Torch 9-23-09

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WHAT’S INSIDE News......................2-5 Feaures..............10-11 Editorials...............6-8 Entertainment....13-19 Comics.....................9

Sports.................20-24

TV PREMIERE How I Met Your Mother Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan

return for the season premiere of their hilarious comedy.

ENTERT TAINMENT page 19

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Last week’s poll results Will the MVP rewards program entice you to go to events?

49% Yes 51% No Check out our new poll every Wednesday “Think Outside. . .”

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Directory Managing Board LXXXVII

CHRISTINA HEISER, Editor-in-Chief EVERTON BAILEY

JESSIKAH HACKETT

Managing Editor

Entertainment Editor General Manager

KIRAN JOSEN

BILL SAN ANTONIO

MALLORY TOKUNAGA

News Editor

Sports Editor

Copy Editor

JUSTIN THRIFT

LAURA AMATO

SARA RHODES

Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor

MARK MCDONALD

Layout Editor

PATRICE BENDIG

KERI DODGE

ELLEN CAREY

Features Editor

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

Film The Informant Matt Damon stars in the new comedy, The Informant, a quirky film about the FBI. Read our review.

Inferno Pg. 15

Campus Spotlight WSJU St. John’s radio station brings listeners a brand new way of tuning. Read our article to find out how.

Features Pg. 10 TORCH PHOTO/ ASHLEY CERCIELLO

Women’s Soccer Staying Strong

The Student Wellness fair at the Queens campus yesterday allowed students to learn about living a healthy lifestyle. Activities included yoga on the Great Lawn, back rubs and free food.

NEWS

With a 2-1 win over Columbia Sunday, the women’s soccer team has won four straight games.

Sports Pg. 22

Best feet forward RAMIRO FUNEZ Contributing Writer

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The TORCH

23 Sept. 2009

POINT-COUNTERPOINT OPINION PG. 8

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.

Since Sept. 1, more than 50 pairs of shoes have been donated to the annual shoe drive, a month-long campaign by Campus Recreation to donate shoes to disadvantaged people around the world.

St. John’s has joined footwear companies, retailers, churches and other civic groups all over the country which are contributing to “Soles 4 Souls,” a global non-profit charity dedicated to collecting new and used shoes to donate to those in need of footwear.

The organization coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami in 2004 and for Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and donated an estimated 1 million pairs of shoes to those two disasters only, according to the group’s Web site.

Ashley Meadows, who works for Campus Recreation, said she felt the charity fell in line with University’s Vincentian mission and wanted to bring it to St. John’s.

“For the little amount of advertisements we posted, we received a lot of e-mails and phone calls from other administration and staff about the shoe drive,” she said.

“Our original goal was to collect a few bags of shoes,” she added. “But now we’ve surpassed our expectations.”

The drive will continue until Sept. 30 and shoe drop-off points are located in the Fitness

Center, Taffner Field House and Hollis Hall.

Although the shoe drive did receive some concordance, not everyone was aware of the program because of the inadequate amount of publication.

“St. John’s can take the time and energy out to advertise barbecues and parties but they have trouble advertising something that would actually help people,” said Ian Hurley.

Hurley said he thought the drive was a worthwhile cause.

“Donating just one pair of shoes would have such an impact on people who walk around shoeless,” he said.

Junior Jessica Roman said she did not know much about the event but also said she felt the shoe drive “is good because a lot of people need shoes.”

Meadows said she would love to hold future collection drives with more drop-off locations and with more University groups involved.

“We did a lot now, but we have a lot more to do,” she said.

Meadows insisted that more drop-off locations would be beneficial to the drive, and with more collaboration from other departments, informing the St. John’s community would become easier. “I want to set the parameters for whoever is taking over the drive next year,” said Meadows.

“This is a preview,” she said. “We might plan a clothing drive later on.”

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TORCH PHOTO/TWASON LAMONT

With the cancellation of the weekend shuttle service, students will now have to use public transportation as their primary way of traveling to Manhattan. The shuttle had previously taken students from the Queens campus to Times Square.

Campus shuttle service undergoes changes THOMAS CARNEVALE Staff Writer

them back to Henley [Road],” she said.

The weekend shuttle bus service, that ran Friday through Sunday and brought students from the Queens campus to Times Square was cancelled this semester.

Lochie said there was not enough demand from the students for the weekend shuttle service.

“We evaluated the number of students that used the weekend shuttle to Manhattan. It was determined that this was not a service widely used,” she said. “In fact, on many of the trips to Manhattan it ran empty.”

Lockie said that the funds previously assigned to the weekend shuttle are now being used for student programming.

“We were able to redirect the funds used to operate the weekend shuttle back to student engagement and programming so that more students can benefit from these resources,” she said.

For the shuttle bus service schedule, visit http:// www.stjohns.edu/services/shuttle/queens_local/ queens_jamaica.stj

Mark said the Office of Institutional Research has done many things to try to boost awareness for course evaluations, including sending multiple e-mail reminders to students and placing messages on St. John’s Central and in Montgoris Dining Hall and Marillac Food Court.

Mark said low turnout for course evaluations is a problem experienced in other colleges and universities, but concludes that the effectiveness of the surveys requires “the support of students, faculty and administrators.”

“It is not just a student issue or a faculty issue,” she said. “The higher the participation rate is, the more valid and useful the information will be for professors and the University.”

torchonline.com

said he felt the evaluations “are not throwaway surveys.”

“It is hard for us to tell as educators how [students] feel about a class,” Forman said. “We can sense a response, but we need evidence.”

Senior Anibal Cordero said that students may choose not to take the survey due to other commitments.

“If you have 18 credits, you don’t want to take the time to answer the surveys,” he said.

Cordero said he thinks one way to increase student participation is to make the course evaluations mandatory.

“If you give the student an option, they will choose not to do it,” he said.

“If it is made a requirement, students will do it.”

The TORCH

University officials say student participation in online course evaluations have dropped by nearly 20 percent in the last two school years.

The Office of Institutional Research said when the assessments switched from paper to Internet-based in the fall of 2007, student participation was at 59 percent.

But participation has steadily declined to 40 percent after the spring of 2009.

Students are e-mailed course evaluations for their classes during the last few weeks of each semester. These evaluations ask the students to rate their

course-load difficulty and pace of learning the material.

Dr. Marie Mark, coordinator of student course evaluations for the office of institutional research, said part of the reason for the dip in student feedback might be because “there is a lack of awareness in how important the evaluations are.”

“It is the only means students have of anonymously evaluating courses,” she said.

Mark said the online evaluations are more beneficial to professors than previous versions because feedback is provided in a more timely fashion.

“Before, it took almost a year to get the results,” she said.

Robert Foreman, an English professor,

23 Sept. 2009

Online course evaluation participation decreases RICHARD MILLER Contributing Writer

NEWS

This semester, the University has made changes to its shuttle bus service.

The shuttle bus service, run by the Division of Student Affairs, provides students with transportation between the Queens campus, off-campus apartments located on Union Turnpike, and the Kew Gardens and Jamaica subway stations. It also provides transportation between the Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island campuses.

A stop was added the Jamaica Station shuttle service, which operates between the Queens campus, the 169th Street F train station and the Jamaica Long Island Railroad station. Jackie Lochrie, associate dean for student services, said the shuttle now picks up students at the new Henley Road dorm, stopping at the corner of Homelawn Street and Highland Avenue.

The Jamaica Station shuttle operates hourly between 6:30 a.m. and 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Sophomore Kishon Kuruvilla said he regularly takes the Jamaica shuttle to the Henley Road complex.

“The shuttle system is a great help for the off-campus

students,” he said.

But Kuruvilla said he thinks the shuttle buses need to run more frequently.

“There is only one bus every hour. It needs to be one every half-hour,” he said.

Sophomore Anna Henebeng voiced a similar opinion, saying that the shuttle schedule to Henley Road is not accomodating for students’ class schedules.

“I have a class at 3:05 and in order to go to this class I either have to take the 2:05 shuttle and sit on campus for an hour or take the 3:10 shuttle and be late for class,” she said.

A new late-night shuttle service has also been implemented this semester for students living in the offcampus dorms. Students at the Seton, Depaul, Goethals, Coolidge and Henley Road residences can now take a van provided by Public Safety from the Queens campus to the off-campus dorms. The late-night van service operates seven nights a week from 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. and departs Gate 6 at least twice an hour.

Henebeng said she thinks the public safety service is a great way for students to travel back to their dorms.

“The late-night shuttle was probably the best thing public safety could have ever implemented to avoid all the late-night calls people would have made to bring

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Art exhibit exposes horror of genocide NATASHA VELEZ Contributing Writer Sun Yat Sen Hall’s latest art exhibit is meant to raise awareness about genocide across the globe.

The exhibit, “These are 7,000,000 Bodies,” located in the Yeh Art Gallery, is on display until Oct. 24.

“These are 7,000,000 Bodies” is a photo documentary exhibit featuring the work of documentary photographers Jonathan Torgovnik, Marcus Bleasdale and Ron Haviv. Their photographs were taken in Rwanda, Congo, Darfur and Bosnia.

Torgovnik’s series, called “Intended Consequences,” features portraits of and interviews with victims of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Bleasdale photographed the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Haviv photographed the Balkan War of 1991-95. Bleasdale and Haviv have also photographed the conflict in Darfur.

The exhibit was originally scheduled to close Oct. 2, but was extended because of the response it received, said Parvez Moshin, the gallery director. An opening reception was held Tuesday, Sept. 15.

“Several hundred students have come to the gallery,” he said. “We’ve received such an overwhelming response to the exhibition, so it has been extended so that more students can come in and engage in this one of a kind experience.”

Professor Alex Morel, curator of the exhibition, said the subject matter of the exhibit has a big cultural impact.

“This isn’t a historical timeline, and these aren’t just stories about rape victims and their unwanted children,” he said. “It’s about the 21st century and how these events and people are still here today. There is still so much that we can do. Even the little things count.”

In his curator’s statement on the gallery’s Web site, Morel went into

TORCH PHOTO/ LINDSEY MCGAUGHEY

The new exhibit in Sun Yat Sen Hall, These are 7,000,000 bodies, features photographs from three artists who captured images from genocides in Rwanda, Congo, Darfur and Bosnia. more detail about the reasons behind this exhibit.

“These are 7,000,000 Bodies is about crimes against humanity and genocide (official or unofficial) and about our failure to prevent these horrors,” he wrote.

“The exhibition addresses atrocities being committed right now, and during a recent past that feels like yesterday, a day

that for that those who were affected still feels like today.”

Janile Patriarca, a freshman, said she thought the exhibit was “a real eyeopener.”

“It’s just so sad how these people are forced to live and experience these unimaginable events.”

