Volume 109 Issue 20

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Central Connecticut State University

Volume 109 No. 20

Student Leaders Plan Demonstration Against Tuition Hikes Increase Discussed, Response Agreed On

Erin o'donnEll | thE rEcordEr

Danny Ravizzo leads a discussion to student leaders at a public forum last Thursday.

AcAdiA otlowsKi the recorder

Students have started organizing demonstrations after the Board of Regents Finance Committee pushed a vote this Tuesday that would approve a significant increase for in-state tuition for Connecticut State University (CSU) students.

“Whenever the state is looking to rise a little more or save a little money, they cut our funding for the state universities,” said Danny Ravizzo, a member of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group and the one organizing protests in colleges across the state.

Student leaders from across the state met at an open forum held Feb. 21 at CCSU. Their organized protests ranging from the campus to a protest in Hartford later in March were planned to get as many students involved as possible.

“To build momentum takes time," said CCSU SGA Sen. Chris Marcelli at the forum. "The more you ask from people the more they give you. If you ask them to come to five things they’ll come to one."

The proposed tuition increase would affect all in-state students attending CCSU. The Connecticut students living on-campus face as much as an $835 increase in tuition from this year to next year, according to documents from the Board of Regents. This represents a 4.5 percent increase in tuition for those students.

Manchester Community College and Quinebaug Valley Community College attended the forum to contribute their perspectives on the budget cuts and tuition hikes.

In-state commuter students would be expected to pay $385 more than this year, a 4.6 percent increase.

Despite these numbers, what has enraged those organizing against the proposal is that outof-state students will pay a lower tuition this year than they did last year.

According to documents from the Board of Regents, CCSU residential students from out-ofstate will pay $113 less, a commuter from out-of-state will pay $563 less.

All CSU schools except Eastern project a drop in enrollment in upcoming years. In the Finance Committee’s proposal to the Board of Regents, it is suggested that these low numbers stem from a lack of out-of-state students who are daunted by high tuition rates.

"Everyone would like to see it as minimal as possible," said President Miller of the tuition hikes. He explained that mandatory pay raises for unionized faculty accounts for millions of dollars that are not accounted for in the budget.

"It's not realistic for it to be zero," said Miller of the increase.

His opinion regarding the drop in out-of-state tuition is that it reflects the CSU's desire for revenue.

"My opinion is that the out of state students pay so much more. I think they're (the Finance Committee) hopeful it will bring in a few more people," said Miller, explaining that the out-of-state students bring in more revenue than in-state students.

see Student Leaders- page 6

University Sends Three Clery Letters In Four Days KAssondrA GrAnAtA And Justin muszYnsKi the recorder

CCSU officials have released three crime alerts to students within the last week notifying them of potential dangers on campus in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act. The first was sent out on Friday, notifying the campus community of an alleged sexual assault that occurred in the Willard and DiLoretto Hall parking lot. The victim reported to police on Thursday that a “man pushed her into a car and sexually assaulted her.” The assault allegedly happened in the evening hours of a night late in late January.

“We really have very little information at this time,” said Lt. Edward Dercole of the CCSU police.

As of Monday, the police said that they had no suspects and that the investigation is open.

The other two notifications went out Monday. The first warned students of a man, Daniel Smedley, 24, of New Britain, who allegedly threatened to kill a female CCSU commuter student. Police say Smedley may be driving a 2004 Chevrolet Trail Blazer with the Connecticut license plate 655-XWC. "He left a voice message on the student's cell phone," said Mark McLaughlin, university spokesman.

"This was not a random act. They knew each other."

McLaughlin said that the voicemail was left on the student's phone a week-and-a-half-ago, but was just reported to the University that morning.

"She knew him and because of

the nature of the threat, we met and discussed it," McLaughlin said. "The Clery Act is when we notify the campus of the threat. We want to make everyone aware of it and have stepped up patrols to do everything we can to make the students safe and protect the student as well."

The second notification was in regards to a suspect wanted by the UConn police. Michael Moses Tarpeh, also known as "Big Mike," has been accused on many different assault charges throughout campuses.

"He's been known to be on many different campuses," McLaughlin said on Tarpeh. "It is because of this that this notification was sent."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Edward Dercole (860) 832-2394, Det. Densil Samuda (860) 832-2381 or the CCSUpolice dispatcher (860) 832-2375.

Photo | ccsu

Photo | ccsu

Michael "Big Mike" Tarpeh (left) and Daniel Smedley (right).

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2 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

NEWS

Student Government Passes Joint Resolution On Tuition Increase Senate Plans To Send Proposal To Gov. Malloy And Board Of Regents KAssondra Granata The Recorder

The SGA passed a joint resolution regarding the tuition increase and allocated money to two CCSU clubs during new business at its last meeting.

The joint resolution, written by Sen. Bobby Berriault, is intended to be from the SGAs of Central, Eastern, Southern and Western state universities to those responsible for funding for higher education.

Berriault said that he had Academic Affairs look over the resolution and it was passed unanimously. If passed, Berriault said that the senate will send it over to the other SGAs. If all four approve, the Student Government Associations will take further action.

“The idea is to get this resolution passed by all four student governments,” said Berriault.

The resolution highlights Gov. Dannel Malloy's budget proposal for $1.5 billion more towards the University of Connecticut.

According to the resolution, Malloy has “no similar investment in the four state colleges and universities in the ConnSCU system.” It states that the four SGAs “demand that our legislative leaders increase the amount of funding going towards the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities.”

Berriault said that if the resolution passed within the senates, it will be sent to Gov. Malloy's office, other higher education offices and media outlets.

office," says Berriault. "The goal of the joint resolution is to express the disappointment from the student body with the governor's proposed budget and to urge the state

Erin O'Donnell | the recorder

Sen. Bobby Berriault speaks on his resolution regarding the tuition increase.

"As a student senator and a CCSU student, I am deeply concerned about the proposed budget from Gov. Malloy's

legislature to increase the amount of funding to our school and to all of the 17 state colleges and universities in the CSU

system."

The resolution passed in the senate by 97 percent with three percent of the senate abstaining.

On Monday, the Student Government Association sent out its newsletter and spoke of the joint resolution that was passed.

"This joint resolution is a way to show the legislators and Board of Regents that the students of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities demand an increase in funding going towards our higher education and failure to do so is a failure to Connecticut's future. The resolution had also been endorsed by the Student Advisory Committee to the Board of Regents," the newsletter said.

Sen. Ryan Baldassario moved to approve the Student Veterans' Organization's lineitem change moving $100 from speakers to entertainments to co-sponsor with Phi Delta Theta.

With little to no discussion, the motion passed with 32 yes-votes, one no-vote and one abstention. Sen. Kory Mills then moved to approve the Physical Education Club's line-item request in full.

Ashley Pease, President Physical Education Club, spoke on behalf of the lineitem change and stayed until after the senate voted on the recommendation. The motion passed with 27 yes-votes, two no-votes and five abstentions.

Faculty Senate Requests More Funding For Sabbatical Leaves Acadia otlowski The Recorder

The Sabbatical Leave Committee reported to Faculty Senate that they were forced to turn away 11 applications for sabbatical leave this semester.

The committee said that they received 35 applications for sabbatical leave. CCSU has only been allotted 24 positions for sabbatical leave. There are 70 positions for the entirety of the CSU schools.

“What it can’t convey is how depressing it is that 11 perfectly qualified sabbatical leave applications were turned away,” said Kathy Martin-Troy, a member of the committee.

“Somehow we have to find a way to make more sabbatical leaves available. [This] does not imply that they were inadequate in any way shape or form,” said Martin-Troy.

The committee stresses that it is only the lack of funding for these sabbaticals that prevented more from being distributed.

“There are 11 people who put together 11 incredibly meritorious proposals. It is painful to be on a committee, confront a colleague whose readout is outstanding, whose proposal is meritorious and have to ask them ‘Why you?

Why now?’” said Cindy White, a

communications professor.

White described the process as incredibly painful.

“It was really torturous, I know it was for myself and I think it was for everyone who served on this committee,” said White.

She recommends that the University pushes for more sabbatical leave time.

“We need to as a faculty, we need as an institution to be very loud about the limited numbers of sabbaticals available to a faculty that is doing extraordinary work under increasingly difficult conditions.

And to those 11 people who did not get funded, I am profoundly sorry,” said White.

James Mulrooney, president of faculty senate, also expressed his thoughts about the decision that was made to have Rudy Guliani chosen as the speaker for the Vance Lecture series.

“I’m a little disappointed. There was very little faculty or student input. We were assured that there was going to be more input that the speaker would be someone CCSU could stand behind,” said Mulrooney.

The senate ended the meeting with a discussion about the recent Board of Regents' decisions and expressed their support for the student demonstrations being held during March.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / 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

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Managing Editor News Editor Justin Muszynski jmuszynski@centralrecorder.com Amanda Webster news@centralrecorder.com

kassondra granata The Recorder

On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Since this event, President Barack Obama as well as other leaders around the country have taken action implementing new gun laws in hopes to prevent this from happening again.

Obama, in his initiative to decrease gun violence, has been executing legislative proposals and executive orders. These proposals range from congressional actions such as requiring criminal background checks and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, to executive actions such as issuing a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system, to starting a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

On Feb. 21, Vice President Joe Biden spoke with others at Western Connecticut State University on gun control.

“We have to speak for those 20 beautiful children who died 69 days ago,” Biden said, according to an article in The New York Times.

He also noted the six staff members who tried to save them. “There is a moral price to be paid for inaction.”

Also present at the debate, Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy proposed tougher, stricter gun laws for the state. Malloy said he plans on closing loopholes and banning the weapons that are used to cause events such as Sandy Hook.

“Two months ago, our state became the center of a national debate after a tragedy we never imagined could happen here,” Malloy said in a New York Times article. “We have changed.

And I believe it is now time for our laws to do the same.”

