Publishing press opens

Transcription

Campus Times
A&E
SPOTTED: “GOSSIP GIRL” SEASON TWO REVIEW
Volume 136, Number 2
Serving the University of Rochester community since 1873
“We all share the same goal
of reducing binge drinking
and alcohol abuse by young
people,” Seligman said.
“The question at issue is
whether reducing the drinking age would help or hurt.”
Dean of Students Matthew Burns agreed with
Seligman’s decision not to
sign. However, Burns supports the Initiative’s goal
of opening public debates
on and studying the effects
of the current drinking age.
“I don’t believe we need
to be part of an initiative to do research or ask
questions,” Burns said.
“It sets a dangerous precedent to join an initiative
to answer a question.”
Furthermore, Burns disagreed with the Initiative’s
assertion that the passage
of the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act led
to a rise in binge drinking,
defined as consuming five or
more drinks in one sitting.
“I question that premise,” Burns said. “I don’t
know that raising the
drinking age has created
See ALCOHOL, Page 5
sarah cummings • Photography Editor
Freshmen flyered the River Campus buildings and
chalked the sidewalks to campaign for class elections.
Large turnout for
freshman elections
BY Patrick Carter
Contributing Writer
A record number of freshmen voted and participated
in the Class of 2012 Students’ Association and Class
Council elections.
In this year’s election,
38 students ran for Class
Council and nine for the
SA Senate.
The unofficial results
revealed the winners last
night at 10 p.m. on The
Hive website. The results
counted freshmen Dan
Cohn, Sneha Rath, Megan
Dewitt and Harry Brookstein as the top four candidates with the most votes
for the SA Senate.
The vote breakdown was
310 votes for Cohn, 225 for
Rath, 214 for Dewitt and
203 for Brookstein.
The eight students chosen
for Freshman Class Council
were Scott Strenger, Annamarie Spielmann, Matt Lavigueur, Trey Socash, Eric
Meyer, Jennifer Moreno,
Elise Parmentier and Lucas
Piazza, each with 179, 179,
173, 155, 153, 146, 141 and
126 votes, respectively.
In total, 1628 votes were
cast in the Class of 2012
Senate elections and 3304
were cast in the Class
Council election. According to Associate Director of
Wilson Commons Student
Activities Laura Ballou,
the class’ total votes outnumbered previous years.
A majority of the class
participated, as compared
to the more common 20 to
30 percent participation
See FRESHMEN, Page 5
PA G E 1 4
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Dining
reflects,
plans for
semester
Initiative opens
debate on alcohol
by Mark Fleming
Staff Writer
In August, UR President
Joel Seligman declined to
sign on to the Amethyst
Initiative, a group that
is looking to evaluate the
costs and benefits of changing the drinking age, on
the grounds that he has
not seen a strong enough
factual basis to warrant it.
“We simply have not seen
compelling evidence that
would justify the University
of Rochester’s signing on to
the Amethyst approach at
this time,” Seligman said
in an official statement.
The group proposes that
elected officials open a factbased, unbiased public debate on whether the drinking age should be lowered.
Another issue to evaluate is the impact that the
10 percent penalty from
highway funding for states
that do not comply with the
21-year-old drinking age has
on informed debate. The
group also encourages the
development of new ways to
educate young people on the
responsible use of alcohol.
|
daniel green • Photography Editor
Dubravka Ugresic discussed her translated work called “Nobody’s Home” on Tuesday.
The talk marked the first of a series of authors invited to discuss international literature.
Publishing press opens
Book released by Open Letter receives critical acclaim
by dani wisch
Staff Writer
Open Letter Press — a
new publishing house at
UR dedicated to publishing
international literature —
launched its first translated
work of fiction, “Nobody’s
Home” by Dubravka Ugresic,
which has already received
critical acclaim.
Though in its first year,
the publisher is already the
largest in the country devoted
exclusively to translating
literature.
The Press, located in Lattimore Hall Room 411, is
a trade-oriented, nonprofit
publishing house that is part
of the College of Arts and
Sciences at UR.
The Press publishes literature originally written in
other languages and translated into English.
Director of Open Letter
Press Chad Post explained
that Open Letter’s process
begins by finding transla-
tors for original works that
are currently unavailable in
English.
After editing, Open Letter publishes the titles and
widely sells them around the
country, including on Amazon.com and in independent
bookstores.
The Press utilizes other
media to market its books
as well and has gotten word
out through reviews, online
promotions, ads and reading
tours.
“To readers outside of the
University, we look like a
normal, independent, nonprofit publishing company,
except that we only publish
international literature,”
Post said.
The Press, according to
Post, strives to bring new,
innovative, interesting voices
to English readers. Most of its
titles are works of fiction, literature which Post described
as unique and entertaining.
“If it weren’t for presses
like Open Letter trying to
expand the amount of literature published in translation,
American readers would have
virtually no opportunity
to encounter international
voices and viewpoints,” he
said.
The Press has an educational base within a University program but functions as
a trade publisher. In addition
to satisfying its academic
base, Open Letter pursues
its mission of keeping the
general interest of the public
in mind.
“We’re a sort of hybrid,
combining the best of university presses with the best
of independent presses,”
Post said.
Sept. 16 marked the beginning of a series entitled
“Reading the World Conversation Series,” by Dubravka
Ugresic and Damion Searls.
According to Post, the
goal of the series is two-fold:
See PRESS, Page 4
daniel green • Photography Editor
Easy as pie!
Students line up for for a traditional American snack in honor of Constitution
Day. The Students’ Association handed out copies of the U.S. Constitution.
By Conor WilLis
Staff Writer
The River Campus Dining
Committee met for the first
time this year on Sept.
16, and Resident District
Manager Tim MacTurk
highlighted the busy summer
Dining Services had.
Quality was a central
theme of the meeting and
was highlighted in the facility
upgrades, as were changes
in human resources and
operational standards. At
the meeting, transparency
and quality of service in
Danforth Dining Center,
Douglass Dining Center and
the Pit were emphasized
as well.
“We wanted to bring
the food out in front of
everybody,” MacTurk said.
MacTurk noted the new
salad bar in the Pit and
the Mongolian Barbeque in
Danforth.
The emphasis on quality
of service was strong
throughout the summer.
Trainers from outside
schools were brought in to
work on defining universal
standards that all workers
will follow.
MacTurk noted that
the hourly staff returned
a week before Freshman
Orientation started in order
to be better prepared at their
work stations.
Other improvements
included increasing
communications between
dining management and
students. Going into the
summer, Marketing Manager
of Dining Services Dave Feist
was concerned that dining
management was unable
to get a sufficient read of
students’ opinions on the
dining plan last year.
Feist hoped his creation
of a student review panel
would act as a liaison
between students and
management and facilitate
better communications both
ways highlighting everyday
student concerns.
Sustainability initiatives
were also discussed during
the meeting. Connections
Cafe Manager Blythe Bower
noted the increased effort
to purchase local foods. She
mentioned that 18 percent
of food is purchased locally,
as opposed to just 1 percent
in 2004.
Bower acknowledged that
it will become increasingly
difficult to purchase local
food as the school year goes
on due to the poor winter
harvest season in Western
New York. Dining Services
See FOOD, Page 4
NEWS
Page 2
Campus Times
BEN WROBEL Editor-in-chief
LEAH SQUIRES Managing editor
News Editors rebecca leber
marley schneier
PhotoGRAPHY Sarah cummings
Editors daniel green
Opinions Editor marc epstein
Copy Editors arielle friedlander
krista lombardo
Features Editors stephie hass
judith tulkoff
ONLINE EDITOR ROSS BRENNEMAN
A & E editors leah kraus
nandini venkateswaran
Sports Editors dana hilfinger
ERIN PHILBRICK
Staff illustrator josh hatcher
Business Manager Alex Moeller
dan wasserman PUBLISHER
Wilson Commons 102
University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
Office: (585) 275-5942 • Fax: (585) 273-5303
www.campustimes.org • [email protected]
It is the policy of the Campus Times to correct all erroneous information as quickly as possible.
If you believe you have a correction, please call the Editor-in-Chief at (585)275-5942.
This Week on Campus
Campus Briefs
Holy Cross students to
continue studies at UR
by marley schneier
News Editor
The Simon Graduate School of
Business and the College of the Holy
Cross in Worcester, Mass. are forming a Direct Admission Partnership
to encourage undergraduates to
pursue an M.B.A. at the Simon
School immediately after their
studies at Holy Cross.
Under the agreement, faculty
and administrators at Holy Cross
will recommend top undergraduate students for M.B.A. admission
consideration at Simon. The partnership will act as a feeder into
the Simon M.B.A. program. It also
coincides with the Simon Early
Leaders Initiative, which recruits
talented students with less than
three years of professional work
experience.
“Collaborating with the Simon
M.B.A. Program will further enhance the Holy Cross business network by providing our students the
opportunity to obtain an excellent
graduate business education from
a nationally recognized M.B.A.
program,” Director of the Ciocca
Office of Entrepreneurial Studies
and pre-business adviser at Holy
Cross David Chu, Ph.D., said.
Thirty Direct Admission Partnerships have been established.
The list includes Barnard College,
Bates College, Colby College, Dickinson College, Hamilton College,
Hobart and William Smith College,
Lafayette College, Lewis and Clark
College, Oberlin College, Spelman
College, St. Lawrence University,
SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo
and UR.
Schneier is a member
of the class of 2011.
UR research explores
mysteries of the brain
sarah cummings • Photography Editor
Fauver Stadium will be host to the Courage Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 20
at 7 p.m. All proceeds from the Courage Bowl go to cancer research.
Announcements
•Tickets are available for the
Courage Bowl, a football game
between UR and St. John Fisher
College and a fundraiser for cancer
research. Tickets can be purchased
at the Common Market in Wilson
Commons. They are $5 for general
admission.
The Fauver Stadium ticket
booths will open at 5:30 p.m. on
Saturday, Sept. 20. Game kickoff is
set for 7 p.m. Students, faculty and
staff can pick up two free tickets
per person by displaying a valid UR
I.D. at the Common Connection in
Wilson Commons. The game will
be played in honor of children who
are living with childhood cancer. All
proceeds benefit cancer research.
To submit, please e-mail
[email protected].
Deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m.
by sumya hasan
Contributing Writer
Until the research completed
by three brain and cognitive science professors was published,
scientists were not aware that the
brain not only considers the sound
of words, but that it also considers
their meanings.
The researchers, which included William R. Kenan Professor
Richard Aslin, Professor Daphne
Bavelier and former UR graduate
student Kathleen Pirog Revill,
found that our brains are capable
of considering in a split second the
meaning of words without hearing
them in full.
The researchers focused on a
part of the brain called “V5,” which
is activated when a person sees
motion. The objective was to see if
the V5 is activated when a listener
hears familar words that sound
familiar or convey movement.
A functional MRI was not sufficient to record this specific kind of
brain imagery, so the researchers
invented a new language of their
own. This is because many English words have several different
interpretations and meanings.
The researchers created new
verbs to correlate with a computer
program that showed irregular
shapes and gave the shapes specific names.
For example, test subjects
would see the word “biduko” and
observe a moving shape, and the
shape would then change color
when the word “biduka” flashed
on a screen.
The subjects’ recorded brain activities showed that the V5 section
was activated for both “biduko”
and “biduka,” though the activity
would vary in intensity.
The MRIs showed that, in a
split second, the brain considers
the meaning of motion and color
when hearing the words before
hearing the endings.
“It just makes sense that your
brain would do it this way,” Aslin
said, one of the researchers for
the project.
“Why wait until the end of the
word to try to figure out what its
meaning is?”
Hasan is a member of
the class of 2012.
Security Update
Student accosted on his way to Riverview
BY Rebecca Leber
News Editor
A male undergraduate student
walking back from the River Campus to his Riverview Apartments
residence was accosted by two
suspects on Sept. 14, according to
UR Security Investigator Daniel
Lafferty.
The student reported that at
about 8:35 p.m., two young teens
aged between 13 and 15 followed
him to South Plymouth Ave.
One suspect demanded money
from the student, who did not
respond.
A second suspect, who appeared
to be holding a toy handgun, struck
the student. He attempted to
strike again but was deflected by
the student. The victim was not
injured.
The suspects then fled down
Plymouth Ave. toward Genesee
St. They were apprehended by
Rochester police and UR Security
officers shortly after the victim
phoned an emergency 911 call
upon returning to his apartment.
One suspect surrendered immediately, but the second was
chased down a pedestrian path
near Elmwood Ave. by the police.
When the police eventually
caught the suspect, they found
him carrying a chain cutter and
pry bar. A police report will be
filed at a later date.
Suspect steals from
sleeping victims
According to Lafferty, a Tiernan
Hall resident reported items stolen
from her room while she was sleeping between 12:30 and 7:30 a.m.
on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
The unidentified suspect entered her room between 12:30
and 7:30 a.m. and took her I.D.
card, cell phone and cash from
her wallet.
The student reported that her
wallet had been moved from the
floor where it was the evening
before, to her desk, here it was
when she woke up. The door had
been closed but unlocked that
night, and the student also found
it propped open with her sneaker
in the morning.
Another resident on the hall
heard the suspect trying door
knobs at around 6 a.m. The suspect had tried to open her door
but failed to, discovering it was
locked. The resident reported that
the suspect continued to try doors
down the hall. A police report will
be filed in the future.
Rugby player suffers
severe blow
Medical Emergency Response
Team, UR Security and the Roch-
ester Fire Department arrived at
the athletic field behind Southside
Living Center in response to calls
reporting an undergradate student injury.
According to Lafferty, the student had injured his neck while
playing rugby with the University
Rugby Club.
When Security responded, officers found a MERT member
keeping the victim’s head still.
The victim was lying down when
more medical help arrived.
The student reported he had
sustained a blow to the top of his
head and felt severe neck pain
immediately after.
A Strong Memorial Hospital ambulance was sent to transport the
student to the Emergency Department for evaluation and care.
Information provided
by UR Security.
Leber is a member of
the class of 2011.
Calendar
Thursday
september 18
Memorial service
There will be a Celebration of Life memorial
service for Scott Leister at 7 p.m., planned by
his friends. All students, staff and faculty are
welcome to the service, which will be held on
the River Level of the Interfaith Chapel. Leister
died in a car collision with another driver who
had been driving while intoxicated.
KEy info session
Learn more about the Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year program, its guidelines and how you
may want to proceed with your application
from 4 to 4:45 p.m. in Lattimore Hall 311. The
program offers qualified fifth-year students a
tuition-free year to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. The application deadline is Nov. 3. For
more information, contact the College Center
for Academic Support at (585) 275-2354 or at
[email protected].
sunday
september 21
women’s friendship day
Come celebrate National Women’s Friendship
Day with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream! Snack on some
of your favorite flavors, including Half Baked,
Cherry Garcia and Phish Food. This event is from
1 to 5 p.m. in Hirst Lounge in Wilson Commons.
The cost is $2 Flex or cash. There will also be
friendship bracelet making and card making
activities. All proceeds go to benefit causes which
help battered women.
monday
september 22
women’s leadership talk
Starting at 4:30 p.m., “Herstory” co-author Jill
Tietjen, who is also president and chief executive
officer of Technically Speaking, will give a talk
on “Herstory: How Women Changed America
and What They Can Teach Us.” A reception
and book signing will follow the talk at 5:30 p.m.
This series is in Simon School Schlegel Hall
Room 102. It is free and open to the public. The
event is co-sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony
Center for Women’s Leadership, the William E.
Simon Business School’s Center for Leadership
Development, the Center for Entrepreneurship
and the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender
& Women’s Studies. For more information, call
the Anthony Center at (585) 275-8799 or visit
http://www.rochester.edu/sba.
Wednesday
september 24
rugby movie
Come support UR Women’s Rugby by watching
the movie “Forever Strong” in Hoyt Auditorium.
“Forever Strong” is the story of Rick Penning
(Sean Faris, “Never Back Down”), who lives life
in the fast line. When life on the edge lands him
in jail, prison ward Marcus Tate (Sean Astin,
“The Lord of the Rings”) offers him a chance
to get back in the game by playing for his rival,
Highland Rugby. There will be two showings of
the movie at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for
students and $10 for all others. To find out more
information, contact the Women’s Rugby team at
[email protected].
Political Discussion
The Spanish and Latino Students’ Association is
sponsoring a discussion on the political turmoil
in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico,
connecting it to the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Arrive at 6 p.m. to Morey Hall Room 341
to learn about the political history of these places
and their relativity to U.S. politics.
Please e-mail calendar submissions to
[email protected]
Correction:
“New advising system extends premajor rules”
contained substantial errors and the content
often misleading. For clarification and accurate
information visit http://www.rochester.edu/college/CCAS to read the Weekly Buzz’s account of
the new academic policies.
Clarification:
Last week’s article about music piracy, called
“Illegal downloads spur trouble,” credited a photograph to www.BitTorrent.com. BitTorrent did
not endorse this graphic and does not endorse
illegal downloading.
NEWS
Page 3
Weather-related blackout affects parts of River Campus
Facilities personnel respond to Southside and power is restored after several hours of downtime
by Krista lombardo
Copy Editor
The remnants of Hurricane Ike
passed through Rochester on Sunday night and Monday morning,
creating strong winds exceeding 55
miles per hour that knocked down
trees and power lines, ultimately
causing parts of UR to lose power.
According to Central Utilities Director Bruce Smith, Rochester Gas
& Electric Corporation experienced
a power outage around 1:30 a.m. on
