regards to excessive alcohol consumption and misuse is not a governmental problem, so therefore government alone cannot solve this problem.

College students today are more resourceful then they have ever been, and if all college students have the resources to stay safe and to make sure we act in a manner that keeps other people safe, whether it be out on the road or with our friends, we can be safe. But if we can’t consume beer in a place where we can have the bar tenders and waiters monitoring the amount of drinks we’ve had and if our parents and friends can’t drive us back home after we had drank too much; then what good is there in having a law to try to combat the problem of alcohol misuse if that same law only leads to more alcohol misuse?

Lowering the drinking age to 18 is the only way to ensure that college students remain safe while drinking. For when we tried to ban alcohol nearly 100 years ago for all, we had learned from experience that banning alcohol does not solve our social issues that we have as a nation. So why do we continue to ban alcohol for some despite the fact that the lessons that we have learned tell us it doesn’t work? We cannot solve the problems that we have if we keep trying to implement the same solutions over and over again that do not work. It’s basic common sense. Lowering the drinking age is good for college students, good for our friends, and good for us all.

Bobby Berriault, SGA Senator

Americans Should Consider British Debate Style IAN MANGIONE IRC President

Mr. Reader: I want to bring to your attention the form of political debate as evidenced through the Parliamentary tactics of the United Kingdom compared with their Presidential counterparts of the United States. What these men—and women, praise be to Ms. Thatcher—must do to make our storylines and speak in our homes comes from the annals of British political history.

They must debate.

In 2010, the Brits made history: the top three candidates for Prime Minister joined together on stage for the first nationally televised debate. Last Wednesday, the US celebrated fifty-two years of live Presidential debate. What the two styles share revolves around formal debate. What they differ underlines the misconception in American debate.

Political campaigns target party lines in an attempt not only to keep loyalists in favor but also to sway the undecided voter, the elusive statistic that draws the line between office and defeat. In 2008, Neilson reported over fifty-two million people tuned in to watch the first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama.

With the aid of social mediums like Facebook and live internet feeds, the debate reaches more

viewers than ever before. So, the idea of copying the live Presidential debate in the UK seemed reputable. In 2010 however, when Nick Clegg, David Cameron and Gordon Brown stood in the national spotlight, they debated in an unusual British manner. In fact, there was nothing really British at all about it. The formal debate, hosted

by Alastair Steward, popular news anchor, modeled itself after American broadcast style.

The opening question in the Prime Minister debate came from an audience member, asking about policy regarding illegal immigration from neighboring European nations as a consequence of the rising debt crisis of the Euro.

Rarely did a candidate attack another’s position. Rarely did a candidate broil with emotion. Never did a candidate receive cheers from the audience.

This is not British debate.

“Funny House of Commons Moments,” a ten-minute YouTube clip, highlights true British debate. Beyond the jokes and blunders of this video lays real British form, more dramatic than liturgical, more spunk than rigidity.

It is hard to watch Gordon Brown ridiculed on the open floor of the House of Commons, but British debate orders raw emotion and feeds off insults and mockery. With each political punch comes a bruising attack on strategy and agenda.

In America, debate season means election time. With less than a month to go, nomination fever runs through the country infecting all things with politic; side effects include monotone debate, cookie-cutter policies and marathon news analyses.

Debate is an unusual American phenomenon.

When it dresses up every four years, Americans don’t know how to respond. Presidential debate turns out to be a series of monologue addresses.

No conversation. No personality. Science. Not art.

Peggy Hackney, analyst at NYU Movement Laboratory, focuses on debate styles in a rigid, scientific formula. On Romney, she marks him more “free flowing” than Obama, suggesting a more connected feel with the audience. On the President, movements “prompt the viewer to support his argument,” though they also harness his concern that success will “not come easy.” To emphasize a point, Obama will make a “cutting” motion accenting his action verbs while Romney gives the “tilt and nod,” a gesture of unity. Hackney addresses the difference in their “pointer” motion, how Romney “embraces” his candidates with spread-eagle fingers and that Obama imitates a curveball to drive a point home.

Being bilingual in both prose and body is

essential to winning American debate. The Hackney research outlines a choreographed approach for success. However, her analysis of the debate underlines the very flaw in the American style: two candidates take the stage and instead of conversing over national politics, they divulge into their “plan” for the next four years with embracing gestures and firm fists.

A Hackney diagram on David Cameron would show a relaxed elbow resting on the dialogue box with slouched shoulders, fueling the crowd behind him with punchy rhetoric.

He wears a smile most casually. In Britain, it is a different language of debate; not so structured, not so formal, not so American.

Mr. Reader: In the final two Presidential debates, as the stakes get higher, emotions retreat to protect poll numbers. Still, I like to imagine a more British debate when Candy Crowley and Bob Schieffer moderate: Romney begins: “Mr. President, I hope you were able to get your wife a better present for your anniversary than that debate performance.”

“I’ll let you know,” interjecting jeers from the crowd, “I’ll let you know how loud the fortyseven percent cheer for me in January” retorts the President with a punchy smile.