The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10

a.m.-3 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday.

To view the exhibit online, visit http:// www.stjohns.edu/academics/centers/ yehgallery/exhibitions/2009/bodies/ gallery.stj.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

23 Sept. 2009

NEWS

College Dems and Republicans debate Supreme Court cases TONYA RUSSELL Contributing Writer Curious students and staff gathered in the Little Theatre for Constitution Day to hear College Democrats and College Republicans debate various Supreme Court cases on Thursday, Sept. 17.

Three participants from each organization argued for and against the cases which all involve student rights. This debate was a part of the “Participate in ‘09” program.

Up first for debate was Morse v. Frederick, a case from 2007, which challenged the First Amendment.

A high school student was suspended for bringing a controversial sign to an event. The school had gone to watch the Olympic torch be passed, and the student held a sign reading “Bong Hits for Jesus.” Following a school suspension, he went to court stating that the principal stifled his freedom of speech.

Republican representative James Pickel explained why the high school student should have been punished.

Mark Peterson, the democratic representative, provided the rebuttal, saying he felt as though the student’s sign was making a statement.

“There’s a social phenomenon between religion and drug use,” he said. “To say that that promotes drug use borders on absurd. It [the sign] didn’t say ‘bong hits for students!”

Another case argued was New Jersey v. T.L.O from 1985. Since the prosecutor was a minor, the name was kept private.

The case was brought to the Supreme Court when a high school student thought she was subject to

unreasonable search and seizure. The prosecutor and case to the University’s student newspaper. her friend were caught smoking cigarettes in the school “The TORCH is an award winning tool here,” he said. bathroom. T.L.O.’s friend admitted to smoking, but “When something is going on at St. John’s I do see it in T.L.O. denied it. The principal then took the student’s the TORCH.” purse and searched it. In addition to cigarettes, he also Olick was also critical of the principal’s actions in found rolling papers and marijuana. The cops were silencing the student writers. notified, and charges were brought against the student.

“Censorship is a very dangerous thing and should be The following question was raised: Does the Fourth used as a last resort,” he said.

Amendment (unreasonable search and seizure) apply in Olick questioned the use of the word “inappropriate” a school setting? in the case, stating that what is inappropriate is Republican representative subjective.

Meaghen Mapes and democratic The debates also served as an representative Nayyar Ali Waheed introduction for Michael Simons, The Constitution is the presented opposing sides. the new dean of the St. John’s In the case of Hazelwood repository of our shared Law School.

School District et al. v. Kuhlmeier “The constitution is the et al. from 1988, a principal forced values. Being able to debate repository of our shared values,” students to omit two articles that is one of the greatest things he said. “Being able to debate is he deemed inappropriate from a one of the great things about our student paper. The controversial about our democracy. democracy.” issues were divorce and teen Simons expressed how pregnancy. impressed he was in the outcome -Michael Simons, dean an of Republican representative of the debates. the law school Corey Fanelli felt that the “Both sides argued their principle took the right course of cases very well,” he said. “It was action. interesting in all three cases the “The paper was written for a journalism class, and republicans were arguing that the Supreme Court got it was not the proper forum for student expression,” he it right, the democrats that they got it wrong. So as it said. stands, the law is on the side of the republicans.”

Fanelli said he thought the principal was Audience member Brandon Prescott said he felt that executing his right to “protect and preserve value of a both sides did an exceptional job at communicating social order.” their points.

“Fourteen year-old freshmen,” said he added, “do “Each side had good points and described their not need to read these types of articles.” topics well. Even though they had conflicting points, Democratic representative Thomas Olick related the they came together,” he said.

“

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Community still coping with new off-campus dorm MALLORY TOKUNAGA Copy Editor Nearly a month after St. John’s students moved into the new Henley Road off-campus dormitories, residents in the area have mixed reactions about students living there.

Since construction on the Henley dorms began in 2007, residents in the area have been vocal against the building, saying the increase in students would diminish the community’s quality of life.

A few residents said they had unfavorable experiences in the past with St. John’s renters, which made them anxious and fretful about the new six-story college dormitory.

Students were greeted by protestors when they moved into the new building at the end of August.

“Several frat houses have had big parties around here,” said Steve Altenburg, who has lived on Henley Road for more than 30 years.

“One time, I had to chase someone from urinating in my bushes,” he said.

However, Altenburg said the presence of students on Henley Road has not been as bad as he thought it was going to be.

“It’s been pretty quiet,” he said. “Let’s see if they can keep it up.”

Homeowners Dario Bautista and his wife Josefina, who live about five houses down from the dorms, said St. John’s students renting property in the neighborhood have been a greater problem than the students who have been dorming.

Dario said he understands the apprehensions his neighbors have for the new dorm, but said he believes the University has done a good job keeping the noise contained, the street clean and the area secured.

“It’s well-lit and there are a lot of security cameras,” he said.

Beverly Medina, another Henley Road resident, thinks the addition of the dorms has

hurt the neighborhood.

“When I bought my home 22 years ago, this is not what I expected,” she said. “It is making our neighborhood into a St. John’s campus. It’s just not fair.”

Medina said vandalism, noise pollution, litter and traffic have increased significantly now that students are living in the dorm.

“St. John’s has trampled on our neighborhood,” she said. “We could absorb the St. John’s renters, but not this.”

Shana Porter, a student who lives in the Henley dorms, said she thought the neighbors’ protest efforts were “pointless.”

“The building is finished and we are already living here. There’s really nothing they can do,” she said.

Some students living in the dorm also said they have not had confrontations with neighbors, but feel a little unwelcome.

“I get looks from them sometimes,” said sophomore dormer Colette Phillips, “Like they’re thinking ‘Oh there’s another college student,’ but it never really escalates to anything.”

Joseph Sciame, vice president of St. John’s Department of Community Relations, said the University is always trying to improve its standing with nearby residents.

“We care about our neighbors,” he said.

Sciame said St. John’s hosts bi-monthly community dialogue forums to provide residents an opportunity to voice concerns.

City council members, civic association representatives and University President Fr. Donald Harrington, among other University and community officials, attend these meetings to address complaints and issues that arise from the surrounding St. John’s community.

Medina said she feels the meetings are a TORCH FILE PHOTO “rubber stamp” and that Henley Road residents will continue to monitor the dorm and student Jamaica Estates residents living near the Henley Road activity.

“Our fight is not with St. John’s students,” dormitory protest outside Gate 6 during Accepted Student Day in she said. “Our fight is with the University.” 2007. This was the first of several protests.

NEWS 23 Sept. 2009 The TORCH

torchonline.com

6

Editorial Board LXXXVII

Illustrator’s Corner:

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

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

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The TORCH

23 Sept. 2009

EDITORIAL

A swing and a miss St. John’s clearly does not set the benchmark for student involvement.

Here, it often seems difficult to engage students and sustain excitement over athletics and other school sponsored activities. Sporting events are frequently poorly attended, workshops and lectures suffer empty seats, and school spirit can sometimes appear low. So while some students choose to race off-campus after their last class or hide away in the confines of their dorm room, the administration of St. John’s has actively been trying to invigorate the community.

According the the St. John’s Web site, the newly introduced Most Valuable Participant Student Rewards Program is a dramatic example of the University’s desire to “increase school spirit and tradition while also creating excitement and attendance at all athletic events and division wide Student Affairs programs.”

By attending events, students earn points on their StormCard which can in turn be used to earn prizes such as gift cards, an X-Box, or an iPod Touch. The program’s inception proves there is an attendance problem at many school related events.

At first glance, the reward program seems like a positive development. Students who already frequent campus events and activities will be rewarded for what they were already doing. This serves as a great way to retain these students’ interest and give back to them for their dedicated attendance and school spirit.

For less enthusiastic students who don’t maintain a strong on-campus presence and who only attend events sporadically, this program may solidify their interest and lead to more permanent attendance. These students will likely appreciate the University’s effort to reward participation and school pride.

But there’s still a glaring problem.

The numerous students who never par-

ticipated on campus prior to the reward initiative may still not attend events, regardless of rewards for doing so.

The reality is that the low attendance and mediocre spirit may be indicative of a deeper problem that the rewards program fails to account for: the possibility that the majority of these campus events, activities, and lectures are simply poor quality.

People can be motivated with incentives and expensive prizes, but they can’t be expected to feel school spirit in exchange. Student enthusiasm must be genuine in order to achieve long-term attendance, and this can only come from events that captivate and excite students. Furthermore, even if these prizes are used solely as a means to attract students, these events must not disappoint, or the entire purpose of attracting students will be futile.

When a guest speaker fails to draw a decent crowd, St. John’s should consider the circumstances. If there was a cost to enter the event, was it too much? Did the speaker seem unpopular with the student body? Was the event poorly advertised?

At athletic events, is the student crowd subjected to uncomfortable seating? At soccer games, for example, students are crammed onto metal bleachers behind the goals while the majority of priced seating remains empty: a contradictory view for watching a game that takes place horizontally on the field.

St. John’s is really trying with its MVP Student Reward Program, but it cannot be expected to solve its student involvement issues. While it may succeed in drawing a few new students to new events, only the events themselves can ultimately improve the on-campus scene.

The University should examine the events that are taking place and focus their efforts on improving the students’ experience.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/PRESTON PALMER

STUDENTSPARKS: Mascot How do you feel about the new school Mascot?

I like the tribal tattoo on his face.

Matt Reyes Freshmen

He looks a little threatening.

Nick Pagnano Freshmen

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

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

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

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

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

I don’t think it’s that creative, I mean, they always have a bird.

Fardons Chondhury Sophomore

Birds don’t fly around in storms.

Andy Sahlstrom Junior COMPILED BY CODY WALLACE

Safe and sound at SJU Investigating the security at St. John’s on campus and in the dorms

Over the last few weeks, it seems that every time I pick up a newspaper or watch the news on TV, another major incident has occurred on a college campus. Yale, for example, has constantly made it into the headlines recently, and not for its prestigious academic reputation, either. As everyone probably knows, graduate student Annie Le disappeared a couple of days before she was supposed to get married, leaving many wondering if she was merely a bride who got cold feet. Days later, her body was found stuffed behind a wall inside a university laboratory building located on Yale’s medical school campus. According to police, the petite 24-year-old pharmacology student had been strangled.

Police then arrested a lab technician who worked with Le. According to authorities, his DNA matched crime scene evidence.

This unsettling story left me wondering: how could an event so horrific happen at one of this country’s most reputable universities? According to Yale’s Web site, all employees of the school must go through a pre-employment screening, which includes a criminal history check and employment verification.

But how effective is a background check? Clark ob-

viously passed this test.

At St. John’s, potential employees also undergo a background check. If someone applies for a job here, there is a page on the application they must sign, allowing St. John’s to obtain a report regarding their credit background and criminal record, among other information.

