The Chronicle The weekly student newspaper of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York www.strosechronicle.com - @strosechronicle
October 16th, 2013
Bridging the Gap Between Student and Resident By JOE BIANCHINO Contributing Writer
The Pizza You Love Is Back
VALERIYA PONOMAROVA
I Love New York Pizza on 850 Madison Ave. opened on Friday under new management after it shut down in 2012. By VALERIYA PONOMAROVA
Contributing Writer
In the Pine Hills area, at a busy intersection well-known for its pizzerias, another shop has opened with its brightly lit neon signs – with the same familiar name, but, under different man-
Volume LXXXII Issue 9
agement. A new I Love New York Pizza run by Tony Khal and Andrew Simsek opened Friday. The shop at 850 Madison Ave. is owned by Havzi Ipek, a partner is the business., partners with the owner of the building, Havzi Ipek. An I Love pizza shop was operated by
News & Features
the Camaj family there for about seven years before it shut down in 2012. Khal said the new management has no connection with the previous owners and employees. With permission from the previContinued on Page A6
Arts & Opinion
The stark contrast between the Pine Hills neighborhood’s yearround residents and the student population that has inserted itself into their midst has, at times, yielded a contentious relationship between the two. College students, some would argue, are far too inconsiderate of those around them. They’re far too drunk, far too loud, and far too morally
loose, far too often and far too late. Evidence of such reckless behavior could be viewed on North Lake Avenue between Washington and Western last Saturday around 2:30 a.m., when a gaggle of college-aged persons were observed stumbling, screaming, and urinating down a public street. Too boisterous for their own good, their shouting and Continued on Page A7
City Kid Smoothies: A Dream Come True By LAUREN KLOSE Staff Writer In the Capital Region, as many as 30 percent of at-risk children go to bed hungry each night. This statistic shocked Pastor Charlie Muller, so 19 years ago he asked himself what could he do to help these children. The answer: a mobile smoothie bus to help distribute much needed nutrients and fruit to children all over the Albany area. The whole idea for City Kids Smoothies came about after Muller read an article in The
Times Union about how the children living in the inner city were not looking forward to their summer vacation because they wouldn’t be getting the government funded breakfasts and lunches from their schools. Currently, the program is run by the Victory Christian Church Outreach Ministries, where Muller has been the pastor for the past 19 years. What started out as simply making 20 lunches became something far bigger than Muller ever imagined. Continued on Page A5
Sports
Park South and Albany Budget. See pages A2
Review: The CW’s The Tomorrow People. See page B10
MJ vs. LeBron. See page D15
Damien Center raising fund for new home. See pages A4
The saga of the Government Shutdown. See pages C13-C14
Senior Day Shut Out for St. Rose Soccer. See page D16
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The Chronicle
News
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
Budget, Park South Plans Draw Criticism By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY Opinion Editor
The redevelopment of Park South and the budget for the City of Albany’s upcoming fiscal year took center stage at last Monday’s Common Council meeting. The public comment period drew a mixture of community organizers, local business leaders, and public officials to City Hall. The $171,073,000 budget for the 2014 fiscal year, which will be the final budget proposed by Mayor Jerry Jennings, decreased in size by just under $500,000 from the 2013 budget. While Jennings proposed spending $3.3 million less in expenses from 2013 to 2014, the savings gap shrinks because of a $2.3 million increase in debt servicing and a $400,000 increase on benefit spending.
ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
City treasurer Kathy Sheehan speaks to the Common Council at last Monday’s meeting.
“I think it’s very important as departments talk about their current year budget… that they can tell us what their plans are for dealing with the budget shortfall going out over multiple years.” Kathy Sheehan The City also saw a 35 percent drop in payments from the State on Empire State Plaza, dropping from $22.85 million in 2013 to $15 million in 2014. The decrease in payment was scheduled, however, as the City operated with “spin-up” payments in 2012 and 2013 that gave Albany an extra $7.85 million. In order to avoid a property tax increase or “extensive” personnel
cuts, Jennings proposed no raises for city employees and took $9.8 million from the City’s fund balance. This leaves roughly $8.4 million in the fund balance for 2014 and beyond. The remaining amount of money was a point of concern for Kathy Sheehan, city treasurer and Democratic mayoral candidate, who noted that it wouldn’t fill the gap left by this year’s budget, and she called on departments to closely examine what they would do to respond to future budget deficits. “I think it’s very important,” Sheehan told the council, “as departments talk about their current year budget… that they can tell us what their plans are for dealing with the budget shortfall going out over multiple years.” Sheehan also spoke in favor of working with three- to five-year budget plans, arguing that they would help the city to avoid future deficits and plan for when state and federal budget grants ended. Long-term budgeting “would allow us to look out into future years and see where there are go-
ing to be issues with future revenue,” said Sheehan. Following comment on the budget, the council shifted attention to an ordinance addressing Albany Medical Center’s planned development in the Park South neighborhood. The ordinance discussed by the Common Council would amend the Park South Urban Renewal Plan and Planned Development Overlay District. The proposed amendments were spurred by a two-block, $110 million development plan announced over the summer by Albany Medical Center. A joint venture between the Medical Center and Tri-City Rentals, who will split costs evenly, construction is expected to begin in early 2014 and end in late 2015. The Medical Center will own the land and lease a large portion of it to Tri-City Rentals. In addition to the changes proposed in the ordinance, the plan calls for streetlevel retail along New Scotland and a five-story medical office building along Myrtle Avenue. Three changes are listed in the ordinance. First, construction of a parking garage “larger… than
originally anticipated,” increasing from four stories and roughly 400 spaces to six stories and roughly 875 spaces. Second, the ordinance calls for an increase in height, from four stories to six, of proposed buildings on New Scotland Avenue between Dana and Myrtle Avenues. The third change is an increase in the number of dwelling units between Robin Street and Dana, Myrtle, and New Scotland Avenues. Most comments addressed the change to the parking garage. Representatives from Albany Medical Center claimed that the new parking spots would be for residents. But Leah Golby, council member for Albany’s tenth ward, wondered if the garage was built to handle parking for a neighboring office building, which more than doubled in size from the original plan. Michael O’Brien, council member for the City’s tenth ward, expressed concern that the new office building, while tax-free as part of the Medical Center’s nonprofit mission, may house doctors that bill privately. “I don’t feel comfortable with
this new bill,” said O’Brien, “[until] I know whether the doctor, be they staff or non-staff, are privately billing and therefore are very profitable.” The garage would not add to the neighborhood’s quality of life, and alternatives should be sought, said Dennis Gaffney, a resident of the nearby Helderberg neighborhood. “Albany Med should seek other remedies for parking reasons,” he said, calling for the Medical Center to give CDTA bus passes to workers for transportation. The height change along New Scotland also drew concerns from residents. Michael McGovern, vice president of the Park South Neighborhood Association, said the six-story buildings may not blend in well with neighborhood homes. “This may not provide an aesthetic transition to the two-family homes,” said McGovern, “which are just two stories.” The proposed development is part of a larger, nine-block area being renewed by the city under guidance from the redevelopment plan. Originally adopted in 2006, the plan seeks to renew the city blocks bordered by Robin, Myrtle, Lark Street, and Madison Avenue. Since the mid2000s, a number of new building have been constructed in the area around Albany Medical Center, including a hotel, a mixture of offices and retail space, and a 1,500car capacity parking garage. Susan Holland, executive director of the Historic Albany Foundation, expressed concern that the ordinance would stray too far from the original plan, and suggested modifications to the amendments. “The three amendments change the scope and intent of the original plan and, in result, some tweaks need to be done to the amendments.” Council members will discuss budget items over the course of the next month and vote on amending the redevelopment plan at a later date.
October 16th, 2013
News
Volume 82 Issue 9
In Brief Oct. 10, when Detective Michael Nadoraski of the Criminal Investigation Unit, stopped Daioczok in the area of Madison Avenue and Partridge Street. There he was identified as the suspect in the ongoing larceny investigation and was placed into custody without an incident. Daioczok was charged with Criminal Trespass 3rd and Petit Larceny. After being arraigned
in Albany City Criminal Court, he was remanded to the Albany County Jail in lieu of $2,000 bail. Daioczok was once before caught for stealing a seven foot Christmas tree from the Capital Lights in the Park display inside Washington Park in December of 2011. Apprehended moments later, he was charged with Petit Larceny and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property.