In light of these recent laws, students at Central Connecticut University voice their views on gun laws and the Obama Administration's efforts with gun control: Pro-Gun: "The new guns laws are not aiming to fix the problem, they are aiming to make things more difficult for the average law abiding citizen. To fix the problem we need to focus on the mental aspects and enforce the laws we have and go after the criminals. I've been shooting since I was three years old ive been shooting since I was five.

I own my own gun business and have been part of gun club for three years now and I have been club president for two years. I have worked at a gun store and have worked in the gun industry before." -Thomas Minutelli, president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU. “I am very pro gun. I just started shooting this year. I joined gun club because I wanted to learn how to protect myself just in case anything does happen mainly because I am living in New Britain right now. If someone is going to attack me I'd rather have as many bullets between them and me as possible.” -Brittany Levine, member of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU. “There are a constitutional right as opposed to an occupation that some people have. To some people that is just a hobby but for the vast

Upgrade Danny Contreras Acadia Otlowski, Assistant upgrade@centralrecorder.com Sports Editor Matt Aveni sportsed@centralrecorder.com Staff Members Paige Brown Brittany Burke Jose Campos Tommy Liljedahl Skyler Magnoli Alyssa Pattison Corey Pollnow Jacqueline Stoughton 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.

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Students Share Thoughts On Gun Control

majority of Americans it should be a right and is protected by the constitution." -Jack Kelner, copresident of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club.

"I support stricter gun control, but I myself use guns for hunting and I have grown up

with them my entire life. I support universal background checks; I do not support the assault weapons ban. I think there should be screening for mental health illness. With the assault weapon ban, I do not really support that

because sometimes people do not know what an assault weapon is. People should be educated with them though, learn how to use them. I was always taught about the proper way to use guns.”

-Matthew Denno, CCSU student.

Anti-Gun: "I think we need more gun control. We have way too many guns out on the streets and we do not need military grade weapons. The Second Amendment is not interpreted correctly anymore. That was originally for a militia which we really do not need at the moment. Leaving the public with the access of so many different weapons is harmful.” -Kory Mills, SGA senator.

“I don't think that people should be able to have them too much. Especially automatic weapons, large capacity magazines, even pistols to an extent. Having a shotgun or a hunting rifle isn't too big of a deal, but other than that no one should really have them.” -Dan Mcallen, CCSU student.

“I definitely agree with the permits and the background checks. I think more security would help. I am definitely anti-gun, but I don't see a problem with the permits that are going on now that are able to allow families to have guns. I am kind of neutral in that aspect.” -Nicole Pourier, CCSU student.

How is Obama doing?: "I am not a fan of these guns laws. I agree that there should be mental health checks; there are too many people who are mentally ill and are not capable of understanding the responsibilities of owning a gun that own one.” -Brittany Levine, member of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU. “The laws that have been implemented in the past have shown that there is no evidence that it has changed anything. There are not many facts and statistics that they have done anything to stop crime. If they want to help anything and improve society then mental health is what we need to be addressing." -Jack Kelner, copresident of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club.

“I think Obama is doing a lot of talk, but I PHOTO | Bravo-sierra VIA FLICKR don't think he is going to get anything concrete An m-16 assault rifle (above) is one of the weapons that officials are considering banning. through.” -Matthew Denno, CCSU student.

"If I was Obama I would tell the NRA to go away. I would get stricter gun control. He is "I think we need more gun control. We have way too many definitely on the right path, but he needs to be a little bit harder on it. It is the beginning of his guns out on the streets and we do not need military grade second term, but he will get more done as it comes to a close." -Kory Mills, SGA senator. weapons. The Second Amendment is not interpreted “We need to go after the people. We need to deal with their issues other than worrying about correctly anymore. That was originally for a militia which we the red tape. We need to deal with the mental handicapped. We need to help the people first, really do not need at the moment. Leaving the public with the go after the criminals.” -Thomas Minutelli, president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club access of so many different weapons is harmful." at CCSU.

~Kory Mills, SGA senator.

To hear more student feedback, go to www.centralrecorder.com.

“I am very pro gun. I just started shooting this year. I joined gun club because I wanted to learn how to protect myself just in case anything does happen mainly because I am living in New Britain right now. If someone is going to attack me I'd rather have as many bullets between them and me as possible.” ~Brittany Levine, member of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club.

4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / NEWS

UConn STEM Research Upsets CSU Schools Malloy Proposes $1.5 Billion Initiative For UConn Kevin Jachimowicz Special To The Recorder

With the proposal to strengthen UConn STEM programs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) moving forward, major financial support has led to excitement for some, but confusion for faculty and students at other state universities.

"It could have been coordinated a lot better so that all levels are used - the community colleges, us (state schools), and UConn," said Sharon Braverman, assistant dean of the CCSU school of business.

"From the beginning it should have been all of us that were involved, not only one school, because it’s going to take all of us."

Faced with a projected $1.2 billion budget deficit for next year and $63 billion in overall state debt – giving Connecticut the largest debt burden per capita in the nation – Gov. Malloy recently proposed a $1.5 billion initiative for UConn to augment the existing $2.3 billion "21st Century UConn' program."

Malloy is not necessarily responsible for the nonchalance in a shallow percentage of funding going toward Connecticut's other state schools and community colleges.

Phillip E. Austin, now the current interim president for the Conn. Board of Regents of Higher Education, which governs the seventeen Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, was also the thirteenth president of the University of Connecticut from October 1996 to September 2007, which raises suspicion for some.

"We've got somebody running our system whose prejudices are for a research one university like UConn," says CCSU English Professor Candace Barrington.

He's sees us only that we have a very limited role and that we are the lesser university serving the lesser students."

She also says that because UConn had a plan ready and people in place to pursue it, it had an upper-hand.

"Right now the attitude [here] is like let’s hope they give us something...and UConn's been out there like, "Heres our plan, this is what we want, this is what we're willing to do." They were able to talk the students into voting for a tuition increase," said Barrington. "Nobody from CONSCU is up there saying this is what we need and why...I don't blame it on Malloy at all."

CONSCU is the seventeen Connecticut State Colleges and Universities governed by the Board of Regents. These schools vow

to offer students an affordable, accessible option to further their education or career training.

The Board of Regents is essentially in the crosshairs of this issue, being that it governs the seventeen state schools in their entirety. The board is aware of the growing concern amongst faculty around the state.

Public Affairs and Marketing Director Colleen Flanagan Johnson admits that "The Board of Regents and its administrative leadership understand several of the concerns raised by some faculty and staff members at our seventeen institutions," but continued to say "we were grateful that the governor specifically identified the role the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities must play in the state’s economic expansion strategy and workforce development."

"I think the Board of Regents has no idea what it's doing," said CCSU professor David Blitz. "The president and vice president were forced to resign because of the scandal over the unauthorized pay raises. There’s an acting president who doesn't know very much about the community colleges [or the state universities]...He knows about higher education, but [only UConn]," Blitz continued. "In attending their last board meeting, I was very unimpressed. They don't know us, and they don't understand what they are doing; and that's a formula for potential disaster."

Dubbed "Next Generation Connecticut," the initiative plans to begin major expansion of UConn to potentially increase enrollment, bring in new faculty, and improve the infrastructure.

Many feel that having a world-class university in Connecticut is a worthy goal, as is expanding the number of graduating students who are trained for the jobs of tomorrow, but some also say the initiative should be a collaborative effort of universities state-wide.

"I think it’s a positive thing to bring more students into the state, to invest in a growth area that’s important to the population (STEM & genetic medicine). I think more money to higher education is a good thing, whether it's us or UConn; the ideal would be, of course, both," said Blitz.

"We worked really hard for a long time to try to fix a lot of problems and the people that are being paid to fix those problems shut out the faculty; and it ends up being the solution that works best is the one that works best for those few at the top, and they're not doing much to improve morale.

My morale is pretty low, I can't speak for

Photo | governor.ct.gov

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy plans on using the funds to revamp UConn's facilities. anyone else," Barrington said. "If you have a car, and you're putting gas in it, and you’re doing your oil changes and you don't abuse it, and it breaks after 30,000 miles, it's not your fault, it's the person who's in charge of building it," Barrington said metaphorically referring to the structure of higher education in Connecticut.

With so many students attending other Connecticut State Universities prior to their expenditures at UConn, Braverman finds it difficult to understand why the state would deny its students the proper funding and encouragement.

"There’s ways to work it out, and then UConn wouldn't be the big beneficiary.

It’s going to take all of us; they don't have enough anatomy and physiology labs to cover as many people as they need, so they're going to have to come here too, and to the community colleges….we're all going to need to work together,” said Braverman.

When confronted about continuing

with increased borrowing, the governor responded, “Connecticut is not going to move forward doing the same things that we did unsuccessfully for 22 years,” Malloy said, according to an article in the Hartford Courant. “This is a big idea.”

Although the idea is massive, its primary focus is on one Connecticut university.

Major financial support for just one school has left both faculty and students at other state universities feeling as if they have been brushed under the rug.

"While I do see the state benefitting from obtaining a qualified in-state workforce, the education piece is only benefitting UCONN," said CCSU Biochemistry professor Christa Cote. "I see a pitting of UCONN against other highly qualified state universities. Enrollment in UCONN will go up and down in other state universities.

If enrollment goes down elsewhere, employment at those universities can go down as a result."

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / NEWS

5

CCSU Student Draws Nationwide Attention With Newtown Pins Skyler Magnoli The Recorder

In remembrance of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, CCSU sophomore David Rohner has recently created a nationwide trend with the sale of memorial Newtown pins thanking the first responders on the scene.

“A lot of people don’t know, but the families that were affected had an officer there 24/7 for a week, or two weeks after,” said Rohner. “That is a lot of time spent for these officers where a lot of them needed sick time because they didn’t have time to mourn or recover from the emotional tragedy after seeing that.”