While it is important to have this type of pre-employment screening in place, the Yale case just goes to show that it isn’t entirely effective. Just because employees pass a background check doesn’t completely ensure that they won’t engage in questionable behavior on the job in the future.

Another story that caught a lot of attention happened last week at Hofstra University, located a short drive from St. John’s in Hempstead, Long Island. It was reported that an 18-year-old female student was sexually assaulted by five men inside a men’s bathroom at Hofstra. Only one of the men was actually a Hofstra student; the other four were signed in as overnight guests.

Four of the men (including the one that was a Hofstra student) were arrested, but just a few days later, charges were dropped when, according to authorities, the girl changed her story.

Regardless of what is true about the incident, it got me thinking about the overall security here at St. John’s.

In light of the Yale and Hofstra incidents, would St. John’s think of beefing up security on campus?

According to Dominic Petruzzelli, director of residence life, the security system in the dorms will not be changed.

“We’re following standard procedures, making sure all the cameras are working, all the turnstiles are work-

ing, all of the equipment is up-to-date in regards to entry into the residence halls,” he said.

The Residence Village happens to be the most secure part of campus because students have to swipe in every time they enter and if a person doesn’t live in one of the dorms, they need someone to sign them in. But, the rest of the University buildings aren’t as secure.

Anyone can walk into one of the main buildings on campus like the University Center, Marillac, Sullivan, Bent and St. John Halls. The gates around campus are also pretty open as well, allowing outsiders easy access to this Queens campus. Most of them close around 11 p.m. except for Gate 6 which is open 24/7, but students have to swipe in after a certain hour. The campus is also heavily monitored by security cameras at all hours of the day.

Petruzzelli said that Public Safety and the dean’s office have fielded some phone calls from concerned parents, and because of how easy it is to enter campus these concerns are definitely warranted.

“We have assured parents and students that we’re operating a very secure campus, if not the most secure campus in the New York area,” Petruzzelli said.

While Petruzzelli stated that if something threatening occurs on campus the University will address it, why wait until something actually happens to increase security? Sure, it’s impossible to predict the unknown, but the University can’t ignore the fact that tragedy could easily strike very close to home.

Christina Heiser is a senior English major.

She can be reached at: torcheic@gmail.com

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TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KERI DODGE

A gun to the head

torchonline.com

The TORCH

Sept. 23 2009

OP-ED

Is it right for the federal government to force Amtrak into changing its gun policy?

MARK MCDONALD General Manager

JUSTIN THRIFT Editorial Page Editor

In an era when safety has become a top priority, many Americans have been willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to keep this country as safe as possible. Whether the sacrifices are necessary or even constitutional is a continual debate. There has and always will be a thin line between the protection of citizens and the protection of their rights.

One of the most recent examples of the conflict between safety and rights is that of the U.S. Government imposing authority over Amtrak. The Senate recently passed a measure to allow customers to carry guns in checked baggage on Amtrak trains in a fashion similar to airlines and other railroads. If the bill passes through the House of Representatives and is signed by the president, Amtrak will be forced to comply with the measure.

The guidelines for checking the firearms are fairly simple. The passenger’s must declare they have a firearm and it must be unloaded prior to checking the bag or boarding the plane, it must be carried in a hard-sided container.

If Amtrak does not have some sort of screening and checking system for firearms in place by early next year, it will lose its federal funding. Amtrak and its supporters are pointing to the belief that it has neither the manpower nor the funding to put the appropriate systems in place in time. Not only do they need to hire more workers, but they must train all workers so that they can deal with the added responsibility and whatever equipment is necessary for checks.

However, it is unreasonable that a mass transit system with such a large clientele like Amtrak was not prepared for this situation. If other railroads and airlines can offer this service to passengers, then why shouldn’t Amtrak? It is true that before the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Amtrak had a system in place for passengers to declare firearms. In the hysteria that followed, the company shut the service down in an attempt to heighten the safety of the railroad.

In fear of terrorism, the heightened security made sense when Amtrak enacted the new policy. At the time, the world was still in a state of shock, and safety was Amtrak’s highest priority. However, when reflecting upon the decision, it does not seem as wise.

The decision was made in a time of fear, and with no substantial pressure to put it back in place, the company was lax about serving its customers. It may seem unfair that the government is putting such pressure on Amtrak now, but had they reinvestigated the policy and updated it according to consumer needs, this would not be an issue for them.

The company used a terrible circumstance in order to make the policy, and when the dust settled they were not prepared to deal with the aftermath. In situations regarding the rights of citizens, decisions need to be made with a clear head, not in fear.

The rights of the citizens of this country have been protected for more than 200 years, and cannot be taken lightly. While it may seem insignificant to some that the ability to check firearms has been limited on Amtrak trains, any violation against citizens’ rights is a violation of what America stands for. If people simply accept the small infringements at first, then more will be sure to follow.

The United States is what it is today because of the people who shaped it. Without the rights that people hold dear, there would be no America. This is the land of opportunity, the land of justice, and the land of freedom, and that’s something that even Amtrak can’t put a price on.

Gun lobbyists across the nation had something to celebrate last week when the U.S. Senate voted to cease all government subsidies to Amtrak, the nation’s largest commuter rail company, unless they revoke their gun ban currently in place.

The 27 democrats that approved the bill are likely relying on the House of Representatives or President Obama to eradicate the Amtrak clause before the bill is made law, but the vote itself represents a dangerous proposition that showcases an irresponsible quality in the Senate Chamber.

At the dawn of a century stained by the attacks of Sept. 11, extra precaution against terrorism and violence is not only essential in the business of travel, but should be a top concern for the government.

While the Second Amendment gives every American citizen the right to bear arms, the reality of our violent society calls for moderation. In the world of American travel, it is possible for an airline passenger to travel with a handgun as long as it is properly checked and stowed with luggage. In addition, the gun must be fully empty and undergo an extensive security screening. Since 9/11, extreme amounts of money have been used to strengthen airport security and extensive steps have been taken to ensure all flights operate safely.

At Amtrak, these moderations would not come quite as easily. Operating in the red, Amtrak doesn’t nearly have the manpower, finances or facilities that airlines do in order to perform sufficient security screening of passengers’ guns.

Amtrak currently operates under a luggage policy that does not permit firearms of any kind, a policy that was instituted after terrorist attacks rocked Spanish commuter trains in 2005. Allowing guns onto Amtrak trains would instantly increase the chances of similar attacks taking place on trains and at rail stations in this country.

A lax gun policy will lead to a natural increase of guns in Amtrak stations and place passengers at unnecessary risk when using Amtrak’s service. In the wake of the Senate’s proposed ultimatum, Amtrak has even claimed it would not be ready to switch its gun policy by the six month deadline proposed in the bill. In addition to the cost of added security staff, Amtrak would be looking at staggering costs to secure all luggage cars and construct proper security equipment at every station nationwide. While an increase in police presence and security precautions would be a much improved addition to the current Amtrak operating system, the money is simply not there to support such a drastic and hasty change. While the Senate’s bill poses an extraordinary monetary burden on Amtrak, it fails to provide the necessary financial aid to meet the bill’s requirements.

Caught in a situation that seems designed to ruin the nation’s passenger rail system, Amtrak would have little choice but to obey Congress should the bill be passed.

Without the $1.6 billion federal subsidy, Amtrak would be forced out of business.

While it remains true that the House of Representatives and the President will both have a voice before anything becomes law, the political influence of wealthy gun lobbyists and their organizations could have influence.

It seems wrong that the government would place such an extreme burden on a company so essential to the country’s travel sector. Many Americans use Amtrak’s service every day and depend on the trains to bring them where they need to be.

The Senate must cease its blatant attempt to appease a wealthy and influential pro-gun movement. By placing this ultimatum at Amtrak’s feet, the measure will be accomplishing nothing except irresponsibly handicapping Amtrak’s ability to keep its customers safe, assuming it stays in business long enough to do so.

TORCHCOMICS I Can’t Draw Alex Reyes

Controlled Chaos Catharine Corrigan

Quarter-Life Crisis Preston Palmer

1-800-ARMSTACO Jonathan Roman

23 September 2009

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Think Outside...

Features

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Section

Campus Spotlight WSJU

TORCH PHOTO/ MIKE SILVESTRI

WSJU’s office is located on the fourth floor of Marillac Hall. The station can now be heard on the web, in addition to on campus.

Taking it to the web WSJU allows listeners to enjoy their music online ence to test the waters and see if they should continue to pursue TV or radio.

Contributing Writer “We take pride in this because it’s our school. The feeling was very much that every major radio station has an Internet broadcast right now. Why shouldn’t we,” In traditional success story fashion, it all started out said Lobosco. with a goal: the executive board and general members of What makes Internet broadcasting so appealing an St. John University’s home radio station WSJU wanted avenue to take is that Ragone, Lobosco and Tausch, to be heard by a larger audience and to reach more peo- along with the many other dedicated staff were able to ple. see its evolution and subsequent take-off during their Limited by only being able to broadcast on campus stay at St. John’s. They were also able to execute their and without an AM or FM license, going online was the dream within the University and did not have to do any natural progression. After feverishly working towards outsourcing. their goal for nearly two and half years, the culmina“Throughout most of 2007, it was a lot of ‘we’ll get tion of their hard work has finally paid off and, in ad- back to you’ and ‘we’ll let you know’,” said Ragone. dition to broadcasting in It was not until the spring of Marillac Hall and in the 2008 when Lobosco and Tausch residence halls, WSJU is were elected to the executive We lea learned how to write lear now broadcasting online as board of WSJU that any real of the beginning of the fall headway was made. proposals, proposa prepare an agenda, semester.

“We were told that we could and navigate through a lot The current general go off campus but then we manager of WSJU, senior would have to spend the whole of uncertain areas of the Al Ragone, is very excited year [2008-09] and the followadministration and policies.

And, about the progress the staing summer preparing,” said most of all, we learned patience. atience. Lobosco. tion has made. Ragone, along with former general “We were basically given a managers Joe Lobosco and lot of information about what -Joe Lobosco Rob Tausch, are responsiwe would have to do before this ble for WSJU being able to could happen and that involved have the opportunity to broadcast on the Internet. speaking about licenses we needed to broadcast with, In the years preceding 2007, WSJU members had and requirements,” he said. tried to pursue the same goal of broadcasting online, Lobosco knew that there were obstacles, but the staff but to no success. It wasn’t until Lobosco, Ragone and knew it was worth all of the hard work.

Tausch pursued the issue that real progress was forged.

