Salem State Log Dec. 4, 2009

“The independent
voice of Salem State
College students”
The Salem State Log
Vol. LXXXII, No. 6
For More Coverage, Visit
Us Online at
www.salemstatelog.com
Inside This Issue
News
December 4, 2009
Faculty Art Display
in Winfisky Gallery
Financial Aid is behind
and out of money.
More on this page
Opinion
Sick of not being able to
find a place to park?
More on page 4
Photo by Miles Weaver
Features
Know someone with
food allergies? Help
them have a holly, jolly
Christmas, too.
More on page 9
Christmas on a budget
can still be merry.
More on page 8
Sports
On November 18, Salem State professors James Forrest and Richard
Lewis performed during the artists' reception for the Annual Salem
State Art Faculty Exhibition in the Winfisky Gallery. The exhibition
will be on display through December 10.
Contents
News................................. 2
Groups and Clubs............. 3
Editorial............................ 4
Opinion............................. 5
Features............................. 7
Police Log......................... 9
Political............................. 10
Sports................................ 11
Financial Aid Not Done
Processing Applications,
Out of Money Since June
The Financial Aid Office is not
only still filing the largest amount
of applications it’s ever received,
but it is also attempting to do so
with the state cutting available
funds after the department began
to award packages.
The office essentially ran out
of money to give away in June of
this year, according to Director of
Financial Aid Mary Benda. All
awards since then have been
loans and entitlement grants, such
as the Pell Grant. Some other
grant programs have had money
cut. For example, the state cut
MassGrant awards by 20 percent
this year.
Salem State received one-time
stimulus funds of $6,574,553
from the State Fiscal Stabilization
Funds component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act. The college dedicated some
of that money to student financial
aid that Massachusetts cut from
the MassGrant, according to
Benda.
Benda calls this year “frustrating,” as her department continues
with one less part-time employee
and fewer funds to give to students in need of financial assistance. While the funding from the
federal government has not
changed, the state government
cut back on the amount of aid
state colleges receive.
“Part of this situation is the
amount of applications received
after the April 1 Priority Deadline. After this deadline, many
students discover that their financial situation changes. They file
late because they could not foresee their circumstances changing
at that time,” Benda said.
(Continued on page 2)
Two Commencement Ceremonies on
May 22 to Fit Graduates’ Guests
The Salem State Class of 2010
will celebrate the college’s 100th
Undergraduate Commencement
exercises in May with two separate graduation ceremonies: one
for the School of Arts and Sciences, and one for the School of
Human Services and Bertolon
School of Business.
According to Karen Cady, the
vice president of communications
and marketing, the two cere-
monies will allow seniors to
bring four guests to their graduation. In the past, seniors received
three tickets.
The major complaint with the
Class of 2009 commencement
was the lack of space for the
guests of the seniors who walked.
More students participated in last
year’s exercises, as an estimated
1,100 to 1,200 graduates walked:
250 more seniors than in past
years. The 250 additional seniors
who walked came with an estimated 1,000 extra guests, making
the O’Keefe Center’s Rockett
Arena over-crowded and leaving
a number of student’s friends and
family outside the arena, a situation Cady called “unfortunate.”
The graduation ceremony for
SOAS will take place on Saturday, May 22, at 10 a.m. The SHS
and and the BSB ceremony will
be the same day at 3 p.m. Students who are pursuing double
majors will be asked to designate
their primary major when they
complete their application for Degree and will attend the ceremony
for that major.
For graduate students, commencement will remain as scheduled on Thursday, May 20, at 4
p.m.
SSC Attends MaFLA Conference Chinese Professors Come to SSC
Salem State drops the
By Stacey Hopkins
Track and Field Teams
Approximately 30 Salem State
due to budget cuts.
students and faculty of the DeMore on page 12 partment of World Languages atFall sports have ended.
Check out the season’s
wrap-up.
More on page 12
FREE
By Marie Purvinis/ Editor-in-Chief
MassPIRG, SGA, and
PSA register 250 new
voters for the U.S. Senate election on Dec. 8.
More on page 3
Would your vote on
healthcare reform depend on an amendment
concerning abortion?
More on page 5
“Serving the
college community
since 1927”
tended the 43rd Massachusetts
Foreign Language Association
(MaFLA) Conference in Sturbridge, Mass.
The conference offered students and faculty members an opportunity to advance their skills,
collaborate with other teachers,
purchase classroom materials,
and learn new techniques to improve instruction. Many students
volunteered their time facilitating
workshops and others attended
these workshops. Katherine
Lopez-Natale, Foreign Languages visiting lecturer and former president of MaFLA, and
Stacey Hopkins, a student in
MAT in Spanish, worked to promoted advocacy for MaFLA.
The conference had an abundance of high-quality workshops
available to attendees. Nationally
renowned professionals, including Salem State faculty, presented
these workshops. Dr. Michele
Dávila-Goncalves, assistant professor of Foreign Languages, presented “Puertorriqueños y
Nuyoricans: Su Cultura a Través
de la Literature, Lenguaje y
Música.”
Lopez-Natale and Nicole
Sherf, 2009 president of MaFLA
and education program coordinator, presented the workshop “Negotiating the Licensure Process.”
This workshop clarified the
process for teachers seeking preliminary, initial or professional licenses. Sherf also participated in
a panel presentation titled “Pro(Continued on page 2)
Photo provided by Professor Li Li
Salem State has an ongoing exchange program with China. The college
currently has three Chinese visiting professors and another coming in
January. Above, Art Professor Wang Lian presents a painting to Provost
Kristin Esterberg.
Page 2
THE SALEM STATE LOG
MaFLA (Continued from page 1)
grammatic Assessments that Improve Instruction.”
Dr. Anna Rocca, Italian program coordinator, and Dr. Elizabeth Blood, chair of the Foreign
Languages Department and
French program coordinator, copresented a French workshop titled “Communicating Through
Images: la Bande Dessinée.”
Blood, Rocca, and Dr. Kristine
Doll, MAT-Spanish program coordinator, presented the workshop titled “About Better
Community Connections,” which
covered the French, Italian, Spanish and Education strands.
Their workshop also tied in
with the topic of the theme of the
next MaFLA conference for
2010.
MaFLA will co-sponsor the
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ 2010
Annual Convention and World
Languages Expo in Boston from
November 19 through 21.
The conference theme will be
“Languages: Gateway to Global
Communities.”
The Log is looking for
committed individuals to fill
several open positions.
Distribution Manager—deliver or assign
delivery of the publication every other week.
News and Sports writers. Experience is
not necessary.
If interested, please contact Editor-in-Chief
Marie Purvinis at [email protected]
December 4, 2009
News
Financial Aid
(Continued from page 1)
As of November, Financial Aid this money for special circumhas processed 80 percent of the
stances and appeals, such as a job
10,000 applications for financial
loss or medical emergencies, this
aid from the Undergraduate,
money was gone before any such
Graduate, and Continuing Educa- circumstances could arise.
tion schools, according to Benda.
“Financial Aid is here to help
Salem State’s Undergraduate
students. That’s part of the reason
population is approximately
why this is so frustrating,” Benda
6,000 students.
said.
The college offers approxiSome students whose applicamately 100 scholarships. In the
tions Financial Aid has not yet
past, only a few students applied
processed discovered holds on
their accounts, preventing them
and many received multiple
scholarships. This year, the colfrom registering for classes. In
lege had 300-400 applicants for
addition to the holds preventing
students from registering, these
those same scholarships, accordstudents also found an extra
ing to Benda.
charge to their bills.
Although the frustrations
This past year, the college
mount, Salem State has made a
started a new policy concerning
commitment to provide financial
aid to its students by increasing
late bills, charging students $50
its institutional fund, Benda said.
every time a student does not pay
The college increases its contria bill on time. Some students
butions to this fund every year.
have to pay $250 because FinanThis year, the institutional fund
cial Aid could not finish processing all applications under current
gave $800,000 for financial aid
circumstances,
grants and scholarships. HowBenda said Financial Aid tries
ever, while the Financial Aid Deto fix the hold issue on a case-bypartment normally plans to use
case basis, as the department is
still working to process all application submitted in September
and October.
The next academic year poses
challenges for Financial Aid. On
top of the ever-changing regulations and funds available, Financial Aid has to rethink how it will
distribute funds for the next academic year.
Although she does not expect
to get any of that money back
soon, Benda is concerned that the
state will continue to cut back on
the funding it gives Salem State.
“If the state cuts more money,
I’m not sure we could provide for
the students,” Benda said.
