Torch Issue for April 22, 2009

TORCH GRAPHIC/CHRISTOPHER LAUTO

WHAT’S INSIDE News......................2-5 Entertainment....15-20 Editorials...............6-9 Features..............21-22 Comics...............10-11 Sports.................24-28

Social Networking Twitter With the Twitter craze sweeping the nation, will this site become as popular as Facebook?

FE EATURE ES page 21

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Last week’s poll results

32% Yes 68% No

Do you think Lance Stephenson is going to sign Check out our new with St. John’s? poll every Wednesday

“Think Outside. . .”

2

Directory Managing Board LXXXVII

CHRIISTINA HEISER, Editor-in-Chief EVERTON BAILEY, Managing Editor JUSTIN THRIFT

BILL SAN ANTONIO

MARK MCDONALD

Editorial Page Editor Sports Editor

General Manager

PATRICE BENDIG

LAURA AMATO

SARA RHODES

Features Editor

Photo Editor

Layout Editor

JESSIKAH HACKETT

KERI DODGE

ELLEN CAREY

EntertainmentEditor Art Director

Advisor

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

Tribeca Film Fest Movie Overload Starting Today, the Tribeca Film Festival offers 12 days of movies and events. Read Inferno’s preview of some films to look out for.

Inferno pg. 20

Student Spotlight Andrew Conde The SJU senior, along with two other students is donating his time and money by running in a marathon to raise money for charity.

Features pg. 22

Softball No Worries

NEWS

Though the softball team finished with a 2-3 record last week, head coach Amy Kvilhaug doesn’t think the recent slide is a major concern.

Sports pg. 25

22 April 2009

SHOULD GATE 7 BE KEPT OPEN? OPINION PG. 9

St. John’s “taking out the trash” for Recyclemania EVERTON BAILEY Managing Editor

The TORCH

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TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

A “compost rocket” and a display of hanging plastic bottles adorns the Great Lawn today in honor of Earth Day. The display was placed outside St. Augustine Hall by members of the Earth Club in order to raise awareness. Demonstrations on how compost is made will also be taking place, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in order to further engage students about Earth Day.

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.

St. John’s finished in the 35th percentile across New York State and in the 46th percentile across the nation in its first year in Recyclemania, according to the results released on April 17.

Recyclemania is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-sponsored 10-week national recycling and waste minimization competition from Jan. 18 to March 28 that featured over 500 universities.

According to Tom Goldsmith, director of Environmental and Energy Conservation, the Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan campuses collected 377,874 pounds of waste, 271,970 pounds of trash and 105,904 pounds of recyclables over the 10-week period.

Also during that time period, recyclable

materials accounted for 28 percent of the University’s total waste and he also notes that 40 metric tons of greenhouse gas was prevented by not landfilling recyclables.

Overall, Goldsmith said he was content with St. John’s performance in the competition.

“For this to be our first time in recyclemania and for us to finish in the top 50 percent, I am very satisfied with our performance,” he said. “Competing also contributed to recycling being up 400 percent in the last 15 months.”

Goldsmith said the University plans to take part in the 2010 competition and hopes to build upon the momentum gained from this year’s contest.

“We are going to continue as if we are in recyclemania all year round,” he said.

“Right now, 28 percent of our waste are recyclables and we want to show continuous improvement and reach 35 percent before the next Recyclemania.”

3

SJU creates partnership with successful bank MARK MCDONALD General Manager St. John’s gained a new ally in the business field over the weekend when Dr. Muhammad Yunus, one of the world’s leading figures in microfinance and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, visited to announce a partnership between the University and Grameen Bank.

Originally established in Bangladesh

by Yunus, the bank is known for giving small loans to people who are unable to secure loans from standard banks in an effort to lift them out of poverty.

Repayment is based on an honor system.

Due to the success of the bank overseas, it has expanded its roots to the U.S. with Grameen America. This expansion also included the opening of a branch in Jackson Heights, Queens, in January 2008. And in 2006, Yunus received a Nobel Peace Prize.

However, the big show was inside Carnesecca, where St. John’s announced its new partnership with Grameen PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY America.

“Through this partnership, St. John’s St. John’s students listen to successful businessman Dr. Muhammed Yunus as he announces a partnership will assist Grameen America in achieving their goals, while Grameen will provide between the University and his bank, Grameen America. learning and research opportunities to our students and our faculty,” said James selected by borrowers were performed. a great opportunity,” he said. “It opens many people all over the world, including Pellow, executive vice president and These ranged from Bengali and Mexican up great opportunity to undo things the United States.” medleys to a performance of “God Bless that have caused all those problems and Students said they had a positive chief operating officer. design a new system that works in a way experience hearing Yunus’ speech and The partnership will be managed America.”

After these performances, Yunus that these problems would not be there.” learning more about Grameen America. through the newly created VISA program, Yunus shared his thoughts on how he “I thought it was really well put which stands for Vincentian Institute took the stage and gave a speech about for Social Action. The partnership was the benefits of microfinance and how thinks the financial system in the U.S. together and expressed the University mission,” said Michael Yurik, a senior. cemented with an exchanging of gifts, Grameen Bank and the partnership with can be improved.

“The financial system should be “I thought it [Grameen Bank] was more which included the St. John’s colors St. John’s hopes to help eliminate poverty throughout the world. designed in a way that it is inclusive, so about financing third world countries. I’m being given to Yunus.

“We have been coming up with the that you do not have to make a certain set very thankful it’s supporting our local After this announcement, the audience was treated to speeches by idea that this financial crisis, which is of money in order to be lent money,” he community and that I can go outside and select borrowers, and multicultural songs hitting every place in the world, is also said. “Today’s financial system excludes see what the money goes toward.”

MALLORY TOKUNAGA

Copy Editor

varying opinions on the formation of a LGBTQ group on campus.

“I think it is a good cause, but there is going to be scrutiny about it,” said James Moore, a sophomore.

Another sophomore, Shareeff Burke, said he is not in favor of the organization.

“By having a group like that on campus it is condoning homosexual behavior,” he said.

Contrastingly, junior Andrew Culy said he is supportive of the movement.

“Supporting homosexuality is not a bad thing. We should stand for acceptance and tolerance,” he said.

Clare Elmgren, another student said, “It would be a great idea because it gives more people a chance to be represented equally on campus.”

Regarding student concerns and University policy, Rodriguez said, “We will always be willing to talk to students about issues and concerns they may have.”

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“I think it is important we have an honest dialogue of what works best at St. John’s University,” he said. “We need to be true to our school.”

Rodriguez also said that in his more than 23 years working at St. John’s, there have been several student-led attempts to establish gay support groups and to start dialogues that have not panned out.

“A possible reason some of the dialogues did not continue,” he said, “may be due to the dwindling interest from the students.”

Collins said he wants administrators to accept the creation of the organization.

“The best plan is to lobby administrators and work with them, not against them,” he said.

“I think [the administration] has good intentions. They just need to look at this [group] in a different light, with a more open mind.”

St. John’s students had

The TORCH

Government, which holds floor meetings and then votes on the organizations. If voted in favor of, the organization would then become active for the spring semester.

Other Catholic institutions like Fordham University and DePaul University have awareness organizations that offer support for gay students.

University officials said they are working to address the formation of a LGBTQ organization on campus.

“The University is in the process of putting together a statement that addresses the best way to serve the LGBTQ community,” said Reggie Barnes, director of Multicultural Affairs.

“There are many institutions with different types of programs,” Barnes said. “We are looking to see what is best for our school and our students.”

Jose Rodriquez, dean of Student Life, took a similar stance to Barnes.

22 April 2009

Sophomore Kyle Collins is in the process of organizing a student-led initiative to create an official lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) group on the Queens campus by petitioning students and co-sponsoring events on campus to increase awareness.

Collins said that he plans to file paperwork for the organization during the Fall 2009 semester.

He said he feels a LGBTQ awareness group on campus would enhance the St. John’s community “by enabling people of different sexual orientations to learn more about discrimination and social justice.”

Collins said he and the other students working to create this organization “are trying to address the issue that the

administration ignores the fact that there are LGBTQ students on campus.”

He also mentioned that the organization would not be an advocacy group, but an “opportunity for the St. John’s community to learn and discuss what it means to be a part of a minority.”

One of the upcoming events being held to help introduce the prospective LGBTQ group to students is a mixer, co-sponsored by the Students for Gender Equality. The event is set to take place tomorrow during Common Hour at the SGI Pavillion, located near the steps leading to the Residence Village.

According to Patrick McBurney, SGI president-elect, the Organization Committee and Student Activities Committee discuss the creation of any new organizations or groups that wish to re-form after being inactive during the fall semester.

They then make recommendations to Student

NEWS

Student seeks to form gay awareness group on campus

4

TORCH

BRIEFS Compiled by Thomas Carnevale

Jumpstart helps kids “celebrate spring” A little bit of April showers couldn’t stop nearly 100 preschoolers from enjoying Jumpstart’s second annual “Celebrate Spring” event in the Little Theatre Monday afternoon.

The event, originally scheduled to take place on Red Storm Field, entertained close to 100 children from Bright Beginnings, a school in Jamaica, Queens, and featured a near equal amount of student volunteers.

Jumpstart is a non-profit, national early childhood education organization that allows St. John’s students to volunteer in helping increase literacy among low-income children from three to five years old.

According to Carolina Aguasanta, Jumpstart’s site manager, the event featured eight different activity areas for the children including an egg hunt, magic show and hand painting stations.

She also mentioned the equal number of students and children at the event was intended to make each child’s experience a bit more personal and to mimic the year-round program that is run by the literacy group.

“The [one-on-one] ratio allows the best experience for the children,” Aguasanta said.

Aguastana also explained that some of the goals of the carnival were to develop social skills and lit-

torchonline.com

The TORCH

22 April 2009

NEWS

Professors honored with annual award Five professors were honored as “Professors of the Year” during the Student Government awards dinner last night in Council Hall.

SGI recently announced the five recipients, one for each undergraduate college. Fr. Michael Whalen won for St. John’s College, Prof. Barry Sherman won for College of Professional Studies, Prof. Anthony Sabino won for The Peter J. Tobin College, Prof. Mary Ann Howland won for The College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and Prof. Jason Mach won for The School of Education.

Sabino said he felt honored by the recognition.

“It means a lot to receive this recognition from current students,” he said. “The world is changing and I try to listen to students’ questions rather than just talk at them.”

The nomination process required students to select one professor and answer a few questions about him or her. After the nominations process, SGI reviewed the nominees and voted on the winners.

Can’t get enough TORCH news? Visit our Web site for online exclusives. torchonline.com

New dorm upsets Queens residents AMANDA MORALES Staff Writer It seems time does not heal all wounds.

The community living near the latest St. John’s offcampus residence building, located on 172-14 Henley Road, said they still are unhappy over their incoming college neighbors, nearly two years after the University’s first announcement of the dorm’s construction.

“This is a residential area of mainly single family homes, a dorm room has no place here,” said Beverly Medina, a Henley Road resident for over 20 years. “That building will have about 500 students.

Do you imagine the traffic, the water, the electricity, the noise, the partying?”

The Henley Road project has been riddled with controversy and community dissatisfaction since construction broke ground in 2007. Local newspapers like The Queens Chronicle and The Queens

Gazette, along with citywide newspapers like The Daily News, covered the neighborhood‘s repeated frustrations on the height of the building and the potential strains on the area’s standard of living.

St. John’s leased the land the new dormitory is built on from a private developer for a period of 10 years. A university statement by the Office of Media Relations, released soon after the debate on the property began, concluded that St. John’s built on the land fairly and legally.

The Henley Road Residence, just a few minutes away from the Queens campus, is scheduled to open in time for the Fall 2009 semester, according to university officials.

The new 7-story building is one of three off-campus choices available for resident upperclassmen during this week’s room selection process.

According to Dominic Petruzzelli, director of Residence Life, the building

houses over 500 beds, with each suite containing a full kitchen, lounge area and two bathrooms.

Lord Chester So, a resident who lives directly across the street from the new dorm said he has several concerns about the building.