“This has been an aspiration of ours for quite some “In 2007, we were broadcasting on campus but it time. We had to get past a lot of obstacles and red tape as wasn’t the whole pie,” said Lobosco. far as the administration was concerned,” he said. “We “We wanted to have a broader fan base because St. dealt with different people along the way. Ultimately, John’s doesn’t have an AM or FM license as it is.We, some were more helpful than others.” as radio people, and people who are communications Despite any difficulties they may have encountered, majors and even people who take an interest in the ra- the experience as a whole served as a learning process dio station as an extracurricular activity, felt that if we for all of the students involved. weren’t going to have a signal, we needed another av“The project seemed like a class within itself. We enue to be heard.” learned how to write proposals, prepare an agenda, They reasoned that if the College of Professional and navigate through a lot of uncertain areas of the adStudies offered a communications major, there should ministration and policies. And, most of all, we learned be avenues for the students to get real hands-on experi- patience,”said Lobosco.

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23 Sept. 2009

FEATURES

ANURADHA BYAGARI

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Without the help of the faculty of the University, progress would not have been possible.

“The real turning point was getting in touch with members of the administration and faculty members who saw that we were committed in seeing our dream become realized and shared our passion for having our school finally be able to have this opportunity become available to its students and add another great aspect to St. Johns University,” said Lobosco. “They helped us tremendously,” he said Now with a new breath of air, WSJU is looking towards the future, to take the station even futther.

“We’ve already seen improvements in every department,” said Ragone “We’re booking more promotional events, we’re getting more creative with things we edit and record in our production department and we’re putting them on air.”

The focus now is expanding on their Internet broadcasting.

“Having the Internet is just as effective as having an FM station,” said Ragone.

Given the lack of any real time to advertise and promote their new venture, word of mouth has played a major role in fan base spikes.

“Everybody’s telling all their friends at different universities and campuses that they have their own radio talk show and they’re getting a lot of callers, a lot of e-mails,” said Ragone.

“After they’ve seen us be active with the university for our first year, they’ll see that and they’re going to know what we offer. We’re trying to find better ways to advertise, way to get the word out to the residence halls as well.”

Not forgetting their roots, both Ragone and Lobosco stressed the importance of catering to their home base – the students and faculty of St. John’s University.

“For any other student organization that has an idea or vision that can impact St. John’s University for the better, make the effort to organize, reach out, and present your ideas because that’s the most effective way to find out with a certainty if it’s possible or not,” said Lobosco.

Interested in listening to WSJU on the Internet? Visit their Web Site at www.wsjuradio.org

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Bridging the gap with service SJU alum connects students with the elderly Queens residents CAROLYN WARGULA Contributing Writer

In the northeast Queens area alone, there are thousands of homebound senior citizens who lack contact with the outside world. They are often forgotten by the community and have little interaction with others.

That is why Chris Schneider, a St. John’s alum from 1968 decided to work with elderly and help the community. The former Social Studies teacher is now the manager of Senior Services.

Northeast Queens Senior Services assists 11 local communities including Whitestone, Fresh Meadows, Flushing and Bayside.

Through the program, volunteers visit the elderly at their homes or apartments and spend quality time with the individuals.

Funded by the Catholic Charities of Brooklyn, and organized under Citymeals-on Wheels, the Senior Service program has eight other locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Six years ago, Schneider began the local program with no clients and no volunteers. However, he was persistent in looking for volunteers, especially at local churches, synagogues, American Legion halls, high schools and colleges.

As more individuals expressed a desire to come on board, Schneider saw the helpfulness of the local community.

“The more you talk to people and explain to them that there are people in need, people respond,” he said.

Over the past six years, Senior Services has had more than 100 volunteers and the response from the local community has been good.

“Volunteers are really the heart of the program.

Without volunteers, we shut down,” Schneider said.

Currently, there are approximately 40 steady volun-

teers in the program consisting of St. John’s professors, high school and college students and retired individuals.

Volunteers not only visit, but provide practical care such as going food shopping and doing light chores for the senior citizens.

Northeast Queens Senior Services is flexible with the volunteer schedules. Whether he or she can only help out in the mornings, nights, or weekends, even a few hours a week makes a big difference.

The elderly especially look forward to a friendly visit in which just talking about the weather, baseball, or the good old days, can truly make their day.

Schneider also expressed how he feels about volunteering.

“I think [volunteering] gives you a great feeling of satisfaction to know that you are helping one of the most vulnerable members of society,” he said.

As a high school teacher, Schneider always advised his students to help out the three most vulnerable groups in society: animals, children and senior citizens.

“I think you can always judge a person’s character by how they treat these three groups,” he said.

Schneider also stressed the importance to volunteer in all aspects of life. He said he hopes that more St. John’s sport teams and organizations will come on board and volunteer in the local community.

The St. John’s women’s softball team, for example, volunteers for the Senior Services several hours during the fall semester.

At the end of the day, Schneider said he hopes that more individuals will take an interest in the senior citizens in their lives and help out with their daily needs.

“If more people did that, maybe this invisible generation wouldn’t be so invisible,” he said.

For information call 516-641-7541.

Other Service Programs Midnight Run Students have the opportunity to give much needed items to the homeless in Manhattan. Every Wednesday and Thursday night, students drive to Manhattan to deliever food and toiletries to those in need.

For information call 718-990-6115.

Plunges Students travel around the country and world to help those in need, including Philadelphia, New Orleans and Panama.

Week long plunges are held during winter, spring and summer break, with occasional weekend ones as well. For information call 718-990-8075.

Ozanam Nursing Home St. John’s offers students a chance to interact with residents in Ozanam Hall Nursing Home on a weekly basis. Volunters and the residents read, talk and even play games with each other.

For information call 718-990-5058.

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ENTERTAINMENT 23 Sept. 2009 The TORCH

INFERNO REVIEWS BORED TO DEATH, A NEW MOCK-DETECTIVE COMEDY PG 17

torchonline.com

A Completely Human Hero

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THE INFORMANT IS A REWARDING MOVIE EXPERIENCE FILLED WITH REAL-LIFE HUMOR JOHN TROWBRIDGE Contributing Writer THE INFORMANT-

OUT OF 4 STARS

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att Damon stars in the new faux-spy comedy The Informant, directed by Steven Soderburg. Based on a true story, this movie is very smart and witty but not alienating. A cameo-filled cast, quirky twists, and inner-monologue rants make The Informant

a must see for any true comedy fan.

This film tells the story of a humble upper middle class man named Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) who gets pulled into spying on his own company for the FBI. Mark tells the FBI that his firm, a corn processing center named ADM, has been involved in illegal price fixing activities against its competition. He puts his family and career in danger by lying, phone tapping and going along with FBI surveillance.

Viewers learn that Mark Whitacre is not truthful about anything. His constant lying and deceitfulness turns the eye of suspicion from ADM to him. The audience then

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLMOVIEPHOTO.COM

Matt Damon (right), Joel McHale (center) and Scott Bakula (left) are just a few of the comedic actors who make up the talented cast of The Informant.

discovers that Mark Whitacre is the complete opposite of what they originally thought of him.

The Informant is well written and character driven.

Matt Damon’s performance as our tragically funny mastermind is fresh and awkwardly amusing in a way that is not dominated by silence or other stereotypical pitfalls of other modern comedies. This film has all the good parts of the Soderbergh‘s Ocean series with a Coen Brothers’ realistic feel.

Whitacre’s one liners and quotables such as: “I’m agent 0014. Because I’m twice as smart as 007,” makes you honestly believe that he has his life in control. This quirkiness proves tragic when the film eventually shows viewers that his behavior is self-destructive and will lead to his downfall.

The themes are prevalent both subtly and blatantly. Confusion and false pretenses seem to be a cornerstone of this picture as ‘60s music and graphics are used to highlight this story of a man set in the early ‘90s.

The cameo cast is worth the price of admission. High caliber comedians like Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, Joel Mchale, and The Smothers Brothers play dry serious roles that somehow hit every time.

The only problem with this film is the amount of information that the audience has to digest and the rate at which it is given. Viewers are shown all sides of the story and are not given a trustworthy protagonist to follow.

Damon’s character’s irrelevant factoids during his inner monologue are also distracting, as they do not provide any information that is helpful to the overall plot.

The Informant is a refreshing twist from director Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean series. This isn’t the type of movie that has to be watched three times to understand. Although elements of the film seem confusing, all of the pieces fall into place very well.

More than anything else, this movie is very real.

The movie may bombard the audience with an untrustworthy hero, but it rewards viewers with catchy asides and funny references such as the Nigerian prince email scheme. The Informant is fun, smart and genuinely human.

Cannibals Made Quirky DIABLO CODY’S UNIQUE DIALOGUE SEEMS OUT OF PLACE IN THE MOVIE JENNIFER’S BODY Contributing Writer JENNIFER’S BODY-

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1/2 OUT OF 4 STARS

23 Sept. 2009 The TORCH PHOTO COURTESY OF ACESHOWBIZ.COM

Jennifer’s Body is both a horror movie and a comedy.

The plot focuses on a high school cheerleader who starts attacking and eating local teenage boys.

torchonline.com

ennifer’s Body is a fun movie experience that somehow still manages to leave the audience unsatisfied. The film serves up an array of quirky dialogue that is surprisingly funny and refreshing. There are also a few effective horror sequences towards the end that clearly reference other horror films. However, the movie cannot live up to audience expectations and does not ultimately deliver a great horror movie or a good comedy, unlike the classic films it references.

Jennifer’s Body is set in a small, generally uninteresting town called “Devil’s Kettle.” Jennifer (Megan Fox) is a gorgeous and manipulative cheerleader at the local high school. Her peculiar choice for a best friend, Needy (Amanda Seyfried), is the opposite of Jennifer in looks, personality and general popularity. When the friends go out to a bar one night to see Jennifer’s favorite band, a disaster takes place and the bar is burnt down. The girls and the band get out alive and the band’s creepy lead singer (Adam Brody) decides to take Jennifer with them to calm her nerves. After that night, Jennifer seems different; she is more beautiful than ever, and almost seems as if she is immortal. As time passes, some of the male students from the high school go missing. When some of the bodies are found half-eaten, Needy decides to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Megan Fox plays the dim-witted, self-centered high school cheerleader very well, and shows more range than in her previous films. Amanda Seyfried is shockingly convincing as the prude nerd, and her transformation works well throughout the film

and is the backbone of the story. Johnny Simmons, who plays Needy’s boyfriend, Chip, comes off as annoying and pointless but somehow garners a great deal of screen time. The primary problem with the characters is the lack of exposition surrounding their relationships. The audience is never told why Needy and Jennifer are such good friends despite their obvious differences, making it difficult to believe that the friendship is real.

The script is a paradox in this film. Although the dialogue is what makes this film refreshing and fun, it is also its downfall. Screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno) has a unique ear for dialogue that might work in a quaint indie film like Juno, but feels awkward in Jennifer’s Body. Much of the dialogue seems forced and too quirky for the characters.