Have an opinion?

We are looking for writers who wish to share their views with CCSU! Email kgranata@centralrecorder.com

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / UPGRADE

7

Affleck Shines In ‘Argo’

Joe Suszczynski The Recorder

It is 1979 and a revolution has broken out in the country of Iran. Islamic militants have overthrown the Shah and have captured Americans from the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran’s Capital. Of the Americans in the U.S. embassy, six managed to escape and are seeking shelter at the house of the Canadian ambassador.

The C.I.A. enlists Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), whose expertise is exfiltration, or removing persons out of hostile environment, to rescue the six hostages. With help from John Chambers ( John Goodman), a Hollywood make-up artist, he is able to get a fake movie script put together where the hostages and Mendez himself would pose as a Canadian film crew scouting locations to shoot in the Middle East. Mendez ends up succeeding and is commended for his actions.

In 2012 Ben Affleck directed, co-produced and starred in the movie Argo. This movie was absolutely astounding; everything about this movie is simply great.

Ben Affleck’s directing skills are remarkable. He captures the characters’ emotions perfectly and paints an amazing picture of what Iran would look like during that time of crisis. Affleck is really coming into his own when it comes to directing. He has a career in that field if he decides to give up on

acting.

Afflect did do a good job in that respect as well and seemed to fit the role of Tony Mendez.

A few other good roles in the film that were also enjoyable were Goodman’s character and Alan Arkins’ character, which provided some comic relief to this tense thriller.

The movie was also well written. Even though we already know what happens in reallife, it will keep you at the edge of your seat.

It was almost like they weren’t going to make it and be captured at the airport. Though we knew what the destination was, the journey was worth the ride.

All in all, Argo is worth going to see. Paying $6 to see this, I would have gladly have shelled out ten. Ben Affleck not only stands out as good actor, but a great director to boot. The story, though predictable, was fantastic.

I would recommend this to people who not only like actors in the movie, but like to go see movies based on true stories or would like to know more about history itself.

Being a history major and having an interest in the Middle East, I found this movie to be informative. This operation was classified by the C.I.A. until 1997 when President Bill Clinton declassified it, making it known to the public that this daring rescue happened.

I hope that this movie gets nominations in acting, directing, writing and even best picture because this movie is that good to where it should at least be recognized for its talents displayed in the movie.

Photo | Warner Bros.

Ben Afflect (right) stars as Tony Mendez who is enlisted by the C.I.A. to rescue six hostages.

‘Sinister’ Is Well Worth The Price For Horror Fans Gunarso Nguyen The Recorder

Photo | Summit Entertainment

‘Sinister,’ directed by Scott Derrickson is a horror movie that follows an investigation into a crime that is discovered by main character Ellison Oswalt.

A modestly entertaining thriller, Sinister, by director and writer Scott Derrickson, is an otherwise by-the-numbers horror movie that delivers passably decent jump-scares, interspersed with a respectable performance

by Ethan Hawke as a languishing true-crime novelist bent on repeating his one-hit-wonder from earlier in his career.

The movie opens with super-8 footage of a family being hung from a backyard tree, and then cuts to Hawke’s Ellison Oswalt, in the process of moving his family into a house in a rural town where the family was hung. The movie follows Oswalt’s investigation into the crime after the discovery of a box of super-8 footage containing not only the murders of the former occupants, but of previous families as well.

The premise of this film is thoroughly engrossing, and watching Hawke’s performance as a man obsessed with the pursuit of accolades at the expense of his family is fairly well done. The first act builds up a slow, albeit somewhat contrived, sense of foreboding that is underused by the second act. However, the pacing and execution of the film lacks polish, and the plodding second act is largely kept on life-support through the use of jump-scares, which, though admittedly well done, are tired nonetheless.

The movie mainly serves as a well done character drama revolving Ellison Oswalt’s declining sanity as he watches the super-8

footage, and large swaths of the film are devoted to his tireless obsession with watching the murders on repeat. Ethan Hawke provides a strong performance in small, subtle movements in his face and characterization.

Small details abound through the film that add to the atmosphere and internal consistency of the film, but there are still several unexplained gaffs and character decisions that fall apart under the cold logic of the movie theater bathroom five minutes after the credits roll. Perhaps one of the largest issues with the movie is that the familial squabbling feels forced, even when it adds to the plot, which it doesn’t always.

Juliet Rylance delivers an adequate performance as Ellison’s beleaguered wife, but much of the dialogue suffers from that degree of artificiality necessary to move the plot along that is so endemic to the horror genre. The third act of the film reveals a supernatural presence hinted at during the second act, and what otherwise might have been another lackluster horror flick in the Lionsgate oeuvre is saved by the film’s climax, which is enjoyable if you either did not see the end coming (you should if you watch horror movies) or if you did and don’t mind it and can appreciate the execution.

