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Campus Times
Volume 137, Number 23
Serving the University of Rochester community since 1873
OBOC’s fall revue
Drue Sokol • Staff Photographer
Off Broadway On Campus held a musical revue — entitled “Big Spender” — on Friday, Nov. 12, in Strong Auditorium.
The show featured songs from musicals such as “Rent,” “Into the Woods,” “Spring Awakening” and more.
Students remodel proxy website
by Justin Fleming
News Editor
At a time when debate is
swirling around healthcare
reform, three students at the
UR Medical Center have updated a website that allows
users to quickly and easily
fill out healthcare proxies
and write living wills.
The website, called www.
doyourproxy.org, has most
recently been renovated by
Walker Julliard, Nicholas
Braus and Michael Nabozny,
all members of the class of
2011 at URMC. None of these
students had any substantial
website design experience
before doyourproxy.org,
relying heavily on “Dream-
weaver for Dummies” to
complete the project.
The site allows users to
create all the necessary
documents to designate a
health care agent, as well as
articulate specific heathcare
wishes to be referred to at a
time when individuals are
unable to speak on their own
behalf. Filling in the boxes
and answering the questions
to create these documents
— which can later be saved
and printed — takes just
minutes. Additionally, the
entire process is free and
privacy-protected.
Julliard hopes that the
process of filling out healthcare proxies will be stream-
lined by doyourproxy.org,
and that the new website
will encourage more people
to complete these important
documents.
“The online form is very
easy to use and many people
feel more comfortable typing
their thoughts in today’s
computer-centered world,
especially on a topic that can
be very thought-provoking
and difficult to put into
words,” he said.
Julliard, Braus and
Nabozny have also added
an info/links page to the
website, improving access
to important information
on the topic. Here, users can
find answers to their ques-
tions about advance directives and look up relevant
medical definitions without
leaving the website.
According to Nabozny,
another major goal in updating doyourproxy.org was
to improve the website’s
flexibility.
“The site has been made
into a dynamic website with
the hope that it would make
updating and changing [it]
easier,” he said.
In order to create an entirely new look for the site,
the students even redesigned
its logo.
Now that much of the
redesigning of the site is
See WEBSITE, Page 3
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Rochester
to increase
bikeability
by May Zhee Lim
Staff Writer
Walking and cycling to UR
may soon be made easier, in
line with the vision to make
Rochester more bikeable. A
forum was held on Nov. 15
at the UR Medical Center
to impart this vision to the
public.
“We need to do some work
to make the place more bicycle-friendly,” URMC CEO
Bradford Berk said. “Changing avenues for getting here
will be important.”
The Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA) is working with
the UR Center for Community Health to understand
the obstacles of cycling to
and from the campus, as well
as to come up with potential
improvements.
Among the biggest concerns mentioned at the
forum were safety and cold
weather.
Scott McRae, UR professor of Ophthalmology, feels
that there are plenty of roads
in Rochester where pedestrians and cyclists don’t have
much choice.
“Cycling down Elmwood
Avenue is not very safe,”
Berk said.
It also poses a danger to
pedestrians when cyclists
use the sidewalk to get to
campus.
Addressing the cold weather issue, McRae uses cities
like Minneapolis, Minn.
and Madison, Wis. as model
cold-weather cities that have
embraced the active transportation lifestyle.
“Both cities are preferentially plowing strategically
selected bike lanes,”
See CYCLIST, Page 3
Courtesy of www.rochestercyclingalliance.blogspot.com
Last summer, about 40 local cyclists went on a demonstration
ride to show what a bicycle boulevard would be like.
Four Loko outlawed across New York state
Courtesy of www.cbsnews.com
Four Loko, the popular alcoholic energy drink, will no longer
be shipped in New York state as of Friday, Nov. 19.
Inside this issue:
by Willie Clark
Editor-in-Chief
Students hoping to get a
little “loco” this weekend
may have to look a little
harder.
Four Loko, the popular
high-energy alcoholic beverage that has been at the
center of nationwide controversy, will no longer be
shipped into New York State
as of Friday, Nov. 19.
The agreement came
between Governor David
Paterson and State Liquor
Authority Chairman Dennis
Rosen and Four Loko producer Phusion Products.
The ban comes after a
wave of negative press and
public pressure surround-
News: Robert Goergen awarded first Dean’s Medal
Opinions: Walmart may not be as evil as you think
Features: Club Spotlight: Hindu Students’ Association A&E: Louvre Ensemble performs Biblical “Seven”
Sports: Men’s cross country has strong showing
Page 2
Page 5
Page 7
Page 11
Page 16
ing the beverage’s unsafe
consumption, especially on
college campuses across the
country.
“New Yorkers deserve
to know that the beverages they buy are safe for
consumption,” Paterson
said in the press release announcing the new measures.
“The voluntary agreement
reached this weekend between beverage distributors
and the State Liquor Authority is an important first
step toward permanently
removing alcoholic energy
drinks from the marketplace. I’ll continue to work
with the beverage industry
to protect the safety of all
New Yorkers. I’d like to
thank Chairman Rosen for
his efforts on this issue and
the beverage industry for
working with the state to
achieve this agreement.”
Many beer vendors have
already voluntarily offered
to stop selling stimulantrich alcoholic beverages.
Under the also voluntary
agreement, vendors have
stopped placing orders for
the beverages immediately
and have until Dec. 10 to
clean out old stock and
inventory.
Drinks such as Four Loko
have been causing national
controversy, with the Food
and Drug Administration
warning four companies
on Wednesday that further
action, including possible
seizure of their products, is
possible under federal law.
The companies warned
included Charge Beverages Corp. for their Core
High Gravity beverages,
New Century Brewing Co.
for Moonshot, Phusion
Projects, for Four Loko and
United Brands Company
Inc, for Joose and Max.
“[The] FDA does not find
support for the claim that
the addition of caffeine
to these alcoholic beverages is ‘generally recognized as safe,’ which is the
legal standard,” Dr. Joshua
Sharfstein, principal deputy
commissioner, said
See LOKO, Page 3
Humor: Four Loko Chaos
Harry Potter concluding
The recent banning of Four Loko has caused
quite the pandemonium, but also revealed just
how awesome people find the drink.
With Part I of the final film in the Harry Potter
series opening this weekend, we look back on
our favorite moments from the series.
Features: Page 8
A&E: Pages 12-13
NEWS
Page 2
Thursday
P.M. Showers
Chance of precipitation: 30%
High 46, Low 31
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Five-Day Forecast
Friday
Partly Cloudy
Chance of precipitation: 20%
High 45, Low 35
Courtesy of www.weather.com
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Partly Cloudy
Chance of precipitation: 20%
High 44, Low 30
Mostly Cloudy
Chance of precipitation: 20%
High 43, Low 39
Showers
Chance of precipitation: 50%
High 50, Low 40
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 e-mail
the Campus Times editor at [email protected].
In last week’s A&E article entitled “Maniacal ‘Judith’ play shows the
gospel according to TOOP,” the class years of three students were reported
incorrectly. Jess Chinelli and Raymond Liang are members of the class
of 2012, and Sarah Young is a member of the class of 2013.
This Week on Campus
thursday
November 18
Pathways to Entrepreneurial Success Event
Amy Jiravisitcul • Staff Photographer
Professional dance group gets edgy at ur
Washington, D.C.’s Edgeworks Dance Theatre group held a performance at UR on Friday, Nov. 12, in Spurrier
Hall. Edgeworks provides a variety of arts education services and programming in the D.C. area.
Robert Goergen given Dean’s
Medal for support and service
By Kelly OStrander
News Editor
The first UR Arts, Sciences
and Engineering Dean’s Medal
was awarded to businessman and
philanthropist Robert Goergen of
Greenwich, Conn. This award is
one of the highest honors given
by the school and highlights extraordinary service, philanthropy,
leadership and dedication to the
University.
Award recipients are selected
by the Dean of the University in
consultation with other University
leaders.
Goergen is a UR graduate who
obtained his bachelor’s degree in
physics cum laude in 1960. He
later earned his master’s degree in
business administration from the
Wharton School of Business at the
University of Pennsylvania.
His education took him far, as he
is the founder, chairman and chief
executive of Blyth, Inc. As one of
the world’s leading marketers of
candles, home fragrances and home
décor products, the corporation
has given Goergen a prominent
presence both in and out of the
business field.