Arrest Made in Kidnap Attempt at Bus Stop University of Albany Police have made an arrest in the attempted abduction of two young women from the bus stop on Western Avenue and O’Leary Boulevard last Friday. Police say 54-year-old Anthony Collins, of Albany, was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with Menacing and Criminal Possession of a Weapon, both misdemeanors. He pleaded not guilty to both charges and remains at the Albany County Jail.
Collins was seen wearing a Christmas sweater and running pants when he used a knife in the first attempted abduction, according to Saint Rose security. The incident occurred just before 8 a.m. Once a University of Albany student intervened, the woman got on a bus safely and away from the scene. Approximately half an hour later at the same bus stop, in front of Waterbury Hall, Collins attempted to abduct another
woman, this time without using a knife. The individual also escaped safely and unharmed. Albany Police, University of Albany Police and The College of Saint Rose Security Department are increasing patrols in the area, and continuing their investigation. Officials encourage both victims and anyone with information to contact Saint Rose Security or Albany Police Department at 434-4000.
Residential Robbery on Myrtle Ave Three male suspects entered a first floor apartment home on the 600 block of Myrtle Avenue with what appeared to be a long arm rifle and ordered three male victims to the ground at approximately 9 p.m. on Oct. 9, the victims reported to police. The suspects alleg-
The Chronicle
Executive Editor Jackson Wang ‘14 wangj847@strose.edu
edly proceeded to tie the victims with duct tape and forcibly steal their property, then fled the scene. The victims, ages 22, 23, and 32, reported no injuries sustained during the incident. The suspects were described as two black males and one His-
Features Editor Conor Shea ‘15 sheac613@strose.edu
panic male. Albany police are investigating the residential robbery, which does not appear to be a random act. Anyone with information is asked to call the Albany Police Detective Division at 462-8039.
Business Manager Shawn Dixon dixons@strose.edu
Managing Editor Opinion Editor Chris Surprenant ‘14 Zachary Olsavicky surprenantc572@strose.edu olsavickyz977@strose.edu
Advertising Manager Shawn Dixon dixons@strose.edu
News Editor Lauren Halligan halliganl567@strose.edu
Arts Editor Rachel Bolton ‘15 boltonr413@strose.edu
Web Editor Christopher Lovell ‘15 lovellc083@strose.edu
Layout Editor / Videographer John Janitz ‘14 janitzj140@strose.edu
Sports Editor Joshua Natoli ‘14 natolij477@strose.edu
Head Photographer Kelly Pfeister ‘14 pfeisterk953@strose.edu
Assistant Layout Editor Jennifer O’Connor ‘16 oconnorj984@strose.edu
Copy Editor Jenessa Matis ‘14 matisj311@strose.edu
Faculty Adviser Cailin Brown
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Calendar of Events
Milk Bottle Thief Arrested Early in the morning on Thursday, Frankie Daioczok, 30, was identified as the suspect in an ongoing larceny investigation for stealing glass milk bottles from front porches in the Pine Hills neighborhood. Daioczok is a city resident. He has been repeatedly committing this crime for more than a month. His final attempt was at approximately 8:50 a.m. on Thursday,
The Chronicle
Staff Writers Tori Addison Katherine Bakaitis Blaise Bryant Asia Ewart Andy Gilchrist Tariq Kendall Katie Klimacek Kevin Jacob Lauren Klose Vanessa Langdon Alex Pecha Lauren Sears Michael Smith M. William Smith Staff Photographer Anthony Chapin
Wednesday, October 16th
11 a.m. Information Table - Trans World Entertainment EAC 2:40 p.m. Natural Science Association Science Center Room 352 3:30 p.m. Better Together Interfaith Group Sanctuary 5 p.m. Mid-Week Mass Sanctuary 7 p.m. Outside the [Box] Positivity Workshop Standish 7:30 p.m. BASIC Sanctuary 8 p.m. Colleges Against Cancer Meeting Albertus Room 210
Thursday, October 17th
4:15 p.m. Adventure Club Lima Basement 5:30 p.m. SEB Meeting St. Joseph’s Hall 7:30 p.m. A National Day of Writing Event - Featuring Rigoberto Gonzalez - Part of Frequency North Standish 7:30 p.m. Identity Main Lounge
Friday, October 18th
5 p.m. Charlotta Westergren - Progency Exhibition and Reception Massry
Saturday, October 19th
1 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs St Anselm Plumeri 1 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs Assumption Plumeri 3 p.m. Orchestra concert Massry 6 p.m. Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Lally
Sunday, October 20th
3 p.m. Saint Rose Jazz Ensemble/Empire State Youth Jazz Ensemble Concert Massry 6:30 p.m. College Mass St. Vincent de Paul Church
Monday, October 21st
3:00 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. 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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News
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
Damien Center Raising Money to Build New Home By JACKSON WANG Executive Editor Rocks on Central Avenue was turned into a fun, active, and fundraising location last Sunday night. That’s because the popular bar was being used to raise money to help rebuild the Albany Damien Center, a local provider for people with HIV and AIDS. The evening, entitled “Out of the Ashes,” was produced by Norman Ray, a local charity organizer who’s been helping the Damien Center since Aug. 29, when the building suffered fire damage. “[Ray] has really been helping the Damien Center to raise some funds to be able to repurchase some of the things that were lost due to our recent fire,” said Perry Junjulas, executive director of Albany Damien Center. When the fire struck the building back in late August, nearly everything was lost, said Junjulas. The building became unin-
habitable, leaving the Damien Center homeless. But luckily, the First Lutheran Church allowed the staff of the Damien Center to use their facility, which means they could continue their operations of serving the people that suffer from AIDS and HIV. “That shows that the community is going to support and help people living with HIV and AIDS,” said Junjulas. Sunday’s event, which included drinks, music, and a raffle, raised well over $17,000, bring the total to around $40,000, said Junjulas. He believes they’ll need around $300,000 to be able to build a new home. Junjulas said donations from people and Sunday’s event has really inspired him to work harder to get the Damien Center opened. “Tonight’s event is really showing the spirit of the community coming forward and saying ‘we’re going to be there for you,’” said Junjulas. “So for me, it’s really charging me forward to
JACKSON WANG
Executive director Perry Junjulas said the center will open again, but it might be at a new location. say we can get our center back and build it bigger and better.” For Dorothy Nangle, a program
manager at the Damien Center, Sunday’s event meant “people actually believe in us and realize that that the AIDS pandemic is not over by a long stretch and that we still need to support each other.” Justin Kerner, chairman of the board of directors for the Damien Center, said it was fantastic to see so many people in support of the center.
“It’s very humbling and it makes me proud to be a resident of Albany.” Justin Kerner
JACKSON WANG
The Albany Damien Center suffered a fire back on Aug. 29, which made the building uninhabitable.
“I think out of tragedy that kind of inspires heroism a lot and I think everybody here are just a hero of the community,” said Kerner. “It’s very humbling and it makes me proud to be a resident of Albany.” As for when the Damien Center could be rebuilt, Junjulas joked that he wanted to pick a shovel up and start that second. He’s not sure when construction
will begin because he’s still waiting on insurance funds. Junjulas also said there’s a good chance the new Damien Center could be built at a new location. “We may not go back there anymore, we may not be able to,” said Junjulas. “So we’re looking for places 8,000 to 10,000 square feet.” He said he’s looking for a piece of property around Albany Medical Center, Sage College of Albany, or The College of Saint Rose. Junjulas said they just need their own place to get established. Nangle said the old building served them well, but thinks it’s time to move to a bigger building. She said the Damien has grown a lot in the last few years, plus they have more clients now and are serving all throughout the Capital Region. In 2012 alone, the Damien Center provided more than 22,000 meals, delivered support and care to more than 400 people, and had approximately 6,700 drop-in visits at their South Lake Avenue home. “We are more than just a building, so we take our love with us where ever we go,” said Nangle.
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Volume 82 Issue 9
News
City Kid Smoothies Continued From Page A1 After that, they decided to launch a mobile lunch program to feed kids out on the street by the thousands. Using trucks and storing the food in coolers, they would hand out the lunches to children in the Albany area. The ministry has also opened the Dream Center at 15 Warren St. in downtown Albany, to offer a place for children and others to take classes on things such as learning to cook and how to use computers. Special events are also held at the Dream Center, which is still a work in progress, said Muller. Ultimately they would like to have a homework lab in the building where children could receive help with their school work. They realized though, that there were still some kids out there that they weren’t able to reach. So two years ago, when Muller asked an executive from Walmart if they could have anything to support their cause of helping inner city children, what would it be, Muller took the opportunity to reach out to even more children. He had always dreamed of having a smoothie truck, which would make it easier to get the same amount of nutrients as lunch but
to children in a faster and quicker way. Walmart then gave them a grant to pay for the smoothie truck as well as donating all of the fruit they need. While truck and fruit were both paid for, the program, which runs on donations, still has to pay for the base mixture which costs $12 a bottle to yield six to eight smoothies, as well as the diesel gas for the truck, which is also part electric.
