The Chronicle The weekly student newspaper of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York www.strosechronicle.com - @strosechronicle
November 18th, 2014
Volume lxxxIII Issue 14
VETERANS DAY CEREMONY See A9 For More Photos
CHRIS ALVARADO
Two veterans observing the American flag being raised at the Veterans Day ceremony on Tuesday, November 11.
Building Bridges By ShANNON FrIel Contributing Writer The Committee for University and Community Relations convened Wednesday primarily to discuss Albany community build-
ing, college events, and safety proposals. A smartphone application that alerts the users of neighborhood crime and helps community members interact with one Continued on Page A4
News & Features
CREST Colloquium: Daniel Nester By AlexANder PechA Arts Editor This past Thursday night Daniel Nester, an associate English professor at Saint Rose and
Arts & Opinion
CREST Fellow, presented and read selected chapters from his new book Shader: 99 Notes on Car Washes, Making Out in Church, and Other Unlearnable Subjects.
After being introduced by John William Cerl, the director of CREST (The Center for Citizenship, Race, and Ethnicity Continued on Page A7
Sports
Albany High School Offers Suicide Support See page A7
Gyllenhaal Shifts Nightcrawler into Overdrive See page B11
Eastern Conference Review See page D19
The Ray Coco Story See page A6
Let’s Talk About Sex See page C15
We Found Love, But Not on the Cavs See page D20
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News
The Chronicle
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
The Weekly Wrap-Up Your Top 5 Stories from Friday to Sunday *Source: BBC News
uS Base in Japan May Move The predicted winner of the Okinawa governor election, Takeshi Onaga, has opposed plans by the Prime Minister to move the US Airbase Futenma to a less populated part of Okinawa. Mr. Onaga wants the base removed from the island completely. Island residents associate US bases with crime and accidents.
uS hostage Killed by ISIS An online video posted by ISIS allegedly shows the execution of captured US aid worker Peter Kassig, also known as AbdulRahman Kassig. Kassig was a former soldier from Indiana who converted to Islam and changed his name. He was captured by ISIS last year.
Mh17 crash Investigation Begins Workers on the crash of MH17 in Ukraine have started to remove debris and human remains after months of delays. Dutch experts will examine areas of the plane were many bodies are unidentified. The plane was shot down in July, killing all 298 passengers.
Syrian rescue Video hoax The YouTube video “Syrian Hero Boy” has been confirmed to have been faked by a Norwegian director. The clip was filmed last summer in Malta. Lars Klevberg wanted to present the footage as being real to start a discussion about children in war zones.
Bill cosby Sexual Abuse Silence Bill Cosby has declined to comment on the decade-old sexual assault allegations that have resurfaced recently, his lawyer said. Several women over the past 30 years have accused Cosby of abuse. No charges were ever filed. The claims were brought to attention after comedian Hannibal Buress referenced them.
Pics of the Week
The Girls Next Door during a rehearsal on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Saint Rose students gathered in the EAC to celebrate National Philanthropy Day.
NINA BUONAROTA
NINA BUONAROTA
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November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
In Brief
News
Women’s Soccer Coach Suspended Head women’s soccer coach Laurie Darling Gutheil has been suspended for the remainder of the season for a “violation of an institutional policy,” according to an email annnouncement from Catherine Cummins Haker, the College’s athletic director. Assistant Coach Jim Lennox will assume the head coaching position for the balance of the
team’s NCAA Tournament appearance. Darling Gutheil has coached at The College of Saint Rose for 19 seasons and is highly regarded for her many successes as head coach. Her record includes a National Championship win in 2011, making 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 years, and winning eight consec-
utive Northeast-10 regular season championships. St. Rose is seeded first in the NCAA Division II Eastern regional tournament. The team began play on Sunday, defeating LIU Post at home in overtime by a score of 2-1. St. Rose looks to face Mercy in the third round on Friday, Nov. 21 at West Chester University.
The Week of Change Debuts
The Chronicle
The College of Saint Rose debuted its Week of Change on Monday, Nov. 17, providing a week of collaboration between seven clubs on campus devoted to social justice. The Stuff the Van Food Drive, hosted by the Student Association, will take place from 12 to 4 p.m. outside the EAC all week. Better Together and the Catholic Student Organization hosted a benefit concert for Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary. Spectrum has planned a viewing of the film “Do the Right Thing” followed by a discussion on Tuesday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Standish Conference Rooms A & B. The Knights of Service have scheduled its “What Would YOU Fight For?” event for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Albertus 302.
On Thursday the Environmental Club will hold its Green Pageant at 7:30 p.m. in St. Joe’s, and Identity will celebrate Trans-Remembrance Day at 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Last, on Friday the “On Fridays, We Give Back” community service campaign activities are planned, the specifics for which were still being planned at the time this was published. Sophomore Maria Hartz, who was involved with the planning through her role as part of the Better Together Executive Board, said she hopes that everyone who attends the various events finds something to inspire them to make an impact. “It doesn’t have to be something large and extravagant, some of the smallest acts of kindness can make a difference in someone’s life and change our world
in a positive way,” said Hartz. “I think making our students aware of what’s going on in the world while interacting with different student groups is extremely important,” she continued. According to Ken Scott, director of Community Service for Saint Rose, planning for the event began in early October when he invited seven student organizations into a summit meeting. “These organizations all have a connection to a variety of social justice questions. I nicknamed them PG7. Powerhouse group of seven,” said Scott. According to sophomore Alicia Sherlock, who worked with Scott to make this a reality, while it may be the first time a Week of Change has been implemented, the driving forces behind it intend to hold more in the future.
Executive Editor Conor Shea ‘15 sheac613@strose.edu
Features Editor Alexander Wheeler ‘16 wheelera982@strose.edu
Business Manager Ashley Sweet ‘15 sweeta984@strose.edu
Managing Editor Rachel Bolton ‘15 boltonr413@strose.edu
Opinion Editor Katie Klimacek‘17 klimacekk546@strose.edu
Advertising Manager Ashley Sweet ‘15 sweeta984@strose.edu
Alyssa Haddad
News Editor Lauren Sears ‘15 searsl534@strose.edu
Arts Editor Alexander Pecha ‘17 pechaa188@strose.edu
Web Editor Christopher Lovell ‘14 lovellc083@strose.edu
Matt Woods
Layout Editor Jennifer O’Connor ‘16 oconnorj984@strose.edu
Sports Editor Victoria Addison ‘17 addisonv653@strose.edu
Head Photographer Chris Alvarado‘15 alvaradoc822@strose.edu
Jacob Barkman
Assistant Layout Editor Whitney Dobladillo ‘15 dobladillow942@strose.edu
Copy Editor Jenessa Matis ‘14 matisj311@strose.edu
Faculty Adviser Cailin Brown
The Chronicle
Calendar of Events Tuesday, November 18th 6:00 p.m. MAPS Weekly Meeting AH 109 7:00 p.m. Saint Rose Lay Academy Hubbard Library 7:30 p.m. Spectrum General Board Meeting SCR A & B 7:30 p.m Saint Rose Knight Club Bru; Saint Rose Room 8:15 p.m Golden Knights Dance Practice EAC Rm 110 8:00 p.m Yoga for Students Hubbard Sanctuary Wednesday, November 19th 6 p.m SA Meeting SCR A & B 6:30 p.m. BASIC Weekly Meeting Hubbard Sanctuary 7 p.m Board Game Club Meeting Albertus 103 7:30 p.m Saint Rose Knight Club Bru; Saint Rose Room 7:30 p.m CDAEYC General Meeting Albertus 301 9 p.m Karate Club Practice Lima Conf. Room Thursday, November 20th 10 a.m. The Great American Smokeout Main Lounge 4:30 p.m. Film Enthusiast’s Club Meeting Hearst Center Rm 121L 5:30 p.m SEB Meeting St Joseph’s Auditorium 6:00 p.m. Crate of Apes Meeting Lima SA Conf Rm 7:30 p.m. Green Pageant St Joseph’s Auditorium 8:30 p.m Identity Meeting Lima Conf. Room 9:15 p.m. Knightz in Motion Dance Practice EAC Rm 110 9:30 p.m ALANA Steppers Practice Lima Conf. Room Friday, November 21st 10:00 a.m. Coffee and Q’s Career Center 3 p.m Knightz in Motion Practice EAC Room 110 7 p.m Saint Rose Knights Club Bru; Saint Rose Room Saturday, November 22nd 7:30 p.m Saint Rose Knight Club Bru; Saint Rose Room Sunday, November 23rd 9:00 a.m. Karate Club Practice EAC Rm 110 3:00 p.m. His Image Gospel Choir Rehearsal Massry 302
If you have an upcoming event you would like to see in our weekly Calendar of Events, please e-mail chronicle@strose.edu.
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News Building Bridges-Neighbors and Students
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The Chronicle
Continued From Page A1 another was introduced Wednesday at the Albany Police Department’s Center Station. A proposal for the use of the Village Defense Application was presented by Luke Rumsey, assistant director for community life at the University at Albany. The smartphone application allows citizens of specific neighborhoods to communicate directly with one another concerning crime. The application would enable Pine Hills residents to communicate and alert, assist one another, or avoid crime scenes. This application is used nationally but not locally. The Pine Hills would be the first community in Albany to use it and any resident interested would receive an activation code. The application would be implemented by the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, but there is a fear that it could be too costly. The application leaves the user anonymous, although the location of the crime is posted. The main concern, according to Rumsey, is
that although monitored, it is possible for inaccurate information to be spread. A separate and more accurate application, Nixel, is already being used, but Village Defense allows for faster alerts and fosters community building. The decision of whether to activate the application is still being debated. With the recent rise in local crime, this could help permanent residents and college students work together. Recent local crimes could forewarn nearby citizens, or even let them know about crimes that aren’t reported by the media. In the last several weeks, four robberies occurred between Oct. 22 and Nov. 8, police reported. In three of these instances, a handgun was displayed, according to Patrol Officer Kyle Parker. On Halloween night there was a disturbance between Hudson and Quail, which attracted a large crowd but resulted in no violence and was quickly dispersed by the Albany Police Dept. Two University at Albany students were arrested for public urination during
a University alcohol and safety walk on the week of Halloween. The vacation check program is advocated by the Albany Police Dept. for students who live in off-campus housing and will be leaving for break.
“All the colleges would benefit, it makes no sense for them to not be involved.” Dick Clarkson Off-campus students are a main concern within the Committee for University and Community Relations. According to Philip Chandler, from the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, this committee could be a vehicle for students to discuss, find help, and resolve off-campus issues. “This is a challenge to get the message of fire safety to offcampus students,” Chandler said. He explained that he desired for students to know their rights,
Shannon Friel
Discussion among college and community leaders at the Committee on University and Community Relations meeting.
