11-11-09

TORCH GRAPHIC/KERI DODGE AND ZACH DAVINO

WHAT’S INSIDE News......................2-4 Entertainment....15-18 Opinion..................6-8 Comics.....................19 Features...............9-10 Sports.................20-24

CONCERT Maroon 5 Inferno sits down with Maroon 5 to discuss music, career advice and the band’s future ENTER RTAINMENT Pg. 15

TORCHONLINE.COM

Last week’s poll results Did you plan to vote in the NYC mayoral election?

33% Yes 67% No Check out our new poll every Wednesday “Think Outside. . .”

2

Directory Managing Board LXXXVII

CHRISTINA HEISER, Editor-in-Chief EVERTON BAILEY, Managing Editor KIRAN JOSEN

BILL SAN ANTONIO

MARK MCDONALD

News Editor

Sports Editor

General Manager

JUSTIN THRIFT

LAURA AMATO

MALLORY TOKUNAGA

Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor

Chief Copy Editor

PATRICE BENDIG

KERI DODGE

SARA RHODES

Features Editor

Art Director

Layout Editor

JESSIKAH HACKETT

JOSÉ SILVA

ELLEN CAREY

Advisor

Entertainment Editor Online Editor

Business (718) 9906576 Advertising 990-6756 Editorial Board 990-6444

Features 990-6445 Letters 990-6445 News 990-6444 Sports 990-6444

Special thanks to Richard Rex Thomas for assisting in the design of The TORCH

Movies Precious Gabourey Sidibe stars in her first role in a film that has Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry giving two thumbs up.

Inferno Pg. 16

Features Nicholas Kristof New York Times columnist came to St.John’s to talk about his latest book, Half in the Sky.

Features Pg. 9 TORCH PHOTO/ LAURA AMATO

Men’s Soccer One Step Closer The men’s soccer team advanced to the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament.

NEWS

Sports Pg. 21

OPINION PG. 8

torchonline.com

The TORCH

11 Nov. 2009

VAMPIRE CRAZE

FOR MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: 718-990-6756 The TORCH is the official student newspaper of St. John’s University. The Torch is written, edited, designed and produced by students of the University. All contents are the sole responsibility of the editors and the editorial board and do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of St. John’s University unless specifically stated.

To contact The TORCH by mail: The TORCH, St. John’s University 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439

The TORCH is typically published on Wednesdays, approximately 20 issues throughout the academic year. Circulation per issue is 3,500 copies distributed free on campus.

This copy of The Torch is worth $ .75.

New York Yankees’ fans celebrate the Bronx bombers latest World Series victory in Manhattan on Nov. 6. This win marks their 27th world championship.

Walking Club takes strides to better health KERRY SULLIVAN Contributing Writer

The St. John’s University Walking Club takes 20-minute stroll around campus every Tuesday and Wednesday. People participate in the lunch-time walk around campus, which is part of the University’s Wellness Program.

The walks are organized and led by Laura Luecke, the benefits specialist of the St John’s Human Resources department.

Luecke thought of the idea last winter, but waited until the weather warmed up to begin the bi-weekly walks. In March 2009, Luecke’s club went on its first walk. “[There is] no pressure,” Luecke said, “...

[Walking] is something just about all of us can do.” Although the club’s original purpose was to promote physical activity, there is no competition involved.

“It’s fun!” Luecke added.

Mary Alison Cunneen, a secretary in the department of Sociology and Anthropology, started walking with the club as a way to get away from her desk and exercise.

As a former runner, Cunneen appreciates the health benefits of walking. She is careful to make walking a part of her daily schedule, inside or outside of the walking club.

“When I don’t walk with [the club] I walk to do errands,” she said.

Although Cunneeen appreciates the health benefits of joining a walking club, the opportunity to socialize with her coworkers is

the best part of the club. “[When you walk] with a group with you, it’s more motivating,” said first-time walker Stacey Varghese, associate director of Loughlin Institutional Advancement. She joined the club, not just because it was a convenient way to integrate exercise into her daily schedule, but for the social interaction as well.

Astra Butkus, secretary to the President, appreciates the opportunity to spend some time in her workday outside.

“I love the outdoors, and it’s good for you,” Butkus said. “It’s common sense.”

The last Thursday of every month, the club holds a raffle outside the library, where they meet for their walks. In previous months, the raffle prizes were gift cards funded by a grant from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, but now that the grant money has run out, Luecke is looking for other prizes. A Rachel Ray cookbook is the front runner for her next raffle.

Walking clubs are becoming increasingly popular. Oprah Winfrey’s Web site, oprah. com, has a virtual walking club that anybody can join. In her club, walkers post goals and encouragement in a forum designated for walkers.

There are many health benefits to walking.

According to WebMd.com, not only is walking an effective way to lose weight and strengthen your heart and lungs, but walking can boost your mood, self-esteem, and energy levels. The calculator on the site indicates that on their 20-minute walk around campus, club members burn about 68 calories each.

3

Homelessness hits home at recent event RICHARD MILLER Staff Writer

TORCH PHOTO/KATRINA CURATO

Students sleep outdoors on the Great Lawn last Thursday to mimic the conditions the homeless endure on the streets. The event, A Night of Solidarity, strives to increase student-awareness about poverty. homeless. We take things for granted.”

Freshman Chris Germaine said he thought it was a unique experience for St. John’s students.

“No one here knows what it’s like to sleep outside at night.”

Senior Ludy Registre said she appreciated the addition of guest speaker Matthew Works, who used to be

homeless.

“He gives a real life experience,” she said. “He shows how you can come out of poverty.”

Registre said she saw an increase in attendance at the event from the previous year.

Germaine said he assumed that the weather would keep people away.

“I didn’t think that many people would attend because it is so cold.”

A full list of Hunger Awareness Month events is available at http://www. stjohns.edu/about/vincentian/ministry/ hunger_awareness.stj

SASHA THOMAS Staff Writer

is so simple. It takes two seconds and then you’re good.”

Senior Hadia Sheerazia said she would not get the swine flu vaccine because the side effects of it have not been seen yet.

“Because the vaccine is so new I’m concerned that there hasn’t been enough time see if it really works, but I have received the flu shot just as an extra precaution,” she said. “I think it’s great that St. John’s is offering the seasonal flu shot, but I think that if students want to get vaccinated for the swine flu they should do that independently.”

For more information about the flu, visit http://www.stjohns.edu/services/ studentwellness/healthservices/flu

torchonline.com

Health and Hygiene.

“All St. John’s students have been advised and repeatedly reminded of how to protect themselves from contracting the flu. In particular, we have stressed the importance of frequent handwashing with soap and water as a first line of defense; if that is not possible, we have advised them to use a hand sanitizer. They have also been told to avoid sharing toiletries, drinking glasses or any personal items, and to cough into a tissue, throw it away immediately and then wash their hands,” the letter reads.

Sophomore William Kenol said he has had the swine flu vaccine.

“I got vaccinated last month because I have asthma so I’m at high risk for contracting the swine flu,” he said. “I think St. John’s should offer the shot because the swine flu is serious. The shot

The TORCH

Last week students were given the opportunity to protect themselves against the flu, thanks to the Wellness Center.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, the Wellness Center made seasonal flu vaccinations available to students for a fee of $5.

According to Kathryn Hutchinson, executive director of Student Wellness, 200 doses of the flu shot were available and all 200 were dispensed to students.

The vaccinations were offered for one day. The Wellness Center issued advertisements to encourage students to get vaccinated for the flu if they had not already. Hutchinson explained that the seasonal vaccine is in short supply in New York City, but if the supply becomes

available, the Wellness Center would look into offering the vaccination again.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for pregnant women, people between the ages of six-months and 24-yearsold and people 25 to 64 with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart, kidney, neurologic and immune system disorders.

Although the seasonal flu vaccine was offered on campus, the H1N1 vaccine was not. In a letter Hutchinson wrote addressing parents, posted on the St. John’s Web site on Oct. 23, she stated, “It is not clear whether the H1N1 vaccine will be available on campus.”

Hutchinson also said that St. John’s remains in regular contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York City Department of Mental

11 Nov. 2009

Wellness Center offers flu vaccine to students

NEWS

More than 100 students got a real-life glimpse of homelessness last Thursday night.

During “A Night in Solidarity”, students slept on the Great Lawn in an initiative to boost poverty awareness on campus.

The event began in St. Thomas More Church with guest speaker Matthew Works and a documentary about homelessness.

Works was formerly homeless and now resides at York College in Pennsylvania working in the school’s art department.

He has spoken at many colleges and universities including Harvard, Dartmouth and Fordham.

Later in the evening, the participants moved outside onto the Great Lawn where they would spend the night. The event was made to simulate a night spent on the streets.

Bag lunches were available to participants, as well as coffee donated by Dunkin Donuts.

“The goal of the event is to raise awareness about homelessness by hearing from someone who has been there and also by putting yourself in that situation for a night,” said Campus Minister Abby Furness, who helped organized the event. “The program can provide a new perspective on what it really means to be without a roof over your head [or] a warm, dry bed to sleep in every night.”

Furness said she hoped that students would “take away a greater understanding of a first-hand experience of homelessness.”

Freshman Nkosi Kiteme said he believed the gathering was important to raise awareness.

“People don’t pay attention to homelessness,” Kiteme said.

Another student, Yasmin Alabed, said, “There are many people who are

4

Annual dinner raises record amount CHRISTINA HEISER Editor-in-Chief This year’s President’s Dinner raised more than $2 million in scholarship money for St. John’s students.

University officials said this is the largest amount raised in the fundraiser’s 12-year history.

The dinner was held at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan on Thursday, Oct. 29. Edward Cardinal Egan, of the Archdiocese of New York, was in attendance at this year’s event. Bruce Beck, WNBC 4 sports anchor, served as the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Every year at the event, St. John’s hands out the Spirit of Service Award to individuals who “have lived their lives in accordance with the Vincentian ideals of serving the underserved in a spirit of caring and compassion,” according to a University press release This year’s recipients were Carol Kelleher and her husband, Denis, chief executive officer of Wall Street Access and an alumnus of St. John’s.

Denis Kelleher is a former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.

The pair founded the Denis and Carol Kelleher Foundation, which focuses

on education. The Kelleher Center on the Staten Island campus is named after them.

Frank Sciame Jr., founder and CEO of F.J. Sciame Construction Co. Inc., also recieved a Spirit of Service Award. F.J. Sciame Construction Co., Inc. was responsible for the construction of the new D’Angelo Center.

During his speech, Denis Kelleher spoke about the optimism that he said he feels is present at St. John’s.

“When we celebrate St. John’s University we celebrate an essential optimism that permeates every corner of this great University of ours,” he said. “It’s an optimism grounded in our belief in the grace of God, in ourselves and those we love, and in the future. The optimism is infectious, and it moves us to action.”

Rev. Donald Harrington, University president, spoke about the changes that have taken place during his 20 years as president of St. John’s.

He also spoke about the Vincentian mission of the University.

