Torch Issue for April 1, 2009

TORCH GRAPHIC/ZACH DAVINO

WHAT’S INSIDE News......................2-5 Entertainment....13-19 Comics......................7 Features..............20-22 Editorials..............8-11 Sports.................25-28

TORCH Interview Adventureland Inferno interviews the cast of the comedy, Adventureland, in theaters Friday April 3.

EN NTERTA AINMENT page 17

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Last week’s poll results Do you think Norm Roberts will get fired?

36% Yes 64% No Check out our new poll every Wednesday “Think Outside. . .”

2

Directory

Managing Board LXXXV

GREGORY LEPORATI, Editor-in-Chief CHRISTINA HEISER, Managing Editor EVERTON BAILEY News Editor

ANTHONY MORREALE

MATT CHOQUETTE

Sports Editor

Chief Copy Editor

PASQUALE PASSARELLA LAURA AMATO

ELIZABETH JALONSCHI

Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor

General Manager

PATRICE BENDIG

JONNATHAN COLEMAN SARA RHODES

Features Editor

Online Editor

CAITLYN NOLAN

ZACH DAVINO

EntertainmentEditor Art Director

Layout Editor ELLEN CAREY 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

Inferno The Importance of Being Earnest Read our review of The Chappell Players’ latest production of the Oscar Wilde classic, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Inferno pg. 15 Q&A Joe Nocera NY Times business columnist, Joe Nocera, shares his experience in journalism and speaks about the economy.

Features pg. 21

Citi Field St. John’s vs.

Georgetown The St. John’s baseball team helped christen Citi Field last Sunday against Georgetown.

NEWS

Sports pg. 26

LONGER SCHOOL YEAR?

OPINION PG. 11

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

University fraternities gather at Jack Kaiser stadium yesterday afternoon to take their annual Greek Week group photograph. In celebration of Greek Week, fraternities sponsored events to promote their organizations. Greek Week began March 25 and ends April 4.

Library collects ‘food for fines’ THOMAS CARNEVALE

torchonline.com

The TORCH

1 April 2009

Staff Writer

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.

Starting today, food will be the preferred currency to pay off overdue library fines.

In honor of the Easter holiday, the St. John’s library will be holding a “Food for Fines” drive, a campaign held on the Queens and Staten Island campuses where students can return late library books and submit nonperishable goods as payment for the overdue books and have their fines waved. The program began Fall 2006 and, according to Marilyn Narson, supervisor for the library’s circulation department, has gained quite a following.

“The students look forward to the drive,” she said. “It is a good opportunity to clear up your library fines and do some good.”

Narson said 3,600 items were donated during the first drive and roughly 1,200 to 1,300 additional items were contributed during the two drives held since then. This year’s drive will continue until May 17.

Students are encouraged to donate cereal, rice, pasta, canned vegetables, fruit and other non-perishable goods. Items that are dented or expired will not be accepted and each food

item that is donated waives one library fine.

The goods collected from the Queens campus will be donated to Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Jamaica and Long Island City’s Church of Saint Raphael. Contributions to the library on the Staten Island campus will go to Project Hospitality, a not-for-profit Staten Island-based organization that provides services the hungry and homeless.

Narson said events such as these are especially important during the current economic crisis.

“Food pantry supplies are very low,” she said. “We are fortunate that we all have jobs but there are still families who are not as fortunate and need our help.”

Junior Joseph Johnson said he thought the drive was a great idea.

“When you are spending all of your time studying you forget about the problems facing others,” he said. “The library is creating a good example for students.”

Freshman John Hersh said that although he has no library fines, he is looking forward to the drive.

“I spend a lot of time in [the library] and its nice to know that they are creating solutions to the world’s problems,” he said. “I hope that it gets a good turnout.”

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NY Times columnist speaks at SJU KIRAN JOSEN Staff Writer

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Joe Nocera, a New York Times columnist, shares his thoughts on the economy inside the University Center yesterday afternoon.

NEWS

When it comes to the economy, “things are going to have to get worse before they get better,” according to New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera.

The journalist spoke to a group of St. John’s students, faculty and staff yesterday in the University Center. The lecture was part of this year’s spring academic lecture series.

Nocera has his own column in The Times called “Talking Business,” in which he discusses the many issues in world of business.

Before joining The New York Times in April of 2005, Nocera wrote for Fortune Magazine, Esquire, GQ, and Newsweek.

Recently, he has appeared on a number of TV shows including The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Colbert Report, and Charlie Rose.

During the lecture, Nocera discussed both the role of journalism in society today as well as the growing economic crisis.

“This financial crisis came quasi out of the blue. When Bear Sterns went down everyone though it was a one shot deal, that the situation was ‘contained,’” he said.

Nocera stated that after the meltdown of the world’s financial sector, he felt that nothing else seemed relevant.

“This crisis is confusing, angering, and it’s hard to know what to do,” he said. “How do we know that the solutions offered are correct?”

Nocera stressed the point that everyone is still guessing the future of the economy. According to Nocera, the root of the economic crisis was not Wall Street, but Main Street.

“Too many people bought houses they couldn’t afford, the irresponsibility on Main Street worked its way up to

Wall Street,” he said.

However, Nocera said he does not give in to popular pessimistic attitudes.

“I think that this will last for another year,” he said. “We are not headed for the Great Depression. I believe we will come out of this changed.”

He referred to his grandparent’s generation as a generation that lived through the Great Depression and came out of it with a mentality routed in security and saving.

This contrasts with the mindset of his generation.

“We were taught that debt was good, that investing made more sense than saving,” he said. “There was never a moment where we worried about being careful.”

Today’s generation is facing a situation similar to that of the older generation, he explained. This “Great Recession,” as Nocera termed it, calls for a readjustment. He stated that today’s financial situation will result in another change in behavior.

“This crisis will last long enough to impact us psychologically,” he said.

“The best thing that can come out of this is a readjustment, people have to stop spending more than what they have.”

The lecture concluded with a brief question-and-answer session. One question that came up digressed from the financial crisis and asked about the future of print media, specifically newspapers.

“It’s hard to predict what will happen, but I think that print papers will go away,” Nocera answered.

“The financial situation only makes this worse; advertising goes down and there’s less money available.”

Nocera said that online newspapers will become more prominent as the newsrooms shrink down in size.

“Newspapers are going to have to change, they are going to have to learn to generate money through the Web,” he said.

SJU in process of confirming commencement speakers GREGORY LEPORATI resolution in April,” Scianna Editor-in-Chief

having a good commencement speaker is important, but not just for the students graduating.

“This is your last impression of the school,” she said, “but it’s also important for the parents who attend, the people who oftentimes helped pay for their kids to get through school.”

Ienuso added that having a prestigious commencement speaker does more for a University than just provide an entertaining speech at graduation.

“It’s a feather in a school’s cap,” he said. “What it’s really about is the ongoing representation of St. John’s as a whole.”

Check torchonline.com for updates and breaking news on the University’s commencement speaker.

torchonline.com

yearlong process.

He also mentioned that a committee co-chaired by himself and Pamela Shea-Byrnes, vice president for University Ministry and University Events, is responsible for selecting the annual commencement speakers.

The committee also includes representation from SGI, the office of the Provost, the office of the President, offices within the Staten Island and Manhattan campuses, the department of government and politics, and various other offices, Scianna said.

Senior Joseph Ienuso said that he feels it is important to find a commencement speaker that can “articulate our feelings at the time.”

“You want to get a speaker that’s a role model – someone who is prestigious but also has good values.”

Junior Jessica Diep said that

The TORCH

commencement address for the Staten Island campus while University President Rev. Donald Harrington filled in as the speaker of the Queens campus.

Scianna said that last year the school could not obtain a commencement speaker from outside the St. John’s community for the Queens campus in time for graduation.

“We had a few [requests] that didn’t work out, but Rev. Harrington was gracious enough to step in and he did a wonderful job,” he said.

In the past, the University has hosted prominent commencement speakers ranging from Ray Kelly, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, in 2005 to political and news anchor George Stephanopoulos in 2007.

Scianna said the selection of a commencement speaker is a

1 April 2009

With commencement less than two months away, St. John’s officials say they are waiting to hear back from two potential speakers for the Queens and Staten Island campuses.

According to Dominic Scianna, assistant vice president of Media Relations, requests have been sent out to two “highprofile” individuals. He said he is confident the University will be able to secure speakers in time for the two graduations on May 16 and 17.

“There has been no stalling or setbacks [in the process],” Scianna said. “We’re ready with backups, as well.”

He said he hopes to hear responses soon and intends to make an official announcement in the near future.

“I think we’ll have a

said.

Many New York universities announced their commencement speakers in mid-March. NYU, for example, announced earlier last month that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would speak during itscommencement.

Bob Schieffer, CBS News Anchor and Moderator of Face the Nation is speaking at Hofstra University, and Fordham University announced television anchor Tom Brokaw as its speaker.

But Scianna said the University does not feel the need to rush an announcement.

“We run on our own timetable,” he said. “If other schools have already made the announcement, then hats off to them. But we are waiting for confirmation before we make our official announcement.”

Last year, WCBS anchor Dana Tyler delivered the

4

TORCH

BRIEFS Compiled by Christina Heiser and Everton Bailey

Award-winning poet to speak at St. John’s Nikki Giovanni, world-renowned and influential poet, will share her work and experiences with the St. John’s community April 2 in Marillac Auditorium at 7 p.m.

The poet, who is also a political advocate and educator, has won numerous awards throughout her long career; these include a NAACP Image Award, Langston Hughes Medal for poetry and the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for a spoken-word poetry album.

Students interested in attending the event can RSVP on St. John’s Central.

Spring Fling 2009 and concert announced The annual Spring Fling carnival has been announced for Friday, April 24, concluding Spring Week.

According to Ebony Calvin, coordinator of Campus Activities, this year’s event will feature more rides and attractions, including bumper cars, candy sushi and a sports lounge arcade.

One of the new events planned for Spring Week is the Kickoff BBQ on April 21 from 12-5 p.m. in front of the University Center.

A spring concert has also been announced to take place that weekend.

As of this edition of The TORCH, musical acts for the concert, called the Spring Audio Week Concert, have yet to be announced.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

1 April 2009

NEWS

SJU hosts conference on Manhattan Campus The St. John’s Literature and Languages department is sponsoring the 54th Annual International Linguistic Association Conference from April 3-5 at the Manhattan campus. Professor Ninah Beliavksy is chairing the three-day event on “Imagination and Language.”

There will be more than 80 speakers from around the world at the event, which is dedicated to the Russian scholar and educational psychologist, Lev Semonovitch Vyzgotsky. His granddaughter will give the keynote address and there will also be three other keynote speakers from around the world.

There are many programs planned for the conference, including a violinpiano recital and an Argentine Tango performance.

All students and faculty are welcome to attend; registration for the event begins at 11 a.m. on April 3 at the Manhattan campus.

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

Looking for student hosts Admissions office seeks volunteers for Overnight Visit Program MALLORY TOKUNAGA Staff Writer The Office of Admissions at St. John’s is looking for resident students to host prospective high school students as part of its Overnight Visit Program.

Two e-mails were sent to the student body from the Office of Admissions asking for more students to volunteer, one on Feb. 27 and one on March 19.