For half a century, Goergen
has worked with UR, assuming a
substantial leadership role in the
school’s development.
As a University trustee since
1982, he served as board chairman from 1991 to 2003. Goergen
has also been a member of the Investment and Financial Planning
Committees since 2003, was named
chairman emeritus in 2008 and
presently chairs the board’s Strategic Planning Advisory Committee.
He has been the root of numerous
monumental achievements within
the University community over
the years.
Goergen and his wife Pamela
established the Goergen Awards
for Excellence in Undergraduate
Teaching in 1997. The annual
awards are presented to faculty
members who have profoundly
influenced their students.
In 2000, Goergen helped to fund
extensive renovation and expansion measures to create the University’s current 200,000-square-foot
athletic center, which was then
named in Goergen’s honor.
The 100,000-square-foot Robert
B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical
Engineering and Optics, also
named after him, opened in 2007.
It houses UR’s Institute of Optics,
the Department of Biomedical Engineering, classrooms, laboratories
and faculty offices.
Goergen has also contributed to
the Class of 1960 Reunion Scholarship, which was established
with his classmates in honor of
the 25th anniversary of their UR
graduation. The scholarship has
given financial support to undergraduate students over the last
two decades.
Ostrander is a member of
the class of 2013.
8 a.m., R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center, Monroe Community College
The Center for Entrepreneurship is a sponsor of the second annual “Pathways
to Entrepreneurial Success” event. The forum features opportunities to learn
from and network with successful local entrepreneurs. A Resource Expo will
allow participants to tap into the many people and organizations throughout the
region to help start and grow a business. Walk-ins are welcome. A registration
fee of $15 for the general public or $10 for students is required (which includes
a box lunch).
Night of Epic Poetry readings
5:30-8 p.m., Welles-Brown Room, Rush Rhees Library
Students and interested individuals will read epic poems in the event sponsored
by the Undergraduate Religion and Classics Council (URCC), the Undergraduate English Council and the Modern Languages and Cultures Undergraduate
Council (MLC).
Eastman school class invitation
7 p.m., Miller Center, Room 320, Eastman School of Music
Students are invited to attend the class “Career Skills for the 21st Century.”
Instructor Jim Doser, music department chair for the Penfield Central School
District, will discuss “Entrepreneurial Thinking.” The event is part of the University’s celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
TOOP present “Hot ‘n’ throbbing”
8 p.m., Drama House
The Opposite of People will be presenting their final play of the semester, “Hot ‘n’
Throbbing.” The play will run Thursday, Nov. 18, Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday,
Nov. 20 in the Drama House. Admission is free.
Friday
November 19
Symposium highlights Research with Supercomputing
10-11 a.m., Gowen Room, Wilson Commons
Carlos Sosa, an IBM Academy of Technology visiting member, will present a
series of lectures at the Center for Research Computing symposium. Sosa will
give an overview of IBM’s efforts in high-performance computing and a summary
of some applications of computing to research in the life sciences at this special
lecture, “HPC: Challenges and Opportunities for Chemical and Life Sciences.”
A presentation on IBM’s Blue Gene supercomputing platform will follow from
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Robert B. Goergen Hall 108.
Annual diwali dinner
6:30 p.m., Douglass Dining Center
Catered by Thali of India, the dinner will be a ticketed event. Tickets are $8 for
UR undergraduates and $10 for all others. Tickets are available at the Common
Market in Wilson Commons.
BPG Presents: Satisfaction
8 p.m., Strong Auditorium
Come check out Ballet Performance Group’s fall show, which will feature performances in jazz, hip-hop, contemporary dance, tap, tango and more. Tickets are
available at the Common Market and cost $5.
Saturday
November 20
Midnight ramblers’ fall show
8 p.m., Strong Auditorium
The Midnight Rambers present “The Rambler King.” Tickets are $6 for students
($8 at the door) and $10 for general admission. Tickets are available at the Common Market in Wilson Commons.
Courtesy of www.rochester.edu
Robert Goergen was given the first Dean’s Medal awarded by the College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering to recognize his outstanding contributions and service to the University community.
Please e-mail calendar submissions to
[email protected].
NEWS
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Page 3
Proxy: Website streamlined Cyclist: Bikeability to rise
Continued from Page 1
complete, the students have turned
their primary focus to promoting
the website. According to Nabozny,
they have been working with both
outside organizations and departments within URMC to give the
website a more substantial role in
patient care.
“One example of this is to include
the healthcare proxy discussion
in the pre-operative work-up and
allow a patient to go home, read
more about advance care planning
and decide if he or she would like
to fill out a healthcare proxy and/
or living will,” he said.
Additionally, they have been
working with various community
organizations and primary care
physicians, and have even created
a Facebook page to spread the word
about doyourproxy.org.
Beyond simply increasing the
number of people filling out proxy
forms and writing living wills,
Nabozny hopes that the newly redesigned website will eventually
increase overall discussion about
the topic.
“Most importantly, we hope this
website spurs discussion of a topic
that is often hard to talk about, and
[that] people make the right choice
about assuring their wishes for
future healthcare when they can’t
speak for themselves,” he said.
“Oftentimes the person who will
be making the decisions, whether a
parent or spouse, is not the person
you would like to make [them] …
but they are forced to make a decision on your behalf.”
Discussion of advance directives
in the Rochester area extends beyond the University however. The
Rochester End-of-Life/Palliative
Care Committee, for instance, is
looking to recruit college students
to help increase awareness about
advance care. They’re even looking
into more direct measures, such as
encouraging filling out proxy forms
as a part of college orientations.
Anne Fugle, M.D., who is currently a resident at URMC, originally created doyourproxy.org.
Since then, the site underwent
several renovations, with this
latest one being one of the most
substantial.
Because none of the students
involved in the website’s facelift
have much computer programming experience, both Julliard and
Nabozny emphasized that if any
UR undergraduates interested in
computers wanted to help improve
and maintain the website, they are
more than welcome.
Fleming is a member of
the class of 2013.
Continued from Page 1
in the press release. “To the
contrary, there is evidence that
the combinations of caffeine and
alcohol in these products pose a
public health concern.”
Prior to the FDA announcement, Phusion Projects announced
that it would remove the energy
substances from its popular Four
Loko drink. This included removing the caffeine, guarana and
taurine from its products, only
making non-caffeinated versions
of the drink.
“We have repeatedly contended
— and still believe, as do many
people throughout the country
— that the combination of alcohol
and caffeine is safe,” the company
said in their press statement. “If
it were unsafe, popular drinks like
rum and colas or Irish coffees that
have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the
same scrutiny that our products
have recently faced.”
Whether this new version of the
drink will be allowed in states that
have banned the previous version
is unclear.
However, despite the dangers
of the drink, UR students seem
to feel that drinking options
shouldn’t be limited by the government and instead by people and
their own individual judgment.
“My mom called me the day it
was outlawed and gave me a whole
lecture about it — there’s a lot of
harmful substances out there and
people should be able to monitor
their own responsibility,” sophomore Julie Henderson said.
Freshman Anne Marie Brandish echoed similar sentiments,
but also admitted that people do
need to be careful when using the
this kind of drink.
“I don’t think it should be
outlawed because this is not
something the government should
control, but I still think it’s stupid,” she said.
Clark is a member of
the class of 2012.
Loko: Popular drink banned
Continued from Page 1
McRae said. “Improvements in
clothing, gear and lights have
improved safety and ability to ride
even under harsh conditions and
at night.”
Some other factors to consider
were bike parking options, multimodal transportation and shower
and locker facilities.
Glenn Cerosaletti, director of UR
Center for Community Leadership,
points out that not all buses at UR
have bike racks on the front.
The number of cyclists at UR
has increased threefold in the last
four years. This was in part due
to the free bicycle-lending project
called “City Cycles,” started by
UR students in 2004. Studies show
that City Cycles’ bikes are used
mostly for general recreation and
off-campus errands.
“We’ve got a lot of students involved in working with us to figure
out where to place and store the
bicycles for the winter season,”
Richard Pifer, UR vice president of
facilities and services, said.
Many interested parties at
URMC are figuring out ways to improve access to the Medical Center
through cycling and busing. More
secured storage spaces for bikes
are currently being built, applying
the same security system currently
used to secure the doors.