Sinister is a film that relies heavily on discovery of the unknown for terror, and generally is not worth a watch more than once, even for horror fans. For fans of the horror genre, it is well worth the price of admission, at least once, and Ethan Hawke’s portrayal of a man slowly loosening grip of the real world is fascinating fare.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / UPGRADE

Don’t Panic

All Time Low Returns Strong With New Record Company Acadia otlowski The Recorder

All Time Low has made an astonishing comeback this year after dropping their record company, Interscope Records, in favor of their former record company, Hopeless Records.

Their new album, Don’t Panic, represents a step back towards the days of So Wrong, It’s Right. The sound is less processed and will strike chords of nostalgia with older fans.

The album opens with the song “The Reckless and the Brave,” which features fastpaced guitar riffs and attention-grabbing lyrics. The song promises that the rest of the album will follow suit.

The song describes the band’s time signed on the major record label. It shows how songwriter Alex Gaskarth felt uncomfortable there, and is a sort of explanation for the move between labels.

“Backseat Serenade” is a slower song, appealing to a mellower crowd. Although the tempo builds up during the chorus, lyrics like, “Oh god, I’m sick of sleeping alone/You’re salty like a summer day/Kiss the sweat away,” are sure to make longtime fans melt.

But of all the songs, “So Long Soldier” will evoke the greatest feelings of nostalgia.

The guitar work fits in exactly with old Warped Tour hits, holding all of the cliche properties of pop-punk music.

“Outlines” is arguably one of the best songs on the album. Co-written by Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, the song reflects the style of pop-rock in which Stump excelled.

Lines like, “When being young starts getting old/The new place saves face or so I’m told,”

reflect a maturity that was not present in older albums.

“The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver” is the sort of song that made the albums Dirty Work and Nothing Personal so unremarkable.

It is more pop than pop-rock, and it really reflects negatively on the time All Time Low spent with Interscope Records.

Don’t Panic is a culmination of all the music that All Time Low has made up to this point. Although it draws inspiration from earlier albums, there is an aspect of bitterness in most of the lyrics, reflecting the number of years that have passed since So Wrong, It’s Right.

Overall, the album has a better sound than previously released Dirty Work. This stems from the switch from Interscope Records, which has signed the likes of Lady Gaga, as opposed to Hopeless Records who signs bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Yellowcard.

Converge Renovates Sound All We Love We Leave Behind

Danny Contreras The Recorder

Mathcore is a weird genre; they combine the technicality of death metal and progressive rock, with the in your face elements of hardcore and punk. Massachusetts natives Converge have been the leaders in the genre since their inception in 1990 and have become one of the most famous bands in the new wave of american heavy metal.

Still going strong, they have released their eighth studio album, All We Love We Leave Behind. With no signs of slowing down, the album clocks in at 38 minutes from 14 songs.

In the first half, the band experiments a lot. Away are vocalist Jacob Bannon’s darker, demonic growls, replaced by punk-like clean vocals. The music sounds tamer, though extremely fast. “Aimless Arrow” begins with snare rolls and guitar breaks—forming a cloud of disorientation as the song doesn’t have a clear direction musically.

“Trespasses” sounds a lot more like the Jane

Doe-era Converge, and the elements of mathcore are shown off here. The bridges are just musicians blasting away with their respective instruments, but the chorus is what makes the song sound so heavy. And just to throw off listeners, they have two solos towards the end that invoke early Iron Maiden.

The nostalgia ends there, however. “Sadness Come Home” sounds a lot like a faster version of Lamb of God, while “Sparrow’s Fall” provides a faster, more disorienting music that never fails to be melodic, although the song is just under oneand-a-half minutes in length.

The second half begins with “Vicious Muse.”

It is by far the best song of the album and also very, very short. The song finishes at 1:52 but it combines all the eviding the band has done since 1990. It’s fast, but melodic; there are no solos, but the drum breaks are tight and well organized regardless of how disjointed it sounds, but that’s the band signature sound.

“Coral Blue” is an interesting song. Vocal wise, it sounds a little too much like My Chemical Romance, but the actual music is amazing. It shows the band’s progressive rock influences, though one band cannot be distinctly discerned from the music. However, the four-minute song has a couple of build ups that would make electro producers jealous. One can expect mangled bodies in a mosh pit.

All We Love We Leave Behind is a classic Converge production. It brings new things and combines them with old ones. The band has created a recipe and stuck with it and it doesn’t hurt them. The new elements can be discovered easily, but they sound so essential it’s as if they have always used them. This is a great album to get new fans for the band, as it is probably one of their more commercial-sounding records.

Nevertheless, that commercial sound is what will work as a gateway for them.

20 Under 20: The Counter Introduces New Dining Experience This segment features ideas of fun things to do that are $20 or less and under 20 miles from CCSU. PAige Brown The Recorder

Blue Black Square in West Hartford is only about a ten minute drive from campus and has many choices for a nice, filling lunch.

Specifically, if you’re in the mood for a good burger with everything, or nothing on it, The Counter is a great place to go.

When you walk into The Counter you walk into a different type of dining experience. As soon as you get there your waiter or waitress will bring you to a table along with a clipboard. On this clipboard you are given a menu with drinks, side orders and salads. On top, there is a separate menu.