News Online:
—Students do not use
Salem State e-mail.
—Salem State now has
parking meters by Administration Building.
Want to advertise in the Log?
Contact Ad Manager Yanique Shaw at
[email protected]
December 4, 2009
Page 3
THE SALEM STATE LOG
Groups
and
Clubs
Campus Groups Register 250 New Voters
By Brett Nolan / News Editor
From November 16 to the 18
MassPIRG, the Student Government Association and the Political Science Academy worked to
register as many students on
Salem State’s campus as possible.
Meagan Terry, MassPIRG’s
campus organizer, said 20 to 25
students helped with registering
250 students. A lot of the volunteers she said were students who
registered to vote and the next
day showed up to volunteer. Of
those 250 registered, Terry expects 80 percent to vote.
This task was made difficult,
according to Tyler MacInnis, the
project coordinator for the hunger
and homelessness campaign and
vice chair of MassPIRG, because
students didn’t seem to be aware
of the special election.
He said the students who did
know about it were excited to
register, especially the freshman
who hadn’t gotten the chance to
register to vote. MacInnis said a
large part of the blitz was alerting
the campus about the special
election.
In order to get students aware
of the special election and the
need to register to vote, the stu-
dent groups made class announcements and performed a
flash mob.
Terry said the flash mob was a
number of volunteers who sat in
the cafeteria and some volunteer
stood up yelling “Can you hear
me now?” and then revealing a
Student Vote shirt. Others would
stand up and yell “Can you see
me now?” and proceeded to reveal their Student Vote shirt. The
last person would then say
“Today’s the last day to register
to vote.” Right after that, Terry
said six or seven students registered to vote.
They also used word of mouth
and tabling, which was the most
effective according to Terry. She
said the one-on-one interaction
worked well because the volunteers could help with students
registering. MacInnis also said
the fact they could be seen at the
tables helped as well.
The Governmental Committee
will also be helping with students
to decide who to vote for. They
will be distributing a guide of the
candidates with the dates of the
primaries and the special election
itself.
Terry said they will be using
posters and Facebook to help remind students when the elections
will be held. MacInnis emphasized the need to remind students
since, this is a special election
and it won’t be held in November.
He also said no matter who is
elected, it’s important for the candidate to see the students voted so
their voices can be heard.
On why is it important to vote,
Ryan Chamberland, governmental relations chair of SGA, said,
“Young people are an easy target
of politicians when they get in a
bind. If they are worried about
the budget they will cut funding
for higher education thinking students won’t voice their opinion.
We get the short end of the stick.”
Terry added, “It’s a cycle of
neglect. Students don’t vote, so
politicians don’t care about our
issues, making students not interested in voting.”
The candidates for Senate are
Democrats Martha Coakley,
Stephen Pagliuca, Mike Capuano,
Alan Khazei, and Republicans
Scott P. Brown, and Jack E.
Robinson III.
Schedule taken from SSC Fall 2009 Master Class Schedule
Groups and Clubs Meeting:
Monday, December 7: Holiday Ceremony/Spring Semester Preparation, 11 a.m. MLK Room
Need a place to Study for finals?
Salem State College Library
The Library will be open 24 hours beginning Monday, Dec. 14 at 8 a.m. until
Thursday, Dec. 17 at midnight.
The Library will also be open:
Friday
Dec. 18
8am - 5pm
Saturday
Dec. 19
9am - 5pm
Sunday
Dec. 20
2pm - 11pm
Monday
Dec. 21
8am - 12am
Tuesday
Dec. 22
8am - 12am
Wednesday
Dec. 23
8am - 5pm
Page 4
THE SALEM STATE LOG
December 4, 2009
Editorial
Editor-in-Chief
Marie Purvinis
News
Brett Nolan, Editor
Matt Trapeni, Associate Editor
Sara McClory, Associate Editor
Features
Amanda Read, Editor
Jacqueline Kamel, Editor
Caitlin Rung, Associate Editor
Sports
Nick Colon, Editor
Adam McQuarrie, Associate Editor
Political Editor
Steve Crossman
Copy Editor
Brendan Connolly
Contributing Editor
Ronni Porter
Production Manager
Jacqueline Kamel
Photography Editor
Miles Weaver
Web Editor
Jessica Claflin
Advertising Manager
Yanique Shaw
Faculty Adviser
Dr. Peggy Dillon
Financial Adviser
Bruce Perry
Writing Coach
Dr. Ellen Golub
Editor Emeritus
Shawn Mille
Staff
Sherene Abu-Hiljeh
Jillian Aldrich
Ray Allen
Alex Barboza
Christian Bernier
Michele Dunn
Greg Gorman
Jared Graham
Robin Lash
Snow Will Make Rare Parking Spots Disappear
As the Salem State Community arrives on campus every morning, we all worry about one common thing:
“Where will I park?” The lack of parking spaces at Salem State is no secret to those who own a vehicle or
know of someone with one. From the very first day we start at Salem State, we worry about where we can
park. With the snowy months about to descend, the college community needs to consider how to get around
snow banks that block some of these coveted parking spots.
Every year, Public Safety issues more parking stickers than there are spaces, knowing that not all students
will be on campus at once. While the rationale is logical, it seems as if the only time students can find a parking spot is from 11 a.m. on throughout the week.
For those of us who have classes before 11, finding a parking spot sometimes can feel like we’re trying to
find a needle in a haystack. Those students who want the best spots and have classes at North Campus drive to
the Peabody Lot. If we so desire those spots that no other parking lot would do, we idle our cars at the front of
the parking lot, waiting for a passing student whom we hope is leaving. We stalk this student to his or her car
so we do not have to walk less than a quarter-mile from O’Keefe.
Those of us who gave up on parking in the Peabody Lot generally drive over to O’Keefe or park along
Lafayette and Loring. However, we have to watch out on really rainy days at O’Keefe as the center of the lot
floods and we lose a good 50-100 spaces. Those who have classes at Central need to plan an extra five-minute
trip to get around the Enterprise Center and the construction of the new dorm. Not many students realize that
we can park at the Weir property. The South Campus parking lot tends to flood on rainy days. Although we
have all these lots, they are spaced out enough from each other so that we must either walk up hills a ways in
order to get to our classes or wait for an unreliable shuttle bus.
Considering that Salem State has 6,200 undergraduate commuter students, one would think that Salem State
would actively work to fix the parking situation. I know that the college has convened parking task forces in
the past and has an active parking committee right now. Yet, despite all the complaining administrators must
hear I have seen almost no results. I concede that no logical way of adding a parking garage to any campus exists at the moment and that the college can’t add parking spaces to the property currently available.
Instead of doing something to fix this issue, we students complain about other parkers. I am one of those
complainers. For example, I often see cars along Loring and Lafayette that park with just too much wiggle
room. I often see cars that are clearly not compact parking in the compact spots at O’Keefe. I often see cars
that are just too much over the next line for anyone else to park in the next spot. In general, there are some in
the Salem State community who lack an appreciation for the other cars that need parking.
Believe it or not, we can find ways to get around the parking issue. For example, we can take the commuter
train into Salem. At the parking garage at the corner of Congress and Derby streets downtown, students can
park and get reimbursed for the cost. Also, the shuttle bus goes straight from the train station to North and Central Campus. If the shuttle bus is too much to handle, we can always walk or find someone else to give us a
ride from the station.
Better yet, why don’t we carpool into Salem State? Even if that car were a Smart Car that seats two, the lone
passenger would equal one less car that takes up unnecessary space. From my observations, most of the commuters drive onto campus alone. Even if only two people carpool per car, those carpoolers would only have to
tolerate 3,100 other vehicles for spaces. Imagine if each car took three passengers along with a driver? If Salem
State committed to this ideal, then only 1,550 cars would complete for spots at all campuses. Wow, this sounds
great, doesn’t it?
Yet, I know that this scenario would never come to fruition. It would be too difficult for a first-year commuter to try to find other students from his area to pick him up. We would be too annoyed waiting for our ride
or our passengers to get out of class. We couldn’t be bothered to attempt to arrange our work schedules around
when we could get a ride. Let’s face it, we would be too concerned about ourselves to reach out to other people. We would rather drive ourselves so we can come and go at our own convenience.
