The Chronicle
January 21st, 2014
The weekly student newspaper of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York www.strosechronicle.com - @strosechronicle
Volume LXXXII Issue 18
CHRIS ALVARADO
The Madison Theatre re-opened Friday under new management. It will show many old classics and second-run movies.
College Changes Dining Hall Hours After Concerns From Students By JACKSON WANG Executive Editor The College of Saint Rose announced last week that the dining hall would be changing for
News & Features
the spring semester, according to Dennis McDonald. The new hours are Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will be closed from 2 p.m. to
4p.m. during the week. “Students have brought up concerns over the years to administrators about the old hours,” Continued on Page A4
Arts & Opinion
Madison Theatre: Back to the Future
By CONOR SHEA Features Editor Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan remembers how convenient the Madison Theatre was when she
first lived in the city. “I moved to Albany in 1989, and I rented an apartment right down there on Madison Avenue Continued on Page A5
Sports
The death of cable TV? See page A2
Bang Your Head With Brendan See page B6
Is Johnny Manziel worthy of the number one overall pick? See page D14
Two shootings in Albany. See page A3
Positive Change in the Dining Hall? See page C11
Photos: Golden Knights fall at home See page D16
News A2 Sane Students to Mad Men: Cable’s Arrested Development The Chronicle
viewers 18-49. The 2012 World Series slipped in the ratings from 7.6, down from 8.7 in 2011, acDid you miss Parks and Recre- cording to Jim Edwards of Busiation? What about Modern Fam- ness Insider. ily? Have you heard about House “We’re at the beginning of a of Cards and Orange is the New major shift from watching TV Black? to watching video—including In 2014, the masses have a TV shows and movies—on the variety of entertainment options internet and mobile devices,” he available in more ways than ever. wrote. The word “television” is much This shift has been a long time looser. No longer are viewers coming. chained to the family television “I'm pretty sure I haven't set. Instead, TV is available ev- watched live TV since I graduaterywhere, from ed high school,” the phones in teacher “I'm pretty sure I said our pockets to Jen Sabonis, the computers on haven't watched live 27. “I'd much our desks, and TV since I graduated rather stream college kids are shows and work high school. I'd loving it. TV around my much rather stream schedule than “When I use the internet, I work my schedshows and work have more flexule around a TV around my ibility in what show on TV. time I watch schedule than work Also, price-wise, stuff,” said Saint streammy schedule around Iingthink Rose junior Alex is a way beta show on TV. Also, ter deal, hands Sherman-Cross. “I may have to price-wise, I think down.” wait a week to Pricing has streaming is a way been a major watch a show, but I can watch factor in whethbetter deal, hands it at 1 a.m. when er someone down.” it's usually on at even signs up 8, when I'm still for cable in the Jen Sabonis on campus.” first place. For Shermana standard cable Cross is one of many who are package with a 2-year agreement finding the convenience of that includes around 70 channels, streaming more conducive to a Time Warner Cable is currently hectic schedule. Traditional tele- charging $39.99 a month for 12 vision compels viewers to tune in months. That price increases to on a specific night at a set time. $44.99 for months 13-24. In toThe schedule is rigid and does not tal, Time Warner Cable makes allow for viewers to miss an epi- $1019.76 from a standard cable sode. This becomes problematic subscription for 2 years. with highly serialized shows such Conversely, one could subas NBC’s Revolution or ABC’s scribe to both Netflix and Hulu Scandal. With streaming services Plus for $7.99 a month. Over a widely available, these shows are 24-month period, that same subno longer “must-see,” but rather scriber would be paying $383.52, “watch later.” saving $636.24. There has been a general deNetflix offers a variety of movcline in overall interest in live ies and television shows, as well television, particularly among as critically-acclaimed original
January 21st, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 18
By CHRISTOPHER J. SURPRENANT
Managing Editor
Streaming services like Netflix allow for media consumption anytime, anywhere. programming like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. While their television selections are limited to past seasons of current shows, subscribers have the chance to catch up on popular water-cooler programming like American Horror Story. On the other end, Hulu Plus offers subscribers access to every episode of a television show’s current season, allowing for casual viewers to miss an episode of Grey’s Anatomy without worry. Unlike a traditional television set, subscribing to a streaming service allows for portability.
Each service has made available a smartphone and tablet app, and also works regular television sets. “I not only watch on my computer, but I also have a Roku streaming box to watch Hulu Plus and Netflix on my TV,” said recent Saint Rose graduate Kayla Furnia. Roku is a device that integrates a variety of streaming services all in one place, aggregating a slew of web content right to the owner’s television set. The basic player starts at $49.99 and works as a replacement to the traditional cable box.
KELLY PFEISTER
While there are certainly shows that provide irresistible hooks that demand a viewer watch live, those hooks just don’t fit in to the shifting viewing habits of consumers. “I don't really miss watching live,” Furnia said. “If I can catch The Walking Dead live, I'll watch it, because otherwise I'm bound to see a spoiler somewhere, but my work schedule changes every week and I work weird hours so it doesn't happen often. I'm usually always catching up.”
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January 21st, 2014
News
Volume 82 Issue 18
In Brief
Police Investigate Two Shootings Albany police are investigation two separate shootings that occurred in the city last week. The first incident happened on Wednesday, just before 5 p.m., in the 100 block of Central Avenue in front of a CVS store. When officers arrived, they found a male victim with gunshot wounds. The 39-year-old Albany man was treated at the scene and then taken to Albany Medical Center with non-life-threatening
injuries. The second shooting occurred in the 600 block of Second Street on Thursday. Police were notified by staff from Albany Memorial Hospital around 10 p.m. that a male had checked into the emergency room with a gunshot wound. Officers spoke with the victim and learned that he was parked in his car on Second Street when an unknown suspect approached the vehicle
and shot him. The victim, a 23-year-old Albany resident, was later transferred to Albany Medical Center for further evaluation. He’s currently admitted at the hospital and is listed in critical condition. Both incidents are still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Albany Police Detective Division at 518462-8039.
Maya Angelou’s Life to be Celebrated in Production of Mayarhythms The life of influential author Maya Angelou will be celebrated on February 1 at The College of Saint Rose. Mayarhythms includes actors, dancers, and singers from all over the Capital District, as well as students from Saint Rose, Albany High School, and Myers Middle School. The production covers the time
span of 1965-1968, a period of history that included Angelou’s interactions with Malcolm X and the Organization of African of Unity, the Watts Riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s March on Washington, as well as her friendship with fellow author James Baldwin. After this period,
Angelou published her most famous book, I Know Why Caged Bird Sings. Mayarhythms is co-sponsored by the Ira Aldridge Theater Ensemble and SPECTRUM, and will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in St. Joseph’s Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Faculty to Perform at Massry Center The Saint Rose Jazz Faculty Sextet will be performing at the Massry Center for the Arts in the Kathleen McManus Picotte Recital Hall on January 31 at 7:30 p.m.
The Chronicle
Executive Editor Jackson Wang ‘14 wangj847@strose.edu
The sextet features Paul Evoskevich, Cliff Brucker, Matt Finck, Sean McClowry, and Mark Foster. The event is free and open to the public, and is part of the Pre-
Features Editor Conor Shea ‘15 sheac613@strose.edu
miere Performances series at The College of Saint Rose. For further information, visit MassryCenter.org or call Sal Prizio at 518-337-4871.
