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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

CCSU Alumni Runs For Mayor Of New Britain

photo | couRtesy of eRin stewaRt

skyleR magnoli the Recorder

At the age of 16, Erin Stewart got a glimpse of what it would be like to the be mayor of New Britain. One day at school, a teacher yelled at her when his street didn’t get plowed soon enough after a large snowstorm had hit the city; apparently it was her father’s fault. Stewart's father was mayor of New Britain at the time, and as the “first teenager” of New Britain she learned to deal with political situations earlier than most.

Now Stewart is 26 years old, and while she may never forget the memor y of having her teacher make her cr y, she has 10 years of experience and is better equipped to deal with potentially angr y constituents, which will come in handy since she is officially running as the Republican nominee for New Britain's Mayor.

“I want people to know that I am think ing about New Britain, that I have policies and procedures in place that are going to make it as easy as possible for you to be successful here,” said Stewart.

Stewart has a long histor y with both New Britain and Central Connecticut State University. She is an alumnus of CCSU and attended high school in New Britain. At 16, her father appointed her to the Commission on Youth and Family Ser vices, which created after-school programs and helped provide for lower income families. She was later appointed to the Commission for Community and Neighborhood Development, and most recently ser ved on the New Britain Board of Education.

W hile Stewart is a Republican and has a fiscally conser vative platform, she says she is a different k ind of Republican. She is currently running on a fusion slate, which is a more out-of-the-box running ticket.

This is because her campaign also endorses Democrats, Independents and unaffiliated parties.

Since Stewart is a Central graduate, she says she has a vision that will A����� F�� M���� | PAGE 3

A Place For Peace aundRea muRRay the Recorder

CCSU premiered the university's Tranquility Room on September 30.

More commonly known as the "meditation room," it gives students ample opportunity to relax and unwind before the upcoming midterm week.

Strategically placed in the hallway adjacent to the Nutmeg Room, its location allows for complete silence among the hustle and bustle of Memorial Hall.

News about the grand opening is still making its way around campus, so one can expect to soon enter a completely tranquil and solitary room.

The desolate area makes for an incredible source of inspiration for students to find their inner being and release energy, both negative eRin o'donnell | the RecoRdeR or positive. Yoga gurus, The Tranquility room of Memorial Hall offers plush seating for students to de-stress and meditate. sore athletes and couch potatoes alike will make use of the meditation room to do room just across the building, this considered a hidden gem, supporters tranquility room features an open space encourage the entire student body to far more than meditate.

Both students and faculty are welcome with a divider to add more seclusion. pop in and make use of it while it is still Rather than a room for groups to break available. Many hope that the school will to engage in prayer as well.

CCSU Fitness yoga instructor Erin a sweat, this room offers enough space continue to invest in the room, arguing Lima was just as shocked as anyone else for one to pray in silence and another to that students and faculty have little space to practice their religion in peace. that something like this was available on meditate solemnly.

A fountain of streaming water As for those who are not quite sure campus.

“I am wicked excited right now about how to meditate, there are over a half located in the room adds to the peace [the tranquility room]! It’s so quiet in dozen books on meditation stacked on as well, adding another touch of kind the bookshelves. A variety of different consideration from the university. here. It’s so private in here!” Lima said.

The Tranquility Room has an That type of privacy is what almost yoga mats and comfy pillows lay around every college yearns for. After sharing the room to ensure the most comfortable impressive operation schedule, opening 7:30am to 9pm Monday through Friday, places to eat, places to clean and places to time possible.

9:30am to noon on Saturday and noon to “I would probably keep something like unwind like in the notoriously crowded Student Center, a place of serenity is [the tranquility room] to myself,” said 9pm on Sunday.

All are encouraged to utilize this CCSU student Michael Sisko. more than necessary.

W hile the Tranquility Room can be proclaimed “holy grail."

Unlike the newly renovated fitness

Panel Discusses Disadvantages For African American Voters skyleR magnoli the Recorder

Central Connecticut students filled the Marcus White living room with a panel of professors to discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on the 1965 Voting Right Act, which sparking a debate over our country's voting rights.

“We have some difficult days ahead,” said Dr. Benjamin Foster, a leader of Connecticut’s NAACP chapter.

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claims that America has entered a new Jim Crow Law period. He cited a recent study that in 2013, 31 states enacted over 82 voting right bills restricting citizen’s voting rights.

“Black voting places are suddenly moved without notice on the eve of the election, voters are shifted from one precinct to another without notification, district elections are changed to at-large elections to delude the black vote, political V����� R����� | PAGE 3

The panel's purpose was to educate and bring awareness to the current battle over voting rights. Dr. Foster and the panelists emphasized the 148 years of history and struggle for African Americans to obtain voting rights. They explained that for years, African Americans were subjected to unfair laws, literacy tests and threats to be kept from voting.

With the June Supreme Court ruling that essentially invalidated sections four and five of the Voting Rights Act, Dr. Foster

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2 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

NEWS

CCSU Turn-Out Low For Student Population; Higher Than Last Semester increase from last semester which only had 85 voters turn out.

"The past few years the turn out has been better," said Matt Hubbard, newly elected senior class president.

There are 3,540 students who would have been eligible to vote, only 2.9 percent of the senior class voted in this past election.

Hubbard explained that the voting numbers are much smaller this time of year due to the nature of the seats that are open, "In the fall there are more specialized positions." "[There are] fewer people running, fewer campaigning. In the fall it is harder to get people to come out and vote," said Hubbard.

Students told a different story about why they did not vote in the past elections.

"I wouldn't have even known how to do it," said Amanda Viola, a senior who commutes to CCSU. Viola also admits that, "I erin O'Donnell | The Recorder don't spend enough time Newly elected senators of the Student Government Association are sworn into office last here to care what goes on."

Wednesday afternoon.

Another student, said referring to SGA, "I don't acadia otlowski vote. think about it. I'm only There were three positions here two days a week," said Adua The Recorder that students were able to vote for: Mangiafico.

Despite an increase in voter Freshman Senator, Commuter The SGA is making efforts to turnout in the Student Government Senator and Senior Class President. increase the number of voters.

This year, 102 voters turned Association elections, numbers "My big thing was to do remain relatively low in comparison out for the election of Senior Class something about the number of to the amount of students eligible to President. This is a 20 percent people voting," said Brian Choplick,

SGA president, who explained that he made efforts towards this even as a senator. "[We are] trying to get it out there on all other avenues," said Hubbard, who said that all candidates were using social media to their advantage during election times.

Choplick said the number of those voting is increasing with each election due to more students running for positions "[I wanted] to improve the number of people running for each election.[We had] 500 more votes in the spring election. Simply because there was more competition." said Choplick who explained that double the number of people ran last spring than there were positions available.

Choplick doesn't believe that the issues with CollegiateLink affected the voting results.

"I think there was a little

confusion when it came to eligibility," said Choplick but said that that is all.

Corey Garrison, a junior, joined the countless commuters that didn't vote in this election.

"I don't really see the purpose of it and I don't know anything about it," said Garrison of the SGA elections. He cites working full-time and being a commuter as part of the reason for his apathy.

"When it comes down to prioritizing your time, that doesn't fall on the list," said Garrison, who calls himself a "very opinionated non-voter."

Garrison said he might be more involved if he had a better understanding of the student government. He believes that if the Political Science department was more active in talking about the student government, more students would be interested in the club.

Erin o'donnell | The Recorder

Professor Presents Personal Publications Kari Muzer The Recorder

Dr. Karen A. Ritzenhoff of the Communication department presented two co-edited books she recently completed at "Central Authors" in the CCSU Bookstore on Oct. 17.

“Border Visions” was released in June 2013. The book, which was also edited by Jakub Kazecki and Cynthia Miller, explores how boundaries have been shifting over decades and how these border areas have served as places of cultural transfer as well as much violence. These areas include Eastern and Western Europe, the US and Mexico, and the Middle East.

The idea of multicultural areas is much more common than it was in the past. The 15 essays included in the compilation book discuss the issues that occur on the borders and the lives, cultures and politics

that exist on the borders.

Ritzenhoff discussed the essays that were included within the book and how each one served a role in discussing borders and their place in film and culture today.

