University FAU’s student magazine
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October 30, 2012 | Vol. 14 #12
Crosswalks
and car crashes
FAU celebrates Disability Awareness Month while broken crosswalks on campus endanger students with disabilities and violate state laws By Dylan Bouscher and Lulu Ramadan
P.10
First issue is free; each additional copy is 50 cents and available in the UP newsroom.
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Blue Martini insists you drink responsibly
Tuesday
The Staff
October 30, 2012
Read us - upressonline.com Like us - facebook.com/universitypress Follow us - @upressonline (Twitter and Instagram)
IN THIS ISSUE
4. Editor-in-chief - Ryan Cortes
An inside look into Pepper’s and the Supervillains’ Homecoming Concert performance. By Emily Bloch
MANAGING EDITOR - Regina Kaza ART DIRECTOR - Phaedra Blaize
18.
Meet FAU guard Andrew Czuprynski — a 6-foot-5 270 pound gourmet chef/ skateboarder extraordinaire.
24.
An inside look into the newly named folk band Mylo Ranger all in one night. By Regina Kaza
By Rolando Rosa
Assistant Art DIRECTOR - Elena Medina BUSINESS MANAGER - James Shackelford WEB EDITOR - Andrew Alvino Copy DESK CHIEF - Michael Chandeck NEWS EDITOR - Dylan Bouscher SPORTS EDITOR - Rolando Rosa PHOTO EDITOR - Michelle Friswell CRIME EDITOR - Monica Ruiz Senior photographers Christine Capozziello, Ryan Murphy senior Graphic Designer - Chase Kennedy COPY EDITORS Jessica Cohn-Kleinberg, Amanda Rubio Staff Photographers Melissa Landolfa, Lamise Mansur CONTRIBUTORS Emily Bloch, Lulu Ramadan ADVISERS Dan Sweeney
COVER
Michael Koretzky COVER Contracter Vic Carrick is pictured on the cover fixing the crosswalk near the Inovation Village Apartments.
Photo by Ryan Murphy
10.
Photo by Ryan Murphy
Crosswalks and Car crashes How some crosswalks at FAU are endangering the lives of students. By Dylan Bouscher and Lulu Ramadan
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Features
No salt,
just Pepper A night behind the scenes at FAU’s Homecoming Concert By Emily Bloch Contributor
Photos by Melissa Landolfa Staff photographer
At 4 p.m., the sound crew solemnly layed on their backs across the wooden drum platforms. They were surrounded by large amps, sighing in exasperation among the occasional strobe light flickers and the low hum of sound equipment. The bands were late due to Hurricane Sandy’s rough weather. Sandy was also the reason why the Homecoming Concert, which was originally supposed to be held at the Outdoor Stage, was moved indoors. The Supervillains tour bus pulled in and everyone pitched in to unload gear. Meanwhile, Marmer made sure Pepper’s green room was ready to go. “We have about 3 pounds of turkey right now,” laughed Marmer. The band’s rider (the band’s requests before they agree to play) consisted of Vita Coco Coconut Water, organic fruit, Naked Juice: orange carrot flavor, Boar’s Head honey maple turkey, and avocados. After all the equipment was set up, Pepper’s guitarist gave it a test run.
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“T
he Villains should be here in a half hour,” announced Mike Burman, the event coordinator, to the sound crew. Burdman’s talking about The Supervillains, an Orlando based punk/ska band, who were now a half hour late and scheduled to open for Pepper. “They’re lost on our 2 mile campus,” joked Eric Marmer, the Homecoming director, about the band. It’s almost 20 minutes later and Burdman’s on the hunt to track down The Supervillains. Tonight’s FAU’s second annual Homecoming Concert. Headlining band, Pepper, traveled the world playing many large scale shows such as the Jägermeister Music Tours and the Vans Warped Tours. They’ve been active since 1997 and now they’re playing at FAU. The members of Pepper never attended college. However, the band has played college circuits before. “It’s like our little Van Wilder fantasy we can live out,” said the band’s drummer Yesod “Yee” Williams. Vocalist and guitarist, Kaleo Wassman added, “We have a lot of collegiate experience for not going to college.”
Kaleo Wassman has two personalities. Sound Check Kaleo, and Stage Kaleo. Before the show, Wassman, the lead guitarist and singer for Pepper, tried out his guitar for the first time all day. First off, Sound Check Kaleo. He serenaded the crew for approximately 20 minutes, slowly roaming the stage back and forth, playing a bluesy, kind of soulful riff on his sanded down Fender Stratocaster. It’s a dark color, with a rough texture, bits and pieces of its old sunburst finish still left behind. After turning his amp off, he sat on a speaker, strumming rhythmically and tapping his foot on the floor. He humbly introduced himself to crew members, shook their hands and thanked them all for having Pepper here to perform. All men were greeted with a friendly handshake, the ladies with a kiss on the cheek. Wassman definitely reeks of “Aloha” spirit. During his calm soundcheck, it was as if he was the only one inside the auditorium. But all around him, the other bands were preparing for their performances.
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Bassist Bret Bolinger of the alternative reggae/rock band Pepper, encourages the crowd to get wild.
