The Chronicle- August 27, 2013

The Chronicle

August 27th, 2013

The weekly student newspaper of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York Visit us on the web at www.strosechronicle.com

Volume LXXXII Issue 2

Welcome Back to Saint Rose See Page A7 For More Photos

Upperclassmen were hand Saturday, August 24, to help first-year students move into their new dorms.

Saint Rose Professor Wants Corruption Museum in Albany

By JACKSON WANG Executive Editor For years, Albany has been trying to clean up its image of being a corrupt city. But before the Capitol of New York even has the chance of fixing damages done

by a corrupt politician, it seems like another would already be in handcuffs.

Well, Saint Rose music professor Bruce Roter developed an idea this summer that would solve the problem. His answer to the conundrum embraces the cor-

News & Features

ruption, instead of trying to avoid it by building the Albany Museum of Political Corruption.

Many cities around the world have been known for their museums, like Paris with The Louvre, Continue on Page A3

Arts & Opinion

KELLY PFEISTER

Meet Area Coordinator Marinel Martinez

By LAUREN HALLIGAN News Editor

To anyone who follows @ StRoseResLife on Twitter, it’s no surprise to hear that the Resident Life staff has been growing, but who exactly are these new kids on the block?

One new addition, Marinel Martinez, hopped on board this July as an Area Coordinator and is

eager to join the Saint Rose community. A UAlbany grad originally hailing from Brooklyn, she is now happy to be overseeing 11 halls on the Saint Rose campus: Alumni Hall, Lourdes Hall, McCormick Hall, Hahn Hall, Cullen Hall, Delaney Hall, Charter Hall, Fontbonne Hall, and Riley, Carondelet and Cavanaugh Halls.

Continue on Page A6

Sports

John Scofield and Ăœberjam to perform at Saint Rose.

See pages A2

Review: Broadchurch See pages B10

Football is back.

See page D15

Meet the Tenneys.

See pages A4

Loan rate increases.

See page C12

Golden Knights fall 2013 preview.

See page D16

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The Chronicle

News

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

In Brief

Hybrid Art Comments on Post-Consumer Waste in Massry Center Exhibit Regional artist Andrea Hersh will display her exhibit, “Community Garden,” in The Esther Massry Gallery’s Massry Center Atrium, beginning Friday, September 6. The exhibit features paintings, drawings and collages of human-plant hybrid forms in a state of unseemly metamorpho-

sis. Dream fragments, fantasies and fleeting moments served as subject matter in the creation of this colorful collection of art with a significant statement.

A gallery reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, September 6, held concurrently with “Design@Work: The

Karene Faul Alumni Exhibition” featuring graphic design, which reopens September 6 and continues through September 29. The exhibit continues through Friday, February 28, 2014 and the gallery will be open during normal building hours.

The Saint Rose Camerata

Saint Rose Writing Faculty Celebrate Master’s Degree’s Anniversary with Frequency North Reading Frequency North, the visiting writers reading series at The College of Saint Rose, will be opening its ninth season with readings by faculty from their most recent works at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 12 in the Standish Rooms of the Events and Athlet-

ics Center.

This event will mark the oneyear anniversary of the Master of Fine Arts creative writing degree program. Faculty Kenneth Krauss, Daniel Nester, Hollis Seamon, Rone Shavers and Barbara Ungar will read. The

program is free and open to the public.

For more information and the season schedule, visit www.frequencynorth.com.

Frequency North is also on Twitter @frequencynorth.

John Scofield and Überjam in Concert at Saint Rose Guitarist John Scofield will perform with The John Scofield Überjam Band, featuring Andy

Hess, Avi Bortnick and Tony Mason at 7:30 p.m on Sunday, Sept.

15 at the Kathleen McManus

Picotte Recital Hall in the Massry Center for the Arts.

Scofield has explored a wide spectrum of musical styles with rare authority over the last four decades of his career. Scofield is an experienced jazz improviser whose music falls within the genres post-bop, funk-edged

COURTESY OF THE COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE

Saint Rose Camerata Concert Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month The Saint Rose Camerata faculty chamber music ensemble will be playing their first concert of the season at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21 in the McManus Picotte Recital Hall at Massry Center for the Arts for the College’s annual Family Weekend.

The concert is in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring works by composers from Spain and South America performed by Heidi Skok, mezzo soprano; Yvonne Chavez Hansbrough, flute; Sherwood Wise, oboe; David Ciucev-

ich, clarinet; Paul Evoskevich, saxophone; Young Kim, piano; Micah Scoville and Paul Quigley, guitar; Karlinda Caldicott, harp; Dan Foster, celeste.

The program consists of Histoire du Tango, flute and guitar by Astor Piazzolla, Siete canciones populares españolas by Manuel de Falla, Chôros No. 2 for flute and clarinet by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Sexteto Mistico by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

For more information about the Saint Rose Camerata, visit www.saintrosecamerata.org.

jazz, and R & B. After leading and writing for bands in the ’80s and recording and performing with Medeski Martin & Wood in the ’90s, Scofield started the Überjam project in 2000, and has been pursuing the endeavor ever since.

One of the first Premiere Performances presentations of the semester, concert tickets are $30 ($15 for students) and available for purchase at www.massrycenter.org. For concert and ticket information, contact Sal Prizio at 518-337-4871.

THE CHRONICLE IS NOW ON FACEBOOK! Keep abreast of news and events on campus as they occur.

Find our Page by searching “The Chronicle at The College of Saint Rose.”

Hope you Like It. COURTESY OF THE COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE

John Scofield of The John Scofield Überjam Band

August 27th, 2013

News

Volume 82 Issue 2

Albany Museum of Political Corruption Continued From Page A1 New York City with The Metropolitan, and Rome with The Vatican.

“So, why can’t Albany be known for the corruption museum?” asked Roter.

Roter believes this museum would bring more tourism to Albany, which would help with the economy. He says the museum of corruption would sit nicely beside the proposed aquarium idea in downtown Albany.

“This would be an exciting project,” said Roter.

When visitors arrive at the museum, instead of paying an admissions fee, they would pay a bribe, said Roter. And once visitors enter the museum, they would have interactive experience with each display. The museum would also have portraits of corrupt politicians.

Roter said this would allow visitors to understand Albany’s long history of political corruption.

And what would a museum be without a gift shop. Roter would like to see the corruption museum sell bobble heads of corrupt politicians in suits.

But this is just a start to his idea. Roter said he wants to expand on the corruption idea by adding scandals and controversies. This would mean Anthony Weiner and Elliot Spitzer would be welcomed into the museum.

Roter says phase one of his corruption museum idea is complete, which was getting the word out and finding people’s interest.

The Chronicle

Executive Editor Jackson Wang ‘14 wangj847@strose.edu

He has already started a website and Facebook page for the museum of corruption.

Also, many media outlets have picked up on the idea, locally and nationally. The New York Magazine recently had a piece about the museum.

For phase two of the project, Roter is trying to assemble a team. He said he’s looking to take anyone that wants to turn this dream into a reality.

Many people might remember Roter as the man who brought Trader Joe’s to the Capital Region last year. When Roter first began the campaign, many people did not believe it would work. After some time, more people joined in on the campaign, and before they knew it, the Capital Region had a Trader Joe’s.

