The Chronicle- February 9, 2011

The Saint Rose Chronicle February 9, 2011

Volume LXXIX Issue 16

Serving The College of Saint Rose Community in Albany, New York

Saint Rose Adds Four New Members to Board of Trustees

By RICH AVILES The College of Saint Rose has elected four new members to its Board of Trustees. Sister Mary Louise Dolan, Sister Mary Anne Heenan, Sister Mary Rose Noonan, and Dr. Kathleen Sullivan Ricker, each of whom is a Saint Rose alumnus, were added to board in a recent vote.

Members of the 36 person board serve three-year terms and play a major role in the decision making at the College.

Dolan, Heenan, and Noonan are each Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondalet, the sponsors of the College. According to the College’s by-laws, one-third of the Board must consist of Carondalet Sisters while the other two-thirds are comprised of lay leaders.

Noonan, who graduated from Saint Rose in 1973, is excited about her new seat on the Board.

“As a member of the Board of Trustees, I look forward to collaborating with the other trustees in overseeing and ensuring the communication and fulfillment of the College’s mission and purpose,” said Noonan.

Noonan currently resides in Latham and is currently the director of communications for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet’s Albany Province, a position she has held since 1991. During her tenure at Saint Rose, she served as editor of the college year book and was a member of Alpha Mu Gamma, Delta Epsilon Sigma, and Kappa Gamma Pi which are all collegiate honor societies.

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www.strosechronicle.com

February at Saint Rose Snow was present in 49 of the 50 states, and it certainly didn’t miss Albany or Saint Rose.

Saint Rose Students Find Creative Outlet with Quintessential Zine

By IAN BENJAMIN Quintessential Zine is a smallscale, independent publication created by K.C. Orcutt. A ‘zine’ is a colloquial term for a small magazine. Quintessential Zine is comprised of submitted or attributed art taking the form of creative writing—prose and poetry, photography and original art.

The zine sprang from a series of conversations Orcutt had regarding small-scale publications in 2008. In 2009 Orcutt realized the zine’s first publication, distributing it at a show hosted by Aficionado (www.myspace.com/

aficionado), a local band started

by Saint Rose alum and lead singer Nick Warchol in 2004. The initial support the zine received at the show and the continuing influx of art Orcutt received afterwards spurred her to continue her efforts with the zine. Now in its 14th issue, Quintessential Zine has a run of 200 copies and includes color photo prints as well as stickers. For the latest issue Tony Thompson, a Utica based artist, designed five original covers and then screen-printed each of the 200 copies individually.

Quintessential Zine is primarContinued on Page A3 Saint Rose students walk to class during the Tuesday snow.

Ian Benjamin

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The Saint Rose Chronicle

February 9, 2011

From Page A1 Following her Saint Rose graduation, Noonan went to Notre Dame and earned her master’s in English Literature. Saint Rose, though, has been a staple in the Noonan family since before she attended the College, and has continued to be over the years.

“My mother was a Saint Rose alumna of the class of 1943,” said Noonan. “My sister and botherin-law both received bachelors and master’s degrees from Saint Rose, my brother received a master’s degree from Saint Rose, and my niece received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Saint Rose.”

Once her education was complete, Noonan decided to become a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the religious community who founded Saint Rose in 1920. She became a sister mainly because she wanted to help make the world a better place.

“I wanted a life of service and I saw so many sisters at Saint Rose who were prayerful, faithful women focused on bringing

Kathleen Sullivan Ricker

Board of Trustees Welcomes Four New Members

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan Ricker (right) with her husband Gerald Ricker in the garden court behind the Lally building.

God’s unifying, loving presence to the world,” said Noonan.

“Those sisters had a profound influence on my life.

While being a sister, she also taught English at Catholic high schools in several cities in New York, including Troy, Binghamton, and Rome. She was named

“Outstanding Teacher” three different times by the Diocese of Syracuse.

Sister Heenan sees her position on the Board of Trustees as “a great privilege and a serious responsibility.” This will be her second time serving on the board, which she was member of from

1988 to 1994.

“I am happy to again be an active part of the Saint Rose community working with many dedicated and capable people to ensure the continued growth, excellence, and success of the College,” said Heenan.

Heenan earned her BA in mathematics from Saint Rose and her master’s in Education Administration from SUNY Oswego.

She continued on to work as a teacher, high school administrator, and Curriculum Director. She was also the superintendant for schools in the Diocese of Syracuse from 1989 to 2003.

She is currently working as a Senior Consultant in Education with Meitler Consultants, Inc. in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Meitler Consultants specializes in strategic planning with schools and parishes for the purpose of developing a vision to further their missions and ministry. Since she lives in Wisconsin, Heenan has been forced to keep her schedule open for travel time to Albany so she can attend the board meetings, but says nothing too dramatic has changed.

“I haven’t had to make major changes. I simply have to arrange my work schedule to make time for travel to board meetings and committee meetings, as well as the time required to prepare for these meetings and any subsequent follow-up tasks,” said

Volume 79 Issue 16 Heenan.

Like the other new members of the board, Sister Dolan has had a long history with Saint Rose. She graduated from the college with a BA in Biology and Secondary Education. She earned her master’s in Biology from Saint Rose as well, and attended the University of Pittsburgh Medical School for her Ph.D. When she finished her schooling, she worked for several years at the New York State Department of Laboratories and Research, Bender Laboratories in Albany, and St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam, NY. Saint Rose came back into her life in her professional career when she became a Biology professor at Saint Rose. The college has had a great impact on her life.

“The College of Saint Rose is a very special place,” said Dolan, “and interacting with trustees, faculty, administration, staff and students is extremely energizing for me.”

