The Chronicle- December 9, 2014

The Chronicle The weekly student newspaper of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York www.strosechronicle.com - @strosechronicle

december 9th, 2014

Volume Lxxxiii issue 17

Chris lovell

demonstrators walked east on Madison to the space in front of the interfaith sanctuary, where four minutes of silence were held in honor of the victims of racialized violence.

Protest at Saint Rose Sheds Light on Racial Injustice

By JonAs miLLer Staff Writer students, faculty, and citizens of the albany area congregated

at The College of saint rose on Thursday to rally against racial injustice.

The protest, called “Black lives Matter,� took place at 1

News & Features

p.m. outside of the events and athletics Center on the campus green at saint rose. More than 100 people attended. after comments were shared by members

Arts & Opinion

of the saint rose community, the demonstrators proceeded to walk through the events and athletics Center, and along Madison avenue to the albany Police depart-

Sports

Trains, Trees, and Treats See page A9

dragon age: inquisition See page B11

rice reinstated See page D19

Krysta Farrell: how the Cookie Crumbles See page A5

Girls, You run the World See page C13

NFl Playoff Picture See page D20

ment Center station on Western avenue. once there, they read descriptions of acts of police racialized Continued on Page A4

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December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

The Weekly Wrap-Up Your Top 5 Stories from Friday to Sunday *Source: BBC News

Typhoon in the philippines Typhoon hagupit has been toppling trees and power lines in the Philippines. several areas have been threatened with mudslides, heavy rain, and flooding.

The storms have killed at least three people and around 1 million people have fled their homes for shelter.

Funeral for man shot By police The funeral of akai Gurley has taken place in Brooklyn. Gurley was unarmed when he was shot by police as he entered his apartment stairwell. a grand jury will decide if the officer responsible will be indicted. This comes soon after a grand jury did not charge an officer in the death of eric Garner.

Us Frees six guantanamo Bay prisoners Officials say that the US has released six prisoners and sent them to Uruguay for resettlement. The men were identified as being four syrians, a Tunisian, and a Palestinian.

The six were detained for believed connections to al-Qaeda, but were never charged.

reported Charged by iran Washington Post reporter Jason rezaian has been formally charged by the iranian government after being detained with his iranian wife for over four months.

Rezaian is a US-Iranian dual citizen, and the exact charges have not been released. he and his wife were arrested in July.

north Korea denies sony hack North Korea denies breaking into sony Picture’s computer system. Several films were leaked in the hacking, including The Interview, in which there is an attempted assassination of Kim Jong-Un. The leader called the film an “act of terrorism,” and supports whomever hacked sony.

Pics of the Week

Decorations were out in force for the lighting of the tree in Empire State Plaza.

Attendees of the Taste of New York event perusing various exhibits and vendors.

Chris alvarado

Chris alvarado

*iNForMaTioN Provided BY WeaTher.CoM

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December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

In Brief

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Fire on West Lawrence Street The albany Police department is working with the albany Fire department in an investigation of the cause of a fire at the refugees and immigrant support services of emmaus, located at 240 West lawrence street.

The fire took place on Tuesday

dec. 2, 2014 at 5 a.m. When the police and fire departments arrived, a fire was observed on the second floor of the building. It was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.

Currently the cause of the fire is considered suspicious and it

remains under investigation with the assistance of the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control. anyone with information is asked to call the albany Police detective division at (518) 4628039.

Saint Rose women’s Soccer Team Falls to Grand Valley State The College of saint rose women’s soccer team was eliminated from the NCaa tournament this past Thursday in the semifinal match against Grand valley state, who advanced to the championship game on penalty kicks by a score of 3-0. Grand valley state would go on to win their second consecutive NCaa

Championship against rollins College on saturday. after ending the game in a 1-1 draw, the lakers scored on all three penalty kicks. senior goal keeper ashley strauss stopped all three shots by the Golden Knights. The match, in which both teams were making their fourteenth collective NCaa na-

tional semifinal appearance, was officially ruled as a tie.

St. Rose finished with an overall record of 21-1-3. The team recorded 16 shutouts and surrendered only 10 goals throughout their season and was considered one of the strongest NCaa division ii programs in the country.

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Calendar of Events Tuesday, december 9th 12:15 p.m Weight Watchers Meeting Moran Conference Room 6:00 p.m. MaPs Weekly Meeting AH 109 7:00 p.m Girls 4 God Meeting Moran Conference Room 7:00 p.m. Music industry showcase Campus Theater 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, december 10th 6:00 p.m sa Meeting SCR A & B 6:30 p.m. BasiC Weekly Meeting Hubbard Sanctuary 7:30 p.m. Colleges against Cancer Meeting AH 210 7:30 p.m saint rose Knight Club Bru; Saint Rose Room 7:30 p.m CdaeYC General Meeting Albertus 301 9:00 p.m Karate Club Practice Lima Conf. Room Thursday, december 11th 5:30 p.m seB Meeting St Joseph’s Auditorium 8:30 p.m identity Meeting Lima Conf. Room 8:30 p.m aTitle iX Training Carondelet Symposium 9:15 p.m. Knightz in Motion dance Practice EAC Rm 110 9:30 p.m alaNa steppers Practice Lima Conf. Room Friday, december 12th 3:00 p.m Knightz in Motion Practice EAC Room 110 7:00 p.m saint rose Knights Club Bru; Saint Rose Room 9:00 a.m. Music department honors Convocation Massry: PRH saturday, december 13th 7:30 p.m saint rose Knight Club Bru; Saint Rose Room sunday, december 14th 9:00 a.m. Karate Club Practice EAC Rm 110

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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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We post weekly updates from our social media accounts

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

News Editor lauren sears ‘15 searsl534@strose.edu

Arts Editor alexander Pecha ‘17 pechaa188@strose.edu

Web Editor Christopher lovell ‘14 lovellc083@strose.edu

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

Assistant Layout Editor Whitney dobladillo ‘15 dobladillow942@strose.edu

Copy Editor Jenessa Matis ‘14 matisj311@strose.edu

Faculty Adviser Cailin Brown

Staff Writers alyssa haddad vanessa langdon Nicholas Negron Matthew Woods Nicole Baker alex horton adriana rosales ryan Geever Justin Porreca Josh heller Josh veshia shawn Berman Staff Photographers adriana rosales Nina Buonarota

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

Official E-mail Address Chronicle@strose.edu

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

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December 9th, 2014

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Protest at Saint Rose Sheds Light on Racial Injustice Continued From Page A1

violence. The group then continued their walk back along Western Avenue, and crossed through campus to stop on the front steps of the Administration Center.

To conclude their path, the demonstrators walked east on Madison to the space in front of the Interfaith Sanctuary. While there, four minutes of silence were held in honor of the victims of racialized violence.

The rally was organized over a 24-hour period, complete with posters, fliers, and speeches prepared by some of the members of the crowd.

Waheera Mardah, a junior at Saint Rose, was inspired by another rally on the University at Albany campus that took place on Wednesday afternoon. Mardah and many other students had gathered on the SUNY campus to rally against the court decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri.

“A young person was robbed of the rest of his life, that is what I’m angry about,” Mardah said.

As the rally was concluding,

Mardah and her peers learned that the officer responsible for the death of Eric Garner, a man who was strangled to death in New York City, would also not be indicted on any murder charges.

Mardah immediately knew she had to take action and share this news with her fellow Saint Rose community. She sent emails and text messages to everyone she knew, encouraging them to join her on the Saint Rose quad on Thursday.

The Saint Rose event was “a peaceful protest to stand in solidarity with everyone in the nation who is fed up with racialized state violence,” according to Mardah.

Michelle Valle, a political science major at UAlbany, stressed to her peers that the protest must remain peaceful.

“We don’t want to give anyone any reason to hurt us,” Valle said.

Valle not only attended the protest at SUNY on Wednesday, she also organized a peaceful protest

back home in Harlem this past Sunday.

“To see a lot of white faces here, means we’re moving in the right direction,” Valle said.

Both Valle and Mardah spoke at the event, along with Bradley Russell, an adjunct professor at Saint Rose.

“We need to change how things are working,” Russell said.

Russell teaches a sociology class at the College titled “Creating Social Justice.” He created the Facebook page that helped spread the word about the protest.

“I teach this,” Russell said. “It is long overdue that people pay attention to how our justice system treats minorities.”

In the short speech that Russell gave, he listed off some facts about racial inequality and police brutality.

The number of police officers that have died on the job is the lowest it has been since 1887, proving Russell’s point that it is

“We need to do this the right way, or not at all.”

Michelle Valle

safer to be a police officer now more than it has ever been. In fact, according to Russell’s research, it is more likely that a police officer will be struck by lightning than die while on duty.

Russell also addressed recent events of police brutality.

He talked of the shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland on Nov. 22. Rice was playing around a toy gun. When 911 calls were made, police showed up and shot Rice, assuming he was an immediate threat.

Russell said the fact that there were only two seconds between when the officers arrived and the

fatal shooting of the young boy is just ridiculous.

The racial issue surrounding all of these events was the main cause for concern in the eyes of the people at the rally.

“If you are not black, you will never know what it feels like to be black,” Valle said.

Valle said the best way to work against such inequality is to educate, organize, and then act. According to Valle, simply getting together and rioting is never the answer.

“We need to do this the right way,” said Valle, “or not at all.”

Chris lovell

Saint Rose students shortly after the protest concluded.

Chris lovell

Demonstrators walked east on Madison to the space in front of the Interfaith Sanctuary, where four minutes of silence were held in honor of the victims of racialized violence.

Chris alvarado

The protest began on the Campus Green at 1:00 p.m.

News A5 Krysta Farrell: How the Cookie Crumbles

December 9th, 2014

By Amy Bishop Contributing Writer

Behind the counter at Great American Cookie is college senior Krysta Farrell, 22, with an inviting and eager smile. The full-time early childhood special education major at The College of Saint Rose works between 20 and 40 hours a week outside of school. Farrell has discovered that education doesn’t always take place in the classroom.

Farrell lives in an apartment on Madison Avenue with two other Saint Rose students and her income helps pay for rent, bills, and food. When she heard the cookie place was hiring last year, she applied for the job and was hired the same day.

Great American Cookie is located on the lower level of Crossgates Mall and sells a wide variety of cookies, cookie cakes, and brownies. Farrell, a shift leader, opens and closes the store, handles the money at the end of the night, cleans, and serves customers. On top of all of that, she helps bake the product.

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Part of Farrell’s paycheck goes toward paying off her student loans. On top of her busy job, she is an early childhood special education major at the College.

She spends half of her day student teaching in a self-contained special-education classroom.

Although her full schedule is demanding, she is motivated to work hard every day.

Growing up in the small town of Kerhonkson, NY, Farrell wasn’t always as driven as she is today. After high school, she attended Ulster County Community College to improve her academic performance before transferring to Saint Rose.

“I was just one of those kids who didn't apply themselves,” Farrell said. “When I actually tried, when I got to college I ended up with a 3.75.”

Saint Rose was Farrell’s first choice because the College offered a dual general and specialeducation major. She discovered her love for teaching when she worked with special needs children in high school. From then on she knew exactly what she

wanted to do. Now in her third year at Saint Rose, she plans to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees before becoming a fulltime teacher.

