The Chronicle The weekly student newspaper of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York Visit us on the web at www.strosechronicle.com
June 25th, 2013
David Szczerbacki out After One Year as College President Kirwin and Buckley to Take Over Presidential Responsibilities During Search Process
KELLY PFEISTER
David Szczerbacki’s tenure comes to an end after serving one year as president of Saint Rose. By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY Opinion Editor
Last October, nearly 1,000 members of The College of Saint Rose community descended upon the Empire State Plaza for the inauguration of David Szczerbacki as president of The College. The celebration marked the both end
of a lengthy search to fill the position and the beginning of a new era in the leadership of the school. That era came to an abrupt end on June 14, as Szczerbacki, citing personal reasons, stepped down from the office of the presidency. In a press release from The College, Daniel P. Nolan, chair of The College’s board of trust-
News & Features
ees, announced that Szczerbacki would not renew his contract as president for the upcoming year. “It was a shock, and an emotional shock,” said Margaret Kirwin, dean of the Thelma P. Lally School of Education and interim president of The College. Kirwin, Continued on Page A10
Arts & Opinion
Volume LXXXII Issue 1
A Welcome from Interim Saint Rose President Maggie Kirwin Welcome, First Year Students, to The College of Saint Rose! Student and Parent Orientation days are my favorites of the College’s summer activities. It is exciting to meet our newest students who are about to embark on the life-changing journey of higher education. It is delightful to hear your stories, sometimes told by your parents and supporters, about what led you to select Saint Rose for your college education. I trust you will find we offer you experiences with superb faculty, excellent curriculum, strong core values, preparation for your future employment, and, I certainly hope a great deal of fun, as well. This year we invited you to join me in the Summer Reading Program. You each are given Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario (2006, Random House, NY). I will be in contact with you early this Fall to ask you to join me in discussing the riveting, action-packed and suspenseful book, and the connections you may find in it to your majors, the national discussion on issues the book raises, and the challenges the book presents for examining your thoughts, feelings, and ideals. Your school year will be kicked off with Academic Convocation, scheduled for 3:30pm on Saturday, August 24, in the Nolan
Gymnasium of the Events and Athletics Center. Dr. Jeanne Wiley, Associate Professor of Philosophy, will welcome students into The College of Saint Rose academic community. Convocation is a time-honored academic ritual at Saint Rose. It brings together for a brief, formal greeting all of our First Year Students with family, supporters, and college leaders. You’ll definitely want to participate in Reach Out Saint Rose on Saturday, September 7th. Last year there were over 700 of us who took part in the campus-wide community service day. We will spend the day volunteering with over 40 agencies and organizations around the Capital Region, with an opportunity to choose from such experiences as making meals at shelters, beautifying neighborhoods, and spending time with children and the elderly. Reach Out Saint Rose is one of many service opportunities that encourage students and staff to engage in projects that positively impact our community as we work to maintain a positive and supportive presence in our urban surroundings. Collectively, Saint Rose students and staff contributed over 2,000 service hours during Reach Out Saint Rose, just a small fraction of the over 133,400 community Continued on Page A3
Sports
Do international students fear coming to the U.S? See pages A4
Arts editor Rachel Bolton discuss Star Trek Into Darkness. See pages B11
Executive editor Jackson Wang gives his take on the top five teams in college football this year. See page D18
Au Pairs study through Saint Rose. See pages A5
Fighting the freshman fifteen. See page C15
Golden Knights’ year in review. See page D20
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The Chronicle
A Welcome from The Chronicle
On behalf of The Chronicle, welcome class of 2017! You are now officially a member of the Saint Rose community. We are excited to have all of you as a part of Saint Rose. In order to ensure success on this campus, we suggest getting involved. We know this can be a nerve racking time for many of you, but you can make your time at Saint Rose one of the best periods of your life. There is always a lot happening on campus and many opportunities to get involved. When we were freshmen here at Saint Rose, we were able to become closer with the people around the campus and the community by joining a club. Saint Rose has a wide variety of excellent, student-run clubs. We were interested in writing and decided to join the newspaper here at Saint Rose, The Chronicle. If you are interested in writing, like we were, or photography, graphic design, or advertising, then The Chronicle might be it for you. Our club is always welcoming new staff members.
Meetings are held every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the CCIM, feel free to stop by and learn what we do. As the semester goes by, it’ll be summer break before you know it. There are a lot of events going on throughout the year, everything from Reach Out Saint Rose to Rose Rock and Harvest Fest to Relay For Life. You always have a chance of meeting new people and making new friends when you get involved. And of course, don’t forget about keeping those grades up, you might forget when you’re having so much fun here at Saint Rose. We hope to see you soon at our first Chronicle Staff meeting and around campus as well. Feel free to pick up The Chronicle weekly at various locations across campus. Enjoy the rest of your summer and once again, welcome to The College of Saint Rose. Sincerely, The Chronicle
We’re hiring! The Chronicle is currently seeking individuals to fill an open position for the 2013-14 academic year. Individuals interested in the position of Features Editor are encouraged to apply. If interested send an e-mail with your resume and two writing or design samples attached (or linked) to Executive Editor Jackson Wang at wangj847@strose.edu. If you would like more information about what the responsibilities of each position entail, send an e-mail to chronicle@strose.edu. All positions are stipended. Interviews will be scheduled upon receipt of application.
News
June 25th, 2013
In Brief
Volume 82 Issue 1
Saint Rose Teams with ACP to Create Medical Technology Program The College of Saint Rose, and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences joined in offering a combined five-year degree program which will prepare students for the high-demand field of medical technology. This effort is being made in response to a critical need in the nation’s health care system for young professionals in this field. This will enable qualified Saint Rose students with the required 3.0 grade-point average who have
completed the first three years of the program to transition directly into master’s degree programs in clinical laboratory sciences or cytotechnology and molecular cytology at ACPHS. The graduate study portion will include clinical training. Saint Rose will award students a bachelor of science degree after the first year of study at ACPHS. ACPHS will then award the master of science degrees once the program is completed.
“We have been very pleased with the caliber of the students who have come through the cytotechnology program at Saint Rose. I am confident we will continue to see the same high level of preparation from those students heading into the clinical laboratory sciences program,” said Elyse Wheeler, chair of the Department of Health Sciences at ACPHS as stated in a press release from The College of Saint Rose.
Communications Students Nationally Recognized for Research Papers Two students’ research papers have been accepted for presentation at the National Communication Association’s 99th Annual Convention, being held November 21 through 24 in Washington D.C. Student Ashley Sweet’s paper “Still Camera, Moving Scene: Yasujiro Ozu’s Honest Family Dynamics and Preservation of Reality” was accepted at Asia/ Pacific American Communication Studies Division and Cau-
cus. The paper explores Director Yasujiro Ozu’s truthful representation of postwar Japanese families in his films. Brian Hubert’s and Professor Jin Kim’s co-worked paper “Female appropriateness, Olympics and newspaper: U.S.A., U.K. and Canadian newspapers on femininity in 2012 London Olympics” was accepted at Scholar to Scholar division. Their textual analysis of newspaper coverage of female athletes in the 2012 London Olyp-
mics explores the issue of gender representation and the objectification of female bodies in sports. The students submitted their work in March to be considered by the National Communication Association. The authors will have the opportunity to present their papers at the convention and to be honored for their nationally recognized writing in November at the nation’s capital.
Writing Utensil Recycling Program on Campus The College of Saint Rose is helping with Terracycle, an environmental effort to recycle used writing instruments. Students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to drop off used pens, markers, and pencils. Once collected, these items will then be re-produced into new products. Two collection bins will be set
up on campus for donations; one in the Mailroom at the Events and Athletics Center and another by the Circulation Desk in the Library. The program is being hosted by Sanford Brands and Staple’s Advantage. For each writing instrument collected, Sanford will donate two cents to Relay for
Life. Drop off all unwanted, used pens at a collection box to help with two charitable causes. Keeping the campus “green” has been an ongoing effort at The College of Saint Rose, and Terracycle is an opportunity for students to make use of their unwanted and no longer usable writing utensils.
June 25th, 2013
President
service hours in which Saint Rose students engaged last year! If you are a student who will live in one of our dorms, I encourage you to take advantage of REAL LIFE, a program offered in the first year residence halls. The model for the program was designed by Arthur Chickering to guide students through typicallyencountered first year adjustments—negotiating roommate issues, maintenance of everyday health and fitness while living away from home, organizing oneself during this time of newfound freedom, and assuring educational success. Whether or not you opted into American City to work toward completing your liberal education requirements, you should be aware of this signature Saint Rose option. The American City First Year Learning Program is an interdisciplinary faculty liberal education project designed to promote student mastery of intellectual abilities. American City consists of six thematically-linked courses that focus on the urban experience. Eighty to ninety students may enroll in these communitybased learning courses. In two to three of the courses, you’ll encounter the same students, and in the remainder, you’ll meet different students, allowing you opportunities to get to know some students well, while helping you
The Chronicle
THE COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE
Maggie Kirwin to introduce yourself to a number of other students in the remaining courses. You’ll be engaged in field trip activities and service learning, have special learning support, have assured spots in courses for your first year Spring courses, develop your leadership skills, and enjoy being a part of an intimate learning community of students and faculty. I look forward to meeting you during orientation, and again and often throughout your time at Saint Rose. Enjoy orientation, the remainder of your summer, and thank you for choosing my beloved College of Saint Rose for your undergraduate education!
First off, I hope everyone’s summer is going well, and are all looking forward to the upcoming academic year at The College of Saint Rose. I would like to welcome the Class of 2017 and any new students to The College. We are looking forward to hear your ideas and any concerns you may have in order to make your college experience the best it can be. My name is Justin Whittaker, and I will be the Student Association President for the 2013 – 2014 academic school year. My Executive Board and I are working very hard to coordinate events and programs for the students to have a fun filled year. The Student Association is the student government on campus. Student Association, frequently referred to as “SA”, oversees over 30 clubs and organizations at Saint Rose. Our general business meetings are an opportunity for students to share ideas and bring up concerns that affect them as a student here at The College. SA aims to foster a community of student leaders and student involvement on campus. As a freshman in college, you
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are entering a time of your life where you may be away from your family for the very first time. Some students will adjust within the first few weeks, but for some it won’t be that easy. It is okay. At The College of Saint Rose, there are many resources available to help you get through the first year of college or all four years. A comforting place to be is becoming a member of one of the Student Association clubs where you can meet many people and learn life lessons. Student Association holds a major event at the end of September for all students to get together, and develop leadership and community skills towards one another. This weekend is called, FALL C.L.A.S.S.I.C. Saint Rose C.L.A.S.S.I.C. (Community, Leadership and Student Service in College) is a weekend leadership retreat sponsored by the Student Association and the Office of Student Life. The weekend, held off campus in a retreat setting, brings together students, faculty, staff, and administrators to form community and to develop their leadership abilities. These weekends receive high
praise from those who have taken the opportunity to engage in the experience. Originally begun in 1974, C.L.A.S.S.I.C. has changed and grown to meet the needs of different generations of students. Over the years thousands of participants have strengthened their commitment to the Saint Rose Community and developed their skills as leaders. More information will become available to students through emails and informational meetings for anyone who is interested. Lastly, I would like to invite new students to our general business meetings on Wednesdays starting at 4:30. We will have informational meetings within the first two weeks of school explaining how the Student Association is run, and how you can make an impact on the college. Our SA representatives will be available at all orientation sessions if you have any further questions. Good Luck and enjoy your time at The College of Saint Rose! Sincerely, Justin Whittaker Student Association President
NOW TWEETING SA MEET-
Sincerely,
We tweet weekly updates live from SA meetings.