Also with a Ph.D. is new trustee Dr. Kathleen Sullivan Ricker.

Originally from the Bronx, Ricker made the move up to Albany for college in 1966. She graduated in 1970 with a degree in History and Political Science and Secondary Education.

Her education didn’t finish with Saint Rose. Following her departure from the College, Ricker moved to Colorado and

The Saint Rose Chronicle Staff Managing Editor Teresa Farrell farrellt691@strose.edu Class of 2011

Executive Editor Rich Aviles avilesr028@strose.edu Class of 2011

Assistant Editor Marissa Crary crarym393@strose.edu Class of 2011

Contributing Writers

Arts Editor Chris Surprenant surprenant572@strose.edu Class of 2014

Photo and Layout Editor Ian Benjamin benjamin528@strose.edu Class of 2012

Opinion Editor Leigh Ward wardl717@strose.edu Class of 2013

Advertising Manager Megan Caffrey caffreym374@strose.edu Class of 2011

Sports Editor Scott Lawson lawsons408@strose.edu Class of 2014

Web Editor: Chris Pappis pappisc572@strose.edu

Alison Lester - Sunshine Osella - Rin Wilhelmi - Regina Iannizzotto - Amy Wheeler Scott Ramundo - Dan Fogarty

Faculty Adviser: Cailin Brown

Official E-mail Address: chronicle@strose.edu Mailing Address: The Saint Rose Chronicle 432 Western Avenue Albany, NY 12203 Meetings are held every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the Viewing Room, CCIM 119.

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Volume 79 Issue 16

Quintessential Zine Highlights Artistic Talent in Upstate New York From Page A1 ily distributed in and around Albany at coffee shops, art galleries, local businesses and 1st Friday galleries. Outside of Albany, the zine is distributed by Orcutt at the Existing Artists table at Proctor’s Theatre as part of Art Night Schenectady. The members of Existing Artists have supported Quintessential Zine since its inception and the two projects will often host art shows collaboratively.

“I hope to keep connecting artists and writers. I hope to spark a conversation. I hope to publish people who might not otherwise have had their work in print,” said K.C. Orcutt.

Saint Rose students and alumni have contributed to Quintessential Zine. The latest issue features writing by Saint Rose student Taylor Merrihew. In previous issues, Matthew Matthew Davidowicz has had printed flyers for his DJ shows included.

Merrihew met Orcutt in his freshman year through mutual friends. According to Merrihew “It was exactly the outlet I wanted for my writing.” In previous issues—as well as the most recent—Merrihew has submitted prose poetry, verse poetry and flash fiction. Merrihew greatly appreciates the work Orcutt has put into the zine and believes it fulfills much needed role in the local creative scene. “[The] zine is a great opportunity for local artists that might not know exactly how to publish their work (writing, quotes, pictures, cartoons, drawings, etc) to get it out there, and have a readership,” said Merrihew.

In recognition of the influence

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Nip Rogers

February 9, 2011

Quintessential Zine has had, and continues to have, Lake Placid based artist Nip Rogers will be including K.C. Orcutt and Quint-

“I do the zine because I believe when you go to a coffee shop, for example, you should have options of what to read.

The zine is a casual conversation starter. I hope people are at least intrigued by it.”

K.C. Orcutt

essential Zine in his series of 30 portraits of the people who are behind some of the major local centers of creative energy. The series will premiere at a show in May and will be entitled “Social FACEworking”. For the show Orcutt will be publishing a special edition of the zine, sponsored

by Proctor’s Theatre, which will feature Rogers’ portraits accompanied by biographies of each artist. For a preview of the artwork which will be shown one can visit Rogers’ website at www. niprogers.com. Also portrayed in the series will be Vincent Tocco and the local artist collective Exisiting Artists.

When asked why she continues her work with the zine Orcutt responded: “I think, at this point, hundreds of dollars and a year later, I’m doing this zine until someone else does. I constantly am reinforced as to why the zine is important. People look for the

Nip Rogers’ Illustration of K.C. Orcutt and Quintessential Zine for “Social FACEworking” zine at 1st Friday, for example, and get disappointed when I run out of copies. It exists as a place for people to collectively be published in a casual, creative, open space, in print.”

Anyone can contribute to the zine, so long as the submitted content is either original or attributed. Short stories are limited to 400 words an issue, although longer stories can be published as serial excerpts. Orcutt can be contacted about submissions via e-mail at kc@quintessentialzine. com. Or, for more information on Quintessential Zine one can join the Facebook group or subscribe to the Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/theqzine.

Some of the covers of Quintessential Zine issues #13 and #14.

The Saint Rose Chronicle

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Alumna Spotlight: Mickey Clement

By KATHLEEN ROARK Mickey Clement ‘65 had an “aha moment” in a freshman English class that put her on a path for a career in writing.

Clement is the author of two novels, including The Irish Princess. She recently finished work on a third novel, Stealing Honey, and has begun writing a fourth.

Her “aha moment” came during her first semester at The College of Saint Rose in an Honors English class. An assignment in the course had a deep impact on her and was the subject of a 2006 podcast for the NPR program Studio 360.

One day Sister Jeanne Pierre, the professor for Honors English, brought in a print of a painting named On Pitt Street. She asked the class to write about it. It was a street scene, featuring people

from various ethnic backgrounds.

The “happiness, the busyness, and striving, and joy” of the people in the painting resonated with Clement.

In the Studio 360 podcast Clement admitted to feeling a little out of place at college. She commuted to campus, where many students came from wealthier backgrounds. But Pitt Street was something she felt confident writing about. “[The painting] encompassed my life….I knew Pitt Street because it was every place I had ever known,” said Clement during the podcast.

It was in this moment that she knew she would become a writer.