The most recent Overnight Visit was held last weekend, March 29 and 30. The next visit will take place April 26 to 27.

“Each year, prospective students from across the country are invited to participate in our Overnight Visit program,” both e-mails read. “This event gives these students the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at [a student’s] St. John’s experience.”

According to David Griffin, senior associate director of the Office of Admissions, the program allows prospective students to spend one night and two days at the University to get a flavor of campus life.

He also said about 70 percent of the students who participate in the overnight visit program eventually enroll at St. John’s.

“It gives us an opportunity to showcase what we have to offer,” Griffin said. “Admitted students who participate in the program are able to make more out of their visit.”

During last weekend’s visit, roughly 200 high school students shadowed the campus, Griffin said. On Sunday, shadows and hosts attended the University baseball game against Georgetown at Citi Field, followed by various

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KERI DODGE

The Office of Admissions is looking for more resident students to volunteer as hosts in its Overnight Visit Program The program allows high school students to get a taste of college life by following a St. John’s student around campus. mandatory programs organized by the Office of Admissions.

The Office of Admissions has been offering students who volunteer $20 gift certificates to the University bookstore.

Gabby McKenzie, a sophomore, said she decided to host a shadow last weekend after receiving the e-mail notifying her that she would be compensated.

“Textbooks are expensive,” she said. “The gift certificate definitely caught my eye and made me want to sign up.”

Initially, she said she was worried she would not be able

to finish her assignments for Monday or mingle with her friends, and that volunteering would be “taxing and exhausting.”

However, she found that her shadow also had homework to complete and they spent their Sunday evening studying biology and chemistry.

“She [the shadow] even asked me for help,” Mckenzie said. “I felt like I was hanging out with my regular group of friends.”

Clare Elmgren, a junior, said she enjoyed the hosting experience and wants to do

it again.

“I love St. John’s,” she said, “Hosting is a way for me to show other people to feel the same way.”

McKenzie said she would also host a shadow again.

“The program was really fun and the other events I went to were great,” she said.

Resident students who are interested in being a host can visit the admissions office with a copy of their class schedule and fill out an application.

Universities cut doctoral admissions RACHEL PLATIS Daily Texan (Via UWire) Despite an increased interest in higher eduction caused by the economic downturn, some colleges have announced plans to admit fewer Ph.D. students than they admitted last year.

Emory University announced a 40 percent cut in the number of incoming Ph.D. students it will admit this fall, while Columbia University has a similar plan to cut Ph.D. admissions by 10 percent.

Some departments at the University of South Carolina are considering a plan to only admit Ph.D. students every other year.

“Our departments have significant autonomy,” said Dale Moore, director of graduate admissions at U. South Carolina. “This decision applies to some departments so far, and the discussion is whether or not to expand it to the entire graduate institution.”

When budgets are tight, schools might be forced to cut back on Ph.D. admissions to cut costs, especially since many departments fully fund doctoral students, Moore said.

“Public institutions are especially affected since our money comes from state resources,” Moore said. “At South Carolina, we’ve seen a 17 percent budget cut. Departments that have had their budgets slashed are struggling to maintain consistent levels of admission and retention without reducing the amount of stipends given.”

While some departments are admitting the same number of Ph.D. students at lower funding levels, others are halting Ph.D. admissions because they can’t offer competitive funding packages.

“Some departments may offer stipends that include tuition, books and insurance, while other departments may not,” Moore said. “The College of Education may not receive as much funding as in research.

In those instances, those folks might be depending upon other sources of funding such as loans or grants, which in tough

economic times can be hard to receive.”

Applications to South Carolina are up 17 percent from last year, and applications to UT graduate programs are up by 12 percent.

“It’s anecdotal evidence that in bad economic times, we see an increase in applications,” said Pat Ellison, University of Texas associate director of admissions and assistant dean of the graduate school.

However, more applicants does not necessarily mean more students.

“In the past, increased applicants could translate into more students,” Moore said. “This economic downturn is unique because it’s affecting funding sources like stipends and fellowships, and some students depend on these sources.”

UT does not have any comprehensive policy regarding Ph.D. admissions, Ellison said.

“Over the past 20 years, the number of people admitted to the program has changed very little,” Ellison said. “How much money departments have impacts the number of students they can enroll.

Our numbers have been consistent.”

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TORCH GRAPHIC/ZACH DAVINO

The MTA’s new fare hikes will go into effect on May 31. Bus and subway fares will go from $2 to $2.50, while monthy MetroCards will increase from $81 to $103. Many St. John’s students who regularly use public transportation said they are upset with the new increase in prices.

Commuters unhappy with upcoming MTA hikes AMANDA MORALES Staff Writer

A history of MTA fare hikes Source: silive.com

New York City subway and bus line fares are $1.15.

Jan. 1, 1992

New York City subway and bus line fares are $1.25.

Nov. 12, 1995

New York City subway and bus line fares are $1.50.

July 4, 1997

Free transfers between buses and subways begin.

July 4, 1998

Unlimited-ride MetroCards are introduced and 30-day card costs $63.

May 4, 2003

Single-ride fare increases to $2 and 30-day MetroCards increase to $70.

Feb. 27, 2005

30-day MetroCards increase to $76.

Mar. 2, 2008

30-day MetroCards increase to $81.

Mar. 25, 2009

Subway and bus fares increase to $2.50 and 30day MetroCards increase to $103.

torchonline.com

Jan. 1, 1990

The TORCH

New York City subway and bus line fares are $1.

1 April 2009

Jan. 1, 1986

NEWS

Many St. John’s commuter students say they are worried about the MTA’s recently approved fare hikes. The price increases, which will go into effect May 31, will cause bus and subway fares to increase from $2 to $2.50. The price of monthly MetroCards will also increase from $81 to $103.

“The fare hike makes no sense to me,” said junior Leanda Taitt, a commuter student from Brooklyn.

“The monthly card is increasing by $22 and for many of us college students, that’s like food. The increase is just too much.”

The monthly MetroCard fare change is one of many changes the MTA voted on during last Wednesday’s final transit meeting. Their decision brings an end to the debate over how to handle the $1.2 billion budget deficit faced by the MTA. The MTA will change the one-day unlimited MetroCard from $7.50 to $9.50. A seven-day unlimited MetroCard will go from $25 to $31 and a 14-day unlimited MetroCard will go from $45 to $59. Cash tolls on major bridges and tunnels, as well as the LIRR, will also face increases.

Thirty-five bus routes will be eliminated, along with the W and Z subway lines. In addition, offpeak service will be reduced on subways, buses, and commuter rail lines, with many bus routes to be cancelled on weekends. The MTA also plans to lay off more than 1,000 transit employees in the next several months.

“I think it’s ludicrous that we will be paying more for less service, being that the train and bus lines will be cut,” said Nadia McDowell, a resident student who lives off campus and rides the bus and subway everyday. “Plus, the train is often filthy and trashed; sometimes you can’t even fit on the train because it’s so packed with people. Now they want to raise fares with no improvements to the already horrible service. It’s mind boggling.”

Rich Martinez, a St. John’s television center engineer, said he has not found anyone excited about the upcoming hikes.

“There is definitely a feeling of overall unhappiness about the MTA hike,” he said. “I mean cutting service, raising prices, where is the sense in that? The worst is that everyday you hear about

another business that mismanaged their money and are suffering. It makes me wonder what exactly the MTA has been doing with our money and if this increase could have been avoided.”

Many students said they are going to try to cut back on spending and save as much as possible when the fare increases take effect.

For McDowell, this means re-evaluating her spending habits and possibly leaving her job in Manhattan and trying to find something closer to Queens.

“I will definitely cut back on trips to hang out in the city with friends, limiting myself to just once a week or maybe not at all,” she said. “I think we all really have to start budgeting our money because many of us, including myself, have to choose between a meal or a MetroCard, and for me I’ll choose the meal.”

Some students said they hope St. John’s will offer some aid to the thousands of commuters who shuffle back and forth everyday on public transit.

“I would like to see St. John’s really try to help out commuters,” said Kevin Coltrinari, who commutes on the subway from Western Queens everyday.

“Maybe they can give a commuter credit towards tuition or something along those lines. Anything to help us out would be good.”

Another student suggested taking the shuttle service offered by St. John’s more frequently into Manhattan to save money.

Annie Poon, a senior and commuter said, “The fare increase is unfair, but there is nothing we can do about it. I say we print out a shuttle schedule and just ride the free shuttle to the city.”

Although St. John’s has no plans developed to ease the financial burden faced by both commuter and resident students, Dr. Jose Rodriguez, vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students in Student Life, said they would like to help if they can.

“The situation is so recent that we are really just learning about all the changes ourselves. We started preliminary discussions with the MTA about possible discounts for students just last week, but we don’t know anything yet,” he said. “Right now we are just trying to learn everything we can. But we understand the impact and hardship this will cause on everybody. We are still trying to see what can be done.”

TORCHCOMICS 1 April 2009

Controlled Chaos Catharine Corrigan

Short Shorts Tim Olwell

Ethel & Wilfred Christopher Lauto

I Can’t Draw Alex Reyes

8

Editorial Board LXXXVI GREGORY LEPORATI Editor-in-Chief

Illustrator’s Corner:

CHRISTINA HEISER Managing Editor EVERTON BAILEY News Editor PASQUALE PASSARELLA Editorial Page Editor

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

1 April 2009

EDITORIAL

MetroCard mission Two weeks ago, St. John’s held its annual “Commuter Appreciation Week.” It consisted of activities aimed specifically for the commuter student community to acknowledge that the school values their presence on campus and remembers that they make up a significant portion of the student population.

But in a few months, commuters whose schedules rely heavily upon their dependence on transportation may not be able to attend the events specifically planned for them.

The MTA has recently proposed the possibility of a fare hike, something that may be pricey for St. John’s commuter students. The expected increase would add at least 50 cents per ride making the journey to school that much more expensive.

For a student who has class on campus five days a week, the trip to and from campus would cost at least $5 a day, and $25 a week. This is a significant increase, one that would definitely have an effect on a commuter’s budget.

Many local high schools provide students with MetroCards for their daily commute. This is something St. John’s would do well to consider.

Providing MetroCards to students could be a good way for St. John’s to accommodate the fare hike and show commuters that they keep them in mind.

With the vast majority of the study body comprised of commuter students, considering their transportation needs may be a greater example of commuter appreciation than any week of events could provide.

Also, one of the biggest draws for students to live at St. John’s is the proximity to New York City. What good is this if traveling to the city becomes too expensive for residents to do on a regu-

lar basis? St. John’s mission should allow their students to enjoy the benefits of city life, and do everything it can to make that as affordable as possible.

This is not a new idea on campus.

During the recent Student Government debates there was a suggestion that the school could potentially subsidize student transportation expenses, specifically for purchasing MetroCards.

A recent student Facebook group confirms the campus support for such an idea. Since its creation last semester, the group, called “St. John’s Students Need MetroCards,” has gathered more than 1,000 members.

To their credit, University administrators have also acknowledged the issue of the rate hike and recently told The TORCH that they have thought about cutting a deal with the MTA to reduce prices for St. John’s students.