Dr. Maggie Kirwin, Interim President
Features Editor Searching for Applicants
The Chronicle
Greetings from Student Association President Justin Whittaker Dear Saint Rose Community,
Continued From Page A1
Executive Editor Jackson Wang ‘14 wangj847@strose.edu
News
Volume 82 Issue 1
Follow us @strosechronicle.
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News Coming to America: International Students Fear Coming Here?
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The Chronicle
By SHAWN DIXON Advertising Manager At The College of Saint Rose there is a growing initiative from the college administration to make the campus more global. In the undertaking of this initiative it is crucial to understand what motivates international student’s decisions on school selection. There are many factors that international students consider before choosing the country they will study in. With the recent numbers of shootings on college campuses nationwide, and the mass shootings elsewhere that have become all too common, safety is arguably on their minds. After speaking with campus officials and international students it quickly became apparent that the factors influencing students to study here are much more complicated than just safety concerns. These concerns ranged from academic offerings, to things such as cultural understanding, job placement, and the price of tuition. According to the Saint Rose website the College currently enrolls students from more than 25 different countries. Andrea Haynes, the College’s Director of Global and Field studies, states that “The College of Saint Rose aims to quadruple international enrollment in three years…And the College also wants to triple the number of students on study abroad.” With a current enrollment of approximately 100 international students that would rise to 400 by the year 2016. Colleen Thapalia, Director of International Recruitment and Admission, says that in recent years Saint Rose usually enrolled about eight new international undergraduate students a year. Goals call for that number to increase to about 40 by 2016. With numbers like these if international students fear coming to the U.S. how would the
College attain those numbers? Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking about international students, recently said, “They think they’re not safe in the United States and so they don’t come.” He made the comments after hearing concerns from parents in Japan about sending their children to study in the United States due to safety issues. State Department spokesman Patrick H. Vendrell has since admitted that Kerry was just, “…relaying an anecdote he had heard…” Anecdote or not comments by the Secretary of State have important implications. Haynes also summarized the importance of word of mouth, and connections to friends and family, in students’ choice to study in the U.S. “You’re not going to apply to eighteen different schools typically, so any type of word of mouth is huge.” Michaelle Mughisha, a graduate student from the African country of Burundi, applied to Saint Rose on the recommendation of her cousin who had previously attended. Yi Zhang, a graduate student from China, applied to Saint Rose because his family had moved to Albany. Api Sandrine Ohouo, a graduate student from the African country Ivory Coast, came to the U.S. because “all of my friends were here”, and her brother was also in upstate New York. Keiko Mimuro, a graduate student from Japan, first came to Union college for undergraduate studies because of friends and chose Saint Rose for graduate studies because of flexible application process and program offerings. After word of mouth the choice primarily comes down to academics and the competition is becoming steeper. Other countries such as China, India, Australia, and Canada have been making large strides to attract international stu-
June 25th, 2013
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
John Kerry believes international student don’t feel safe coming to U.S. dents. Mughisha said, “It’s not about the violence itself but there are other features to the reduction of percentage of people coming to the U.S. because there are other countries doing very well in education”. Mughisha went to India for her undergraduate degree in computer applications because she says, at the time in 2005, they were reputed to have the best program and they were much cheaper - $5,000 per year there in India compared to $20,000 per year here in the U.S. As far as safety she says, “I come from a country that has been ravaged by war, for 13 years. I don’t feel threatened at all by gun violence here… Any country has its dark side or places”. Zhang had similar sentiments. “I think it depends on the district.
Everyone knows the NY subway at night is not safe. It is the same in China. I feel safe in America because I stay in the safe districts”. When asked if safety concerns turned international student away from coming here Thapalia responded that, “I haven’t had anyone ask me directly about gun safety.” She said for international students, and their parents, a bigger concern is, “How do I respect my traditions and values while living in a secular multicultural country?” This, she says, “includes housing concerns with co-ed dormitories, culturally accepted foods, and available worship spaces…but it’s primarily academics”. Mughisha agreed and said that other students, “when they come home they forget all about them-
Volume 82 Issue 1
selves, they lose their culture, it doesn’t work so when you go back to your country your people feel like you are lost.” She says it is better, “…when a college reaches out to a student and they feel safe, they feel home, it should feel like a home away from home.” She says that if a College does that, “I will call my brothers, I will call my sisters, I will call my cousins, to come to this college.” Mimuro raised another valid concern that before coming here, “I didn’t feel any feelings about safety, but now I am very scared, not of everything, but I am very careful of what I do…I’m really questioning to stay in the states.” She says this is because of all of the stories she sees on the news and because of what has happened to her friends here. One of her friend’s apartments were broken into and some of her friends were at the Boston Marathon during the bombing. Talking about the Aurora movie theatre shooting, “We saw Colorado, we watched everything for three hours. After that we decided we didn’t want to go to big events like concerts…” Despite the news coverage of high profile events like Boston, Aurora, and Newtown, a new study recently put out by the Pew Research Center found that gun homicides, “…peaked in the 1980s and the early 1990s, and then plunged and leveled out the past 20 years”, and that this drop “…parallel[s] an overall decline in violent non-fatal crime, with or without a gun”. Ohouo brings another perspective to the U.S. image problem when she says that at first she was scared to come here, “…because how do we know about American culture? Through pop culture, movies, music. I used to listen to a lot of R&B and it was bad words and guns saying I killed Continued on Page A6
June 25th, 2013
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Au Pairs StudyThrough Saint Rose By LAUREN HALLIGAN News Editor
One of the many unique features about The College of Saint Rose is that it offers courses designed specifically for au pairs, young women from other countries who provide live-in child care for families in the United States. The au pairs, similar to nannies, come from countries as diverse as France, Thailand, Germany, Poland, China, Austria, Brazil, Sweden, and Mexico. Au Pairs ages 18 to 26 working all over the nation travel to
the Capital Region in order to take intensive weekend courses on topics that will help introduce them to American culture such as American Holidays, American Politics, or sessions that will help them with childcare like Creative Storytelling and Music Activities for Kids. Some other courses also include time and money management and personal fitness. Each course has extensive homework. Instructors are typically Saint Rose faculty, staff, alumni, or students. The weekend courses have three different locations: Silver
COURTESY OF KIRA TECKENBROCK
Teckenbrock is an au pair who has taken two courses at Saint Rose.
Bay on Lake George, The Century House in Latham, or right at the Saint Rose campus. The courses do cost a fee for the au pairs, the price factoring in lodging and meals. Mike D’Attilio, executive director of government and community relations at The College of Saint Rose, founded the au pair study program 19 years ago. After coordinating the program for many years and communicating with the international students, “I learn from them,” said D’Attilio. Many au pairs in the Northeast take advantage of this opportunity, coming from New York, New Jersey, Mass. and Conn. Others have even flown in to take these courses from Florida, Texas, and Washington. Kira Teckenbrock, a German au pair living in New York has taken two courses already through The College of Saint Rose and plans on enrolling in more. “It’s always a lot of fun because there sometimes are more than 100 au pairs from all over the country,” she said. Another au pair Jenny Letsoalo, originally from South Africa who attended weekend courses at Silver Bay said “I felt like a sponge, absorbing every bit of information I could. Everything we did was immediately applicable to my life circumstances and my job. I would highly recommend this workshop to new au pairs so they get started.” “Not only did the experience provide me with an opportunity to make a change in the lives of children by doing stimulating activities, but it also provided me the opportunity to grow and learn about myself as a care taker and as a person,” Letsoala said. “I was overwhelmed by the support and involvement of the entire staff.” Even more so than studying abroad, it takes a bold personality and a great sense of adventure for one to immerse themself in an entirely different culture. Teckenbrock is a brave young lady, with the tremendous ambition to live
and work in a different country where she initially did not know anyone. First stationed in Saratoga Springs, and then in Chicago, Teckenbrock is now back in New York as a nanny in Katonah, NY. Far From Home: One Au Pair’s American Experience Kira Teckenbrock arrived in the United States for the first time on Aug. 14, 2011, the day she moved to America. “I think what I liked most about becoming an au pair was the opportunity to live in another country far away from home for a whole year, become part of a new family and have a stable income,” she said. Originally from Dormagen, in North Germany, Teckenbrock signed up to be an au pair through an agency called Cultural Care after hearing of the opportunity through her best friend. “I didn’t like the idea too much at first,” said Teckenbrock, but the more she researched, the more appealing it became to her. Teckenbrock, a 20-year-old at the time, had graduated high school in June of that year, and worked at McDonald’s to bridge the two month gap until her departure to the U.S. “I didn’t really start packing my suitcase until my last night at home,” she said “because I didn’t want to believe how fast the last few weeks had flown by.” The next morning, she recalls, about 17 of her friends and family members at the airport with her. “I didn’t realize the whole situation until I finally had to say goodbye.” She cried for an hour, although not typically an emotional person. When Teckenbrock arrived in America, she said it felt more like a vacation and that it took a while to get used to the thought of staying an entire year. Teckenbrock’s new home was in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. specifically on America Way, her first U.S. residence. There she nannied for twin boys, age two, whom she
grew to love dearly. At the end of her first year, however, Teckenbrock decided she wasn’t quite ready to leave her new country, but decided to relocate and explore. “One year just went by way too fast and there were so many more things I wanted to see and experience before going back home,” said Teckenbrock. Another reason she stayed, she reported, is that she didn’t get to save as much money as expected during her first year. She is currently using the second year to save for a big road trip she plans to take before returning home. At this time, Teckenbrock relocated another thousand miles west, to the “number one city” on her list: Chicago, Ill. She quickly fell in love with the city. “Chicago just looks so much cleaner than other big cities like New York and it has a little bit of everything: downtown with its skyscrapers and beautiful Millennium Park, the beaches and Navy Pier right next to the city and all the neighborhoods with their little houses.” Teckenbrock lived there for two months, although she wishes it could have been a year. Back on the east coast, currently living in Ketonah, N.Y., Teckenbrock’s current host-mother Dawn Baird appreciates her help with her two boys, ages seven and 10. Baird said that Teckenbrock takes personal responsibility for their care. “She is very eventempered and does not get flustered easily,” said Baird, adding “this is important when you have so much responsibility for young children.” Baird says that she chose Teckenbrock for a number of reasons. “She impressed me with her command of English,” Baird said, “She seemed mature and independent, and that is quite true.” “I appreciate that [she] has a very positive attitude, and helps the children with a range of projContinued on Page A6
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The Chronicle
News
International Students Continued From Page A4 that guy, I did that.” Now that she has been here she feels much safer, saying that the America shown on TV and in pop culture is very different from what she has experienced. Her advice? “Since we watch TV to learn American culture I think the government should emphasize everything else to change the view we have of the country.” This shows that, much like the selling power of word of mouth, the image international students have of the U.S. greatly influences them. Even with that in mind violence is still not their top concern. As Zhang emphasized, “U.S. universities are the top in the world, everyone knows this. Most Chinese students like to choose U.S. They are well known, they are top level.” How can the Saint Rose community help create a better image and generate positive word of mouth? The students and faculty have some advice. Mimuro thinks that, “Saint
Rose should focus on small classes, we can nurture your knowledge. It is different than big universities like SUNY Albany. They have no relationship with the kids. Here the school has values as a small university, they should advertise that.” Adding to that Thapalia says, “Americans are perceived sometimes by international students as being very friendly on the surface but that doesn’t go much further beyond that and there. People are looking to connect.” Mughisha agrees that the community do more to reach out to international students, “My encouragement is to the domestic students to get involved with the international students.” While this is good in theory it often falls on Haynes and her one person office to encourage campus engagement, “That’s why we started the international orientation leader programs for the fall semester. We’ll see how it goes, this first year. But any student involvement is better than none.