Roter said he’s received a lot of positive responses from residents of Albany on the corruption museum. He said he hasn’t approached any politicians with the

idea yet because it’s a sensitive topic. But at the same time, it was a local politician who help Roter develop the idea for the museum.

Neither Albany Mayoral candidates Kathy Sheehan nor Corey Ellis returned phone calls when asked for thoughts on the political corruption museum.

“I have not talked to someone who doesn’t think it’s a great idea,” said Roter.

But Roter said the ultimate goal of the museum is to help clean up the corruption in Albany. By opening a political corruption museum, Roter thinks “it would hold our elected officials accountable.”

If anyone is interested in helping Roter with the museum of corruption, you can reach him at roterb@strose.edu. To learn more about the Albany Museum of Political Corruption, visit www.

AlbanyMuseumofPoliticalCorruption.org.

The Chronicle

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Calendar of Events Tuesday, August 27

4 p.m. MAPS ALB 109 6:30 p.m. Student Association Standish 7 p.m. G4G (Girls For God) Sanctuary 7 p.m. Theatre Guild Lima Basement 8 p.m. Outside the [Box] Lima Basement 8 p.m. Yoga Sanctuary 8:30 pm Rock ’n Bowl Playdium

Wednesday, August 28

4 p.m. SEB Standish 4 p.m. Games on the Green Campus Quad 5 p.m. Mid-Week Mass Sanctuary 7 p.m. Spectrum Standish 7:30 p.m. BASIC Sanctuary

Thursday, August 29

11 a.m. Career Carnival 2013 Campus Quad 8:30 p.m. Drive-In Movie Campus Quad

Friday, August 30

8 p.m. Bingo Saint Joseph Hall Auditorium

Saturday, August 31

7 p.m. MESIA Open Mic Night Jack’s Place

Sunday, September 1

7:45 a.m. Yankee Stadium Trip Outside Saint Joseph Hall 6:30 p.m. College Mass St. Vincent de Paul Church

Monday, September 2

All Day- No Classes All Day- Free Movie at the Madison Theater 5:15 p.m. Yoga Sanctuary 8:30 p.m. CEC Lima Basement

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The State Capitol building, where corrupt politicians have worked.

Features Editor Searching for Applicants

Business Manager Shawn Dixon dixons@strose.edu

Managing Editor Opinion Editor Chris Surprenant ‘14 Zachary Olsavicky surprenantc572@strose.edu olsavickyz977@strose.edu

Advertising Manager Shawn Dixon dixons@strose.edu

News Editor Lauren Halligan halliganl567@strose.edu

Arts Editor Rachel Bolton ‘15 boltonr413@strose.edu

Web Editor Christopher Lovell ‘15 lovellc083@strose.edu

Layout Editor / Videographer John Janitz ‘14 janitzj140@strose.edu

Sports Editor Joshua Natoli ‘14 natolij477@strose.edu

Head Photographer Kelly Pfeister ‘14 pfeisterk953@strose.edu

Assistant Layout Editor Jennifer O’Connor ‘16 oconnorj984@strose.edu

Copy Editor Jenessa Matis ‘14 matisj311@strose.edu

Faculty Adviser Cailin Brown

Staff Writers Katherine Bakaitis Shawn Berman Blaise Bryant Nicholas Buonanno Asia Ewart Andy Gilchrist Kellie McGuire Kevin Jacob Lauren Klose Sam Maxwell Lauren Sears Michael Smith M. William Smith Drew van der Poel

If you have an upcoming event you would like to see in our weekly Calendar of Events, please e-mail chronicle@strose.edu.

ANY student can join The Saint Rose Chronicle The Chronicle is published weekly on Tuesdays during the academic year and once during the summer months. The Chronicle is published at the facilities of New England Newspapers in Pittsfield, M.A.

Official E-mail Address Chronicle@strose.edu

Submissions

Mailing Address The Saint Rose Chronicle 432 Western Avenue Albany, NY 12203

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Policies

Meetings are held every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the CCIM 121, the MAC Lab.

All articles, advertisements and Letters to the Editor are due by noon the Saturday prior to publication.

All advertising inquiries should be sent to Advertising Manager Caroline Murray at murrayc014@strose.edu. The Chronicle offers free black and white 5-by-3 in. ads to student-run organizations.

The Chronicle accepts Letters to the Editor from any party. We recommend that submissions not exceed 1000 words. Letters, columns, and cartoons published in this newspaper represent the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of The Chronicle.

News TheTenneys: Lifelong Pillars of the Pine Hills

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The Chronicle

August 27th, 2013

By LAUREN HALLIGAN News Editor Come summer time, Marie and Dave Tenney take to the sidewalks with their trusty golden retriever as a companion. The paths they take may vary, but this season, the Tenneys will spend their 50th summer in the neighborhood as a married couple -a couple who have lived their entire lives here and first met as children.

“We even go by our old houses on South Allen, where we lived as kids,” Marie said of their walking ritual.

Officially retired, the couple keeps busy maintaining the house, doing crossword puzzles and listening to talk radio. Dave also enjoys gardening in their backyard. Each likes history, and they keep up on current events.

Both are avid readers, although Dave prefers to read at night,

“They are very loyal and devoted neighbors.”

Roslyn Jefferson while Marie is a morning reader.

She still walks to the Pine Hills library weekly. When she was in high school she held a job at the old Pine Hills branch on Madison Avenue.

The couple sometimes visits Cafe Madison for breakfast or The Point for dinner. “It’s nice to have all these things right here,” Marie said.

While their children urged them to move to the suburbs, Marie said, “It’s not happening.

We’re city folks. I’m not a suburbanite by any means.”

“We’re very comfortable

Marie and Dave Tenney on their front porch. here,” she said of the home where they raised their five children. “I love the space.”

One neighbor – who dubbed the couple historians – is glad for the Tenneys’ steadfastness.

“They are very loyal and devoted neighbors,” said Morris Street neighbor Roslyn Jefferson.

Changes in the neighborhood have not swayed the Tenneys’ commitment to the area.

“My mom would call the city if there were ever any issues in the neighborhood that needed attention,” said the Tenneys’ youngest daughter, Carolyn Deso. Her mom, she said, was “active in knowing what was going on in the neighborhood and voicing her opinions about the betterment of the neighborhood in meetings and Letters to the Editor.”

Marie Frink and Dave Tenney grew up together. The Frinks

lived at 51 South Allen and the Tenneys were a few houses away at 63 South Allen.

“I had just met his sister Jeanne, and she was taking me over to her house to play,” Marie said. “Dave was out front painting the metal railing. And the rest is history.”

Marie was 16 when they started dating, although she said “We didn’t really date. Everyone just hung out.” Shortly after Marie graduated from high school, the couple married in October of 1962.

The two bought their house on Morris Street more than 40 years ago and have lived there ever since.

Once he started his life with Marie, after attending Siena College, he earned his teaching degree at Saint Rose. Dave taught at a handful of schools over the

LAUREN HALLIGAN

years.

The couple left Albany only once while Dave was a teacher in Saint Johnsville, New York. After three brief years, they were back in the area.

Later on, he also worked at a family-owned book binding shop on Sheridan Avenue, and spent some time with the New York State Senate.

While Dave was working, Marie would stay home with the younger kids.

Later on, she earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Regents College (which is now Excelsior College). She then worked as an exam rating coordinator for the assessment unit at the college until she retired in 2010.