The pins, designed by Rohner, were originally made for officers to wear on their uniforms as a sign of support for the Newtown police officers, but has since grown into something much larger.

The proceeds from the pins goes directly to the Newtown Police Union. The union is allocating the money from the pins to give first responders care and sick time if they need it.

According to Rohner, each aspect of the pin means something different. He took the Newtown town seal and added a black ribbon for mourning, which on it says, "Never forget for the loss of a police officer in 1999," and then, "Forever in our hearts for the people who lost their lives at Sandy Hook."

Rohner, who plans to become a police officer when he graduates, comes from a police family.

Both his father and uncle worked as police officers in East Hartford. He said he felt very connected to the first responders at Sandy Hook and wanted to support them.

“First responders, especially for me being from a police family, it’s a brotherhood, a sisterhood- it’s just a big family. When something happens everyone comes together,” said Rohner.

At first Rohner started off with just 300 pins, but as more police departments in Connecticut got involved, the demand grew for pins.

Currently Rohner has sold over 1,800 pins and has another 3,000 ordered. Avon, Manchester, East Hartford and Coventry are just a few towns in Connecticut that have purchased the pins.

Orders from outside Connecticut have been coming in as well Rohner has even received orders for pins from outside the country.

To meet the demands for the pins, Rohner has asked people to contact him through his email and has put together an order form to keep track of all the pin sales. Right now the pins are being sold for $1.18 a pin, but a profits is going straight to Newtown. Rohner said he is not taking a dollar from any of the sales. Rohner tries to send everyone who purchases a pin an individual email thanking them. However, it has gotten hard for him since he is getting up to a hundred emails a day.

“I’m kind of taking it as I go,” said Rohner. “I have never really done something like this before, so it’s been a learning process for me, but I am taking anyone’s advice.”

Rohner is surprised by the success of the pins and has even been interviewed by various news outlets. Currently both Fox CT and CNN are interested in interviewing Rohner, which could possibly even further his sales. However, Rohner is determined to keep the focus on the pins and the first responders of Newtown.

“I’m not trying to make this out to be for me, but I think the media sometimes does,” said Rohner. “I think this is about the people coming together and really showing support by buying the pins. They want to show the first responders their appreciation.”

Those who are interested in purchasing a pin can contact David Rohner at drohner@my.ccsu. edu.

SKYLER MAGNOLI | the recorder

The pin, created by David Rohner, was for the first responders of the Newtown tragedy.

Fall 2013 Courses Threatened

By Budget Cuts Provost Ensures That 'No Program Will Be Completely Gutted' Jacqueline Stoughton The Recorder

T

he predicted budget for CCSU next year is raising concern for some of the University's departments. Funding for part-time faculty workers is predicted to be cut drastically, having a major effect on courses being offered for the fall 2013 semester.

“I do not believe the final budget has been determined. Some of the comments that departments are hearing are more for planning purposes,” said James Mulrooney, president of the faculty senate.

“There are places in the curriculum where we have fewer students and presumably need to offer fewer courses,” said CCSU Provost Carl Lovitt.

The current dropping enrollment that the University has been experiencing plays a significant role in where the cuts will be made, Lovitt said.

“Enrollments translate as tuition,” said Lovitt. “Not only are we losing state funding, but anytime enrollments drop we lose tuition money as well.”

According to Lovitt, two percent of students have been lost in both the fall 2012 semester and the spring 2013 semester. Regardless of this drop, Lovitt said that financially, the University is still in good shape.

The rumors that selected courses will be cut and unavailable for students to take in upcoming semesters have been confirmed as true, but according to both Lovitt and Patrick Tucker from Registrar's office, the terminated courses won’t have a noticeable impact on students.

“We provide students with the courses they need to graduate,” Tucker said. “We look at enrollment in programs. Programs with inclined enrollment will have more of a need for funding, programs with

declined enrollment will have less of a need for funding.”

Essentially, it will be the less popular programs on campus that will experience the part-time faculty and courses cuts.

Only non-essential courses within those programs that are not required for graduation will be the ones that will no longer be offered.

“We are still offering enough courses for students. This shouldn’t impact a potential student’s decision to attend CCSU or not,” Lovitt said.

Although it is still undetermined exactly how much the government will cut, CCSU is preparing for a five percent cutback.

“No program will be completely ‘gutted,’” Lovitt said. “All of our majors are healthy.”

No decisions regarding what will be cut and in what departments have been

officially made. Tucker, whose office works primarily with the planning process of all the preparations of scheduling what will be offered in upcoming semesters, explained how his office looks at student degree evaluations in order to determine what types of courses are necessary to the greater majority of students. From that, Tucker said his office is then able to give various departments a prediction to what student needs will most likely be.

“There will be fewer sections of courses and fewer electives available. But, there will be no negative effect on any department as a whole,” stated Lovitt. “I’m not concerned. Neither is the Dean.”

As of right now, there is no final draft of the fall schedule. It’s still a work in process.

According to Tucker, CCSU is aiming to have the official fall 2013 semester schedule posted on the school's website for students to view by mid-March.

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THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / NEWS

Winter Storm 'Nemo' Negatively Impacts Blood Drive Turnout Jacqueline Stoughton The Recorder

The American Red Cross, partnered with CCSU's Phi Delta Theta fraternity, hosted its annual blood drive. Due to the recent blizzard, Nemo, along with other compromising circumstances, the fraternity has seen a drastic decline in donors compared to past donor outcome.

“There’s a bit of a decrease,” says Community Service Chairman of Phi Delta Theta Peter Ientile. “It’s that time of the year where a lot of people are getting sick.” Ientile said that there are many speculations but no definite reason for why a decrease in donors is occurring.

“Sometimes people start getting sick, or wait until the last day that we’re here,” said Hilda Rodriguez, a volunteer nurse working at the blood drive. “It’s usually a hit or miss.”

When the storm hit early February, the severity of Nemo resulted in Gov. Dannel Malloy imposing a road ban on Connecticut highways, causing schools and colleges across the state to close for at least a week.

All of these setbacks caused by the storm had a negative impact on American Red Cross blood drives that were being held across the state. Multiple blood drives were cancelled and donors couldn’t make it to scheduled blood drives due to the poor conditions of the roads.

“We had to cancel blood drives and lost blood that we were supposed to collect,

we’re struggling to make up for those lost units,” said Kimberly Moreland, an account manager at the American Red Cross who supervised the fraternity during the threeday blood drive.

Not only have blood drive events been experiencing a lack of donors because of the recent extreme winter weather conditions, but they’re also noticing a lack of donors this year, in general.

“There aren’t as many people as we’re supposed to have,” said Tyler Hespeler, a member of Phi Delta Theta.

Despite the noticeable decrease in donors that blood drives have been experiencing this year, there will always be a satisfactory abundance of people willing to come out and donate. Those that are college aged are more prone to doing this type of charity work.

“There’s more awareness than there used to be,” said Rodriguez. “This generation is more into helping others. Everyone is more into helping out and volunteering than they were when I was a teenager.”

“I’m helping a lot of people and saving lives," says CCSU student Taylor Measel.

"I’m not afraid of needles or blood, so why not if it’s for a good cause?”

“Donating blood is my way to give back," said CCSU student Karyn Backus. Backus said that she donates blood every 56 days, this being the minimum amount of time a donor must wait between blood donations.

“Of all the ways to give back, giving blood is the easiest.”

Alleged Vandals Charged In Bubble Incident

Erin o'donnell | the recorder

Students donating blood in the American Red Cross Blood drive last week.

Student Leaders Plan Demonstration Against Large Tuition Hikes Continued from page 1

Justin Muszynski The Recorder

Three men accused of vandalizing the Kaiser Annex at Central Connecticut State University are facing felony charges for their alleged roles in the incident.

Kyle Firlik, 18, Michael Lambton, 19, and David LeClerc, 19, have been charged with criminal mischief and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief because of an event last November that saw the Kaiser “Bubble” slashed in several spots, leaving lacerations up to 10 feet in length in some places.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, CCSU officials found the damage after the facilities department noticed that there was low pressure in the annex, according to the arrest warrant. The police were able to identify the three suspects using video surveillance footage.

After being taken in for questioning, LeClerc and Firlik admitted to damaging the bubble, whereas Lambton maintained that he only went along and never engaged in the vandalism, according to the warrant. It also says in the warrant that Firlik and Lambton told police that they were under the influence of alcohol while LeClerc admitted to smoking marijuana the night of the incident. The accused allegedly used a box cutter, scissors and an exacto knife to slash the tarp-like

material that the bubble consists of, according to the warrant.

At the time of the vandalism, Lambton and LeClerc were attending the university, but Firlik was just visiting. Mark McLaughlin, CCSU spokesperson, said that he could not comment on LeClerc’s and Lambton’s current enrollment status at CCSU due to FERPA laws.

The annex has since been fixed with the restorations estimated to cost over $57,000.

“Insurance would not cover it so the school had to put up the initial money for the repairs to get it back up and running,” said Richard Bachoo, chief administrative officer at CCSU. “The goal would be to get [the accused] to reimburse us through the courts.”

The Kaiser Annex, commonly referred to as “the bubble,” is used for recreational activities and as a practice facility for school sponsored sports.

Lambton, Firlik and LeClerc could not be reached for comment. The police have restricted Firlik from coming on campus from November of 2011 until November 2014.

All three accused were arrested in December. Their bond was posted at $10,000.

Firlik and LeClerc used a bondsman while Lambton was bailed out in cash, according to court documents. LeClerc and Lambton were scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court Monday and Tuesday respectively. Firlik is slated to attend court March 8.

Despite this, student leaders express the feeling of being alienated by the cut in outof-state rates.

“I know I was elected into our Student Advisory Committee to represent all students, but the high majority of our students are in-state residents and I have to look after that,” said CCSU SGA Treasurer Nick Alaimo.