Since she started working at the cookie store, she bakes a lot more than she used to, but the job has taught her more about life than baking. She finds that she’s gotten better at planning and organizing her time, something she didn’t expect to learn.

Once her weekly work schedule comes out, she plans out time to complete her assignments. She occasionally loses sleep because of her chaotic schedule.

The only aspect Farrell considers a drawback at her job is the smell of the cookies. She often finds it irresistible.

“You would think after a year I would get tired of the cookies, but I never did,” she said. “I eat too many cookies. And the cakes are pretty good, too.”

Farrell’s job isn’t always so sweet. She remembers when she dropped a tray of ‘cookie cups,’ then picked them up and dropped

them again. Farrell always maintains a good sense of humor and a positive attitude no matter what.

Despite her busy lifestyle, Farrell still finds time to have fun.

One of her roommates, Krista Kubacka, describes her and Farrell’s leisure activities as “nerdy stuff, like watching Doctor Who or playing board games.”

Kubacka describes Farrell as an open-minded and funny person. The three roommates often find time to go shopping or to the movies together as well.

“I do have more of a problem balancing Netflix and school than I do balancing school and work,” Farrell said.

When at home in Kerhonkson over the summer, Farrell goes boating and camping with her family. She doesn’t consider herself an “outdoorsy” person, but says she enjoys being on the Hudson River and walking through the woods.

Farrell’s roommates, Kubacka and Madison Palmer, as well as her coworker Kevon Julien, describe her as both a hard worker and a good person. Kubacka remembers a time when her car was buried in a foot of snow and she had anticipated digging it out.

When she got home from class

she found that Farrell, along with another friend had done the job for her.

“I believe Krysta is a genuine person that is willing to help anyone, and take charge as opposed to waiting for direction,” Julien said.

After graduation Farrell is open to moving to any location, depending on where the jobs are. She intends to have a lead teaching position in her own classroom one day.

She is currently student teaching a special education class with children ages 5 to 7.

“I've been working on them with letter identification, finding the match, color recognition and some students are starting to learn to read,” Farrell said. “The only real challenge is that there never seems to be enough time to do everything.” Time management is a constant issue in her life, but she stays upbeat and genuinely enjoys her job.

“Connecting with people outside of Saint Rose is very important and rewarding,” she said.

“Because I've worked at the cookie place, I've made friends I would have never met if I was just at Saint Rose.”

“Connecting with people outside of Saint Rose is very important and rewarding.”

Krysta Farrell

Visit www.StRoseChronicle.com

We have an online presence! Visit our website for video, COLOR PHOTOS, online exclusive stories and more!

Advertise with Us! Amy Bishop

College senior Krysta Farrell, 22, works at Great American Cookie part-time.

Contact Advertising Manager Ashley Sweet at sweeta984@strose.edu for rates and publication schedule.

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December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

time in Troy.

Halligan’s job with Sacandaga Advertising consists of writing between five and ten articles each month. “It can be hard to squeeze in all those interviews and the time it takes to write the stories between my full-time job duties,” said Halligan, who is always a little more stressed around Sacandaga deadlines.

With such a busy schedule, Halligan has mastered working efficiently, turning breaking news around in 20 to 30 minutes. She averages an hour of reporting and two to two and a half hours of writing for a 500-word article.

“The Chronicle helped me learn about quick turnaround time,” said Halligan.

Halligan does find she has a hard time going ‘off the clock.’

She recently switched from separate work and personal cell phones to just the work cell in order to cut costs, and now it is harder to ignore those work calls on the weekend.

“Even when I went on vacation to Europe this fall, I found myself checking it. I guess it’s in my nature to want to be in the know, but sometimes I really feel robbed of my weekends,” said Halligan.

The low pay earned by journalists does not dishearten the eager reporter. “You don’t really make any money at this job. And it can be [an] exhausting amount of work…If you enjoy talking to people, listening to their stories, and writing, don’t be discouraged. You’ll always have a way cooler life than any of your friends,” said Halligan.

The lack of money does not discourage Halligan but it is one of the biggest challenges in the career. She currently lives with her parents at home, saying, “while I probably could get an apartment, I’d be on a very tight budget.”

Halligan’s love of journalism can’t be swayed by dollar signs.

This past spring she was living with public relations majors who had graduated in May. “I overheard what some of their entrylevel salaries would be, and I got very jealous,” said Halligan.

Working at Alternative Press magazine is Halligan’s dream job. She has been reading the alternative music magazine since she was 13 years old.

“I much prefer magazine writing because it allows for more words, the articles go into more depth, and there’s no super-quick deadlines, since they are usually weekly or monthly,” said Halligan.

She would also like to write a biography. “I just need to find someone interesting enough. I love writing profile pieces,” she said.

The new reporter has hit the ground running, reporting on how meatballs are made, how screen printing is done, interviewing a ‘fairy queen’ at a festival, taking a pie baking class, reviewing concerts at SPAC, scrubbing up at a hospital, attending a gun club shoot off, and interviewing a 102-year-old woman on her birthday.

“I learn something new and experience something new every day on the job. Nothing’s routine, and that’s why it works for me,” said Halligan.

Saint Rose Alumna Writes to Success

By Vanessa Langdon Staff Writer The College of Saint Rose journalism program has launched many careers in the Capital Region and nationwide. Lauren Halligan, graduate of the class of 2013, is just one of them.

The 22-year-old is navigating the Capital Region as a reporter for both The Troy Record and The Saratogian, working an average of 37.5 hours a week covering mainly business and entertainment news.

Halligan did not begin her college career at Saint Rose; she attended Schenectady County Community College in an effort to save money. “Community college is what you make of it,” said Halligan.

“Although they didn't have a student newspaper, I introduced myself to the public relations specialist there, and she let me write for the faculty-created campus publication called The Binnekill,” said Halligan of SCCC. While attending SCCC, Halligan toyed with the idea of going into business. “Though I had always spent time writing for the high school newspaper, upon starting college at Schenectady County Community College I was also considering a degree in something business related,” she said.

Halligan credits her decision to pursue journalism to trips taken in high school introducing her to the possibilities in the field. “In both tenth and twelfth grade, I had the opportunity through my school to attend Columbia Scholastic Press Association conferences at Columbia University in New York City. I remember feeling so inspired, and so engaged in everything I heard in the workshops.”

She vividly remembers her first published article in the MidEagle Times. “I first became interested in journalism in middle school. It came out of my love for music. My first story was a review of a Fall Out Boy concert in Albany.”

Since then, Halligan went on to

hold an editorial position at Saint Rose prior to graduation. She was the news editor of the student-run newspaper, The Chronicle.

Some of Halligan’s favorite college experiences came from inside The Chronicle office in the Hearst Building. “Once I compared us to the Breakfast Club.

We were a really eclectic bunch, stuck in a room together on Saturdays and Sundays, but we really learned to like each other and work well together,” said Halligan of the editors of the paper.

Her time at Saint Rose solidified her decision to enter into print journalism. “Broadcast terrifies me. My last semester at Saint Rose I had to take a TV journalism course. It was awful.

I was awful, I should say,” said Halligan.

The communications program at the College had an impact on the young journalist, especially Associate Professor Cailin Brown. “I really feel like Saint Rose’s communications program, especially Cailin, instilled in me the passion, knowledge and sense of purpose to do what I do,” Halligan said. “Cailin always harps on journalism being an agent for change in the community, and

that’s what gives me a sense of purpose.”

The program taught Halligan what it takes to get the story, like “riding in a milk truck at 5 a.m. being pretty certain that I was going to puke. That was one of my first enterprise stories, on Meadow Brook Farms,” Halligan said.

“It taught me a lot about what you have to do sometimes to get the story.”

The story, produced for her first-ever journalism class, was one of many that she wrote for Journalism 1 with Brown, the class that Halligan says has had a lasting impact on her. “I knew what I was doing, I really cared about what I was writing, and I was seeing the benefits,” said Halligan.

Reporting for two papers – The Troy Record and The Saratogian – and working freelance for Sacandaga Advertising in Amsterdam, NY leaves little time for relaxation.

“I get really stressed sometimes about finding time for myself, but I think I’m getting better at it,” said Halligan. She tries to split her time evenly between the newsrooms in Troy and Saratoga, but tends to spend most of her

CAILIN BROWN

Lauren Halligan with Senator Neil Breslin after recieving the Women’s Press Club of New York State Honor in 2012.

December 9th, 2014

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News

The Chronicle

Not Your Every Day Student

By Conor sheA Executive Editor he may go by Themba Knowles when the professor checks attendance, but as soon as the day ends it’s back to being Mr. every day.

Knowles, who prefers to go by his professional stage name of Mr. every day, is a senior gradating this december who gives new meaning to the phrase “more than just a student.” as Mr. every day he spends his time outside the classroom with a second life as a radio dJ, and Ceo of Past life entertainment llC. Past life entertainment, an all-inclusive media house headquartered at 100 state st., has been a long-gestating dream for Knowles. This drive to work in entertainment is due in part to his blood ties to the industry. his father, eddie ade Knowles, the former vP of student life at rensselaer Polytechnic institute is known best for his deep ties to the roots of early hip hop and r&B. “i was blessed to be a part of a family that has a rich heritage in the entertainment business. My biological father and my godfa-

ther started the group Gil scottheron and the Midnight band in the early 70s,” Knowles said.

This was the first group signed to arista records, the same label to eventually sign Whitney houston. “i started as a young child surrounded by that music, just being a part of the scene.”

Knowles said that being immersed in that musical culture influenced him at a very young age to pick up dancing, singing, and even writing lyrics.

“By the time i got a little bit older, hip hop was big, and i started writing my own raps, singing my own hooks, and i used to break dance and battle other crews.”

From there, Knowles got involved with the entertainment business professionally while he was attending SUNY Buffalo. He was recruited to the school to play football, which afforded him certain opportunities, namely working as a bouncer for concerts held at the school. This allowed him to get behind stage, and a chance encounter with the band 3rd Bass.

“While I was at [SUNY Buffalo] i met a good friend of mine who started a merchandising company promoting racial har-

mony and unity. i was able to make a connection between the company and 3rd Bass to design a tour shirt, and hit the road with them,” said Knowles. his positive experiences with the tour helped Knowles solidify

“i started as a young child surrounded by that music, just being a part of the scene.”

Themba Knowles the fact that the entertainment business was the right path for him. he subsequently dropped out of college to pursue this path, taking him to New York City where he got his start in radio on 105.9 fm. he and his radio crew, the dirty dozen, began a hip hopbroadcast that would eventually end via the station being bought out. This, coupled with a number of other business ventures that didn’t quite suit him, pushed Knowles to eventually move back to his second home of Troy, NY.

“around 2003 i came back upstate, but i was still doing consulting from home. i would fly out to Atlanta and Las Vegas to work with different clothing lines… brokering deals, connecting artists to clothing lines,” said Knowles.

This would continue until about 2010, when he went back to the world of higher education. he would then pursue, and earn an associate degree in broadcast communications from hudson valley Community College, and a certification in radio and television arts.