This assignment “sent me down a track that… I’m not even sure that I would have gone down that track,” said Clement.

Clement, born Mary Kay Fly-

nn, had not arrived at Saint Rose with a writing career in mind. She grew up in Wynantskill, NY in the 1940s and 1950s. The Flynns were a “clannish, Irish Catholic family,” said Clement in the Studio 360 podcast. “Not wealthy.

We were actually poor but we didn’t know it.” Her childhood friend, Mary DiFillipis, described the Flynn family as “close, warm, rich in wit and humor.”

Clement’s mother was a teacher who encouraged her daughter to pursue a career in teaching.

But as a teenager Clement displayed little interest in school.

She described her grades at Troy High School as “mediocre”. Her main interests were cheerleading and boys. “[I] had no interest in being anything but a high school girl,” said Clement.

However, she did well on the

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Mickey Clement

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St. Rose Alumna Mickey Clement at a family event.

SATs and earned a Regents Scholarship. A teacher with whom her mother worked had attended Saint Rose, so Clement’s family urged her to do the same. It was also an affordable choice and allowed Clement to save money by living at home.

Clement entered Saint Rose in the early 1960s. At the time, students declared a major when they matriculated. Not surprisingly, she selected elementary education as her major. Within a week, however, she changed her mind.

The high school student with mediocre grades and interest in cheerleading and boys landed in the Freshman Honors Program on the strength of her SATs scores.

Her first semester included the Honors English class where she had her “aha moment.”

It was “just a great class” and Sister Jeanne Pierre, the professor, was an “amazing teacher,” said Clement. As a result of this English course she switched her major to English and became the serious student she had not been in high school. She loved her literature classes and made the Dean’s List most semesters.

But after graduating in 1965, a writing career did not immediately beckon. She needed to find a job. Since she had not taken any education classes, she could not become an English teacher. One day she stopped by the Troy Office of the Department of Labor where she learned of a free mas-

ter’s degree program in counseling at the University of Bridgeport.

“It was a ‘Great Society’ Program to staff Neighborhood Youth Corps Centers with trained counselors,” said Clement. She enrolled in the intensive 36 credit program, and upon completion, she worked in the Neighborhood Youth Corps Centers in Albany and Philadelphia.

“I think counseling was a good fit because of her compassion and acceptance,” said DeFillipis. “We graduated from college in 1965 when civil rights and the Johnson presidency’s legislation aimed at equal opportunity were high on the national radar. I think Mickey’s interest in others dovetailed with the national psyche.”

Clement went on to work for several years for Head Start.

“After spending time with Youth Corps teenagers I decided I wanted to work with kids at the other end of the age spectrum,” she said. At Head Start Clement discovered she liked teaching and admitted that “if my parents hadn’t been so adamant [about me becoming a teacher]” she probably would have remained on this path in college.

Clement had married in 1966, and she and her husband, John, had three children. She took time off from work to raise her family.

In the mid-1970s the Clements Continued on Page A5

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Board of Trustees Continued From Page A1 attended the University of Colorado for her masters. She majored in Counseling Psychology and earned her degree in 1975. Over a decade later she went on to earn her Doctoral Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver, and ended up moving to Northern Virginia just two years later.

“After completing my Ph.D. I started a private practice in clinical psychology both in Colorado

Springs, and then in Falls Church, VA. Treating adolescents, families and women,” said Ricker.

5 years ago, she made the move back to Colorado Springs and is currently living there with her family. Since moving back, she has been an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of the Rockies and has supervised graduate students. Although she graduated several decades ago, Saint Rose remains in her heart.

“My time at Saint Rose influenced me profoundly,” said Rick-

er. “I found my self-confidence and learned I could achieve whatever I set my mind to.”

The four new board members have begun their service and will be attending the upcoming meetings for the Board of Trustees at Saint Rose. Several issues are on the table for the new members, including details for the upcoming construction of the new dorm building on Madison Avenue, and other future endeavors by the College.

Alumna Mickey Clement Kept Writing From Page A4 were living in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Here Clement met Carol Eldridge, an artist. Both Clement and Eldridge had children in the same kindergarten class.

Eldridge found Clement to be “very outgoing and personable”.

A friendship developed. One day the two of them were talking and they came up with the idea of starting their own business. “Both of us were women who wanted to contribute,” said Eldridge. Clement admitted that although she liked being at home, she wanted to also do something creative.

A greeting card company seemed like a good choice. Eldridge had designed greeting cards for another company for many years. Eldridge did the artwork and Clement wrote the text.

They named their company Multiple Choice. Each card had multiple images of the card’s theme on the front.

They sold cards for all occasions and later expanded to include note cards and inserts for gifts. The business became “fairly successful,” said Clement.

They eventually had 25 sales representatives across the company to sell the cards to stores. They also distributed cards in Canada.

Clement and Eldridge ran the business for several years. But in 1982 Clement’s husband relocated to New York for work. Clement said that Multiple Choice was not that lucrative to make staying in Massachusetts an option.

Clement and Eldridge continued to run the business for another year, with Clement handling marketing for the company. It was not possible, however, to sustain the business, and they shut it down.

But Clement didn’t stop writing. She was on the board of directors of an organization called the Family Service League, for which she did some public relations work. She began writing for some community newspapers

and eventually contributed some op-ed pieces to The New York Times. She also entered writing contests.

Her first book, The Irish Princess, was published in 1994. A review in Booklist called the book a “vivid, memorable debut.” This novel is about an Irish Catholic family living in Troy, NY. “I would have to say that ALL of my life experiences have shaped my writing,” said Clement.

Her second book was published online. She is currently working on a psychological thriller. She has recently finished a novel called Stealing Honey, which is a long and complicated story about an inflammatory subject—abortion.