Business Manager Shawn Dixon dixons@strose.edu
Managing Editor Opinion Editor Christopher J. Surprenant ‘14 Zachary Olsavicky surprenantc572@strose.edu olsavickyz977@strose.edu
Advertising Manager Shawn Dixon dixons@strose.edu
News Editor Searching For Applicant
Arts Editor Andy Gilchrist ‘14 gilchrista788@strose.edu
Web Editor Christopher Lovell ‘15 lovellc083@strose.edu
Layout Editor Jennifer O’Connor ‘16 oconnorj984@strose.edu
Sports Editor Joshua Natoli ‘14 natolij477@strose.edu
Head Photographer Kelly Pfeister ‘14 pfeisterk953@strose.edu
Assistant Layout Editor Searching For Applicant
Copy Editor Jenessa Matis ‘14 matisj311@strose.edu
Faculty Adviser Cailin Brown
Staff Writers Tori Addison Katherine Bakaitis Katelyn Doherty Asia Ewart Katie Klimacek Kevin Jacob Vanessa Langdon Alex Pecha Lauren Sears M. William Smith
Staff Photographer Chris Alvarado Anthony Chapin
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Calendar of Events Tuesday, January 21st 11 a.m. Albany Co. Crime Victim & Sexual Violence Center EAC 4 p.m. MAPS ALB 109 7 p.m. G4G (Girls For God) Sanctuary 7 p.m. Spectrum St. Joseph’s Hall 8 p.m. Outside the [Box] Albertus 216 8 p.m. Yoga Sanctuary Wednesday, January 22nd 11 a.m. US Marine Corps Officer Program EAC 2:40 p.m. Natural Science Association Science Center Room 352 4:30 p.m. Student Association Meeting Standish 5 p.m. Mid-Week Mass Sanctuary 5:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs. Saint Michael’s Nolan Gym 7:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Saint Michael’s Nolan Gym 7:30 p.m. BASIC Sanctuary 8 p.m. Colleges Against Cancer Meeting Albertus Room 210 10 p.m. Karate Club Practice EAC Room 110 Thursday, January 23rd 11 a.m. NYS Civil Service EAC 4:15 p.m. Adventure Club Lima Basement 5:30 p.m. SEB Meeting St. Joseph’s Hall 7:30 p.m. Identity Main Lounge Friday, January 24th Saturday, January 25th Sunday, January 26th Monday, January 27th 4 p.m. Environmental Club Meeting Community Service Office 5:15 p.m. Yoga Sanctuary 8:30 p.m. CEC Lima Basement If you have an upcoming event you would like to see in our weekly Calendar of Events, please e-mail chronicle@strose.edu.
Correction The article entitled “Dining Hall Hours Expanded,” published in the previous issue, had incorrect weekend opening hours. The dining hall will open at 10:30 a.m., not 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The rest of the hours are correct. ANY student can join The Saint Rose Chronicle The Chronicle is published weekly on Tuesdays during the academic year and once during the summer months. The Chronicle is published at the facilities of New England Newspapers in Pittsfield, M.A.
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The Chronicle
News
Dining Hall Hours Continued From Front Page
Student Association President Justin Whittaker said. Many students were getting out of jobs, classes, student teaching, and practices after 7 p.m., the old closing time for the dining hall during the week, said Whittaker. With the dining hall closed, students were forced to use their money in the Camelot Room, which meant their meal swipes were going to waste. This led The College to look into the matter and decide how they were going to fix it by drafting a plan, according to Whittaker. “The College came to us just before winter break and asked if we can make this happen over winter break,” said Rich Meigel, who has served as director of food services at Saint Rose for the last 10 years. “And we went
to Student Association and got their thoughts on it and a lot of people said, ‘yeah, that would be great to extend it.’” “We just gave some background —is it good, was it bad, and what we thought about
“I’ve been here for ten years and that has been one of the complaints about the dining hall.” Rich Meigel it—and then they made the switch,” Whittaker said. He said the administration and food services made the change, but it was the concerns of the stu-
dents that made it happen. “But it basically was listening to the students,” Meigel said. “I’ve been here for 10 years and that has been one of the complaints about the dining hall.” With the one-hour extension during the week, it also meant the dining hall would be closed from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for cleaning and preparation for dinner, said Meigel. The College was worried about the dining hall not being clean during the day because it was consistently open. Plus, administrators were also concerned the health department could have issues with that, according to Meigel. Whittaker said the dining hall was only averaging 135 swipes per day during those two hours. “For the college campus that we have, that’s a very low amount,” Whittaker said.
January 21st, 2013
KELLY PFEISTER
During the two-hour shutdown, the dining hall will be cleaning the facility and preparing for the dinner service. But even with midday shutdown, Meigel said the last swipes will be taken at 2 p.m. and allow students to eat until they are finished. And with this change, it affected Meigel’s staff as well. “I actually ended up adding more labor to my staff, even with a one-hour extension,” Meigel said. Some of the current employees
“I actually ended up adding more labor to my staff, even with a onehour extension.” Rich Meigel
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Students enjoying lunch in the dining hall on Saturday.
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had to be moved to different locations on-campus as well. But with this change, Meigel said prices should not increase dramatically. He believes the meal plan costs will increase at the same rate that it has been going at each year, which is about three percent. But most students are enjoying the new dining hall hours, including freshman Cassie Manchester.
“I like how they’re extended,” said Manchester, who enjoys eating later at night. She also said that extending it by one hour would help with her eating habits as well. But as nice as the one extension is for some students, the midday closing is not good for others. “I don’t like how it’s closed from two to four,” said Chloe Pearce, a freshman at Saint Rose. She would normally grab lunch after her class during that time frame, but will now have to adjust to the new hours. “I have heard a lot of people say they like it. Other people have said that they don’t like it,” Whittaker said. “And with changes like this, I’m sure it takes time for them to get implemented. It takes time for people to get comfortable with. So within time, I think it’s going to be great.” Meigel said the response that he has been receiving is about 50-50. “People don’t like change at first,” Meigel said. He said he’ll continue to listen to the responses, and meet with Student Association and the food committee on the new dining hall hours.
January 21st, 2014
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Volume 82 Issue 18
Madison Theatre
Continued From Front Page
in that big yellow house with the white pillars; so that I could walk to the grocery store, get a bagel at
“It’s not just a theater. This is about the reinvestment, revitilization of this neighborhood” Patricia Fahy Bruegger's… and walked to this movie theater,” said Sheehan at the Madison Theatre ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday. Sheehan was just one of many who turned out to see the grand re-opening, which included notable members of the Albany community such as Anne Savage
(founding member of “Friends of the Madison” group), Lisa Thomson (vice president of Strategic Communications for The College of Saint Rose), and assembly member Patricia Fahy. “It’s not just a theater. This is about the reinvestment, revitalization of this neighborhood, and it just has ripple effects throughout the region,” said assembly member Fahy, with an air of pride. She went on to thank Savage for her work in helping to save Madison Theatre back in 2004, saying, “A number of years ago when this building was ready to be gutted… and we were about to lose this amazing place, it was Anne and a whole host of people who came together… and it survived. ” The atmosphere was one of excitement and community, as each subsequent speaker expressed his or her gratitude to those who took on the renovation of the theatre. Darren Grout, one of the theatre’s new co-owners, when mentioning the renovation process, said, “I think it was probably two years
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ago we started thinking about this and to see what it’s turned into is pretty incredible.” Mayor Sheehan made a poi-
“It’s a cheap movie theater to go to with classics like Scarface and The Breakfast Club” Mayor Kathy Sheehan gnant comment on the close-knit community of the Albany area, mentioning, “Now I have a 13year-old son, and when he goes to the movies, he doesn’t want to go to the mall— he doesn’t want to go anywhere but here. This is where he grew up seeing the movies.” This was reiterated by many
CHRIS ALVARADO
Crowds gathered to watch the opening presentations and ribbon cutting.
CHRIS ALVARADO
The display at the opening showcased original photography of the theatre. who spoke, and it seemed to be the going theme of the renovation. Other interesting developments were announced during the ceremony, including the fact that approximately 75 full or parttime Tierra Farms workers will be employed after the addition of the Tierra Farms Market next to the theatre. Additionally, it was mentioned that the renovation process finally brought the existing structure up to code, something that it has not been done for around 15 years. After the ribbon was cut (constituting Mayor Sheehan’s first official ribbon cutting), guests were invited in for refreshments and appetizers, as well as the first official showings later in the evening—Slapshot and Cool Hand Luke. Regarding the prospects for attracting Saint Rose students and other such clientele, project manager Damir Svraka was optimistic. “We have a coffee shop, which brings in a ton of college
students; we have organic food; and even organic popcorn with real butter,” he shared excitedly. He went on to add that the appeal of Madison is that it’s not like other large cinemas. “It’s a cheap movie theater to go to with classics like Scarface and The Breakfast Club.” Tickets will be priced at just $5, which is nearly half that of a standard theater. This, combined with its proximity to Saint Rose, and movies that are hardly shown on big screens elsewhere, should hopefully keep the cinephiles coming. While the theatre will not be playing any currently running films, anything that has been out of the theater for a while has the possibility of being shown. A suggestion box for movies that patrons would like to see will be in the lobby for anyone to add to. Anyone looking to learn more about the upcoming films to be played at Madison Theatreshould visit themadisontheater. com.