Monday that shut off the power supply to Southside Living Center, University Park, the Hazardous Waste
Management Unit, the Grounds
building and UR Medical Center
KinderCare. The traffic lights on
Kendrick Rd. and Lattimore Rd.
were out as well.
“Several Facilities personnel
left their homes immediately to
be on site to assist the restoration
process,” Smith said. He explained
that, in the event of a power outage,
emergency generators turn on to
ensure that all fire alarms continue
to function properly while power is
being restored.
Central Utilities transported a
portable generator to Southside
to ensure power in case of further
delays in the restoration process.
While power was being restored, the
fire alarms remained working due
to emergency backup generators in
the Southside buildings.
Signs were posted on the doors
to Southside, alerting residents
of this, and the UR Web site was
continually updated Monday with
the latest notification on the status
of the restoration process.
“We make every effort to notify
and update people who are affected
directly — and as quickly as possible,” Smith said.
Power was progressively restored
to campus throughout the day on
Monday. Several on-campus buildings that had lost power, including
Southside, had power restored by 2
p.m., while the remaining on-campus buildings were fully restored by
6:40 p.m., according to Smith.
When power outages occur at UR,
there is a set order of priorities that
authorities follow.
“In these emergency situations,
student living areas are our first
priority,” Smith said. “University
Facilities and Security worked with
many other departments to get
life back to normal for everyone
involved.”
Director of UR Security Walter
Mauldin described the routines
Security follows to ensure the safety
of building occupants in the event of
a University-wide blackout.
In this hypothetical case, Mauldin
described the two courses of action
available to his staff to address fire
safety concerns. The first option
would be to assign a fire watch to a
building’s fire panel, who would be
available to pull the fire switch.
An alternative course to take
would be for UR Security to evacuate all of the affected buildings and
temporarily relocate the occupants.
However, this option poses practical challenges in Southside, where
buildings are over 10 stories tall.
The option is more viable in smaller
buildings, such as Burton and
Crosby halls, each of which stands
four stories tall.
“[In Burton and Crosby] the ability for routine/emergency crews to
get out of the building is a lot easier,”
Mauldin said.
Lombardo is a member of
the class of 2010.
Additional reporting by
Rebecca Leber.
Leber is a member of
the class of 2011.
Campus Times File Photo
Southside Living Center lost power during the high winds earlier
this week. The power outage lasted until 2 p.m. the next day. Fire
alarms were powered by backup generators throughout the episode.
interested in writing or drawing comics?
Campus Times
stop by the office
*@!LK>IAPÕñ#O>MM¬P
- wilson commons 102.
%80)2%3ôô)NCLUDESôALLô-C#AF¯ô#OFFEESô%XCLUDESô0REMIUMô2OASTô#OFFEEôANDô0REMIUMô2OASTô)CEDô#OFFEEô
6ALIDôONLYôATôPARTICIPATINGô-C$ONALDSôRESTAURANTSôINôTHEô'REATERô2OCHESTERô.EWô9ORKôAREAô#URRENTôPRICESôANDô
PARTICIPATIONô BASEDô ONô INDEPENDENTô OPERATORô DECISIONô 0RICESô MAYô VARYô .OTô VALIDô
INôCONJUNCTIONôWITHôANYôOTHERôOFFERôDISCOUNTôCOUPONôORôCOMBOôMEALô#ASHôVALUEô
ôOFôôCENTô,IMITôONEôCOUPONôPERôPERSONôPERôVISITô0LUSôTAXôIFôAPPLICABLEô0RICEô
OFôREQUIREDôPURCHASEôPOSTEDôONôMENUôBOARDô#OUPONôMAYôNOTôBEôTRANSFERREDôCOPIEDô
ORôDUPLICATEDôINôANYôWAYôORôTRANSMITTEDôVIAôELECTRONICôMEDIAô6ALIDôWHENôPRODUCTSô
SERVEDô-AYôNOTôBEôVALIDôONôCUSTOMôORDERSôÚô-C$ONALDS
×ñ*@!LK>IAPññQñM>OQF@FM>QFKDñ*@!LK>IAP
Page 4
NEWS
Thursday, September 20,
18, 2007
2008
Dining: Plan to bring local flavors to UR in its second year Freshmen:
Continued from Page 1
had supported regional businesses
by purchasing local food.
“Park Avenue Bakery, which
helps supply Connections, has
seen their business almost
double since they started their
agreement with UR,” Bower said.
MacTurk and Feist also addressed
issues concerning discontent with
the new meal plan system. They
said it was too early to tell whether
the dining plan was effective or not,
but an October Student Satisfaction
Survey would give them a better
idea of students’ perception of the
meal plan. Other criteria, such as
the number of Club Meals left at
the end of the semester, will be
evaluated to determine the meal
plan’s effectiveness.
MacTurk did note, however,
that students seemed to be pleased
with the increase in the Declining
balance because of the popularity of
Starbucks and Connections, which
do not accept Club Meals. He also
said that because improvements
in the quality of service were
addressed, there may be more value
in a Club Meal, which may negate
some discontent over the amount of
Clubs in meal plans. MacTurk and
Feist emphasized that they were
Daniel Green • Photography Editor
Students attended the first meeting of the River Campus Dining Committee at the Meliora Restaurant
on Tuesday. The Committee discussed Dining’s new initiatives to bring in locally supplied foods.
receptive to student feedback but with the SA Projects and Services administrators said they would
would rather have students voice Committee to assess student look into further. An increase in the
concerns through the Students’ feedback. A roundtable discussion amount of groceries available, both
at the end of the meeting provided at the Corner Store and a potential
Association.
“We encourage students to go students a forum to voice questions new dining location near Riverview
through the SA for such a big and concerns regarding the apartments, was a shared concern,
issue,” MacTurk said. “It is much summer projects of the Dining as well as one that MacTurk said
would have to be addressed in a
easier to deal with one student body Committee.
A recurring concern was the long-term plan.
voicing all the concerns.”
Willis is a member of
The Dining Committee said flow of traffic in Douglass and
the class of 2011.
they would continue to work Wilson Commons, something that
rate in older classes.
“I feel like that just says wonders
about the first year,” Ballou said.
Platforms for the SA Senate
candidates were available online,
though some candidates opted
to not submit a platform. Some
appealed to their experience in
leadership roles previously, such
as Rath and DeWitt, who both
were in leadership roles in high
school.
Others noted their positions on
the issues, promising the student
body that they would do their
best to represent their concerns
in various areas.
The candidates used a variety of
techniques to convince the class of
2012 that they would be best at
representing their class. Several
students chalked the sidewalks
and advertising using balloons.
Candidates for the Class Council
elections also posted platforms.
Several pieces emhasized the
candidates’ experience, merit as
leaders and school spirit.
A group of eight candidates
running for Class Council worked
together as part of a group called
the “Rochester Spirit Ticket.”
The Rochester Spirit Ticket
consisted of Eric Meyer, Katie
Dean, Jared Suresky, Dontae
Mears, Kaily Abbot, Adrienne
Battaglia, Chris Schmitt and Emily DaSilva.
The group set up a Web site at
http://www.rochesterspirit.com
and on Facebook in order to promote their group’s platforms and
experiences.
The candidates compiled a short
video in which several freshmen
participated.
Each of the candidates’ platforms also stated their membership on the Rochester Spirit Ticket
at the top. Only one member of
the group, Eric Meyer, was elected
to office.
Candidates expressed their excitement in their platforms. Scott
Strenger, who won 179 votes for
Freshman Class Council, stated
in his platform, “I will help create class unity by organizing
exciting events such as a Rock,
Papers, Scissors tournament, a
2012 Scavenger Hunt, a Battle of
the Birthday Months and a 2012
Bonfire complete with entertainment and s’mores! I believe we
are entitled to the very best and I
will fight to get as many free 2012
giveaways as possible.”
There was one minor violation
of election rules during this season’s campaign, according to SA
Senator, elections chairperson and
senior Alvin Lomibao.
“One candidate was found in
violation of the rule prohibiting
harassment of individuals to vote,
which, under our interpretation,
included writing on personal
white boards in residence halls,”
Lomibao said.
Lomibao explained that the
candidate was asked to erase the
offending material. The candidate complied and the issue was
dropped.
The candidate’s actions were in
violation of the SA Senate election
rules, which state that, “Candidates may not harass people in
any way in order to get them to
vote.”
Harassment falls under a broad
category including sliding items
under, knocking on and attaching
flyers to residence hall doors.
Other than the one incident,
there had been no other incidents
of election infractions.
Carter is a member of
the class of 2012.
NEWS
18, 2007
2008
Thursday, September 20,
Page 5
Alcohol: Colleges initiate talk
that.” Burns acknowledged, however, that binge drinking does occur
on college campuses.
To address alcohol use on campus, the Dean of Students Office,
in collaboration with University
Health Services and the Undergraduate Counseling Center, focused
on evidence-based education that
encourages responsible drinking.
The school has avoided emotionbased scare tactics. Some examples
include placing a car mangled in
an alcohol-related accident on
Eastman Quad because, as UHS
Health Educator Nancy Reynolds
explained, research does not show
that they are effective.
“Those programs are very showy,
they are flashy, they call a lot of attention to themselves, but they’re
not evidence-based,” Reynolds said.
UR’s strategy to encourage
responsible choices about alcohol has two aspects. The first is
educating students about the
dangers of alcohol abuse. The
second involves intervening in
cases where students have made
high-risk decisions about alcohol.
To inform UR students, the UHS
Health Promotions Office distributes brochures and other information. The UHS Health Promotions
Office also publishes alcohol-related
statistics in the “Bee Counted”
section of the Weekly Buzz and
prints the “Monthly Installment,”
which is posted in bathroom stalls
around campus. When the combination of the dean of students, UHS,
UCC and Residential Life choose
to intervene, they use BASICS
and CollegeAlc, two strategies
that they have found successful.
During BASICS, a student
with multiple alcohol-related incidents meets with Reynolds for
two one-on-one sessions where
Reynolds counsels the student
on how to make more responsible decisions about alcohol.
“After an incident, many students are motivated to change
their use,” R eynolds said.
BASICS usually enrolls 75-80
students each year, Reynolds reported. For a first minor incident,
it is more likely that the student
will have to take CollegeAlc, an
online alcohol education course.
If the student completes the
course by a set time, the dean of
students may consider the Second
Chance option and remove the
incident from the student’s record. Approximately 100 students
enroll in CollegeAlc each year.
Last spring, more than 400 UR
students from a random sample
of 2,000 participated in the CORE
survey, which examined alcohol use
and habits of students at four-year
institutions in New York State.
The CORE survey found that 70
percent of UR students reported
that they had consumed alcohol
during the previous month, 46 percent drank once a month or less and
16 percent drank twice a month.
CORE also found that 38 percent of
UR students reported binge drinking within the two weeks prior to
taking the survey, while the average
for New York State was 51 percent.
“In almost every category we are
making lower-risk choices,” Burns
said. “We came out looking pretty
good, not that we can’t do better.”
Reynolds reported that the
survey results were encouraging,
though they may surprise students.
“Students believe that there’s
more alcohol abuse going on
than there actually is,” Reynolds said. “The majority of students are making safe, responsible choices about drinking.”
The Health Promotions Office
to publicize that the majority of
UR students are making low-risk
choices. Despite the promising
statistics, one figure has drawn
Reynolds’s attention: 20 percent
of UR students consume 80 percent
of the alcohol on campus. Reynolds
said that the Health Promotions Office seeks to educate those students.
“Because they draw so much
attention to themselves, students
think they are the norm,” Reynolds said. “If you really want
to fit in to our culture, most of
our students are choosing not to
drink or drinking responsibly.”
Fleming is a member of
the class of 2010.
want everyone to know
your name?
write for the
Campus
Times
Daniel Green • Photography Editor
Director of Open Letter Chad Post speaks at Open Letter’s first release event for “Nobody’s Home”
by Dubravka Ugresic, an internationally acclaimed Croatian author. Open Letter translated the work.
Press: International literature showcased at UR
to bring famous international
authors to campus so that students and faculty have an opportunity to meet and hear some
of the world’s best writers and to
help promote the role translators
play in the publishing process.
The next series will be on Oct.1,
when there will be a translators’ roundtable featuring four
diverse translators. This will include Michael Emmerich, Marian
Schwartz, Martha Tennent and
Edward Gauvin. All of these authors work in different languages
and genres.
Publishers Weekly called “Nobody’s Home,” Open Letter’s first
release, “a break-out book” for
fall 2008.
“It’s a huge triumph to have a
book selected and featured by PW,”
Post said. “For it to be the very first
book you publish? Amazing. I felt
really validated that our editorial
program is as strong as I believe it
to be. And I think this bodes well
for the future.”
As director, Post has ambitions
for the Press’s inaugural season;
he hopes to spread the word about
the Press’s books.
“My dream is for us to be in
the pantheon of great presses like
New Directions, New York Review
Books and Archipelago and for
Open Letter to be a widely read
and respected representative for
Arts and Sciences at the University
of Rochester,” Post said.
Post’s ultimate goal is to expand
the audience for international
literature and to open the eyes of
American readers to all the great
books being written outside of
our borders.
“But after years of becoming
isolated from other cultures, this
takes time,” Post said. “Specifically, it’s difficult for a new press
to develop a fan base.”
Post went on to describe how to
develop a fan base.
“You have to make people aware
of what you’re doing, get those who
read and love the books to spread
the word and slowly but surely
cultivate a large audience that’s
eager to find out what you’re going
to publish next,” he said.
Attracting a widespread, large
readership will be a long-term effort, according to Post.
“I know we’ll have that sort of
audience, but it takes more than
one or two titles to create a group
of rabid fans,” Post said. “We’re in
a great position to attract serious
readers. Open Letter is getting a
lot of great coverage this fall, like
all the reviews, events and TV and
radio interviews for Dubravka
Ugresic, will help establish us as
a serious, unique press.”
When asked if he was satisfied
with the first release, Post said
he was very happy with the first
book.
He continued on to share that
he is pleased about the decision
to print “Nobody’s Home” in the
paper-over-board format.
The paper-over-board format is
a hardcover without a dust jacket.
It is durable with a sewn binding
(compared to the glue binding
found in paperbacks) that makes
it easier to open without cracking
the spine.
“The format is widely used in
other countries – especially in
Europe and Latin America – but
not so much in the U.S.,” Post said.
“But it’s so elegant! And of equal
importance is the fact that it’s a
lot cheaper to print a P.O.B. book
than a traditional hardcover, so we
can publish books that will last and
still keep our prices very low.”
The first season has titles
between $14.95 and $17.95,
whereas the typical hardcover is
$25 plus.
The next release for the Open
Letter Press will be “The Pets,”
by Icelandic author Bragi Olafsson. Post described the book as a
hilarious and somewhat bizarre
book that has been compared to
works by Franz Kafka, Paul Auster
and Samuel Beckett.
“It’s a typical novel,” Post said.
“A boy wins the lottery, meets a
girl on a plane and ends up hiding
from under his bed when his past
nemesis shows up at his doorstep.
And, along the way, there’s a
tragic incident involving a couple
guinea pigs.”
Olafsson will be coming as part
of the “Reading the World Conversation Series” on Oct. 7. He will
be giving a long reading as well
as discussing Icelandic literature
and culture with translator Lytton Smith.
Wisch is a member of
the class of 2011.
OPINIONS
Page 6
Campus Times
Serving the University of Rochester community since 1873.
Editorial Board
BEN WROBEL • LEAH SQUIRES • MARC EPSTEIN
DANA HILFINGER • REBECCA LEBER
Sign the Amethyst
UR President Joel Seligman chose not to sign the Amethyst
Initiative, a document released last month that calls for a serious
debate on whether the current drinking age of 21 is working
as a public policy. The Initiative merits
attention because it has drawn 130
See story on
signatures from the public figures who
page 1
have perhaps the most direct experience with underage drinking — college
presidents. Given the prevalence of drinking at UR, Seligman
should reconsider and sign the Initiative.
On a college campus especially, mutual respect and communication between students and UR Security is essential. Students have
a rare opportunity to interact directly with the men and women
protecting them. Instead, underclassmen eye security officers
with suspicion and sneak drinks past their Resident Advisers,
rather than counting on them for support and safety.
At a school where the most recent CORE Alcohol and Drug
Survey revealed that 70 percent of students reported drinking
alcohol last month, it is paramount that student leaders can
have an honest conversation about alcohol with administrators
like Dean of Students Matthew Burns. Just as the drinking age
prevents students from positively interacting with security officers, so does it stop student leaders and administrators from
coming together to find solutions to excessive drinking.
In the March 6 edition of the Campus Times, the Editorial
Board argued that without coordinated events on Dandelion Day,
students would be more likely to stay in their rooms and drink.
While any party scene brings with it the possibility of alcohol
abuse, a University-endorsed, supervised event is preferable to
a situation in which students are drinking in their rooms.
Seligman argued in a press release that he could not justify
signing the Initiative at this time because he had not seen
“compelling evidence” that lowering the drinking age would
help reduce binge drinking and alcohol abuse. However, it is
clear that a more sensible drinking age would create a sense
of openness at UR and lead to a more cooperative and, most
importantly, a safer Friday-night scene. That alone makes the
Amethyst Initiative worth signing.
Local voting
Voter registration deadlines are imminent. It is absolutely
crucial, particularly considering this election’s substantial effect on our generation, that UR students turn out to the polls
in significant numbers. Furthermore, while the presidential
campaign and other national issues have dominated political
rhetoric across the board, local elections rarely receive any significant attention. UR student groups are addressing the need
to register voters, but little is being done to raise awareness
about local elections.
This fall, political clubs, including the Political Science Undergraduate Council and R World R Vote, are hosting three voter
registration events, hoping to snag students who have neglected
to participate thus far. Starting Friday, Sept. 26, there will be
one event per week. In addition, there will be screenings of the
presidential and vice presidential debates, complete with discussion of platforms by UR professors.