The menu has boxes that you get to check off what type of burger you want, the size, the type of bun and all different toppings from cheeses to different flavors of mayonnaise.

This gives an all new meaning to the “build you own burger experience” more and more restaurants seem to have these days.

Giving the guest a pencil and tons of options to check off makes their experience more fun. It gives off a relaxed, laid back vibe that draws in people of all ages, especially college students. And really, who can turn down a good burger?

Also, for those of you who can enjoy an ice cold beer with your burger, there is a bar.

A couple of TVs and bottles of all different types of alcohol are the backdrop for the guests to see while enjoying their meals.

It only costs about $8 for a burger which can be as big as a half of a pound. A side of fries or onions rings range from $1.50 to $4.50. This is definitely a place where you can enjoy a good burger for under twenty bucks.

So if you ever feel like you’re in the mood for a burger, but not just the same old drivethru #6, try The Counter.

“This is one of the most fun burger joints I’ve ever been to, and one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time,” said Eleni Vossoughi, CCSU sophomore.

LOVE MUSIC AND MOVIES? BECOME A CRITIC BY EMAILING US AT: ENTERTAINMENT@CENTRALRECORDER.COM Paige Brown | The recorder

CCSU Student Eleni Vossoughi planning out her burger order.

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / UPGRADE

9

Netflix It!

A Face in the Crowd Annmarie Anderson Special To The Recorder

Every October the airwaves fill our television screens with zombies, vampires, werewolves, witches, blood and gore: the Halloween genre of horror.

Everybody has their favorite disturbing display that sends the cliché chill up the spine. But, for some, the scariest horror films are those that relate closer to real life.

In honor of these unconventional creepy movies, during this highly political month A Face in the Crowd, is a movie to watch.

Released in 1957, this black and white classic stars Andy Griffith (Sheriff Taylor from “The Andy Griffith Show”), as a manipulative, narcissistic, womanizing sociopath (yep, Opie’s dad) who, through media fame, goes from a small Arkansas jail, to influencing a presidential election.

Griffith’s character, Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, is discovered by Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal). Marcia’s “Face in the Crowd” radio program visits a local jail looking for stories about “every day folk” because, “people are fascinating wherever you find them.”

The moment Marcia tries to get Rhodes to talk on air, his first question is:“What do I get out of this? Mister Me, myself, and I?” After wrangling a get-out-of-jail free card, Rhodes hits the airwaves with his homespun “Will Rogers”-type charm.

Director Elia Kazan, (On the Waterfront, A Street Car Named Desire), takes Budd Schulberg’s screenplay, based on Schulberg’s short story, “Your Arkansas Traveler,” and effectively delivers timeless concepts of greed, love, lust, power and the swaying of the masses. Kazan’s crossover shots between Lonesome’s lovable on-air character and his

off air psychopathic behavior is comparable to any slasher film when it comes to keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. Rhode’s ego, and all-omnipotent behavior continues to spiral upward with the help of several side characters.

There’s Joey DePalma (Anthony Franciosa) as the sleazy manager, Betty Lou Flekum (Lee Remick) as the naïve, icon adoring, baton-twirling teenager, whom Rhodes’ marries instead of Marcia, and a vitamin sponsor profiting from Rhodes’ snake oil salesman way of pitching their bogus product.

The rich and powerful get in the game when they ask Rhode’s advice on how to turn their milquetoast presidential candidates into being electable. Absolutely crazed with power at this point and after catching his lonely young wife with his manager, Rhodes rushes back to Marcia.

Bursting into Marcia’s apartment, in selfunaware lunacy, Rhodes starts to undress, flops on the bed and rants: “I got twenty of the biggest men in this country coming to my banquet tomorrow night to get ‘Fighters for Fuller’ rollin’. I got a retired admiral from the Joint Chiefs, two governors, some of those big investment house boys, and a cabinet minister. This whole country’s just like my flock of sheep. Rednecks, crackers, hillbillies, hausfraus, shut-ins, pea pickers, everybody’s just got to jump when somebody else blows the whistle. They don’t know it yet but they’re all gonna be ‘Fighters for Fuller’.

They’re mine, I own ‘em’. They think like I do, only they’re even more stupid than I am, so I gotta think for em’.” Marcia looks on in eye widened terror, realizing the monster she had created.

The direction; the lighting, Neal and Griffith’s performances, in this one scene

Bookmark It!

‘Generation Kill’ by Evan Wright joe suszcynski The Recorder

In 2003 Evan Wright, a journalist for Rolling Stone, was embedded with the first Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the beginning of the Iraq War. During that time he had witnessed several firefights, dead bodies of either Iraqi soldiers or civilians, and saw how the military operates its business first hand, along with the politics within the Marine Corps. The book was later made into a miniseries produced by HBO. Wright rides in the lead Humvee, sitting behind Sergeant Brad “Iceman” Colbert in the

passenger seat as team leader, Corporal Josh Ray Person driving, Lance Corporal Harold James Trombley sitting behind Person, and Corporal Gabriel Garza, who was then later replaced by Corporal Walt Hassar, on the turret.