While we complain about parking, we use it as an excuse for our tardiness to class. While we complain about
parking, we still park in a manner that is inconvenient to our peers. Those who find a possible solution find too
many roadblocks. The seeming lack of parking spaces at Salem State will always be an issue. Even though we
do nothing to fix it, we still want to complain about it. The Parking Committee has many ideas, but it needs
student input. If the student body can make a grassroots effort to find a solution to this parking issue, the administration will be more likely to listen to our solutions. Salem State, I call upon you to find the Parking Committee members and offer solutions. Let us figure out a solution to the lack of parking before the snow falls and
makes even more of the ever-elusive parking spots disappear.
—Marie Purvinis, Editor-in-Chief
Michael Passarini
Meaghan Peterson
The Log welcomes articles and opinion pieces from everyone in the Salem State community. You must include your name and phone
Ashley Pivnick
number with your submission. The Log reserves the right to edit articles and opinions for length. Send your opinions to:
Editor-in-Chief, The Salem State Log
Meaghan Quatieri
Salem
State College, 352 Lafayette Street
Alexis Quintal
Salem, MA 01970
Ben Snow
Please note our new e-mail addresses:
Rosangeliz Torres
News Articles: [email protected]
Angela Voulgaris
Opinions: [email protected]
Editorial: 978-542-6649 Advertising: 978-542-6448
See us online at http://www.salemstatelog.com
December 4, 2009
Page 5
THE SALEM STATE LOG
Opinion
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Regarding Amanda Read’s useful article “Secret Grammar Lesson in Homonyms,” (October 16, p. 3) her
discussion of “used to” versus “use to” unfortunately is both incorrect and incomplete. Aside from the use
as verbs as in her first example, “used to” indicates something that happened in the past but is now finished,
eg., “I used to drink a lot of milk but now I don't drink any.” It can also mean being comfortable or familiar
with something, eg., “I can’t get used to working nights.” (So Amanda's second sentence should be “I am
used to scary clowns.”) “Use to” is paired with a negative to mean something that never happened in the
past, eg., “I didn’t use to like math, but now I enjoy it.” So to summarize in one sentence, “She used to be
beautiful, but after the accident she couldn’t get used to people’s stares so she used a gun to kill herself,
even though she didn’t use to believe in suicide.”
—Dr. Alan M. Young, Biology Dept
Dear Editor,
It’s 8:07 a.m. I should be in my 8:00 a.m. American Lit. class. But, I’ve been awake since 6 a.m. trying
to log in to Navigator to register for my spring 2010 classes. You know, the ones I need to take in order to
graduate and finally leave this infuriating place. Can someone explain to me, how after all of the registration periods in the history of time, Salem State cannot seem to figure out that whatever they’ve got for a
system isn’t working? I know it’s surprising, Salem State, but having on quarter of the student body log on
to Navigator (a system that is constantly having problems anyway) at the same time does not work. It
causes the system to slow down and inevitably crash. It seems like something it wouldn’t take a genius to
figure out, really. I mean, I figured it out. How about splitting up each class into four parts, assigning registration dates according to GPA? As it is, we’re fighting over who gets into which section with no rhyme or
reason whatsoever. Wait…did I just solve the registration problem in two minutes with minimal thought involved? I’m, of course bored, having been at this for two hours and thirteen minutes now, so while simultaneously trying to log in and write this complaint, I’m on Facebook…and the statuses are a sign of the times
here at SSC: “Registration issues. That’s what will keep me from graduating. I don’t even care about the
diploma. When I graduate, I would like Salem State to issue a formal apology.” And “I have been trying to
get on Navigator for 55 minutes now... THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!” and of course, my personal favorite:
“Hey Salem State, I don't know if you know this, but you have a course called ITC 184 INTRO TO COMPUTER NETWORKS, MWF 9:00-9:50, maybe you should take it…”
—Samantha Kligerman
This Letter to the Editor in its full form can be found online at www.salemstatelog.com
Discovering Politicking that Runs in the Family
Brendan Connolly
Log Staff
I had originally planned a satirical take on the fashion columns
the newspaper continually prints.
I had some vague outline of writing about how if you want to be
noticed this season to dress like a
Nazi or wear a turban, with a
sheet wrapped around your midsection, and carry a large conspicuous bag.
All that went out the window a
few days ago.
I recently received news about
a friend of mine. She is the former Vice President of Young Democrats. She worked as a
political consultant, once asking
me if I wanted to volunteer going
door-to-door with her, canvassing
random neighborhoods for votes.
We were eating sausage and
pepper sandwiches when I politely refused the offer, saying
that lobbyists should be influenced to hang themselves.
I didn’t talk to her much after
that.
Anyway, what I discovered
wasn‘t even really about her, but
her mother, who has been indicted by the federal government
on a myriad of charges including,
but not limited to, bribery, extortion and fraud.
I found all this out and I called
my friend, whom I haven’t spoken to in nearly a year, because
when the chance for an exclusive
interview comes along, you don’t
pass it up. I plan on becoming, as
they say, a professional.
It’s a bummer, I said.
I don’t know if bummer is the
word I would use, she said.
Her mother was a School
Board member, rising through the
ranks of PTA, ceaselessly campaigning against the over-crowding she saw in her three
children’s classrooms. She narrowly won the seat.
My friend said the whole thing
has been blown out of proportion.
I don’t know, I said. The FBI
caught your mom accepting a
bribe from a federal agent.
Allegedly her mother has been
taking kickbacks from construction firms eager to help build
more schools in the surrounding
communities. This practice is
commonly referred to as greasing
palms.
Shortly after the lunch I had
with my friend when she requested my services to help a
local mayoral race, she began to
see the local President of the
Young Democrats.
That whole thing was blown
out of proportion too, my friend
said.
Sources say that soon after dating him, she began a relationship
with a State Representative. Not
only alienating and embarrassing
Mr. President, but breaking his
heart. He is quoted as saying he,
allegedly, “…had fallen in love
with her.”
There are also murmurings that
Mr. President is gay.
How did you find out he was
gay, she asked me.
I have my ways, I said, so the
whole love triangle is true? She
told me to stop Googling her.
Recently, the forlorn President
has announced his plans to run
for the State House of Representatives. And wouldn’t you know
it, my friend’s new beau was up
for re-election, battling to hold
his District. Mr. President
claimed to have ethical violations
against the incumbent.
He, the president, has dropped
out of the race, she said. He went
up north to look after his dying
grandmother or something.
Let’s not sidetrack, I said. So
your mother? I read she will be
taking a plea bargain. You worried? Worse comes to worse, I
said, your mom could go on
“Dancing With the Stars.”
I can’t really talk about that,
she said. Forget about my mom,
she said. Where are you living
now?
I told her, with a slight unease
about the question.
You may have to put me up
when I come visit, she said. Plus,
I want to write a book about the
last few months. Do you think
you can help me?
I said, Sure. Call me in a few a
days and we’ll work something
out.
Correction
Salem Sings raised $1600, not $300. The Log regrets this error.
Abortion In The New Age
By Rosangeliz Torres / Log Staff
Would you vote against a bill
that would give over 36 million
people access to health care because within its pages it contained an amendment, the
Stupak-Pitts Amendment, that
would deny abortion coverage?
Vying for the seat left vacant by
the death of Sen. Edward
Kennedy, Attorney General
Martha Coakley said in a recent
interview on WTKK-FM that she
would oppose the overall bill because her opinions on the abortion aspects of legislation are
very strong, as reported by The
Boston Globe.
In a recent turn of events, rival
U.S. Representative Michael Capuano, after publicly criticizing
her for her oppositions to the
overall bill, has now said that he,
too, will oppose the final bill if
the anti-abortion amendment is
not eliminated. After apparently
realizing that this is a tough subject that many of his potential
voters would consider before giving him their vote, according to
The Boston Herald, he has said
through his aides that he supports
the bill, but not the Stupak-Pitts
Amendment.
Pro-life and pro-choice advocates have been at odds end since
before Roe v. Wade made it into a
Texas Supreme Court in 1973,
when abortion was made legal in
the United States. Ever since
then, women who chose to have
abortions could do so freely,
whether it was by paying for the
procedure out of pocket, or having their insurance companies
cover the costs.
The Stupak-Pitts Amendment
would bar taxpayer-funded abortion. If a woman wanted to get an
abortion, she would still be able
to; she would just have to pay for
it with her own money, or have a
private health insurance policy
that covers her costs. In other
words, Roe v. Wade would not be
undermined, as many pro-choice
advocates have claimed. Getting
an abortion, if the health care bill
passes with Stupak-Pitts included, would still be legal.
Rather, it would ensure taxpayers
that their money would not go to
pay for someone else’s mistake,
or far worse, pay for something
that they fundamentally do not
agree with.