There are a number of other options the University could consider to help its students afford transportation. Firstly, they could use a portion of the Student Activity Fee to provide these MetroCards. Currently this fee is used by SGI to provide for various student needs, but what better way could there be to serve the students than to help provide transportation to campus?

Another way for the University to come up with these funds would be to simply extract them from students’ tuition bills.

If St. John’s wanted to find a way to prove its dedication to its students and its metropolitan mission as a whole, they shouldn’t miss this opportunity to accommodate students in these tough economic times.

By providing MetroCards to students the University could improve satisfaction of students currently attending St. John’s and encourage more students to go here.

torchonline.com

The TORCH

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

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

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

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

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

TORCH ILLUSTRATIONS/CHRISTOPHER LAUTO

9

A commencement wish list The five speakers I’d like to see at the 2009 graduation President Obama will be delivering the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame this May and, in the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that I am more than a bit jealous.

While seniors in South Bend, Indiana, will be treated to a speech from the leader of the free world and the country’s first black president, I will be in Queens listening to an as-of-yet unannounced commencement speaker.

From having spoken with representatives from St. John’s Media Relations, I’m fairly positive the University will have its own commencement speaker this year. It won’t be Obama, but it’ll at least be a somewhat high-profile name.

With that said, I’ve compiled a list of the top five individuals I’d like to see deliver St. John’s 2009 commencement address – the people I’d enjoy seeing who are actual realistic possibilities to give the all-important speech come graduation.

As much as I’d love to include some ludicrous choices on here, like Sarah Palin, Bob Dylan, or Conan O’Brien, I’ve limited my picks to individuals that might actually agree to a St. John’s invitation.

So, without further ado, here are my top choices for who I hope to see deliver the 2009 commencement address at St. John’s University: 1- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg: Let’s face it – Michael Bloomberg would be a perfect fit for St. John’s commencement. He often-

times gives keynote addresses at New York City graduations (Barnard last year, for example) and, what’s more, he has a healthy relationship with St. John’s.

In 2007, St. John’s joined with Mayor Bloomberg as part of his “PlaNYC Challenge” in an attempt to reduce the University’s carbon footprint.

SJU has continued to push its environmental awareness over the last few years and has been vocal in its adherence to Bloomberg’s policies. If St. John’s could land Bloomberg, it would secure itself a prominent speaker on par with those at other major NYC universities; it would also provide a fantastic and memorable experience for graduates and their parents.

2- Current Head of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano: Honestly, Napolitano has just the right amount of celebrity name recognition to make her a realistic possibility for commencement speaker. She’s not exactly a household name like Hillary Clinton

(who’s speaking at NYU this year), nor does she have the same type of political clout as Rahm Emmanuel (the George Washington University speaker).

But what Napolitano lacks in celebrity status, she makes up for in actual insight.

After all, she is an important member of President Obama’s cabinet, and only the third head of Homeland Security in our nation’s history. She’d be a fabulous speaker who could talk about what it’s like to serve on the Obama administration. Admittedly, she’s still a long shot, but I’d love to see Janet Napolitano speak at my graduation.

3- NBC News Anchor Brian Williams: Fordham got Tom Brokaw as its speaker, so why not go for his successor? Williams is a vocal Roman Catholic who was born in New York and tapes NBC Nightly News in Manhattan, making him a perfect fit for St. John’s. Before headlining NBC’s major news program, he served as the network’s chief White House correspondent, and his experience would lend itself to a terrific commencement address. Most importantly, he’s not currently booked to give a commencement address at any universities, so the chances of landing him might be pretty realistic.

4- Author Toni Morrison: This Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winning author is not entirely out of the question. She just recently released her latest novel – A Mercy – in late 2008 and, though she is 78 years old, I could see

her delivering an extremely inspiring address to the graduating seniors. Her novels, which deal largely with gender and race, make her one of the most important and studied contemporary authors, so her appearance at St. John’s University would be a very notable feather in the school’s proverbial cap.

5- New Yorker Editor-in-Chief David Remnick: Maybe it’s just the journalist in me, but landing a prestigious reporter the likes of Remnick would make St. John’s stand out amongst its peers.

He’s been editor of The New Yorker since 1998, was a Moscow correspondent for the Washington Post, and won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1993 book, Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire. He’s given commencement addresses in the past, and I’m sure he’d have a lot to say to the St. John’s graduates.

St. John’s Media Relations told me that they hope to make the official announcement of commencement speaker sometime in early April. When that announcement does come, I’m not sure if any of the people on my short list will be the chosen one, but I’ll continue to cross my fingers.

I’d still be jealous of Notre Dame, but at least St. John’s would have a big name for itself, and someone that students, and parents, could get excited about.

Gregory Leporati is a senior English major.

He can be reached at: torcheic@gmail.com

Resident mail room finds it hard to deliver on time BILL SAN ANTONIO Assistant Sports Editor

sources necessary to be as careful as possible in delivering timesensitive material? And why are other campus services equipped with entire offices while the mail room sits at the end of a dark hallway just outside the laundry room in Donovan Hall?

In order for anything to improve, the organization of the mailroom as a whole must be changed. The current setup in the mailroom is two industrial shelving units, a couple of desks, one computer, and countless bins filled sky-high with letters and packages.

In a personal experience, the student worker on duty could not even find the proper bin to begin his search. If the University cannot afford to provide a larger space for the service, then

STUDENTSPARKS

the workers have a tough task ahead of them to keep track of where to find all the mail.

The University’s Office of Residence Life also needs to do a better job of keeping the mailroom informed with the latest building rosters so that a student who moved from Donovan to Century can continue receiving mail without complications. Convergence is not necessarily a bad thing.

And if mail is still getting lost even though it is sorted twice a day, then twice a day might not be enough to ensure accurate delivery. The bins must be updated and sorted as often as possible.

Mailed information is important, and shouldn’t be treated like lost socks in the washing machine.

1 April 2009

ers on campus.

But the five workers that make up the mail staff are students. Can students trust other students handling each other’s mail? Students are stressed, even more so at work, and good intentions mixed with stress can turn into a time bomb of apathy and, in some cases, laziness.

Even if the current system of sort-deliver-sort ever became foolproof, an underlying problem exists. According to a mailroom employee, the mailroom does not have its own e-mail account with St. John’s University and is not always updated with current rosters of resident students.

How is the system supposed to be perfect if the department isn’t given the full range of re-

OP-ED

Like many of the services here at St. John’s, the University’s resident student mailroom is an imperfect one.

Students have complained that important letters and packages have been lost in the cramped space filled nearly to the ceiling with pieces of mail.

There are only so many hours in a day to sort through it all.

And they do sort through it all, twice a day in fact, according to mailroom employees. And mail even gets delivered daily, though students may not receive it in a timely enough fashion.

Therein lies the first prob-

lem. There are an overwhelming number of magazine subscriptions students receive through the mail, and many of them are sent on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that students receive those weekly magazines one week too late, once the published word has become old news and fresher events have taken place.

That problem only begins with magazine subscriptions.

Plenty of students at St. John’s are financially independent, paying their own bills. How does a student explain to a collector that they couldn’t pay for cell phone service last month because their bill was lost in the mail?

Rest assured the workers in the mailroom work just as hard as any of the other student work-

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Colin Powell. He’s a really good speaker. He’s one of the smartest people in the government.

Barack Obama because he’s motivating and he exhibits our Vincentian mission. He also inspires our generation.

Richie Benevent

Wale Akinjunmi

Marion Dela Pena

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Lou Carnesecca. He is very motivational.

The TORCH

Who would you like to see as the commencement speaker at graduation this year?

10

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/CHRISTOPHER LAUTO

To type or to write?

The debate over using laptops in the classroom

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The TORCH

1 April 2009

OP-ED

BRYAN BURTNER Staff Writer Forgive me if I’m too hard on the professors of this university.

Despite their dubious reputation for “making themselves scarce,” one that it seems they may never escape, I’ve found the great majority of them to be hard working, helpful and, on many occasions, downright friendly.

For these reasons and more, I’m usually a big proponent of giving them as much freedom as we can to have the final say on what happens within their classrooms. I’ll bet any day of the week that a teacher is more in touch with what is necessary in a learning environment than an administrator.

So please, believe me when I say that it really does pain me to say this, and excuse me for going ahead and saying it anyway: this is one time that the university needs to set a standard; it should prohibit laptop prohibition.

Don’t get me wrong; I can empathize with professors who loathe the idea of dazed students chatting and surfing while they attempt to lecture. But there’s a greater good to be served here. St. John’s prides itself on the way that it embraces the growing role of technology in education. It should not allow professors to stunt that growth.

Frankly, the inherent benefits in allowing personal computers in the classroom outweigh the detriments that come along with them, and professors should be able to accept as much. If they really value their students’ ability to absorb the material, they should realize that computerized note taking makes the process less painful and more helpful. If they yearn for classroom discourse, they should think about the value of having an infinite wealth of relevant information at the fingertips of students.

And if professors can’t find the merit in these tools, then the University should step in and point it out to them. The school spends too much time and money on its technological endeavors (and the promotion thereof) to let those tuitionsubsidized laptops sit idle and those campus-spanning wireless networks go unused in that most important arena of education: the classroom.

The drawbacks to bringing the World Wide Web into the classroom, most notably the temptation to be distracted by AIM, Yahoo! and Perez Hilton, are not so much the root of the problem as the symptoms of it. Again, I hate to say it, but students who spend their time in class playing online sudoku aren’t going to be any more engaged if they’re forced

into whiling away their class time without the aid of their laptops. Whether the problem here lies with the student, the material, or the way that it’s presented is conjecture, but the abolishment of the inclass computer is not the solution.

Again, I can see where professors are coming from when they ban laptops from their classes in the interest of an efficient learning space. I hope that they can similarly see where I’m coming from when I say that learning space is made most effective by allowing them.

For once, the guys in the ivory tower should dictate what goes on in the classroom, and for once, it would be for the benefit of those who are here to learn.

STEPHEN PINTO Staff Writer The St. John’s laptop program creates an academic problem. While it is great that all students are equipped with a new laptop and given access to one of the country’s largest campus Wi-Fi networks, are students really using these machines to get all they can out of their education?

Any student who has ever sat behind someone using their laptop in class knows the problem: too often it is not class work that is on the screen.

Certainly, the students have their

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/KATRIN ASTARITA

right to do what they want with the computers granted them (up to a certain point, as it is technically St. John’s property until graduation). But if it is interfering with their learning, and possibly detrimental to their grades, is it really in the University’s, and ultimately the students’, best interest to allow this freedom?

Of course the laptop program should not be discontinued. It is an excellent program that ensures all students are on equal footing, at least technologically.

At home or in the dorms, the laptop is invaluable for writing essays, researching topics, or even casual use like browsing the Internet and chatting with friends.

The problem comes when chatting with friends – or watching movies, or playing games – is happening in the classroom. Despite St. John’s giving out laptops, professors have every right to, and indeed they should, ask students to refrain from laptop use while in class in most situations.

Some students have good intentions, sure. Some will use only Microsoft Word and take notes for the entirety of the class. But conduct an informal poll amongst your friends: how many of them can resist the temptation to log onto AIM or check their Facebook page to pass the time during class?

