Volume 109 Issue 11

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

Assault Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 109 No. 11

Obama Re-elected

JuSTin MuSzynSki The recorder

A Hartford teen has pleaded not guilty to charges related to a recent assault and robbery that took place on Paul Manafort Drive.

Christopher Nichols, 18, of Hartford, was released on a $100,000 bond after being arrested last Thursday. He was charged with assault, carrying a weapon without a permit, conspiracy to commit a robbery, reckless endangerment and breach of peace.

“He was arrested and it’s in the hands of the law at the moment,” said Mark McLaughin, associate vice president of marketing and communications. “The University has no further comment on it at this point.”

John Moss, the victim of the alleged robbery and a CCSU student, told police that two black males beat and robbed him then took off in a motor-vehicle. Moss was on his way to bring a second suspect to purchase marijuana at which point he revealed that he had a gun and took Moss’ wallet and phone, according to the arrest warrant.

Witnesses told police that they saw Moss demanding his belongings back when the male turned around and struck his face. They also said that a second male, later identified as Nichols, came out of a car and began striking Moss’ head with the handle of a firearm, according to the warrant.

Moss was treated later that night for head lacerations and a possible skull fracture.

Moss told police that it took about 12 staples to close the wounds on his head.

Lt. Edward Dercole, of the CCSU police who is handling the investigation, says that more arrests are expected in this case.

“No, there haven’t been any additional arrests made, but there will be,” said Dercole.

He expects the arrests to be made within the next week or so.

“None of the suspects that we have warrants for are CCSU students,” said Dercole. “They are pending an investigation.”

According to the warrant, a third suspect is also being investigated who allegedly drove the males who assaulted Moss to the scene.

Felton Best, philosophy professor, told police that while driving on Paul Manafort he witnessed the assault and yelled at the males beating Moss to stop, but they soon took off, according to the warrant.

Another witness came out of his apartment on East Street and approached police, who were tending to Moss who was bleeding from his head and face, and told them that he could hear two men arguing about a phone when he saw them get into a scuffle and observed another male show up in a car and help assault Moss, the warrant said.

According to court documents, a demand for alibi and motion for compliance was filed against Nichols asking him to establish an alibi within 20 days of the filing of the notice.

Nichols’ next court date is Nov. 30 in New Britain Superior Court.

PhoTo | WhiTEhouSE.coM

President Barack Obama was re-elected as President of the United States on Tuesday. See story on page 3 for more election coverage.

CCSU’s Kaiser Bubble Bursted irEnE yukaSh The recorder

Kaiser Bubble is closed indefinitely due to vandalism that took place Nov. 1 around 3 a.m. Two CCSU students and a visitor are suspects and arrests are expected soon.

“This is an incredibly stupid act of vandalism on their part. They themselves could’ve been injured,” said CCSU Spokesman Mark McLaughlin. According to McLaughlin, the suspects used utility knives, scissors and other sharp objects to carve into the bubble. There is approximately a 40-foot gash on the side near the tennis courts.

Although damage costs are still being assessed, McLaughlin says that they could be as high as $100,000, not including the maintenance of the now closed facility. In addition to cost damages are consequences felt by those who use the bubble.

“I’m upset and a little bit angry but I’ll get over that. But my heart goes out to all the people that are going to be really affected by this,” said Eric Bergenn, president of the Student Government Association. As of right now, club sports like rugby, frisbee and lacrosse have lost their workout space for the winter. According to the RECentral website, club sports practice at a minimum of two times per week.

Erik durr | ThE rEcordEr

The Kaiser Bubble was discovered with a 40-foot gash on its side on Thursday.

“Even beyond that, the treadmills are either taken or out of commission in the gyms,” said Dillion Bender, a sophomore and CCSU exercise science and health promoter at RECentral. According to Bergenn and Hansen, the recreation directors are currently seeking a new way for club sports to continue practicing.

“The school is not the fastest with fi xing the bubble. It’s kind of at an inappropriate pace; it should have been up and running months ago,” said Hansen. The bubble had closed down last spring for repairs and recently opened early this semester. Hansen says that a more affective solution would be to build a steel field house. “We wouldn’t have to worry about the issue of it collapsing or students slashing it with knives,” he added.

It is unclear when the bubble will

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reopen. Students are encouraged to check the CCSU RECentral website for updates.

Announcements for intramural sports will be posted on iamleagues.com. Additional information is available at the RECentral offices located on the bottom floor of Kaiser.

“I think that we can all take this as an opportunity to understand how much people need to respect each other within the community. This is home to a lot of people, this is kind of like family,” said Bergenn.

As for the perpetrators, Bergenn, Hansen and McLaughlin are hoping for the same consequence. “They should be arrested, and I would say put them on some kind of probation. It’s a pretty serious thing,” said Hansen.

Investigation is still underway by the police as well as the CCSU Student Conduct office.

2 THE RECORDER Thursday, November 8, 2012

NEWS

‘Blanket Central’: CCSU Donates 100 Blankets To Yale Children’s Hospital

CCSU Shows Abundant Election Involvement, But Non-Voters Remain Eric Stadalnik

Special To The Recorder

Erik durr | The recorder

For a time lapse video and story go to www.centralrecorder.com of the event on Monday night.

FINISH IN

FOUR

Register on-­time and online!