When he “got tired of working for everybody else” he decided to start his own brand, Past life entertainment in 2012, and has been building the business ever since.

Knowles has certainly had a myriad of experiences on the road to his degree from saint rose, but he isn’t quite finished with the Pine hills community. Knowles said that he intends to work with students from saint rose going forward, potentially offering job opportunities, and real-world work experience. “it’s like brand loyalty, if i go to hudson valley i’m going to hire hudson valley grads; if i go to saint rose then i’m going to hire saint rose grads.” derick Noetzel, a senior at saint rose, had an opportunity to film an external project with Knowles this fall semester, and he said he had quite an experience. “a great thing about our department is that we get to perform

real client work and Themba extends that even further, which is awesome to see,” said Noetzel.

“The opportunities he offers are great experience for anyone trying to add a notch to their bed post of clients in order to build a portfolio,” he said. rebecca Yi-vargas, Knowles’s legal representative, and vP of operations of Past life entertainment said she too has had great experiences working with him for well over three years. “i took him on as a client because he is driven and efficient and loves what he does… he has a knack for making people feel comfortable.”

Past life entertainment currently has about 10 artists on the roster according to Knowles, with one based in australia.

When he isn’t running his company, he still dJs a show from 8 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays at SUNY albany’s WCdB radio station.

The show, a hybrid of old hip hop and newer rap, was voted the best college radio show in the Capital region by Metroland magazine.

Knowles aims to provide the Capital region with a more diverse music selection through this show. This pursuit is something he will continue to work on as he builds his company.

“This new music now doesn’t have soul, it’s very generic, and it’s very digital. i also think that a lot of these artists don’t understand who the forefathers and the greats are.”

adverTiseMeNT

COURTESY OF TheMBa KNoWles

Themba Knowles feels most at home in the studio, either working with his artists, or producing his own radio show.

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December 9th, 2014

Two Worlds in One The Study Abroad Experience

By Alexander Wheeler Features Editor On a crisp December afternoon, The Chronicle was able to sit down in the warm lobby of CCIM with Aldrine Domalanta, a global ambassador for International Studies Abroad.

Domalanta has studied abroad himself, having gone to Seville, a city in the southern region of Spain, last summer. Domalanta said that the study abroad program now features a list of 35 cities and a total of 23 countries that can be selected for a semester abroad.

The study abroad program features “an ample amount of subjects and courses,” said Domalanta. He also referenced a website, studiesabroad.com, saying that the site is highly informational and can help students a lot with the whole process.

There is a student portal on the website that shows students all of the pertinent information that deals with their study abroad experience, including but not limited to bills, insurance, statuses, and itinerary.

Throughout the conversation, the best option. we obtained some very impor“I know a few students who tant facts about the study abroad have come back to America just program that many a day before their students may not visa expired,” “One of the benefits said Domalanta. know.

In most of He spoke very of study abroad the countries highly of the is having the that you can program and the select to study exceptional ability to execution thereabroad in, your of. distinguish what is financial aid and “One of the your scholar- culturally acceptable benefits of study ships transfer. abroad is havYou don’t have and what is seen as ing the excepto completely rather unorthodox.” tional ability to start over, as if distinguish what you were going Aldrine Domalanta is culturally acto a whole new ceptable and school. what is seen as After you apply for study rather unorthodox,” Domalanta abroad and you are put through said, referring to other cultures. A the initial process, as the semes- lot of Domalanta’s praise of the ter closes you begin to receive program revolved around the remore information and documents al-world experience and applicayou will need. You also receive a tion that can be taken away from roster of who else is in your pro- studying abroad. “Study abroad gram by state and school in order helps develop you professionto better prepare yourself. ally,” he said.

You, the student, are in charge Domalanta said that he was of getting to the country and com- able to travel outside of his iniing back home. Domalanta said tial country of study, and travthat buying a roundtrip ticket is eled to Italy, France, Ireland and

COURTESY OF Aldrine Domalanta

Aldrine Domalanta is a staunch advocate of the study abroad program.

Volume 83 Issue 17

COURTESY OF Aldrine Domalanta

Domalanta (left) studied abroad in Seville, a city in the southern region of Spain, last summer.

Morocco while abroad. Study ey on housing and food costs. abroad gives students the ability “Living with a family,” Domato explore new things; as Doma- lanta said, “better immerses you lanta put it, “[students get to ex- into the culture.” perience] what nature has to ofThe Office of International fer. Each city you travel to offers Programs is located at 429 Westa different aspect of culture.” ern Ave., and students are free Domalanta backed this up by to stop in and inquire further citing how the culabout study abroad ture of Seville opportunities was very dif- “Each city you travel and how to get ferent than that to offers a different started. Colleen of Granada – Thapalia, the diaspect of culture.” rector of the ofanother city in Spain which he Aldrine Domalanta fice, is more than traveled to. happy to help Domalanta students with also pointed out study abroad opthat studying abroad allows you portunities. to better “learn how to survive on Students should also feel free short luggage.” When you study to contact Aldrine Domalanta abroad, you have limited resourc- to set up a meeting to talk about es at hand. the study abroad opportunities.

Domalanta recommended He has business cards available choosing a home stay, something on the third floor of Saint Joseph that the program offers that al- Hall. If you’re looking to get into lows students to stay with a fam- the study abroad program, there ily over the course of the program is no time like the present, and instead of living in a dorm or now you have a better idea on an apartment where the student how and where to get started – so would have to pay rent. This op- get started. tion allows students to save mon-

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

News

The Chronicle

Trains, Trees, and Treats

By Alexander Wheeler Features Editor Albany was extra busy on Sunday, Dec. 7 2014, with three events coinciding downtown.

The three events are as follows: The Great Train Extravaganza, Taste of New York, and the lighting of the tree in the Empire State Plaza.

All of these events occurred on Sunday, with the Train Expo transpiring in The Egg, the Taste of New York happening at the New York State History Museum, and the lighting of the tree going on downtown.

Sunday started at around 10 a.m. with the Train Expo opening its doors to a mass of people.

The Expo has been going on for around 30 years, with various dealers and exhibitors showcasing their model train goods.

Richard Smith, the manager of the show, was able to sit down with The Chronicle and talk to us more about the event and what goes into its planning. “I send out letters to vendors and exhibitors starting in July,” said Smith, who has been running the event for the past six years.

From Lionel train cars to Ngauge models to wooden trains to built-from-scratch models, the Expo had a lot to offer all of the people in attendance. From N-

scale setups to even an extremely elaborate Lego model train setup, the Expo had it all.

“This year, we have around a total of 90 vendors here,” said Smith. From old locomotive books, to tools to get a model train setup working, to model trains, the Expo really had it all.

“Having complementary events helps to create an exciting atmosphere.”

Richard Smith The convention center in The Egg was jam-packed with model train devotees and their families as they walked through and looked at the merchandise and the extremely detailed model sets, which were being fully operated on the convention center’s main stage.

There are various model train groups and clubs that are represented at this event, and Smith informed us that “about six groups are here, and they each bring a two-by-four set with them and

Chris alvarado

Model train devotees and their families were treated to a miniature train ride.

piece them together on the main floor.”

Regarding how Smith felt about the other events occurring at the same time – especially the Taste of New York going on next door– he said that he was pleased.

“We plan intentionally for that.

Having complementary events helps to create an exciting atmosphere.”

Smith couldn’t have been more correct. As attendees made their way to the museum for the Taste of New York, they were greeted by an array of different options from the various vendors. Taste of New York is essentially a showcase for local vendors offering anything thing from wine to chocolate to cheesecake.

Joan Waldrop, one of the employees running the admissions table at the museum, said that the event was “doing extremely well,” and that the Taste of New York was experiencing its first year “in place of the Chocolate Festival” that the museum usually hosts each year on the same weekend.

Craig Wander, of We Do Fondue, said that “we’ve been doing this event for the past eight years.” We Do Fondue teamed up with Price Chopper to put up a chocolate fountain that could be found within the venue’s interior.

On how the event was going, Wander said that he was “thrilled.

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Chris alvarado

The convention center in The Egg was jam-packed with model train devotees and their families.

We’ve been constantly busy. It has been busier in past years, but this year it is consistent” with past turnouts.

Another vendor, George Cafiero, representing both Ronnybrook Farms and Cascade Mountain Winery, was also optimistic about the event. “I’ve been doing this event for about four years,” said Cafiero.

“This year is well attended and well organized. I’ve always been successful here.”

Cafiero also said that the event seemed to be extremely well paced.

The Taste of New York didn’t have quite as many people in attendance as the Train Expo, but

Chris alvarado

Taste of New York is a showcase for local vendors offering anything thing from wine, to chocolate fountains.

there did seem to be a considerable overlap in attendance between the two events, showing that they were perfectly complementary and played up each other’s strengths very well. Where the Expo lacked food, the Taste lacked trains.

Both events closed around 4 p.m. on Sunday, but the city wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon.

The tree lighting at the Empire State Plaza kicked off at 5 p.m. and the attendance was massive, with hundreds of people huddling together in the cold weather to witness the lighting of the tree and the killer fireworks display that immediately followed.

Once the tree standing 50 feet high was lit, the fireworks started in the background and carried on for what seemed like forever. Although the weather was less than desirable, the whole atmosphere was intoxicating.

As an all-day adventure, the three events eventually culminate into one of the busiest and most rewarding weekends out that one can have in the Capital District – and it coincides every year. If you missed out, don’t fret, they’ll all be back next year.

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The Chronicle

Arts

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Top of the Week For Dec. 1 - 6 Movies at the Box Office

TV Shows

1. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (57.0M) 2. Penguins Of Madagascar (25.4M) 3. Big Hero 6 (18.8M) 4. Interstellar (15.7M) 5. Horrible Bosses 2 (15.5M) 6. Dumb and Dumber To (8.4M) 7. The Theory of Everything (5.0M) 8. Gone Girl (2.5M) 9. Birdman (1.9M) 10. St. Vincent (1.7M)

1. NBC Sunday Night Football 2. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick 3. NCIS 4. NCIS: New Orleans 5. The Big Bang Theory 6. 60 Minutes 7. Dancing With The Stars 8. Football Night in America 9. Madam Secretary 10. The OT

*Source: RottenTomatoes.com

*Source: Nielsen.com

Books

Music

Fiction: 1. Hope to Die (James Patterson) 2. The Escape (David Baldacci) 3. Gray Mountain (John Grisham) 4. Revival (Stephen King) 5. The Burning Room (Michael Connelly) Non-Fiction: 1. 41 (George W. Bush) 2. Killing Patton (Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard) 3. Yes Please (Amy Poehler) 4. What If? (Randall Munroe) 5. The Andy Cohen Diaries (Andy Cohen)

Albums: 1. That’s Christmas To Me (Pentatonix) 2. 1989 (Taylor Swift) 3. ShadyXV (Various Artists) 4. Hood Billionaire (Rick Ross) 5. Beyonce: More Only (Beyonce) Songs: 1. Blank Space (Taylor Swift) 2. All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor) 3. Take Me To Church (Hozier) 4. Shake It Off (Taylor Swift) 5. Animals (Maroon 5)

*Source: New York Times Best Sellers

*Source: Billboard.com

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Arts

The Chronicle

Dragon Age: Inquisition Here There Be Dragons

By ALEXANDER PECHA Arts Editor I’m a sucker for a good roleplaying game. Give me a sword and a shield and point at some goblins and I’m already into it.