“What is different from other collections is that we are able to tap into resources from international scholarships. We are able to not only talk about a global community but also embrace it through these books,” said Ritzenhoff.

The other book presented was “Screening the Dark Side of Love: From Euro Horror to American Cinema”. This compilation book that Ritzenhoff edited along with Karen Randell came out last year. It explores the darker side of film and how love is often seen as darker in many films and not the typical “happy ending” that Classic Hollywood embedded into it’s films.

Films have changed from this “happy” format into darker and

much more risqué with women being put into more graphic and sexualized situations.

Each of the 15 contributors (including Ritzenhoff, who explored self mutilation and dark love in “Black Swan” and “The Piano Teacher”) discussed something different with the idea of love and the changes that have occurred in film throughout history.

Ritzenhoff said that she likes to relate the content of the books into her teaching, “I try to bring everything from the books back into the classroom.”

The Central Authors event is an example of the amount of talented professors that Central has to offer. Both books are available at Amazon.com to purchase.

Ritzenhoff ’s next project is a co-edited volume with Jakub Kazecki on “Heroism and Gender in War Film” under contract with Palgrave Macmillan for 2014.

Want to write about News?

Contact: news@centralrecorder.com

Center Stage, CCSU's Musical Theater Club, pitching their request of $22,200 to put on the musical production "Rent."

SGA Bullet Points Jaimie Leasure The Recorder

• The Spanish Club was approved for $1,440 for tickets to see Heartbeat of Latino America in New York City. The club plans on sending 45 members with each person paying $20 out of pocket.

• -The Student Government Association approved the United Caribbean Club to move $191 from their hotel budget to conference fees. Every year the club attends a conference in Canada, this year they will be granting 28 members the chance to attend the conference instead of 17 in 2012.

• -Dr. Laura Tordenti presented the Student Affairs Report and announced that the Department of Construction Services has approved of the construction of the future residence hall which is expected to begin in spring of 2014.

• -Men’s Volleyball was allocated $650 for a tournament they will be hosting here at CCSU; $80 is for refreshments and $570 for coaching. “This tournament will involve a lot of high school kids,” said Senator Lauren Hudobenko. “They are also cutting down to the bare minimum with only having one referee per game instead of two."

• -SGA approved the contingency request of $150 for PRIDE, the money will be used for refreshments at one of their events.

• -The Anthropology Club was approved of $1,500 to be moved from their accommodations a registration budget to travel. The club will be attending a conference in Chicago. They plan on sending seven people for six nights, each member will be paying $30. The motion was passed with a 22-0-5 vote in the senate.

• -The Student Government Association denied the Construction Management Club of $4500. The club was looking to use the money to attend a competition in New Jersey. “Four thousand and five hundred dollars is a lot of money for a contingency request,” said Senator Matt Hubbard. “This is not an unanticipated event.”

• -Center Stage, CCSU’s Musical Theater Club, was allocated $22,200 from SGA for their spring musical "Rent". The President and Treasurer of Center Stage presented a breakdown of what all the money would be used for. The President said “Being able to do the musical as we presented it is at its bare minimum.”

The motion was approved with a 17-9-3 vote.

3

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / NEWS

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CCSU Alumni Runs For Mayor Of New Britain continued from page 1 benefit Central students while also helping the city of New Britain.

She would like to create a plan with CCSU President Jack Miller to give students opportunities around New Britain. Stewart believes that Central students are an untapped resource in the community and would like to create opportunities such as internships, co-ops and partnering with businesses in New Britain.

At 26, Stewart says she has nothing to lose when running for mayor.

She has policies and procedures she would like to see implemented to help support New Britain. However, if anything, Stewart would like to inspire a new generation of leaders by running for office at such a young age. She wants students to feel that they can have a say in their local government, and to understand the importance of voting.

“It’s my job to make sure the city thrives, it's my job to ensure that we have things to offer college students,” said Stewart.

The main concern for Stewart is getting the city and its people through a difficult past few years.

If elected, one of Stewart's goals is to make it affordable to live in New Britain again. According to Stewart, New Britain has the second highest tax rate in the state of Connecticut and is one of the poorest cities.

“People are f leeing left and right, you see all the 'For Sale' signs,” said Stewart. “It’s gotten to the point where New Britain doesn’t have anything to offer them anymore; we don’t have a viable downtown, we don’t have businesses that people want to come in and go to.”

One of the first things Stewart will do if elected is hire a finance director to help cut the high rate of taxes in New Britain. The second is restarting the Department of Municipal Development, which was once a first time home buyer program where the city would buy houses that were deplorable, then f lip them and sell them to first time buyers. The costs were based on income and how many people were in a family; this program currently no longer exists.

Stewart realizes that affordable housing is a problem in New Britain and to get people to move to the city they have to offer a better standard of living. She believes that as mayor, it would be her job to communicate with the residents, to hear their concerns and know what they want to see done. To do this she would reinstate the mayor’s open office hours, where once a month the office is open for any citizen to come in and talk about anything.

“We claim that we help our neediest residents. It’s no secret that we have a ver y low income and poor population, we also have a significant homeless population in New Britain too,” said Stewart. “Understanding that you don’t have all the money and all the resources to be able to pay for ever ything for ever yone, but at least putting the policies and the systems in place that give them the opportunity to get out of poverty.”

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Jerusalem Post Writer Visits CCSU; Discusses Middle Eastern Media Jacqueline Stoughton The Recorder

Writer and reporter Herb Keinon visited Central Connecticut State University last week to talk to students about what it’s like living in modernday Israel and explained how the media portrays Israel.

According to Keinon, the portrayal differs from the country 's reality.

“Israel is a country that is fundamentally different from what you read about,” said Keinon. “The media is interested in portraying positive things about Israel. They set an agenda and decide themselves what they think is important.”

Keinon is a native of North America, being born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He moved to Jerusalem 30 years ago and currently works for the Jerusalem Post.

“The media is restricted in what it presents to the public and is unable to present the most salient aspects of life in Isreal,” said Keenan.

Of course, Middle Eastern media focuses mainly on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the continuous war and terrorism that the country has been facing for years now. “ W hat you focus on isn’t necessarily the most significant or the most important,” said Keinon. “You have to understand the insecurity to understand modern Israel,” said Keinon. “These are real fears that people live with every day.”

Keinon focuses on the IsraelPalestinian conflict throughout the majority of his speech, especially since he was directly affected by it, not only had he himself fought 15 years in the Reserves during the Lebanese war, but his son as well. Keinon’s son was sent to fight in Gaza, an experience Keinon describes as “the worst experience I’ve ever faced.”

March 2002 was a difficult month for war in Israel. During that time about 135 civilians in Israel were killed. It wasn’t until 2005 that things went even

Modern day Israel.

more downhill for the country; Israel was plagued with constant, intense fighting on public streets. Keinon says that throughout all this terrorism, the biggest stress for him was the constant worry for the safety of his family. “I was more worried about how my teenage daughter was going to take the bus to school into the city.”

“Israel’s Prime Minister does actually want peace with the Palestinians,” said Keinon. “But the Palestinians need to realize that Israel is the homeland of the Jews and Jews have a religious right to be there.”

Keinon says he is optimistic about the country, especially since he believes

photo | flickr

that nobody solves short-term problems better than Israel. The country has continued to grow and develop even in the midst of war and terrorism, and has grown to become a strong and resilient country.

“The components of happiness include proximity to friends and family and a sense of purpose,” said Keinon.

“All of these components apply to the people of modern day Israel.”

“Terrorism in Israel is real and immediate and it effects everyone,” said Keinon. “Although things are better, that fear remains with you. You have to understand that mentality and mindset to understand Israel.”

Panel Discusses Disadvantages For African American Voters continued from page 1 boundaries are redrawn, and elected offices are changed to appointed offices,” said Dr. Foster. “We have seen this movie before.”

Sections four and five of the Voting Rights Act determined which parts of the country racially discriminate against during voting periods. Then made those parts of the country require any voting laws that were enacted to be reviewed by the federal government. The acts also help abolish literacy tests and prerequisites to be eligible to vote.