“I have two young kids who play outside; I worry about cars hitting them and the excessive noise that will be in the neighborhood now that people will be coming in at all hours,” he said. “I don’t see the University really doing anything significant to help with future parking problems or noise concerns.”

Tom Lawrence, vice president of Public Safety said there will be plenty of security measures put into place to accommodate the influx of students.

“Security will be a mirror image of what we already have in place in dorm rooms on campus now,” he said.

“There will be a security desk in front with a Public Safety officer, 24-hours surveillance cameras, and an additional public safety officer patrolling outside the facility from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. everyday.”

He said the new dorm will also feature a courtyard that will be enclosed by a high fence intended to provide privacy and muffle any excessive noise student’s create for the community.

Petruzzelli said the University has already addressed some of the concerns of Henley Road residents, citing that the contractor rectified sewer problems by expanding and replacing certain pipes.

He also said the University plans to use a shuttle system to bring students back and forth from the Queens campus in hopes of reducing the traffic flow. There is also a possibility of parking spots being allocated to students to park in the building’s

TORCH PHOTOS/THOMAS CARNEVALE

The Henley Road off-campus residence hall features doubles (top) and triples along with a kitchen (above) and 24-hour surveillance.

basement; however, nothing has been confirmed.

Petruzzelli, though, said he feels concerns over potential rowdiness and rude behavior from students may be somewhat embellished.

“Our students are not deviants,” he said. “Our students are mature, well behaved, community members who are interested in going to school.

“They are interested in getting a college education and experiencing college life.”

Medina said she is still upset over the way she discovered the University’s plan to build the off-campus dorms and felt there was something wrong with “how they went about constructing something so significant in our neighborhood and never consulted with us about it.

“The way they treated us is just not right,” she said. “In my opinion, the whole idea was very poorly thought out.”

Some students said they felt the Henley Road residents had valid complaints.

“If they built a dorm room next to my house I would be mad too,” said freshman Fred Duran. “But, I think they worry too much. We are college kids and we will probably party and come in late but it’s not like we throw wild parties and become crazy all the time.”

John Kissinger, a junior who visited the dorm rooms last week, said he probably would not live at the new Henley dormitory because of parking availability and distance from campus but agrees that something must be done to appease community members.

“I think that the neighbors bring up a valid argument and maybe St. John’s needs to do something to improve their image in the neighborhood.”

Other St. John’s students said that although they sympathize with the Henley Road residents, they also believe additional St. John’s housing is necessary.

“I think St. John’s needed to build another campus dorm because St. John’s doesn’t have enough campus housing,” said freshmen Erica Neibuhr.

“I think the residents should give us a chance and then voice their concerns if things happen later.”

Cassandra Richardson, another freshman, said she’s confident public safety will be effective in keeping the peace on Henley Road.

“Maybe if the local residents knew how strict the school is on resident students then maybe they wouldn’t be so concerned with partying and noise issues,” she said.

“I think they should publicize the rules and restrictions so residents can feel more at ease.”

5

Room selection process frustrates some students KIRAN JOSEN Assistant News Editor

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Petruzzeli said further changes could be made to room selection in the future.

“One improvement that we could make would be taking the whole system online,” he said. “This is one of the only standin-line processes that the school has. [Under this new system], students would be able to register online and even pick their roommates online.

“I think this would make picking rooms more efficient,” he said.

Students seemed to agree that demand for the living in the townhouses is very high.

“I think that the townhouses are in such high demand because of their visitation policy,” said Falzone. “They trust the students to be responsible enough to follow the rules and I think that’s why so many students wanted a room in the townhouses.

If they reviewed their visitation policy then maybe this process wouldn’t have been so difficult for so many students.”

Petruzzeli said the current visitation policy for the Residence Village is currently under evaluation.

“We’re working on a change in the visitation policy, and the policy is in review,” he said. “We want to implement the same policy for every property.”

Additional reporting by Laura Amato. For ongoing coverage of room selection week, check torchonline.com

EVERTON BAILEY Managing Editor

The TORCH PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY

Immaculée Ilibagiza lectures internationally, sharing her life story and the struggles she has overcome. She will be this year’s commencement speaker for the Queens’ graduation ceremony.

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Rwandan Genocide survivor and author Immaculée Ilibagiza will deliver the commencement address at this year’s graduation on the Queens campus, University officials announced yesterday.

Ilibagiza is the author of the New York Times best-selling autobiography, Left to Tell, which chronicles her 91 days spent in a bathroom with seven other women to escape the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

Since emigrating to the U.S. in 1998, Illibagiza has worked for the United Nations, been the focal point of a documentary called The Diary of Immaculee, appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes, CNN, EWTN and elsewhere.

“She has made hundreds of appearances all over the world to tell

her tragic story and convey a powerful message of how her faith and beliefs got her through these trying times,” said Dominic Scianna, director of Media Relations.

Scianna also said the University is “thrilled” to have her speak during this year’s graduation and that St. John’s would bestow Ilibagiza with an International Medal from the University, given for distinguished contributions to global goodwill.

Illibagiza has visited the University before. She delivered a lecture in the Little Theatre in 2007 for Founder’s Week.

St. John’s announced last week that Bruce Beck, a WNBC-TV sports broadcaster, would be delivering the commencement address for the Staten Island campus on May 16.

University president Rev. Donald J. Harrington gave the commencement speech for the Queens campus graduation last year.

22 April 2009

SJU reveals commencement speaker for Queens campus

NEWS

Monday began Room Selection Week for students to pick housing for next semester. Dominic Petruzzeli, director of residence life, said an online version of choosing rooms may be in the works for the future.

This year’s room selection process has undergone some major changes. Instead of being a one-day process, it is now taking place over the course of an entire week, from Monday, April 20 to Friday, April 25.

Dominic Petruzzeli, director of Residence Life, said he feels a week-long room selection is more beneficial to everyone in the long run.

“I feel good about the change,“ he said. “If we hold room selection during the week, then all the other offices are open and therefore more resources will be available. More students are present in the process every year and it can be cumbersome.

“One day is simply not enough,” he added.

On Monday, students approved for single rooms picked one of the six remaining upperclassman residence halls, including O’Connor, Century, the townhouses, Henley Road Residence, Seton Complex, and Coolidge Plaza. Yesterday, students approved for doubles picked rooms and today students select triple rooms.

Thursday and Friday involves room selection for commuters, Manhattan campus students, and graduate students.

In addition to expanding room selection to a week, the points system was also revamped. It now takes a student’s class status into more consideration, along with GPA and judicial history.

Many students, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the room selection process.

A common complaint among students was a lack of organization. Students were given appointment times to select a room for next semester, but many of them said as lines began to grow for the townhouses, students who had later appointment times and wanted to live in a residence hall other than the townhouses were allowed to select rooms early.

Junior Ashley Falzone said she was frustrated with the long lines and delayed appointments.

“My appointment time was 10:00 but I didn’t actually get to choose a room until 11,” she said. “I prefer room selection day [from last year] because many people had classes today and throughout the week while the one day was on the weekend when everyone could come.”

Sophomore Tara Williams also said she was not a fan of room selection week.

“Last year, everything was on Saturday and I think that worked out great,” she said. “I think I was in line for a maximum of 20 minutes.”

Christine Zazzera, a freshman, called yesterday’s selection process “ridiculous” and said she was considering not living on campus again after what she experienced.

“I was on time for my appointment but people who came later got to go ahead of me,” she said. “I think there are so many different ways to do the room registration process. I think it’s moments like this that cause people to transfer.”

6

Editorial Board LXXXVII CHRISTINA HEISER GREGORY LEPORATI Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus EVERTON BAILEY Managing Editor

Illustrator’s Corner:

PASQUALE PASSARELLA Editorial Page Editor, Emeritus

JUSTIN THRIFT Editorial Page Editor

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

22 April 2009

EDITORIAL

The trouble with Res Life If you have participated in the Office of Residence Life’s 2009 room selection process, you may have some negative things to say about your experience acquiring a room for next year.

This year’s room selection process has been modified significantly from past years, the biggest change being the switch from a single Saturday to a week-long event.

Room selection week is now underway, running from Monday, April 20 until Friday, April 24. This is the first year that room selection is a five-daylong process; in years past, it took place on a Saturday.

The question that many students may have, and rightfully so, is why can’t Residence Life design a system that works smoothly and keeps students in mind?

Since room selection now takes place during the school week, a common problem is that many students’ appointment times overlap their class times. It doesn’t make sense to conduct an event of this size throughout the school week when class should clearly take priority.

A university cannot place students in a position where they are forced to skip class; having room selection during the week conflicts with the University’s main educational mission.

When room selection was on a Saturday, however, students could reserve time to show up and go through the lengthy process without skipping class.

Some students have also expressed frustration over waiting in a line that, at times, has reached all the way from outside the Office of Residence Life all the way up the path past the basketball court next to Montgoris Dining Hall.

Because of these long lines, many stu-

dents’ scheduled appointment times have been inevitably pushed back, creating a domino effect of delays. These delays show that Residence Life needs to enforce a more regimented schedule and work on its organization prior to selection days.

Considering the lengthy lines and irritation that students have expressed anxiety over, one can’t help but ask whether or not the changes Residence Life made to the room selection process were actually for the best. Perhaps more significant changes are needed in order to simplify and organize this currently stressful process.

An online room selection process is a possible solution to the woes of the current system. Moving the process online would eliminate the waiting in lines and the confusion, offering a modern method that is convenient for both the students and Residence Life.

Consider the fact that years ago class selection at colleges across the country was a process that took place in a giant gymnasium, in person and on paper. Somewhere in the 90s, schools began making the switch to online class selection methods, and today, St. John’s included, most institutions utilize an online class selection Web site.

There is no reason why room selection at St. John’s can’t take a similar route. Residence Life should think about switching to a digital system, and through this modern transition, make resident students happier and housing selection more organized.

There can be no denying that the room selection process here at St. John’s is an imperfect model. Residence Life should consider this for future years and work on improving the process for students.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/PRESTON PALMER

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The TORCH

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.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/CATHARINE CORRIGAN

The odds come to an end

7

A call to students, faculty and journalists to continue to keep the University in check

When I began my tenure as Editorin-Chief as a sophomore in Spring 2007, the University was reeling from one of the most controversial decisions it had made in recent history – a controversy that, two years later, half the current undergraduate student body likely has never heard about.

Earlier in the semester, the University had forbidden a student from bringing a performance of The Vagina Monologues – a groundbreaking play aimed to combat violence against women - to campus. Though administrators agreed that the fundamental values behind the play were something they supported and in line with the mission of the University, its nature, they claimed, was too divisive to bring to St. John’s.

Months later, however, the University unveiled notoriously misogynistic rapper Ludacris as its headlining act for its Just Press Play concert – a decision which former TORCH Editor-in-Chief Stephen Pasqualina rightfully criticized as “audacious hypocrisy.”

The issue ultimately boiled down to this: Ludacris was a musical act that, although just as divisive as a performance of The Vagina Monologues, would undoubtedly fill seats in Carnesecca Arena – and fill the University’s wallet at the same time.

Ultimately, Ludacris ended up backing out of the planned performance for reasons unrelated to the controversy, but the whole scenario, which took place just a month before I took over my position

on the TORCH, left a lasting impression on me and greatly shaped the way I viewed St. John’s these last two years.

I’ve examined nearly every University decision under a critical lens; after all, in light of the decisions regarding The Vagina Monologues, why shouldn’t I have?

I’ve learned that it’s of utmost importance that the student body – and future editors of this very paper – remain skeptical and questioning of University procedure. And as we look to the future, there is no better example to dwell on than the creation of a student-run Gay-Straight Alliance, a task currently being undertaken by sophomore Kyle Collins, and a task that could very easily run into the same problems The Vagina Monologues faced two years ago.

Collins’ aim, as he recently told the TORCH, is to create an academic and informational organization for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning” students, a group he feels is necessary on campus.

Administrators said that they were discussing how best to incorporate such

a group on campus. And Jose Rodriguez, dean of Student Life, informed the TORCH that there have been a number of attempts at creating such a group in the last 23 years, but they all fizzled out, possibly due to “dwindling interest from the students.”