The same groups who are setting remarkable examples for
student leadership during such a critical time should consider
co-sponsoring an event to promote awareness of local elections.
Booths at this event could provide information on the Rochesterarea politicians and offer assistance to students who want to
research their own local politicians. Although many students may
not be able to vote on Rochester issues, it remains important to
highlight concerns regarding the city of Rochester, for they are
still affected by the decisions the community makes regarding its
candidates. Underscoring this arena of politics may encourage
students to investigate their own local political matters.
The 2008 presidential election has been noted for substantially
engaging the youth. UR students have an unique opportunity
to participate in elections that go beyond the realm of national
politics and to decisions that directly affect their daily lives.
Full responsibility for material appearing in this publication rests with the Editor-in-Chief. Opinions
expressed in columns, letters or comics are not necessarily the views of the editors or the University of
Rochester. Editorials appearing in the Campus Times are published with the express consent of a majority
of the editorial board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Opinions Editor and two
other editors elected by a majority of the editorial staff. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board make
themselves available to the UR community’s ideas and concerns. Appointments can be arranged by calling
x5-5942 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The Campus Times is printed weekly on Thursdays
throughout the academic year, except around and during university holidays. The first copy is free. The
Campus Times is published on the World Wide Web at www.campustimes.org and is updated Thursdays
following publication. All materials herein are copyright © 2008 by the Campus Times.
Editorial Observer
A restrictive school system
At age 12, as I began to wonder
exactly what it was I wanted to do
in life, I was, if nothing more, aware
of the path I was supposed to take
to get there. At that time, it all
seemed only too simple — graduate high school, go to college, go to
grad school, get married, get a job
as a sideline reporter for Monday
Night Football and live the dream…
and all of this by the age of 25. As
I grew up, “sideline reporter for
Monday Night Football” morphed
into “neurosurgeon” and then to
“journalist,” but always there was
the same structure for how I was
planning on achieving that goal —
graduate high school, go to college,
go to grad school and so on.
This norm of attending college
directly following high school and
then getting a job directly following college is a testament to how
dedicated our society is to maintain
a high level of education. But this
norm fails to accommodate the idea
that everyone learns and grows at
different rates. At the same time,
it undermines the idea of personal
growth as a key component in
schooling.
By creating an environment in
which adolescents believe that in
order to be successful in life it is
Dana
Hilfinger
•
Sports
Editor
necessary to finish all schooling in
a succinct and timely manner, the
education structure of our country
has proven ignorant to a student’s
option to choose his or her own path
in order to excel. Entrepreneurship
and innovation are discouraged directly after graduating, and while I
understand the importance a good
education serves in today’s world,
I also believe that individuality
and creativity should be just as
highly prized.
Additionally, this norm neglects
the idea that college years are essential for most people in developing who they are and what they
want to do. Colleges don’t account
for the fact that self-exploration
and self-discovery aren’t likely to
be complete by the age of 25, and
thus going directly into a professional lifestyle after graduating
isn’t the best option for everyone.
The idea that a university should
only be educating in the classroom
and then shipping its graduates off
into the “real world” takes away
from the personal development
that should take place during this
period. After all, if a school’s sole
purpose were only education, why
would it spend money on extracurricular programs and house
students in community living
environments?
First and foremost, educational
institutions — and the structure of
schooling as a whole — should be
places that foster personal growth,
and the fact that our culture
encourages and even pressures
students to finish school in such a
structured way speaks to how much
store we put into what a person
knows instead of how and what an
individual thinks and believes.
There are so many opportunities
to learn in ways that extend far beyond the institutions that advocate
for them, and it is important that
our culture realizes there is not one
single way to become an educated
and accomplished individual. After
all, when life spans extend past 70
years, there’s nothing wrong with
taking a couple of those years to
explore opportunities.
Hilfinger is a member of
the class of 2010.
Editorial Observer
Kick back and relax
It is always extremely difficult
to come back to school in August,
prepared to plunge head-first into
the looming pool of work, stress
and responsibility. All you can do
is reminisce about the wonderful
memories you made over the past
summer — lazing around, carefree
and worry-free. But, in reality, as
college students today, the concept
of leisure has nearly vanished from
our lives. We voluntarily fall into a
vicious cycle of attending classes,
studying, working and running
around until our feet are ready to
fall off. Basic necessities such as
food, sleep and personal time are
seldom accommodated for in our
asphyxiating schedules.
Many of us need to take control of
our frenzied lives. We need to make,
not find, the time to take care of
ourselves, whether it be mentally,
physically, emotionally or spiritually. We are tested at our limits as
we strive to balance our academics
with our extracurricular pursuits.
We are taken to new highs and lows
as we battle through endless exams,
recitations, labs and meetings. We
need to hone our bodies to take on
the duress that we relentlessly put
them through.
In Rochester, fatigue and stress
can make our bodies vulnerable to
the cold weather. More often than
not, the vast majority of the school
Nandini
Venkateswaran
•
A&E
Editor
falls victim to some campus-wide
plague. So to keep yourself healthy,
make a conscious effort to eat
three complete meals a day with
adequate vitamins and minerals.
Force yourself to schedule routine
visits to the gym or encourage your
suitemates to join you in watching
some workout videos. I have made
it a priority to stay fit this year by
adding an introductory yoga course
into my schedule and even aiming
to go to the gym at least three times
a week. I want to ensure that my
body will stay strong and reliable
during the times I am spread too
thin. We have to delegate time
out of our hectic lives to relax and
remain physically fit.
In the midst of the academic
year, the weather, coupled with
our workload, leaves many of us
despondent and unfocused. We
never seem to leave the labyrinths
of the underground tunnels until
3 a.m. when the library closes.
During such times, we need to
search within ourselves for the selfconfidence and internal strength
to persevere. Fifteen minutes of
meditation or even power naps
can make an immense difference.
We need to sleep earlier so that
attending a 9 a.m. class isn’t an
onerous chore. We need to assure
that our bodies and minds can
channel their energies to clearly
focus and fulfill the tasks at hand.
If we accrue good habits from the
start, we can rely on them when
we are struggling.
Most notably, I feel that we
as undergraduates need to take
the time to do what we love. We
should allocate personal time to
take leisurely excursions and embrace what Rochester has to offer,
from excellent coffee shops and
delectable restaurants to scintillating displays of music and art.
We should take the time to dance,
sing, play an instrument, watch
our favorite movies or just hang
out. Being busy all the time would
drive any human insane.
What I am proposing is certainly
easier said than done. Many of
us never quite practice what we
preach. But I honestly do feel that
if we have the self-motivation to
maintain a peaceful equilibrium
of work and play in our lives, we
can truly initiate meaningful and
rewarding lifestyle changes.
Venkateswaran is a member of
the class of 2011.
Josh Hatcher
Staff Illustrator
OPINIONS
Page 7
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau
A forgotten gray-scale complicates Pakistan issue
BY andrew otis
In the world of foreign affairs, there is no
black and white. Merely shades of gray.
Outside the American media and the
politics that consume its attention, a complex reality faces us. Our conception of the
surrounding world is typically that of good
battling evil. But reality is starkly different.
Sides are multiplicitous and situations are
intricate and complex. Our allies fight for
their own interests, and they often conflict
with ours.
When New York Times investigative journalist Dexter Filkins joined a Talibani group,
he discovered frightening circumstances on
the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Despite
Pakistani promises to control the Taliban in
its lawless Northwest Frontier, the Taliban
has total sway over the region. It turned out
that our Pakistani allies were not as sincere
as we had thought.
Filkins reported in the Sept. 5 article on
his experiences that he found Haji Namdar,
a “Taliban chieftain, enforcer of Islamic
law, usurper of the Pakistani government
and trainer and facilitator of suicide bombers in Afghanistan.” According to Filkins’s
article, Namdar was “sitting at home, not
three miles from Peshawar, untouched by
the Pakistani military operation that was
supposedly unfolding around.”
Filkins related the following conversation:
“‘What’s going on?’ Filkins asked the warlord. ‘Why aren’t they coming for you?’
“‘I cannot lie to you,’ Namdar said, smiling
at last. ‘The army comes in, and they fire at
empty buildings. It is a drama — it is just
to entertain.’
“‘Entertain whom?’ Filkins asked.
“‘America,’ he said.”
Filkins found the Taliban were free to do as
they pleased in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier. As long as they contained themselves
to that region and didn’t disrupt Pakistan’s
heartland, their military let them be.
We have given over $10.8 billion to Pakistan in foreign aid since 2001(more than
any other nation has received), most of it
to be spent on military support against the
Taliban. Yet, it appears that we have spent
that money in return for unfulfilled promises. Pakistan’s military is oddly friendly to
the Taliban, regardless of how much money
we give it.
Filkins reported a scene in which Abu
Omar, a Taliban fighter, described a raid
into Afghanistan from Pakistan:
“‘We killed seven Afghan soldiers,’ Omar
claimed. ‘Unfortunately, there were no
Americans.’
“Their attack successful, Abu Omar and
his comrades trekked back across the Pakistani border. The sun was just rising. The
fighters saw a Pakistani checkpoint and
headed straight for it.
“‘They gave us some water,’ he said of
the Pakistani border guards. ‘And then we
continued on our way.’”
But why would Pakistan not attack the
Taliban when the United States has been
giving them billions to do so? How could
Pakistan’s military be so ineffective if Pakistan has professed repeatedly to be an ally
in the War on Terror?
In an interview with a former Pakistani
official who would only speak in anonymity, Filkins discovered the answer to these
questions.
It was not, as Filkins expected, hatred of
America or Islamic sentiments in the army
that explained why Pakistan’s military ignores and sometimes supports the Taliban.
Rather, it was for a more sinister reason.
The Pakistani explained that by keeping the
Taliban alive, Pakistan could ensure billions
of dollars in foreign aid from the U.S. — aid
desperately needed for Pakistan’s economic
infrastructure and military.
Confronting the Taliban is not an easy
prospect. We cannot simply expect to pay
the Pakistani government to do our bidding.
Our allies have their own agendas. Despite
doing the best we can, they will not follow
us unquestioningly.
Our best chance is to not prop up a dysfunctional army that often supports our
enemy. If we want to improve our position in
Pakistan, we need to provide education and
social services. Another possible solution is to
not frivolously spend our money on others.
Pakistan has played the money game well.
Their professed enemy is the Taliban, but
it’s also their best asset. The longer they
can keep the Taliban as a threat to America
in Afghanistan and pretend to fight it, the
more aid they can receive from the United
States.
In the words of that former Pakistani
official, “We are saving the Taliban for a
rainy day.”
It may behoove America to remember that
no one is as innocent and good as he may
seem. Everything is a shade of gray.
Otis is a member of
the class of 2011.
BY javier jaramillo
“The purest treasure mortal times afford is
spotless reputation.” Thus says Shakespeare
in “Richard II.” As this quote underscores,
good reputation is obviously important on a
personal level, but does it also have implications on the international level?
By most accounts, the United States has
experienced declining popularity abroad during the last eight years. Whether deserved or
not, the obvious scapegoat for this wane in
international regard is the Bush Administration or, more specifically, its foreign policy
and the Iraq War. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a former presidential contender,
has gone as far as to label the United States
an “international pariah.”
Despite the importance of maintaining
good relations abroad, however, winning the
international popularity contest should be
put into perspective. After all, the priority
of a foreign policy is not necessarily to curry
favor with other nations. Beyond popularity,
Americans expect their leaders to pursue a
foreign policy that is morally right and also
in the best interest of their country.
This is the crux of the matter because what
may be in the best interest of the Unites
States may not be in the best interest of
Germany or France or any number of other
countries. It is no secret that China, Russia,
the European Union and the United States autonomy, security or some other valuable
have competing objectives and world views. commodity, wherein lies the gain?
Now we find ourselves in the midst of a
Whenever the United States acts in its own
interest or in the interest of its allies, it al- presidential election where the candidate
ways runs the risk of drawing international we choose will determine the United States’
foreign policy for the next four years. Not
ire from at least one quarter.
The United States’ strong relationship surprisingly, countries around the world
with Israel, for instance, has at times are interested in the outcome. In a recent
harmed its relationship with Israel’s often international survey taken by the polling
hostile neighbors. To cite another case, the firm GlobeScan, all 22 countries favored
Senator Barack Obama
United States has taken a
over Senator John McCain.
position on the recent invaIn part, this lopsided outsion of Georgia that puts it
Good reputation
come seems fueled by the
in tension with Russia. As
is obviously
perception that Obama will
these examples show, the
improve the United States’
United States must take
important on a
relationship with the rest of
into account other considerpersonal level,
the world.
ations besides international
but does it have
Perhaps the survey is
popularity or goodwill when
right, and Obama will indeed
making foreign policy deci- implications on the
sions.
international level? make the United States
more popular and wellProtecting established
liked around the world.
democracies from larger
Or perhaps McCain could
neighbors is one of these
considerations. Ensuring the safety of Ameri- achieve the same result. Or perhaps such
cans is another. The challenge for the next international polls should not be a factor
administration is to improve relations with in choosing a candidate. Perhaps we should
the international community in a way that pick the next president of the United States
does not compromise U.S. interests or values. for more substantial reasons than how hard
If we become more popular in Europe and he will work to please the citizens of other
around the world, but in the process we lose countries, since his primary responsibility
is to work on behalf of the citizens of the
United States.
President Ronald Reagan’s expansion of
the United States’ military and weapons
arsenal was not greeted with widespread
popularity around the world and certainly
did not win a round of applause from the
Russian Politburo. Some considered his strident opposition to the Soviet Union reckless
and warmongering. But, in hindsight, many
analysts believe that his tactics hastened the
demise of the Soviet Union, which was unable to keep pace economically and militarily.
As President Reagan showed, a successful
foreign policy may not be grounded in foreign
opinion polls.
Of course the United States must interact
wisely and respectfully with other nations,
but the point remains that only the United
States will seek its own welfare at home and
abroad. Just as French citizens expect President Nicolas Sarkozy to promote French
interests without concerning himself overly
much with U.S. public opinion and German
citizens expect Chancellor Angela Merkel to
work on behalf of Germany without polling
the rest of Europe, American citizens have
the right to choose a president who will seek
what is best for the United States.
Jaramillo is a member of
the class of 2011.
BY michael powers
It’s that time again. Time to break out
that old rhetorical standby, the metaphor.
A well-crafted metaphor can be a powerful
and persuasive tool. Or it can just replace
rational argument with an easy, throwaway
line. It may have been a while since America
was so acutely presented with the menace of
the “Russian Bear” by print and cable media,
but there is no denying the effectiveness of
that resounding image.
Like it or not, the notion that Russia’s
recent actions on the world stage exposes a
deep imperialism and some kind of worlddomination routine seems to be the norm
here in the States. While I hope that we, as
a citizenry, can move past the old black-andwhite mentality of the Cold War for a slightly
more complex (if less satisfying) grasp of
events, I certainly won’t at this point put
any money on it.
As for the Georgia-Russia conflict itself,
the details are extremely messy. On one
side, you have a formerly (and some argue
presently) authoritarian superpower unwilling to give up any more of its power since it
has recuperated from the fall of the USSR.
The Georgians, a Western-style democracy
since 1991, are likewise unwilling to give up
any ground. In their case, however, they are
unwilling to give up land, which they legally
have claim to but have no real power over.
This land, the region of South Ossetia, is
essentially an enclave in the north of Georgia
with inhabitants who do not speak Georgian
and are ethnically dissimilar from their
southern cousins. Formerly an autonomous
administrative unit within the Soviet Union,
Georgia denied South Ossetians independence in 1990, advanced into the area in
1991 and backed down with a cease-fire in
1992 to avoid a Russian entanglement. The
area, as far as one can tell from conflicting
accounts, is probably a nasty place to live;
recent stories tell of Ossetian rebels firing on
Georgian police or Georgian snipers picking
off residents.
Anecdotally, many of those I’ve spoken to at
Rochester about the conflict have the “Russian Bear” narrative firmly planted in their
minds: the hulking monster of Russia decides
to swallow up a democratic neighbor one day.
There is no mention that Georgian troops
crossed the 1992 cease-fire line into South
Ossetia to capture the capital of Tskhinvali
on Aug. 8. The Russians respond in force only
afterwards (how long after depends on the