Many students would argue that they could easily balance a conversation with a friend on AIM while taking down the class notes at the same time. While it is probably possible to do this, it is not so easy to have a conversation with a friend over the computer while engaged in a class discussion at the same time. Even if the computer does not prevent a student from taking notes, it does require them to divide their attention. And despite whatever people may say, education is the important part about college.

Perhaps in upper level courses, laptops are not such a problem. By the time a student is a senior, they should have their priorities in order enough to know whether or not they can afford to divide their attention in class or not. But for incoming freshmen, with a high school mindset, just coming into their new, “free” life, allowing computers in class is an invitation to distraction – especially in core classes that students may not find as important.

Until students are entrenched in their major, and have the tools to make a rational decision about whether they want to completely devote themselves to the subject, laptops should, at least, be frowned upon during class time. It is a university and education must be the first priority: a message we must be conveying to our freshmen.

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Get your money’s worth The modern college year should be made longer RACHEL DOLCE Staff Writer As college students attend their courses, there’s a very good chance that they never realize just how many days of classes there actually are in the semester. The college year can at times feel much shorter than the average high school year, but at other times, it seems to drag on endlessly.

Despite the large amount of tuition college students pay, the school year is very short, leaving some to wonder if a longer year and therefore faster graduation time would better serve students.

College students have off a little more than three months during the summer and more than a month during Christmas Break. This is not even counting the numerous holidays during the semester.

In the Fall 2008 Semester there were only 65 weekday classes and there are 64 weekday classes during the current Spring 2009 Semester.

These numbers, compared to the 10 months of classes college students had when they were in high school, are drastically different. With the high cost of tuition students are forced to pay for their college educations, it seems that they are not getting what they are paying for.

According to the St. John’s Web site, the “Undergraduate Tuition Academic Year” for 2008-2009 shows that the average amount of tuition students were required to pay, without any financial aid, was $28,000. A single room on campus is at most $4,800 per semester, which adds up to $9,600 per year.

With the expensive tuition students are paying to go to college, there should be more than just 65 days of classes in a semester. Yes, one of the great things about being in college is that the school year is shorter than it was in high school.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/CATHARINE CORRIGAN

This allows for students to have jobs during the school year, and time to catch up on their schoolwork, but there are some downsides to having such a smaller number of classes.

It is not easy to connect with students when you spend less than three months with them. Also, some students only have classes once or twice a week, so in reality they are spending thousands of dollars in tuition payments for classes that will meet less than 20 times in one semester.

The number of days off in one school

year does not even include the amount of times a professor may cancel class.

In some cases, a student can have many cancelled classes in one semester, cutting down the number of classroom meetings.

The average American works every weekday, with very few vacations, and most jobs require a person to have worked a number of years with the company before they can get weekends off. The large amount of spare time college students have may lead to a shock upon entering the workforce where the work hours may be more demanding.

For this reason, after graduation it may be an adjustment for college students to get into the normal routine of the American workforce after the limited amount of time spent in the classroom.

College is a time for students to find out what their interests are and to try and see what fields of study will best help them to find a job that involves these interests.

With the amount of time and money college students invest into their educations, shouldn’t they be attending more classes, taking less vacations, and therefore earning their degrees faster?

nies at the expense of the CStore seems unnecessary. The situation becomes even more baffling when you see other Montgoris employees at work early in the morning, yet the seat behind the C-Store’s cashier remains vacant.

Simply put, the importance of having the resource of a convenience store at convenient hours outweighs any reason for limiting its hours. A small shop of the C-Store’s size is not only easy to keep open an extra three hours in the morning, the task is also fairly miniature in comparison to the operation of Montgoris or the Library cafe – both of which seem to have little problem operating with early hours.

After all, what good is a convenience store in the first place if it fails to live up to its name?

It’s imperative that management realizes the issue with cutting C-

Store hours and that the significance of student convenience is not overlooked.

Those students who don’t see the implications of the C-Store’s new hours have to look at the situation in a broader spectrum and just imagine what’s next.

Students paying good money to live at a university should be well within their rights to purchase gummy bears for breakfast.

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find that most other big institutions such as Penn State University and the University of Miami have on-campus resources that run 24 hours for their students’ daily needs.

With St. John’s pushing their resident image and well over three thousand kids currently living on campus, wouldn’t that be a rational reason to maintain the morning C-Store hours?

In order for students to accept this decision, they must be formally presented with a clear and thorough explanation of why it was made. There is no reason why a school that has enough capital to build a new University Center and renovate Carnesecca Arena can’t keep the Hungry Johnnie C-Store open with longer hours.

While the need to save money in this recession economy is important, pinching pen-

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Imagine waking up 40 minutes late on a Wednesday after hitting the snooze button one time too many and darting to the bathroom to get ready for your 9:00 a.m. class only to find that your pesky, “always-squeezes-the-tube-from-the-middle” roommate finished what was left of your toothpaste.

Normally you would just sprint to the C-Store and grab a new roll of toothpaste. However, as of this semester, the C-Store opens at noon every day. So what’s a student in a bind left to do?

It doesn’t seem rational from the student’s point-of-view to delay the store’s opening until 12 p.m. After the millions of dollars the school has grossed over

the past several years from their expensive tuition, one may think they could afford to have the lights on for another few additional hours and pay some lucky sophomore the seven dollars and fifty cents an hour in work-study money so they can keep the store operating through the morning.

Unfortunately, with the recent closure of Thriftway Pharmacy, students now rely more heavily on the C-Store as a nearby source for quick purchases and various food options.

Due to these new circumstances and the shortened CStore hours, it’s hard to pick up a drink before that early morning class or stop in for that emergency toiletry.

Initially, you might not see the C-store opening up at 12 as a big deal, but if you do a good 1015 minutes of observational research you would be outraged to

1 April 2009

GREGORY CALVAIRE Staff Writer

OP-ED

C-Store could be more convenient

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ENTERTAINMENT

1 April 2009

The TORCH

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Music for the Sake of Music

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WHILE IT DOESN’T PROMISE ANY HIT SINGLES, THE DECEMBERISTS NEW ALBUM IS WORTH A LISTEN STEPHEN PINTO Staff Writer

I

t’s about the romance of a young girl and a shapeshifting woods-dweller, forced apart by the jealous Queen of the forest and her minion, a child-murdering rogue.

If you are familiar with The Decemberists, then that sentence will come as no surprise to you. If it does, you have some catching up do. The Hazards of Love is the band’s fifth full-length album and they have once again produced a work so unique, even long-time fans may be surprised.

The album is as much the telling of a folk tale as it is the performing of music. Both the lyrics and the music tell the story of Margaret and William. The lyrics separated from the music could themselves stand as a play. Listeners can treat themselves to a favor by following along with the words in the booklet and jumping into this fantastical story. The album immerses the listener in its world, exactly as if it were a film or book.

The music always perfectly parallels with what is happening in the story. The lazy and dreamy tone of “Isn’t It A Lovely Night?” scores the budding romance in the forest.

In the very next track, The Decemberists show their range and belt out “The Wanting Comes in Waves.” The lines of the angry and jealous queen of the forest are accompanied by a distinctive guitar riff and heavy drum, as she demands of William: “This is how I am repaid?”

The story moves forward through 17 tracks, including the fittingly creepy sound of “The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)” wherein the rogue’s murdered children come back to haunt him. The album ends with the typically wistful and heart-breaking finale, “The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned).”

To speak of individual tracks, though, is misleading.

Indeed, you would be hard-pressed to pick out where one song ends and another begins. After their commercially successful and universally well-liked The Crane Wife in 2006, The Decemberists could have went the safe route and followed its formula. But they broke the mold once again and made an album that feels and sounds more like one, continuous hour-long epic. Like their 2004 EP, The Tain, this album is meant to be listened to as a whole, from start to finish.

There will be no hit singles, but those that put in the time to listen to the entirety of the album will no doubt be pleased. Once again, The Decemberists have taken their chances and succeeded. The album offers a unique experience to both long-time fans and first-time listeners.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEDECEMBERISTS.INFO

PHOTO COURTESY OF SWEETPETE.WORDPRESS.COM

Going Back to the Basics THE CHAPPELL PLAYERS INVITE THE AUDIENCE ON THE STAGE FOR THEIR LATEST PERFORMANCE SAMANTHA DELISO Contributing Writer

1 April 2009

lowed for a limited amount of people, and sometimes a limited view, the black box style was one that really added to the overall experience. Without the distraction of lavish costumes and complicated sets, the audience could give all their attention to Wilde’s sophisticated language and the performers’ portrayals of his characters.

What was most impressive about the production as a whole was the cast. Every character – major and minor – had the audience laughing. The acting chemistry between the two male leads was particularly enjoyable.

Plokhoy’s seriously honest Jack paired with Pedane’s happy-go-lucky Algernon never failed to keep the audience laughing, even when they weren’t exchanging lines. The same could easily be said between the two female leads; when swiftly going from friends to enemies to sisters, Hackett and Morgan were skillful in portraying their drolly fluctuating relationship.

While the Chappell Players have yet to have an unentertaining production this season, “The Importance of Being Earnest” allowed for an enjoyable return to the basic elements of theatre: the writing and the performers.

ENTERTAINMENT

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any students at St. John’s are used to descending the steps that lead into the Little Theater. But the latest Chappell Players’ production gave audience members a chance to climb a new set of steps: those leading up to the stage.

Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” was performed March 26 through 28 at the Little Theater. A three-act play with a small, but colorful, cast, the playbill hails it as a “trivial comedy for serious people.” Jack Worthing (played by Keith Plokhoy) is a man that goes by Jack in the country, but Earnest in town.

When his friend Algernon Moncrieff (Taylor Pedane) forces the truth out of him, Jack finally admits that not

only does he have a different name in the country, but a whole different life, including a young ward named Cecily (Katie Morgan). While those in the country believe he has a troublesome younger brother named Earnest, the truth is that Earnest is not real; Jack simply pretends to be Earnest while he is in town.

After proposing to Gwendolyn Fairfax (Jessikah Hackett) the daughter of the intimidating Lady Bracknell (Sarah Derene) – Jack plans to kill off his fake brother.

But before he can, Algernon takes it upon himself to pose as the infamous Earnest and meet Cecily. What ensues is comedy at its finest: a mistaking of identities, an unraveling of the past and a catfight between two ladies determined to love a man named Earnest.

Directed by senior Bridget McNeeley, the production utilized a black box theater style that favored simplistic sets and costuming. Upon descending into the Little Theater, audience members were directed down the right aisle and up the steps onto the stage. The screen typically used for movie showings was pulled down to enclose the theatrical space. Though the arrangement of seats al-

The TORCH

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMILIA WARREN

Real Life on the Screen

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SUPERBAD DIRECTOR PUTS HIS EXPERIENCES ON DISPLAY IN HIS LATEST OFFBEAT COMEDY LIZ WALSH Staff Writer

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taff writer Liz Walsh attended a round-table interview with director Greg Mottola and actress Margarita Levieva of the new movie Adventureland.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLIDER.COM

Ryan Reynolds portrays musician/handyman Mike Connell who is an alternative love interest for Kristen Stewart’s character.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEFILMNEST.COM

Martin Starr (left) and Jesse Eisenberg (right) play Adventureland park employees.