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
specifically pertaining to landlords, and explained that the fire dept. has a legal responsibility to check colleges but not individual houses. Chandler said that this past Halloween a student-rented apartment near the University of Southern Maine caught fire and left five people dead. He also spoke of a fire in a student-rented space near the state University at Plattsburgh in February 2009 where a Plattsburgh student and a UAlbany student were the victims. Chandler is the same officer who conducts the fire and safety inspections at The College of Saint Rose. Another neighborhood initiative was also discussed at the meeting. The Midtown Neighborhood Watch initiative recently gained 16 new members. This group does nightly patrols of the neighborhood and reports any suspicious activity to the Albany Police Department. Patrols are conducted in pairs and no direct action is taken by the volunteers unless directed by the police. Ten new shifts were accepted recently. All volunteers are trained and the program currently operates out of the Saint Rose Security building on Partridge Street. College students are welcome to participate. Another program discussed at the meeting included the Pine Hills Improvement Group, led by Carolyn Keefe. She is looking for student volunteers and student organizations to help in upcoming programs and future events. Keefe would like to have student organizations be the liaison between her group and the students in the College. Specifically, she is trying to organize a year-round clean-up program and more support for the “Meet, Munch and More” program that works to unite offcampus students and community members. She also would like for students to “become part of the conversation” and attend more of the University and Community
Relations meetings. The meetings for the Pine Hills Improvement Group are held in the Pine Hills Library at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month. This next coming meeting is combining the November and December agenda and will meet on Dec. 1. The members of the committee are advocating for more local participation, both with college officials and the students. “All the colleges would benefit, it makes no sense for them to not be involved,” said Dick Clarkson from the Albany Medical College. Often, The College of Saint Rose’s
“I enjoy doing it. I think it’s a great way to share information with different community members and groups.” Nancy Lauricella only representation is Dave Mankad, a campus security officer, who comes to learn if there is anything to make the relationship between the College and community better, or if there is any news he could use to keep the students better informed. The committee has been working for the last 23 years to enhance, promote, and share the concerns and ideas of the Pine Hills residents. Its mission is to allow various constituents to share information about various issues and bring to light anything the community would like to see addressed. Nancy Lauricella, the chair of the University and Community Relations meeting, said “I enjoy doing it. I think it’s a great way to share information with different community members and groups.”
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
News
Saint Rose Marketing Students Help Improve St. Anne’s Institute By JONAS MILLER Staff Writer St. Anne’s Institute has partnered with a Saint Rose MBA class in order to improve its current marketing strategies. The College of Saint Rose sent out a request for proposals from the community earlier this year, in an effort to help non-profit organizations throughout the city. The College Advisory Board received a proposal from St. Anne’s Institute, a local school for girls located on Central Avenue, to help improve its current marketing strategies as it tries to spread the knowledge of the services it provides to the Capital Region. The chair of the Advisory Board, Fred Boehrer, who is also the coordinator of academic service learning at Saint Rose, accepted the proposal from St. Anne’s. Boehrer reached out to Savita Hanspal, a professor at the Huether School of Business at Saint Rose, and requested that her graduate-level class get involved in the project. Hanspal’s class split into several groups, who were each instructed to come up with a marketing plan that they would then pitch to St. Anne’s. Thursday evening, those pitches were made to the CEO of St. Anne’s, Anthony Cortese, who said afterward that the experience was incredible and almost overwhelming. Hanspal’s students had 11 weeks to complete the pitch and prepare a full presentation within their groups to present to Cortese. Cortese said the information he heard was going to positively impact the institute. “Some things that we heard tonight, we can implement immediately,” Cortese said. Among the topics brought up was creating both a stronger presence online and in the community through the use of social media
and hardcopy advertisements. “There’s a definite market out there, it just needs to be tapped,” said Reshmi Chakrabarti, a marketing student at the College. Many of the groups touched on issues such as improving the appearance of the institute, and dedicating full-time positions to further the institute’s marketing. St. Anne’s, located at 160 Central Ave., is a “not for profit organization dedicated to improving the emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of children and families throughout New York State,” according to its mission statement.
“As a teacher, I feel these types of projects are very challenging, but offer great learning opportunities to students.” Savita Hanspal The institute provides services such as residential childcare for families in need, educational programs, and sexual abuse prevention programs. Hanspal spoke to the nature of the assignment. “As a teacher, I feel these types of projects are very challenging, but offer great learning opportunities to students,” said Hanspal. Each group gave a 15-30 minute presentation, and the event wrapped up around 9 p.m. Hanspal spent the bulk of her professional career in India. She has a doctorate in marketing, and has been teaching at Saint Rose for three years now. “Through this kind of task, the students get real-life experience that no textbook or simulated exercise can provide,” Hanspal said.
She is proud of her students for accomplishing this task, and said they took the challenge head on, not allowing the deadline or the lack of information to affect their performance. A current master’s student, David Newell, who earned his bachelor’s at SUNY Albany, appreciated the amount of professional experience gained from the presentations. “I was a little nervous at first, because we weren’t sure who we were supposed to aim the marketing at,” Newell said. “Once we figured that out, we really got a grasp of the project.” Newell said the presentation was very good practice for him professionally. Even though the students used Microsoft PowerPoint for their presentations, Newell said it’s a basic skill that you can never practice too much. “Someday I could be making a major pitch, that could affect my entire career, and it’s the little things like how to make a successful PowerPoint presentation, that are going to help me succeed,” Newell said. Cortese took careful notes during the presentations. He told the class afterward that he would study the information a little, and then commit, as the institute could instantly benefit from the ideas that were presented. “When you see the same thing every day, you don’t realize what is working, and what isn’t,” Cortese said. “The students provided great insight into how we can improve the institute that will help us find a balance between the things we’re doing well, and what needs to be improved,” added Cortese. Overall, both Hanspal and Cortese were pleased with what the students presented. “The students did a great job learning concepts, and then applying those concepts to a reallife situation,” Hanspal said.
The Chronicle
Saint Rose Music Awards By Alexander Wheeler Features Editor Brought back by popular demand, the College’s student body saw the return of the Saint Rose Music Awards in Saint Joe’s. Featuring six student performances, the night was filled with great vocals and sick beats. The event took place on Friday, Nov. 14, and was put on by the Student Events Board and was a first-class red carpet event. Featuring the likes of GK Dance, Brian Jay, the ALANA steppers, The Girls Next Door, and some freshman performers including the vibrant Alexander Lawrence, the night went rather smoothly with a few bumps here or there-which is to be expected from any sort of event of this caliber. Sometimes the Academy Awards even have a few glitches--remember when James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosted it a few years ago? The event featured a plethora of MCs and hosts including the likes of Katie Klimacek, Katie Maher, Priscilla Ly, Brittany O’Hea and many more. Each award was presented following a sound bite from the nominated artists. The winners are listed below: A Capella: Girls Next Door Acoustic/Folk: Kaleb Catricala Alternative: Christopher Coak ley Dance: ALANA Steppers Gospel: His Image Gospel Choir Pop: Michael Razzano & Zachary Grappone R&B/ Hip Hop: Brian Jay Best Group: ALANA Steppers Best Male Solo: Alexander Lawrence Best Female Solo: Becca Sacca Brian Jay Award: Brian Jay The night really took off after the pop-rap duo DNK took the stage for a final performance to end the night. The results included a storm of dancing Saint Rose students and Saint Joe’s filled
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with excitement. DNK features David Michael Davis and Kyla Marie Erb and they cover mostly any top 40 feeling and good time music. When it took the stage, DNK performed a mash-up of various top singles on the radio including “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry and “Holy Grail” by Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake. The rest of the set list included some original songs and covers of “Ignition” and “Can’t Hold Us.” DNK released a self-titled EP back in March and it is available on iTunes. The duo has been together for a year and a half with Erb hailing from Spokane, Washington and Davis coming from Wheaton, Illinois. The two met at Belmont University and have been doing their thing ever since. After DNK took the stage at the Saint Rose Music Awards, the crowd jumped out of its seats and started to sway to the music. After what seemed like a night of untapped potential in terms of execution, DNK swooped in and lifted Saint Rose’s spirit. When asked to sum the event up in one word, followed by one sentence, President and Vice President (Priscilla Ly and Brittany O’Hea, respectively) of SEB had these statements to say: Ly: “Bizarre,” followed by, “It wrapped up wonderfully.” O’Hea: “Spectacular,” followed by, “Seeing everyone getting engaged with the band at the end makes it all worth it.” Whatever the Saint Rose Music Award’s shortcomings may have been, the night came together and culminated in an effective celebration of the talent that we have on the campus here at The College of Saint Rose. If any club could put something like this together, it’s SEB – and here is hoping that there are many more successful Saint Rose Music Awards to come.
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News
The Chronicle
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Saving The World:The Ray Coco Story By Alexander Wheeler Features Editor How long can you picture doing the thing that you love to do? Imagine doing it for close to 40 years. Raymond Coco, a professor in the Computer Science Department at The College of Saint Rose, has been teaching since November 1978 and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. The Chronicle was pleased to be able to sit down with Coco, where he proceeded to tell us the unabridged story of how he got where he is. A native of St. Johnsville, NY, Coco went to Union College in the hopes of pursuing his childhood dream. “When I was a wee and tiny lad, I had a chemistry set, and I made all kinds of wonderful things like gun powder and rocket
fuel. I thought for my entire high school career that I wanted to be a chemist, so I went to Union as a chemistry major and was sure that I was going to go to work for some chemical company and do something good for mankind, like synthesize a new drug,” Coco said. “Then I decided I should go to graduate school. I was in the mood to educate, and I thought that if I ever left I would never come back to it. My adviser at Union in my senior year left to become the department chair at Geneseo. He sent me a correspondence, asking me what I was going to do after I graduate, and said “Would you please come here? I need help. Would you consider coming here and doing your master’s?”” At that point in his life, Coco still thought he was “going to save the world.” “I got there, and in addition to taking more courses I was as-
CHris alvarado
Raymond Coco, a professor in the Computer Science department, has been teaching since November 1978.
signed to teach some chemistry labs, and I got into the labs and thought, I like this.” At the end of the first semester at Geneseo, a faculty member
“It keeps me up to date with the technology because I feel that I should be in part to the students in order to relay the very latest pieces of information.” Raymond Coco arrived from New Delhi who had been working with these then-brand-new computers. That faculty member wanted to do some mathematical modeling in chemistry by using a computer, and needed a graduate student to work with him. Coco was that graduate student. “I started going over to the computer center of Geneseo, which was about as big as this room,” he said, indicating the Albertus classroom we were sitting in. “I picked up the manual for the computer. I started spending 12 hours a day over in the computer center--I found something new that was fun--playing with that beast,” he said, pointing toward the computer the room. “Suddenly, the man who worked in the computer center whose job it was to oversee academic computing just up and quit --no notice,” said Coco. Coco was offered the position under the assurance that his chemistry courses would be taken care of, along with a full-time salary in order to take the computer job.