Pifer also points out that the UR
Campus Master Plan, approved
in October 2009, complements
the goals of RCA. Ongoing efforts
under the plan include improving gateways and reinforcing the
University’s edges to make them
compatible with the local neighborhood.
Erik Frisch, a city of Rochester
transportation specialist, shared
the Rochester Bicycle Master
Plan at the forum. Expected to
be finalized by January 2011, the
project assesses desirable zoning
changes and implements them
through regularly scheduled street
projects.
“We are committed to bringing
that plan to reality,” Frisch said.
These goals were contextualized,
This is subliminal messaging.
We’re suggesting you to write for us.
(Subliminally of course.)
(EN)GENDERED
ART EXHIBIT
CALL FOR ART
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
DECEMBER13
TO PICK UP AN APPLICATION & SUBMIT YOUR WORK, VISIT
SAGE ART CENTER
OPENING RECEPTION
JANUARY 14, 2011
SAGE ART CENTER
WINNERS SHOWN
JAN 21ST - FEB 16TH
ART & MUSIC LIBRARY
FOR ALL INTERESTED UR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
however, by the potential difficulties in finding funding for them.
“I know how much it costs to
remove snow in Rochester,” Pifer
said. “We have to understand that
the University has a finite amount
of resources and a lot of people
competing for it.”
The forum also provided an overview of the health and economic
benefits of active transportation.
“[It is a] huge dividend in terms
of health if we can reduce chronic
diseases and problems associated
with motor vehicle accidents,”
McRae said.
Emphasis was placed on the
household savings that result from
a reduction in driving.
“The average American family
spends 19 percent on transportation more than how much we spend
on health care,” McRae said.
Cerosaletti also shared his
personal experience of 10 years of
cycling to the campus.
“My bicycle commute can be a
meditative experience, even when
I’m riding in traffic, because it
requires me to focus my attention
closely on my position relative to
other vehicles and to communicate and cooperate with drivers to
ensure that we both get where we
need to go,” Cerosaletti said.
Both members of RCA, MacRae
and Cerosaletti are working to
make Rochester as bikeable as the
top bike-friendly cities in America,
such as Portland, Or.
The forum also provided opportunities for community members
to share their ideas for solving
this problem. One of the most
prominent suggestions was to
improve the occasional parking
permit, which allows individuals
to park for free if they only drive
to work a limited number of times
each month.
Community members, University leadership and RCA members
all agree, however, that advertising
about the benefits of cycling and the
Master Bicycle Plan are critical to
their success.
Lim is a member of
the class of 2014.
NEW THEME THIS YEAR
PRECARIOUS SPACES:
(DIS-)LOCATING GENDER
SPONSORED BY
THE SUSAN B.
ANTHONY
INSTITUTE FOR
GENDER &
WOMEN’S
STUDIES
AND
THE
DEPARTMENT OF
ART & ART
HISTORY
(EN)GENDERED
A JURIED ART
EXHIBITION OF
UNDERGRADUATE ART
THREE PRIZES OF
$150
Rochester
restaurant
in top 10
by kelly Ostrander
News Editor
Mark’s Texas Hots in Rochester
was voted as one of the top 10
late night places to eat for college
students.
The editors of Complex Media,
an entertainment and lifestyle
website, pride themselves with
their presentation of the latest
information on products of interest
to men from ages 18-34. They chose
Mark’s Texas Hots seventh on their
“50 Best Late Night College Eats”
list, which was published online on
Nov. 16. Two criteria were used for
making the decisions: good food
and restaurants that were open
past midnight on both Friday and
Saturday.
Mark’s Texas Hots is a fast food
restaurant on 487 Monroe Ave. in
Rochester that is famous for its
Garbage Plate. It has an advantage
over the original Garbage Plate
of Nick Tahou Hots in that it is
open 24 hours a day and seven
days a week.
Ostrander is a member of
the class of 2013.
This advertising is
substantially less
subliminal.
By which we mean
it’s written in a
larger font.
Regardless...
Write for us.
E-mail the News
Editors at news@
campustimes.org
for more information. No prior experience needed.
Do you not have
time to write, but
do have a good
story idea? Email
the News Editors and get your
voice heard.
The CT gets a head
start on a shiny
new semester on
Thursday, Dec. 9.
What better
time to get
started?
Opinions
Page 4
Thursday, November 18, 2010
EDITORIAL BOARD
Southside Groceries
The Southside Living Center is a small UR community unto itself — about 500 students
are housed in its two towers and several ground-level maisonettes, which are located
about a 12-15 minute walking distance away from the River Campus. As such, Southside
has some special resources to accommodate the isolated living style. The Blue Line and
Park Lot Shuttles provide regular transportation between the main campus and Southside, and the dorms themselves provide the most apartment-like lifestyle of any campus
housing besides the Riverview Apartments. Still, there is one very important resource
that Southside residents are lacking: easy availability of food.
The Southside Market is located in the basement of the deKiewiet tower. It’s like the
Corner Store, in the sense that it provides grocery items, but it also has much less product
variety than the Corner Store, and rather inconvenient business hours. The Southside
Market features many of the same basic foods items found at the Corner Store — bread,
snacks, drinks, etc. — but its stock is much less reliable, meaning it isn’t surprising to
find something as simple as wheat bread or chocolate milk missing from the shelves. Its
schedule, meanwhile, is equally unreliable. The store is open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday
through Thursday, closed for all of Friday, and then is open noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
This is a stark contrast to the Corner Store’s longer and more consistent hours — 10 a.m.
to 1 a.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. And it is also
cause for some confusion: Since hot coffee, which the store provides, is a part of many
students’ morning routines, why does the store not open until 5 p.m. during the week?
Why is it completely closed on Friday, of all days? And why is the schedule alternatively
broken into afternoon or nighttime shifts, and not just open all day?
It could be argued that since Southside is technically off-campus, its residents are
more likely to just buy their food off-campus than rely on a school store. But despite
its location, Southside is still considered an on-campus residential area, and as such its
residents should be afforded the same grocery conveniences as those who live on the
main campus. That is the point of a convenience store, after all. And since each Southside dorm comes with its own kitchen, perhaps the market should be stocked with items
geared more toward prepared food and cooking, so residents can easily make inspired
meals on their own.
UR Active
Physical fitness is often difficult for the average college student to attain. Dining
options low in fat are often scarce, alcohol dominates the social scene and it can be
very difficult to fit optional trips to the gym into a busy schedule of academic and extracurricular commitments. A good way to work against this unhealthy trend would
be for the University to offer fitness classes for credit.
This idea is hardly a novel one. A large number of universities and colleges throughout the nation offer a variety of fitness classes for credit. Just down the road at the
Rochester Institute of Technology, classes such as “Core Glutes and Abs” and “Cardio Kickboxing” count toward a graduation requirement. While UR — a school that
emphasizes choice and freedom from requirements — should not require physical
education classes, it would be highly beneficial to the student body to offer them as a
one-or-two-credit option.
Physical fitness classes would allow busy students a regular opportunity to engage in
healthy and active pursuits. It would offer incentives to work out to those who need the
extra push, and rewards for those who already regularly engage in physical activity.
UR already offers some classes that involve physical exercise — yoga and a variety
of dance classes are available for two credits (although seniors are barred from taking
yoga). It would be relatively simple to expand these offerings to include more traditional exercise classes such as weightlifting or aerobics. In fact, many of these classes
are already offered for no-credit, and thus expanding them into the curriculum would
be extremely simple.
Overall, the expansion of a physical education department would afford students the
opportunity to receive credit for healthy lifestyle choices that may be difficult to make
without a little incentive. In the college world, where unwanted weight-gain is almost
a cliché and social and academic commitments are often prioritized above physical
health, fitness classes could provide a push against this tide of unhealthiness.
The above two editorials 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. E-mail [email protected].
Editorial Observer
‘Waiting for Superman’ talks education
One of the crueler aspects of
the newly released documentary
“Waiting for ‘Superman’” occurs
toward the conclusion. The film,
which highlights the decline of
public education, tracks several
young families and their struggles
to get their children the best education possible. Throughout the
film, many families explore and apply their kids to alternative public
schools — charter schools or public
boarding schools. Unfortunately,
when too many families apply, law
dictates that a public lottery be held
to determine school choice.