“One thing that does kill me is the outof-state residents and [the fact that] they are at a decrease right now,” Alaimo continued, reflecting the sentiments of many students who feel as if the drop in out-of-state rates is unfair.

Others worry that residence halls will become even more quiet with the raise in tuition. Robert Vance Hall, a dormitory on campus, has begun to offer single rooms to students, hoping to entice students to live on campus.

“The room at last week’s IRC meeting became uneasy very quickly when I mentioned the idea that resident tuition and fees could increase by $890 next year, based on most recent recommendations. I'm very concerned about the number of students choosing to live in the residence halls,” said Bergenn.

“Living here on campus is very expensive compared to living off-campus. I lived two years here (on campus) and two years in an apartment and it’s significantly cheaper to live off-campus,” said Alaimo, citing cost as a main factor as to why students do not live in on-campus housing.

Student leaders at the open forum planned the first stages of demonstration for a little more than a week from the forum on.

By then, they hoped to already have some students engaged in the process of informing others.

“My thinking is to get as many people as we can," said Daniel Piper of the CCSU Youth for Socialist Action at the forum on Thursday.

"It’s to add a second layer of leadership into this. People who get personally invested have a better understanding as to what is going on, get in the game plan, and make those personal connections."

Student leaders have planned a building meeting just after a panel discussion about the value of a college degree. This will be held March 5, after the Board of Regents votes on the motion proposed by the Finance Committee. There will then be a rally in the Student Circle at 2 p.m. on March 11.

Interested in writing news? Email us at: news@centralrecorder.com

OPINION

7 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

STATE MUST UNIFY HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGIES Governor Malloy has recently proposed a $1.5 billion addition to UConn's budget for a long term investment in the school's research in technology. The bond money is to be added on to the already existing $2.3 billion "21st Century UConn" program and according to Malloy, the investment should have been made years ago. In the same article of the Courant, Malloy stated that had the investment been made earlier, the state's economy would be in better standing than it is now.

In an article in the Hartford Courant Candice Barrington, an English professor from CCSU, said that Central was being treated as a "red-headed step child".

Though an argument could be made that Malloy's budget is in fact being made in

order to benefit the state by investing money in the school that generates the highest enrollment numbers in Connecticut. However, by admitting that UConn would be the saving grace of the state had it been more than sufficiently funded years ago, there is no question in where priority of higher education lies within Connecticut.

Another explanation for the funding being directed towards the UConn STEM program is to boost enrollment numbers for the state.

The argument of enrollment is contradictory. By denying funding for 17 other schools in the state, while simultaneously cutting their budgets, is preventing a far larger number of college

Editor’s Column: Clutching To Childhood KAssondra Granata The Recorder

This weekend, I stumbled upon a few decorative boxes and, being the nosey person that I naturally am, I began opening them. To my satisfaction, I found stacks of old photos--three boxes worth.

My family and I began to look through the photos and spent a few hours diving into each photo, laughing, sharing memories, reliving them. It was an absolute perfect way to spend an afternoon. I was able to see family members that have long since passed, and able to see photos that I was too young to remember being taken.

There were about 100 photos to look through, and I took a few back to school to share.

There was one in particular that I was more than excited to see a picture of me on a camping trip around the age of eight clutching my stuffed sheep with a large smile on my face.

Sheepy, my stuffed sheep, is exactly one day older than me, and I have kept her/him safe by my side ever since. Sheepy has always been a companion of mine ever since I was little. I still haven't decided the sex of the stuffed animal yet: I switch on and off all the time. Lately, it has been a "she." Sheepy and I went everywhere togetherthe store, grandma's house, trips. In fact, she still does. Sheepy has been to Orlando, Seattle, Chicago, Newport, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, college you name it. Sheepy is one of the most well-traveled TY toys out there.

Yes, I am aware that I am writing my column on my stuffed sheep. I do, however, rarely get negative feedback when I introduce her to friends, family or random acquaintances. Some think of us as a two-for-one deal, and I am okay with that. Upon my inquiry, I have learned that many college students actually still sleep with their stuffed animals or baby blankets. ** "Cami, my camel from Iraq, my dad bought it for me on his first tour. He has been with me ever since!" said Erin Lopez, a 25-yearold student. ** "I'm a guy and I'm not ashamed to say I still sleep with a Snoopy stuffed animal," said Gerald O'Connor, a 27-year-old worker. ** "I have a pink teddy bear named Bobby-O that I've had since I was a baby" said Liz Braun, CCSU senior. "I did not bring him to college and I feel really guilty that I haven't brought him to my apartment... think I'll be grabbing him next

time I go home. ** "A stuffed dog named Bucky," said Simms Sonet, CCSU Sophomore. "I got him when I was born. I did bring him to college. He also wears the collar of my favorite real life dog, Odin, who taught me how to sleep by myself and kind of raised me when I was younger. He died early on in highschool so I keep both as a calming charm of sorts." ** "I had a a stuffed doll thing named Miney and I got her when I was born I brought them to college," said Taylor Miller, a junior at Keene. ** "I've had Ellie (elephant) and Eeyore since I was young and I am not ashamed!" said Jessica Ortega, CCSU junior. ** "I've only had him since I was about 17 and now im 24 but hes a teddy bear and his name is Adam," said Nicole Maxellon. "Not only did he go to college with me but he travels all over the world with me as well. If I ever go somewhere over night adam comes with me!" ** "My bears name is Fo(or Fuffy)," said Rich Garuti, CCSU sophomore. "He has been to all three North American countries with me. He has been through international waters.

I don't remember life without Fo 'cause I was given him when I was still in my crib. I sleep with him to this day and don't ever plan on giving him up. My future wife will have to be okay with this, and at the very least I think I could hide him as a cushion if worst comes to worst.He has been to almost every camp I've gone to."

By the time you read this, Sheepy, accompanied by my boyfriend's blanket, Blank, will be on a plane ride to San Francisco, her next trip. The ACP/CMA National College Media Conventions are by far one of the best experiences I have ever had. You have the chance to sit with distinguished journalists and students and discuss issues that you have with your publication and get advice, share input or share experiences.

These conferences are very rewarding.

You get to network with journalism students across the country as well as other professional journalists. I have made friends with journalists from all over the country and have frequent conversations with them. That's what these are all about. Learning and growing with each other as young journalists.

students the tools needed to obtain a degree in higher education than the number of students who will benefit from the increase of opportunities for students at UConn. Enrollment is down across the entire state and is projected to continue to decline, focusing on bringing in more students to just one institution in the state is a flawed way to go about the enrollment issue and if anything will only promote students to transfer from their current school to UConn.

Earlier this semester, the University decided to hire an expert in retainment to solve the issue of declining enrollment.

It was decided that Vincent Tinto, a professor at Syracuse University, would receive $10,000 to tackle this problem.

This action was commended by The Recorder when it was first covered. It's a relatively small amount of money and it could resolve a much greater issue.

But the University’s plans differ slightly than those of the state. The efforts by CCSU to improve its enrollment situation could be offset by the state’s eagerness to develop its golden child UConn.

To run the state as effectively as possible, all of its entities must work together to create a successful plan. By creating an atmosphere of adversity among the institutes of higher education, the state will only successfully generate a superiority complex of one university, allowing incoming students to mirror that image and further exacerbate the matter.

Letter To The Editor: An open letter to my friends and my classmates: I had previously announced that I was a candidate for the Presidency of the Student Government Association. I have a lot of good and wonderful friends who would want to see me get elected to that position, as they feel that I would do an excellent job if I were the president. As much as I care about the opinions of all my friends, I do not feel that I would best serve the CCSU community if I were elected president.

Therefore, I wish to inform everyone on campus in this letter to the editor that I am no longer a candidate for the office of the Presidency.

I like being a senator. I care deeply about my school, and I care about all of my friends and classmates. I wish to remain on the Student Government as a senator. I feel that I can best be of service to the campus community if I am able to continue on as my role. As a senator, I can continue to fight for all of my friends and classmates, continue

to advocate for all of our needs, and I can continue to be an outspoken advocate for everyone.

I do not want anyone to worry. I am not going anywhere. This is not the end of my service to my campus community, but only a beginning. But I wish to encourage any and all who are interested in serving the greater CCSU Community to get involved, run for an elected position, come to our SGA meetings, write us a letter, shoot us an email, and encourage all of your friends to do the same. No matter what anyone else may tell you, this is our college, we are the ones paying to be here, and therefore we have every right to voice our opinions and to demand action!

I want to thank my friends and my classmates for their continued support and encouragement that I have been blessed to have throughout my time as a senator in our Student Government. ~Bobby Berriault

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

Send a letter to the editor! kgranata@centralrecorder.com

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / OPINION

Private Lives Are Meant To Be Private: Americans Should Not Bombard President Obama Joe Suszcynski The Recorder

Recently, President Obama took a holiday to play golf with pro golfer Tiger Woods. It was reported that media did not have any access to the outing citing outrage from the press and other media outlets. President of the White House Correspondents’ Association Ed Henry said: “There is a very simple, but important principle we will continue to fight for today and in the days ahead: transparency.”

Why is this even an issue?

Ron Christie said on CNN that there should have been photos released of Obama playing golf with Woods or a picture of them leaving the course. His reason is that Americans should have the right to know what the President is doing while there are troops fighting in a war.

Why should there be transparency when it comes to

Obama’s private life, especially if it’s something as trivial as playing golf? If there should be any transparency, it should relate to his policies- one being his use of drones to eliminate terrorists, for example. That’s an actual issue, but Obama playing golf is not.

This is the man’s private life. Call me crazy, but I think someone’s private life should be private, hence the word "private." The President can do whatever he wants on his own time as long as he isn’t threatening the country’s national security. We shouldn’t give the President of the free world the Lindsay Lohan treatment and follow his every move. If the media intends on doing that to him then you might as well strap a camera to the president and make “Pres. Cam” where we all can see what the President is doing on a 24-hour basis. It’s absurd that the press makes this an issue.