“I urge you to be proud of St. John’s, but to do so with a Vincentian PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS heart,” he said. “Others need not know the good that we do – as long as we do it and as long as our students, Honorees and VIP guests salute Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., (center) and especially the poor, are served President of St. John’s, in acknowledging his 20 years of service to the University at the 12th Annual President’s Dinner in Manhattan on Oct. 29. effectively.”

School reacts to bill passed by House

torchonline.com

The TORCH

11 Nov. 2009

NEWS

RAMIRO FUNEZ Staff Writer As the health insurance reform bill moves to the Senate, the St. John’s community weighs in on the national debate.

The proposal, Affordable Health Care for America, which made it’s way through the House by a vote of 220-215, aims to build on “what works in today’s health care system, while repairing the aspects that are broken.”

If passed, as adopted by the House, the bill would not allow insurance companies to deny coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, and also force many employers to provide workers with some form of medical insurance.

The bill requires Senate approval before President Obama can sign it into law.

About 47 million Americans are uninsured and nearly 1.1 million part-time workers lost their health insurance last year, reports The National Coalition on Health Care. Nearly seven million Americans will lose health coverage by 2010 if efforts are not made to reform health care.

The National Coalition on Health Care is the nation’s largest representative alliance working to reform America’s health care. The Coalition brings together large and small businesses, the nation’s largest labor, consumer, religious and primary care provider groups, and the largest health and pension funds.

“As a great nation, we should provide health care access to those who are uninsured, even illegal immigrants,” said Franklin Camerano, associate professor of Social Sciences. “I think we should have one health system provided by the government, even if it takes 20 or 30 years to establish, that makes coverage access available to anyone, regardless of political

status.”

Camerano, former St. John’s director of Health Administrations, also said that by providing more Americans with health care, medical conditions can be identified.

“With health care access, people can detect stages of diseases earlier so that their disease won’t reach critical proportions,” he said.

Freshman Jonathan Stuart felt similarly.

“If the bill is passed, [people] who have stage one cancer, won’t wait until [end] stage to get checked and it will be a good thing for people all around the country,” he said.

“

Overall, universal systems – governmental or privately run – do a better job of keeping an entire nation healthy.

-Diane Heith, government and politics professor

”

Thomas Olik, president of College Democrats, called the current health care system “broken” and said he felt that insurance companies have profited tremendously at the cost of average, working-class Americans.

“College students, and people in general, have so much to worry about, like ending up bankrupt due to a health emergency,” he said.

“I know a few students at St. John’s that don’t have health insurance, but if reform is passed, they will no

longer have to worry about going bankrupt because of a sick family member.”

Meaghan Mapes, vice-president of College Republicans, said she is opposed to the bill.

“Although the bill has good intentions, it’s economically unfeasible and completely unrealistic. It will cost $1.055 trillion (congressional budget office) over the next decade which cannot be supported by our tax revenue. Additionally, after reading the bill there are a number of under the surface policy implications which intrude on state’s right and unconstitutionally grant the government excess powers,” she said.

Diane Heith, associate professor of Government and Politics, said she feels that the current health system is “overly complicated, restrictive, expensive, and often not sufficient,” to those who are covered by insurance.

“The current healthcare system is pretty dysfunctional,” she said.

“It works for people who have high quality coverage from their employers but not for the unemployed, underemployed, or self-employed.

“Overall, universal systems – governmental or privately run – do a better job of keeping an entire nation healthy.”

If the health care reform is not passed by the Senate, students at St. John’s will still be covered due to a university policy requiring students to obtain a St. John’s insurance plan if they are not already covered by a private insurance company.

The University’s insurance plan is provided by a Massachusetts-based company, Consolidated Health Plans, and costs $821 annually for undergraduate residents.

“In order to succeed academically, we want all of our students to stay healthy throughout the year,” said Pauline Tummino, director of Queens Health Services.

“Insurance plans in general vary greatly and the University takes great care in providing a plan that is affordable to its students.”

6

Editorial Board LXXXVII

Illustrator’s Corner:

CHRISTINA HEISER Editor-in-Chief EVERTON BAILEY Managing Editor KIRAN JOSEN News Editor JUSTIN THRIFT Editorial Page Editor

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

torchonline.com

The TORCH

11 Nov. 2009

OP-ED

Health care in sight In many ways, the United States leads the world in the medical field.

Many of the world’s most prominent and talented doctors practice on our shores and receive their education at American institutions. Groundbreaking research leading battles against cancer and other diseases often comes from American laboratories and we routinely receive new pharmaceuticals ahead of the rest of the world.

But while we are reaching success in the labs and pumping out Ivy League doctors every year, not every American is eligible to be a beneficiary of those doctors and their medicine.

Republicans such as Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama claim that the current American system is “the greatest health care system in the world.” The truth is that we currently operate under such a flawed health care system that to label it as the greatest system in the world is a fallacy of immense delusion.

American health care denies millions of sick citizens every year, labeling them as undeserving of medical attention because of their health insurance plan. Hospitals routinely turn people away who are suffering with cancer all because they lack a certain kind of insurance, if they even have one at all. To reverse this travesty of public policy, the President has been laboring throughout his first term in office to pass a health care reform bill that would make health care universal. The goal is to create a system where every American citizen would qualify for medical attention.

Still, those opponents of President Obama’s health care reform bill, such as Shelby, continue in their insistence that the President ought to put his time and efforts in office to better use. But these conservative advocates of selective health coverage were somewhat silenced Saturday when members of Congress approved the President’s

health care reform bill. This marks a huge step forward for the reform movement, as it now awaits the approval of the Senate before it can make its way to the President’s desk.

For college students, the legalization of this reform would prove to be an enormous source of relief. Under the current health care system, students enter a period of worry and instability after they graduate. Paying off school loans and finding financial footing for the first time in life can be made a disastrous situation with untimely health complications. For students fresh out of school without a solid insurance plan, health issues can lead to unavoidable bankruptcy.

Unfortunately, the amount of young adults without acceptable health insurance is not low. According to the Democratic Party’s Web site, 30 percent of young adults in the United States do not have health insurance, compared to 17 percent of older adults.

While these statistics are scary for college students, it all adds to the bigger picture – American health care is not a thorough system that works. We have too many Americans being denied treatment every day who deserve it.

Men and women with jobs and families, students fresh out of school and children in grade school all being refused because they lack the proper insurance plan. In short, our health care system is one of the few elements of our government not idolized by democratic nations around the globe.

The Congress’ approval of President Obama’s health care reform bill on Saturday is a very promising development.

It is indicative of stubborn politicians facing the reality of our discriminatory American medical landscape. With the approval of the Senate, American health care can finally become a system that truly benefits all Americans.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KATRIN ASTARITA

STUDENTSPARKS: Red Storm Are you excited for the St. John’s basketball home opener?

Absolutely, because our team has depth and the thunder bird!

I’m very excited. They are supposed to improve this year.

James Brucato Sophomore

April King Sophomore

EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Board of The TORCH. Columns are the opinions of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of The TORCH. Opin-

ions expressed in editorials, columns, letters or cartoons are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or administrations of St. John’s University.

TO CONTRIBUTE Mail letters to: The TORCH Letters, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Pkwy, Jamaica, NY 11439 E-mail letters to: torcheditorials@gmail.com

Please include your full name, year, and college (or department). Letters have a limit of 350 words and may be edited for content, grammar, or space. Unverifiable or anonymous letters will not be published.

All letters are subject to the approval of the Editorial Board of The TORCH.

I am. There hasn’t been that many activities on campus and basketball brings the campus together.

Charlie Defrancesco Freshman

Yeah, I’m very excited because everyone says they are supposed to be good.

Kiely Mercadl Junior COMPILED BY THOMAS CARNEVALE

Bloomberg’s victory and low poll turnout

The University should consider making the change from a dry campus to a wet campus. This would create a more social environment for students on campus and promote a safer drinking environment than students will encounter off campus.

Many advocates of St. John’s changing from a dry to a wet campus claim that it would prevent drunk driving, and if it’s legal for students over 21 to drink, it should be legal for them on campus.

Others believe that the best type of residential environment is a substance-free environment.

Founded in 1870 by the Vincentian Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church, St. John’s prides itself on being a Vincentian, Catholic and metropolitan institution that provides a safe and enjoyable experience, where alcohol is not promoted.

But this has not always been the case at St. John’s.

Dominic Petruzzelli, the director of Resident Life, says that when St. John’s was a commuter school years ago, alcohol was allowed and available on campus.

Petruzelli also said that the school had a bar in the University Center where students could purchase alcoholic drinks. This may cause many current students to wonder if students were allowed to drink on campus back then, why can’t they drink on campus today?

Students who are 21 or older should be allowed to drink on campus in a campus bar, rather than sneaking alcohol in their dorm rooms, because a bar is a more controlled environment. Providence College, also a Catholic private college, currently has an on-campus bar that helps to keep students safe and adds to the social life. Furthermore, a recent study at Harvard University found that two out of three universities in the U.S. are wet campuses.

Though St. John’s is a private institution, they should not deny students who are legally allowed to drink off of campus the right to drink when they are on campus, especially considering they could be resident students.

Petruzzelli said that when the school switched to a residential campus by building residents’ halls, the University decided that they wanted to change the atmosphere and that a substance-free environment was the way to go. He then went on to say that the real question that needs to be asked is “What’s the purpose of allowing alcohol on campus?”

Petruzzelli said he understands the students reasoning for wanting to drink on campus but he doesn’t believe that there are solid reasons to change the culture that the University has already established.

While Petruzzelli and the University are open to hearing student’s reasons why the school should move from a dry campus to a wet campus, Dominic said that the school isn’t changing anytime soon and expresses that the University is quite comfortable with the current policy.

Allowing alcohol on campus would be a positive change for the social atmosphere on campus.

Consuming popular culture RAMIRO FUNEZ Staff Writer

torchonline.com

Can’t get enough TORCH editorials?

Visit our Web site for online exclusives. torchonline.com

The TORCH

In today’s society, objects of popular culture (whether human or not) seem to receive more attention than they have ever received before. Musical artists, movie stars, athletes, distracting technology, and clothes are just some of the elements of today’s pop culture that epitomize a growing fixation with objects far from practical importance.

Celebrities like Jay-Z and Kim Kardashian have taken throne as the center of attention in the mainstream world. Athletes of popular sports have been characterized as heroes, with their fans espousing intense emotional attention to their occupational, economic and personal endeavors.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have not only taken up a vast amount of people’s time, but have also disoriented them from important global issues. People focus more of their attention on egocentric concerns such as relationships, parties and sports.

Consumers of popular culture have also been instilled with the desire to obtain luxury clothing that exuberates far past the standard norms of necessity. The idea of purchasing $200 sneakers and $500 designer purses has become ordinary in oursociety.

With a growing fixation on the embodiments of popular culture, participation in matters of global and political significance dwindles, establishing barriers in the progression of our modern society. And with a new generation of young adults who seem to be increasingly immersed in this distractive popular culture, the future of our society seems tremulous.

A recently released film named Paranormal Activity sold more than a million tickets around the

country days before the movie was even available for screening at theaters. The movie raked in $7 million dollars over the first weekend it came out.