As a young pro-choice woman
myself who has access to health
insurance that will cover an abortion should the need arise, I appreciate the simple fact that I
have access to a safe procedure
covered by my chosen provider,
but would never impose on tax
payers something as serious as
having to pay for abortions they
may or may not necessarily agree
with.
When briefed about Coakley’s
position on the health care bill,
One Salem State junior said, “If
she doesn’t see the bigger picture,
then I think she is wrong. The
plan is to pass the bill, give it a
longer shelf life, give it a chance
to move higher up on the legislation totem pole. She’s saying that
she won’t even pass the initial
bill, she has a problem. Many
pro-choice people I know have
no health insurance or are struggling to pay for the ones they
have and would gladly take a
government option even with the
amendment, knowing that with
time things would eventually
work themselves out.”
When asked what she thought
about Capuano’s recent press releases, a pro-life advocate who
wishes to remain anonymous
said, “I think that what he is
doing is ridiculous. I don’t understand how someone can publicly
criticize someone else for doing
something they know they will
soon be doing as well. I am prolife and always have been. If
women want to murder their babies, let them do that with their
own money, not with our tax
money. I realize that we as taxpayers already pay for loads of
things we don’t always either
agree or know about, but knowing I’m paying for murder, it’s
just wrong.”
So the choice is left to us here
in Massachusetts. Do we support
someone who is so pro-choice
that even at the hint of possible
restrictions on abortion will vote
no for a bill that will revolutionize health insurance in the United
States? Or do we go with the candidate who will support the bill if
the amendment is eliminated
from it in its final version? In my
opinion, John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham would have a field
day when this debate goes on
amongst the United States Senators. I urge the Salem State community to register to vote!
Contact MassPIRG at 978-5426870 for more information or go
to studentvote.org and register to
vote. Your opinions won't matter
if you don't make yourself be
heard through your vote!
*Names have been changed.
The Log’s 2009-2010 Publication Schedule
January 29
February 12
February 26
March 12
April 2
April 16
April 30
December 4, 2009
Page 7
THE SALEM STATE LOG
Question
of the
Week
So What is Christmas All About,
Charlie Brown?
By Jacqueline Kamel / Associate Features Editor
I know that if this really was A Charlie Brown Christmas, I,
Linus, would tell you all about the angel leading the shepherds,
and I’d say the word “Lo.” Long before Christianity, Yule was
celebrated worldwide to brighten the dark, cold nights in the winter solstice, December 21. Evergreens were typically brought indoors, people caroled for money, and logs were burned to
symbolize good fortune.
In Ancient Rome, Pagans celebrated “Saturnalia” to honor Saturn, the God of Agriculture. They also celebrated the birthday of
the Sun God, Mithra, on December 25. When Christianity started
to spread, the Christians wanted to challenge the Pagan holiday
and form one of their own. As many of us know, the birth of
Christ wasn’t actually on December 25, but back in ancient times,
a Christian scholar, Sextus Julius Africanus, theorized that Jesus
was conceived on the day of creation, March 25, the spring equinox; ergo, his birthday would be December 25. Christians decided that the controversy imposed by the spread of their religion
could be compromised; Romans could still celebrate their holidays as long as Jesus’ birth was also acknowledged. The first official nativity was set up on Christmas in the Church of Rome in
336 A.D by Pope Julius I. Not long after, the Church officially declared that it would celebrate December 25 as the birth of Christ.
The Christmas tree was, as I said, a simple evergreen tree to
bring into one’s home in order to brighten up the melancholy winter months. In Germany, however, they adorned their trees with
apples in order to resemble the Garden of Eden; they called it the
“Paradise tree.” Over time, they added ornaments, candles, nuts,
and sugar wafers. In the 19th century, a lot of Germans immigrated elsewhere, and the idea of the “Paradise” tree seemed foreign and could not adapt elsewhere. In 1848, Queen Victoria
encouraged her German husband, Prince Albert, to decorate their
Christmas tree as he would have in his native Germany. Topped
with an angel, the tree was featured in London newspapers, and it
spread through many countries. In 1870, German artisans started
to make glass ornaments, which ended up replacing the apples,
and in 1882, Thomas Edison’s associate, Edward Johnson, invented the string lights. By 1900, one in five families had a
Christmas tree, making it an excellent place to put presents.
How did such a religious holiday became so commercialized?
In the fourth century B.C. the death of the Turkish Bishop
Nicholas was celebrated on the morning of December 26, when
good children would wake to find a toy, and bad children woke to
find nothing. In Holland, they called him Sinterklaas. And so the
story began that if children were good, they would get presents on
Christmas in honor of St. Nick’s memory. In 1882, Clement Clark
Moore wrote the poem “The Night Before Christmas.” which
formed our entire persona of Santa Claus, a man pulled by reindeer who comes down the chimney and delivers presents. In 1862
Thomas Nast, a cartoonist, printed his vision of Santa Claus: the
round, fat, jolly man in red with the long white beard. Since then,
retailers have used the image of Santa Claus and gift giving to
promote shopping, and most of the Christmas culture since has
been added on to make money for either stores, or desperate creative minds such as Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch, and Rudolph the Red
Nosed Reindeer, a poem written by Robert L. May, for Montgomery Ward, a department store, that gave the story to its customers for free.
This week’s verdict: The modern view of Christmas is separated into two parts, much like the genres of its songs. It’s either
about the birth of Christ, or it’s about Santa and buying presents.
In reality, those are both heavily adapted. The REAL meaning of
Christmas is to brighten the mood dampened by the dark, cold
doldrums known as the winter. The entire idea of Christmas is
spending time with people you love, coming in out of the cold,
being grateful for what you have, and knowing that with the new
year, and the melting of the snow, comes rebirth for everyone.
And that, Charlie Brown, is the question of the week.
Features
RDT Pays “Tribute”, Shows December 11, 12, 13
By Marie Purvinis / Editor-in-Chief
This December the Repertory
Dance Theater, the student dance
company, will present its fall
show “Tribute.” RDT will perform 21 dances, each one a tribute to someone in the
choreographer of the individual
dance’s life. The group features
about 70 dancers from Salem
State.
When asked about the name of
the show, RDT President
Meaghan Quatieri said that RDT
named Tribute “in memory of
Michael Jackson and the effect he
had on the dance community. We
decided to do a mix of his songs
for our production piece, which
we wanted to tribute to him. We
then decided to let each of our
choreographers dedicate their
dance to whomever they wanted
which lead us to the show name
Tribute.”
On a Tuesday night in the
Dance Studio in the O’Keefe
Center, 30 women danced to
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Each one danced with the zombie
A
D
V
E
R
T
I
S
E
personas featured by the
dancers in the
original music
video. Although
this dance was
not yet complete, each
dancer shimmied, stomped,
and clapped and
slid with the energy of an opening night
performance.
The choreographer and RDT
Public Relations specialist Diana
Mason paused the music to tweak
a move several of the women
missed. She stood in the middle
of the floor and counted the beat
as she performed the move. Many
of the other dancers mirrored her
exact motions as they personally
tweak their own performance.
Mason and the rest of the RDT
Executive Board each choreographed a portion of the show’s
finale, “Production.” The finale is
Photo by Marie Purvinis
a tribute to Michael Jackson and
his contributions to the world of
dance. The finale is compiled of
10 of Jackson’s hit songs, including “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Beat It.”
“Michael Jackson has made a
huge impact on many dancers
lives. A few of our dancers only
started because of MJ and his incredibly creative dance moves,”
Quatieri said.
For the full story and more photos, please visit our Web site
www.salemstatelog.com
Page 8
THE SALEM STATE LOG
December 4, 2009
Features
Holiday Tips for College Student
Buttsweat and Tears
By Robin Lash / Log Staff
Yards are lit up with holiday
lights, the radio has been taken
over, Salvation Army bells are
ringing outside the grocery store,
and your wallet is near empty.
Yes, the holidays are among us.
This year the nation is on a
budget, but that doesn’t mean you
can’t spread the holiday cheer.
There are plenty of ways to give
gifts without maxing out your
credit cards.
Here are a few thoughtful,
easy, wallet-friendly gift ideas to
get for your family and friends:
Crafty ideas
1. A.C. Moore, Michaels, and
other craft stores have plenty of
inexpensive ideas for presents. A
gift idea that I have done in the
past will run you less than $20.