She has some advice for aspiring writers. “Nothing helps a writer more than practice,” said Clement. “True, you must find your own voice—but then you need to develop the skill—and that is done by working at it.”

The Chronicle is always accepting Letters to the Editor. If you have an issue you would like to voice an opinion about do not hesitate to email a Latter to the Editor to chronicle@strose.edu.

The Saint Rose Chronicle

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Calendar of Events Wednesday, February 9 4:30 p.m. St. Rose Chronicle Meeting, The Viewing Room CCIM 119 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Mid-Week Catholic Mass, Hubbard Sanctuary 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Raffle Knight, Standish Rooms 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Rescheduled Audition for Two One-Acts. For more

info. e-mail Paul Lamar at lamarp@strose.edu,

Science Center Room 369 7:30 p.m. MEISA Open Mic. Night, Jack’s Place in the CCIM 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Karate Club Meeting, SA Conference Room Thursday, February 10 4:00 p.m. Environmental Club Meeting, 950 Madison 4:15 p.m. Fiction authors Julie Orringer and Karen Russell host a seminar. Standish Room at the Science Library at SUNY Albany 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Student Association Meeting, Carondolet Symposium 7:30 p.m. Spectrum Meeting, St. Joseph’s Auditorium 7:45 – 9:00 p.m. Identity Weekly Meeting, SA Conference Room 8:00 p.m. Fiction authors Julie Orrigner and Karen Rusell host a

reading of recent works. Standish Room at the Science

Library at SUNY Albany 8:30 p.m. Philosophy Club, Main Lounge Friday, February 11 Do it in the Dark 4, St. Joseph’s Auditorium Saturday, February 12 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.The 11th Annual Black EXPO presents Gospel Night

Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary 6:30 p.m. MEISA Show feat. Caleb Lionhart, Dirty Dishes and

Green is Green, Jack’s Place Sunday, February 13 6:30 p.m. College Mass, St. Vincent de Paul Church Monday, February 14 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Yoga for Students, Hubbard Sanctuary 7:00 p.m. Outside the [Box] Meeting Tuesday, February 15 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Adventure Club Meeting, SA Conference Room 8:00 p.m. MEISA Panel Discussion: Music Venue Owners, Howard

Glassman, Sarah Craig and David Stewart, The Viewing

Room, CCIM 119 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. Yoga for Students, Hubbard Sanctuary 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. Open Mic Night, Hudson River Coffee House Wednesday, February 16 4:30 p.m. St. Rose Chronicle Meeting, CCIM 119 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. Mid-Week Catholic Mass, Hubbard Sanctuary 7:00 p.m. “What Do You Believe?”: Student Forum on the Spiritual

and Non-Spiritual Life on Campus,

Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary 7:30 p.m. Open Mic. Night, Jack’s Place in the CCIM 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Karate Club Meeting, SA Conference Room If you have an upcoming event you’d like to see in our weekly Calendar of Events, please e-mail benjamini528@strose.edu or chronicle@strose.edu!

the arts A Dose of Humor and Sweetness in No Strings Attached The Saint Rose Chronicle

By SUNSHINE OSELLA A movie all about sex and sexual humor creates no high hopes for cinematic brilliance. Director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) and writer Elizabeth Meriwether handle the subject well in No Strings Attached.

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) is an aspiring writer working as a production assistant for a TV show about musically talented high school students and Emma (Natalie Portman), a driven medical student, are long time friends who decide to become ‘friends with benefits’. The plotline is a typical one--how long can you be “sex friends” before one person starts having feelings for the other? As the other characters repeatedly state, it is not possible to keep up a relationship like this for long before somebody’s feelings are hurt.

No Strings Attached is a blend of romantic and sexual comedy.

Kutcher and Portman have great stage chemistry and their characters make oft use of their height difference as comedic source.

The constant innuendo and downright raunchy language was over the top at times, especially the first half of the movie.

Kutcher’s charismatic personality helps draw you into the sweet nature of his character. Natalie Portman accurately portrays her unaffectionate character—afraid to get too close for fear of being hurt; however, there is nothing special about her performance.

The supporting cast is composed of unmemorable characters, with the exceptions of Kevin Cline, Adam’s former TV star dad, and Lake Bell, Adam’s overly talkative producer boss. They helped bring depth into an otherwise one dimensional plotline.

For the most part the movie followed the well-beaten path of previous romantic comedies, but it did take some occasional surprising turns. Kutcher’s quirky arrival to pick up Portman for their Valentine’s date armed with a “bouquet” of carrots instead of the traditional roses. Or when Portman says, “You give me premature ventricular contractions— my heart skips a beat.” Just these simple unexpected additions raised the bar of this movie, but the movie would have benefited from additional breaks from convention.

Reitman seemed to know when comedy was appropriate and when the subject called for great-

If you are interested in writing movie reviews for The Saint Rose Chronicle come attend a meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in CCIM 119, The Viewing Room.

er gravity. It stayed true to its genre, comedy, while still being sincere. This is not always easy to do in comedies, but No Strings Attached manages to stay sweetly human while still eliciting laughs.

I wanted to be able to recommend this as a date movie in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, but I think it’s more fitting for a girls’ night out. It’s the story of a guy who falls for the girl first, and so is the first to give into emotions. It’s a perfect girl fantasy movie—a guy who wants more than just sex. So ladies, when you are in the mood for a true girls’ night, sit back and relax with No Strings Attached.

Watch as a girl almost lets the dream guy go, a dream guy who is sexy, sweet, compassionate, likes to snuggle and just so happens to be Ashton Kutcher.

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© 2010 Paramount Pictures

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A Promtoional Poster for No Strings Attached.

Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman in a still from No Strings Attached

© 2010 Paramount Pictures

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the arts

Do You Get Along With Your Roommate?

By CHRIS SURPRENANT

© 2011 Sony Digital Pictures Inc.

What do you do when your roommate is just a little too loud?

What do you do when your roommate is just a little too messy?

What do you do when your roommate is just a little too much of a psychopath? If you’re at a loss for answers, you might want to ask Minka Kelly and Leighton Meester, stars of the cheesy thriller The Roommate.

First off, I would like to say that the college life represented throughout the film is a complete and total fantasy. The “dorm” rooms are more like hotel rooms, with actual mattresses, coffee tables and large closets. We all know for a fact that dorm rooms are the size of a closet to begin with. Aside from the completely unrealistic dorms, the communal bathrooms are apparently clean enough to walk barefoot in. Not cool! But then again, this is Hollywood, so they can do what they want.

The movie starts off innocently enough. Kelly plays Sara Matthews, a sweet, naïve college freshman at ULA. And, like any freshman, she is placed with a new roommate—Rebecca. Rebecca is Sara’s socially awkward, “overprotective” roommate, who just wants to be her BFF. What could possibly go wrong?

At first, Rebecca seems normal enough, if quiet. Sara, ever trying to be the good roommate, doesn’t turn Rebecca away when Rebecca actually wants to do something social. However, as time goes on, Sara begins to develop a group of friends and finds a boyfriend, Stephen (Cam Gigandet). Rebecca sees this development as a threat to her relationship with Sara. She’s not happy, not happy at all; she wants Sara to be hers, and hers alone.

As you have probably already guessed, the plot is incredibly generic, using clichés from numerous stalker movies.

Heck, the movie even puts its

own spin on the classic shower scene from Psycho. Have we seen it all before? Yes. But does that make me dislike the movie? Not necessarily.

If you have any interest at all in seeing this movie, I’m guessing it’s because you either currently have or recently have had a roommate. Without a doubt, the primary audience is going to be college students. Really, those are the only people that are going to get any enjoyment from Rebecca’s creepy habits and disturbingly overprotective behaviors.

However, that’s what makes this movie incredibly fun to watch.

As the movie progresses, Rebecca’s possessive behavior begins to escalate. Initially, she pokes around in Sara’s private things, even wearing her dead sister’s necklace at one point. That’s not too bad, just a simple misunderstanding. However, Rebecca takes it a step further, as she gets a tattoo that says, well, a little more than “we’re BFFS.”

The Saint Rose Chronicle

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© 2011 Sony Digital Pictures Inc.

February 9, 2011

A Promotional Poster for The Roommate As generic as the plotline was, it included a little twist at the very end. Sara’s best friend from high school, Irene (Danneel Harris), is revealed to have had lesbian relationships in the past. Rebecca discovers this, and uses Irene to lure Sara to Irene’s apartment. Once there, Rebecca plans to finish off anyone that Sara remains close to. This leads to the surprisingly climactic fight scene between Rebecca and Sara, where once again every cliché in the book comes out, but somehow it works.

The film is by no means highcaliber, and does not aim to be.

Instead, it aims to create a sort of caricature of a college freshman’s life. The entertainment in the movie is not in the terror it creates—there is very little—but rather the thought of having a roommate that would be willing to do anything and everything

for you, disregarding anyone that would be hurt along the way.

The movie becomes a communal experience, in that everyone in the theater is involved in rallying for Sara to live, and for the eerie psychopath Rebecca to be knocked off. You should expect lots of hooting and hollering, because that’s what makes the movie fun. If you’re expecting to see a quality horror film, you’d best avoid The Roommate. This movie is pure camp, and doesn’t aspire to be anything more. The actors take themselves seriously, but in the end they’re all just having a good time with it, which is what they want the audience to do too. The Roommate may be that creepy kid no one will ever talk about after freshman year, but for the time being, it provides a lot of great conversation.

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The Saint Rose Chronicle

opinion

Super Bowl Just Another Sunday

BY LEIGH WARD There are many times throughout the year that it is socially acceptable to over-eat and dine on food that is less than good for your health, resulting in a food coma for yourself and those around you. Such times include Christmas, Thanksgiving, and...

Super Bowl Sunday.

However, as a young lady who isn’t totally into football, this is just another day in the life. After texting Chronicle Sports Editor, Scott Lawson, about writing this piece, he promptly responded, “This is like Christmas for me!”

Upon entering the newsroom to work on this piece, I was greeted with a “So, I hear you don’t like the Super Bowl...” from Executive Editor, Rich Aviles.

Don’t get me wrong, this is the first year I’ve semi-followed any sort of football games. I watched the Jets beat the Patriots and then lose to the Steelers. Naturally, I got tweets sent to my phone from angry, and depending on whom it was, happy friends about the result of the games.

And here we are, the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I’ll admit that I’ll probably channel surf and occasionally

tune into the game whilst keeping my nose buried in my textbooks, but unlike the rest of the guys I know, I probably won’t be able to tell you about all the touchdowns scored or why (insert players name here) fumbled a pass.

While I may not care enough about football to bet money I definitely don’t have on teams I don’t know enough about to make an informed decision, I do like to attempt to get in on the action.

After hearing Scott and Rich talk about playing Squares and betting on the game, I chimed in with, “Yeah? I’m betting Taco Bell on the Steelers winning.”

As a poor college kid, Taco Bell is the only thing I can afford to wager no matter how disgusting it may be.

If you’re looking at this page with a weird face, don’t worry, they looked at me the same way.

Though I don’t want to make an inaccurate stereotype, it’s common that many guys can make an informed decision on who will win, I joke around with who will win by who has the better tight ends. Not literally the players, but you know, “tight ends.”