What’s troubling is that consumers of popular culture focus so much of their time and money on a movie that offers cheap thrills and offers little practical importance, instead of investing those efforts into the sustainability of a world losing political, social, and economic stability. Michael Moore’s latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, experienced far less commercial success than Paranormal Activity, while it investigates issues much more important and crucial to our society.

There should be more of a control on consuming pop culture rather than letting pop culture consume the public. We, as a general public, need to maintain a concern for important global issues and check our insatiable desire for pop culture. In order to do this, we must utilize technological resources.

The current generation of young adults is known to be more technologically inclined than previous ones. With this in mind, technology should play more of a role in educating and informing students on global issues.

Utilizing technology proactively to further inform and allow students to become all consuming young adults, can create conditions that make it easier to inform a more globally conscious public.

The bottom line is that pop culture should not override all other important issues. It should be something we recognize as a public, but not consume in its entirety. A better balance between significant current events and popular culture is necessary towards developing a better future.

As young adults, it is important to embrace global issues and to be well informed of them in order to ensure justice and sociological progression.

If not, complete disregard for political issues and social injustice will create an unfavorable future.

11 Nov. 2009

Christina Heiser is a senior English major.

She can be reached at: torcheic@gmail.com

IDA BRITTANY NEWKIRK Staff Writer

OP-ED

Last week’s mayoral election came and went. Although the race was a lot closer than expected, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg receiving 51 percent of the votes and Comptroller Bill Thompson receiving 46, the turnout was shockingly abysmal.

According to the Board of Elections, only about 25 percent of registered New York voters actually came out and voted on Election Day, making it quite possibly the lowest voter turnout for a mayoral election in recent history. Had more people voted, it could have effectively changed the outcome, especially since the race turned out to be so close.

This was an important election for New Yorkers, and one that more people should have cared about given the economic condition of the city. Jobs are scarce and there is a record amount of New Yorkers living in homeless shelters, according to the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy and service organization.

I was torn between the two candidates until the last minute. Thompson seemed refreshing; I liked what he had to say about education, and I thought that he could offer a fresh perspective on running the city. And the fact that Bloomberg overturned term limits and spent a sickening amount on his campaign (more than $90 million) was offputting. During their first debate, Bloomberg evaded giving an explanation as to why he was running for a third term, merely stating that if New Yorkers didn’t like what he did, then they didn’t have to vote for him on Election Day. Some people may have not voted that day because they thought Bloomberg had the election in the bag, since he spent so much money on his campaign.

At the same time, though, I felt that Bloomberg had done a good job over the last eight years maintaining, and even improving, the quality of the city. Back in June, the mayor announced that New York City was the safest of the 25 largest cities in the United States and violent crime rates were dropping. Bloomberg has also worked tirelessly for the environment; in 2007, he implemented PlaNYC, partnering with many local colleges and universities, including St. John’s, to make this city a greener place.

But ultimately when I voted last week, the country’s economic recession was the deciding factor for me because I’ll be going out into the job market relatively soon.

According to exit polls, “the economy and jobs” were the largest deciding factors for other voters as well.

In his victory speech, Bloomberg addressed the economic crisis by stating: “Now, we’ve come so far in these past few years by staying united, and that’s how we’re going to climb out of this national recession together. Over the past year, in the subway and in diners all around the city, I’ve talked with men and women who are struggling to get by. Some have lost their jobs, others fight every month to pay the rent or the mortgage. I know it’s not easy out there. But I also know this: while we can’t fix the national recession, we can and we will get our city through these tough times. And we’ll come out stronger than ever.”

We’ve seen Bloomberg in action for eight years, and in this time of economic crisis, this city needs stability.

Sure, his actions may have been underhanded when it comes to term limits, but I think given the situation we’re in, he’s done a good job, and will hopefully continue doing a good job, as mayor. The city is going through tough times, and we need a strong, dynamic leader who is going to actively work to bring the city out of the economic funk that it’s in right now.

The mayor summed it up best in his victory speech when he spoke about Thompson and his supporters: “… we all agree on a heck of a lot more than we disagree on, especially our love of New York City.”

More New Yorkers should have come out to the polls on Election Day. Regardless of where you stand politically, this was an important election for this city and one that could easily have been affected by more votes.

Alcohol on campus

7

8

Modern vampire stories a hoax RACHEL DOLCE Staff Writer

OP-ED

Lately, vampire-themed books, movies and television shows seem to be everywhere. It’s difficult to not encounter a fan of the Twilight series and the more recent television show The Vampire Diaries. There are dozens of vampire book series on the shelves that have been written within the past five years, and this may be because of the phenomenal success of Twilight. Now that the first movie has been successful, it seems that we cannot escape this new fascination with everything vampire.

With the large number of vampire story lines out there, it seems that similar plots are being recycled over and over again. Most of these vampire books follow a general theme of an internally conflicted, handsome vampire who finds love in a human who he must then try not to kill. It is not hard to see how these stories are appealing to the reader but after a while of reading the same plot for the fifth time, it gets monotonous.

The fact that books like these are so popular now says a lot about their audience. It reflects that the audience enjoys reading or watching a story that has redemptive characters who feel guilt for all of the people they have killed to survive and now want to make a change because they have fallen in love. This is not a bad thing, but when a story like this has been told again and again, it’s no longer interesting.

It is also troubling that the vampires of today have completely strayed away from the original vampire legends, perhaps for the worse.

In past centuries, vampires were portrayed as satanic creatures who are animalistic and subhuman, only combated by crosses, holy water and sunlight. It was more of a good versus evil story with good always triumphing over evil.

Today, the Christian, religious elements of the vampire legend are virtually non-existent, with the exception of the show True Blood, Ann Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and to some extent the Twilight series. The vampires of today aren’t repelled by crosses or other religious icons, and the worst thing that could happen to them in the sunlight is that they may sparkle. The grandfather of all vampire literature, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, displayed the vampire as a satanic figure, especially in his physical characteristics of pointed ears, fangs, flaming eyes, and his consumption of blood, which many consider to be the perversion of the Christian ritual.

The legend of vampires came not only from exaggerated stories passed down for generations, but also

11 Nov. 2009 The TORCH

from historical figures, like Vlad the Impaler, who was the Prince of Wallachia and also a ruthless murderer who committed unspeakable acts on innocent people. The character of Dracula is based on Vlad the Impaler, and this illustrates that vampires were considered to be horrific creatures with no other desire but to satisfy their hunger for blood.

This is quite a departure from the current smooth talking, socially adept vampires of today. Vampire stories now are rarely scary at all and they are more about seeking redemption through love. They are no longer portrayed as evil but more as pensive individuals who are struggling with their immortality and a sense of guilt for the many they have killed throughout their lives.

One of the possible explanations for the large number of slanted vampire stories today is the desire for many industry writers and producers to reproduce the success of the Twilight series. This is the same thing that happened in the early 2000s when Spiderman was successful at the box office, and a lengthy list of superhero-comic movies followed in its success.

Last month, Bram Stoker’s great-grand nephew, Dacre Stoker, published a continuation of Dracula, called Dracula: The Un-Dead. Perhaps this will be the start of a return to the original vampire legends.

Hopefully this will spark a return to the original essence of vampire literature and stop the growing trend of painting these creatures as superficially beautiful and quintessentially un-vampire.

The White House v. Fox News ANTHONY O’REILLY Staff Writer

torchonline.com

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/MATT BROWN

Part of what makes America great is the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. The Consitution of the United States guarantees freedom of speech, and to a journalist, this is a very important freedom. Whether it’s radio, TV or print, the government is unable to censor journalists for the stories that they choose to report. Nations like China, Iraq, and North Korea don’t have this liberty and the news media is told what to say by its government. Freedom of the Press is one of the oldest and most cherished laws that the U.S. has and it keeps our government in check.

Ever since President Obama and his new administration have taken over the White House, outrageous claims have been thrown at them. Most recently, conservative media have been accusing Obama and his advisors of trying to censor Fox News. This started when the White House Communications Director Anita Dunn said in an interview on CNN’s Reliable Sources that Fox News is “Opinion journalism masquerading as news.”

She also went as far as to say that “The reality of it is, Fox News often operates as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.”

Needless to say, Fox News anchors were offended by this statement. Although known for having a conservative slant when reporting the news, Fox declares themselves as “fair and balanced” and they were not going to take these comments sitting down.

The next day every Fox News anchor was reporting on this story with their own comments directed towards Dunn. Many conservative talk show hosts and even Senators were backing Fox News and continued to call out the White House for its so-called “censorship.” But really the White House had not done anything to exclude FNC out of continuing their normal news coverage. They had simply called out somebody they saw as an enemy to the administration’s mission. This is not unlawful or even unethical, it’s just simple politics.

Much like the politics played by the Bush administration that, according to Keith Olbermann, “publicly attacked NBC, publicly attacked MSNBC, by the admission of the press secretary, cut MSNBC out of access from administration officials.” It should be noted that during Bush’s eight years in office he did not have one interview with The New York Times, a publication known to have democratic leaning.

Unlike Bush, President Obama has given interviews with staunch Republican Bill O’Reilly and in January held a private meeting with several conservative talk

“

show hosts just prior to his inauguration. These accusations of censorship toward the White House are unfounded and completely wrong. The White House has not in fact done anything to actually limit Fox’s ability to report the news.

Fox has still not yet given up on this war between them and the White House. Because of the involvement of the media in this story, many major news organizations are reporting on it and even comedic pundits like John Stewart and Steven Colbert have aired segments addressing the dispute. But is this issue as important as Fox wants to make it seem? The President has said that he’s “not losing a lot of sleep over it.”

If the White House truly was starting to censor media or in any way trying to control it, the American people would know. Chinese citizens know that the newspaper they read every morning was not only checked by an editor, but by a government official.

Hugo Chavez hosts a weekly television show in which he tells Venezuela what to believe and all of the “news” that they need to know. Whether MSNBC or CNN agree with Fox, they would blow the whistle on such a blatant violation of the Constitution. America’s First Amendment will always be respected and no news organization, liberal or conservative, needs to fear being censored.

If the White House truly was starting to censor media or in any way trying to control it, the American people would know.

”

Think Outside...

Features

3

Section

Gender inequality a global concern HANNAH GUTIERREZ Staff Writer

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof appeared on the Queens campus Nov. 9 to talk about his new book, Half in the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity. He also addressed gender inequality during his lecture. The TORCH caught up with Kristof after the event for an exclusive interview.

TORCH: Can you describe the significance of the title of you book, Half in the Sky? Kristof: It’s from the Chinese expression, “women hold up half the sky.” The truth is, we had a lot of trouble coming up with a title for the book, and that seemed both lyrical and it suggested the role that women should play in societies.

TORCH: What exactly is your book about?

Kristof: The argument is that the big challenge in the 21st century will be to educate girls and bring women into the society and economy. We can’t fight poverty or terrorism TORCH PHOTO/BRIAN LOPEZ or civil conflict unless we do bring women into the picture.

Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columist, spoke about his new One theme is that the greatest moral challenge of the 21st century is gender inequalbook, Half in the Sky, on Nov. 9 in the Little Theatre.

ity. Secondly, as a purely practical measure, the best way to address so many of the world’s problems is to focus on women and girls.

TORCH: Why did you choose to write about women’s inequality?

Kristof: I spent a lot of time worrying about global poverty and it became increasingly apparent that the most cost-effective approaches did involve focusing on women and girls. You know you can’t address population growth unless you focus on women. In most poor countries, the greatest unexploited economic resource they have is the female half of the population.

TORCH: Is there any certain moment or event that inspired you?

Kristof: There wasn’t one, moment but there were a few.

There was one moment in Cambodia where I was interviewing girls who were imprisoned in a brothel, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, and I just realized at some point that this isn’t prostitution. This is slavery.

It felt exactly like the early 19th century except that these girls would be dead of AIDS by their early 20s.

And that was one awakening. Another awakening was the realization that China’s economic boom was largely attributable to young women.

Flu Season returns to campus CAROLYN WARGULA Staff Writer

Fever, loss of appetite, sore throat and body aches- the flu is never an enjoyable experience, but for college students especially, it can affect their performance in class in addition to their overall health.

On Nov. 5, numerous students waited outside of the Health Center in DaSilva Hall to receive the seasonal flu shot.

At the St. John’s University-run program, students could receive the flu shot for $5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Freshman Michael Fallon, a history major living on campus said he had the flu this year in early October.

“I woke up Saturday and went out with a few friends and I just couldn’t move,” he said. “I was just so tired, groggy and congested. I couldn’t do anything.”

Since Fallon’s permanent residence is in Bethpage, Long Island, he was able to return home to rest and recover from the flu.

Nevertheless, He said the experience was very taxing physically and also affected his schoolwork to a large extent.

“I had an essay due on Monday and I had work on Sunday,” said Fallon. “Because I was sick I couldn’t do it and my essay was horrible.”

The flu can make normal tasks like going to class or studying for a test very difficult. Yet, most students seem to be indifferent about the upcoming flu season.

Another freshman campus resident, Nicole Budine, said she did not get the seasonal shot since she is not concerned about the flu.

“I don’t think flu shots are necessary,” she said. “I guess for some people who don’t have good immune systems they’re good.”

Dominic Petruzzelli, director of Residence Life, said he believes the flu season does not necessarily pose a threat, but should be a concern for all students, especially for those who live on campus.

He also said Residence Life has been working together with the Health Center in increasing flu awareness and informing students how to stay healthy.

Posters displaying tips on preventing the spread of the flu have been placed in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic on campus as a proactive measurement.

The Office of Residence Life has recently begun conducting monthly health and safety inspections, an increase from just one a semester previously.

By getting Residence Assistants more involved with the students by checking their rooms, the office hopes to keep the rooms cleaner and students healthier during flu season.

When a student who lives on campus becomes sick with the flu, Petruzzelli recommends they not share items and they stay in the dorms.

“If you can’t go home, don’t go visit friends across the hall, don’t go to Montgoris,” he said.

“We have services that will provide you with the necessary things you need.”

He also suggests students write to their advisors, the Freshman Center, as well as the Dean’s office if they cannot go to class because of the flu.

Freshman Taylor Chenail was one of the many people who stood outside of DaSilva Hall to receive the flu shot and

said the process was very simple and efficient.

The students filled out health forms while in line and received the shot right after turning in the form.

For Chenail, getting the flu shot was another precaution to take to stay healthy, just like having a sufficient amount of sleep and eating healthy.

“It doesn’t prevent all flu viruses,” she said. “It works most of the time, yet it’s not guaranteed. But it’s better than nothing.

“I’ve never gotten the flu before, but because we live in the dorms, I received

the shot. And if you get the flu in college, it’s not as easy to take a day off as it was in high school.”

Petruzzelli recommends students wash their hands and keeping their living spaces clean.

Wiping a surface with bacterial wipes can make a difference in the degree of cleanliness and flu-susceptibility in a room.

Budine said she is also taking precautions, but she doesn’t seem too concerned about the flu.

“If it happens, it happens. I’m not going to live my life worrying about it.”

9

10

Granting a simple wish The University works together to make a child with cancer smile ANURADHA BYAGARDI Staff Writer

After relapsing with cancer this past year, nine-year -old Riley Philpot had one wish: she wanted to receive as many “Get Well” cards in the mail as possible upon her return home from the hospital.

When Jennifer Miranda-Velasquez, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, heard of Philpot’s wish, she contacted Professor Stacey SingerLeshinsky who presented the idea to sophomore Anitha Naduparambil, president of the Physician Assistant Association.

St. John’s University offers a two-year, full-time program for students who wish to be Physician Assistants. The program offers academic and clinical training for those accepted.

“One of the things that a PA does is provide care and comfort to others,” said Singer-Leshinsky. “Doing this project was right up the alley of the Physician Assistant profession.”

“Through this project, we were able to do a wonderful thing for a very deserving and strong little girl.They were able to provide love and care and support – all things a Physician Assistant does.”

In an effort to make cards for Riley, the association placed flyers throughout campus to advertise a bake sale they had organized on Nov. 2.

The flyers encouraged students to buy a card for Riley or bring their own.

They had originally planned to hold a bake sale to raise funds for their organization.

However, after embarking on the quest of amassing as many well-wishing cards as possible, they redirected the goal of the bake sale to incorporate getting more cards for Riley.

For $1, cards were sold and students were able to and our family. Today she was disappointed when she write Riley a message and sign their card. got home since no cards were in the mailbox.

Students also had the opportunity to bring in their “Little did she realize the mailman left the bundle on own cards that same day and they had a drop box at the the front porch as they would not fit in the mailbox. Her sale. face lit up with excitement when she saw over 100 cards It attracted many students who bought and filled out today alone!” cards for Riley with warm messages, and pictures, wishThe PA Association seeks to not only provide its stuing her well. dents with support, but also equip them with the necN a d u essary tools of navigating their parambil estiprofession of choice following mated they colgraduation. lected upward “The PA Association serves One of the things that a PA does of 400 cards as a mentoring support system is provide care and comfort to othfor Riley. for those who seek to pursue the ers. Doing this project was right up She added field as a profession, post-St. that the PA AsJohn’s University because the the alley of the Physician Assistant sociation plans PA Program is very difficult and profession. Through this project, to allocate a competitive,” said Naduparamlarge portion bil. we were able to do a wonderof the funds “We aim to give the members ful thing for a very deserving and raised that day a real feel for what being a Physistrong little tle ggirl. toward purcian’s Assistant is in the field.” chasing Riley a The PA Association meets -Stacey Singer-Leshinsky, hinsky, y gift in addition every two weeks in B75 during St. John’s professor fessor to her many Common Hour in St. Albert’s cards.

Hall.

Riley’s parents update a CarePage, which is Web site They are still collecting cards for Riley and students used to keep friends and family updated on Riley’s con- are encouraged to drop cards off at any upcoming meetdition. ings.

“Riley doesn’t yet understand how many people have come to find her faith and perseverance encouraging,” the girl’s parents wrote in a message on the site on Sept. 29.

“The cards have been a physical representation of the prayers, which so many are saying on her behalf. We Can’t get enough of TORCH Features? have all enjoyed seeing the mailbox fill with cards each Visit our Web Site at day. Your time and effort has meant a lot. www.torchonline.com “The house is filled with your well wishes for Riley

“

”

13

ENTERTAINMENT

Pg. 16 TORCH PHOTO / EMILIA WARREN

torchonline.com

Inferno meets and greets with the band

The TORCH

Takes over St. John’s

11 Nov. 2009

MAROON 5

Maroon 5 Concert A Big Hit

15

JASON SEGEL & ADRIAN BRODY, OF NO DOUBT, MAKE SPECIAL APPEARANCES ADELLE PLATON Entertainment Editor MAROON 5-

OUT OF 4 STARS

I

TORCH PHOTO / EMILIA WARREN

Adam Levine used to perform with his back turned to the audience before becoming the band’s lead singer.

n their first college campus tour, Maroon 5 rocked Carnesecca Arena, headlining this year’s fall semester concert for a crowd of screaming and adoring fans. Employees of the Campus Concierge said that over 3,300 tickets were sold for the event.

A set from the soul/indie band, the Fitz and the Tantrums, opened the weekend event. Using infectious hooks and upbeat tempos, the band had everyone out of their seats and jumping on their feet to start the show on a positive note.

The biggest surprise of the night came from a performance by an artist better known for his work outside of music. Jason Segel, star of the hit TV series How I Met Your Mother and many films including I Love You, Man, was the special guest who showed off his musical prowess for a live rendition of some familiar favorites. From the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, “Dracula’s Lament” and “Inside Of You” were instant crowd-pleasers.

Noting that he was at a catholic university, Segel said, “I have to stay fully clothed tonight,” to a reaction of hoots and laughter. While introducing Segel, Maroon 5’s lead singer, Adam Levine, said this was the only show on the band’s college campus tour the comedic actor would perform.

Once Maroon 5 hit the stage, adrenaline shot through the entire arena as the speakers boomed with songs from the band’s multi-platinum albums, Songs About Jane (2002) and It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (2007).

The set started off with their high-energy singles, “Harder To Breathe,” “If I Never See Your Face Again,” and “Makes Me Wonder.” Levine then introduced another special guest, Adrian Brody, of the band No Doubt, who filled in for their drummer, Matt Flynn, for the show.

The pace was toned down towards the middle of the set when the band took a breather. After gulping a swig of water, Levine said, “I’m not a college student, I’m 30,” invoking an excited re-

sponse from the ladies in attendance. The band members sat on stools to perform more intimate versions of their songs, including a country-music rendition of “Wake Up Call” and a soulful rendition of “Secret.” The band also did a well-received cover of the Alicia Keys classic, “If I Ain’t Got You”.

By show’s end, the Grammy-award winning group closed out the show, performing hit after hit including “She Will Be Loved” and “Sunday Morning”. Before the house lights turned on, the band returned at the audience’s demand for an appropriate farewell with their song, “Sweetest Goodbye.”

“They amazed the audience with their musical genius and stage presence,” said junior Samantha Marsden, “I wouldn’t have wanted the concert to be any other way.”

TORCH PHOTO / EMILIA WARREN

Some fans in the front row were fortunate to grab the members’ towels and guitar picks.

ADELLE PLATON Entertainment Editor

B

Inferno: What can fans expect from you guys in the future?

Jesse: Our next album is coming out as soon

Inferno: In order to get the good ones?

James: You might not ever get the good ones, but you have to write a lot of bad ones.

Jesse: You should probably be completely honest with what you’re writing and not writing for anybody else, but writing for you in particular, whatever you’re going through in life, ‘cause that’s what people probably resonate from.

Inferno: If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Jesse: “Stevie Wonders “Songs in the Key of Life.“ James: “Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”. That never gets old. “

TORCH PHOTO / EMILIA WARREN

The origin of Maroon 5’s name has been a secret since 2002.

torchonline.com

Inferno: How has writing lyrics and coming up with song ideas changed throughout your albums?