Arts B6 Bang Your Head with Brendan: The Best of 2013 (And Looking Forward to 2014) The Chronicle
By BRENDAN TENAN Staff Writer Welcome back, fellow rockers. It’s time for another edition of “Bang Your Head with Brendan.” I sincerely hope everyone had a great vacation and had plenty of cause to celebrate. The world of music, especially rock ‘n roll and metal, had plenty of reasons to celebrate and things to be thankful for. The year 2013 had many bright spots for all things rock, from newer artists making their mark, to more veteran bands returning with some of their best work, to living legends showing their peers half their age how it’s done. This week’s column will be a combination of a retrospective on the year that was, as well as looking ahead at what’s to come. First is my personal list of the 10 best albums that premiered or were widely released in 2013. After that, I will list the bands that I am anxiously waiting to hear from in 2014. 10. Volbeat, Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies: Danish rockers Volbeat is the type of band in which the members wear their musical influences on their sleeves, blending the styles of early country, classic rock, and modern metal to create a sound all their own. Outlaw Gentleman & Shady Ladies saw the band taking that a step further, with almost every song featuring themes related to the Old West. Standout tracks include “Dead But Rising,” “My Body,” “Doc Holliday,” and the Grammy-nominated “Room 24,” featuring vocal support from the legendary King Diamond. 9. Death, …For the Whole World to See: Okay, so I’m kind of bending the rules I laid out earlier with this pick. These songs were first released as an EP in the 70’s by Death, a trio of brothers
from Detroit. The band, in many ways, helped create the template for punk rock in the same era as the MC5 and The Stooges. Due to a number of different circumstances, however, Death never attained the recognition its peers did. The band slowly faded into obscurity, with the vast majority of the public having never heard of it. Fortunately, a documentary about it, titled A Band Called Death, has helped shed light on this proto-punk act. Do yourself a favor and check this album out. You can thank me after hearing songs like “Keep on Knocking,” “Rock-N-Roll Victim,” and “Politicians in My Eyes.” 8. Calabrese, Born with a Scorpion’s Touch: “The World’s Greatest Horror Rock Band” has been churning out consistently excellent music for a decade now. Its latest, Born with a Scorpion’s Touch, may be its best yet. The brothers Calabrese have always had a seemingly natural ability to mix hard-rocking riffs and chord progressions with choruses and hooks that make the listener want to sing along. However, on this album, they were able to take this formula and expand themselves sonically in a way they never had before. “I Wanna Be a Vigilante” shows off more of their pop sensibilities than we’ve previously heard, while “I Ride Alone” reminds fans why they liked the band in the first place. 7. Dream Theater, Dream Theater: For a band with close to three decades of material, Boston area proggers Dream Theater arguably had a lot to prove with this album. After the departure of former drummer Mike Portnoy, many people wondered how the band would turn out. Its latest, eponymous album answered any and all concerns its fans may have had. Dream Theater is still a
fantastic collection of musicians who are among the best in their respective crafts, and you’ll be hard pressed to find many prog metal bands better than it. Key tracks include “The Enemy Inside,” “Behind the Veil,” and the 22-minute “Illumination Theory.” 6. Pearl Jam, Lightning Bolt: I wrote, in my original review of Lightning Bolt, that this album seemed to show a somewhat happier side of grunge icon Pearl Jam. After listening to it a few more times over the holiday break, I realized I was wrong. Much of this album is angry and features Eddie Vedder and company in fine, mad-at-the-world form. What separates it from other Pearl Jam efforts is a lack of generic angst that sometimes takes up too much of its music. Instead, there seems to be a different energy focusing the anger and resentment, along with moments of melancholy (“Pendulum”) and pure punk rock attitude (“Mind Your Manners”). 5. Alter Bridge, Fortress: Who would’ve thought a band made from the remains of one of the most despised bands at the turn of the millennium would go on to such acclaim and success? Since its debut almost 10 years ago, Alter Bridge has been able to successfully step out of the shadow of Creed. It’s safe to say that Alter Bridge is no longer merely a side project for the members of Creed when they’re tired of dealing with Scott Stapp. Its latest offering, Fortress, is its crowning achievement thus far. Singer Myles Kennedy is in top form, putting his impressive range and powerful vocals on display throughout the album. Meanwhile, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti plays some of the best leads and solos he’s ever written.
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“Cry of Achilles” and “Addicted to Pain” are two of the album’s strongest tracks, while the title track is easily its most ambitious.
ance is anchored by the utilization of keyboards and the surprisingly smooth vocals from lead singer Papa Emeritus II. Ghost B.C. is quickly becoming one of the hottest bands on the rise, and Infestissumam is a great album that illustrates why it has gained such a large and wide fan base so quickly.
4. Motorhead, Aftershock: Motorhead’s fans had plenty to be worried about in 2013. The band’s lead singer and founding member, Lemmy Kilmister, had a number of health scares throughout the year, forcing the band to cancel all tours and festival dates so he could recuperate, a consequence of living the rock and roll lifestyle for the last 50 years. Fortunately, the band was able to finish recording its latest album before Lemmy’s health complications arose. The result, Aftershock, is a great album that’s in the classic Motorhead template fans expect, but features more energy, excitement, and dynamics than its last few albums have. “Heartbreaker” and “Queen of the Damned” are excellent riffheavy songs that belong alongside classic Motorhead tracks like “Ace of Spades” and “Overkill.” Meanwhile, “Dust and Glass” and “Lost Woman Blues” give the listener a taste of the blues as only Lemmy can. 3. Ghost B.C., Infestissumam: This band is a great example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I’ve never been a big fan of most doom or black metal, so when I first saw pictures of Ghost B.C., I was ready to dismiss it entirely and move on to the next band. For whatever reason, I decided to give its music a try, and I was blown away by the dichotomy between its appearance and the sound of its music. While it looks like some sort of occult or shock rock band and its song’s lyrics can evoke a lot of satanic imagery, the structure of its songs musically is more in line with classic rock and even some pop music, like ABBA. This bal-
2. Paul McCartney, NEW: You can hardly ever go wrong when you have a former Beatle on any list, but this placement is well deserved. McCartney is a man who has every right to cash in on the legacy he’s created and rest on his laurels. And yet, he keeps churning out new music with an energy not many of his peers half his age have. On NEW, Sir Paul created songs of varying styles, from the reflective (and seemingly autobiographical) “Early Days,” to the fuzzed out, indie dance rocker “Save Us.” What makes these songs work is the strength of McCartney’s songwriting. He may be adapting to newer, popular musical styles, but none of it rings false. Instead of sounding like a desperate attempt to be relevant, McCartney has been able to put his own identifiable stamp on recent trends, and the result is a success. 1. Queens of the Stone Age, … Like Clockwork: Of all the albums I heard last year, …Like Clockwork is one of the few that feels like a real throwback. Instead of trying to create a solid album around a few excellent tracks, Queens of the Stone Age has created a complete album that begs the listener to pull out a big set of headphones and listen to it in its entirety, from beginning to end. All of the songs flow seamlessly from one to the next, giving fans something unique to Continued on Next Page
January 21st, 2014
Bang Your Head with Brendan Continued From Previous Page experience in this digital, singlesfocused era of music. “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” and “My God is the Sun” are two of my favorites, but trust me when I say that …Like Clockwork deserves to be heard, uninterrupted, from the first note all the way to the last. It’s never easy to narrow something subjective like music down to a list, especially when it’s a year-end review of the best albums that came out in a strong year like 2013. It’s always inevitable to end up leaving certain things off the list, no matter how much you may have liked them. Here are a few of the albums that just missed the cut: Death Angel, The Dream Calls for Blood; Anthrax, Anthems (EP); Black Sabbath, 13; Kings of Leon, Mechanical Bull; Trivium, Vengeance Falls. While 2013 was undoubtedly a very strong year for rock and metal music, 2014 is already shaping up to be just as big. Some of the biggest names in rock and metal have either confirmed or are rumored to be releasing new music within the next 12 months. The groups I’m personally excited about include Tool, Foo Fighters, Slayer (its first album after the death of guitarist Jeff Hanneman), Slipknot (which shockingly broke up with drummer Joey Jordison at the end of the year), Judas Priest, Motley Crue (rumored to be its last album ever), Anthrax (which will have a new guitarist after Rob Caggiano’s sudden departure in 2012), and Mastodon. If any of these bands release their album before the end of the semester, you can be sure to find a review in this column. Questions? Comments? Requests for a specific album to review? Email me at tenanb400@ strose.edu.
