Volume110issuee010

FORGOTTEN MEMORIAL

NEWS OUTREACH PROGRAM, PAGE 3 UPGRADE PRET T Y LIGHTS, PAGE 7

Local Couple Keeps Memories Alive, page 2

SPORTS MEN'S SOCCER, PAGE 11

AWA R D-W INNING CENTR A LR ECOR DER .COM Central Connecticut State University

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Volume 110 No. 10

Only 'Protected Class' Bullying Defended By Law chriS Pace The recorder

Campus committees and personnel proposed changes to the faculty bullying policy which only allow certain types of harassment suits to go to court.

There are strict regulations that limit legal action against certain types of bullying, leaving the remaining cases to be left unaddressed.

There are laws that state that if the instigator abuses you for "protected class" reasons, such as race, gender and religion, there can be legal action. If the reasons are not in the protected class, it is not illegal and nothing can be done. While some students don’t believe faculty bullying is an issue, the Committee on the Concerns of Women is trying to address it.

“Workplace bullying can be defined as repeated healthharming behavior, whether it be verbal abuse, intimidation, work sabotage or exploitation of physical or psychological disability," says Dr. Katherine Hermes, a history professor at Central Connecticut said. She is a member of the subcommittee for workplace bullying and sexual harassment on campus.

"I wanted to be involved in the committee because one of my best childhood friends killed herself as a result of workplace bullying,” Hermes said.

Dr. Hermes and other members of the committee decided to take action to try and change the policy of harassment, beginning at CCSU and hopefully extending to the State of Connecticut.

In regards to faculty bullying, the Committee on the Concerns of Women states: “Central Connecticut State University is committed to having a positive working environment for its S�� B�������| PAGE 3

Central Swarmed By SWAT After Halloween Costume Confusion aManda weBSTer, acadia oTlowSki & Sean Begin The recorder

Central Connecticut State University students and faculty are breathing easier after a hectic Monday afternoon that shut campus down following reports of an alleged armed man on campus.

Just before noon on Monday, Central Connecticut police were notified of a suspicious man on campus who at the time was believed to have a weapon on him. The school was immediately put on lockdown and students and faculty were told to remain indoors and stay hidden.

David Kyem, a senior at CCSU, was taken into custody around 3 p.m. and has been charged with breach of peace. He was released after his father posted $1,000 bail.

According to the Hartford Courant, Kyem stated, "I'm sorry for all the commotion and the fear and the confusion.

I'm sorry for any problems. It's obviously a big misunderstanding."

In an interview with the Recorder via email, Peter Kyem, father of David Kyem and a geography professor at CCSU, said that the situation was a misunderstanding.

According to Kyem, his son was still wearing his Halloween costume from over the weekend, and it was his costume that caused some concern.

"I did not know much until after the lock down. I came home and saw his picture [of the arrest] at the website of Channel 3. I then went to CCSU police to inquire about him and they confirmed his arrest so I made arrangements to bail him. He said he left with some friends for UConn for a Halloween party on Thursday evening and stayed over the weekend. He returned to campus today on a public bus and in his Halloween costume and headed towards James Hall where he is residing now. It was then that some who saw him enter the hall called the police and the frenzy began," stated Kyem.

Kaylie Washburn, a senior at CCSU, said that she called campus police after she saw a suspicious man on the bus. Washburn exited

the bus and entered the Dunkin' Donuts, located next to campus. She then alerted authorities about what she saw and that the man may have walked onto Central's campus.

"He was wearing a black hoodie, camo pants, black boots, black knee pads, partial face mask...I thought it was because it was nippy [out]," said Washburn of Kyem in an email.

At first, Washburn said she was not that alarmed at his appearance but she was approached by someone else on the bus who said that they saw Kyem carrying a gun.

There were no weapons, real or fake, recovered at the scene on Monday, according to Chris Cervoni, interim CCSU police chief.

"I just assumed he was going to a martial arts place... but being a paranoid person, I was a little suspicious," explained Washburn.

Cervoni said that the suspect was identified and located by the time stamp from cameras outside of James Residence Hall, along with the card swipe system, which grants access to the dormitory.

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Cervoni said that there was no real threat to students and there was never a hostage situation, despite circulating rumors from concerned students on social media accounts. Two other individuals were also taken into custody and, according to Cervoni, all three individuals were cooperating with authorities.

Kayla Burgos was inside James Hall during the lockdown.

"I was really scared. Not knowing where [the suspect] was was really scary," said Burgos. "I attempted to put the desk in front of the door, [I] put pillows on the windows."

All of the emergency systems worked as they should have, according to President Jack Miller, who congratulated police and authorities for their swift response to the incident.

"My very sincere thanks to all of the officers that participated and provided support to us on the campus," stated Miller.

"From a personal standpoint I can simply say in this situation, our prayers were answered."

Contributing reporting from Paige Brown and Aundrea Murray.

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2 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Forgotten Memorial

NEWS

Local Couple Keeps Memories Alive Skyler Magnoli The Recorder

Nestled on the border of New Britain and Newington, and placed in the back of Central Connecticut State University, the Iwo Jima Memorial is forget by most students and residents in the area.

However for Marianne Mihalo and Gary Roy, who run the property, it represents pride, sacrifice and honor.

Since the memorial’s unveiling in 1995, Mihalo has been involved in the fundraising and event planning at the park. When she met her future husband Roy 12 years ago, he too became as enamored with the memorial as Mihalo.

Ever since then they have worked together to keep the park running to honor the veterans and the men who died in the battle of Iwo Jima.

“It is a really strong connection, 'cause when you think about what those guys did in WWII and especially this battle that was so brutal to lose 6,821 men in just 36 days is an incredible loss,” said Roy. “It’s such a patriotic place to be.”

The park is one of the only national memorials that is run solely on donations and volunteer work. There is no government aid to help Mihalo and Roy with the maintenance and care that goes into to keeping the property running. Currently it cost $20,000 a year to keep the memorial open.

Maintaining the memorial includes lawn and shrubbery care,

snow removal, flag replacements, polishing the monument, hiring professional cleaning of the statue, and repairs. Every five to six year the monument has to be professionally cleaned, which roughly costs about $6,000.

To help raise funds for the memorial Mihalo and Roy host a multitude of events each year.

Roy describes the work and preparation that goes in to the park as an endless process. The couple is always in need of volunteers from maintenance work, to historical research.

While both Mihalo and Roy have their careers, the care of the park is like their full time job. Some weeks the couple could work more than 40 hours on the memorial.

According to Roy, when they are home they are always making phone calls, or posters for events.

However taking care of the memorial is hardly a burden on the two. They take on the memorial to help honor those veterans who worked so hard to build it.

"This memorial to me is important not only because of the physical structure, but because of what it signifies,” said Mihalo.

Another part of the history of the park is that it is also one of the only memorials created by veterans. Not only that, but the veterans worked with the designer to create the statue to be as historically accurate as possible.

The veterans wanted to recognize the 100 men from Connecticut

Iwo Jima Memorial is located down the street from CCSU.

who died in the battle. As well as to honor all the men who had fallen in the battle and educate other generations.

“You come here and you just feel that it was built with pride and you just remember the sacrifices that men went through in WWII,” said Roy. Roy believes the main problem is that people don’t realize the memorial was built by survivors.

The couple is dedicated to teaching students and residents more about the battle and history of the memorial. On many occasions they set up for veterans of WWII to come and speak with visitors, however with most of the survivors in their nineties this is getting more difficult to do. This to them signifies the true purpose behind the memorial.

“We continue on to try to give veterans peace in the fact that their sacrifices are not forgotten,” said Mihalo.

Skyler Magnoli | the recorder

Erin o'donnell | The Recorder

SGA Treasurer Kory Mills at last week's meeting.

CCSU Foundation Seeks SGA Bullet Points New Roots, Alumni Support Jaimie Leasure The Recorder

acadia otlowski The Recorder

Currently tucked away in a quiet office in Davidson Hall, the CCSU Foundation, which provides scholarship money for students, is working to expand the amount of money it gives to the university.

The CCSU Foundation, which works closely with the Office of Institutional Advancement, will be moving downtown in the coming weeks.

"We are here to advance the mission of the university," said Christopher Galligan, the Vice President For Institutional Advancement, who states that about four percent of CCSU graduates have donated. "[It's a] good move for the university and the city," he said, continuing that the move will allow the foundation to "leverage our strengths" and be "part of the community."

"We need to be more aggressive in fundraising. That's a challenge, obviously we need more to give back. [We need] to get alumni

reconnected and engage," said Galligan.