“I started teaching the computer courses. I never went back to chemistry. I got so enthralled with the beast and what it could do-she gave me the job permanently. I stayed at Geneseo for four years --until ’78.” That was when he came to the Capital Region. “I picked up the Chronicle of Higher Ed one day, and saw that there was a job for someone at SUNY Albany as a programmer and an instructor. That was in November of 1978, and I spent from then until September 2007 at SUNY Albany in the Computer Science Department.” Those 29 years wore him out. “Then I retired. I thought--I’m old enough to collect my state
pension and go fishing. I lasted two weeks. I couldn’t stand it. The students were what kept me active all of those years, so I went back to work as an adjunct. I started working at Sage, Bryant and Stratton, Hudson Valley, Saint Rose, and Siena. For all of the years since, I’ve been at multiple places… and that is the story of my life up until this point.” When asked what his favorite aspect of teaching is, Coco said, “It keeps me young. It keeps me up to date with the technology, because I feel that I should be, in part to the students in order to relay the very latest pieces of information. It keeps me up to date in the field, and I don’t feel 66 years old--I am, but I don’t feel it.”`
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November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
News
Albany High School Offers Suicide Support
By Victoria Addison Sports Editor
Albany High School will host its first International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day on Saturday, Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students, parents, and members of the community are welcome to attend. The event will be supported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, an organization that dedicates itself to understanding and teaching people about suicide prevention. “I feel like this is going to reach a lot of people, beyond teachers and students,” said Liz Gialanella, a school psychologist at Albany High. “This is a brandnew thing for our school, and I had to work hard to get this here. I am glad that my principal was supportive enough to let us do it.” The event will offer those who have been affected by suicide a chance to tell their stories. So far, 12 people have signed up to attend. The staff at Albany High emphasizes the importance of teaching suicide prevention to students, and uses many materials from the foundation in doing so. Students are first introduced to the school’s suicide prevention program in tenth grade, during health class. “It’s not only myself. There’s two school psychologists and five social workers, so we split up and go into every health class and do
the program,” Gialanella said. The team shows students a video that demonstrates warning signs of depression, and also distributes materials from the foundation that focus on surviving a suicide loss or attempt. The staff then stays after the program is over, in case any student has questions or would like to further discuss the topic. “We want kids to be aware that if they have been experiencing these feelings, that we can refer them and get them some help, and usually we have two or three kids afterward who come to us and kind of disclose that this is something they are struggling with,” Gialanella said. “We are looking to increase referrals.” The entire staff at the high school is trained in suicide prevention. After this year’s staff training, Gialanella and the two other psychologists at Albany High had five staff members come to them to discuss issues within their families. “That was really powerful and really useful, from not only an awareness and teaching perspective, but a personal perspective,” said Gialanella. At the beginning of the year, each staff member is trained using the Lifelines Suicide Prevention Program. The program is evidence-based and helps trainees recognize the warning signs associated with thoughts of sui-
Victoria Addison
Albany High School will host an International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day for students, parents, and community members.
cide, and also what actions to take when a student exhibits such signs. If a student feels suicidal, the school has implemented a crisis plan in which a staff member must identify the warning signs, approach the student in a nonjudgmental manner, and then refer him or her to a counselor. The nurses’ office has also been set up as a safe place for students to go if they are in need of help. Currently, the school uses the foundation’s “More Than Sad” program, which teaches students to detect early suicide warning signs, such as depression. Albany High has been working with the foundation for several years, according to Laura Marx, the area director for the Capital Region. Marx said that it is important to “let kids know that people care,” so that they understand how important it is to talk to someone if they need help. Shawn Berman, a former Albany High student who graduated in 2012, experienced the effects of suicide within the Albany High community during his time at the school. He is currently an assistant varsity wrestling coach at Albany High, and studies as a junior at The College of Saint Rose. “When I was in tenth grade at Albany High, a very popular math teacher committed suicide,” Berman said. “It was a surprise to everyone because she was very well liked. No one would have ever guessed that she would do something like that.” The school worked to help students cope with the loss through the establishment of group counseling sessions, and also with a continued emphasis on suicide prevention. “I think it’s important for schools to provide this service those who need it, because it shows how close-knit a community it is,” Berman said. “Everyone is there for each other, no matter what the circumstances may be.”
The Chronicle
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CREST Colloquium Continued From Page A1 Studies), Dan Nester gave a brief history of his writing, saying that his book was, in reality, two different books that sort of melded together. Nester explained that the book was a combination of a writing project where he wrote every day for 99 days, and a normal run-of-the-mill memoir. The book focused on Nester’s childhood in the small town of Maple Shade, New Jersey and his experiences there. One of the first stories Nester told was about how, over 40 years ago, a young Martin Luther King Jr. and his friends tried to get drinks from a local Maple Shade bar only to be chased out by the frantic owner brandishing a shotgun. King would later remark that this event was a turning point for him. Nester noted that despite King saying this, most biographies barely mention it, and, even better, there are many people in the town of Maple Shade itself who argue to this day whether the story is true or not; making it more a legend than a historical event to the town. Nester went on to read several other excerpts from his upcoming book, including “Notes on Being a Shader Record Nerd” where he detailed the ins and outs of being a teenager obsessed with music pop-culture at the expense of everyone else. As well as a chapter on his job at a car wash, where he was by far the youngest employee, Nester regaled the audience with a direct reading of these parts of his book which offered an interesting look into his life growing up as well as the community of Maple Shade, the very definition of small town America. While most have described Nester’s childhood as one defined by blue collar and working class, Nester said that he feels very “off” about using the terms. Nester made it a point to explain that out of the 88,000 words in his book the term “working class”
was only used four times and “blue collar” five times. He said that some of this is due to the old saying “Show, don’t tell.” He did concede that it was partly due to him not feeling comfortable with the term, stating that he felt it was an “ethical” issue. Nester concluded his presentation with one of the last chapters of his book titled “Last Notes on the Shade,” where he described his current relation to his hometown and the nostalgia that occasionally draws him there. After the reading he held a Q&A with the audience where he revealed a little more information about his family including his interesting relationship with his sister. Nester cited a story where, when he considered himself a “Shader Record Nerd” he was walking down the sidewalk with his friends and his sister and her friends were also walking down the sidewalk. When his sister’s friends saw him they went to the other side of the street, though his sister gave him a slight nod, which, as Nester put it, “Said ‘you’re still my brother, but yeah, no.’” The Chronicle spoke to Nester briefly after the event. He stated that he thought the event went well and that he planned to partake in more events on campus, including more CREST presentations since he has a Fellowship from them. He was also asked if he had anything to say to students of Saint Rose who are from New Jersey like himself, to which he responded, “South Jersey represent... go Eagles! Go Phillies!” Shader: 99 Notes on Car Washes, Making Out in Church, Grief, and Other Unlearnable Subjects will be released in 2015 by 99: The Press and he has other notable works including How to be Inappropriate, The Incredible Sestina Anthology and two collections of essays all about the band Queen, called God Save My Queen: A Tribute and God Save My Queen II: The Show Must Go On.
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Garage to Glory Presents: Matt Dalton By Lauren Sears News Editor In a collaboration with the Communications and Music Industry department, a student-produced live musical performance blasted through Jack’s Place late Wednesday evening. “Garage to Glory” is a 30-minute broadcast that occurs a few times each semester. The second show in this semester’s series features Matt Dalton. Dalton is a small-town musician who branched out from his hometown in Massachusetts to Boston to study music at Boston University. He, and his band Ellis, self-managed themselves to find shows, promoted themselves, and made sure the good of the band was put before Dalton individually. Dalton is so committed to his music that he decided to take a year off from Boston University
to develop his craft. His music led him to Saint Rose. His musical style is best described as indie. Dalton’s music was influenced by Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, and Foo Fighters, which are all alternative bands, as well as the folk music band Fleet Foxes. The Video for Field and Studio class in the Communications department and the Artist Management class in the Music Industry department have been planning this collaboration since the beginning of the month. Students in the Video class controlled the recorded aspect of the program. “We’re in charge of recording the show, streaming it to the web, directing the show, producing the show and helping promote the show,” said Kacey O’Brien, the producer of Garage to Glory. The Artist Management students are in charge of the stage management aspect of the show. "The artist management class did
half of this show. We managed Matt and made sure he got to the show. Our class held auditions for Garage to Glory and Matt made the cut. He then told the class about his music and performances in the past," said Mark Slavin, one of the students involved. Dalton played six songs during the 30-minute show. He wrote five out of the six, and ended the show with a cover of “Do Me a Favour” by the Arctic Monkeys. When asked about performing, Dalton said that he "likes the energy, and how it allows people to be whatever they want to be." He also enjoys communicating to a large group of people through music. For more information about Garage to Glory, contact Paul Conti in the Communications department or Sister Mary Anne Nelson in the Music Industry department.
Matt Dalton (right) performing alongside Patrick Flores.
Lauren Sears
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
The Girls Next Door Leveraging Social Media
By NINA BUONAROTA Contributing Writer
The Girls Next Door, the oncampus, all-girls acapella group, has figured out the ultimate PR secret to get their fans more involved on their facebook page: themed pictures. The girls, as a group, wanted a new and refreshing idea to showcase their funny, outgoing personalities. So they decided to come up with a theme every week for which they would all dress up, take a picture as a group, and post it on their Facebook page the following week. So far, their themes have included “Superheroes” and “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink,” for Pink Week at the College. They have dressed in Saint Rose attire to show their school spirit, and this past week they decided to dress like boys and be “The Boys Next Door.” Last year, they did “GND of the Week,” where they would highlight a member for the week and write a little blurb about them on Facebook. Since they had around 14 members, that lasted a long time, but they wanted to step up their game this semester and do something their fans could really get involved with. They have even asked their Facebook fans what theme they would like to see next! GND President Mackenzie Cohn gave us her description of how she and the group would like to be known around campus, and in general. “We want to be as real as possible. We love to dress up. It’s fun for us, and we want it to be fun for other people to see. There is a stigma about clubs,
and especially acapella groups. We aren’t a sorority, or exclusive at all. We don’t want the public to view us as a club they can’t join or be a part of in some way.” PR correspondent Lindsay Moran explained that Facebook pages can get boring if you do not have a lot of content to update with, and they wanted to try and be different, to get people interested in their Facebook page, hopefully enough to Like it. “We are just trying to show everyone who we are and how we are just crazy, goofy, energetic, fun girls,” explained Moran. “We are trying to find new and creative ways to be inviting on social media.” Cohn brought up an example of how the girls would like to portray themselves by describing a recent performance at South Glen Falls High School. “Everyone was asking us for photographs and pictures. It was the most humbling experience because we always joke and laugh about that we are a big deal, but never actually consider ourselves a big deal at all,” Cohn said. “We are appreciative of everything from everyone.” Bringing it back to the main idea, Moran explained the purpose of all of this by saying, “The more fun things we show on our page, the more interaction we have from fans. Not only that, but it helps the group bond, laugh, and grow together.” We can all agree these images will create good times and establish memories to last a lifetime. The girls will be posting a new picture every single Wednesday, so stay tuned to see what themes they have up their sleeves this week.