Add a rich world with a deep story and awesome characters and that’s just gravy on the metaphorical turkey. This is what originally drew me into Bioware’s Dragon Age franchise.

I vividly remember awaiting the release of the first game in the series in 2009, Dragon Age: Origins, with fanatical interest. I was not disappointed as Dragon Age: Origins was a masterpiece of a game, perfectly paying homage to the old roleplaying games of old such as Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale while having an interesting twist on the stereotypical fantasy universe. Then in 2011 Bioware released Dragon Age 2 which, while not necessarily being a bad game per say definitely was a step down from Dragon Age: Origins in terms of gameplay and a logical plotline.

Despite the slight sideways step that was Dragon Age 2 I have been looking forward to getting my hands on the third game in the franchise, Dragon Age: Inquisi-

tion.

Dragon Age: Inquisition takes place 10 years after the events of the first game and two years after the second game. The world of Thedas, where the game is set, is in chaos following a disaster that has caused a world-wide war between mages (magically inclined people) and templars (holy knights meant to keep an eye on the mages). There is hope for peace when the Divine (female pope) calls for a peace conclave between the two sides. This goes well until it gets blown up by magic and opens a giant hole in the sky that is spitting out demons.

This is where Dragon Age: Inquisition starts. You play the only survivor of the previously mentioned sky explosion. Why you were at the conclave depends on what race and class you choose to play, but the result is the same- you are the only survivor of an explosion that killed a lot of people, and as a result everyone is fairly suspicious of you. From here it turns into a wild ride of a story where you race to close the demon-spitting sky hole and figure out who decided to blow up the Fantasy Female Pope and the entire peace conclave.

The story for Dragon Age: Inquisition is filled with twists, turns, and epic moments that left me with goosebumps. Dragon Age likes to sell itself as “dark fantasy” though I’d more readily define it as “slightly burnt” fantasy. What this means is the story touches on heavier elements than “Hit goblin with sword” such as the place of organized religion, freedom versus safety, racism and other somewhat heavy themes.

However, Bioware manages to use these themes really well as always, making the player make tough decisions about the world that not everyone in the game will agree with no matter how hard you try.

What really sells the story and world though, as with most Bioware games, are the companions you gather who follow you in your adventures and provide advice, opinions and sometimes just jokes. This time around Bioware gives you nine companions, three mages, three warriors and three rogues as well as four quasi-companions called advisors who help you run the titular Inquisition you eventually join/control. Despite the strong cast of characters and strong story moments, the ending was rather lackluster. The entire game feels like a huge build up

with the ending basically being summed up with “Huh? Oh yeah, go kill the villain or whatever.”

Unlike Origins or even Dragon Age 2 the final boss battle is sort of a “meh” moment and doesn’t really feel like a payoff for all of the work you put in, especially compared to Origins which reaches a huge emotional climax and payoff with the final battle in Denerim. This is slightly off-put, however, by the huge gut-punch of a sequel hook after the credits that made me literally shout a string of surprised profanity at my TV, much to my roommates’ displeasure.

The gameplay of Dragon Age: Inquisition is a mix of old things and new. Like previous games you can choose to either be a warrior (stab things from the front) a mage (throw fireballs at things) or a rogue (stab things from the back) and can specialize in various types of combat and choose which skills fit your play style as well as effect your character on a story level. (Mages are looked on with suspicion and fear while a warrior might be noted for their strength). On top of your character you also get to choose three of your nine companions to go on missions with you, and

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like in previous games having a well-balanced group with you is important if you don’t want to be dragon chow. What’s new though is the huge explorable zones as compared to the small dungeon and city areas of previous games.

Areas are so big now that the starting area is reportedly bigger than the entire area of the first Dragon Age. It adds some exploration to the game while managing to keep it concentrated on story; I really enjoyed the huge zones and got lost finding sidequests or hunting large monsters more than once.

One thing worth noting when it comes to game play, however, is to make sure you buy the game on a console, as the PC controls are completely broken-- either that or make sure you have a compatible controller for your computer.

All in all Dragon Age: Inquisition is a welcome addition to the Dragon Age franchise with elements that made the older games great as well as some improvements that make the new Dragon Age fantastic. If you’re looking for a fantasy roleplaying game with a deep and well written setting, amazing story, fascinating characters and fun combat then Dragon Age: Inquisition is the game for you.

Five Things to Take a Break from Finals With

By RACHEL BOLTON Managing Editor We all know that feeling. Sitting there staring at your computer screen as you attempt to add two more pages to your paper, or perhaps slaving over a text book trying to remember the right answers. If there is one thing that people should remember during finals is that you can take a break.

You won’t do well on anything if you make yourself brain dead studying.

In my experience, it is nice to watch something relaxing for a little while. Here is a list of five movies and television shows to

watch when you need a break.

5. Howl’s Moving Castle Of all of the Studio Ghibli Movies this one holds a special place in my heart. Films by Hayao Miyazaki can either be the cutest thing or the most intense.

This one is in the former category. For those who are unaware, Howl’s Moving Castle is about a milliner named Sophie who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste and attempts to return to normal by finding the wizard Howl. The film is beautifully animated and the soundtrack is relaxing.

4. A Disney Movie- You can pick this one. And when I say Disney movie, I mean one of the

classic 2-D animated films. Don’t give me that Frozen nonsense. I think that most people have a favorite Disney movie. Go watch it and sing along to all the songs.

Just not loudly. We have 24 hour quiet hours now.

3. The 2005 Pride and Prejudice- This may seem like a random pick, but this film has elements that will help you decompress. It has gorgeous scenery and a nice piano soundtrack.

You can distract yourself from your own problems but worrying with Mrs. Bennett over her unmarried daughters. Pride and Prejudice’s drama won’t bug you too much while watching it. The

worst thing that happens is the youngest Bennett sister being stupid. Even if you are not a fan of Jane Austen, give it a chance. You can always ignore it and go back to your textbook.

2.Over the Garden Wall- Another animated thing on the list.

It is a short miniseries about two brothers, Wirt and Gregory, who are lost in the woods and trying to find their way home. However, it is far more complicated than that, as the woods is filled with strange and supernatural things. Over the Garden Wall is creepy, in a good way, and people who enjoy Adventure Time will like it as well. A word of warning, Over the Gar-

den Wall is seriously addicting.

If you don’t have an hour or so to watch all ten shorts you might find yourself very distracted.

1. Your Favorite Movie- Power to the people. When I get stressed, it is nice to return to the comfort of something familiar. What is more familiar to you than your favorite movie? You can make a pile of blankets and pillows on your bed and settle in for a little while. Or if you need to keep working a bit, you have probably seen your favorite movie enough not to need to pay full attention to it. Make sure not to quote it in your essay.

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The Chronicle

Arts

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

To Publish, or Not to Publish

By Conor sheA Executive Editor Gamers (and even those just keeping up with the tech industry) are sure to know of the recent criticisms of game developer Ubisoft. For those new to the issue, the corporation has taken a great deal of criticism for their significantly less than satisfactory job on their last product launch.

That’s a nice way of putting it, considering the number of documented errors, crashes, and bugs in their latest game, assassins Creed Unity.

The game was released for the Xbox one and the Playstation Four on Nov. 11 of this year, and has since been thoroughly ripped apart by gamers both casual and serious. This brings up a question that is frequently asked by aaa game developers: should a game be published and shipped with known bugs? The alternative is to push the release date back, but this is often met with backlash, and seen internally (and occasionally externally) as a failure.

Game alpha and beta testers are looped into the development

cycle very early for the sole purpose of catching bugs and errors, a fact that makes it hard to side with the developer who shipped a buggy product. That said, these testers often operate in somewhat sequestered or compartmentalized segment of the testing environment. Testers are not given a finished product and told to play through until they spot a problem.

They are almost always given only a single level, sometimes even small portions of a level, which they must play again and again to search for game-breaking bugs.

While they may easily catch the errors when playing that individual segment, the final aggregated product will often create problems. in the case of this game, the sheer enormity of it caused the final product to drop from a desired 30+ frames per second (60 is preferred), to approximately 15. To provide a little context, films are shown and shot in 24 frames per second because that is the minimum number of “still images” per second that when composited result in smooth movement. The result of 15 fps is choppy game-

play, making world traversal and combat nearly impossible.

When you can’t accurately move your character through a world, you are killed more often, especially in a combat centric game like Unity. But this isn’t a problem, because you can reload a checkpoint easily, right? Well, yes and no. Because of the size of the game, reports have come in on re-load times upwards of 10 minutes. This may seem insignificant in the long run, but when compared to the speedy two minute loads of previous generations of assassins Creed games, it’s an eternity. a recent argument in defense of Ubisoft is the sheer scope of the game, and how it would make sense that errors could be encountered in one that enormous.

To provide context, the game is set in the city of Paris during the French revolution. Ubisoft paints this picture of a war-torn France with protestors crowding the streets at all times. The developers have boasted that upwards of 500 characters can be interacting with the environment in unique and fluid ways at all times.

WiKiMedia CoMMoNs

The large number of NPCs in Assassins Creed Unity are what some people are attributing the drop in frame rates. one argument for delaying a game is that pushing it back even a month would allow for a number of the larger bugs to be scrubbed out and still not infuriate the final user too much. obviously, this is hard to argue, given the reputation gamers have for being vocal, irrational, and difficult to reason with. however, the fact of the matter is that a negative launch day (or week) experience may make a gamer less inclined to buy a game the day it comes out in the future. When the masses wait for the month after the release, when most of the patches would be executed, and pre-order sales plummet, a company very quickly develops a negative stigma. even if they eventually ship one million units of the game, if the perception is that no one buys on release day, a reputation will begin to form, which may snowball into a steep decline in sales.

Quite possibly the best choice

would be to push back the release date, but allow all those who preordered the product to take part in a massive second beta test. That way the most passionate gamers get their way, and the company still receives the crash reports to more easily locate the cause of the bugs.

While some have touted this botched release as a complete failure on Ubisoft’s side, it can be hard to truly label the end product as useless. They have released patches to compensate for the frame rate issues and other such bugs. Furthermore, this was an ambitious foray into a new platform, one which has shown the gaming community just how much of a challenge aaa games can be to publish. one can only hope that game developers learn from Ubisoft’s mistakes, and perhaps make sure their eyes aren’t growing bigger than their stomach.

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Have a favorite show you want to review? Catch an episode, and let us know what you thought! Email ourArts Editor Alex Pecha at pechaa188@strose.edu.

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

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Assassins Creed Unity was the subject of great criticism for its rocky first days of release.

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December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Girls, You Run the World

By Jonas Miller Staff Writer As the final days of the semester dwindle down and winter break starts to creep into the minds of us all, I find myself questioning a lot of different things. Finals are on the list, of course, but also something more personal, and emotional, is hanging around in my thoughts. I wake up every day to the harsh reality that, as Beyoncé clearly stated, girls in fact do “run the world.”

As a boy who enjoys the company of the opposite gender, I constantly question whether what I am doing is appealing to girls.