At 8 p.m., the crowd started piling in from both sides of the auditorium toward the center seating. Reggae opener ARTIKal Sound System’s lead vocalist Redlyte was popping Life Savers Holes backstage. “[This] is a big opportunity. Pepper’s a big band, they tour a lot,” said Redlyte. “It’s always a pleasure opening up for these guys, hoping that one day somebody grabs you on to keep opening up for them.” ARTIKal Sound System has only been a band for nine months, but they are already planning to tour the East Coast and South America and are working on a full-length album. ARTIkal Sound System says their music applies to anything people are dealing with in their life. “From hiphop, to roots reggae, to R&B” said Redlyte. ARTIKal Sound System’s reggae had the crowd vibing quickly, students’ hands moving up and down with the beat — they were under the band’s spell. The six-piece band had a reggae/funkfusion sound going for them, and the crowd was eating it up. As the co-vocalists bounced off each other’s energy, they yelled to the audience, “All the ladies, if you need your mouths cleaned right now, SCREAM!” Spoiler alert — they screamed.
Before the show, about 30 early-bird fans were whisked backstage by Eric Marmer, where they got to meet Pepper. The band took pictures with the students and signed autographs. They even managed to combat comedian Ralphie May’s performance the night before with a joke. “So guys, you know as a band we’re getting a lot bigger. We’re almost as big as Ralphie May,” joked bassist and vocalist Bret Bollinger as he pointed at May’s picture. “I’m so happy right now, I could seriously die,” exclaimed Carly Burdick, a sophomore communications major, as the musicians signed her stomach in black and silver sharpie. “I got my signed poster, got my signed stomach.”
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The building crowd religiously sang along to a cover of Sublime’s Smoke Two Joints, as the crew worked to get The Supervillains ready for the stage. When we last spoke with The Supervillains, they told us that “pretty girls, sport drinking and general foolishness” are right up their alley. Looks like they weren’t kidding. The band opened with their song Drinking Tonight to a huge crowd response. The lively upbeat, ska/punk band had the crowd on the edges of their seats. No really — they were standing on seats. “Steer clear of the chairs, be nice to the chairs,” instructed guitarist and vocalist Scott ‘Skart’ Suldo to the crowd to avoid getting the show stopped. Thanks, Sandy. Despite the chair issues, being inside actually helped the show space-wise, according to the event’s sound crew from Garret Sound. According to crew members, the outdoor stage would’ve been way too small to fit three bands and a DJ comfortably. As The Supervillains’ set continued, the chair dilemma arose yet again, this time with a new twist — crowd surfing. As students glided across the wave of bodies, Mike Burdman tapped me on the shoulder. “I’m not letting this one get shut down” he said, and proceeded to rush the stage and pull divers out himself. “If you see a crowd surfer, punch them in the neck,” Suldo said to an applause. “And if it’s a girl, punch them in the vagina!” It didn’t help. As the band played songs like Be Alright and Johnny You’re too Bad, the crowd continued to surf. “Goddamn chairs,” said drummer Dominic “Dom” Maresco. As the crowd waited in anticipation for Pepper to take the stage, Eric Marmer and Student Body Vice President April Turner tried to amp them up. “They come all the way from Hawaii, so make some noise,” Turner said. The band lives in San Diego now, but that fact got lost in her excitement. Instantly, a Pepper chant broke loose in the audience. Within minutes, Kaleo Wassman walked onto the stage and started playing an ambient reggae riff with lots of echo. The crowd cheered and the other two members joined. The band opened with Love Affair and Wassman danced around like someone just poured ice cubes down his pants. (He does that dance move a lot.) The audience started singing along right away to the alternative/reggae songs. As mentioned earlier, Wassman has two personalities. Stage Kaleo. Wassman smiled as the crowd cheered, “Chill man, we’re just warming up.” The band transitioned into their song Nice Time and iPhone’s popped up throughout the crowd taking video footage of the Hawaii native band. Wassman transformed from this humble, starry eyed guitarist, into this hyper, dance machine, crotch popping, reggae sex god musician as he flailed his body in opposite directions and strutted across the stage. As the crowd screamed for Pepper, the bandmates reminisced about their first time in Florida. “Wow, the weather looks a lot like Hawaii over here. Let’s keep going that way,” said Bret Bollinger as he extended his arm as if pointing toward Florida. Going off of this, the band announced that they are not touring that often because they are working on their first album in four years. The crowd exploded over hearing this. Not only did this make Pepper’s appearance this year special, but it gave all the fans in the crowd something to look forward to. “I thought it was awesome, I’m so happy that FAU got to have this,” said Caity Riordin, an undecided sophomore. The amount of fun Wassman, Bollinger and Williams were having on stage was no secret. The bandmates would engage in
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Kaleo Wasman, guitarist and vocalist for Pepper entertains the crowd with reggae tunes with a mix of rock. rock, paper, scissors trials to pick the next song they were going to play and encouraged crowd participation to the fullest. “Look at the hooters on her,” one of the band members said about a girl in the crowd. “No, the owls!” This exposure was very pleasing, not only to the band, but to the audience members. “A lot of girls showed their parts that were not meant to be shown, but I’m glad they showed it, it was great,” said Thiago Caldas, a sophomore business major. The band played songs like Point and Shoot and Too Much as girls sat on shoulders and even stood on chairs in a line to dance for the three men. The lights went out and the band walked off, but within seconds of their feet hitting stage right, the audience was already chanting, “One more song,” over and over. The band took a good bit of time leaving audience members to question if they actually are going back on or not. Then, Wassman hit the stage with FAU Owl foam fingers attached to his head like a hat. Soon, the other two members followed, also wearing foam fingers on their heads. The crowd erupted and Pepper played a few more songs. “It was incredible. Pepper killed it … I had an awesome time,” said Tyler Stasi, a junior business major. The band closed with a sing along and encouraged all the crowd members to join in as loud as possible. “You now belong to our Pepper family. Sing along like a god damn owl,” said Bollinger. The crowd complied happily. Sandy didn’t get the last laugh. No chairs were harmed in the making of this concert. According to homecoming staff, as of 2 p.m., 1,800 tickets were already given away for the night’s concert. By performance time, the event was sold out.