Other opportunities for students to be involved could include mentorship or orientation and if some of the international students launch an international student association, I would love to see domestic students be a part of that.” Overall, Kerry’s off-hand comment about students’ perceptions of safety in the U.S. put the issue on the international stage, and highlighted the role of the media and pop culture in creating a negative image of the U.S. Here at Saint Rose, with a goal of making the campus more global and increasing positive word of mouth, the campus community can play a part by becoming further engaged with international students and helping them adjust. Whether it be with language, directions, studying, or just a cup of coffee, every interaction can help dispel negative stereotypes or fears and bring our community closer together. And international students have just as much to give in return, we just have to ask.
JACKSON WANG
Saint Rose currently has approximately 100 international students attending its institution.
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Au Pairs
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ects from homework to helping them to keep their things in order around the house.” While discipline is also an important aspect of the job, Baird said that Teckenbrock is playful, but able to set rules and limits. “Her ability to follow through on rules really allows me to trust her as a single parent.” Most importantly, “[She] wants to interact with the boys and they really love her company,” said Baird. Living amongst an American family, there are countless cultural differences that Teckenbrock has encountered. One huge difference that especially concerns her job as an au pair is that never leaving kids unattended. “When I was a kid [in Germany] I walked or rode my bike to school by myself from first grade on, and my friends and I went to the playground without an adult, which I could [and would] never let my host kids do without getting in big trouble.” “At first the American culture and way of living didn’t seem that different to the German culture since both are highly industrialized countries, but soon I noticed a lot of small differences,” Teckenbrock said, mentioning tipping generously in restaurants, the absence of sidewalks, being asked how you’re doing when entering a shop, and “having three pantries full of food that nobody even ever eats,” as a few. The one thing Teckenbrock reports missing the most from her homeland is bread. “Crusty on the outside and soft inside” is what she craves, dissatisfied with the sponginess of American bread. Even beyond bread, “living here made me value some things I took for granted in Ger-
many,” said Teckenbrock. One American custom Teckenbrock said that she will never get used to is taking a car everywhere, even if it’s just down the road. “All my host families had bicycles but all of them were broken and hadn’t been used in years.” In a challenging situation in which it is easy to feel alone, upon arriving in each new city, “It hasn’t always been easy to make American friends outside of the au pair network and get away from the touristy lifestyle,” said Teckenbrock. After a year and a half spent nannying in the States, Teckenbrock reports that she is definitely glad that she chose this bold life decision. “Starting a new life by yourself 3,600 miles away from home makes your personality develop a lot, and you learn many new things about yourself.” “It’s the memories and experiences that nobody can take from me and that I will remember for the rest of my life” that make it all worth it, she said. “I’ve been to so many places that I never even thought of going, and I have a lot more travel plans for my remaining seven months.” Finally nearing the end of her life-changing American journey, “I feel like I’m ready to go back home,” she said. Realizing that it is the end of her two year vacation, “I’ll be 22 years old when I get back and it’s time to start studying or job training.” Concerning further plans for life, she plans to apply for a pilot training position at German airline Lufthansa, a long-time dream for Teckenbrock.
“I feel like I’m ready to go back home.” Kira Teckenbrock
Reach Lauren Halligan at halliganl567@strose.edu
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
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Choices Helps Clients Find Answers By KELLY PFEISTER Head Photographer
Without looking, it’s easy to mistake the office of Choices Counseling and Consulting for a particularly cheery spring day. The sound of birds chirping is coming from a small sound machine, in an office space located on the second floor of 532 Western Ave. Inside the office, the sitting area in the second floor office is filled with an eclectic mix of decorations and home comforts – a water cooler, along with mugs and assorted teas are set up in one corner. A framed poster from a Van Gogh exhibit is hanging on the wall, and on another a highly detailed and antique-styled world map. Grown up magazines sit on a short shelf besides children’s books. This counseling office is welcoming by design, because the founder of Choices, Arlene Lev, a social worker and licensed alcohol and substance abuse counselor, wants to make her clients feel as comfortable as possible. Choices offers support for a wide range of clients, from issues like depression, to sexuality. “At Choices Counseling and Consulting we specialize in working with individuals struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity issues, as well as LGBT people addressing all kinds of life issues – parenting, anxiety, addictions, relationship concerns,” Lev said. When Lev first started Choices in 1986, there wasn’t a lot of support for those who were seeking counseling related to their sexual orientation. In the newspaper CommUnity, which serves the Pride Center of the Capital Region, no other therapists working with lesbian and gay issues were listed, Lev said. “Now, 30 years later there are many trained therapists serving our communities, with diverse interests and skills, which is truly wonderful for people seeking competent clinical care.”
Now, Lev has three associates at Choices, plus five interns from The Sage College of Albany, The University at Albany, and Widener University. Each of them have between 10 and 15 clients. What defines Choices is its philosophy about therapy – Which includes the individual, and the people in their life. “Choices has always maintained a family perspective, working not just with individual clients, but also with partners, children, parents, siblings … viewing the people seeking our services as members of larger families and communities,” Lev said. Choices different approach is what makes intern Josh Redcliff appreciate his internship through Sage College, where he said he wouldn’t get an experience like this anywhere else. “What is unique about Choices is that we provide therapy around sexual orientation and gender identity,” Lev said. More recently, Lev has been fielding calls from parents of children that show nonconforming gender behavior, as young as four or five years old. Her business is cyclical – Lev said that there are “seasons” when talking about what sort of issues clients come in with at what time. When she opened 27 years ago, she saw a lot of people struggling with coming out, especially married men who were struggling with their sexuality. Lately, Lev said, it is more common to hear about gay couples thinking about having children. LGTBQ couples have to consider a list of factors when planning a family, according to Claudia Stallman, project director at the Lesbian and Gay Family Building Project. Since their organization first started in 2000, the amount of families that they utilized their organization has grown from zero to 670 households in the upstate New York area. Stallman said that if
a LGBTQ couple is interested in starting a family, they have many choices: Will they adopt internationally, or choose a donor? If the couple is gay, will they have a surrogate mother, or if they’re a lesbian couple, who will carry the child? Stallman also said that there are many other factors that LGBTQ couples have to take into account, like making sure the pediatrician for their child is welcoming to LGBTQ families, and that the schools they choose are supportive of the family. In addition to family and individual therapy, Choices also offers group counseling for a number of different people. There are two transgender groups, one for female to male, and another for male to female, parents with gender variant children, one for teens, and a support group for LGTB people, which is run by the director of Crime Victims. Members of these groups come from places as far as Vermont, Syracuse, and Binghamton, and the meetings are held in the office on Western Avenue. “In many ways Choices has been lucky,” Lev said. “Since my work is well known nationally, we’ve not had to do much advertising. I’ve been working as a social worker in the Capital Region since 1986, and have also taught at the University at Albany’s School of Social Welfare, so I know many social workers in the community who refer to us.” The busiest time of year for Choices is September and January – “as people get back to work after the holidays, they are often thinking more about their lives, and making personal commitments to change,” Lev said. Choices also tries to be involved in the community. This past April, Lev co-chaired The Empire Conference Providers Day with Dr. Carolyn WolfGould. The two presented “The World Professional Association for Transgender Health: Standards of Care. The event was
KELLY PFEISTER
Arlene Lev, social worker at Choices counseling office. sponsored by The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Project (SOGI), which Lev is the Project Director of, the University at Albany, the Albany Medical Center and the Pride Center. She said that Choices is “actively engaged in continuing education through staff supervision, clinical consultation, and attending trainings and workshops, so we are learning about new research.” They work also work “closely with LGBT organizations like the Pride Center, In Our Own Voices, and Rainbow Access Initiative,” Lev said. “Sex is still a taboo topic for therapists, and few therapists are trained in family, couple and sexuality issues,” Lev said. Education is a very important component to Lev and her role at Choices – she created the Training Institute for Gender, Relationships, Identity, and Sexuality in an effort “to try to give to a younger generation of clinicians opportunities that were simply not available to me as a student 30 years ago.” Acey Mercer, a former intern at Choices and now an educator and senior consultant in the Training Institute for Gender, Relationships, Identity and Sexuality, said, “My hope is that by providing engaging and interactive professional workshops, attendees will develop greater awareness,
terminology, insight, knowledge of diverse gender and sexuality issues, as well as how to support loved ones, students and employees dealing with these pertinent issues.” He came to work at Choices as an intern while pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work at The University at Albany School of Social Welfare. “Having been an active student learner, I’ve come to truly believe that the client is the expert in their life and I am simply along for their journey in order to offer support and provide possible paths which they may not have been familiar with or explored just yet,” Mercer said. “I see all clinical sessions with my clients as the mediums through which together, as a team, we explore possibilities and strive for self-growth, acceptance and emotional resolve.” “I enjoy being able to work closely with a variety of individuals and to develop a trusting rapport with them. Being able to be an active participant in one’s life through exploration of their thoughts and emotional experiences is not only intimate but it is extremely humbling,” said Mercer. Reach Kelly Pfeister at pfeisterk953@strose.edu
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The Chronicle
News
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
The Pine Hills’ Hair Whisperer By LOLITA AVILA Contributing Writer This time, with the city’s blessing, hair beautician Jessica Hodgson is open for business in her Quail Street home. After many difficulties, Hodgson was granted a zoning permit allowing her to operate her salon in a residential area. Her one woman hair salon is located between State and Spring streets. Hodgson is a unique hair stylist who specializes in ethnic hair grooming. The ironic part is that “Jessie,” her preferred nickname, is of Caucasian descent. In fact, her customers are African American women ranging from ages 14 to 40-years-old. For most hair stylists working with virgin African American hair is problematic because it takes more time to groom. However, Hodgson’s best work concentrates on managing coarse hair and chemical straightening. Her pricing for hair is generally affordable. She charges $20 for a wash and set, approximately $40 for relaxers, and $5 extra for a hair cut. On the average, she schedules three customers a day. Hodgson said she has at least 21 reliable clients, some of whom followed her from her previous places of employment. She prefers to work from home because of the flexibility. Hodgson likes to have free time to assist at the Delaware Community School, where her two daughters attend. She volunteers for science fairs and chaperones field trips. Outside of school she takes her children to soccer and baseball practice. Her main goal is to be a stay-at-home mother while continuing her career. Hodgson obtained her business license when she first purchased her Pine Hills home in 2004. Her license legitimized her hair salon. However, this entrepreneur failed to realize she also needed a zoning permit. In 2006, a neighbor reported Hodgson’s business and shortly after she was issued a stop