The answer I always seem to come up with is no.

No matter what I do as a member of the male population, it never seems to be good enough for females of similar, or differing ages. I pride myself on the fact that I think I do treat girls how they’re supposed to be treated. I don’t mind being called “bitch,” or having the forever-annoying whip cracking app used in my honor. I’ll call you my queen, and I’ll treat you like it, too.

Having said that, boys reading this take note, it does not work.

The only people in the world good enough for girls are themselves. I do not mean any disrespect through this; it’s simply just a sad fact of life, or at least my life.

I was raised almost entirely by my mother, so naturally I have a better perspective on the female side of life than many of my peers. I know how to give a hell of a back rub, and I can braid hair; I’ll even paint your nails if you want me to. And no, I don’t consider any of this to be “gay,” because it isn’t. What it is, is my adapting the female environment that surrounds me. This is what girls like to do, so why would they say no to a guy offering to do it for them?

You’d think such skills would come in handy, but as I’ve come

across, in today’s society more girls are commanding, and less guys are offering. No longer is it a man helping a woman step over a puddle. Instead the man offers, the woman denies, and then when god forbid she steps in said puddle, it seems that more often than not it’s the man’s fault.

If I had a choice, I would most certainly go back to the days when men wore suits to the ball game, and women very rarely left the house without a dress on.

Everything was so much simpler then, when the man was exactly that--the man in the relationship.

Now, I’m definitely not trying to turn this into some kind of sexual bashing of women, because well, let’ be honest, that would be pretty dumb on my part. I’m simply asking girls that you let your man be there for you to lean on.

It’s a common stereotype that women are more sensitive than men, and my whole life, especially more recently, I’ve begun to question why people think that.

I’m a very sensitive kid, despite my years of high school football that might say otherwise. I cry at the occasional movie, or the end of my favorite show, which may or may not have been The Office, but that was a really emotionally involved ending so it’s all right.

I just don’t agree with the stigma that girls are the only ones allowed to be emotional, that an emotional guy is one that you should stay away from.

I know most of what I’m saying applies to only some of the some 4 billion girls in the world, but it is still true.

So girls, let your man be the man, even if that means letting him be the small spoon for once, or running to get the tissue box when The Fault in Our Stars is just too much for him to handle.

Let him be your prince charming, because even if it doesn’t seem like it some times, there are guys out there that would love nothing more to treat you like their reallife Cinderella.

Opinion

The Chronicle

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Saint Rose Student Association: Community Service is a Huge Part of What We Do

By COURTNEY CARR Staff Writer The Student Association has a community service committee comprised of 15 members that volunteer their time and efforts to the many community service events our organization holds throughout the year.

This committee is co-chaired

by Student Association President, Justin Whitaker, and the Director of Academic Activities, Lauren Modzelewski. The purpose of this committee is to organize and carry out various community service events on campus including PB&Jams, Stuff the Van, St.Baldrick’s Day, and Shed Your Clothes. Because these events are such huge undertakings we often reach out to different clubs on campus for help in executing them to their fullest potential.

Stuff The Van is an annual event that takes place for a week, typically during November. The purpose of this event is to gather non-perishable food donations for local food pantries. This year we partnered with a new organization on campus, Powerhouse Group of Seven (PG7), which is led by Ken Scott of the Community Service Office. PG7 is a group of seven clubs on campus which includes Spectrum, Knights of Service, Environmental Club, Identity, Catholic Student Organization, Student Association, and Better Together. After a series of meetings the group created Week of Change and each club was responsible for hosting an event that week.

To advertise for this event Student Association created traditional fliers that were hung around campus including in residence halls, posted to the televisions across campus, utilized various social media accounts, and tabled for the event on the

sidewalk outside of our office.

This was in addition to the large banner that Ken Scott had created for Week of Change. This banner was displayed on Saint Joe’s the week prior to and during the week of activities organized by PG7.

The reason why we park the vans for Stuff The Vans outside on the campus quad sidewalk is because this is the most trafficked area on campus. Students, faculty, and staff had to pass by our

We fully acknowledge that with every event that happens on the campus there is room for improvement. two vans on their way both in and out of the EAC. We made sure to draw attention to our cause by flanking the vans with sandwich boards, posters, and window markers expressing what we were doing. We also had various Student Association members and officers sit outside with the vans and collect donations. Although the vans themselves were outside, the majority of our donations for this event came through the Student Association office, which is located in the EAC. We would then take the donations out and place them into the vans. In addition to food donations we also accepted monetary donations. Since we started this event five years ago we have never been asked to move it indoors or heard complaints that the donation turnout was low due to the cold weather.

One of our largest events, PB&Jams, was held in October and the Saint Rose community came together to make 3,275

sandwiches to be donated to people that are homeless in our surrounding neighborhood and city. Essentially, PB & Jams is a peanut butter and jelly sandwichmaking drive that was started by Myles Clendenin in 2009 when he felt compelled to help those less fortunate than many students at our college. When it comes to financing this event we turn to donations more than anything else. This past year the event chair, Tim King, reached out to 15 local businesses and was able to get 10 different donations from various businesses. Through the generosity of these donations including bread, peanut butter, jelly, knives, gloves, and money we paid roughly $300 for additional supplies. This number is in sharp contrast to what has been spent in the past, which has sometimes been upward of $1,000.

We fully acknowledge that with every event that happens on the campus there is room for improvement and we take all ideas into consideration for the following years. However, if we do not hear about desired changes we cannot make them.

If you are looking to get involved in our efforts, community service committee meetings are held every Tuesday from 3-4 in the SA office. These informal meetings are used as an open forum for members and nonmembers alike to express what they would like to see happen on campus. If members of the Saint Rose community are unable to attend these weekly meetings they are invited to attend our general meetings that are held at 7pm every Wednesday and share their ideas. We also make ourselves available for drop in visits in our office or through our email: sa@ strose.edu.

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The Chronicle

An Exercise in Sleep Deprivation

By Soleil Paz Staff Writer I’m fighting sleep to write this.

This should be fun.

As a college student in early December, sleep is difficult to come by. I’m sure lots of people have already come out with a thousand and one articles about the troubles of finals week, and I think I’d be lying if I said this one was going to make much of difference. The truth of it is that we’re all going through the same kind of stress and academic struggles, albeit some more than others. But if there’s one universal thing I’ve seen these past few days, it’s that we’ve all bonded against a common evil as we sob about exams and papers and our GPAs going down the drain.

On the topic of sleepless nights, I only speak for myself.

However, I can safely say that art majors have some of the biggest workloads compared to everyone else on campus. (Why I chose to do this to myself is beyond me.)

Those who know me know that I often joke about art majors basically living in a studio without eating or sleeping, but people don’t seem to realize that most of the time, it isn’t a joke. There have been days when I’ve been up painting at three a.m. for a project due that morning, only to realize I’d forgotten to eat dinner.

On top of that, I’m a commuter student.

It has gotten to the point in which I think of eating and sleeping as annoying inconveniences, a mindset that is probably a bit unhealthy. I stopped trying to plan for regular human functions a long time ago, and now I consistently forget to leave gaps in my schedule for lunch. I openly acknowledge my imminent destruction.

I know there are people worse off than I am, both inside and outside the art major community.

I’ve heard countless other horror

stories from some of my upperclassmen friends about their consecutive all-nighters and nervous breakdowns, especially from seniors who are now trying to wrap up their academic career. Admittedly, I am just now understanding the full scale of it.

Finals week changes you.

I think many would agree when I say procrastination is one of the main weaknesses. I’m even procrastinating as I write this article—my drawing easel stands in front of me, with my half-finished final project clipped to it. Scratch that, it’s not even close to halffinished (don’t tell my professor).

We’ve all heard it a million times, drilled into our heads for as long as we can remember: don’t procrastinate, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. The work piling up is going to overwhelm you in the long run, if it isn’t already. Although I have yet to fully adopt this mindset, I find that just starting is the hardest part, and afterwards, things get easier from there. It’s all about your decisions and how you choose to deal with the work.

I recently spoke with a junior who had been awake for almost 48 hours and then decided to go out that night, so of course he was near death the next morning. Do you ever look back on your mistakes? If you can help it, please never do that to yourself.

It’s tough to see people really cracking under their workload. I almost wish I had more experience with this stuff so that I could give more comprehensive advice.

But I’m afraid I have to say that there’s not much else we can do but keep moving forward. We’re almost there, we can’t afford to give up now.

The best advice I can give anyone at the moment, regardless of whether or not it is applied to finals week, is to take things in moderation. Tackle things one at a time, lest the insanity catches up with you.

Opinion

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Finals Week: Let the Stress Begin

By Katie Klimacek Opinion Editor Oh, it’s that time of year again.

The air is cold, all things peppermint have filled shelves at stores, and Saint Rose students are slowly losing their hair over the amount of work they have.

Yes, it’s finals week, everyone, and I know exactly what most of you are doing. Calculating the lowest possible scores you could get on your test until your average starts to plummet.

For the past two weeks, I have been listening to students around campus talk about finals like they are the crazy cousin no one wants to have over for dinner. One thing that I have noticed is the number of finals students have in one day.

That’s right, students at Saint Rose can have up to three to four finals in one day alone. “That’s the Saint Rose difference.”

Let’s take a quick step back to high school. Back in high school, finals were usually split up by day. All history finals on Monday, science on Tuesday, and so forth. This allowed students to have time in between tests to decompress and catch up on any last minute studying. It seems as though that is quite the opposite at Saint Rose.

Imagine getting up at eight a.m. to take a final, and not finishing your entire test load for the day until three or four in the afternoon. That is a lot of stress put on students.

It is bad enough that the only thing separating students from a month-long vacation is five different finals, but to have them all on one day is even worse. To me, it seems as though Saint Rose is not considering the amount of pressure they are putting on students.

Now let’s do some math. First of all, nine times out of ten, students do some kind of studying

the night before their exams. For one subject alone, they can stay up to two or three o’clock in the morning. Now, let’s add three back-to-back finals to the equation. Students are more likely to stay up even later the night before their test, just to make sure that they are prepared.

Now add two hours of sleep, a large Starbucks coffee, and an eight a.m. final together, and what do you get? An over-tired, under-caffeinated student who can barley keep their eyes open while reading multiple-choice questions. That student is more likely to do average or poor work on their final opposed to someone who only had one final that day.

Secondly, when you have that many tests in one day, students are likely to be less focused on each one. While a student is taking one test, they are thinking about the other tests they have to take that day, not allowing for 100 percent focus and concentration, which can contribute to poor test taking.

If you look at other schools, they have their finals spaced out more, specifically to avoid this problem. If you look at Saint

Rose compared to another school and how they do their finals, it makes it look like Saint Rose just wants to rush finals and doesn’t really care how stressful it is for students.

My suggestion would be to try to space out the tests over more than just one week. Having the tests spread out over a week and a half or two weeks reduces that stress and anxiety for students, and even professors.

Professors have the opportunity to take more time to grade finals so they are not rushing to get everything in on time.

I understand that not every little thing that bothers students at Saint Rose can be fixed or dealt with, but they could be altered.