However, Dr. Foster discussed how now the tactic of gerrymandering districts to stop the African American vote in the south as been popular among the political parties. He claimed that Congress was aware of this when they put sections four and five of the Voting Rights Act up on the chopping block.

Dr. Felton Best, the Director of African American Studies and philosophy professor at Central, attributed this new stage of voting rights restrictions on the 2008 presidential election. According to Dr. Best, when President Obama was elected, he was elected with the highest level of African American participation in American history. The African American vote turned normally Republican states into Democratic states. This was due to the fact that people were voting who had never voted before.

Now the backlash to the large numbers of African Americans that came out to vote are new restrictive voting regulations.

According to Dr. Katherine Harris, a professor of history at Central, voter ID laws are extremely strict to discourage people from voting.

Skyler magnoli| The recorder

Panel speakers in Davidson Hall.

OPINION

4 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Have We Forgotten the 19th Amendment?

Mere months after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, the Texas legislature approved a new voter ID measure that will inevitably discriminate against women.

Under the new law, the ID that the voter presents must match the name on their birth certificate. The majority of people that will be affected by the new laws are married women who took their husband's names.

Additionally, those with a name change must have the original or certified copy of all documents that link their current name with the name on their birth certificates.

Copies will not be allowed.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said, "Almost every single person either has

a valid photo ID... or it is very easy to get one."

But 66 percent of all women have a different name than the one on their current ID, according to a study done by the Brennan Center of Justice at the New York University School Of Law. So women who have been married would have to locate their original marriage certificates. This includes older women who may have lost their marriage license.

When women get divorced and their name changes, they would have to keep track of their divorce papers for as many times as they have been divorced and remarried.

The only way for individuals to obtain a new official copy of their birth certificate is by traveling to the state capital, which

Editor’s Column:

X-Out the Ex The Recorder

Facebook has presented everyone with an amazing ability to stay in constant contact with people that may not even be on the same continent. Families and long-distant friends can catch up with one another at any given time, and photos of life milestones such as weddings, baby showers and birthdays can be shared with loved ones who are unable to attend the events. However, with anything good, there is inevitably some bad.

Not only does Facebook allow you to reconnect with loved ones, but it has instilled this weird sense of commitment in users to keep everyone who comes along in life as a Facebook friend. Keeping tabs on friends and family is a great way to spend some free time, but when browsing through photos of loved ones turns into stalking an ex and his or her newest significant other, you need to find a healthier way to spend your downtime.

There are too many cases of both men and women who refuse to let go of grudges and old relationships by keeping tabs on what those people are up to on the day-to-day.

Unless you plan to rehash any bad feelings and rekindle a friendship or former romance, hit the "delete friend" button. Additionally, if you have a relationship that ends badly, it's best to just block that person from being able to see your information. You no longer

announced that the Department of Justice, "will take action against jurisdictions that attempt to hinder access to the ballot box, no matter where it occurs."

Whether or not the there is action in the courts, this law will be in effect in time for voting this November. Thousands of women, who believed that they were able to vote, will go to the polls, and find out that they are not eligible. Many women fought and suffered for women to achieve the right to vote.

While 34 percent of women voters in Texas will be scrambling for the "correct" form of ID, 99 percent of the men will be free and clear to head to the polls.

With this new legislation, Texas could be backsliding towards darker times.

Republicans to Blame For Shutdown and Debt Ceiling Crisis

From The Internet To Real Life

Amanda webster

could be quite the trip in a state as large as Texas, or residents have the option of getting their birth certificates mailed to them for a shipping fee as much as almost $20.

Women fought hard for their right to vote and with this legislation, that right could be lost on many women. It will be such a hassle for women to vote if they do not have a current photo ID. Most women with jobs will not be able to spend the time to get their ID or will be unwilling to spend the money associated with it.

Meanwhile, men will not be affected by the change in laws. Married or divorced, men will not have to deal with the repercussions of this legislation.

Attorney General Eric Holder has

owe that person anything and whatever your agenda is no longer concerns that individual.

Do yourself a favor and avoid the awkward texts that ask about who the new guy/girl is in your profile picture and just hit delete.

Such high importance is put on whether or not something becomes "Facebook official" or if people are friends on Facebook. When did your status on Facebook become more important than your status with someone in real life? Hitting a delete button now feels so final, as if once it's done it cannot be undone.

If you don't want to see this person in real life anymore then why keep them on a social network? If you are really keen on setting things right, it only takes a mouse click or two to remedy the social network standing.

Think about it this way; whatever type of relationship it was, it was ended for a reason.

Why would you constantly want to immerse yourself in past negative experiences? If your ex is constantly popping up on your news feed, it's going to be much harder for you to move on to a healthier and happier relationship.

Get rid of all your unnecessary baggage.

You're not being rash and you're not being rude. Do yourself a favor and allow yourself to grow as a person and learn what you want and deserve out of the people in your life.

You don't need to know what your third grade crush is up to on the weekends. Move forward and just hit delete.

Joe Suszczynski The Recorder

Congress thankfully opened the government back up by voting to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, which did not let the country go into default. However this averted crisis should only get so much praise as funding for the government is only extended to January 15, 2014 along with the debt ceiling being extended to February 7, 2014. The government is essentially doing what a college student normally does when writing a term paper: puts it off and keeps procrastinating on when to start and complete it.

The insane part about all of this is that this whole government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis could have been avoided. Yes, the crisis was averted, which is great and I’m happy that we did not default, but that it is not the point. America did not need to be subjected to a government shutdown costing thousands of jobs for honest hardworking people along with coming down to the wire when making an agreement on the debt ceiling. Congress needs to get its head straight, because it’s currently in an orifice where it doesn’t belong.

Republicans should take a lot of the blame for this crisis. Although, it should be noted that 87 Republicans in the House and 27 Republicans in the Senate voted for the deal. They should get some credit because they played ball and put the country ahead of their politics. However 18 senators and 144 members of congress voted against the bill, all of whom are of the Republican Party. There was not one Democrat, in either house, who voted against this bill. Counting both houses 162 Republicans would have rather have the country default than voting yes on the bill.

That is an utterly despicable and unpatriotic thing to do. It is unpatriotic to let your country be financially destroyed because of your own personal politics being clouded of what needs to be done for the sake of the people you represent.

The problem with the Republican Party is a small sect within the party itself, the Tea Party, is causing all the issues in both Houses. You’d think that a small part of a bigger party would not be a problem, but it is.

After his 21 hour charade of a filibuster Senator Ted Cruz, a prominent member of the Tea Party Republicans, is still out to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. According to an aide, Cruz does not rule out another chance of a

government shutdown in the future. I hope that he isn’t serious about not ruling out another government shutdown. The government shutdown cost America billions of dollars so what would possess the senator to do something like this again when it could create more resentment within Americans?

It is completely asinine to the point where even members of his own party are speaking out against him. Arizona Senator John McCain called Cruz a “wacko-bird.” Tennessee Senator Bob Corker criticized Cruz’s filibuster and has said, “I’m just asking the question, is it more important to the senator from Texas and the senator from Utah (Mike Lee) that the people around the country watch this vote, or is it more important that we have a good policy outcome from our standpoint?”

Cruz really needs to dial it back now that the government is back open for business and the popularity of Republicans have been going down. Pew Research Center currently has Republican disapproval rating at 72%. That isn’t very reassuring when nearly three quarters of Americans disapprove of the Republicans in congress.

It is time for the Republicans to stop obstructing the government and start working with it because if they don’t and keep staying the course then their popularity will go down and will potentially cost them seats in the House and Senate in future elections.

The modern Republican Party has been around over 150 years now and has boasted some great presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, but as of today they are beginning to show some signs of instability. The Tea Party has been driving the Republican base more and more to the right where even moderate Republicans cannot get elected. The moderates have either been thrown out of office or forced to keep moving right on the issues at hand.

The fringe elements of a political party should not be the place to set up the base of the party because it is so extreme there would not be any room for any type of compromise, which is essential to running a multi-party government.

Republicans need to start moving and advocating more centrist or center-right positions in order to gain any favorability with the American people.

If the Republicans keep moving too far to the right, they just might fall off the cliff and the party will be no more.

Have and opinion and want to write about it?