“Our goal is to have a smoothie truck in every city.” Charlie Muller Currently they are trying to win another vehicle through a program called 100 cars for good. Out of 25,000 charities, 250 were selected for the contest, and on Wednesday, Oct. 16, people will vote for the charity they would like to receive the new vehicle. Each charity was told to submit what kind of vehicle they would like. City Kid Smoothies would receive a Toyota Sienna van and
hopes to transform it into a second smoothie truck. “Our goal is to have a smoothie truck in every city,” said Muller. He is currently trying to network with other churches and programs to get them involved with the idea. Muller is working to contact Walmart again to see if they can get a national grant to get more trucks out on the streets. In the past, the program has gone to places such as Schoharie after recent flood devastation to hand out smoothies to those affected and even Hacklesburg, Alabama after a tornado hit to serve National Guard members. On a regular basis, they go to the local parks on Saturdays and Sundays to hand out smoothies when the kids don’t get the unsubsidized meals from their schools. However, if the government remains shut down, it could eventually affect the meals children receive at school. “That’s where we come in,” said Muller. During the summer, they reached out to the camps in the area to ensure that children are still getting enough nutrients while school is out of session. Now that school has started, they have begun handing smoothies out before school. On Tuesday, Oct. 8, Muller and
The Chronicle
LAUREN KLOSE
Pastor Muller and Joel Agnes making the smoothies before handing them out to the kids. employee Joel Agnes drove out to Giffen Memorial Elementary school to hand out strawberry lemonade and cherry flavored smoothies as well as oranges to the children as they waited for school to start. The children crowded around as both Muller
“These are fruitalicious. You have to teach me the recipe!” Damarvo Humbert
The smoothie truck was donated by Walmart two years ago.
LAUREN KLOSE
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and Agnes poured smoothies. A few parents dropping off their kids were thrilled, and encouraged their children to take a smoothie before heading to class. “These are fruitalicious,” said Damarvo Humbert, a second grader at Giffen. “You have to
teach me the recipe!” While mixing the ingredients for more smoothies that morning, Anges said he originally started as a volunteer, spending a lot of his time at the center helping out. Since then, he has been involved with the smoothie truck, thrift stores, and kitchens at the church’s two centers. To many Albany children, Agnes is known as “Mr. Smoothie Man.” Dawn Sabatino, an employee at Giffen, thought it was great that the kids were getting something healthy instead of junk food. “I think it’s terrific and our children love fruit,” said Kathy Spinelli, a teacher’s assistant at the school. A new program coming out in the next few weeks is City Kid Cupcakes, where children will go to the Dream Center and make cupcakes and cookies before going out to sell them. The money will go directly to the children to help pay for essentials like school supplies and clothes.
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I Love New York Pizza Continued From Page A1 ous owners, Ipek and the partners kept the same name of the pizzeria because of its alreadyestablished familiarity with the Pine Hills residents. “I heard everybody loves I Love New York. It’s popular,” said Khal. Ipek, one of the four brothers who do business as Z. Ipek & Sons, Inc., a general contracting company based out of Albany, couldn’t say for exactly how long the previous I Love New York Pizza was closed. However, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance tax warrant records show that the last warrant against the old pizzeria for unpaid taxes was filed more than a year ago on Sept. 26, 2012. The City of Albany Department of Assessment and Taxation shows that the previous owners of this building, Lulja and Gjoka Camaj, had the place for about seven years after they bought the building on July, 15, 2005, from Stjefan and Nikola Ivezic. City records show that Ipek bought the building on 850 Madison Ave. on November 27, 2012, for $200,000. The Camajs wanted to return to New York City, where they lived before running the pizzeria business in Albany, Ipek said. An apartment above the shop is rented out to a family that is unrelated to the pizzeria’s business, Ipek said. The phone numbers that are listed on the Internet for the Camajs are out of service. City records show that the Camajs live on 34 Stillwell Ave. in Yonkers. There is no listing of a phone number for this location; however, a search for similar names in New York City yielded a source that claims he is Steven Camaj’s brother. He declined to give out his name, but said that the I Love New York Pizza on Madison Avenue shut down because the rent was too expensive, so Steven Camaj, who ran the pizzeria, went back to New York City. There are about 11 I Love
New York Pizza restaurants in the Capital District. Four of them were counted in Albany, one in Troy, one in Guilderland, one in Colonie, one in Delmar, one in Ballston Spa, one in Schenectady and one in Clifton Park. Another I Love New York Pizza is located in Queensbury. They are not a chain of restaurants, according to Ipek. Sources at each of these pizzerias verified that they are in no way affiliated with the one on Madison Avenue. “I used to actually go there, when it was open before,” said Paul Lafond, 22, who works security at Bogies on Ontario Street, around the corner from I Love New York Pizza. He never knew who the previous owners of the pizzeria were in the two years he’s been here, but is looking forward to going to I Love New York Pizza, again. “My heart was really in opening something simple like a pizza place,” he said. Ipek isn’t threatened by the fact that three other pizza shops - Paesan’s Pizza, Madison’s Pizza and for 32 years, Trio’s Pizzeria & Deli - operate just a few building spaces away and across the street. About three years ago, Khal worked for a few months at Madison’s Pizza, which was established in 1993. Ever since then, he thought of opening a pizza place here, he said. He was encouraged by friends and cousins, who’ve had experience with running pizza places, like Golden Grain Pizza in Clifton Park. They advised Khal that if he makes good quality pizzas and provides the best service, his will survive. “It’s going to be a family business,” said Khal. He lives in Troy with his wife and 9-month-old son. He hopes to stay at this location and pass on the pizzeria to his son in the future. Khal said that his goal is to open some more businesses if this pizzeria does well. One problem though, tudents don’t seem to be spending money as much as they used to, according to Joanis Neli, who works at
News Paesan’s Pizza across the road and around the corner on Ontario Street. “It’s hard to open a business these days,” he said. Paesan’s Pizza has been operating since 1994, run by the Scavio family. Their prices range from a slice of vegetable pizza for $2.39 to a slice of Buffalo Chicken pizza for $2.89. Neli said that the opening of another pizzeria is going to slow down business for everybody, but that his pizzeria is the best and that if people are happy, they just keep going. “Business is risky, but I’m not afraid of anything,” said Khal. I Love New York Pizza will open at 10 a.m. and close at 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and from will have shorter hours from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday.The shop will offer special prices on the menu and pizza slices to college students if they show proof of their student status. The partners will also visit college campuses to hand out fliers later this month. The pizzeria will have subs, wings, rolls, Italian dinners like baked ziti, chicken parmesan, stuffed shells, ravioli and much more, according to Khal. One cheese pizza slice is $2, one pizza slice with a topping is $2.50 and the rest is $3, a calzone is $5.99, Stromboli is $7.99 and the drinks range from cans of soda at $1, bottles at $1.75 to a Red Bull at $3, according to Khal. For a comparison: at Madison’s Pizza, the costs of one cheese pizza slice, a pizza slice with a topping and the rest of the slices are the same as I Love New York Pizza. The partners and owner will continuously try different suppliers for ingredients they feel taste best, Ipek said. According to him, this I Love New York Pizza is not using any of the recipes from the previous pizzeria at this location. I Love New York Pizza’s goal is to stand out from the other pizzerias, said Khal. He plans to offer a Mediterranean special called Tantuni Wrap on the pizzeria’s menu. It is a wrap containing chopped meats and vegetables. “You’re not going to see that anywhere else but here,” said Khal.