Galligan estimates that there are 76,000 alumni from the university, last year, only 4,431 donated to the foundation. Galligan explains that the scholarships are meted out via an application process.

He said that the Foundation supports the mission of the university, increasing retention and enrollment. Galligan said that the Foundation understands the economic climate, and said that the Office of Institutional Advancement and the CCSU Foundation needs to do a better job fundraising.

Galligan estimates that the average "gift" awarded to students is $1,500. The Foundation is looking to grow the value of the endowment, the ultimate goal is 80 million. The interest off this endowment is what determines the amount of money available for scholarship.

But Galligan also said the institution also gives faculty a lot of grants, but said that, "the top priority is getting money back to

students." "[We] want to get alumni to connect. [We need to] appeal to any emotional attachment," said Galligan, who hopes to capitalize on student stories and successes.

There are efforts that the Office of Institutional Advance is making with the Student Government Association, including the creation of clubs like young alumni clubs and future alumni clubs. Another initiative was alumni as mentors.

Galligan states that the foundation hasn't had the resources in the past, but is hoping to expand its programs in the future.

Galligan wants to use the alumni base for increasing opportunities of co-ops, internships and networking.

The foundation wants alumni to "Not pay it forward, pay it back," according to Cindy Cayer, Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement.

"That is truly what we're about: student success," she continued, saying that it is important to have alumni connect their success in life with their university.

• The student government allocated the Communication Club $504, $238 will be going to their entertainment budget and $266 will be going towards travel. The club is planning on sending 10 members to NYC to tour NBC Studios.

“This trip goes perfectly with their mission statement,” said SGA Treasurer Kory Mills.

• The Neuroscience Club had requested to move $775, $475 would be going towards a bus and $300 going to tickets for the Body Exhibit in Hartford.

“Finance committee already denied them $100 for a tip for the bus driver, so we’re already saving money,” said Senator Lauren Hudobenko.

The senate passed the proposal with a 24-6-1 vote.

• SGA approved the Society of Paranormal Research of $1,000. The club is planning on spending $300 to go to the Mark Twain house in Hartford, $400 going towards the Salem

Witch Museum and $300 to see the House of Seven Gables.

They are planning on sending 50 people and will have a joint field trip with the History Club.

“The clubs are saving money by working hand in hand,” said Senator Bobby Berriault.

• The Pep Squad inquired about moving $200 from their coaching to their entertainment budget.

Senator Connor Fallanca said “the squad has recently been coaching themselves.” The motion passed and the Pep Squad will now have a DJ for their Showcase.

• The student government allocated the Geology and Planetary Science Club $700.

The club will be attending a conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the $700 will go towards accommodations.

• Japanese American Culture Club requested $2,800 from SGA to take a trip to NYC. The trip will last two days and one night, they plan on taking 40 people. The motion was passed with a 21-6-1 senate vote.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 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 Amanda Webster awebster@centralrecorder.com Managing Editor Rachael Bentley rbentley@centralrecorder.com Art Director Sean Ferris ferris2011@my.ccsu.edu

Only 'Protected Class' Bullying Defended By Law continued from page 1 faculty, administrators and staff.

All individuals have the right to enjoy an environment free from forms of conduct that can be considered abusive, such as bullying, mobbing or harassment.

In addition, academic freedom can exist only when every person is free to pursue ideas in a non-threatening atmosphere of mutual respect. CCSU is committed to protecting the academic freedom and freedom of expression of all members of the school community.”

If an employee were to harass another due to their protected class, they have the right to sue. If they harass for any other reason not in the protected class, nothing can be done. The above statement and proposals from the Committee on the Concerns of Women are meant to change that.

“I don’t want a protected class,” Hermes asserts.

Although a protected class may seem like all you need as a defense, any traits you have that are not part of the protected class are vulnerable to harassment and subsequently left without lawful justice. For example, Hermes mentioned obesity, which is not part of a protected class. So if a co-worker is bullying someone because of their weight, there is no case that can be filed.

There are no reported cases of harassment between faculty members on campus, but it is highly possible that it could happen. The Committee on the Concerns of Women has information on the school website including statistics. One statistic states, “Thirty-seven percent of American workers, an estimated 54 million people, have been bullied at work. It effects half (49%) of American workers, 71.5 million workers, when witnesses are included.”

One key piece of information mentioned on the website: “The Connecticut General Assembly has twice had bills on workplace bullying that would allow a private right of action by the target, the first of which made it out of the Labor Committee, the second of which did not. Neither was passed.”

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Student-Athletes Reach Out It’s good to build strong relationships with them and there are some kids there who need help and that’s what we’re there for.

- Jack Ayers Paige Brown The Recorder

Student athletes all around campus are becoming more involved in the community. The teams are working with groups locally and nationally to help in all different ways.

The CCSU student-athlete community outreach program is reaching all mediums of volunteerism, from reading to elementary children to hosting matches to raise awareness for breast cancer.

“We get a lot of calls from around the state asking for our studentathletes to be involved,” said Molly McCarthy, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance & Student Services.

“The word got out that our students were interested.”

McCarthy manages the daily calls that come in from all different groups and organizations asking for the athletes to be involved and help out.

She strives to accommodate every group that asked for involvement by giving ideas to coaches and keeping up continuing relationships that they have made.

“Some community outreach that we will do will be one-time shots, because it’s a one-time event,” she explained, “but what were really trying to do is not just that, but develop real relationships with groups.”

One group that the women’s basketball team has developed a relationship with is Urban Oaks Organic Farm, a non-profit in New Britain. They spend an hour and a half clearing the field and setting up for the farmers market.

Interval House, a domestic violence shelter in Hartford. is another long-developed relationship that the athletes have made over almost three and a half years. The men’s basketball team regularly visits and helps clean the facility and do activities with the children.

Along with the basketball teams, the men's and women’s golf teams, the volleyball team and even the swim team are becoming more involved

in community outreach. On Friday, November 1, the swim team hosted the New Britain Boys and Girls Club for a swim clinic.

“We do that a few times a year and also send other teams over there just to participate, whether its basketball or reading or just shooting pool, just to bridge that gap,” said McCarthy, referring the Boys and Girls Club.

The women’s golf team has taken part in the First Tee of Connecticut in Cromwell, Conn., a youth development organization that utilizes golf.

Gina Grant of the women’s golf team explained, “they usually have sessions once a week with the kids that we’re able to go to for like an hour to two hours just working with the kids, playing with them. We use snag equipment, which is just oversized golf equipment that makes it easier for them to play.”

Grant, a senior at CCSU, enjoys playing with the kids and teaching them how to take shots. “They really love golf. We play a lot of games and they have a lot of fun. It’s good,” she said.

The men’s golf team also spends their weekends with kids, reading to them at a local school in New Britain.

“We read to the fourth graders at Lincoln Elementary School,” said Jack Ayers, sophomore on the men’s golf team. “We get there on Friday mornings and hang out with the kids and then we read a chapter of a book every week.”

All of the players on the team participate in interacting with the kids as well as the coach. The players and the kids enjoy the time they spend together and Ayers likes building the small relationships with each of them.

“I’m fortunate enough to work with my coach, Monte Mullen," said Ayers. "We work in the ESL class (English as a Second Language) and they are kind of a tough group of kids.

It’s good to build strong relationships with them and there are some kids there who need help and that’s what we’re there for."

The volleyball team has participated in multiple outreach programs, from hosting the Dig Pink Match to raise awareness for breast cancer to helping set up and participate in walks on and off campus.

Veronica Bann, senior volleyball player, is happy to help out the community and be involved in all different events.

“We helped out the Connecticut Children’s Hospital in the Spring and we all went and signed little volleyballs and posters and interacted with the children,” she said, “they seemed to really enjoy it and we really enjoyed it as well.”

Bann explained that the volleyball team has volunteered for the March of Dimes, setting up stations and cheering on the runners and walkers.

“It was fun,” she said, “We had bubbles and chalk and little fun activities for the walkers to do.”

Along with the March of Dimes, they participated in an MS walk. She explained that there is a staff member at CCSU who is very involved in the team whose husband has MS, so they supported him by walking.

The CCSU Athletic department works with the city of New Britain closely to help the children in the community make and keep goals for their future.

McCarthy stated, “In a couple weeks, we will be having students from the New Britain Truancy Project come onto campus, there is a large truancy problem apparently in New Britain. We are bringing some middle school students onto campus to try to engage with our student-athletes to show them what college is like.”

They hope to teach the children that going to college and even becoming a college level athlete can be a potential goal.