Contact: awebster@centralrecorder.com

UPGRADE

5 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

eRin o'donnell | the RecoRdeR

Rossana Zaera, with a translator, speaking on her experiences in her artwork last thursday afternoon.

Art Exhibit

eRin o'donnell | the RecoRdeR

Rozzana Zaera's artwork is being displayed in Maloney Hall Art Gallery.

FASHION SPOT

kiley kRzyzek the Recorder

F A L L

It's Fall Fashion Week this week at CCSU! Well, kind of. If you're closet is as confused as the weather is, and you have no idea what to wear anymore read on. The looks on the runway that were seen at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week can be intimidating and overly artistic, but behind all that glitz and glamour there are actual tips for how to dress.

Tights are an easy way to prolong your summer favorites, like mini skirts and even shorts! A model for Zang Toi at Mercedes Benz fashion week wore black tights with strappy sandals, brown suede shorts, fur and gloves. Way too much is going on, with different textures and crazy hair. It works though, because the colors all relate. Our student model Mercedes shows you can rock the look in real life. She's wearing patterened black tights under her favorite shorts,

I S

H E R E ?

topped off with a graphic tee. The black tights and combat boots make the look cohesive and the splash of color in the top makes it fun.

Just because the weather's confusing doesn't mean we should wear our pastel spring dresses in October. Instead of dressing like a flower, opt for emerald green instead, the color of pine trees. Wear it with the outerwear you're most comfortable in, like a cardigan or a faux leather jacket. This will make your look adaptable, so when it's abnormally warm in the afternoon loose the extra layer, and when the sun sets and it goes back to being cold, throw it back on.

A simple dress and cover-up is so simple and wearable, I don't even need to show you how to wear it in real life. Just take a dress you like but which isn't normally warm enough for this time

of year and throw a sweater over it, preferably that see- through sweater you don't know what to do with. Wear it with ankle boots and roll up the sleeves and you'll look like you just stepped off the runway too.

Faux leather jackets are such a fall fashion staple! It's so easy to throw one on and keep you hot! Guys should own at least one in a neutral color like brown or black. Ladies, stock up with colored ones like pink! They work with any outfit, I wear mine with everything from sweat pants and yoga pants to dresses and skirts. This is the most versatile closet essential for fall.

Hope this inspired you to keep up your fashion during this season transition. Tweet @ TheRecorder pictures of you rocking your fall look.

Share your favorite fall fashions!

Tweet: @TheRecorder

kiley kRzyzek | the RecoRdeR

CCSU student Mercedes wearing black tights.

6

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / UPGRADE

Between The Sheets: Trick Or Tramp lauRen cannon the Recorder

It’s that time of year again, and I’m not talking about fall, pumpkin spice lattes or going apple picking with your besties. I’m talking about Halloween. "Mean Girls" said it best: “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” So get ready because Halloween is right around the corner and you can never plan too early for your costume.

As children, we all used to dress up as our favorite Disney princess or as the classic witch or vampire. Suddenly, when you turn 16 the game changes and we trade in the cute tutus and glittery dresses for fishnets

and platform heels.

This year we’ll see the classic costumes, like the sexy nurse, the dirty police officer and of course the naughty school girl. But let us not forget the originals who paint their bodies blue and corn roll their hair to dress as an Avatar. Lastly, we'll see the group costumes or couples costumes. You know a boyfriend and girlfriend dressing as ketchup and mustard. We see all the best girlfriends dressed up as a deck of cards or maybe a box of crayons. Sometimes though, we are stuck as what to be, no ideas and too many rips in our fish nets. If you’re at a loss for ideas let’s take a look at the LA Times list of the top 10 most popular costumes.

1. Witch 2. Vampire 3.pirate 4. Batman 5. Zombie 6. Vixen 7. Princess 8. Ghost/

Nurse 9. Cat and 10. Superman. Most of these costumes are pretty basic, but you can really add sex appeal to all of them-as most of us do. If these seem too boring or even too much work to put together, I have a few quick ideas that always seem to work and are quick.

First: a football player. All that is needed is a guy friend’s jersey and a pair of heels.

Pants are optional! Don’t forget your black war paint. Another one of my favorites is the “laxstitute”, you can either wear a lacrosse penny or jersey and of course a snap back.

If you want to go the girly route you can throw on a pink polo a jean skirt and some pearls, that really shows your obsession with lacrosse players.

Finally, if dressing up like a total floozy

isn’t your thing then risky business is perfect for you. All you need are some white tube socks, wayfarers and a white button down.

Halloween is just plain fun, especially for us ladies. Even at age 21, I’m almost as excited as the kids that I babysit are. Forget the candy and get me some devil horns and ill meet you at the bar! Thursday can’t come soon enough!

Love always, Lauren

The Haunted B o o k m a r k I t !

'Ready GRAVYARD paige bRown the Recorder

It's October, and you know what that means: Halloween. With Halloween comes the dark, ghostly and scary attractions for everyone to enjoy.

Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT, hosts "The Haunted Graveyard" every year throughout the month of October. The park is given a eerie atmosphere as people are spooked along their way through the houses, mazes and fields filled with monsters, ghosts and characters from classic horror movies.

The best part of "The Haunted Graveyard" is the unexpected shocks and scares. The combination of real and fake characters keep you guessing as to which wall will jump out at you as you walk through. It's especially scary when you say out loud, "That's fake," and suddenly then they jump out and make you scream like a little girl.

Ghoulish sounds and repugnant smells

were added to create the teeth-rattling feeling that you were actually part of a scene in a scary movie. The smell of gas filled the air as you got chased by the crazy guy with the chainsaw and even the fake, skinned animals as you walked through the slaughter house has a smell that could make a grown man cringe.

As for sounds, not only does the creepy music, wind sounds or ghosts howls get to you, but the voices that the actors created for their characters made everyone's hair stand up and jumpstart their escape.

Going to scary events like haunted hay rides, spooky corn mazes or even your local haunted house, "The Haunted Graveyard" is one that every Halloween enthusiast should take the time to enjoy.

With a price tag of $23, it would be scary to NOT go.

So whether you easily get scared by the smallest spider or if you're the friend who loves to watch your friends scream, "The Haunted Graveyard" is definitely a great Halloween scare-fest.

Pl ayer One'

by Ernest Cline sean begin the Recorder

For anyone connected to the world of video games, the concept of a completely immersive virtual gaming simulation has long been the subject of myth and dreams. In his novel “Ready Player One,” Ernest Cline makes that dream a reality in more ways than one.

The novel is centered on the OASIS, a massively multiplayer online game, which uses virtual reality to completely immerse the user in a video game simulation. Set in the dystopian near future of 2044, in which a Great Recession has depleted most of the world’s resources, the OASIS has become, for many people, more important than the real world.

Created by genius video game designer James Halliday and his childhood best friend and businessman extraordinaire Ogden Morrow, the OASIS fuses Internet activities such as chat rooms and browsing with the fullfledged battles common in most online multiplayer games.

Upon his death, a video will from Halliday initiates what becomes known as the Hunt – a scavenger hunt for three keys and three matching gates that lead to a hidden Easter egg in the game. The

first person to find the egg inherits the entirety of Halliday ’s company and fortune.

A massive search begins in the OASIS but after five years, no one has found anything. Enter the story ’s protagonist, 18-year-old Wade Watts, an orphan living in the “stacks” of Oklahoma City.

These are literally stacks of old RVs piled up into towers for refugees to live in after they fled to the city.

Watts becomes the first person to locate the first key, thus initiating a wild and dangerous journey that sees him making allies with fellow egg hunters and enemies of the malicious Innovative Online industries, which seeks to find Halliday ’s Easter egg in an effort to effectively take control of the Internet.

The clues left by Halliday to guide people on the Hunt comes in the form of personal diaries, titled "Anorak’s Almanac". A child of the 1980s, Halliday bases all his clues and hints on obscure trivia from that decade. Everything, from early computers and fantasy games to music and movies of the 1980s, fuel Halliday ’s obsession with the decade of his childhood.

Ironically, the Hunt causes a resurgence in everything 1980s. The fashion of the times comes back and music and movies of the decade suddenly find themselves at the top of the charts again.