In 1969 they were the youngest newlyweds on the block, and today they may hold the distinc-

Volume 82 Issue 2

tion as the longest married couple there.

They originally moved to be near the Morris Street school.

“We bought this house because we wanted our kids to go to Vincentian grade school,” said Marie.

When the school closed in the 1980s, after four of their five children attended, their youngest daughter Carolyn went to Blessed Sacrament on Central Avenue.

Around this time, many families moved to the suburbs.

Decades after their daughter graduated from the parish school, the two still attend 10:30 a.m. mass at Blessed Sacrament each Sunday. Marie called Blessed Sacrament “the best kept secret in the city.”

The oldest Tenney child, Margaret Burke, recalled the excitement of moving into the big ‘new’ house on Morris Street back in 1969. She walked with her father between the old and new house in the weeks leading up to the big move.

“Whenever I was going home

“It was a great neighborhood.”

Carolyn Deso after first grade classes at VI Grade School, I made it my business to stop by and peer in the windows of my new manse,” she said.

“We were transitioning from living in a railroad flat on Lancaster, which was actually fairly spacious,” Burke said, “but our family size grew that year, and we needed more square footage.”

All five of their children have since moved out to start their own lives and families, though most Continued on Page A5

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

The Tenneys Continued From Page A4

stayed in the Albany area.

The Pine Hills is “a nice place to raise a family,” Marie said, a fact to which their grown children attest.

“It was a great neighborhood,” said Deso. “There were many kids on my block with whom I played … We all played together – old and young alike. We would bike and play tag and hide-andseek, and all of us even attempted to build a fort together behind my next door neighbor’s garage.”

Burke also recalled the big families, friends and freedom on Morris Street.

Now, the Tenneys are Mimi and Poppy to a dozen grandchildren who range in age from three to 24.

For the most part, it’s their grandchildren who keep them busy now. They babysit once a week, and are constantly attending sporting events and recitals. Each year they host a huge Christmas Eve gala at the house, a family tradition.

But walking in the neighborhood is still their most constant tradition.

“We like to walk,” said Dave, 73.

“That was our courtship,” said Marie.

She was in her 50s before she got her driver’s license, around the time her youngest was learning to drive. “My mom took a city bus to and from work and I took the city bus to and from school in elementary and high school,” Deso said. And together they would walk to the old library branch.

That library was a focal point, said Burke: “it was a major milestone to learn to sign your name so you could get the coveted blue library card and rack up the books for the summer reading program.”

Since those days, traffic patterns have changed. For one, right after they moved into their house, the city made two-way Morris

Street into a one way street, east to west.

The camaraderie from back in the day has changed, too.

“Neighbors knew each other and were friendly and happy to help out – bring the mail in, keep an eye on the house if you were out of town, take care of one’s pets, babysit. They looked out for one another,” Deso said.

Now, though, a lot of transients, including college students and working people who do not

“Neighbors knew each other and were friendly and happy to help out.”

Carolyn Deso settle in, constitute the majority of Pine Hills residents, said Marie. And families are smaller than they used to be.

Back when the Tenney kids roamed the neighborhood, “we could ride our bikes from place to place and just lean them up against a building or storefront, go in and conduct business, and return to find your property untouched,” said Burke. “It was a very safe feeling, and we moved easily from one house to another, one back yard or porch to another.

“Most of the moms were home in those days, and the neighborhood flourished under the watchful eyes of all the moms making sure we minded our manners, respected property, told the truth, and crossed the street carefully after looking both ways first,” Burke said.

For Burke, “When I was a very

News

The Chronicle

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little girl, my mother thought mers are those times I recall with enough to get invited, and nights nothing of sending me to the the most fondness; days spent of sleepovers and pizza deliverstore, the bank, the dry cleaner to ies for a midnight snack,” Burke run errands.” said. ” The bike riding, popsicle A Shell Station was located on eating, whispering secrets, playthe corner across from the presing board games, hopscotch, and ent day Mobil. “I thought nothskipping rope endlessly.” ing of getting the flat tires of my Summer nights, she said, were bike fixed there. The mechanic filled with “millions of fireflies would take the tire off your bike dotting the area and we would and soak it in water to find the catch them in a mayonnaise jar leak, patch it up, and send you on with holes punched in the lid.” your way. I’m not sure they even “Families would often sit out on charged us,” she said. their front porches at night, and Back when Burke’s parents enjoy the warm darkness, and were kids, Dave recalled going each others’ company.” out to play in the morning, and not coming home until nighttime. swimming in a friend’s pool if Reach Lauren Halligan at Since mothers didn’t typically you were lucky and well-behaved halliganl567@strose.edu work, it was safe to assume that the children were watched.

He rode all over the city on bike. As an adolescent, he was a paperboy for the Times Union, a job he kept until he was 16.

At age 6, Dave worked on a horse drawn milk wagon, from 6 a.m. until noon on Whitehall Road. At the end of his work day, he had a choice – take 30 cents pay or a quart of chocolate milk.

Even the next generation was mostly out of the house during the day.

“We really did play outside for the better part of our lives if the weather was cooperative. I stay tuned in to what’s going on. don’t rememDownload the Times Union iPad and mobile apps at timesunion.com ber having the for the latest information you need now. option to stay inside really,” Burke recalled.

“The sum-

“Families would often sit out on their front porches and night, and enjoy the warm darkness, and each others’ company.”

Margaret Burke

B a n ds B L O g s d i n i n g MOVies

news

aRTs JOBs

CLassiFieds weaTHeR

C a R s spORTs s e e n

A6 Area Coordinator Marinel Martinez The Chronicle

News

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Continued From Page A1 What is your background working in a college setting?

I got my Bachelors and Masters at SUNY Albany. My Bachelors is in Spanish Education. My Masters is in Education Administration and Policy Studies, with a concentration in Higher Education. So, yes, this is the field I am deeply passionate about.

How did you become involved with The College of Saint Rose?

I have studied in the area and always passed by here. I really wanted to work here because of the close campus community and the experience of working at a small private institution.

What exactly does your job as Area Coordinator entail?

I feel like everyone that works for Residence Life anywhere wears many hats. I am a supervisor for Zone 1 which includes Alumni Hall and RCC. I help implement programming. I oversee the Social Media and Marketing Committee for the department. I also am involved in the Reach Out Saint Rose, Family Weekend, and ILead committees. I have recently submitted an application to be a mentor for the ALANA program, which I am really excited for.

What are your goals for this year as a new member of the Resident Life staff?

I hope to mentor and transform students within our campus community while helping them get involved.

What are you most looking forward to upon joining the Saint Rose community?

I am really looking forward to seeing what this campus has to offer. I want to get involved in a lot and work hard to make this place a second home for our students. I am very excited to meet new people and get to know my amazing staff of Zone 1. I also want to learn about the functions and operations of the institution.

What is your best advice to offer to student residents as they come to Saint Rose for the semester?

The best advice I truly have to offer any type of student is to GET INVOLVED! Student engagement in the campus and community is highly important in their success at the college level. This is my main goal, because as an undergraduate, this was something that got me through college.

It kept me in love with my campus community, passionate about my hobbies and interests, and sort of formed my future in the field.

This is something in which I want to instill in the students I see: to get out there, be creative and get involved in anything, whether its clubs, organizations, community service, sports or spiritual life. Investing their time in the campus or community is rewarding and will keep students retained.