New Britain- What initially began as a search for non-voting students quickly turned into the realization that Central Connecticut State University has a voice in the election, and wants it to be heard.

In a study held on campus, those saying they had voted came close to eighty percent, far higher than any national turnout the presidential election has ever seen. Although the actual youth turnout will not come anywhere close to the survey numbers, when examining who the active voters and non-voters supported, it was evident that Barack Obama still has the youth on his side.

In the 2008 presidential election, Obama seemingly ran away with the election thanks in large part to the youth vote, as he nearly doubled the total John McCain received from the same age group in an election featuring one of the highest young voter turnouts of all time. But with four years and a whole new set of college voters, many speculate whether the youth turnout will even come close to resembling the near historic turnout witnessed during the last election cycle.

If CCSU is an indication of how college students will vote though, the Obama campaign could reap the benefits of another great turnout from the young, loyal supporters that many wondered would show up to fill out a ballot. Splitting the male vote on campus, Obama’s support came from another faction of Americans he will rely on to help him maintain office, as female students backed the incumbent with seventyfive percent of their votes for Obama.

But even with the high turnout, non-voters still made their voices heard, illustrating what many across the nation accept as reasons to not exercise their right to vote.

“It doesn’t matter who wins,

nothing is going to change,” said Andrew Ferrucci, a CCSU junior.

Ferrucci, an Obama supporter in 2008, adheres to the thoughts of many former Obama enthusiasts, who have not seen the change he describes and many hoped for. The partisan gridlock that has overtaken the United States government during the last two years undoubtedly stopped the Obama’s ability to put policies in place like he did during the first half of his presidency, but the stagnant economy and continued high unemployment numbers continue to be key points in the election that will affect Obama’s vote totals.

With the state of Connecticut continuing to support the Democratic Party for president, election after election, some nonvoters claim that taking a trip to the polls won’t make a difference.

“The popular vote doesn’t matter; the Electoral College decides the election,” said Anthony Pompei, a CCSU senior.

Although it is every American’s right, privilege and duty to vote, he is correct, as it is the cumulative vote for each district that will lead to a candidate securing a state’s electoral votes. But this leads many to believe, what’s one less vote in a seemingly guaranteed state when the popular vote doesn’t choose the winner? In a race as close as this, the Obama campaign cannot afford to have many college students in Ohio, Florida, or any of the other key battleground states with the same mindset.

Whether it is the shortage of drive to vote Obama in the usually Democratic state of Connecticut or the absence of such excitement that was present in 2008, the youth vote in the swing states will be vital to whoever is the victor in this presidential election.

Ultimately, the lack of Change and the loss of Hope could put an end to the Forward notion of the Obama Administration, and begin the Tomorrow presidential hopeful Mitt Romney depicts.

CCSU Student Missing Kassondra Granata And Justin Muszynski The Recorder

FINISH

CCSU is reaching out on campus, inquiring if the community has any information regarding a missing student.

Tony Dalia, 21, of Southington, has been reportedly missing since last Monday.

The school sent out an email asking students to call the Southington Police or the Dalia family if they have any new information about his whereabouts.

“That’s all the information

that I have right now,” said Mark McLaughlin referring to the campus-wide email.

The University was made aware that Dalia was missing this morning and immediately reached out to students for help.

“At this point we’ve done everything that we can do,” said McLaughlin.

Dalia was last seen in New York City on Oct. 24, according to My Record Journal.

Dalia is a former Student Government Association senator at CCSU. Anyone with information can call the Southington Police at (860) 378-1600 or the Dalia family at (860) 628-5580.

3

THE RECORDER / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / NEWS

The Recorder

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

About Layout Editor Sean Ferris

Upgrade Danny Contreras Irene Yukash, Assistant upgrade@centralrecorder.com

Copy Editors Maxine Eichen T.J Coane Web Editor Rachael Bentley rbentley@centralrecorder.com

News Editor Managing Editor Amanda Webster Justin Muszynski news@centralrecorder.com jmuszynski@centralrecorder.com Sports Editor Matt Aveni sportsed@centralrecorder.com

Photographers: Erik Durr Erin O’Donnell Staff Members Brittany Burke Skyler Magnoli Acadia Otlowski Corey Pollnow Matt Smigel Jacqueline Stoughton Joe Suszczynski

‘Access To Success’ Retention Rate Initiative Amanda Webster The Recorder

In attempts to aid in the declining retention rates and graduation gaps, CCSU has taken part in several initiatives designed to help low income and minority students succeed.

Nancy Hoffman, with educational leadership, deals with some of the resources that the University offers to low income and minority students on campus.

“Access to Success” is a national initiative that state systems use. According to Hoffman, CCSU first heard about the initiative in 2010 and has been using it since then. The program focuses on reducing graduation gaps, access gaps and retention gaps for minority and low income students.

A crucial point in the initiative is to focus on access gaps. An access gap is the difference in the percentage of a select group of people who graduate high school and those who enter college.

According to Hoffman, the University has worked hard to sort out all the data to find where the gaps are and come up with solutions to fix those gaps.

By working with the data, Hoffman said that it has reduced the access gap fairly significantly by bringing in more low income and minority students.

“We’ve really worked on a number of things that have tried to solve the retention issue because retention is the key to graduation,” said Hoffman.

“We formed this year the student success team,” explained Hoffman. “It’s a cross institutional team and tries to increase student success. It’s only successful if you guys graduate.”