report). This move is defended by Georgians
to be a response to South Ossetian shelling
of Georgian villages, while Russia claims to
be defending an autonomous people from an
overt land grab.
As a student who hasn’t even left New
York State for quite some time, I cannot
provide the eye-witness report necessary
to say whose claim of “He started it!” is accurate. What bothers me is that many don’t
even perceive the debate. “Russia simply
invaded,” I am told.
Don’t get me wrong. You won’t hear me
absolving Russia of any blame for what is
happening. I’m also not jumping on the
bandwagon of bad journalism and asking
for every story to be told from both sides in
a misguided attempt at “fair and balanced”
reporting. I merely suggest that a prolonged
“frozen conflict” between the remnants
of a massive, one-of-a-kind experiment in
government such as the Soviet Union may
not have a neatly boxed narrative this early
in the reporting.
Then again, why should we even care if we
get the story right? Generally speaking, we
like Georgia. America is backing Georgia’s
bid for a position within the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). Ukraine is
similarly up for membership. None of this
is pleasing to Russia, of course. Perhaps feeling a little boxed in already, Russia surely
won’t like having two NATO members on
its borders.
Creating NATO-backed states in former
Soviet areas seems like a move that entails
a good degree of risk; if member states are
not fully able or willing to support the two
against Russia, trouble could be on the
horizon.
Still, it is possible to see this crisis as an
opportunity for America and its citizens to
shine and show that we don’t necessarily
have to muddle foreign relations. Digging
for ever-better facts would be a nice start.
And please, if we must use the metaphor of
the “Russian Bear,” at least let’s be honest
and make sure to look at the person goading
it with a sharp stick.
Powers is a member of
the class of 2011.
U.S. foreign policy subject to popularity contests
Presence of a “Russian Bear” is subject to debate
OPINIONS
Page 8
Even now, election rhetoric differs for each sex
BY Julianne Nigro
Although many different definitions of
“feminism” exist, the ones that appeal to
me always include either the word “choice”
or the word “pro-choice.”
My ideal feminist world would allow all
women and men to choose the best options for
their bodies, their careers and their families.
These decisions would be equally respected,
regardless of their race, class, religion, ability,
sexual orientation or political party.
The right to make informed decisions
would allow women not only to move forward, but also to move in directions that may
not exist today. With the freedom to choose,
women could truly change the world.
On a college campus in 2008, it is often hard
to see the need for feminism and women’s
rights. Women and men live side by side, and
opportunities seem to be equal.
However, turning on the television to the
2008 presidential campaign reminds me how
much less respected women’s decisions are
when compared to those made by men.
This election season, America is watching
women on both sides of the political spectrum
being ripped apart because of their decisions
regarding their bodies, their careers and
their families.
For years, Americans judged Hillary
Clinton and her response to her husband’s
affair. Many men and women criticized her
decision to stay with her husband, claiming
she was only doing it to “advance her own
career.” Others praised her decision to work
things out with Bill, claiming it was “the
right thing to do.”
Throughout the 2008 primary season, this
discussion continued. Finally, in June, some
claimed that America was so judgmental of
this decision that it lost her the Democratic
nomination.
Although the marital status of male
candidates is discussed in the media, few
could argue that it is the factor that decides
whether a male candidate wins or loses a
political race.
This August, when John McCain announced his nomination of Sarah Palin as
his running mate, America once again began
criticizing the choices made by a woman.
Rather than focusing on whether Palin
could do a good job in office, the media
became obsessed with her five children,
beauty-contest-winning good looks and
wardrobe.
Some claimed that Palin was “not capable of committing the time” the position
required because of her young children,
especially her infant with Down’s syndrome.
Others praised her decision to have a large
family, claiming it made her a “good mother,”
without mentioning why that would matter
in her position. Some praised her decision to
carry a Down’s syndrome child to term while
others claimed it was selfish. Some praised
her for encouraging her pregnant teenage
daughter to “do the right thing” and marry
her boyfriend, while others criticized Palin
for putting her 17-year-old daughter in the
public spotlight when she knew how cruel
the media would be to her.
Literally overnight, America became
obsessed with the decisions Palin had made
about her body, her career and her family. Few
discussed her politics, but instead focused on
judging her decisions.
Ironically, many of Palin’s supporters
praised her pro-life “choices.”
However, being “pro-choice” and a feminist
is not about deciding whether one should
or should not have an abortion. Being prochoice is about allowing a woman to decide
what is best for her body, her career and
her family.
2008 has already proven to be a year
of “change” for both women and politics.
However, in order for real change to occur,
America needs to move past the judgments
placed on women’s bodies, careers and families and begin to accept the decisions made
by Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and many
women to come.
Nigro is a member of
the class of 2009.
BYjoseph ciszewski
On Aug. 29, Senator John McCain announced that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
would be his running mate. From that point
forward, Palin and her family have been the
subjects of nonstop media bashing. You may
think the media would want to celebrate a
woman like Palin, but you would be wrong.
She has been accused of many things from
hating women to faking the birth of her
fifth child. Putting aside the media’s unfair
treatment of her, Palin’s political résumé,
thick with executive expertise, makes Senator Barack Obama’s look frail.
Palin rose through the ranks of Alaskan
politics with no previous connections. She
served two terms as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. In her six years as mayor (1996-2002),
she was responsible for cutting property
taxes, improving sewers and roads, putting
in bike paths around Wasilla and stopping
pointless spending.
At age 42, Palin became the first female
governor of Alaska. She governed with a
budget of $12 billion and 16,000 full-time
employees. In 1992, when Bill Clinton took
the White House, the Arkansas state budget
was $2 billion. An article in the New York
Times states, “Alaska is harder to govern
than a smaller, more settled realm in the
Lower 48.”
Political scientist Thad Beyle from the
University of North Carolina rates various states’ institutional powers on factors
ranging from appointment and budgetary
authority to veto power. For the year 2008,
Alaska was ranked 4.1 on a 5-point scale.
The average for the U.S. is 3.5. Even forgetting the fact that she raised five children,
this woman has handled a great deal of
responsibility in her years.
To compare her lifetime achievements to
Obama’s is unfair; not to her, but to him. He
is running for the presidency and she for the
vice presidency. Senator Hillary Clinton once
said, “I think I have a lifetime of experience
that I will bring to the White House, I know
Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience
that he will bring to the White House and
Senator Obama has a speech he gave in
2002.” Aside from his law degree, Obama
was a community organizer for a few years.
It is unclear what he accomplished or organized during this time. He spent seven years
in the Illinois senate and three-and-a-half
years in the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in as
senator on Jan. 4, 2005. Obama announced
his candidacy for the U.S. presidency on Feb.
10, 2007. I’m not too good with math, but
it seems as though he has been running for
president for about half of the time he has
been in the U.S. Senate.
With all this talk of book banning, let’s
get the facts straight. While mayor in
Wasilla, Palin inquired about the possibility
of censorship. The bottom line is that she
never banned any books. Let’s not forget
Senator Joe Biden’s propensity for using
others’ words as his own. While at Syracuse
University, he pulled portions of text that
were not his for a law review article. Again,
in his failed 1987 bid for the White House,
he plagiarized a speech by Neil Kinnock.
Palin has received flack because she was
for the “Bridge to Nowhere” before she
was against it. But the fact remains that
she stopped construction of the bridge and
saved her citizens hundreds of millions of
dollars. In the U.S. Senate, both Obama and
Biden voted for the $223 million earmark
for the bridge. Unlike Palin, Obama cannot
admit when he is flat out wrong. In a recent
interview, Obama stated that the surge has
succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated.
But instead of admitting that he was wrong,
he dipped and dodged around the question
like the skillful politician he is.
As mayor and governor, Palin has proven
herself to be a powerful instrument for
change and reform in Alaska. She adds
another level of executive experience to
McCain’s already hearty résumé. Obama,
although he has the capacity to do so, still
has yet to establish himself as an agent of
change. Hopefully in November, Americans
will stop being hypnotized by Obama’s lofty
speeches and high rhetoric and choose the
most qualified ticket.
Ciszewski is a member of
the class of 2011.
Palin’s expertise will help McCain succeed in ’08
webpoll
Are you upset with
your housing this semester?
No way. I’m living
the high life.
I have a bed to sleep
in and that’s all I
need.
Yes. Get me a new
room ASAP.
54%
31%
Vote Onlicampusti
ne at mes.org
Next week’s question:
Do you think the U.S.
will retain its status as
the one superpower?
15%
Letters to the Editor
Student and administrative efforts
lead the charge in sustainability
I enjoyed reading last week’s editorial
entitled “A greener bar” for the message it
delivered. It urged the administration to
keep moving on its sustainability efforts so
as not to let the progress we’ve made become
a historical side note for the University.
Grassroots is always forced into hesitant
excitement when we see progress at UR,
fearing it will be a solitary effort.
But, in recent years, Facilities, Dining
Services and the University at large have
made an impressive showing. Of course,
there is still much to be done, but complaints supported by facts and research
hold more water.
One section in “A greener bar” in particular struck me as strange. You refer to the
Recyclemania event that has been run by
Grassroots for the past two years. Recyclemania is a 10-week national competition, with
more than 300 competing schools last year.
After 10-weeks of flyering and campaigning,
the absence of Recyclemania is palpable. But
in my experience student energy doesn’t so
much dissipate after Recyclemania as the
issue steps back from the forefront.
The problem with upholding a “heightened awareness” about recycling is that
it has to be heightened in comparison to
something. I don’t think anyone has the
energy for a 52-week Recyclemania. What
has impressed me is the administration’s
response to Recyclemania. What started
as a pet-project has been welcomed by the
University as a part of our identity.
Last year we worked closely with Facilities
to work out all the kinks. We look forward
to continuing that relationship this year
with what we hope will be an even more
successful Recyclemania.
I agree with the end of your piece. The
Sustainability Council must hold itself to
a high standard. However, no matter what
the Sustainability Council is doing, students
have a responsibility to be environmentally
conscientious. This issue is too important to
blame the other guy. Everyone needs to play
his or her part. Everyone is responsible.
—Daniel grenell
Class of 2010
Co-President of Grassroots
Judgments of Palin are exceedingly harsh — check the facts
In the limited space I have here, I seek
to shed light on some issues that were addressed in a previous Campus Times article,
particularly those attacking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
First off, support for the Iraqi War is not
an “extreme position.” “God’s task” is not a
“crusade.” It should be taken in the context
of meaning that all people are “endowed by
their creator with inalienable rights”; ahem,
freedom from terrorism.
If Palin’s pockets are lined with oil, why
did she take $1,200 in surplus money from
Alaskan oil revenues in addition to the Permanent Fund Dividend and give it back to the
Alaskan people? By the way, don’t confuse BP
with their slogan “Beyond Petroleum.”
You also shouldn’t downplay her trips
to Canada. Alaska has some of the largest
natural gas reserves in the world. Palin is
fighting to run a pipeline from the North
Slope through Canada so that you can stay
warm while you wait for mystical renewable
sources of energy to spring up. If the other
half of Alaska had its way, the natural gas
would go to South Central Alaska and then
be shipped to international markets where
it would fetch a much higher price. In short,
her foreign policy as governor of Alaska has
been to come to the rescue of America at a
monetary cost to her own state, and you
criticize her for it. How petty.
And what difference does it make if Palin
sees climate change as manmade or not?
The United States already has some of the
strictest emissions standards in the world, as
opposed to China. What would you have her
do? Enact stricter emissions standards that
drive the rest of our industry to China?
Palin bans books? Perhaps elementary schoolers shouldn’t be allowed to read
porn.
No, my good sir, the only radical I see here
is you. I consider your proud arrogance and
the emotional zeal with which you display
it to be an insult. Perhaps next time you
will research your article better, knowing
that an Alaskan citizen will call you on your
misinformation.
—trevor pollock
Class of 2011
Campus Times
Danielle Rante’s art highlighted
at Hartnett... Page 13
UR Bhangra: How Dhol!
Page 9
Article by Christopher Bierasinski, Staff Writer Design by Ross Brenneman, Online Editor
Gather around, my friends, for I have a story to tell, a story of
happiness and laughter, tears and suffering. This story is about the UR
Bhangra team.
First, allow me to correct something: the only tears shed are my
tears of jealously at my inability to move with the slightest of grace,
while the members of the Bhangra team move their bodies in ways I
never knew were possible and to this day still question.
I know very little about dance and perhaps even less about the
Punjab region of India, the birthplace of Bhangra. However, I do know
that every time I watch a Bhangra performance, I become as excited as a
12-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.
But there is certainly reason for me and everyone else in the
audience to get so excited. “Bhangra is a dance of passionate times and
happiness,” captain and junior Krishna Upadhyaya said. Upadhyaya was
more than helpful in explaining what Bhangra was all about. This seems
true of all the Bhangra performances I’ve been to: the crowd is excited,
the dancers are excited and the mood is very high. The performers come
out and, from that point forward, it’s basically a party.
If you have never been to a Bhangra show, I’ll let you in on a
secret: they dance to music. This music is hard to describe, but, luckily,
something known as the Internet was invented by Al Gore, so you can
probably find some music there. If for some reason you don’t know how
to use the Internet — perhaps because you are John McCain — I’ll do my
best to explain it. It’s a merge of new and old, a combination of modern
dance beats with the traditional Dhol drum. The music itself is so highenergy that it really is difficult to stand still while listening to it.
Music isn’t the only thing to be heard at the shows, though. If you
listen closely, or just read the back of someone’s Bhangra T-shirt, you
photo courtesy of x8drums.com
will hear the phrases, “Hoi! Hoi!” “Brrrruaaaaah!” or “Chak de!” The
first two are simply exclamations that can’t be translated, while “Chak
de!” means “Let’s go!” They are all sorts of rally calls and ways for the
performers to pronounce their passion while showing it through dance.
In order to write this article, I had to find a time to actually watch
and talk with some of the people on the team. My opportunity came
Monday night during their auditions. Not only did I get to talk to some
people about Bhangra and its origins and see a small bit of a dance, but
I also got to see why the performers themselves liked it.
I saw that just about every member of the team was engrossed in the
music, bobbing their heads along with the beat or just silently mouthing
the words of the song. While it may be embarrassing for me to get caught
singing Amy Winehouse to myself, the Bhangra performers sing out of
sheer passion and love for their activity.
When I did get the chance to talk to some of the members, they all
had slightly different reasons for why they danced. One performer did
it for the fun of dancing. Another did it to satisfy her exhibitionist side,
as she loves to perform. One of the people auditioning said she was doing it so she could learn to dance with her boyfriend, because he made
it look so fun.
Perhaps the most conversation I got was from junior Alex Perry. He
dances because he is getting “in touch with [his] Indian roots.” He shared
something that has been a theme of sorts throughout this article: “It’s a
fun team…[It’s] a bunch of fun people who can dance really well.”
So, friends, that is the story of UR Bhangra as I see it. It’s just a simple
story of some people wanting to have fun and give audience members
something to remember, and with their mind-numbingly elaborate choreography and, well, what’s not to love about that? Hoi! Hoi!
FEATURES
Page 10
H S
Get to Know Me: Olivia Pederson
by Kaz Sakamoto
Senior Staff Writer
Olivia Pederson is a political science
and English double major from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Her campus activities
include In Between The Lines Improv
Troupe and work at the Office of Technology Transfer where she works as an
intern. She has also been a member of
the club soccer team. She is a kind and
nurturing Cancer who enjoys beautiful fall days. Her hometown is known
for its beautiful fall foliage and terrific
music scene.
If you had a soundtrack to life,
what would be on it?
The New Pornographers, Rilo Kiley,
Tilly and the Wall and Disney.
“An unusual skill I have is…”
Swing dancing. I picked it up during
high school. I don’t get to show it off
here.
or coe
o p
If you could change something about
yourself what would it be?
I’m really happy with who I am, but
would like to be more confident.
“ he
the valley of the darkness ”
What does performing feel like?
Sometimes it’s really scary, but other
times it is the most fun I can have, especially when I am in tune with the person I
am on stage with.
Aries (March 21–April 19) — Kicked
that abusive significant other but still
want that S&M flavor? Greek Rush is
upon us.
Describe your favorite childhood toy.
I really liked building things and had
this one set made of wood where you create pathways for marbles.
Taurus (April 20–May 20) — Going to a
strip club during a weekday is like buying
expired food. Sure it’s cheap, but it will
probably make you sick.
If you were a type of cheese, what
would you be and why?
Probably provolone because I can go
along with a lot of things.
What are your greatest UR accomplishments and future aspirations?
My favorite is getting into the improv
troupe. It makes me really happy here,
it relaxes you after stressful days, and
I can count on seeing some of my best
friends three times a week.
Afterward I’m planning on going to