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Arts
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2013: The Year of Beyoncé?
BY KAYLYNN DAY Contributing Writer With no promotion, advertisements, or even the slightest fair warning, the infamous Mrs. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter released her fifth studio album, the selftitled Beyoncé. Social networks flooded with the news of the album’s release on iTunes during the early hours of December 13. Beyoncé included 14 new songs as well as 17 music videos. Setting the bar as high as only Beyoncé could do, the release of this visual album set the music world ablaze. With features from industry heavyweights like Drake, Frank Ocean, hubby Jay-Z and even daughter Blue Ivy, Beyoncé came out swinging and made sure to let everyone know that the Queen had returned and that she was here to stay on her throne. Overall, the album itself is flawlessly perfect, and, in my opinion, some of Beyoncé’s best work in a long time. The vibes given from the project are very grown and sexy, almost as if Beyoncé was trying to resurrect her sex symbol image (which in my eyes, she never lost!). After becoming a mother, she took a break from the music scene for a while, making outsiders think she would go for a more conservative style in her upcoming projects. And although she “took some time to live her life, don’t think she’s just his little wife!”, Beyoncé was secretly working on her surprise album the entire time. She made it clear in several interviews that through this album, she wanted to show women around the world that they didn’t have to lose their sex appeal simply because they became mothers or were getting older. With this album, Beyoncé showed us that she hadn’t lost it, all while teaching us a thing or two from her book in the process. “Drunk in Love,” featuring JayZ is, to me, one of the best songs on the album. Both Jay and Bey got a little risqué on the track, making sure to both set the record
straight that they are still madly yoncé introduces us to her new kiddies, but also one you don’t in love and “drunk in love they alter ego by the name of “Yoncé,” want to miss out on hearing. It’s be all night.” The track is a club who is a little more grown and something fun and flirty for those banger to say the least, with a beat sexy compared to her previous times when you just want to get a you can’t help but dance to, and alter ego, “Sasha Fierce.” With a little down and dirty. a chorus you have to belt along little help from Yoncé, these two Overall, I would give Beyoncé with even if you didn’t want to. songs combined are hands down an 8.5 out of 10. The album is The song is a fun and sexy an- the raunchiest off the album, great quality and it’s easy to tell them for lovers around the globe, which sparked a little controversy the amount of hard work and and one that you can be sure will along the way, causing critics to dedication that went into perfectget heavy radio circulation. The have “Yoncé’s” name “all on their ing it. It’s obvious that Beyoncé video for the single makes the mouths like liquor.” “Yoncé” is hasn’t lost her touch, showing her track even better, showing a very the more fun and flirty portion competition why she’s called the happy Beyoncé on a secluded of the track, having a more hip- Queen. Beyoncé is now available beach, showcasing a laid-back hop feel to it, while “Partition” is for purchase on iTunes as well as choreography routine. The visual the slower, more sensual of the in stores. This project can easily for the song of course had a spe- two, but takes the cake for being be argued as the best album of cial appearance from Jay-Z, and the more provocative. With that both 2013 and 2014, and is not seeing the two in action together being said, this track is not one one you want to miss out on. showed exactly what it meant to you want to listen to around the be “drunk in love.” Although I am a fan of the album in its entirety, “Ghost/Haunted” is my least favorite track. Having more of a techno beat and vibe, the track is more of a “filler” in my eyes. A WITH OSE The song revisits BeR T SAIN UATE yoncé’s more “pop GRAD REE music” driven days, DEG and is the one that can www.strose.edu/gradapply be easily skipped while playing the album. AlPlan your future and make a graduate degree from The College of Saint Rose your next step. Saint though, like much of Rose offers graduate degrees and advanced certificates that provide the credentials you need to land Beyoncé’s music, if your first job and launch your career. you listen to the track Most graduate students are placed in internships or field experiences where they acquire valuable a couple times, you hands-on knowledge of the working world. Small classes provide personalized attention from faculty will find yourself signin state-of-the-art facilities. ing it over and over again. Yes, it is one School of Arts & Humanities School of Education Special Education/Dual Certification of those disgustingly Art Education Adolescence Education (Grades 7 – 12) Programs Special Education/Adolescence Communications catchy songs that you Education Creative Writing Applied Technology Education Special Education/Childhood don’t really like, but English Business/Marketing Education Education History/Political Science Childhood Education that you know every For more information: Music Education College Student Services 1-800-637-8556 word to. The song, in Administration Studio Art www.strose.edu/gradapply Communication Sciences & grad@strose.edu a sense, “haunts” you, Disorders School of Business facebook.com/saintrosegrad Curriculum and Instruction* Accounting and like Beyoncé sings Early Childhood Education MBA in the chorus: “I know Financial Planning Educational Leadership and Not-For-Profit Management Administration if I’m haunting you, Educational Psychology Organizational Leadership you must be haunting Educational Technology Specialist Instructional Technology me.” School of Mathematics Literacy* & Sciences With this album, BeComputer Information Systems Mental Health Counseling yoncé was on a misInternet Programming Program Evaluation sion to reclaim her sex School Counseling appeal, and “Yoncé/ School Psychology Special Education* Partition” showcases that down to a T. Through the track, Be-
Plan your future. DEGREE GRADUATE ROSE SAINT A WITH
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January 21st, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 18
Kickin’ It With KJ: New Year, Same Column By KEVIN JACOB Staff Writer
Hello all, and welcome to another edition of Kickin’ it with KJ. I hope all of you readers had a good break. Mine was solid, but I did get my wisdom teeth out, which was pretty rough. But enough about me; we’ve got a bit of reviewing to do in the first edition to kick off the ’14. I, of course, had to throw in my top mixtapes and albums that came out in 2013. Overall, 2013 was a great year for music. You had the usual dominant names releasing albums, such as Jay-Z and Drake, and we even had a lot of quality releases from newcomers, such as Chance The Rapper and A$AP Rocky. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the lists of the top albums of 2013: 10. Earl Sweatshirt, Doris – Many people know that this is Earl’s first official album since returning from Samoa, and the hype ceiling was pretty high. To sum it all up, Earl delivers. His flow has really improved and his raps are getting more complicated as ever, but he keeps it gutter. You can tell that the MF Doom and Dipset influences are clearly here, and Earl’s ability with story telling has gotten better as well. My favorite tracks change every time after I listen to it. Sometimes it’s “Sunday” with Frank Ocean, which is about his heavy drug use and how it messes with his personal life. Other days I love “Sasquatch,” a track that’s as absurd as it is grimy. And although Earl, and the album as a whole, are great, the album is appreciated even more in that, in a way, it’s a coming-out party for Vince Staples, who not only kills the two tracks that he’s featured on, but delivers one of the best verses OF THE YEAR in “Hive.” Earl is said to already be working on his second solo, Gnossos, so let’s hope he continues to grow and get even better with that release.