LOLITA AVILA
Jessica Hodgson gives pin curls to a customer at her business, which is located in her Quail Street home. work order from the city. Along with a $250 fine, the immediate halt of her business greatly impacted Hodgson financially. She went from working seven days a week to occasional hair appointments. A year ago, Hodgson rented out a hair salon on Quail Street for $800 a month. After six years of little business, she eagerly went back to working full time. The opening of her shop was a huge success. Within the first week she attracted about 12 customers a day. While Hodgson only kept the salon for 10 months, she promoted her skills to the community. Then she wanted to return to her stay-at-home mom status. She disliked the time constraints of having a salon because it forced her to be in the shop frequently. She felt the salon restricted her from involvement in her daughters’ lives. Now with the right permit, Hodgson works from her home again and manages all her appointments between 8 a.m. and
5 p.m. Some people question how a woman of Caucasian decent knows a great deal about ethnic hair. Hodgson admits that she has to prove her skills more because
“She is always so energetic and genuinely seems passionate about what she does. It makes me trust her.” Natasha Williams she is a white woman styling African American hair. “I learned in beauty school how to style black hair, it has always been a natural talent of mine. I
understood the type of hair and I just perfected my craft,” she said. Since her toddler days, Hodgson always wanted to be a hair stylist. She recalls chopping off the hair of Barbie dolls and having the urge to braid anything she could get her hands on. At age 17, she attended BOCES for beauty school, which was offered through her high school in Monticello, downstate. During high school, she trained for 650 hours. She moved to Glenmont, an Albany suburb and by the age of 20, she had received her cosmetology license from the Educational Opportunity Center. She had also volunteered at Unique Dimensions, a hair salon located on Delaware Avenue. Shortly after receiving her license Hodgson moved to Albany. Her first job was at Master Cuts in Crossgates Mall however, her employment there was brief. Within two months, she received a call from Doug Ivy, the owner of Unique Dimensions. Ivy was
impressed with her skills and dedication, and offered Hodgson a chair in his salon. For $200 a month and a permanent booth at Dimensions, Hodgson kicked off her career. She started working at Dimensions in 2000 and stayed until the birth of her first daughter, Lauryn. While Hodgson does not advertise her own salon, she depends on the word of mouth spread. “My clients are my walking advertisements,” she said. Her customers promote her business by telling their friends, and by also bringing in their family members. One client in particular, Antoinette Jackson, has been going to Hodgson faithfully for about six months. She has even brought her daughter to get her hair done. Jackson admires Hodgson’s knowledge of black hair and thoroughness with grooming. “Jessie cares and will give you the best advice for your hair. Most salons will just do things because you are paying them to do so not because it is good for your hair,” Jackson said. For instance, as a personal policy Hodgson does not install weave because she said it damages hair. One of Hodgson’s newest clients is 20-year-old Natasha Williams. Williams decided to give Hodgson a chance because of the reviews she heard. “She is always so energetic and genuinely seems passionate about what she does. It makes me trust her,” said Williams. While Hodgson’s dreams of moving to New York City and becoming a big time hair stylist have changed, Hodgson is happy with her career path. She prides herself in being a single mom and managing her own salon. Her main goal is to make her customers feel comfortable and happy. Her sincerity, knowledge, and understanding is what sets her aside from other hair stylists. “I prefer intimate settings, not having to rush, building personable relationships” said Hodgson.
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
News
The Chronicle
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Girls Next Door Making Saint Rose Proud By REGINA IANNIZZOTTO Features Editor
Every member of the Saint Rose community is familiar with the all-female acapella group The Girls Next Door. They make appearances at Saint Rose events, hold concerts, and have recently put out a ten-song record available on iTunes. Although the Spring semester has ended, that does not mean the girls have kept quiet. According to the Albany Barn Facebook description, Arbor Hill created the “Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan”, which “was heralded as a breakthrough in collaborative community planning”. The main part of the project is to find use for the abandoned St. Joseph’s Academy building. The building resides in Arbor Hill at the corner of North Swan Street and Second Street. Albany Barn has joined forces with the City of Albany and Albany Housing Authority to turn the building into a community area. This area includes “…apartments, work and rehearsal suites, a dance studio, a digital media
lab and ample exhibition, and performance and programming space.” This project is known as “The Barn” in regards to barn rising where a community works together to build a barn as a team. On June 6, The Girls Next Door performed at The Barn. The director contacted the group through Facebook after hearing about their performances in downtown Albany during finals week. The event “imPRESSive” exhibited artwork featuring the work of printmakers Chris Skaggs, Kristine Monohan, and Audrey Hammond, according to the Albany Barn Facebook. The Barn promotes local artists and creates events that will help support them. “I know I speak on behalf of all the girls when I say it was so nice to support local artists,” said Vice-President and Member of The Girls Next Door Elizabeth Tryon. Minus four members of the group, the girls performed a portion of their set for the audience members. “…It was a super small event,” said the group. They per-
The Girls Next Door currently have a 10-track album on iTunes. formed their hits ‘Kiss Me’, ‘Disney Medley’, and ‘I Won’t Let Go’. Tryon said, “The Barn itself looks beautiful so far, and I’m very excited to see how the finished product will look.”
The girls are popular at Saint Rose, but have been venturing off campus to perform. “We do a few events throughout the year off campus, and always love them, but this one was different since it was during the summer,” said the group. “It was like a small reunion.”
“We were more than happy to sing together and in a positive and inspiring setting.” Elizabeth Tryon
ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
Girls Next Door will be holding GND Day next month, encouraging fans to promote and support the group.
The girls usually stick to performing during the school year. For instance, at the ICCA’s where they were champions in 2012 and the 1st Runner-Up in 2013. “We were more than happy to sing together and in a positive and inspiring setting,” said Tryon. No other performances are
ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
scheduled for the summer, but the girls said, “If the opportunity arises and we are able to pull together enough girls, definitely!” Since their performances are ordinarily linked to colleges, their performances outside of schools are few and far between. However, the girls are very excited to perform outside the college setting if the opportunity arises. Although there are no performances scheduled, the group has announced GND Day. It will take place on July 18. “We wanted to create an event during the summer that reminds out fans we exist and to promote out group a bit,” said the girls. “It’s difficult to promote a group that only…sees their fans during the academic year.” On this day, all fans are encouraged to wear a Girls Next Door tshirt, post a status regarding a favorite Girls Next Door moment, and (most importantly) tell one friend about the group who is not aware of their presence. According to the group, “Sometimes you have to think of something silly, like GND Day, to remind people of your presence.”
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The Chronicle
News
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
Presidential Tasks Split as Szczerbacki Steps Down Continued From Page A1
who is wrapping up a stint as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, will share duties of the office of the presidency alongside Marcus Buckley, vice president for finance and administration and newly-minted chief operating officer. Serving in an advisory role is R. Mark Sullivan, who preceded Szczerbacki as president of the College from 1996 until 2012. Kirwin has served in a number of roles during her 38 years at The College, among them the roles of a faculty member and the dean of studies. Buckley joined The College in July of 2005 in his present administrative role. In sharing the office’s role, Kirwin described her role as encompassing the “ambassadorial functions” of the office, while Buckley will focus on the daily financial operations overseen by a chief operating officer. Buckley said the leadership structure was established because of the college’s needs and both his and Kirwin’s strengths. When first discussing the shift with Kirwin and Nolan, he felt it would be “really important… to have somebody with some serious academic stature in the presidency,” which Kirwin brings to the table. Kirwin and Buckley had to create a written plan for the board of trustees explaining how tasks would be delegated and communication would take place. “The model that we put together here has its analogues elsewhere in higher education,” said Buckley. “We’re not the first school who lost a leader very quickly and had to do something to fill the gap.” Kirwin stated that while neither she nor Buckley know how to do each other’s normal jobs, they know how to communicate about each other’s jobs. And because it is such a busy time of year for college administrators, communication between the two has been high. “What we have here is an un-
ZACHARY OLSAVICKY
Marcus Buckley, left, and Maggie Kirwin, right, will both be taking care of presidential duties while The College searches for its next president. expected event during a naturally busy season for administrators, and so in that sense, it’s been quite intense.” Kirwin and Buckley also credited the leadership style of Presidents Sullivan and Szczerbacki as helping the transition process. Because they “allowed people to do their jobs,” Kirwin said, herself and Buckley had already experienced much of the tasks involved with the office. The outgoing president, Szczerbacki, first joined The College in August of 2004 as provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to arriving in Albany, he spent 14 years at Alfred University serving in a variety of roles, including that of provost. At Saint Rose, Szczerbacki served as acting president of The College from October 2010 until January 2011 while then-president Sullivan took his medical leave of absence. Following a search process, Szczerbacki was announced as the ninth president in The College’s history in February of 2012 and began serving in the role in July of that year. Nearly all of Szczerbacki’s online presence with the college
has disappeared. His Twitter account, @strosepres, was deleted, and blog posts about his book club have been taken down from The College’s blogging website.
The College’s page for the Office of the President was re-titled “Office of the Presidency,” and boilerplate information about Saint Rose greets visitors. When
asked about the changes, Lisa Haley Thompson, vice president for strategic communication and public relations for The College, said that it was to clarify that a change occurred. “We wanted to be clear in the communication that this had taken place,” she explained. The initial press release issued by The College announced that a national search for a new president will commence immediately. In the meantime, Kirwin and Buckley will continue to follow The College’s strategic plan, which includes an initiative to draw students from around the country and internationally, a “game plan” for institutional advancement issues, and an initiative to have donors make longterm commitments. For Buckley, the challenges he will face alongside Kirwin will be a matter of applying past lessons in a new light. “You have to draw upon your other experiences when confronted with a new situation.”
JACKSON WANG
David Szczerbacki was augurated in as college president back on October 13, 2012.