law school hopefully in New York City
or Chicago.
Sakamoto is a member of
the class of 2009.
Screwing your friends: fun, but complicated
by Alyssa Waddill
Staff Writer
Hall-cest. Suite-cest. Friend-cest.
We’re all intimately familiar with the
various “-cests.” When you hang out
with a group of people, of course some
of you end up sleeping together. My
group of friends has a more tangled web
of hook-ups than anyone can even map
out. It makes things interesting, but of
course it leads to drama.
Now, I’m all about pushing the
boundaries. Friends are the people you
have a connection with. It makes sense
to fool around with someone you like,
right? Plus, they’re easily accessible.
Why bother going all the way across
campus when that cutie has a single
right down the hall?
You already know how to talk to your
friends, so it’s not as hard to negotiate those little things like, “Oh, baby,
slightly to the right.” It’s easier to feel
physically comfortable with somebody
you already know a bit about. You’re
not trying to catch up on their favorite
color and their taste in music while
you’re French kissing in the laundry
room. It’s exciting to try new things
and new people, but there’s something
to be said for comfort and ease of communication.
There are drawbacks, though. When
you’ve already got a certain relationship with someone, it can be tricky to
shift it into something else.
Sex changes things. I’ve had hook-ups
By Jules Winnfield
who shepherds the weak through
the subject. It helps to just bring it up
with friends that weren’t really a big deal,
casually.
but the friendship still changed. SomeAnother pitfall of friend sex is the
times we got closer, sometimes it was just
unfortunate likelihood that Friend
different afterwards. It takes some talking
A, who you want to sleep with, has
to figure out where you are.
already fooled around with Friend B,
If you’re already close with someone
whose company you enjoy and whom
when you start sleeping together, it makes
you don’t want to piss off. In big
sense to want to be in a relationship with
groups, this gets pretty inevitable, too.
them. What is a relationship anyway,
If you know ahead of time that you
besides friendship and sex with the same
want to sleep with Friend
person? Of course, not
B’s former lover, it’s best
everyone’s going to want
to at least let him or her
to jump into monogamy or
know. A past with somecommitment.
Let Sex & the CT help you
one doesn’t give anyone
No matter what you’re through your most awkdibs on them, but some
looking for, it’s important
wardly sexual years.
people will feel betrayed if
to put it out there right at
you sleep with their ex.
the beginning. You might
I know that you can’t always plan
just want a friend with benefits. It can be
ahead with these sorts of things, but it
really great to have someone there that
does save a lot of drama if you already
you can hang out with and fool around
know how B will feel before you get in
with stress-free. It won’t be stress-free,
the sack with his or her old flame.
though, if one of you is totally in love and
That said, the point as always is to
the other is just having fun. Stating your
have fun and share the love. Hopefully,
goals right at the beginning, though awksex and friendship can coexist peaceward, helps prevent some heartache later.
fully, even cooperatively. It’s all about
I find that pillow talking is one of the
the love, man, so have a good time.
easiest ways to get this conversation out
If you have any questions about sex
of the way. Intimate things just seem to
or relationships, you can write them
flow more easily when you’re already
to me anonymously (or not) at alyssa.
physically close and sexually satisfied.
[email protected]. I will respond
If you’re cuddling after sex or just
to your questions in a new section of
hanging out, it’s easier to bring up what
the Campus Times blog. Look for my
you want in the general flow of conversaanswers at www.campustimes.org.
tion. Sitting down and saying, “We need
Waddill is a member of
to talk” is sometimes what you’ve got to
the class of 2009.
do, but it makes it even harder to broach
“Sex&the
CT”
UR Opinion
Gemini (May 21–June 21) — You don’t
need the gym to lose the Freshman 15.
The bursar now accepts pounds of flesh.
Cancer (June 22–July 22) — Your obsession with white powder makes you a
better fit for a couch in a back room on
the Fraternity Quad than for a spot on
the ski team.
Leo (July 23–Aug. 22) — Take up “World
of Warcraft.” Anyone who says that battling trolls is not a useful skill hasn’t seen
the UR feminine specimen.
Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) — Prepare for
President McCain to screw this country;
buy stock in Cialis.
Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) — Don’t worry
about failing your CAS class. You can still
be a stripper or a VP candidate.
Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) — You’ll be
amazed how long you can sleep in after
your professors say that all the notes
are online.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) — You’ll
find that all that glitters is not gold after
praying to the porcelain god on Goldschlager night.
Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) — After your
floormates finish having sex in the shower,
you’ll try to convince yourself that you’re
only standing in shampoo.
Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) — The only
thing that is better than KY his and hers
is KY his and hers and hers.
Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20) — Freshmen
will be easily confused about which sorority you mean when you say you’re going
to the Drama House.
(I f
you actually believe this , then you believe
it really is her and not you .)
by kaz Sakamoto
What is your favorite dance move?
Caitlin Cohn ’11
“Sihir.”
Ahmad Rhemani ’11
and Amit Shah ’10
“Bhangra.”
Mindi Schultz ’09
“Cheerleading.”
Danielle Levine ’10
“Ballet Performance
Group.”
Liz Morrison ’09
and Gretchen Eckel ’09
“D’motions.”
Jenny Jacobson ’09
and Cecilia Simchak ’11
“Radiance.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Page 11
FEATURES
Page 12
Tales from a UR transfer student The hard science behind sex
By Margaret Healy
Contributing Writer
As a transfer student, I can
safely say that my first weeks
at UR do not nearly resemble
what is typical of the first few
weeks for a freshman: there has
not been an inordinate amount
of time spent on the Frat Quad,
bonding with the hall, unfortunate hookups or writing CAS
papers. For me and for 98 other
students, the first few weeks are
a time of muddled ambiguity.
We have not yet entirely integrated ourselves into the rest
of the upperclassman student
body, yet we still cannot very well
call ourselves our own group —
our experiences are so varied in
terms of our backgrounds, goals
and experiences
that it can be difficult to find any
kind of unifying
thread.
Some, like me,
are simply sophomores who spent a miserable
freshman year at the wrong
school and are now giving
another college a try.
For others,
such as my
roommate, Aja
Hills, a sophomore who
transferred
from Jefferson Com- munity College, this semester marks
their first time away from home
after a year spent at a local community college.
Still others are “nontraditional” college students — people
well past the age of frat partying
and who may even have children.
Of the 99 transfer students this
year, about a third come from
community colleges, while the
rest vary in their educational
backgrounds from public schools
to private schools to a series of
many different schools.
With such a wide range of
people making up the transfer
population, the University and
the transfer students themselves
are struggling with the ambiguous definition of the “transfer
experience.” This uncertainty
presents a challenge in terms of
how to best orient transfer students to the University.
While the freshmen have an
entire week of orientation and
are housed together in an environment conducive to friendshipmaking, transfer students are
scattered all over campus and
have only one day of orientation.
“We’re working under the
assumption that most transfer
students have done something
similar already,” Transfer Coordinator Tanya Strachan explained.
Furthermore, the transfer
students struggle with, as Strachan put it, “how long they want
to be defined as a transfer.”
Generally, the University aims
to give transfer students a quick
overview of Rochester’s academic
policies and then allow them to
become immediately immersed
in the rest of the student body
— so that rather than defining
ourselves as “transfers,” we can
simply be “sophomores” or “juniors.”
But this approach to orienting
the transfer student population
does have
Josh Hatcher
Staff Illustrator
its drawbacks. It is difficult as
an upperclassman to integrate
oneself into a student body that
has already formed bonds on
freshman hallways, in sororities
or fraternities and in other organizations.
“Transfer Orientation should
be more like Freshman Orientation because you’re essentially
a freshman — you’re coming in
not knowing anybody, just like a
freshman would,” Hills said.
Sophomore Megan O’Connor,
who transferred from Nazareth
College, took this desire for more
resources for transfers even further. “They should have housed
all the transfers on one floor,”
she said. “It’s hard to make
friends when you’re an upperclassman,” she said.
The brief orientation and lack
of opportunity to form strong
familiarty and alliances between
transfers left some, like Megan,
with the feeling that “they don’t
really care about transfers at
all.”
While these concerns are certainly valid, they may just be the
unfortunate yet inevitable result
of not following a predictable
educational path — rather than
the fault of the University. In
fact, UR tends to pride itself on
being a “transfer-friendly” school
— as a place that is always trying to up its diversity level, UR
views transfers as an invaluable
resource.
“We value the transfer experience and the interesting stories
and backgrounds of transfer students,” Strachan said. “There is
an added experience to classroom
and student life.”
Hopefully, though, the University will be able to better
address some of the struggles of
the transfer experience in the
future. Strachan
noted that there
is a possibility
of a transfer
focus group being put
together in order to better tailor
next semester’s orientation.
Additionally, she is looking into
starting a Tau Sigma chapter at
UR — a
transfer
honors
society that would
r e c o g n i z e academic achievement. She also made mention
of a transfer student connection
group that is now defunct, but
could be brought back as a place
for transfers to meet and support
each other.
While there are certainly kinks
to be worked out in the experience of transferring from one college to UR, transfers seem to be
unified in their excitement and
gratitude about the opportunity
to start fresh.
Personally, I have already
begun to find social and academic
opportunities that I couldn’t find
even after a whole year at my
previous school, Barnard College.
Overall, for me and for the
transfers with whom I’ve spoken,
there is no regret, but rather a
willingness to take on the challenge of this new transition.
“I feel a lot better here,” freshman Christine Lytwynec, who
transferred from Providence College after a year, said. “Knowing
that the school is good makes it
all worth it.”
Healy is a member of
the class of 2011.
Welcome back students!
Looking for
a change this
fall?
We honor RED discount
Write for
Features!
CTfeatures@
gmail.com
California Rollin’
By Amanda Goodman
Contributing Writer
Researchers are currently
baffled by the complexity of orgasms and sexual arousal. This
is true for science in general, but
particularly true for the brain’s
role in both.
In a study aimed at analyzing
sexual arousal, psychologist Meredith Chivers of the Center for
Addiction and Mental Health in
Toronto set out to determine how
both men and women reacted to
erotic films. Chivers showed the
subjects films depicting same-sex
intercourse, individual masturbation or nude exercise using both
female and men performers, in
addition to showing male-female
sex acts and sex acts between
bonobos — hypersexual apes
whose genetic code is similar
to that of chimpanzees. Chivers showed these erotic films to
about 100 women and men. Their
results showed that heterosexual
men responded to women engaged in a sex act, homosexual
men responded to men engaged in
a sex act and homosexual women
responded to women engaged in a
sex act. These groups of subjects
all showed physiological signs of
sexual arousal only to erotic films
involving their ideal partners,
i.e. heterosexual men were not
aroused by watching two men
engaged in a sex act, but homosexual men were. The results that
Chivers et al. found also showed
that heterosexual men, gay men
and women did not respond sexually to bonobo sex acts.
Heterosexual women proved
to be the outliers of the study—
responding with sexual arousal to
all erotic films. Their sexual interests and preferences have more
flexibility than the others studied.
Sexual desire is complex and
requires high-level mental processes for both sexes. The same
is true for orgasms. Both women
and men must go through highlevel mental processes in order to
reach climax.
Sexual arousal and orgasm are
incredibly complex phenomen for
both men and women. Men are
more attracted to the allure of
visual stimuli such as erotic films
and magazines, whereas women
are more affected by environmental influences. Urologist Jennifer
Berman of the Female Sexual
Medicine Center at the University
of California, Los Angeles, says
women must “feel comfortable
with themselves and their partner, feel safe and perceive a true
bond with their partner.” Men,
however, do not.
Gert Holstege of the University
of Groningen in the Netherlands,
who is intimately involved in
researching orgasms and sexual
arousal in women, has concluded
that “fear and anxiety need to be
avoided at all costs, if a woman
wishes to have an orgasm; we
knew that but now we can see it
happening in the brain.” Even if
a woman feels safe, perceives a
true bond with her partner and
feels comfortable with herself, she
may not release her inhibitions
and therefore may not orgasm.
Orgasms require throwing inhibitions to the wind and feeling
completely free. In the brain,
fMRI scans reveal that this means
that centers for vigilance shut
down in men. For women, their
center for vigilance shut off too,
but other brain areas shut off as
well. Those areas are believed to
control thoughts and emotions.
“At the moment of orgasm,
women do not have any emotional feelings,” Holstege says.
In fact, immediately after women
experience an orgasm, they have
no feelings at all, as shown by a
significant decrease in activity
in the amygdala — the center
of the brain responsible for the
processing of emotions — more
so than men experience after
having an orgasm. Orgasms also
silence neurons in parts of the
orbitofrontal cortex of a woman’s
brain, an area proven to control
basic desires such as sex. Once
these areas shut down, the brain
experiences a complete release
of tension and inhibition. The
brain plays an important role in
these intense experiences and
may outweigh genital importance
in sex acts and sexual arousal.
It is possible that these parts of
our bodies are simply reflections
of preconceived reactions in the
brain.
Overall, it is best not to overanalyze orgasms (especially when
you are trying to have one). It
might make it less pleasurable, at
least according to science.
Goodman is a member of
the class of 2010.
Page 13
Hartnett Gallery
shows off its magic
by nandini venkateswaran
A & E Editor
Hartnett Gallery is pleased to
announce the exhibition “You
Are Full of Magic,” which features drawings and works on
paper by artist Danielle Rante.
“You Are Full of Magic” opened
on Friday, Sept. 12 and will be on
display through Sunday, Oct. 5.
Walking along the expansive
walls of the gallery, you cannot help but notice the delicate
nature of Rante’s artwork. The
material used resembles rice paper — a diluted parchment that
seems ready to crumble with just
one touch. The pieces float along
the gallery’s walls, rendering an
ethereal feel to Rante’s artistic
works. Mammoth creations are
suspended from the ceiling or
even laid on the floor of the gallery to create a more wholesome
ambiance. Each piece exemplifies her meticulous attention
to detail. Different textures are
juxtaposed with unique patterns to create refreshing new
dimensions. Organic shapes are
portrayed with geometric motifs
achieved through a masterful use
of graphite, colored pencil, shadowing and cutouts.
Upon viewing the gallery,
Rante’s statement on her artwork proved to ring true. Rante
is especially interested in the
presentation and installation of
the work. She chooses to hang
her drawings by straight pins,
lays them on the floor or projects
and suspends them to create an
installation where the viewer, the
walls and the space are activated
by subtle movements, shadows
and a tranquil presence. Each
piece is able to stand alone; however, Rante chooses not to title
any of the works with the ultimate ambition of having all her
collective work being viewed as
one enchanting installation.
According to Rante, she approaches each of her drawings
as an exploration of and investigation into her response to
the minute details around her.
Her inherent instincts guide her
artistic vision; she chooses to follow her subconscious rather than
question it. The drawings are infused with biological, decorative
and feminine imagery, as well as
references to music, science and
Eastern philosophy. The paper
as a medium, Rante explained,
provides different entry points
for the viewer, so the work suggests something beyond image
and projects physicality.
The only criticism that I found
with the exhibition was the unfinished sensation that I had as I
stood in the gallery. Rante’s artwork was showcased in a space
far too large and overbearing for
her airy and subtle work. While I
admire her innovative approach
to embracing the nuances of
shadows, natural movement
and color, I feel that perhaps
she could have arranged the
artwork in a divergent fashion
that promoted a sense of closure
as opposed to emptiness. The
white walls of the gallery cloaked
the faint hues of the paper.
Perhaps, if Rante had chosen a
darker-colored background, her
pieces could have been more
pronounced and the space could
seem more inhabited.
Rante currently resides in Indianapolis, Ind. She received an
M.F.A. degree from the University of Iowa and a B.F.A. degree
from the University of Toronto.
She will be a guest artist and
exhibitor at the second China
Sanbao International Printmaking Exhibition and Symposium,
opening in Jingdezhen and
traveling around China. Take
a moment to step into Harnett
Gallery and appreciate Rante’s
artistic testament to the world
around her.
Venkateswaran is a member of
the class of 2011.
GRACE HONG • Staff Photographer
UR students and community members came to Hartnett Gallery
to see Danielle Rante’s newest exhibition “You Are Full of Magic.”
Courtesy of myspace.com/walrimusic
Walri, made up of former UR and Eastman students, mixes 1960s rock with jazz to create their music.
Walri delights Starbucks
audience with eclectic show
by cindy paauw
Contributing Writer
It wasn’t just your average coffee date at Starbucks on a rainy,
gloomy Friday evening. Instead
of sipping my evening latte to
the faint sound of “coffee shop
music,” I felt the comfort of my
favorite coffee drink while being
mesmerized by Walri’s distinct
harmonized vocals and outstanding musical versatility.
At 10 p.m. on Friday, Starbucks was the “poppin’” place
to be. The scene was filled with
a lot of soul, and it took me back
to the days of psychedelia, with
musical influences ranging from
’60s rock legends such as The
Allman Brothers and The Beatles
to jazzy chords. In addition, a
Brazilian complex harmonic style
of Bassa Nova, or “cool jazz,”
whirled through the air.
This musical style is one
completely “unrelated” and unprecedented, coming from their
prototype image as a band, with
their lead singer and guitarist
Amos Rosenstein, a 2006 graduate of the UR who majored in
physics, possessing an image
that can serve as a throwback
to The Grateful Dead’s Jerry
Garcia. Nonetheless, Walri never