The outreach programs are starting to span not only to local

groups and organizations, but national and annual events, such as the National Girls and Women in Sports Day. On January 26, the CCSU athletic department hosted a free clinic for young female athletes to come to CCSU and learn from athletes from women’s soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, softball and golf.

“There were kids ranging from three to ten and we had every sports team do a different event,” said Bann.

“Girl’s soccer had little goalies and the girls could make tow teams and they would play soccer and we had a little drill for volleyball and would teach them how to pass and set…it was really fun getting the girls involved in sports and getting them to be active.”

Tommy Meade, Assistant Communication and Media Services Director, explained that this was their second year hosting the National Girls and Women in Sports Day at CCSU. “It’s been a pretty successful thing. We always get a pretty good turnout,” said Meade. “A lot of young ladies come out from around the area.

The entire purpose of the event is to promote women in athletics and all of the positive things that are associated with women in athletics whether it’s confidence or good grades or any of those positive attributes that you would get being involved in that type of thing. They are trying to get them involved at a young age.”

The overall idea of the community outreach program is to get studentathletes involved in helping out within their community. Not only do the groups and organizations like having them there to help, but also the athletes love doing it.

Ayers hopes him and his team will start doing more service to the community in the future. “It really brings our teams together and its fun helping out. You feel good about yourself.”

Veronica Bann interacting with kids at NGWSD.

photo | ccsu athletics

4

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / NEWS

Report Claims Adequate Campus Parking Available; Students Beg to Differ kiley krZyZek The recorder

Available parking for commuters, staff and students, has proven insufficient and a neusance throughout a normal school day at Central Connecticut State University. Though many attest to this inconvenience, reports show that the campus provides ample parking at all times of the day.

A 2013 Transportation Plan Study conducted by the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency claimed there are allegedly "1,000 free parking spaces at any given hour on campus". The May 2012 reported that 86% of respondents drive to campus.

With the CCSU student body consisting mostly commuter students, complaints about available parking are a commonality.

The students reported that either there was not enough parking or that available spots failed to suit their needs; they wanted parking closer to their classes.

The Official Parking Regulations, which were last revised on the website in 2003, states that everyone parking on campus, even visitors, need to have a parking passtemporary or not.

"All vehicles operating or parked on campus at any time must display valid CCSU registration decals or hang tags." It says that all visitors must obtain temporary parking

passes from the CCSU Police or designated department with granted permission, and park in designated "visitor parking spaces, if spaces are available."

Other factors impede parking unexpectedly like bans due to weather, sporting events, or an influx of visitors on campus that day. These things make it hard for students and staff to find parking.

"There's never enough spots because of sports games on the weekend and Copernicus is a maze and a traffic jam," said sophomore Ben Bruzik.

Of the 1,000 spots claimed to be available per week, 552 of these open spaces are in Copernicus garage. Popular parking locations, like James Lot, had zero empty spots. Other ideal spaces like the Student Center lot had just nine open spaces on average.

"Many respondents complained about the parking situation on campus," the report states. "Many of the students' comments were the same as the first survey on how there is no parking and it is hard to find a parking spot.

This causes them to be late to class."

Faculty were concerned with the lack of reserved parking. However, Vance Garage is dedicated to faculty during peak hours of the day (until 5 pm). The amount of free parking spaces in Vance garage were not reported in the study. They also can park by Willard which allots for six percent of the total available

spaces on campus.

Parking in Vance garage, the Willard lot, and the Manaford lot are reserved until 5pm, allowing student access afterwards.

Susan Sweeney, the Associate Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development says she is an outspoken advocate for students on the matter.

"I would not agree that faculty do not have enough parking. I've never seen the south garage full, it's in the center of campus," she said referring to Welte garage.

The report claims that Copernicus garage and Kaiser lot are both underutilized and suggests that if commuters parked there instead of circling around Welte and the Student Center garages and lots, they would then make it to class on time because it's a small campus.

"I don't really have a problem with parking because I am a resident," says Jill Moffett who usually parks in Copernicus. "The only time it is truly busy is about 3-5 pm and like 9-11 am," she says.

Resident students are also supposed to park in the Copernicus, Student Center or Welte Garage, though some students have qualms about certain garages on campus.

Though Copernicus may have a lot of free spots, students say that it isn't the most inviting place to park. The lack of interior lighting makes some students feel unsafe.

"Copernicus garage is awful. I don't feel safe parking my car there because people don't know how to drive in the garage," explains Megan Hislop, a sophomore.

Kaiser lot averaged 150 free spaces available weekly, not accounting its limited availability to students. The lot closes during inclement weather and maintenance needs to plow, along with other surface lots. There are also parking bans when there are certain sporting events going on.

Outside events that come to campus also makes it more difficult for tuition-paying students to find a space to park. Sweeney commented on the volume of classes and conferences happening at once and consuming parking.

"Faculty have favored times they like to teach, but is anyone monitoring that?" she advises, "Turn down conferences or tell the students so they can plan for parking. You can't even plan. I think students don't mind walking, it's just different everyday."

If you click on 'Visiting CCSU, Directions to Campus" there's a campus map where you can see all the different parking spaces on campus without suggested parking for visitors or students.

Though the study's results remain true to their numbers, students and faculty are adamant that, in terms of convenience and efficiency, the campus still needs improving.

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OPINION

5 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Lockdown Handled Properly All eyes are on Central after the events of Monday's tense lockdown. While most of the details of the investigation were still unknown as of Monday night, a question that has been raised is how the university handled the security crisis.

There has been praise and criticism on how students were notified and how police responded. In a press conference that was held in Alumni Hall on Monday, President Jack Miller applauded the security protocols and plans that the university had implemented.

He added that due to the fact that no one was injured and that the security crisis ended swiftly that the university's emergency systems were a success.

"From a personal standpoint I can say that in this situation, our prayers were answered,"

said President Miller.

However, there have been complaints that some students did not receive any phone calls, texts or email alerts, and that the information they did receive was delayed.While the school sent out an immediate warning through its on-campus Whelen loudspeaker system, the initial warning sounds were brief and had no follow up message. Only on the second broadcast was any information conveyed.

The main criticism with this method of delivery was the lack of recognition by students. Some students did not recognize the initial broadcast as a campus wide alert for lockdown, confusing the sounds with a fire alarm.

Additionally, messages sent by the university through text, email and voicemail

Editor’s Column:

were delayed, in some cases up to half an hour, or were not received at all. The reasons for these delays is unknown.

However, despite some of the criticism against the notification system, which is difficult to perfect, the response of both the CCSU administration as well as the combined police force of New Britain, Newington, West Hartford and the state police is to be commended.

According to CCSU interim police chief Chris Cervoni, the response time of the initial officers was less than a minute. And while some notifications may have been delayed, there is no evidence this is the case for all Central students.

In the end, the school and the authorities involved should be recognized and thanked

L ETTER T O T H E E D I T O R : SGA Senator Raises Concern With Report To the Editor,

A Thank You To The Staff aManda weBSTer The recorder

To say that this past Monday afternoon was intense is nothing short of an understatement. As I was just about to leave my job on campus to head to the Recorder office, Central was put into a lockdown and my phone immediately began ringing incessantly. Not only did I have family and friends who were concerned for my safety calling to check in, but I also had several people text me wanting news updates.

Before I even could send my first tweet, I had heard several different stories about what was possibly going on across campus.

Rumors of assault rifles, masked men and potential hostages had begun circulating and people wanted to know the facts. With shaking hands at the word "gunman" I grabbed my phone and began texting the people who I knew that I could count on to gather the facts: my staff.

Just one building over from Welte Auditorium, where I was along with several of my coworkers, my editors were locked inside the student center and already hard at work trying to determine fact from fiction. We all remained constant on social media and did our best to report accurate information in hopes to let the CCSU community know what exactly was happening and what their best course of action should be.

Though we were all in the midst of the chaos, my fellow reporters put aside personal

responsibilities in attempt to fulfill their journalistic responsibilities. Some of us ignored personal calls in favor of quick texts that simply read, "Safe. Reporting." to let their loved ones know that they were safe. My staff who could not be on campus even called in to ask if they could contribute anything of use.

The media is always portrayed as sensationalizing news and blowing things out of proportion in order to get ratings. I can say confidently that everyone who was reporting from the Recorder that day was focused on the safety of the students and faculty and worked tirelessly to get all the facts out to the public.

I have always had confidence in my staff, but after Monday's events I can say that I could not be more proud of the way they handled the situation. As students, we treat everything we do for the newspaper as a learning experience and we are always open to learn from our mistakes. I know this may sound as if I am bragging but I simply want to say that I am so proud of my staff and all the officials at CCSU for that matter. This situation, which as of this time seems to be some kind of misunderstanding, was handled well by all parties involved.