Most craft stores have a wood
section. In this section there are
wood signs and letters. All you
have to do is pick a word or
phrase for the sign, i.e. “smile,”
“I love you,”or the name of the
person’s hometown or favorite
sports team, then pick out two
colors of paint that would look
nice together. At home you can
paint the sign and letters and glue
them together. It doesn’t take
long and is a great homemade
gift.
2. A gift basket can be fun,
easy, and cheap. These can come
pre-made, but putting them together yourself is cheaper and offers a nice personal touch. Just
find a basket around the house or
at a craft store to put the items in.
You can wrap them up nicely
with some tissue paper and ribbon. Making your own gift basket
also allows you to give each basket a theme based on the recipients personal hobbies or interests.
For the movie lover: a gift certificate to the movie theater or to a
movie rental store, microwave
popcorn (extra butter of course),
some candy, and soda. For the romantic: inexpensive wine glasses
and a bottle of wine (21+ only), a
box of chocolate, and a romantic
movie or CD could work. For the
car guy or girl: chamois, car soap
and wax, and a car freshener.
3. Pictures are incredibly cheap
and can be one of the best gifts.
One thing you can do with pictures is make a collage.
For the full story,
please visit our Web site:
www.salemstatelog.com
The Lawrence Arms
Release Date: 2009
Label: Wreck Chords
By Brendan Connolly / Log Staff
Finally. The Lawrence Arms
have released a new 7-inch
Buttsweat and Tears. This is the
first new material from the
Chicago trio since 2006’s Oh!
Calcutta.
Between then and now,
bassist/singer Brendan Kelly and
drummer Neil Hennessy, along
with Dan Andriano from Alkaline
Trio, put together a super-group
of sorts called The Falcon, releasing Unicornography.
Guitarist/vocalist Chris McCaughan has been performing
under the moniker Sundowner,
basically an acoustic version of
The Lawrence Arms, releasing
Four One Five Two in 2007.
What makes the four tracks on
Buttsweat and Tears awesome
also, unfortunately, holds them
back. Themes of alcoholism, apathy, late-night camaraderie, and
sleep deprivation run intravenously throughout their back
catalog, and they are still sticking
Farmville: The New Facebook Addiction
By Alexis Quintal /
Log Staff
There has been a recent phenomenon of Facebook applications where members can have
the excitement of planting and
harvesting crops, taking care of
farm animals, and expanding
their farms as a whole. This
game, called Farmville, has captured the hearts (and attention) of
many.
With Facebook already being
used as a procrastination tool,
games like Farmville only add to
the distractions. High school and
college students seem to be the
biggest group playing this game
obsessively, keeping them from
important things like homework
and a social life.
“Farmville is a drug,” said
Salem State freshman Tania Gelsomini.
According to Gelsomini, Facebook cleverly sucked in Farmville players by forcing them to
check their Farmville constantly
or they risk losing crops. “You
can’t plant certain items without
going back in like three hours to
harvest them,” she explained,
adding that if you don’t harvest
them in time they wither, and
then need to be plowed away. In
order to move up levels and be
able to add houses and animals as
well as win prizes, players must
constantly harvest crops.
Album Review
Emma Gelinas, a freshman at
Salem State, plays Farmville
daily. However she sees the game
as a way to pass the time during
the day, rather than an “addiction.” She feels that some people
over do it, but she agrees that it’s
another distraction. “I’ve always
procrastinated,” she said. She
plays other games on Facebook
as well, including Happy Aquarium and Mini Planet; however,
neither of these are as addicting
to her as Farmville.
Farmville hasn’t appealed to all
college students. Freshman Sarah
Fitzgerald of Salem State is not a
fan of the game. She does not
play Farmville or understand the
hype about it. “It’s a waste of
time,” she said. Although she admits that she is constantly on
Facebook, she doesn’t play any
games on the site.
Facebook itself is already an
addictive site, giving people the
opportunity to communicate with
others quickly
and with photos. However,
Farmville has
upped the addiction factor
of the site. Students are constantly
checking their
Farmville and
talking about it
with other
players, and
playing the
game when
they should be
doing homework, going to
class, or going
out with
friends. This
just may be the
next pandemic.
to the same formula.
Regurgitation isn’t
the right word. But it
fits. An unsettling undercurrent of polished production
makes their efforts
almost bland or insipid. The urgency of the music, which was a
mainstay of previous works, feels
replaced with an upsetting tinge
of practice and forethought. The
interplay between both singers
also is almost non-existent.
Likewise Kelly’s signature
raspy, whiskey and cigarette
drenched, voice no longer carries
the same intensity. Instead it
sounds worn down, almost blatantly mass-produced. He carries
the same melody, more or less,
through the entire record.
McCaughan’s guitar still rings
with the same wall of sound; unfortunately, his chord progressions still haunt the memories of
years past.
Hennessy’s drums are still
solid. But they tend to take a
backseat to the other musicians,
opting for more background than
backbone. All that aside though,
they continue to create a musical
signature. I only complain because they are getting tighter as a
band. You’re not going to find
anything new here; these sound
like Oh! Calcutta b-sides. And
that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a
small disappointment from an already jaded appreciator hoping
for something with regressive
growth. I met Kelly and McCaughan, years ago at show. I
bought them a beer and told them
their band ruled. And they still
do.
December 4, 2009
Page 9
THE SALEM STATE LOG
Features
Food For Thought: The Holidays Princeton U’s Showalter Speaks on Author Jewett
Ronni Porter
Contributing Editor
The holidays are here and for
people with food allergies, a fun
family gathering can turn into a
complete disaster. There are
peanuts in the chocolate chip
cookies, someone used the
mashed potato spoon to dole out
stuffing, and Aunt Beatrice forgot
to mention she put walnuts in the
pumpkin pie crust. For those
lucky enough to be without allergies, avoiding foods they don’t
enjoy can be as easy as picking
the peas out of the vegetable
medley. For those with food allergies, simple mistakes can be
deadly. There are ways to avoid a
potentially harmful situation and
enjoy the holidays.
First, when sending out invitations, provide a section for guests
to list food allergies on the RSVP
cards. Second, if you don’t believe you will be able to accommodate certain allergies, be sure
to call the guests so they can plan
accordingly. Third, consider putting out place cards in front of
food items with the food name on
front and the ingredients on back.
PARKING & TRAFFIC: Any
non-injury, Nov. 09, Monday at
13:46. Location: O’KEEFE CENTER LOT. Officer to take a report of a past motor vehicle
accident.
SAFETY/SECURITY: Emergency Telephone Activation, Nov.
09, Monday at 15:37. Location:
O’KEEFE CENTER SPORTS
COMPLEX. Office to investigate
e-phone activation.
MEDICAL: Any Medical Assist,
Non-Alcohol Related, Nov. 09,
Monday at 16:11. Location:
HARRINGTON BUILDING.
Caller reports of a student passing out. Officer reports that party
refused medical transportation.
SAFETY/SECURITY: Emergency Telephone Activation, Nov.
09, Monday at 18:45. Location:
CENTRAL CAMPUS RESIDENCE HALL. Officer to investigate e-phone activation.
SAFETY/SECURITY: Emergency Telephone Activation, Nov.
09, Monday at 18:59. Location:
CENTRAL CAMPUS RESIDENCE HALL. Local smoke
alarm Rm. 215, caused by cooking.
Also, consider doing a “pot luck”
style dinner. Guest with allergies
can bring foods they can enjoy
and share new recipes with other
guests.
Fourth, if you are headed to a
holiday party that will be catered,
contact the caterer ahead of time
and discuss your allergies. Often,
a plate can be put a side to accommodate your dietary needs.
Fifth, are you traveling with kids
who have allergies? Pack snacks
that they can enjoy while the
other children enjoy wheat or
dairy filled cookies and treats.
Sixth, picking up a bag of glutenfree rolls or a half gallon of soy
milk to have on hand will make
any guest with allergies feel welcomed and considered.
Communication is key for
everyone involved! If you have
questions about a guest’s allergy,
feel free to contact them. They
will be happy to answer your
questions and they will appreciate
your taking the time to consider
their health and well-being. This
is a time to be thankful for good
food, good friends and even your
crazy family. Enjoy, and don’t
forget to pass the potatoes!