What are some of your other hobbies/interests outside of work?

Outside of work I love to listen to music and dance. As an undergraduate I was a performer for the salsa and tango clubs. I also love participating in community services, which I do a lot of since I am still an active member of my sorority.

New Area Coordinator for Zone 1 Marinel Martinez.

COURTESY OF MARINEL MARTINEZ

We’re hiring!

The Chronicle is currently seeking individuals to fill open positions for staff writers the 2013-14 academic year. Individuals interested in positions 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 and Managing Editor Chris Surprenant at chronicle@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.

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

News

Freshmen Move-In Day 2013

The Chronicle

By Kelly Pfeister

Kat Butera and Megan Corbitt managing the key table.

Students moving items into freshmen dorms.

Nina Buonarota keeps the good mood up as she help move freshmen belongings.

Student movers assist in helping unload a car.

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The Chronicle

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August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Elysium: Brings Up Important Issues, But Over-Simplifies Them

By ANDY GILCHRIST Staff Writer

crowded, run-down houses.

Enter Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), a former car thief living in When was the last time you saw a dying Los Angeles and works at a movie with a strong message in a plant that builds robots. When it? I’m not talking about some he’s doused in highly-toxic levmelodramatic “love conquers all” els of radiation, he’s given five B.S. every rom-com shoves down days to live and a bottle of pills your throat. I’m talking about a to numb the pain until then. But movie with a message that makes Max refuses to die; there’s one you see the world a bit differently place where he can be cured and afterwards. This past August’s it’s the one place he’s dreamed of Elysium is such a film. It brings going his entire life: Elysium. Usthe issues of class inequality, im- ing connections from his criminal migration, and health care to the past, he’s promised a trip to the forefront and makes you pay at- satellite onboard a stolen space tention. Unfortunately, the mes- shuttle if he agrees to have a metsage is presented in an overly al exo-skeleton drilled onto his simplified way, with the heroes body to help with a heist. Over being angels and the people of the next few days, Max comes Elysium being devils. This black face to face with Frey Santiago and white view of the world does (Alice Braga), a woman Max not hold up when considering the knew when they were children, huge, complex issues being dis- plus other criminals and sadistic sected. undercover ElyThe year sium agents on “Elysium, filled is 2154. SevEarth, who all with luxurious gated have their own eral decades earlier, as the homes where life was reasons for goworld began ing there. peaceful and everysuffering from Elysium is global warmone was happy. It is a filmmaker Neill ing and overl o m k a m p ’s place where there is Bfollow-up population, the to his no war, sickness, or wealthy built incredible dea space station but film, 2009’s any problems at all. called ElysiDistrict 9. His But if you’re not rich sophomore efum, filled with luxurious gated fort continues or if you don’t have homes where track rethe necessary connec- his life was peacecord of strong tions, you’re out of ful and everyperformances, one was happy. led by Damon luck.”

It is a place as the everywhere there is man Max, who no war, sickness, or any problems rises from his death sentence to at all. But if you’re not rich or if become a Christ figure and save you don’t have the necessary con- the world. Sharlto Copley, star of nections, you’re out of luck.

District 9, also brings his A-game This left the poor and the mid- as Kruger, an undercover Elydle class to rot, literally, on Earth. sium agent based in Los Angeles.

Decades later, the streets are The character is a war criminal filled with garbage and buildings who committed the worst atrociare falling down, none having ties imaginable, and Copley terbeen built or even renovated in rifies audiences into believing it. years. People are left to fend for And finally, Jodie Foster plays themselves and to live in over- Elysium Secretary of State Jes-

FRANZ RICHTER/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

MIGUEL ANGEL AZUA GARCIA/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Jodie Foster stars as dastardly villain Jessica Delacourt and Matt Damon as hero Max De Costa. sica Delacourt. Though her accent does seem to change a bit in many scenes, she brings an authoritative performance as a woman secretly plotting to overthrow the President and take over the station.

For his second outing, Blomkamp is once again standing on a soap box, albeit a bigger one bought with all that District 9 money. His debut almost perfectly blended science fiction/ action elements with important social issues and created a very entertaining film that also made the viewer think. Here, though he’s using the future to tell his story, he is highlighting issues that apply to the modern world.

A scene early in the film shows three shuttles, all filled with the sick and poor, who are making a break for Elysium, where the only medicine and medical machines are located. Upon seeing them, Jessica Delacourt orders them shot down, regardless of their purpose. With this early scene, Blomkamp is simultaneously bringing up issues of health

care, that only the rich can afford it, and immigration, that anyone trying to cross a border will absolutely be turned away. In addition, the entire premise of a space station paradise that only the rich can live on immediately makes the viewer think about issues between classes, and in the age of Occupy Wall Street and the 1 percent vs. the 99 percent, this issue could not be any more important.

However, the film presents these issues in an overly simple way. Every hero is purely good, while every villain is pure evil.

Max used to be a car thief, but throughout the events of the film, he is only ever shown fighting for himself, his friends, or everyone on Earth against the evil Elysium machine. Likewise, Max’s old friend Frey is now a doctor, working ungodly hours to help thousands of L.A.’s sick, while her own daughter suffers from leukemia. On the other side, the villains have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Kruger is portrayed as a violent psychopath who will do anything, from threatening

a child to hitting a woman, to complete a mission. Delacourt, meanwhile, is shown to be a cold, calculating woman who prefers to kill people from Earth trying to break into Elysium rather than just turn them away, and even plots to take the station over by any means necessary. For a film to bring up issues that are as complex as they are timely, the film falters by presenting them as simple right and wrong answers.

It shows the world in black and white, when it’s really made up of multiples shades of grey.

The best science fiction doesn’t speculate about the future. Instead, it takes the important issues of today and presents them in a way that may be easier to understand. Elysium is a film that does just that, calling to mind the important social issues of immigration, health care, and class inequality. It’s a film like this that inspires people to go out and do something about these issues and, hopefully, change the world for the better.

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Arts

The Chronicle

The Conjuring Stirs Up Authentic, Old-Fashioned Scares

By CHRIS SURPRENANT Managing Editor

angry, devil-worshiping, babysacrificing witch. The only way to rid the family of her is through an It’s no secret that horror mov- exorcism sanctioned by the Cathies these days consist of topless olic church. However, it can only women and buckets of blood. be obtained if sufficient evidence Director James Wan practically can be produced to authenticate invented the so-called “torture- the family’s claims. The Warren’s porn” genre with the Saw fran- begin to struggle with not only chise. In his latest directorial the Perron’s demons, but their effort, however, he ditches the own demons as well. Investigatsadism for things that go bump ing the paranormal puts a strain in the night. The Conjuring isn’t on their marriage and their family, “torture-porn,” nor is it a slasher and there are several times where film. It’s a good, old-fashioned it is unclear which duty will win horror flick in the purest sense. out. Tension consistently builds The film is from scene to based on a true scene, initially “In fact, the barren story, taking offering only trees and weathermany elements hokey shocks beaten house aren’t from a famous that serve to case of para- picturesque so much as lull the viewnormal investiers into a false gators Ed and they are grotesque. The sense of seLorraine War- paranoia the family ex- curity. Once ren, and amwe think it’s plifying them periences is heightened safe, WHAM. for our enjoy- by claustrophobic shots More acment. The film curately, it of crawl spaces and opens with the is several of quick cuts that dizzy Perrons, an allthe characAmerican famters who exviewers as much as ily who move perience the the characters they are WHAM mointo a quiet, old watching.” house in rural ment, and all Rhode Island. they want is to It’s a large be woken up house that’s able to more than ac- so the spirits can go-go. commodate them and their five Vera Farmiga does a fine job daughters, but how could they as Lorraine Warren. The actual have gotten such a bargain? It Lorraine Warren makes a cameo doesn’t matter, because they’re in an early scene, and the resemhappy with Sadie the dog and sta- blance between them is uncanny. tion wagon.