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news
Crosswalks and car crashes
FAU students with disabilities have been hit by cars while crossing the street because of broken crosswalk lights By Dylan Bouscher and Lulu Ramadan News editor Contributor
I
t was close to 9:15 p.m. one night in February 2011 when an FAU student approached the crosswalk between Parking Garage II and the University Village Apartments (UVA). She couldn’t reach the pushbutton from her wheelchair because the pole was too far away from the sidewalk. Call her Katharine. She rides a wheelchair because of her cerebral palsy
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Photos by Ryan Murphy Senior photographer and asked to stay anonymous because of her pending lawsuit with the university. As she was halfway across the street — without the usual flashing crosswalk lights and bells — a car slammed into her chair, snapped her seat belt, and sent Katharine sailing through the air to smash against the pavement. “I thought my legs were ripped off,” Katharine said. “All I was thinking was, ‘God, don’t let me die.’”
Her lawsuit relates to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a law which has guidelines for accommodating those with disabilities in public areas such as crosswalks. The university may have violated this law by not building the crosswalk according to those guidelines. And after Katharine was struck, the university built a second light pole closer to the sidewalk and closer to the ADA’s guidelines.
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Despite the new pole installed by FAU’s Parking and Transportation department, the UVA crosswalk violates Florida ADA statutes by having broken bells and lights for students who are blind and deaf. While FAU nears the end of celebrating its second annual Disability Awareness Month, problems with the UVA crosswalk continue. Katharine says she’s filed 18 complaints about the UVA crosswalk with the Facilities department since her accident last February — nothing happened, until last week. A week before the UP interviewed the administrators responsible for maintaining campus crosswalks, where Katharine and the UP confirmed that the push button was not working. After the interviews, Katharine and the UP confirmed the pushbuttons at the crosswalk were fixed. The broken pushbutton was in violation of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device (MUTCD), a federal guide of the standards for installing and maintaining all traffic control devices, including crosswalk pushbuttons. “Physical maintenance of traffic control devices should be performed to retain the legibility and visibility of the device, and to retain the proper functioning of the device,” according to the MUTCD. “If things had been correct in the first place,” Katharine said. “I wouldn’t have been hit ... without sounding too harsh, I do think more could have been done.” One student understood that. Chad Coarsey, a senior biology major, wrote a bill to the Student Government House of Representatives titled “Walk
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With Ease” in response to the rising issue with the safety of the campus crosswalks. The bill proposes that the pedestrian crosswalks on campus be inspected bimonthly to make sure they are functioning properly. The bill was approved by a unanimous vote on Oct. 26. It was 6:56 p.m, April 20, 2009 when Taunie Tanelus was approaching the crosswalk at UVA.
“I have to live with the panic attacks and sounds of crashing cars everyday”- Katharine Visually impaired, with only 10 percent vision in his left eye, Tanelus is one of many students who depend on the audible system at the crosswalk, which rings a bell when it’s safe to cross the street. “I pushed the button there,” Tanelus said. “While I was crossing there were no sounds.” The crosswalk light was also not working at the time of his accident, according to the police report. And while Tanelus isn’t the first to complain about the Senior biology major Chad Coarsey is in the Student Government House of Representatives. His first bill, “Walk with Ease,” promoted more inspections of the campus crosswalks and passed at the Oct. 26 House meeting.