Yes we are reporters, but we are Blue Devil reporters. This is our campus too, and when a potential threat comes along we want to do whatever we can to help our fellow students.

We are here to serve our CCSU community and will continue to do our best to bring the campus the news that it needs to hear.

Ha ve a nd o p i n i on an d wan t t o wr i t e a b ou t it ?

Contact: awebster@centralrecorder.com

for their swift response time to what could have been a potentially deadly outcome. It is better that the university and police took immediate action rather than underestimate the situation.

While people may say that the security situation was blown out of proportion, in light of Sandy Hook it is hard to believe that any gunman threat will ever be taken lightly.

The university and all the authority involved responded quickly and efficiently; students were kept in place until the threat had passed.

In all, it was a chaotic situation that luckily ended with no injuries. Should anything like this happen again, Central should continue their good work on communicating with students and police and students should feel confident in their university.

The staff from The Recorder attended a different Open Forum than members of the Student Government and our student body attended. In a miscast and perhaps overly dramatic description of the event, the article titled “Open Forum Raises Difficult Questions” discusses a forum tension that simply didn’t occur.

Students were encouraged to attend the event to air concerns to both these groups: The Student Government and Faculty Panel. Representatives from the Academic Affairs Committee took rather copious notes that accurately recorded a variety of student concerns.

Questions from students were answered directly by those who were most in the know. The article in last week’s paper alluded to consistent tension between the students and faculty panel where instead there was a mature dialogue.

These misleading article phrases do not accurately depict this event: “Tension between the panel and the crowd rose…” and “The panel was silent after such an introduction to the

forum.” Instead of silence and tension as the article describes, the faculty took reasonable amounts of time to respond to each concern. There was a free and forthright exchange of ideas among attendees.

Lest there be any further misunderstanding, the staff of The Recorder did not interview any member of the Student Government or members of the Faculty Panel. Faculty attended the event to help. They are on the same team as us. Membership on the panel included the Director of Admissions, Director of CACE, current, and former department chairpersons who all took time out of their schedules to engage with the students and answer questions. Let’s recall the tenor of this event. It was neither dramatic nor negative. Students had the opportunity to discuss concerns about reaching graduation; and faculty responded appropriately.

Alexander Lee Chairman, SGA Academic Affairs Committee

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6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / OPINION

Conquer The Loneliness Reach Out To Others Joe SuSZcZynSki The recorder

This past May, I made a decision that some kids my age eventually do: I moved out of my parents' house. My grandfather died 13 years ago and grandmother sadly passed away in January. I was given the choice to move out of my parents' house and into my grandparents' house. Where I would essentially be housesitting for my parents so that they would not have to maintain the upkeep of the property themselves.

Without hesitation, I said yes. I wanted to get out of my parent’s house because of the opportunities it would bring. I would have been absolutely foolish to pass up an offer like this.

However, given the time that I have come to live here and despite the fun I’ve been having, one thing has been creeping on me from time to time: loneliness.

It’s been lonely - and frankly it sucks.

Comically, I started to refer to my house as “The

Fortress of Solitude” despite not being a fan of Superman.

The University of Texas at Dallas has a webpage dedicated to help college students or people in general who are dealing with loneliness.

They first differentiate the difference between being lonely and being alone. It states that being alone is the person spending time in solitude whereas being lonely is a mental mindset. The mental mindset can include certain fears with the webpage listing “the fear of being bored and not being able to entertain; fear of feeling sad or depressed; fear of not marrying or having children in the future; and existential fears such as being alone in the universe” as examples.

The page continues to give advice on how to alleviate some of those feelings. It says, “Recognize that loneliness is a common experience that doesn't last forever and can be changed. Identify what needs aren't being met in your life (i.e., meaningful friendships, being involved in social activities, feeling secure with

being alone at times). Discover what might be going on in your life that may be contributing to your loneliness (i.e., living in a new place where you don't know anyone, recent loss or major life transition, not feeling secure with the people you spend time with). Avoid things that could perpetuate loneliness such as isolating yourself from others and evaluating yourself in negative terms.”

Advice like that rings true because I had to come to certain grips myself. I couldn’t keep this “woe is me” mentality because it quickly becomes pathetic. I just have to take it day by day and become more optimistic about life. It’s easier said than done, but it’s all about the mindset.

In addition, there’s advice on how to create friendships. Examples include, “Remind yourself that meeting new people and building friendships requires some risk, join clubs or groups in which you have a genuine interest, find a study or exercise partner, smile, make eye contact, be willing to listen, let people know

you are available, and be yourself, improve your ability to be genuine and trusting in relationships to bring you closer to others, remember that not everyone has to like you and you don't have to be friends with everyone, don't judge new friendships based on past experiences, be open to new perspectives,” amongst others.

I don’t quite have trouble in this area. I have some friendships that I hold near and dear to myself. I try my best to go out with my friends whenever an opportunity comes up. My loneliness is more of the mental mindset than the physical aspect of loneliness.

But that doesn’t mean that other people have this same luxury as I. This is a great list for the shy kid who just wants a friend. If I were in such a situation, I'd follow this advice.

Everyone’s story is different. People who feel loneliness have to find their own means of alleviating it. If they don’t, it will consume you and leave you feeling miserable; it’s not a good way to go through life.

Love Your Body Modern Day Stigmas Skew Self-Confidence rachael BenTley The recorder

When I was growing up, I idolized women like Kate Winslet, Topanga Lawrence, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Marilyn Monroe for their allurement and confidence on-screen. I admired and marveled at them and their beauty. As the years went on, my idea of what a beautiful woman looked like became vastly different from my initial assessment, thanks to a bombardment of social stigmas that claimed that thinner women women were more attractive.

But I should have stayed true to my original idols, because they knew the one thing trick that makes a woman truly beautiful; their bodies have nothing to do with it.

In a recent post on the famous site Upworthy. com, there was a disturbing expose on how drastically women in the modeling world are manipulated and photoshopped to look more "beautiful". A woman who, in my opinion, was extremely good looking to begin with, was poked, plucked, tanned, curled and adjusted.

She was then photoshopped in post so much that she did not look like the same woman. I would even stretch to say she looked worse.

There is a sick and perverse message being sent to our younger generations and it has been permeating through the media for years.

Women like Lindsey Lohan, Nicole Richie and Kelly Clarkson have all struggled with body image issues and submitting to ridiculous industry standards.

Acclaimed actress Anne Hathaway dropped 25 pounds from her already fit physique for her role as Fantine in Les Miserables, in 2012.

She explained to the Huffington Post about her experience and what it did to her mentally.

"I was in such a state of deprivation—physical and emotional," she said. "When I got home, I couldn’t react to the chaos of the world without being overwhelmed. It took me weeks till I felt like myself again."

We tell ourselves that we need to have a healthy body image, so we work out, eat healthy, say no to sweets and drink SkinnyGirl beverages just so we don't cringe at the reflection in the

mirror. But is that really what constitutes as healthy? Being happy with your body and who you are, naturally, is what women like Zeta-Jones knew back when we were all drooling over her in 'The Mask of Zorro.'

Our society is obsessed with telling women what they think of other women's bodies, but what gives us the right to call other women too fat or too skinny, if they are happy with their own physique. It disgusts me how many times I have heard women talk about each other in ways that are less than benevolent.

We should be in each others' corners and not give one another judgmental looks when we reach for a dessert or grimace when we walk past a treadmill. Young women are way too prone to speak their opinion about other women's bodies, because it has nothing to do with them.

Many assume that the women with the skinnier, thinner, more muscular bodies are more confident, but that is a sweeping generalization that is inaccurate at best.

Women with thicker, more curvaceous bodies can be just as confident, if not more, than women who are more thinly built. Looking at photos of Marilyn Monroe and Kat Dennings also proves that being shapely can be totally sexy. There is no reason women who are wellendowed and proud should feel like they have to be anything but themselves.

There was a time when women prayed for curves in all the right places, and would pay large amounts of money so they wouldn't be seen as skinny. Those who could afford to nibble on sweets and bread were considered luxurious and successful.

People shouldn't feel like they have to second-guess every decision they make based on social stigmas. If you wanna work out, you go to that Zumba class. If you want to sit at home with a bottle of wine and some chocolate, I commend you. We all need it sometimes.

I only hope that our society can get comfortable with all different sorts of body types and people. We have to re-focus our drive on being happier and more confident, rather than caring so much about what other people think.

PhoTo | SPinMedia

UPGRADE Concert

Review

Sean begin The Recorder

This past May, I made a decision that some kiA misperception exists about electronic music that since it’s made with a computer and not live instruments, it must not actually be music.