Farmiga is able to capture her However, when it comes down careful concern and motherly to the dog and the station wagon, instinct to a tee. Patrick Wilson only one survives. I’ll let you is able to accomplish something guess on that one. After a series similar with his portrayal of Ed. of increasingly bizarre events, Neither of the Warrens is reduced including what is probably one to caricature. They care deeply of the scariest games of hide- about their work and the people and-clap ever, mom Carolyn (Lili they are helping, and in turn, we Taylor) contacts Ed and Lorraine the audience take them just as seWarren (Vera Farmiga and Pat- riously. rick Wilson) to help rid her house Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron of whatever—or whoever—is is somewhat problematic. Tayscrewing with their happiness. lor makes it clear she is playing Turns out it’s a witch. A really a character. Her performance is

similar to her Eleanor in the 1999 film The Haunting. Carolyn does everything one expects a mother to do, but Taylor makes it abundantly clear that she is playing a mom-type. However, her performance is strongest when she is battling the forces that haunt her, as we see an animalistic side to Carolyn that would otherwise remain hidden beneath her apron and loving smiles.

What really works with the film is it’s cinematography. As is the case for most of the film, we are fooled into believing that what we see is what we get. In fact, the barren trees and weatherbeaten house aren’t picturesque so much as they are grotesque.

The paranoia the family experiences is heightened by claustrophobic shots of crawl spaces and quick cuts that dizzy viewers as much as the characters they are watching.

In my book, The Conjuring can be safely placed among the ranks of The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror (another case of the Warren’s). The horror is in the story and the experience of the characters, not the shock of what we see onscreen. Sure, the Linda Blair makeup helps in some of the more intense scenes, but this film is a rare success in terms of making us care about the characters in a genre that has recently tended to put them behind shock-factor. With a solid, even story and great visual effects, The Conjuring has the makings of a modern horror classic.

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Write a review and submit it to boltonr413@ strose.edu

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SARGENT MICHAEL CONNORS/ WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Actress Vera Farmiga stars as Lorraine Warren.

JOELLA MARANO/WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Patrick Wilson appears as Lorraine’s husband, Ed.

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The Chronicle

Arts

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Review:Broadchurch (2013)

By RACHEL M. BOLTON Arts Editor

One of the many pleasures of summer vacation is binge-watching television without feeling guilty. Well, maybe feeling a little guilty. This summer, I watched the addicting ITV (The same people who produce Downton Abbey) miniseries Broadchurch in one intense sitting.

It was totally worth it. Broadchurch is an intense eight-part crime drama that focuses on the impact of the murder of an eleven-year-old boy in a seaside British town. While the subject mat-

ter is extremely dark, the writing and acting are excellent and they pull the viewer in instantly.

The story arc of the series, to paraphrase Shrek, is that of an onion. Information is revealed layer by layer until we reach its rotten center. Viewers will be relieved to know that the crime does have a solution, but the strength of Broadchurch is that finding the killer is nearly as much of tragedy as the crime itself.

The body of Danny Latimer is found on the beach beneath a cliff in the town of Broadchurch. After detectives determine that it was not a suicide, a desperate search

for a murderer rocks the small community. However, interpersonal issues prevent the search from going as well as it could be.

Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller struggles working with Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, a man who she feels took a job that was rightfully hers, and the fact that she was close to the Latimer family.

DI Hardy has issues of his own, including a heart problem and the memories of a similar case where he failed to convict the killer.

The two learn how to deal with the other while handling wellmeaning but meddling reporters, who bend the truth to fit their

Arthur Darvill, who plays Reverend Paul Coates. own ends and the fact that Danny’s father is lying to them about his whereabouts the night his son died, and Ellie’s son is hiding one of Danny’s secrets.

“Viewers will be

relieved to know that the crime does have a solution, but the strength of Broadchurch is that finding the killer is nearly as much of tragedy as the crime itself. ”

David Tennant, who plays DI Alec Hardy.

WIKIPEDIA

Like any good Agatha Christie novel, Broadchurch introduces a diverse cast of characters for the viewer to suspect. They all have secrets and private motivations, but which one lead to the death of a child?

WIKIPEDIA

Fans of mystery and crime shows will enjoy this miniseries, as it plays with the tropes of the genre, while being original. As an added bonus for fans of the BBC’s Doctor Who, David Tennant and Arthur Darvill play lead roles as DI Alec Hardy and the tech savvy Reverend Paul Coates, respectively.

I would not recommend doing as I did and marathoning the eight episodes in one day. This drama is sad and will leave you emotionally drained afterwards.

A large part of the plot is showing how the murder has affected Danny’s parents and older sister in all its sad detail.

However, the greatest mystery of all is that Broadchurch is going to have a second season. I still think that the drama works as a standalone piece, but I cannot argue my points without spoiling the show. To add to that, Fox is going to produce an American version of the show next year.

Enjoy trying to figure out who did it; you won’t see it coming.

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Arts

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The Chronicle

A History Lesson in Lee Daniels’The Butler

By KATHERINE BAKITIS Staff Writer

Lee Daniels’ The Butler tells the story of White House butler Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), who served eight American presidents over a 30 year period (Eisenhower through Reagan).

The film begins with Cecil as a young boy working in the cotton fields with his parents in 1920’s Georgia and later being promoted to a “house negro” for the farm owners.

Later, Cecil leaves the farm to continue domestic services

elsewhere, where later he is referred to work as a White House butler. Cecil’s story is told while he serves through the dramatic changes that swept American society during his time in the White House, from the Civil Rights Movement to Vietnam and more, and it shows how those changes affected his life and family.

Cecil Gaines is not a political man and his only goal while in the White House is to receive the same amount of pay and benefits as the white staff (which he is awarded with during the Reagan Administration). Cecil’s wife,

Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) seems to be a bored housewife who becomes increasingly distant when her husband lands the butler job at the White House.

Cecil and Gloria try their best to protect their two sons, but the oldest son, Louis Gaines, goes against his father’s wishes to attend college in the South to take part in the budding Civil Rights Movement, where he later joins the Black Panthers. When Cecil retires from his service in the 1980’s, the relationship he has with his son Louis begins to slowly repair, and tension with Gloria has subsided.

“This movie has reminded me that if we can overcome the struggles of the past, then we can make it through the issues of today. ” WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Oprah Winfrey plays Gloria Gaines in the film.

Probably one of the best scenes of the movie is the last one when Cecil is about to meet President Obama and the usher tries to show him where the Oval office is, and Cecil, even after 20 plus years, yells “I know the way,” and continues to rush ahead of the usher. Trust me; it’s more comical if you see it yourself.