ENTERTAINMENT 1 April 2009 The TORCH

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWYORK.DECIDES.COM

Director Greg Mottola (left) speaks with Jesse Eisenberg (right) on the set of Adventureland.

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So, Greg, we know that a lot of this is semi-autobiographical. What didn’t make it in that you did experience while working at Adventureland?

Greg Mottola: The only story I can remember that didn’t make it in was the day that Brian Sezter from the Stray Cats came in with his super cool girlfriend and a bunch of friends. They played the clown game, the squirt gun clown balloon game, and she won. The prize was a banana with eyes, which I put in the movie, and I just remember feeling really pathetic because she was like “No, give me the bulldog,” and I was under strict orders that if I gave the wrong prize out I would be fired on the spot. I was so desperate.

So other than that, everything else was factual in the film?

Mottola: Everything else happened. No, there weren’t quite as many beautiful women in the park as there are in the movie but, you know, artistic license.

Do Lisa P. and Emily really exist or are they symbolic characters?

Mottola: No, they existed. Certainly with Kristen’s character; she is a composite of some of my early relationships and remembering what it’s like to go from being just infatuated with women and then scared away when they reveal themselves as genuinely real human beings with problems as complications and then finally realizing “oh no, that’s what love is.” You actually withstand that: you love them for their flaws and for what’s great about them.

There are some complicated young women I fell in love with in my twenties that are squashed together in that character.

What did the director have to teach you about in terms of the times, or what is it that you learned about the times?

Margarita Levieva: I got to watch a lot of videos of people dancing in funny clothes. The nails are certainly a fun aspect that I learned. I never had nails that long or that pink in my life. I mean, all the stuff.

I feel very privileged because I feel like Lisa P. was one of the characters that really got to embody the times so the hair, the makeup, the clothes… I basically said to the wardrobe people ‘I put my hands up, whatever you guys think is right I’m willing to do’ so that’s the hot pink, leopard tights and the big shoulders, the turquoise dress. I mean, it was amazing. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know, I get to go back to the ‘80s which is what I never got to do myself.

How did the role come to you? Did you audition?

Levieva: I did. Greg and I had a meeting and I, funny enough, didn’t think I was that right for the part because I don’t find myself that hot. I mean, it’s just that scene when Lisa P. comes out and the boys are running through the park like “Lisa P.’s back!

Lisa P.’s back!” and I just didn’t see myself as that girl. Greg did and asked me to audition for it. I did and as I was auditioning I really fell in love with her, you know, and something started coming out that wasn’t mine and it was a lot of fun.

Mottola: Yeah, Margarita really threw herself into it in a way that was not condescending to the character. The character is silly on some level. I did know sort of these princess-y women from Long Island where I grew up who were flaunting their sexuality in a way that was kind of based on what they were picking up from the culture. There was a disconnect, maybe, between their life experiences and how they presented themselves to the world. Margarita really threw herself into trying to get inside that person without just making her completely a punch line. She researched all these music videos from the time and learned all these dance steps and took all that stuff very seriously.

What are the challenges of shooting in a real amusement park? Did you take advantage of going on their rides?

Levieva: I didn’t get to go on any rides Mottola: You didn’t go on any? I went on rides.

What park was it?

Mottola: Kennywood in Pittsburgh. It’s one of the few parks that is on the National Historic so it hasn’t changed much. Every other park we’ve researched has been bought up by some corporation as part of a chain now. To make it look like the ‘80s would have been almost impossible anywhere else.

This place we could sort of build on.

Jesse Eisenberg seems to possess a very pure, innocent quality even though he’s in his mid 20’s right now. So, could you talk about casting him?

Mottola: My only hesitation with Jesse was that I had liked him so much in The Squid and the Whale, and there was some overlaps with the characters he played that I didn’t want to beg comparisons between the films. I didn’t want to be the movie that wasn’t as good. Then I sat down and met with him and I just thought “there’s no one else who I’ve met that I like as much for this part.” Jesse is very neurotic. He’s very innocent, very sweet, he has all those yearning qualities the character needed.

How did you conceptually and professionally make the decisions that you made? People are invariably going to say “Why can’t it be more crazy like Superbad?” because it’s from the director of Superbad.

Mottola: I think my first feeling was to make a messy relationship story about young people. Sort of secondary to that was to make a story about life in the suburbs and middle-class life at a certain time and place. I feel like a lot of movies about middleclass suburban life in the mainstream version, the Hollywood version, can be great but they just sweep the ugly stuff under the rug. Then there’s sort of an indie version that I feel has been done a little bit too much. I wanted to try and catch something nuanced.

I wanted to try and show people that their behavior is constantly changing based on the people around them. Jesse’s character is surrounded by people who are stuck. He has no role model. No one is really helping him out and he’s very naïve and ill-equipped for life. What do you do? You’ve got to find it somewhere. You’ve got to find it in yourself, theoretically, and that that to me is a small drama but it’s a kind of drama.

What was the evolution of Bill Hader’s moustache? It looks like it had a life of its own.

Mottola: Bill Hader’s moustache had its own trailer, actually. It was the most difficult person on the set. The problem with working with Bill Hader is, because he’s on SNL, you can never do anything to his hair or face. He can’t grow a beard. You can’t cut his hair. When we did Superbad, SNL made us sign a contract saying that we will not go near his hair with scissors so you can’t do anything to his look except comb it. We wanted him to have a moustache. We wanted a big bushy Tom Selleck moustache, though on Bill Hader it takes on a different quality. He looks like he’s going to do a root beer commercial and the first day he wore it we thought “Oh, that looks ridiculous. We can’t do that,” but he just loved it so much and I liked it too much.

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A Freaky Festival TROMADANCE KEEPS ZANY INDEPENDENT FILMS ALIVE DANE ROBINSON Staff Writer

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ndependent films are slowly disappearing from our world at rapid speeds. Many of the studios that release autonomous films cannot afford to stay open long enough to make a name for themselves, often because of the subject nature of their films or simply because they don’t get any mainstream promotion and rely solely on word of mouth and their fans. However, one of these studios is breaking out of that mold. Troma is a film studio that has been producing and distributing independent films for more than 35 years. Not only have they made these kinds of films popular, but have also done extremely important things for

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The TORCH

1 April 2009

ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTO COURTESY OF DA.WVU.EDU

Lloyd Kaufman dresses up in the costume pieces from Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2005).

independent art as a whole. A little gem called The Toxic Avenger in 1984 skyrocketed Troma to the top of the independent world, even receiving some mainstream attention.

Troma President Lloyd Kaufman has been working in independent films for the last 35 years as a director, actor, writer and producer. Even after being internationally blacklisted due to the nature of the films, Kaufman still reaches out to filmmakers and actors to help get their movies noticed and distributed. That is where the TromaDance Film Festival comes in.

TromaDance is the first film festival devoted solely to the makers of the films and the fans of those movies. Unlike the other film festivals, there is no fee to submit the films, enter the festival, or to get in to the screenings. There are also no VIP reservations or special treatment for anyone. There are no special parties of any type. All of the work done to organize the festival, workers, and the venues that screen the films is strictly voluntary.

“I got the idea for this when Trey Parker, one of the creators of South Park, wanted to get his film Cannibal! The Musical seen at the Sundance Film Festival. They realized there was a huge fee to submit the film, but then shelled out the money. Afterward their film was panned before viewing,” said Kaufman. “I then got the idea to start a film festival where there was no charge, no panels, no VIP, and no special treatment, so that everyone could get their art out there.” TromaDance is held every year on the same weekend as the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah at venues like Brewvies Cinema Pub, Salt Lake City Library, and The Sidecar.

The feature films at TromaDance are all films that are made independently, usually without big budgets or stars. They are not affiliated with the Hollywood studio system. TromaDance is an opportunity for anyone who’s ever picked up a camera to have their work seen without the “compromises required by the elitist cartel interference.” This is truly the first and only festival of the people, for the people, and by the people.

Lloyd and the numerous volunteers that organize the festival feel that films are meant to be seen, especially when it comes to new filmmakers. Art is for the people, no matter which form it’s in. Troma also distributes a DVD compilation of some of the selections and winners of the festival. Their most recent is “TromaDance Vol.5.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF SLASHFILM.COM

Head of Troma Studios, Lloyd Kaufman (right) poses with Mitch Cohen from the 1984 film The Toxic Avenger.

Eating for Two INFERNO EXPLORES A FEW OF THE ROMANTIC RESTAURANTS IN NEW YORK

K

eeping a romantic relationship interesting is never an easy task. But this task is made even more difficult, if, like me, you don’t have a steady source of income with which to spoil your signifi-

cant other.

In today’s age, most girls and guys usually split the bill when they date, or at least they do this after the first few dates. However, when neither of you have paying jobs, even splitting the bill may seem daunting. Fortunately, there are many cheap, fun date options out there in Manhattan. And when it comes to dating, dinner is a pretty safe bet, since there are a number of places where you can satisfy your craving while not wiping out your banking account.

A great place to take a new guy is Pommes Frites, located at 123 2nd Avenue, right off of St. Mark’s Place in the East Village. This tiny hole-inthe-wall only serves French fries. While this might sound odd at first, once you try the fries, you’ll understand why there’s always a line out the door.

These aren’t your ordinary fries. The Belgian fries are fresh, crispy and fried to perfection. There are 25 different dipping sauces to choose from, the most popular being “Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo.” You might not be able to fathom the idea of placing something mango-flavored on your fries, but this sauce offers a surprisingly tangy contrast to the saltiness of the fries. A small order costs $4.50; you get one free sauce and each additional sauce is $0.75. In addition to being able to share your food, the small, intimate interior makes Pommes Frites a notable date spot as well. There are only a handful of tiny wooden tables, making it inevitable that you and your cutie must sit close to each other.

For a more adventurous meal, dine at one of the four locations of The Hummus Place. One of the nicer locations is in the West Village, located at 71 7th Avenue South, at Bleeker Street. While there, each of you should get your own order of hummus, a popular Middle Eastern dip made from crushed chickpeas containing tahini, olive oil and various spices ($5.95 per order). The order of hummus here is quite large and will definitely fill you up. You also get an order of toasted pita bread to dip in the hummus. Make sure to add a few side dishes to share, too. The falefel ($3.50), a spiced dish made from chickpeas, is definitely worth checking out.

If you’re still not full, all you have to do is look next door for dessert: L’arte del Gelato serves up some of the best ice cream in the city. The staff is super friendly and will let you sample any flavor before purchasing. You can also choose to have two flavors per order, so you and your date can each choose the flavor you want and share.

While these are only two cheap date options, there are many other places out there. But wherever you decide to dine, don’t be afraid to break out of your comfort zone. Not only will you get to try some delicious cuisine, you may just win the affections of your new sweetheart with your extensive culinary knowledge.

iPhone Going Higher Tech

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RECENTLY RELEASED UPDATES FOR THE IPHONE GIVE VE USERS EVEN MORE OPTIONS THAN BEFORE Landscape Keyboard: Like ike flipping your phone on its side de to type? Apple has expanded ed the feature to texting, emailing ng and notes.