That could be the case, but my fear is that the reason for this waning student support over the years may very well have been caused by a less than enthusiastic administration, which made things difficult for students to start such a group.

Quite frankly, there is no reason that a gay and lesbian awareness group should not be established by Spring 2010. It is my sincerest hope that the University works as efficiently and cooperatively as possible to ensure that the campus community can gain from the academic opportunity such a group could provide, and does not let the controversy surrounding its creation dominate the conversation.

In my two years writing this column, I’ve discussed a number of issues concerning this campus, though I’ve focused on two main ones: dwindling student engagement and fostering an academic environment.

It’s courageous students like Collins, who struggle to create something worthwhile to themselves and to others at this University, that have solved these problems. What’s important is that the University not stifle this creativity – as was the case with The Vagina Monologues – but instead encourage it.

I’ve heard people say that “Odds

Without Ends” is unnecessarily critical. I’ve heard that my column is “unVincentian.” I’ve even heard some claim that I have the uncanny ability to say nothing in 800 words. And perhaps they’re all right.

But that’s neither here nor there. Writing this column for the past two years, and watching the University grow alongside it, has been a vastly rewarding experience, one that has changed me in innumerable ways. And to see the way that students, faculty, and administrators react to the TORCH has proven to me that this paper is an essential and driving force of this University.

So, as I write this column for the last time, I can’t help but wish the best of luck to Christina Heiser and Everton Bailey, the TORCH’S new leaders. It’s up to them to continue to question and probe this University as it attempts to grow and improve in the next year.

To future staffs of the TORCH, and the students, administrators and faculty I’ve interacted with during these past two profoundly rewarding years, I leave you with a quote from Kurt Vonnegut that perfectly illustrates the sentiment “Odds Without Ends” has always strived to inspire: “New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.”

Keep looking for that truth. If you search hard enough, you’re bound to find it.

Gregory Leporati is a senior English major.

He can be reached at: torcheic@gmail.com

Administration goes survey happy on student e-mails JUSTIN THRIFT Editorial Page Editor

frequency of these annoying emails and irrelevant surveys.

It’s important that the University maintains their keen interest in hearing the student voice, but maybe a substitute method for facilitating this would better suit both the students and the administration.

Expanding a section of St. John’s Central for students to log onto and offer general feedback and comments on events, policies, and other school related issues would create a nice outlet for supplementing the constant flow of electronic surveys. At a university of St. John’s size, perhaps a more personal approach to student feedback would be sufficient.

Unlike course evaluation surveys, other surveys aren’t always relevant to the entire student body. Maybe the administration should survey students in person, attending specific

events and adopting a more personal touch to communicating with students. For example, instead of sending a universitywide survey on the satisfaction of DNY classes, why not take a more direct approach and attend a class to hear freshmen voice their opinions in person?

If the University can succeed in cutting back on some of the e-mail traffic it produces, it would make the more important e-mails and surveys much more valid and widely read. Students can’t be expected to take all the e-mails they receive seriously when they’re receiving 5 or more a day.

If the administration can adopt this strategy, important emails such as course evaluation surveys won’t be seen as annoying by a vast majority of the school community.

After all, sometimes less is more.

STUDENTSPARKS

22 April 2009

participation in the course evaluations has plummeted, even if made mandatory by the teacher.

This is a problem because these course surveys make up a crucial part of the school’s ability to improve classes and the overall education at St. John’s.

If students weren’t tired of constantly receiving trivial e-mails and meaningless feedback requests, they probably wouldn’t mind filling out these more important course evaluations at the end of each semester, and survey participation would significantly improve.

Many will agree that the importance of student feedback on course evaluations is an imperative piece of the University’s ability to better serve the student body, so why plague students the rest of the year with less important, menial surveys and campus solicitations?

The first step is to lessen the

OP-ED

Every student at St. John’s can attest to the constant flow of surveys and University e-mails that seem to clutter up their inboxes on a daily basis. On one hand, the University e-mailing system provides a convenient way for the school to stay in contact with their students. But does the enormous amount of emails devalue and turn students off to important messages like course evaluation surveys?

The administration of St. John’s tries very hard to convey a message that they care about the students’ voice and their frequent request for student body feedback through various surveys firmly proves this point.

However, some students may not be happy about the constant invitation to fill out surveys, and

who would blame them when they receive countless school related e-mails every week from the school’s administration?

Students are being turned off by daily e-mails to the point where they consider all school related e-mails a burden and stop reading them altogether. Like the boy who cried wolf, the administration is losing student attention by flogging them with these daily messages.

The administration of St. John’s would be wise to consider this, especially now as course evaluation surveys are starting to filter out into student inboxes.

The University recently switched to online evaluations after years of in-class evaluation sheets that students filled out during class time. The change to the online format is meant to be more convenient and private, but some teachers and administrators have complained that overall

COMPILED BY THOMAS CARNEVALE

I’m not into Lupe Fiasco He’s not the kind of rapper I listen to.

I’m excited. I was going to cry when I heard that no tickets were left.

Michael Smith

Cherisse Figueroa

Meloty Soto

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Yeah. It looks fun and he is a singer that everyone is looking forward to. This is one concert that people seem hyped about.

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Are you excited about the upcoming Spring concert?

8

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/CHRISTOPHER LAUTO

Reflecting on time spent Has the St. John’s experience improved in the past four years?

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The TORCH

22 April 2009

OP-ED

BRYAN BURTNER Staff Writer In retrospect, it’s often hard to tell what has changed more: our environments or ourselves. Four years ago, I came to St. John’s with little perspective and little idea of what I wanted out of life.

Now, preparing to leave, I have no more an idea of where I’ll end up than when I started. As for perspective, though, I like to think I’ve gained a bit. For instance, I’ve come to see the dangers of dealing in absolutes, and I’ve learned that most of the time, while we’re attempting to locate the source of the change that we feel over time, it’s a little bit of both: our environments and ourselves.

St. John’s is not the same place that it was when I took my first class here.

It will be a different place still when the freshmen of today are in my position.

The evolution of any place is a constant process, and I’d like to think that in the realm of academia, that process is only hastened, as the free exchange of ideas and the pushing of boundaries nurtured in places like these makes them the catalysts for progress.

Progress: the word has a good feel. It reminds us of the ability of human kind to continuously and miraculously make things better. And it’s the word that I feel can best describe my four years at this school. Though single steps forward have at times been accompanied by multiple steps back, in the grand scheme of things, I have seen progress.

I have seen an underwhelming campus in a bland neighborhood take leaps and bounds toward becoming a home to be proud of. When I got here, the newly constructed Taffner Field House symbolized a university and an athletic program struggling to assert its relevancy and recapture old basketball glory.

Today, the new townhouses symbolize a renewed emphasis on the campus community; the massive silhouette of what will be the new University Center symbolizes a new age in the academic image of our school.

I have seen a student body noted for its diversity, but also for its apathy, continue to develop a culture all its own.

The ever-present question mark about the lack of student engagement is troubling, but it’s still hard not to feel like we are growing as a residential community.

Keeping in mind that this has been a residential campus for only ten years makes these ongoing troubles seem more like growing pains than a chronic ailment.

I have seen the chair of my own department, English professor Dr. Stephen Sicari, oversee the hiring of young,

talented and enthusiastic professors, a phenomenon that I can only hope is representative of a University-wide trend.

There’s a lot that this school can continue to work on in improving its academic reputation, but hiring the right professors is one of the important things that can be done to improve the individual programs within the University and engage the students intellectually.

I have not seen anything approaching perfection in my four years at St. John’s, and maybe the acceptance of that inevitability is the best lesson I can take away from this place. Still, despite the many mistakes and the numerous setbacks I have seen, I have seen progress.

STEPHEN PINTO Staff Writer It is a question you hear every election season: are you better off now than you were four years ago? Graduating seniors at St. John’s may be asking themselves that question this year as they prepare to move on from their college lives, having spent the last four years here.

The University must take a good look at itself, as well, and now that another graduating class prepares to get started in the real world, ask itself: is this a better place for students now than

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KATRIN ASTARITA

it was four years ago?

As a senior myself, having seen all the changes the University has made in that time, there is only one judgment that can be reached: St. John’s today represents a worse option than it did four years ago.

Of course, there have been plenty of improvements and many seniors are grateful for them. We have seen the introduction of the townhouses, giving residents more options and a greater sense of freedom. They have constructed the crossroads lawn between St. John and Marillac Halls, along with several other beautification projects around the campus.

There is no argument: St. John’s is a more comfortable place to be now.

The grounds look better, there is more housing, and once the new University Center is up, it will look even better. St. John’s has certainly become a more interesting option for unaware freshmen, but those who have been here for years know that the improvement is mostly surface-level.

The numbers reflect this: there may be more and more applications and enrollment every year, but it does not stop the school from still having a low retention rate.

If incoming freshmen could look a little deeper, they may hesitate in making their decision. Last year, St. John’s cleaned out their library, donating and otherwise shipping out many of its books in order to make more room for office space in St. Augustine Hall.

While the new library looks great, it was a sign that education is perhaps not the University’s first priority. The library of any University is the center of its knowledge and the best resource for all students. Decreasing the size of this place should be the last thing any University wants to do and was a sign that the school may not be as good a choice as it was four years ago.

Though we cannot pretend that the University is immune to the economic crisis, there will be some consequences from it that may make St. John’s a less attractive option. Fewer new hires of professors, more average (if you’re lucky) adjuncts, a smaller choice in classes, and less funding for student groups are all consequences that students are either already seeing or may see in the future.

Of course St. John’s is still a good option and many seniors would agree that they gained a lot from being here.

However, the school may not be the same thing it was four years ago. Hopefully the future of the school will prove this argument wrong, for the sake of all the freshmen just getting started.

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Opening the floodgates Gate 7 has a long history with Queens students FRANK TISELLANO Staff Writer St. John’s has been, of late, fining students for climbing a ladder. A well situated, convenient, University-built ladder, right here on campus.

The ladder in question, also known as the gate at Gate 7, has been the cause for strife among some students and administrators since the controversial decision was made to close it at 7 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays.

To clarify, St. John’s did not make this decision without good reason. They were served a court order supported by the residents of the surrounding community that legally binds them to do so.

Although the University is complying with the decision, and though I do not think the residents of the surrounding community are being unreasonable, St. John’s could, and should, do more to alleviate some of the problems caused by the gate’s closure.

Any resident student will tell you about the annoyance caused from having to always enter through gate 6 at night, and everyone has seen students hopping the ladder at gate 7 to avoid this inconvenience.

Quite frankly, the ladder-style gate is a danger to both students in particular and to the University in general. It is a danger to students because some have jumped over it, risking the potential for injury. It is a danger to the University because if a student does get injured jumping over the gate, St. John’s could face a hefty lawsuit for not taking the necessary precautions to protect its students.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KERI DODGE

Keeping only one gate open during nights also forces students to frequently walk the periphery of campus in order to get around to gate 6.

But that’s all conjecture. Let’s take a look at a few steps St. John’s could take to resolve the problem without resorting to unreasonably extreme measures.

Option #1: Instead of fining every student that jumps over the gate, the University should change the structure of the gate itself, and eliminate the problem at its source. St. John’s should swap the ladder-style gate for a portion of the beautiful black fence surrounding most of the University; this would work better as a

deterrent to potential trespassers.

It’s almost hypocritical; St. John’s provides students with a temptingly convenient alternative to parking at the always packed Gate 6, which includes the seemingly mile-long trek to the residence village, and then fines us for taking advantage of it.

Option #2: St. John’s should be trying to legally resist the court order with more intensity. One of the jobs of the University is to fight for the well-being of its students. Where is St. John’s legal team in all of this?

The school successfully circumvented the complaints of the neighbors of the new off-campus housing complexes, and the kind folks who live by Gate 6 aren’t complaining. (Or if they are, St. John’s is doing a good job of representing us on that front as well). Johnny Cochran got O.J. off: get Gate 6 open.

Resident students pay St. John’s to provide them the equivalent of a home over the course of the school year. If a student is carrying heavy bags or not feeling well, entering the campus by way of the most convenient gate available would increase the convenience of campus life.