According to the film, this is how
the futures of many kids in this
country are decided. Hundreds of
families cram into school gymnasiums and auditoriums across the
country for these lotteries. Often,
a cage filled with numbered lottery
balls is placed on stage. As the lever is cranked and the balls bounce
around, the entire room collec-
tively holds its breath. The shriek
of joy from the family in the back
whose lucky number has rolled out
is drowned out by the tension that
doubles over in the room. Nervous
mothers cross their fingers and
pray, knowing that their goal of
a fair and fulfilling education for
their children just got that much
harder.
If there’s one concrete conclusion
to be drawn from this film it’s that
these public episodes of pinning
your child’s success to the unpredictable path of a bouncing ball is
a cruel punishment. The rest of the
documentary, meanwhile, serves
only as a conversation starter, not
some saving-grace solution for the
public school system. And while
Davis Guggenheim’s agenda was
to point toward reforms in the education system, his lack of focus on
poverty’s ills lead to an incomplete
picture of public education.
For one, it’s a mystery to me why
Editorial Cartoon
Guggenheim appears to champion
charter schools. He mentions that
only one in five charter schools is
“succeeding.” However, the bad
charter schools are hardly given
any attention and charter schools
are portrayed in a very positive
light. Guggenheim’s apparent espousal of charter schools contradicts the fact that most charter
schools are unsuccessful, thus misinforming the viewer.
More fundamentally, teachers’
unions receive much of Guggenheim’s wrath. Indeed, video anecdotes of tenured teachers in
Milwaukee, Wis. reading the newspaper while students shoot craps
in the back of the classroom are
alarming. At other points in the
film, teachers’ unions are bashed
as impediments to intellectual creativity. Former Washington, D.C.
schools’ superintendent and “maverick” Michelle Rhee’s merit-pay
idea appeared to be the solution to
this impediment. But banishing
teachers’ unions is oversimplified
as well. According to Dana Goldstein of The Nation, the Finnish
school system Guggenheim noted
as the pinnacle of educational success, has teachers’ unions as well.
If Guggenheim’s goal was to
present a holistic portrait, not only
of the school system itself, but the
families whose kids attend school,
then this documentary was vastly
oversimplified. A great education
has the potential to lift a child out
of poverty. But poverty is the ratelimiting factor in getting a child a
great education. Guggenheim has
ignored this.
There are many inputs that
predict a student’s achievement in
school. One of the leading indicators of it is the education attained
by the mother. A majority of households in impoverished areas are
headed by young females. Many of
these females forwent their educa-
Conor
Willis
•
Features
Editor
tion when they had children at a
young age. As children grow up,
they see the value that their mother, a key role model, places on education. This has the consequence of
limiting the child’s interest, value
and motive to do well in education.
Charter schools and a merit-pay
system won’t fix that.
Inputs into academic achievement don’t exist solely in the classroom. Income, innate ability, peer
expectations, teacher expectations
and food on the kitchen table are
just some of the other important inputs into how well kids do in school.
There is no one magic solution to
fix urban education. A system with
many dynamic problems — like
education — will require a system
with many dynamic solutions.
Willis is a member of
the class of 2011.
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OPINIONS
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Page 5
“The nicest thing is to open the newspapers and not to find yourself in them.” — George Harrison
Nations should fight wars, not contractors
BY James bigelow
An article published last week in the
CT, “The uses of an extra-jurisdictional
army,” argued for wider use of private
military groups like Xe (formerly known
as Blackwater). While I agree that unacceptable violence against civilians occurs
worldwide every day, mercenaries are not
the answer. Relying on private military
contractors, or PMCs, will only put more
lives at risk, tarnish The United States’
image and add an unaccountable wildcard
to the geopolitical stage. It’s true that
PMCs, such as Xe, have been hired by the
U.S. military in the past. But the result of
that relationship was astounding numbers
of civilian casualties.
In May 2007, Xe employees shot an Iraqi
civilian who was “driving too close” to them.
In February 2006, a Xe sniper killed three
guards on the roof of the Iraqi Ministry
of Defense. Later that year, a drunken
mercenary gunned down an Iraqi security
guard. And perhaps the most heinous case:
In February 2005, Xe soldiers escorting a
convoy fired 70 bullets into a passing car
without justification. They claimed to be
reacting to insurgent gunfire and cited bullet holes in their vehicles as evidence. But
when the State Department investigated,
they found that the mercenaries had fired
into their own car afterward to cover their
mistake. And because the Defense Department covered for Xe, in most of these cases
the mercenaries responsible
faced no penalty.
The reason Xe no longer
operates in the Iraq conflict
is that the Iraqi government
kicked them out of the country
in 2009 — and with a record
like Xe’s, who can blame
them?
Xe may be able to escape
legal punishment for their
actions, and they may escape
blame by changing their name,
but somebody does take the hit
for them: The U.S.
While Xe was working for the U.S., every
occasion in which a mercenary took an
innocent life reflected badly on the U.S.’s
image as a whole. The Iraqi citizen who
just lost his brother due to careless gunfire
isn’t going to isolate his blame to the Xe or
Greystone, he’s going to blame America as
a whole. And now that he has this vendetta,
imagine how tempting joining a terrorist
organization looks.
The Taliban and other groups already try
to win over locals by uniting them against
the U.S., and Xe’s carelessness gives them the perfect
recruiting material. Using
private military contractors
just might turn America into
that “evil oppressor” a significant part of the world already
believes us to be.
The problem with a private
military is lack of accountability. The U.S. government
holds its military to certain
standards of conduct, such as
the rules of engagement and
the Geneva Convention, which prevent U.S.
soldiers from using lethal force unless they
are absolutely sure it’s necessary. These
standards are what separate our military
from forces like Mexican drug lords or the
Taliban.
We value life, and we do not take it needlessly. PMCs are, by definition, not held to
these standards, and the results speak for
themselves. As Xe/Blackwater shows U.S.
when private militaries can act recklessly
without fear of litigation they shoot first and
ask questions later. And really, why would
PMCs act with restraint if they aren’t held
responsible for their actions?
Which brings me to my last point: PMCs
are not accountable to any government,
so they can be on “a different team every
week,” as the author of the article put it. He
lists the U.S., Israel and Mexico as possible
teams, but why stop there?
Mercenaries can also help the Sudanese
commit genocide in Darfur, help Russia invade
more border nations like Georgia or even provide Mexican drug lords with bodyguards.
When military superiority is for sale, it is
naïve to think America’s allies will be the
only buyers. And in a world where private
military contractors are commonplace, it’s
only a matter of time before one of them
sells out to the bad guys.
Bigelow is a member of
the class of 2013.
more money to spend on other things, they end
up contributing to other businesses. For more
evidence of evil exploitation, look no further
back than Hurricane Katrina.
They donated 20 million dollars and sent out 1,500 trucks
of free stuff. Compare that to
the response of big, inefficient
government bureaucracies.
The response at the federal,
state, and local levels were
slow and disorganized.
So what about their employees? Walmart’s exploiting the
workforce, right? Not quite.
An employee at Walmart is
there because that was the
best job he or she could get
— none of them were forced to work there.
Even so, many of its employees are students,
retirees, and those looking for a second source
of income. If Walmart somehow closes up shop
tomorrow, these workers won’t be better off
and may even end up working at places where
the wages are lower and the
benefits are a lot less. Go
ahead, raise the minimum
wage as many Walmart
critics have suggested, but
this is completely counterintuitive — it actually helps
Walmart by raising the
costs of its competitors and
rivals. They’ve even lobbied
for higher federal minimum
wages in the past.
Finally, my personal favorite: Walmart’s abuse of environmental standards. People
like to point out that all Walmart cares about
are profits, but it’s their interest in profits that
drives them to give customers what they want.
In this case, it’s greener services. Let’s face
it, we’re moving into a more eco-conscious
age, and businesses know that. By 2015,
Walmart plans to cut 20 million metric tons
of emissions.
On top of that, they’ve invested in building
energy-efficient stores, utilizing energy-efficient trucks, promoting sustainable shopping
practices, preserving wildlife habitat, committing to solar energy at 22 sites, creating
environmental impact labels on their products
and much more.