Hoffman explained that it can be easy for students to become overwhelmed while in school and the goal of these initiatives is to

make students feel like someone is looking out for them.

“We’re trying to make sure that if there’s an issue that kids know, that somebody is paying attention and if there is a resource we can point them to we will.”

Along with Access to Success the University is involved with a handful of other initiatives targeted to help students of all backgrounds.

Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Joseph Paige has had his hand in certain initiatives on campus.

Paige is the director of ConnCAP, a state funded program that is designed to give high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds the necessary tools and skills that will motivate them to succeed in college.

“Our main function is to get them to post secondary education,” said Paige.

Some of the services that ConnCAP offers for potential students are SAT preparation, financial aid advising, computer technology training and college campus visits.

Once the students are enrolled in CCSU, Paige said that although retention is always an issue on university campuses, the students who enter into college through one of these programs usually graduate within that same school.

“We find that the retention rate for those students are very good,” said Paige. “They have a little more invested into the school over others who do no have that same support.”

Along with ConnCAP, Paige also works with a program called TRIO and the 9th Grade Academy that targets underrepresented first generation students in high school in New Britain. The programs work on developing tools for potential incoming high school graduates.

“We want students to feel comfortable being around and being on campus,” said Paige.

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.

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Obama Re-elected President Looks Forward Kassondra Granata And Justin Muszynski The Recorder

President Barack Obama was re-elected Tuesday in one of the most followed campaigns this country has ever seen.

Despite the popular vote being divided right down the middle, Obama won several key states that clinched his victory, including Ohio.

“While our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up we have found our way back and we know in our hearts for the USA that the best is yet to come,” Obama said in his speech Wednesday morning.

In Romney’s speech after the results were revealed, he said he called Obama to congratulate him and wished him the best of luck.

He also thanked Paul Ryan, his wife, his children and his supporters amongst others.

“We have given our all to this campaign,” said Romney of his efforts with Ryan. “Paul is the best choice that I’ve ever made.”

Romney called on Americans to help the country out of the rut that it has found itself in.

“The nation is at a critical point,” he said.

“We citizens have to rise to the occasion. I believe in America. I believe in the people of America. And I ran for office because I’m concerned about America.”

Several analysts said Tuesday night that Republicans would be foolish to attempt to re-invent themselves simply because Obama successfully defeated them for two consecutive terms. One issue that the Republicans need to

centralrecorder.com

address is the lack of support that they have from the Latino population.

A popular criticism of Romney that many believe was a crucial point in his defeat was the fact that he changed his views so many times in what seemed to be an undermining attempt to gain the popular vote.

Obama was able to march to victory despite the weak state of the economy. Many attributed the economy and its current state to a call for change. However, that proved to be unsuccessful.

Before taking the stage in Chicago, Obama looked to Twitter to communicate with the American citizens.

“We’re all in this together,” tweeted Obama Tuesday after learning of his victory.

“That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are.”

Cheers exploded in Chicago, IL at the Obama Headquarters Wednesday morning when President Barack Obama took the podium to present his speech to the crowd.

Obama referred to the crowd and the party as the best campaign and volunteer teams in the history of politics.

“The best ever,” Obama said. “All of you are family no matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the history that we made together. Thank you for believing all the way.”

Obama finished off his speech telling the crowd that the nation needs to go forward.

We will disagree how to get there. It’s not always a straight line its not always a smooth path,” said Obama. “Despite all the hardships we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future.”

4

THE RECORDER Thursday, November 8, 2012

OPINION

A Nation Divided Cannot Stand Four more years of Obama; you may not be happy with this result, you may not care or you may be jumping for joy. Whatever your political views are Obama is our still our president.

Some Romney supporters might take the childish route and disengage with politics from this point on while others will get that much more involved and hope for Obama’s failure.

But we cannot as a nation condone this kind of behavior. Wishing for the president to have a disastrous tenure in office is one of the most self-centered things someone can do. So much is riding on the success of Obama and to hope for anything but triumph is absolutely outrageous.

So many people are jobless and homeless

because of the poor state that the economy is in. College graduates with professional credentials are underemployed, working at department stores and fast food restaurants to make a living. People are in agony.

Yet there are still those who would rather see Obama crash and burn in order to prove a point.

Is Obama’s failure really worth all the suffering that will come as a result of it?

Living in this country is like playing on a team. You’re one fraction of it. The country is greater than the sum of its parts and that’s what citizens need to recognize.

When you lose the starting spot on a team or you get cut from it you don’t root for its demise. The presidential election is no different.

Editor’s Column:

There are extreme conservatives out there that want to be able to wag their fingers in the faces of all the Obama fans regardless of what it will mean if he lets the country down.

It isn’t just Romney’s camp though that reacts like this. If Obama were to have lost this election some of his supporters would be wishing the same bad karma upon Romney.

The fact remains that we all need to stand behind our president. Even Romney called Obama to wish him the best of luck and in his first speech after learning that he would not be the next president he advised all of his fans to do the same.

Obama also said in his speech that he would like to work with Romney in order

to come up with the best plans that will lead to the prosperity of America.

The Recorder’s Editorial Board could not agree on a candidate to endorse in this year’s presidential election. But one thing we can consent to is that we’re 100 percent behind our President, Barack Obama. Some of us may not have voted for him, but we’re more than willing to swallow our pride and hope that the next four years are better than the last.