By Jessica Claflin / Log Staff
When Princeton University’s
professor Elaine Showalter gave
a lecture on Sarah Orne Jewett
and “Jewitt’s Critical Juries” at
English Department Writers’ series event on Thursday, November 12 in the Recital Hall, she
captivated the audience with her
powerful voice and her educating
and engaging lecture
Showalter is an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on
cultural and social issues who is
one of the founders of feminist
literary criticism in the U.S. She
has been a professor at Princeton
University for 40 years. Showalter's most famous works are Toward a Feminist Poetics and The
Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture. Her
latest book of work is called A
Jury of Her Peers which came
out in February 2009. The book
covers American women writers
from 1650-2000, in which
Showalter goes over more than
200 women writers in 20 chapters. At the event, her book was
on sale for students and faculty.
Sarah Orne Jewett was a regional novelist who grew up in
South Berwick, Maine, whose
works depict Maine settings and
personalities. Her education was
cut short because she suffered
from arthritis, but she continued
to study at home from her father’s book collection, where she
learned the important major English and European writers. Her
first story was published in 1868
when she was 19. Her more wellknown pieces include A White
Heron and The Country of the
Pointed Firs. Today, she is
known as an important American
female writer.
Showalter spoke of Jewett’s
popular murder story about a
wife killing her husband with a
piece of string. The women in the
town helped destroy the evidence
and saved the wife from being
found guilty. Showalter says that
Jewett was seen as “perfect little
quiet of achievements...modest
and dainty.” Showalter stated that
not enough women are around to
read the clues to see the “trial
matters are really deeper matters”
Salem State’s English Department celebrated the birthday of
Jewett with cake for Jewett’s
160th birthday on September 3.
Also, students and faculty took a
trip to Jewett’s house in South
Berwick, Maine.
Showalter was happy “that
Salem State is celebrating her
birthday” but disappointed that
“nothing has happened on a national level.” She will remain in
the select Salem State students’
and faculty members’ minds.
Showalter’s visit was unforgettable to those who saw it: she is
like a rare jewel who comes
across funny but is really passionate about her work. Salem
State was lucky enough to have
her come and help celebrate Jewett’s birthday with the audience.
Features Online:
—Phil’s Big Day
continues.
—A Salem State student
finishes her last two semesters three trimesters
later.
—Speakout!
Salem State Police Log
November 9-11, 2009
SAFETY/SECURITY: Emergency Telephone Activation, Nov.
09, Monday at 21:33. Location:
ELLISON CAMPUS CENTER.
While patrolling building officer
investigated e-phone activation.
All in order.
MEDICAL: Any Medical Assist,
Non-Alcohol Related, Nov. 09,
Monday at 22:04. Location:
BOWDITCH HALL. RA reports
of a resident complaining of chest
pains. Officer reports party transported to NSMC via Atlantic Ambulance.
VANDALISM: All types of vandalism, Nov. 10, Tuesday at
04:03. Location: BERTOLON
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS. Officer discovered refrigerator that
had been forced open in the cafeteria.
SAFETY/SECURITY: Fire
Alarm/Smoke Alarm, Nov. 10,
Tuesday at 19:00. Location: ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.
Salem Fire en route to Administration Building for alarm activation.
SAFETY/SECURITY: Fire
Alarm/Smoke Alarm, Nov. 10,
Tuesday at 19:16. Location: AT-
LANTIC HALL. Local smoke
from Rm. 313, caused by cooking.
SAFETY/SECURITY: Emergency Telephone Activation, Nov.
10, Tuesday at 19:34. Location:
MEIER HALL. E-phone elevator
activation, officer reports unfounded.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES: Nov. 10, Tuesday at
20:17. Location: ATLANTIC
HALL. Officer to meet the RA
for a strong odor of class D coming from Rm. 402. Officer reports
unfounded.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE:
Any drug abuse violation, Nov.
10, Tuesday at 20:31. Location:
ATLANTIC HALL. RA requesting an officer to Rm 402, found
evidence of class D while on a
health and safety check. Officer
confiscated a small amount of
class D.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES: Nov. 10, Tuesday at
21:03. Location: BOWDITCH
HALL. Front desk Bowditch Hall
reports parties in Rainbow Terrace lighting off fireworks. Officer reports parties G/O/A
Follow the Log on Twitter: salemstatelog
PUBLIC SAFETY: Well being
check, Nov. 10, Tuesday at 21:40.
Location: PEABODY HALL. A
concerned mother called regarding her daughter whom she cannot get in touch with, officer to
investigate. Party has been located.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE:
Any drug abuse violation, Nov.
10, Tuesday at 21:43. Location:
ATLANTIC HALL. Officer out
to pick up items found in one of
the rooms during health and
safety check, Rm. 415.
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE:
Any drug abuse violation, Nov.
10, Tuesday at 21:59. Location:
PEABODY HALL. RAs report a
pipe was found in Rm. 511 during health and safety checks, Of-
ficer out to confiscate item.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES: Nov. 10, Tuesday at
22:05. Location: PEABODY
HALL LOT. Peabody hall front
desk reports students reported
Lincoln SUV Mass Reg 422YTE
in the lot with all the doors open
and a broken cell phone on the
front seat, Officer out to investigate. Party is signed into
Bowditch Hall Rm. 501. Officer
made contact, the vehicle was secured and in order.
DISTURBANCE: Noise Complaint, Nov. 11, Wednesday at
03:33. Location: BATES COMPLEX. Party reports noise Bates
8D. Officer has advised the residents.
Page 10
THE SALEM STATE LOG
December 4, 2009
Political
Point / Counterpoint: Health Care Reform and the Public Option
By Brendan Connolly / Log Staff
By Steve Crossman / Political Editor
The Public Option. It’s all the rage in
DC, and almost everyone who’s been
within earshot of a news network broadcast has at least heard the phrase. Part of
the new Health Care bill that is working its
slow, laborious way through the American
legislative system, its passage would mean
the creation of a government-run health
care provider. The plan deals in two goals,
to lower insurance costs through competition in the free market and to insure the
46.3 million Americans without coverage.
It is set up to fail in both of these pursuits,
however.
If any proposition is to be judged in
terms of its value, then the discussion of it
must be clear. The greatest misconception
in the Public Option debate is that the
health insurance industry is predatory and
profiteering. The villianization of the
health insurance companies is hugely important, since the goal of the Public Option
is to regulate this industry in particular.
Numbers, however, show that the industry
may be shockingly undeserving of the political invective thrown its way.
Compare the Pharmaceutical industry to
the Health Care Plan industry. Last year,
Health Care Plans recorded profits of $11
billion, to the Pharmaceuticals’ $35 billion.
In terms of profits last quarter, Health
Plans saw profits of 3.4 percent of revenue, 83rd in the country, while the major
drug companies sat at 5th with 18.4 percent. The top five pharmaceutical CEOs
were compensated an average of $26 million each in 2007. By contrast, the top
health insurance CEOs averaged less than
$17.5 million. That’s just 2.5 million more
than a certain cornerback for the Raiders.
The profitability of the drug companies
is hugely relevant to this debate. Our insurance providers act as a buffer between us
and the Pharmaceutical companies, which
is why if your insurance is good you’ll end
up paying $5 for a $160 prescription. This
is because the other $155 is paid by your
insurance company. Your insurance company has to be able to account for these
costs, as well as the cost of running itself,
if it is to even approach turning a profit. So
in a world where one industry is already
struggling (albeit sometimes unethically)
to maintain its place between an angry
populace and a greedy monolith, where exactly is this need for competition?
Of course, there is the interest of insuring the uninsured (or uninsurable), but this
must be done with great care. In 1994,
Tennessee instituted a public option called
Tenncare to deal with its burgeoning uninsured population. Their answer to making
the plan work financially was to pay
providers less than the normal cost of their
services. While 500,000 uninsured were
covered, the low cost and lack of regulation in the plan caused people to drop their
private providers in its favor. For every
person going from private coverage to
Tenncare, the healthcare providers were
paid less, and eventually many of them
pulled out of the plan, leaving the state to
foot the bill. The cost of the plan tripled to
$8.5 billion a year, and took up a third of
Tennessee’s total budget. The program became a product of its system, restricting eligibility, cutting types of coverage,
benefits, and eventually placing limits on
the number of prescription medication any
particular subscriber could receive.
Such failed attempts are clearly in legislators’ minds, however. The new Public
Option is improved in that it is targeted exclusively at those without employer insurance and who are not eligible for Medicare
or Medicaid, and to the employees of
small businesses. It is also supposedly selfsustaining, and negotiates prices with
providers rather than imposing them by
necessity. The problem here lies in the
Congressional Budget Office’s appraisal of
the situation: that only 6 million of America’s 46.3 million uninsured will be eligible for the plan, and that premiums will
actually be higher than those charged by
private insurers. In this way, Public Option
has gone from a major economic threat to
a proposition of negligible impact.