Along with the people in the humvee, Wright also profiles the other Marines within the platoon and even the Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Stephen “Godfather” Ferrando, who refers to himself in the third person when discussing battle plans.

He also captures moments in between firefights with dialogue between the marines.

There are funny moments that Wright includes showing that these marines fighting are human and try to make the best of the situations at hand.

One example was near the end of Wright’s time in Iraq. He recalls hearing one marine, Corporal James Chaffin, who said in disbelief that he could just hang out with his friends and get paid for it.

While reading the book I really got a feel of what it was like to experience some of the things he went through such as the way Wright describes how hot it is Iraq on top of the gear the Recon Marines have to wear, along with the firefights.

His words make it seem like when you’re reading it, you’re right there next to everyone in the thick of the fight.

This is a well-written non-fiction book that gives another perspective on the Iraq War from a journalist’s point of view. He blends the right amount of seriousness with the right amount of humor to understand what he went through, while it is light-hearted and funny enough to want to read. It is good for people who want to learn about the Iraq War or who like to read non-fiction. I would recommend this book to journalists who want to be war correspondents because it could give some type of insight into what it is like in a warzone.

photo | Warner Bros.

Andy Griffith plays a manipulative sociopath in ‘A Face in the Crowd.’ alone, are worth a thousand horror flicks.

Griffith’s maniacal laugh will echo in your nightmares.

At the end Marcia exposes Rhodes. She takes over the television control room, leaves the microphone on as the ending credits roll, and lets the home audience hear the real Lonesome Rhodes. As he smiles into the camera he calls them, “trained seals,” “stupid idiots” and “morons.”

Without realizing his degrading remarks were aired, he steps onto the elevator, the

floor numbers count down, and by the time it reaches the lobby, his career is over.

Based on a real life, open-mic incident involving Arthur Godfrey, the film adds even more reality with era-eminent cameo appearances including Walter Winchell, John Patrick Swayze and Bennett Cerf playing themselves.

Epitomizing truth can be stranger than fiction; “A Face in the Crowd” proves it can also be a lot scarier. Be ready to pull the blanket over your eyes.

Wallingford’s Trail Of Terror Continues To Spook Its Guests erin O’donnell The Recorder

It is just after sunset, while walking closer and closer to the entrance, distant screams of startled patrons are heard. The Trail of Terror of Wallingford, Conn. is one of New England’s largest Halloween attractions, and simply calling it a “haunted house” would be an understatement.

The Trail of Terror’s line entrance is accompanied by Dracula, who directs you to the proper line, whether its general admission or speed pass. With general admission being $10 and the speed pass $20, it is an affordable, charitable attraction since many of the proceeds go to the Red Cross.

Even waiting in line is part of the attraction.

Characters quietly lurk through the lines and trigger a chill as they make an appearance to unsuspecting guests. Heavy metal music and performances deter from the wait, building the anticipation of reaching the entrance. There are even refreshments such as hot chocolate sold in line. All of these efforts make the wait enjoyable.

Going through the attraction takes around 30-45 minutes to walk through, whether you’re with a group of friends or brave enough to attempt it alone. To give an idea of what lies inside the terror of The Trail, it isn’t for the faint of heart.

The Trail of Terror is supported by hundreds of volunteers who don’t merely dress up in costume; they become their character. Ghoulish looking faces, frighteningly happy clowns, creepy life-like dolls and deadly zombies are all apart of the performance every weekend in October. The enthusiasm of the volunteers and the convincing sets are what makes this attraction so enormously thrilling.

Ultimately, what makes the Trail of Terror so unnerving is the fear of the unknown. Walking through The Trail is a mystery; you never know

what awaits you around the corner.

Wayne Barneschi, the director and creator of The Trail of Terror, said that it has improved each year, at what started out as a small attraction in Barneschi’s backyard. When asked about the birth of The Trail, Barneschi says that it’s been 18 years, and three years in his backyard before that.

This year has been claimed to be the best year yet, as The Trail of Terror gets new scenery every year.

“We get together and present new ideas around January to February. We take into account sight, smell and visually what really scares people. We strive to make it more of an experience than something you just look at.” says Barneschi. “We sold out just about every night.”

The Trail impressively acquires an abundance of customers every October and continues to grow with each year. The Trail of Terror brings nightmares to life and haunts guests that leave them coming back each year for more.

erin O’donnell | the recoder

Dracula guides customers to their proper line.

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

Blue Devils Fall Short To Fairleigh Men’s Soccer Can’t Continue Its Success On The Road Corey Pollnow The Recorder

Despite its recent success on the road in the past three games, the CCSU Men’s Soccer team struggled on Sunday afternoon, losing to Fairleigh Dickinson 2-0.

The NEC matchup was a pivotal game for both squads because the teams were tied atop the standings at 10 points apiece entering the game.