In reality, producing quality music on a computer requires the same amount of musical knowledge as does playing a guitar or sax or piano.

And when someone like Colorado-based producer Derek Vincent Smith, better known as Pretty Lights, comes along with knowledge of both styles, an amazingly organic blend of music is created.

Over the summer, Pretty Lights released his newest album “A Color Map of the Sun.” All of his work beforehand had been produced using

7 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

prett y lights samples. But in his newest project, Pretty Lights brought in live session musicians to record his own samples.

These were pressed to vinyl and used as samples for “Color Map.” Pretty Lights took this concept to the road, putting together a live band, using some of those session musicians, on his current Analog Future Tour which stopped in Wallingford, CT Saturday night.

The tour, which kicked off just under a month ago, is Pretty Lights’ most ambitious undertaking yet.

Two keyboardists, a live drummer, and a brass section consisting of a trumpeter and a trombonist accompany Pretty Lights who even plays live bass guitar on occasion.

The live show was a perfect blend of electronic and instrumental music, the computer controlled music of Pretty Lights complemented by the

drums, brass, keyboards, and piano.

Blending songs both old and new, Pretty Lights had the whole of the Oakdale Theater dancing to his beat, all while a well-choreographed light show helped set the mood.

Playing for about two and a half hours, Pretty Lights brought the crowd through a multitude of musical highs and lows, showcasing his ability to play on the emotion of a crowd.

The live band moved seamlessly with Pretty Lights, ready to play any song he chose.

He dropped, among others, “Vibe Vendetta”, “One Day They’ll Know” and “Go Down Sunshine” off the new album and classic songs like “More Important than Michael Jordan” and “I Know the Truth,” all seamlessly accompanied by the live instrumentation on stage.

Perhaps in a nod to daylight savings time, he also played his

remixes of Pink Floyd’s “Time” and The Steve Miller Band’s “Fly like an Eagle,” both of which had the crowd moving.

The stage set up only added to the show, with each member of the live band getting their own platform to stand on, each one edged in light.

As his name suggests, the lights were nothing but pretty, and would darken to red and blue or brighten to purple, green, and yellow depending on the mood of the song being played.

The tour has featured a plethora of artists, but for his stop in Connecticut, Pretty Lights brought along SuperVision and heRobust.

A longtime member of the Pretty Lights Music label, SuperVision kicked the night off with a traditional DJ set, playing an electro funk style of music characteristic of PLM. Using vinyl records and a pair of turntables, SuperVision gave a lesson on where

DJ started, showing off his skills at scratching and juggling records.

Following him was Atlanta-based trap producer heRobust, whose affinity for puns is evident in his moniker. Trap originated in Atlanta and heRobust provided his own take on it, breaking up the funky mood of the other two acts with a bass heavy set that had the whole room grooving.

The performance was easily one of the best to pass through Connecticut this year and was a perfect example of how musical electronic music really is, especially in the hands of someone whose passion for it is evident in the show he puts on.

More than just a traditional DJ set, the Pretty Lights live band is Derek Vincent Smith’s vision of a unique electronic dance experience that showcases his unique brand of “electrohiphopsoul” music.

Sean begin | the recorder

Pretty Lights at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford last Sunday.

Steve Aoki "Aokifies" The Oakdale Lauren Cannon The Recorder

Last Sunday Steve Aoki played at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford and I was lucky enough to be able to see one of my favorite DJs. The "Aokify America" tour kicked off on October 4 in Chicago, and made its way all the way to Wallingford, Connecticut.

The lineup varied for this tour including Wacka Flocka, Pharell, Borgore, Dirty Phonics and Felix Cartel, among others.

Most of you may recognize Mr. Aoki from last year when he played here at Central. If you are not familiar with Steve Aoki he

is a DJ/producer and founder of Dim Mak records which he started in 1996 and has produced some of the amazing hits and remixes like "Turbulence" and "Pursuit of Happiness", originally by Kid Cudi.

He could be considered a House and EDM DJ here in America and around the world.

You could also call him an entertainer. When attending his concerts you will not be sitting down or watching quietly; his concerts are intense and quite the workout. With all the jumping the screaming and of course the caking it makes for quite the night.

Some of his famous trademarks are "caking" the audience (throwing a cake into an audience member's

face), crowd surfing in a raft and spraying the audience with champagne.

The concert started off with some opening acts, including Dirty Phonics which is another band of DJs from France that are signed to Dim Mak records. Then came Wacka Flocka, not being much of a fan I didn’t watch too much of his act but the crowd went crazy and clearly his performance was good enough but for me was subpar. Of course he played his most popular songs like "No Hands and "Hard In The Paint".

Finally after all the anticipation and chanting, Aoki took the stage, he played "Turbulence", "Pursuit of Happiness", "Warp", "Come With

Me" and one of his amazing new singles "Boneless".

This concert was one of the best I have ever been to. Not only is his music amazing but his stage presence is just as impressive. For those of you who haven’t been to a concert such as this one, it's hard to describe the experience.

Everyone’s just jumping up and down and dancing; the bass is so loud that it practically electrifies you. He did his usual caking of the audience and pulled members of the audience on stage and on his rafts that crowd surfs with.

My friend and student here at CCSU was able to go on stage and get caked which was quite the experience. At the end of the

concert were the usual chants for an encore and of course he gave one to us. Wacka Flocka and Steve took the stage together one last time before closing the show and really hyped up the crowd. I have so much fun at these concerts; some people criticize him for putting on a show rather than actually playing music but I could care less. Sometimes putting on a show is just as fun as going to see your favorite singer and just watching them sit in a chair singing a melody. My night was made when I was pulled on to one of his rafts and crowd surfed. Hands down, this concert was totally worth the money. And if you’re wondering, yes my ears are still ringing.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / UPGRADE

Batman (1966) Joe SuSZcZynSki The recorder

Along with Superman, Batman has to be one of the most popular superheroes from DC Comics. With his black suit, cape, utility belt, his sense of detection, fighting skills and his vehicle dubbed “The Batmobile”, Batman is an exceptional superhero.

Many movies, live action and animated, have depicted the caped crusader. There was even a television series that ran in the midto-late 1960s starring Adam West as the dark knight who also starred in the first live action Batman movie created in 1966.

I really enjoy watching this film.

It is just so entertaining that I find myself laughing at this film due to the way Batman is portrayed in this series.

The story is about Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) trying to take down super villains Joker, Penguin, Cat Woman and Riddler (Caesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Lee Meriwether and Frank Gorshin) who have all teamed up to take over the world.

One thing that stands out in the movie compared to other Batman adaptations is how Batman is portrayed. For example in Christopher Nolan’s recent Batman trilogy, the hero was a grim, brooding anti-hero out to do what needs to be done for Gotham City even unconventional means were needed to get the job done.

He still adhered to his moral code.

And there’s nothing wrong with that depiction because it was done well.

However Batman, in this version, is completely the opposite. This film is a campy romp that’s been ramped up to eleven. It is very silly and does not take itself seriously. And Gotham is not portrayed as a gritty environment that’s been infested with human vermin. This portrayal is just as entertaining because it can show Batman as a funny, but competent superhero without all the grittiness in Nolan’s depictions.

Adam West and Burt Ward are great portraying Batman and Robin.

They have wonderful film chemistry.

The villains are the ones who truly shine in this film. I liked the fact that they used four villains for this movie because they all just seemed to work very well together. Most movies that have multiple villains seem to botch that idea badly due to the lack of balance. This film found a way to properly balance all of them in regards to screen time. They also played off each other brilliantly, taking jabs at each other and trying to outdo each other while trying to take down the two heroes.

There are plenty of scenes that are comedic gold. One funny scene is Batman trying to dispose a bomb safely and cannot find any place to get rid of it without hurting innocent people. After frantically trying he just stops and says to himself, “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb.” The bit ends with Batman disposing it in the nick of time. That scene along with others was very entertaining.

I would recommend the 1966 “Batman” to anyone who wants to watch a Batman film that isn’t into the dark and gritty Chris Nolan version of Batman, although personally those are good in their own right. The acting is competent and the film provides the laughs.

This version of Batman is classic and for that needs to be respected.

Review Concert

Respect The Classics

DrAKe

COLUMN

The Shining

Artist Thrills XL Center aundrea Murray The recorder

Musically, Hartford has been quite fortunate with the number of celebrities to have blessed the city with their presence, and last weekend, the presence of rapper Drake was no exception. Hearts melted at the thought that not only Drake but award-winning artists Miguel and Future had plans to hit the stage to impress hundreds of CT residents. Without a ticket, one could have guaranteed themselves a poorly-spent Saturday evening.