ALEX QUEVEDO Staff Writer

S

ure, March 17 was St. Patrick’s Day, but it was also a big day for Apple and the iPhone. Yes, the date was significant in that Apple was going to announce a major software upgrade for the iPhone, dubbed iPhone OS 3.0. Tech junkies across the Internet came up with multiple theories about what updates Apple was going to release for thephone. And after all the clamor for MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), copy and paste and other features, these are some of the major features iPhone owners will get this summer:

Copy and Paste: Ah, a wish granted for iPhone owners. This is a feature that other phones have had for a while now, so it was almost a must for the iPhone. Double-tapping over text will bring up the copy and paste bubble, and double tapping again elsewhere will bring up a paste option. Photos will also be able to be copied and pasted.

3G Tethering: Those with the 3G iPhone will be able to connect to your laptop to use the phone as a modem. Expect more charges for that, though nothing has been said so far.

MMS: No more having to log into viewmymessage. com to access multimedia being sent to you. Now you can receive and send content such as pictures and sound (nothing yet on video) to other enabled phones. That is, you can do it without having to go through e-mail.

movi movies, shows, music, Web sites and app applications.

S Search: Searching has bee been improved in two areas.

First, Spotlight, which alFir low lows you to search for inform mation on the entire phone, so long as it supports Spotlig light. Second, Search-In for m mail, calendar and iPod.

Auto Log-In: A small yet convenient feature for your our Wi-Fi and Safari. If you ou are signed up with a Wi-Fi -Fi hotspot, your log-in can be remembered. Also, you ou can set any log-in credenentials to sign you into Web sites automatically in Safari.

Send/Receive Files: es: A new application on straight from Apple, le, allowing you to send nd files between iPhones nes and iPod touches.

Voice Memo: mo: Another new Apple ple app. It is a little too self explanatory… …

P ro t e c t i o n : Safari will be boosted with Anti-Phishing abilities to keep out the bad stuff. Parent Controls are now extended to

PHOT O CO URTE SY OF

SWIS SCOM .COM

Those are highlights of A Apple’s official updates. There will also be thousands of new w third-party th (non-Apple) appliccations that will be supported bby the update. One of the nicer applications a is a peripheral contr trol, which allows your phone to ccontrol your accessories, such as a speaker. Turn-by-turn directions aand push notifications will also be ssupported. Push notifications will aautomatically alert you to a new m message from an application, even if it isn’t running.

Some of these updates can already bbe enabled in beta format, if you are w willing to go through beta testing. Those w with first generation iPhones will not be ab able to download all of the features, but th those with 3Gs will. The update will be fre free of charge for iPhone users, and $9.95 fo for iPod Touch owners. The update is avaliab able this summer.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame GAMERS GET THE CHANCE TO PLAY THEIR FAVORITE MOVIE CHARACTERS IN VIDEO GAME FORM CHRISTOPHER OTIS Staff Writer

1 April 2009

PHOTO COURTESY OF PS3.COMBO.COM

torchonline.com

equivalent of the third movie, as the Ghosbusters fend off an invasion from the spirit world.

Add on completely destructible environments, multiple types of attack variations for the proton pack and slime cannon, and dozens of ghost types ranging from the lovable slimer to the menacing Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and it’s safe to say our old friends from the ‘80s are back to clean up the town.

The TORCH

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATARI.COM

ic eye shine to see in the dark, his brutal close-combat techniques to take down foes unlucky enough to let you get behind them, as well as his dry sense of humor to navigate simple conversation branches that further develop the back-story of everyone’s favorite goggle-wearing, bald-headed, escaped convict.

Many of the G h o s t b u s t e r ’s early video game installments are known more for being clunky messes than anything else. However, this new early summer release promises to go way beyond expectations. Set three years after the second movie, Egon and Ray are looking for a new recruit to test out a newly-invented and unpredictable proton pack in a still very haunted yet very pro-paranormal investigator New York City.

Lucky for all those who “ain’t afraid of no ghosts,” that guy is you. Voiced by all of the original cast and penned by the series creators Dan Akyroyd and Harold Ramis, this game is being considered the

ENTERTAINMENT

M

any factors contribute to the success or failure of a video game. However, it seems like the ultimate kiss of death has always been when a game ties itself into a movie license. It’s been this way ever since E.T. the video game came out for the Atari 2600. Very few games are able to rise

above that dark tradition, the most famous being Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64.

Two upcoming games that also hope to break that trend are The Chronicles of Riddick: Attack on Dark Athena and Ghostbusters the Video Game. Both published by Atari, the huge difference that these games tout from their predecessors is that instead of trying to recreate the stories of their source material, they are trying to work around them. Each game takes place in separate chapters of each game’s respective canon storylines, allowing them to keep a deep connection to the movies without completely restricting them to what can or can’t happen in the plot. While this in itself has not always been a constant nest of golden eggs, it has allowed each development team to go in interesting directions.

Riddick’s first entry into the digital world, Escape from Butcher Bay for the original XBox, was a rare gem for the console. It combined elements from firstperson shooters, brawlers, stealth games, and even role playing games into a cohesive and empowering experience.

Living out the infamous prison breakout of Vin Diesel’s deep voiced alter-ego was a downright intoxicating experience as the vicious murderer showed us the difference between hiding in the shadows and lurking in them. All for the price of one in Dark Athena, the developers are including an entirely reworked Butcher Bay as well as an entirely new sequel (literally taking place a few hours after the first game’s conclusion as Riddick is captured by a mercenary vessel looking to turn him into a mindless drone). When it’s released at the beginning of April, gamers can look forward to using Riddick’s icon-

20

Features

Think Outside...

4

Section

Campus Spotlight Greek Life

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY PELKOWSKI

torchonline.com

The TORCH

1 April 2009

FEATURES

Students from Greek Life dedicated their spring break to Give Kids the World, an organization offering children and their families a place to stay in Orlando, Florida. Students who participated in the program were involved in many rewarding activites that left an impact on their lives.

Giving back on break ANN MARIE MASCIOLI Staff Writer

Spring break took on a new meaning for the St. John’s Greek community this year when members of various organizations participated in a service program in Florida called Give Kids the World.

Twelve students from the Queens and Staten Island campuses from organizations including Theta Phi Alpha, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Phi Beta, Delta Epsilon Beta, and Delta Kappa Delta attended the program, which provided help to a village that caters to sick children.

The Give Kids the World Village is located in Orlando, Florida. Each year, the 70-acre non-profit resort provides activity-filled, weeklong vacations for thousands of ailing children and their families.

Give Kids the World was founded in 1986, and the Give Kids the World Village opened in 1989. Give Kids the World, founded by hotel owner and philanthropist Henri Landwirth, serves more than 6,500 families a year.

Each week more than 1,200 volunteer shifts are filled to help families experience their memorable vacations. Some of the activities the students participated in included building and painting a fence, taking pictures of kids with their favorite Disney characters, working in the kitchens, working at the “spa” giving the little girls manicures, running rides and activities for the kids, and dressing up and staging Christmas for the kids every week. They worked full days in shifts from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Although this was community service, the students

didn’t feel that way because they had so much fun. Mary Scanlon, a member of Gamma Phi Beta, said she felt that the service was rewarding.

“What we did was much better and more rewarding than any other spring break,” said Scanlon.

“I wish everybody could do it, I never wanted to leave. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you took your time to help others and made their time at the village better.”

Another student explained how she felt the village was beneficial to children and their families.

“All their pain and trouble is taken away at the village,” said Samantha Polanzi, a member of Kappa Phi Beta.

Alysha Velez, a member of Theta Phi Alpha, felt that the children were not the only ones being rewarded.

“It was the most amazing spring break I have ever had,” she said.

“I felt like a kid again. Going in I thought it would be really depressing but it was such a happy environment.

It was life changing.”

Mary Pelkowski, director of Leadership Development, explained how this trip strengthened the bonds between students.

“This trip is to find a way to bring the Greeks together in a common bond and purpose,” she said.

With so much time during the day allotted for work there was very little downtime for the students.

However, they made time every night for a reflection, where they discussed everything they were doing and how they were feeling.

“There was never enough time to talk,” said Pelkowski.

The students were chosen from a very large group of interested students. Faculty picked six students from each campus to go. Other schools who volunteered at the village are Clemson University, Clayton University, Vanderbilt University, and DePaul University. St. John’s has gone to the village for three years now and has tried to make a difference there beyond their spring breaks.

All of the proceeds from Lip Synch, a Greek Week activity, will go to the village. This is extremely helpful since the village works on donations only so the families can attend free of charge.

The program serves as a branching tool that brings the organizations closer together. This program in particular served as a Greek Life bonding experience.

The common feeling among the volunteers was that it was quite a spring break to remember.

“It’s a life-changing experience to make a child smile and laugh,” said Pelkowski.

“It’s truly Vincentian. It’s what Vincent would want us to do: help the children.”

Know a student or faculty member who should be spotlighted in The TORCH? Email us at torchfeatures@gmail.com

21

Taking care of business New York Times columist Joe Nocera shares insight on economy CHRISTINA HEISER AND EVERTON BAILEY Joe Nocera, a business columnist who has been at The New York Times for the last four years, sat down with the TORCH on Tuesday, March 31 to talk about the financial crisis. He shared his insights into how the current state of the economy is affecting college students and private universities, and how the Obama administration is handling college education. He also spoke about the future of print journalism. Nocera has also written for Fortune Magazine, and GQ Magazine.

1 April 2009 The TORCH

torchonline.com

Right now, they’re pretty onerous, especially the private student loan programs with the high interest rates, and they last forever and you can’t get out of them even in bankruptcy.

There’s a lot of talk about those programs being unfair, and Sallie Mae needed to do something to make Sallie Mae a little bit more on the side of the students and a little bit less on the side of themselves.

I don’t think you’ll see this right away, but I believe there are enough Democrats who care about the student loan program that I think it is definitely within the realm of possibility that they could tackle student loans.

You mentioned during your lecture that you felt the recession might last for another year or year and a half.

Nocera: I don’t really know. That’s hopeful. 2009 will be tough, but maybe a year from now we’ll start to get out of it.

But, you know, a lot depends on government response, a lot depends on whether consumers get their confidence back and whether the country gets its confidence back and its financial system.

And a lot depends on whether the things the government is doing now to improve or eliminate the crisis are going to work, and we don’t know. We just don’t know.

If you read about the Great Depression, you sort of realize that in 1932, the world was very much like it is right now. Things were bad, but you could sort of see it could go either way, and it went worse.

Instead of making the right policy actions, we made the wrong ones.

And part of the problem is you don’t know what the right policy actions are until after the fact.

You mentioned during the lecture that everyone at The New York Times recently received a five-percent pay cut. Do you foresee any more cutbacks in the future?

Nocera: I hope not. We had layoffs last year and we had the five-percent cut this year. The Times, like every other institution is sensistive to the economy.

So the problems of the newspaper business are made worse by the fact that we’re in this economic crisis.

The Times is trying to hold on to get through this crisis just like every other company, and they have said that they hope there won’t be layoffs this year.

And then we’ll see where we are next year and see where the crisis is. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope things get better.

Many people feel that newspapers may become obsolete in the next few years. You mentioned in your lecture that you don’t feel that’s true. Any reasons why?