Whether you like him or not Obama is our leader. We need to believe in him and give him our unconditional support. The next four years are crucial to this country’s future. Put aside your personal views and hope that Obama is right when he said in his speech that “the best is yet to come.”

Letter to the Editor: Kaiser Bubble Incident Response To Those Who Are Responsible for Kaiser Bubble Vandalism:

Familiar Faces In An Unfamiliar Place KAssondra Granata The Recorder

Finding your passion can be effortless for some, but challenging for others. In my case, I found my passion the minute I walked through The Recorder’s office door.

In the past two years, I have learned how to be a successful journalist. I have taken different journalism classes with high esteemed professors in the field, and also gathered experience from working with The Recorder.

Last year, I went on a plane for the first time to Orlando, Fl where I attended my first ACP/ CMA National College Media Convention.

There I learned how to cover a student government, how to approach breaking news, how to manage my time, and left with 100 plus story ideas for our publication. In the spring, I went to Seattle and fell in love with the city, and met with other journalists to discuss the field and compare issues with our newspapers as well as being critiqued from another prestigious journalist.

Last week, a group of editors and I traveled to Chicago for the 91 annual ACP/CMA National College Media Convention. I stepped off of the plane with confidence; I was adamant to take these sessions and use them to the best of my ability to better this publication.

Chicago was, to say the least, surreal. I trumped the Willis Tower, got the last tour of the Wrigley Field of the year, and ate one of the biggest sandwiches I have ever seen at Lucky’s.

Along with the sights, the group and I went to different sessions throughout the five days to improve our sections and the publication as a whole. Out of all of the sessions, one that impacted me the most was instructed by Steve Johnson.

Johnson is unquestionably one of the most eminent journalists I have ever met. At 22,

Johnson has worked for ESPN for five years, as well as a professor at the University of Florida.

The session was titled, “Find your Passion.”

I am a big advocate for finding your passion at a young age, for you have no time to waste and plenty to learn. Johnson’s first tip was to “do the courageous thing.” That can’t be any more clear. In order to reach those destined heights, you must have the nerve to get there. This is just common knowledge.

At the age of 16, Johnson was getting paid by the Miami Herald for shooting college football. At that age, he made a phone call and made connections with those who could assist him in his desired career.

“I look back now and I am very fortunate, I am now 5 years with ESPN,” Johnson said at the podium. “I made a connection with another human being and talked about what made me passionate and what I liked about my job. If you’re trying to get your foot in the door, just call, and it really works.”

Our publication is very fortunate that we have the ability to go to these conventions. In these sessions, we are surrounded by those who share the same motivation and work ethic, and it really rubs off on you. That whole week, we talked all journalism. I couldn’t ask for a better topic to consistently focus on.

It feels good to be encircled by this group of people. All are going through the same issues, the same hectic schedules, and we all unanimously agree that it is worth it in the long run. We are doing what we absolutely love to do on a day-to-day basis, and I wouldn’t trade a good night’s sleep for the satisfaction of getting a story published or the guarantee that our readers on this campus know what is going on.

Billy Joel said it best: “If you’re not doing what you love, you are wasting your time.” Find something that you love to do, do it, and enjoy it to the hilt.

www.centralrecorder.com

There were plenty of members of our CCSU community partaking in mischief on Halloween night. For the most part, it is all in good fun and no one gets hurt. However, Thursday morning’s heinous act of vandalism crossed the line in the sand. Destroying the Kaiser Bubble offsets the incredible amount of effort the administration at CCSU has been taking to get that annex back on-line for the students. And now you’ve set fire to your own living room. Hundreds, if not thousands of students have been patiently waiting to use the bubble for recreational sports, including many of the club sports teams we all love and are so proud of. That is an area that many of your friends and neighbors spend most of their free time in, and it cannot be replaced.

Well, colleagues, welcome to the world of being an adult. It’s time to take responsibility for your actions. This is going to be hard to make up for, but I suggest you start doing it.

A monthly installment plan is a start, but it’s going to take a while to pay off the possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Additionally, there’s a social responsibility to be made up for here, and you owe a debt to our community.

I think you should meet all of the people whom you’ve affected. I would suggest spending some time with those affected by observing how hard they work for the privilege to participate in the activities that take place in that structure. How about running some laps with the Frisbee Club or Lacrosse Club? Maybe training on the mats with the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club or hitting the courts with the Tennis Club and the

Volleyball Club would be more appropriate.

All of these may help begin to show empathy or remorse, but most of them cannot happen now because a lot of what they do takes place in the Bubble.

This goes beyond our clubs sports teams, what about RECentral? One of the best student services available at this university provides a large portion of what they do in the winter in that bubble. Thousands of students can be affected if fitness classes, open recreation time, and recreational sports suffer. What about the students who work for RECentral? They may or may not have as much work, and thus money, available to them because of your error.

This demands more than a public apology, but you better at least start there.

I’m sure the Club Sports Board would like to hear from you. Maybe you can ask their Chair, Brian Choplick, if he’d even allow you to attend one of their meetings after this so that you can apologize.

I am appalled by the news and, personally, I don’t even utilize the bubble all that often.

I can’t imagine how those who do are going to take it. I think you owe it to the student body to explain why we should have you as friends, roommates, colleagues, or even classmates anymore. I believe in forgiveness, but forgiveness is not always easy to come by. Our community deserves better than this.