As one of the largest retailers in America,
Walmart can act quickly to meet its customers
wants and can set the standard in its industry,
and it is. So next time you decide to criticize
Walmart or any other business for its “greedy”
or “exploitive” practices, think through what
that really means.
Yuwono is a member of
the class of 2014.
The Iraqi
government
kicked [Xe]
out of the
country.
The common misconceptions of Walmart
by Stanton Yuwono
“I refuse to shop at Walmart because they
underpay their workers.” This is often the common reaction when one thinks of Walmart. Not
only that, but they have low labor standards,
they have horrible environmental standards,
they wipe out local businesses, etc. These are
just a handful of reasons why some people
refuse to shop at Walmart — that exploitative
business. But do these reasons have any truth
behind them?
After all, Walmart has been able to raise the
living standards of many Americans because
of the affordable goods they offer. In fact, lowincome households are the greatest beneficiaries of Walmart’s low prices. It really isn’t as
complicated as people make it out to be. For
people struggling financially, Walmart may
just be their best friend. In total, consumer
savings in the U.S. alone are as high as $100 billion dollars a year and because people now have
By 2015, Walmart plans to
cut 20 million
metric tons of
carbon emissions.
History shows women don’t vote their gender
BY Matthew dawidowicz
Every time a prominent female Republican
candidate (not a Democratic one) comes out of
nowhere to win a nomination for a prominent
office, the talking heads go gaga. They talk
about how appealing she is to women, and
how female voters will flock to her because
of her message and enthusiasm. The only
problem is that this concept has been proven
wrong time and time again. Women do not
vote their gender — they are more likely
than men to vote for Democrats. They vote
for Democrats, and even if the majority of
women vote Republican in a specific election,
men are more likely to vote Republican by an
even wider margin.
Polls and election results show that there
is a gender gap in American politics. This gap
used to be mostly nonexistent, then went in
the opposite direction for a short time (Richard
Nixon won the women’s vote in 1960, while
John Kennedy won the male vote in an election
decided by 0.1 percent), and steadily closed
(in 1976, Jimmy Carter won 50 percent of
the total vote, with 50 percent of men and 50
percent of women). Now it is wide (in 2008,
webpoll
What do you think of
former President Bush’s
public reappearance?
Barack Obama won men 49-48, but women
56-43, and in 1996, Bob Dole won the male
vote despite Bill Clinton winning by a wide
margin), especially in many non-presidential
elections. In the Oregon race for governor
this year, the Democratic nominee, former
governor John Kitzhaber, won women 62-36,
but his Republican opponent, former Portland
Trail Blazer and businessman Chris Dudley,
won men 60-36 (Kitzhaber won all voters by
1 percent).
Scholarly articles show it is more than a
shift of men to the GOP than a shift of women
to the Democrats. Democratic identification
among women has been mostly constant since
the 1950s. Why does this gender gap exist?
That can merit an article on its own; political scientists have published many academic
journals on this topic.Look at exit polls and
you will see that female GOP candidates win
more male votes. A pattern is shown in most
races: If the race is between a female Republican and a male Democrat, the Democrat does
better with women. If the race is between a
female Republican and a female Democrat,
the Democrat does better with women. If
the race is between a male Republican and a
female Democrat, the Democrat does better
with women. If the race is between a male
Republican and a male Democrat, the Democrat does better with women.
Do you see a pattern? Everyone said in 2008
that Sarah Palin would bring in women voters, when actually men liked her more than
women. They even still talk about it with the
lady who caused a huge impediment toward
any GOP hopes of taking the Senate — Christine O’Donnell, who lost by 17 points.
The talking heads were saying that Christine O’Donnell could win in Delaware against
her opponent Chris Coons because of her
appeal to women, especially Hillary Clinton
voters. Really? It’s been two years! Can’t we
finally accept the fact that Democrats still like
Obama? Obama won 90 percent of Democrats
in the election, and 80 percent of Democrats
approve of him right now.
There is no schism in the Democratic
ranks, and there never was. Besides, Hillary
Clinton voters are Democrats. Democrats
typically don’t vote for Republicans, especially
in statewide races, and especially if they are
He shouldn’t have
reappeared.
44%
He is still the same
person.
I see him in a new
light.
31%
25%
Republicans who believe that masturbation is
wrong, believe that co-ed college dormitories
lead to “orgy rooms” and that women in the
military endanger our safety. Another idea
was that women would see these attacks on
O’Donnell, like calling her a witch (which she
put on herself — one cannot expect something
so absurd and unexpected to not be ridiculed),
and then support her out of sympathy. They
apparently don’t want to see those sexist men,
who they once supported, to win.
Women have beliefs of their own and do not
stick up for a random woman when they are
picked on, especially when they never really
liked the woman to begin with. And they
certainly would never vote for someone solely
out of sympathy, nor would anybody.
Women do not go for female candidates
just because they’re women. And it actually
is offensive. Are men going to vote for male
candidates just because they’re men? If a
man is being attacked by women, can you
honestly see men sticking up for him out of
sexist spite?
Dawidowicz is a member of
the class of 2012.
Vote Online at
campustimes.org
Next week’s question:
How do you feel about
the Beatles’ music coming to iTunes?
Campus Times
Arts &
Entertainment
Harry Potter is bringing the
magic back, and people are
stoked.
Pages 12 and 13.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Page 6
Lending a hand:
Big Brothers Big Sisters
starts up at UR
Article by Conor Willis, Features Editor • Design by Cheryl Seligman, Presentation Editor
Unfortunately, for many young Rochester residents,
the chance to pursue a college education is nothing more
than a dream. With graduation rates for the Rochester
City School District hovering below 50 percent — with
just half of those graduates pursuing college degrees —
the odds are stacked against many of UR’s neighbors in
the city of Rochester.
One crucial key to educational success comes from role
models. With the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, the
fate of 20 young kids from the Southwest Area Neighborhood Association may have changed. The Rochester Center for Community Leadership and the Big Brothers Big
Sisters organization are teaming up to provide 20 young
kids the opportunity to have their very own big brother
or big sister — a UR student.
“A lot of students have participated in Big-Brothers BigSisters in the past,” Assistant Director at RCCL Christie
Tourella said. “We didn’t offer that type of mentoring
before and we’re really excited to offer it now.”
One of the exciting things about this program, Tourella
said, was that the college students would be given free
reign to take their “littles” to club meetings and events
and athletic contests.
Tourella is also planning on having matching shirts
for the kids, so the River Campus is aware of their presence.
The partnership kicked off Wednesday with an icebreaker event in Gavett Hall. Several UR students were
excited about the program.
“I love having role models and friends that I can
count on, and I want to be that person for that
child,” freshman Arwa Elbeshbishi said.
Other students were curious about what the
future would hold. “I’m honestly not sure
what to expect,” senior Tim Smith said.
“I just expect to make a new friend
and have a lot of fun. I’m excited
to see how it plays out.”
UR was approached by the
Big Brothers Big Sisters
organization of Greater
Rochester over the
summer. The program has been
proven to
improve
educa-
tional outcomes for kids while reducing the likelihood
that kids will resort to drugs or alcohol.
Although the program is just starting, Tourella already
has an optimistic outlook for the future. “Ideally, we would
love to have 50 students,” she said. “I don’t think that
will be an issue.”
“I am hoping to develop a long term relationship with a younger child, and be a mentor to
them,” freshman Katharine Howe said. “I
am also hoping that my little can teach
me things too.”
Willis is a member of
the class of 2011.
FEATURES
Thursday, November 18, 2010
club spotlight: Hindu Students Association
Diwali caps off awareness week
BY Conor Willis
Features Editor
Although the Hindu holiday
Diwali was celebrated on Nov. 5,
Friday’s “belated” Diwali Dinner
caps off Hindu Awareness Week
for the Hindu Students’ Association. In addition to the delicious
food, the Hindu Students’ Association is putting on musical,
film and cultural events this week,
in hope of spreading awareness
about their religion. Co-Presidents
junior Anupa Gewali and senior
Swapna Kumar are spearheading
the event.
Can you briefly explain the
importance of Diwali?
Swapna Kumar: We call it the
festival of lights. We have a lot of
fireworks and candles. The significance is good prospering over evil
— light over dark.
Anupa Gewali: There’s a few
different stories in Hindu mythology that say ‘This is what Diwali
is on this day.’ But because of how
widespread Hinduism is, there are
lots of different cultural connotations. The basic core concept is
good versus evil, light over dark.