Traffic on I-84 that night, whether east or westbound, illustrated how successful of a show it would be. License plates from New York, Massachusetts and even as far as New Jersey congested the downtown Hartford area making onlookers curious of what the hype was all about.

Connecticut’s number one radio station, Hot 93.7, had stereo systems bumping with a bountiful amount of Drake’s hit songs. It was just enough to raise the anticipation of witnessing a performance known to sell out dozens of shows across the country.

Between listening to oldies like his debut track “Successful” and hearing the progress with his music all of the way to his club-favorite “Started From The Bottom”, Drake fans especially knew they had much to look forward to.

Hartford’s XL Center was a zoo of people selling T-shirts embroidered with Drake’s album cover and herds of some of the his most dedicated supporters. By 8pm, the once extremely packed hallways were slowly becoming more and more scarce. The show had begun and Future was already working his way onstage to get the swelling crowd excited.

He learned quickly that the entire stadium was beyond prepared for the main event. He still managed to entertain us all, as antsy as we all were.

Miguel’s performance did the complete opposite of what many believe would happen

when he touched the stage. It was as though every minute that passed without Drake being on stage would be the longest minute ever.

In retrospect, Miguel’s energy provided so much energy for the crowd, that even for a split second, Drake was the last thing on our minds. His acrobatic dance moves riled people up while his soothing voice calmed everyone down again. But by the end, everyone was ready to see Drake.

There were no magic carpets, no hidden Ferraris and definitely no shocking surprises for his entrance. Running on stage like he was as excited to see the crowd as the crowd was to see him, not a single soul could have been sitting down. An eruption of screams and cheers was overwhelming; it was as if President Obama had walked onto the stage.

What was thought to be a pretty predictable event turned out to be filled with surprises after all, starting with guest performer Jhene Aiko. Her angelic voice on the song “From Time” is something most looked forward to hearing over the speakers, but to witness her presence in person had a sentimental effect on an otherwise lively show. She dressed in all white, matching Drake’s pure white ensemble and wowed the audience.

That was not the beginning.

Drake completely transformed the inside of the XL Center. His stage was split into two large circles, creating an incredible focus point directly at him. Mid-way through the show, a circular cage was suspended from the air over the crowd for him to walk on. He spent the next 20 minutes catering to each and every section of the venue, pointing out fans and calling the attention to any fan that stood out to him. It was such a personal touch that drove fans wild.

By night’s end, Downtown’s streets flooded with people with lost voices and ringing ears. The musical remains of the evening still lingered among the fans; Drake had given Connecticut a night to remember.

aundrea Murray | The recorder

Drake at the XL Center.

PhoTo | warner BroS.

chriS Pace The recorder

On Wednesday October 3, The Psychology Club hosted a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror film "The Shining" in the Marcus White Living Room.

“We almost showed 'American Psycho' but decided to screen 'The Shining' instead,” CCSU student Jess Howard said.

The film has many aspects that normal horror movies do, but it’s more of a psychological thriller if anything.

“We’ve been thinking of doing this since last spring,” Howard commented.

"The Shining" is a novel written

by Stephen King and adapted into Kubrick’s film. It tells the story of a writer who overlooks a hotel in Colorado during the off-season so he can write a new story. But almost immediately after they move in, Jack Torrance, the main character becomes more and more possessed by the horrific acts of murder that occurred at the hotel years before.

Jack Torrance isn’t the only one who notices things happening in the hotel. His son, a child, is telepathic and can see things that other people cannot see. The mother is just about the only character in the movie that is oblivious to her surroundings.

It is said that after his first viewing, King hated what Kubrick did to his novel. Things were changed without the author’s permission (as Kubrick usually did) and he was unhappy with the plot line.

“A lot of people say it’s not that bad, it’s not a traditional horror film,” said Laura Hampton a junior at CCSU and vice president of the Psychology Club. Laura had never seen the movie before so she was in for a great two and a half hours.

The club brought it two big bags of candy for the screening as well as soda and a popcorn machine.

Laura encouraged anyone interested in coming to dress up in costumes but no one came with one on.

Only about ten people showed up which was much less than what they expected, but taking place in the living room really set the mood for a psychological thriller.

Seeing the paintings, light fi xtures, bookshelf and furniture creeped people out as they turned the lights off and the film started with the scary music.

For someone who had never seen the movie before, Laura said, “The movie was very well done. I did like it.... Had a hard time getting to sleep but ya know. I think it was a cool psychological thriller and they had a cool plot twist at the end that was up for interpretation.”

Although the turnout wasn’t exactly what the club expected, it was a pretty cool idea right before Halloween to show a horror movie in the most vulnerable room on campus. Hopefully next year the Psychology Club does this again but has many more visitors.

9

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / SPORTS OPINION

SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

OPINION

COLUMN

A Yankees Fan's Grudging Respect Sean Begin The recorder

Last Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox clinched their eighth World Series title in franchise history, their third in the last decade. Fittingly, it was the first title clinched at home since their championship run in 1918.

“The Boston Red Sox are the 2013 World Series Champions,” Joe Buck exclaimed after Koji Uehara made Matt Carpenter look foolish, swinging and missing on a typical Koji slider for the final out.

It’s a sentence I’ll never enjoy hearing.

As a diehard Yankees fan since I was nine, the idea of October success for the Red Sox is as comforting as a dentist’s drill boring into your teeth without localized anesthetic.

But as I watched Koji get that last out and jump into the arms of catcher David Ross, and as I watched David Ortiz put on that black military helmet, I found myself not at all bitter that the Sox were world champions.

It was an unusual feeling to say the least and I began to wonder why it wasn’t making me upset.

Maybe it’s because Boston had to endure the horror of the Boston

Paige Brown | The recorder

Marathon bombings. The city needed something to uplift them. And this isn’t the first time a baseball team has been the catalyst for healing in a city traumatized by terror.

The Yankees played a similar role in 2001, following the events of 9/11.

The three come-from-behind wins in games three, four, and five against the Arizona Diamondbacks are some of the most memorable moments in postseason history. And even though the Yankees lost that series in seven games, it remains the best series that I’ve personally ever seen.

So yes, the city needed some joy after that day, and the Red Sox and Big Papi were ready to be Boston Strong.

But what really makes me okay with this Boston team winning is in what Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington accomplished putting this team together and the way John Farrell managed them.

Cherington brought in guys like Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes, who weren’t necessarily the best hitters but who could fix the “chicken and beer” image of the previous season. He overspent on Shane Victorino but got a valuable clubhouse leader who just happened to get hot when the bases were loaded this postseason.

Red Sox celebrate first World Championship at home in 95 years.

And he pulled the trigger midseason, trading slick fielding shortstop Jose Iglesias to get Jake Peavy, who proved to be a valuable fourth starter for the Sox. In Iglesias’ place the Red Sox inserted 21-yearold Xander Bogaerts, a key piece in the run to the title.

Farrell, who left his position as Boston’s pitching coach for the manager’s job in Toronto, became a familiar face for the clubhouse and proved to be a unifying force. It’s tough to gauge a manager’s value because there aren’t hard statistics to show how he impact’s wins and losses. But you can’t deny he kept his team going, especially when they lost not one but two closers before the revelation of Koji arrived.

As a baseball fan first, it’s impossible to ignore the incredible turnaround of the Red Sox this season and the work of Cherington and Farrell. For a team to go from worst to first - as cliché as the story may be - is, in reality, astounding. And I find myself with no choice but to applaud and congratulate Boston on a wellplayed season.

But as a loyal member of the Evil Empire, it still stings to see Boston win.

PhoTo | Flickr

Sticks And Stones Paige Brown The recorder

The bullying controversy surrounding the Miami Dolphins has proven that bullying has no age limit and no matter how strong you may look on the outside, words can break you down.

If you haven’t been following the story, Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin took leave after he was allegedly bullied by his teammate.

Dolphins guard Richie Incognito supposedly left voicemails, sent texts and pulled pranks on Martin, threatening his well being and bullying his teammate with racial slurs.

Incognito’s actions pushed Martin so far to the edge that he felt that it would be best to leave.

Not just leave the locker room or the hotel they were staying at, but leave the team. No practice, no playing.

People are looking at Martin in an unfair light, accusing him of being a snitch or weak. But who is actually the weak one here? The one who took action and walked away from his bully…or the one who spent his time tormenting his own teammate?

Yahoo! Sports News reported that Incognito was bullied in third grade, being called a “whale” or “lardass,” insulting his weight.