Jesse: I mean, since the beginning, it’s followed a somewhat similar formula of Adam writing lyrics over music that either he or he and myself or him and James or some combination of that mixed together.

Inferno: We’ll definitely look forward to that! You guys have been together for a very long time, a very successful band and what is your advice for any young musician who wants to follow in your footsteps?

Jesse: You gotta believe in yourself, dawg.

James: That’s what Randy Jackson told us.

Jesse: And he was right. Because if you don’t, it’s not gonna happen.

James: It’s true and beyond that, I would say to young bands to keep on writing material, that’s what it’s all about. You have to write and write and write, and you have to write a lot of bad songs.

The TORCH

Inferno: You guys started out as Kara’s Flowers, how did the name become Maroon 5?

Jesse: That’s top secret, classified, we never tell anybody that.

James: It is actually a secret. We’ve never really told anybody.

Jesse: “Well, Adam told Billy Joel.” (laughs)

as possible next year. We’re gonna try and get it out in April or May. We’re almost done with that record and you can expect to love it.

11 Nov. 2009

efore the show, Inferno had a chance to sit with Maroon 5’s lead guitarist, James Valentine and rhythm guitarist, Jesse Carmichael in a Q&A session about the history of their band’s name, advice for up-and-coming hopefuls to their next album. Off stage, these guys are as down-to-earth and passionate about music as they are in the spotlight.

ENTERTAINMENT

Five Minutes With Maroon 5

16

A Precious Gem Shines A NEW FILM DEPICTING TEEN STRUGGLE AND PERSEVERANCE SHOWS HOW PRECIOUS LIFE IS TONYA RUSSELL Staff Writer PRECIOUS-

OUT OF 4 STARS

A

torchonline.com

The TORCH

11 Nov. 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

lthough toned down comparably from the book Push by Sapphire, the novel’s film adaptation, Precious, leaves viewers walking away and examining their own lives.

The odds of making it are truly stacked against 16year-old Claireece Precious Jones, who is overweight, illiterate and impregnated by her father twice. But, most importantly, she is a gem trying to survive a hellish living situation. Living in an impoverished neighborhood in Harlem, she is truly a child of circumstance, assigned to a mundane state equipped with toxic parents who expect and enable her failure.

When she is booted out of junior high for her pregnancy and bad grades, the teen mother (played by Gabourey Sidibe) finds refuge in writing and a new environment—an alternative school for fellow troubled girls. The class is made up of eight young women, some of them mothers, some addicts, and all desperate for their GEDs. Their backgrounds are different, but their end goal is ultimately the same—to escape.

Precious’s teacher Ms. Rain (played by Paula Patton) and her social worker Mrs. Weiss (played by a lessthan-glamorous Mariah Carey) help Precious find her voice. However, it is not that easy. Her mother Mary (Mo’Nique) makes every attempt to prove to Precious how unworthy she is.

In one classroom scene, Ms. Rain asks Precious what she is good at, and she struggles to find an answer. “Everyone’s good at something,” says Rain, but as the story progresses the audience sees exactly what Precious is good at- persevering. For the sake of her two children, she commits to pulling herself out of the mud.

The film addresses many modern struggles. Issues of self-worth and self-esteem are prevalent, and the true meaning of love is a constant search for Precious. The movie also sheds light on tougher issues like incest, teen pregnancy, illiteracy and homelessness.

Sidibe, who is native of the Bed-Stuyvesant section

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEAREALLPRECIOUS.COM

Gabourey Sidibe (right) stars in her first movie role as Claireece Precious Jones, a 16-year-old mother who overcomes obstacles caused by an abusive mother and self-doubt. of Brooklyn, delivers in this movie as Precious. Her character is a brick, forced to fight through obstacles and be tough. This makes it easy to lose sight of the fact that she is a child. Flashbacks and the mentioning of her dreams are what bring her youth back to focus and show how gentle she is.

As Precious’ mom, Mo’Nique steps away from her typical image as a sassy, funny lady and puts on the shoes of an emotionally unstable and abusive welfare mother. Her performance is phenomenal. Her transformation matches Charlize Theron’s Oscar-award winning portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster.

Precious is a definite conversation starter that everyone should see. The film is bound to teach audiences how to pull through even the most impossible of situations.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEAREALLPRECIOUS.COM

Paula Patton (right) plays Ms. Rain, a caring teacher who helps Precious find her voice.

All Hail The King of Pop MICHAEL JACKSON’S CONCERT DOCUMENTARY PROVES WHY HIS TALENT IS UNMATCHED EBOSETALE OKOJIE Staff Writer THIS IS IT-

I

OUT OF 4 STARS

conic. Legendary. Simply one of a kind. These are just a few of the descriptions that will forever be synonymous with a man who changed the entertainment industry so remarkably we crowned him the King of Pop. With a fan base unmatched by any other artist and a reach that covers the entire world, Michael Jackson’s impact on music is undeniable. In the movie documentary entitled This Is It, Jackson’s fans are left with more than two hours of rehearsal footage for a comeback concert that now will never be,.

The film, which opened on Oct. 28, was originally scheduled for a limited two-week engagement. Due to popular demand, it will be remain in theatres until Thanksgiving.

This Is It is more than a documentary of concert rehearsals; the film offers fans and curious minds one last glimpse into the perfectionist behavior of an icon. From Jackson’s childish, but cute giggles when his music director says “booty” to his humble request that every element of the show be on par, the entire movie radiates with Jackson’s charisma.

For all the die-hard fans who grew up listening and dancing to Jackson’s music, the film will probably be an emotional ride, watching Jackson rehearse for what would have been a phenomenal concert.

The film features rehearsal footage of fan favorites such as “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Sumthin,” “Man in the Mirror,” and an astound-

ing 3D version of the timeless “Thriller.”

The best moments of the film are when Jackson is on stage by himself, without dancers or special effects, crooning his heart out. Through the eyes of his dancers, vocalists and director Kenny Ortega, Michael Jackson, was flawless.

For those who thought age may have robbed Jackson of his ability to put on a performance, the film shows that even at 50, he still moved like he did when he was 20, crotch thrusts and all.

Unfortunately, the film leaves the audience wanting

more insight into the King of Pop. There are no revelations as to who Jackson was as a person outside of his life as an entertainer. What the movie does accomplish is capturing why so many of Jackson’s fans initially fell in love with him and why they continue to do so.

In the film, audiences are given a chance to view how much dedication Jackson put into his craft, doing everything in his power to get what was in his head onto the stage. Jackson truly cared about his fans, always going above and beyond to nourish his performance so that it “sizzled.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAELJACKSON.COM

Michael Jackson makes a final comeback in a concert documentary loaded with song and dance.

17

The Men Who Will Bore You AUDIENCES WILL STARE BLANKLY AT THE SCREEN WITH THIS LOW BUDGET, BIG-NAME COMEDY JACOB SULEYMANOV Staff Writer THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS-

1/2 OUT OF 4 STARS

T

ABC’S NEW SCI-FI SERIES REVIVES TELEVISION REMAKE IDA BRITTANY NEWKIRK

Staff Writer V-

OUT OF 4 STARS

A

Unfortunately, the show has some flaws. Though it appeals to a wide audience, it is extremely geared towards sci-fi viewers. At first glance, a person uninterested in sci-fi might not want to watch it. Some parts of the show seem unrealistic, however, the plot is well produced.

While these questions are still being sorted out, the premiere episode revealed V as a fast-paced scifi drama that taps into the viewers’ senses and should be seen for the entertainment and exquisite special effects. The show is political, fun, exciting and interesting, and offers something for all audiences.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC.GO.COM/SHOWS/V

Visitors appear human-like in form but have one characteristic that distinguises them as aliens: ability to speak with their eyes.

torchonline.com

BC’s newest sciencefiction TV series recreates the 1983 miniseries of the same name, chronicling the arrival of an alien species to earth that claim to come in peace but may possess ulterior motives.

The season premiere opened on Nov. 3 with a giant spaceship hovering over 29 major cities in the world. Anna (played by Morena Baccarin), the charismatic leader of the extra-terrestrials (dubbed ‘Visitors’), claims the aliens are harmless. Skeptical of the visitor’s intentions and nervous about the outcome of their visit, a small number of humans plan to find a way to protect themselves.

While the group of humans band together, FBI Counter-Terrorism agent Erica Evans (played by Elizabeth Mitchell) distrusts Anna and decides to investigate the Visitors’ intentions. Evans discovers that the Visitors have purchased a huge shipment of C4 and are in the final stages of taking over the world.

V works to bring a wider audience by having a romance develop between Tyler Evans, the FBI agent’s son, and a young Visitor named Lisa, the head of the New York mother ship. By delving into societal and structural problems found in the United States, the show appeals to

the older generation as well.

The lead actress is Anna, a strong character in the show that sways audience’s feelings about the Visitor’s motives. With her intense facial expressions and her use of strong language, viewers want to side with her.

The acting is great, and the show’s graphics and special effects are impressive as well. The Visitor’s space ship is depicted beautifully, making the show seem more authentic. Also, the representation of the Visitors in human form is well done, making them appear as every other human.

The TORCH

George Clooney plays a wacky character named Lyn Cassidy, an expert psychic spy.

Visitors Are Here

11 Nov. 2009

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEMENWHOSTAREATGOATSMOVIE.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEMENWHOSTAREATGOATSMOVIE.COM

The New Earth Army consists of big-name stars including Kevin Spacey (left) and George Clooney (right) who attempt to create “Jedi Warriors” with special mind powers to fight evil.

ENTERTAINMENT

he Men Who Stare at Goats is a quirky comedy that uncovers the “truth” about a secret government program designed to mold soldiers into Jedi warriors. Based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Jon Ronson, the film offers a strange story involving peculiar characters that range from eccentric to insane.

Bob Wilton (played by Ewan McGregor) is a journalist who leads a mundane life. After his wife leaves him, he decides to go to Iraq to look for an adventure. There, he meets Lyn Cassidy (played by George Clooney), who was the premiere psychic spy back in his heyday. Following years of retirement, Cassidy has been called back into duty with a new mission.

Although Wilton is skeptical about the idea of superpowers, he jumps at the chance to accompany a real soldier on an authentic mission. However, as the reporter delves deeper into the secrets of this government organization, he encounters a world beyond what he has come to know.

A good chunk of the film is told through flashbacks, which are the funniest scenes of the movie.

The main story of Wilton and Cassidy on their mission is entertaining due to Clooney’s exceptional performance, and compliments the clever flashbacks. The offbeat comedy’s director, Grant Heslov, successfully constructs a tight, sharp film and brings out exceptional performances from a diverse cast, which includes Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey.

McGregor is excellent in the starring role. He essentially plays the sane man, which mostly involves him reacting to the lunacy that is happening around him. Clooney has experience playing wacky characters and he creates another memorable character in this film. He has the ability to play an unusual character with such seriousness. Bridges, continuing his usual role as an easy-going hippy character, does a commendable job of portraying Bill Django, the initiator of the organization. Another stand out performance comes from Spacey as Larry Hooper, Cassidy’s vicious rival in the psychic army.