Although both schools recorded 8 shots for the game, Fairleigh Dickinson capitalized on its opportunities and took full advantage of CCSU’s defensive breakdowns.

“We played a very good opponent in FDU who came out very physical. We gave away two weak goals in the first half and it gave us a hole to climb out of. It didn’t reflect the way we’ve been playing in this season. Our passing game was doing well and we had an off day, just like a bad day in the office. We weren’t composed, and they were physically intimidating up top,” said Coach Green.

Nico Wright gave FDU a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when the ball was crossed from the right side of the box by Jeffrey Barrenchea.

After a deflection in the penalty box, Wright found the ball at his feet and placed it past goalkeeper Anthony Occhiali with precision.

FDU’s second goal came in the 30th minute when CCSU lackadaisically coughed up the ball in their half of the field. Jan Aubert dribbled down the left side of the pitch and put a shot on goal that caromed off Occhiali’s gloves and

slowly rolled its way over the goal line.

Fairleigh Dickinson has taken sole control of first place in the NEC standings with 13 points and a conference record of 4-0-1.

CCSU’s inability to finish their scoring opportunities cost them dearly. Coach Green reinforced that point during the game by repeatedly shouting across the pitch, “Make them count lads!”

“I think we’re mentally prepared for every game. It’s a funny thing, you go out on the field and think you’re prepared and 11 other guys have something else to say about that. You’re talking about the best two teams in the conference going at it and somebody has to give.

Unfortunately it was us. I don’t think it was lack of preparation. We had a good, inspired performance on Friday night. We rested up and that’s all you can do on a day off. We had an off day and I think at some point in the season FDU will have their off day too,” said Coach Green.

Regardless of the their NEC record at the end of the season, tip your hat to CCSU for continuing to compete despite being unable to participate in the NEC and NCAA tournament as a result of the academic sanctions brought upon them.

Freshmen Ben Knight received NEC Rookie of the Week after scoring the first two goals of his collegiate career against St. Francis (NY).

The Blue Devils’ next home game is on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. versus Mount St. Mary’s.

Erin O’donnell | THE RECORDER

Midfield Jesse Menzies attempts to save the ball from going into CCSU’s goalpost Sunday afternoon.

Interested In Writing Sports?

Email Us At

sportsed@centralrecorder.com

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / SPORTS

CCSU Hockey Spend Weekend In Overtime bRiTTAny buRke The Recorder

It only took seven seconds of extra time for the CCSU hockey team to secure the win against the Boston College club team with a final score of 7-6 in their second game of the weekend.

The two teams were at a six-goal stand still when the game clock timed out, leading to a five-minute overtime situation. At the whistle the puck was dropped and the face off was won by CCSU. With just seven seconds taken off the clock the puck bounced behind the BC goalie to signal the CCSU win.

“It feels good, instead of being out there and them scoring it felt good scoring that, I did get that goal,” said Matt Siracusa. “It went off my head and the rule is whoever it hits last, it’s their goal. Me and [my line mate] Conor Stanley go way back. He kind of knew I wasn’t going to give up on it and I knew he wasn’t going to give up on it and he just kind of threw it on the net and it went off my head so I’ll take it.”

As soon as the puck crossed the goal line the entire CCSU team rushed to the ice to celebrate in front of the fans, who were literally hanging on the glass.

“We’ve only beat BC once before so it feels good to beat them. We had a good crowd tonight and [Friday] night we had a big crowd here to cheer us,” said Siracusa.

The game against BC was the second home match of the weekend for the Blue Devils, and it was also the second game to go into overtime.

The night before CCSU forced extra minutes against rivals, Montclair. Unlike the game against BC, CCSU couldn’t find the net and dropped their second game of the season.

“The Montclair game we really showed a lot of heart, really showing the true essence of this team,” said Head Coach Ben Adams. “We had battled all night long, all sixty minutes.

We overcame two, two goal deficits scoring in the last 12 seconds to force overtime. It was just a bad bounce in overtime.”

The next night against BC the Blue Devils came out in an explosive first period, resulting in three unanswered goals early on.

The first point on the board came from Adam

Mazurkiewicz.

Despite spending 10 minutes in the box during the second and third periods Mazurkiewicz still managed to notch three goals against BC for the night’s hat trick.

“I have good chemistry with my line and we were moving the puck well through the neutral zone. Their D was kind of a bit slow getting back so we just were able to move the puck quickly and move around them to get some goals,” said Mazurkiewicz.

The Blue Devils gained a 6-2 lead before allowing BC to crawl back into the game with four unanswered goals, two of which came on the power play.

Even though CCSU split the weekend, the team has already made major improvements from opening weekend.

“Defense made some good decisions and moved the pucks well, offense did for the most part a pretty solid D-zone scheme and they broke the puck out well and then that translated to offense for us,” said Adams.

The team had goal and assist contributions from 11 different players and began to play as a cohesive unit, not just a group of athletes learning to play with one another.

“I think a lot of people talk about how we’re missing some guys, but we lost to BC twice last year with a stacked team,” said Mazurkiewicz. “We didn’t beat them we got smoked one game 10-4 and we got all these new guys and we’re buying into a system and it worked out and paid off.”