Anyone with minimal knowledge of pop culture from the 1980s, the 90s and early 2000s will find Cline’s novel exciting. He writes with an excitement of someone who experienced the decade himself, having spent his formative teenage years in the 1980s.

Cline had already cemented himself in geek culture with his script of “Fanboys”, which Cline wrote in 1998 before the release of “Star Wars: Episode I” and follows five friends in their journey to see Episode I before their friend dies from cancer. The movie was eventually picked up by the Weinstein Company and released in 2009.

Cline’s affinity and love for the decade of the 80s comes through in his writing. For any self-proclaimed geek, the novel will prove to be an adventurous and exhilarating read.

Cline is currently writing a screen play to adapt the novel into a movie, and has also announced plans for a second novel titled “Armada”.

Like us on Facebook and find out if you've been photo | lakecompounce.com

Monsters lurk behind every corner at the Haunted graveyard at Lake Compounce.

spotted around campus!

7

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / UPGRADE

COLUMN

MOVIE REVIEW

Machete Kills...Sort Of Joe Suszczynski The Recorder

The 2010 film “Machete” was released to theaters as a “grind-house” type of movie without much for a plot, but high on action and complete with an immense amount of blood and gore. It was entertaining and received above average remarks from critics.

Three years later, "Machete Kills" was one of the two sequels made, as mentioned in the end of the first film. This sequel does not stack up as well to its predecessor in terms of entertainment value.

The story starts with the hero, Machete (Danny Trejo) teaming up with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent Rivera ( Jessica Alba) in the attempt to take down the Mexican Cartel.

However, Rivera gets slain by a man in a luchador mask using a strange weapon.

After being captured by the local sheriff ’s department, Machete survives being hanged when the President of the United States (Charlie Sheen, credited as Carlos Estevez) offers him a mission to take down Mendez (Demián Bichir), a Mexican revolutionary, leading Machete to discover things that may not be as they seem.

Danny Trejo’s performance as Machete was enjoyable; he fits the bill of the character. Mel Gibson’s role as the super villain, Luther Voz, was also competent.

Gibson has that cheesy, sophisticated villain act going on for him, which makes his character enjoyable to watch on screen.

I also liked the character known as “The Chameleon” where this assassin would

change appearances by simply peeling his face off as a way to blend in a neat concept.

That character was played by different actors and actresses each time a change was made.

Another entertaining aspect of the movie was the array of deaths. Most of the film's deaths were satisfying, especially the classic decapitation with Machete’s signature weapon. The payoff for most of the deaths in the film does save this movie from being a total train wreck.

Despite the few enjoyable parts of the movie there was one glaring problem: the extreme lack of plot. This film just seems to be all over the place, compared to the previous film that had a concise direction on where to go.

Another problem is that there were too many villains in the movie. There’s Mel Gibson’s character, “The Chameleon”, Mendez and Madame Desdemona played

by Sofia Vergara. They’re all decent villains, but there is too much going on. It seemed like so many different things were thrown against the wall and whatever stuck was put in the movie. This could be why there is a lack of plot - there were so many places to go and characters to give screen time to. They should have stuck to two villains at most and saved the others for the next movie.

Perhaps my biggest problem with the film was that there was no charm. In the first film, despite all the blood and gore there was this underlying message throughout the movie: the immigration system in America was broken and something should be done.

This gave the film a charming aspect. But sadly, this film lacked any type of charming underlying message.

A Tr i b u t e To Dav i d Ly n c h chris pace The Recorder

David Lynch has been making movies for almost 50 years. His style is very abstract compared to many contemporary filmmakers. He uses strange dreams and life experiences to express the bizarre and mysterious elements of his movies.

Lynch began as an art student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he hoped to become a painter. But Lynch went a different way and turned some of his paintings into short, stop motion films. After several short films, Lynch went on to direct his first full-length film "Eraserhead" (1977).

The movie has very little plot or dialogue, but it may be one of the strangest films ever made. It took Lynch five years to finance and finish the movie.

Lynch then had a movie offer to direct "The Elephant Man" (1980), about a disfigured human working in a traveling circus. Anthony Hopkins plays a doctor who recruits the man to stay with him so he can do research.

After "The Elephant Man", Lynch directed an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel “Dune.” The movie cost $45 million to make but only brought in $27 million, a loss of $18 million. This much of a loss is a death sentence to a director because it shows that the movie wasn’t good enough to bring in a profit. After the unsuccessful film, Lynch swore he would never work on big budget films again.

After "Dune", Lynch redeemed himself by making "Blue Velvet" (1986) was a murder

mystery set in a logging town in the 1950’s.

Lynch became a cult phenomenon when his television show "Twin Peaks" (1990) aired, even though for only two seasons. Despit its short run, the show followed a murder of a popular teenager girl in Washington and the investigation by an FBI agent accompanied by local police, but as always, Lynch throws in strange characters and elements of his past work into the show.

Lynch made "Lost Highway" (1997) about a man who is wrongfully sentenced for the murder of his wife. After "Lost Highway", Lynch made one of his most accomplished films; 2001’s "Mulholland Dr.", a psychological thriller than centers around two different characters and their dream sequences. Lynch won the Best Director award from the Cannes Film Festival that year. "Mulholland Dr." is a very complex and psychologically ordered film, so it may take a few viewings to understand it.

After the success of "Mulholland Dr." Lynch directed his last full-length film "Inland "Empire" (2006). It tells the story about an actress who falls in love with her co-star, but then notices things happening when she finds out they are actually filming a remake that had ended in tragedy.

Lynch hasn’t made a full-length movie since "Inland Empire", but continues to make short films. His movies almost always include murder mysteries, which often contain creepy, disfigured and absurd characters, either being deformed or inhuman. They are very strange and obscure films but extremely entertaining, sometimes requiring more than one viewing.

Netflix It!

Super High Me Aundrea Murray The Recorder

Comedian Doug Benson stars in 'Super High Me', a documentary-style spin off about marijuana.

Photo | Red Envelope

Does "Super High Me" sound vaguely familiar?

For those aware of the 2004 hit "Super Size Me", a documentary of a man on a strict diet of only McDonald’s, this film produced by standup comedian Doug Benson is a creative spin-off. Both the documentary’s name and its poster emulate the 2004 film.

Rather than gorge on Big Macs in order to prove how bad they are for you, Benson documents 30 days of pot free lifestyle and 30 days of repetitive use to compare the experience and effects of both.

Keep in mind that the source of inspiration for most of his comedic material is based off of his avid use of marijuana.

Benson supports the habit and is even medically approved to indulge in the plant where it is legal: California.

Though the DVD was released in 2007, it is still proven to be a popular stream on Netflix. Director Michael Blieden, known for his work on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, even made sure to release the film on April 20th also known as “420”—a day dedicated (by society) to smoking cannabis.

Nevertheless, smokers alike tend to gravitate towards

movies like these since they represent positivity and approval of the use of marijuana.

However, those against the use can still find Benson’s organic performance to be hilarious, the very least. His self-determination to live a sober lifestyle has its own sense of humor seeing how not smoking is so foreign to him.

The movie also offers insightful material on what became known as the Medical Cannabis Movement.

It includes interviews with marijuana activists, dispensary owners, politicians and medicinal patients.

Benson keeps bellies aching and tears forming as viewers laugh at his hypothesis for this experiment. He argues in the film that there may be a huge declination in his SAT scores, overall health and even in his sperm count after his 30-day marijuana binge. The results, however, may shock more than many.

"Super High Me" has earned three stars on Netflix and has gained diversity points from viewers looking to watch a film that is outside of the box. This may not be the movie to sit and watch with Grandma but after such honest, comedic integrity, you never know.

8

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / UPGRADE

ALBUM REVIEW

Fall Out Boy

ALBUM REVIEW

Panic! At The Disco

acadia otlowski

Releases New Mix-Tape, PAX-AM Days Jacqueline stoughton the Recorder

Fall Out Boy sent fans into a frenzy last week upon the surprise release of eight new songs that have been complied into an EP titled "PAX-AM Days".

The newest sound from Fall Out Boy is the result of a two-night recording session with singer-songwriter and PAX-AM recording studio and label owner Ryan Adams. “Fall Out Boy have clarified that 'Pax-Am Days' is not meant to be a proper album,” said Phillip Obsenschain in his report from Alternative Press, “but instead something more akin to a mix-tape.”