Either Gate 7 should be available for resident students 24 hours a day, or the administration should get rid of the ladder. Period.

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PASQUALE PASSARELLA Editorial Page Editor, Emeritus

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swipe meals where local restaurants come to Montgoris and offer high-quality food like sushi to students.

One of the greatest improvements that Chartwells has made is the increase in late-night dining hours on campus. The hours of operation for Marillac, the dining hall most frequented by commuters, have been extended, with each section remaining open until around 9:30 p.m. and the fast food places running until 11 p.m.

A new-late night dining service has also been introduced at Montgoris, where students can buy snack food like chicken wings, hamburgers, and French fries up until 3 a.m. The C-store has also extended its hours to 3 a.m. in order to better serve students.

These changes are important for two reasons. First, they are important in the service they provide students.

Second, and perhaps more significant, is the fact that it means Chartwells has listened to the requests of students where past companies have not. It is this second reason that makes Chartwells look so much better than past companies that have served St. John’s.

There has certainly been a vast improvement in dining services over the last year.

However, Chartwells should not fall into the same trap of complacency that led Sodexho’s services to stagnate. There are definitely areas that can and should still see change, like the more sparse food provided at Montgoris between meals and the requests of students for a 24-hour dining location.

Chartwells has started off very well, showing that they care about what the students they serve think and promising to continue improving food services on campus. As long as Chartwells maintains this strategy, students at St. John’s may have a much more appetizing future ahead of them.

22 April 2009

In the last four years, I have written often about conditions on campus that affect the lives of St. John’s students. I have written about the construction that has turned our campus into an obstacle course of dirt piles and cut down available parking spots for commuters, the effectiveness of the laptop program and how it can better serve students, the intricacies of the housing selection process, and possible ways to improve the turnout of SGI elections. But of all the topics I have looked at, none has seen such positive change as the state of dining services on campus.

Food services is one of the biggest concerns affecting the lives of residents as well as commuter students.

While residents depend on campus dining halls to provide basic meals and the C-store for snacks and drinks to stock their rooms, commuters also rely on campus dining institutions for quick meals between classes.

That said, students who have relied on dining services at St. John’s for the last few years have voiced a number of concerns over the quality, convenience and variety of what the various dining halls have to offer.

In about a five-year span, St. John’s has seen three different companies stand as food service providers on campus. The first, Aramark, was replaced before any of the current undergraduate students were attending this school. Students at St. John’s during Aramark’s reign had many complaints that would sound eerily familiar to any student going here now. Food quality was poor, va-

riety was nonexistent and the hours of dining halls were anything but convenient.

Sodexho, the company that this year’s seniors came into St. John’s with and that freshmen have probably not even heard of, was viewed by many who were here for Aramark as the answer to their prayers. The food was better, Sodexho seemed to be going out of its way to make improvements for the students’ sakes, and there was hope for further improvements.

However, after a few semesters the dining service seemed to fall into a serious rut. Resident students found the lack of variety in Montgoris appalling as there were actual complaints that serving chicken as the entrée five days a week was just too much, especially during that period of days when students would cut into their chicken to find it undercooked.

At the beginning of last year’s spring semester, Chartwells became the newest dining service company to come to St. John’s. Some students were doubtful of Chartwells at first, since there did not seem to be any massive alterations to the way dining services were run on campus. Yet within the first few weeks, changes did come.

Food stations in Montgoris were rearranged, with two new sections added outside the original cafeteria area. This helped the crowding problems that had once plagued Montgoris diners who had to wait in massive lines to get to the couple of food sections. While the problem of long lines has not been completely alleviated, the new layout has spread out the various sections, providing more options for students eating at Montgoris.

The food itself got better thanks to new ideas like international food nights, various dessert bars and double-

OP-ED

Food services at SJU have seen their ups and downs

TORCHCOMICS 22 April 2009

Geek Zach Davino

Short Shorts Tim Olwell

Ethel & Wilfred Chris Lauto

I Can’t Draw Alex Reyes

MORECOMICS 22 April 2009

Controlled Chaos Catharine Corrigan

Cloister Matt Brown

1-800-ARMSTACO Jonathan Roman

Quarter-Life Crisis Preston Palmer

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Pg 16

NOW STREAMING Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is just one of the many web series that has gained popularity since 2007

ENTERTAINMENT 22 April 2009 The TORCH

torchonline.com

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Televison Goes Wired WEB SERIES ARE A GROWING SOURCE OF ENTERTAINMENT THAT OFFER MORE CONVENIENCE THAN TV SAM DELISO Staff Writer

Awards were “The Guild” (Best Comedy Web Series), “Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy” (Best Dramatic Web Series) and “EPIC FU” (Best Hosted Web Series). Though still fairly new, the Streamy Awards are an important step towards the evolution of Web series into a more valid form of entertainment.

The legitimacy of Web series is one that continues to develop along with technology; their opportunities for uninhibited creative expression should continue to be noted and embraced.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEBUIBROTHERS.COM

The cast of The Guild at the Streamy Awards. The Guild won three Streamy Awards this year, including Best Comedy Web Series and Best Ensemble Cast.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NYTIMES.COM

Patrick Cohen (left), Evan Bass (center) and Seth Kirschner (right) make up the cast of the popular Web series We Need Girlfriends. The show follows the lives of characters Tom (Cohen), Rod (Bass) and Henry (Kirschner) as they try to become more successful in their romantic lives.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

22 April 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

J

ust as the Internet has developed legitimacy over the years, the activities created through it have also become validated. As a result, Web series have become one of today’s most popular entertainment forms.

The popularity of Web series first swelled during the 2007-08 Writers’ Strike. When movies and television shows were halted because of the strike, the Internet became one of the few sources of new entertainment. This lead to the flourishing of Web series.

A Web series is a program similar to a television series, except for the fact that it is viewed solely on the Internet. Not all Internet videos are considered Web series; what differentiates them from other videos is the fact that all videos within a Web series are connected by one primary plot. Of course, an attempt to describe them all through one definition is bound for failure. Like the differences in television shows, there are also differences in Web series. All you need to do is watch a couple of them to see that they all do not follow the same formula.

For example, We Need Girlfriends (http://www.weneedgirlfriends.tv) is a show that chronicles the lives of three newly single men in Queens. With 11 sevenminute episodes in their one season, the show follows a more traditional television show format; there is an overall plot that connects the episodes, all while featuring new situations as the show goes on.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, (http://www.drhorrible.com) on the other hand, only has three 15 minute episodes which feature song numbers and a more finite plot, making it is more like a television special than an actual show. Then, there are series like Ask a Ninja (http://askaninja.com) that share more similarities with Internet videos rather than television shows, featuring two minute episodes that share a premise more than they share a plot.

The differences between Web series is a reflection of the differing kinds of TV shows that inspired their creation. But as many gain fame, the question of what makes them so appealing naturally comes to mind. The undeniably rising popularity of Web series can arguably be attributed to three main aspects: availability, length and originality.

The availability of Web series is relatively unrestrained. As the availability of the Internet grows with the expansion of Wi-Fi beyond homes, phones obtaining the power to surf the Internet from practically anywhere, so does the availability of Web series. While many television shows in their entirety are limited to the television and to DVD sets, Web series can be conveniently viewed

wherever the Internet allows.

The shortened length of most episodes also gives them an advantage over TV shows. Since TV shows are typically thirty minutes to an hour long, they require a greater time commitment; some people simply can’t put aside that amount of time in their busy schedules. Web series, on the other hand, allow for a healthy dose of entertainment in a shorter span of time. Then, if the viewer would like to watch more, all they have to do is click on the next installment.

Lastly, there is the originality that Web series are capable of. Creating a show for television involves many more restrictions than creating a show for the Internet does, since there are many stages and obstacles it must go through.

Web series do not necessarily need to go through those same phases; the process of their creation is much different, so there is more creative freedom. Ideas that may not have made the cut for television viewing are able to take the risk on the Internet and possibly gain a healthy following of fans.

Not only is the rising popularity of Web series reflected in audience growth, but it is also reflected in the official recognition of Web series as a serious art form.

The Streamy Awards, hosted by new media companies such as Tizly.TV, Tubefilter and NewTeeVee, was created to acknowledge achievements in the field of Web television.

Among the winners of the First Annual Streamy

PHOTO COURTESY OF WONDERFLONIUM.COM

Neil Patrick Harris (left) and Nathan Fillion (right) battle it out as arch-nemesis Dr. Horrible (Harris) and Captain Hammer (Fillion) in the 2008 Web special Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. The musical special was written during the 2008 Writers’ Strike. The musical was met with critical acclaim, winning seven awards at the First Annual Streamy Awards.

Conspiracy Gets Creative

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STATE OF PLAY BREAKS FREE FROM THE PACK OF PREDICTABLE CONSPIRACY THRILLER MOVIES LIZ WALSH Staff Writer STATE OF PLAY-

1/2 OUT OF 4 STARS

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THEFILMNEST.COM

Helen Mirren (left), Rachel McAddams (center) and Russell Crowe (right) are just a few of the stars that appear in State of Play. The characters Cal McAffrey and Della Frye (Crowe and McAddams) both work to uncover the truth behind a series of recent homicides.

television series Arrested Development.

Jason Bateman plays a drugged out Public Relations representative who inadvertently becomes implicated in this web of murders and lies. He plays a very volatile character within the film, sparking much of the drama and violence that ensues after his short yet entertaining onscreen appearance.

This is the kind of film that requires interest and attention throughout. State of Play doesn’t allow for time to breathe between the twists and turns of the complicated plot.

Although State of Play can be characterized as erratic at points, the film is an honest change from the norm of extensive, drawn-out suspense thrillers where speculation is far more present than action. This film actually presents a plot with an overload of information and intrigue. The roles are well performed and the movie is well directed. If you’re in the mood for a cinematic change of pace, State of Play is worth a once-over.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

Ben Affleck plays politician Stephen Collins in the conspiracy thriller State of Play.

Twitter to a Promotion LYNECIA BURGESS Staff Writer

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WORDPRESS.COM

89 percent of employers would watch a video resume.

It is easy for one to get carried away with this concept. After all, you can craft a completely new identity for yourself and no one would be the wiser, right? Wrong, says Schawbel.

The point of branding oneself is to capitalize on your own individual talents and gifts.

Schawbel agrees. “The single most important thing a student can do to stand out from everyone else is to be yourself because that is your single biggest differentiator.”

After landing that job post-graduation, harnessing the power of Me 2.0 allows you to become empowered.

We are the generation that doesn’t have time to do things the way our parents did—slowly but steadily climbing the rungs of the corporate ladder. Technology and the Internet have now given us the power to essentialy become “Me, Inc.”

The TORCH

A

ll that time you spend on Facebook and following your buddies on Twitter will finally pay off.

According to Dan Schawbel, a personal branding expert, this may actually not be so farfetched. In his new book Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, he claims that the power of social media such as Facebook, blogging, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn can be used to our advantage.

Schawbel asserts that in this chaotic economic environment, treating oneself as a brand is the key to standing out from the crowd.

Needless to say, the competition for entry-level work among the recent college graduates is fiercer than ever.

“Personal branding is for those who want to create a powerful presence and a memorable identity…A powerful brand is one that leaves others with a positive perception,” writes Schawbel in Me 2.0. Certainly, as the generation that is entering the workforce in the midst of one of the most difficult economic climates since the Great Depression, we could all benefit from learning how to

differentiate ourselves.

As a growing number of firms begin to use social networking sites as recruiting tools, one can position his or herself to be seen—however they want to. Control what’s on your page, beware of posting inappropriate photographs (or at least, make sure you aren’t tagged in any without your permission) and use these sites as networking tools. In essence, your account on a social network functions as a business card/resume/personality profile all in one. Simply posting your resume online isn’t enough anymore.

Schawbel also suggests going a step beyond the traditional resume and venturing into a multi-media one.

Employers are impressed by candidates who go the extra mile—present your work in a portfolio on a CDROM or start a blog to talk about a subject that you are passionate about.