While some audience members might not like the slang terms or humor, true Diablo Cody fans won’t be disappointed as every character has its dose of Cody-isms.

Another problem with the film is the direction. Director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight) seems to have trouble ending and beginning scenes, and this provides many awkward moments. There are times when the soundtrack for the next scene starts playing while characters are speaking, which kills any suspense that might have been built up, and distracts the audience. However, the film is photographed beautifully.

Unfortunately, Jennifer’s Body leaves more to be desired based on what is promised. Nevertheless, it is still a fun film to watch with friends and have a few laughs at the moments that do work.

Additionally, there is a more than satisfying add-on scene during the credits, which is both funny and scary. If only the film didn’t wait until the credits to finally get it right, it would be worth price of admission. As it stands, Jennifer’s Body should probably be watched at home, where the price of the movie ticket is not a concern.

ENTERTAINMENT

JACOB SULEYMANOV

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Poetry in the City NUYORICAN FEATURES JAZZ, HIP HOP AND SPOKEN WORD EBOSETALE OKOJIE Contributing Writer

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The TORCH

23 Sept. 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

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single mic stands on the stage under blue, red and yellow lights forming the focal point of this cafe. The setting is further complimented by vibrant artwork and bold sculptures that cover the brick walls.

Welcome to the Nuyorican Poets Café, located on the Lower East Side, at 236 East 3rd St. between Avenues A and B. Founded in 1973, the café hosted the first ever poetry slam in New York City in 1989. The cafe in fact “began as a living room salon in the East Village apartment of writer and poet, Miguel Algarin.” Twenty years later the café is still providing an eclectic scene to prod minds with unconventional questions and provoke necessary conversations. Friday nights are no exception.

Every week the cafe holds a Nuyorican Friday Poetry Slam, hosted by Mahogany Browne. The slam is a staple event at the cafe that guarantees a crowd. This even is so popular that the suggested time of arrival is 9:15 p.m., forty-five minutes before the set start time of the slam.

The space is tight, and you may be closer to strangers than you’re used to. But the vibe of the café is one of a community come to together to laugh, clap, cheer, and of course, snap. Whether you’re African-American, Caucasian, Asian, Puerto Rican, a student, a professor or a soul just searching, all have gathered for the same purpose- to be enlightened by the truth that rings out from the melodies of Spoken Word.

The night’s poets address a range of topics from weight issues to the unwanted stares of “boys who don’t have the credentials to be men” as they ask the audience to look beneath the surface to redefine what “sexy” really is and challenge the customary view that “men will be men.”

Despite the misgivings of the establishment’s name, the Nuyorican Poets Café does not only cater to the needs of the Spoken Word community, as evidenced through the café’s theatre program, Latin jazz jam sessions and hip hop events.

Although the café does not serve food, beverages are available at the bar. Additionally, the official Nuyorican website recommends Mama’s Food Shop, Chez Betty and Café Cortadito as places within the neighborhood you can grab a bite to eat.

Getting to the café isn’t too complicated- just take the F line to the 2nd Avenue station. Pricing ranges from free admission to up to $25 charge, depending on the event (the Friday Poetry Slams are $10, though subject to change in the event that Semi-Finals or a Grand Slam is being held.) So for all the new kids on the block and even the oldies, this upcoming weekend do what you came to college for and expand your mind- make it a point to find your way to the Nuyorican Poets Café.

For more information, including how you can perform at the café check out www.nuyorican.org.

A Love Without the Chemistry WITH A DULL PLOT AND POOR ACTING, LOVE HAPPENS IS A ROMANTIC COMEDY THAT LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED KRISTEN CALVANO Contributing Writer LOVE HAPPENS-

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1/2 OUT OF 4 STARS

t seems that a quality film of love and romance comes out in theaters once in a blue moon. However, Love Happens falls short of these expectations. This “romantic comedy,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart, is very bland and tiresome. Even though it runs for a little less than two hours, it feels as if you are being dragged through this never ending question of “will they or won’t they get together?”

Not only was the film dull, but there was not an ounce of pure love in it at all. Jennifer Aniston plays a florist named Eloise who at first dislikes but becomes drawn to Aaron Eckhart’s character, Burke, a widower who is cashing in on his wife’s death. He writes a book all about grieving and trying to cope called A-Okay! and ultimately gains worldwide fame. While promoting his book in Seattle, he eventually bumps into Eloise by chance at the hotel where he is staying.

At first, Eloise is completely uninterested since she has a rocker boyfriend waiting for her at home. Unfortunately, this boyfriend ultimately cheats on her. When Eloise and Burke meet for the second time, she changes her tune and realizes she indeed does have feelings for him after all.

The film surprisingly does not completely center on their relationship. Instead, it was more of a gloomy and dismal look into Burke’s world after the death of his wife. Even though he is incredibly popular and well liked, he fears that everything is happening to him is for the wrong reasons.

After a visit from his father-in-law, played by Martin Sheen, Burke gets a stern talking to and realizes he has not mourned the way a real husband should have.

The lack of chemistry between Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart was extremely disappointing. It seemed that every single time there was the slightest

bit of communication among the two, it was nothing less than tense and awkward. The films falls short of capturing the essence of what this story is really supposed to be about: falling back in love. Even though the two characters do not fall in love until the last few minutes of the movie, the audience can speculate the ending from a mile away. It’s not shocking that Eloise helps Burke move on and at last he has found true romance.

It’s safe to say that the directorial debut of Brandon Camp was not a successful one. Some might disagree and say it was sweet with a touch of empathy and forlorn love, but in reality it is just another unrealistic, sappy love story that you have to rolls your eyes at.

Bottom line: Save yourself ten bucks and go buy yourself some lunch.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CELEBRITYWONDER.COM

Jennifer Aniston (left) and Aaron Eckhart (right) didn’t give off any sparks as a couple.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CUNY.EDU

The Nuyorican Poets Café gives poetry and music lovers a place to hear new pieces.

Giving All Of The Right Clues

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HBO’S NEW SHOW PROMISES TO NEVER BE BORING SAMIR ABADY Staff Writer

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PHOTO COURTESY OF YMIG.COM

The cast of characters in HBO’s new series, Bored to Death are interesting and unique.

fter the season premiere of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO’s new program, Bored To Death, made its debut Sunday night. The series, created

by Brooklyn novelist Jonathan Ames, stars Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) as Ames.

Based on a story he published in the magazine McSweeney’s, the fictional Ames is struggling with his second novel and has just gone through a bad breakup with his long-term girlfriend over his alcoholism and marijuana addiction.

A depressed Ames drowns his sorrow in pulp detective novels, then decides to advertise himself on Craigslist as a private eye. Unlike in the story, the show gives the reason for Ames’ actions. Ames antics are the result of his search for a purpose, and possibly also the result of his dull life as a writer.

The debut episode shows how Ames’ lack of qualifications as a private detective bring about cases of missing persons and cheating spouses. He is contacted by a girl who cannot reach her sister and suspects that her abusive boyfriend may have kidnapped her.

Asking for only $100 a day, Ames is hired and goes on a chase to locate the missing girl, who he finds tied to a bed in a motel room by her now exboyfriend. His ability to relate with the recently dumped kidnapper allows for Ames to comedically patch things up between the two.

The pilot episode is rather low-key, though it introduces the supporting characters. There’s Jonathan’s best friend, Ray Hueston (Zach Galifianakis), a comic book artist who is in an unsatisfying relationship with a clingy, tightly wound single mom, who seems to see him more as a project than a lover (she withholds sex until he gets, among other things, therapy and a cleansing colonic).

And there’s Ted Danson, in a scene-stealing role as George Christopher, socialite and editor of a magazine that Jonathan freelances for. Danson’s character uses Jonathan as a sort of on-call pot hookup and last minute companion. Their interesting relationship and the conflict and tensions that it could easily present provide a lot of comic situations for the show. The characters are sure to bring interesting side plots for Ames to explore as he is moonlighting.

Jonathan’s cluelessness about life is so pronounced it might as well be a third arm. He’s empathetic yet selfish, sweet and uncalculating yet infuriating. Innocent and pure, he doesn’t know any better than to tell his ex-girlfriend Suzanne that he misses the life she made for him: “I’m living like an animal. I have no toilet paper, no food, no toothpaste.”

The character’s cluelessness is endearing and, due to Schwartzman’s clever acting choices, does not come off too strongly.

The interesting characters and clever writing behind Bored to Death are sure to keep the show interesting. By the looks of the pilot the show, Bored to Death should become the detective screw-ball comedy that viewers will love.

Dr. House is Back Again IN THE SIXTH SEASON PREMIERE, DR. HOUSE BATTLES WITH HIS DRUG ADDICTION IN REHAB KATIE CIMMINO Contributing Writer

Lydia (Franka Poitente).

Although it’s nice to see House in a relationship where he actually opens himself up and becomes vulnerable, what happened to Cuddy? The writer’s have been playing cat and mouse with the House and Cuddy relationship and most viewers are craving for something to finally spark. It will be interesting to see whether the subject of their relationship is brought up again soon.

Overall, the season premiere definitely lives up to the House reputation of being captivating while thinking of new possibilities for the season. This episode was jampacked with so many new changes with House that it is hard to grasp everything and even image how the “new” House will be.

ENTERTAINMENT

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23 Sept. 2009 The TORCH PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWSOK.COM

The sixth season of House focuses on Dr. House’s struggle with his drug addiction.

torchonline.com

t was a unique and fresh start for season six of House as Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) admits himself into Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. After the hallucinations and traumatic deaths from season five, House realizes that he needs a clean slate and to detox from Vicodin. Throughout all of the seasons, House’s addiction has been part of his persona. He pops pills like tic tacs. He has tried to detox so many times and each time he becomes more addicted, which raises a question about how the situation will develop in this season.

In the two-hour season premiere, “Broken,” House struggles with exactly that. The episode opens up with House going through an intensive detox. The director uses different fast-paced lighting and camera angles to show quick flashes of House going through physical and emotional pain.

This is over before the opening credits and new theme song finishes (which is hopefully for just this episode).

Now that detox is over, House can get back to being his old witty, drug-free self, and back to solving those unsolvable cases five minutes before the episode ends.

This episode style breaks from the conventional episodes where House just solves a medical problem. “Broken” starts out like the medical comedy that fans know and love, with House passing sarcastic remarks both for entertainment and as a defense mechanism, but quickly turns into an emotional rollercoaster. Not only is the style different, but there is a new set and new characters to go along with House’s new problem: getting his medical license renewed.