It is definitely going to be hard to top Doris. 9. Jay-Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail – I’m not going to lie; many people have said this is nowhere near Hov’s best. In retrospect, it’s probably one of his worst. But Hov’s worst is what other rappers wish they could’ve made. Even though it isn’t his best effort, there are some great tracks on this one. The title track, “Holy Grail,” dominated the airwaves. “Tom Ford” is catchy as sh*t, and my co-workers and I sang it consistently at my summer job. “Somewhere In America” is a straight New Orleans jazzinspired banger. I literally heard “f*ckwithmeyouknowigotit” everywhere I went, even when school started up again in August. The content isn’t great, but it’s MEMORABLE. And that is why Magna Carta Holy Grail makes this list. P.S. Hov is still the best rapper alive. Maybe the best ever. 8. A$AP Rocky, Long. Live. A$AP – Technically, Rocky’s record leaked back in December of 2012, but it’s official release date was January 2013, so it gets a pass. First off, it’s pretty much what I expected. A dope album with crazy rhymes, banging beats, and killer features as well. I don’t know if it’s as good as Live. Love. A$AP, but it’s pretty damn close if it’s not. It has debatably one of the hottest singles of the year with “f*ckin problems,” while “Wild for the Night” is a decent single as well. “1 Train” is phenomenal and could be another possible song of the year due to an insane beat by Hit Boy and every rapper featured on the song doing their thing and murdering their verses. I like that certain songs on the album, like “Phoenix,” and especially “Suddenly,” show A$AP’s storytelling talent and that there’s more to him than meets the eye. “Angels” and “Ghetto Symphony” might be the best songs on this project, and they are bonus songs! The former
also, in my opinion, absolutely DESTROYS Spaceghostpurrps career. This album has something for everybody and is a great album. Made this list with ease. Interested to see where Rocky will go from here. 7. Kid Cudi, Indicud – This is probably the one I’ll get the most sh*t for. And I’ll admit, at first listen I really didn’t like this album. But like many things that we don’t like at first in life, such as growing up or girls, we eventually find the good things that are associated with them and we find out that we love it (maybe not growing up, but loving girls is a definite). Well, that’s what happened with Indicud. It came out in the spring, and I found myself bumping it a lot around finals time. Even toward the end of the fall semester, Indicud just seemed to click for me. “Unf***witable,” in an odd sense, can seem pretty uplifting. And other songs, such as “Immortal,” “Girls,” and “Brothers,” all really hit their respected marks as well. “Just What I Am” is the perfect stoners’ anthem, and “Burn Baby Burn” might be the best Cudi track I’ve heard since anything on Man on the Moon II. Or “Dose of Dopeness,” which comes a little bit later. Point is, even though it’s really different, to me at least, this difference brings a lot of good out of Scott Mescudi. The only thing I ask is that he bring more outside production for Man on the Moon III. Other than that, CudMac Miller
der is back and he’s sounding hungrier than ever. 6. J. Cole, Born Sinner – Although I didn’t give Born Sinner the greatest review the first go round, I’ve listened to it enough to know that it is one of the better albums to come out this year. “Villuminati” still one of the hardest intro tracks to an album I’ve heard in a long time. “Crooked Smile” was on the radio so much that eventually, I started minorly feeling that, too. “Forbidden Fruit” was one of my favorite songs this year. That and “New York Times” never left rotation. Throw in “Rich Ni&&az,” “Chaining Day,” and “Let Nas Down,” and you come out with a hard album from Jermaine Cole. Jermaine avoids the dreaded sophomore slump with this one. Cole World, No Blanket. 5. Mac Miller, Watching Movies with the Sound Off – It’s funny to see Mac Miller make this album. I’ve been a Mac fan since
my senior year of high school and I remember when K.I.D.S. dropped and it was fire. Then Best Day Ever came out and that was heavy in rotation. Then he didn’t drop Blue Slide Park in a minute and when it did come out, I absolutely hated it. It was hot garbage. Macadelic came out and that was a’ight. Since then, he’s been expanding his sound, going for a more underground hip-hop approach, which in my mind is the right move for the kid Mac Miller, as he released WMWTHSO, his best and most consistent project to date. Describing what WMWTSO sounds like is hard. It’s a psychedelic rap drug trip, full of screwy instrumentals with painful and funny lyrics interspersed between songs. The intro, “The Star Room,” is wild, and it continues with other crazy tracks such as the FlyLo-produced “S.D.S,” “Watching Movies,” “Gees” with Schoolboy Q, and a hidden gem in “Claymation.” The best track Continued on Next Page
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January 21st, 2014 Continued From Previous Page on this one, though? Without a doubt, it’s “Red Dot Music,” with Action Bronson and production being handled by The Alchemist. Heavy contender as song of the year. Overall, great and surprising album overall from Eazy Mac with the cheesy raps. He’s said to have four more projects in 2014, so it looks like Mac isn’t slowing down at all, which to me, at least, is a good thing. 4. Tyler The Creator, WOLF – WOLF is everything that Odd Future fans wanted it to be. Tyler The Creator broadened his sound a bit and got more instrumental and, in a sense, probably went a little bit hippie with some of the tracks. But they play out perfectly in his ongoing story that he’s told in his third album (second official album). “Cowboy” reminded me a lot of the old OF sound, and other tracks, such as “Jamba,” “Rusty,” and “Bimmer,” were all really great, in my opinion. The album doesn’t have filler on it, which is rare these days. Every song serves its purpose. The best songs on here, for me, were near the end, as “Tamale” is one of the better party/turn-up songs of the year due to its insane bass. “Lone” takes the cake though, as it’s where Tyler gets personal over details of his then-dying grandmother. “Lone” really sums up the album and shows that there’s more than meets the eye to the Odd Future Ringleader. 3. Toro y Moi, Anything in Return – To put it lightly, this album is incredible. Point blank. Toro y Moi released Anything in Return at the very top of the calendar year back in January. The album is chill as hell and shows that there’s still real music being created. This serves as Toro’s third album, and it didn’t disappoint. First off, he starts the album with “Harm in Charge,” which is one of the best songs this year. Then, other great sounds fill the rest of the album, such as “Rose Quartz,” “Studies,” and “How’s It Wrong.” It’s laid back, funky, soulful, and, at times, just downright bizarre. But it works.
Volume 82 Issue 18 Toro y Moi is like the king of the “chillwave” genre. And if you think that album is bad, then go play “So Many Details” more than once. If you hate that, then not only do you have awful taste in music, but you’re a terrible person. The album is fresh. 2. Drake, Nothing Was the Same – It was pretty tough between picking between the top two albums on this list. I listened to these two the most, and it was really hard to pinpoint which one should take the top spot, but Nothing Was the Same ultimately became my number two. With each album that Drizzy drops, it becomes more and more evident that the guy is at the forefront of rap superstars right now. I don’t know if it tops Take Care, because that album is really great. But if it’s not better, it’s close. It takes what Take Care is and builds off it; strips off the fat as Drake bares his soul, which fans have become accustomed to with his music. “Tuscan Leather” instrumentally sounds like an old dipset track. “Furthest Thing,” especially the end of it, is flames. “Started From The Bottom” was one of the biggest tracks of ‘13. This sounds blasphemous, but on “Pound Cake,” Drake may have even gotten the one-up on one of the best rappers to have ever done it: Jay-Z. For me, “Too Much” and “Practice” got the most play overall. “Practice” has that down south throwed sound that has shaped a lot of Drake’s songs, and “Too Much” is just straightup real. You’ve got to be a hater to not like that track. Drake’s been on a tear lately and it’ll be very interesting to see the type of album he makes after this one. Bravo, Wheelchair Jimmy. 1. Kanye West, Yeezus – A lot of people didn’t like Yeezus. Some people hated Yeezus. Many people loved Yeezus. I am one of the latter. Before first hearing Yeezus, I didn’t know what to expect. I had looked at a lot of festival footage, trying to get a clue of what new songs would sound like, and I knew that they would be pretty house influenced,
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so I was prepared for it. Once I listened to it for the first time, though, I had no idea what the hell I had just listened to. It was angry. Yeezy was really pissed off. And as most of the people my age, we’re pissed off, too. It was a perfect match. “On Sight” sounds like it could give you a seizure. “Send It Up” sounds like hell. “Bound 2” sounds like heaven. “Guilt Trip” is great, too. A lot of people have hated on Yeezus, but I just can’t see how. It gets you hyped up, angry, sometimes sad, but most of all, Yeezus keeps you thinking. Not a lot of albums can do that these days. This isn’t a happy album. But maybe that’s what we all need: something to just lash out at, party, and break things to. Yeezus delivers on that perfectly. And that is why it was the best album of 2013.
than a one trick pony.
Top 10 Mixtapes of 2013 – Since I was kind of late on this, I thought I would just say a quick thing about each mixtape and keep it moving. Great year for mixtapes, though. Excited for what 2014 has in store.