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The partners will have completed and ready menus to send out on Oct. 30. They have already mailed out about 260,000 fliers to residences in the surrounding areas. Khal said that they have an idea to create a special order option for the customers to request food any way they want to, kind of like a ‘make-your-own’ type. He said they will even deliver to areas like Whitehall Road, Central Avenue, Downtown Albany, State University at Albany and other places that he claims the nearby pizzerias don’t do. “We’re going to be everywhere,” said Khal. “Whoever calls us, we always will come.” He has about five people helping him out with starting the business, but for now, the only people fully running it are Khal and Simsek. They will consider hiring more employees once they get a feel for how business is going. Ipek will occasionally visit the pizzeria, see how the partners are doing and offer support. Since his wife runs Ipek’s La Bella Pizza in East Greenbush, he is familiar with the kind of community connectedness that occurs when the people doing business and their customers come to know each other. Here, he would like to create something even better. “You really have to love people to be in business … if you’re going to go
in there just for the money, forget about it,” he added. “He’s going to put a lot of money into making something better than the other places,” said David Venie about Ipek and the pizzeria. He worked for Ipek for nine years and was helping him put the finishing touches on the signs and exterior appearance of the pizzeria on opening day. “If he’s involved in it, it’s very good. I can tell you that much.” On opening day, I Love New York Pizza served rolls and pizza slices to various customers, both new to the Pine Hills area and those that have been around for quite some time. “Amazing. I love it,” said Jesus Frias between bites of his pizza. Frias is a sophomore student studying at the state University at Albany. He used to go to Madison’s Pizza, which he said is “okay,” but said that he would come to I Love New York Pizza, again. “I like this one better. They toast it better,” he added. A visitor from New York City, James Brown, happened to stop by I Love New York Pizza because of its convenient location. He said he had no complaints about the pizzeria and that he felt the customer service was good. It’s always important to make customers smile, Khal said. “We’re going to make them happy no matter what.”
VALERIYA PONOMAROVA
Tony Khal sets out a pizza as opening day for I Love New York Pizza’s already seen customers.
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
News
College Students and Residents
JOE BIANCHINO
The Committee on University and Community Relations meets to discuss current events on October 9th. Continued From Page A1 stampeding awoke several North Lake residents, one of whom video taped the scene, uploaded it to YouTube, and sent a link to her contacts at the University of Albany. On Wednesday, the Committee on University and Community Relations, whose mission is to build relationships and soothe tensions, met to discuss the current state of affairs. In the conference room of the Albany Police Department’s Center Station at 536 Western Ave., the committee convened its October meeting. It was a scattered meeting, one that served largely as an update on recent and upcoming events, and local projects. Some of the events discussed on Wednesday included the Oct. 27 Pine Hills cleanup, a joint venture of the University at Albany and The College of Saint Rose; the upcoming anniversary of the Midtown Neighborhood Watch; the arrest of an individual in relation to a pair of attempted abductions that took place at the corners of O’Leary and Western
Avenue earlier this week; and the start of a flyer campaign to educate residents about what to do in the case of a fire. The wide-ranging agenda touched on various facets of life in the Pine Hills, a function of the group’s broad goals. “I think this is kind of a nexus of all these groups being together so that we have a dialogue to identify what problems and challenges there are when college students live in local neighborhoods,” said Thomas Gebhardt, the committee chairperson and director of personal safety and off-campus affairs at UAlbany. “It’s bringing everyone together to try and improve the neighborhood and the safety for everyone involved.” Wednesday’s meeting served as an example of Gebhardt’s vision, with a diverse sample of the Pine Hills population in attendance. Community members and officials, students and school officials, and police were all present, working together for common goals. “The first goal is to improve college and university commu-
nity relations…and… to improve quality of life,” said Gebhardt. “It’s a constant struggle,” said
The Chronicle Leah Golby, a council member for the 10th Ward, which includes the majority of the Saint Rose campus. “Every year at the start of the school year there are going to be issues with students living off-campus, having parties, not remembering that they live in a neighborhood,” she said, pointing to the relevance of the committee’s mission. “They produce a number of these brochures for any number of safety topics…We send them out to our students…and so it gets the information in front of our students….We’ve found a lot of the information from this committee is very helpful,” said Dick Clarkson, assistant vice president for college operations at the Albany Medical College. He underscored the importance of the committee, citing the good it has done for the students at his school. Ptl. Janet Zalatan delivered a report about a rash of cell phone thefts on the corner of Western and Quail and the 200-block of Quail Street which prompted a discussion about a partnership with the Albany Police Depart-
Students participating in last year’s Pine Hills cleanup day.
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ment to write and disseminate a brochure on personal safety. “This particular committee has proven itself on bettering relationships and improving quality of life,” she said. “By information sharing, by hearing different points of views, to hear all sides and come up with a plan.” All sides would, in this situation, include the students, whose attendance and willingness to help is important. “We really want to connect Albany students with the public and create an amicable relationship,” said Kimberly Kaufmann, the community engagement chair of the University at Albany’s Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program. “We think of ourselves as the safe haven for students and off-campus community members can call or look for outreach.” For Gebhardt, that issue of safety is what’s most important, is the guiding philosophy behind his committee’s actions. “If we can just prevent one crime or one fire from happening, we’re certainly going to do it.”
BECKY WISNIEWSKI
News Misconceptions of a Collegiate Job Search
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The Chronicle
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
Tips for Sending Out Those Cover Letters and Resumes
By CONOR SHEA Features Editor Two weeks ago, one of my professors took a major detour from the syllabus and decided to give us some life lessons. This sidebar took us towards the topic of finding a job while being enrolled in college or after graduation, and he brought up a lot of great advice.
“First and foremost, forget about websites like Indeed and Monster. If a position has been posted on a job aggregation site like those, then chances are it’s been on the company’s personal website for a while.” While he may be a communications professor, the advice that he gave to us seemed to be ubiquitously helpful regardless of major or expected graduation date, so it warrants sharing with the rest of the student body. Keep in mind that these tips will be paraphrased from his short digression, and peppered with some tips from reputable sources around the web
as well. First and foremost, forget about websites like Indeed and Monster. If a position has been posted on a job aggregation site like those, then chances are it’s been on the company’s personal website for a while. The idea is to take initiative by selecting a company or organization you would like to work with. Examine the “careers” page of their website and send an email to the HR department with a cover letter and resume. An employer is much more likely to reply (or even call for an interview) if the interested party has contacted the organization directly instead of through a third party. You should also keep in mind the large number of individuals who use websites like Indeed and Monster, and how many people there could be applying to any given position by the time it’s posted. Get ahead of the curve and seek out the business you want to work for, don’t wait for them to come to the general public. You shouldn’t have one cover letter and resume. You should have one basic format or template, and tailor it to the position you are applying for. The best resume and cover letter should be no more than a page respectively, so you will likely have to pick and choose what you include on a per submission basis. The social media management firm wants to know about how you interned at Facebook, not your time at Rite
Aid over the summer. Also, try to resist the temptation to describe your previous occupations too fancifully. When you’ve described your responsibilities for a truck unloading position as having “supervised and implemented the relocation of various units from a mobile vehicle,” you’re doing it wrong. That doesn’t mean you can’t play with the semantics a bit, but the individual reading your resume shouldn’t be surprised when you tell him the plain English description during an interview. Keep your online profile em-
Advertise with Us! Is your business looking to corner the college market? Perhaps advertising in The Chronicle would help you do that? Contact Advertising Manager Shawn Dixon at dixons@mail.strose.edu for rates and publication schedule.
ployer friendly. If your Facebook account has weaker privacy settings, a potential employer can find you with one search. Those pictures of you holding a red solo cup as your buddy pours a drink probably won’t paint a good image of you in the mind of the person with your resume.
“Those pictures of you holding a red solo cup as your buddy pours a drink probably won’t paint a good image of you in the mind of the person with your resume.” Keep your digital footprint as PG-13 as possible in terms of social media. It also isn’t a bad idea to have a business side to your digital footprint like a LinkedIn
account or personal website. The more places a business can find information about you online (preferably self-regulated information) the better. Last but not least, treat looking for a job as if it is your job. If you’re going to get serious about finding employment, you can’t just be flipping through classifieds and scanning a few websites for an hour or two. Finding a job requires a lot of legwork, and the more legwork you do the more likely you will find success in your search. Keep in mind that the road to such success will undoubtedly be wrought with failures. You might have terrible interviews, be told you lack experience, or simply have your application ignored. All of these disheartening experiences are happening to your peers as well, so don’t let them keep you down. Keep on applying and you will learn the finer details from experience, but don’t be afraid to ask a friend, colleague, or professor for advice.
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The Classroom Time Doesn’t Have to End with CoopLearn By VANESSA LANGDON Staff Writer Technology is continuously evolving to aide students in their learning processes, and CoopLearn, a new “study room”oriented website, is no different. The site, which is still in BETA form, creates an extension of the learning that allows for group discussion and completion of assignments together.
“We listen to [the users] and really take in their feedback to improve the website for them. We focus on building a great a product and we believe our users will do the rest.” Bassil Eid The site, which is still in its infancy, according to creator Bassil Eid, has had great reviews in the short time that it has been fully operating for the general public.