The issues that many people take with
private health insurance providers will be
addressed as part of the bill, with or without the Public Option. The Public Option
doesn’t even stand alone: It would be part
of a new set of otherwise private plans in
the bill’s Health Insurance Exchange. It is
a mistake often made to assign the Public
Option a degree of importance within
Health Care reform corresponding to the
degree of media attention it has received.
One undeniable effect that it has already
had is the holding up of Health Care reform that this country so badly needs. It is
a proposition designed to lower prices
through competition, but which cannot itself compete, and isn’t in the right competition. It is a proposition to cover our more
than 46 million uninsured, which barely
brings the number down to 40. The Public
Option is set up to fail in both of its goals,
and will most likely become an all-too-ignorable money drain or, at best, a waste of
political process and time. If any impact is
to be made in this proposed reform, the
time we spend examining the Public Option should be spent refining the bill into
something which will fix the broken system, rather than simply add to it.
Political Online:
— 10-year-old boy refuses to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance
as a protest for gay marriage.
—Even more Point/Counterpoints on major political issue.
“The absence of any impairment from
this list does not imply insurability.”
-PacifiCare
The unfortunate side-effect of Health
Care—i.e. Health Insurance—reform, is almost everyone has become an expert in the
argument. Even me.
Here we go.
I find my myself unsure of where to
begin. There is how the World Health Organization, in 2000, ranked our health care
system first in responsiveness, the system
with the highest cost, and 37th in overall
performance. We rate 72nd in overall level
of health. Not bad from the 191 countries
the WHO analyzed.
U.S. health care spending is 16 percent
of our GDP. Only second to East Timor,
amongst U.N. members. And growing. By
2017 it will, according to the Centers of
Medicare and Medicaid services, reach
19.5 percent.
It’s the best health care in the world that
the free-market can create.
Our life expectancy trails behind that of
Chile and Cuba.
The American Journal of Medicine published a study finding that medical debt is
the principal cause of personal bankruptcy
in the United States. We have a higher infant mortality rate in the developed world
yet pay twice as much for health care.
The United States of America stands
alone amongst the industrialized nations of
the world in not having a universal healthcare system.
In 2008 there were an estimated 46.3
million citizens without health insurance.
This figure doesn’t include The Commonwealth Fund’s estimate of another 25 million underinsured who incur high
out-of-pocket expenses, excluding premiums, relative to their income, despite having coverage all year.
But Obama is the Nazi.
Not Health Insurance Companies. And
their myriad of pre-existing conditions.
They call this decision process “adverse
selection.” At least 5 million people are
considered uninsurable because of these
conditions.
Like.
Acne. Autism, infantile. Obesity, i.e. 20
pounds overweight. Expectant Fatherhood.
If you have seen a therapist or had counseling. Anemia. Breast implants. Narcolepsy.
Cancer of every kind. Asthma. Anorexia
nervosa. Diabetes. Bulimia. Anyone currently disabled or receiving disability payments or benefits.
Insurance companies widely claim that
refusing coverage to individuals with
these, and many more, conditions helps to
keep premiums low. According to The
Commonwealth Fund, insurance premiums
have risen 119 percent in the last decade.
In Massachusetts alone premiums rose 94
percent since 2000.
Trickle down economics at work. God
bless St. Reagan.
It seems to me that a system so wildly
billed as the greatest in the world, just
isn’t. And these Tea-Baggers, who want all
taxes and government rescinded from their
lives, don’t seem to grasp the fundamental
point of what the new bill offers.
So yeah, if you have a $8,000 a year
health plan, a “Cadillac plan,” you will be
taxed a little more. And yeah, everyone
will have to buy health coverage or face a
fine from the federal government.
And yeah, maybe the plan won’t make
anyone rich.
But it will give the lowest dredges of our
society the ability to see a doctor for preventive care or even just a check-up. Because it’s not just rock gods and
conservative talking heads and former athletes and gone-wrong child stars from the
eighties who matter. We all do.
Menino Wins 5th Term as Boston Mayor
By Steve Crossman / Political Editor
Before we congratulate Thomas Menino
for his fifth straight victory in Boston’s
mayoral race, we should put things into
perspective. Menino’s 57-43 percent victory over challenging City Council President Michael Flaherty is part of a tradition
that goes further back than even Menino’s
sixteen-plus years in office. The last
Boston mayoral incumbent to lose an election was defeated in the wake of a mail
fraud scandal. 60 years ago.
Menino has set history though, in that no
other Boston mayor has had the optimism,
dedication, or drive (or a combination
thereof) to try for and win a fifth term. His
position is cemented as the King of Boston,
which is a perception I am sure he would
disagree with. He is, however, the consummate people’s leader, his tried-and-true
method of meeting with the people of his
city on a personal basis. Interestingly, the
Boston Globe reported in May that Menino
had personally met 57 percent of Bostonians. While certainly not a direct correla-
tion, this is the percentage by which he
took the election this year.
Change may have been the ruling sentiment among those who opposed Menino’s
re-election, but the astoundingly likeable
mayor disarmed Flaherty’s campaign in a
resounding way. In most cases an incumbent as long in office as Menino would be
perceived as an ivory-tower politician by
the masses, as someone who had become a
fixture of his office and a product of the
political system. Menino’s uncanny charm
and determination to stay on the ground
level, to be a person as well as a mayor to
Bostonians, stood side by side with his
long and impressive track record. This
made Menino’s fifth and narrowest victory
to date a reality, and as he said in his acceptance speech, “We haven’t made history
with this election, but we will, with what
we create of it.” As Bostonians on either
side of the mayoral debate, we can only
hope he’s right.
Have a point you want discussed? Want to argue your political views? Send in your articles to:
[email protected]
December 4, 2009
Page 11
THE SALEM STATE LOG
Sports
Fantasy Football Wrap-Up
Adam MacQuarrie
Associate Sports Editor
In a season that left just about
every fantasy league standingsboard looking more like the National League in baseball than
teams composed of NFL superstar players—that is to say, .500
records for everybody—it can be
obvious to state that there were a
lot of disappointments this year.
Some of these disappointments
were easier to predict than others.
Some were not. Some high profile players with very high preseason rankings—and what they
call in the world of gambling
“Sure Things”—started slow.
Some of these notable players
eventually found their groove,
their mojo, their zone . . . but
most didn’t.
With the fantasy playoffs just
around the corner, aside from the
one or two teams in your league
with dominant records, it is safe
to say that the remaining seeds
will not be established until
weeks twelve or thirteen.
The consummate reason being
that teams stacked with last
year’s superstars are wading knee
deep in befuddlement and disbelief, while team owners who
limped away from draft day
scratching their heads and wondering where their pre-draft strategy had gone and who it ran
away with, are neck and neck
with the know-it-alls.
Cheers, mate! Here’s to life and
luck and disappointment. Wahnwahn.
The position with the least
amount of expected superstars
that pulled themselves together
this season were running backs.
Maurice Jones-Drew proved to be
a “Sure Thing” as did Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, Chris
Johnson, Steven Jackson, and, as
of late, DeAngelo Williams.
Tim Shea: Athletic Director and Coach
But Ray Rice, Cedric Benson,
and Ricky Williams—C’mon!
That fact that every sleeper this
year has been in the league for
half a decade or more is just plain
mean; and the fact that Tomlinson, Portis, and Westbrook aren’t
even in the top thirty is just plain
ridiculous.
However, despite the handful
of running backs that pulled
through this season, the position
is still very thin. I suggest that if
you don’t get a top five or six
pick next year to avoid snatching
up a running back until the midto-late third round.
Most of the expected superstars
who spanned out accordingly
came from the wide receiver position, with a few surprises. No
one could have predicted that
Calvin Johnson, a.k.a. Megatron,
was going to amount to squat this
year, just like no one could have
predicted that the top-ten list was
going to include Miles Austin and
DeSean Jackson.
Aside from a handful of players, the preseason top-twenty
ranking for receivers remains intact. Moss, Fitzgerald, Wayne, et
cetera, are all where they are supposed to be; and come next year
they will be there as well.
So, if nothing else, please follow this advice next season: draft
receivers, receivers, receivers.
Because, unfortunately for everybody that thought they drafted the
team of the decade, the wide receivers are the only lot to come
through this year.
If you don’t believe me, just
ask the guy who drafted Kurt
Warner, Matt Forte, and Jason
Witten, who is playing the guy
who drafted Brett Favre, Ray
Rice, and Vernon Davis this
week.