3. Migos, YRN – You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Versace.” To be honest, this tape is fun and entertaining as hell, albeit a little bit generic. “Pronto” got me through my long drive to work. Perfect summer turn-up music. Best trap mixtape all year, without a doubt.
10. Action Bronson & Party Supplies, Blue Chips 2 – Better than the original. Bronson is definitely one of the most entertaining, if not one of the best, rappers out there today.
6. Joey Bada$$, Summer Knights – Bada$$ released his sophomore mixtape back in July, and it’s a banger. Kid is consistent. He’s definitely got next. Tribute to Capital Steez is amazing, yet sad. 5. Flatbush Zombies, Better Off Dead – The Zombies’ second effort was miles better than the first. “Club Soda” is a heat rock. Think there was maybe only one song I didn’t like on it. Consistent project. 4. Underachievers, Indigoism – The first release from the upand-coming beast coast spitters impressed heavily. “Herb Shuttles” is still fire. “Philanthropist” as well.
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2. Retch, Polo Sporting Goods – This one just snuck in at the end of the year, but showed why Retch should be a force to be reckoned with. This project didn’t have one bad song. “Marmalade Sky” is real-life perfect. Haven’t heard rap storytelling this good since Roc Marciano’s Reloaded. 1. Chance The Rapper, Acid Rap – To put it blankly, this thing is an album. Chance really stepped it up with his second official release and is now one of the hottest, if not THE hottest, up-and-coming rapper in the game. Everything from “Chain Smoker,” to “Smoke Again,” and the perfect “Everything’s Good (Outro)” was incredible. And that is why it was the best mixtape of 2013. Well, that is all for another edition of Kickin’ It with KJ. I should be writing more this semester, although January might be a bit slow on releases. Regardless, if I find something good or something terrible, you will read it here first. Good luck on the upcoming semester, everybody.
9. Young Thug, 1017 Thug – Thug’s first mixtape off of Gucci’s Brick Squad label. Interesting and inventive, to say the least. With his recent singles “Danny Glover” and “Stoner” both getting significant airplay, Thugger could be next up. 8. Gucci Mane, World War 3 (Gas, Molly, Lean) – Guwop released three mixtapes in one day in August and had top production on all three. Classic Gucci on these ones. Lean is the best of the three. 7. Rich Homie Quan, I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In – Rich Homie’s first mixtape after “Type Of Way” hit it big. May have another hit with “Man Of The Year.” Can’t stop playing it. Definitely showing he’s more
Drake
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Arts
The Golden Globes BY LAUREN SEARS Staff Writer
As someone who watches more television than they’d like to admit, I have always loved watching the Golden Globe Awards. They incorporate both television and film, which most awards shows do not do. The Golden Globes is the kick-off to awards season, or, as someone who is into fashion/style will tell you, the most glamorous season of the year! On Sunday January 12, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association brought together Hollywood’s most famous stars to honor the best in television and film. For the second year in a row, Saturday Night Live alums Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the evening. They are the perfect comedic duo and real life best friends, who work in both television and film, which is what the Golden Globes is really all about!
Of course, Fey and Poehler aren’t known to keep their opin-
ions to themselves. They made fun of Matt Damon, George
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Clooney, and Meryl Streep, just to name a few. However, the best moment of the night was after Poehler won her first Golden Globe, Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy, for her
show Parks and Recreation. Fey said to Poehler, as she returned to the stage, “I love you, and there’s a special place in hell for you.” For those who may not remember, during last year’s Golden Globes, the duo made fun of Taylor Swift. A few days after the awards ceremony, Swift said that “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support women,” referring directly to Fey and Poehler. Need I say more? A hilarious job by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for making everyone, celebrities and viewers at home alike, laugh. Well, maybe everyone except those Taylor Swift fans! I think the Golden Globes are necessary. I mean, there’s The Oscars (Academy Awards) for movies, and the Emmy awards for television. So many of Hollywood’s most famous actors have switched from one to the other, or have done both. The Golden Globes is also an international awards show (Globe is in the award title!), and allows viewers to become familiar with film and television from around the world.
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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the hosts of the 2014 Golden Globes.
Saving Mr. Banks: Just a Spoonful of Sugar BY KATIE D. KLIMACE Staff Writer Saving Mr. Banks is a film that brings you back to your childhood. This 2013 Disney film is the story of how Walt Disney struggled with author P.L Travers to get the movie rights for her book Mary Poppins. With a stellar cast and a great story, Saving Mr. Banks is a great film for all. In the 1940s, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) makes a promise to his daughters that he will make their favorite storybook, Mary Poppins, into a movie. Little does Disney know that this one promise will take him 20 years to follow through on. While attempting to make a film adaption of the books, Disney runs into several battles with author P.L Travers (Emma Thompson), making Disney’s quest almost impossible. The film takes the audience on the journey that Disney took for those twenty years to make the film that we all know and love
today. I rather enjoyed this film as it was a step in a different direction for the Disney Company. Not only did it tell the story of Walt Disney’s battle with Travers, but it also told the story of Mary Poppins. The direction of the film, under the helm of John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), was smooth and enjoyable. Throughout the film, flashbacks were shown to explain Travers’ background, which helps explain to the audience why she had such a hard time letting go of her story. By doing this, it allows the audience to feel for her and understand where she is coming from. One of the best points in the film is when Travers explains the meaning of Mary Poppins. She doesn’t want to let her go because the character is real to her. Emma Thompson is wonderful as Travers. She is able to show the struggle that Travers had not only with Disney, but with herself as well. Through her performance, Thompson allows the audience
to understand where her reluctance was coming from. Without the personal struggle Thompson shows, it would be hard for the audience to side with her and feel sympathy for her stubbornness. To compliment her rough exterior, Tom Hanks adds that little pinch of pixie dust to the film as Walt Disney. He portrays Disney as the man that we all know and love in such a spot-on way. Both Hanks and Thompson play off of each other very well, and with their personalities being so
incredibly diverse, it makes for some good laughs throughout the story. Like all good films before it, Saving Mr. Banks would not have had the soul it did without a fantastic score, composed by Academy Award nominee Thomas Newman. Newman has the ability to compose a score for his films that really underscore the tone and emotions of a scene and he does so again for this picture. When listening to the score without the film, you can just close
your eyes and see the movie all over again. Each piece brings a different sense of emotion and reality to the audience, adding the icing to an already delicious cake. Saving Mr. Banks is one of those films that just leaves you with so much of a piece of your childhood, bittersweet emotions, and several laughs. A film for all ages and tastes, Saving Mr. Banks is one film you will not want to miss.