“We first unveiled a prototype of the website in the summer. This was only available to close friends. They tested it and provided a lot of feedback. We then opened it up to the public in September 2012,” said Eid, who emphasized that an operation like this is never fully finished, even when no longer in the BETA format. “We listen to [the users] and really take in their feedback to improve the website for them. We focus on building a great a product and we believe our users will do the rest.” In the two short weeks that the site has been fully operating, 80 study rooms have been created and approximately 700 users signed up for the website. Eid has a “build it and they will come” mentality about the site, noting that it is a necessary tool that makes the struggle that secondary education can often become much more bearable. He utilized this concept as a college student himself. “Not only were we dependent but we also performed much better when we communicated with our friends and classmates about studying for exams and completing assignments…we learned that by going through a tough experience with
COURTESY COOPLEARN.COM
CoopLearn is a website that allows and fosters learning outside of a typical classroom setting. others who are in the same situation as you, always makes the experience a lot easier.” Having that person by your side gave many students the confidence to attack their work and feel like they were on the right track. The site brings that both
VANESSA LANGDON
The profile screen users can create when they sign up for CoopLearn.
into the 21st century and to a higher level of learning. The studyrooms are created by students and mimic the physical classrooms patrolled by professors, but allow the communication and tag team assignment completion. A user creates a group, either private or public, of their specific section of a class and uploads materials they possess that pertain to the curriculum. The materials could be a homework assignment thus far, study guides, or, if users are lucky enough, old tests or quizzes. The issue of copyright comes into play, but Eid is one step ahead. “We make referencing assignments, notes, and past exams mandatory for students on Cooplearn,” said Eid. “If you are to upload something that is not yours, we have a referencing mechanism that you need to fill out.” This allows the students to have full range of materials to practice with outside of class, thus giving them more confidence in their in-class work and ensuring they
know what the material means, thus facilitating more class discussions. The site contains the capability to promote any type of class with both a math tool bar and image uploads that lends itself to art classes. The site is made better by those that use it not only by their feedback that Eid craves, but also through their participation. The more students that join the site, the more brainpower that can be harnessed to achieve the best grade possible, which will ultimately produce the most effective students. Saint Rose alumni Kevin Smith utilized the site in his economics course at Hunter College after leaving Saint Rose. He and his friends found the site beneficial and that sentiment seems to be wide ranging among the users. The site is extremely user friendly and completely free so if group work is something you need to do, which is not unlikely at a small school like Saint Rose, sign up and invite your friends to get a studyroom going.
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Arts
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
The Tomorrow People: A Strong, Solid Sci-Fi Debut
By ANDY GILCHRIST Staff Writer The young adult supernatural/sci-fi genre is at the top of the world right now. A movement that began over 15 years ago with the release of the first Harry Potter book has now exploded due to wild success of Twilight, The Hunger Games, The Vampire Diaries, and more. But while stories of powerful young people struggling to save the world continue to be produced, some have argued that the genre has reached its peak, that the stories being told now are nowhere near the quality of those from just a few years ago. The CW is hoping that this isn’t the case, as they’ve just debuted their newest series, The Tomorrow People. The network could have easily followed the classic hero cycle formula, plugging in the newest and hottest young actors and special effects. Instead, they have produced a series that is very well written, acted, and paced, resulting in a
show that not just works well next to the network’s other series, but is entertaining in its own right. The series follows Stephen Jameson (Robbie Amell), a moody high school student who just doesn’t fit in. But Stephen isn’t like every other teenager; he can teleport and has many other powers he has yet to discover. But unlike most teenagers, who would love and abuse such power, Stephen just wants to be normal. But there are forces fighting a secret war who won’t allow that to happen. On one side are those like Stephen, people with powers. They call themselves the Tomorrow People and have abilities such as telepathy and telekinesis. They literally live underground, hiding from the rest of the world in an abandoned subway station, which serves as their base of operations for finding and protecting other Tomorrow People. Here, Stephen meets fellow Tomorrow People Cara Coburn (Peyton List), John Young (Luke Mitchell), and Russell Kwon (Aaron Yoo), who are
all trying to sway Stephen to their cause. On the other side is Ultra, a shadowy organization dedicated to controlling or eliminating Tomorrow People because they believe the world is not ready for the next step in human evolution. One of Ultra’s highest ranking agents is Jedikiah Price (Mark Pellegrino), who is tasked with bringing in or killing Stephen. But Jedikiah has a secret connection to Stephen’s long-lost father, who is revealed to have also been one of the Tomorrow People and left Stephen and his family for their own safety. So, which side will Stephen choose? What made the pilot episode so great were its truly unexpected twists and turns. While the Tomorrow People can do things that regular humans can only dream of, their amazing gifts do have their drawbacks. Some bizarre quirk in their genetic structure makes them unable to kill anyone and a Tomorrow Person passes out if they come close to murder. In a time where every hero is ex-
pected to kill the villain at the end of the story, the writers have chosen to go a different way, giving the series a much better chance to stand out on its own rather than get lost in a sea of morally-compromised anti-heroes. But, the biggest shock is the ending of the first episode. For the first 37 minutes, the audience is sure that Stephen will choose to side with the Tomorrow People, that he will become the savior, the Keanu Reeves, of their revolutionary movement and lead them to victory. But that doesn’t happen. In the episode’s final scenes, Stephen instead decides to join Ultra. What? Impossible!? Hang on, though; this isn’t a show about a man who decides to go to the dark side, choosing to give in to greed and power over the greater good. Stephen decides to join Ultra so that he can act as a double agent, feeding the Tomorrow People information and helping them wherever he can. It’s unclear how long Stephen will be able to keep up the act until Ultra realizes what is going on, but
for now, the show is able to spend equal time exploring the characters on both sides of this conflict, with Stephen serving as a gateway to both the good and the bad. Finally, something that is immediately obvious after just one episode is that this show is going to be fast-paced the whole way through. While many dramas today tend to slow things down for stretches of characterization and dialogue, The Tomorrow People pushes scenes forward without any breaks to breathe. While this isn’t a show that sprints through storylines, like Scandal or most cop shows, it does manage to cover a lot of ground in each episode. In the first episode alone, the audience learns everything about Stephen, his family, the Tomorrow People and the Ultra organization, along with a big opening heist/fight scene and closing break-out sequence, all in just 42 minutes. If the producers manage to keep this pace up for every episode, this show could become one of the most exciting on television.
Kickin’ It With KJ: Chock Full October Edition By KEVIN JACOB Staff Writer Welcome all to another glorious edition of Kickin’ It. Good news is that within the past week there were many really good projects that I was hearing so I thought I’d come and spread the word on them. Let’s get into it. Maxo Kream – Quicc Strikes – Recently while I was perusing the web I found a site that I had never seen before and I proceeded to check it out. While I was there (passionweiss.com, if anyone was curious) I found a video by Houston’s own Maxo Kream. The video was for Maxo’s “Lewinsky” and it was dark, gritty, gangsta, and a certified banger. Other bangers on the tape include “Whitney Houston,” “LeBron South Beach,” and “Invisible Tops.” In fact, I’m gonna be honest, there was barely a track that I didn’t like on this one. But other
than that I think Maxo could be on the verge of blowing up, bringing a really gangster sound that Houston Rap has been lacking as of late. Check the tape out. Rating: 9/10 Pusha T – My Name Is My Name – EVERYTHING IS PUSHA-T. This phrase was brought to the limelight by Kanye West at the listening party for MNIMN, and although Kanye was a bit loose off the goose, he has a point. Pusha-T’s been around for a while. Whether it be his work with Clipse or his own solo work, I’ve always enjoyed Pusha’s music. It was ecstatic when he joined Mr. West’s G.O.O.D. music label back in 2010. Since he joined, everyone was clamoring for a Pusha-T solo album, and ziplock P has finally delivered the album. Overall, to be blunt, I expected a lot more out of Pusha’s album. Sure, there are standout tracks such as the brilliant intro “King
Push,” the menacing “Numbers on the Board” and “Nosetalgia,” and the intricately produced “Pain.” I only enjoyed half of the album. “No Regrets” was straight weak and don’t even get me started on that bull**** track with Kelly Rowland. In the end, I still love Pusha-T. Did he make the album that myself and a lot of fans were hoping for? No. Did he make at least a few decent songs to jam out to? Yeah. Does this one have a lot of replay value? In my eyes? No. There’s word that Push is supposed to already be working on another solo, aptly titled “King Push.” Here’s to hoping that it is stronger than My Name Is My Name. Rating: 4.5/10 Danny Brown – OLD – Danny Brown is here with his first official LP, OLD. I’ve been anticipating this release and everybody’s favorite druggy released a hell
of an album. The album with 19 songs is almost like two albums. The first side of the album is the more hard/gangster side of Danny Brown, which we didn’t really see much of on his solid mixtape XXX. It sounds more like his earlier stuff like “Hot Soup” and “The Hybrid.” It’s an interesting take for Brown and he really shines on this side of the album for me. “The Return” with Freddie Gibbs, “Clean Up,” and the excellent “Red 2 Go” are some of the standouts of the first half. The second half of the album is the more party friendly, pill popping Danny Brown that people can usually be divided on. If you like turning up, you’re going to like this side of the album. I like to turn up so I enjoyed it. And man, do things start to turn once “Side B (Dope Song)” begins. This might be the best song on the whole album. The whole track is straight heat rocks with a bass
that might actually melt your face off. Insane. “Dubstep” (it’s not exactly how it’s title sounds) was really good too, with a great verse from the UK rapper Scrufizzer, who I’ve never heard before this song but kid can definitely rap his ass off. Overall, Danny Brown delivered and then some on OLD. To be honest, as blasphemous as it may sound to some, but Danny Brown reminds me a lot of the ODB. He’s crazy as all hell and has a distinct sound to his music. You can always tell who it is when you hear that certain squawk to his voice, although at times it can be a tad bit overbearing. Danny Brown is the truth. Give OLD a chance. Rating: 8.5/10 That’s all for this weeks edition of Kickin’ It. Hopefully you check out some of this great music that was talked about.. Until then, take care.