Hey, I have to look at something if I’m going to be watching the game!

In all seriousness though, I’m not trying to say girls have coo-

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Volume 79 Issue 16

Valentine’s Day Word Search

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ties and don’t like football, I just � � � � � v � l � � � d � � v n n � � � � l � d p � d like to sit back and view it from � � h n t � � � � d � � � � � � � � � n l � t n t � l a guys perspective. It gives me a � h n � � l f � � � r � � t � h � � � z � � � � � � � chance to see how my guy friends � � � h � � � � b � � � n t � � � � � � � � r � t � d react to something that isn’t a big � � � � � � h � d f � � � � � � � � � r � � n � � n � � � � d � t � � � � � n � � p v � � � d � � f t � � n deal to me. � h � � d t d r � b � d n � l � r v � v � f d � � n � I’m more about watching the � � � p l r � � n r � t r � � � � p � l � � � � d b l half time show, provided that � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � p � l � d � � n r � � v there is a good performance that � � v � h � � � l � t � n n � � � � � � n n � � � n � isn’t reminiscent of the Janet � n � j � � � l � r � � d t n � l n � � f � d � z � f Jackson mishap of ‘04. Plus, this � � � � t v r f � � h f l � � r � � � � � t � b � � � is just about the only time of the � j l � l � r � � � � d r v � � z f h � � � � l n � � � � r � � f � r �� l �n � � h � � � n n d � � � � � year with humorous commercials � � � � d � � � � � l d n l l � t t � d � � t � t � d that cost way too much to pro- � n t � � n � � r � � n � � � f � r � � n � � � � � v duce. Seeing as I’m betting on � � � v � z t h � v � � � n � � � n � l � � � � � t � the Steelers winning, I’m curious d � � � � � � � n r r � n t l � n t t n � � n t l n f to see how many times the sta- t � � � � � � d � � � � � � � � � f n d t � r � � � � tions will play Pittsburgh rapper n d r � d n � � � � h t � n � � � t l � � � � � l � d � � � � � � � n � � � � � � r � � � � n � � � n � r r Wiz Khalifa’s song, “Black and �� r � � � d � d p l � n � � � � � t h f t � � z � r Yellow” should the Steelers be in t � n n t r � h � � � � � � � n � n � � f n � � h � � the lead. � r � � � � ��� � d � � � n � t n � l � v t n � � � I can thank my guy friends for l � l � � t n � � � � � � t � � � � f � � f � � r � t any football knowledge I may r � � r t � � � � � � � � t d t � r d h h � n � � � � have, as they have allowed me to �ff��t��n �l ��p�n� �nt�v�l�nt�n��� ask questions regarding the game ��rd� �h����r �h����� �h���l�t� �����r���l�z�t��n ���p�n��n that may come off as standard ��p�d d�t�� d����nd� d�v� ����rd� knowledge to most other people. e-cards F�br��r� affection fl���r� ��ft� H�ll��r� h�l�d�� h��� �n��p�d Fortunately for me, I reallyh��rt� just gifts cards �nt���t� j���l�r� ������ l��� l�v� ��f�� need to know who wins the game. hugs ��rt�r N�rth ��d� �r��h ��n� r���n�� chocolate By the time this is published, I r���� ���nt V�l�nt�n��� D�� ������r� jewelery ��t�n ��n�l�� ���r�n��� D�� �t�ff�d �n���l� ����t� cupid will hopefully have eaten a Th� delilove V���n� ��n�l����� dove cious Crunch Wrap Supreme and North Side Irish Gang basked in the glory of winning a Saint Valentines Day Massacre flowers bet based on which team has the stuffed animals hearts better looking players.

Antivalentinism intimate Call me unconventional, but it Chicago lace hasn’t failed me yet. companion martyr diamonds February roses Hallmark holiday Singles Awareness Day insipid The Vagina Monologues kisses Al Capone mafia Chaucer romance satin commercialization sweets dates

Word Bank

Answers to this week’s Word Search can be found on The Chronicle website, http://www.strosechronicle.com

February 9, 2011

opinion

Volume 79 Issue 16

The Freshman Perspective Those Winter Blues

BY CHRIS SURPRENANT Isn’t it ironic that our “winter blues” are being caused by anything but blue skies? If anything, they should refer to those blues as the “winter whites” because there is just so much snow all over the ground. Yes, I realize it’s an expression, but that was my feeble attempt at humor. Anyways, I’m finding that this winter has had a different effect on me than years past, where I never really felt the “winter blues.” College, as we know, loves to teach us all new and exciting things.

I suppose one of the biggest changes is the need to walk in the snow to get to class. I’m not complaining, but rather I’m pointing

Ian Benjamin

out that it is very different from high school. Back home, it was probably a forty-foot walk to the entrance of my school, so I never really bothered wearing boots.

Now at college (in Upstate New York no less), I have more than forty feet to go to get to my class.

During the first snowfall I had neglected to bring any boots, so naturally I went to class in my sneakers. The unfortunate result was a boy with cold feet and damp sneakers. It’s not too big of a deal, but really, does anyone like the feeling of wet socks? No. Something else I’m finding as I go through my freshman year is that I don’t enjoy the snow nearly as much as I used to. Snow in high school meant school closings,

own choices, but for someone who lives in Brubacher, an event really has to be worth the extra hike for me to leave.

So, am I surviving this winter?

Of course I am. I’m from Upstate New York, and that’s how we do!

The biggest thing for this freshman is that winter is taking on a different meaning. Does this mean I’m growing up? I sure hope not. I want to be having snowball fights with my grandchildren!