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
Arts
The Chronicle
Star Trek Into Darkness:
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A Well-Developed, Familiar Sequel By RACHEL M. BOLTON Arts Editor
Wrath of Khan it has its own twist on it. If you have ever wondered what would happen if certain In short, it’s a dolled-up re- characters had their roles and momake, but a helluva good one. tivations reversed, this film does Star Trek Into Darkness goes so while remaining a good story where people have gone before, in its own right. but does so with its own flair. While the trailers made the While classic Star Trek fans may film seem as just another action be annoyed with the changes, the movie, Into Darkness had some good outweighs the bad, and the tear-jerking moments along with film is worth the four year wait. having its characters debate what Set a few months after the qualifies someone for leadership, 2009 film, Into Darkthe role emotions in ness begins with the line of duty, our crew inves- “Visually, narratively, and what makes tigating a primiand characterization a family. A few tive world that of the films wise, it holds up. It’s themes hit close is about suffer the eruption of certainly far better than to home. As the a volcano. The some of the previous original series sequence is vipassed comStar Trek films, and I mentary on the sually spectacular, while giving hope we don’t have to 60’s, Into Darkthe whole cast ness discussed a moment to wait another four years how people reshine. spond to fear for its sequel.” However, it in a changing can’t be happy time. trails for long. Captain I was impressed with Kirk ends up breaking Starfleet’s the action scenes. The final boss number one rule and loses the battle between Khan and Spock Enterprise. But Starfleet has was probably one of the betproblems of its own, when one ter on film hand-to-hand fights I of its blackops agents bombs a have seen. I saw the film in 3D research facility. IMAX, and like The Hobbit, it After a second attack, Kirk and is worth it. I jumped when the Spock go after the mysterious spears launched at Doctor McJohn Harrison, who is not what Coy looked like they flew off the he seems. screen. *Spoiler Alert*After years of While the film did focus on the denying it, the villain is the in- developing friendship between famous Khan, woken up years Kirk and Spock, the rest of cast earlier than he originally was. got to have their moment in the While I did roll my eyes in the limelight. The adorable Chekov theater when this was confirmed, got to save the day. Sulu was I will say that retelling his story his most commanding, although was done well for the most part I wish he got to use his katana with one giant exception. again. Simon Pegg’s Scotty stole Into Darkness does what an al- every scene he was in, and he did ternate universe story is meant to more than bring comic relief to do: take a familiar story and turn tense moments. it on its head. The film does borI was happy with how the ferow elements from 1982’s The male characters were portrayed.
TOM SORENSEN/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
DAVID SHANKBONE/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Chris Pine (left) and Zachary Quinto (right) star as Kirk and Spock in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Uhura got be badass, parleys with Klingons, rescues her man, and blasted Khan with her phaser. Mercifully Doctor Carol Marcus was not a talking prop, and moved the plot along. But the film could really do without the gratuitous and stupid scene with her in her underwear. However, it is with the villain that the film has its largest flaw. While Benedict Cumberbatch is an excellent baddie and gives a great performance, he should have not been cast as Khan. There are several other Star Trek villains
he could have been perfect as. Khan Noonian Singh is supposed to be Indian and was played by a person of color in the past, and the original actor to cast in the new film’s role was so too. Villain twists are harder and harder to pull off, and casting the white Benedict Cumberbatch to hopefully fool audiences did not work. It pushed my willing suspension of disbelief that the pasty Brit was Khan, and this whitewashing damages the Star Trek franchise’s reputation at being above average at handling racial issues.
Despite my annoyances, I really loved this movie. Visually, narratively, and characterization wise, it holds up. It’s certainly far better than some of the previous Star Trek films, and I hope we don’t have to wait another four years for its sequel. But now that the reboot has redone the story of Khan, I hope that all future endeavors boldly go where no one has gone before, and leave the man alone for good. Star Trek cannot survive standing on the shoulders of giants.
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The Chronicle
Arts
The Internship:
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
Not Worthy of Full-Time Employment
By CHRIS SURPRENANT Managing Editor
That’s the premise behind the Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s latest buddy comedy, The All young, bright college stu- Internship. Vaughn and Wilson dents hope to one day land that star as Billy and Nick respectiveposition that will propel their ly, two successful, fast-talking watch salesmen in a career to unprecedented world that now heights. They study hard, get “Rather than imply sells itself faster than any hugood grades, that humanity still man ever could. and do everything to keep matters in the Age of Sure, they’re at what their minds in Digital Indifference, great they do, and perfect working condition. the film beats viewers they’ve done it The day comes over the head with a all their lives. But now, in a when they’ll Chromebook.” world where the hear back from human touch is The Man who second to the digital will decide whether or not they’re good enough to be fingerprint, Billy and Nick are a part of something big. After obsolete. So what are two broke, midturning blue from holding their dle-aged guys supposed to do breath, surprise! Rejection.
TOM SORENSEN/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Vince Vaughn stars in The Internship.
when set adrift in the seas of cyberspace? Land an internship at Google, that’s what. In what appears like a playground of really intelligent adults, Billy and Nick are immersed in an ocean of twenty-something techies armed with smartphones. They team up with an unlikely group of lovable losers (of course) who, predictably, think two old guys in Rolexes can’t be of much use. That’s the film’s first issue. Why would Google, one of the magnates of the Internet Age, hire not one, but two aging men with no concept of the World Wide Web? Billy refers to being online as being “on the line,” for God’s sake. The pair starts at their summer at Google with their leery supervisor Chetty—a hilariously uptight Aasif Mandvi—and a ragtag team of misfits: the brooding Stuart (Dylan O’Brien), stock nerds Neha and Lyle (Tiya Sircar and Josh Brener), and the self-loathing Asian prodigy Yo-Yo. Playing up stereotypes, Yo-Yo plucks out his eyebrows whenever he underperforms as the result of intense Tiger-mothering. Sircar’s Neha isn’t at all convincing as a “nerd” just because she makes a couple comic book references. However, Brener’s Lyle is about as real as they get. Of all the supporting cast, O’Brien’s Stuart shows the most depth. He shifts from an angsty, indifferent guy to someone who realizes that life exists beyond his tiny screen. While that message is great on the micro level, it doesn’t play out as cleanly in the full-length feature. Rather than imply that humanity still matters in the Age of Digital Indifference, the film beats viewers over the head with a Chromebook. It’s that blunt. For the majority of the film, the audience is treated to various ways old fogies and digital natives can work together to brighten the future of technology. For the younger crowd, Billy and Nick are compelled to learn
GEORGES BIARD/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Owen Wilson tries for a fresh start in The Internship. Quiditch. The rest of the team knows the rules, but they aren’t athletes by any stretch of the imagination. It’s up to Billy and Nick, champions of humanity, to show them how to work together. Then, of course, Billy and Nick are given the chance to shine in the customer service challenge, where they, not surprisingly, excel. While I commend Vaughn and company for creating a film that raises a lot of poignant questions, I can’t say that it was exactly cohesive. Each scene felt like its own separate vignette, only loosely connected to the other ones. There’s a silly subplot involving Wilson and a careerminded Rose Byrne that further says thirty-somethingsshould essentially balance work and play, or be miserable forever. It’s just been done before, and nothing makes it stand out.
Is the comedy there? Yes. It’s a typical Vince Vaughn movie. He’s a bumbling oaf whereas Wilson plays the apprehensive, level-headed one. Is it a classic? No. If it’s remembered at all, it’ll just be known as “that Google movie.” The Internship, in the end, plays out like a public service announcement, saying “Hey, you kids! Us old people still have value! Just teach us how to use computers and we can be friends!” More broadly, it says that technology can’t just rely on technology alone. People, actual people, need to get together to give technology the essential human touch. While I agree, the delivery is as sloppy as a letter from the Postal Service in January. It gets there eventually, tattered and torn, but you know in the back of your mind that Gmail would have been much more efficient.
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
Arts
The Chronicle
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Kickin’ It With KJ: The Summer Edition By KEVIN JACOB Staff Writer
Welcome all, to another glorious edition of Kickin’ It With KJ. I know many of you may not be reading because of that grand thing called summer vacation, but I have a new article for you guys dealing with all types of music that have dropped lately. This includes the amazing day that was June 18. Before I get to reviews, I need to tell you all to check out this one song by the band Wild Nothing. The song is called “Shadow” and it’s amazing. The perfect summer song, “Shadow” is light, airy, carefree and catchy as hell. Defi-
nitely check this track out. Now where to begin? Well on June 18, many rap albums dropped and there was a little something for everybody. You had Kanye West dropping the almighty Yeezus which isn’t your typical hip-hop record and is more for the “hipster/artsy” crowd. J.Cole dropped his second full-length album Born Sinner which is more for the traditional hip-hop head out there. You have Mac Miller dropping his second full-length as well with Watching Movies With the Sound Off which is more for the stoners. A lot of variation and a lot of good music. Let’s get into it.
Mac Miller Watching Movies With the Sound Off I’m a fairly weathered Mac Miller fan. I’m not afraid to admit it. When he released his K.I.D.S. mixtape a few years back I was a huge fan. Even his Best Day Ever tape got a lot of play when I was a freshman. Then he released his debut album Blue Slide Park which was terrible, and I lost most respect for him. He released his mixtape Macadelic and my respect had been somewhat regained. Now with WMWTSO, Mac Miller now has my full respect back. I didn’t have high expectations for this album. I thought it would have some decent tracks, but I was definitely skeptical of how it would be. Well, that all changed once I hit play and “The Star Room” came on. It starts the album off with Mac spitting some nice bars and the hazy production and changing up of the pitch of his vocals adds to a good start to the album. The album continues with great cuts such as “Avian,” “Matches,” “Claymation,” and my favorite song of the project
“Red Dot Music” which is not only one of my favorite songs on the whole album, but this might be one of the best tracks that I’ve heard this year. With Mac and Action Bronson spitting razor sharp verses, along with a great outro by battle rapper Loaded Lux you have easily the best track on here. That beat is godly as well. The main thing I like about this album is that there’s not one song that I can overly say that I straight up don’t like. Every song serves its purpose and that’s what a great album is supposed to do. This album barely had me skipping a song. It seems that all of that time hanging out with Odd Future, Vince Staples, and Alchemist has rubbed off on him for the better. Best project that Mac has released thus far in his young career so far. Hats off to you, Mr. Miller.
Rating: 9/10
Kanye West: Yeezus Every time Kanye West drops an album, you know it’s going to change the game.With Yeezus, Kanye shows why he’s one of the most creative and distinct artists of our generation. Before it came out, there were many vines and previews of songs that Ye was doing at certain shows and it turned me off a little bit because a lot of the music sounded very EDM (electronic dance music) influenced. Plus, add in that there were only ten tracks and I wasn’t really too high on it. Then it came out, and my opinion completely changed. The album begins in a fury and
hits you right over the head with “On Sight” in a loud distorted, electronic thunderstorm. Yeezy season has approached. Next we have “Black Skinhead” which is the first track on the album that shows some political overtone. I thought the track was really wellproduced, and it blends well into the album’s best track “I Am a God.” Kanye’s really spitting on this track, and we don’t usually see that from him, so that was a welcome surprise. Other great tracks on the album were “Blood on the Leaves,” “New Slaves,” “Guilt Trip,” and “Bound.” The only tracks I didn’t really care
for were “I’m In It” and “Hold My Liquor,” which really disappointed me as Kanye didn’t let my man Chief Keef get a verse. But I digress. Overall I was impressed with Yeezus. It’s ahead of it’s time. Way ahead of it’s time. It sounds like this thing was crafted in a electronic dungeon in the year 3000. But that’s what Kanye’s always been best at—Starting new trends and being consistent with his music.