If there are people complaining about the President taking some vacation time, then I would suggest you look up his predecessor’s vacation time and see if Obama taking an

occasional holiday is a horrible thing. George W. Bush took a record of 1,020 vacation days in his eight years as president.

That’s about one-third of his entire presidency spent on vacation. And I’m not saying that all of Bush’s vacation trips are undeserving, I’m sure there were times where it was all right for Bush to take a vacation; he has that right to do so. Having over 1,000 days vacation in eight years seems a bit much, especially when it beats out Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who vacationed for 958 days during his tenure of 12 years in office.

Sometimes the press and media should stay out of the President’s life. It’s his life and if he doesn't want pictures taken to be released to the press then that is his right. Save the transparency argument for something more serious than the President’s golf game. Don’t complain about Obama taking vacation days; the job of being president is stressful and requires a lot from a person. The president, like everyone else, deserves a breather every now and then.

Letter To The Smoking Bill Aims Editor: To Criminalize Idiocy Justin Muszynski The Recorder

For decades now we’ve been warned about the effects of secondhand smoke. The United States Environmental Protection Agency warns that it can cause cancer and increase our risk of heart disease.

In children, the hazards are even more extensive. According to the EPA, kids can develop asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and other health concerns.

Because of the dangerous side effects that secondhand smoke can cause to children, a newly proposed bill is attempting to prohibit smoking in a motor vehicle that contains a six-year-old child or younger. The idea behind this bill is very clear. Children don't know that they are being exposed to anything harmful when their parent smokes in their presence.

In an enclosed area such as a car, there isn’t really a viable option for a child besides breathing in the secondhand smoke. Refraining from smoking is the smartest thing a parent can do with a kid in the car no matter what age they are. But has the government overstepped here?

Trying to regulate what people do in their car, aside from forbidding behavior that directly endangers the immediate safety of those on the road, seems a bit too much. I agree with this bill in principle; people shouldn’t expose children to harmful cigarette smoke, especially in a small area.

However, to a certain degree what a parent chooses to expose their child to is normally left up to their discretion. If a mother or father chooses to let their kid eat fast food on a regular basis, that is their

decision. Or if they allow them to play video games extensively or play football despite all we know about the serious risks of concussions, that is a parent’s right.

For the record, I am not a smoker. After trying a cigarette less than a handful of times I have never had the desire to pick it up as a habit. The smell of cigarette smoke is foul and I find others around me smoking to be a nuisance. But I don’t believe that those who do smoke should be discriminated against.

As stated above, no one should ever force a young child to breathe in the chemicals that are found in cigarette or even cigar smoke, but trying to cease all behavior that is frowned upon through new laws crosses a boundary. You already can’t smoke in a bar, a restaurant or inside any public place for that matter. Realistically that leaves one’s home as the only practical place to smoke.

So why not make cigarettes illegal? We’ve already established that they are harmful when smoked. They are highly addictive.

And they even cause health concerns for those around someone smoking. Then why are they still around?

Even on our own campus here at CCSU you cannot smoke within a certain distance to a building entrance. It’s pretty clear that there’s not much good that comes from smoking. Yet we can still walk into a drugstore and pick up a pack of cigarettes without a problem.

You can’t prevent every irresponsible act that goes on in our society. There are more important things that our government can try to resolve. Don’t waste your time trying to end stupidity through legislation.

Have an opinion? Email or Tweet us! @TheRecorder

Dear Editor Your reporter, Amanda Webster, had two items in The Recorder last week (Feb. 20, “Where Have All the Students Gone?” and “Are Students Getting their Money’s Worth?”). They referred to the declining enrollment at CCSU as well as the increasing costs of attending the university. The depths of the malaise that afflict us all around the campus go far deeper. A case study in point is the serious situation that affects our Physics program.

Physics is a fundamental science that informs all the other sciences and engineering/ technology. At CCSU it has an impact on every school, either as a required course at various introductory levels (differentiated by the challenge of different levels of Mathematics) or as a General Education course. We have students who major in Physics requiring many upperlevel courses as well. Any University that wants to maintain a credible (even accredited) program in the fundamental and applied sciences cannot do without Physics being supported as an independent discipline. Unfortunately, over the last several years, Physics at CCSU has suffered from a lack of support on the part of the administration at various levels (all the way to the Board of Regents).

Here are some of the critical problems: 1. The Physics faculty has seen a loss of its full-time teachers from seven some years ago to four today. We have to teach many sections of the introductory-level courses that are required by several departments and that impact hundreds of students each semester. Besides, we also have to address the needs of our majors who require a sequence of upper-level courses to graduate in four years. This has led to overloading the existing faculty. Despite our desperate need for at least one more full-time teacher, we have been stymied twice in the last two years through frozen searches half-way through the process.

In both cases, we were given to understand, the greater needs elsewhere and the exigencies of a diminishing support from the State required that the search process be aborted. The image of CCSU and the Physics program cannot but suffer from advertising job openings and then withdrawing the same mid-way.

2. We have had to recruit adjunct teachers for the many lab sections required in each of the introductory-level courses. But the budget for their hiring will also be cut next semester. This will burden the full-time faculty even more. Or require that sections that would otherwise be offered be cancelled. Laboratory space, safety and good pedagogy demand that these sections should not be packed with bodies more than sound educational practice dictates. If students are unable to get the lab in a schedule that fits

their needs, their graduation might be delayed.

This is hardly going to attract more students to CCSU. 3. We have been informed that any course that does not have at least nine students enrolled in it cannot be offered. This is not a difficulty in the introductory-level courses but it will affect upper-level courses, especially those with a small number of majors. While Physics has over 40 declared majors (2013-16), at any given time there will be courses that our students need that may not have the requisite number to pass administrative scrutiny. Once again this will harm our program and its attraction to students who might consider coming here. It would also detract from the image of CCSU as a leader in education, especially in supporting the STEM initiatives that Governor Malloy has proposed (and that has got UConn’s attention and for which it was rewarded handsomely recently).

Central Connecticut State University is not pulling its weight when it comes to getting support from the State. We have a burgeoning Engineering program with many students enrolled in it. The Sciences offer a wide diversity of choices that should be the envy of similar-size institutions anywhere. Our Teacher Education programs have a long and respected history of preparing Connecticut’s school teachers and administrators. The Physics group has proposed inter-disciplinary initiatives with the other sciences and engineering. A huge majority of our students come from within the State and most of them work in Connecticut after graduation.

It defies reason and good management that the State and administrative support for us (and our partner institutions) is not more robust and not insulated from the vagaries of quarterly economic reports. If Connecticut’s economy has to recover from its doldrums, the hard and applied sciences at CCSU need sustained support not unkept promises.

Our’s is a cri-de-couer. So far it has fallen on deaf ears. The only constituency that might be able to make a difference is the most important group, our students. They (and their parents), who bear the brunt of the increasing costs, and see diminishing returns, must make their voices heard loudly and clearly to all levels of the decision-makers (from the campus to the State) and demand immediate attention and remedy this dire situation before it is too late.

Sincerely Sadu Nanjundiah Professor, Physics CCSU X 22942

UPGRADE The "Harlem Shake" Viral Meme Takes Over CCSU Circle

9

THE RECORDER

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

erin o'donnell | the recorder

erin o'donnell | the recorder

CCSU students gathered on Monday in the Student Center Circle to film their own rendition of the "Harlem Shake," an Internet sensation that requires dancing and costumes. acadia otlowski The Recorder

In what is being called the biggest internet dance craze since "Gangnam Style," the "Harlem Shake" has taken the world by storm in a matter of weeks, finding its way to CCSU just this week.

The song “Harlem Shake” was the brain child of artist Baauer who created the song. A short 30-second clip was then picked up by a group of teenagers in Australia. The video went viral and according to content ID services by Youtube, more than 4,000 Harlem Shake-related videos have been found, in total receiving more than 30 million views by Feb. 14, according to Billboard.

This number continues to grow as more videos are made and viewed worldwide.

But the viral meme continues to spread.

CCSU students got together Monday to create

their own version of the meme, organized by a Facebook page called “CCSU Memes.” The students met in the student circle just past 1 p.m.

The event attracted more than 50 students who danced without sound for a few minutes because the organizers of the event were not able to arrange for the song to play.

Event organizer, Ian Rodriguez-Torrent, gave instructions to the students, orchestrating the event in place of the founder of "CCSU Memes" who was not present at the event.

"We just thought of it one night. We got a couple friends together and they told a couple friends," said Rodriguez about the event.

The video was posted on the CCSU Memes Facebook page on Monday night.

Between the Content ID system and music sales, Baauer is profiting heavily from this meme, with “Harlem Shake” competing for top five

places on the iTunes charts in the US, Germany, Australia and the majority of Europe.

Although the origins of the meme are a little different depending on who you ask, this is the generally accepted story.

To find out the history of the "Harlem Shake" meme, one must first start with the video by comedian and vlogger, “Filthy Frank” who started the craze with his video which featured a few people in costume dancing to the “Harlem Shake.” This has been labeled the original, since it has been thought to have triggered the craze.

The dance style in Filthy Frank’s video was based off a move by a child in a music video by Diddy called “Let’s Get It.” This same dance style was used in many other hip hop videos following Diddy's.

Although Diddy did not create the move, he did popularize it. The original hip hop dance,

the Harlem Shake, has been attributed to Al B, who became known for the move around 1981.

“It’s a drunken shake. It’s an alcoholic shake, but it’s fantastic, everybody loves it and everybody appreciates it, and it’s glowing with glory,” said Al B in an interview with InsideHoops.com in 2003, long before the meme emerged.

But many Harlem residents haven’t reacted to the meme in a positive manner. Some that have been interviewed find the videos mocking and offensive.

“They’re basically taking what we do and making a joke of it,” said one local in a video that showed reactions to the rising meme. The general consensus is that the current meme is nothing like the original dance style. There are worries that this meme will completely bury the original dance.