In that way, it becomes multi-religious. Different cultural groups
in South Asia are celebrating
this time, lighting up the streets,
celebrating stuff, kind of renewing
the year.
What are you trying to accomplish with Hindu Awareness
Week?
AG: I think in the past our only
staple event has been the Diwali
dinner. When I was a freshman,
we talked about how the Diwali
dinner is a big thing in the fall, but
we don’t have much representation otherwise. We do internal
club things, like temple runs and
smaller speakers, but we don’t
really have much to reach out to
the campus.
We kind of got this idea of a
week or a month where we can
have a ton of events and show the
campus that there’s a club on campus that’s educating people about
Hinduism. Through that we tried
to come up with a list of events
that were open to the public.
What kind of events did you
have to celebrate Diwali and
what are you doing on campus
this week?
AG: Monday we had a henna
and rangoli night in Friel Lounge.
Rangoli is a colorful sand-art
design. People decorate rangoli
outside their homes and temples.
It’s a really pretty decoration.
Tonight we have a classical music
demonstration, half an hour is
South Indian and half an hour
North Indian.
What kind of work do you do
with other religious organizations on campus?
AG: We work with Students for
Interfaith Action and the Religious
Roundtable and send representatives there. I think they have
bi-weekly discussions where they
present a topic and then have a
specific representative from each
religion give their perspective — ‘I
grew up as a Hindu and this is
what I think of this idea.’
If there were no budget limitations and you could invite any
Hindu religious figurehead or
anyone doing a lot for Hindu
awareness, who would it be
and why?
AG: Eboo Patel, the keynote
speaker at the Interfaith conference in Rochester last year. I
haven’t read a lot of his work.
He has been doing a lot of youthoriented interfaith work, which is
really cool because its presenting a
really good future, especially considering all of the religious tension.
Willis is a member of
the class of 2011.
Page 7
things you
should
know this week
Urban Dictionary word of the week:
“shelf-esteem”
(N.) when someone builds their self-esteem from self-help books.
When Donna was feeling low, Dr. Phil’s “Happiness for Dummies”
upped her shelf-esteem.
This Day in History: Nov. 18
1493: Christopher Columbus sees the island of
Puerto Rico for the first time.
1793: The Lourve, known for its similarity to Wilson Commons, officially opens in Paris, France.
1926: George Bernard Shaw refuses to accept a cash
prize for winning the Nobel Prize, because Alfred
Nobel invented dynamite.
1961: U.S. President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000
“advisers” to Vietnam.
Sexy, slick, sly, solid, strong and ... single
BY tim minahan
Comics Editor
It’s a fact that a good percentage of gossip on campus is about
who is hooking up with whom.
Relationships and sex are the
trump topics when talking with
friends. When you are constantly
asked, “Are you guys ‘a thing?’
you almost feel obligated to say
yes. This is a mysterious phenomenon that creates a selective
pressure against being single.
The single status, or at least the
single hook-up status, is almost
extinct in today’s society, but
there is nothing wrong with being single.
First of all, many of us are
single for a majority of our
lives before we enter college.
Relationships started to bud up
for us in the middle school to
high school years. You had your
first girlfriend/boyfriend, first
kiss and first time your parents
complained that the phone bill
downsides as well. We all know
was too high. Unfortunately,
those people who can’t seem to
for some, that first relationship
live without it.
sours and there is a break-up.
So why is it so hard to be
Despite the sadness and tears
single? Sometimes it is just as
after breaking up, it is more
than likely that we are thinking, simple as longing to feel wanted.
As humans, we all want to have
“Well, what now?” Many begin
to dream about their big-pimpin’ a connection to someone, no
matter how little the connection
days gone by. This is where you
may be. You may want to feel
find that being in a relationship
this connection
is a drug on par
the
to combat the
with alcohol.
feeling of loneliThat last
ness. Most of us
metaphor may
Let Sex & the CT help you
want that close
be out of left
through your most
confidante and
field, but it is
awkward sexual years.
not to menaccurate nonetion alleviating
theless. Alcohol
the frustration
and a relationof having to hear my friend’s
ship have a minimum age to
sexual ventures without the
prevent negative consequences.
power to return the favor. If all
While you are in a relationof your friends are in significant
ship or drinking, you get your
relationships, you almost feel
happy buzz. On the flip side, too
as if you should as well. This
much of either may cause you
will sometimes cause a reaction
a headache later. Relationships
make us feel good, but they have that will have you dating a large
“Sex&CT ”
UR Opinion
number of random people, staying in a bad relationship because
you are afraid to be single and
advertising your willingness to
be in a relationship through a
variety of social media. There is
no rulebook in life stating that
every human on earth must be
in bed with another human.
Sometimes you just need a teddy
bear and a Snuggie.
The benefits of the single life
are many. When single, you are
able to hang out with friends of
both genders without the hassle
of worrying about what your significant other thinks or if he/she
is having a good time. You also
won’t lose any friends if your
girlfriend turns out to be a bitch
to everyone but you. The number one reason that the single
life is great, is that you can play
the field. You can go around and
meet anyone you damn well
please without harassment.
Who knows, maybe during one
of your misadventures you meet
that special someone, but make
sure he/she is worth giving up
the freedom for.
These facts are all frustrating
to the single community. I can
not tell you the number of times
that I have heard stories of relationships gone wrong, and how
many people have just gone back
into another bad relationship. I
am not saying that I am against
relationships and that everyone
should be single, but rather that
people should respect the single
status. Not everyone wants to
be in a relationship, and some
single people just want to take
the time to find someone.
Just like those Mormon
billboards around the city, take
it from me. I’m Tim Minahan,
I’m the comics editor. I like
engineering. And hot damn, I’m
single.
Minahan is a member of
the class of 2012.
Should Four Loko be banned? Why or why not?
by matt chin
Megan Brown ’12
Kate Raffle ’14
Claire Agrawal ’11
Ki Cheng ’13
Jack Billings’13
“If it hasn’t caused more
problems than normal
alcoholic drinks, then it
shouldn’t.”
“No. People can just go
out and drink alcohol and
an energy drink if they
want to.”
“I don’t even know what
that is.”
“I would say no because
I don’t think it would prevent people from taking
advantage of the effects
Four Lokos gives them.”
“We should be required
“I feel like people are going
to drink a Four Loko and
to just start making their own
vodka punch mix with dry
Four Lokos .”
ice so the drink grows stronger as the night goes on.”
Bridget Lang and Liza
Maizel ’13
Page 8
FEATURES
Make ’em laugh
Pandemonium unfolds with the
recent ban on the loco Four Loko
By Danny Rubenstein
Columnist
Yes, the rumors are true.
The Food and Drug Administration plans to ban the alcoholic
beverage Four Loko throughout
New York State by the end of the
month.
This beverage has recently
acquired national attention due
to its supposedly dangerous
combination of the following
ingredients: Guarana, Taurine,
Caffeine, cough syrup, battery
acid, turpentine, crystal meth,
amphetamines, methamphetamines, factory run-off and,
lastly, alcohol.
Although the product is undoubtedly dangerous on paper,
nobody seems to care.
“Four Loko is totally not bad
for you at all,” senior Peter
Weng confidently exclaimed
after finishing his second Four
Loko. “I’m pre-med, so I know
what’s up and I know that it’s
awesome. Four Loko gets you all
veiny and jacked and ready for a
hot, sweaty night of dancing and
creeping on chicks.”
As it turns out, students aren’t
the only people blowing their
money on the product.
Strong Memorial Hospital has
recently spent millions of dollars
in researching the health risks
associated with Four Loko.
“It gets you really fucked
up,” cardiologist Dr. Firstname
Horwitz said. “We tested it on
rhesus monkeys in the lab and
they responded quite negatively.
They initially displayed hyperactive and energetic behavior
followed by a long period of furious masturbation. After this,
the monkeys exhibited bouts of
extreme anger and aggression
that ultimately resulted in every
subject’s death. Needless to say,
we do not recommend consuming
this beverage. Ever.”