Schawbel cites a 2007 Vault survey which surprisingly found that about

22 April 2009

DAN SCHAWBEL’S BOOK SHOWS HOW TO USE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER TO GET THE BETTER JOBS

ENTERTAINMENT

ilms about government conspiracy have run rampant as of late, and exhausted audiences often dread seeing the same actors play the same parts over and over. When a movie is able to break the mold and make this tired concept work in a new and interesting way, audiences rejoice with this breath of fresh air.

State of Play, a film directed by Ben MacDonald (the director of the awardwinning film The Last King of Scotland), is that revitalizing look at the way in which the predictable films of this genre could work. That’s probably the reason why acclaimed actors Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe, as well as Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Ben Affleck, clamored to be a part of it.

State of Play is a convoluted story of suspense and intrigue with a star-studded cast and an intense and captivating form of direction. For a relatively long film (about 127 minutes), State of Play is edge-of-your-seat entertaining.

The focal point of the movie stays unceasingly fixed on Russell Crowe who performs to perfection while the circumstances surrounding him are constantly changing as the truth is gradually unearthed.

Based on the British television miniseries of the same name, State of Play follows a reporter for the Washington globe named Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), who begins to investigate a double homicide. These murders are seemingly unrelated to the death of the mistress of a politician (portrayed by Ben Affleck) until the fast-paced and thrilling revelation of several pieces that fit perfectly into the puzzle of the plot.

Not only is it a political conspiracy thriller, State of Play also provides social commentary concerning the state of journalism today and the battle between online and print media as Russell Crowe’s character clashes with blogger, Della Frye (played by Rachel McAdams).

One of the most notable parts of the film was the minor yet crucial role played

by Jason Bateman, the star of the popular

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Art in Twenty Six Letters THE MOST RECENT EXHIBIT AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART FEATURES THE ALPHABET AS ART SAMIR ABADY Contributing Writer

T

angled Alphabets is a bizarre exhibit that has recently opened at the Museum of Modern Art and is going to be turning heads while on display from April 5 to June 15. The exhibit was put together by Latin American conceptual artists, León Ferrari and Mira Schendel. Though they created art in separate environments (Ferrari in Argentina, and Schendel in Brazil), both artists have seemed to incorporate a similar message through their work: language as a visual subject.

Part of this series is “Still Waves of Probability,” by Schendel. Made up of thousands of strands of nylon thread hanging to the floor from tiny hooks, these threads form a wafting, semi-visible shaft that could almost be mistaken for light or rain. Hanging nearby, on a sheet of clear glass is a quotation from I Kings 19 about the voice of God. Displayed close by to “Still Waves” is its opposite, Ferrari’s “Last Judgment.” Though the religious message is not forthright in Schendel’s piece, it is an early and important piece of minimalist work.

It is “Last Judgment” that is truly the gem of the whole exhibit. This large reproduction of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” was done in what seems as oil paint and is dotted with damp plaster.

Michelangelo’s work, depicting the end

of the world through the scope of a traditional Roman Catholic viewpoint, projects death through its beautifully crafted demons. In Ferrari’s interpretation this notion is expressed through his use of plaster and gentle brush strokes.

“Tangled Alphabets” is the Modern’s latest attempt to explore modernism beyond Europe and America. The exhibit has been said to be essential viewing for anyone interested in 20th-century art. Reviews from popular art curators even hail Schendel and Ferrari as “two of the most important South American artists of the 20th century.”

“Tangled Alphabets” brings together more work by Schendel and Ferrari than has been seen in a North American museum. It opens a window to a complex artistic history, an embrace of abstraction, popular culture and politics. But it is very apparent that Schendel and Ferrari represent very different values and approaches. Ferrari is a highly extroverted artist, hitting so many different notes over the course of his career. Schendel, on the other hand, is a more consistent and introverted painter.

This exhibit encourages you to abandon many of your assumptions about postwar art in the Americas. But it leaves other things up in the air; concentrating on one artist or the other might have provided a fuller account of their achievements.

Putting them together seems to maintain a certain Minimal/Post-Minimal convention. All in all, the exhibit does great justice to the artists and the artists’ work as a whole and introduces the visitor to art like they have not seen before.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WORDPRESS.COM

Mira Schendel and León Ferrari, the artists behind “Tangled Alphabets,” used the letters of the alphabet as their artistic focus, shown in this piece called “Graphic Objects” by Mira Schendel.

Distinctively Bob Dylan TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE DOESN’T REACH PERFECTION, BUT LOYAL FANS WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED

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22 April 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

GREGORY LEPORATI Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus

S

ince 1962, there have been three things certain in life: death, taxes, and a new Bob Dylan studio album every couple of years. And next week will see the release of Dylan’s latest studio recording – his 33rd, to be exact – entitled Together Through Life. The album, thrown together in far less time than 2001’s Love and Theft and 2006’s Modern Times, serves as a musical departure from those aforementioned masterpieces.

With its own distinct instrumentation (with heavy use of the accordion), Together Through Life is Dylan’s latest attempt at reinventing his sound, shying away from the oldies rock vibe he had established on Love and Theft. Ultimately, though Together Through Life is certainly not Dylan’s most polished album, it still ranks as one of his better ones, filled with some of Dylan’s most poignant and entertaining songs of the last decade. And, though its sound is different, the album retains what are arguably Dylan’s most distinctive musical traits since Love and Theft: a snarling growl and a pissed-off and jaded outlook on life.

Album opener and first single “Beyond Here Lies Nothin” starts things off with an almost R&B flavor, eerily reminiscent of Otis Rush’s “All Your Love.” Instrumentally, the song is a departure from anything found on Dylan’s last two albums, though his voice retains the husky, smoke-ravaged sound fans have lately come to expect from the 68-year-old icon.

As the record continues, Dylan serves up a number of standout bluesy numbers, such as “My Wife’s Home Town” and “Shake Shake Mama”; the songs’ rollicking drumbeat and sparse, intricate electric guitar use complement his voice perfectly.

And with some of the slower songs, Bob attempts something he’s hardly done these days: emphasize a melody. Standouts “Life is Hard” and “This Dream of

You” showcase Dylan hitting higher notes – in a softer tone – than we’ve heard from him in a long time. On “Life is Hard,” Dylan repeatedly croons, “My dreams are locked and barred/ Admitting life is hard/ Without you near me.”

Dylan closes the album on a strong note with arguably two of the best songs of his later years: second single “I Feel a Change Comin’ On,” and the humorous “It’s all Good,” both of which perfectly illustrate the two very distinct natures of Dylan. On the one hand, “I Feel a Change. . .” is arguably one of Dylan’s most refreshingly happy songs to date, as he joyously sings what could be considered his most “pop” song in a while. Still, it’s the lyrics that really shine: “I’m listening to Billy Joe Shaver, and I’m reading James Joyce/ Some people they tell me, I’ve got the blood of the land in my voice,” – a line that perhaps only Dylan could get away with.

“It’s all Good,” on the other hand, shows us a less lighthearted, more cynical and growling Dylan, as he mocks one of the most overused and meaningless phrases of modern culture by juxtaposing it with descriptions of hypothetical tragedies.

Of course, there are a few missteps in Together Through Life, most notably songs “If you Ever Go to Houston” and “Jolene,” which both seem to drag on needlessly with a repetitive and uninspiring melody and instrumentation. “Forgetful Heart,” meanwhile, sounds like an early version of Modern Times’ “Ain’t Talkin’,” using a nearly identical haunting melody.

Though not the masterpiece his last two albums were, Together Through Life is a welcome surprise for Dylan fans, offering up a few gems and an overall solid collection of new, distinct material. And the album art – a photo of two lovers in the backseat of a car – is by far his most compelling in decades.

Whether it’s a love album, a cynical album, or an album that deals with loss is anyone’s guess; all that’s certain is that Together Through Life is a noteworthy and respectable entry into the Dylan catalogue of 33 studio albums. It serves as yet another means for Dylan to reach his lifelong audience with his wise and clever growl of a voice.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABCNEWS.COM

Bob Dylan has been making studio albums since 1962 making him a well-recognized artist. His new album is his 33rd studio entry and is a departure from his last two records.

The

BLAZE

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

A Story That is Almost Inspiring SUGAR DOESN’T QUITE PACK THE EMOTIONAL PUNCH ALEX QUEVEDO Staff Writer

HIP HOP HITS ST. JOHN’S CAMPUS This year, St. John’s spring concert, Audiowave, features Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D. Unless you’re a complete stranger to the world of hip hop, you should recognize these talented artists for hit songs like Lupe Fiasco’s “Superstar” and N.E.R.D’s “Spaz”. Purchase your pre-sale tickets at Campus Concierge by April 23. Pre-sale tickets are just $5 for St. John’s undergrads. The concert will be held on Friday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena on the Queens Campus.

For more information Campus Concierge (718) 990-6631 concierge@stjohns.edu

STOCK UP ON JAPANESE GROCERIES Whether you’re missing some of your favorite, hard-tofind Japanese snacks or just looking to try something new, Sunrise Mart can supply you with all of your exotic needs.

One of the best Japanese markets in SoHo, Sunrise Mart offers more than food. Along with fresh fish and vegetables, you’ll find prepared Japanese meals and packaged snacks. If you probe further, you’ll come across some of Sunrise Mart’s non-edible options, like rental videos, unique knick-knacks and Hello Kitty masks.

Sunrise Mart 494 Broome Street A,C,E to Canal-Church Sts.

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T

he sports film genre is a dangerously tricky one. Any sport can provide a great, heart-wrenching tale if you look hard enough. But when it comes to capturing that story on film, it is very easy for the story to fall victim to severe melodrama, or simply be too complicated to be told well. The film in question, Sugar, delivers a solid story that falls just short of being captivating.

Sugar is the story of Dominican baseball player Miguel Santos (Algenis Perez Soto), a pitcher with a nasty curve and, later, a filthy knuckle curve. His family comes from the poverty-stricken streets of the Dominican. Baseball is the way out for the younger males in the area.

So much so, in fact, that Santos’ mother and family constantly ask if he has gotten the call to head out to the United States. When we meet him, Santos is part of the Kansas City Knights Baseball Academy. He develops his pitches – namely that knuckle curve – and eventually gets the long-awaited call to the spring training facility for the Knights.

From there on out, the story follows Santos going through the grueling motions of minorleague baseball. As a baseball film, it does a good job of both explaining and showing the process of moving up through the leagues (for those who do not know, there are multiple levels of minor-league ball that players move through to reach the major leagues; a vast majority do not make it).

And as a film about this person, Santos, it does a fine job showing his struggles. You are there to see him find his flow and mow down the opposing batters. You are also there to see him leave his friends and family to achieve his dream of playing in the big leagues, and losing

his new friends along the way.

But as this goes on, the film feels too much like a film. You are able to get a feel for him and some of the other characters, especially when he is unable to communicate in English with those he would love to get closer with.

However, it does not delve deep enough. Sugar doesn’t leave Santos’ story on surface levels- it goes beyond that but just not far enough.

Sugar delivers where it needs to and is making its way out of indie-film obscurity. Although the film lacks some of the emotional depth that could have been developed, it is still a solid story. If you’re a fan of the game, it is worth the time if you want a good sports story. Even if you are not, it can be enjoyable. Sugar is simply just missing that little extra to push it over the edge to being a must-see.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENTWALLPAPER.COM

Sugar is one of the many recent sports movies and while it stands out for its unique approach to telling the story of baseball player Miguel Santos, the movie lacks some emotional depth.

ENTERTAINMENT

DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN AND AGAIN If you’ve ever sceen the cult-classic musical The Rock Horror Picture Show and wished that you could get closer to all of the Transylvanian Transexual action, look no further than Chelsea Clearview Cinemas. Every Friday and Saturday night at midnight, a live shadow-cast performs all of the numbers in front of a screening of the film. Admission is only $9, and for a little extra you can supply yourself with all of the appropriate Rocky Horror props. If you’ve never seen the show before, be sure to volunteer for a special welcome.