Rating: 9.5/10
J. Cole: Born Sinner Young Jermaine has dropped his long awaited follow up to The Sideline Story with Born Sinner. Now I was pretty hyped for Born Sinner, and I think in many aspects that it’s a solid album, but I will admit I was sort of disappointed with it. I don’t know why, either. The album starts off great with “Villuminatti” and it might be one of the best rap intro’s I’ve heard since Drake’s “Over My Dead Body” off of Take Care. It’s exactly the way an album like Born Sinner should start. It’s lyrical with a thunderous beat. Things seem to be going great, right? Wrong. After “Villuminatti” we have “Land of Snakes” which I absolutely can’t stand. You know why? Because he had to butcher a classic song. “Land of Snakes” samples Outkast’s “Da Art of Storytellin
Part 1” which is a classic to me. That song shouldn’t be touched. Cole didn’t due it justice and then the album starts doing waves for me. Up and down up and down. On the Up we have songs such as “Runaway,” “Rich N******,” “Forbidden Fruit”(with a great Tribe Called Quest sample), “Let Nas Down,” and my favorite track of the album “New York Times.” That’s a lot of good. But then we have songs like “Trouble,” “She Knows,” and “Power Trip”(I’ve never liked the song, sue me)— which are songs I could definitely live without. Another complaint I have with the album it’s that it’s waaaay too long. Most of the tracks are about five minutes a piece. With 17 full songs (the deluxe edition and minus skits and interludes) that’s a long project. Maybe if Cole cuts
some of the length or some of the songs then it would have been a better, more cohesive album. Although there was a lot I didn’t like, in the end, I did like quite a bit of it because I think, in a sense, Cole has progressed, especially with his production. I still have a problem with some of the drums he’s using. They sounded really tin-like on some tracks. Will Born Sinner be my favorite album this year? No. Is it the worst? No. Am I going to come back to it often? Some tracks yes. But overall, the album isn’t screaming with a ton of replay value. But with a few occasions here and there, it will definitely receive some play.
Rating: 6.5/10
Well that’s all for this edition of Kickin’ It. There’s a lot more music left to come out this summer and there is going to be a lengthy edition once we’re officially back in school. Until then, enjoy your summer break and keep reading. Peace.
Arts Vans Warped Tour Making Its Way Into Summer Vacation
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The Chronicle
By ASIA EWART Staff Writer Summer is finally upon us! Though school has been out for a while, students of every age are now free to join in on the freedom. Trips to the beach, days at the park, and fun in the sun are only a few what we can enjoy these next few months out of the classroom. However, if anyone reading is a music lover like me, concerts are your go-to source for entertainment. Where I hope to be in the coming weeks, on July 13, is at the greatly loved, wildly popular Vans Warped Tour. Since its first tour in 1995, Warped Tour has been a major summer staple in the genre of modern alternative, rock, punk rock, and “emo” music. In recent years, the concert series has branched out to include hip hop, rap, ska, and EDM; that move has been both received and rejected by devoted attendees. Throughout the summer, bands from D12 to From First to Last, from All Time Low to Paramore, from Snoop Dog (Lion?) to Hellogoodbye, travel across the United States and Canada to bring mosh pits, skateboarding showcases, and expensive, but eagerly coveted band merchandise to fans near and far. The tour extends to international cities, like London and Vienna, in the late fall months. Participating acts play on different stages, which are sponsored by brands like Kia and Monster Energy drinks. Bands that are more widely known play on the stages sponsored by more brands that are also widely known. Rookie, generally unknown, and bands that deserve a lot more exposure also get their chance to grace the various stages set up for Warped Tour. Scrolling through the bands list online, I picked out a few hopefuls looking for a new sound. Tidewater, which played at Bogie’s earlier this year, jumped out at me. His sound,
very mellow and acoustic, is sure to be sooth the crowd after an afternoon of sweaty jumping and borderline dehydration. Crown the Empire, who describe their sound as “arena rock hardcore,” is an amped up mix of screamo and pop punk; definitely a perfect prelude to a day of rocking out. Young London, a musical duo, is very much a “dance in glitter, throw your hands up, and break out the strobe lights” act; echoed vocals, dance music, and the occasional use of auto tune dominate their sound. It’s never a bad day when a new favorite musical act is discovered, and Warped Tour is perfect for that and more. I’m excited to see some familiar faces this year, like Blessthefall, 3OH!3, and Forever the Sickest Kids. I was surprised when I saw Bowling for Soup in the band lineup; it brought me back to my Radio Disney and Shrek days. Notable names also set to appear at nearly all tour stops include Black Veil Brides, Allstar Weekend, William Beckett (formerly of The Academy Is…), Chiodos, and We Came as Romans. I will say the line up this year is definitely lacking in some genres, compared to years past. The lineup is almost entirely alternative rock with a hint of punk. Maybe Warped Tour feels the need to go back to its roots. Nevertheless, those not too familiar with the rock genre can find a favorite or two with Never Shout Never, Motion City Soundtrack, and Silverstein. I’ve been a fan of these three for a number of years, and the bounciness of Never Shout Never’s ukulele, Silverstein’s passion and intensity, and the crazy danceable tunes of Motion City Soundtrack promise a good time and a memorable show. All in all, a concert is a concert, and as much music as possible should be sought after this summer. Hopefully new fans of Warped Tour will be made this year!
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ILLA ZILLA/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Reel Big Fish performs at Warped Tour 2010.
ILLA ZILLA/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Participants at Warp Tour 2010 in a mosh pit.
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Opinion
Loan Rate Increases: a Call to Action By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY Opinion Editor
Embarking on a college experience brings into focus for young people the many activities they may take for granted. Laundry, meals, transportation, scheduling—while these tasks may be taken care of for young people in high school, the burden of responsibility falls on them during college. Tying these facets together is cost: what can a student do to afford this opportunity? Tuition costs continue to rise at colleges and universities across the country, putting the pinch on students and their families. For those students lucky enough to come from privileged backgrounds, their parents can cover the cost of attending school. But for students without access to the Mom and Dad Scholarship Fund, loans are increasingly the only way to afford college. And increasingly, even this outlet is being put out of reach for students most in need. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) shows that student loans trail only mortgages in terms of outstanding debt. The amount of student debt nearly tripled in the past decade, with the number of borrowers and the average balance per person both increasing 70 percent between 2004 and 2012. Outstanding student loan debt topped one trillion dollars in 2012 and has only increased since. Starting with an outstanding balance of $0, first-year students may not place much significance on student loans. But these loans do have a significant impact on students’ futures: they impact a student’s financial flexibility after graduating college, the spending habits of their families, or even whether or not they can afford to go on spring break. If a student develops an interest in graduate school at the end of their junior year, they may have that goal stifled by a load of student debt. These loans have an impact on the economy at large, too: young professionals may not be able to
afford a mortgage, and the housing industry suffers as a result. Like most issues this complex, Congress has turned an eye to it; like most issues this complex, Congress has not made significant accomplishments on the issue. At the end of June, subsidized Stafford Loan interest rates are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. The problem is clear: forcing students to pay higher interest rates only stifles their economic muscle when graduating. Legislation is in place to keep interest rates current, a repeat of events in last year’s Congress. That congress extended rates for one year; legislation proposed by this congress is set to extend rates by only two years. Although much of congress is dragging its heels on the issue, one representative proposed an idea that makes sense for students. Elizabeth Warren, the senior senator from Massachusetts, introduced a bill designed to match student interest rates with the interest rates on short-term loans given to banks. Called the Bank on Student Loan Fairness Act, the bill would offer loans at a 0.75 percent interest rate for the upcoming fiscal year. The bill doesn’t come without concerns: the short-term loans referenced by Warren’s bill go to low-risk banking institutions with enough assets to make a default or delinquency unlikely. For student loans, FRBNY estimates that roughly 17 percent of borrowers are 90+ days delinquent, an increase from under 10 percent in 2004. The loans to banks are also short-term, while student loans can take years—if not decades—to pay off. Those concerns should be assuaged, however, by looking at current rates of return on loans. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal government will earn a $51 billion profit from loans in this fiscal year. From a purely economic standpoint, it seems clear that the federal government can afford Senator Warren’s standard; profit would not be lost in the short-
term, as thousands of students with outstanding debt would continue to pay at the higher rates. From a moral standpoint, however, the need for change becomes obvious: profiting on the backs of young, low- or zero-income individuals is a backwards-thinking policy and threatens to further entrench wealth gaps that plague American society. Although this sounds like a hot-button issue for news outlets and students alike, little attention is paid to this problem. Students tend not to discuss politicallycharged issues, opting for lighter fare of conversation. While this may seem pleasant in the shortterm, it undermines the chance for change. When talking with Scott Lemieux, a professor of political science at Saint Rose, he mentioned that issues like health care and social security command the floor in Congress because they are well-represented by lobbyists. For students, who have little power and less inclination to lobby politicians, loan debt and other pressing issues are turned into bargaining chips. But students have historically been a driving force of political change: one of the driving forces behind SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was responsible for organizing many protests and marches, including the March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Their accomplishments serve as a testament to the potential of motivated young people. So for college students—firstyear students especially—the stakes are clear: student loan rates threaten the futures of young professionals and the economy at large. As students in one of the most politically potent American cities, the opportunity is ripe for action and organizing around issues that affect young people. It takes many skills—intellect, compassion, persuasion, and courage among them—and with any hope, the incoming class will have more than its fair share of students willing to take action.
C15 Fighting the First-Year Fifteen The Chronicle
By JESSICA LEPORE Contributing Writer
The common phrase the “freshman fifteen” is told to incoming students as they make their way to college. Whether these two words really live up to its definition or not is the question. The phenomenon of gaining these extra pounds in your first year as a college student is most commonly due to all the food that you now have access to. With just a walk off campus (or even on campus) endless fast food restaurants are at your fingertips. The increased access to alcohol also has a major contribution to this weight gain, or just being plain lazy. Living in Brubacher Hall my first year at Saint Rose and having to commit to a ten minute walk to campus every time I had class made it hard to gain any weight. But every college is different; with friends going to school across the country, I was able to infer different opinions on this topic. Rachael Cerutti, who is an incoming junior at the University of Connecticut, explains her experience: “I didn’t gain any weight freshman year, but I did gain a few pounds my sophomore year. Although, I don’t think the term of fifteen pounds is very accurate, because it is never that much weight,” said Cerutti. Rachael has an on campus meal plan, where she has access to food from her school and very rarely goes off campus to eat. Leah Wassermann, an incoming junior at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., has a different type of eating system. “I think it depends on your eating options. At GW we didn’t
have an all you can eat cafeteria and we had over half of our meal plan so that we were able to go out to eat at places like Whole Foods and Sweet Green. More availability for healthy food means you are less likely to overeat,” Wassermann explained. These two simple explanations really demonstrate how different schools vary in the way food is offered. After two years of experience with a new atmosphere, I have come to realize that the people you surround yourself with are bound to influence you in life, including eating and exercise habits. Enjoying a meal with friends is a common social experience, but without even recognizing what is happening, you are indulging in greasy, deep fried foods just because you’re friends are there to enjoy it with you. And realistically, if you have a choice between hanging out with your friends and going to the gym, there is a slim chance you will pick the gym. Depending on the college campus, the food choices and your habits, everyone is different with the common phrase “the freshman fifteen”. From what I have seen and heard, it is never actually fifteen pounds, it is either a couple pounds or way over that number. According to recent surveys, the average weight gain (if any) is 6.5-9 pounds among college students. Entering college most likely means living away from home, with less supervision of what you are putting in your body and the activity you are partaking in. Finding a positive group of people to surround yourself with from the start is a major component in how the rest of your college career will turn out.