Awaiting your response, Eric Bergenn President Association

Student

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Government

5

THE RECORDER / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / OPINION

Obama Picks Up Another Four Years Joe Suszczynski The Recorder

Alright Obama supporters, you can breathe easy now. The president has been re-elected for a second term. Even though Obama did not get as many electoral votes as he did in 2008, he still got what was needed to win.

I expected it to be a dog fight with Obama just making it to 270, but I’m happier that this was not the case.

He had won key battleground states which gave him his second term. Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania proved to be extremely helpful in letting him bypass the dreaded state of Florida, which has been a troubling state of uncertainty in past elections.

Obama had a lot of help from certain

demographics. According to CNN, Obama got 60 percent of the voters aged 18-29.

He also got the majority of women’s votes with 55 percent. Obama also managed to receive 56 percent of moderate voters as well. He again got lucky tapping into those demographics and getting enough to put him over.

With that being said, I hope that Obama sticks to his word and starts putting some of his promises into effect. I hope that he begins to rebuild our infrastructure, invest in jobs that are economically sound, restructures the immigration policy, invests into renewable sources of energy, gets out of Afghanistan by 2014 and reform taxes on the richest one percent.

I voted for him in 2008 on the purpose of change in the government. Even though

I could not support everything Obama had done, I surely was not running out to vote for Mitt Romney. Romney is a horrible politician. The man was a constant flipflopper on many issues. It was hard to tell where he truly stood on issues, which turned me off. Obama was the lesser of two evils this time around.

In his concession speech Romney stated that the president should reach across the aisle in his second term. The irony is that Obama had tried to work with the Republicans and was rebuffed when certain ones have openly stated that they did not want to work with the him. It baffles me that Republicans do not want to compromise at all with the president. The Founding Fathers had their fair share of party problems, but at least they came to rational conclusions and

had to make compromises when it called for them.

Obama once again gave an electrifying victory speech. The man has a gift for public speaking and can really energize a crowd.

My hope is that Obama will be firm and assertive when it comes to implementing his future policies. He needs to mobilize his base and rally everyone to stand behind him, and if some Republicans want to follow Obama’s path in trying to move forward, then that is great and it helps Obama get majority votes in Congress.

I wish President Obama the best and for him to really go full throttle in the next four years making a legacy for himself.

Republicans, if you are upset about the decision, look on the bright side: at least there’s no more campaign ads.

A Job Of A Lifetime Matt Aveni The Recorder

Last week I went to conferences at the National College Media Convention in Chicago. There were schools from across the country displaying their newspapers, hoping to learn from other school’s publications and professionals who work in the field.

There were many sessions involving sports.

These sessions dealt with providing a better, more complete sports section in the school’s newspaper. There were also sessions that included writers that write for newspapers or online sports news websites. The session that I found to be the most interesting was hosted

by Carrie Muskat, a writer for mlb.com.

Muskat is a beat writer for the Chicago Cubs. She follows the team from the offseason, spring training, the regular season and hopefully the postseason, if the Cubs ever make it there. She described her job and how it is more than just writing stories on how the Cubs performed during that night’s game. Carrie went into how she develops

Cartoon

relationships with players and coaches throughout the season. She described how the relationship is built throughout the season based on trust between the reporter and athlete. Without trust it is hard to be the reporter that first delivers the breaking news about the team.

With questions about players and defining moments in her sports writing career, Carrie had some of the most intriguing experiences to share with the group. The two more interesting memories she discussed pertained to Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood.

Zambrano is a very interesting player to cover. He has an attitude like no other in baseball; he is very hot-headed and does not see eye-to-eye with some of his teammates and coaching staff. Muskat described Zambrano as one of the most caring individuals she has ever had the opportunity to cover. She continued by explaining how competitive of a player he is and how his attitude hindered what kind of person he really is.

Zambrano still has charities in the Chicago area even though he left for the Miami Marlins

in free agency last season when the Cubs did not offer him a contract extension. This was foreseeable with new general manager Theo Epstein stepping in and trying to change the culture of the Cubs. However, Muskat described her relationship with Zambrano as one of the best experiences she has had while working as a beat writer for mlb.com. Without Muskat sharing her story, the audience would not know what goes beyond the field and what most of the media likes to portray in a story.

The other experience that she mentioned was her most memorable moment writing sports was Kerry Wood’s twenty strikeout game. Wood was one of those players who had an up-and-down career, but when he was healthy was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. The way she described the scene at Wrigley Field brought me back to one of my fondest baseball memories.

On April 22, 2007, I went to my first Red Sox versus Yankee game at Fenway Park. It was Phil Hughes’ first time pitching in the rivalry and he allowed four straight homeruns.

Indecisive

by Eric Valad

That achievement is usually unheard of in baseball just because of how hard it is to hit back-to-back homeruns, let alone four in a row. Fenway was like a riot. There wasn’t a moment of silence for an entire inning with fans cheering and some yelling as loud as they could. This is similar to Muskat’s experience with Kerry Wood. Twenty strikeouts in a single game is unbelievable, especially for a team that has not won a World Series since 1908, in a winning season where they were a legitimate contender to win a World Series title.