ceased to amaze and was able
to entrance the audience with
its refreshing, soulful and lively
sound.
Walri hit the high point of the
evening with its cover of The
Band’s “The Weight.” Rosenstein’s vocals were right-on, and
Chris Coon’s keyboard improvi-
sio was outstanding. The band
then covered an obscure tune by
Bob Dylan, almost as if in reminiscence of the Grateful Dead’s
sets when they went on tour
with Dylan in 1987.
The other members of the
band are Dave Goebel ’08, Geoffrey Saunders ’09 and Patrick
McLaughlin ’07, all former
Eastman students. They call
their distinct sound “love rock”
and strive to steer clear of what’s
considered cliché in today’s music.
They accomplish this through
musical craftsmanship and
adapting covers, making them
their own. They consider many
bands and musicians to be influences, including Of Montreal,
Pink Floyd, The Shins, Johnny
Cash and David Bowie.
Walri, or, as Rosenstein likes
to put it, the plural of Walrus,
delves deep into psychedelia,
garnering a large fan base at the
UR. UR itself is home to a significant number of Dead Heads and
Bisco fans, making it easy to see
why they remained so popular in
their hometown even after they
graduated.
This proved to be a great “encore” performance at a slightly
more public venue compared
to their last show at UR that
took place in Community Living Center last spring. They are
seasoned performers and some
of their past performances have
included opening for Ben Lee at
the 2006 Lilac Festival as well
as opening for Reel Big Fish for
UR’s Dandelion Day back in
2006.
They also won the 2007 UR
Battle of the Bands competition.
This past summer, they performed at Boulderfest, opening
for Dr. Dog.
“They have a great sound
called ‘love rock,’” senior Lindsay Kryzak said. “It’s good rock
to have in a cold climate. Walri
had a great summer and they’re
sounding better than ever. You’ll
hear about them and our kids
will hear about them. They’ll be
like the Rolling Stones but with
better teeth.”
Kryzak is right. Walri’s sound
especially appeals to Rochester,
but their music reaches across
genres. Their development as a
band is clearer during each gig,
and it won’t be long before Starbucks is too small to hold their
fans.
If you missed out on Walri’s
amazing two-hour performance
at Starbucks, do not worry, because the band plays extensively
around the Rochester area, especially at Java’s and accompanying the Geva Comedy Improv
Troupe. Upcoming performances
include The Bug Jar this Friday
at 8 p.m., Boulder Coffee on Oct.
9 at 8 p.m. and Water Street Music Hall on Oct. 19, also at 8 p.m.
To get more information on
this talented band, visit www.
myspace.com/walrimusic or send
them an e-mail at walrimusic@
gmail.com.
Paauw is a member of
the class of 2011.
A&E
Page 14
“Gossip Girl” continues to grab attention of addict viewers
by Becky Rosenberg
Contributing Writer
Spoiler Alert: I attempted not
to give away anything too big in
case some of you have not yet
viewed the first three episodes of
“Gossip Girl,” but beware just in
case. You have been warned.
Spotted: Dorm rooms across
campus filled to the max on
Monday evening with girls and
even a few boys anticipating the
newest episode of everyone’s
favorite, most scandalous, outrageous drama of the season. Will
the latest installment of this
captivating show be worth it or
worthless?
Like many other teenage girls
across the country, I have been
caught in the black hole of the
show that is “Gossip Girl.” I
say black hole because, while
I watch it every week and talk
about it as if the characters were
my friends, I was pulled into its
vortex against my will. I’m one of
the girls that read the books and
at first was slightly frustrated
by the simple fact that the TV
show completely deviated from
the basis of the book series. Once
I grew past that and got down
to the show itself, I still was not
a fan due to what I saw as bad
writing and bad acting.
Last season did not impress
me, and I was even more disappointed because I expected
better from writer and creator
Josh Schwartz, who also created
“The OC.” The actors weren’t
believable in their roles, the
writing wasn’t realistic, and the
plots were plain boring. So why
on earth did I keep watching?
Because I am a television addict.
I start watching a show, and so
now I have to follow it all the
way through. And, despite all my
criticism for the show, something
about it makes the viewer want
to watch again and again, like a
drug.
Maybe it’s the relationships,
maybe it’s the hot boys — wait,
that might be it. Or maybe it’s
just the fact that the writers,
despite what I originally thought,
actually have a clue as to what
they are doing. Those damn
mother chuckers!
So when I joined my friends
in a small dorm room crowding
around a tiny TV to watch the
season premiere, let’s just say I
kept my expectations low. I am
glad to announce, however, that I
was pleasantly surprised. That’s
not to say that I now think “Gossip Girl” is the number one show
on television, but I can say that I
finally get why I keep watching,
and that reason is the relationship between Chuck and Blair.
What about Dan and Serena, you
may ask. No, they aren’t interesting. Their star-crossed lover
routine is getting a little old.
We get it; you’re from different
sides of the Brooklyn Bridge. Get
over it and make up or break up
already.
Chuck and Blair, however, are
a couple with chemistry. The two
characters seem to be each other’s exact replicas within a boy
and girl. Whether they will work
as a couple, well, we’ll just have
to watch to find out, won’t we?
The personalities of the characters have developed within the
script right alongside the actors’
skills in portraying their roles
on set. Leighton Meester and Ed
Westwick have an undeniable fire
in their relationship that makes
their dialogue and body language
that much more believable.
As frustrating as their silly
fights and witty banter may be,
whenever the two are on screen
with one another, every person in
the room is watching intently. So
while I might get annoyed with
Jenny’s whiney voice working
her days away for Blair’s stuckup mom or frustrated with Dan
Courtesy of www.webomatica.com
“Gossip Girl,” which is starting its second season, has a dedicated fanbase and continues to earn good ratings every week.
and Serena’s back-and-forth
relationship, I am watching this
show for the only two characters
who seem to have any true story
ahead of them. Until next time,
you know you’ll keep watching.
Rosenberg is a member of
the class of 2012.
B.B. King favors blues basics on new album
by leah kraus
A & E Editor
The goal was to capture the
classic B.B. King of the 1950s, according to producer T. Bone Burnett, and with “One Kind Favor,”
King grants Burnett’s wish.
“One Kind Favor” can either
be “basic B.B. King for the beginner listener” or “back-to-thebasics B.B. King for the advanced
listener,” so it’s really a win-win
situation as everyone can enjoy
the album in some form. King
pays homage to some of the great
blues composers such as Blind
Lemon Jefferson, with the song
“See That My Grave Is Kept
Clean,” and T. Bone Walker with
“Waiting For Your Call,” but
adds his legendary “King of the
Blues” wail to each track, making it his own. For a musician
who just turned 83 on Tuesday,
this is a celebratory album for an
extraordinary career.
King, originally Riley B. King,
was born in Itta Bena, Miss. in
1925 to parents who were sharecropping farmers. His main
introduction to music was singing in his church’s gospel choir
at an early age, but he quickly
became captivated with the guitar after watching the reverend
at his church play. He moved
to Memphis, Tenn. in 1947 and
got his first big break a year
later, performing on Sonny Boy
Williamson’s blues radio show
on KWEM. King began touring
across the United States in the
mid-1950s, was inducted to the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in
1987 and to this day has recorded
over 50 albums.
“One Kind Favor” is made up
of 12 songs, each of which plays
an integral role in the history of
blues music. Keeping with the
blues tradition, most of the songs
deal with the aches and pains of
everyday life, but it’s the variation of styles that gives each song
a personal edge.
“The World Gone Wrong” is a
surprisingly upbeat, thumping
tune, despite its gloomy lyrics.
King doesn’t treat the song as
though it’s supposed to be depressing, but manages to give it
a blues-rock edge that makes the
lyrics seem not as sad as they
should be. “See That My Grave
Is Kept Clean” is also similar in
this form, but it is a standout
track nonetheless.
One of the best things about
blues is the repetition involved in
the music, and “I Get So Weary”
is a perfect example of this, with
King’s repetition of lines like
“when I go to bed at night,” “and
the birds begin call” and “sun’s
going down.” The guitar-work
is also phenomenal, which may
sound cliché since it is B.B. King,
but this song may have the best
blues guitar on the entire album,
which isn’t an easy task. “Get
These Blues Off Of Me,” is one of
the few slower songs on the album, but deals with many familiar themes the album is known
for: love and love lost.
Seasoned rock veterans back
up King on “One Kind Favor”
and include Jim Keltner on
drums, Dr. John on piano and
Nathan East on bass. Keltner
has been around forever and has
performed with everyone from
Mick Jagger to Ravi Shankar to
The Bee Gees, while Dr. John is
best known for his hit “In the
Right Place” and was inducted
Courtesy of www.bbking.com
B.B. King returns with his newest album, which features many songs
that played a significant role in blues music throughout history.
also adds a nice touch of rhythm
into the Louisiana Music Hall of
to the album.
Fame earlier this year. East, who
If you haven’t been educated
has played alongside musicians
in B.B. King 101 yet, pick up a
such as Lionel Ritchie, Herbie
copy of “One Kind Favor.” It’s a
Hancock and Kenny Loggins and
great place to start and there’s
perfected his mastery of the bass
no way you can fail the class.
by playing along with albums of
Kraus is a member of
musicians such as Charles Minthe class of 2009.
gus, Jimi Hendrix and Santana,
M ov i e T i m e s
UR Cinema Group
The Little Theatre
Friday
Hoyt Auditorium
Saturday
Sex and the City
6:30, 9:15, 12:00
Kung Fu Panda
7:00, 9:00, 11:00
Burn After Reading
Roman De Gare
Elegy
Vicky Christina Barcelona
WRUR
88.5 FM
Weekly Top 10
Artists
•
•
Friday and Saturday
<< 1. Conor Oberst
240 east avenue
Call for times (585) 232-3906
6. Ra Ra Riot >>
2. Walkmen
7. Xavier Rudd
3. Hold Steady
8. Amanda Palmer
4. Stills
9. Okkervil River
5. Damien Jurado
10. Fujiya and Miyagi
SPORTS
Page 15
Rowing:
Tension: UR battles past foul play, then drops Houghton
participates for one year on the
novice team.
“Crew relies so heavily on
teaching people to row,” Greene
said. “So this provides an outlet
for people who have never rowed
before to have an entire year to develop as an oarsman or woman.”
The required year on novice also
serves the purpose of getting new
oarsmen or oarswomen into the
rhythm of life in the competitive
arena of rowing, namely waking
up at 6 a.m. to go to practice and
adapting to the physical requirements necessary to compete. Additionally, crew pushes students to
learn how to motivate themselves
in order to be at their respective
bests on the water. During the
winter season, where being on the
Genesee is impossible because of
the Rochester climate, an emphasis is put on the athletes to learn
how to motivate themselves so
that, come spring season, they are
ready to train at a high level.
But while the hard work and
sweat that these athletes pour into
the sport is notable, even more
impressive is the fact that the
rowers hold themselves to as high
a standard and push themselves
equally as hard as any varsity
athlete, even though the sport is
technically labeled “club.”
For me personally, it was hard to
get an idea of the appeal of waking
up before the sun rises in the freezing cold every morning to train.
That is, until yesterday morning,
when I woke up at 6 a.m. to watch
as the boats launched from the
dock at the Genesee Waterways
Center. Seeing the way the shells
silkily glide through the still water
in the early glow of autumn sun,
eight oars effortlessly skimming
the surface in perfect synchrony,
has just made me reconsider
sleeping in.
the class of 2010.
made nine saves throughout the
70 minutes.
UR outshot the Pioneers by 13
— totaling 23 shots in all — and
had six penalty shots to Utica’s
five.
Tensions ran high on both sides
of the field. The intensity of the
game was amplified when players started taking shots at one
another. Junior forward Amanda
Case nailed a Utica player in the
face with a lift on Utica’s side of
the field, and Bottcher took out
another Utica player with a shot
to her leg. One of Utica’s players attempted to retaliate with a
seemingly premeditated shot to
Bottcher’s face, but she missed.
Yesterday, against Houghton
College, the ’Jackets extended
their winning streak with a 5-0
rout of the visiting team. Beards-
ley put UR ahead early in the first
half, notching an unassisted goal
nine minutes into the game. Bottcher logged two goals and an assist
in the game, and Erica Gelb scored
one and assisted two goals for the
’Jackets. Dobrzynski rounded off
the list of UR scorers.
Bottcher, Bucarey, Mckie and
Case lead the Yellowjackets on the
season with three goals apiece.
UR dominated on all cylinders,
outshooting Houghton, 24-3,
and taking 18 penalty corners to
their five.
Pearson earned the shutout
in goal, making two saves in 67
minutes between the pipes.
UR resumes play this weekend,
taking on Hartwick College at
11 a.m. in Fauver Stadium. The
’Jackets are 5-2.
Epstein is a member of
the class of 2010.
OPEN A CHASE
COLLEGE
CHECKING ACCOUNT
SM
AND GET 25
$
AFTER COMPLETING 5 QUALIFYING PURCHASES
1
WITH YOUR CHASE DEBIT CARD .
VISIT YOUR PARTICIPATING CAMPUS BRANCH
AND OPEN AN ACCOUNT TODAY.
Courage:
something Rochester-area residents look forward to again and
again. And with the newly developed philanthropic aspect of the
game, it creates an even bigger
draw of a large crowd. The game
is one of the most highly attended
UR sporting events. Last year, the
game was played at Fisher, and
the attendance was 5,900. Two
years ago, when the Yellowjackets
hosted, 4,100 spectators were
in the crowd (Fauver only holds
5,000). In addition, the game is
televised on local Channel 8.
Going into Saturday’s game,
UR is 0-1. The Cardinals are 1-1
— their defeat coming from Mount
Union College, who is currently
ranked first in the nation among
Division III schools. This past
weekend, Fisher defeated Buffalo
State College, 20-7.
The game will be played at 7
p.m. in Fauver Stadium and will
be the next game in the Students’
Association’s “Fill Fauver” series.
Tickets are required to enter but
are available for free with a UR I.D.
at the Common Connection.
Entering the game against a
nationally-ranked team, the players are looking for all the support
UR fans can provide.
“Put it this way... since the first
Courage Bowl in 2005 I haven’t
won this game,” Simpson said.
“Honestly, words can’t express
how bad I would like to win the
game.”
Philbrick is a member of
the class of 2009.
A CHASE COLLEGE CHECKING ACCOUNT INCLUDES:
FREE Online Banking
and Online Bill Pay
FREE Chase debit
card with Zero Liability
protection*
SM †
FREE Chase Mobile
FREE access to
over 9,000
Chase ATMs
PLUS, NO MONTHLY SERVICE FEE FOR UP TO 5 YEARS.
2
GETTING MORE MATTERS.
SM
1. Offer expires 9/30/08. Present flyer to a banker when opening a Chase College Checking account. For Chase College Checking accounts a minimum opening deposit of $25 is required. To qualify
for the $25 bonus, you must make five qualifying purchases (PIN or signature) with your Chase Debit Card within 60 calendar days of account opening. The $25 bonus will be automatically deposited
into your account within four to six weeks of the final qualifying purchase. ATM transactions are not considered a purchase and will not count toward the five purchases. Offer not available on account
conversions or in combination with any other offer. Limit one consumer checking account-related reward/premium per customer, per calendar year. Checking account must remain open for six months
or the bonus will be debited from the account at closing. Account is subject to approval. Cash bonus may be considered interest reportable on IRS Form 1099-INT.
2. College student must be 17–24 years old to open a Chase College Checking account, and must provide college name and expected graduation date at account opening. No monthly service fee on
Chase College Checking until after the expected graduation date (up to five years).
*Chase reimburses you for any unauthorized debit card transactions made at stores, ATMs, on the phone or online when reported promptly.
† There is no charge from Chase, however standard text messaging and other rates from your wireless provider still apply.
©2008 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.
B300_8x13.33_BW.indd 1
NOTE TO BANKER: To award bonus, use this E-coupon code - 3335 2928 8151 5944
8/26/2008 9:54:33 AM
SPORTS
Page 16
Palestra: Tigers’ hot streak too much for the ’Jackets Tourney:
Once again, Schweigel and Rasmussen gave stellar performances.
Schweigel added 23 digs to her two
aces, while Rasmussen added 10
digs, six kills and one block assist
to her four aces. The win was
a much-needed morale booster
following the two losses from the
prior day.
Unfortunately, the momentum
didn’t carry through to the second
game that afternoon. In a backand-forth see-saw battle, SUNY
Potsdam bested the ’Jackets in
four games. Every game was
competitive and often won by a fingernail or two. However, close only
matters in horse shoes. Despite
losing, the ’Jackets’ performance
was solid. Schweigel had 26 digs,
while senior setter Kate Lewis
also gave it her all with 16 digs
and 20 assists.
The following day, UR volleyball
coach Ladi Iya reflected on the
’Jackets’ performance.
“This weekend at the RIT tournament, I felt that we had an opportunity to grab a few wins which
we were unable to capitalize on,”
Iya said. “But I was happy to see
that the team played competitively
and was able to apply a lot of the
techniques and skills we’ve been
working on in practice.”
The competitive performances
added some positive light to the
rocky RIT invitational. However,
it’s harder to turn a costly injury
into something positive. Sophomore setter and co-captain Rachel
Bender was unable to play in the
loss to Postdam due to a knee
injury. Bender is only one of two
players to play in all 136 games
of a season.
But Bender’s injury hasn’t
stopped her from being a highly
supportive team captain on the
sidelines. Bender cheered her
team on after every play during
Tuesday night’s match up against
the RIT Tigers.
Things were looking good when
Schweigel served two consecutive
aces in the opening minutes of
the game. However, UR had difficulty maintaining momentum
throughout the match, and RIT
managed to pull out a victory in
five games (25-20, 19-25, 12-25,
25-20, 12-15).
RIT has won seven of its last
eight games and now stands at
7-6 overall. The ’Jackets were up
Meaghan DeWaters • Contributing Photographer
Fans “packed the palestra” for the ’Jackets’ game against RIT.
against a team on quite a run,
but they didn’t go down without
getting a couple of stings in.
Sophomore outside hitter Allyson
Blair had 13 kills, while freshman
middle blocker Katie Kao and Rasmussen had nine kills apiece.
“I think we outplayed the other
team, but there were too many
lapses where we’d give up four or
five points. But we hit more aggressive, served tougher and got good
digs. ” Iya said. “We weren’t able
to terminate. For the next game,
we need to work on our sets.”
UR will face Concordia University Chicago in the Keuka Classic
this Saturday. They are 7-8.
Nathaniel is a member of
the class of 2011.
Schmeer and Alex Magill attempted to break onto the scene
on the No. 2 doubles court.
On the No. 3 court, Sheehan and
Crosby could have flown to China,
walked the entire length of the
Great Wall, flown back, thrown an
eloquent box social, cured cancer
and still have managed to crush
Ithaca: they shot down the Bombers’ sophomore Dan Adelman and
senior Andrew Dunnick, 8-1.
On the No. 1 court, Bowman
and Kovaleski started at much