The longest out of the eight new tracks runs for only about two minutes, and the rest of the tracks are only about a minute long.

But, like the band members themselves have reiterated to fans, this isn’t an official album; it’s not meant to be.

Fans who have been with Fall Out Boy from the start will truly appreciate this newest release. Each track is so raw and true to the band's original roots. Comparable to tracks off their "Take This To Your Grave" album, which was released back in 2003, Fall Out Boy proves with this EP that they’re not one of those bands that have sold out in the music industry. With everything they’ve ever done, they’ve always stayed true to their roots and to who they are as a band.

Fall Out Boy just recently got back together last winter after being on hiatus for three years. They’ve just released their comeback album back in April titled "Save Rock and Roll" and have already concluded their North American leg of the “Save Rock

and Roll Tour”.

Fall Out Boy is now currently preparing to continue their “Save Rock and Roll Tour Arena Tour” in Australia and Mexico, then the band is planning to continue with another leg of the tour in Europe.

The boys of Fall Out Boy just released a new music video for “Love, Sex, Death”, one of the tracks on "PAX-AM Days". The video is just as quick and fast-paced as the album as a whole is. It shows a high-speed video collage of pictures and video clips of the many adventures of the band's tour.

Along with being available as a stand alone release, "PAX-AM Days" will also be available to fans on Vinyl and will be bundled with the re-release of their "Save Rock and Roll" album as a limited Pax-Am edition two CD set. This version of the "PAX-AM Days" will be available to fans on November 29.

the Recorder

This album, based off a quote from famous writer Hunter S. Thompson, is a usual for Panic! At The Disco. That is, the album is nothing like any of their previous albums.

The bands first album "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" can only be described as theatrical. This theater morphed into a throwback from the 1960s in the band's sophomore album "Pretty. Odd". With the departure of founder Ryan Ross and one other member, the band's third album Vices & Virtues, the theatrics were back with a steampunk/alternative rock edge.

Then there's "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die". This album is electronic, a radical shift from anything Panic! has done in the past. The first two songs run along a similar vein as "Vices & Virtues". They are alternative rock at its finest, with catchy lyrics that invite the listener to sing along. Both songs that open the album were released as singles previous to the publication of the album.This style is familiar to many fans.

Then, the song "Vegas Lights" begins, and a radically different version of Panic! At The Disco emerges. The song begins with a group of what sounds like young girls counting down numbers. This immediately turned me off as a listener, but the more times I listened to the album, I found that the voices had a rhythmic quality that I really enjoyed.

This then leads into the an electronic introduction. Previous to the release of the album, lead singer Brendan Urie stated that this album would be different, that it would have electronic elements. Many bands have gone this route, and it has destroyed the originality of quite a few. This is not the case here. "Vegas Lights" quickly grew to be one of my favorite songs on the album, for its shear originality.

When I first listened to the album,

"Nicotine" stood out to me. A quiet piano introduction soon escalates into a fast moving metaphor of love and nicotine. Urie masterfully combines the two concepts, using the concepts of the taste of cigarette smoke, drags and hits, all in comparing the addictive qualities of nicotine to his unhealthy love for the subject of the song. The song moves between fast and slow tempos, bringing the listener on a journey of ups and downs.

"Girls/Girls/Boys" is by far the most racy song on the album, not just because of the "revealing" nature of the music video that accompanies it. The song describes a girl who has a girlfriend without the knowledge of the public. Urie speaks to her, saying that he doesn't want to be her boyfriend, but he'll be there if she changes her mind. The song didn't catch my attention until I looked at the lyrics and I think that it's an interesting addition to the album.

The last song on the album is "The End Of All Things". A sharp contrast to the rest of the album, this song is composed of Urie's wedding vows. The song is slow and beautiful, ending the album on a quiet, solemn note.

senior Airman

dAvid Anderson

time spent in the Air GuArd eAch month:

94%

6%

free time spent with Girlfriend:

85% 100%

Experience the pride of serving your country while getting money for college – serving part-time in the Air National Guard. Talk to a recruiter today.

pride in servinG his country

GrAde on lAst bioloGy exAm

9

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / SPORTS OPINION

SPORTS BEGINS ON BACK PAGE

OPINION

COLUMN

Time for

another

paige bRown | the RecoRdeR

Them Be Fightin' Words

Baseball

paige bRown the Recorder

Expansion

photo | flickR

Olympic Stadium where the Montreal Expos used to play. sean begin the Recorder

The Recorder

In Sunday’s Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo wrote about the possibility of baseball returning to Montreal, former home of the Expos who relocated to Washington, D.C. in 2005. The likely candidate, says Cafardo, would be the Tampa Bay Rays.

The reason a Rays relocation makes sense is in part because of the lack of support not only for the team, but for a new stadium as well. Tropicana Field, the Rays’ stadium, has many issues, from its location to the chaotic rule book regarding balls hit against the catwalks of the roof. Meanwhile, Tampa continues to put out some of the lowest attendance numbers in baseball, despite fielding a highly competitive team every season since their historic turnaround in 2008.

Moving a team struggling

in one market to a new one is difficult, however. If Major League Baseball wants to bring baseball back to Montreal, they’d be better concerned with another round of expansion teams.

Baseball’s most recent expansion came in the 1998 season with the Rays (then the Devil Rays) and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks met with success first, winning the 2001 World Series against the New York Yankees. The Rays didn’t see postseason success until 2008, but have been there three times in the five years since.

Expansion offers many opportunities for Major League Baseball. Adding a new team to each league could allow for the option of eliminating interleague play. The Houston Astros moved from the National League to the American this past season, splitting the number of teams evenly between the two leagues.

By doing this, the MLB had to

schedule one interleague series all season, as opposed to just the month long interleague play that had been used since 1997. Adding a 16th team to each league would mean interleague play can be reduced back to one month or eliminated altogether. While the MLB is unlikely to eliminate interleague play, the option remains.

Expanding each league to 16 teams could mean a reshuffling of divisions as well, by forming a fourth division per league similar to the NFL. This would allow for even divisions rather than one division fielding six teams.

Division realignment could then lead to a postseason change.

The wild card was initially instituted to allow for a division series and championship series. Expanding to four divisions would eliminate the wild card entirely.

However, Major League Baseball has seen great success with the one game wild card playoff the

past two seasons. So the MLB may consider expanding postseason baseball to include four wild cards instead of two. This would produce a playoffs similar to the NBA and NHL. This concept presents a multitude of problems, such as the length of baseball games, which sometimes take four to five hours to play out or the length of each first round series, as well as the fact that baseball might be pushed into November, which only happened in 2001 after the season was delayed following 9/11.

Expansion has many problems facing it, namely from the other baseball owners, who might not see any money in expanding the league.

Each team would receive money from fees paid out by the expansion team, but could see a loss in revenue from TV contracts and revenue sources. However, expansion does offer an interesting set options for the MLB to consider.

This past Sunday, the rivalry between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets took a turn for the worst. And no, I don’t mean the ridiculous call that was made against the Pats, but what happened off the field.

In fact, it wasn’t even the actions of the players, but the fans. There is a video floating around the Internet and on top news outlets of a male Jets fan punching a female Patriots fan in the face. Talk about a real rivalry.

After a slew of fights broke out on the ramps of MetLife stadium after the Jets (luckily) won, angry and drunk fans from both sides were throwing themselves, and their fists, at each other.

But if you ask me, this was pathetic. The fact that sports fans are going so low that they are getting into screaming matches and physical fights is ridiculous.

And yes, as much as I want to blame the jerk that punched a girl because she was in his face about hating his team, I also put some of the blame on her. She ran at him and screamed in his face. Now, I’m not saying that she deserved to be hit, especially by a man, but there’s no need to get in someone’s face for defending his own team.

The reason for the fight wasn’t just because of the shit-talk about “my team is better than yours” or “your team sucks.” It was because of the ridiculous calls made by the infamously overpaid NFL officials.

Unsportsmanlike conduct against the Patriots Chris Jones was called for pushing his own teammate into the offensive line. This is a neverbefore-called penalty, newly enforced this season.