After listening to her speak and describe her experiences, I realized that Muskat might have the best job of all time. She gets to follow her favorite baseball team and not only watch the players, but get to know them better on and off the field. She is there to witness the ups and downs of a baseball season and is witnessing history being made every day. She might not have the best job in the world, but baseball fans across the nation would agree that it just might be up there as the job of a lifetime.

6 THE RECORDER Thursday, November 8, 2012

UPGRADE

Helix Magazine Continues Proud Tradition MaTT SMiGEl The recorder

This fall marks the 35th anniversary of CCSU’s student run literary magazine, The Helix.

You may have seen copies of the biannual literature and art magazine around campus but you probably don’t know what goes into making the publication a reality.

Every Friday, undergraduate students of various majors get together to read and discuss submissions of poetry, prose and art from around the globe. Through their shared passion and dedication they make sure independent writers and artists from CCSU and beyond have their voices heard. After voting on which submissions should be accepted, the group assembles and prints their magazines to distribute to the CCSU community for free.

Many of these staff members are writers and artists in their own right. Editor In Chief Ashley Gravel

has been involved with The Helix for three years and has contributed poetry to several of the magazine’s publications since her involvement began. Art Director Collin Glasow has had numerous visual art pieces printed and Secretary Ethan Pelletier designed the organization’s website, where submissions can be sent in and previous issues of the Helix can be viewed.

The Helix continues a proud tradition of literary magazines at CCSU as its predecessor, The Contemporary, ran in the 1950’s.

Through the years The Helix has had its struggles and on several occasions it nearly ceased to be published. In fact, from 1985 to 1990, The Helix didn’t have the interest and support it needed to continue. It wasn’t until a revival from English Professor Jack Heitner in 1990 that the magazine again took hold and flourished in the CCSU community. Since then the magazine has drawn international

attention via the Internet.

Today The Helix continues to be a staple of the CCSU community thanks to the support of its varied members. The group takes pride in being a student run organization and in providing a top notch artistic outlet for students everywhere.

“I think Helix offers a really nice cultural element to Central,” said Gravel. “I see it as a creative outlet that you can share with other people.

So in that sense I think it is really a beautiful product, something that adds a lot to the community.”

For those interested in getting involved with The Helix, the club meets Fridays at the Student Center in the Blue and White room at 2 pm.

Any and all are welcome to attend and contribute however they see fit.

For those interested in contributing writing and art, submissions are accepted at the club’s website, http://helixmagazine.org. Keep an eye out for the next issue of The Helix this fall.

Erik durr | ThE rEcordEr

The Helix’s latest publication is distributed all throughout campus.

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Movie Review : A Smash Hit JoE SuSzczynSki

because they have moved his home, a stump, from its original spot. It is relatively easy for Ralph to smash the I have always loved video games. building due to his goliath stature. All I remember when I got my first of a sudden Fix-it Felix, whom the video game system and playing the player controls, comes to the rescue respective games for the system. I fixing the building with his magic also remember going to the arcade hammer. If the player manages to to play classic arcade games. I still succeed, the people in the building to this day play video games as an award Felix a medal, while throwing escape from reality. Disney has Ralph off the top of the building. recently made an animated movie Ralph, who is narrating the movie, regarding video games themselves states that he has been doing this for and I was immediately drawn to go 30 years. see it.

The ironic twist that no one Wreck-it Ralph, starring John expects is that after the arcade is C. Reilly as Wreck-it Ralph, is the closed the video game characters story of a villain (Ralph) who lives snap out of “work mode” and in an arcade game called “Fix-it convene amongst themselves, Felix Jr.” with its hero Fix-it Felix Jr. similar to Toy Story.

(Jack McBrayer). The game is about Ralph always ends up alone, PhoTo | WalT diSnEy aMiMaTion STudioS Ralph smashing a building complex being rebuffed by the other characters in the game who are constantly commending Felix. Ralph begins to attend a support group for video game villains where he professes that he does not want to be the bad guy anymore, causing some stir amongst the group.

Despite the protests,

Ralph decides to venture out of his game to earn himself a medal for being a hero.

He makes a bet with a townsperson in his game despite the fear that if he dies outside of his game, he is Proposal Forms available on The Link: gone for good. decides to https://ccsu.collegiatelink.net/organization/studentactivitiesleadershipdevelopment/availablef He join the game “Hero’s Duty” orms after talking to a character in the game For questions please contact Colleen Powers at 860-­‐832-­‐1999 or cpowers@ccsu.edu to get a medal.

When he gets his medal in a rather The recorder

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unorthodox way he ends up in a scuffle with an alien creature, sending him in an escape pod and launching him out of the game and into another, “Sugar Rush,” a colorful candy land go-kart racing game.

There he meets Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), a glitch in the game who dreams of being a racer, but is denied by King Candy (Alan Tudyk). The story then continues with Ralph’s quest of getting his medal to prove he is a good guy due to Vanellope stealing it, while Vanellope is trying to become a racer using Ralph’s medal as a gold token to buy in an after-hours race with the two characters eventually working together.

This movie is absolutely wonderful. It has everything going for it.

When it comes to animated movies the voice is the main thing that an actor has to concentrate on due to the lack of physical appearance in the movie. Besides Reilly’s real life appearance fitting his character, everyone else’s looks fit the description of their respective characters.

As you would expect from Disney, the animation was top notch.

They created such lush scenery covering all the different worlds and characters. I even enjoyed how they did the 8-bit scenes when the humans were playing the arcade games themselves. It gives such a happy nostalgia feeling to it, in addition to the cameos of certain characters from other arcade games, which made me smile.