Women Share Their Stories At 'Vagina Monologues' Erik M. Emanuelson Special To The Recorder

On Feb. 21 in Davidson Hall an all female combination of CCSU staff members and students took to the stage to perform the thoroughly human stories from Eve Ensler’s "Vagina Monologues."

The episodic play written in 1996 by American playwright, performer, and feminist activist Eve Ensler is performed worldwide.

Revolving around interviews Ensler conducted with 200 women about their views on relationships, sexual views and violence against women. The Vagina Monologues lift the veil of silence over puritan sensitivity by delivering blunt interpretations on sexual anxiety, euphoric sensations, spousal abuse and modern hygiene products.

“An eye opening experience to say the least”, said Marv Sussman, local New

Britain resident on the event. “As personal as the content is, these performers tastefully executed the delivery and message of the interviews.”

The “personal” content that Sussman describes is as much to do with the graphic nature of the play more than anything.

Among the varying number of monologues read was the "Reclaiming Cunt", a piece narrated which illustrates that the word “cunt” itself a beautiful word despite its flustering reputation. There was also "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could", in which a woman recalls traumatic sexual experiences from her childhood that include self impalement to a bed post, the rape by her father’s close friend and ending in the father shooting and paralyzing the aforementioned friend, and concluding in her adolescent years with a self-described “positive-healing” sexual experience with an older woman. "My Angry

Vagina" was a humorous rant about injustices wrought against the vagina, such as tampons, douches, as well as the tools used by female specialists (OB/GYNs).

The monologue that was said to steal the show was that of the "Sex Worker". Clad in full leather dominatrix attire (whip included), this interview is about a former tax lawyer turned professional escort. The career switch was the result of a lack of moaning. Moaning seduced the woman into a life of sexual deviance; her drug was making women moan.

The real crowd pleaser was when the woman went down the list of specified moans, the was the “right there moan”, the “doggie moan” (panting), “African American moan” (ahh shit!, ahh shit!), and the “college student moan” (ahh! I should be studying).

The play, sponsored by CCSU’s Women’s Center is part of bringing attention to Feb. 14 V-Day. Created 15 years ago by Ensler,

V-Day’s anniversary is celebrated by ‘One Billion Rising’ which mobilizes a billion people worldwide in 207 countries to come together and express their outrage, and to strike, dance and rise against violence.

A quote from Ensler’s website describing the mobilization: “One Billion Rising has shown that violence against women is not a national, tribal, ethnic or religious issue, but a global phenomenon, and that through this worldwide rising and support, survivors can be given the confidence of knowing that violence is not their fault."

Brimming with comedic vaginal metaphors, a cognizant dialogue of women’s tribulations and gut-wretching real-life accounts of abuse and prejudice, CCSU’s performance of Ensler’s "Vagina Monologues" lent an unfiltered and applaud worthy representation of a world renowned play.

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / UPGRADE

Kim Dotcom Strikes Back Against U.S. DOJ Kevin Jachimowicz

Special To The Recorder

During the endless SOPA and PIPA debates, prosecutors for the Department of Justice were busy finalizing plans to terminate one of the most frequented file-sharing sites online: Megaupload.com. The DOJ appears to have succeeded.

The notorious founder of MegaUPload, New Zealand entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, still wanted by U.S. authorities on allegations of copyright infringement, launched a new file-sharing cloud service last week simply titled "Mega" (mega.co.nz). The company claims: " We are a dedicated group of technologists who were given the time, opportunity and Internet access to build an awesome cloud storage service that will help protect your privacy. We have programmed this Internet service from scratch in Auckland, New Zealand. Unlike most of our competitors, we use a state of the art browser based encryption technology where you, not us, control the keys."

Staying true to his personality, Dotcom unveiled the Mega service by renting a helicopter and hiring actors dressed up as cops to re-enact the raid that followed the termination of his prior venture, Megaupload.com. In just a short matter of time, one month to be exact, the new service has garnered three million subscribed users.

Rather than start a new service eschewing the potential for copyright material to be uploaded, Dotcom positioned Mega as a service that aims to protects users' privacy. Mega's tagline is "the privacy company." Despite

the efforts to make a new company with less copyright issues, Dotcom seems to already be dealing with the same problems, according to his twitter profile.

When asked in a recent interview with Russia Today about the importance of encryption on the internet in today 's world, Dotcom replied fiercely: "I think it’s important for the Internet that there is more encryption. Because what I have learned since I got dragged into this case is a lot about privacy abuses, about the government spying on people. You know, the US government invests a lot of money in spy clouds: massive data centers with hundreds of thousands of hard drives storing data. And what they are storing is basically any communication that traverses through U.S. networks. And what that means is they are not spying on individuals based on a warrant anymore. They just spy on everybody, permanently, all the time."

With CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing Protection Act) coming back to Congress this year, a threat is posed for the future security and privacy of Internet users.

Although the bill has been supported by large online corporations such as Facebook, opponents claim that the Act is far too vague with little oversight leading to possible legal invasion of privacy for American citizens with Internet access. The CISPA bill would increase the amount of electronic communications that could be made between governments, intelligence communities and the NSA while decreasing the amount of privacy and protection for the general public.

"They will find something that they can nail you with and that’s why it’s wrong to have these kinds of privacy abuses, and I decided to create a solution that

overtime will encrypt more and more of the Internet.

So we start with files, we will then move to emails, and then move to Voice-Over-IP communication," Dotcom told Russia Today.

"My goal is within the next five years- I want to encrypt half of the Internet. Just reestablish a balance between a person — an individual — and the state.

Because right now, we are living very close to this vision of George Orwell and I think it’s not the right way. It’s the wrong path that the government is on, thinking that they can spy on everybody."

Kim Dotcom also made an announcement on the morning of Feb. 21 that this new Mega service will be offering white-label versions of its service. A whitelabel service is a service produced by one company (the producer) that other companies rebrand to make it appear as if they made it. Furthermore, he says that the company will provide this service for free to universities.

The free Mega plan gives users 50GB of file storage.

There are no limits on file size. Users can use Mega to back up photos, documents and other data. Users can use Mega as a way to store media content video files, music and DVD images as well. Files can be uploaded to the service using drag-and-drop or a file-upload menu.

The three pro versions, or packages, offered by the company are priced differently on a per month or per year basis with varying bandwidth speeds and storage amounts.

For the time being, Mega is optimized to work on desktop web browsers. Mega encourages users to use Google Chrome. Mega has plans for client-side apps, but for now the only way to access it is via the web browser.

Netflix It! E ve ryt h i n g M ust Go kyle penn

The Recorder

photo | Lionsgat Roadside attractions

Will Ferrell as Nick Halsey in the film 'Everything Must Go'.

Based off Raymond Carver's short story “Why Don't You Dance?” director-writer Dan Rush made his film debut in 2011 with the “dramedy” Everything Must Go. The movie follows Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) as his life turns upside-down in one day and how he struggles to cope afterward.

The film starts off showing Nick sitting in his car in a parking garage, drinking out of a flask after he was fired from his sales job of 16 years in Phoenix. We quickly learn that Nick has had constant struggles with alcoholism his entire life and his firing was the result of an unidentified incident involving alcoholism at a conference in Denver. It is later revealed that after six months of sobriety he got blackout drunk with a female coworker and woke up with no memory and soon after learned she had filed a complaint against him. Whether it is the alcohol or his anger controlling him, Nick slashes the tires of his supervisor's car with his parting gift, a Swiss army knife that has his name on it.

Upon his return home he finds his wife has left him, changed the locks and messily through all of his belongings all over the front lawn.

Later in the movie we find out that his wife was also a recovering alcoholic but was successful in fighting the addiction. After spending the night on the lawn, Nick ventures out to buy more beer and food, but discovers that his his bank account has been frozen, his credit cards and phone have been canceled and his company car has been seized back. Thus, he decides to take up residence on the lawn.

Nick's AA sponsor, Detective Frank Garcia (Michael Peña), provides Nick with a

yard sale permit that will give him three more days before police will make him leave. In an attempt to sell his belongings, Nick befriends a neighborhood boy, Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace), to help him in exchange for teaching Kenny how to play baseball, and he ultimately takes Kenny under his wing as his salesman apprentice. Along the way he also befriends his new neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall), whose mainly absent husband has alcoholism issues of his own.

The friendship between Nick, Kenny and Samantha grows, and as the film progresses they help each other with their internal and external problems. They eventually get to the point where they go out to dinner together, and we see Nick turn down alcohol for the first time in the movie. Another inspiring moment for Nick is when he reunites with a high school classmate who in the end tells him that deep down he is a good person.

After learning Nick's wife has been living with Frank, they fight and Frank later gives Nick divorce papers and a key to the house, telling him she deserves to be with someone sober.

Nick again passes up the opportunity to get beer, and it is clear he is now on the right path towards moving on. The movie ends with Nick giving away his last items and sharing a heartfelt hug with Samantha.

Everything Must Go shows that in the worst of times the unlikeliest of acquaintances can bring one out of the hole he's dug himself into.

Compared to his other movies we see a deeper, more sensitive level of Will Ferrell and one cannot help but feel a level of sympathy for his character. But in the end there is a promising sense of hope for Nick Halsey, and it's hard to hold back a smile.

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / UPGRADE

Concert

Review

Danny Contreras | The recorder

Drowning Pool, a heavy metal band, performed last Saturday in Hartford.

Flyleaf performed in Webster Theater this past Saturday in promotion of their new album.

Danny Contreras | the recorder

Drowning Pool And Flyleaf Play Webster Danny contreras The Recorder

This past Saturday Flyleaf and Drowning Pool made a stop at Hartford’s Webster Theatre in support of their new albums.

Catching everyone by surprise, both bands debuted brand new vocalists to mixed crowd reactions.