October 16th, 2013
Arts
Volume 82 Issue 9
The Chronicle
Metallica Through the Never Entertaining and Illogical
By BRENDAN TENAN Contributing Writer Metalheads around the world rejoiced a little over a year ago when it was first announced that the legendary Metallica were filming a concert movie. From the moment it was first announced, it became apparent to fans that this would not be an ordinary concert film. There were reports of 3D cameras being used to film the band in concert, that the footage used in the film would be from multiple shows they performed in Vancouver, and a special stage and set pieces were being used as well. The end result, Metallica Through the Never, is an exciting and imaginative take on what can be a rather predictable film style. Unfortunately, the film’s ambition and desire to go off the beaten path in presenting something new to audiences ends up doing more harm than good to the overall experience. Often times a concert film is more like a documentary, with a modest crew following the band backstage and filming from the audience and outer edges of the stage. Fans of Metallica know that the thrash metal icons rarely, if ever, take the conventional route when doing anything worthwhile. The performances filmed for Metallica Through the Never, as a result, were designed specifically for the movie. Everything
from the ground up: the stage, light plot, pyro, sound system, etc. was created for the movie. As a result, there were as many as 24 high definition and 3D cameras filming the band from a multitude of angles and focus lengths. The cameras were able to get many incredible shots of the band and helped capture the energy and intensity one experiences at a Metallica concert. The stage and massive light plot reportedly featured one million LED lights, most of which comprised the floor of the stage itself and made for some tremendous effects. Perhaps the most memorable use of the stage LEDs came during the opening number “Creeping Death,” when blood starts seeping across the stage in a tribute to the famous scene from The Ten Commandments (which the song was inspired by), where Charlton Heston’s Moses turns the Nile River into blood. Other highlights included classic set pieces from past Metallica tours, such as the statue of Lady Justice from the …And Justice for All tour, a giant electric chair and Tesla coils from “Ride the Lightning,” and a field of large white crosses from Master of Puppets. In addition to the spectacular effects, the band looked and sounded fantastic. It’s hard to believe that Metallica has been cranking up the amps and playing mosh pit-inciting riffs for over three decades, especially since
none of the music they played sounds dated. The band still plays with a great deal of energy and excitement, which the crowd reciprocates to them in kind. Metallica’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist, James Hetfield, sounded particularly strong, while the twin guitar harmonies played by Hetfield and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett were as crisp as they’ve ever sounded. The rhythm section, anchored by bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich, were locked in from the beginning as the group charged through classics like the aforementioned “Creeping Death” as well as “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” “Fuel,” “Master of Puppets,” “…And Justice for All,” and “Enter Sandman,” among others. The only real downside to the entire movie is the subplot involving a roadie named Trip, played by Chronicle star Dane DeHaan. Trip is given a task by Metallica’s road manager before the band finishes their opening number. He has to find one of their trucks, which ran out of gas, in the middle of Vancouver and retrieve a bag containing “something the band needs,” and he must return with the bag before the show ends. In the short time between Trip entering the arena in the film’s first scene to setting off on the task he’s been given, the city has
become a nightmarish, apocalyptic hell. Trip encounters protesters fighting police squads in full riot gear, dozens of dead bodies strung up to light poles, and a masked man wielding a sledgehammer that can perhaps best be described as a steam-punk inspired version of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. On top of that, the movie never reveals the contents of this duffel bag that the band so badly needed. It’s apparent that both Metallica and director Nimrod Antal (Predators) did this deliberately. They wanted to create a sort of twisted wonderland that Trip has fallen into by going down the wrong rabbit hole. The problem is that there’s no logic whatsoever that’s used to explain what’s happening, or why. Just because the filmmakers want to create something that’s open-ended doesn’t mean they’re excused from providing any exposition that will inform the audience. Despite what most creators of big budget cinema believe, the audience still needs a reason to care about the characters, the decisions they make, and what’s happening around them. Without that, the audience will be confused and disinterested in a significant portion of the film.
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Granted, they may be entertained by the great action sequences and beautiful camera work that Metallica Through the Never boasts, but even the incredibly talented DeHaan isn’t able to salvage this mess of a subplot. While the confusing and chaotic subplot is a definite drawback to the film, Metallica Through the Never is still overall a good movie and a rather unique addition to the formulaic concert film canon. This movie is definitely worth seeing in 3D, thanks to the use of 3D cameras during the filming of the concert footage and scenes with Trip. If you are a fan of Metallica and have never had the pleasure of seeing them play live, or just simply can’t get enough of them, then this movie is definitely worth your while. It also would be good for aspiring filmmakers to see some impressive camera work, lighting, and sound editing. However, for the average moviegoer this does not need to be high on your list in terms of things to see. One final piece of advice to those who go see Metallica Through the Never: don’t think about it too much, just enjoy the show. Your brain will thank you later on. Grade: B
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Volume 82 Issue 9
grumpy and misanthropic Toby Ziegler, all the characters are individuals with their own drives and ideals. Despite probably being confused by exactly who is who for a while, you’ll find yourself getting attached to the very extended family that inhabits the West Wing of the White House. The only character that again feels underrepresented and underwritten is Mandy, who disappointingly disappears anyway. Of course, characters can only be as good as the actors that play them, which is good because the actors here are all good at what they do. The standout is Martin Sheen as President Bartlet. Sheen brings an energy and charisma to the character that you don’t see too often, and he’s just a simple delight to watch. I would be remise though to not mention John Spencer as White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. John captures the image of the aging but still invested chief of staff extremely well and you can’t help but like his almost fatherly nature toward
the rest of the cast. If I have one large complaint it would be the huge (and I can’t stress the word huge enough) cliff hanger at the end of the season. While it is Netflix and you can wait 20 seconds to watch the next season, I personally always feel like huge cliffhangers at the end of seasons are cop out for more views, but that may just be me. Overall, The West Wing is an extremely well-written and acted political show that delights nearly every second you watch it. Whether it be due to the hardhitting moments it can throw at you, or the light-hearted humor that is often delivered, you will be enjoying your glimpse into this president’s office quite a bit. And while I might have some complaints, I can’t help but feel like I’m nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. The bottom line is, if you enjoy political shows or even just good character drama, you owe yourself to check out The West Wing on Netflix. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch some more West Wing.