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Changes at the Dining Hall Draw Ire By NICHOLAS NEGRON Staff Writer The dining hall has undergone a new makeover for spring 2014. A variety of changes have taken place from hours to food setup. I had not gone to the dining hall for the first two days of being back on campus. Hearing the negative opinions of other students on the changes, I decided to have dinner Tuesday night in the dining hall. The dining hall has, in my mind, changed for the worse. What prompted this change is unknown to me. I am merely analyzing the new changes as a student. First off, there is less interaction between the students and the staff. Last semester, students were able to order their meal on the grill while watching it being made in front of them. A friendly rapport was often built between the students and staff while the food was prepared. Most Saint Rose employees, whether professors, administration, janitors, cooks, or any other position, are often friendly. Saint Rose has been ranked as one of the “Best Places to Work” in the capitol region by the Business Review, and the Chronicle Of Higher Education also has consistently listed Saint Rose as a top school to work for, in the top ten of medium
sized schools in the country. This new dining hall setup now feels more like a high school cafeteria. The burgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, and grilled cheeses are already made for students top pick up. This is disgusting. The food is not always hot. Burgers and hot dogs are sitting in their juices for who knows how long. Cold cheese slices are now amongst the pickles, lettuce and other gar-
“The new hours and pre-made food have worsened eating at the dining hall.” nishes one puts on a burger. The cheese slices stick to each other, and are hard to break apart neatly. The cheese almost never melts onto the burger, because the burger is often not hot to begin with. The purpose of grilled cheese and quesadillas are to enjoy the hot melted cheese. Nobody wants to eat a cold or lukewarm grilled cheese. I can only assume that a reason this buffet section was created, was to alleviate the lines of people waiting for their turn to order food at the grill. Now sandwiches are only made to order during lunch hours. For dinner, students must make
their own sandwiches. Those who do not know how to roll a wrap (such as myself) find this difficult. If students want their sandwich toasted, that option is available. The amount of people waiting to make their own sandwich during dinner time only creates more chaos. Thankfully, there is sporadically a special that the cook will make for you in the sandwich station. The dining hall now opens Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It then reopens at 4:00 p.m., closing at 8:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Other options for students during the two hour close are Camelot, the POD, Lally Café, Brubacher Café, the Burger Studio, or Starbucks. This takes from the Golden Knights Kash given in Saint Rose’s meal plan. From what I have seen, there is always an abundance of meal swipes at the end of semesters on others meal plans while their Golden Knights Cash is gone. As for myself, I spent all my Golden Knights Kash for the fall 2013 semester in October. One other complaint I have is that the conveyer belt where students leave their dirty dishes and cups has been inactive frequently. As of the week of January 13th, I have seen the conveyer belt turned
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KELLY PFEISTER
Changes at the dining hall have drawn criticism from students. on once. Students now leave their dishes on a table. The dishes and cups often are not cleaned right away, leaving an unattractive
“I suggest that the dining hall go back to its former setup, which worked well enough.” pile. The floor around the table can become sticky. I suggest that the dining hall go back to its former setup, which worked well enough. The new dining hall hours are understand-
able. One just has KELLY PFEISTER to work my schedule around them. I do appreciate the dining hall staying opened an hour later on weekdays. Something I think would be very popular, is a virgin strawberry daiquiri, piña colada, or even an ICEE machine put in the dining hall. If a student wants any change in their school they must speak up. Do not sit idly by in any situation that you are not fond of. Become active in the Saint Rose community. A great way to become recognized is to write an article in The Chronicle. As for the dining hall, fill out a suggestion. Speak with those who can bring a change. I am hoping that Campus Dining will reconsider its new changes.
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January 21st, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 18
acters of different races. Actress Julianne Hough wore blackface as part of a costume for the character Crazy Eyes from Orange is the New Black, and she was strongly criticized for it. Hough apologized and claimed no ill will, but it’s easy to see where she mis-stepped. You can pay tribute to a character or actress without paying tribute to their race. Though this seems like a ‘no duh’ concept, many people still struggle to grasp it—which is why people are correct to be upset when a show like How I Met Your Mother wades into those waters. Though the portrayals on Mother aren’t offensive, they also aren’t terribly insightful. In the right context, race-based portrayals can be used to deconstruct stereotypes and their portrayals in film. The 2008 film-within-a-film satire Tropic Thunder saw Robert Downey, Jr. wear blackface for most of his screentime. But he wasn’t mocking black soldiers— Downey, portraying an overzealous method actor, ridiculed the lengths actors go to in order to win accolades. And another contemporary television show, 30 Rock, featured Jon Hamm in blackface to mock blackface por-
trayals in the 1950s. With the gains that comedies have made in deconstructing old stereotypes, it’s understandable that people might want to give it a try. After all, it feels good to take offensive ideas and ridicule them. So, if you’ve been thinking about giving painted faces a try, I’m here to tell you: don’t. Just don’t. Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t. Even people who have studied comedy struggle with it at times, and a few poor writing choices could’ve made Robert Downey Jr.’s Tropic Thunder character an abomination. This is why people are still correct to question race-based portrayals. Comedy is one of the strongest uses of free speech, but its practitioners have a tendency to become defensive if they are criticized—as if free speech doesn’t apply to the other side. Even with my understanding, it’s fully possible that the portrayals on How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock and in Tropic Thunder were blatantly offensive. But it’s better to have a conversation about those portrayals than it is to sit quietly while people make risqué jokes.
Race and How I Met Your Mother: Did CBS Sitcom Cross the Line?
Cast members of How I Met Your Mother, seen here in 2010. By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY Opinion Editor Kids, we’ve been spoiled. For almost nine years now, How I Met Your Mother has given us some of the sharpest and funniest television in its day. The number of memorable scenes is impressive, among them Barney Stinson’s resume, the blue French horn, ‘Nothing Suits ‘Em Like a Suit,’ Robin Sparkles, and the slap bet. That it all comes to a finish in a few months makes it hard not to look at the show through rosecolored glasses. But a recent episode, continuing the saga of the aforementioned slap bet, is a reminder that all roses have their thorns. In a style parody of old martial arts films, one character told a fable of how he came to learn a tremendously powerful slap. The episode drew criticism—not because of its plot, but because of its portrayal of Asian characters of the genre. Principal cast members, all Caucasian, wore Chinese and Japanese garb of the genre, and
spoke and acted in similar ways. Disappointed viewers argued that the show was being racist, with the actors essentially performing in yellowface. The criticisms aren’t unfounded—film and television have long struggled with portrayals of non-white characters. Fu Manchu, whose iconic mustache was parodied in the episode, is one of the key examples of yellowface in cinema. Blackface is one of the most frequently seen examples—highly regarded cinema icons like Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby stooped to those depths in their heyday. Even contemporary audiences are subjected to painful racial caricatures, like Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the 2013 bomb The Lone Ranger. Though racist portrayals have dropped in modern film and television, their impact resonates— and rightfully so. Though audiences are concerned, the portrayals seen on How I Met Your Mother don’t appear as offensive—at least, in my eyes—because they are mocking
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
a genre’s portrayal of a group of people, not the group itself. Parodying a certain genre of film, like martial arts, allows for deconstruction of its more absurd conventions. The character traits given to Asians in Western martial arts movies are very limited, and parodying those characters serves to undermine the original writing. The point isn’t to laugh at the characters—the point is to laugh at how stupid those INFORMATION TABLES norms are. Critics are still correct to Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center challenge these Volunteer and Internship Career Opportunities Officer Training Programs portrayals, howOpportunities Thursday, January 23 Wednesday, January 22 ever—even as Tuesday, January 21 11am–2pm | EAC 11am–2pm | EAC 11am–2pm | EAC parodies. Many people still don’t understand that race-centric cosOne Year Volunteer Multiple Part-Time and Leadership Program Positions Available tuming can still be Tuesday, January 28 Wednesday, January 29 wildly offensive. 11am–2pm | EAC 11am–2pm | EAC We see it every Halloween, where people don makecareer@strose.edu | 518.454.5141 up to play char- @CSRCareerCenter | facebook.com/StRoseCareerCenter | www.linkedin.com “Saint Rose Career Center”
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CAREER CENTER |
January 21st, 2014
Volume 82 Issue 18
Sports
A-Roid Scandal: Are PEDs Destroying Baseball? By ALYSSA HADDAD Contributing Writer Alex Rodriguez, the latest in the epidemic of banned substance users to be penalized in the MLB, faces a suspension for the entirety of the upcoming 2014 season and postseason. Last Sunday, 60 Minutes correspondent, Scott Pelley, interviewed several people in-
volved in the scandal, including Anthony Bosch, founder of the former South Florida anti-aging clinic Biogenesis, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, and Rodriguez’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina. Although Rodriguez has never officially tested positive for any banned substances, Selig admitted that in an effort to save the game of baseball, he was deter-
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The A-Rod steroid scandal has been the talk ogf the MLB offseason.