The night began with Stars in Stereo, an LA-based band who have been constantly touring over the past year. They enjoyed a crazy rookie year tour with bands such as The Used and Hoobastank. They opened with a recently released single, “The Broken,” before paying tribute to Aerosmith with “Dream On." They continued their six-song set with more originals before paving the way for metal heavyweights Drowning Pool.

Debuting a brand new vocalist Jasen Moreno, the band opened with “Step Up” from their 2003 album, Desensitized.

The crowd was fairly lukewarm, and the main stage had yet to fill up when they took on the stage. Many fans were still in the Underground Stage, which was hosting many local acts. It took Drowning Pool a couple of songs to get into their groove.

Moreno was a commanding frontman but lacked that hardcore edge that former vocalists had, especially the deceased original vocalist, Dave Williams.

The band carried on. They paid tribute to the aforementioned vocalist with an emotional rendition of “In Memory Of," released on the tenth anniversary of William’s death as a tribute.

Moreno asked the crowd to put a fist and a finger in the air for the recently released, “One Finger and a Fist,” a tough guy song, with a clear message. The crowd barely reacted and it was extremely disappointing. The band is known for one song, except to the hardcore fans. They’re not innovators, but they are pretty good live. Core fans ate it all up, however, and there were some in the audience. Clearly, most of the crowd members were waiting for the headliners, and it was painfully obvious.

They did some fan service with “Sinner” and “Enemy” but the saddest part of the night came with “37 Stiches” when Moreno asked the crowd to sing the song. It was agonizing to see him point the microphone at us, and for no one to sing the lines to the song. But the band and crowd redeemed themselves when “Bodies” began and everyone in attendance realized they knew what was coming next. They concluded shortly thereafter, to a fairly boring performance.

With almost 30 minutes after the end of Drowning Pool, the creepy intro for Flyleaf began to play for the awaiting crowd.

And then the band slowly walked on stage as Kristen May took the place of Lacey, the original vocalist and a Flyleaf founding member.

Lacey left the band in October, following the release of the band’s latest album New Horizons. Citing motherhood and the death of a close friend, Lacey left the band and forced it into a corner to tour with a new singer, or wait on it until fans became accustomed to May. The band chose the latter.

While May is a perfectly acceptable replacement for Lacey, she felt forced. While hardcore fans knew of the change, many others were taken by surprise, which led to a very quiet Webster crowd. It’s not like she can't sing or doesn’t have a stage presence; she does, and her voice is unique and beautiful. But unaccustomed fans felt uncomfortable with her. She sung clean and hit every note accurately. Her interpretations lacked Lacey’s personality and it hurt the performance. They opened with Memento Mori’s “Chasm” and continued with “This Close," two great songs and perfect openers for May. Yet the band truly blew it when they went with Flyleaf’s early material. One of the things that set the band apart was Lacey’s ability to growl demonically on command. While May tried her best, it didn’t fit her. “All Around Me” was sung quietly and cleanly while “Fully Alive." Early Flyleaf had this “raw” element, and that was missing.

But what may have hurt May’s debut was the fact that she spoke of the band as though she were a fan and not a member.

She referred to the band by “Flyleaf” instead of owning the fact she was the new singer.

Both bands underwhelmed, but it wasn’t entirely their fault.

The lack of familiarity with the vocalist hurt the show, but the crowd itself just wasn’t into it. They came expecting something and were delivered something else. Overall, an average show made bad by the equally surprised bands and fans.

12

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / UPGRADE

ALBUM REVIEW

Wretched & Divine The Story of the Wild Ones

Acadia otlowski The Recorder

The Black Veil Brides’ new album, Wretched & Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, follows a favorite format of mine that seems to be characteristic of this genre of music. It is a series of songs with interludes that tell a story. This method of storytelling engages the listener.

The album opens with the song “Exordium,” which is only 25 seconds long and contains only four lines of lyrics with no backing music.

The first line of the song and of the album is “The kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you". This sets the theme of the album, explaining to the listener the song writer’s belief that God is everywhere.

The album transitions slowly from empty air to a soft piano rift, which then escalates rapidly with a yell from the lead singer to a fast paced song called “I Am Bulletproof ". This song features a great deal of rapid guitar work and more than a little screaming, making it one of the more intense songs on the album.

This transitions more commonly, changing to the song “New Year’s Day”, which has a march-like feel. The song builds with the lead vocalist singing about it being New Year’s Day, and starting new beginnings from this fact. The song gives me the image of a Phoenix evoked by the analogy of rising from the ashes.

“F.E.A.R. Transmission 1: Stay Close” is the first song in a four part series, which tells the story of a rebellion. It is a transmission from the government it seems, informing the populous

to stay close to “fear,” saying that it is the only way they will survive.

“The Wretched and Divine” is the title song on the album and reflects many of the themes that have already been presented in the album.

Lyrics like “A land where chaos reigns/Global Disturbia,/Bows down to twisted ways,” explains the song. I really enjoy the guitar work on this album. Most bands with guitar work similar to Black Veil Brides are much more hardcore metal than this band.

The next part of the four part series, “F.E.A.R. Transmission 2: Trust” tells the listener of the broadcast to trust “Fear” and not the rebels, because they are lying about the changes that could happen. In the third part of this, “F.E.A.R. Transmission 3: As War Fades” the transmission says that “fear” has been all but defeated, but it will be back. It promises that when war fades, the rebels will die and “fear” will come back. Fear is the controlling power in this album; it attempts to control the masses.

But it seems in this message it has failed.

Between this broadcast and the final broadcast there is the song “In the End,” which was the song that had encouraged me to listen to this album in the first place. It opens with a chorus of what sounds like children and then changes to a rock style vibe, something that is very radio-ready without sounding overplayed.

Overall, I like the sound of the album and the nature of its storytelling style. It tells of a group of people that are diverging from the norm, coming together and inevitably forming

a rebellion which eventually crushes the existing system. I have never listened to this band before, but I found this album very catchy

and I look forward to seeing them in concert sometime soon.

Black Veil Brides debutes their new album 'Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild ones'.

13

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / SPORTS SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

Jessica Babe Helps Lift Blue Devils Over LIU Brooklyn JOSE CaMPOS The Recorder

The CCSU women’s basketball team gained a big win at home against LIU Brooklyn with a final score of 63-54 Wednesday evening. The win was led by junior Jessica Babe who had 13 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Central (13-2, 7-7) is on a two-game winning streak after a close loss to Mount St. Mary.

The LIU Blackbirds are 5-20 for the season with the loss, and have a 2-12 record in NEC play. The game was a makeup due to the snow cancellations.

“The stretch has been really tough with the play and break, play and break, where every game is huge for us," said Head Coach Beryl Piper.

The Blue Devils took off from the opening tip with a 7-0 lead and had their best half of the season. CCSU shot 43.6

percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc for the half while managing to only give up two turnovers.

Sophomore Kaley Watras and senior Kirsten Daamen each contributed ten points in the first half. Jessica Babe also dished in five points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Devils not only had a great offensive half with 38 points, but also played great defense, limiting the Blackbirds to only 19 points.

CCSU opened up the second half strong pushing the lead to 23 points, the largest margin of the game. The Blue Devils led by 21 points with less than eight minutes to go in the game until LIU went on a 15-0 run, a run that lasted five minutes and was led by sophomore Honor Duvall. The Blackbirds cut the lead to only six points with CCSU up 5852.

“Thought the kids came out with good energy in the first

half," said Piper. "But we need to be able to sustain that for the whole 40 minutes, otherwise our athletic director will have a heartache."

In the end, CCSU had the final run with five points, beating LIU Brooklyn 63-54. Daamen finished with 18 points, leading the Blue Devils in scoring while Jessica Babe lead the team in rebounds and assists with eight and eight.

Watras shot well from behind the arc, finishing with four three pointers and 16 points for the game. Jaclyn Babe recently scored her 1,000th-point but was forced to miss the last game because of an elbow injury. She played 26 minutes in her return at home and chipped in four points. Watras, Daamen, and juniors Lauren Arbogast and Jallen Thomas all had four rebounds.

The Blue Devils face NEC rival Bryant on the road Saturday at 1 pm. The game starts off a two-game road trip.

Jaclyn Babe: Ready To Make Postseason Run Matt aveni The Recorder

The CCSU Women’s Basketball team is fighting for a spot in the NEC Tournament. The Blue Devils are led by seniors Jaclyn Babe and Kirsten Daamen.

Currently the Blue Devils are sitting tied for fifth in the NEC and the top eight teams continue on to play in the NEC tournament. The winner of the NEC tournament has an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

It has been a dream of Jaclyn Babe’s since she was a young girl to make it to the NCAA tournament.

“My goal growing up was to make it to the NCAA tournament," she said. "It doesn’t matter to me whether we get spanked by UCONN in the first round. It would just be an honor to make it there."

However, the recent struggles by the Lady Blue Devils have put a postseason bid in question. Central has bounced back to win two straight games. Down the stretch of the season leadership is a quality that is overlooked in college sports but it is an attribute that separates the good players from the great players. Babe has shown her leadership on and off the court for the Blue Devils and is one of the main reasons why they are fighting for an NEC bid in this year’s tournament.

This season Babe is averaging slightly under 16 points with four rebounds and three assists. She has led the Blue Devils to a 14-12 record (8-7 NEC) and is currently seeded fifth in the NEC. “I know that we are streaky," she said. "Some games we will come out playing hard and other times we play flat but I think we all are coming together and have the same goal in mind and that it is to make it to the NEC tournament."

On Feb.13 Babe scored her 1,000 career point in the loss to Quinnipiac and she was not too focused on her career achievement.

“I try not to focus on my individual stats or achievements. This team is more important than any individual achievement I can earn here. Right now our main focus is to make it to the NEC tournament. The only way to do that is win games as a team. The rest is extra,” said Babe.