I think people are still going to have a hunger for news. The problem is, how do you define newspaper?

If you define it as this paper product, then yeah, most of those are going to go away.

That form that worked so well for a long time doesn’t work so well anymore because we have the Internet and people have different reading habits.

But the idea that newspapers are going to vanish seems wrong to me because people are still going to have a need for news, and a desire for news.

If you look at The New York Times’ Web site, it’s really a phenomenal resource, with lots more stuff than just the newspaper.

And, I think we’ll gravitate to a world where most newspapering takes place online.

Based on the reports that you’ve done and the people you’ve talked to, what is your best guess as to how the state of the economy is going to change within the next year?

I just don’t know. I think journalism is at its best when it’s looking backwards, not when it’s looking forward.

So, predicting is not something we’re very good at, and I can find as many smart people saying we’re going to wind up in a depression as I can find people saying we’re going to pull out of it at the end of the year.

FEATURES

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Joe Nocera spoke about the state of the economy and his experience in business journalism.

TORCH: During your time at The New York Times, what has been your favorite event to cover?

Nocera: I have the most fun when I take on someone who people think is untouchable. I like challenging the reader. Anytime I write about consumer electronics, I get tons of mail.

Is there any experience in your career that stands out most?

Texas Monthly is where I learned how to be a business journalist. I was assigned a story about T. Boone Pickens Jr. who was a Texas oil man.

While I was working on the story he did a hostile take over; one of the first in the country, actually. And we knew each other well enough that he invited me to New York to come watch him do it and it was an amazing experience.

And that’s what got me hooked on business journalism; my first story at the Texas Monthly. I’ve been hooked on it ever since. Out of all the places I’ve worked, that had the most impact.

What advice do you have for seniors?

Be humble. You’re not going to walk into a highpowered job because we’re in a kind of time that those jobs don’t exist.

I graduated during an economic crisis—in 1974, there was a recession, which at the time was called the worst recession since the Great Depression. And it took me a long time to get a job, and my first job was as a secretary. And that’s fine.

At least I was in the news business and I was working for somebody who could teach me things, and I was his assistant.

But I also tried to write on the side and tried to do things to kind of further my career and get clips out there. So, I would say number one is be humble.

If you step into a job right after you graduate, you’re really lucky because a lot of people aren’t going to do that. That doesn’t mean you’re bad or that you’re unqualified or that it’s not going to happen for you, it’s just in times like this, jobs are scarce. And that’s kind of what you have to brace yourself for.

TORCH: Have you seen any jobs that haven’t been hit as hardly as others?

Nocera: Lawyers. People are suing each other; there are a lot of lawsuits in an economic crisis, I’ve discovered. But in most other spheres of life, society is cutting back.

So if you’re a consumer goods company, fewer people. Journalism, fewer people.

Anything people buy, if they’re buying less of it, then that’s going to mean layoffs.

The truth is, what’s good for you guys, if they’re laying off high-priced talent, eventually when it comes time to hire again, they’re going to start with kids, who don’t cost as much.

So, I guess the Internet business is growing too, but a lot of that, especially on the East Coast, pays so little.

How do you feel private universities such as St. John’s are going to have to adapt in today’s economic times?

Well, maybe tuition will stop going up. I mean, universities have been on this rate race for 20 years of ever-escalating tuition, like an arms race kind of thing.

It might not be such a bad thing if that ends, or at least dies down a little bit.

Universities are going to have to tighten their belts, just like everybody else.

Endowments have gotten crushed in this crisis and a lot of parents can’t pay what they used to be able to pay.

Construction may be put on hold. The crisis is going to affect universities the way it’s going to affect everybody else.

Is the Obama administration doing anything to make college more affordable?

Nocera: I think there’s a high likelihood, although it’s not at the top of the agenda, that eventually they’ll tackle the student loan programs and try and make them a little better for students.

22

Magic cookie bars PASQUALE PASSARELLA Editorial Page Editor

Chocolate. Butterscotch. Coconut. If there’s a better way to start a dessert recipe, I certainly don’t know it. Combine them with sweetened condensed milk and a baked graham cracker crust, and you have yourself something special.

These six ingredients, which can all be found at a local grocery store, won’t be too heavy a drain on our woefully underfed college bank accounts, either.

Perhaps the best part of these cookie What You’ll Need: -3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips -3/4 cup butterscotch chips -1 1/2 cups shredded coconut -1 1/2 cups graham crackers, crushed -1/2 cup butter, melted -1 1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk

bars is that the different varieties available are limited only to your imagination.

If you’re not a fan of butterscotch, why not replace the butterscotch chips with peanut butter, white chocolate, or milk chocolate chips?

You could even throw chopped nuts or M&Ms in there if that’s what you’re feeling that day. Before going to a party, throw a batch of these tasty treats in the oven, and they are sure to be a huge hit.

In less than an hour you can enjoy a truly satisfying dessert that will leave you (and anyone close enough to smell it cooking) wanting more.

What You Do: -Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Melt butter and pour into 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Mix together with crushed graham cracker crumbs and spread evenly along bottom of the pan.

-Add chocolate and butterscotch chips and top with shredded coconut. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over everything.

-Bake for about 30 minutes, or until brown.

25

SJU falls at Day of Champions After starting the season 4-0, the Storm have lost three of four KATIE BECKMANN Staff Writer St. John’s lacrosse head coach Jason Miller was disappointed after his team’s 14-10 loss to Rutgers in the annual Lacrosse Day of Champions at Manhasset High School on Saturday.

RUTGERS

14

ST. JOHN’S

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TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

Drew Schanen’s five goals weren’t enough to beat Rutgers on Saturday.

SPORTS

“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” Miller said. “We feel like we missed one today, to be able to play in this environment, for this charity, with this type of day and crowd, we feel like we let this one slip away.”

The Lacrosse Day of Champions is a tournament sponsored by both the Indians Rock Community Foundation, a Manhasset, L.I. charity committed to improving the quality of life for people affected by cystic fibrosis, and the Boomer Esiason Foundation.

Senior Drew Schanen led the way for the Red Storm, finishing the game with five goals while rookie Harry Kutner added two goals. Jamal Jones, Trevor Michaelsen and Dominick DeNapoli also added goals of their own.

Early in the first quarter, the Red Storm jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Kutner, Schanen, and DeNapoli in a span of 13 seconds.

Kutner struck first at the 11:08 mark, when he cut around the crease and performed a beautiful spin move, leaving his defender on the ground to find a oneon-one with the goalie.

Six seconds later Schanen found the net off a beautiful feed from senior captain DeNapoli.

DeNapoli, who is known for his defensive skills, won the next face-off and used his speed to score a goal at the 10:55 mark.

After a Rutgers goal, Schanen fired a hard shot at the top-right corner to make the score 4-1 off a feed from junior Garrett Mitchell.

The next two quarters would belong to Rutgers as they blew by a lethargic Red Storm team, outscoring them 8-4 and holding them to only three shots in the third quarter.

“I just felt like we got out of our game plan,” Schanen said. “We were running around, not sticking to what we do.”

The Rutgers lead would grow to as many as four goals after a Michael Diehl goal with 11:18 left in the third made the score 11-7.

The closest the Red Storm would come was a two-goal deficit after Schanen scored his 18th goal of the year to open the fourth quarter.

The Red Storm showed spurts of energy in the fourth quarter. It seemed as if the Red Storm were poised to make a comeback, but turnovers resulted in Rutgers goals and it was too little, too late.

“We did a lousy job defensively,” Miller said. “We probably jumped on the face-off six times today, I’m not sure we got the game going that we got accustomed to going.”

Junior goalie Gavin Buckley finished the game with seven saves.

The Red Storm will travel to Amherst, Mass. for a tough ECAC matchup against UMass.

Despite the difficult schedule for the remainder of the season, DeNapoli’s outlook remained bright.

“Game plan is the same as every week, get back to the fundamentals and practice hard every day,” he said.

Softball prospers during extended homestand

torchonline.com

16 Louisville came to Queens.

“We didn’t really approach it any differently than any other team,” said Kvilhaug in regards to playing a ranked opponent.

In the first game, Sumrall’s start was spoiled by two firstinning runs and a 3-1 loss, but she redeemed herself in the latter game, earning the save with 2-3 of an inning with a strikeout in relief of Lawrence.

The Red Storm would go on to win 5-4 in the second game relying on a 4-for-4 performance by infielder Stacia Dopudja.

Despite surrendering the lead early in both games, St. John’s swept the Rider Broncos.

St. John’s was able to battle back by a grand slam by Cox in the first and a strong pitching performance by Lawrence in the second.

The Red Storm outscored Rider 12-5 in the series.

The TORCH

The St. John’s softball team entered last week with a 9-12 record and a tough stretch of three double-headers ahead.

But after relying on its pitching and some key offensive performances, the Red Storm surrendered only one game of the six.

After sweeping Rider last Wednesday and a Saturday split with Louisville, the JohnTORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO nies rounded out the weekend Roxy Struble hit .563 last week with two homers. with a Sunday sweep of the 3-2 victory. low a hit until the fifth or a run Pittsburgh Panthers.

Sophomore catcher Ka- until the sixth.

Pittsburgh did not have a cee Cox’s first-inning three“Our pitching has been chance, as Sophomore pitcher run home run off Pitsburgh’s solid,” head coach Amy Linzee Sumrall gave the Pan- Alyssa O’Connell was all the Kvilhaug said. thers no chance in the first Storm needed. “[Lawrence and Sumrall] game, allowing two runs in the Sophomore pitcher Kat Law- have been stepping up and I third before settling down for a rence was stingy and did not al- think they’ve been doing a phe-

nomenal job.”

Senior slugger Roxy Struble capped off a 9-for-16 week with a home run off the scoreboard in the late game. The Red Storm would go on to win 2-1.

Struble has hit safely in nine of her last 10 games, and boasted a .563 average last week.

“It’s my last year and I’m not taking any prisoners,” she said. “I’m going to end on a good note.”

After tallying two home runs and six RBIs last week, Struble earned Big East Honor Roll recognition.

“It’s more about my team than what I’m doing individually,” she said. “As long as my team is doing well that’s all that matters to me.”

The Red Storm got their first opportunity to capitalize on home-field advantage within the Big East on Saturday when No.

1 April 2009

ANDREW DA SILVA Staff Writer

26

We built this Citi Despite loss, St. John’s opens Mets’ park in style when the Hoyas’ Sean Lamont lifted the field’s first-ever home run into the left field bleachers.

Then with the Storm up 4-2, Lobban was replaced by Nick Cenatiempo. Five hits, an error and a pitching change later, Georgetown had their 6-4 lead and was able to close out the first-ever victory at Citi Field.

“The loss doesn’t take anything away from the day,” said Lobban, who grabbed a handful of dirt from the mound after the game. “Today was just phenomenal.”

In the series opener on Friday in Washington, D.C., senior co-captain Nick Luisi allowed just two runs in 7.1 innings to earn the win.

The lefty moved to 2-2 on the season thanks to strong relief outings by Cenatiempo and Miguel Valcarcel.

Panik continued his hot streak, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs. Brian Kemp stole his eighth base of the season.