Netflix Diving: The West Wing By ALEX PECHA Staff Writer
Politics suck, they just do. You need look no further than the Government Shutdown to see that as a fact. Despite that, however, many TV shows and movies over the years have used politics as the backdrop for dramas, comedies, and anything in between. Some of these shows are good, some are not so good. The show I’m talking about today, The West Wing, certainly falls under the “good” category. Unlike the Dresden Files, which I reviewed last time, The West Wing actually had a very successful run for eight seasons, running from 1999 through 2006. Well what made it so successful? And why had I only heard its name in whispers and references until the all-knowing Netflix shot it at me and said “Watch this now,” you ask? Well, let’s take a look. Full disclosure however, I will only be reviewing the first season as I’m not magic and can’t watch eight seasons worth of 156 episodes overnight. So if the show decides to go into full-on crazy and boring town in season six, I can’t really tell you. First season only, keep that in mind. The West Wing follows a fictional recently elected Democratic president and his top staff as they try to run the United States of America. This includes everything you’d expect; including trying pass bills, deals in international diplomacy, and deals with the various scandals that inevitably emerge. President Joisah “Jed” Bartlet (Martin Sheen) has been in office for about a year when the show starts. He is aided by his Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry (John Spencer), the Deputy Chief of Staff, Joshua Lyman (Bradley Whitford), the White House Press Secretary, Claudia Jean “C.J.” Cregg (Allison Janney), the Communications Director, Toby Ziegler
(Richard Schiff), and the Deputy Communications Director, Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe). That seems like a lot of characters and names to take in. Well it is, and I did not even touch the iceberg of secondary characters. These are all primary characters that appear in every episode. That is the first thing you will notice about The West Wing; there are a lot of characters. You have the main characters mentioned above as well as people like the president’s aide, the first lady, various secretaries and many others who make appearances almost every episode. This overabundance of characters is both the show’s strength and weakness. The strength is obvious, having a huge group of people in a show with fleshed out personalities makes the show come alive; it makes the show feel like an actual family of coworkers. However, even in the first season, the weakness is equally as obvious. Certain characters get thrown to the rear, sometimes to never reappear. For example, a character named Mandy showed up rather early in the first season and got added to the primary cast, yet she shows up less and less as the series goes on, and as far as I can tell, gets completely dropped as of the second season. If you like Mandy, you get shafted when she is literally poofed out of existence, and I could easily see this happening again with other characters they might try to introduce in the series. As for the rest of the show’s writing, you would be wrong to call it anything less than good, and it wouldn’t be wrong to call it great. The show’s great writing is partially thanks to Aaron Sorkin, the show’s lead writer and creator. You might recognize some of his other work, which includes The Social Network, Charlie Wilson’s War, and The Newsroom. The show manages to balance
the politics of running the White House with the sobering realities of running a country and even manages to throw in some wellwritten and timed humor. The show never feels like it’s wasting its time and fills every second with detail and complicated plots and characters. While this might make it extremely hard to multitask with, or even stop watching, it makes for some great watching. However, the show (at least in its first season) is old. The first season was made in 1999, 14 years ago now. So some details like cell phones that flip and only make calls or a lack of the war on terror might make it seem a bit dated. Despite this, however, it also manages to still capture the idea of party politics and government squabbling, making it an odd mix of both relatable and anachronistic. The characters in the show are extremely well written, even though there are a ton of them. From the charismatic and idealistic President Bartlet to the
Martin Sheen played President Barlet on The West Wing
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October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
Opinion
Gov’t Shutdown, Week Two: Light at the End of the Tunnel?
By KATHERINE BAKAITIS Staff Writer I would start off making some smart remark about how our government is closed for business because the people who are supposed to be running the show are acting like a bunch of childish tea-baggers, but by the second week for some reason this all stopped being funny (if it ever was). I would love if we could stop paying taxes, because if the government isn’t going to function, then why do they need our money? But “The Man” still continues to collect taxes, U.S. bonds are still being issued, and other essential banking functions will go on. So an even better plan would be to stop paying all the politicians until they have figured out a reasonable solution to whatever it is they’re fighting about and play nice. But dare to dream, my follow frustrated Americans. If you haven’t heard already, there are some pretty loathsome facts about the shutdown. It’s costing the government an average of $160 million each workday from the $15.7 trillion economy. WIC checks for the disadvantaged women and children are not being distributed, leaving many of them without baby food and fresh fruit. The Head Start program throughout the country has been defunded for the timebeing, leaving many parents unable to go to school or to the little work they do have, and even sometimes leaving children just plain stranded. This is no doubt creating a crisis among families because they suddenly have to
choose between work, safety, child care, and money. These are not issues to be taken lightly. Need to get away? Well, you can't; at least not to national parks, national zoos, or to national museums because they’re closed. That's 368 National Park Service sites closed, and millions of visitors turned away. Federal employees are on furlough except for workers in "critical services," such as air traffic controllers, hazardous waste handlers and food inspectors. And U.S. Postal Service works through shutdowns as well as rain, sleet and snow. The men and women in uniform will stay on the job and be paid, according to legislation approved by Congress in the run-up to the shutdown. The shutdown affects the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. So that gun permit you wanted processed won't happen anytime soon if this goes on for a while (which it might). If you own a small business and needed a loan from the government, you'll have to wait, depending on how long this lasts. If you were planning to buy a house and needed a federal loan, you'll have to wait. If you're a veteran, you might have to make a few trips to the mailbox before that check arrives. If you're on Social Security, however, don't worry (probably). Social Security payments were sent during the last shutdown. President Barack Obama's expected to keep workers on the payroll to process checks. If you live in Washington DC, expect trash to pile up because of the shutdown. There wouldn't be anyone to collect
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your garbage because Washington's budget has to be approved by Congress. The Republicans still want to defund, delay or otherwise chip away at Obamacare in exchange for funding the government. But the health care act at the center of this storm would continue its implementation process during a shutdown. That's because its funds aren't dependent on the congressional budget process. Ha! Unfortunately, the nation is set to hit its borrowing limit and potentially default on its debt in mid-October. So what better way to fix that than to raise the debt ceiling- Déjà vu, much? I could go on and project what would happen, but I think it’s better to cross that bridge when we come to it. There is now only one last thing to say: you had one job, Congress.
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Voice Your Opinion! Are you a Saint Rose student with strong thoughts or feelings about an issue? Looking for an outlet or space to share those thoughts? Then you should write for The Chronicle! We are always on the lookout for new and interesting perspectives--share yours with the Saint Rose community today! If interested, send an e-mail with a story idea (or a complete column!) to opinion editor Zach Olsavicky at olsavickyz977@strose.edu. We’re looking for colums on all subjects, from events around campus to issues around the world. Columns will be edited according to space constraints and content is subject to editorial discretion.
Political Cartoon by Danielle Martinez
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The Chronicle
Opinion
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
A Three-Party System Won’t Work Now, Nor Will It Ever
By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
Opinion Editor
There’s little remaining to be said about the Federal Government Shutdown—whether it’s the troubling, like thousands of furloughed workers, or trite, like closing the National Zoo, there’s universal frustration at Congress’s inability to function. But the shutdown is showing signs of being a new low point in Congressional approval. A Gallup poll taken during the shutdown found that 60 percent of respondents felt a third party is needed in the United States. In the same question, only 26 percent of respondents said that they felt the Republican and Democratic parties “do an adequate job of representing the American people.” The 60 percent mark is a tenyear high for the poll, says Gallup. Of course, this raises an interesting question: would Congress, and America, actually function better with a third party in federal politics? Could a new political party usher in an era of cooperation and stability in Washington? The answer might surprise you: no. The notion that a third party would simply solve the problems of gridlock in Congress is laughable. First and foremost, the conventional wisdom that a third party would make government more efficient is completely incorrect. Adding an additional party, with its own demands, would mean catering to even more factions and result in less efficiency. Second, smaller parties also tend not to function independently. In countries like Israel and the UK, where no majority party exists, smaller groups form coalitions to lead government, essentially defeating the purpose of having multiple parties. Even in the US, the two independent senators caucus with the Democratic Party, meaning their independence is minimal. Third, a look to the past demonstrates how well a two-party system has worked in previous years. Congress has operated
under two-party systems for the better part of its history and has, for better and for worse, functioned like a normal government. Third parties have played roles in American politics, but legislatively, they have never generated significant change.