The writing and jokes were really good. It’s a simple plot, but the writers run with it, making it work really well. I found myself laughing throughout the movie along with some sense of seriousness to it making it a “feeling” movie as well.

We really see the relationship build between Ralph and Vanellope: showing certain stages of their relationship. Connections were made on a personal level.

All in all I enjoyed this movie.

Everything is solid despite the clichés, which can be overlooked. I predict that this movie will get nominated for some awards for animation with the hopes of it winning. For me it’s the best animated non-Pixar movie I’ve ever seen. I recommend this to any video game lover or if you like the actors in the movie. It’s worth the price of admission.

7

THE RECORDER / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

David Stern: Hero Or Villain?

Corey Pollnow The Recorder

NBA commissioner David Stern has been a villain during his tenure and on Feb. 1, 2014 he will finally step down from his throne.

Stern staged a press conference recently and more or less created a 15 month farewell tour for himself, during which he expects all of the NBA fans to kiss his ring and bow down to him.

From game to game in the playoffs there is always drama between the opposing teams, and the players have always been outspoken and never shied away from discussing how they felt.

As the years have progressed and Stern continues to collect a large paycheck, the league’s personality has diminished as the rules and regulations have tightened.

The players have become less vocal and honest with the media (minus Kobe Bryant) because they fear the backlash of the dictator.

Stern has always been manipulative and condescending, carefully choosing his words in press conferences and interviews and always making sure to have the last word, and letting absolutely no one show him up.

During the 2011 NBA Finals, Jim Rome asked the commissioner if the lottery was rigged. Stern sarcastically responded, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?”

The players are no longer allowed to speak about the referees, nor can the owners.

If a player dare challenge Stern’s authority, they’ll be sending a check in the mail addressed to him.

In 2005, Stern introduced a dress code for the player’s prior to the game and afterwards because he was concerned with the image of the league.

W hy was he concerned with the image of the league?

In 2004, the infamous “Malice at the Palace” took place in Detroit when notable players Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal and Metta

World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) brawled with fans in the stands.

Prior to the incident, Stern had been warned about Detroit fans’ aggressive behavior, yet no action was taken to increase security to ensure a fight between players and fans never happened on his watch.

Stern, originally a lawyer, stepped in as commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984; that period of time was known as the golden era because the television contracts were increasing in size as well as the players’ salaries. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson were competing against one another and the rivalries between the four teams were riveting and intense.

Stern was handed the Holy Grail when he stepped in as commissioner, replacing Larry O’Brien in 1984. The league’s ratings and revenue would continue to soar because the NBA is composed of stars and one star can single handedly change the complexion of an organization.

The league’s success has often been overshadowed by lockouts. The players lost an entire season in 1998-1999 due to Stern’s lack of urgency to get the players and the owners to come to common terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Let’s not forget Tim Donaghy, the referee who was caught betting on NBA games.

There was a general consensus among most referees that Donaghy was a scumbag and Stern was well aware, yet no action was taken to remove him as an official.

Last year Stern made an asinine decision to veto the Chris Paul trade that would’ve sent Paul to Los Angeles. His logic behind the veto was “basketball reasons.” The veto was certainly a conflict of interest, yet Stern proceeded.

The NBA is profitable because of its stars and Stern has ridden the ship for 28 years and counting.

There was no need for the departing theatrics; take off the bully mask and bow out silently like a gentlemen.

www.centralrecorder.com

8

THE RECORDER / Thursday, November 8, 2012 / SPORTS

Men’s Soccer Suffers Stunning Defeat In Final Seconds Corey Pollnow The Recorder

On Sunday afternoon the Blue Devils lost to Bryant in a rather devastating manner in the finale to their season.

It was homecoming for seniors Thomas Obasi, Jesse Menzies, Ben Walsh, Tony Occhialini, James Perkins, Steven Bailey, Mamoudou Dioubate and Reece Wilson.

CCSU was on the board in the third minute of play when Jesse Menzies streaked up the center of the pitch and passed to Tiago Martins on the right flank. Martins made a great move past a Bryant defender and sent a cross to Wilson who was parked at the far post. Wilson directed the ball into the net with ease to put CCSU up 1-0.

The intensity of the game picked up in the second half when Bryant tied the game up at one apiece on a controversial handball that resulted in Connor Norat scoring on a penalty kick in the 47th minute.

“When someone strikes a ball and it hits someone’s hand, well how do you prepare for that? It’s a hard pill to swallow”, said Head Coach Shaun Green.

After 90 minutes and the scoreboard reading 1-1, the two teams walked off the field and prepared for overtime.

In the final seconds of the second overtime, a Bryant player hurled the ball into the 18 off a throw-in. The ball barely cleared over the head of 6’ 4” Steven Bailey and past the vision and reach of three CCSU players.

After a momentary scrum inches away from goalkeeper Anthony Occhialini, the ball went airborne and Brett Larocque half-volleyed the ball into an empty net to give Bryant the 2-1 victory with three seconds remaining on the clock.

All the CCSU players could do was stand in shock with their hands on their hips as the Bryant players jubilee celebrated by jumping up and down and hugging each other.

“They got a long ball in [the 18 towards] the end that should’ve been cleared”, said Green.