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faulty audible system at UVA, the broken crosswalk led to what Tanelus describes as the most gruesome incident of his life. “Once I crossed the crosswalk, the cars going northbound stopped, so I walked,” he said. “There was only one car going southbound.” Tanelus turned his head left as the southbound car sped toward him. “All I could see was the grill coming at me. I went flying into the air and glided for at least 30 feet before crushing my head against the ground,” Tanelus said. An ambulance rushed him to the nearest hospital for head, neck and back injuries. “I’m lucky to be here today.” he said. “I’m lucky to be walking, and I’m lucky to be alive.” After going through this incident, all Tanelus wants is for something to be done to make the crosswalks on campus safer. “I wish I would’ve done something or spoken to someone about it earlier,” he said. “I’m a senior now, but other students will still use those crosswalks after I leave.” When the UP asked Nicole Rokos, Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) director, if the broken bell and beacon at the UVA crosswalk were in violation of the ADA, she didn’t know. “That would be a[n] ADA coordinator question,” Rokos said. The ADA coordinator she’s referring to is Ed Rowe, the associate director of the ADA Accessibility Committee. Its purpose is “to prevent physical facility accessibility issues or address them as they arise or are identified,” according to their website. When the UP asked Rowe
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whether or not the UVA crosswalk was in violation of the ADA, he referred the UP to Facilities Planning. But that question should go directly to the ADA Committee and Rowe, according to Georgette Fabri, disability accessibility specialist of the Office of Equal Opportunity of Palm Beach County. “Usually, what happens is: once a person complains, [Office of Equal Opportunity] goes out and advocates for the law. That would go to your ADA Committee,” Fabri said, “I reached out to Ed Rowe and have not gotten a response.” Rowe had no comment. The UP also contacted various administrators from Facilities Planning more than 10 times over the course of a month and had not received a response as of press time. Rokos originally claimed no students complained to OSD about the broken beacon and bell at the UVA crosswalk. “We haven’t had any complaints in the last six months,” Rokos said. Chad Coarsey disagreed. He brought the problem to OSD about the UVA crosswalk, among other crosswalks on campus, and raised the issue with the Traffic and Parking and Facilities departments as well. When Rokos saw these examples, her focus shifted. “OK, that’s different,” she said. “I thought you were talking about a specific thing on campus not working. That is an issue that would go to ADA, and I believe we did bring something to that ADA committee.” Lynn Jackson, OSD assistant director, first heard about the problems with the UVA crosswalk in the spring of 2012. Jackson is OSD’s representative on the ADA Accessibility
First in line
FAU administrators created a Master Plan for the Boca campus in 2009. As part of the plan, the university established a way to determine which maintenance projects deserved top priority. Policy 1A-5 Priorities for maintenance and improvement projects are determined annually based on the availability of funding and a review of the Capital Improvement Program submittal. General work priorities and budget allocations will be determined in the following order:
[1] health, fire safety code needs/handicapped accessibility; [2] instruction/research component needs; [3] student needs; [4] administrative support function needs; and [5] other needs, which Facilities did not comment on. Earlier this summer, however, the university broke ground on a $46 million new dorm project before inspecting and repairing the broken light poles at the UVA crosswalk.
Source: FAU Boca Campus Master Plan
Committee, which Rowe chairs. “The UVA crosswalk has been brought to the ADA committee in the spring,” Jackson said. “It is something that they’re working on. The UVA project has just recently been turned over to Facilities Planning.” The ADA Accessibility Committee — which includes representatives from each department of the university — has tracked the progress of the UVA crosswalk repairs since Jackson first heard about it in the spring. “Apparently, according to
Traffic and Parking, and this is what has been told to me, there is some sort of electrical short at [UVA crosswalk] and whenever it rains, the beacon and bells short out,” Jackson said. “That is part of the problem and that is why it has been turned to Facilities Planning.” Jackson estimates fixing the crosswalk would cost around $13,000, but could not confirm. The crosswalk at UVA isn’t the only crosswalk that students with disabilities are having issues with.
“I’m lucky to be here today. I’m lucky to be walking and, I’m lucky to be alive.” - Taunie Tanelus Vic Carrick, a contractor, was on his hands and knees on Monday, Oct. 8, cutting wires and disabling the crosswalk at Innovation Village Apartments (IVA). Ann Marie Bedard, a graduate social work student who is visually impaired and currently living in IVA South, is afraid for her safety when crossing the street at IVA. “Lots of people don’t look where they’re going [when driving], and I’m afraid I’m going to get hit,” Bedard said. “I have to listen to see if cars are coming.” She brought up the issue of installing an audible system at this crosswalk with the OSD office and was reassured about a week before Carrick began taking it down. “I talked to my [OSD] counselor about it two weeks ago,” Bedard said. “They said they are working on it.” That’s not what Carrick said. “They’re getting rid of [the crosswalk],” Carrick said, “They don’t want kids crossing here anymore.” “It’s not worth removing a
faulty crosswalk,” Chad Coarsey said, “When you could just repair it.” But until the issues with crosswalks near UVA and IVA are repaired, Katharine, Taunie Tanelus, Annww Marie Bedard and several others won’t feel safe crossing the streets of FAU’s Boca campus. “I remember the pavement cutting into me like a knife,” Katharine said. She still lives in UVA. “Now I’m literally afraid to die every time I leave my apartment on campus,” Katharine said. “I get flashbacks every day.” After her accident, Katharine went through seven MRIs, six weeks of ultrasound therapy, massage therapy and three months of aqua therapy. None of which helped, according to her. Katharine still has four herniated discs in her spine from the accident. It hurts to sit in her chair all day. She says these torn discs could be corrected by surgery, but it would only do one of two things. “It’ll either kill me or leave me paralyzed,” she said. Katharine won’t commute and can’t afford to live in the other dorms on campus. “There is no way for me to go anywhere on campus without crossing it,” she said. “I have to live with the panic attacks and sounds of crashing cars everyday ... I’m stuck and it feels like I’m living in hell. “As bad as it sucks and as much as I hurt crossing that crosswalk,” Katharine said. “I have to do it, otherwise this will ruin me.” Taunie Tanelus, a senior urban planning major, spoke about getting hit by a car at the UVA crosswalk. “I really think that it is of importance to us to come together and try to make it safer crossing these streets for the visually impaired and also for the disabled,” Tanelus said.