22 April 2009

Chelsea Clearview Cinemas 23rd Street & 8th Ave. E, C to 23rd St. www.nycrhps.org

FIND YOUR LOVE CONNECTION LOSER The TORCH

Galapagos Art Space 16 Main Street, Brooklyn F to York St. www.galapagosartspace.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ACESHOWBIZ.COM

Algenis Perez Soto stars as Miguel Santos, a Dominican baseball player who overcame poverty to move through the minor-leagues and eventually reach stardom. Sugar first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2008, but was only recently released in theaters.

torchonline.com

This Friday, April 24, Galapagos Art Space is hosting the event that has brought so many 20-something dorks out of their mothers’ basements. Get there at 8:00 p.m. for Nerd Nite Speed Dating. If you’d rather not venture out until later in the evening, swing by at 11:00 p.m. for The Love Show’s Guide to Sex, a show filled with comedy, dance, magic and lots and lots of nerdiness. Tickets to The Love Show are $10, so don’t worry about emptying out your bank accounts to get a nerd fix.

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overdramatic teen show, which airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on the CW. Yet the characters are portrayed so perfectly as privileged, spoiled New Yorkers, and the dialogue between them is so sharp and witty, that I wish I were a member of their Upper East Side world.

If that’s not enough to convince you to take Gossip Girl seriously, this just might: After reading The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton’s classic novel about New York’s high society in the late 1800s for one of my classes this semester, the parallels between this book and Gossip Girl seem endless.

For starters, one of the main characters on Gossip Girl is Lily, who was married to a millionaire named Bart. And the heroine of The House of Mirth is named Lily Bart—coincidence? I think not. I’m also not the first person to make this discovery.

“Serena’s mother is named Lily, and she is engaged to a billionaire named Bart, a sly reference to Lily Bart, the heroine of The House of Mirth, who is socially ruined by, among others, her manipulative BFF Bertha Dorset,” writes Alessandra Stanley in her review of Gossip Girl for The New York Times last May. Just as Bertha Dorset, that “manipulative BFF” of Lily Bart’s ruins Lily socially, Blair Waldorf (played

by Leighton Meester) plots to ruin the reputation of any girl who stands in the way of her “Queen Bee” status—friend or not. Meester is so convincing as the conniving and cunning Blair that I can’t help but root for her.

“Do you know how hard it is to get revenge when your enemy is changing every five minutes?” Blair asks in “The Age of Dissonance,” a play on Wharton’s other classic novel about New York’s upper

Classical Coldness THE DELIGHTFULLY VICIOUS CHARACTERS OF GOSSIP GIRL ARE DRAWN FROM LITERATURE

G

ossip—we’re all guilty of it—intentionally or not. While in real life, gossiping can be hurtful, let’s face it—it’s also addictively fun. But the characters on my favorite TV show, Gossip Girl, take talking about each other to a whole new level, and I have to admit, I love every second of it.

Sure, you may laugh at my obsession with this

class, The Age of Innocence.

And it just so happens that in this episode, the high school students are putting on a performance of The Age of Innocence.

The characters on Gossip Girl have many more tools at their disposal than did the characters in The House of Mirth, making it even easier for them to ruin reputations. The show is named after a Web site where the characters can post any juicy information—regardless of the validity—about others. Once they make a post, text messages with the information gets sent to everyone.

Take for example, the storyline about a new, young, female teacher who gets a job at Constance Billard, the high school that many of the characters attend. Rachel Carr ruins Blair’s chances of getting into Yale, so Blair takes it upon herself to ruin Carr’s teaching career at Constance Billard.

To Blair, this is war. Except this war, she says, “will be different. I need to wait for my moment, and then I’m going black-ops. Off the radar. No accountability. This war I’m gonna win.”

And win she does; Carr loses her job after Blair posts on “Gossip Girl” that the teacher had an affair with a student.

As Lily Bart so smartly proclaims in The House of Mirth, “The truth about any girl is once she’s talked about she’s done for; and the more she explains her case the worse it looks.”

With only a few episodes left this season, I can’t wait to see who Blair’s next victim might be. One thing is for certain—in both Gossip Girl and The House of Mirth, the war for popularity is one only a bad girl can win—and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

NYC’s Favorite Film Festival TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL OPENS, OFFERING MOVIEGOERS TWELVE DAYS OF MOVIES AND EVENTS JESSIKAH HACKETT Entertainment Editor

she introduces people to the beauty of Greek life, she begins to regain an appreciation for the country. At the same time, a romance begins brewing for Georgia.

Tickets for the Tribeca Film Festival can be purchased online at www.tribecafilm.com. Ticket packages allow viewers to gain admission to as many as 20 films, but the price for all those screenings isn’t cheap. Ticket packages range in price from $225 to $425.

Single tickets for individual movies can also be purchased online, for a much more recession-friendly price.

For the opportunity to see some of the best films from around the world, the sticker price is a bargin.

If the cost of tickets is an issue, watch out for some of Tribeca’s free events, including the annual Tribeca Drive-in. This year Tribeca is screening Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and P-Star Rising. Thursday kicks off the drive-in with a guest appearancce by the turtles themselves, as well as ninja-related activities which will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Tribeca Drive-In takes place April 23, 24 and 25 at the World Financial Center Plaza.

A film guide, as well as information about tickets, movie times and locations can be found on Tribeca’s official Web site. Tickets for the films and events can also be purchased at the theaters. Whether you’re a true movie buff or just looking for something fun to do as the semester comes to an end, Tribeca Film Festival represents some of the best that New York City has to offer.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

22 April 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

S

even years ago, in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro developed a film festival to help New York City celebrate the culture that it is famous for.

That was the beginning of The Tribeca Film Festival, which is now recognized as one of the most important film festivals in the world.

This year, Tribeca opens on Wednesday, April 22 and runs until Sunday, May 3. In the official press release kicking off the festival, co-founder Rosenthal stated “In good times and bad, people love to go to the movies, and we are thrilled to be here once again to present 12 days of films and events that will appeal to the industry and the general public alike. Whether you’re an accomplished filmmaker or just need a way to escape everyday life for a few hours, there’s something for you at Tribeca.”

During those 12 days, audiences will have the opportunity to see full-length features, documentaries and short films which cover dozens of themes including art, politics, gender and race.

The selections this year were chosen from 4,720 submissions. Of those chosen for the festival, Tribeca will

be featuring 45 world premiers. Film submissions are being aired from 36 countries, so festival-goers will have plenty to choose from to get their money’s worth.

One of the notable foreign films premiering at Tribeca this year is Argentinian director Lucía Puenzo’s The Fish Child (El niño pez). Puenzo’s submission is her follow-up to XXY, a film which won her several awards.

The Fish Child tells the story of a Lala, a pretty teenager living in an upper-class neighborhood in Buenos Aires, who falls in love with her familly’s maid, Guayi.

In order to raise enough money to run away together, the two begin hawking the goods that they have stolen.

This leads to Guayi’s arrest. To save her lover, Lala is forced to take desperate action, which leads her to discover Guayi’s unsavory past.

For audience members who aren’t interested in reading subtitles and watching complicated dramas unravel, there are plenty of more commercial films avaliable for viewing. On Tribeca’s closing night, My Life in Ruins will premiere as part of a special presentation screening.

Directed by Donald Petrie, My Life in Ruins stars Greek actress Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

The lighthearted romantic comedy follows Georgia, a travel-guide whose love life has lost most of its spark.

Bored with her life and her current job, Georgia leads tourists around her native country while wating for something more exciting to happen to her. However, as

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANDRACOBURN.COM

Nia Vardalos stars in another romantic comedy that is centered around the life of a woman with a strong Greek heritage. My Life in Ruins is slotted to premier on the closing night of the festival.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THECLIFFEDGE.COM

Inés Efron (right) and Mariela Vitale (left) star as young lovers Lala and Guayi in Lucía Puenzo’s film The Fish Child. The movie is one of the foreign films that was chosen from over 4,720 submissions to screen at the Tribeca Film Festival this April.

Think Outside...

Features

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Section

The social networking revolution Has Twitter become as big a phenomenon as Facebook?

GREGORY LEPORATI Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus

FEATURES 22 April 2009 The TORCH TORCH GRAPHIC/KERI DODGE

torchonline.com

When senior Andrew Conti first came to St. John’s in 2005, Facebook was the obvious social networking site of choice for most college students.

Four years later, though, a slew of new networking sites have appeared on the Internet, with Twitter leading the pack – so much so that it has emerged as one of Conti’s favorite new services.

“It’s a nice way to share what you’re doing with other people, and a great way to hear from services, products, and even celebrities you enjoy hearing from,” Conti said. “You’re not forced to follow people like on Facebook, and you only get the updates that you’re interested in.”

Conti is not alone in his enjoyment of using Twitter. He is one of a countless number of St. John’s students and faculty members who have signed up for the free service in the last three years, cementing it as one of the most popular networking sites on the Internet.

Created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter allows for anyone to sign in and post short messages (140 characters long) to update others about their daily lives. Additionally, users can sign up to follow the messages (or “tweets”) of their friends and colleagues.

Sophomore Steve Kennedy found out about Twitter from a friend at another school. After signing up, he quickly found the service to be more accessible than other sites.

“It’s an interesting way to keep in touch with people, and it’s more convenient than Facebook,” he said. “It’s an interesting idea because you have to limit yourself, keep it short and concise, and I like that.”

Stephen Llano, a University speech professor and coach of the St. John’s Debate Team, has an account with both Twitter and Facebook. He sees the two as being very different forms of networking, though admitted that he is beginning to like Twitter more.

“I call Facebook ‘extraneous information overload,’” he joked. “I don’t want to know what type of extinct dinosaur you are, or what suit of cards you are after taking some online quizzes.”

Llano noted that many of Facebook’s recent changes seem aimed at copying some of Twitter’s most popular features.

“I think Facebook is feeling the pressure, so it created the news feed,” he said. “But it gives too much information. They need to filter that out. Why can’t I hit one button to hide all news about people taking quizzes?

“For Facebook, the status update is more of a conversation starter,” he continued. “A ‘tweet’ is more like a bumper sticker. So Facebook is more like

a dialogue.”

Llano also spoke of the possible educational benefits of Twitter, and how the networking site could be used to complement the classroom.

“Creating class Twitters could prove useful for finding out if students are understanding what you’re teaching,” he said. “Allowing students to post questions and comments could prove a good way to see if you’re getting through to them.”

One way that Llano has used Twitter in an unconventional way is when he posted the motions his debate team was debating at tournaments throughout the year. By doing so, Llano said, he received high praise from colleagues and students who could not attend the tournaments, but instead followed his “tweets.”

Management professor and technology buff Charles Wankel also sees some educational value to Twitter.

“I myself would think it is ludicrous to send out messages that I am walking the dog or watching a certain movie,” Wankel said. “What I see as a useful function for Twitter is for people working on a project together to coordinate and support each other using it. So for instance, one person could assure the others that her part would be completed on schedule; another could say they need a particular bit of programming or a particular article to complete their part and would appreciate one of the others helping with that; in other words, project management.”

Wankel acknowledged, though, that he prefers Facebook and other social networking sites over Twitter.

“Coming from a generation at the beginning of the alphabet, I find the noninterrupting nature of email, wiki, and blog communication to be a better fit,” he said. “I am connected to more than a thousand colleagues and students on Facebook and have an ongoing flow of minute-by-minute Facebook updates.”

Still, despite the possible educational benefits, most students seem more interested in the celebrity aspect to Twitter.

Junior Tara Weiss, for example, is one such student.

“I first heard about Twitter because of the ones that celebrities made, like Anderson Cooper and Perez Hilton,” she said. “I like how you can follow so many different things, not only celebrities.

“I think Facebook is still the first choice for most college students,” she added. “But Twitter is more convenient for me.”

Still, some students, like Conti, have found ways to make choosing between the two networking sites an unnecessary task.

“I now have Twitter update my Facebook status,” Conti said. “So I’ve effectively merged the two.”

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Running for a cause Students participate in upcoming marathon, raising money for charity GINNAI WOODY Contributing Writer Senior Andrew Conde is up for a major challenge: he, along with senior Sean McGrath and recent graduate Rory Quinn, are preparing to run in the Long Island Marathon on May 3.

The race begins in Nassau County on Charles Lindbergh Blvd. in Uniondale and ends at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow.