The issues facing America during the time of Cecil reminded me of many of the problems with rights we face today; gay marriage, abortion rights and political corruption (which turns out to

Forest Whitaker stars as Cecil Gaines in The Butler. be the one thing consistent in this world!) This movie has reminded me that if we can overcome the struggles of the past, then we can make it through the issues of today.

The acting in the movie was superb, especially since Oprah hasn’t acted since God knows when. As always, Forest Whitaker deeply immersed himself in his character, Cecil Gaines (who is actually a fictional character based off of the actual butler, Eugene Allen). There seemed to be

a little something missing in the movie to make it complete, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

It wasn’t as exciting as I expected a historical biopic drama to be, but nonetheless, “The Butler” was still an amazing film with historical accuracy right down to the costumes and hair, and a strong cast.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to everybody, especially if you are old enough to have lived through the decades the film covers.

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The Chronicle

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; 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 shortterm, 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.

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Interning Abroad

By KELLY PFEISTER Head Photographer Starting the second semester of my junior year, I slowly began to realize that this summer would be the last “free” summer of my life— in between my third and fourth years of college. Along with this realization came another one—graduation and being faced with the task of finding suitable employment.

It’s hammered into all of our heads that it’s hard to find a job as a new graduate, and that internships (in most career fields, anyway) look great on resumes.

(And they also help us figure out what we enjoy/what we’d like to do with the rest of our lives.) So, this summer I was lucky enough to work out an internship at a photography studio in London.

I had no idea what to expect from this internship—I was told that I would be doing everything from cleaning the studio to doing some photography myself. And over the course of my internship, I’ve done all of that and a bunch of stuff in between: Walking my boss’ dog, making a ton of tea, (on average the English drink three cups a day), helping set up photo and video equipment, and assisting on shoots.

Every day was different, too.

On my second day, I was in the studio alongside a makeup artist, and a client, helping a photographer that was photographing two models. During their lunch break, she asked for olive oil, for a salad or something. When I came back with it, she started to slather it on the models!

I was really fortunate to have a good boss—she was like a second mom to me here in London. A few

days into the internship, I scraped my knee pretty badly, and she insisted on seeing the pharmacist with me to make sure it wasn’t infected. She really cares about her interns, which was a comfort in a city that can still be unfamiliar and daunting at times.

Living in London had its own set of challenges, aside from interning. I stayed in a house right near the River Thames with five other people around my age – however, four of them spoke very little English, but fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese. Normally, I speak English at a very fast pace, which made it difficult for them to understand me, so I learned to slow down my cadence of speech. Through conversing with my roommates, I also picked up a little Italian and French, as well as new ways to cook.

It came as a shock to me that they spend at least 45 minutes per meal cooking—as a college student in the U.S, if I have to use the kitchen, it’s usually to make pasta or heat something up. The food that my housemates cook is incredible, and I’ve been learning a few recipes from them— however, I did make pancakes with M&Ms for them one night!

Working and living in London was definitely different from anywhere in the United States, and I will always miss the life that I had there. I will always treasure the moments that only can be experienced there - eating dinner in front of the River Thames, walking through Hyde Park, and the unparalleled city of London.

Reach Kelly Pfeister at pfeisterk953@strose.edu

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August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Opinion

The Chronicle

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Volunteering with the Blind in Tucson

By BLASIE BRYANT Staff Writer During the first week of June, I was in a completely different part of the country volunteering at Camp Abilities Tucson, a weeklong sports camp for people who are blind, deaf, or have other disabilities at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. It was my first time volunteering in Tucson; however, not my first time volunteering at Camp Abilities, a network of sports camps throughout the world. This experience in Tucson was unlike any volunteering experience at Camp Abilities.

I volunteer at these camps because I was once a camper-athlete; my blindness was caused by a condition where my eyes never fully developed.

The beginning of the Tucson experience was taking the plane from Hartford, Connecticut to Tucson independently. My connecting flight was in Chicago; the airport staff brought me to my gate and helped me board the plane.

I worked with a camper-athlete named Ryan who is 17 (and a rather tall six-feet-four) and goes to the school for the blind. Ryan and I were paired up because it was my responsibility to be somewhat of a peer mentor, since college for him is just a year away. It was a great match in every sense of the word; we told jokes about our blindness and we have a similar drive to be the best we can be.

The motivational drive and topical jokes were just a couple of links of our friendship. When the camp day was over, we would hang out and watch random YouTube videos, talk about the day, sit in one of the common areas watching television, or pull pranks on each other.

In the middle of the week during tandem biking, which is a sport where two people ride on a two-seated bike, Ryan took it upon himself to find the helmet in the photo; he was trying to find one that’s more circular as opposed to the ones that look like a bell. One of the sighted coaches told him the helmet was pink, which he found great joy in giving to me. Having no clue what color it was—and why would I care what color it is?—I put it on.

The women counselors told me I was “styling” in that pink helmet, and I share the picture with you because it was an absolutely hilarious life moment that began to solidify that he was my younger brother from another mother.

The single-most rewarding part of the experience was Ryan accomplished a lot during the week. His laps in tandem biking and swimming increased during the week, threw several boccies during Bocci, hit a pitched ball during a sport called Beep Baseball, scored many goals in a sport called Goalball, and was voted as the male athlete of the week.

As I said during the closing ceremonies, Ryan is a great athlete and an even better human being. The camp’s programming director who has been there since the beginning is not coming back next year. During a technology activity, Ryan decided to make a thank you card and gave it to her the last day of camp while everyone was sitting at tables listening to each others’ accomplishments.

While I was incredibly proud of Ryan’s athletic achievements, the public presentation of the card was what I was most proud of because, although it is a sports camp, the simple fact of making the card goes a lot further than any athletic accomplishments.

In addition to working with Ryan, I had the great pleasure of being around 16 other wonderful and talented athletes, and roughly 20 fantastic coaches and staff.

Some of the coaches and staff were also blind, which always makes these camp experiences

better for everyone because the athletes can relate better since there is the common bond of blindness in some form.

In addition to volunteering in Tucson this summer, I volunteered at Camp Abilities Brockport during the last week of June,

as well as Camp Abilities Long Island during the second week of July.

Those experiences are going to be part of my book on my life experiences with blindness.

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PHOTO COURTESY LUCAS POTTER

Bryant styling with his helmet at Camp Ability Tucson.

C14 Opinion 2013’s Song of the Summer: Celebrating Sexism The Chronicle

By ZACHARY OLSAVICKY Opinion Editor I was a young white guy once, so I’ve seen first-hand how it can be difficult for other young white guys to grasp cultural concepts outside of the young white guy bubble. When your “cultural experience” consists of crushing Natty with your dudebros and talking about women in lessthan-acceptable ways, it’s understandable how you become less sensitive to the world at large.

In a way, that’s what makes growing up so great; when you’re older, you have experience that teaches you how to treat other people and respect your fellow members of society. Perhaps, if you’re so motivated, you might even go out and try to elicit some change in the world as an adult, trying to leave it a better place than, say, your college dorm.

Not everyone grows up, though, and some dudebros age physically without developing a scrap of mental or emotional clairvoyance. A lot of these guys get middle-management jobs and have no impact on the world, but far too often, a meathead rises through the cracks and gets a wide-ranging platform to share their world view.