“We are trying to find new and creative ways to be inviting on social media.” Lindsay Moran
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
News
The Chronicle
Veterans Day Ceremony
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Photos by Adriana Rosales
Many of the Saint Rose community, as well as Albany locals, showed up to the Veterans Day event.
Lance-Corporal Terry and Cadet Jordan raising the flag.
The Girls Next Door sang the national anthem as the flag was being raised.
Display cases outside of the Main Lounge contain uniforms used by veterans.
William Price surprised President Stefanco by giving her a Marine Corps coin.
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Arts
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Top of the Week For Nov. 10 - 15 Movies at the Box Office
T.V. Shows
1. Big Hero 6 (56.2M) 2. Interstellar (47.5M) 3. Gone Girl (6.2M) 4. Ouija (5.9M) 5. Fury (5.6M) 6. St. Vincent (5.4M) 7. Nightcrawler (5.4M) 8. John Wick (4.1M) 9. Alexander and the Terrible... (3.5M) 10. The Book of Life (2.8M)
1. NBC Sunday Night Football 2. The Big Bang Theory 3. CMA Awards 4. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick 5. Dancing With The Stars 6. Madam Secretary 7. 60 Minutes 8. NCIS 9. The Voice 10. Blue Bloods
*Source: RottenTomatoes.com
*Source: Nielsen.com
Books
Music
Fiction: 1. Gray Mountain (John Grisham) 2. The Burning Room (Michael Connelly) 3. Prince Lestat (Anne Rice) 4. Leaving Time (Jodi Picoult) 5. The Slow Regard of Silent... (Patrick Rothfuss)
Albums: 1. 1989 (Taylor Swift) 2. Motion (Calvin Harris) 3. Just As I Am (Brantley Gilbert) 4. Montevallo (Sam Hunt) 5. It’s The Girls! (Bette Midler) Songs: 1. Shake It Off (Taylor Swift) 2. All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor) 3. Animals (Maroon 5) 4. Habits (Tove Lo) 5. Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj)
Non-Fiction: 1. Killing Patton (Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard) 2. Yes Please (Amy Poehler) 3. Not That Kind of Girl (Lena Dunham) 4. Being Mortal (Atul Gawande) 5. True Love (Jennifer Lopez) *Source: New York Times Best Sellers
*Source: Billboard.com
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Arts
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Award Great or Award Bait? Gyllenhaal Shifts Nightcrawler into Overdrive By AlexANder Wheeler Features Editor and JOSePh cONWAY Staff Writer Is a film made to entertain or to win awards? Does it happen to be entertaining and also award worthy? Alexander Wheeler and Joseph Conway are here to answer those questions in this week’s edition of “Award Great or Award Bait” In Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut, Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Louis Bloom – a sociopathic Nightcrawler. A Nightcrawler is a freelance recorder who attempts to travel to crime scenes and record gruesome scenes for news stations. Alexander’s Opinion Gyllenhaal almost went on to play Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy. There are some days when I wonder what that would have been like, and then there are days that I’m thankful that the job went to Christian Bale so Gyllenhaal could stick to films like this. After watching a countless number of his films (Jarhead, Donnie
Darko, Brothers, Prisoners, and most recently, Enemy) Gyllenhaal has easily solidified himself as one of my favorite actors, and I’m rooting for a potential nomination for last year’s impressive Prisoners. This is the year that I think he could score a Lead Actor nomination. While it is still early in the circuit, Gyllenhaal carries the film with assurance, charisma and a wickedness that is deeply rooted.
[I]t seems like maybe Gyllenhaal’s performance in a film released in midOctober might go overlooked. While I admired the film’s stance on media exploitation and its subtly aggressive message about capitalism, the rest of the film doesn’t measure up in comparison to Gyllenhaal’s starring performance. That isn’t to say that the film is bad – I loved it more than almost everything else at the the-
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Jake Gyllenhaal plays an intense role in Nightcrawler.
ater this year – but Gyllenhaal is the reason why this film tops my list. While Gyllenhaal has played a perfect second to the likes of Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Mark Ruffalo, and even himself (please watch Enemy), he finally packs one hell of a punch in a lead role. This isn’t the boy we met way back in Donnie Darko. This Gyllenhaal is an assured star, hungry for his spot at the top. His Louis Bloom is an aggressive antihero who storms the screen every time we see him. There are more than a handful of truly engrossing monologues he gives throughout the film that are worthy of praise for his delivery – but the tool that Gyllenhaal uses to his utmost benefit throughout the film is his gaze. His expressions are hollow, tired and empty. In a pool of actors that seems thick this year (Carell for Foxcatcher, McConaughey for Interstellar, Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game, Keaton for Birdman, Cooper for American Sniper, Oyelowo for Selma) it seems like perhaps Gyllenhaal’s performance in a film released midOctober might go overlooked. I’m opting to think the other way, and I predict that Gyllenhaal will sneak his way into the final list and score his first Lead Actor nomination. Joseph’s Opinion Nightcrawler is a thriller directed by first-timer Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, who puts on a performance that may just define his career. Gilroy’s film takes us to a land rarely explored, with Gyllenhaal making us care about it and maybe even fearing it. When we consider whether this movie is an award great or award bait, we must keep in mind that this is Dan Gilroy’s first at-
tempt at directing a film, and with that consideration I must say, he directed a truly enchanting film. The movie features music by James Newton Howard, and through his music, the film’s creepy and thrilling tone is truly enhanced. The cinematography, by Robert Elswit, provides audiences with some truly breathtaking, heart-pumping, hair-pulling moments. With his crew supporting him, this rookie director truly hit a home run. Though Gilroy’s first performance as a director was spectacular, if anyone is walking away with Oscar gold come the big night, it is going to be Gyllenhaal. He has been in great movies in the past (End of Watch, Brokeback Mountain and Prisoners come to mind) but this performance may give him a chance at the Oscar for Best Lead Actor. Throughout the movie, Gyllenhaal doesn’t just act with his voice. He acts with his face, his eyes and the expressions throughout his whole body. Gyllenhaal’s
Louis Bloom is both creepy and irritating in the best way possible. Throughout the film Gyllenhaal delivers monologues that give audience members goose bumps; he makes you feel uncomfortable, and to some extent, even scared. Gyllenhaal’s character is the kind of person you meet on a bus, have one conversation with and remember them forever, because they were weird to an extent that terrified you. I believe that with this performance Gyllenhaal will have a chance at victory come award season, and due to Rosamund Pike’s fantastic performance in Gone Girl, we may just have the creepiest Oscar character pairing of all time. Our final verdict bestows Gilroy’s film with the title of Award Great. Alexander’s Predictions Best Actor Joseph’s Predictions Best Director, Best Actor
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Arts
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Nicki Minaj Under Fire for Nazi Imagery
By NICHOLAS NEGRON Staff Writer Nicki Minaj’s lyric video for the song “Only” has been causing controversy due to Nazi imagery. The video features colors and symbols reminiscent of the Nazi regime, along with flags, armbands, uniforms and gasmasks. The rapper tweeted an apology for the video, stating she would “never condone Nazism in [her] art.” The video’s director, Jeffery Osborne, felt differently. “I think it’s actually important to remind younger generations of atrocities that occurred in the past as a way to prevent them from happening in the future,” Osborne wrote on his Myspace page. There is a clear difference between educating youth through historical allusion, and almost iconography. Yes, the lyric video is not a “sappy tearjerker,” as Osborne put it. The purpose of this Nazi imagery is not meant to stir the deep emotions rooted in association to World War II. As it is, the song has absolutely nothing to do with Nazism, war
or any historical events. “The video represents Young Money as a generic totalitarian regime, which takes images and symbols from several countries and time periods, one of which is Nazism,” Osborne said in an interview will Billboard. If the video is trying to correlate Young Money to powerful military regimes, than why do the lyrics not reflect this sentiment? Minaj, Drake and Lil’ Wayne fail to even mention Young Money in the song, which is surprising. Osborne responded to those who feel as if the video is trivializing the Holocaust because of the song’s sexual explicitly. “It has nothing to do with glorifying Hitler or the Holocaust. People think it’s trivializing the Holocaust because the song talks about sex, but I have no control over the lyrical content,” Osborne continued. He then began to mention national security issues, which are irrelevant to the context of his argument, including 9/11, internet privacy, CIA intelligence and the one percent. He cites the First
Amendment in response to those who want the video removed, stating that it is art. The video debuted on the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht. This is translates to “Night of Broken Glass.” Today it solemnly pays respect to the day when over 1,000 synagogues and temples were burned, and over 10,000 Jews were brought to concentration camps. This day was an indication of the beginning of what would become known as the Holocaust. Also, the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was recently celebrated. One cannot help but wonder if the release date was strategically chosen to extend the video’s controversy. If Osborne did anything helpful in his in-depth statement to Billboard, he took blame off Nicki Minaj. Minaj had taken responsibility for the lyric video, but almost backtracked by stating that Osborne is Jewish and was influenced by the cartoon “Metalocalypse.” “As far as applying Nazi imagery, 100% me… Not once did we [Young Money] sit in the same
room, nor did they ask if I applied a deeper hidden meaning,” admitted Osborne. The “Only” video is not an anomaly. Controversial imagery in music has been prominent since visuals were added to lyrics. Artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Robin Thicke have pushed the accepted boundaries through their visual expression in music. Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” music video was released thirty years ago. The video still causes immense controversy today over Madonna’s treatment of religious symbols. The intentional mix of sex and religion was meant to provoke viewers. The contention surrounding the video became extreme to the point that Pope John Paul II banned Madonna from making any appearances in Italy. Aside from this, the video also featured a character modeled after Saint Martin de Porres, the patron saint of people of mixed race. Kanye West’s artistry is heavily based on visuals and performances that complement his
lyrical messages. The rapper was part of a controversy after branding himself as “Yeezus,” a combination of Kanye and Jesus. This went along with the release of his 6th album, Yeezus. The record hit home with critics, many of whom considered it to be thought-provoking. However, many others were offended that West had the audacity to allude to any comparison between himself and Jesus. While the imagery in the “Only” lyric video was not Minaj’s fault, Osborne confirms that Young Money was well aware of the video’s theme, and took no precautions before its release. This contrivance of comparing Young Money to the Nazi Regime is, if nothing else, insulting to the record label. Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil’ Wayne should be offended that their images are associated with a government responsible for mass genocide in this lyric video. Only time will tell if this controversy will continue; Osborne’s constant defensive statements keep the story very alive in the media.