In Saturday’s Georgetown victory, St. John’s pitching dug a hole the offense could not get out of. After an early Sean Baumann home run off Red Storm starter Bruce Kern, the Hoyas continued to pour on the hits off St. John’s relievers.

Their five-run fifth inning was too much to overcome.

The St. John’s offense, led by Jimmy Parque’s two-run homerun, attempted a rally, but would fall short at the hands of Georgetown’s pitching staff.

The schools anticipated to flirt with the NCAA attendance record, set at 40,106, on Sunday. However, the chilly and damp weather kept many fans away.

With attendance announced at 22,397, the game now ranks seventh on the list.

MATT CHOQUETTE Chief Copy Editor

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The TORCH

1 April 2009

SPORTS

It’s not every day college baseball players are able to get a taste of the professional life.

That’s why the Red Storm’s rubber match against Georgetown on Sunday was not just another game. After a 7-2 St. John’s win on Friday and a Hoyas 10-5 response on Saturday, both squads traveled to Citi Field for the series finale, the first game played in the New York Mets’ brand new stadium in Flushing.

GEORGETOWN

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ST. JOHN’S

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There’s only one thing that could have made the Red Storm’s experience more memorable: a win. Georgetown used a four-run seventh inning to pounce on St. John’s pitching en route to a 6-4 Hoyas victory.

“It was a great experience for both programs,” head coach Ed Blankmeyer said. “I enjoyed it thoroughly, except we came out on the wrong side of the frame. But it’s something we’ll always remember.”

A familiar face for both Mets fans and St. John’s fans alike got things started on the rainy Sunday afternoon. John Franco, who wore the Johnnies’ uniform from 1979-81, received some sarcastic cheers as he bounced the ceremonial first pitch to St. John’s catcher, Danny Benedetti.

The Hoyas have official claim to the first run ever scored at Citi Field. Dan Capeless’ double off St. John’s starter Brendan Lobban set the stage for the field’s first RBI in the second inning.

Georgetown’s Greg Pustizzi singled an 0-2 offering from Lobban to give the Hoyas the early lead and a mark in the history books.

At this point, St. John’s Big East foes also recorded the field’s first hit, a Tom Elliott single grounded to centerfield.

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

St. John’s alum John Franco threw out the first pitch at Citi Field.

Lobban was called on in an important game in the Big East, something a freshman making his first start in the conference may not handle with ease. On top of that, he had to do it with a professional ballpark surrounding him.

“He pitched a very good ballgame,” Blankmeyer said. “After he got through the first inning with some jitters, he gave

us six innings of two-run ball. He gave us what we wanted. We just didn’t finish the job for him.”

With the score tied at one apiece, St. John’s gave their young starter a lead in the top of the third when shortstop Joe Panik lined a single, bringing home Matt Wessinger and Jimmy Parque. The lead would be cut in half the following inning

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Citi Field opening a win, even without SJU victory This Sunday I realized that I will not miss Shea Stadium.

If I had any notion that some nostalgic sentiments for the Mets’ former home may lay somewhere in my future, Citi Field put it to rest way before Georgetown’s Tim Adleman could even deliver the stadium’s first pitch.

The opening of a ballpark is an event unlike any other I’ve ever experienced. I imagine it must be similar to the maiden voyage of an ocean liner. After months of man making metal twist and bend and obey his every command, a veil is pulled and a beautiful creation shows its face.

And it was St. John’s that got to break the champagne bottle against Citi Field’s hull on Sunday, a privilege traditionally re-

served for royalty.

The comparison goes further than production materials and techniques.

Like a new ocean liner was at the turn of the 20th century, a new baseball stadium has the ability to rouse a troubled people. Something as exciting as baseball in a new park is just what we need in these trying American times.

Some people say that apple pie is America, some say that the bald eagle is America. Cynics may say its fast food or fat

capitalists. But all of them are wrong.

Baseball captures the American spirit better than any other icon could ever dream to. I don’t know why that’s the case, it just is; my dad told me so.

And for the few hours that the 22,397 fans, the Georgetown and St. John’s players and coaches, the stadium security guards, the New York media and the sausage and peppers grillmasters gathered inside Citi Field together on Sunday to celebrate the birth of a new arena of our national pastime, I don’t believe any one of us was thinking of anything else.

St. John’s lost the game, 6-4, but on the field after the game you’d have never known it. The smiles on the Johnnies’ faces stretched bigger than the

stadium scoreboard.

“The loss doesn’t take anything away from the day,” said Brendan Lobban, the Storm’s starting pitcher. “Today was just phenomenal.”

The only disappointed member of the Red Storm that I could find was Ryan Cole, whose iffy seventh inning of relief gave Georgetown its ultimate lead.

But hey, that’s baseball. You’ll never find anyone more upset than the losing pitcher.

I surely was satisfied after nine innings in the Sunday mist.

Citi Field is a beautifully modern park, so different from Shea.

It’s a personal place, full of open spaces and areas where fans can congregate.

For the first time we have a ballpark in Queens that is more than just a place to sit un-

comfortably and watch a baseball game. Citi Field is a place to be.

I was at the the seventh game of the 2006 National League Championship Series. I sat in the upper deck of Shea Stadium as the upper deck shook wildly above me and watched the birth of Endy “The Catch” Chavez.

As a result of that game, Shea Stadium will always have a place in the baseball corner of my heart. But I can sit here and write honestly, Sunday’s game will share the same corner.

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

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TORCH SPORTS

STORM

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Leavin’ their Mark Lance still quiet

Highly-touted basketball recruit Lance Stephenson still has not announced where he will play his college ball.

Stephenson announced yesterday at the McDonald’s All-America game’s media day that he will not yet name the school he will attend.

“Everybody is here for me to make my announcement … my family and I want to wait it out,” Stephenson told the Daily News. “It’s a tough decision, so I’m just going to take my time, have fun here at the McDonald’s game and hopefully you can hear it later on in my high school career.”

Stephenson’s suitors include St. John’s, Kansas, and Maryland.

Ballo drives Storm

TORCH PHOTO/LAURA AMATO

St. John’s Brian Kemp got the privilege of taking the first at-bat in the history of Citi Field.

Kemp wins trivial pursuit with first Citi Field at bat MATT CHOQUETTE Chief Copy Editor

After making the first out, the game was under way for Kemp and the Red Storm. It wasn’t until after the final out when they could reflect on what they just took part in.

“I’ll definitely remember this until the day I die,” Kemp said. “When we walked in for the first time, it was like we were little kids again.”

In the spirit of Major League competition, the Mets fans on the team vied for the first St. John’s hit in their favorite team’s new ballpark. However, the Mets’ archrival beat them to a punch yet again.

First baseman Tim Morris from Villanova, Pa., an admitted Phillies fan, picked up the Storm’s first hit, a single in the top of the second.

BILL SAN ANTONIO Assistant Sports Editor

Headin’ this Way Red Storm home games

Baseball: Apr. 1 Apr. 3 Apr. 4 Apr. 5 Apr. 7

NYIT Rutgers Rutgers Rutgers Wagner

3 p.m.

3 p.m.

1 p.m.

Noon 3 p.m.

Lacrosse: Apr. 17 Hobart

3 p.m.

Softball: Apr. 1

Fordham

4 p.m..

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fans came.”

Terrio also liked how the stadium’s architects modified the park to correct the shortcomings of the recently departed Shea Stadium, whose ruins could be seen just outside Citi Field.

“Everything is angled so you get a better view of the field from the upper deck,” Terrio said. “Sitting in the upper deck at Shea isn’t as good as it is at Citi field.”

The excitement from St. John’s fans was so great that many of them didn’t even care that the Red Storm lost the game. In fact, Sunday’s game was not just an opportunity for Red Storm fans to see baseball, but to get a sneak peak at where the Mets will be spending half their season in the coming years before season ticketholders get the chance.

One fan wanted a thorough tour of the stadium.

“I had to test the bathrooms out,” freshman Nick Wyant said. “Very modern bathrooms. I liked that.”

”

-St. John’s outfielder Brian Kemp

The TORCH

There’s a special moment in the life of every baseball fan when he walks up the tunnel and sees the field for the first time.

St. John’s baseball fans had the opportunity to live that moment Sunday as many of them witnessed the first-ever game played at Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets.

“It was exciting,” junior Craig Gilcrease said. “I’m probably never going to be able to see a stadium open ever again.”

While many fans of the Amazins purchased tickets for the historic event for the sole purpose of a great photo opportunity, Johnnies fans donned the red and white and sat through rain and frigid winds in support of their Red Storm baseball team.

“A lot of people were there in their Mets gear, and you can tell there were

people there to see the stadium, but there were many more people inside cheering St. John’s on,” freshman Tiffany Marmol said.

One fan, Alexander Garrett, 17, shared a bonding experience with both his family and fellow Mets fans, cheering on a school he said he might attend.

“I got accepted to St. John’s, and they invited me to the game,” Garrett said. “I went with my father and we had a great time. We met so many people in our experiences at Shea and it was good to see many of them yesterday.”

Though St. John’s sold all of its student tickets, plenty of baseball-obsessed students were in attendance. Junior Nick Terrio was seen on the video scoreboard in between innings screaming for his beloved Red Storm with the help of the crowd around him.

“That was awesome,” Terrio said. “I try to get to as many [baseball] games as I can and it’s good that so many

I’ll definitely remember this until the day I die.

When we walked in for the first time, it was like we were little kids again.

1 April 2009

St. John’s fans get once in a lifetime opportunity

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Blowin’ in the Wind

SPORTS

As a Mets fan, it is not unlikely that St. John’s outfielder Brian Kemp might one day find himself in a trivia contest with fellow supporters of the Amazins.

They can toss around batting averages, all-time records and playoff results back and forth. But in the end, Kemp will have the end-all trivia question with an answer that is literally right under their nose.

Q: Who had the first at-bat at Citi Field and what was the result?

While his friends will try and remember who led off for the Padres during the

Mets’ home opener at Citi Field in 2009, Kemp can simply point at himself and inform the group that, in the stadium’s firstever at-bat, he flied out to leftfield on a 1-2 pitch.

With all the history that was being made on Sunday, there was a game to play with big repercussions in the Big East conference. So Kemp, who led off the top of the first because Georgetown was the home team in the series, decided to let the flashbulbs rain down on the first pitch without a swing.

“I couldn’t really hear myself think, but that’s good when it comes to baseball,” Kemp said after the game. “I was taking the first pitch. I decided that [Saturday] night.”

Junior co-captain Mike Ballo, Jr. led the Red Storm golf team to a 14th overall finish at the Spring Break Championship in Delray Beach, Fla. Ballo, Jr. finished the four-day tournament with a 5-over 218 and tied for 14th overall. He carded second and third round scores of 70 and 71 to move from 23rd to 14th.

St. John’s men’s golf team is back in action on April 3-5, when the team competes in the Pirate Invitational at the Ironwood Country Club in Greenville, N.C.

SPORTS 1 APRIL 2009 | VOLUME 86, ISSUE 20 | TORCHONLINE.COM

TORCH PHOTO/ LAURA AMATO

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The lacrosse team lost to Rutgers in this year’s Lacrosse Day of Champions tournament at Manhasset High School.

The Red Storm softball team won five of its six home games last week behind clutch hitting and dominant pitching.

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