mined to make an example out of the Yankees third basemen. But in a game where towering home runs puts fans in the bleachers, is it possible to completely rid professional baseball of steroid use? More so, are fans even concerned with the sanctity of the game? Bosch confessed to Pelley details from A-Rod’s doping while playing in New York. He claimed that Rodriguez took Testosterone, Insulin Growth Factor 1, Human Growth Hormone and different types of peptides, all banned by the MLB and all “prescribed” personally by Bosch. Bosch took him on as a client in 2010, and was paid $12,000 a month in cash: a small fee for baseball’s highest paid player. However, despite more than 500 messages exchanged between the two from Rodriguez’s BlackBerry that seem to support Bosch’s story, he has tested negative for performance enhancing drugs in every one of the league’s random, post-game, urine tests. Rodriguez’s lawyer explained that the messages were discussing nutrition, while Bosch stood by his report that they were using code words in order to openly discuss his doping regimen. So, how is it possible for Alex Rodriguez to pass over ten drug tests if he was regularly injected by Bosch? He asserted that it was because he gave Rodriguez advice on how to test negative, by submitting a sample taken in the middle of the urine stream, since most substances are found in the beginning or the end. On the other hand, Tacopina stated that the negative results only further prove that the Yankee was drug free, a theory that Bud Selig doesn’t buy. The Commissioner told Pelley that Rodriguez’s 211game penalty was fitting for his actions, and was necessary to preserve the game. But is it possible to even erase
baseball of the use of all of its banned substances? Are steroids destroying the game, or are the players improving its popularity among fans that would rather see a home run derby than a pitching duel? Furthermore, are players feeling the pressure from the public to perform at a high level for a season that is longer than any other sport, or are they doping to selfishly inflate their egos? In ARod’s case, the yearly criticism he received for his disappointing execution in the postseason may have encouraged his alleged use of banned substances. On the other hand, Bosch told 60 Minutes that Rodriguez wanted to stand alone as the only person to belt 800 home runs in baseball history, and was willing to do anything to achieve that. Regardless of his motivations, it will be interesting to see how Alex Rodriguez’s doping scandal will continue to influence Major League Baseball into the 2014 season.
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in the draft, Bridgewater seems to be the most NFL-ready. As we saw him demonstrate all season, as well as in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Bridgewater is really good at making accurate throws and scoring touchdowns. While Manziel may have him beat in the run game, I am still doubtful that the Texans will pass on using the first pick to pick up Bridgewater. Unless they throw a curveball and trade down, I do not see the Texans going down any other road than the one that leads them straight to Teddy Bridgewater. Don’t get me wrong, Manziel is a great quarterback, but I just do not see him going as the first pick of the draft. Let’s not forget the second pick that the Rams acquired from the Redskins two
seasons ago in their monumental trade to obtain RGIII. I doubt that the Rams give up on Sam Bradford and stick around to snag a quarterback with their second pick. Instead, I can see them trading down with a team who is desperately trying to get their hands on whichever quarterback is left over from the Texan’s pick. If anything, I am leaning more towards watching the Jaguars and Raiders battle it out to see who can claim him first. Both teams are in dire need of a quarterback and such a big name collegiate player will really attract attention, while also providing fans with some hope for their failing franchises. If either the Jaguars or Raiders can use the draft to build their offense and provide Manziel with some seriously talented targets, either team could easily look towards a decent record for next season. Other possibilities could include the Browns or Buccaneers trading up to snag Manziel, but I doubt he will last past the fifth pick. The only team that I do not see pursing Johnny is the Vikings. With such an immense run game coming from Adrian Peterson, a mobile quarterback would just not fit into their offensive system. Not to mention, the Jaguars and Raiders are in far worse shape than AP and the Vikings. The NFL Draft is one of the biggest days marked on any sport fan’s calendar. With the date getting pushed back to May, it is going to be hard to patiently wait to hear the opening boos that ensue as soon as Roger Goodell steps onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall. The Texan’s decision regarding the first pick will be an interesting one, but I will also not be surprised if Manziel has to sweat it out a few more picks before hearing his name called. If anything, there is no doubt that the decision surrounding the first round pick will be constantly analyzed and argued about until draft day is finally upon us.
Say it Ain’t So, but Johnny Just Won’t Go By TORI ADDISON Staff Writer
With the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft the Houston Texans select… well, that is a good question. In case you have not been watching ESPN lately, it seems that the notorious Johnny Football is going as the first pick in the draft. Well, that is according to Mel Kiper at least. For the past two seasons, Manziel has been the face of the Texas A&M football program. With a career total of sixty-three touchdowns and 7,820 passing yards, the only problems the Aggies had with Johnny existed off the field. Besides the wild partying with famous rapper Drake and potentially selling autographs to bro-
kers, Johnny definitely had some serious “YOLO” moments his sophomore season. Yes, he has had some behavioral problems, but in the end I really do believe that he will be a great professional athlete regardless of whatever team decides to draft him. While many sports fans and Johnny Manziel enthusiasts may be set on him going number one to the Texans, I have second thoughts about his draft stock. There are a handful of teams that could really use Manziel and who knows which ones will not hesitate to try and move up in the draft order to get him. It is no secret that Matt Schaub is just not cutting it for the Texans, especially when he had more interceptions than touchdowns
during the regular season. But, before jumping to conclusions and taking Manziel with the first pick, the Texans need to consider Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater. Both players would be a great addition to the Texan’s offense, but the question still remains which one would be the best fit. Newly hired head coach Bill O’Brien will be facing serious deliberation over the whole ordeal, but if I had one guess the end result will not be going in Manziel’s favor. I simply cannot imagine Bridgewater on any other team, but the Texans and he is honestly worth the first round pick. Bridgewater is physically bigger than Manziel and he is also more mature on and off the field. Not to mention, out of all the quarterbacks
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Teddy Bridgewater is considered in many cicles as the most NFL-ready quarterback in the draft.
January 21st, 2014
Volume 82 Issue 18
Sports
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Golden Knights Compete in the Great Dane Classic By JOSHUA NATOLI Sports Editor Both the men’s and women’s sides of The College of Saint Rose Track and Field teams took to New York City this past Friday to compete in the Great Dane Classic, hosted by the University at Albany at the New York City New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory. It was yet another great day for the women’s 4x400 relay team who once again rewrote the Golden Knights record books by the slightest of margins with another high mark. Freshmen Alicia Bousa and Amber Goodspeed along with junior Bianca Jordan and senior Jessica Razy finished at 4:05.91 for 17th place; fourtenths of a second better than the 4:05.95 time they set last week-
end at Yale. Although Razy played a role in helping her team set yet another record she was still critical of herself following the meet, “Overall, I definitely know I need to be more aggressive with my starts. Fixing my starts will lower my times and help me get where I need to be in the conference.” Individually, Jordan took fifth place in the 500-meter run with a time of 1:18.40, while Goodspeed finished the 1,000 in 3:07.69 for 15th place. Senior Bridget Buckley qualified for the 60-meter hurdles finals after posting a time of 9.55 in the preliminaries. In the final, Buckley finished 14th with a 9.65 time in the final. “Coming off an injury is always difficult, but I can’t complain with my trial time for hur-
dles. I ran close to my personal best but finals was a little more difficult,” says Buckley. “In be-
“I know what I need to do in order to get my times down and to get me higher up on the leaderboards.” Jessica Razy tween trials and finals was about four hours so I sat around for longer than I would have liked.”
SAINT ROSE ATHLETICS
Jessica Razy helped the 4x400 relay team set a new school record.
Sophomore Emily Baker finished ninth in the 5,000-meter race while junior Kristen Harrington claimed 11th place in the same event with times of 19:52.95 and 20:48.44 respectively. On the men’s side, sophomore Zach Noll earned 17th place in the weight throw with a distance of 14.15 meters. Sophomore Michael Benson recorded a 6.51-meter leap, good for 19th place in the long jump. Junior Eamonn Coughlin finished 20th in the 1000-meter run with a time of 2:34.25. Senior Tim Scudds also placed 20th with a 4:33.45 time in the mile.
“It is still only the beginning of the season so my hopes are high to drop my time lower to get the school record (hurdles),” says Buckley. “For the next few meets I am optimistic. I know what I need to do in order to get my times down and to get me higher up on the leaderboards,” says Razy. The Golden Knights are scheduled to take part in the John Thomas Terrier Invitational at Boston University this weekend. The women's team will compete on Friday followed by the men’s squad on Saturday.
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Golden Knights Fall at Home Photos By Anthony Chapin
L E F T — M i c a l - Ry a n Boyd takes a shot at the basket in the 107-110 loss to SNHU. RIGHT— J a m i e Hutcheson charges down the court during a 59-80 loss to SNHU.
RIGHT— Dominykas Milka Gets swarmed under the net in an overtime loss to Southern New Hampshire. He had 27 points and 17 rebounds in the game. Desiree Simmons takes a leaping shot at the hoop in Saturday’s loss to SNHU.