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Sports
I
Quiet
giant
How FAU left guard Andrew Czuprynski went from bench boy to steady starter while no one was watching
By Rolando Rosa Sports editor Photos by Ryan Murphy Senior photographer
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f Owls’ offensive lineman Andrew Czuprynski’s parents didn’t get divorced, he might have never been a college football player. Czuprynski was in the fifth grade when his parents split up. Right now at 22 years old, he isn’t close to either of them. “I don’t really have a relationship with my mom,” Czuprynski says. “My dad, I talk to him every now and then.” Growing up, his brother-in-law Josh Tyson and sister Sophia helped fill the emotional void. It was his sister that prodded him to begin football in the fifth grade as a way to stay out of trouble in an area of Venice, Fla. he calls a “bad neighborhood.” They took on the role of parenting him, and became his guardians once he reached high school. “I would change his diapers. I would feed him. I remember the day he was born,” she says. “I raised him. So it’s a different role I took as his sister.” She explains the reasons Czuprynski struggled to behave before getting into football. “The problem my brother had is he didn’t have the most traditional upbringing. We lived in a neighborhood that would offer a child the chance to make poor choices. And sometimes he would,” she says before providing a disclaimer. “But, when you have parents who are willing to guide you better, you probably wouldn’t make those poor choices. When he was younger, I was more of a parental figure than a sister.” Czuprynski wasn’t into sports at the time, but his sister figured she’d throw out the idea of football anyway. “I asked him about football and he said he’d be willing to try it,” she said. *** Eleven years later, 6-foot-5 Andrew Czuprynski currently holds the longest streak of games played in a row for an Owls offensive lineman (34). Last season, Czuprynski started every game and served as the team captain against FIU. In 2010, he was the only Owls lineman to start every game. To think, he almost gave up after his first year at FAU. A lack of playing time had him wondering whether football was a waste of time. “I didn’t wanna play,” Czuprynski says, after experiencing months of sitting on the bench. “My freshman year I almost quit.” As a consequence of not seeing the field, a giant man felt small. “Oh, it’s so hard. Because you have doubts. You have doubts that you’re never going to
Page designed by Elena Medina
play,” Czuprynski says. “You feel like you’re undersized.” More than just physical issues, this selfdoubt even extended to a psychological level, where insecurity started to creep in. “You feel like coaches don’t like you,” Czuprynski says. “Because you’re on the scout team and you’re really not getting coached up.” He leaned on his sister for moral support through the tough times. “I always tell him, ‘when somebody tells you that you can’t, that means that you will,’” Sophia says. “Never say you can’t or you won’t. That shouldn’t even be a part of your vocabulary.” Desperate to play again, as a sophomore, Czuprynski had an idea: convert from D-lineman to the O-line. So Czuprynski went to then-head coach Howard Schnellenberger and made a case. “We don’t have enough depth at O-line,” Czuprynski pleaded. The legendary old ball coach had doubts. “At first,” Czuprynski recalls, “he was hesitant.” After meeting with him, Czuprynski left Schnellenberger’s office unsure of his playing career, unaware if his dream had disintegrated. A few moments later, the champion pipe smoker summoned him back and uttered the four words he’d been waiting to hear. “‘Yeah, let’s do it.’” *** Three years later, the rest is history. Czuprynski battles with defensive linemen to carve out space for the rushing game. It’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Owls’ running backs. His fellow linemen are impressed by his sheer power. “He’s real strong,” fellow O-lineman Joseph Bailey says. “I’ve seen Andy take a 330 pound dude and put him on his tail — in games against Lafayette and Georgia, so he holds his own.” Running back Damian Fortner knows his success has a lot to do with the gaping holes Czuprynski and the rest of the offensive line carve out. “He’s big to me running the ball. He brings attitude to the line. He’s a pretty feisty guy. Aggressive,” Fortner says. “Travis [Jones], Martese [Jackson], we all really appreciate Andrew.” Fortner loves the tenacity Czuprynski brings to games, something he feels is contagious to the rest of the team. “When Andy’s on the field, it’s full blast,”
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continued from page 18 Fortner says. “He’s excited and ready to take somebody’s head off.” For protecting him, quarterback Graham Wilbert rewards Czuprynski and his unit after games with dinner. It didn’t take long for the quarterback’s wallet to get lighter because of Czuprynski’s massive appetite. “He’ll take us out to get pizza,” Czuprynski says. “I’ll eat like 30 slices.” *** As a kid, on a regular day you could catch young Andrew doing his favorite activity — skateboarding at the local rink. “I would drop him off and come back because I didn’t want to see the scary stuff he did,” his sister says. “He didn’t break any bones, thank God.” However, as he got older, skateboarding became harder to do. “In seventh, eighth grade, because he was so tall, he had to get a bigger board,” his sister says. ”He was pretty good but when he started to get taller it got a little harder.” Teenage Andy would make his sister buy him a very particular wardrobe every summer before school started. The only thing he wanted was jeans and band T-shirts. “He was hell bent on that,” she says with a laugh. Czuprynski says one of his favorite groups at the time was Underoath.