the same pace, pouncing upon
numerous openings granted
by the admirable duo of Ithaca
sophomore Josh Rifkin and junior
Taylor Borda. But after taking the
set to 4-1, Bowman and Kovaleski
seemed to lose their groove, with
Bowman making several unforced
errors and Kovaleski overpowering the ball, allowing Rifkin-Borda
to bring the set back to even keel
at 4-4.
On the No. 2 court, meanwhile,
Schmeer and Magill were in the
opposite position. Freshmen and
rivals Jimmy Newton and Mike
Muraco outclassed the ’Jackets on
every point and had a nice glimpse
of victory.
Enter Matt Nielsen. The new
head coach and former high school
tennis wunderkind kneeled down
for a chat with the faltering freshmen at a break, and no sooner did
play resume than the ’Jackets
roared back with four game wins.
Eventually, however, the pair succumbed to the grace of Newton and
Muraco, settling for 5-8.
Nielsen’s attention then turned
to the Bowman and Kovaleski
meltdown in a set that represented
so much of what this team is. When
Kovaleski smashed a ball out of
bounds that by no rights should
have left play, he hung down his
head as Nielsen looked on, a slight
hint of a smile on his face. When
Bowman committed error after
error, no one seemed more upset
than the junior ’Jacket himself.
And though Nielsen showed obvious concern, what seemed evident
from the sidelines is something
far more important — understanding.
Nielsen displays an empathy
unseen in many coaches and a
compassion that shines through
the darker moments of play. He
demonstrates an easy rapport
with his students as they sit on
the sidelines and cheer each other
on. Frankly, he gets it — these
players know what they’re doing, understand their mistakes
and can adjust. And as he talked
with Bowman and Kovaleski during their own set recess, one can
only imagine them realizing it
for themselves. The dynamic duo
got up, countered their foes with
a show that redefined finesse and
finally broke their opponents to
win the set, 9-7.
That drive and ability to correct
their play may very well carry
the men’s tennis team much further than they might expect. UR
rebounded from a tough loss to
Skidmore — all but the BowmanKovaleski team lost to Skidmore,
and Bowman’s singles match was
unresolved — with a 5-3 victory
over St. Lawrence University on
Sunday to take third place in the
tournament.
With a 2-1 record, there’s plenty
of time for these players to invigorate themselves — and their
coach will be there to make sure
it happens.
Brenneman is a member of
the class of 2009.
SPORTS
Page 17
Jeff Levy • Staff Photographer
In May 2009, women’s crew will become a varsity sport. The men, on the other hand, will remain club, but will actually operate under the supervision of the athletic department.
Crew’s prowess defies typical definition of “club sport”
By Dana Hilfinger
Sports Editor
We all realize the impact of reputation and status in society. Look
around. Titles such as “dean of
the college” or “three-time MVP”
hold our attention a little bit longer
than labels like “quarterback” or
“teacher.” The same goes for the
title of “varsity” in terms of our
sports teams in comparison to the
label of “club.” But take a look at
a team sans label, and you may
gain a bit more perspective into
the motivation and character
of individuals that are a part of
that team.
Take crew, for instance. In May,
the women’s team will officially be
named UR’s 11th varsity sport for
women. But perhaps more interesting than the fact that the team
is finally attaining varsity status is
the fact that it does not need that
label to be competitive.
“It’s very clear from the time
anyone comes into the program
that, number one, we are already
racing against almost all varsity
teams,” head coach Will Greene
said. “Number two, it’s more fun
to win. And number three, we are
a competitive club team, and it is
our goal to beat everyone we face.
And in order to beat the people we
face, we must train.”
And train they do. In a given
week, crew will practice six of
the seven mornings for about
two hours. This example of the
dedication crew requires from its
participants is what differentiates
the rowing environment from that
of other club — and even many
varsity — sports. And participation extends far beyond what
these athletes do on the water.
Traditionally, crew teams have
to fundraise significantly more
than other sports to offset the cost
of shells, which can cost upward
of $10,000, and other financial
burdens, including rental fees for
storage and travel expenses.
“There’s so much to running
the team, and the athletes play
such a major role in running the
team,” Greene said. “That is one
of the strengths of having a club
program.”
Beyond that, the atmosphere of
having to work for the benefit of
racing on the water has fostered
an atmosphere that is conducive in
building team unity and life-long
ties to the program. Greene himself, who is in his sixth year as the
’Jacket coach and who attended
UR from 1984-88, couldn’t resist
the opportunity to come back to
coach the sport.
Crew began as a club program at
UR in 1981 thanks to the efforts
of three members of the Class
of 1983 who had a lot of trouble
garnering money and community support in order to get the
program started. Today, the club
— including the “varsity” and
“novice” teams — has expanded
to include 97 students, the majority of which had never picked
up an oar before coming to UR.
For this reason, every new rower
See ROWING, Page 15
UR takes out Utica on Football blanked by Case Western
rainy Saturday night
By Marc Epstein
Opinions Editor
A slippery field wasn’t enough
to stop the women’s field hockey
team last Saturday as the ’Jackets trounced the Utica College
Pioneers, 5-1, to the exuberance
of an energetic UR crowd. This is
the ’Jackets’ third victory in their
last four games and Utica’s first
loss in three.
Freshman forward Anna Dobrzynski scored the first goal of the
game 17 minutes in — unassisted
and from five yards out — to give
the ’Jackets a lead that would last
throughout the duration of play.
Seven minutes later, freshman
forward Allison Beardsley helped
UR extend its lead to 2-0 with a
goal by tipping in a shot from junior defender Christi Bottcher.
Freshman defender Shayna
McKie led a second-half charge
with two goals in a quick sevenminute period. The first was again
off a shot by Bottcher, who earned
her second assist of the game.
McKie’s second goal came six
minutes after a goal by Utica’s
Sarah Keller. McKie’s goal extended the ’Jackets’ lead to 4-1,
a hurdle Utica would find to be
insurmountable.
Junior forward Lara Bucarey
added insult to injury with a
graceful lift from the inner edge
of the circle after a pass by senior
defender Erica Gelb, giving the
game its final score of 5-1.
Junior goalie Danielle Pearson
had three saves in the game.
Utica’s goalie Amanda McDonnell
See TENSION, Page 15
By KAtie Belonga
Staff Writer
To kick off its 2008 season,
the UR football team traveled to
Cleveland, Ohio this past weekend
to play against the Case Western
Reserve University Spartans. The
’Jackets were not able to stop the
momentum of the Spartans, who
were most recently ranked 18th in
d3football.com’s national poll —
the ’Jackets allowed them to score
on four out of their five first-half
possessions. The Spartans, who
were undefeated in regular season
play last year, were coming off of
a 62-27 win against the Kenyon
College Lords, and they managed
to sustain that hot streak en route
to a 38-6 win over the ’Jackets.
Weather conditions did not help
the Yellowjackets’ chances, as
steady light rain and wind made
the ball slick and the field difficult
to play on.
Although the team compared
favorably to the Spartans on paper,
UR was unable to complete drives
or, ultimately, score. The ’Jackets
beat Case in total offensive yards,
296-249, but UR went just 1-3 in
the red zone and averaged only
nine yards per kickoff return.
Converting on third downs was
also a problem, as the ’Jackets
were just 5-17.
Even though Case only had possession of the ball for 18:59, the
team capitalized on almost every
one of its opportunities. Four of its
five touchdowns were the result
of drives made in three plays or
less. The other touchdown was
the result of an 84-yard kickoff
return.
The score was 0-24 by the end of
the first half and was 0-31 before
UR could get on the board and
score its only points of the game
to bring the score to 6-31. The
touchdown came off of an eightyard pass from freshman backup
quarterback Braezen Subick to junior wide receiver Zach Ingoldsby.
Subick went 8-12, threw for 68
yards and had no interceptions.
Ingoldsby ended the day with five
catches for 60 yards. UR missed
the extra point.
Junior starting quarterback
Adam Barrett was the leading
rusher for game, running nine
times for 69 total yards. Sophomore running back Clarence
Onyiriuka added 63 yards on 30
rushes. UR’s offense had 143
passing yards and 153 rushing for
a total of 296 yards.
On the defensive side, junior
defensive lineman Brad Mills had
five tackles. The ’Jackets were unable to get a sack on the Spartans’
quarterback.
The ’Jackets will look for redemption this weekend in the
much-anticipated fourth-annual
Courage Bowl against the St. John
Fisher College Cardinals. Kickoff
is at 7 p.m. in Fauver Stadium.
Belonga is a member of
the class of 2010.
UR gets ball rolling against Brockport
Kyle Sabo • Staff Photographer
Freshman defender Shayna McKie scored twice in the win over Utica.
By KAtie Belonga
Staff Writer
The UR women’s tennis team
kicked off its season this past
Thursday with a bang, beating the
SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles,
8-1. With the help of skilled veterans and talented newcomers,
the ’Jackets were able to defeat
the previously unbeaten Eagles.
In addition to only allowing the
Eagles one match in the game,
UR also claimed victory quickly by
winning four of the eight matches
in straight sets.
“I was pleased with the team’s
performance against a much
improved Brockport team,” head
coach Matt Nielsen said about the
match. “It was a great way to start
off the season.”
At No. 1 singles, sophomore Lia
Weiner had to earn the win against
her opponent with the first set ending in a tiebreaker. The final score
of Weiner’s match was 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Teammate and freshman Jamie
Bow swept her opponent at No.
3 singles. Senior captain Melinda
Beckmann continued the trend,
only allowing her opponent one
game at No. 5 singles, 6-0, 6-1.
Not all of the singles matches
were easily won — freshman
Danielle Shreck battled back in
No. 4 singles from losing her first
set, 4-6, to only let her opponent
win one game in her second set.
The match was then decided by a
tiebreaker, with Shreck winning,
10-8, to add another win to the
’Jackets’ score. Adding to the win
total was senior Kristen Shaw’s
win, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 6 singles.
UR kept up its momentum in the
doubles matches as well by sweeping all three matches. Weiner
teamed up with sophomore Elana
Polivy to win, 8-3, in No. 1 doubles.
Beckman and freshman Alexandra
Goodman then followed with an
8-2 defeat of their opponents in
No. 2 doubles. Sophomore Nisha
Javeri and Bow worked together
to finish the sweep, winning, 6-2,
6-3, at No. 3 doubles.
UR will be heading to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Regional from Sept. 26-28. The
ITA Regional will be played at
Hobart and William Smith College
in Geneva, N.Y. Last year, Weiner
made it to the quarterfinals of
the singles competition before
losing to the one seed. Weiner and
former teammate Alexa Perry ’08
advanced to the semifinals of the
doubles competition, then also lost
to the one seed.
Yesterday, UR continued its
winning ways with a 7-2 win over
Rochester Institute of Technology.
Belonga is a member of
the class of 2010.
SPORTS
Page 18
Crosstown rivalry inspires courage Volleyball drops three
by erin philbrick
Sports Editor
Four years ago, St. John Fisher
College assistant football coach
Gary Mervis had an idea. Why not
put a cause behind the annual football game played between UR and
St. John Fisher (now known as the
Courage Bowl)? And Mervis had
just the cause to put behind it.
In 1979, Mervis’s youngest
daughter was diagnosed with a
malignant brain tumor. That same
year, he went to work creating an
organization known as Camp Good
Days and Special Times. According to its Web site, “Camp Good
Days and Special Times is a nonfor-profit organization dedicated
to improving the quality of life
for children, adults and families
whose lives have been touched by
cancer and other life challenges.”
It provides a summer residential
camp on the shore of Keuka Lake,
as well as year-round recreational
activities. All programs and services are free of charge to the
participants.
So, in 2005, Mervis and his
colleagues created the “Courage
Bowl” to honor the courage that
these children have when dealing
with the difficulties they face each
and every day.
Donations will be accepted during the game, and Courage Bowl
merchandise will be sold, with all
profits being donated to Camp
Good Days.
In addition, six campers who
have been battling cancer will
serve as honorary coaches. These
coaches attend practices in the
week previous to the game and
attend a pre-game meal with their
respective teams. Most importantly, the honorary coaches will
get to hang out in the locker rooms
with the teams, lead them onto the
field and spend the game on the
sidelines. Four girls who are fighting cancer have also been selected
to be honorary cheerleaders. These
cheerleaders will attend practices
and cheer on the sidelines during
the game.
“Over the past three years, the
Courage Bowl has truly become
more than just a game for everyone
involved and has become so special
to all of us at Camp Good Days,
particularly the Honorary Coaches
games at RIT tourney
The Courage Bowl was instituted in 2005 to support Camp Good Days.
and Honorary Cheerleaders,”
Mervis said in a press release.
The players carry the same
sentiment. In addition to spending
time with the honorary coaches
and cheerleaders, each year, both
teams attend Camp Good Days
during preseason training and
visit with all the campers.
“This game is extremely special
to me, as it serves as a reminder of
how blessed I am to have the ability to play the game of football,”
senior defensive back Matt Stack
said. “Having the opportunity to
create lifelong memories for the
children at Camp Good Days is
something special to me. It’s a
great feeling to know that you
are able to provide happiness and
enjoyment to children whose lives
have often been filled with many
hardships.”
Senior defensive back Sean
Simpson agreed.
“We interact with a group of children who are less fortunate and
have had a tremendous amount of
adversities in their lives, which I
believe to be truly inspirational,”
he said. “When we’re there, they
can forget about any unfavorable memories or conditions and
fill their lives with laughter and
memories to cherish.”
UR’s and St. John Fisher’s
football programs have a storied
history. The two first started dueling in 1989, and they played for
five consecutive years with UR
decisively taking the win in each
of the games. After a brief hiatus,
the series was renewed in 2000.
The ’Jackets once again continued
their reign of success, winning
games in both 2000 and 2001.
However, during this time,
Fisher’s program was undergoing
some beneficial changes. In 1999,
the campus’s Growney Stadium
was built, and in 2000, the Buffalo
Bills moved their training camp to
St. John Fisher’s campus. With the
rebuilding of the stadium came the
rebuilding of the entire football
program, and the Cardinals developed into the national powerhouse
that they are today — according to
d3football.com’s most recent top25 poll, St. John Fisher is ranked
11th in the nation.
On Saturday, the Cardinals will
look to beat the ’Jackets for the
seventh-consecutive year, and UR
hopes to take revenge. Although
it has been Fisher who has been
at the top of the polls in recent
history, that hasn’t taken away
from the excitement of the games.
The rivalry between the schools
runs deep, and each year the
game seems to run close. Perhaps
the most exciting game in series
history was in 2004, when the 0-2
UR team faced off against the 2-0
Cardinals. The ’Jackets held the
lead throughout nearly the entire
game, but with 23 seconds left, a
Fisher player rushed to the end
zone to put the team ahead.
Not only has the rivalry between the two been a force felt
at both schools, but it also is
See COURAGE, Page 15
by jerome nathaniel
Staff Writer
After a rough weekend at the
Rochester Institute of Technology
Invitational, the UR volleyball
team returned with an aggressive
home performance against RIT.
The “Pack the Palestra” initiative brought casual fans out of
their dorm caves to support the
’Jackets. So long as the ’Jackets
continue to play with Tuesday’s
intensity, there will be plenty of
nectar to feed the famished fans.
Although the UR volleyball team
lost, its aggressive serves and digs
were impressive throughout the
past week’s matches.
UR finished 10th at the RIT
Invitational with a 1-3 record.
With losses and injuries, the road
proved to be rocky (and I’m not
talking about our mascot). On
Friday afternoon, UR started the
tournament against SUNY Cortland. Although Cortland delivered
the ’Jackets their first loss of the
season at the Red Dragon Classic,
the ’Jackets were able to score 46
kills in that loss — almost 10 above
the team’s average. However,
Friday night brought a whole new
game, and a whole new challenge.
Cortland was able to best UR in
four games. Sophomore libero
Tayler Schweigel, who continues
to be a consistent force, grunted
out 15 digs against Cortland.
Senior outside hitter and team
captain Jess Rasmussen also made
a statement with six digs, seven
kills and two aces.
Shortly after the loss to Cortland, the ’Jackets went up against
Ithaca College. After four games
of competitive action, the results
were identical to the Cortland
match-up. But just as the results were identical, so were the
strengths. Rasmussen was able to
bang out seven kills and 18 digs.
Schweigel also gave a plausible
performance with 21 digs and
an ace.
After coming off of two losses,
UR managed a winning performance in four games against
SUNY Geneseo on Saturday. The
win was a team effort with multiple
noteworthy performances. Overall, the team scored 11 aces.
See PALESTRA, Page 16
Meaghan DeWaters • Contributing Photographer
Freshman middle blocker Katie Kao, right, and sophomore outside
hitter Allyson Blair combined for 22 kills against RIT on Tuesday.
Soccer shuts down Naz, looks ahead to tough schedule
Kyle Sabo • Staff Photographer
Junior defender Phil Proud scored the game-winning goal against Naz.
by dana hilfinger
Sports Editor
If the men’s soccer team’s 2-0
victory over the Nazareth College
Golden Flyers on Tuesday night
had to boil down to a single play, it
would probably be an instance in
the first half in which 5-foot-5-inch
junior midfielder Timmer McCarthy outworked a 6-foot Nazareth
midfielder to get his head on the
ball and direct it back to the foot
of his teammate. While the play
might have seemed minor at the
time, it signified a theme that was
present in Tuesday’s match and
that has permeated UR’s season
as a whole — the idea of hard work
and effort.
On Tuesday, nowhere was this
more present than in the ’Jackets’
offensive play. UR — who recently
broke into the National Soccer
Coaches Association of America’s
national top-25 poll for the first
time this season — generated 20
shots throughout the game, nine
of which were on Flyer goalie Ryan
Platt. In the final minutes of the
first half, UR’s persistence finally
paid off. The ’Jackets earned a
penalty kick after Nazareth was
called for a hand ball in the box.
Junior defender Phil Proud —
whose cool demeanor on the back
line has earned him a starting
position the past two years — took
the kick and beat Platt with a
hard-driven ball to the top right
corner of the goal.
UR pressed relentlessly after
halftime in pursuit of an insurance goal. Senior midfielder Sean
Hantes came particularly close a
couple times, registering a header
midway through the period that
clanged off the crossbar.
Hantes was mentioned on the
University Athletic Association
Honor Roll this past week for his