Three fraternity brothers at
Ohio State University invented
Courtesy of Myviewsandreviews.com
The Food and Drug Administration’s ban on Four Loko has infuriated
it’s founder the extremely emotionally unstable David Jaffee.
of Four Loko straight into the
the drink in an attempt to “rage
wall.
just a little harder.” In an interThe next day, Jaffee released a
view immediately after hearing
statement to the press.
of the ban, Four Loko founder,
“It is with regret that I today
Phusion Projects CEO and horhave to inform our customers
rible speller David Jaffee, exthat Four Loko will no longer be
plained his side of the story.
available in the United States
“Listen man, so here’s the
… as a beverage,” he said. “But
deal,” a buzzed Jaffee exclaimed.
today, I am proud to introduce
“It is Tuesday night and you’re
our new ‘Fore! Loko’ brand of
about to go out and party. But
golf cart fuel!”
you’re so tired because you’ve
As it turns out, Phusion Projbeen in class all day learning
ects did not have to alter their
about stupid maths and shit. You
recipe in the slightest to produce
don’t have time to drink coffee
their new brand of high-octane
and then go pound some brews.
golf cart fuel. “You’ll drive your
You don’t have time. You need
golf cart so far, it’s Loko! Get
energy and booze. And you need
it? It’s golf cart fuel! Ahh!” said
them now, at the same time!
Jaffee, ripping off his polo and
Don’t you get it? It’s booze and
punting a golf cart straight into
energy, at the same time! How
the wall.
can it be bad for you? Ahhh!”
Rubenstein is a member of
Jaffee screamed as he ripped his
the class of 2011.
shirt off and punted his fifth can
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Harlem native finds
gold in Rochester
By Jerome Nathaniel
Features Editor
For some UR students, the
idea of staying in Rochester after graduating may seem rather
absurd.
From the moment we frantically toss our tassels and walk
the line, we are eager to hop in
our parents’ car and sing “goodbye Genesee” all the way back
home — yes, the Brain Drain
problem is real.
But seldom have we thought
of the reverse — that there are,
in fact, people who come up
from New York City in pursuit
of opportunities that exist in
Rochester’s job market. That is
precisely what Darell Medford,
of Primerica Incorporated, tried
to do in March.
Medford started working for
Primerica, an insurance and
financial advisory business,
when he lived in Harlem, N.Y.
He trained people in making
financially savvy decisions by
saving, investing and selecting
insurance that would meet their
needs and budgets.
However, when his mother
and identical twin moved to
Rochester, Medford couldn’t
help but feel a calling to come
here. Additionally, he always
wanted to work on his business
with his twin.
Once he was able to convince
his brother to hop on board in
February, he wasted no time
breaking the distance barrier.
Medford got his plane ticket
and was ready for the Rochester
market — one that he said was
in striking need of services of
his kind.
“We felt that there was a
greater need for what we do
here in Rochester and the opportunity just presented itself,”
he said. “We visited Rochester
and [saw] that there were people
here [who needed] help with
finding ways to work out their
finances.”
So far, his decision hasn’t
failed him. Since making the
transition to the old Genesee,
he has been able to recruit 20
people to help him divvy up his
heavy workload.
Just last month, he was able
to break a New York state record
by getting eight people licensed
to sell insurance in a single
month. Medford continues to
reflect on how surprised and
grateful he is for his successful
start in Rochester.
Naturally, a job of this sort
can be fairly demanding. However, Medford stays committed
to offering as much financial
training as he can to the middle
market, a market that he feels
has often been neglected by the
broader financial industry.
But he is convinced that his
tenure at Primerica will continue to grant him the opportunity
to share what he has learned.
“In the past, the only people
that helped with mutual funds
or savings were guys on Wall
Street,” he said. “But Primerica
just takes the average Joe and
says, ‘We don’t care about what
degree you have. We’re not concerned with who you are.’ We
give everyone the opportunity to
come on board [at the] ground
level, learn some great information, get educated about their
own finances and start helping
some other people improve their
finances. It’s just a great opportunity.”
With a demanding job and
a plethora of appointments
stacked in his “write-it-onpaper” word pad, Medford has
not had the typical leisure time
that we may associate with slow
moving Rochester. But he has
been able to attend weekly religious services and squeeze in
some iron-pumping minutes at
the gym.
Perhaps the most influential
trip he’s made since coming
to Rochester has been to the
George Eastman House.
“I was truly impressed by Mr.
Eastman,” he said. “He inspired
me. He’s a prime example of
what hard work and determination can bring, because he
started off with nothing. It had
me thinking, if this guy can do
it, then so can I.”
Fortunately, students that
join his team have a lot more
flexibility. He boasts that they
are able to work part-time and
earn anywhere between $500 to
$1,000 a week, depending on the
amount of work they put in.
Additionally, they have the
opportunity to get licensed to
provide insurance and financial
advice for free.
For that reason, he has been
touring colleges in Rochester
in search of new recruits. Last
Friday, he paid a visit to Nazareth College, as well as UR’s
Career Center. Medford believes
that Primerica personifies many
of the ideals that are taught in
college.
“I think it promotes everything that college is about,” he
said. “Teaming up with individuals, educating them, empowering them, and then teaming up
with others. ‘Together Everyone
Achieves More’ — that’s the
definition of team.”
Primerica was started in 1977
by Rick Williams, a former high
school football coach. He started
the company after his father invested a large amount of money
in a life insurance policy that
wound up returning a lot less
than he expected. For the past
30 years, Primerica has added
additional insurance advisory
services that target the middle
market.
While they were owned by
CitiGroup for the past 10 years,
they have returned to being
independent this year and are
currently opened on the New
York Stock Exchange.
The current president, Glenn
Williams, continues to encourage Primerica employees to help
their clients make financially
secure and profitable decisions.
As Medford and his team train
Rochester residents and teach
them how to get the best bang
for their buck in financial endeavors, he continues to look for
entrepreneurial-minded college
students to seize the opportunity to make it big in Rochester.
Medford recalled one story of a
Primerica employee who started
working with the company while
he was taking 18 credits and
working full-time at Best Buy.
Now he’s reportedly making sixfigures with the company.
Perhaps Brain Drain can be
draining your own pockets by
choosing to leave a live market.
Nathaniel is a member of
the class of 2011.
FEATURES
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Page 9
Kenyan student addresses many common
misconceptions about African culture
By Lendsey Achudi
Contributing Writer
As an African in America I
strive to make sure that others
fully understand my culture,
the depth of our education and
health system and the true richness of my people.
For most people who have
grown up outside of Africa and
have never been there, the image that they may have of the
continent is that it is a land
full of lions and other dangerous wild animals freely intermingling with human beings
in their day-to-day lives. Some
people may even think that Africa is made up almost entirely of
illiterate people who are starving due to hunger and famine,
or people blowing vuvuzelas for
every football game. For others,
it is a land of great marathon
athletes who practice barefooted
around mountains or by being
chased by lions. They assume
that is how they scoop all the
medals in the world marathons
as they did again in the recently
concluded New York City marathon on Nov. 7.
Except for a few communities such as the Maasai of Kenya
and Tanzania that live in game
reserves with the lions and
other wild animals, the rest of
the African communities do not
have direct contact with the
wild except by visiting the game
packs, game reserves and mountain forests. And if you haven’t
known this yet, the coffee you
spend your Declining on at Star-
bucks is probably from Africa.
Education-wise, I am convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that, just as in any
other continent, Africans are
very smart individuals who
can succeed in any academic
environment and continue to
be competitive in their professional fields after their studies. This has been proven by
distinguished African personalities such as the former UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan
of Ghana and Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate in 2004, Professor
Wangari Maathai from Kenya.
We even have a female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of
Liberia.
However, I also acknowledge
that a lot still needs to be done
in the education systems in Africa. In most schools there, the
buildings are poorly-constructed
mud-walls and the floors are
made of soil. Also, the roofs are
poorly maintained and made of
rusted iron sheets that let in
water when it rains.
The classes are big — some
with a teacher-to-student ratio
of one to 150 for primary school
and about one to 70 for high
school. This makes it a big challenge for teachers and generally
lowers the quality of education. At the same time private
schools, though they offer a
higher quality of education, are
very expensive for the average
African.
Generally, one’s high school
achievement is based on a
single exam — usually a national exam. Thus, transcripts
are often not that significant
for college admissions. There
are also admissions panels that
decide what course each student who scored above a certain
pass-mark has to pursue. Once
they are admitted, the student
cannot change their courses.