When it comes to how students are testing, take some time to evaluate the system Saint Rose.

You say you want us to succeed and do our best, but how are we supposed to get A’s when we are pulling our hair out and stressing over how many tests we have in one day? Consider changing how finals are given, and chances are students will probably do better.

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December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Sports

The Chronicle

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Puopolo’s Record-Breaking Career Comes to an End

By VICTORIA ADDISON Sports Editor For team captain Carmelina Puopolo, going after goals is something that she has done for as long as she can remember.

“You want to be in an environment that makes you work as hard as you can, every single day, and simply wants your best at any moment. This makes you into a better player, something that I want to keep on doing,” said Puopolo.

“I have always been the type of student that was able to balance both soccer and academics; it has never been an issue for me.”

As a student athlete, Puopolo, 22, has excelled both in the classroom and on the field. She holds the school records for goals, assists, and points produced. She also has been named the National Player of the Year twice, and is a two-time honoree of the Capi-

tal One Academic All-American Team.

Puopolo started playing soccer at the age of four. An Ontario native, the first team she played for was the Scarborough Blizzards, which was coached by her father.

Aside from soccer, Puopolo also played hockey, basketball, volleyball, and ran track. Of all the sports she was involved growing up, soccer and hockey would emerge as her favorites.

“It wasn’t until I was 13 years old that I had to make the decision between the two sports, because they were both taking up a large amount of my time. I simply could not do both of them because they were starting to overlap,” Puopolo said. “I ended up choosing soccer, my passion.”

Puopolo would continue her soccer career throughout high school at Cardinal Newman Catholic. As she began to focus

COURTESY OF CARMELINA PUOPOLO

Puopolo, right, currently holds the school records for goals, assists, and points produced.

on the recruitment process, the thought of staying close to home was one of her top priorities.

“Being a Canadian and looking at American universities, I was looking at a bunch of schools that were somewhat close to home,” said Puopolo.

Besides Saint Rose, Puopolo was also looking at Buffalo, Syracuse, and Michigan. In the end, she decided on Saint Rose because of its small class sizes and the success of her recruiting trip.

“I ended up going to Saint Rose because it felt like home to me,” she explained. “On my recruiting trip to visit the school, people were very nice to me and the Saint Rose women’s soccer coaching staff made me feel comfortable.”

Despite the ease she found in balancing both schoolwork and soccer as a freshman, Puopolo struggled being so far from her family. Not only was she living in a new environment, but in a completely different country.

“I was homesick being away from home and living in a whole new place, not to mention a different country,” she said. “It was a struggle my freshman year, but looking back now, I have grown up so much as a person and as a player.”

She adds that her parents have been her biggest role models during her time at Saint Rose.

“They have been there every step of the way and have continued to support me no matter what,” she said. “I love my family and friends and cannot thank them enough for their continued love and support.”

Of Puopolo’s many accomplishments during her career at Saint Rose, winning the National Championship and the NSCAA Player of the Year Award in 2011 are her favorite memories to date.

Fellow captain and team member Emily Benjamin commented on the experience she has had playing with Puopolo.

“Carmelina is one of the best people you will ever meet in your

COURTESY OF CARMELINA PUOPOLO

Puopolo, who helped guide the team to a National Championship and won the NSCAA Player of the Year Award in 2011. life. She is kind and loving and gives it her all in everything that she does,” she said. “I am lucky to say that I am her teammate and friend.”

A fifth-year student, Puopolo is finishing her first semester of graduate school and continues to work towards her master’s degree in special education. As an undergraduate student, she was a childhood education major.

After she finishes the master’s program, Puopolo plans to move back home to teach so she can be

closer to her family.

Puopolo has certainly made a name for herself as a member of the Saint Rose women’s soccer program over the past five seasons. Her many accomplishments on the field have led her to a record-breaking career, one that will not be forgotten.

“Work hard every day and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something,” she said.

“Believe in yourself and you can achieve anything.”

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The Chronicle

Sports

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Humble and Hopeful: Jalaun Taylor’s Road to Success

By Jonas Miller Staff Writer Some say that patience is a virtue. This is especially true for big man Jalaun Taylor, who has quietly sat in the shadows his entire life, waiting for a chance to shine. That chance has come, and Taylor’s light has never been brighter.

Taylor attends The College of Saint Rose, playing on the basketball team, while also holding a full-time job mentoring children at The La Salle School across the street from the College on Western Avenue.

Taylor took a very unconventional route in his journey to Saint Rose. It’s not everyday you hear about a 25-year-old freshman walking into a classroom, never mind onto a basketball court.

From a young age, Taylor was always interested in basketball.

His dad first taught him to shoot a ball, and he can remember making his first shot on a 10-foot regulation size hoop at the age of three.

Taylor grew up in the Albany area, graduating from Bishop Maginn High School where he played both basketball and football.

This having been the last school that Taylor attended, he said he enjoys Saint Rose, because it mirrors the small size of his graduating class of only 62 students.

“My principle was my football coach, and my guidance counselor was my basketball coach, so yeah, it was a pretty small school,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s basketball team went to the state championship his senior year, when he was only 17, foreshadowing a very bright future in basketball for the youngster.

“I played AAU ball against some NBA guys,” Taylor said.

Those “guys” turned out to be Rashard Lewis, Jimmer Fredette, and O.J. Mayo, all of whom had successful professional careers of varying lengths. From a young

age, Taylor went up against some real talent, which he said always pushed him to be better.

After graduating from high school in 2007, Taylor made the decision to not immediately pursue a higher education.

“Books weren’t my thing,” Taylor said. “I lived that ‘just kind of getting by’ life in high school.”

Instead of school, Taylor started working in an attempt to help his mom out. He got his first job at Footlocker selling shoes, sparking a long-lasting love for sneakers.

“I used to have around 300 pairs, now I’m down to about 20,” Taylor said.

After realizing school still wasn’t the right choice in 2008, Taylor continued to work, picking up jobs stocking shelves at Hannaford and Target.

While working, Taylor played in a local men’s league, trying his best to stay in shape, just in case an opportunity presented itself.

In 2011, Taylor decided it was time for a fresh start. He fixed up his car, packed up his stuff, and moved to Houston, Texas to live with his cousin.

“I got a call from my cousin saying there was a chance for me to play out there, [and] three weeks later I was gone,” Taylor said.

He ended up staying much longer than he had originally planned, continuing to play park basketball to stay in shape.

After moving back to the Albany area, Taylor kept playing basketball. He joined a men’s league team based in Clifton Park. That’s when the opportunity that Taylor had been waiting for finally presented itself.

Mike Perno, the assistant coach of the Saint Rose basketball team at the time, happened to be a referee in the league that Taylor participated in. After two weeks of watching him play, Perno approached Taylor, asking if he had ever considered going back to school to play ball. Taylor expressed his interest, so last

March, Perno invited Taylor to come work out with the team.

Taylor quickly learned that he was very out of shape, describing himself as the “old man” running around with all of the young kids.

But nevertheless, Perno liked what he saw.

In order to attend Saint Rose, Taylor had to take a couple classes at Hudson Valley Community College over the summer, in order to get the grades he needed to be accepted. The Friday before school started, Taylor received a text message informing him he had received a scholarship, meaning he would be playing for the team that fall.

Taylor says he could not feel more blessed to be where he is today. He couldn’t believe how surreal it is to be back in the college atmosphere.

“Wearing a backpack again, that has books in it, it’s just great,” Taylor said.

Taylor is a social work major.

In his free time he enjoys writing poetry and music; art, fashion, and cars are also some of Taylor’s interests outside of school and basketball.

Taylor’s favorite part of Saint Rose is the family he has found in the basketball team.

Taylor described it as being

scary, but in a good way.

“It’s like have a team full of brothers, and you’re the older one, helping them out whenever you can,” Taylor said.

Maxwell Weaver, a junior guard on the team, has known and played with Taylor since the two were teenagers.

“He (Taylor) has always been a hard worker,” Weaver said. “He’s a good person to have as a team mate, and as a friend.”

The team started the season strong, although they’ve struggled as of late. Taylor points to the great amount of youth on the team as what’s holding them up this year.

“There’s ten freshmen this year, and I’m one of them. It’s just a blessing to be here, regardless of wins or losses,” Taylor said.

Taylor looks at Coach Perno as a father figure, along with the other coaches on staff.

When Taylor isn’t in the library or the gym, he is working with children at La Salle.

He acts as a counselor and a mentor to the young kids at the school, who take a great interest in Taylor’s life away from school.

The children Taylor mentors attend all of his home games at the College, and even follow his stats

COURTESY OF Jalaun Taylor

Jalaun Taylor, who is one of the ten freshman on the Saint Rose men’s basketball team.

online during away games.

“I’ve experienced so much in my life, and faced so much adversity, these kids just want someone to listen to them, take care of them, and guide them,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he enjoys social work because it allows him to positively impact other people’s lives.

“I love giving back and helping people who are in need,” said Taylor.

Through his entire life, Taylor has kept a positive outlook. The 70-some tattoos that cover his upper body represent everything he’s been through, and remind him every day of the man he should be.

“My right arm is heaven, and my left arm symbolizes me. I’ve got Goofy in my left sleeve, because I’m a goofball,” Taylor said.

Although his parents were not thrilled with his love of ink at first, his mother has since gone under the artist’s needle nine times, and Taylor himself plans to get more over the upcoming winter break.

Taylor’s favorite tattoo covers the majority of his chest.

“It’s Iron Man, flying right at you. It reminds me that under the armor, I’m still only human,” Taylor said.

Taylor said his biggest flaw was that he tries to control things that he simply has no power over.

He reminds himself everyday, “God does not throw obstacles at people who cannot overcome them.”

“As long as you’re alive and well, you always have a chance,” Taylor said.

Taylor could not say enough how blessed he feels to be at Saint Rose. He is incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be here, and to have met all of the amazing people that he has.

“I want to be successful,” Taylor said. “Even if that doesn’t work out, I went to a great school, made a bunch of friends, and had fun.”

December 9th, 2014

By Justin Porreca Staff Writer

Volume 83 Issue 17

Sports

The Chronicle

Ball is Life…And So is School

She’s a senior and she’s the starting center for your Golden Knights women’s basketball team.

Mariah Lesure, 21, has always had a true love for the game of basketball since she was a young girl. This November marked the start of Lesure’s final season as a player for the Golden Knights under coach Karen Haag. By day, Lesure is a hard-working student, and by night she’s backing down opposing centers and power forwards in the paint. However, before she became a student-athlete and starting center, she was a just a young girl learning the art of basketball.

Lesure grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts and has two sisters. She initially went to Amherst Regional High School, but eventually transferred to Tabor Academy in her senior year, where she would graduate in 2011. In her lone season at Tabor Academy, she helped the school win the New England Preparatory School Council championship, was the team’s MVP, and was named an NEPSAC All-Star.

That subsequent fall of 2011, Lesure attended Saint Joseph’s

in Pennsylvania over several schools that were looking at her, including Rider University and New Haven University. However, Lesure’s stint at Saint Joseph’s would be rather short, totaling only one year, due to personal reasons and not feeling that Saint Joe’s was a good fit for her.

She would then transfer to The College of Saint Rose in 2012.