The clever script compliments the dedicated performance of the cast. The film is crammed with irony and biting satire. However, the film does not cross over into bold territory, as its bizarre name would suggest. The main narrative, although entertaining, is quite tame in its quirkiness. Part of the middle act feels sluggish and it takes too long for the humor to return. Unfortunately, the lack of substance to the story will leave most audiences detached and unimpressed. The film’s small budget both hurts and helps for different reasons. Although a story like this is best expressed in small budget form, the small production value is extremely evident on a theater screen and may be distracting to some viewers.

This film will prove to be a devisable one due to the oddball characters and the many Star Wars references. However, there are enough jokes and offbeat performances that elevate this film to make it worth watching. This is a movie best seen at home as a rental thanks to an uneven narrative and small budget production value.

The

18

BLAZE

INFERNO LISTS A FEW OF THE FINDS AND UPCOMING EVENTS THAT THE CITY HAS TO OFFER Compiled by Jessikah Hackett

A Successful Transition FAMED R&B PRODUCER RELEASES HIS SOPHOMORE ALBUM TO SHOW HE CAN MAKE IT AS AN ARTIST JOSHUA TAYLOR Contributing Writer

PICK UP SOME FRESH PRODUCE Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday throughout the year, dozens of stands are set up in Union Square, each overflowing with fresh food and interesting trinkets. This farmer’s market is one of the most famous in the city, and with good reason. Taking a trip through this outdoor market is sure to bring you closer to some of the sights, smells and tastes of autumn.

Union Square Farmer’s Market Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 14th Street—Union Square

HAVE DINNER WITH INSPIRATION In the Brooklyn Museum, Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party has gotten a new home in a dramatic installation space. The installation features a triangular table with 39 place settings, each representing an influential woman in history. If you’re looking for another idol, this exhibit might be the place to find one.

ENTERTAINMENT

Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway at Washington Avenue Subway: 2, 3 to Eastern Parkway—Brooklyn Museum (718) 501-6409

CHOW DOWN AN AMERICAN CLASSIC Bill’s Bar and Burger, a recent addition to Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, is quickly becoming popular for its uniquely thin, undeniably delicious burgers. With most of the menu items under $10, this is definitely a great place to try if you are on a budget. One of the most popular menu items is the simple but satisfying Bill’s Classic with American cheese, a burger that will not fail to curb your cravings.

11 Nov. 2009

Bill’s Bar and Burger 22 Ninth Ave. Subway: E to 14th Street (212) 414-3003

TRANSITION-

OUT OF 4 STARS

J

ust nine months after releasing his selftitled debut album, Ryan Leslie returns with his sophomore follow-up entitled Transition. Released on Nov. 3, Transition is comprised of 11 tracks filled with transient romance. Leslie takes his listeners on a journey through his experiences of being in love and its perplexities. The album is chiefly a smooth and refreshing ride from start to finish, but not without a few flaws.

The production on this album is one of its strongest components. Futuristic instrumentals, ranging from up-tempo to mellow, fill the tracks with rhythmic delight. Each song seamlessly blends into the next, making the album an effortless listen. The style and forPHOTO COURTESY OF RYANLESLIE.COM mat is intimately unique to Leslie as both a producer and artist.

Ryan Leslie’s album is filled with meticulously The opening song, “Never Gonna Break crafted beats and sing-along hooks that fans Up,” is an upbeat fusion of urban 1970s music with a modern allure. The album opens with will play repeatedly. the story of a recent and not-so-pleasant breakpursuit of a new girl. He sticks to easy listening rap up in which Leslie croons, “If it’s the right time then in the unimaginative “Zodiac” as he utters, “What’s I’ll find my baby / And when I find her I’ll promise your zodiac sign? / Are we compatible baby?”

I’m never gonna break up.” Arguably one of the best The chronicle of romance flows along uneventsongs on the album, “Never Gonna Break Up” sets fully with light-hearted lyrics until track number six, the smooth tone for the rest of the record. the first official single off the album, “You’re Not “Something That I Like” continues the steady My Girl.” The acoustically pleasing track brings pace, as Leslie spews out transparent R&B-friend- the catchy refrain, “Just remember / That you’re ly rap along side Pusha T, one-half of the rap duo not, you’re not, my girl” mixed with vibrant vocals, Clipse, in a song about his rousing attraction and which spark a new life to the order.

Unfortunately, the songs that follow become reminiscent of Leslie’s first album. Around tracks eight and nine, the procession seems to fall flat and generic.

The self-reflective ballad “All My Love” brings the tempo back up as the final, heartfelt melody “I Choose You” closes the album on a plateau.

Overall, Transition is a good album.

Though it may lack some substance, the bare music and its production is likely to prevent any listener from skipping over a song. The light-hearted approach to the subject matter automatically puts the listener at ease. Still, more is expected from the Harvard-educated artist and producer.

Perhaps, the album was a bit rushed or maybe it was a slight transition of artistic expression. Regardless, Leslie seems to PHOTO COURTESY OF RYANLESLIE.COM have enjoyed himself creating the album Over 1,600,000 viewers on YouTube have contrib- and any listener should feel the same uted to Leslie’s career as a producer and artist. hearing it.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

HIT THE NEW HOLIDAY SPOTS This past Friday, the holiday shops in Bryant Park opened, welcoming shoppers who are just beginning their seasonal shopping. The temporary stores include Just Bubbly and The Games Place, and are generally small, specific stores filled with great gift ideas.

Bryant Park Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street Subway: F to 42nd Street—Bryant Park

PHOTO COURTESY OF RYANLESLIE.COM

Leslie graduated from Harvard Law School when he was 19 with a major in Government, but was put on academic probation while devoting his time to music.

TORCHCOMICS I can’t draw Alex Reyes

Controlled Chaos Catharine Corrigan

Cloister Matt Brown

1-800-ARMSTACO Jonathan Roman

11 November 2009

20

Five burning basketball questions The TORCH analyzes the top storylines as another basketball season starts

torchonline.com

The TORCH

11 Nov. 2009

SPORTS

BILL SAN ANTONIO Sports Editor The 2009-10 basketball season at St. John’s University begins Friday, when the men’s team opens its season against LIU, and Sunday, when the women’s team takes on Stony Brook on the road.

Both teams have some very intriguing storylines heading into another historic year of basketball at St. John’s. Here are five of them: 1) Is the 2007-08 recruiting class ready to return the men’s program to past glory?

This group of seven juniors – Malik Boothe, Justin Burrell, Dele Coker, Sean Evans, Paris Horne, D.J. Kennedy and Rob Thomas – is a year older, and these guys are now upperclassmen. They’ve been through two years of Big East conference play, and coaches and players around the league have raved about the talent they possess. Is this team ready – and capable – of getting the men’s basketball team back into the top 10 in the conference standings? This season, particularly non-conference games against St. Bonaventure, Siena, Temple and Duke, will provide a good litmus test for just how far this group can carry the program.

2) Is the women’s team NCAA Tournament-ready?

Four starters return to the team, including Da’Shena Stevens, the 2008-09 Big East Player of the Year; senior-co-captains Joy McCorvey and Kelly McManmon; and junior point guard Sky Lindsay. Combine that with a talented freshman class that was ranked

TORCH GRAPHIC/MICHAEL MONTIJO

No. 7 nationally by ESPN, and this team might be the best team that Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico has had in her tenure at St. John’s. The expectations for this team are the highest they’ve ever been, and rightly so. Without a few stumbles midway through last season, the team played well enough to reach the NCAA Tournament. With even more talent, and a chip on its shoulder from the NCAA snub, this team could be a very dangerous contender in the

Big East conference.

3) How will the up-tempo-style offense impact the men’s team?

This new style of offense the men’s basketball team looks to implement this year will constantly keep fresh legs on the court so the team can score quickly by pushing the ball up the floor. Think Villanova, circa 2008-09. However, it is still a very new system to implement to a team in the few months that the team had to practice, and though it has been

a fairly simple transition, only time will tell as to how successful it will be once the Red Storm take on teams wearing different uniforms.

4) How does Mase fit?

He’s battled two season-ending injuries and will now be out until at least mid-December nursing a re-injured hamstring, according to men’s Head Coach Norm Roberts (see Stormcast).

Anthony Mason Jr. wants to leave a positive legacy at St. John’s and move on to bigger and better things in his basketball career, but has the men’s program passed him by? Mason Jr. will have to adjust to the new offense once he returns. In addition, Mason Jr. hasn’t played significant basketball in over two years; how will he be able to handle the rigors of a full conference season within the top conference in college basketball?

5) What do Da’Shena Stevens and Paris Horne do for encores?

Stevens was second on the women’s team in scoring and led the team in rebounds per game (6.6) and blocks (35), en route to winning the Big East Freshman of the Year award – something a St. John’s player had not done in 26 years.

Horne stepped in for an injured Mason Jr. off the bench to lead the men’s team in scoring (14.6 points per game) and bring an electrifying quality to an anemic offense (13th in scoring offense, Big East).

Stevens was invited to the U-19 Team USA trials in April, and Horne bulked up, adding eleven pounds to his frame.

With the return of familiar faces, in addition to the talented new ones, what is to be expected of Stevens? In a new style of offense, albeit one where he may not always be on the floor, how does Horne build upon past success?

Support the basketball teams, because journalists cannot There is no room for fanhood in sports journalism.

Hearing this statement for what seems like the billionth time feels like a sharp pain to my side. It’s like heartburn, or a migraine.

It’s the statement I’ve heard at every step of my journalism career; from sitting in my guidance counselor’s office in high school to my first days as a Torch reporter to last week in my sports writing class.

There is no room for fanhood in sports journalism.

For someone whose life-goal entering college was to write about the New York Yankees for the rest of his life, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the concept, especially after they won their 27th World championship last week.

My days cheering on the only thing in my life I have ever truly loved are numbered. My career goal is a blessing and a curse. My fanhood has a shelf life.

For the last year and a half, I’ve sublimated for

this future by writing about St. John’s basketball for this publication, almost exclusively, immersing myself in all things Big East conference.

The difference here, and quite possibly what makes me successful as a St. John’s writer, is that I can honestly say that I am not a St. John’s hoops fan. I’ve covered the team so much that any personal affiliations are gone.

But St. John’s fans, you are not journalists like me. You are what you are – fans. And whether the memo is sitting on my desk or still waiting unread in your inboxes, you can show fanhood toward St. John’s hoops.

And if you don’t, you definitely should.

A new season is about to come upon us, one that has the programs über-excited to begin.

The men’s team may be deeper than ever, with versatility at nearly every position on the floor and a new up-tempo-style offense that should excite even

the most casual basketball fan.

The women’s team returns four starters – including last year’s Big East Freshman of the Year – and welcomes a recruiting class that was nationally ranked.

I need you to do your part, St. John’s fans, not as someone cheering from the press box – someone I am not – but as a St. John’s student. Last year, I was witness to two of the most embarrassing showings of St. John’s pride in recent school history.