“I use to go to concerts like every weekend. So I’d have all the bands shirts. I’d always wear pants and a black T-shirt,” Czuprynski said. “Everyday. Doesn’t matter if it was 100 degrees outside.” Even though his job now is to protect quarterbacks and block for running backs, Czuprynski insists he hasn’t lost his touch after devoting over a decade to football. “I can get on a skateboard,” Czuprynski says with a sly look on his bearded face. This man gets down and dirty at one of football’s most unglamorous positions. He does all the little things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. And he can give Tony Hawk a run for his money? He realizes this could be hard for his teammates to believe. “No, probably not,” Czuprynski says about if the other players would expect this from him, as he shakes his head in laughter. “Hey, whatever floats his boat,” Joseph Bailey cracked when learning about Czuprynski’s former past time. “I wouldn’t go on a skateboard though.” *** While he admits his parent’s divorce affected him earlier in life, Czuprynski holds no resentment toward them. “At first, yeah, but you gotta grow from everything,” Czuprynski says. “You can’t dwell on something from your past.” Luke Meadows, his offensive lineman coach,
FAU offensive lineman Andrew Czuprynski loves to cook. He often makes meals for his fellow offensive linemen.
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Chef Czuprynski
Andy’s grilled chicken fettuccini alfredo
When he’s not scarfing down boxes of pizza, Andrew Czuprynski can throw down in the kitchen. He initially found his way to the kitchen out of necessity as a child. “When he was probably 10 years old, living with our father, he had to wash his own clothes. So you don’t know many 10 year olds that know how to run a washer,” Sophia says. “But my brother did because he had to. He had to learn those skills early in order to have clean clothes or eat dinner at night.” Just don’t ask him to use red sauce on spaghetti. It’s the only flavor in the world he absolutely hates. His favorite meal to make is steak and mashed potatoes. Czuprynski jokes that his girlfriend is a lucky woman for getting his cuisine but occasionally he wants her to return the favor. “I’ll make her cook every once in awhile though,” Czuprynski jokes. “It’s only fair.” Czuprynski is the designated chef for a group of hungry offensive linemen. Bailey is quick to point out his favorite from chef Czuprynski. “Definitely the deer burgers,” Joseph Bailey said. “It’s basically deer meat, and he puts onions inside of it and cheese. It’s really good.” Czuprynski learned from his sister and Josh Tyson growing up. He talks to her at least every other day to discuss whatever is on his mind. He also still reaches out to them when he needs some culinary advice. “Even now in college he’ll call me or Josh and ask us how to bake something, how hot to cook it,” she says. “Things like that.“
Ingredients
Andy’s sticky buns Ingredients 24 pack of premade “Rhodes” rolls 1 cup of melted butter (2 sticks) 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons of cinnamon 1 cup chopped nuts Directions Place 24 rolls in Bundt pan (let rise overnight). Mix melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts, pour over top of rolls. Place pan on cookie sheet. (Next Morning) Spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray and lightly set over rolls. (So top will not burn). Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes longer, until done.
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4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons minced garlic 3 cups heavy cream 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (may need additional for desired consistency) Dash of salt Freshly ground black pepper Garlic powder to taste 1 pound cooked fettuccine 2 dashes cayenne pepper (or additional for more spicy flavor)
Directions Preheat the grill. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder and grill chicken on both sides until chicken is cooked through, once cooked slice into thin strips. Meanwhile, cook pasta as indicated on box. In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Add the heavy cream, butter,
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a few dashes of garlic power, and cayenne pepper (to desired taste), increase the heat to a simmer and reduce the cream sauce slightly. Stir in 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan (more cheese may be necessary to achieve desired consistency). Pour pasta into a large serving bowl, pour sauce over pasta and mix thoroughly, place chicken slices on top and garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese.
1 stick of butter 1/ 4 cup Parmesan for garnish
is new to the staff, but already is impressed with what he’s seen on the field this year from Czuprynski. “He’s a blue collar guy. Whatever he gets he works for. I know that he’s overcome things from his past. There’s people in his life that he cares deeply about,” Meadows says. “He’s a guy that you’re going to want on your team just because you know he’s going to give you everything he’s got.” Czuprynski may not have his biological parents around, but Sophia and Josh Tyson were more than enough. “They just worked on me every day trying to make me better when I was younger. Helped me with school,” Czuprynski reminisces. “Just taught me right and wrong basically.” Now, the cycle is turning and he’s returning the favor. “Olivia, my daughter, will be on the couch and be like, ‘Can you do my hair?’ And he puts her hair in a ponytail for her,” Sophia says. “I don’t think many guys are going to admit they do that.” She puts Czuprynski’s situation in perspective. Having a traditional household would have been nice, but she’d rather focus on the way others now view her brother. “Sometimes when you have parents who are not as proactive in your life, you think something is wrong with you. But then you realize all your best friends’ parents love you and think that you’re awesome,” she says. “If you meet any of his friends’ parents that know him, they would tell you that they love him and would love to adopt him.”
FAU offensive lineman Andrew Czuprynski has made 34 straight starts dating back to the end of his freshman season.