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I’m choosing to look at my first winter in college as something very positive. After experiencing winter in college, I know that I have no plans of growing out of the childlike affection for the fun of winter. Though spontaneous snowball fights and sled trains may not exist here, I’m going to make darn sure they exist later in life. Honestly, it’s way more fun being nine than 19.

Ian Benjamin

The view in front of EAC during the Tuesday snow.

sledding, and snowball fights.

Now, snow is just one giant inconvenience that I dread having to brave daily. It just gives off that “ugh” vibe, the feeling everyone has when they actually have to interact with nastier side of Mother Nature. In a way it’s sad that the weather dictates our lives, or at least mine. The amount of snow on the ground determines if I’ll wear boots, which in turn determines whether or not I’ll be wearing heavy wool socks. So not cool Mother Nature.

Going back to winter activities and various other types of fun, I am surprised at how much I miss playing in the snow! Call immature or what have you, but there’s nothing better than a snowball fight or a sled train downhill. I guess it’s the area we all live in, but it doesn’t seem as if there are a lot of hills to sled on, safely at least. Sure there’s the hill problem, but there’s also the interest problem. It seems as if everyone’s over sledding and snowball fights. Yes, there are those who ski and snowboard, but those both require some coordination, which this writer is lacking. However, if you’re up for tubing, I’m your man. Sitting is about my speed when it comes to winter sports.

Aside from missing the winter festivities of days gone by, I find myself coming down with a case of cabin fever every now and then. I know it’s normal, but it’s incredibly frustrating!

At home, if I wanted to do something during the day and it happened to be snowing, I could just take the car and go about my business. Now that I have to walk everywhere, the snow becomes a serious deterrent for me.

When it comes to going outside in the cold and wind or staying inside my occasionally heated dorm room, I choose occasional heat every time. You may say that “cabin fever” is the result of my

The Saint Rose Chronicle

Saint Rose students make there way to class during the Tuesday storm.

The Saint Rose Chronicle

sports

Big Help from the Big Man for the Golden Knights Dominykas Milka, the freshman center proves to be a successful person, both on and off the court

By JACKSON WANG Dominykas Milka, or Dom as he is known by most people on campus, is the freshmen center for the Saint Rose men’s basketball team, can light up a room with his personality the second he enters. Milka is a hard person to miss on campus. The 6’ 8’’ center is has so far proven himself as

Milka playing for his high school team, Christ the King

one of the key inside players for the Golden Knights this season.

“He’s outgoing, smart and has a different personality I’ve never met before,” said Kareem Thomas, Milka’s close friend and teammate since high school. “He’s a good teammate,” Thomas added.

Thomas also added that Milka talks a lot.

“I love my team, everyone is working hard,” said Milka. Dom plans to make big plays for the Golden Knights coming off the bench this season, by earning a vast majority of his points down low in the paint. Milka enjoys playing for Coach Brian Beaury.

“I like coach (Beaury) because

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February 9, 2011

he’s a player’s coach,” said Milka. Dom also added that his coach is letting him play about fifteen to twenty minutes per game.

Milka immigrated to the United States four years ago from Lithuania. Milka’s father played professional basketball in Lithuania. In a sense, Milka’s father was his coach because he taught Dom how to play the game when he was only eight years old.

Milka attended Christ the King High School in Queens, New York, where Milka played his high school career. Milka was a very successful basketball player while in high school. In the years of 2009 and 2010, Milka was named third-team all-city. In 2010, Milka lead his team to the New York State “AA” championship as well as the Federation Cup. Milka also played AAU basketball (Amutre Athletic Union) for the Metro Hawks.

When it came down to moving from high school to collegic basketball, Milka had some thinking to do. Not only was he wanted

by Coach Beaury, he was sought out by five division one schools that offered him scholarships. But in the end, as we all know, Dom came to Saint Rose. But why you might ask? “I came to Saint Rose due to playing time and winning,”

Milka taking a free throw in a game at Saint Rose

said Milka.

Milka is not only successful on the court, but off it as well.

He is successful student-athlete.

When it comes to the classrooms, Milka works just as hard there as if he was on a basketball court.

Milka is an accounting major in the five-year business program here at Saint Rose. Milka earn a 3.81 GPA last semester. Dom’s goal for this semester is to get a 4.0 GPA. After graduating from the College of Saint Rose, Milka plans to play professional basketball overseas. Milka’s size and strength will be a big help for the Golden Knights this year and years to come.

What to watch for this week at Saint Rose: Men’s Basketball: February 9: at Adelphi, 7:30 p.m.

February 12: Home against Pace, 3:30 p.m.

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Women’s Basketball: February 9: at Adelphi, 5:30 p.m.

February 12: Home against Pace, 1:30 p.m.

Freshman Center Dominykas Milka

Tom Killips

February 9, 2011

Volume 79 Issue 16

sports

The Saint Rose Chronicle

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Taking Flight to a Level All His Own Shaun White continues to dominate the world of snowboarding

By THOMAS STAMAS When it comes to men’s snowboarding, there is one athlete who is easily a household name. You guessed it, Shaun White.

If you somehow don’t know him by name, he’s the one doing flips on a snowboard over 20 feet in the air on a halfpipe, you know, the one with the long crazy red hair. Still lost? How about that kid that has won four consecutive gold medals in the men’s superpipe at the Winter X-Games?

Yes, Shaun White (or otherwise known as the Flying Tomato) has taken the world of snowboarding by storm. Once he steps foot into an event, he is an instant favorite to win and is easily the man to beat.

For those of you who tuned into the Winter X-Games about a week ago, I’m sure you saw Shaun White’s fourth consecutive gold medal in the men’s superpipe. Also, not only did he just win, he ran away with it.