two-goal performance against
St. John Fisher College last
Wednesday.
The ’Jackets broke Platt for the
second time with 20 minutes left to
play. Sophomore defender Misha
Carrel-Thomas stepped by a Nazareth defender on the right side of
the pitch and chipped a cross into
the box for junior forward J.J.
Dennstedt, who got his head on
the ball and redirected it into the
top right corner of the goal.
Dennstedt leads UR, along with
Hantes, in goals for the season,
registering three scores through
six games.
UR’s defense was solid against
a mediocre attack on the part of
the Flyers. The ’Jacket back line
didn’t give up a shot or corner kick
in the game, and Nazareth hardly
possessed the ball past half field.
Sophomore goalie Michael Peacock
earned his fourth win and fifth
shutout of the year.
The ’Jackets’ first real test of
the season will come on Saturday,
when they take on No. 7 Hobart
College, according to the most
recent NSCAA national poll, in
Fauver Stadium at 1:30 p.m. Last
year, Hobart beat UR during the
regular season, but the ’Jackets
got the better of them in the second
round of the NCAA tournament.
Following Hobart, UR has two
more games before it begins conference play.
The ’Jackets are slated as third
in the UAA’s preseason poll behind
Emory University and Washington
University in St. Louis. UR is currently 4-0-2.
the class of 2010.
F
SPORTS
rom the
P
ressbox
By Greg Waldman
When did common sense become
such a ridiculous tool for officiating
professional sports? The ultimate
goal of a sports official should be
to get all his calls right and let
the players decide the outcome
on their own while abiding by
those calls. However, a recent
baseball decision off the field has
obviously neglected this ultimate
objective.
The subject is Major League
Baseball’s newly instituted use of
instant replay. This system came
into being behind a strong push
of Commissioner Bud Selig after
a series of home runs — or near
home runs — earlier in the season
were ruled incorrectly when the
right call was apparent to anyone
watching on a television.
With the new use of instant
replay, umpires can now check a
monitor for any disputed home
run.
Replay has been used just once
since its installation in the game
and worked perfectly with Alex
Rodriguez’s monster home run in
Tampa Bay being upheld.
This all sounds great, right?
Well it is, but why can’t replay
be extended to calls other than
homers?
After all, if a runner clearly
beats out a throw to first or a
catcher misses a tag at home plate,
shouldn’t those calls be reviewable
as well?
Those calls could just as easily
decide a game as any home run.
Matt Holliday of the Colorado
Rockies scored the winning run
of last season’s one-game playoff
with the San Diego Padres for the
National League Wild Card on a
sacrifice fly as he slid head-first
into home plate. Holliday clearly
never touched the plate with his
hand as he slid by and, to this day,
nearly a year later, still has not hit
the said base.
However, umpire Tim Mcclelland called Holliday safe, and that
was that. This is how San Diego’s
season ended.
After 163 games, it came down
to a blown call as Colorado went
on to reach the World Series. You
can’t tell me that instant replay
would not have been beneficial in
that situation.
Opponents of broader use of the
replay system say it would slow
the rhythm of the game, which is
already considered far too long by
many fans.
They also say America’s pastime should remain sacred and
unchanged. These arguments
simply hold no ground. Once again,
should the goal be to get every call
correct and let the players decide
the victors on the field? Who cares
about tradition if it leads to incorrect outcomes?
MLB was the last of the four
major sports to make use of the
long-overdue replay technology we
have at our disposal today, and it is
still lagging behind dramatically.
The NHL has the use of replay
on any disputed goals, which are
definitely hockey’s most important moments. In the NBA, all
buzzer-beating shots and fights
that could result in players being
ejected are reviewable.
If you are worried about slowing the game, give managers
something similar to the NFL’s
red flag challenge system. Managers would get two challenges per
game, emphasizing the point to
use replay on the calls they deem
most important. If they win both
of their first two challenges, a
team could possibly gain a third,
just like in football.
One thing must remain untouched and unharmed by instant
replay — the subjective balls and
strikes calls. This is a part of the
game that is influenced by human
opinions and therefore cannot really be reviewed. For those who
think broader use of instant replay
will lead down a slippery slope to
eventual reviews of the strike zone,
it just seems unlikely.
A called strike or ball by an
umpire is final and undisputable,
and there is no way to definitively
look at a replay monitor and say
that that pitch was in or out of the
strike zone for sure anyway.
However, all other calls should
be able to be easily fixed with the
use of replay. Was a fly ball caught
or dropped? Did a runner miss a
base? Was a groundball fair or foul
down the line? No matter how long
it takes, just make sure the right
team wins, no doubt about it!
Waldman is a member of
the class of 2010.
This Week in Sports
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
•Women’s Soccer vs. William Smith College, 4:30 p.m.*
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
•Women’s Soccer at Utica College, TBA
•Men’s Tennis at St. Lawrence University for St. Lawrence Fall Classic, 9 a.m.
•Field Hockey vs. Hartwick College, 11 a.m.*
•Golf at Allegheney College for Allegheney Invitational, noon
•Volleyball vs. Concordia University Chicago at Keuka Classic, 1 p.m.
•Men’s Soccer vs. Hobart College, 1:30 p.m.*
•Volleyball vs. Keuka College at Keuka Classic, 3 p.m.
•Football vs. St. John Fisher for Courage Bowl**
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
•Men’s Tennis as St. Lawrence University for St. Lawrence Fall Classic, TBA
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
•Women’s Soccer vs. Rochester Institute of Technology, 7 p.m.*
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
•Men’s Soccer vs. Houghton College, 7 p.m.*
* indicates home games
** indicates a “Fill Fauver” or “Pack the Palestra” event
Page 19
View from a Starr ...
On Sept. 23, 2001, I walked into
the old Foxboro Stadium for the
first NFL game following the attacks of September 11 to see the
Patriots play the Jets. I remember
the scene: the passion and the
patriotism (no pun intended)
surrounding the game, a grieving
nation brought together on football fields around the country. The
feelings I had during the pre-game
flyover — an enduring image after
seeing hardly any planes during
the preceding two weeks — proved
once again the power and the emotion of sports.
What I also recall from that
game was Mo Lewis’s brutal hit on
Drew Bledsoe that would sideline
the Patriots’ star quarterback for
the majority of the season. I turned
to my dad and asked him, “Who
is our backup quarterback?” and
“Will we win a game all season?”
His answer was succinct — “Tom
Brady, probably not.”
Fortunately, my dad was wrong
and Brady went on to lead the team
to its first-ever Super Bowl victory
that season. Over the past seven
seasons, the sixth-round draft pick
became an NFL star as well as an
American celebrity. We Pats fans
began to expect greatness from our
quarterback, which is what made
last year’s Super Bowl so hard
to accept. From 2001-07, whenever the Pats were in trouble, all
seemed OK because we had Brady.
Right up until the final whistle of
Super Bowl XLII, Pats fans were
certain Tom would figure out a
way to pull out the win.
With 2007 in the books, nobody
looked forward to this year’s football season with more anticipation
than the Patriots and their fans.
Seven months, an NBA Championship and three-quarters of a
with
Matt Starr
baseball season and yet we were
still not over that guy catching
that ball on his head and yada yada
yada…. Not until Sept. 7 when we
could finally see Tom Brady and
co. back in action.
Then it happened. It was worse
than Lewis on Bledsoe. It was
worse than Eli to Tyree. It was
our worst nightmare. Our hero,
our quarterback, our MVP, the one
guy that any man in the greater
Boston area could call attractive
and nobody else would think it was
remotely strange was sprawled
on the ground, out for the season
after only seven minutes and 33
seconds. My dad called me from the
stadium to see if I knew anything
more than he did. “Is he done?”
“I think so.” He paused, “So Matt
Cassel… do you think we will win
a game all season?” My answer
was succinct — “What the f*@#
just happened?”
Cassel led the Patriots to an
uncomfortably close 17-10 win
against the woeful Kansas City
Chiefs, but we all knew that week
two, on the road against Brett
Favre and the Jets, was a horse of
a different color. I already had my
tickets for the Jets-Patriots game
before Brady went down and, even
though I didn’t want to face the
facts, I figured it was a good thing I
was going to support Cassel — the
seventh-round draft pick — in his
first start since his last high school
game back in 1999 (at University
of Southern California, he had
backed up Carson Palmer and
Matt Leinart, and he had done the
same for Brady for his first three
NFL seasons).
When we arrived at the Meadowlands, my friend Josh (a Jets
fan) had no idea that he would
wind up sitting next to the four
most nervous people in the entire
crowd — Cassel’s mother Barbara,
his wife Lauren, his grandmother
and me. We did not even discover
who they were until the end of the
first half — although I did find it
a little strange that during every
offensive play the three women
sitting next to us would scream
“C’mon Matty” or “You can do it,
baby,” but I figured maybe they
were just really big fans like me.
During a pivotal point in the
third quarter, a Jets fan stood up
and yelled, “Here comes a pick,
everyone knows Cassel is due for
an interception.”
“You know that’s his mom right
there?” another fan said.
“Just kidding, I think Cassel is
great,” the first fan replied sarcastically. As the game drew to a
conclusion, the phone calls were
pouring in to the Cassels.
“He did it, he won, I have to go
— I have a beep,” Barbara Cassel
repeated to several people between
her tears. I never imagined that
the people sitting next to me in
East Rutherford, N.J. could be
even more emotional about the
Pats victory than I was, but boy
was I wrong.
The comparisons are being
made and the similarities are
there: Brady in 2001 to Cassel in
2008. There is no telling what the
rest of football season will have in
store for the Patriots or the Cassel
family, and I wouldn’t dare make
any hypotheticals. But this past
Sunday, I once again found the
power and the emotion of sports
— watching a mother and a family
cry in joy because their 26-year-old
boy had just won his first start in
nearly a decade.
Starr is a member of
the class of 2009.
Athlete of the Week — Jon Pinto
Class: 2011
Sport: Cross Country
High School: Brighton High School, Brighton, N.Y.
MAJOR: Biology and Music.
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT HOME: The snowy winters.
IDEAL DAY OFF: Long walk on the beach followed by garbage plates.
FAVORITE ATHLETIC MEMORY: Former UR cross country runner
Joseph Lust.
PLANS AFTER COLLEGE: Ruler of the Universe.
FAVORITE FOOD: Anything Indian or from Danforth.
FAVORITE MOVIE: “Star Wars” (IV, V and VI), “Office Space,” “509” and “Teeth.”
FAVORITE BOOK: “Once a Runner.”
CELEBRITY CRUSH: Kara Goucher (hottest woman in pro track).
Who you’D most like to meet: The Game.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Peanut M&Ms and Starfox for N64.
FAVORITE UR TRADITION: Winning of the bike (annual URXC tradition in which
runners compete for a brand new bike).
WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE SEEN ON CAMPUS: The Campus Times or the raccoon
that climbed up ivy on the side of Morey Hall and got stuck there.
EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SEASON: Have URXC make nationals as a team for the
first time since the 1990s.
Why Jon is the Athlete of the Week: Pinto led the men’s cross country team
to the championship at the Brockport 5K Challenge by placing fourth overall.
S p o rt s
Campus Times
Page 20
Soccer shuts out nationally ranked Union team
By Eloise Rogers
Contributing Writer
The UR women’s soccer
game against the Union College Dutchwomen this past
Saturday started out with a
bang. Actually, the phrase
would be “started out with
a shot.” The ’Jackets came
out strong, scoring two goals
within the first nine minutes
of play. Right off the initial
kickoff, sophomore forward
Bridgette Varin got the ball
and put it perfectly onto
the foot of senior midfielder
Laura Bojko. Four yards out
from the goal, Bojko slid the
ball into the net for the first
Yellowjacket goal.
Just a few minutes later,
the Yellowjackets showed
their skill again when freshman forward Ellen Coleman
scored the second goal off a
corner kick. Union goalkeeper Abby Stohler knocked
down the initial shot, but
the rebound landed right
in front of Coleman, who
solidly put the ball into the
right side of the net. This
initial surge of power from
the Yellowjackets quickly
showed the Dutchwomen
what they were up against,
and UR continued to put
’Jacket players cheer on their team from the sidelines at Saturday’s game against Union. With the win, UR moves to 3-1-1.
pressure on the Union team backfield, where sophomore Meaghan Magee and junior constant war with Union’s
goalkeeper Celeste Horn- defender Eileen Boylan were middies and defenders. The
until the very end.
The main focus of the bach put up a fight with powerhouses in the backfield ball seemed to have an afgame, however, was the show two saves. Union only had with their strong clears, and finity for the Union half of
of cooperation and teamwork five shots, due in large part their quickness enabled the field. The Yellowjackets
by the Yellowjackets. No to UR’s stifling defense — them to steal the ball from took 17 shots and forced 11
matter how tired or how each of the Dutchwomen’s Union’s offense and send it corner kicks.
Union applied more presflustered any one person shot attempts was snuffed up to the midfielders and
sure in the second half.
was, the team remained by UR defenders. In par- offensive line.
Offensively, UR was at a Every chance they could,
rock solid. It started in the ticular, sophomore defender
the Dutchwomen struggled
in an attempt to get into
shooting range. The voice of
at least one of their coaches
was always audible, and the
bench got fired up with every
Union touch to the ball. Unfortunately for Union, each
Dutchwoman possession was
in vain. A Yellowjacket miscommunication nearly led to
a Union goal just about 15
minutes into the second half,
but Union’s Jessica Strang
missed the shot.
The Union team played
hard, but not hard enough,
and,overall,theYellowjackets
outshone the Dutchwomen,
who were ranked 11th in
the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America national poll leading up to
Saturday’s game. For UR,
teamwork, persistence and
good communication led it
to its third-straight win. The
end score, 2-0, was reached
in the first nine minutes but
was maintained until the
final buzzer.
The ’Jackets resume play
today against William Smith
College at 4:30 p.m. in Fauver Stadium. UR is 3-1-1.
Rogers is a member of
the class of 2012.
Men grab first place at SUNY Invite
By Erin Philbrick
Sports Editor
Though there was a large
space vacated by the strong
force of the class of 2008
on the men’s cross country
team, it certainly wasn’t noticeable this past weekend.
Despite losing top runner
Mark Stevens ’08, along
with classmates Patrick
Hughes, Dan Mueller and
Nick Roosa, who were also
steady members of the top
five, UR took command of
the 2008 Brockport 5K Challenge. The ’Jackets totaled
34 points for top honors
— well ahead of runner-up
SUNY Fredonia’s 50.
The underclassmen of
the team stepped up to the
Sophomore Brian Lang placed fifth in the Brockport Invite.
challenge of filling the vacancies quite well. Sophomores
Jon Pinto and Brian Lang
and freshman James Vavra
created a solid block of blue
that made the win easy to
achieve. Pinto crossed the
finish fourth overall in a field
of 106 with a time of 16:19.9.
He and Lang ran together
for the final 1,000 meters,
and Lang came through
the chute just behind him,
placing fifth with a time of
16:20.2. Vavra kept up with
his two elders, finishing sixth
in 16:23.5.
The two captains provided
leadership and support by
rounding out the top five.
Senior Dan Chebot came in
eighth overall, clocking in at
16:25.4. Junior Tyle Stelzig
ensured that all scoring runners finished in the top 10
by placing 10th with a time
of 16:35.4.
In addition, freshman
Jason Zayac proved to be
a strong runner in the tiebreaker position by finishing
just behind Stelzig in 11th
at 16:39.7.
Just as the men’s team lost
many important seniors, the
women’s team lost its two
top runners — Take Five
Scholar Kellie Hasselwander
and Laura Richenderfer ’08.
However, there is a still a
group of valuable juniors
who are working hard to fill
the void. The team also had a
solid start to its season, taking third in the invitational
out of seven teams.
Leading the way was
junior Sadie Gollub, who
placed 11th in the field of
93, finishing in 20:37.0.
Classmate Allie McComb
finished 20th, crossing the
finish in 21:00.4. Next came
a promising freshman newcomer — Hillary Snyder, who
was just two places behind
McComb and timed 21:06.2.
Junior Heather Graham also
contributed to the pack from
the class of 2010, placing
29th overall with a time of
21:26.7. The final scorer for
the ’Jackets was senior Chelsea Maguire, who finished in
21:38.6, good for 33rd.
UR totaled 100 points,
finishing well behind host
Brockport, who took the
win with just 21 points,
and Hamilton College, who
competed closely against
Brockport with 38 points.
This weekend, the team
will not be competing and
will train for the Harry
Anderson Invitational at
Roberts Wesleyan College
on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Philbrick is a member of
the class of 2009.
Freshman Brian Schmeer defeated Ithaca at No. 5 singles.
Nielsen’s serenity
leads team to third
By Ross Brenneman
Online Editor
The average sports fan
may feel as if it’s his or her
prerogative to cite weather
as the foul villain responsible
for a favorite team’s loss.
Perhaps it’s only appropriate that the Flower City
Tournament’s overcast conditions stopped the men’s
tennis team from photosynthesizing — though the
’Jackets dominated Ithaca
College, the men had trouble
containing Skidmore College’s Thoroughbreds.
But perhaps the most appropriate plant analogy for
the Yellowjackets might be
that the team just needed
a little watering and will
bloom in time for its next
match.
Watering is precisely what
kept the tournament inside
on Saturday as the Hill
Court area sat drenched
from Friday night’s storm,
but the sun still seemed to
shine on the Yellowjackets.
Junior Brian Bowman, one
of last season’s significant
stalwarts, thundered onto
the No. 1 doubles court with
sophomore Ryan Kovaleski.
Sophomore powerhouse
Patrick Sheehan accompanied junior Adam Crosby
onto the No. 3 doubles court,
and freshmen hopefuls Brian
See TOURNEY, Page 16
Courage Bowl
Men’s Soccer
You may be aware that UR faces off against St. John
Fisher College on Saturday in the fourth-annual Courage
Bowl. But what you might not know is that the Courage
Bowl’s history encompasses far more than just the rivalry
between these two teams on the field.
The ’Jackets were dominating on Tuesday night when
they took on crosstown rival Nazareth College. UR
gained control early and didn’t give up a shot in the
game. UR looks ahead to Saturday, where they take on
Houghton College.
REad more on Page 18
REad more on Page 18

Publishing press opens

Transcription

Similar documents

CWU-36/P Flight Jacket Valley Apparel

2009-02-19 - Campus Times

Vital Signs week 2 - Love God

REI Datasheet - Rochester Electronics

THE KICK-LINE - McNeil Majestics

James Dews - LaRosa`s MVP of the Week

CWU-45/P Flight Jacket Valley Apparel

YA 50th Anniversary Cover Silver

JARVIS COCKER PAPER DOLL

A Whole New World: Welcome to Michigan Tech

Newsletter Jan 2014.pages