However, just because someone was bullied in elementary school doesn’t give them the right to threaten the life of someone else.

Aren’t NFL players supposed to be good role models? I surely would not want my child to know that their favorite player or idol bullied their teammate to their breaking point.

According to ESPN, Incognito left a voicemail on Martin’s phone saying, “Hey, wassup, you half n----- piece of [expletive]…I saw you on Twitter, you been training ten weeks. I want to [expletive] in your [expletive] mouth. I’m going to slap your real mother across the

face (laughter). [Expletive] you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you.”

This leaves me, and I’m sure many others, speechless. There were texts sent to Martin as well, threatening specific members of his family and petty, pathetic teasing in the locker room.

No wonder he left. I sure would. These are the kinds of things you see in movies, although usually in a middle school age group.

The Dolphins, who at first supported Incognito, suspended him on Sunday after Martin’s family complained about the abuse and harassment. However, the team is definitely at fault when it comes to handling this type of situation the correct way.

Martin reached out to head coach Joe Philbin about the issues last spring. Nothing came from the talk since the organization assumed the problems concluded.

Along with the teasing in the locker rooms and the threatening and racist voicemails and texts, Martin’s teammates forced him, along with other rookies, to pay $15,000 for a trip to Vegas that he didn’t even go on.

Though making rookies pay large amount of money for trips and food is a “hazing” problem that the Dolphins franchise has been working towards stopping, it was just another issue for Martin to add to his laundry list of oppressions.

Remember that saying “sticks and stones make break my bones, but words will never hurt me”?

Well this scenario shows just how wrong that statement is.

Just because an NFL player is portrayed as big and strong, doesn’t mean he can never hurt.

Words can truly hurt a person, no matter how thick their skin may appear. Hopefully Incognito will not come back to play for the Dolphins and Martin will have the full support from friends, family, fans and teammates to make his comeback and show his talent.

PhoTo | aP

Richie Incognito (left) and Jonathan Martin (right) at training camp.

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / SPORTS

Mullen Finds Patience Sean begin The Recorder

steve mclaughlin | steve Mclaughlin photography

Monte Mullen watches his shot at the Yale Macdonald Cup in early October.

Ask any athlete who has met success about the need for patience and they’ll talk about how key it is to not rush, to not push, but to let the game come naturally.

For Central Connecticut golfer Monte Mullen, that lesson seems to have been learned, as evidenced by his increasingly consistent play and his win last weekend at the NEIGA Championships held in Brewster, Mass.

“He’s a very competitive guy. You don’t have to motivate him too much,” said Coach Kevin Giancola.

“My patience has gotten the best of me. I haven’t been patient at all,” said Mullen. “Coach has been working with me trying to get me to relax and calm down, sort of let golf come to me.”

Mullen, a junior majoring in finance, has done just that, saying he’s not been pushing but, rather, letting the game come to him and just having fun.

“This month…I’ve just gone out and started playing, and I think it’s made the difference in scores between September and October,” he said.

Over eight rounds in September, Mullen average a score of 74 per round, shooting 594 for the month. In October, he shot 578 over eight rounds, a 72 per round average.

More importantly, his play has become increasingly consistent. In September, Mullen shot his lowest round of the season, a second round 67 at the CCSU Blue Devil Invitational.

But he also shot is highest round at VCU Shootout, carding an 80 in the third round.

Mullen’s lowest round score in October is a 70, which he has hit twice at Yale Macdonald Cup and in his NEIGA victory. His highest round was a first round 77 at the UConn Connecticut Cup. “I didn’t notice [a change] until the first round of this past tournament up at the Cape. I wasn’t really thinking throughout the day. I was just going out and having fun,” said Mullen.

Mullen first encountered golf when he was just an infant, after his father took him and his older brother to a driving range. Mullen says his dad’s interest is what sparked his love for the game.

“He took my brother because he was old enough, but he lost interest in it and I picked

up his club and started hitting with it.”

Mullen would play four years of varsity golf at Farmington High School, where he won the Connecticut Junior PGA Championship his senior year. In his junior year he won the Division I state title and the Connecticut Junior Amateur Championship.

After a lukewarm response from different coaches about playing college golf, Mullen eventually started talking with Giancola, who wanted Mullen to come play at Central. The decision to come to New Britain has proven to be a good one.

“It’s a good balance of academics and sports and it helps being so close to home,” said Mullen of attending Central.

Mullen got his first victory last season when he won the CCSU Fall Invitational. His win at the NEIGA Championship, unlike his win last year, came in a team victory as well.

“Whenever you have the personal success it’s like, yes, I accomplished something,” said Mullen. “But,” he adds, “the team win is way more important. To have four or five guys come together and shoot a good enough score to win is definitely better than the individual one.”

Mullen won last weekend’s tournament after a two-hole playoff against Joseph Leavitt of University of Rhode Island. Both players bogeyed the first hole, but Mullen hit par for the second hole to edge Leavitt.

Going into the playoff, Giancola said “I just told him to keep doing what he’s doing and just try to hit good solid shots and trust his game and trust his swing.”

“I didn’t really have too many nerves. But you sort of have to play your man, in a way, instead of playing the course,” said Mullen.

The lack of nerves may be a by-product of his more laid back play of the last few weeks.

As Mullen said, “I relaxed and had some fun with it.”

The change in Mullen’s approach to the game has allowed him to have more consistency in his game, but Giancola knows there’s room for improvement.

“Monte played very consistently but he needs to work on a few things to get even better than he has,” said Giancola.

The Blue Devils, though, - who will spend the winter working on their conditioning and fine tuning their game – have certainly ended the fall season on a high note, led by Mullen.

Goldm an Dives into Early Success Sean begin The Recorder

Walking into the Jack Suydam Natatorium, the expected-but-stillpungent chlorine smell hits first, followed by a pressing humidity that settles in slowly.

At the other end of the 50 meter pool, Jessica Goldman is jumping on a gymnastics style trampoline, strapped into a belt that’s attached by guide ropes to a 30-foot tall blue metal frame.

After a few bounces to gain some height, she twists and spins, landing feet first and restarting her bounce, practicing the move a few more times. She unstraps herself and heads to the diving board where she attempts the same twist and spin move during her dive.

“It’s like a simulation of what you’re going to do in the pool,” says Goldman of the trampoline work.

“I was trying to learn something new - how to twist - today.”

For Goldman, trampoline work is not new territory. In fact, neither is the spinning and flipping inherent in the world of diving.

As a kid, Goldman spent eight years in gymnastics before stopping in the eighth grade due to the sports stress on her body. Still looking to stay active, she tried several other sports before settling with diving.

“Because I had such a strong background [in gymnastics], it

really came natural to me,’ said the game. I met with [diving coach] team. “It’s such a small world,” says Goldman of her decision to start Michael [Trueworthy] and did a Goldman. diving. “Everything that I did in tour of the school. And it was like, For Goldman, the decision to gymnastics I basically just found a that’s the school I was missing and dive collegiately was a last minute way to apply it to one, “but I’m diving.” so happy I did Goldman, who it,” she said. “It’s grew up in nearby amazing.”

Newington, That last competed as a minute decision diver during all has seen Goldman four of her years at meet great success Newington High in her freshman School. During year as well as so this time she far this year, her attended diving second on the camps around the team. In the NEC country, including Championships at Indiana last season, University which Goldman took she calls “a really first place in both amazing place to the 1-meter and dive,” as well as 3-meter events. participating on And she has club teams both started this season at Central and at off by winning Trinity College.

NEC Diver of the When the time Week in each of the came for Goldman first three weeks, to decide where to photo | ccsu athletics culminating with attend school, her a win at the Blue original choices Jessica Goldman mid-dive at Blue Devil Invitational.

Devil Diving did not even Invitational last include Central. “It wasn’t even it was kind of right in front of my Saturday. on my list at first,” she says. But face this entire time.”

“She’s a totally different diver after looking and visiting multiple Ironically, Goldman’s now than she was just a year ago. The schools, nothing seemed like a high school diving coach and scores reflect it,” said Trueworthy. good fit for her.

Trueworthy had been members Goldman has put in a lot of time “I came to Central, really late in together on the UConn diving not only in the pool but in her work

outside it, spending time in both the weight room and on dry land, running circuits of the campus to keep up her endurance.

“You wouldn’t think you have to because it’s just taking a few steps off a board but doing that for two hours in a row you need to have endurance,” she said.

For Goldman, all the hard work and the 6 a.m. practices and long weeks are worth it when she competes successfully. For her the goal is to not only once again compete and win at the NECs, but score high enough to earn a spot to what’s called zones, a tournament following the NECs featuring the best NCAA swimmers and divers in the region.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure but I hope that she’ll qualify for zones. She’s not too far away right now. So it’s within the realm of possibilities,” said Trueworthy.