Steven Bailey at a recent game. Bailey, senior, was commemorated on Sunday at the team’s homecoming game.

There was quite a distinct difference in the talent level of the two squads and CCSU was definitely the more skilled and better of the two teams. But on this day an unlucky handball and a momentary mental lapse in the final seconds left the team and its coach unnerved.

The Blue Devils heavily outshot Bryant by a total of 22 to 7, but squandered many opportunities.

Frustration crept into the Blue Devils psyche in the second half when they were unable to finish their scoring opportunities.

Bryant took CCSU’s strong midfield out of their comfort zone

by playing long balls and quickly counter-attacking. Coach Green’s midfielders typically control the pace of the game by dominating ball possession with quick, accurate, succinct passes.

“When you play a team like Bryant who doesn’t really possess the ball, they play it long and wait for the second ball. They bypass your midfield and play from back to front.

They rely on big athletic kids up front to win the ball and if it bounces in the right place they’re there to try and finish the play. It’s not popular but it’s effective and it worked for them today in the last minute”, said Coach

Green.

CCSU finished the season with an 8-8-2 record. The squad finished in fourth place in the NEC standings with a conference record of 6-3-1.

Reece Wilson was honored as a member of the Capitol One Academic All-District Men’s Soccer Team. Wilson was one of the top student athletes for Division-I Men’s Soccer. Wilson is an accounting major and has a 3.84 grade point average. He finished the season with nine goals and six assists.

When asked about losing eight seniors, Green responded, “I have

erin odonnell | THE RECORDER

a lot of work traveling around the country and watching high school players. There’s no secret to recruiting.

It’s hard work. You’ve got to lift every stone, see as many games as you can and minimize the amount of time in the office.”

Although the eight seniors and the rest of the squad couldn’t participate in the NEC and NCAA tournament, the team continued to compete the entire season.

“There have been a lot of obstacles for this team when other teams would’ve gone through the motions.

In my mind this is the best groups of guys I’ve ever coached.”

Central Pushes LIU, Can’t Finish derek Turner The Recorder

Even in a loss to the Northeast Conference leading LIU Blackbirds Saturday afternoon, Central Connecticut Volleyball made a statement.

The teams traded set wins through the first four before Long Island completed the victory and stayed undefeated in the NEC with a 15-8 fifth set win.

“I think it was an exciting match,” said Head Coach Linda Sagnelli, returning to the gym after talking to her team following the loss. “A lot of long volleys, there was good serving, there was some incredible defensive plays and then some incredible plays on both sides where stuff happened very quickly and the ball just stayed up.”

LIU jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first set off a couple CCSU errors, but the Blue Devils quickly turned things around and the two teams traded points throughout the set. Central took control of the set near the end when they scored seven of the final eight points en route to a 25-18 first set win.

Long Island came back strong in the second set, never trailing and coming out with a 25-16 win to tie the match at one set apiece.

After it seemed like Central

conceded the second set towards the end, they came back and dominated the third with defense holding the Blackbirds to their worst set hitting percentage on the day at .108. The Blue Devils took the third set by a score of 25-18 and needed only one more set to defeat the top team in the conference, but they couldn’t put the match away.

Just as in the first set, the fourth was extremely competitive and neither team could take a large lead early on; after 16 points the score was tied 8-8. LIU then scored four unanswered points and didn’t look back, even after Central closed the gap to one at 12-11. Long Island scored 13 of the final 17 points and tied the match at two games each with a 25-15 win.

“It seemed like in the sets we won, everything worked better for us and in the sets they won they seemed to be more in sync,” said Sagnelli.

Tied at two sets each, LIU and Central were headed to a fifth set. The only other time LIU had played five sets in a conference match was Sept.

22 against Sacred Heart, their first Northeast Conference match of the season. This would be the Blue Devils first five-setter of the conference schedule as both teams played very equal on Saturday.

“Overall the numbers match up very closely adding them all up and

Senior Blaike King led the Blue Devils by 17 kills at Saturday’s game. a few points separated the two teams today,” said Sagnelli.

As the Blue Devils came out of their huddle before the fifth set, libero Allyson Porter looked over to the “student section,” and motioned them to get loud. Everyone in the stands knew this was the biggest set of the season thus far and the Blue Devils needed everyone behind them, especially the three male students with their shirts off and chests painted blue and white.

Central held a slim 3-2 set lead, but a series of errors cost them the set and the match. As the teams switched

sides, Long Island held an 8-4 lead and extended the lead to 11-4 before CCSU made a small run, but LIU quickly regained composure and finished off the Blue Devils scoring four of the final five sports and defeating Central three sets to two.

“We talk about competitive attitude and mental toughness all the time and I think Long Island was better at that today,” said Sagnelli. “We have a degree of mental toughness; we need to able to increase that and not be afraid to go out there and go for the win.”

Outside hitter Blaike King led

Photo | Steve McLaughlin

CCSU with 17 kills on the day, followed by Emily Cochran’s 15, with a majority of the attempts coming from passes off the hands of setter Makenna Lommori, who finished the match with 38 assists. Porter contributed on the defensive end with 20 digs.

LIU-Brooklyn remained undefeated in conference play with this victory over CCSU and a 3-0 victory Sunday versus Bryant University. Through Nov. 4, LIU, Robert Morris University and CCSU had clinched berths in the NEC tournament which is played at the #1 seed’s home court on Nov. 17 and 18.