While both sides of the puck stepped up another major player in the game was team goalie, Greg Coco. Coco was injured in the game against Montclair, but still suited up with a taped ankle to play against BC. The six goals don’t speak to how well he played in net, who despite a bum ankle made huge saves to keep the score as low as it was.

“Coco got injured and he was battling through. Everything [Friday] night, the success of this season can be traced back to this game and how well they played as a group and a unit. His ankle was wrapped three different times [Saturday night] just so he could stand up, let alone play,” said Adams.

CCSU hits the ice for two more games next weekend. On Friday, Oct. 19, the team takes on Marist College at home while they will travel to Endicott on Saturday for their first road game of the season.

eRik duRR | THe RecoRdeR

Adam Mazurkiewicz scored the first point on the board against Boston College.

eRik duRR | THe RecoRdeR

Frank Pisano moves the puck away from his opponents at last weekend’s game.

Join The Recorder!

We’re Looking For: -Opinion Writers -Photographers -Writers The Recorder Meets Every Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Blue and White Room

kgranata@ centralrecorder.com

Have a great event idea for students? Want to see your program happen on a weekend?

Submit a Weekend Central grant proposal to request funding support!

Proposal Forms available on The Link: https://ccsu.collegiatelink.net/organization/studentactivitiesleadershipdevelopment/avail ableforms For questions please contact Colleen Powers at 860-­‐832-­‐1999 or cpowers@ccsu.edu

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / SPORTS

Blue Devils Earn First Victory At Homecoming Game Tommy Liljedahl The Recorder

Propelled by an offensive outburst, the CCSU Blue Devils defeated the Duquesne Dukes 38-31, on Saturday, delivering their first victory of the season in front of a raucous homecoming crowd.

Students and alumni alike rose, stamping their feet as the Dukes lined up, trailing by seven with a minute to play for a fourth-and 15 from midfield. The mass of blue exploded as quarterback Sean Patterson’s pass fell incomplete, broken up by junior defensive back Chris Linares, sealing the game in favor of CCSU. With the Blue Devils jumping out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, it appeared that they would cruise, avoiding any late game dramatics. On Dusquesne’s opening series, junior Markeith Cirinna jarred the football loose from running back Ryan Ho, giving CCSU favorable field position which resulted in a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

After forcing a Dusquene punt and moving swiftly downfield, CCSU’s offense was halted and forced to attempt a 38-yard field goal. However, catching the Dukes sleeping, Head Coach Jeff McInerney dialed up a fake and junior quarterback Andrew Clements hit a wide open Eric McGlone. He was brought down just short of the goal line where Clements punched it in on a quarterback sneak, extending the Blue Devil lead to 10-0.

Clements ran for 87 yards on 17 carries, including two touchdowns.

His next score capped off an impressive CCSU drive, as he lowered his shoulder, barreling through DB Rich Piekarski and into the end zone from seven yards out. The drive was fueled by a huge fourth-and-1 conversion by Sophomore running back Rob Hollomon, who had a career day rushing for 164 yards on 23 carries.

With momentum favoring the emotional Blue Devils, Dusquesne finally managed to reach the end zone in their last possession of the half.

On a fourth-and-five, Sean Patterson lofted a jump ball to wide reciever

Gianni Carter, who corralled the football down to the CCSU 15-yard line. Two successive Ryan Ho runs put the Dukes on the board, trailing 17-7 going into halftime.

“We knew they wouldn’t roll over,” said Head Coach Jeff McInerney.

“That team is no joke, and we knew they weren’t out of it by any means.”

He was promptly proven correct, watching Dusquesne methodically move down the field on their opening possession of the second half. A five minute, 12 play, 56 yard drive was capped off by a Patterson touchdown pass to WR Sean Brady in the back of the end zone, cutting the deficit to only three points. After a second straight CCSU three-and out, Duquesne proceeded downfield-once more, eventually kicking a 30-yard field goal to tie the game at 17.

CCSU’s stagnant offense was then carried downfield by Rob Hollomon and Andrew Clements, who converted first down after first down on the ground. This set up a magnificent play action fake, resulting in a 34-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Deven Baker. CCSU lead 24-17.

“When the passing game and the running game are rolling, it’s hard to stop,” said Hollomon. “I wanted to run hard and put the team on my back and it opened up things for the passing game as well.”

Hollomon opened the fourth quarter with a huge run, positioning CCSU at the Duquesne 17-yard line.

On the ensuing play senior running back Nate Pagan carried 14 yards for a touchdown, extending Central’s lead to 14.

“Being in that situation, losing a big lead on your home field is tough, but a great learning experience,” said Clements, who threw for a career high 188 yards. “Duquesne fought back, as we knew they would, and it says a lot about our character that we were able to continue to make plays.”

Clements’ most crucial play of the game came after Duquesne had capitalized on his own miscue.