This grueling 26-mile race requires a strenuous training regimen and a serious commitment.

Conde first began his rigourous workout routine by getting his mind into shape; he perused a few books from the library in order to learn more about running a marathon.

Then, he began his physical regimen.

Between balancing work, school and training, Conde said he does not find time to actually run until 10 p.m.

He runs on the University’s track for three hours at a time, four to five days a week.

He has endured running in extreme weather conditions, including snow and 30 mph wind.

Conde said that training at St. John’s brings him a sense of support.

“It’s intense, but believe it or not there are more people than you think running at that time too,” he said.

Conde also said he feels that training with the two other students who are participating has been a bonding experience since

they are running for a cause, not competitively.

Since they are not running competitively, they do not have to worry and can focus on simply completing the marathon.

“We are a team and we want each other to do well,” Conde said.

Although they have reached their 20 mile mark during training, it will still be a test to reach 26 miles.

“The last six miles will be on pure guts,” Conde said.

However, when difficult moments arise, Conde said he finds inspiration from family and friends and dedicates miles to them in order to remain focused.

The three runners will rely on the fact that they are doing this for something bigger than themselves.

They did, in fact, decide to participate in the marathon in order to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Brooklyn and Queens.

“This is something that we can believe in, and something they can believe in,” said Conde.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters is a Catholic charity that is dedicated to providing mentors to children under the age of 18.

“This is a charity reflects a lot of our values and by choosing to ignore this charity, you’re choosing to ignore the future,” said Conde, who has participated in other community service events such as Midnight Runs.

He plans to become a mentor for Big Brothers after the race is over.

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Senior Andrew Conde is going to run in the Long Island Marathon on May 3 to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

22 April 2009

FEATURES

Capturing the ‘Red Storm’ spirit Students enter video competition to show school pride at University NELL O’CONNOR Staff Writer If there’s one thing that interests college students, it’s Internet videos.

Walk around any college campus, and you will hear at least one conversation about the latest and greatest YouTube craze. Look at a college student’s Facebook page and you’ll see links to their favorite videos.

Some students also enjoy making their own videos, celebrating their interests and highlighting the latest trends.

St. John’s latest marketing venture capitalizes on this new method of communication.

The Office of Marketing and Communications has joined with the Department of Student Life to create a contest that gives students a new outlet to express their feelings for St. John’s.

The “Capture the Storm” contest asked students to submit a one minute video that describes the core values of St. John’s, particularly truth, love, respect, opportunity, excellence and service.

The contest was open to undergraduate students 18 and older from all of the St. John’s campuses. Students were allowed to enter more than one piece, keeping in mind basic copyright laws and regulations.

Students were asked to post their videos on their personal YouTube accounts and then send the University

a link to the site.

So far, there have been a number of entries submitted, although the official number won’t be announced until after the April 20 deadline.

The videos will be judged by a panel assembled by James Salnave, associate dean for Student Development in the Student Life department on the Queens campus.

Salnave said he would like to see Capture the Storm become an annual event.

“I think that it is a great opportunity for students to get involved and tell their colleagues about their college experience,” he said.

The judging is set up in a two part process designed to get the entire university community involved. This way, students will have two opportunities to win.

First, the videos will be judged by the panel, which will be comprised of two student workers, one administrator from Student Affairs and one marketing representative.

The panel will pick its top three videos, which will be then posted on St. John’s Central so that the students can vote for their favorite.

First prize is $1000, second prize is $500 and third prize is $250.

The winning video will be featured on both St. John’s Central and the University’s main homepage.

It may also be used by the Admissions Department as a recruitment tool for incoming students.

“Capture the Storm” will also be a useful tool in creating buzz for the University, especially for

prospective freshmen. The videos will provide a fresh viewpoint on the St. John’s experience, seen directly through the eyes of a student.

The Office of Student Life worked with the Office of Marketing and Communications to reach out to students.

They sent students out onto campus, armed with video cameras in order to show students how easy it would be to enter the contest.

Caren Batzer, director of Brand Communications, said she believes the contest is a chance for students to share their personal favorite things about St. John’s.

“I think it’s really good to see a student’s perspective on what goes on here,” she said.

She also said she hopes that the contest, which was created to capitalize on the University’s new Web site, will become an annual event.

The videos will be available for students to vote on by the end of the month. The winners of the contest will be announced May 4 via the University’s Web site.

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Red Storm’s call to young arms Johnnies struggle to find their young pitching staff’s identity against Cincinnati BILL SAN ANTONIO Sports Editor

torchonline.com

The TORCH

22 April 2009

SPORTS

A new shift in team philosophy is never a simple transition for any college baseball team.

Last year, the St. John’s baseball team relied mainly on its depth of talented pitching staff, which led it to its second consecutive Big East regular-season title as well as, for five of them, the MLB First Year Player Draft. The Red Storm’s offense gave them just enough run support to be successful.

This year, the Red Storm had to rebuild its pitching staff with a core of newcomers, led by freshmen Kevin Kilpatrick, Stephen Rivera, and Eddie Medina – three pitchers who head coach Ed Blankmeyer relied heavily upon in the Red Storm’s weekend series against Cincinnati.

“When they make some mistakes, they pay the price,” Blankmeyer said.

“They’re learning as they go.”

Kilpatrick started Sunday’s finale at Jack Kaiser Stadium and lasted just 3.2 innings in Sunday’s 9-4 loss after a hard ground ball from Bearcats third baseman Mike Spina ricocheted off his left knee.

“I didn’t feel the initial hit because of the adrenaline, but when coach came out I started to feel it,” Kilpatrick said. “It went away when I threw a couple pitches.”

Kilpatrick allowed six earned runs on nine hits, something that has become a common theme for the greater majority of the St. John’s pitching staff this year.

Rivera entered the game in the fourth and allowed the Bearcats to tack on three

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Freshman Kevin Kilpatrick is one of many rookies to pitch for St. John’s. more runs. of the season. Blankmeyer, however, is “If we don’t pitch better, we’re go- still waiting for a complete effort. ing to be in trouble,” Blankmeyer said.

“These guys have been swinging “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to the bats, and now we’ve got to pitch it,” figure it out.”

Blankmeyer said. “We’ve got to put ourWhile pitching has been the biggest selves in the situation where, if we’re head-scratcher for the Red Storm, their not swinging the bats, we can still win offense has kept the team afloat for most the ballgame.”

The Red Storm’s offense was stifled Sunday by Cincinnati starter Michael Hill, who didn’t allow a run until the seventh inning.

“He changed speeds and hit the first-pitch fastball,” Blankmeyer said.

“He threw a lot of strikes early, and had a couple different breaking balls. He threw strikes with all his pitches and we didn’t get to him until the end and it was too late.”

St. John’s broke out the lumber before a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

The Red Storm hit five home runs, including two from freshman shortstop Joe Panik en route to a 16-8 win. Panik went 2-for-6 with six RBI. “I got some pitches I could handle in the right spots,” Panik said. “They scored a few runs the inning before [the first home run] and I was just trying to drive some runs in and get it back.”

Medina relieved starter Nick Luisi on Friday after the left-hander allowed six earned runs in 4.2 innings. The freshman struggled to be the stopper, allowing five earned runs in 4.1 innings, as the Red Storm lost 11-8 in a wild slugfest that saw two three-run innings by both teams.

St. John’s first baseman Tim Morris hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning off of Cincinnati’s Tyler Smith. Cincinnati catcher Jimmy Jacquot homered off Luisi in the second.

St. John’s still has Big East conference dates with Connecticut, Seton Hall, Louisville and Notre Dame.

Louisville was picked to win the conference before the season started by Big East head coaches, and just two years ago reached Omaha, Neb. for the latter rounds of the College World Series.

Looie puts basketball’s future in perspective I had it all planned.

The few and proud who put themselves through the weekly reading of the words in this space know that I have been saying the same thing, in different ways, for weeks.

Norm Roberts and Lance Stephenson have been the protagonists of the story I’ve been trying to tell for a while now.

And I thought it would all come to a stirring conclusion this week before I sat down to write this, the last-ever “From Right to Left” I will ever write.

There were two possible endings: Lance would announce his signing with the Red Storm and I would be forced to give Norm his due credit. I might have even apologized for some of the hard times I’ve given the polarizing Red Storm coach and commended him for what would have been (and may still be) the most successful moment of his time at the corner of Union and Utopia.

Or, Lance would announce

his decision to play elsewhere, be it Kansas or Maryland or Katmandu, and I would allow myself to succumb to the urge – the same urge I’ve had to fight all year – to blatantly beg Father Harrington to let Norm go, something I’ve yet to do, in so many words.

But, it’s true. The best laid plans of mice, men and sportswriters often go awry. Lance is yet to announce his collegiate decision and, at the rate he’s moving, it seems like he never will.

A great line playing off the Brooklyn phenom’s nickname appeared in this newspaper last week: Stephenson may have been “Born Ready,” but he was

not “Born Decisive.”

But I wrote the first-ever “From Right to Left” last summer about my optimistic expectations for the upcoming Red Storm seasons and – though I could very easily do it – it’d be a sad full circle to end on a note of pessimism.

Good thing I met Lou Carnesecca for the first time Monday morning. And after speaking with him for about a half hour about the current state of the program he once brought to glory, it’s damn hard not to be optimistic, even for me.

As I asked him question after question about the state of Red Storm basketball, I couldn’t believe it, but I was actually believing his responses.

“This is one of the great powers of basketball of all time; it is,” Looie said. “I know I’ve said we’re going through troubled waters now, but that’ll change…

You can’t have it your way all the time.

“People are always impa-

tient,” Looie continued. “It’s a natural inclination, but sometimes you have to wait. You’d like to rush things, especially today they want it right away.

Look at the whole thing: How many years have we been in basketball? Over a hundred years.”

His words seemed to make sense so effortlessly, in the way that only the words of a legend can. The same arguments that I pass off as bad excuses when they come from Norm’s mouth in postgame press conferences seemed like revelations as they floated from Carnesecca’s lips.

If Looie had pulled out Norm’s infamous, “They’re young,” – a line that infuriates me for what it epitomizes – I may honestly have replied, “You’re right Coach. They are young.”

And even now in retrospect, Looie is right, about some things at least.

This is a hundred-plus-yearold program and one of the most successful teams in the entire

history of the sport of basketball.

And in the biggest of pictures, it doesn’t matter a bit whether Norm is the guy for the job during this millisecond in the history of St. John’s basketball.

Things will get turned in the right direction again in the long run and the Redmen will undoubtedly be the cream of the college basketball crop somehow, sometime in the future.

To be upset because it’s not going to happen before I graduate in May is too terribly short-sighted and egotistical than I wish to be in my last few weeks here.

Take it from the man that has been here since 1946. He knows better than I do.

I mean, how many years have we been in basketball?

Anthony Morreale is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at torchsports@gmail.com.

Don’t you worry ’bout a thing Softball coach Kvilhaug says team’s recent slide is not a major concern ANDREW DA SILVA Staff Writer Though the St. John’s softball team finished last week with a 2-3 record after splitting series with South Florida and Seton Hall and falling to Long Island University, head coach Amy Kvilhaug doesn’t think the recent slide is a cause for concern.

“I thought we had a lot of good things come out of the week,” Kvilhaug said.

“We split two Big East doubleheaders, one on the road. I don’t think we’re really offtrack.”

After dropping an extra-inning game with LIU on Thursday, St. John’s returned home Saturday to take on defending the Big East Champions, South Florida.

The Bulls took the first game in convincing fashion, tapping sophomore starter Linzee Sumrall for seven runs, four of which were unearned. Sumrall pitched a complete game for St. John’s while striking out seven batters.

South Florida designated hitter Jojo Medina was a constant problem for Sumrall, homering twice and earning a walk.

A late rally by the Johnnies, which included runs by senior Melissa Pilley and freshman Shannan Valentin, fell short when Bulls reliever Brittany Bowles took the circle and closed out the 7-2 Bulls win.

Sophomore Kat Lawrence took the mound in the second game and had little trouble with the Bulls’ batters. Lawrence pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out two.