The characters, partly from being psychiatric patients, are dynamic and vivid even though they are shortlived in the series. Dr. Darryl Nolan (Andre Braugher), the head doctor, shapes up to be a formidable opponent who actually may be smarter than House.

Even House’s roommate Alvie (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a manic depressant, provides for much comic relief and even some musical/rapping entertainment. The whole episode is sprinkled with characters who obviously have problems and interesting histories, but because they are mainly there to help shine the spotlight on Laurie, their

little quirks are used as comic relief.

It’s great that we have all these new characters, but where is the old cast? This is a season premiere, not a spin-off of House. Only James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) manages to have some screen time, which amounts to 10 seconds (five of those is House on a payphone). Hopefully, the writers just wanted to make House totally isolated from everyone from the previous season so they could give him a fresh start.

And he did start fresh. House went through a dramatic transformation. He managed to become human again (he even has another emotion besides being miserable). The episode has an intense romantic relationship between House and one of the patient’s sister-in-laws,

18

Fashion Week Goes Digital THOSE WHO DID NOT MAKE IT INTO THE TENTS CAN STILL WATCH ALL OF THE SHOWS ONLINE MCARTHUR JOSEPH Contributing Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF ACESHOWBIZ.COM

Some fashion week runway shows can be viewed online by those who did not attend the event.

Gossip is Cheap NEW TARGET COLLECTION IS BASED ON THE SHOW GOSSIP GIRL CHRISTINA HEISER Editor-in-Chief

G

ossip Girl’s resident queen bee Blair Waldorf always manages to look impeccable, from her peacock-feathered headband right down to the brightly colored opaque tights. Sure, Blair might be a fictional character, but her outfits continue to inspire burgeoning young fashionistas across the country.

One of the best aspects of the show is the wardrobe; each female character has their own unique style that embodies their personalities.

It’s no surprise, then, that designer Anna Sui has created a collection of clothes inspired by each of the four main females on the show. You won’t have to break the bank too much to dress like your favorite character; Sui’s collection features all modestly priced items available for sale exclusively at Target

torchonline.com

The TORCH

23 Sept. 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

N

ew York fashion week, the epitome of glitz and glamour, is a semi-annual event where designers show their clothing lines for the upcoming season. They present their lines through innovative and elaborate fashion shows that span throughout the entire week to allow as many different shows to as possible be viewed.

While there are many different venues for fashion week across the world, New York’s rank at the top of the list; due to its huge number of shows and its position as a fashion capital in its own right. These reasons also explain why New York is a prime location to start a new trend that is slowly but surely sweeping fashion weeks around the globe.

In years past, fashion week seemed dominated by exclusivity. Only the famous and elite were allowed to watch these shows, making it nearly impossible for the general public to ever see most of the looks on display. The masses relied mostly on print media for reviews and maybe a few pictures. The only problem was that with the multitude of shows, many were not given the coverage the designers would have liked.

After a many seasons of obscurity, some of these designers took it upon themselves to change the way their shows were portrayed to the populace.

Like most industries, the fashion world is also expanding to the worldwide web. Several designers decided to remove the shroud of secrecy and exclusivity around fashion week and broadcast their new 2010 spring collections to the world. Designers such as Vivienne Tam, who are not in the forefront of the public view, were among the first to live stream their lines using small fashion Web sites such as Stylecaster.com.

The more popular American designer, Michael Kors, who is commonly known as a judge on the hit series Project Runway, allowed the public into his star studded show via his own web site. This site allows the video to be shown after the live airing continues.

Not to be outdone by her fellow designers the ever over the top and self proclaimed “Queen of Fabulosity,” Kimora Lee Simons decided to stream her show on an even larger scale. She had her Radio City Music Hall Baby Phat show streamed live on Time Square screens. After this phenomenon of live streaming runways shows, other head honchos of the fashion world are also taking heed of this new found medium.

World renowned clothing designer, Alexander McQueen recently shocked many of his fans when he “tweeted” that he will live stream his show during Paris fashion week this October.

One may ask why designers want to broadcast these once guarded events, but the answer is quite clear. In our ever evolving society, the way people receive their media is completely different than in years before. In the thirties and forties, President Franklin D. Roosevelt communicated through radio with his “fireside chats” and today one can go on YouTube to hear any of President Obama’s speeches. The fashion world is also evolving and making steps to push itself into modern media. Style is no longer only on the cover of magazines and on the backs of celebrities, now the true essence of fashion can be seen on a local computer.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABOUT.COM

Kimora Lee Simons is one designer whose fashion week show can be seen online.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ACESHOWBIZ.COM

The Gossip Girl character Blair Waldorf inspired some pieces in Sui’s collection.

wfrom Sept. 13 to Oct. 17. But make sure you act fast, because many of the looks are already sold out online and once they’re out of stock in stores, Target will not be restocking them.

Out of the entire collection, the clothes inspired

by Blair are definitely the best and most true to character. There are four dresses inspired by Blair that all look more higher end and expensive than they really are.

One of the prettiest Blair outfits is a metallic jacquard dress, selling for $59.99. The knee-length scoop neck dress has a circular pattern in deep purple and deep blue, with a gold pattern sewn on top. Anna Sui also created a cream colored sheer shirt with gold flowers and a high collar that covers the neck, selling for $39.99. The gold flowers sewn into the shirt give it a very expensive feel. If you pair this shirt with one of Blair’s signature headbands, you’ll get an extra touch of glamour.

For Jenny, the show’s resident punk-rocker, Sui has also created a variety of looks, although they seem a little less true to character than the others. For $69.99, you can get a black lace V-neck halter dress.

There’s also a cute red plaid skirt with zippers on the side, selling for $29.99.

Vanessa has a very funky personality, and Anna Sui definitely reflected that in her clothes. The clothes all use the same color pattern—deep purple, orange and cream, making it easy to mix and match pieces.

One of the most fun pieces is a puffy vest, selling for $44.99. There’s also a purple T-shirt with different colored gems along the neckline, selling for $29.99.

Serena’s character is very laid back, but still always looks chic. One of her best pieces is a satin, striped shirt dress, selling for $59.99. Pair this with the leather jacket, selling for $149.99, the most expensive piece in the collection, for a really fun look.

Overall, there are more than 20 tops and 15 dresses to choose from in Anna Sui’s collection now available at Target. Even if you haven’t seen Gossip Girl, there’s something for everyone. The pieces are very versatile and you can dress them up or down depending on what type of accessories you pair with them.

While some of the pieces are a little pricey, they are good quality. If you are fan of the CW show, these pieces are an investment that is worth the price.

The

BLAZE

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

RESTOCK YOUR UNDERWEAR DRAWER If you hate doing laundry every time you run out of the necessities, you might want to consider filling up your wardrobe with more of those intimate articles of clothing that you just can’t live without. The Only Hearts sample sale, happening Sept. 24 through Sept. 27, offers lingerie from designers like Vera Wang, Le Mystere and Elle McPherson at discount prices.

Only Hearts 386 Columbus Ave. Subway: B, D to 72nd St. Station

SEE THE SKITS IN PERSON If you’re at all familiar with the Web site collegehumor. com, you already know about the hilarious antics of the actors and the topics for their skits. The cult following behind Collegehumor has only grown larger over time, and the online comedy skits can always be relied upon for a distraction from work. This Thursday you can see the skits live at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 307 W. 26th St. www.ubctheatre.com Subway: F, V to 23rd St. Station

This weekend, stop tearing your hair out over the problems you’ve been having with your Mac and attend one of the workshops at the Apple Store in Soho. The experts there can teach you everything you need to know about programs like GarageBand and Adobe Illustrator, allowing you to skip over the instruction manual.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER STARTS THE SEASON STRONG ADELLE PLATON Contributing Writer

T

he season five premiere of the Emmy-nominated show How I Met Your Mother delivered exactly what the fans wanted. The show has a bulletproof formula that’s simple yet brilliant. Each episode includes five friends with unique personalities, meaningful nonsense, heartfelt moments, relationship theories, clever one-liners and an unsolved mystery.

The show, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, was made for art to imitate life with characters based on their own personalities and a plot that consists of “the stupid things they did in New York”.

Bob Saget narrates as the older version of the show’s main character, Ted Mosby, whose younger counterpart is played by Josh Radnor.

Ted narrates to his son and daughter the series of events that led to meeting their mother. Although the mother’s identity is strongly hinted at throughout all four seasons, she has yet to be revealed.

The cast is made up of quirky characters that each possess idiosyncrasies we can all relate to.

Ted Mosby, an architect, is the guy too scared to take risks and therefore never gets the girl. He instantly falls in love with his dream girl, Robin Scherbatsky (played by Cobie Smulders), who is a news reporter and ex-Canadian ex-pop star. Just when all signs pointed to Robin being the potential mother, they split, realizing they have different outlooks on the future. Despite the awkward tension and blurred lines between friends and lovers, the two remain a significant part of each other’s lives.

An example of the ideal couple is portrayed in Marshall and Lily (played by Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel and better known as Marshmallow and Lily Pad). Ted knew they were destined to be married from the days they went to college together. The lovebirds nearly hit rock bottom throughout seasons two and three when Marshall loses his job and Lily leaves for California to become an artist. But like every incident in the show, fate has a way of messing with you.

This show would lack its luster without the fifth character, Barney Stinson (portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris). With an occupation less known and a resume of women more prominent, Barney is the character that shines by

playing the ultimate ladies’ man (in spite of his real-life orientation). No one could ever pull off a line like “Suit up,” or “It’s going to be…wait for it…LEGENDARY!” quite like he does.

Season five opens right where the show left off with Ted Mosby, now architect-turnedprofessor, preparing for his first day of school.

His biggest dilemma was not deciding between being the cool guy or stern authoritative figure, but how to spell Professor! He soon learns that teaching comes natural when you don’t have time to stress.

In an odd pairing, Robin and Barney confessed their love for each other last season, but can’t even manage to have “the talk” that defines their relationship. They resolve to be pretend “boyfriend and girlfriend”, leaving fans wondering just how truthful they are being to themselves.

Regardless of whether you are a HIMYM newbie or a season veteran, you become instantly addicted to the nonsense shenanigans and pick up on the plot without having seen previous episodes. The beauty of the show lies in its ability to make you feel every emotion from the weirdest scenarios (think pineapple incident or “Slapsgiving”). The best part is that each episode is designed to make viewers think about the events in their lives and just how legendary they’ll seem in the future.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLOCINE.FR

Alyson Hannigan (right) and Jason Segal (left) play Marshall and Lily.