South Park is Good, Mmkay? Editors Review GroundedVindaloop By VICTORIA ADDISON Sports Editor and ALEXANDER PECHA Arts Editor Summary This week on South Park poor innocent Butters believes he’s in a virtual reality machine via Cartman’s trickery when he is in real life, causing actual havoc in South Park. However when Butters is stabbed by a prostitute and Cartman is trying to protect himself by telling Butters that he’s stuck in Virtual Reality it soon turns out that Cartman is actually the one stuck in a Virtual Reality. The rabbit hole goes deeper as Cartman and the rest of the guys, as well as one tech support guy in
India, try to figure out what is real and what is not. All the while one question must be answered: Has tech support Steve successfully answered your questions today? Alex’s Opinion I think I can pin-point the moment that I realized this episode was genius. It was probably when Steve, the tech support guy from India and “guest” character for the episode, tells the guys that the VR headsets are subject to a “Total Recall” and everyone’s reaction is “Oh **** you.” This episode is extremely confusing though, trying to distinguish what’s real and what’s not soon proves essentially impossible. However unlike the movies it’s mocking such as Total Recall, The Matrix and Inception I don’t
think this episode of South Park was meant to be figured out. It seems to me that the writers very much wanted you confused as part of the joke; and oh boy did it work. This episode is hilarious, doubly so if you get all of the movies they are making fun of through the run time. I will say, however, that I don’t like the “twist” at the end of the episode when it’s revealed that South Park is in actuality a Virtual Reality game for some live action kids. There’s something unnerving about seeing real kids playing the raunchy boys from the series that just rubs me the wrong way. I actually liked the twist at first but the more I think about it the more it just doesn’t quite sit well with me. Overall though this episode
hits a lot of good notes and was pretty funny from start to finish. I enjoyed the sometimes obscure movie references and the purposefully confusing Virtual Reality set up. While not as funny as Go Fund Yourself or Handicar it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. Rating: 3.75/5 Victoria’s Opinion Despite not knowing what was going on half the time, I found this episode to be highly amusing. Although, I am still unsure which parts of the episode actually happened and which were a part of the so-called virtual reality created by the VR headsets. Not to mention, I was extremely disappointed with the ending as using real-life characters is something I do not approve of South
Park doing. I would have to say my favorite part of the episode was watching Butters as he adventured through what he thought was his own virtual reality. Although, the five second Breaking Bad reference from Steve the tech support guy comes in as a close second. From punching his dad as a payback to all the times he has been grounded, to going on a rampage through the dangerous part of town, and eventually getting stabbed by a hooker, I felt somewhat bad for Butters as Cartman continued to manipulate him for his own amusement. While it may not have been one of my favorites of the season, I was still pleased with the content and as always, did not fail to laugh. Rating: 3/5
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Opinion
DyingWith Pride
By Katie Klimacek Opinion Editor If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness and only given a few months to live, and at the same time given the choice to live or die, what would you do? During your last few months of life, you suffered unbearable pain, physical changes and side effects from the medications and illness. At that point would you decide to end the pain, or would you push on? One Portland, Oregon, resident has been making news due to her decision to take her life after being diagnosed with the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Brittney Maynard was newly married when she began to suffer from debilitating headaches. After an appointment with her doctor, Maynard was given the news that she had brain cancer and had anywhere from six to ten months to live. Shortly after the original diagnosis, new scans showed that her cancer had advanced to the most aggressive type of brain cancer, with a life expectancy of about six months. Maynard and her husband moved to Portland because it is one of only five states that has a Death with Dignity law, which allows patients with terminal illnesses to end their lives peacefully and with pride. On November 1, only six days after her husband’s birthday, Maynard went through with her decision to end her life on her own terms, in her own bed, surrounded by her loved ones. From the very beginning, many people have voiced their outrage towards Maynard for her choice to take her own life, saying that she is not giving it enough time, she is being selfish, what she is doing is a sin, and she should be ashamed to go through with it. At this point I think it right to ask, who are they to say what she does with her life?
This is a woman who is struggling both physically and emotionally. Because of her tumor, Maynard started having seizures on a regular basis, sustained memory loss, and her control over simple motor functions started to decline. When you look at what she went through from the time of her original diagnosis, it hard to say she shouldn’t have gone through with her plan. When someone has a pet, say a dog, and the dog has cancer or
When people say that they believe that Death with Dignity is wrong, but have their pets put down, what does that say? is old and having a hard time getting around, most people have their beloved pet put down and don’t force it to suffer. When people say that they believe that Death with Dignity is wrong, but have their pets put down, what does that say? We can’t bear to watch Mittens suffer, but we can let Aunt Millie slowly wither away. In 2011, a documentary called How to Die in Oregon followed the lives of terminally ill people who were considering the going through with a Death with Dignity plan. Watching these people go through the struggle of their illness was heartbreaking. What most people don’t realize is that the individuals who chose to go through with the procedure didn’t want to die. If they had a choice, they would much rather have taken a magical cure that would have made them completely healthy. But the reality is that eventu-
ally they would have gotten to the point where they would be in so much pain that they couldn’t walk or talk. They’d have lost control of their motor functions, and even their most basic bodily functions. Taking the medication eliminates that humiliation, that pain and frustration that both the individual and their family would be forced to go through. One argument against Death with Dignity is that the procedure can be abused when it comes to the elderly and mentally ill. As of right now, Death with Dignity is ony for the use of people with terminal illnesses. It is not available when someone is having a bad day, or has a common cold. It is strictly for those with illnesses that cannot be treated or for whom treatment options are not a possibility. Once the person has decided to go through with the process and decided on when they are going to take the medication, an official from Death with Dignity says, “You have the right to change your mind,” and then asks for the person to explain what the procedure is going to do. If they are unable explain, the medication is not administered. I think that people need to try to imagine themselves in Maynard’s situation. If it is something that goes against your own morals and beliefs, that’s fine. But your beliefs were not her beliefs, and she had all the right to go through with this choice, no matter how you feel about it. I realize this practice is not black and white, and in fact is a whole lot of gray. It really teeters back and forth on the line of morality for a lot of people. At the same time, this is a practice that is helping people, and allowing them to leave their friends and family while they are still coherent, still able to reminisce about their years together, and leave with pride and dignity.
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#ALEXFROMTARGET By Catherine Dennis-Greener
Contributing Writer
Nowadays, people can become famous for just about anything. Alex from Target, the internet’s newest trending topic, is an example of how easy it is for something incredibly irrelevant to become important to our technology-driven generation. Alex, a Texas native, gained internet fame by working retail at a local Target. Alex’s internet fame sparked overnight in response to a photo snapped of him at register, from which his hashtag was born: #ALEXFROMTARGET. This spread like wildfire throughout widely-used social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram. As his hashtag became more popular, memes were developed, and fans for the Target employee were born. Reviewing Alex’s Twitter, it’s startling to see how many followers he gained over the course of 20 minutes- another 4,000 added to his 493k. “Am I famous now?” Alex tweeted, regarding his newly developed following. Following that were his tweets, “Already fake accounts of me,” and “Now I have to change my number.” That’s right… Alex’s followers reportedly went as far as tracking down his number and sending him messages declaring some sort of adoration. Even comedian Ellen DeGeneres got in on it, tweeting, “Hey, #AlexFromTarget, it’s #EllenFromEllen.” At the moment, Alex is the most trending topic on Twitter. Aside from Twitter, Alex has established his place on many other social media sites. His hashtag is in use on Instagram, where mainly young women repost memes of him, or even capture the rare and alarming photo of him in person. It’s used on Tumblr and Pinterest, where his followers post images of “Alex’s look, and how to achieve it” (a red polo shirt, and khakis… Which
can be purchased at your Target). Alex’s popularity has even initiated the launch of disturbing Target based fanfiction. So who is Alex from Target? Urban Dictionary has defined Alex as a “hardcore pimp who recently gained fame as an Instagram sensation for reasons beyond the comprehension of any sane person.” But, by all appearances, he is just an average retail worker. He has a family, a mother who is also on Twitter, and a girlfriend. Yes, a girlfriend, who received death threats on Twitter from a few of his many fans. Alex from Target has become the idol of many a pre-teen and teenage girl. Maybe that’s why he’s so popular. In any case, Alex seems to be using his ten seconds of fame wisely: retweeting a missing person’s case, and even considering his own “Alex from Target” merchandise. From Alex’s popularity, the growth of idolizing attractive members of everyday retail has grown. This includes, but is not limited to: Kieran from T-Mobile, Matt from Red Robin, and Steve from Starbucks. There are many messages that can be taken away from Alex’s growing popularity. Anyone can rise to stardom. The Kardashians did it, and now a small town cashier at Target has taken his spot on the Mount Olympus of internet popularity. Anyone can be a model for any brand, purposefully or not. Sales at Target undoubtedly increased following Alex’s rise to fame, and in all probability sold an ungodly number of red polo shirts. So what happens when we fall asleep? Anything. Teenagers can exercise the obscene amount of power that they wield over the internet and social media sites, and possibly make you the next #AlexFromTarget. Not a pimp (thank you, Urban Dictionary), but a lowly retail worker with the opportunity to achieve fame because of social media.