Singles by senior Roxy Struble and freshman Julia Sanchez drove in runs and provided all the run support Lawrence would need in the Storm’s 2-0 victory.

The win was her fourth of the season.

“Kat is starting to come on at the right time,” Kvilhaug said. “She’s working on every aspect of the game.”

The Blackbirds of LIU defeated the Red Storm 3-2 Wednesday on an eighthinning double by Mariesha Marker that scored outfielder Lauren Kemp.

Sumrall got the nod in the first game of a road doubleheader aginst Seton Hall Thursday and allowed eleven runs in the 12-7 loss.

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Sophomore starting pitcher Kat Lawrence threw a complete game shutout against USF. St. John’s characteristic second multi-RBI games of the ting my spots,” said Lawrence resiliency was a big factor in the day. Lawrence struck out 13 of her stingy performances.

She has allowed just four second game, as six players had in a no-hitter.

“It’s a combination of work- runs in her last 33 innings at least one hit and Harris and Berger led the scoring with their ing on my pitch count and hit- pitched.

25

26

Interview with a legend Hall of Fame St. John’s basketball coach talks hoops, recruits and New York’s team BILL SAN ANTONIO AND ANTHONY MORREALE

torchonline.com

The TORCH

22 April 2009

SPORTS

The TORCH: Do you miss coaching?

Looie: No, but I have a good reason.

I was there 22 years. I left with a good taste. I got burnt out, and I got a lot done. After 22 years, it was time for me to go.

Dean Smith and John Wooden still have offices at North Carolina and UCLA and give advice to Roy Williams and Ben Howland. Do you do something similar with Norm Roberts and his team?

No. First of all, I’m here [in my office in Sun Yat Sen Hall].

I’m not going to get involved with basketball anymore. I left in 1992.

In 1965, I followed Joe Lapchick and he said to me, “Lou, if you want me, you know where to get me. This is your ship now.

And you have to run it the way you want to.” When he took the job from Buck Freeman, Buck Freeman told him the same thing. And I think they have to run their own ship. If they need me, I’m here willing to help them.

“

think that when you start getting names like that, it pulls other guys too.

How important do you think it is to build a nucleus from New York City?

I think at one time it was really important. Today, kids travel, they go all over the country.

At one time, they were mostly home-brewed. But I think for our situation it would be very good. Not only for the team but also for the surrounding New York City and everything else.

You were once quoted saying that all you had to do to recruit in New York City is walk outside.

No, it was take the subway.

Those were different times.

Things have changed. I think it’s very difficult to coach today.

Much, much tougher than when I coached.

Why do you say that?

The competition is much, much greater and at one time not too many people came into the city [to recruit]. Now they’re all coming into the city. The situation changed where it was once a local thing, now there are prep schools all over. So you don’t have the closeness that you once

This is one of the great powers of basketball of all time; it is. I know I said we’re going through troubled waters now, = z but that’ll change. You can’t have it your way all the time.

So have you told that to coach Roberts?

No, no. He knows I’m here for him. If I can help in any way, I’m here. And that goes for anybody on campus.

What do you think of the job coach Roberts has done?

I think he’s had a very difficult job. He’s had to start from scratch. I don’t think anybody else in the history of St. John’s had to take over a situation so difficult, so complex, and I think he’s building a good solid foundation. I think he has. It takes time.

Lance Stephenson is a bigtime New York recruit that St. John’s wants. Have you been able to see him play?

I’ve seen him play a couple times. Excellent player. He’s a first-liner. He’s a good player.

He would help our situation.

How would he help the situation?

I mean he’s a great player.

He’s a good scorer and also I

”

had. But one or two guys can turn this whole thing around.

When those guys come on campus, from wherever they are from, do they come to meet you?

Sometimes they do. Sometimes I’ve spoken to them, and I like to talk to them so they can tell me who they are, especially if they’re New York kids.

I mean this is where we grew up. This is the greatest city in the world. They come here, and play in [Madison Square Garden] where the old pros used to come and tighten their sneakers up. They come and play a bigtime schedule, play in a big-time league. But the contacts you can make here are tremendous at St. John’s.

Have you met Stephenson?

No I have not, I’ve seen him play on the television. He’s a

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Lou Carnesecca thinks St. John’s is one of the great basketball powers of all time. good player. He’s good. He’d be a nice addition.

Do you think it’s important for the players on the team now and the players coming in to have an understanding of the history of the St. John’s basketball program?

I think they know, I think they’re told. I mean look around.

They have to [know].

This is one of the great powers of basketball of all time; it is. I know I said we’re going through troubled waters now but that’ll change. UCLA went through it. Kentucky’s going through it. You can’t have it your way all the time.

What would you say to people who say it hasn’t changed fast enough?

People are always impatient. It’s a natural inclination, but sometimes you have to wait. You’d like to rush things, especially today they want it right away. Look at the whole thing: how many years have we been in basketball? Over a hundred years.

Fans say that when you were coaching St. John’s was hands-down “New York’s team,” evcn more so than the Knicks.

I think if you go back to the time of Joe

Lapchick and Buck Freeman [you’ll find that] because people related with St. John’s.

What is your reaction to people calling Syracuse “New York’s team” and that Madison Square Garden is their new “home away from home?”

They want to say it, let them say it.

Do you still believe that St. John’s is still “New York’s team?”

I still believe it, because people have found that they like St. John’s. There’s a bond between St. John’s and the metropolitan area.

27

TORCH SPORTS

STORM

CAST

Leavin’ their Mark Now that’s fast

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Midfielder Trevor Michaelson scored one of St. John’s two goals in its road loss to Notre Dame on Sunday.

SJU pounded by Fighting Irish for sixth straight loss KATIE BECKMANN Staff Writer The St. John’s lacrosse team continued its fall from grace on Sunday by losing to No. 3 Notre Dame, 12-2. It was the team’s sixth consecutive loss since defeating then-No. 5 Georgetown on Feb. 28, a victory that earned a national ranking.

NOTRE DAME ST. JOHN’S

12 2

Rodgers made 14 saves for the Fighting Irish, which improves to 12-0.

“Scott Rodgers is excellent, he’s a Teewarton finalist, and they are pretty solid defensively -- but we had way too many unforced errors and didn’t really get many quality chances,” Miller said.

The Red Storm still has a chance to close out their season on a positive note.

They travel to Connecticut to play Fairfield on Saturday and will host Duke in their Senior game and season finale on May 3.

While spirits may currently be down for the Red Storm (5-7), DeNapoli still has a positive outlook for the last two games.

“We have a chance to finish our season with a .500 record, which the program hasn’t done since it was reinstated in 2005,” DeNapoli said.

“That face alone should be motivation enough, a chance to do something that hasn’t been done yet.”

After ten years, Red Storm athletics to get a mascot ANTHONY MORREALE Sports Editor, Emeritus

“

Blowin’ in the Wind If we don’t pitch better we’re going to be in trouble. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

”

-Baseball coach Ed Blankmeyer

Headin’ this Way Red Storm home games

Baseball: April 22 April 29 May 4

Lacrosse:

May 3

Fordham FDU Temple

6 p.m.

6 p.m.

6 p.m.

Duke

1 p.m.

April 25 UConn (DH) Noon April 26 Providence (DH) Noon April 29 FDU (DH) 3 p.m.

Can’t get enough TORCH sports?

Visit our blog at torchsports.wordpress.com

torchonline.com

Softball:

The TORCH

sively as the Johnnies until the 1920s when a reporter used the term “Redmen” to describe the University football team, which was uniformed completely in red.

According to legend, the Chief Blackjack mascot later made his first public appearance at a football game at Ebbets Field after two students, Walter Bruce, ’39, and Michael McNichols, ’31, took the mascot from the front of a cigar store.

The Redmen nickname survived until 1994 when the decision to abandon the nickname was made in an attempt to be more sensitive to Native American culture. Although the original institution of the Redmen nickname had nothing to do with Native American culture, it did evolve into the use of Native American symbolism. It was then that the University made the change to its current nickname, the Red Storm.

The sketches were all created by Olympus Inc., a company that designed and manufactured some highly-visible mascots, including Ronald McDonald, The Geico Gecko, Tony the Tiger and The University of Wisconsin Badger.

In search of more playing time, Phil Wait, St. John’s 7-1 center from Manchester, England, will transfer from the school following the spring semester, according to Red Storm head coach Norm Roberts.

“We wish Phil the best as he continues his collegiate career,” Roberts said. “We support him in his decision to find a situation where he can attain more minutes on the court.”

Wait averaged just 5.1 minutes in 11 games during the 2008-09 season off the bench for the Johnnies, along with 1.3 rebounds.

22 April 2009

Get ready for a big addition to the Red Storm roster.

After a near 10-year hiatus, St. John’s sports teams will once again have a mascot. Starting Thursday and lasting until May 4, students, alumni, fans and faculty will have the opportunity to vote for a costumed presence on the sidelines of Red Storm athletic contests.

Those who choose to take part in the online vote – which will be accessible through a link on St. John’s Central – will be able to pick their favorite mascot from a pool of six concept sketches, according to Christina Zaccarelli, Student Government, Inc.’s chairperson for school spirit.

Though the list will be officially announced on the University’s athletic Web site, redstormsports.com, Zaccarelli said that the six potential mascot concepts are a dog, bear, superhero, thunderbird, thunderbolt and thunderhorse.

“I’m really excited that we’re finally voting on it,” Zaccarelli said. “I think it will add a new dimension to games and to the [University] community in general. I think the students will be excited to vote on the mascot and that will add to school spirit.”

The process of selecting the six finalists began in the Fall of 2008 and was spearheaded by a panel of studentathletes, University administrators and students that gathered to brainstorm and nominate potential mascots. The original hope, according to Zaccarelli, who was a member of the panel, was to be able to unveil the mascot before the current academic semester. But now the University plans to have the mascot finalized in time for use in summer marketing campaigns, she said.

The last time the Red Storm had a mascot was early in 2000 before the University abandoned the duo of red horse mascots known as Thunder and Lightning, but the history of St. John’s monikers and mascots is long and storied.

St. John’s teams were known exclu-

Phil can’t Wait anymore

SPORTS

Seniors Bobby Fitton and Trevor Michaelsen had goals for the Red Storm, while senior captain Jamal Jones and rookie Harry Kutner each added an assist.

“We got off to a great start. We made

four crucial mistakes in the second quarter that cost us four goals, and put us down four at the half,” head coach Jason Miller said.

“We really struggled offensively in the second half and never really gave ourselves a chance to get back in it.”

The Red Storm, who as a team had been averaging eight goals a game, offered its worst offensive showing all season, scoring just two goals on 36 shots on goal.

Miller and senior captain Dominick DeNapoli both said the reason of the lack of offensive production was because of Notre Dame’s star goalie Scott Rodgers.

“We didn’t execute our game plan as well as we would have liked to,” DeNapoli said. “We did have 36 shots, so we were able to get through the Notre Dame defense. Scott Rodgers, the Notre Dame goalie, just had saves where he needed them.”

Senior sprinter Phobay KutuAkoi established a new school record in the 100-meter dash this weekend.

Kutu-Akoi beat Shernette Hyatt-Davis’s five-year-old school record by .3 of a second, clocking in at 11.52 seconds in the preliminary heats.

Her performance also broke an unofficial Liberian record, as KutuAkoi, who was raised in Maryland, is a Liberian native.

Kutu-Akoi’s 11.78 second time was good for an individual title at the Outdoor Metropolitan Championships.

Her record-breaking time also qualified the senior for her first NCAA Championships in her fouryear career.

St. John’s picked up a total of 223 points from nine individual title winners, five runner-ups, and three NCAA qualifiers, earning the overall title.

The team’s victory was St. John’s 26th Metropolitan Title since 1990.

SPORTS 22 APRIL 2009 | VOLUME 87, ISSUE 02 | TORCHONLINE.COM

TORCHSPORTS.WORDPRESS.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The baseball team’s hot hitting was cooled by Cincinnati in the rubber game of its weekend series on Sunday.

The Red Storm lacrosse team scored just two goals in its road loss at Notre Dame on Sunday.

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