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C16 Opinion Defying the Odds: Landing a Job Out of College The Chronicle
By BECCA MAILLE Contributing Writer How many people have told you, “Oh the job market is really tough these days, good luck finding a job!” Being a college senior brings its own anxieties, but one of the most prominent of these anxieties is finding a job after graduation. It used to be a fact; if you went to college, you had a very high chance of getting a job. Today, the odds are against us more than ever, thanks to budget cuts everywhere. Wanting to become an art teacher brought on its own judgments and negative commentary, as art is one of the first things to get cut within a school district. With all the budget cuts in New York State, I was told I would not find a job right away. Despite what these people told me, I landed a job three days after graduation! I am now one of the proud, full-time art teachers at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, Massachusetts! How did you find this job? Did they contact you or did you contact them? Senior year, spring semester, I immediately got involved with the college’s Career Center on campus. I built a resume with them and they told me about the Education Expo in April. A friend of mine who graduated a year before me from Saint Rose landed an art teaching position because of her interactions at the Education Expo and she encouraged me to go and make it worth my time. I signed up for the expo and went prepared with 20 plus resumes to distribute and hoped
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that there would be at least one school looking for an art teacher. To my excitement, there were 3 out of 25 schools looking for one. I went to those schools first and tried my best to convince them I would be a strong candidate for their school. I also made it a point to utilize the time I had at the expo to talk to all the schools, regardless of whether they wanted an art teacher, just to gain experience with interviewing. I talked to every school at the expo and I stayed the entire time. At the expo, I talked to a man from a school in Massachusetts. He straight out told me he did not have an art position, but if I wanted experience with interviewing he would be more than happy to talk to me. I did an interview with him for about 30 minutes and thanked him for his time. Out of the blue about three weeks later, this same gentleman had his Principal e-mail me. When he got back to Boston, one of the art teachers quit and since he had such an in-depth conversation with me, he recommended me for the position. From there, I had a phone interview with the Principal a week later, which lasted over an hour and a half, and the Tuesday after graduation I went to Boston to teach a class for the Principal and supporting faculty involved with hiring me. They offered me the job on the spot and were highly impressed with my portfolio. The position is full time with full benefits and it is a permanent position, so if I like it and I do well I can keep the position for as long as I would like. Why Boston? If you have family here, will it be hard to leave them? I never dreamed about teaching out of state or moving. I am a “homebody” and I have a large family where I am from. The
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town I grew up in was very small and I knew almost everyone. I had a plan of teaching in New York and commuting from home to save some money. I applied to every art position offered on the OLAS website and had about 30 plus resumes out. I was very excited when the Principal of Mystic Valley Regional Charter School e-mailed me because it opened a new door of possibilities I had never considered. Everything fell into place and it was an offer I felt I could not pass up. It was an unexplainable feeling; it was meant to be for me. What do you picture your first year to be like? I think the first year will be challenging, yet exciting. Any teacher I have spoken to always says that their first year of teaching was their most challenging. A teacher learns the ropes, learns their techniques, and their true methods of teaching all at once. I am anticipating it will be the same for me. I think my biggest challenge is going to be trying to learn the Boston accent! When I taught the class during my interviewing process, my students were giggling because I pronounced my “r’s.” In fact, one student asked me if I was from New York! I guess I stood out like a sore thumb! Regardless, I am very excited for the challenge and to work with my future students. I am excited to build memories similar to that experience that I can remember for the rest of my teaching career. What do you think are some of the most important things Saint Rose has taught you that you will incorporate in your classroom? Most of my experiences from Lab Teaching and Student Teaching will be incorporated into my classes. It was within these experiences that I learned to be flexible and learned strong classroom management techniques. When teaching art, there is not always
SUZANNE JACKETT Maille garnered a job three days after graduating. a guarantee that you will have a experiences, and my connections classroom, so how do you adapt to the amazing people I met at your lessons to this type of situa- Saint Rose are all together what tion? This solution I learned first- will make me a strong individual hand in Lab Teaching, where we and teacher as I move forward in brought art into the classrooms my teaching career. at Blessed Sacrament School. We learned how to make visuWhat grade(s) will you be als that could stand on their own teaching? Do you know any of and how to create an art room your co-workers? Do you feel in a non-art environment. At my there will be a high sense of comnew job, I will be teaching in a munity in your school? similar way, where I will be going into classrooms, rather than havI will be teaching a mixture of ing students come to the art room. grades. I will have some kinderThanks to Lab Teaching, I have a garten, some first grade and all of bunch of strategies and solutions sixth, seventh and eighth grades! to help me teach! I am very excited, as I LOVE Saint Rose taught me how to kindergarten and first grade, but reach out, be a leader, help oth- middle school is my favorite age ers, and be open minded to every group to work with, based off my situation presented to me, wheth- Student Teaching and Lab Teacher in a classroom or socially. It ing experiences. also taught me how to look for I do not know any of my coanswers and problem solve when workers. In fact, I do not know the answers may not be clearly de- anyone other than the Principal fined for me. Through my classes and the Human Resources Diat Saint Rose, I acquired a large rector that I met at the Education collection of textbooks, which are Expo. I have been told that this very helpful to solving any issue school has a strong sense of comthat may arise in the classroom. munity and it was very apparent I reference these texts often (no, when I went to visit the school. I did not sell back my education Everyone I met said “hello” to me books), and apply them to my Continued on Page C17 teaching. I feel that the texts, my
June 25th, 2013 Continued From Page A16 and welcomed me warmly. I am looking at this experience as one similar to college, where I will make friends as I go along. Every experience is what you make it to be; if you remain positive and have a positive outlook, you will have a positive experience. Do you think it will be different than student teaching? If so, how? I think this experience will parallel student teaching, but will be different in its own ways. For one, I do not have a cooperating teacher to guide me through the experience. However, I will have a mentor who can help me along the way. In Student Teaching, I had a lot of freedom as to what kind of lessons I could create and implement in the classes I was teaching. At this school, they have a strict curriculum of topics I will be following. I have the freedom to teach the material however I wish, but the core material must be taught within my lessons. The guide I have also shows me what kinds of lessons other subjects are going to be teaching while I am teaching art, which opens up new doors for interdisciplinary lessons and creative ways to intergrade the subjects. Advice for Upcoming seniors and seniors who have graduated: Without a doubt, be involved and in touch with the Career Center at Saint Rose. Use it as a resource! The staff and faculty there are very kind and supportive! They helped me tremendously with building a resume, getting letters of recommendations together, and being aware of what opportunities were available in the job realm. My second and last bit of advice is to remain positive and do NOT give up. Life will take you where you need to go, so do not worry and do not beat yourself up. Try again and again until you achieve your goals. They may not happen as quickly as mine did, but use the time you have to enjoy life, be happy and work hard to keep trying.
C17 Opinion NSA Leaks: Shocking, But Not New The Chronicle
Volume 82 Issue 1
By KATHERINE BAKAITIS Staff Writer Hello, everybody! I hope you’re all enjoying your summer break. Copies of George Orwell’s book 1984 (“Big Brother is watching you”) have been flying off the shelves lately, and not just because people want a nice summer read (though I do recommend reading it if you haven’t already). Americans have been taking a second look at Orwell’s masterpiece in light of recent events that almost mirror the main points of the book. I am, of course, talking about the NSA leaks. One of the main questions that surround this leak is about the man who exposed it all; Edward Snowden. Is he an American hero, or a traitor? I suppose that depends on who you ask. Speaker of the House, John Boehner thinks that Snowden is a “traitor” because, “the disclosure of this information puts Americans at risk. It shows our adversaries what our capabilities are. And it’s a giant violation of the law.” I’m pretty certain that our enemies already know what we are capable of (as does the rest of the world!). On the other hand, Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who revealed secrets of the Vietnam War through the Pentagon Papers in 1971, said Snowden's leak is even more important and perhaps the most significant leak in American history. Despite the uproar, some of what Snowden revealed was actually legally obtained information by the government. Smith V. Maryland (1979) legalized tapping phone records (who was being called and for how long), which is what the government did. As long as it isn’t the content of the call, then it is legal because there is still an expectation of privacy to uphold. The only way the government can lawfully tap into the content of a phone call is through a warrant from probable cause or if the people are “foreign”. The rest of the leaked information, on the other hand,
was taken from a program called PRISM, which contains illegally obtained information from search histories, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats. The program is run with the assistance of the companies they tap, such as Facebook and Google, but these companies have denied any knowledge of PRISM. The government claims that they only target non-U.S. citizens, since the U.S. Constitution doesn’t technically apply to them. I still find that somewhat difficult to believe because if you have the power, then why not? People are acting like this is the government’s first Fourth Amendment offence. To the people who are now just getting upset over the government’s invasion of our civil liberties: where were you when the Patriot Act passed in 2001? Yes, it was just 6 weeks after the terrorist attacks and our government was in a fragile and defensive state, but come on. Isn’t this what the terrorists wanted; to make us all paranoid so our freedoms are taken away by our own government for our own “safety?” Well, it worked because the government is spying on its own citizens (and non-citizens) for our “protection”. If you’re going to become upset at Fourth Amendment violations, you should have showed it 12 years ago when the Patriot Act was set into place, which is a larger destruction of our civil liberties. The Patriot Act increases the government's surveillance powers in four areas; it records searches which expand the government's ability to look at records on an individual's activity being held by third parties and it increases the government's ability to search private property without notice to the owner. It expands a narrow exception to the Fourth Amendment that had been created for the collection of foreign intelligence information while also expanding another Fourth Amendment exception for spying that collects "addressing" information about the origin and destination of communications,
as opposed to the content. Congress only passed this act because the Bush Administration bullied them into it, implying that members who voted against it would be blamed for any further attacks. On top of all this, Edward Snowden has just released new information that will take the NSA leaks deeper into the international playing field. Apparently during the 2009 G20 Summit, foreign diplomats were under surveillance and their means of electronic communication were intercepted by their British hosts. Internet cafes were set up solely for the purpose of reeling in other diplomats so that they can be scrutinized under surveillance without their knowledge. When this was released recently, Turkey and Russia were furious about the G20 spying (understandably). If our own allies are spying on us and the rest of the world, then that means we’re definitely spying on them, too. Are there boundaries when it comes to put-
ting our allies under surveillance, or are they considered our allies in name only? Well, I guess we can’t trust anybody nowadays. I can’t even imagine how this is going to affect our diplomatic relations with everybody. Snowden has certainly unleashed friction between our allies and enemies. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, so I don’t think our government is going to kill him and sweep the whole thing under a rug, but I do think that they will try to extradite him and put him on trial for treason. If it gets to the point where other people are getting punished or killed because of Snowden’s actions, then I hope he at least changes his attitude about not being sorry for what he did. Until then, he has nobody to look out for but himself. Only time will tell what will happen next and the domino effect that it might have. Edward Snowden is certainly a brave man for revealing his identity, but is he heroic? As I said, only time will tell.