Not only were fans disgraced, but Bill Belichick put his own two cents in on the call as well. And just like the fans, he was screaming; just at the officials rather than the television (or each other).

Whether you agree with the call and praise the Jets for getting the luckiest win in the NFL or you agree with the idea that it was possibly the WORST call ever made, explained and perused, the actions by the fans were childish and unacceptable.

The NFL, in my opinion, needs to figure out a better way to explain and portray this new “rule” if they are going to make it legitimately stick.

And as for the fans, it doesn’t matter how drunk you may be or how big of a fan you are, you cannot represent your team and yourself as someone who screams and attacks others just because of their choice in team.

10

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / SPORTS

Holmes Switches Sides SEAN BEGIN The Recorder

In his first two seasons for the Central Connecticut football team, junior Tyrell Holmes was a key piece of the defensive secondary, working to shut down opposing wide receivers. This year, however, Holmes was placed into the position he’s so often played against.

“One day at practice I was fooling around and he [Coach Jeff McInerney] saw me run a route against one of our defensive backs,” explained Holmes. “So he asked me to run another route. And then he said we’re going to try you at wide receiver tomorrow.”

Thanks to a depleted wide receiver corps, that tryout led to a starting wide receiver spot for Holmes, who says McInerney had seen him play the position while in high school.

Holmes, who was born in Georgia but moved to Connecticut when he was eight, played football for Bristol Eastern High School as both a defensive back and wide receiver, and even spent some time at running back. It was then that Holmes first met McInerney, while attending Bristol Eastern’s football camp, held every year at Central Connecticut.

“Coach Mac was always a good coach, a good guy to me, always showing me love,” said Holmes of his relationship with McInerney while in high school.

During his senior season, Holmes broke his ankle, causing multiple Division I-A and I-AA schools to either drop or reduce scholarship offers to come and play.

For Holmes, McInerney proved to be one of the strongest voices of

support during his recovery.

“Coach Mac was always there for me, always supporting me telling me I’m going to come back from it, I’m going to be alright,” said Holmes. “That made a tremendous impact on why I came here.”

Beyond the influence of McInerney, Holmes’ football career follows in the footsteps of his oldest brother, who played college ball for the University of Central Florida.

“When I was younger he was my role model, who I wanted to be like,” said Holmes. “When I went to UCF to see him play, I was shocked. It was a crazy experience.

I was like, ‘I want to do that; I want to be that person out there playing.’”

As a freshman, Holmes was given the chance to compete for a starting spot. He took advantage of the opportunity, earning a starting role on defense. In his first collegiate game, Holmes recorded seven tackles, an interception and a pass defense against Southern Connecticut State University. The performance earned him NEC Rookie of the Week honors.

“The first week of the season I won Rookie of the Week and he was proud of me, always positive towards me. So the experience has been great with him,” said Holmes of McInerney.

McInerney showed great trust in Holmes’ athletic ability and understanding of the game when he had Holmes transition to receiver. For Holmes, though, the experience of playing on the secondary helps him in his approach to the offensive side of the game.

“It gives me a better idea of what coverage’s are being played.

I can tell by how many linebackers are in the box what coverage they’re going to roll to, how the corner’s going to play me – if he’s playing off, if he’s playing press – and it gives me an idea of the route and the way to run the route.”

Holmes’ knowledge of the game combined with his size and speed may potentially make him a valuable offensive weapon. That value has shown in Holmes’ last two games, after he recovered from an early season turf toe injury.

Holmes has hauled in 11 catches for 296 yards over two games, including touchdown catches of 60-plus yards in each.

The transition has had its struggles, however, including having to learn the entire offensive playbook. Holmes has succeeded thanks to the efforts of his coaches, and perhaps more importantly, sophomore quarterback Nick SanGiacomo.

“During the summer when I found out that I was going to be playing wide receiver,” said Holmes, “He told me to come [practice] after lifting and running every day, and we would throw for hours at a time.”

Holmes has shown skills on both sides of the field due in large part to his athletic ability, but for him, it doesn’t matter where he plays as long as he sees the field.

“I just like playing period. I like defensive back, I like safety because I like roaming the field and I like making interceptions. But I mean who doesn’t like scoring,” he said with a laugh.

Holmes and the Blue Devils return to the field following their bye week this Saturday at home game against Salve Regina University.

Erin o'donnell | THE RECORDER

Tyrell Holmes in the recent Homecoming game versus St. Francis U.

"Hunt"ing For The Finish Line PAige brown The Recorder

Senior Craig Hunt of the Cross Country team.

Photo | CCSU AThletics

With two NEC awards alone this season and multiple wins under his belt, senior Craig Hunt is ready to race his way to the top and bring his team along with him.

At the beginning of this month, Hunt was named the NEC Athlete of the Week, and again just last week, along with another teammate.

He has had a victorious season, placing number one in his first race of the season at the Father Bede Invitational hosted by Saint Francis U., with a time of 26:43 against 94 runners. He also placed fifth in the New England Championship, pacing his team to win.

After leading his team to victory, gaining their first New England Championship title, Hunt was nothing but proud.

“It was the first time in school history that we won as a team,” said Hunt. “It’s always a great accomplishment.”

However, Hunt hasn’t always had the best time in his athletic career. Last fall, he suffered an injury that took him out of the game for a bit. There was a sciatic nerve being pinched in his back, which he recovered from this past summer.

“I’ve struggled with an injury for the past year, just up and down,” he said. “It’s been mentally tough.”

“I’m just thankful that I’m competing now and being at the level that I’m at.”

Coming back seems to be the best for him, which has obviously been shown through his dominant season.

“He works extremely hard and makes sure

he does everything that will make him a better runner,” said Coach Blake, in an email. “He is also not afraid to hurt when the time comes to run hard.”

Besides running, Hunt is working towards his future academically. As a senior Physical Education major, he hopes to coach at a collegiate level one day.

Even though running and school take up most of his time, Hunt enjoys reading. He described it as a great stress reliever and very relaxing.

After college, Hunt would like to keep running.

“I am really hoping to join an elite group and hopefully just run for a year or two without having to work full time,” he said with a chuckle.

As for the rest of the 2013 cross-country season, Hunt would like to see his team win the national conference for the fifth year in a row.

“We want to have our best showing at the regional championships in school history,” he said. “We’re really shooting for everybody to have their best race that day.”

Coach Blake, who named Hunt the top runner on the men’s team this season, can see how much work Hunt puts into the team.

“He is a team guy and always wants the team to get better,” he said.

Individually, Hunt would like to place first at the national conference and hopes to finish in the top four at the regional race to qualify for the national championship.

“Craig has a lot of attributes that make him a top distance runner,” Coach Blake stated. “All of these qualities make him a great studentathlete to be on the team.”

11

THE RECORDER / Wednesday, October 23, 2013 / SPORTS

CCSU Golf Men’s Golf Finishes Fifth Women’s Golf Shows at UConn Growing Pains at Rutgers sean begin The Recorder

The Central Connecticut men’s golf team improved every round to finish in fifth place at the UConn Connecticut Cup last week at the Ellington Ridge Country Club.

“Getting better every day is important,” said Coach Kevin Giancola adding, “I’m a little disappointed we didn’t beat Bryant. UConn, Hartford and Rhode Island are big programs, but then it should have been us, and we finished fifth.”

Central finished two strokes behind conference foe Bryant University, with the Universities of Connecticut, Hartford and Rhode Island coming in first, second, and third, respectively.

The Blue Devils finished the first round tied for ninth place with Siena College after shooting 309 as a team. After a second round 300, Central had moved up to seventh out of 14 schools.

Despite struggling the first two days, senior Matt DeJohn led Central with a third round score of 71, pacing the Blue Devils to a 295 team score, enough to move them into fifth place.

Junior Monte Mullen followed a strong showing at the previous tournament at Yale by shooting a team high 223 three round score, good for a tie for 12th place overall. Sophomore Connor Murphy finished three strokes behind Mullen, tied for 16th overall, a performance Giancola called “better than usual” for the second year golfer.

According to Giancola, the Blue Devils have had difficulty stringing together three consecutive rounds of solid play.

“It seems every tournament we go to there’s

always one round where we don’t play well and then we come back and we play well,” he said.