The latest dudebro to take the mic is Robin Thicke, with his vapid and terrible song ‘Blurred Lines.’ Accompanied by Pharrell Williams, who seems intent on being the sidekick in his own musical career, and T.I., rapper/ maker of overpriced calculators, Thicke turns the sleaze up and writes four-and-a-half minutes of come-ons and coercive propositions. It’s almost a giant rape threat, as Thicke repeats “I know you want it” over and over and over, sounding like the drunk guy at the bar who is one step away from drugging someone’s drink.

T.I. skips the nuance and explains that he’ll “give you something big enough to tear your ass in two.” (Like what, a bouquet of roses?) “What rhymes with ‘hug me’?” Well, “slug me,” which is

what I’m guessing a fair number of listeners would want to do by the end of the first verse.

The video is even worse, with scantily clad or nude models dancing around as the fullydressed guys bump and grind against them. Williams carries a banjo, I guess because his audition for the Mumford and Sons’ ‘Hopeless Wanderer’ video was the same day. Hashtags are blasted over the visuals, because #thisishowwelivenow, and the whole thing look like it was run through a bad Instagram filter.

The song and video stirred a lot of discussion, and authors universally saw the video what it was for: lowbrow, misogynist drivel that joins a long line of musicians who exploit sexuality and rape threats to earn money. This hasn’t stopped it from reaching the top of the Billboard 100, but in a world where George W. Bush was re-elected by 62 million people in 2004, this isn’t very surprising.

Most people in a situation like this try to feign some empathy with critics. Thicke did not. Talking with GQ Magazine in May, he sarcastically commented that it was a “pleasure… to degrade a woman.” A sane adult might stop there, but good luck convincing one of his kind to lay off. The guys he balls with in his YMCA rec league might call him soft (among other unprintable names), and nothing hurts an adult dudebro worse than middle school-level insults.

After even more criticism, an adult might step back and look at their actions. You’re looking at the wrong guy to do anything like that. “It’s saying that men and women are equals as animals and as power,” Thicke asserted in an interview on The Today Show.

I’d love to hear his explanation as to how men dressed in suits are equal to naked women. Further, where are the women singing on the track? Get a verse from Rihanna, or Katy Perry, or even Lana Del Ray if you’re desperate.

Instead, we’re one step removed from a guest appearance by Ben

Roethlisberger.

One of the more appalling defenses offered by Thicke is that the song and video are a ‘celebration’ of women. But in Thicke’s world, there’s only one type of woman: shy, with a rape fantasy, and 5 percent body fat. If you’re going to stoop to objectifying women with any sincerity, you have to recognize that not all women look like supermodels.

To exclude any variety of body type—age, weight, height, creed, color—is to miss the point, and Thicke does so wildly.

With the amount of misogyny present, I can’t imagine why anyone with the least bit of selfesteem would enjoy the song. For men, it’s a matter of respecting women; for women, it’s a matter of respecting self. But misogyny in music is not a new ill, and people have been apathetic since time immemorial. Still, these kinds of issues generally lead to change. Public reaction to Paula Deen’s racism caused sponsors to terminate deals with her. The continuing saga of Carlos Danger, who you may know by the pseudonym Anthony Weiner, led to his fall from atop polls in the race for New York City mayor.

Yet, whether it’s the particulars of the industry or prevailing attitudes about how men should treat women, the song remained a hit.

Of course, if you’re naïve and don’t take issue with misogyny, rape, objectification of women, an imbalance of gender power, and people who use banjos to look cool, you could at the very least dislike the song based on artistic merit. The beat is pretty much a ripoff of Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre,’ and Thicke sued the estate of Marvin Gaye because the latter’s descendants thought it was plagiarism.

Let that sink in: he sued someone else because his song sounds like plagiarism.

And that’s the thing: if it’s not plagiarism, it’s a cheap attempt to ride the wave of this summer’s funk resurgence. Justin Timberlake began things in earnest with

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

‘Suit and Tie’; though not an outstanding song, it’s certainly good and it comes with the added benefit of his not coming on to his audience. Daft Punk hit the first peak with ‘Get Lucky’ (Where Williams is ‘up all night to get some’; dude, see a therapist), and instead of ripping people off, the group delicately pays homage to the sounds of disco. The best is yet to come; September sees the release of Janelle Monae’s second LP, The Electric Lady, which ought to blow the doors off pop music and set a high bar for contemporary R&B artists. In the meantime, go check out older soul, funk, and R&B artists. Remember that Marvin Gaye dude I mentioned earlier? His album What’s Going On is one of the finest albums ever crafted. Just about any Stevie Wonder album can reaffirm your belief in

love as the driving force of human nature. And if you’re looking for something recent, 2012’s Channel Orange by Frank Ocean shows what those genres can be when meshed perfectly with hiphop and rap.

What separates arstists like Daft Punk and Monae and Timberlake and Gaye and Ocean from Thicke is that they have the perspective to make good music.

They understand how to recognize and pay tribute to those who came before them. Their tunes sound familiar, but fresh. Thicke, on the other hand, wrote ‘Blurred Lines’ in half an hour, and no artist can write a song in 30 minutes without borrowing whole parts of other people’s music But when you’re Thicke, writing like he just shotgunned a can of PBR, you’ll sound as stale and tasteless as the beer you drink.

Robin Thicke

COURTESY WIKIMERDIA COMMONS

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Sports

The Chronicle

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Breaking It Down, Football Style

By TORI ADDISON Contributing Writer The wait is finally over; football is back. Preseason is wrapping up and the season starts within a week. With opening games approaching so quickly, predictions for divisional standings are starting to come into place.

Despite significant roster changes due to losing WR Wes Welker and the imprisonment of TE Aaron Hernandez, it is no question that Tom Brady will continue to anchor the New England Patriots in the AFC East. Miami Dolphin’s QB Ryan Tannehill gained a new weapon in WR Mike Wallace who totaled 836 receiving yards for the Steelers last season. The Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets both drafted QBs who will keep fans looking up.

The combination of rookie and veteran players for both teams should provide a decent balance within their offensive and defensive systems.

The AFC North houses the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens who are trying to move past the retirement of infamous LB Ray Lewis. Alas, their defense will remain as intimidating as always. If able to avoid injury, they can expect to build a primed offensive threat as the season progresses. The Pittsburgh Steelers had nothing short of a stellar draft. First round pick OLB Jarvis Jones has already made eyecatching preseason plays with both a forced and recovered fumble. The Cincinnati Bengals may prove to be a powerhouse with their added offensive talent. They drafted two incredible weapons in RB Giovanni Bernard and TE Tyler Eifert. Along with superstar WR AJ Green, there is not much room for error for QB Andy Dalton. The glass is half full for the Cleveland Browns whose future lies in the hands of RB Trent Richardson and rookie DE Barkevious Mingo. If QB Brandon Weeden is able to improve his interception heavy record from last season,

they may have a shot at a respectable record.

In the AFC South, the Houston Texans defensive combination of safeties Ed Reed and DJ Swearinger should prove triumphant in controlling opposing offenses.

RB Arian Foster ranked sixth in rushing yards last season and will continue to dominate. With little offseason movement, the Indianapolis Colts mainly improved their offensive line to protect QB Andrew Luck. Expectantly, they will continue to improve within the divisional rankings.