Speaker Boehner has strongly criticized Snowden.
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Sports Top Five College Football Teams to Win it all
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The Chronicle
By JACKSON WANG Executive Editor As the NBA and NHL wrap up their postseasons and the MLB hits the All-Star break, it’s just about time to cut the fresh grass, make the end zone lines, set up the goal post, bring out the pads, and get football season going. I’m talking about college football, the only league that Tim Tebow was ever good in. But this isn’t about Tebow, it’s about the best teams in the NCAA. Now, I know it’s still about two months until the college football season begins, where the ugly and the uglier jerseys will meet and hearts will be severed due to a computer, but it’s never too early to talk about who the top teams will be this year. Here are my preseason rankings of the top five teams in college football: 5. Stanford Cardinals
It’s hard not to love the way head coach David Shaw hones his team to success. By using old school-smash mouth football, Shaw will find ways to win games with an experienced quarterback in Kevin Hogan and a massive offensive line that will plow through any defensive stand in the PAC-12, including Oregon’s. And what makes the Cardinals that much more dangerous is the fact they have a strong receiving group this year with Michael Rector and Kodi Whitfield. So, not only will the boys from Palo Alto be dangerous on the ground, but also in the air. You don’t see much of this kind of football anymore and it’s awesome to a see a program like Stanford find fruition in it. 4. Texas A&M Aggies Two reasons why Texas A&M will run through the SEC this year; a strong offensive line and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny
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Manziel. The Aggies’ dangerous spread offense from last year just got more deadly with the return of Maziel, who’s entering his third season in College Station, and the rise of Mike Evans, who is versatile at running back or wide receiver. I know Manziel is the star of the team, but trust me, you’ll be hearing a lot more of Evans this year. Plus, the Aggies have wide receiver Ja’Quay Williams and tight end Cameron Clear to add to their arsenal. It’s going to be tough for any opponent to come off of Kyle Field with a win this year, especially with the 12th man cheering on in the stands. 3. Oregon Ducks Even though Chip Kelly has left Oregon, they won’t lose a step in their offense, especially with offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich taking on the head coaching duties this year. Plus, the Ducks have most of their of-
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Johnny Manziel will be trying to led the Aggies to their first ever SEC title this season.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A.J. McCarron and T.J. Yeldon will be key players for Alabama. fensive fire power returning this season, which includes quarterback Marcus Mariota, running back De’Anthony Thomas, and receiver Josh Huff. The only thing that worries me about the Ducks is their offensive line and linebackers, which both seem to be in a rebuilding mood this year. But I expect a new star to emerge this fall for the Ducks. The only team that will contend with Oregon for the Pac-12 title is Stanford. Mark your calendars, because November 7th is going to be one exciting game as the Ducks travel to Stanford. 2. Ohio State Buckeyes Just remember, Urban Meyer was the only coach last season to have an undefeated record. So currently, he’s still undefeated at Ohio State and don’t be surprised if it happens again. The Buckeyes have another easy schedule this year, but that is not what makes them the number two team on this list. What makes them scary is the fact they have more speed and strength this year, along with duel-threat quarterback Braxton Miller, who could be a Heisman Trophy candidate this year. But it’s not the offense that makes Ohio State that much better this year, it’s the defense. With emerging stars in Michael Bennett and Tommy Schutt, who will be playing besides Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington, the Buckeyes will have one of the best de-
fensive lines in the nation. Another perfect season looks possible for the Buckeyes, but like any other year, the Big Ten is unpredictable. 1.Alabama Crimson Tide Two words on why the Tide are the best team in college football. Nick Saban. Give this man a week, he will find the weakest link in a team and take full advantage of it. Give Saban a month, forget about it, he’ll find all the weaknesses and completely destroy an opponent, like what we witnessed in the 2013 BCS National Championship game against Notre Dame. Not to mention, Saban has proven that his teams don’t rebuild, they just reload by winning three national titles in four years. I don’t expect anything different from Alabama since quarterback A.J. McCarron and running back T.J. Yeldon are both returning. And for the defense, keep an eye out for defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, he will be a handful this year. But just remember, Alabama has to travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M in their second game. Make sure to catch that game on September 14th. So much will already be on the line for the Tide, revenge, undefeated season, SEC title, and of course the national championship. Reach Jackson Wang at wangj847@strose.edu @TheJacksonWang
June 25th, 2013
Sports
Volume 82 Issue 1
In Brief
The Chronicle
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Women’s Swimming and Diving Senior Swimmer Team Wins the Chivalry Cup Selected to Academic All-American Team
The 2012-2013 Chivalry Cup was awarded to the women’s swimming and diving team by The College of Saint Rose, earlier this month. The women’s swimming and diving squad combined for the most points in five categories among all the Golden Knights teams with 250 points. The team earned the award
through individuals qualifying for the NCAA Championships, while holding a GPA greater than 3.00 among 75 percent of the team. The team also logged several community service hours from events such as “Reach Out Saint Rose,” “Race for the Cure,” and the “Work Hard, Play Hard” program. The women’s soccer team
placed second with 224 points, while the women’s volleyball team followed up in third with 198 points. The honor acknowledges teams and coaches for excellence in the athletics, Saint Rose, and the local communities, while allowing student-athletes to compete with each other in areas outside their own sport participation.
Senior swimmer Caitlin Brauer was selected to the Capital One Academic All-American Division II Women’s At-Large team by the College Sports Information Directors of America, earlier this month. Brauer, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of her four years at Saint Rose, is the most decorated female swimmer to hit the water for the Golden Knights. She holds seven records for the Golden Knights and four relay team marks. Brauer, who also served as captain of the team, was named both the NE-10 Woman of the
Year and Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete this month. She also received the Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award for the 2012-13 winter sports season, which was presented by the NE10. Out of the pool, Brauer served for two years as Treasurer of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society and as a volunteer for several entities including, the Clifton Park/Halfmoon Piranhas Swim Club, the Friday Knights Youth Program at Saint Rose, and Relay for Life. She graduated in May with a master’s in accounting after completing only her fourth year at Saint Rose.
Golden Knights First Baseman Selected to Gold Glove Team
COURTESY OF SAINT ROSE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
The women’s swimming and diving team earned 250 points to capture the 2012-2013 Chivalry Cup.
Do you have opinions about sports and enjoy writing? Submit a sports column to Joshua Natoli (natolij477@ strose.edu) for publication.
Zac Bellinger, a first baseman for the Golden Knights, was elected to the 2013 Rawling East Region Gold Glove second team, earlier this month. Bellinger was selected for his defensive efforts this past season, which he registered a .997 fielding percentage, making just one error in 396 opportunities. The sophomore also added a .287 batting average with 26 RBIs, which was a team best. Bellinger made his debut for at Saint Rose in February against Francis Marion University. He started all 43 games for the Golden Knights this year. Before arriving in Albany, Bel-
liger played at Virginia Commonwealth University in his freshman year. The Rawlings East Region Gold Glove was selected by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association AllAmerican Committee.
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Sports
The Chronicle
June 25th, 2013
Volume 82 Issue 1
Golden Knights Year in Review By JOSHUA NATOLI Sports Editor With the summer season now officially in full-swing, all of the Golden Knights athletic squads have taken a break in wake of their upcoming 2013-2014 campaigns. This past season was packed with success whether it was from an entire team or a few individuals, as well as some disappointing performances. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights: The fall semester kicked off with the start of Women’s Soccer, the team which came into the season looking to defend their NCAA Division II title from the previous year. The Golden Knights finished with an overall
record of 20-3-2 and a Northeast-10 Conference record of 121-2, business as usual for these ladies. Although their record speaks volumes, the last loss does not. The Golden Knights once again made it to the NCAA Division II Final Four, but suffered a loss to West Florida which ended their season and a chance at a repeat as champions. The future does remain bright for this team though. Forward Carmelina Puopolo will be returning for her senior season and another shot at success. Puopolo recently received a nod from the NE-10 conference with their Sports Excellence Award and was also named the Daktronics National Player of the Year. Before we knew it, the winter sports were upon us and with
SHAWN BERMAN
Forward Carmelina Puopolo is looking to help the Goldens Knights will another NE-10 title.
JILL MCGUIRE
Senior Macky Lloyd placed seventh at nationals last season.
them came the Men’s Basketball season. The Golden Knights started off the season hot, winning their first five games without a loss. After the hot start the Golden Knights could not seem to stay consistent, often going on losing streaks between wins. They ended up finishing with a record of 15-14 and an NE10 Conference record of 10-12. The Golden Knights managed to sneak into the NE-10 Conference Tournament and send Assumption packing in the first round. Their season would end in the next game against Southern New Hampshire, losing 81-62. The Golden Knights need to bounce back from more than just an early tournament exit, though. The departure of graduated senior guard Andre Pope leaves the team with one less leader and double-digit scorer. Luckily for the Golden Knights they have plenty of players ready to step into the role, such as center Dominykas Milka, whom led the team in both scoring and rebounding last season.
In the spring, the Golden Knights garnered extraordinary performances from two athletes in the departments of Men’s Track and Field and Women’s Swimming. Senior Macky Lloyd qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in the mile run. Lloyd posted a time of 4:09.79, a new personal best for him and good enough for a seventh place finish. In the pool, senior Caitlin Brauer earned two of the NE-10 Conference’s most prestigious awards. Brauer was named both Woman of the Year and Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete. Brauer also earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-America Division II Women’s At-Large Team. Among the successes of the Golden Knights teams there were some blemishes. Both the Women’s Softball team as well as the Men’s Baseball team experienced underachieving seasons. The Golden Knights Softball team finished the year with a record of
11-29-1, missing out on the NE10 Conference tournament. They also lacked many batter with an average over .300 nor a pitcher with an earned run average under three. The Men’s Baseball team perhaps ended up with the shortest end of the stick. They finished with a record of 10-39. The team does have a couple of bright spots though. First baseman Zac Bellinger earned a spot on the 2013 Rawlings East Region Gold Glove Second Team, commiting only one error all season. The Golden Knights will also be hoping for the return of starting pitcher Ryan Harper, who was sidelined last year after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. What other storylines will play out during the course of the 20132014 season? We will just have to wait until August to see. Reach Joshua Natoli at Natolij477@strose.edu @JustJoshinYa845