She’s been a Rosebud since her sophomore year, studying communications with a concentration in public relations. Lesure will be graduating from Saint Rose in the fall of 2015 with a degree in communications.

“I first started playing basketball in elementary school. I was in a rec league and being bigger than everyone else at that time, I stood out a little,” Lesure said.

Lesure learned the game through the helpful knowledge of her godfather, who at the time was the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Amherst College. Her godfather was an intrinsic part of Lesure’s growth as a player, as was her father, whom she was too stubborn to listen to as a youth.

Lesure dabbled in various sports including soccer, basketball, ice skating, track and field, swimming, and softball when she

was younger. However, basketball was the one activity that built a strong father-daughter bond.

“This is one of the outlets that I enjoyed the most. I think part of it was a closer bond that I was able to establish with my father through our shared love of the sport,” said Lesure.

A father-daughter bond wasn’t the only thing that fueled Lesure’s passion for the game of basketball. In the seventh grade, Lesure was the only player cut from her AAU basketball team, Mass Frenzy.

“That fueled me and I think at that point I decided that I was going to work to make that team and that lead me on the path I’m on today,” said Lesure.

That fire has translated into a college career in which Lesure has progressively gotten better, even with the insurmountable obstacles she’s had to hurdle over.

In her sophomore season, Lesure averaged 9.4 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 2.2 blocks per game, which led the Northeast-10 Conference in the 2012-2013 season. However, Lesure’s game rose to another level in her junior season.

As a fully-fledged starter at center, Lesure was averaging 15.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per

St. Rose Athletics

Mariah Lesure (left), who is the starting center for the Saint Rose women’s basketball team.

game, 3.8 blocks per game, and increased her career high to 36 points from 23 versus American International. Her overall performance versus American International led to Lesure winning Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week honors. Through 12 games, Lesure was blossoming into a fearsome force in the paint; however, an injury changed that.

A serious, season-ending knee injury shelved Lesure for the remainder of her junior season.

“After injuring my knee, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same player. I have been struggling to come back and have been suffering from a couple complications, which are restricting my participation at times,” said Lesure.

Despite nursing her injured knee to the best of her ability, Lesure exhibits toughness by continuing to play, which can be difficult at times, and starts at center for the Golden Knights. Although after every game there will be soreness in her knee, Lesure is extremely grateful that she can continue her playing career.

As the hypothetical shot clock on her college career and student life winds down at Saint Rose, Lesure has pondered the idea of life after college and has reflected back on her years at Saint Rose.

“I can’t think of just one memorable moment rather than a period of time which would be this season’s preseason. We had many returners along with two phenomenal transfers. I think this period was so memorable because of our team chemistry,” said Lesure.

Along with limitless memories that she couldn’t organize into one definitive, lasting memory, Lesure has also contemplated things she would do differently if she could turn back the clock.

In regards to the possibility of being given one redo, Lesure said, “I would focus more on academics when I got here. It’s hard to realize the importance of them as an undergrad, but as I’ve gotten older I have and wish I had realized that earlier.”

Being older and wiser, Lesure now has the ability to share her

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journey and story at Saint Rose with future student athletes, and give them some words of wisdom.

“My advice would be to enjoy your time playing now and stay in the moment. It took an injury for me to realize, but your time playing is limited so take the opportunities that you have and make the most of all of them,” said Lesure.

Before it’s all said and done, Lesure is considering being a dual-athlete in her final year as a Golden Knight student-athlete.

“I have spoken to the track and field coach and am considering spending my senior spring as a thrower on the team,” said Lesure.

She hopes this comes to fruition. She’s not positive about it yet, but time will tell come this spring.

As the chapter of life at Saint Rose slowly comes to a close in the “Book of Mariah Lesure,” Lesure has big plans mapped out once it’s all said and done. “After graduating, I plan to try and play abroad. If that doesn’t work out I will probably go to graduate school or join the workforce as a public relations professional,” Lesure said. She is also, further down the road, considering a stint as a coach. At what level, she is still unsure, but the idea has crossed Lesure’s mind.

For now and going into the future, ball is life for Lesure.

“Part of commiting your life to a college sport is coming to the realization that ball is life. So yes, it sure is, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Lesure.

Right now though, the present is what matters most for Lesure, and her mind is on the court performing to her maximum ability for her team, whom she will miss the most when the gymnasium lights are turned off and the seats are empty at Saint Rose.

“I have high hopes for this team and I think that we have the ability to move past the regular season. But I will miss being on such a close team and the feeling of family that this team processes,” said Lesure.

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Sports

The Chronicle

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

Five for Five The 5 Sports StoriesYou Need to Know

By MATTHEW WOODS Staff Writer 1. UAB Football is No More In an unfortunate set of circumstances, the University of Alabama Birmingham football team will be shutting down, effective at the end of the college football season. UAB is the first college football program to shut down since Pacific in 1995.

The main reason for shutting down the program was due to a study done by a consulting firm that showed increased expenses within the football program were not benefitting the school and the athletic department.

Fans, players, and coaches have been protesting and speaking out against the decision. The players, now forced to transfer if

they continue to play, lashed out against president Ray Watts when he met with the team. Tight end Brandon Prince compared the scenario to another college football decision that negatively influenced a program to the point that the program couldn’t recover. “It’s like SMU. We got the death penalty without any NCAA violations.”

Since joining Division-I football in 1996, UAB has had some notable NFL talent, including Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White.

This saddening decision may not be the last for non-power conference schools in the near future.

2. Florida Finds Their New Leader The recently-tamed Florida

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Baltimore Ravens’ defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who was recently suspended for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Gators football team looks to get back to their winning ways after hiring former Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain. The Gators finished 6-5 this season under former coach Will Muschamp, whose career with the Gators was rather mediocre as he went 28-21 in the Post-Tebow era at Florida.

McElwain has a lot to improve at the University of Florida, but may be able to recruit the players necessary for the Gators to be relevant again.

Before his time as head coach at Colorado State, McElwain was the offensive coordinator for the prominent Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide. McElwain’s pro-style offense is one that can dominate in college football.

Colorado State had the thirteenth ranked offense in the country this season; imagine what the offense would look like at a high-profile school like Florida, with more talented players.

Overall, this is a big improvement over Muschamp, considering the offense was increasingly worse each season and recruiting had been lacking. Florida fans can only hope that McElwain will bring them back to prominence.

3. Injured Clowney Done For Season The rookie season for Jadeveon Clowney, this year’s first overall pick in the NFL, didn’t turn out the way anyone expected. Clowney played in only four games for the Houston Texans before being placed on injured reserve after learning he would need surgery on his right knee.

In the four games he played, Clowney recorded only seven tackles, which is the secondfewest for rookie defenders who played over 100 snaps.

Clowney’s injury issue began just after he was drafted. Short-

ly after he signed his contract in June, Clowney had sports hernia surgery. He returned to practice, only to suffer a concussion in a scrimmage against the Denver Broncos, then in the first half of his first pre-season game, tore the meniscus in his right knee. This latest injury will hopefully allow him to return fully healed by next season. Those already calling Clowney a bust need to hold off on the claim, for his career has yet to start.

4. Haloti Ngata Suspended for PEDs Baltimore Raven Haloti Ngata has solidified himself as one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles since entering the NFL nine years ago. With his team in the playoff hunt, Ngata has been suspended for four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Ngata had used Adderall, which is more commonly prescribed for those with ADHD and forbidden under the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.

The run-stopping pass rusher will lose approximately $2.1 million in salary over the course of the suspension.

Ngata is the catalyst of the NFL’s fourth-best run stopping defense, and he was having one of the best seasons of his career with two interceptions, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.

With the Ravens standing at 7-5, the pass rusher will be eligible to return to the team should they make the playoffs.

5. Could 49ers Trade Harbaugh?

As in any ugly relationship, at some point or another a breakup is imminent. The short marriage uniting John Harbaugh and the 49ers may be ending a lot sooner than we all thought.

But why would the 49ers get rid of Harbaugh? He has led the 49ers to three straight NFC title game appearances, one Super Bowl appearance, and the secondbest record in the NFL during his tenure as coach. It is simple: the front office of the team has different philosophies, and does not believe in Harbaugh.

Since the rift between Harbaugh and the front office has been well known for a while, the recent rumors of Harbaugh possibly being traded at season’s end are not very surprising. But where might he land if he is traded, or worse, fired?

The clearest destination would be the Oakland Raiders. Perhaps not the best option, as coaching the Raiders would allow Harbaugh to stay relatively close to home, so he wouldn’t have to move his family. However, he will be inheriting an awful team, who may be giving up draft picks in order to get him, draft picks they may desperately need.

The other option may be the New York Jets. Harbaugh would be inheriting a Jets team with a pretty decent defense, but an offense that needs a boatload of improvements, especially at quarterback.

The only other option, and perhaps the least likely, would only work if Harbaugh was fired or just left the 49ers. That option is Harbaugh’s alma mater, the University of Michigan.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this season unfolds, and if Harbaugh can somehow lead these 49ers to another deep playoff run, and maybe even keep his job.

Want to write for sports?

Contact our Sports Editor Victoria Addison at addisonv653@strose.edu

Sports

D19 Rice Reinstated, But Where Will He Land?

December 9th, 2014

By JOSH HELLER Staff Writer

It was decided, with much controversy, that Ray Rice would be reinstated into the NFL, effective immediately. Ethics and opinions aside, there is a talented running back on the free agency market, and there are some teams that could use him. But are there any teams willing to take the baggage that comes with such talent?

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple months, videos had surfaced of Rice punching his then-fiancée Janay Palmer in an Atlantic City elevator, knocking her out. Rice then proceeded to drag the unconscious Palmer out of the elevator.

Originally, the NFL only had the video of Rice dragging her out of the elevator. The original

Volume 83 Issue 17

suspension handed down by the league was two games (compared to the whole season for Josh Gordon originally, but that’s another debate).

After hearing of the two-game suspension, the Baltimore Ravens decided to hold on to him, despite the amount of uproar caused by fans of the league. Later on, TMZ released a new video of Ray Rice.

This time the angle was in the elevator, where Rice punching his now-wife and knocking her out was visible, which then caused him to drag her out of the elevator as seen in the original video.

Upon seeing this new camera angle, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided to change the suspension to an indefinite one, and the Ravens cut Rice. Rice decided to fight the ruling, and his appeal was granted.

After a roller coaster, Ray Rice is once again an NFL player.

However, he is now a free agent, free to sign with any team. Rice brings a team a lot of talent, but also a ton of baggage and off-thefield issues.

The New York Giants were a team that made it somewhat clear that the baggage was not worth it. The Giants have put the most players on injured-reserve in all of the NFL. They were down to three running backs: Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, and rookie Orleans Darkwa. The organization decided that they needed another running back on the team. Many people thought Rice would be the guy.

However, the Giants apparently looked at what Rice brought off the field and were scared by it, so the team decided to sign free

The Chronicle

agent back Chris Ogbonnaya. It’s not like Ogbonnaya would start, but the fact that the Giants would rather go with him over Rice speaks volumes.

There are many other teams in the league that have had health problems who need running backs. Some of the most prominent examples are the Denver Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Arizona Cardinals.