Clements fumbled in CCSU territory, leading to a Ryan Ho touchdown run on the ensuing play and resulting in a

Rob Hollomon rushed for a career-high 164 yards at Saturday’s game. one-score game.

With pressure bearing down on him, Clements scrambled left, then right, avoiding numerous defenders and throwing a bomb down the middle of the field to sophomore tight end Thomas Tarantino. The play came on a third down and resulted in a 39-yard gain. On the very next play, with the Dukes’ defense on their heels, Hollomon gashed them for a 29-yardtouchdown run, giving Central a 3824 lead.

“I was just using my athletic ability to make a play. In those situations someone always gets open eventually, and I was lucky enough to break a few tackles and see him,” Clements said about the completion.

Duquesne provided a quick response, however, with a 25-yard pass

from Patterson to Brady, reducing the Blue Devil lead to seven once more.

Hollomon provided a few tough first down runs, burning valuable time off the clock, before CCSU was forced to punt it away with 1:56 to play. A significant 15-yard-hands to-the-face penalty gave the Dukes favorable field position at their own 44, needing a touchdown to send the game to overtime.

On first and second down, Patterson overthrew open receivers, setting up third-and-10, where he was dragged down by junior linebacker Chuck Watson and red shirt freshman lineman Mark Robinson. The sack resulted in a loss of five yards and a hopeless fourth-and-15. The Blue Devil defense held, and after a kneel down, they improved to 1-5.

Matt Aveni | THE RECORDER

Coach McInerney, who admitted to being on the verge of tears said that he was proud of his team.

“I am so proud, so happy for this football team, these alumni and this student body. We haven’t done our part on the field, but I’ve got a lot of hard working, blue collar kids in that locker room that really care. This was a defining moment,” said McInerney.

“Celebrating this first W is great,” said Rob Hollomon. “We’ve been working as hard as ever, and it’s about time it resulted in a win, and fitting that it comes on Homecoming.”

The Blue Devils hope to ride this euphoria and momentum into their Oct. 20matchup at Robert Morris, who are also 1-5.

Women’s Soccer Win First NEC Game Of The Season Blue Devils Still Plan To End Season Strong Danny Contreras The Recorder

Erik durr | THE RECORDER

Claire Walsh (left) passes the ball to her teammate on Friday night.

The CCSU Blue Devils Women’s Soccer team has acquired its first NEC win of the season, following a Julie Lavoie goal off of a Claire Walsh corner and Danica Foglio pass on 15 minutes.

“It was great for team morale to win our first NEC game. We’ve been very unlucky in some recent games but tonight we enjoyed some good luck,” said Coach D’Arcy following the match.

Though the game was won, the Blue Devils defense was put to the test. The Mountaineers outshot the Blue Devils 16-8. Nevertheless, the employment of the counter attack from the early minutes of the game

by CCSU proved decisive as they scored off a corner kick following a counter-attack. They had a great game, forcing St. Mary’s to distance shots and only one shot on goal that was saved by Nikola Deiter.

From the onset, St. Mary’s searched for the win and accumulated four shots on goal in 10 minutes. Jackie Corley and Andrea Bujacich tormented CCSU’s Deiter and company with runs on the flank. Bujacich

combined pace and vision to find passes from the middle. However, she was frustrated as the Blue Devils’ defense kept her passes limited to the 25th yard line.

CCSU resorted to counterattacks although they are used to possession football. They employed a high line from the 10th minute on and saw a pay-off in the 15th minute. Claire Walsh stepped up for her second corner in the match and delivered a curler to Danica Foglio who expertly picked out Julie Lavoie; she placed the ball in the bottom left corner of the goal to give CCSU a 1-0 lead.

D’Arcy explained that, “Injuries to DeCaro, Been, Cavallari, Christo, O’Leary, Kelley and Robinson forced us into some changes,” however, the team has been resilient, “the players on the field were determined not to let their teammates down,” he concluded.

The lead would stick, but St. Mary’s tried its best to get back in the game but couldn’t as CCSU crowded the midfield. With a high defensive line and three midfielders to account for, CCSU forced St. Mary’s to long shots, many of which did not trouble Nikola Deiter. The Australian keeper didn’t have the

busiest of matches, but was forced into a splendid save in the second half. St. Mary’s wing back Brinley Watts ran the ball down the left flank and crossed it for Jackie Corley who controlled the shot with her right foot before firing.

The astute Deiter, however, dove in on the ball moments before the shot and kept her side in the lead.

On the search for an equalizer, St. Mary’s gained a yellow card but accumulated 13 fouls. The match ended CCSU’s losing streak and St. Mary’s felt like they deserved more.

This match gave the Blue Devils their first win of the NEC Season but remained at the bottom of the league with three points from six matches.

Coach D’Arcy reiterated the team’s desire to end the season with strong performances and that good performances have just started: “The overall mood is that the team want to finish the season as strong as possible. We will take the games one at a time and right now our focus is solely on performing well against Wagner on Friday.”

They will travel to Wagner on Oct. 19 a team they’re tied with, before taking on LIU Brooklyn two days later.