The minimum score for zones, according to Goldman and Trueworthy, is a 260. In her win at the Blue Devil Invitational, Goldman scored a 247 on the 1-meter dive.

“I’m confident that I have a lot of potential and I see places for myself in the future and that definitely motivates me,” she said.

Goldman returns to the pool next Saturday when Vermont and Merrimack come visit Central.

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, November 6, 2013 / SPORTS

Men's Soccer Wins NEC Te a m E a r ns Home Fiel d A dva ntage corey pollnow The Recorder

Last season the Central Men’s soccer team was unable to participate in the Northeast Conference tournament because of sub-standard APR scores, despite finishing fourth in the standings. This year the Blue Devils were predicted to finish second in the NEC preseason soccer poll, but on Friday evening they proved the pundits wrong and defeated St. Francis (Pa.) 1-0 to win the NEC regular season championship.

As a result of winning the NEC regular season championship, Central will host the NEC tournament on Nov. 15 and 17 for the first time since Shaun Green became head coach in 1985. With an upstanding record of 6-0 in the NEC (9-7-1 overall) and one game remaining in the regular season versus Bryant, CCSU has the opportunity to finish undefeated in conference play.

“We worked so hard last year and it was sad that we couldn’t go to the tournament.

It means a little bit extra to win it tonight,” said Steven Walmsley after clinching the first seed and home field the Red Flash.

The game winning goal versus SFU was setup by a sequence of passes which led to Zach Zurita being fouled in the penalty box in the 56th minute. The referee awarded Central a penalty kick and Green chose his sure footed senior Manny Nobre to seal the victory under pressure. Green knew all along that Nobre would be taking the penalty kick.

“I texted Manny last night and I told him I had a dream he was going to score. I wanted to beef him up a bit, but I knew he was going to take the kick anyway because I have a lot of confidence in him,” said Green.

“I started running up to the ball looking to the left and before I went to take it I shifted my body to the right,” said Nobre who struck the ball into the bottom left of the goal and fooled SFU’s goalkeeper, Daniel Valcicak, into diving to the wrong side of the net.

Josef Abele saved four shots to earn his seventh save of the season and he enters the last week of regular season play ranked 19th in the country with a save percentage of .831.

“We’re not league champs without Joe,” said Zurita.

Seniors Jose Gamboa, Eddy Bogle, and Nobre were honored prior to their 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon against Robert Morris. Bogle scored his fifth goal of the season and more importantly, the game winning goal in the 54 minute of play.

Neco Brett scored his 13th goal of the season for Robert Morris in the 59th minute to reduce the deficit to one goal. Despite a late flurry of shots and chances from Robert Morris, the Blue Devils were able to hold on for the victory. Abele saved eight shots in 90 minutes and has 59 saves in 13 games this season.

Follow the Blue Devils live stream on NEC Front Row as they look to finish the season with a perfect 7-0 conference record on Sunday at 1 p.m. versus Bryant.

Midfield Stephen Walmsley in game over the weekend.

COREY POLLNOW | THE RECORDER

Volleyball Extends Win Streak Improve s To 8-0 At Home Devin leith-yessian | the recorder

Heather Trueman prepares to serve.

SEAN BEGIN The Recorder

The Central Connecticut volleyball team extended their Northeast Conference win streak to eight games on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Bryant University.

The win was the second by Central (17-7, 8-2 NEC) over Bryant (8-21, 3-7 NEC) this season and extended the Blue Devils unbeaten record at Detrick Gym. “The team chemistry has grown so much after a bad weekend when we opened up [NEC play] in the New York City schools and started 0-2,” said

Coach Linda Sagnelli. “We did a lot of reflecting and changed a bunch of things and it’s worked ever since.”

The two losses that weekend are the only losses for Central in the last 17 games but Sagnelli says those losses “did more good for this team than anything else.”

The Blue Devils were led by sophomore Heather Trueman, who recorded a career high 20 kills with just two errors hitting .429 for the match.

“She had an outstanding performance. Today is why we had her working on hitting the line [in practice],” said Sagnelli.

“She’s becoming a more complete outside hitter as these weeks go

by. It’s going to happen where one day Heather becomes one of the best outside hitters in the conference.”

The Blue Devils won the final two sets of the match by scores of 25-9 and 25-17. Central outscored Bryant 16-8 in the final set to win after the Bulldogs had come back to tie the match at nine.

The Blue Devils opened the third set with eight straight points after dropping the second match 25-21. Central was down by as many as seven points in the second set and managed to pull to within one of tying the Bulldogs.

“We sat back. I think we lost mental focus, mental toughness,”

said Sagnelli. “Everything that we talk about and try and maintain, we lost it.”

“In between [sets], I said here’s a great opportunity for you to regain that [focus] now because we’re going to be in tough situations as we go forward,” added Sagnelli of her team’s third set turnaround.

The Blue Devils had easily taken the first set 25-10 before going down to Bryant 12-5 to start the second set.

Central was led defensively by freshmen Cassidy Stankowski and Rachel Fish who recorded 15 and 10 digs, respectively. Junior Rachel Dunlap led the team with six block assists. Sophomore

Makenna Lommori finished with a team-high 40 assists.

The Blue Devils will hit the road this weekend for two games against. They play at Sacred Heart on Saturday, Nov. 9 and at Farleigh Dickinson Sunday, Nov. 10.

“We have to prepare a lot going into Sacred Heart and FDU. Sacred Heart is very tough to play in their gym," said Sagnelli. “We’ll be watching a lot of film this week on Sacred Heart and FDU.” Central wraps up the regular season the following weekend at home against Saint FrancisBrooklyn and LIU-Brooklyn, the only two conference teams to beat them this season.

SPORTS

12 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Women's Soccer Clinches Spot In NEC Tournament

Devin leith-yessian | the recorder

Women's soccer team celebrates together after win against Wagner.

Corey pollnow The Recorder

It was win or go home for the Central Women’s soccer team on Sunday afternoon versus Wagner in a game that had the winner earning a bid to the Northeast Conference tournament and the loser missing out on the postseason.

The Blue Devils went into the locker room down 1-0 to the Seahawks, but responded in the second half with three unanswered goals on senior day to defeat Wagner 3-1. Central clinched the fourth seed and will face off against the first seeded St. Francis Red Flash in the NEC tournament.

“It was a bit of a sucker punch before halftime,” said Coach Mick D’Arcy. “At halftime the message was believe in yourself and believe in your teammates. You’re going to get this done.”

“The seniors have fallen short the past couple years and not gone to the tournament,” said Coach Mick D’Arcy. “It means the world to them to be able to go to the tournament.”

In the 70th minute Morgan Santoro crossed the ball to Kerriann Welch directly in front of the goal. Welch tipped the ball to Kelly Halligan, who finished the play to give Central a 3-1 lead.

“I don’t remember who kicked it over, but I knew I had to put it away,” said Welch.

The Blue Devils took a 2-1 lead one minute earlier in the 69th minute off a free kick that was struck perfectly by Rachel Cerrone into the upper left corner of the goal from 30 yards out.

“Last week a couple girls and I stayed after

practice and took a bunch of long shots and I think I made one out of forty. But, we got the free kick and Tori looked at me and said, ‘Do you want to take it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah!’ And it went in.”

Central tied the game up at one in the 49th minute when Nikki Kureczka served a ball into the penalty box that bounced once and Welch carefully volleyed the ball over the head of Wagner’s goalkeeper, Katie Marcy.

Wagner was the first team on the scoreboard three minutes before halftime. However, it was their only goal of the game. Central’s goalkeeper Nikola Deiter punched the ball away from the Blue Devil goal off a corner kick, but the ball went directly to Gabrielle Davis who struck the ball past a group of players and into the net.

Deiter finished the game with five saves and through 18 games she has a save percentage of .743 and a goals against average of 1.67.

The Blue Devils finish the regular season with a 5-3 record in the NEC and an overall record of 7-11.

“The seniors have fallen short the past couple years and not gone to the tournament,” said Coach Mick D’Arcy. “It means the world to them to be able to go to the tournament.”

This will be Central’s first berth into the NEC tournament since 2010. “The seniors have fallen short the past couple years and not gone to the tournament,” said Coach Mick D’Arcy. “It means the world to them to be able to go to the tournament.”

Central will travel to play St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday in the semifinals of the NEC tournament – the time of the game has yet to be announced.

Devin leith-yessian | the recorder

Kerriann Welch fights off defender for control of the ball.