In the Cardinals’ case, they decided they needed to sign a new running back. Again, they turned away from Rice and his issues and decided to sign veteran Michael Bush, who they cut before he even suited up for a game.

Rice, along with his wife, has come out publicly and said that the media is to blame for a lot of the situation. The couple have said that the media is blowing ev-

erything out of proportion, and that they had just one bad night.

They also said that they have said that they worked out any and all problems, and are a loving family now.

Personally, I believe this, and I think Rice is fixing his mistakes.

However, you can’t change the past. What Rice did to his wife was unthinkable and unforgivable.

From a sports point of view, Rice is a great talent. Even though his last season was horrible, Rice is a shifty back who packs some power and can catch the ball too. I feel that if Rice can prove to the rest of the NFL that he is truly sorry and that he’s fixed all of his problems, I don’t think it will take too long for him to find a home in the league.

Robert Griffin the Third (String Quarterback?)

By JOSH HELLER Staff Writer Well, we’ve all seen the news by now. The Washington Redskins decided to bench Robert Griffin III in favor of Colt McCoy going into Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Back in the 2012 NFL draft, Washington sent three first round picks and one second round pick to the St. Louis Rams for the second overall pick, which was used to select Griffin. In his 2011 collegiate season with the Baylor Bears, RG3 won the Heisman trophy, but was second on teams’ draft board at quarterback, behind Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck of Stanford.

Griffin’s 2011 season at Baylor was truly spectacular, totaling 47 touchdowns (passing and rushing), and six interceptions. These stats led to a well-deserved Heisman, and with that Griffin became the first quarterback since Tim Tebow in 2007 to win the Heisman, but not make it to the title game.

All of these stats help to sup-

port why Washington would want to draft Griffin second overall.

But now the main question is, did Washington give up too much to draft a backup quarterback? In my opinion, yes.

Now, in no way am I saying that RG3 is just a backup quarterback. The man won an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, so obviously he’s good, but he’s nowhere near the level of Andrew Luck, drafted just one spot ahead of him. RG3 is a starting QB in the NFL, but he’s not a great one, in my opinion.

In this season, after watching some Washington games, it can be seen that RG3 just does not look comfortable on the field this year. His stats are atrocious, although he has had problems.

Griffin had a knee injury that sidelined him for almost half of the season. When the injury happened, head coach Jay Gruden called upon former Michigan State Spartan Kirk Cousins. And of course, on Cousins’ first throw, a touchdown was the result.

Ultimately, the argument began. “When RG3 gets healthy,

should he even start? Cousins is doing great!” So Cousins started from Week Two to Week Seven.

Then, in Week Seven versus the Titans, Cousins struggled mightily. It was so bad that Jay Gruden decided to turn to Colt McCoy coming off the bench.

McCoy played well, well enough to start the next week as well. But then, RG3 got healthy.

So, Gruden decided to turn back to his star quarterback. Griffin started the next three weeks, playing horribly. Griffin was making terrible decisions, and Washington could not get anything going on offense (besides Alfred Morris).

Griffin totaled two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a lost fumble. His yardage was low, and it looked like the offensive line just was not blocking for him. Gruden noticed this and decided to turn to another of his young quarterbacks, McCoy. Frankly, watching Washington’s games with Griffin and McCoy at QB, it looks like McCoy has just been better. He may not have the explosive speed that Griffin

has, but McCoy has made better decisions and better throws. So I don’t blame Gruden for turning away from Griffin.

With all of the problems that Griffin and Washington have had this year, there are a few different routes that could be taken regarding RG3.

Option one: RG3 stays with Washington, and devotes the offseason to better cooperating with Jay Gruden. Washington spent a lot to get Griffin, arguably too much. So, it’s best to work a high value guy into the lineup instead of just stranding him on the bench.

Option two: RG3 stays as backup (or third-string) behind McCoy and Cousins. This seems like the worst option, as you’re wasting promising talent on the bench. If Washington chooses this, they need to re-think what’s going on in the front office.

Option three: RG3 leaves Washington in the offseason.

It’s pretty clear that Griffin is not working in Washington with Gruden’s system. If Washington doesn’t devote enough time to

developing Griffin, then maybe leaving the team is the best option. In fact, with the Jets struggling this season, there are rumors that RG3 could leave for New York. Honestly, I don’t think this would be great for either team, as it would appear as if Geno Smith would be given up on too easily.

One major questiom that has been posed this season is where Griffin falls on Washington’s depth chart. In my opinion, I believe he is second best on the chart, possibly third, if Cousins can step up his play.

McCoy, though he is not the best QB in the league, is the best on Washington at the moment.

He’s making better decisions, and he appears comfortable with the playcalling. Griffin, on the other hand, is having trouble with the system, while Cousins appears to be somewhere in the middle.

Hopefully Washington can fix this mess, as it currently looks like they’ll be picking in the top five in the 2015 draft.

D20

The Chronicle

Sports

December 9th, 2014

Volume 83 Issue 17

How to Sport When You Don’t Sport Fantasy Football Playoffs

By Courtney Carr Staff Writer

Just as some people are starting to realize that their dreams of winning fantasy football are almost over, this girl is sitting pretty to head to her league’s playoffs. In what seems to be a fairly regular occurrence, the person that knows about 2 percent of the doings of the sports world has managed to weasel herself into a playoff position.

I think my rise to the top four of my 10-person league was majorly aided by the fact that I did not pick my players based on sports loyalties or who I think is the cutest. Instead, I strictly pick my week’s line up based on the numbers. As colleges are cooing that students are people and not numbers, I will be preaching the opposite and checking the avail-

able players to see just which one has the highest projected point value. Although this may seem a little cold-hearted, because players are, in fact, people, when there is a hefty wager riding on winning I am going to look at Drew Brees as a cold, hard number.

Something that I also found while navigating the sports world over the past 14 weeks is that I am actually strangely competitive. I used to think that creating a fictional team was plain silly and honestly a waste of time. However, now I find myself obsessively checking scores, talking smack, and on occasion actually rooting for my New England Patriots to mess up because they are on an opponent’s team.

As for the rules of the game, I still have absolutely no idea what is going on. Unlike most fantasy

football league players, I do not tune into games to watch my players earn points. This is because even when I am rooting for a real team, I have no idea what is happening and they are on one field. Once I break up real-life teams into fictional ones playing at different times, against different people, and in different cities, I am absolutely confounded.

Instead of giving myself a headache, I just wait for the push notifications on my phone alerting me that a kicker kicked or that a wide receiver caught what he was supposed to.

Sometimes, if I am feeling curious about a play or am in need of a rule explanation, I will consult the football translation team that I have assembled.

As I have previously mentioned, this team includes my younger,

Colts-obsessed cousin, Levack from ESPN The Team 104.5, and Google. I give my cousin and Levack credit for dealing with my questions, as oftentimes I find the answer is easier than expected.

What I may think was an elaborate play is often just a run-of-themill pass. I try to refer all of my embarrassing questions to Google before I bother the real sports experts. The most embarrassing questions I will admit to were when I first started my draft and I didn’t even know what “RB” or “WR” meant. Now, thanks to my extensive research, I can proudly say that those mean running back and wide receiver.

Although I have a learned a lot about the sport, and do love the competitive nature of creating my fake team, I can still say that my favorite part about watching foot-

ball is the funny things that happen on the sidelines. I greatly enjoy watching coaches get worked up (I’m look at you and your cutoff sweatshirts, Belichick!) and laughing when diehard fans look depressed in the stands.

The world of sports is still pretty alien to me, but it’s something I’m warming up to. Participating in this league was never something that I imagined I would do, but it is something that I would recommend to others. With this in mind, I do think that I would have a different outlook on the whole strange ritual of making a fake team if I were losing.

There is one thing that I know for certain when it comes to sports, and that is that no one likes to watch their team lose, especially not one that they created in their perfect fantasy.

NFL Playoff Picture: Predictions in Week 14

By Alyssa Haddad Staff Writer With three weeks left in the NFL regular season, there is still a lot to be decided. For most of the divisions, the playoff contenders are a toss-up. As of last week, there are only a few teams who will definitely have a spot, and the last couple weeks will determine the line-up for the playoffs.

The NFC South is, well, a disaster. None of the teams sport a winning record. While the Buccaneers and Panthers are completely out of the running for the playoffs, the Falcons and the Saints are tied at the top of the division with matching records of 5-7. I think that the Saints will walk away with the NFC South’s playoff spot. The Falcons have a much tougher schedule these next few weeks than the Saints, going up against the playoff-bound Packers this Monday night.

Speaking of Green Bay,

they’ve been on fire as of late.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been playing on par with his 2011 MVP season. The Packers haven’t lost a game at home this season, and while the Lions are right on their tail, just a game behind in the division, I think that the Packers will snag the NFC North’s playoff spot, and very likely a place in the Super Bowl.

In the AFC, there’s less of a question about who the Super Bowl contenders are. The New England Patriots will be in the playoffs for the East. The Broncos are also a shoo-in for the West, with a 9-3 record. The Colts sit atop the AFC South, and will probably make it to the post-season, since the rest of the division is so weak: The Titans are on a six-game losing streak, the Jaguars are essentially nonexistent, with only two games in the win column, and the Texans have a tough schedule coming up.

Assuming both the Patriots and

the Broncos win their divisions, the Patriots will most likely defeat the Broncos in the conference championships and head to the Super Bowl. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has never had much success against New England, and the Patriots will

Looking back toward the NFC, the East and West could both go either way between two teams. represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLIX. Perhaps the biggest playoff mystery in the NFL right now is the AFC North. The Bengals are currently first in the division with an 8-3 record, but the Ravens, Steelers, and Browns are each only one game behind. It could

be anyone’s playoff spot.

The Ravens have a good shot.

Other than an important game against the Browns in the last week, their schedule should be pretty easy. The Steelers, on the other hand, didn’t wind up with the same luck as the Ravens, playing two teams that are number one in their respective divisions and the Bengals twice in upcoming weeks. The two games between the Bengals and the Steelers will most likely decide the division, since the Bengals also have a tough few matchups ahead. If I had to guess, I’d say that the Ravens will probably nab the AFC North, but it’s really anybody’s to take.

Looking back toward the NFC, the East and West could both go either way between two teams. In the East, the Eagles and the Cowboys are neck and neck, and the deciding factor will be when they play each other on Sunday.

I think that the Eagles will

win the NFC East, since they destroyed the Cowboys on Thanksgiving 33-10 in Dallas, but the Cowboys will win the wildcard.

The Cardinals lead the West, but defending Super Bowl champions the Seahawks are only one game out. Unfortunately for Arizona, quarterback Carson Palmer is out with an ACL injury, which will most likely affect their chances to clinch it. The Seahawks will most likely win the division, and the Cardinals will see the playoffs as the wildcard.

For us New Yorkers, this NFL season has been depressing. The Jets are 2-10, and the Giants are 3-9. Shockingly, the Buffalo Bills are the only NY team with any life at the moment. At 7-5, their playoff hopes are alive with the number eight seed in the AFC wildcard hunt. Unfortunately, they face three division leaders in their last three weeks, and will most likely lose their wildcard spot to the Dolphins.