C14 Opinion PE Classes Have Changed The Chronicle
By Jonas Miller Staff Writer When I started applying to colleges during my senior year of high school, people kept asking me what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to study. I would tell them I didn’t know, and they would respond with, “Well what’s your favorite class?” They acted as if they were going to solve all of my problems by learning what my favorite 45 minutes of the day were. Even though I knew the conversation was going nowhere, I humored them, and always replied with “gym.” They would laugh, but it was understandable; we were all so sick of high school at that point that anything that you didn’t need a pencil for was considered fun. In reality, gym was my favorite class, and always had been. I’ve always been a very active kid, and I say kid because I feel I’m thankfully still below the cusp of adulthood. I like to run, jump, skip, and most of all sweat. I was put on this earth to participate fully in gym. Yeah, I’m that kid. I’m what people refer to as a “gym class hero.” There are several reasons for this. First of all, that’s just how I am. I cannot stop myself from putting 110 percent into everything that I do. Life is just more fun if you give it your all. Second, I love sports. Any sport. Go ahead, pick one, I will play it to the best of my ability. I’ve never played cricket, but I promise you I’d like to. I think it’s partly curiosity, but mostly I just love being active. There’s something about working up a sweat that just makes me feel good. Last, but not least, I absolutely love winning. Winning feels good, does it not? Seriously, have you ever met someone who says they don’t enjoy winning? No, because that kind of person does not exist. Whether it is baseball, or kickball, or checkers, or Go Fish, winning always feels better
than losing. At this point you’re probably asking yourself why this kid is going full Charlie Sheen on this article, but I assure you, we’re getting there. Bringing it back to gym class, I’m focusing on it because lately I’ve noticed something, and it’s been upsetting me. It seems that recently, physical education has been a lot more education, and a lot less physical. Gym class in grades K-12 was my favorite part of the day, but gym class here at college is nothing short of the worst hour of my week. I actually dread going to it, and honestly, it’s because I just don’t have fun. It’s not dodgeball, or pickle ball, or even freeze tag. In my gym class, the main focus is filling out the dreaded portfolio. If you have not taken a gym class yet, you’re certainly in for a rude awakening. Since when is community service something that should affect my grade in physical education? Don’t get me wrong, I love helping people. I do it every chance that I get. It is my opinion, however, that it does not belong anywhere near any gym class, ever. Gym class is supposed to be about getting out your energy, staying active, and having fun. Instead of that, I find myself looking up research articles, and talking with my “support group” about how active we all were this week, and I think that’s wrong. I agree with the fact that gym class should test you mentally, as well as physically, but college, more specifically our college, just seems to be going about it the wrong way. In my opinion, the best test of both physical and mental strength is dodgeball. If played properly, dodgeball makes you run, and jump, and duck, but it also makes you think. You can’t just run up to the middle of the gym like Rambo and expect to take out the entire other team with one throw. In your head, you realize that it’s not just a free-for-all; it’s a methodi-
cal game that can easily be won with a little bit of strategy. I’ll admit I’m a little biased, as dodgeball was my favorite part of any given gym class. Even when I got to high school and they started calling it “marshmallow fluff,” because I guess “dodgeball” was too aggressive for public school. I’m asking you to really think about this. Compare push-ups to community service, which is what this school seems to think is physical education, to the incredible and freeing feeling of walking out into the fresh air and playing a nice healthy game of kickball. I don’t want to sound too ridiculous, but I feel very strongly about this. It really makes me mad to have to spend my weekly hour of gym class in a classroom the size of large living room. To add insult to injury, a gym class is one credit. One. What makes a writing intensive English course worth four credits, and weight training worth one? Gym class keeps you healthy, and young, and lively; a writing intensive course makes you rethink coming to college as you struggle through the third page of your ten-page research paper that both you and the teacher know will never make it to ten pages. My point is simply that higher education schools, and society in general, has lost sight of what gym class is really about. It’s a small portion of your writing, reading, and learning-filled day dedicated to just being free. Running around, laughing, and having fun are parts of our day that seem to get lost now a days. Everything is so serious: You have to go to class, you have to do your work, and you need to be successful in order to lead a happy life. False. Live a little. Go outside, run around for an hour, or even just lie in the grass and let the stress of life go. That’s what gym class is for. It keeps us sane. It provides us with a break, however brief, from the rest of our lives. At least it used to…
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Black Friday: The Best Idea, or the Worst? By RACHEL BOLTON Managing Editor We hear the stories every year. Some poor person, or more than one, is killed by the crowds on Black Friday. Just the name of this shopping extravaganza fills people with dread, the day where deals are to be found and chaos reigns supreme. The holiday season is supposed to be about the best of humanity, with charity and good feelings all around. People want to give their friends and family nice gifts, but when did the day that many consider to be the first of the Christmas season become an event that shows how greedy people can be? I don’t think that Black Friday is bad, or that we should get rid of it. I just think that it shows how extreme the holidays can get. Perhaps the hype of Black Friday is what makes it such a popular topic for debate. If you read any article about Black Friday, you’ll know that there is a long history of violence associated with this shopping holiday. Last year, a man carrying a big screen TV to his car was shot in the leg by a robber who wanted the television. Another story from 2013 was about a shoplifter getting shot by police as they tried to drive a car that was dragging another police officer in the parking lot of a Kohl’s department store. These stories are the blackest of black comedy, no pun intended. I would rather do my shopping online than worry about getting shot at the mall. I personally have only gone Black Friday shopping once. My mother and I left our house around 9 in the morning. It was a last-minute idea to go. We only wanted to shop at a few places and see if we could find any less
notable good deals. We probably should have stayed home. Back in my hometown, there is usually at least one case of road rage near the major shopping centers during Black Friday. My mother and I were out until late in the evening, only able to make it two stores. The traffic jam around the major shopping centers turned a five-minute drive into a two-hour one. A car accident made the situation even worse. I don’t even know how we managed to get back home. Then comes the ethical issues of Black Friday. What about the retail workers? As someone who has had several service jobs, I try to be polite to retail workers, because they have to put up with all sorts of stupid, even under normal circumstances. I hope everyone shopping at Black Friday will remember that retail workers are human, too. I think that people should consider the reasons why they go shopping on Black Friday. Is it because they think they will get good deals? Because they want to have the experience? Because they got dragged out of the house by their more enthusiastic friends? In recent years, many big box stories have been opening at midnight on Thanksgiving to capitalize on Black Friday. Personally, I would rather sleep in. On the day after Thanksgiving, I will be watching football and eating leftover turkey. I’ll do my shopping on a less crazy day.
Want to write for Opinion? Contact Opinion Editor Katie Klimacek at klimacekk546@strose.edu
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Opinion
The Chronicle
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Let’s Talk About Sex By SOleIl PAZ Staff Writer I’ll say it right now: this probably isn’t the kind of article you were hoping for. Sorry to get your hopes up, but it caught your attention, didn’t it? Congratulations on reading the first paragraph, though. Anyway, over the course of the past three years, I have been a more dedicated advocate than many when it comes to sexual violence and rape culture awareness. When I was a senior in high school, I managed to launch a brief (and to be honest, very rudimentary) awareness campaign that ran under the slogan “Consent is Mandatory,” as my own sort of spin on the widelycirculated “Consent is Sexy” campaign. Though I wish I could have continued it, many things were wrong with the operation that drove me to abandon it after those first few fliers went up. First of all, the campaign was a class project created for a grade, and thus it lacked an official component to really take off. Second, let’s face it, it was the last month
of my senior year and I was ready to be done. And third, as my audience was a small public high school (population 500), talking about sex and consent was something understood by only a fraction of the student body.
Though it is not commonly perceived to be so, rape is very black and white. Consent is black and white. So, dear readers of the college newspaper, let’s talk about sex. More specifically, sex without consent—that’s the official, accepted definition of rape. And contrary to popular belief, consent has many facets to it. It is an ongoing, voluntary, informed, and sober “yes.” In my experience, people don’t seem to understand how all-enADVERTISEMENT
compassing that definition is. It’s not sex if they change their mind, it’s not sex if they are passed out, and so on. Though it is not commonly perceived to be so, rape is very black and white. Consent is black and white. As a bit of a reality check, I found that in a survey conducted of over 6,000 male college students throughout 32 different campuses, one in twelve anonymously admitted to committing acts that fit the definition of rape. So in six thousand, one in twelve is about five hundred of them. Of those five hundred, 84 percent did not believe that their acts were counted as rape—that’s about 420 of them. And if that wasn’t bad enough, that means about 80 people flat-out admitted that they raped someone. And I don’t know which is scarier. When I created my little campaign (for which I still have stacks of unused fliers), I chose to use the “consent is mandatory” slogan because that was the clearest way to deliver my message. I realize the “Consent is Sexy” promotion can be misinterpreted: there is the side that says getting consent should be encouraged as
sexy, versus the side that says in order to be sexy, you must consent. I remember getting a brochure for “Consent is Sexy” during my freshman orientation and thinking that, had I the resources to continue, I could have made something out of that advocacy project. As another personal note: the terms “sexual harassment,” “sexual assault,” or anything to that effect really bother me. I see those words as euphemisms that people only use to lessen the power of those ideas, whether that’s intended or not. We use the words simply because they’re nicer to say. But this topic isn’t nice. I try to avoid using those phrases as much as I possibly can.
We as a society are reluctant to acknowledge rape unless it’s in a very roundabout way. The thing is, the word “rape” in itself has a sting to it; it sounds harsher, sharper, more acute. If this article sounds like I’m constantly throwing the word in your faces, then hey, I must be doing something right. We as a society are reluctant to acknowledge rape unless it’s in a very roundabout way, so taking the bull by the horns is probably the only thing that will get the message across. We live in a rape culture. If you’ve never heard that term before, it’s not your fault. “Rape culture” refers to a society that devalues the experiences of rape victims and supports the actions of their perpetrators. Again, many people refuse to believe it exists, but it’s very real. One recent story that really stuck out to me, and one that I should have written about long ago, was the Carry That Weight
demonstration by Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz. Since then, the movement has spread to countless colleges and universities across the country. (Has Saint Rose done that yet?) Her statement started as her senior thesis project, in which she struggled to carry a mattress around campus until the student who raped her on that mattress is expelled or leaves. Until she is no longer made to go to school with her offender every day, she will continue to carry a burden that is both physical and emotional. Let’s think about this for a second. To this day, no one has been expelled or even remotely punished for that particular rape case. Comparatively, as students, the consequences of plagiarism have been drilled into our heads time and time again. Through the threat of failure and expulsion and a system in which you are punished for one but not the other, we have been actively taught that plagiarism is a more severe crime than rape. This is rape culture. It teaches women that it is their responsibility to avoid rape, that wearing certain clothes is considered “asking for it.” It teaches men that “boys will be boys,” and that all degrees of sexual urges are normal. And it teaches us that we will have to save ourselves unless someone notices that we need saving. I know for a fact that there are a number of students at Saint Rose who are rape victims, and sadly that number is larger than I wan to accept. If, by some miracle, one of you is reading this article, please know that it is not your fault. It is not your fault. And I hope this article has done you even a fraction of justice.