23 Sept. 2009

Apple Store, Soho 103 Prince St. Subway: F, V to Broadway-Lafayette St. Station

ENTERTAINMENT

STOP READING THE MANUALS

A Return to the Legendary

19

MOVIE TICKETS AT DISCOUNT PRICES The TORCH

Kew Gardens Cinema 81-05 Lefferts Boulevard Bus: Q46 to Kew Gardens (718) 441-9835

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLOCINE.FR

How I Met Your Mother is now exploring the relationship between characters Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders).

torchonline.com

Kew Gardens Cinema is the movie theater located closest to St. John’s University’s Queens Campus. This theater features independent and second-chance films that might not have been shown at other major cinemas. The tickets are less expensive than most movie tickets in Manhattan, making it a great place to go for students on a budget. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kew Gardents Cinema offers an extra discount on the ticket price, making them $6.50 all day and night.

20

Two more not enough for Storm, Pirates CHRIS HARRIS Staff Writer Seven minutes into the first overtime period Sunday, Nelson Becerra sent a pass behind the Seton Hall defense, creating a one-on-one for Sverre Wegge Gundhus. Gundus dribbled into the box, where he was met head-on by Pirates goalkeeper Paul McHenry.

Gundhus fired a shot and McHenry saved it, another missed opportunity that prevented the Red Storm from earning a conference win over the Pirates. Instead, the Red Storm had to settle for a 0-0 tie after two overtime periods.

“I should’ve buried that last shot,” said Gundhus. “But we just couldn’t finish the game.”

Gundhus also had an opportunity to put the Red Storm ahead late in the second half, but was greeted by McHenry who made the stop.

“We had a lot of good chances,” said Gundhus, the Red Storm’s leading scorer (five points). “We just lacked a little extra, a little spark.”

The Johnnies struck early, with first half shots by Walter Hines, Adam Himeno and Pablo Punyed all coming close to giving the Red Storm that elusive score, but McHenry was just heating up under the bright lights of Belson Stadium, elevating his play by saving all three en route to a shutout.

“Sometimes our environment brings it out in people,” head coach Dave Masur said of McHenry’s performance.

Even though McHenry stopped the Red Storm at every opportunity, the home team did have a force of its own in net, as redshirt senior Derby Carillo notched

his fourth shutout of the season. Carillo matched McHenry’s first half save total (3) and for the rest of the game.

The St. John’s defense allowed just one shot on goal in the second half and both overtime periods combined, while McHenry earned the shutout in seven saves. St. John’s (2-1-3, 1-0-1) has allowed just two goals all season.

But the Red Storm could not put the ball past McHenry, as he made saves off shots by Hines (76th minute) and Nelson Becerra (81st minute) in the second half.

“I told my team we need to be better overall with our focus and make team decisions,”said Masur.

“We needed to be more consistent and play with more intensity.”

Despite not being able to close out their foes from New Jersey, the Johnnies did defeat Georgetown for their first Big East victory Friday and look to remain undefeated in conference play when they face Connecticut Friday.

“We need to have a great week of practice since we have UConn up next,” said Gundhus. “We need to regroup and focus.”

Becerra, the team’s leading scorer in 2008, played just 67 minutes against Seton Hall (4-2-1, 1-0-1) and is still trying to get back to playing complete games. Senior Ben Clack also missed the contest due to a hamstring injury.

The Johnnies will need to be at full health as the team embarks on a threegame road trip, because they won’t return to the friendly confines of Belson Stadium until the beginning of October.

“As long as we take what was positive from tonight and build on that TORCH PHOTO/ KRISTEN FARMER we’ll be fine, said Gundhus. “We just Sverre Wegge Gundhus’ scoring chances late in the second half and in need to fix the small details.” both overtimes could not find the back of the net against Seton Hall.

SPORTS

Late start in net paying dividends for Carillo KATIE BECKMANN Staff Writer

23 Sept. 2009 The TORCH

torchonline.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Redshirt senior Derby Carillo has four shutouts this year.

Derby Carrillo isn’t your ordinary goalkeeper.

The 6-4 California native, who wears the No. 13 jersey, is a starting Division I goalkeeper who began playing the position right before his senior year of high school.

“I started playing goalie because of penalty kicks,” the redshirt senior said. “When I was younger, whenever there was a penalty kick, my coach would throw me into goal.

“I would just block the shots; I had tenacity in goal. I started doing that and one thing led to another and I was in goal. I only started playing goalie on my club team going into senior year.”

Despite the late start, Carrillo was recently named to the Big East’s weekly Honor Roll and named Big East Goalkeeper of the Week.

He is tied for first in the Big East with four shutouts.

Before his days at St. John’s, Carrillo attended Cal State Dominguez Hills, a Division II school, and posted a 13-3-1 record in two seasons with the Toros. He was instrumental in leading the Toros to win two consecutive CCAA Championships, finishing second in the nation with a .53 GAA and fourth in the nation with a .867 save percentage.

In his two years at Dominguez Hills, Carillo was named as a Daktronics first team All-American, first team All-Region and first team CCAA selection.

Even though he had success at Dominguez Hills, Carillo felt his college experience still fell short and lacked something.

“I was at a Division II school and I wanted more,” Carillo said.

“I talked to my club coach and he told me about St. John’s and said that they needed a goalie.”

Carillo transferred to St. John’s, but didn’t make the immediate impact he had while at Dominguez Hills.

When he arrived in Queens, he had to fight for every single minute of playing time. Last season, Carillo competed with the now-departed Neal Kitson.

“Neal is a great goalie and he had a great season last year,” Carillo said. “Being behind him last year made me push myself more. During his time here, he didn’t play that much in the beginning.”

Carrillo edged out sophomore Nunzio Belifore and hotshot rookie goalkeeper Rafael Diaz, playing with the Newark Ironbound soccer club and coming into this season a lot more confident.

“Each game that I go out there, I got to prove to myself that I should be out there and I need to work hard or work harder than the guys who are trying to beat me. There is no reason why we shouldn’t win.”

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21

Storm just getting started Volleyball rallys to win after dropping first two sets MIKE GURNIS Staff Writer The St. John’s volleyball team got off to a slow start last night, dropping the first two sets before storming back to take the next three against LIU (21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 15-11).

LIU took the first two sets and were seemingly in control after taking a 5-0 lead early in the third set, but the Red Storm suddenly awakened and took the final three sets to pull out its second consecutive home win.

“Volleyball is all about momentum, which is hard to gain when you don’t have it,” said head coach Joanne Persico-Smith. “We got off to a slow start, but we’re happy with the result and we’re proud.”

Sophomore Darlene Ramdin led the Red Storm with 23 kills, while freshman Gabriela Petkova posted 52 assists on the night. Junior Kun Song also tallied 14 kills and 14 digs.

Freshman Ashley Asing led the team with 17 digs.

“Darlene has been tremendous, she’s our leader, and she just keeps getting better and better” said Persico-Smith.

“Gabriela has the hardest job of anyone, she’s filling some very big shoes

TORCH PHOTO/ KRISTEN FARMER

Sophomore Darlene Ramdin once again led the Red Storm with 23 digs. and she did a very good job. She’s our quarterback, and when we get more players she will only get a lot better.”

“We wanted to win this game so badly, and we wanted to

make all of our hard work worthwhile,” said Ramdin. “We weren’t leaving this gym until we won, that was our mentality.”

After taking the first and second sets of

the match, LIU scored the first five points of the third set. St. John’s would battle back, and would tie the set at ten, before taking their first lead of the set at 1211. St. John’s would not relinquish their lead, as they would go on to win a closely-contested set.

In the fourth set, the Red Storm took an early 14-5 lead, but the Blackbirds pulled to within four at 16-12. The Red Storm then went on a 6-0 run to take a commanding 23-13 lead, and Ruisa Scheffel ended the fourth set with a kill to send the match to a fifth set.

In the fifth set, St. John’s took an early lead at 8-5, and would keep their lead until LIU pulled to within 10-9 before a Darlene Ramdin kill would put the Storm up by two. A kill by Kun Song put the Red Storm up 13-10 before a Kayla Motoyama ace put the Storm at match point.

The Storm won it on an attack error to complete a major comeback.

“Every win is important. We had a few not-so-good games, and so we had to show that we could win, and we knew we had to win,” added Petkova.

“This was a very important win, because our morale is higher, but we will have to play a lot better, and we know we’re capable of that,” said Persico-Smith.

The Red Storm open conference play against Depaul Friday at Taffner Fieldhouse.

Duffy, Sudbury make strong showing at ‘Champions’ PATRICK PLASSIO Contributing Writer

SPORTS 23 Sept. 2009 The TORCH PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Michelle Duffy finished first among Red Storm runners on Saturday.

torchonline.com

Led by freshman Michelle Duffy and sophomore Sarah Sudbury, the St. John’s cross country team finished 18th out of 21 teams on Saturday at the Iona Meet of Champions in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Coming off a victory at its first meet at the Hofstra Invitational September 5, the Red Storm struggled in its first 6K race of the season. Harvard freshman Sammy Silva won the race in 22:35.43 and led Harvard to a victory at the meet.

Duffy made a big difference in the Red Storm’s standings on Saturday. In the team’s first meet, she finished third on the team, and she placed first among St. John’s runners Saturday with a time of 25:04.10, placing 80th overall out of 186 runners.

Sudbury has been a consistently solid runner for the Johnnies so far this season.

Finishing second on the team at Hofstra, she finished second for the team again on Saturday with a time of 25:34.40, finishing 113th overall.

“The main pre-race strategy was that we needed to get out fast because it narrowed down right away,” Sudbury said. She also noted that this strategy would be difficult to execute because of the team’s placement in a middle lane.

“It didn’t really work, but everyone ended up getting strung out in the end,” she said, “so I think it was better that we didn’t get out hard and die.”

Despite the poor team finish, however, Sudbury said that the team is drawing some positives from the race.

“Normally, we don’t run a 6K until later in the season, so I think it was good to see where everyone was at because all of the big championship races are 6K‘s,” Sudbury said.

The experience in a 6K race will prove crucial to the team’s goals. Sudbury said that the team “wants to crack the top 10 Big East, and hopefully land the Metropolitan Championship.” With these targets in mind, Sudbury said “It will help later in the season getting through longer races...The team can be more comfortable running as a group.”

Individually, Sudbury has goals of finishing in the top 25 runners in the Big East and continuing to improve upon her times. Sudbury said that this meet helped her towards her individual goals because when, “tackling those 3.86 miles, the more you do it, the easier it is going to be.”

Senior Pamela Petruski finished right on the heels of freshman Stephanie Barnes.

Barnes finished 121st overall in 25:54.04 while Petruski was the 123rd runner to finish with a time over 25:55.20. Junior Lori Dougherty finished 140th overall in 26:28.85.

Rounding out the field for the Johnnies were Nicole Cocozza, Kayla Regulski, and Katrina Schaefer, who finished 153rd, 154th, and 171st, respectively.

The Red Storm’s next meet will be October 3 at the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University.