“If we can just get little more consistent and have a little more positive attitude, it would really help us.”

Giancola has brought in his first recruiting class this season, starting two or three freshmen every tournament. The inexperience of playing on the college level has shown through in the mental side of their game.

“It goes back to decision making and having a positive attitude. I think what they do is they carry over their mistakes and it leads to bad shots,” said Giancola adding, “We work really hard on that from a mental perspective.”

Giancola attributes his team’s youth to some of the bad mistakes made during the tournament at UConn.

“The course played very difficult," he said.

"The greens were very firm so you had to play certain shots and you couldn’t hit certain shots. A couple of times they definitely made the wrong decision."

Despite the mistakes, Giancola knows the younger members of the team are adjusting to playing collegiate golf and the experience of this semester will help them in the spring and at the NEC championships.

“I’m looking forward to a greater spring. I think the freshmen are getting good experience and becoming comfortable with the collegiate life. I was real proud of them though because they did get better every day.”

He added, “I think conference wise we’re going to be very, very competitive this year and that’s exciting with so many freshmen on my team.”

The team finishes off play this semester next week in Brewster Ma., with the NEIGA Championships on Oct. 27 and 28.

SEAN BEGIN The Recorder

The Central Connecticut women’s golf team showed some inexperience while finishing 14th out of 20 schools at the Rutgers Invitational last week.

“Unfortunately, we’re young and inexperienced and we went in there and it kind of got to us a little bit,” said Coach Carly Ludwig.

Despite the inexperience, youth led the team in the form of freshman Ella Williams, whose two-day score of 162 was tied for 53rd overall.

“Ella’s been knocking at the door,” said Ludwig of her young golfer. “Every time she comes off the golf course she’s found something different in her game and in her attitude towards how she plays and what she does.”

Williams’ fellow freshman Kaitlyn Stoddart had a rough first round at Rutgers, shooting an 88, but showed the most improvement among the team in round two, lowering her score by seven strokes to an 81.

“The great thing is both of them [Williams and Stoddart] walked off the golf course and both said I’ve learned so much and I hope they take that and use that in our final tournament in the fall,” said Ludwig. “It’s about them figuring out that sometimes being safe isn’t backing down it’s actually making the right choice.”

Sophomore Sarah Boden shot a team best 79 in the second round, the only member of the team to break 80 during the two day tournament. Boden, who shot a 163 over both rounds, has shown a marked improvement in her decision making since last season.

“She’s done a way better job this year of seeing her options and making good decisions and knowing that even if you don’t have your best stuff that day you can still salvage your

steve mclaughlin | steve Mclaughlin photography

Monte Mullen from Manchester hitting an iron.

round by making good decisions and picking good lines,” said Ludwig.

Junior Albrianna Farnum, who had led the Blue Devils in their previous two tournaments, matched Boden’s 163, despite playing sick.

“Unfortunately, she wasn’t feeling too well this past weekend but you still have to fight through those things,” said Ludwig. “You’re not always going to feel well, you’re not always going to have your A-game.”

Farnum has been the team’s best player and, according to Ludwig, is the most experienced golfer on the team. Farnum has taken that experience to become “a good source of encouragement” for the younger girls on the team, Ludwig said.

As Ludwig points out, the team is young and relatively inexperienced, especially when compared to other NEC schools such as Long Island University, who starts three experienced juniors on their squad. The Blue Devils finished fourth of six NEC schools at Rutgers.

“Most of the other NEC teams are a lot more experienced than us, have been to the same tournaments for three or four years now and they kind of know what to expect,” said Ludwig.

Despite the inexperience of her young team Ludwig’s focus has been on learning and growing for the spring run up to the NEC championship.

“The good thing about my sport is I have until April 24th to figure things out,” she said.

“All these [tournaments] leading up to NEC tournament are a good opportunity to learn and grow and hopefully not repeat the same mistake twice.”

The Central women’s golf team finishes the semester this weekend at the University of Delaware’s inaugural tournament on Oct. 26 and 27.

steve mclaughlin | steve Mclaughlin photography

Freshmen Ella Williams putting.

12 THE RECORDER

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

SPORTS

Women’s soccer splits home stand Corey pollnow The Recorder

On many occasions Coach Mick D’Arcy has voiced his disappointment and frustration with the team’s results this season, but their match on Sunday afternoon versus St. Francis U. had the Central women’s soccer coach feeling differently.

Prior to the game D’Arcy played a motivational video in the locker room with highlights of the team’s missed scoring opportunities combined with Al Pacino’s ‘game of inches’ speech from the movie “Any Given Sunday”. The Blue Devils responded with a 2-1 win and improved to 2-2 in the NEC (4-10 overall). Central handed the Red Flash (8-7-1, 4-1-0 NEC) their first conference loss of the season.

“The girls obviously like seeing video of themselves playing, but they picked up on the message that we’re really not that far off,” said D’Arcy. “Our record is hard to look at and that’s the looking [yourself] in the mirror thing.”

Tesa McKibben scored in the 72nd minute on a ball that was threaded into the goal box by Beatriz Maros de Carvalho.

Central’s goalkeeper Nikola Deiter made a valiant effort to dive and make the save, but McKibben was able to touch the ball first and put the ball into the back of the net to reduce the deficit to one goal. Despite McKibben’s goal and SFU’s attempt late in the game to tie the game, the Blue Devils held on and recorded their first win since Oct. 4.

The Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute when Morgan Santoro took advantage of the space she was given and fired a shot with the wind at her back from beyond 18 yards into the upper right portion of the goal for her second goal of the season.

“We were all over Morgan in the first half for not taking the shot. We talked to her at halftime about stepping up and taking the shot if they don’t respect you,” said D’Arcy.

A succession of controversial plays led to Claire Walsh’s first goal of the season which gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead early in the

second half. Nikki Kureczka struck a ball from half field that bounced deep into the penalty box. Kerriann Welch headed the ball off the left goal post and simultaneously was violently clotheslined by SFU’s goalkeeper, Abbey Collins.

Welch and Collins fell to the pitch and the referee blew his whistle. Both coaches yelled across the field pleading their case to the referee. Some time passed before Central was awarded a penalty kick by the referee, who had no explanation when SFU’s coach, Brenda van Stralen, questioned why he gave the Blue Devils a penalty kick.

Jewel Robinson stepped up and struck the ball, Collins dove left and made a spectacular save on the penalty kick. The ball rolled over the end line and Central was given a corner kick in the 48th minute. Tori Sousa placed a dangerous cross to the near post which was headed by a Red Flash defender directly to Walsh's feet and she buried the ball into the back of the net.

“The referee rightfully called a penalty kick and it was disappointing not putting the penalty away, but that was the turning point of the game,” said D’Arcy. “We could have felt sorry for ourselves, but we had a corner kick and we were a little bit hungrier inside the sixyard box. Claire finished the ball that came out.”

Central outshot SFU 9-7 in the first half and 21-10 for the game.

“The reality is we’re creating chances and we’ve been competitive in all of our conference games. Today we went out and played very well and made lots of chances and put some of them away.”

Deiter who has yet to record a shutout saved one shot in 90 minutes. Through 14 games Deiter has totaled 66 saves, a save percentage of .717 and a goals against average of 1.95.

On Wednesday evening Central hosted Boston College who entered the game ranked 30th in the NCAA Women’s Soccer RPI. The Blue Devils were swarmed by the Eagles 7-0.

Despite the final score, CCSU held their own in the first 20 minutes of the match.

Kerriann Welch fighting for possession in the second half on Sunday versus Saint Francis U.

Central had four scoring chances early in the first half before the game became out of reach.

The Blue Devils best chance in the game came on a breakaway by Sousa who was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

Santoro who scored the game winning goal versus SFU on Sunday was named NEC

Co-Rookie of the week for the second time this season.

The Blue Devils will play their next three games on the road versus Fairleigh Dickinson, Mount St. Mary’s and Bryant before they wrap up the regular season on Nov. 3 versus Wagner at noon.

Devin leith-yessian | the recorder

Freshmen Alexandria DeCaro in Central's 7-0 loss on Wednesday versus Boston College.

corey pollnow | the recorder