Want to write for Opinion? Contact Opinion Editor Katie Klimacek at klimacekk546@strose.edu
Sports Golden Knights Scoreboard and Standings D16
The Chronicle
NE-10 Men’s Basketball
NE-10 Swimming and Diving
Northeast Division GP Record Merrimack 2 2-0 1.000 Stonehill 2 2-0 1.000 Franklin Pierce 1 1-0 1.000 Saint Anselm 1 1-0 1.000 Saint Michael’s 1 1-0 1.000 So. New Hampshire 1 1-0 1.000 Bentley 2 1-1 0.500 Assumption 1 0-1 0.000 Southwest Divison American Int’l Le Moyne Saint Rose So. Connecticut New Haven Adelphi Pace
GP 1 1 1 1 0 1 2
Record 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-1 0-2
1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Scores: W 76-73 vs Bloomfield
NE-10 Women’s Basketball Northeast Division GP Record Assumption 2 2-0 1.000 Bentley 2 2-0 1.000 Merrimack 2 2-0 1.000 Saint Anselm 2 2-0 1.000 Saint Michael’s 2 2-0 1.000 So. New Hampshire 2 2-0 1.000 Stonehill 2 2-0 1.000 Franklin Pierce 2 1-1 0.500 Southwest Division GP Record Adelphi 2 2-0 1.000 Le Moyne 1 1-0 1.000 New Haven 1 1-0 1.000 American Int’l 2 1-1 0.500 Saint Rose 2 1-1 0.500 So. Connecticut 1 0-1 0.000 Pace 2 0-2 0.000 Scores: L 50-60 at Philadelphia
November 18th, 2014
Men: W 133-79 at Skidmore Women: W 143-80 at Skidmore
NE-10 Women’s Soccer GP Assumption 21 Saint Rose 22 Adelphi 21 So. Connecticut 19 Franklin Pierce 18 Le Moyne 19 Pace 21 Stonehill 18 Saint Anselm 16 New Haven 17 So. New Hampshire 18 Saint Michael’s 17 American Int’l 16 Merrimack 18 Bentley 17
Record 15-5-1 0.738 19-1-2 0.909 14-5-2 0.714 11-6-2 0.632 11-6-1 0.639 10-8-1 0.553 11-10 0.524 8-8-2 0.500 7-6-3 0.531 6-9-2 0.412 6-10-2 0.389 5-11-1 0.324 4-11-1 0.281 7-9-2 0.444 2-15 0.118
Volume 83 Issue 14
St. Rose Men’s Basketball Opens Season at Home By JOSH VESHIA Staff Writer The College of Saint Rose men’s basketball team took to the home court for the first time this season for the fifth annual Northeast-10 Challenge. The team matched up against CACC’s Wilmington on Saturday and against Bloomfield on Sunday, both ending in victory and giving the team a 2-0 start to the season. Saturday’s victory against Wilmington came with 20 points from local freshman forward Jalaun Taylor. Taylor sat out last year, leaving fans to wonder how he would showcase his basketball skillset in the 2014 season. The Golden Knights also earned 16 points from another freshman forward, Jack Jones, who went a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line. A late run kept off the Wildcats and earned Saint Rose their first win of the season. Sunday’s matchup against Bloomsfield started with a redhot Taylor and solid play from
junior guard Chris Dorgler. His veteran leadership was shown through great work on the boards and a stifling defense against the quick shooters the Bears brought to play. He also led the Golden Knights with six assists, further proving his importance to the team. Jones shot well from deep, when Taylor cooled off and finished the game with a team-high of 18 points. Junior guard Max Weaver contributed 15 points and added two steals. The young group was able to spread the floor and knock down open looks, a game plan that seems to be the way for this year’s Golden Knights team. With so much youth down low, the post-game looks to be in need of improvement. Once that is accomplished, Saint Rose looks like a team ready to surprise a lot of people in the NE-10. The Golden Knights open their conference play for the season on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Pace.
Upcoming Games Men’s Basketball: Wed. at Pace @ 7:30 p.m.
Scores: W 2-1 (OT) vs LIU Post
Women’s Basketball: Wed. at Pace @ 5:30 p.m. Men’s Cross Country: Sat. vs NCAA East Regionals
NE-10 Cross Country NE-10 Championships Men: 8th/15 teams Women: 9th/14 teams
@ 1:15 p.m.
Women’s Cross Country: Sat. vs NCAA East
Regionals @ 2:30 p.m.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! We tweet weekly updates from our own little space in the Twitterverse.
Follow us @strosechronicle.
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Sports
The Chronicle
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Mark Sanchez: The Ultimate Tease? By JUSTIN PORRECA Staff Writer October’s flavor of the month was the Dallas Cowboys. But now that flavor has grown stale, and the NFL has a new flavor for its fans. That flavor is “the Sanchize.” Mark Sanchez has become the talk of the town in Philadelphia and nearly every city in America. Analysts, insiders, and fans alike have started to hitch their bandwagons to the former New York Jets starter. As many fans know, Sanchez got his second chance as a starting quarterback in the NFL, because Nick Foles going down on the last play of the first quarter versus the Houston Texans in Week Nine with a broken clavicle. Since Sanchez climbed into the driver’s seat of Chip Kelly’s high octane offense, he’s played particularly well. He has 534 passing yards, four touchdowns to two interceptions, a 59.3 completion percentage, and he is (2-0) under center for the high-flying Eagles. With this early success, can Sanchez sustain it, and possibly become the ultimate tease in NFL history? A tease, according to NFL terminology, is a player who shows brief glimpses of promise and tantalizes fans into believing that their team had finally found their franchise quarterback. However, these same players underwhelm and break the hearts of all the fans that believed in them within a very brief period of time. A player who will forever wear the badge of shame for being one of the biggest teases in NFL history is former Lions’ starting quarterback Scott Mitchell. Mitchell got his big break in 1993, filling in for an injured Dan Marino, who tore his Achilles tendon in a week five matchup versus the Cleveland Browns. Mitchell was playing so well as a replacement that Miami fans were pushing for Mitchell to be-
come the Dolphin’s permanent starter and for the organization to part ways with their franchise quarterback and face of the organization. That’s not a joke. Miami fans did want to replace a Hall of Famer with an unproven quarterback. Miami ended up sticking with Marino, and letting Mitchell dive into the free-agency pool, where he would strike a big money deal with the Detroit Lions. The Lions gave Mitchell $11 million over three years, a big contract back in 1993. In the 1995 season, Mitchell lived up to the contract. He threw for 4,338 yards, had 32 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, a 59.3 completion percentage, and led the Lions to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. However, a playoff match-up with the Philadelphia Eagles started his slow demise. The Lions were blown out by the Eagles and Mitchell threw four interceptions.
If Sanchez plays out of his mind the rest of the season and hits the open-market like Mitchell did before him, he is in store for a big pay-day. After his one-hit wonder season that enticed Lions fans into thinking that they had the key that could bring them to the promised land, everything came crashing down. In his final three seasons in Detroit after his memorable 1995 season, Mitchell threw for 6,853 yards, and 37 touchdowns to 34 interceptions. During that span, he signed a four-year, $21 million contract. After signing that contract in 1997, Mitchell was benched after two games in 1998. Then, Detroit dumped Mitchell
and his big contract off to the Baltimore Ravens where he continued to struggle mightily. Mitchell lifted the spirits of Lions fans everywhere in 1995, and then ultimately crushed them. He will forever be the ultimate teasethat is, unless Sanchez says otherwise. Now to divert the attention back onto Mr. Sanchez, who has the opportunity to overthrow Mitchell for the title of “Biggest Tease in NFL History.” The former fifth pick in the 2009 NFL Draft has not lived up to his billing as a top-five pick. Sanchez, who started his career off hot by leading the Jets to two conference championship games, cooled off rapidly. Through 64 career games, Sanchez has 12,626 passing yards, 72 touchdowns to 71 interceptions, a 55.2 completion percentage, a 34-29 record, and is best remembered for the infamous “butt fumble.” However, all that can temporarily disappear, if Sanchez can go out and perform on a semi-elite level for the Philadelphia Eagles. This offseason, Sanchez signed a one-year, $2.25 contract with the Eagles, making him a free agent in 2015. If Sanchez plays out of his mind the rest of the season and hits the open-market like Mitchell did before him, he is in store for a big pay-day. The team that would pay for his services would be the St. Louis Rams. With Sam Bradford, the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, likely on his way out this offseason or next due to durability issues and lack of production in his five seasons with the Rams, this would be a perfect setting for Sanchez. Sanchez would play under a proven and stable head coach in Jeff Fisher, and he would be reunited with his former offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, whom he had the most success with. Sanchez would get a contract upwards of $25 million and four years. Sanchez would also be surrounded by young
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Formerly of the New York Jets, quarterback Mark Sanchez has started to make a positive name for himself with his current team, the Philadelphia Eagles. weapons, like tight end Jared Cook and receivers Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Kenny Britt, Chris Givens, and Stedman Bailey. A great half-season with the Eagles would give Rams fans the ultimate hope at quarterback, a position they have been struggling to fill since Marc Bulger. An aboveaverage quarterback paired with a very talented defense would entice Rams fans. There would be playoff hopes swirling around St. Louis, but Sanchez, like Mitchell, may just tease Rams fans to death and crush their playoff hopes and dreams. Before this hypothesis of Sanchez’s future, the present has to be analyzed. Sanchez has a mighty difficult match-up versus the hot Green Bay Packers this Sunday, but if he comes out of Lambeau with a win and a good performance, the hype will slowly start to gather some momentum. After the Packers, Sanchez
has five games against mediocre to below-average defenses (Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and the New York Giants). These matchups could boost the hype meter of Sanchez to levels many thought were inevitable. Ultimately, Sanchez’s future lies within his own hands. He can climb to great heights and earn some of the respect he lost after the butt-fumble. Or, he can crumble and show the world that he is still the same Mark Sanchez that he was with the New York Jets, a turnover machine. The world is his oyster, and only he can dictate where his career goes from Week Eleven. Want to write for sports? Contact our Sports Editor Victoria Addison at addisonv653@strose.edu
D18
Sports
The Chronicle
By MATTHEW WOODS Staff Writer 1. Blake Griffin Charged with Misdemeanor Los Angeles Clippers highflying star Blake Griffin was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery for an incident that occurred at a Las Vegas night club about a month ago. According to the filing of the report, Griffin used force on Daniel Schuman after being aggravated by the amount of camera flashes. Griffin took Schuman’s phone and slapped him on the face. Griffin’s teammates, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, were with Griffin at the time of the incident, but not involved in the altercation. This is Griffin’s first real offthe-court issue. Griffin has had quite the clean image since being drafted first overall by the Clippers in 2009. Outside of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, Griffin is arguably the most marketable player in the game, as we’ve
November 18th, 2014
Five for Five The 5 Sports StoriesYou Need to Know seen with the large amount of Kia commercials featuring Griffin. It is questionable how much an incident like this might affect Griffin’s marketability, but will it affect the Clippers’ play as well? That we will have to wait and find out as the season continues. Griffin is expected for arraignment in Las Vegas on December 8, and could face up to six months in jail, as well as a fine. 2. Taveras Drunk During Fatal Accident The heartwrenching tragedy involving 22-year-old St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras took another turn this past week, when it was discovered that Taveras was drunk during the fatal accident that killed both him and his girlfriend in Santo Domingo on October 26. Reports state that Taveras’ blood alcohol level was five times the legal limit when he lost control of his car. Taveras signed with the team at the age of 16, and was one of MLB’s most highly touted pros-
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Oscar Taveras, former pitcher, was killed in a drunk driving accident in late October.
pects, standing third in the preseason rankings on MLB.com. Taveras had a bright career ahead of him, which could be seen in his final major league at-bat in the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants, in which he hit a homerun. 3. Patrick Willis Out for Season The injuries just keep piling up in the NFL. This past week there were a number of high-profile injuries, but none bigger than the loss the San Francisco 49ers suffered. All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis experienced a toe injury for which he will need surgery, ending his season. Willis had been dealing with a toe injury for the past few years, but in the last few weeks he aggravated the injury to the point where the pain became too much. Willis was clearly affected by this injury, as his numbers were down a bit this season. He had racked up 34 tackles and an interception in limited play. This injury is a big blow to a team that is 5-4 and struggling to get in playoff contention. Sitting third in the tough NFC West, the 49ers really couldn’t afford an injury of this magnitude. Luckily for them, they will get back defensive-end Aldon Smith from suspension. 4. Trout and Kershaw Win MVP Honors The MLB award season finally ended this past Thursday with each league’s MVP award. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw won the American League and National League Most Valuable Player awards, respectively. Trout was unanimously selected on the American League side, making him the youngest unanimous MVP in baseball his-
tory, and the fifth youngest MVP of all time, behind Johnny Bench, Vida Blue, Stan Musial, and Cal Ripken Jr. Trout’s numbers this season were nothing short of outstanding. He had a .287 batting average with 36 homeruns, 111 RBI’s (led AL), and 115 runs scored (led AL). Trout also had 184 strikeouts this past season, which is the most by any player that won the MVP in that season. Trout was indeed the most valuable player in the league, as he led MLB in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 7.9, which is lower than his previous 2 seasons. This is Trout’s first MVP, and most certainly not his last, as he is only 23 years old. Kershaw became the eighteenth pitcher of all time to win the award, receiving all but eight first-place votes for NL MVP. Kershaw’s numbers were quite mind-blowing, to say the least. He is the eleventh pitcher in history to win both the Cy Young and MVP in the same season. Kershaw went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA (led MLB), 239 strikeouts, and an opponent batting average of .196, while pitching only 27 games this season (fewest of any MVP). Kershaw is the first Dodger to win the award since Kirk Gibson in 1988, and the first pitcher to win the NL MVP award since Bob Gibson in 1968. Kershaw is one of three pitchers in MLB history to win at least three Cy Young awards and an MVP. (The other two are Roger Clemens and Sandy Koufax.) Both players are young, and perhaps have not reached their greatest potentials just yet. Who knows just how good both Trout and Kershaw can really be, but right now they are certainly MVP worthy and won’t be making the game fun for their opposition any time soon.