Babe gives much of the credit to her co-captain Daamen. Dameen has averaged 10 points and five rebounds a game.

“Kirsten plays amazing for us. Her points and rebounds to do not even tell how much of an impact she is in the paint for us. She alters shots and forces teams to take shots that they would not normally take. She is a special player,” said Babe.

Jaclyn also has the luxury of playing with her younger sister, Jessica Babe.

Jaclyn and Jess hold down the back court and facilitate the offense for the Blue Devils.

“I can’t say enough about her [Jessica's] game. She plays hard and we feed off each other. I know what she is going to do with the ball when it is in her hands and I feel like she knows what I am going to when I have the ball. We have played together so long now that I think we feed off of each other and it makes the whole team better,” said Babe.

Last season was the first full season the Babe sisters were able to play together in college due to the transfer rules when Jaclyn transferred from Duquesne University before transferring to Central. As a freshman and sophomore at Duquesne she was not quite making the impact she thought she could be adding to her team.

She played in all 32 games as a freshman and 28 as a sophomore. At the end of her sophomore season Babe thought it was time for her to leave and she transferred to Central where Jessica was set to be a freshman.

“Transferring here was a great decision. I thought I would be able to make a difference here and make an impact on this program,” said Babe.

Right now the sole focus of Jaclyn Babe is to make it the NEC and, hopefully, NCAA tournament to complete her childhood dream as a senior here at Central.

“I know we have what it takes to make it, now we need to go out there and do it,” Babe said.

erin O'donnell | the recorder

Kayla Miller (left) awaits the pass from teammate Jessica Babe (right) in their win against LIU Brooklyn last Wednesday.

erin O'donnell | the recorder

Jaclyn Babe's goal is to make it to the NEC and the NCAA tournament.

14

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / SPORTS

Blue Devils Seek Title: Team Voted Second In NEC Poll mAtt AvEni the recorder

Last spring the CCSU baseball team fell in back to back games versus Fairleigh Dickenson in the NEC Tournament to finish its season. This season the Blue Devils are ready to take the field and win an NEC title in 2013.

CCSU is picked second in the NEC preseason polls behind Bryant. Right behind the Blue Devils is the two-time defending champion Sacred Heart. The Blue Devils feel they can take the NEC title even with the tough competition throughout the division.

That being said, the goal for this season’s team is to win an NEC title.

“We have been a young team the last couple of seasons, but they have grown up and should be ready to contend for an NEC title run," said Head Coach Charlie Hickey. "Our goal every year is to win the NEC but this year I believe we can seriously contend for it.”

Experience will not be a problem for the Blue Devils this season. The only starters that graduated are Jake Matuszak, Mitch Wells and AJ Lowers. This leaves the Blue Devils with five returning starters knowing what to expect facing the NEC. Left fielder JP Sportman and right fielder Dylan Delacruz earned New England Collegiate Baseball League Awards for their 2012 summer seasons.

“Summer ball is always fun," said Hickey. It allows the players to go all over the country and play.

It’s nice to see that everyone is working hard and trying to work on some aspect of the game."

In order for a team to make an impact in the NEC tournament they need to have that impact player. Last season the Blue Devils lost three one-run games and Hickey said that he believes they were lacking that special player.

“Teams that make it far in the NEC have that special player that can get the team over the hump and help come up with some big wins. I think we have a few players this season that can help us do that,” said Hickey.

The Blue Devils have three holes to fill in their lineup: catcher, third base and an outfield position. With Sportman moving to center, left field will be open for competition. Dominic Severino will be pushing to win the open outfield spot. As a freshman Severino stepped in and played well when he was called upon and earned the right to fight for the open position.

Mitch Wells has been a cornerstone of the Blue Devil infield for the past four years and his production in the middle of the lineup is irreplaceable.

Senior Mike Washburn will be fighting for the opening at third base and should produce given the opportunity. Last season Washburn batted .275 with 17

KEnnY BArto | thE rEcordEr

Josh Ingham (left) and Anthony Turgeon (right) at a CCSU baseball game last season.

RBIs and 18 runs scored.

“Mike Washburn has produced and we hope he steps in at third base and really produces for us this season,” said Hickey.

The big hole in the roster this year is at catcher. The Blue Devils

have very little experience this season behind the plate. Incoming freshman Connor Fitzsimons and sophomore Ryan Beal will be battling for the starting catching position.

“The more experience

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Fitzsimons and Beal gain throughout the season will be key for our team. We have been working with them to become familiar with the pitching staff so that when NEC play begins we will not miss a beat behind the plate,” said Hickey.

Even with questions and uncertainty of the catching position, the pitching staff has unbelievable depth going into the season, barring any injuries and should help the transition of the young catchers.

Nick Neumann is coming off Tommy John Surgery and will be relied upon in the rotation. As freshmen Cody and Casey Brown serve to be useful arms for Central and with an entire season under the belt, they should prove to be quality pitchers for the Blue Devils.

Last season Josh Ingham played a significant role in the bullpen. Starting at second base, Ingham came in to close games and proved to be effective in that role.

“Josh is a great player. He can play a great second base and then come in and close out games for us. One of the main focuses of our bullpen is throwing strikes.

Walking players is the easiest way for a late game rally to start,” said Hickey.

The CCSU Blue Devils start March 1 with a four game series versus Navy. The home opener is March 12 against innerstate rival UConn.

15

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, February 27, 2013 / SPORTS

Softball Built For Run At NEC Title Derek turner The Recorder

Each of the last two seasons for Central Connecticut's softball team have been record breakers; 29 wins in 2011 and 31 wins last year are the two highest totals in school history.

But in 2013 the Blue Devils won’t settle for anything less than a Northeast Conference championship.

Last season CCSU narrowly qualified for its second straight NEC tournament, missing it by one game with an 11-9 conference record.

“I have that bitter taste in my mouth from last year,” said senior Nicole Springer, who wants a conference title in her final season in New Britain.

This year’s team is expected to be the most complete team Central has ever had. Coach Jeff Franquet has built up this program to a point where he can use any one of the 27 ladies on his roster and have the confidence they will do their job.

“Our goal and our vision for this year is to get better and break more records: team records and offensive records,” said Franquet. “But one of the most important things is to keep bringing better people in here.”

This may be the most balanced and talented team Central has ever assembled and the newcomers have a lot to do with it. There are 13 new players on the roster and according to Franquet, five or six will play on a regular basis.

The opening day lineup will boast a freshman at catcher, shortstop, third base and in the outfield.

Catcher and shortstop are often referred to as the most important positions on the diamond. Hannah Cooper and Kenya McVey have proven to their teammates they are ready.

“She’s [Cooper] very strong, very smart; knows what she’s doing behind the plate,” said Springer.

McVey has unbelievable range according to Springer and makes the throw across the diamond with ease.

Sophomore pitcher Laura Messina is excited to be Cooper’s battery mate this season, moving last year’s catcher Tessa Brown to first base. Springer, who played first base last season, will spend more time in the circle this year, but Messina, the ace of the staff ,will still see a large majority of the innings.

“We have 50 games on the schedule and I would say Laura will probably start 35,” said Franquet.

Messina is coming off easily the best season in Central Connecticut history for a pitcher where she went 22-11 with a 2.01 ERA . Her 35 appearances tied a single season record.

She set three other pitching records in her first season. The 22 wins put her sixth on the career list, more than halfway to the record. Her 219.2 innings pitched is the most in a single season and she recorded 207 strikeouts, third all-time.

Messina enters the 2013 season with seven shutouts, needing only four to break the record.

“If our pitching is good, we’re going to win a lot of games. She’s as good as they get,” said Franquet on Messina.

This team does not have captains because Franquet does not believe in them. They have improved as a team since they started practicing in the fall and continued to work hard all winter to get ready for the season.

“We have 27 great people on this team," said Franquet. "They all have great personalities and all bring something different to the table, but that dynamic and their work ethic will hopefully spin us into the best year ever here."

The offense this year will be led by seniors Kelsey Barlow and Springer as well as junior Arielle Bruno. Last season Springer tied Barlow and two others for the single season home run record with 10 and tied the single season RBI record with 45. Barlow enters her final season with a .483 career slugging percentage and 74 runs batted in. She is also one home run away

from tying the career record of 20 held by Pam Shifrin.

Bruno currently holds a .326 career batting average while slugging .494 with 10 home runs.

Her 77 runs scored ranks sixth all-time and she will easily move up the total bases list where she currently sits at 173.

The snow has kept the team off the field for the entire winter, so when the Blue Devils leave for Florida on Thursday and practice at the University of South Florida, it will be their first time on a field since the fall season.

“We all want to play; everybody is restless and just wants to get out there,” said Messina.

The team is down to working out and practicing five days a week, with Wednesdays being the off day and just lifting on Thursdays, but there is nothing like getting back on the field and finally playing a team in a different uniform once again.

“The athletes are here, the pitching is here; you have to have a little luck at times and you have to win a couple games you weren’t

supposed to win,” said Franquet.

Central Connecticut opens the 2013 season as a part of the USF Tournament in Tampa on March 1 when they play Georgia State and Stephen F. Austin. They will play a total of five games in Florida before coming back home for their scheduled home opener on March 5 vs.

Yale.

The Blue Devils will then head back on the road to Coppin State and then the Hampton Tournament. They return home March 13 for a double-header at Hartford, before playing Hofstra and UConn at the Hofstra Tournament.

Holy Cross comes to CCSU on March 27 just before conference play begins two days later vs. Bryant at home. Of the final 24 games this season, 14 will be played in New Britain with Senior Day scheduled for April 27 vs. Robert Morris.

Central will close out the regular season with an out-of-conference matchup at Maryland-East Shore on May 1, just before the NEC tournament.

Kenny Barto | The recorder

Laura Messina throwing a pitch at a previous CCSU game last season.

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16 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

SPORTS

blue devils sit in fifth place in nec

Erin O'donnell | The recorder