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Features
Lead vocalist and guitarist Myles Corvalan plays Mylo Ranger’s second show of the night at the Green Room in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
One nigh
t witH
The ba
nd form erly kn FAU’s own as Hoot/W the Sto isdom necutt label t ers bre o reco aks aw rd an i ay from ndepe ndent Photos by Ryan Murphy album
By Regina Kaza Managing editor Senior photographer
F
or the past year, harmonicas, banjos and Irish tin whistles have been blaring from the fifth floor of Parking Garage II behind the Visual Arts building every Tuesday and Thursday night. The band that used to be up there played alternative folk covers and a few original songs — they called themselves the Stonecutters. The band up there now goes by Mylo Ranger. It’s still the same five guys belting out three part harmonies and joking around in British accents, just with a new name and a new album coming out Nov. 2. The floor under them shakes as cars pull in and out of parking spots, but it doesn’t disrupt them or the students listening. The only light at the top is in a corner by the stairs, marked by a giant
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blue “5.” A raggedy cardboard sign with their name spray painted in purple and green leans against the wall. Throughout the hour long practice, people cruise by on longboards, stopping to listen to the music coming from the corner. Three people sit cross legged a few feet from the band and take pictures of them while singing along. Ever since the Stonecutters got together in August 2011, they’ve practiced alternative folk covers of Mumford and Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show bluegrass folk style songs from this garage. The band performs at local venues like the Funky Buddha Lounge, Coyote Jack’s and local coffee shops, but now the group is about to play their biggest venue yet — the two floor Green Room in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
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Mylo Ranger practices almost every Tuesday and Thursday night on top of Parking Garage II, behind the Visual Arts building.
Priorities Last December, their first original Stray Dog was recorded on FAU’s CompOWLation album created by Hoot/Wisdom Recordings. Now, almost a year later, Mylo Ranger is releasing their debut album, Nameless Number One. And it took locking themselves away in drummer/guitarist Jason Hester’s small hometown of Pensacola, Fla. for 10 weeks to finish it. “I think we liked the idea of being out in the middle of nowhere,” Hester says. “There’s nothing there, you can drive 2 or 3 miles and only hit a gas station.” And even though lead vocalist and guitarist Myles Corvalan and guitarist Dave Pitruzzello are about to graduate, school isn’t their number one priority. Playing two shows in one night and having harmonica player and vocalist Barron Van Deusen live on a cot in their living room is more important than remembering to write a paper for western civilization. And they plan to keep it that way.
Home sweet home In an apartment in Delray Beach, the band gets ready for the first show of the night at the Beat Cup coffee shop. Instead of kicking back beers before, Hester sips on Gatorade as the group tries out instruments. “I guess we’re a lot more chill,” Van Deusen says. “We just get ready and it’s like ‘Well let’s go be Mylo Ranger now.’” With 10 amps sitting in front of their front door, most of them broken, their home holds more instruments and equipment than actual furniture. But it’s still your typical college guy apartment — dishes in the sink, Bud Light boxes on the floor, and, of course, a stuffed animal penguin in a pile of clutter. Past the kitchen is Van Deusen’s bedroom, a corner of the living room. Up until a month ago, Van Deusen was working as a chef at a gas station in Sarasota and playing a few shows here and there with the guys. “We made a plan for him to quit in about a month and move down,” Corvalan says. One night, the guys kicked back and relaxed at Park Avenue BBQ and Grill over some burgers and beers. The phone rang. It was about a gig at the Satchmo Blues Bar in Fort Lauderdale about 30 minutes away. There was only one catch — the show was in an hour. “We load our stuff and pack up in Jason’s car,” Van Deusen says, “book it to this place, Satchmo in Fort Lauderdale, that neither of us have seen before, and play a show on the fly.”
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continued from page 26 After playing a few original songs — but mostly covers — Van Deusen called his manager in Sarasota and told him he wasn’t coming into work the next morning. “And somehow,” Corvalan says, “we convinced him to quit his job practically that weekend.” Since then, Van Deusen’s been living on a cot next to a bookcase, in the corner of Corvalan and Jason Hester’s living room. He pulls an Irish tin whistle off a shelf — he needs it for the show — and starts playing My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion. Meanwhile, Dave Pitruzzello plays on a guitar, Hester tests out the amps, and Corvalan scrambles to get dressed and pack up the car. There isn’t a moment when someone’s not playing music. “Jason, that sounds like dog ass, dude,” Van Deusen tells Hester while he’s on the guitar. “I love it.” The white Ford SUV is loaded and ready to go. A wooden shadow box sits on the floor near the pile with the stuffed penguin by the front door. Corvalan plugs it in and the shadow box lights the word “Stonecutters.” His grandfather made it for them and it used hang on their wall. “Well,” Corvalan says, “we’re not the Stonecutters anymore.” He unplugs the frame and the tiny yellow lights go out.