22

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Hunting the lions Road win at Columbia fourth straight for Storm DYLAN KITTS Staff Writer

SPORTS

St. John’s senior Vaila Barsley could not have waited any longer for this moment to come.

ST. JOHN’S

2

COLUMBIA

1

“It feels great to be back,” Barsley said. “I’ve worked really hard in getting my ankle back to where it needed to be.”

With Barsley anchoring the backline, the Red Storm extended their winning streak to four, defeating Columbia University on the road, 2-1. “(Having her back) is huge,” head coach Ian Stone said.

“She organizes things so well.

She’s integral to our success.

She understands the game so well and makes the defense so much better.”

The defender had been sidelined ever since she sprained her left ankle against USC Aug. 30. With the team mounting impressive wins over Indian and Syracuse, head coach Ian Stone took a conservative approach to bringing her back.

“It’s been kind of on-again and off-again the last couple of weeks of when she was going to come back,” Stone said.

“She worked tremendously hard trying to keep in shape while

nursing the injury.”

Before sending her in, Stone had Barsley jog for seven minutes to ensure there wasn’t any more aggravation in her ankle.

Once she joined her teammates in the 28th minute, there was no coming back.

The Red Storm drew first blood in the 34th minute after Amanda Pasciolla darted past two defenders and delivered a quick pass to Kaitlin Haas, who then kicked a line drive that ricocheted off a defender and into the vacant right side of the net.

The goal was Haas’ third in as many games.

“As far as I’m concerned, she’s playing her best soccer of her St. John’s career right now,” Stone said after the Syracuse game Friday.

After halftime at the 53rd minute mark, however, Columbia’s Ashlin Yahr kneed in the equalizer.

“This is a tough place to come to,” Stone said. “They are a very good team. I’m happy not only with the win but also with the fact after they scored early in the second half we were able to keep our composure and then go back and get the win.”

It was only the 70th minute when St. John’s answered.

After Columbia goalkeeper Lillian Klein saved a shot by forward Jen Leaverton on the right corner of the net, the ball squirted out, and from six yards away from the vacant net, Duggan nailed the shot, clinching the win and

TORCH PHOTO/ LAURA AMATO

Senior Kaitlin Haas scored the Red Storm’s first goal against Columbia Sunday night. her first career goal.

“It was unbelievable,” Duggan said. “It’s a once in a lifetime chance that the ball is at the six and there’s a wide open goal. It was unexpected.

There was no one around me.

The ball was coming at me at the perfect pace. All I had to do

was lay it in the goal.”

“She can score goals,” Stone said. “She’s worked hard all season. She hasn’t always gotten the playing time she’s liked but that’s the mark of our team that people can step up when needed.”

With Barsley back at what

she calls “85 percent”, St. John’s will host Connecticut Thursday night 7:00 p.m.

“It was good to settle back in again,” Barsley said.

“Obviously I want to perform better as the season goes on but it was a good day. We’ll be ready for Connecticut.”

torchonline.com

The TORCH

23 Sept. 2009

Mason, Jr.’s True Life offers nothing Storm fans don’t already know When the men’s basketball team announced that Anthony Mason, Jr. would undergo season-ending foot surgery last November, the news came with one very enticing detail.

Throughout his rehabilitation, Mase would be followed by MTV cameras for a forthcoming episode of the network’s True Life series.

That episode aired September 19, as Red Storm hoops fans gathered around their television sets with wide eyes trying to piece together the aftermath of the second straight year in which an injury ended the superstar’s season.

And they watched. And they waited.

And those same fans saw a lengthy storyline about a teenage hockey sensation from Indianapolis whose career was cut short by a paralyzing spinal cord injury.

They saw the gut-wrenching tale unfold as the boy struggled to move his fingers, how his parents remodeled their home to accommodate wheelchair service and the ugly frustration that emerged when his father tried to lift him

out of the chair and into bed at night.

And they watched. And they waited.

And those same fans saw another pretty extensive tale about a standout high school basketball player from Staten Island who lost her junior season due to a knee injury. They watched as she screamed her team to victory from the bench, disobeyed doctor’s orders and played ping pong at a team party, and the disappointment that ensued when she realized that her chances of a roster spot on the college level might not come from a scholarship, but from a walk-on tryout.

They watched a meeting between Mase and Red Storm head coach Norm Roberts discuss the forward’s

leadership going into the 2009-10 season, the same clichéd inspirational speech sports fans have seen from every sports movie when the team’s superstar needs a little bit of a pep talk.

They were even witness to the acting debut of Athletic Communications assistant Tim Brown, who assisted Mase early in his rehab, taking him to doctor’s offices and physical therapy sessions.

But, those looking for a juicy nugget of news were hard-pressed to find a particularly memorable scene from Mase’s storyline – that is, of course, after the barbershop scene, where a freshly-cut Mase ogles his barber’s handiwork in the mirror while Mase senior, former NBA Sixth Man Award winner with the New York Knicks, stresses the importance of the weight room toward his son’s dreams of NBA stardom.

But there were no major obstacles for Mase to overcome. There seemed to be no forks in the road. There were no setbacks or backlash or anything that compromised Mase from getting

back to his Red Storm teammates as quickly as possible with as little pain as possible. If there were, MTV certainly didn’t show it.

That’s because there wasn’t anything in that True Life episode Red Storm fans didn’t already know.

Anthony Mason, Jr. is a charismatic, at times goofy, college kid with ball on the brain all the time. It’s the reason he has become so revered to Red Storm basketball fans.

He didn’t need to bench press or run agility drills in the athletics fitness center to get back in shape, he just needed to chase a basketball danging from a fishing pole while running on a treadmill.

The look of joy in Mase’s face when he set foot on the practice court for the first time, driving to the hoop against the dummy defense of point guard Malik Boothe, is the look that says he is back to doing what he loves doing the most.

It was a good thing cameras were rolling then.

23

TORCH SPORTS

STORM

CAST

Leavin’ their Mark

Fall ball fury

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The bird may be the word, but St. John’s students have had mixed feelings about the Red Storm’s new mascot.

BILL SAN ANTONIO Sports Editor

Blowin’ in the Wind

“

Sometimes our environment brings it out in people.

-Dave Masur Men’s soccer coach

Headin’ this Way Red Storm home games

7 p.m.

Volleyball Sept. 25 DePaul Sept. 27 Notre Dame

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

torchonline.com

Women’s Soccer: Sept. 24 Connecticut

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on Seton Hall goalkeeper Paul McHenry’s performance on Sept. 20

The TORCH

with getting kids to games,” said senior management student Karl Folkes. “If the teams are good, I could care less about the mascot.”

But whether they like the new Thunderbird mascot, Red Storm fans have their own ideas of how he could entertain during commercial breaks and timeouts.

“They should put him on strings and have him fly over the crowd at basketball games,” Stepanian said.

Carpenter took a more athletic approach in utilizing the bird.

“I’d have the mascot go through an obstacle course against a fan at halftime at basketball and soccer games,” he said.

Nelson took a more dangerous and daredevil-like approach to the marketing the new mascot to St. John’s fans.

“I’d have him jump through a ring of fire,” he said.

Berry just wants to see more fan promotions on the horizon.

“I want the airgun t-shirt toss,” he said.

23 Sept. 2009

St. John’s recently adopted the Thunderbird as its mascot, and with such a decision comes various opinions from Red Storm fans cheering or jeering right along with the University’s new feathered friend.

“If you don’t have a mascot, you don’t really have school spirit,” said freshman communications student Amari Carpenter. “The new mascot gives St. John’s an identity to fall back on that wasn’t there before. The [New York] Mets have Mr. Met. You just recognize it.”

The soon-to-be-named Thunderbird was unveiled over the St. John’s Red Storm Facebook page and was formally introduced to soccer fans at Belson Stadium Friday in between the women’s and men’s games, spreading school spirit throughout the nearly packed stadium by high-fiving fans and taking pictures with them.

“He seems like he’s very into the games,” said freshman Andrew Berry, who was in attendance Friday when the mascot was unveiled. “He’s not just goofing around out there.”

While some think Red Storm is a tough

nickname that doesn’t lend itself to a personified mascot, others think “Red Storm” is just vague enough for any mascot idea to work.

“I think it’s a good idea because you’re bound to get more free stuff,” Carpenter said. “It makes people go to games.”

But, despite the various marketing campaigns promoting the new mascot, some fans still aren’t aware that the Red Storm has a crazed costumed supporter pumping up the crowd at home games.

“I only saw him for the first time today on the Great Lawn,” said freshman business student Greg Stepanian.

Stepanian also said he is unsure what a thunderbird has to do with a Red Storm.

“I don’t see a connection, but the fans did,” he said.

In fact, some fans don’t even think that the school’s athletic teams benefit from having a costumed bird cheering on the Red Storm at games.

“If the teams are better, that alone would create incentive to go to games,” said freshman criminal justice student Jigar Parekh.

Some fans just don’t care about seeing another cheerleader on the sidelines rooting on the Red Storm. They think the teams alone should get kids out to games.

“I don’t think it has anything to do

SPORTS

Everybody’s squawkin’ about the bird

The St. John’s softball team opened its fall exhibition season by hosting Farleigh Dickinson, St. Peter’s, Manhattan College and Sacred Heart in the St. John’s Fall Tournament at Red Storm Field, going 3-1 on the weekend.

During their opening 8-0 blowout of FDU, the offensive duo of junior catcher Kacee Cox and senior first baseman Stacia Dopudja led St. John’s with two RBI and two runs each. Freshman shortstop Chrissy Motez added two hits, a stolen base and an RBI. Junior pitcher Kat Lawrence threw five innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts and one walk.

The Red Storm cruised to a 9-1 victory in six innings over Saint Peter’s. Freshman infielder Amber Curry and junior Chelsea Durning led the hit parade with three each.

In the first tilt Sunday, Montez led the Red Storm offensively with two hits and two RBI. Senior Shauntaine Harris had two hits as well.

Junior Linzee Sumrall threw five shutout innings while allowing only two hits and striking out three.

Sunday’s second game results were not as favorable for the Red Storm. Sacred Heart sophomore pitcher Jen Russell silenced the Johnnies’ bats, allowing only one baserunner during her complete game shutout.

Lawrence was almost as dominant on the other side, allowing one unearned run on two hits in seven innings in the 1-0 loss.

SPORTS 23 Sept. 2009 | VOLUME 87, ISSUE 6 | TORCHONLINE.COM

TORCH PHOTO/ LAURA AMATO

Two overtime periods weren’t enough for the men’s soccer team to avoid a scoreless draw against Seton Hall Sunday.

Though the fans have spoken, the new Red Storm Thunderbird mascot is getting mixed reviews.

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