At the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, Red Storm fans were vastly outnumbered by the sea of Marquette fans that traveled from Wisconsin to watch their men’s

team go to battle. The fact that the St. John’s community was on Spring Break, to me, is irrelevant. St. John’s is still known as a commuter school, and the Garden is only a handful of subway stops away.

Later on, the women’s team reached the third round of the WNIT Tournament and earned a home game against Boston College. The turnout from Red Storm fans was slightly more impressive, but the showmanship was not, as three Eagles fans were easily louder than both partially-filled student sections.

The Red Storm lost both games.

College sports are supposed to unify student bodies, but for this student body, two other recent events did a better job of bringing the school together.

Last November, Barack Obama’s presidential election resulted in massive gatherings of resident students outside the halls and on the Great Lawn. Nearly a year later, a

parade of students marched around campus, celebrating the Yankees’ 27th championship into the wee hours of the morning.

I’m afraid that even if a St. John’s athletic program were to win a major championship, the achievement wouldn’t receive nearly the same amount of attention. At other schools, titles would start riots.

I don’t understand how a student body can feel such a connection toward a president they’ll never meet and a team other than one at their own school.

Fact is, I’ve seen the St. John’s student body unite and show its passion. What I don’t understand is how that same student body can turn its back on the athletic endeavors of peers. I don’t understand how a student body can lose its fanhood. Maybe I never will.

But then again, I’m just a journalist. And there is no room for fanhood in sports journalism.

21

MEN’S SOCCER

They’re on to the next one Red Storm advance in conference tourney after second-half magic MIKE CUNNIFF Staff Writer All year long, the second half has been good to the St. John’s men’s soccer team.

Saturday was no different. The Red Storm scored three times in the second half to sink Rutgers 3-0 and advance to the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament, increasing their unbeaten streak to 11 games.

ST. JOHN’S

3

RUTGERS

0

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Nelson Becerra rifled a penalty kick by Rutgers goalkeeper Alex Morgans.

Tracking the Storm: Providence The Red Storm played Providence to a 0-0 stalemate in two overtimes in late September, while the men’s soccer team was in the midst of a four-game scoreless drought.

The Red Storm get another crack at the Friars on Friday at 3 p.m., this time on a neutral field at the University of West Virginia.

Though the Red Storm overcame early-season struggles, scoring 18 goals since that Sept.

27 match, the Friars are a different team, too.

Providence defeated both Villanova and Connecticut on the road during the Big East Tournament, and is currently

riding a five-game winning streak and four-game road winning streak.

The Friars are making their first appearance in the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament since 2006, and it is the seventh trip to the semifinal round in program history.

Providence sneaked by UConn 1-0 in overtime on Nov. 7 when junior Matt Marcin scored with 2:06 remaining in overtime.

Friars goalkeeper Timothy Murray finished with one save for his ninth shutout of the season.

Marcin also scored the game-winning goal against Villanova on Nov. 4. He is tied with Tim Ritter for the team lead in goals (5).

MIKE GURNIS Staff Writer

Song’s play has improved just as much as anyone else’s on the team.

“Kun Song did a fine job for us, along with [sophomore] Darlene Ramdin,” she said.

“Their serve receive has improved with every game, and should be ready to pass in every rotation come next season.

This will give us some additional options that we did not have this year.”

Ramdin also added 14 kills, along with nine digs and four blocks. Freshman libero Ashley Asing had a match-high of 23 digs.

Despite the loss to Rutgers, the Red Storm still have two more conference games to play

before their season ends, but neither game will be easy, according to Persico-Smith.

The Red Storm travel to Louisville on Nov. 13th, and will close out their season at Cincinnati on Nov. 15.

The Red Storm are looking to end the season on a high note, although they won’t be in position to win a fourth-straight Conference championship.

“We know that Cincinatti and Louisville are top-ranked teams in the Big East,” Persico-Smith said. “Playing them on the road is a very very difficult task, but the team will be prepared and ready to compete.”

torchonline.com

to close out the match with a victory in the fourth set, but trailed 22-15, before the Red Storm went on a 7-2 run to pull to within 24-22, but Rutgers would finally capitalize and would win the fourth set 25-22.

St. John’s had yet another golden opportunity in the fifth set, as they had an early 8-5 lead.

But the Scarlet Knights would score three consecutive points to tie it, before closing out their Senior Day with a 15-10 fifth-set victory.

One bright spot for the Red Storm was the play of Junior Kun Song, who led the team with 22 kills and seven digs.

According to Persico-Smith,

The TORCH

The St. John’s volleyball team played another very close match against Rutgers on Sunday, but once again, close just wasn’t good enough, as the Red Storm fell in five sets in front of a hostile Rutgers crowd, (25-23, 26-28, 26-24, 22-25, 10-15).

The loss drops the Red Storm to 9-19 overall, and 2-10 in the Big East, while Rutgers improves to 10-17 overall, and 3-9 in conference play.

Despite the disappointing loss, the young Red Storm have many things to build on, according to head coach

Joanne Persico-Smith.

“The team gave a phenomenal effort in a very hostile environment,” she said. “It was their [Rutgers] Senior Day, and they packed the house, so we knew that a fifth set would not be in our favor.

“The ladies really pushed themselves to the limit, and one of the girls on our team played through tremendous pain.

“We don’t have a full squad this year, so we have no substitutes for some of the positions.”

Each of the first four sets were very close, as the first three were only decided by two points each.

St. John’s had a chance

11 Nov. 2009

Volleyball drops road game against Rutgers

SPORTS

In the 64th minute, junior John Tardy made a clean slide tackle and moved the ball to junior defender Kyle Hoffer.

Hoffer then put the ball past Rutgers goalkeeper Alex Morgans.

“He made a great tackle,” Hoffer said.

“I saw the space so I just took a touch and shot it.”

Tardy added a goal of his own in the 73rd minute. Junior forward Sverre Wegge Gundhus took the ball on a pass from Tardy, then gave it right back to him. The give-and-go left Tardy one-on-one with Morgans, and the transfer from Clemson beat Morgans for his first goal with the Johnnies.

Tardy had not had any points on the season until the three he tallied on Saturday. In fact, he did not even play until the team’s ninth game against Villanova on October 7.

“It feels good (to make an impact),” said Tardy. “I’m glad I got my opportunity.”

“John’s had a couple of bad ankle injuries throughout the year,” said head coach Dave Masur said. “It’s good to see him get out here and get something going for himself.”

In the 86th minute, a Rutgers handball set St. John’s up with a free kick from just outside the box. Senior

midfielder Nelson Becerra blasted a missile to the top-left corner of the goal that Morgans never saw.

“We practice a lot of free kicks and PK’s [penalty kicks],” Becerra said. “I knew I was going to take it on this side.

Tadeu probably would have taken it on the other side. Plus, we pick after we see whether the wall is close or far away.”

On the defensive side of the ball, senior goalkeeper Derby Carrillo needed to make just one save to notch to his ninth shutout of the season. His goals against average dropped to 0.50, best in the Big East.

The second-half explosion was a marked contrast from the first half, when neither team put a shot on net.

Both teams got out to a fast start, with sophomore midfielder Pablo Punyed launching the Red Storm’s first shot just 17 seconds into the game while Rutgers drew a corner kick in the second minute.

However, as the half progressed, both teams’ offenses stagnated, with just eight combined shots.

“I think we struggled in the beginning a little bit, but we stuck with what we came here to do,” senior defender Ben Clack said. “I think we wore them down all over the field.”

The win was the Red Storm’s fourth in a row and fifth in their last six games.

It is a marked difference from the stretch before that, when they tied in five of seven games.

After scoring just six goals in their first nine games, they have scored 17 in their last nine.

The Red Storm move on to play Providence on Friday in Morgantown, W. Va. The team squared off with the Friars earlier in the season, tying 0-0 on a rain-soaked field in the midst of its offensive slump.

“We’re going to see it as a new game,” said Becerra. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a team that we’ve already played.

We’re going to go out there and do our best, and I’m sure we’re going to come out with a win.”

22

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Luck not on their side

Red Storm bounced from onference tourney by Fightin’ Irish DYLAN KITTS Staff Writer

torchonline.com

The TORCH

11 Nov. 2009

SPORTS

The St. John’s women’s soccer team had always struggled mightily against Notre Dame.

NOTRE DAME

2

ST. JOHN’S

1

Ever since their first meeting on Sept. 3, 1995, the Red Storm have never closely competed with the Fighting Irish. Heading into Saturday’s Big East Tournament meeting, St. John’s career record against Notre Dame was 0-11, five of those games lost by at least six goals. For the series, St. John’s had been outscored 54-0.

History did not fully repeat itself Saturday night for St. John’s.

Although the team suffered a 2-1 overtime loss at Merrone Stadium at the University of Connecticut during the semi-finals of the Big East Tournament, head coach Ian Stone said the team competed more this game than any other past meeting.

“This was a great performance by the team tonight,” Stone said. “I wasn’t happy with how we played in the first half, but we really played strong in the second.”

The Red Storm seemed unsure of themselves during the first 20 minutes of the game. They were tentative approaching the ball on offense, could not connect the majority of their passes and failed to consistently defend

against Notre Dame’s constant offensive penetration.

By the 8th minute, Notre Dame’s Rose Augustin took a free kick and fed Lauren Fowlkes a seamless pass 10 yards away from the net. St. John’s goalkeeper Kristen Russell charged to deflect the pass, but missed. Fowlkes then headed the pass into the top left corner of the open net.

“I think we were surprised by their play early on,” sophomore Jen Leaverton said. “They were really physical and quick.”

Leaverton and Russell both said it wasn’t until the media timeout at the 21-minute mark when they felt composed.

Leaverton said Stone told the team during the huddle that he had confidence in them and that they had to believe in themselves if they wanted to stay competitive.

“It made a big difference,” Leaverton said.

“I was comfortable during the middle of the first half,” Russell said. “That’s when we really started to play the way we usually do.”

The Red Storm began to penetrate against Notre Dame’s elite defense and pitted some of the Fighting Irish’s movement with the ball.

It wasn’t until the 68th minute that St. John’s mounted its first score of the game.

Senior Courtney Lane took the corner kick and smashed the ball about five yards away from Irish goalkeeper Nikki Weiss.

Amid the crowd of defenders, Nicole Doran headed the ball past Weiss and into the bottom-left corner of the net.

“All season Courtney

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Sophomore forward Jen Leaverton was surprised by Notre Dame’s play in the first half.

Lane has given us great corner kicks,” said Doran, who has scored one other goal in her career. “The ball was perfectly placed and I just had to get a head on it.”

“It was a great pass from Courtney,” Stone said.

“Nicole showed glimpses of

this in practice. It was a beautiful goal.”

Notre Dame relentlessly attacked St. John’s for the rest of the half. For the game, the Fighting Irish held a 26-5 shot advantage.

The game remained deadlocked until the 99th minute,

when Augustin fed Jessica Schuveiller on a free kick. Schuveiller headed it into the top-right corner of the net, eluding Russell’s outstretched hands. Still, Stone remained positive.