Most snowboarders who are in second place facing a score to beat of 92.00 would feel at least some pressure. But what did Shaun do? He just pulled a modest 97.33 to take control of the lead and ultimately win the event.

Let me repeat that score, 97.33.

That’s about as close to perfect as you can get with the way the judges score in the X-Games.

Now I personally don’t even snowboard, and I couldn’t even tell what tricks the riders are pulling on each hit, but even I can appreciate a dominant performance in the sport when I see one.

White consistently got more altitude than any of the other riders and made every single landing look smooth and easy, as if anyone could do it. No matter how many flips, twists, or grabs he

was doing, I was expecting him to land every single one, because he made it look that easy.

Oh, by the way, Shaun White is just a mere 24 years old, which means he began his streak of these four gold medals when he was only 20, that’s about as old as some of you who may be reading this.

He has the most gold (10) and overall medals (15) in Winter XGames history. His first medal in the X-Games came at the young age of 15, a silver medal in the superpipe. Oh, and let’s not forget his two Olympic gold medals in the halfpipe event, one in 2006, the other in 2010.

If you have for some reason been living under a rock and have never seen Shaun White in action, head over to YouTube and look up some of his highlights. He is like the Tiger Woods of snowboarding (before he self destructed his career), everyone is compared to him and the spotlight is always on him; and he can easily handle the spotlight.

Not only does Shaun take care of business on the snowboard, but he carries himself well off of it.

He has the ability that many sports stars lack, and that is to just take care of themselves. He doesn’t draw negative attention through the media, he doesn’t change his name to resemble Spanish numbers (thank you to those who understand this reference), and he doesn’t get involved with the police. He keeps his image clean and makes himself into an iconic model for aspiring snowboarders to admire.

White will most certainly continue his dominance in the XGames and in the Olympics for many years to come as he consistently sets the bar at a height that

Shaun White celebrating after a victory

Shaun White, in midair while in competition at the Winter X Games. only he can reach. He will be one of those athletes that our generation will speak off for decades as

Shaun continues to give us more and more reasons to remember the name.

sports Could It Be Better This Way? The Saint Rose Chronicle

Should the NFL keep the overtime system that they have?

some sports like hockey, where the possession of the puck can change very rapidly, giving both teams an equal chance to win. In hockey, they will continue to play

By SCOTT LAWSON As we all know for all sports, you cannot end in a tie, unless you are playing soccer. For the most part, the major sports have solid over time set up the way it should be.

Keep playing until you win is the philosophy for all sports really. But in some sports, there is a rule to go with the sudden death victory. This is when the first team to score wins the game.

I agree with this ideology for

two overtime periods, or one if there is a winner. If it is still tied after the two periods, then they go to a shootout, which is when the teams have the men on the ice go one-on- one with the other team’s goalie. The team that scores the most in the shootout wins.

Baseball has the right idea too, as they keep adding innings until there is an indisputable winner after the added innings.

Football on the other hand has a sudden death victory concept which I do not quite understand.

They start off like they would if they were going to start another game. But they stop once the first team scores. Is that the right thing to do? I mean you can have one team not even have a chance to touch the ball. What does that prove? You can get lucky on a

February 9, 2011

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Kicker Adam Vinatieri is well known for his overtime field goals for a win couple of plays sure but why can’t the other team have a chance to score. The game can literally end on the kick off. Why can we let the other team touch the ball and see if they can score too?

Why not play another quarter and then see who wins after that?

I feel like that would be more interesting to watch simply because we can see both teams play offen-

sively and could see one team potentially dominate the other team.

Also it would take away the drive at the end where they only go to the 30 yard line and then end the game on a field goal.

Adding another quarter might be the best idea to do simply because it would add more to the game itself.

tion the Carolina Hurricanes were the host team?

If Staal truly believed that Cam Ward was the best pick, then so be it, but I cannot see how Cam Ward was the best option at goalie, let alone amongst all players.

It should be noted that team Lindstrom beat team Staal.

However, it cannot be overlooked that the TV rating of 1.2 was a 33 percent increase over the 2009 mark for the all-star game. The NHL did not have an all-star game in 2010 because of

the Olympics. But, compare that rating to the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl rating of 7.7, clearly the NHL has a lot of work to do before it can be mentioned in the same breath as the three major sports in America.

The NHL did have a good idea with the fantasy draft, but in a country where the average sports fan has trouble remembering which team NHL players are on as it is, anything to further confuse them is like trying to teach a child to run before it can walk.

New System, Same Results for NHL

By SAM MAXWELL The NHL changed its usually All Star traditions this year, installing a fantasy draft to choose the All Star teams instead of the conventional East vs. West matchup. Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nicklas Lindstrom of the Detroit Red Wings were chosen by the league as the inaugural captains.

The first overall pick for the fantasy draft was Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward. Oh, did I mention the Carolina Hurricanes were the host team?

While the new system was widely seen as a success by many of the players and fans around the league, I saw it as just another attempt by the NHL to make the sport more popular, in a country where hockey is the fourth most

popular sport, if that.

Even though the events were somewhat entertaining for me, I did see some problems that

should be fixed for next season.

The first is the way the draft was actually set up. According to nhl.com, “to make sure that the fi-

nal draft picks are true selections and not simply predetermined due to position requirements, each team’s three goalies must be picked by the end of Round 10 and each team’s six defensemen must be picked by the conclusion of Round 15.”

If it was a true fantasy draft, why put regulations on how the captains have to pick their teams?

Just let them go for it, and let them pick their teams however they want.

The next problem I saw was in what universe would Cam Ward be the first overall pick in a fantasy draft? According to espn.com, he is giving up 2.71 goals per game, most among all goalies in the all star game, and among actual fantasy leagues run through ESPN, on average he was the 99th overall pick! Oh, did I men-