“People who say they want a third party aren’t looking for a radical group like the Tea Party. What they mean is that they want a moderate party— probably a group that is fiscally conservative while socially liberal.” Historical precedent for third parties also shows that they just aren’t very important, or very good. Unless you want to put on a cape for Ross Perot, whose 18 percent of voters in the 1992 presidential election is a thirdparty high. Or, speaking of highs, the Green Party and Ralph Nader, who is at least partially responsible for causing George W. Bush to take the presidency in 2000. At the state level, Jesse Ventura won the race for governor in Minnesota, and his career has skyrocketed into… writing books about conspiracy theories. And, if you want your crazy a bit closer to home, who could forget the legendary Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is 2 Damn High party? If that immaculate track record doesn’t impress you, think about a third party that is currently wreaking havoc in government: the Tea Party. Though they caucus with Republicans, this band of miscreants has undermined the power of the larger party by making it impossible for Speaker Boehner or any mainstream Re-
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Jimmy McMillan of the infamous Rent is 2 Damn High party. Parties such as McMillan’s only serve the interests of a select group of people and are not entirely effective for the country as a whole. publicans to create bipartisan legislation. What makes this surprising is that the Democratic Party is no stranger to staunchly liberal politicians. Consider Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who self-identifies as a Democratic socialist. He plays no significant role in the Democratic Party, and both he and his party understands that works for the best. Tea Party darling Ted Cruz, on the other hand, shuts down the senate for 21 hours to read Dr. Seuss and compare the Affordable Care Act to Nazi appeasement. The ugly truth is that the Tea Party is much more reflective of how third parties work than the hypothetical “third party” in the Gallup poll. Politics tends to be an either/or system, and there aren’t third options for most political issues. Third parties tend to coalesce around two categories:
regional parties (like Bloc Quebecois in Canada) or stronger views than mainstream parties (like the Tea Party). Because of this, they exacerbate existing political issues and lead to more divisiveness and friction in existing political systems. People who say they want a third party aren’t looking for a radical group like the Tea Party. What they mean is that they want a moderate party—probably a group that is fiscally conservative while socially liberal. This party also already exists: it’s the Democratic Party. The difference between Democrats and Republicans right now is that Democrats are able to control their own party members, while Republicans haven’t got the mettle to silence voices like Cruz. But third party proponents aren’t going to want to admit that—it’s fashionable to dislike
both parties, and taking a side goes against their beliefs. But pretending that a moderate party doesn’t exist is to exacerbate the problem, and as long as both sides are blamed, the existing third party will have Congress in a vice grip. The Gallup poll reveals a funny trend: when they measured in late 2008 and 2012—right around presidential elections—the third party option gained no more support than a two-party system. When it comes time to vote, people still like the two-party system, and people always will like the two-party system. If they want to see a more efficient Congress, voting out all politicians or replacing them with a third party solves nothing. To fix what is broken in Washington simply requires that bad politicians, like Ted Cruz, are called out—and, come election time, voted out.
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
Sports
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The MJ vs. LeBron Debate is Getting Old By TORI ADDISON Staff Writer
The sports world exploded a few weeks ago after Michael Jordan announced that he could have beaten LeBron James in a one-on-one game during his prime. Quite frankly, I am more than happy that MJ stepped up to defend his title of GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), as he rightfully should have. For the past couple of NBA seasons, a day has not gone by that at least one show on ESPN did not bring up the classic argument of MJ versus King James. Sports analysts always seem to suggest stats to prove who is better, but this debate requires more than just numbers. The most obvious characteristic keeping LeBron from reach-
ing Jordan’s legacy is all about the attitude. Jordan played with the mentality of a cold bred killer; he was cocky and he made sure you knew it. Opponents were scared to face Jordan, which was exactly what he wanted. In LeBron’s case, how is anyone going to be scared of him when he is notoriously known to be one of the biggest crybabies in the league? LeBron lacks the killer instinct that Jordan was so well known for and his do-anythingto-win mentality is a bit different than MJ’s. Before playing for the Heat, James struggled to produce a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His solution? Jump to another team who would ultimately carry him to a championship, and it just so happened that the team James picked
FLICKR
MJ will remain the greatest NBA player ever until LeBron James can earn more hardware.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
LeBron James just doesn’t have MJ’s killer instinct.
had 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade at the helm. It only took the Heat two seasons after the addition of LeBron to win a championship while Jordan waited seven years before earning his first ring with the Bulls. The point I am trying to get at here is that Jordan worked with what he had while LeBron looked for a team that could earn him a title. LeBron is by no means superior to Jordan in regards to his attitude and mental drive. James’ repeated history of leg cramps during the playoffs is one thing, but I highly doubt he could ever play under dire conditions as Jordan did during the flu game in the 1997 Finals. Jordan was known for his passion of the game and that is in part what makes him so superior to LeBron. Also worthy to mention, LeBron James is not exactly what I would define as a clutch player. It was Ray Allen who kept the Heat in the run for the title last season as he had the ultimate game winning shot to put the Heat up in
Game 6 after LeBron missed a 26 foot jumper with less than 30 seconds remaining. It is never a good feeling when the team’s “best” player cannot be trusted to hold the game in their hands with the clock ticking down. For Jordan, making clutch shots at the right time was not a problem. Jordan took a total of 18 game-winning shots during his professional career and he made half of them, ranking him at 50 percent with a record of 9-18. To this day, no other NBA player touches Jordan on the subject of game-winning shot percentage, not even King James himself who owns 41.7 percent with a record of 5-12. Jordan’s legacy for hitting game winners started during his college career when he nailed a 17 foot shot with 15 seconds left to win the North Carolina Tar Heels the 1982 title. Since then, he became infamous for his ability to hit game-winning shots as he did again in the 1998 NBA Finals to earn the Bulls their sixth champi-
onship. Although LeBron has a handful of seasons to play before he retires, he still has a lot of hype to live up to if he wants to reign over MJ. For instance, in the same number of career games, Jordan had 3,382 more points than LeBron. That’s quite the margin. On a closer comparison, the two are the only players in NBA history to have a Player Efficiency Rating over 27; Jordan with 27.9 and James with 27.6. However, as of right now, Jordan smokes LeBron in titles and awards. While it is no doubt that number six will be retired from the franchise once LeBron decides his time is up, it is also no question MJ will never be removed from his throne of basketball glory. He may not rank top amongst all the record books, but Air Jordan will forever remain the most memorable player in NBA history, not only for his playing ability, but also for his die hard mentality that no fan will ever forget.
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The Chronicle
Sports
Saint Rose Earns Another Shutout on Senior Day
By JOSHUA NATOLI Sports Editor Senior Day 2013 ended with a bang for the Golden Knights Women’s Soccer team by sealing the deal on another shutout victory, this time against the Saint Anselm Hawks. Saint Rose kept the Hawks out of the goal for a 2-0 victory at Sullivan Field at the Plumeri Sports Complex this past Saturday, their 11th straight goose egg, a season-long streak. The Golden Knights (10-1-1/70-1 NE-10) netted both of their goals in the first half, one early, and one late. Before the contest began, seniors Carmelina Puopolo, Sydney Bond, Jessica Gerski, Allison Schmidt, Niki Smith, Laura Taylor, and La’Quilla Upton were all recognized for all their hard work on and off the field during their years as a Golden Knight. Once the match began, the Golden Knights proved to be no match for Saint Anselm, outshooting them by a margin of 23-3, showing why they deserve to be ranked #3 in the NSCAA/ Continental Tire NCAA Division II Poll for the third consecutive week. The would-be game-winning goal came off the foot of Taylor nine minutes into the first half after she received a pass from Smith. Bond added another goal to the scoreboard for her teamleading seventh strike after a feed from sophomore midfielder Kristin Carr nearly 38 minutes in. On the opposing Hawks side (5-5-1/4-4-0 NE-10), two goalies took to the net before all was said and done. Freshman Cassie Quattropani and junior Gabriella Primera each played a half in goal, combining for eight saves, not allowing a blowout. Golden Knights goalie Gerski and freshman Ashley Homer turned away one shot on goal while the defense of Upton, junior Jourdan
Thompson, and sophomore Nicole Shively kept Saint Anselm at bay for the most part.
Next up for the Golden Knights is a non-conference date to visit the Mercy College Mavericks.
October 16th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 9
Golden Knights Fall to Franklin Pierce By JOSHUA NATOLI Sports Editor The men’s side of the soccer pitch for Saint Rose found themselves on the wrong side of a shutout, losing at Franklin Pierce 2-0 in their Northeast-10 Conference matchup this past Saturday. The loss was rather heartbreaking, as the Ravens scored their two goals three minutes apart in the final five minutes of the match. Franklin Pierce (5-5/4-3 NE10) freshman Dallas Donovan had himself a game, netting both of the Raven’s late-game goals. The first came off an assist from
junior midfielder David Lima that found its way into the upper-right corner. The second came off a long free-kick from senior midfielder Terence Ciaverra. Golden Knights (4-7/1-6 NE10) sophomore keeper Colan Balkwell tallied five of his six saves in the second half. Senior forward Juan Garzon and sophomore midfielder Nick Iuorno were able to conjure up two shots a piece. Wednesday is the date for the Golden Knights’ next match. Saint Rose will travel to Worcester, Massachusetts for a 7:00 p.m. date with the Assumption College Greyhounds.
ANTHONY CHAPIN
Allison Schmidt celebrated her Senior Day with a win.
ANTHONY CHAPIN
Sydney Bond netted her seventh goal of the season.
SHAWN BERMAN
The Golden Knights have cooled down after their hot start.