Volume 83 Issue 14
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a toe injury. 5. Bill Simmons Feud with Mike Golic ESPN Grantland personality Bill Simmons is known for making snarky remarks and ridiculous statements. About a week ago, Simmons made a comment regarding Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, essentially saying that James had not looked the same with the Cavaliers. Mike Golic, of ESPN’s “Mike & Mike,” argued that it was way too early to judge something like that and that Simmons’ comment was stupid. Simmons decided to take the usual 21st centry response to Golic’s comments, going to Twitter to voice his displeasure. Simmons sent a few tweets saying that he lost the respect for “Mike & Mike” that he never really had. Simmons also went on to criticize his employer, ESPN. Simmons had recently been in trouble with ESPN for comments he had made before, and who knows what these comments may do to the relationship between him and ESPN. The feud has seemingly since been resolved. Both Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg called to apologize to Simmons. However, Simmons has yet to make a public statement about the matter.
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
Sports
The Chronicle
Eastern Conference Review
By Alex hOrTON Staff Writer The Eastern Conference in the NBA is in no way near as competitive as most people remember or are used to. The East seems to be in shambles, outside of the eight teams that will most likely make the playoffs. The standings now represent what this season is mostly going to look like, with a few exceptions, of course. So this week, I’m going to talk about the top eight teams, because no team outside of the top eight looks like they will be able to make a a final push to the playoffs. Except for maybe the Pistons, who have a talent filled team but they just don’t seem to be able to play well together. I’ll start at the top of the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are playing good, fundamental basketball to begin the season and are having no problem scoring, averaging 103.6 points per game. They are also doing what people have come to expect from a Tom Thibodeau
team, and that’s playing defense, allowing only 97.8 point against them per game. The Bulls have a very good bench. Their lineup is stacked, up and down, with quality players. The Bulls’ only real concern is if their superstar, Derrick Rose, can stay healthy enough to continue to play and help the team win during the playoffs. They will win games without him because they have players such as Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler, who is coming into his own this year as a go to player. The Bulls are certainly going to finish either number one or two in the East this year. This next team has surprised a lot of people to start this season, just not me. The Toronto Raptors are a real threat in the East this year, partially because they have DeMar DeRozan, who is a great talent in the NBA. DeRozan can shoot and finish at the rim, not to mention he is a high-flyer who finishes above the rim with ease. He also earned really good experience when he played with team USA in the FIBA World Cup. The Raptors play as a team and
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Demar DeRozan, a guard for the Toronto Raptors and a player to watch out for on the court.
they play physical defense. Jonas Valencunis makes a big difference every game as a big body who can block shots and rebound with the best in the NBA. This team is off to a hot start and it seems like they are out to prove something after last year’s disappointing playoff loss to the Nets in the first round. Toronto has no problem scoring, averaging 105.4 points per game. They also have no problem stopping other teams from scoring, averaging 96.8 points against. This Raptors team has the potential to surprise a lot of people this year, and prove all their doubters wrong. I have them finishing in the top three in the East with the Chicago Bulls. The Washington Wizards are led by an explosive point guard by the name of John Wall. You could see the potential he had back when he was playing for John Calapari at Kentucky. This team isn’t just all him, though; with the addition of veteran Paul Pierce they have a good leader who can help the young guys get adjusted and play to their potential. Now, the Wizards are off to a hot start and it doesn’t look like they are going to be stopped any time soon. This team showed that they can beat good defensive teams and compete with the best in last year’s playoffs. The Wizards play a physical defense, where they protect the paint and rebound very well. They are a good, solid team and will probably finish around fourth or fifth seed this year. I am sure all of you are wondering, “What about the Cavs?” Well, you can breathe easy because I’m going to talk about them right now. The Cleveland Cavaliers have not started off the way they wanted to, especially with that opening night loss to the Knicks at home, which was just a complete embarrassment. I am not worried about the Cavs and their slow start, mainly because they have the best player
in the world in LeBron James. I have no doubt that the Cavaliers will finish in the top three in the East. What just matters is how they play during the playoffs and how the chemistry between Lebron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love evolves. They are going to easily coast to the playoffs and probably to the Conference Finals. Next on the list is the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta is just another middle-of-the-pack team that makes the playoffs, but doesn’t seem to be ever able to pull it together enough to win. Led by a very good frontcourt with Al Horford and Paul Millsap, the Hawks are trying their best to put together a winning team. Sorry to all you Hawks fans out there, but I just do not see that happening in the next few years. I see this team as a sixth or seventh seed and they don’t even make it out of the first round for another year. They just aren’t good enough, and they don’t have the right pieces to win. So, there’s this guy. He owns a professional basketball team from his hometown, and he decides to go back in time and change the name from the Charlotte Bobcats to the Charlotte Hornets. Theguy I mentioned? Well, he also just so happens to be the greatest basketball player to ever step foot on the court. Michael Jordan is doing big things with this organization, and it all started when he got Al Jefferson to come to town. Then, he recruited a pretty decent shooting guard named Lance Stephenson
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to come and play for him too. Now, this team is starting to look like an actual NBA team, with Kemba Walker at the point, Michael Kidd Gilchrist at the small forward, and an improving Cody Zeller at power forward. Now that’s a starting five I could get behind if I were a Hornets fan. Jordan wants a contender, and he is definitely moving in the right direction with this team. My final team for this week is the Brooklyn Nets. They are led by Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, both of whom are past AllStars. The Nets should be a winning team when you look at the roster, but they have a tendecy to get in their own way. If you asked me why Kevin Garnett was still playing, I wouldn’t be able to give you a reason. He is getting old and it shows. Williams is finally starting to look like his old self after a few seasons of playing really poorly. It almost looked like he as going to be a wash. But I have some faith in this team to make the playoffs, and with a halfway decent roster and some possible trades at the deadline, I don’t see why this team would be a hard out in the playoffs. They come to play every night and have to find ways to win ball games. The Hornets will end up being the eighth seed but I think they will have no problem making the playoff. Well, that’s it for this week. Those are my top teams in the Eastern Conference. Which teams do you have?
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Sports
The Chronicle
November 18th, 2014
Volume 83 Issue 14
We Found Love, But Not on the Cavs By JOSH HELLER Staff Writer As a basketball fan, the new story about Kevin Love’s possible future with the Cleveland Cavaliers is one that makes me laugh. Last week, a report surfaced that there was a chance that, at the end of this year, the star forward would opt out of his contract with the Cavaliers to enter the free agency. In the offseason, the Cavaliers received the number one overall pick in the draft, which they used to draft shooting guard/ small forward Andrew Wiggins. When the Cavaliers acquired
LeBron James from free agency, it was concluded that they needed another star to go along with James and point guard Kyrie Irving. So, the Cavaliers sent Wiggins- along with former first overall pick Anthony Bennett- to Minnesota, in return for Love. If the reports are true, then it appears that the Cavaliers sent two former first-overall picks to Minnesota for a one year rental of Love, and it’s not as if Love has been stellar in this young season. So far, Love is averaging only 18 points (compared to 26 last year), 0.2 blocks (career low), and 10.2 rebounds (his lowest since his rookie year), per game.
with Anthony and two up-andcoming stars, Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. However, this was probably just the Knicks fan in me talking. Many reports also surfaced that Love would consider going to the Lakers. But just a few days later, these reports were basically shot down, as reporters said that going to the Lakers would make no sense. With Kobe’s future uncertain, and not many great young pieces for the Lakers (aside from a healthy Julius Randle), Love would not be a good fit there. However, I do think that it would be interesting to see how such 73408 a big market like Los Angeles
The Cavaliers, as a team, are struggling as well. James has been fine for the Cavs; however, his teammates’ performances have been sub-par. For the first few games, the Cavaliers were at the bottom of the league in assists per game. With this report, the question popped up- where will Love go next year? As a Knicks fan, I was hoping that the answer would be New York. Since Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani will be unrestricted free agents next year, and with their humongous contracts out of the organization, it made perfect sense to me. Love would make a good team
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would eat up Love. He was in a small market in Minnesota for most of his career, and Cleveland isn’t much like Chicago or New York. I think Love would easily be a fan favorite in Los Angeles if Bryany retired. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure where else- besides New Yorkwould be a great fit for Love. One of the other places where Love could be a fairly nice fit would be in Minnesota, but obviously he’s been there before. Love’s numbers in Minnesota were fantastic, and if you put him along Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, and Nikola Pekovic, he could really thrive. But I am not sure if he would want to return there, or even if the organization would want him back. Of course, this report is only a rumor, filed by NBA.com’s Sam Smith. No one can really predict what is going to happen until we get to free agency next year. Smith said Love would “seriously consider” opting out of his contract with the Cavaliers to go to another location, but we can’t be too quick to judge. Sure, the Cavaliers are struggling so far this year, but it has been fewer than 10 games. Sure, the new “Big Three” is struggling together, but it’s been fewer than 10 games. Sure, Love’s numbers are some of the lowest of his career, but it’s been fewer than 10 games. My point is that this is a very, very young season. Regression to the mean is a part of statistics, so it’s fair to assume that the Cavaliers will get better. They are still my pick to win the East, but I think they will fall to a team out of the West. But it’s too early to be predicting that now, so we’ll re-visit that topic later in the season. Want to write for sports? Contact our Sports Editor Victoria Addison at addisonv653@strose.edu