To the Tennessee Titans fortune, RB Chris Johnson is poised for a break out year with Alabama rookie Chance Warmack blocking on offensive line. The Jacksonville Jaguars seem to be sitting in a grave position as QB Blaine Gabbert’s performance has been less than average. With the second pick in the draft, OT Luke Joeckel was taken in hopes of improving their weak offensive line.

The kings of the AFC West have one secret to their success; twelve-time Pro-Bowler Peyton Manning. With the addition of WR Wes Welker, the Denver Broncos will remain untouchable. The Kansas City Chiefs’ many misfit pieces in their offense could easily come together with newly attained QB Alex Smith and head coach Andy Reid. The San Diego Chargers added numerous linebackers to their roster in the offseason, including second round draft pick Manti Te’o. They are looking to improve their offensive stats with former Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy debuting as head coach. Apart from their notso-impressive draft, the Oakland Raiders are looking towards a positive season with newly obtained QB Matt Flynn. If RB Darren McFadden can stay healthy, the Raiders may actually have a shot at a decent year.

It is hard to predict which NFC East team will take the division, but it certainly won’t be the Philadelphia Eagles. Between QB

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Quarterback Russell Wilson is hoping to avoid a sophomore slump. battles and injured players, their offseason is not going as planned.

The birds are hoping former Oregon coach Chip Kelly can whip their feeble offense into shape as their new head coach. The New York Giants WR combination of rookie Reuben Randle and Victor Cruz should prove adequate for QB Eli Manning. With newly added offensive lineman to protect their $108 million QB Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys are poised for a breakout year. WR Dez Bryant totaled 1,382 yards last season and will be nothing short of spectacular. The Washington Redskins are still uncertain of the status of QB Robert Griffin III, but have great backup in Kirk Cousins and Rex Grossman. The little offseason movement they had may be a worry

for some fans, but rest assured the football is in good hands between RB Alfred Morris and WR Santana Moss.

Simply stated, the Green Bay Packers will dominate the NFC North. Rookie RB Eddie Lacy will not fail to disappoint and can give the offense more of a run game. The Packers have no doubt in QB Aaron Rodgers and will ascend towards success. The retirement of LB Brian Urlacher will certainly hurt the Chicago Bear’s defense, but their offense can still remain consistent with QB Jay Cutler at the helm.

The Minnesota Vikings lost WR Percy Harvin, but gained former Packer WR Greg Jennings. Let’s not forget about superstar RB Adrian Peterson who was nine yards away from breaking the

rushing record last season. On the other hand, the Detroit Lions are working to build their defensive unit with DE Ezekiel Ansah who is already impressing critics in the preseason. The addition of veteran RB Reggie Bush should solidify the Lions’ run game and take the pressure off of QB Matthew Stafford.

The Atlanta Falcons are expecting to conquer the NFC South despite their weak offensive line.

RB Steven Jackson will easily improve the Falcons run game and provide another threat to their already stacked offense. Sean Payton is headed back to the New Orleans Saints and so is a new defensive coordinator. After failing in Dallas, Rob Ryan will try to give the experienced defense a new character to match their already elite offense. Three words will keep Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans happy, The Muscle Hamster.

RB Doug Martin reached 1,454 rushing yards during his rookie season last year and is not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. The Carolina Panthers, on the other hand, need some work. QB Cam Newton does not have the best talent surrounding him and the defense is mediocre.

They will most likely be sitting last within the division.

The NFC West has become a dominant force within the last couple years. The Seattle Seahawks are already being named Super Bowl contenders with their top rated defense and superior talent on offense. The San Francisco 49ers have suffered from injury in the offseason, but added former Raven WR Anquan Boldin to help give their miracle QB Colin Kaepernick another target.

On the other end, the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals are teams who never seem to get over the hump. Both teams have the pieces needed to succeed, but just can’t seem to do so.

As the divisional hype is flying, each fan is anxiously awaiting kickoff on Thursday, September 5. The remaining question is one to think about:where will your team rank?

D16

The Chronicle

Sports

August 27th, 2013

Volume 82 Issue 2

Golden Knights Fall 2013 Preview

By JOSHUA NATOLI Sports Editor

I would like to take a moment to extend a warm welcome to our new class of 2017, as well as all returning students, especially my fellow seniors. Now, let us get down to business. With the academics of a new fall semester coming upon us, so do the sports.

Both the men's and women's sides of the soccer pitch and the cross country trail, as well as action on the volleyball court will once again take the Golden Knights spotlight.

Coming off a season in which they were eliminated in the NCAA Division II Final Four, the Golden Knights Women's Soccer team looks to bounce back and regain the title of National Cham-

pions, which they earned just two seasons ago. According to the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division II preseason poll the Golden Knights are ranked number four in the nation, behind last year's champion West Florida at number one, Grand Valley State at number two, and UC San Diego at number three.

Aside from being ranked so high in the preseason poll, The College of Saint Rose also has the advantage of returning ten of their players from last year. None of those starters may be more crucial to the success of the Golden Knights than senior forward Carmelina Puopolo. Puopolo has already accumulated Golden Knights all-time records in goals (49), assists (41), and points (139). Alongside Puopolo will be

COURTESY OF SAINT ROSE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

Katy Daniels lead the Golden Knights defense with 478 digs.

senior midfielder Sidney Bond who chipped in 13 goals and 30 points last season.

The season opener for the Golden Knights is set for Thursday, September 5 at the Plumeri Sports Complex. They also will play a key game away from home on October 8 against the 25th nationally ranked American International.

The women's squad will also have to share the pitch with their male counterparts, whom closed out the 2012 season with a record of 1-15. It seems as though their fortunes can only get better from here, especially since they will be returning to the pitch with most of the same men of last year. The Golden Knights are to kick off the season with two non-conference home matches against Caldwell and Felician on September 5 and 7, respectively, then head to Sparkill, New York to take on Saint Thomas Aquinas before heading into Northeast-10 Conference play.

On the trails, the men’s side of Golden Knights Cross Country has a large hole to fill with the departure of standout runner Macky Lloyd. Lloyd has taken the helm of being a volunteer assistant for the Golden Knights on both the men’s and women’s sides upon his exit after stellar seasons in both cross country and track and field last year.

The Golden Knights are returning two seniors in Nathan Bub and Samson Dikeman, who should both remain consistent finishers throughout the season.

On the women’s side the Golden Knights are returning two potential top-five finishers in Emma Cohen and Grace Giampaglia.

The first meet of the year will take place on September 7 in Manchester, New Hampshire for the Shacklette Invitational.

On the court the Golden Knights Women’s Volleyball team is looking to follow up on a 2012 campaign that landed

SHAWN BERMAN

The Men’s Soccer team will have their first game on September 5. them a record of 17-10 and a trip to the NE-10 quarterfinal match.

The Golden Knights are returning quite a few impact players from last season such as Alex Gagliano, who finished the season with 265 kills, Carissa Dube, who tallied the second most kills on the team with 232, and Katy Daniels who anchored the defense with 478 digs.

The Golden Knights are faced with two tournaments early on in their schedule. First up is the

Dowling Tournament on September 7 where Saint Rose will faceoff against the host Golden Lions and the NYIT Bears. That tournament is followed by a home contest against Dominican before heading to Rochester, New York to face Bloomfield, and the host Red Hawks at the Robert Wesleyan Tournament.

As things get under way we will just have to wait and see which teams stand where in their NE-10 divisions.