Men’s Basketball
Springfield College
L 63-74
Men’s Hockey
school in the 1980s. He eventually got turned down for the
men’s coaching jobs for which he
applied. “That was probably the
best thing for me. I am in my
hometown and I am comfortable
here [at Salem]. I have received a
lot of support from the administration here and I am thankful for
that.”
Like any coach, Shea does
have challenges to overcome
each and every year in coaching
women’s basketball. He has said,
“The immediate challenge right
now is having a young team and
trying to reach a high level with
that team.” Shea said that maintaining a high level of success is
always a great challenge every
single year. Last season was one
of the worst seasons that Tim
Shea experienced, with the
women’s basketball team finishing with an 11-17 record. Shea
has a career winning percentage
of more than 80 percent and is
ranked in the top 10 in both alltime winning coach, with 617
wins, and winning percentage in
NCAA Division 3 women’s basketball. When talking about last
season Shea said, “we were los-
ing close games last season, but
no matter how much we struggled we kept the same philosophy
intact. Eventually towards the
end of the season we had a winning streak going to the finals of
the MASCAC Tournament.”
In trying to improve all athletics at Salem State, Shea said he
would like to, “create interests
and promote more women’s athletics.” He mentioned that
women’s lacrosse has been doing
extremely well by getting over 30
members in the club. Now Shea
is preparing for the upcoming
women’s basketball season. He
said he is, “excited for the upcoming season, with a mixture of
a great recruiting class and the
girls that we already have from
last season on the team. We
should have a great season.”
Shea has enjoyed his time in
Salem in counseling kids and
being the women’s basketball
coach. In becoming the athletic
director, Shea has received support from the administration and
is happy in being a member of
the Salem State College faculty.
Track and Field Cut (Continued from page 12)
but to take away something that
my teammates have done for
most of their lives, as well as
trained for season after season to
get better and better, in is just an
outrage. We have trained for
years by running on the road or at
Forest River Park, and have
proven our outcome in our races
by consistently breaking records
held by the school. Some runners
are coming close to breaking recent records at the school, and
with the program gone it's really
unfair.”
Shea said he does not expect
any students to transfer as a result
of the termination. He said that
11 of the 18 members of track
and field play other intercollegiate sports at Salem State. But
Ames said he does know of one
teammate who is planning to
transfer to Worcester State next
year. He did not specify who he
or she was.
Shea said that the students who
want to run could retain their athleticism. The cross-country team
will remain at the school. He also
said that Taylor Krajewski, a female junior runner, mentioned to
him about starting a track and
field club through student activities. It would become an official
Salem State club, but would have
no effect on the athletic department’s budget.
Ames said he is going to do
everything in his power to get the
track and field team back to
Salem State. He said, “My teammates are devoted and are taking
action in preventing the trackand-field program from being terminated. Track and field made us
all a family and created strong
bonds on and off the fields.”
against Westfield State 1-0. The
men’s soccer team stayed competitive throughout the whole
season and although they lost a
lot of close games, they did not
lose hope and were able to win
the MASCAC.
Salem State fall sports teams
look to be doing great and are capable of being successful within
the next few years. With young
stars in the women’s field hockey,
tennis and soccer teams and the
men’s soccer team building off
this season, each of these teams
should be able to improve on
their record from this season.
With a few improvements in the
volleyball team they should also
be able reach that same level of
success as the other teams.
Sports Online:
11-17-09
UMass Dartmouth
11-19-09
Plymouth State University W 5-2
W 3-2
Men’s Soccer
11-14-09 Amherst College
Tim Shea, athletic director and
coach of the women’s basketball
team, has been at Salem State
since 1981. For the past 28 years
Shea has been one of the best
coaches for Salem State’s
women’s basketball team and he
has also been a great mentor for
students who have attended
Salem State throughout the years.
Shea was a local high school
student at Salem and is a familiar
face within the community. He
used to referee Salem State
games, and at the time Salem
State’s facility was one of the
newer ones in Massachusetts. For
this reason, Shea was attracted to
Salem State. He was a good
friend with the athletic director of
Salem State back in 1981 and he
was offered an opportunity to
coach the women’s basketball
team. In coming to Salem State,
Shea took a pay cut for the opportunity to coach. Shea felt that
Salem was a perfect fit for him,
and said he hasn’t regretted his
decision for taking a pay cut ever
since.Even though Shea felt that
Salem State was a good fit for
him, he still tried to look for another coaching job in men’s high
Fall Sports Wrap-Up (Continued from page 12)
Weekly Score Column
11-17-09
By Alex Barboza / Log Staff
L 0-4
—Bruins’ Season Update
—Did Belichick make the
right choice?
—Updates on current
games
Page 12
THE SALEM STATE LOG
December 4, 2009
Sports
Salem State Cuts Track and Field Teams
Fall Sports Wrap-Up
by Ben Snow / Log Staff
by Alex Barboza / Log Staff
Salem State has faced many
budget cuts and the athletic department took a big hit. Tim
Shea, the Salem State Athletic
Director, said that they have cut
back on equipment purchasing,
mailings to recruits, and even
holding some teams from faraway travel destinations. But nobody expected that the college
would have to terminate an entire
team. However, Shea made the
decision to discontinue both the
men’s and women’s track-andfield teams at the conclusion of
the school year.
Shea said he evaluated the
budget and found that the most
viable option was to terminate
track and field at Salem State. He
said it was strictly a budget decision and the main reason for cutting the track-and-field teams was
the cost of the program with the
lack of facilities. Salem State
does not have the track and field
facilities and the cost for constant
transportation to meets is too
high.
According to Shea, cutting
track and field will save the
school at least $35,000. He said
he has made several proposals in
the past for a track-and-field facility to be built on campus. He
proposed tracks around Alumni
Photo provided by Salem State Athletics
Freshman Jehu Cimea of Everett, MA, shown here competing at the
200-meter race at the ECAC Outdoor Track Championships meet.
field, and the baseball field behind Central Campus, but there is
simply not enough land.
Shea said that the lack of facilities also results in poor recruiting.
The best Massachusetts trackand-field athletes are much more
likely to attend a school with the
appropriate track and field venue.
He said, “In order to do well as a
team, we need a decent number
of players.” He said that people
are not coming to Salem State to
run track and field and Salem
State’s small roster affects the re-
sults of many races.
Some players on the team
thought this was not a good reason to terminate the program.
Kevin Wilkinson, a junior runner,
said, “Mr. Shea told us in a meeting that he looked at everyone’s
stats and it wasn't like most of us
came to Salem for track. He was
right, but being on a team was
important to many of us.”
Senior runner Andrew Ames
said, “I'm a senior, and yes, I'm
going to be graduating this May,
(Continued on page 11)
With the winter coming all fall
sports have come to an end.
Some teams at Salem State had a
good season; others had an average season.
The women’s tennis team had
an impressive season, finishing
with an 8-3 record. After losing
their first game of the season, the
women’s tennis team went on a
seven game winning streak.
Megan Cote’s impressive game
play throughout the season led
the team to finish with such a
great record.
Both women’s field hockey
and soccer posted an 8-9 record.
Women’s soccer player Erin
O’Brien led the team with goals
and assists throughout the season.
April Rossetti led the women’s
field hockey team with goals, 10,
and Karen Atkinson led the team
in assists, 10. All three of these
girls are all juniors and look to
improve their records for next
season for their respected sports.
Women’s volleyball had a disappointing 7-22 record. The team
could not get winning streak
going from the beginning of the
season. They lost their first six
games and could never come
back from that deficit. However,
even though the volleyball team
only won seven games, they did
have a lot of close games. With a
few adjustments and improvements the women’s volleyball
team can finish with a winning
record next season.
Men’s soccer posted a 9-9
record. However, even with a 9-9
record, the men’s soccer team
went to the MASCAC tournament and ended up winning the
championship of the MASCAC
(Continued on page 11)
Baseball Spring Season Preview
The Vikings have a lot to
look forward to this season, with
three members of the team being
selected to the MASCAC All-Star
teams last season: sophomore
second basemen Chris Cocci,
who was also named MASCAC
Rookie of the Year by the leagues
head coaches; senior designated
hitter Ken Luongo, who finished
among the league’s top five hitters in five different categories,
and sophomore outfielder Evan
Valcourt, who finished the season
with a .333 batting average.
A majority of the team is
returning from last season, with a
few new faces, and the team
hopes to improve on last season
and make a playoff run.