Playing in your living room Hester strolls right on into the Beat Cup and straight to the foosball table at the end of the artsy cafe where the walls are lined with random artwork and a few couches clutter the small space. He greets newfound bassist Robert Humphreys, who’s already in an intense game on the table, shouting and yelling each time someone scores. The other guys scatter, Corvalan orders an iced tea, and Pitruzzello picks up a wooden ukulele and starts playing at a small table. The guys have played here about five to six times over the past year. “Last time we played, we had them dancing so that’s always good,” Pitruzzello says walking inside. “It’s definitely a home turf here,” Corvalan says. The cafe is nearly empty, with one guy sitting at the small bar. “[8 p.m.] is really early, we were kind of expecting it,” Hester says as he sits down after running out of quarters for foosball. Black and white Betty Boop videos play on the Beat Cup’s wall while chairs, mini merry-go-round horses, and other random decorations hang
Baron van Duesen (center) left his job at a gas station in Sarasota to move in with lead vocalist Myles Corvalan and drummer Jason Hester and play in the band.
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The band plays original songs and covers of bands like Mumford and Sons and Death Cab for Cutie at the Beat Cup in Delray. from the ceiling. The show hasn’t started yet, but their second show at the Green Room is in two hours. It’s in downtown Fort Lauderdale, about 30 minutes away, and the biggest venue they’ve ever played together. “It’s gonna feel good,” Pitruzzello says about the new stage. “We’ve done two shows in one night,” Corvalan says. “But not like this.” FAU’s record label, Hoot/Wisdom Recordings, is hosting the concert for some of its signed artists. But according to Corvalan, who’s in the FAU music program, the band was never signed with the label as Mylo Ranger or the Stonecutters. “We never were signed to the actual label,” he says. “We’re not the label’s band.” “Artists sign for [a] one song contract on the compilation,” Hoot/ Wisdom President Brittany Miller says. “It’s a sample of the artists at FAU. Mylo Ranger signed on for a one song contract, but they’re not a full time label artist.” Nine p.m. rolls around and they fill the tiny stage that only fits Corvalan and the rest on the floor area around him, the spray painted cardboard sign leaning against the platform. A quick sound check with Dani California by Red Hot Chilli Peppers starts off the show. A crowd of about 10 people grows to 20 in minutes. Mashups of alternative band Jet and Tom Petty fill the living room style shop along with covers of Mumford and Sons songs and Death Cab for Cutie’s I Will Follow You into the Dark. The sounds of tin whistles and harmonicas give these covers a folk sound and a blend of threepart harmonies. “This is a song about starting somewhere and ending up nowhere,” Corvalan says over the mic. It’s a song from the new album. “Right, boys?” They nod and play Nameless Number One, which still has their classic folk sound, but with deeper lyrics and tune. After the last song, the cafe’s regular reggae music comes back over the speakers, and the venue becomes a coffee shop once again. Rpbert Humphreys goes back to the foosball table while the rest of the guys go to the car to change clothes for their next show. Corvalan stays and slowly packs up his guitar and cardboard sign, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead. He folds the cardboard sign, packs it in his case, and clips the latches closed.
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Guitarist Dave Pituzzello wore red pants, a white linen shirt, and a brown western hat to Mylo Ranger’s show at the Green Room. “I’m like the Mexican that got away,” he says.
The big one The Green Room walls are lined with white chiffon drapes, and crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Indie Rock band Raggy Monster is setting up on the stage made of a wooden platform set on top of a bar. The other five bands playing, including Mylo Ranger right in the middle, have their equipment piled up next to the stage. The guys walk out to meet me dressed in suits and hats except for Dave Pitruzzello who’s wearing red pants, a white linen shirt, a brown western hat and shiny black shoes. “I’m like the Mexican that got away,” he says. Corvalan changed out of his blue and red flannel shirt and jeans into a gray suit, long tie and sneakers. “Better to show up in a sweaty shirt than something else,” Corvalan says with a wide grin that he didn’t have at the show before. Humphreys is decked in a beige jacket from Good Will, white crocodile shoes and a top hat. “I challenge them to dress as nice as me,” he explains. It’s around 10 p.m. and the crowd is pretty slim, but still heavier compared to the Beat Cup’s living room feel. Raggy Monster plays their set, and the guys watch and mingle with other band members. “It’s great,” Humphreys says. “It’s like the night doesn’t have to end.” Eleven p.m. rolls around and the guys set up their equipment and start playing. Within 45 minutes, the crowd grows to the thirties and some start dancing to one of their oldest songs, Stray Dog. “How many hands out there,” asks Corvalan, “don’t know who the hell we are?” Around six out of 20 listeners raise their hand. Whether it’s the venue or the crowd, they play this show at a faster pace with more energy. Less covers and swaying, more originals and
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throwing their hats and ties on the stage floor. The stage shakes and this time it’s not cars in a parking garage rocking the floors, it’s their band. Between Barron Van Deusen’s harmonica theatrics, Corvalan and Jason Hester’s switches between guitar and drums, their spray painted cardboard sign gets knocked over the ground. One guy walks past people dancing, picks it up, puts is back on the stage. The show goes on.
Mylo Ranger’s self recorded album, Nameless Number One, comes out Nov. 2. The release show is at the Funky Buddha Lounge in Boca. Doors open at 8 p.m. and it’s $7 at the door and $5 with a student ID. The guys spent 10 weeks recording the album and dedicated Cover art courtesy of Myles each day to a Corvalan. By Jonny Warren different instrument before putting every song together. “It’s really honest music,” lead singer and guitarist Myles Corvalan said. “We’re not trying to pretend that we don’t know something you guys don’t know.”
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