“I’m so proud of these girls,” Stone said. “Tonight, we proved we can compete with anyone.”

Women’s Soccer earns at-large NCAA tourney bid DYLAN KITTS Staff Writer Tara Mendoza walked into Carnesecca Arena’s lobby Monday night with certainty that the St. John’s women’s soccer team was going to be selected in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament.

“I was really confident,” the senior defender said. “I wasn’t too nervous. I really, really had a strong feeling that we were going to make it.”

She didn’t leave disappointed.

The Red Storm received one of the 34 out-large bids, the first in the program’s 27-year history. They are slated to take on Virginia on Nov. 13 at Penn State, University Park. A time has yet to be announced. If they advance, they will face the winner of No. 4-seeded Penn State or Colgate.

“My first emotion [was] like I was almost going to cry of happiness,” Mendoza said. “I was so excited because

I know how hard we worked and we finally did it. It feels amazing.”

The closest St. John’s has gotten to an NCAA Tournament was in 1994, when the team went 14-4-1 and won the Big East Tournament. Back then, however, there weren’t any automatic bids granted to conference winners.

“I’m really happy, but I’m really happy for this group of girls, too,” Head Coach Ian Stone said. “They really deserve it. Obviously with all of the seniors who had this as their goal and to see them earn it their senior year, it’s terrific.”

Virginia finished with a 9-5-5 record, losing to the No. 2-seeded Boston College on penalty kicks in the quarterfinal of the ACC Tournament 0-0 (3-2). During the season, the Cavaliers staged an upset against No. 1-seeded Florida State.

St. John’s has never faced the ACC school before.

“They are an excellent team,” Stone

said. “What I like about it is they are one of the teams I respect in terms of their style of play. There is so much ugly soccer going on out there. And obviously we try to possess the ball and Virginia does the same thing. It’ll be a great spectacle for people who are going to watch it.”

Because the team is newly acquainted with the NCAA’s, it will lean on the experience of senior C.J. Ludemann.

Ludemann, a transfer from Duke, played in two NCAA’s during her days as a Blue Devil.

During her freshman year, Ludemann’s Blue Devils lost to Tennessee in the Tournament’s second round. The following year, the team went as far the Elite Eight before losing to Notre Dame 3-2.

“This is my third time now in and it gets better every time,” Ludemann said.

“The tournament is the best part of the year; it’s like Christmas to me.”

During her tenure at Duke,

Ludemann battled against Virginia twice, her team losing both contests.

The midfielder, who leads the team in points, is very familiar with the Cavaliers.

“I know probably every single player on that team,” Ludemann said.

“And it’s going to be a great game. They are one of the teams that I look at as one of the best teams in the country. No matter what their record is, they are a phenomenal team. They play great soccer; they have great individual soccer players. I feel it’s the toughest game in our bracket. If we win that game, we’re going to go far.”

Although this is the Red Storm’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the team will not be content with a first-round exit.

“I think when it comes down to it, you see the personality and character of your team. These kids are such competitors,” Stone said. “They wouldn’t be happy with just getting to the first round.”

23

RED STORM STATISTICS MEN’S SOCCER

TORCH SPORTS

VOLLEYBALL

STANDINGS

STORM

CAST

STANDINGS

Team

Conference

Overall

Blue Connecticut Notre Dame West Virginia Georgetown Providence Marquette Seton Hall Pittsburgh

8-2-1 8-3 6-3-2 6-5 5-4-2 3-5-3 1-7-3 1-9-1

11-4-3 10-7-2 7-5-6 9-8-2 10-6-3 4-11-3 4-10-3 2-13-2

Red Louisville St. John’s South Florida Villanova Rutgers DePaul Cincinnati Syracuse

8-2-1 6-1-4 6-3-2 5-5-1 5-6 5-6 3-8 2-9

13-2-3 8-2-8 13-3-3 9-8-2 9-10 8-9-3 8-10 3-15

Big East Team Notre Dame Cincinnati Pittsburgh South Florida Louisville Syracuse Connecticut Villanova West Virginia Seton Hall Marquette Georgetown Rutgers St. John’s DePaul

W 12 10 10 8 8 8 7 5 5 5 5 3 3 2 0

L 0 2 2 4 4 5 5 7 7 7 8 9 9 10 12

W 18 20 18 16 15 19 14 16 16 11 16 13 10 9 6

STATISTICS AS OF NOVEMBER

LEAGUE LEADERS

L 4 9 8 7 10 11 14 11 12 17 12 15 17 19 21

Leavin’ their Mark

Mase out ’till holidays

10

LEAGUE LEADERS

Assists

Goals

1. Alvarez, UConn 2. Mohammed, USF

1. Rolfe, LOU Dike, ND 3. Welker, SHU Braun, LOU Vroom, DPU Mangan, DPU

11 9 3. Wegge Gundhus, STJ 7 Seamon, VU 7

Overall

10 10 8 8 8 8

Kills Per Game

Digs Per Game

1. Ramdin, STJ 4.31 2. Niemer, CIN 4.21 3. Arslanbekova, LOU 4.13 4. Gurgel, USF 3.96

1. Maroon, VU 2. Matters, SHU 3. Rossi, PITT 4. West, W.VA

6.05 5.10 4.62 4.41

WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE LEADERS

STANDINGS Team

Team

Conference Overall

7-2-2 6-4-1 5-3-3 5-4-2 5-5-1 3-3-5 3-6-2 2-8-1

National Notre Dame Rutgers Georgetown Villanova DePaul Cincinnati Louisville Seton Hall

10-0-1 7-1-3 6-4-1 4-4-3 5-6 3-7-1 1-7-1 1-9-1

13-4-2 12-5-1 8-5-6 8-7-3 10-7-1 8-5-5 8-8-3 5-11-3

14-3-1 13-2-4 12-5-2 11-4-4 10-8-2 8-10-1 5-11-1 5-12-1

Assists 1. Wells, GU 2. Augustin, ND 3. Baker, GU 4. Ludemann, STJ

Goals 11 9 8 7

1. Henderson, ND 2. Ryan, VU 3. Fowlkes, ND 4. Romagnuolo, SU Klotz, USF

11 11 10 9 9

Blowin’ in the Wind

Baseball America commends recruiting class MATTHEW BULTMAN Contributing Writer

“

”

-Women’s soccer head coach Ian Stone on his team’s NCAA Tournament bid

Headin’ this Way Red Storm home games

The TORCH

Men’s Basketball: Nov. 13 LIU

7:00 p.m.

Can’t get enough TORCH sports?

Visit our Web site for online exclusives. torchonline.com/sports

torchonline.com

the draft. Scouts say that Baltz has above-average power as a right-handed hitter. The New York native was taken by the hometown Yankees in the 45th round (1,365 overall).

The class also features 10 players from the tri-state area. Baltz, Brennan, Hansen, Cameron Black, Anthony Cervone, Sean Hagan, John Schilt and Pat Talbut all come from New York; while Kevin Needham and Sean O’Hare are from New Jersey; and Carasiti is from Connecticut.

Florida native Robert Case, Josh Daniel from Colorado, and Kevin Grove of California round out the class.

During the team’s recent Intrasquad World Series, Blankmeyer was impressed with the progress his team’s newest members have made.

“I thought that we improved in each game throughout the series,” Blankmeyer said. “Our new guys showed a lot of promise, and I expect us to be a very solid squad this year.”

This is not the first time that St. John’s has attracted national attention with their recruiting efforts. Last season baseballnews.com honored the Red Storm, naming the 2008-09 class to the honorable mention list.

11 Nov. 2009

The St. John’s baseball team’s 2009-10 recruiting class has been recognized by Baseball America as the top recruiting class in the Northeast.

The 14-man class was called a sleeper by the publication in its annual recruiting rankings, but was not nationally ranked.

“We are very excited about this year’s recruiting class,” Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer said. “We brought in some fine student-athletes and talented ball players that we believe will have an impact on the program.”

The class features four players that were drafted in the 2009 MLB First Year Player Draft.

That group is led by pitcher Kyle Hansen of St. Dominic’s High School in Oyster Bay, N.Y., the younger brother of former St. John’s All-American and current Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Craig Hansen. The 6-7 right-hander’s fastball has been clocked at 94 mph and features what scouts consider to be an average slider.

Hanson was selected in the 40th

round of the draft (1,216th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers.

After briefly considering forgoing college, Hansen decided to honor his commitment to St. John’s.

Right-hander Matt Carasiti will also help bolster the Red Storm pitching staff.

The Connecticut native has impressed scouts with his projected ability and arm strength, reaching as high as 92 mph on the radar gun. Carasiti was considered a three-star prospect and scouts say he has the ability to be an above-average college player.

Carasiti was taken in the 36th round (1,084 overall) by the Texas Rangers.

The 6-3 pitcher was named the 2009 Connecticut Player of the Year and was a National Player of the Year award finalist.

Outfielder Jimmy Brennan was taken in the 45th round (1,350 overall) by the Detroit Tigers. Brennan hit .467 in his senior season at Suffern High School, while leading the Mounties to a berth in the Class AA Championship game.

Brennan selected St. John’s over schools such as Boston College, Tulane and Seton Hall.

Outfielder Jeremy Baltz was the final member of the class selected in

I think when it comes down to it, you see the personality and character of your team.

These kids are such competitors. They wouldn’t be happy with just getting to the first round.

SPORTS

American Marquette St. John’s West Virginia South Florida Connecticut Pittsburgh Providence Syracuse

Conference Overall

A hamstring injury that originally kept St. John’s senior swingman Anthony Mason Jr. out four to six weeks is expected to keep him out even longer, according to Head Coach Norm Roberts.

Mason Jr.’s rehab from the hamstring tweak, an injury suffered prior to the men’s basketball team’s Labor Day trip to Canada, will now keep him out another five to six weeks, and Roberts doesn’t expect his return until mid-December, when the Red Storm enter their holiday tournaments.

“It’s one thing to deal with the injury,” Roberts said.” It’s another that, after the injury, you have to condition and hope, through conditioning, he doesn’t re-injure it. On top of that, he’s got to know what we’re doing, and that’s a tough thing for Mase right now, and he’s watching tape and he wants to get out there and the thing is he’s more like a year and about six weeks away from play.”

In addition, junior guard D.J. Kennedy suffered a strained MCL last week when forward Justin Burrell kicked him while dunking during a scrimmage, according to Roberts.

Junior guard Rob Thomas’ nagging groin, an injury also suffered during the Canada trip, should also keep him off the floor as well.

Burrell, who tore ligaments in his hand earlier in the preseason, is back on the floor in practice.

The men’s basketball season starts Friday, Nov. 13 against LIU.

SPORTS 11 NOVEMBER 2009 | VOLUME 87, ISSUE 11 | TORCHONLINE.COM

TORCH PHOTO/ LAURA AMATO

TORCHSPORTS.WORDPRESS.COM

The Torch chronicles the top five storylines facing the St. John’s basketball programs before the season starts Friday.

The women’s soccer team earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

Pg. 20

Pg. 22