Consequently, there are many
people graduating with bachelor’s degrees in fields that they
do not genuinely like. Of course,
this makes them less productive
in their professional endeavors,
causing a great impediment to
the growth of the continent.
Without question, health is
a great challenge as well. Since
Africa lies within the tropics,
it is prone to tropical diseases
such as malaria, with strains
that mutate every season — it’s
difficult to find a permanent
cure. Then, due to high levels of
poverty, sanitation is a challenge
especially among the slumdwellers, who live among cholera and typhoid outbreaks.
Having very few wellequipped hospitals and a large
amount of Brain Drain has affected the health sector because
many qualified African doctors
move to developed countries —
for example, Benin, a country
in West Africa has less than 100
doctors, making the doctor-topatient ratio about one to 25,000
patients. Meanwhile, there are
hundreds of doctors from Benin
in France, its former colony.
If they stayed in Africa they
Courtesy of learningarchitecture.com
Schools in Africa, as pictured above in Kenya, face an issue of
overpopulation, with a one to 150 teacher to student ratio.
English and French are the
would be paid in peanuts while
most commonly used official
their counterparts in France
languages, although Swahili is
and other parts of the world live
currently the only local African
very comfortable lives.
language spoken in over five
As for the culture, I think
countries in eastern, central
Africans are very warm people
and southern parts of Africa.
— to the extent that most of
Who knows, Swahili could be
the local languages do not have
the common African language in
a word for ‘welcome’ because,
a couple of centuries. If you’ve
traditionally, everyone is always
watched Disney’s “The Lion
welcomed so that one doesn’t
King,” you should be proud
have to be invited.
to know a few Swahili words.
Culture cannot be complete
Your favorite, I bet, might be
without language. Thus, since
“hakuna matata,” which means
England and France were the
“no worries.”
main scramblers and colonizers
Achudi is a member of
of Africa during the height of
the class of 2014.
colonialism in the 19th century,
COMICS
Page 10
Deco
Thursday, November 18, 2010
by Peter Berris
No Joke
Joke of da Week
by Jason Silverstein
Two Weeks
by Justin Flemming
by Jason Silverstein
Shameless Plug
by Tim Minahan
The
Campus Times.
We’ll take your
article, and
we’ll print it
too.
Campus Times
It may be too late to become an executive, but you can still be
part of the greatest group since Calvin & Hobbes.
Join today.
Bored
by Patrick Greenway
Arts
Entertainment
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Page 11
Claire Cohen • Staff Photographer
Louvre’s artful performance, “Seven,” is a fascinating journey that portrays the biblical seven deadly sins through expertly choreographed group dance routines.
Louvre’s ‘Seven’ provokes the sin of gawking
by Quinlan Mitchell
Contributing Writer
For UR students who have
ever wondered what an intruiging, artistic representation of a
descent into hell looks like, last
weekend Spurrier Hall was the
place to find out.
On Saturday, Nov. 13, and
Sunday, Nov. 14, the Louvre
Performance Ensemble presented its original production,
“Seven,” detailing one woman’s
journey through a fiery inferno.
The storyline of “Seven” is
structured around the seven
deadly sins in the Bible, each of
which the main character must
face in order to earn passage out
of hell and into heaven. Relying
somewhat on spoken passages,
but mainly on dancing to relay
the narrative, the plot line is
surprisingly accessible.
The heroine of the story
(danced by guest performer
UR almuna Libby Miga ’10)
confronts seven different demons who construct challenges
based on their particular
sin. After each duet portion
between the demon and the
protagonist, a group dance
followed.
It was in these larger dances
that Louvre shone. Based on
one of the seven deadly sins,
each dance embodied a different idea through movement.
The end result was a show
with great thematic breadth —
it was thrilling in its diverse
movement categories, and was
tons of fun.
The show opened after an
introduction with the sin of
pride, which was an audacious,
large-scale dance that served
as an effective opener to grip
the audience’s attention.
The choice to use a live band
in conjunction with recorded
tracks was a smart decision, especially taking into account the
skill of the quartet from the
Eastman School of Music, who
deserve to be recognized. Audience members such as junior
Will Finnie made a point after
the show of complimenting the
“great music.”
The night continued on with
the next sin of sultry, slinky lust
creeping off the stage and into
the seats where the performers
interacted with the audience.
One dancer in particular ran her
fingers through a man’s hair,
then shoved his head aside before
returning to the stage.
The standout portions of the
night came during the group
dances for gluttony and greed.
In gluttony, wearing sheer
purple tops, the dancers started out on the floor writhing
and clutching their stomachs.
The pace soon picked up with
sharp percussive movements
and began to crescendo with
the music and the dance, reaching a climax during a series of
stunning fouette turns as the
dancers spun round and round.
The momentum of the piece
registered on a gut level that
left even the non-initiated to
dance satisfied.
Following gluttony, greed was
a deliciously sinful dance creatively laid out with the dancers fighting over a golden scarf.
The Arabian theme, while
maybe not breaking negative
cultural stereotypes, hearkened
back to childhood tales of Arabian nights and sultans with
mountains of gold. It was the
most fun dance of the night.
But what stood out more than
steps or even choreography was
the commitment of the dancers.
This was the true magic of Louvre. Revealing moments, such
as when one dancer looked longingly at the golden scarf during
the dance for greed, seemingly
unchoreographed, brought “Seven” to life.
Senior Ahmad Rehmani,
captain of the UR Bhangra
team, during intermission said
the show was “absolutely incredible.” He expressed that
the dancers seemed to “feel”
the steps and how “every single
one of them are really, really
into the show.”
Alumna Noelle Miller ’10
was most notable for her
expression and easily one of
the standout solo performers of the night. At any point
during the show one could
rely on her facial expressions
to perfectly match the tone
of the dance. An underlying
intensity and anger came
through her eyes as well,
See SEVEN, Page 14
‘Legend’ary concert returns to classic R & B stylings
by Jerome Nathaniel
Features Editor
Chills and nostalgia could be
felt up every spine at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s
Gordon Field House on Thursday, Nov. 11. A mixed crowd of
college students, elderly couples
and middle-aged men and women, who looked as if they were
prepared for a Motown anniversary, packed Gordon to hear the
six-time Grammy winner John
Legend sing and play his heart
out.
Although it was merely an
hour and 15-minute concert,
every minute was golden and
worth the discounted $18
ticket and the bus ride from
UR.
When Legend was first welcomed to the stage, every guy
who showed up to the concert
without a date had to feel somewhat awkward (including myself). The great roar that Legend
was able to illicit from even the
most timid of women was quite
impressive.
With purple-tinted lights and a
chorus of young and grown women screaming, Legend walked
toward his piano at center stage
in what resembled live slow
motion. Once he took his bow
and sat at his piano, without a
band or back-up singer in sight,
it was time for Legend to go to
work.
He didn’t fail to deliver. Legend’s relatively young career is
already multifaceted enough for
him to perform quite an impressive set. He started off with
songs from his 2004 debut album “Get Lifted.” When he performed one of the most popular
songs off of the album, “Used to
Love You,” he got the audience
to help out with the chorus. “La,
la, la, la, la, la, laaaa,” echoed
throughout the crowd every
time that Legend paused for the
audience to interject.
Naturally, everyone was swaying back and forth in their seats
when he performed selections
from his bestselling album to
date, “Evolver.” Hearing “Everybody Knows,” “Heaven Only
Knows” and “Green Light”
played only on piano added an
even classier feel to the already
genteel Legend.
Aside from his most popular
work, he even performed some
songs that were never released
off of his first mixtape. He even
played one song that he just
wrote a week prior to Thursday’s
concert.
“I just wrote this song, and
this is my first time in Rochester,” Legend told his fans. “Is
it alright if I try it out on you
guys?”
No qualms.
He also performed one song
that he wrote after being inspired by the recent documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman’,”
which is about the public school
system failing to provide for all
students.
Of course, there’s no other
way to end a Legend concert
than by closing with his first
No. 1 Billboard hit, “Ordinary
People.”
“Sometimes you want somebody you can’t have, so all you
can do is dream,” he said before
transitioning into his last few
songs.
Or so we thought.
When the concert was “over,”
Legend took a bow and headed
See LEGEND, Page 14
Jerome Nethaniel • Features Editor
John Legend delivered a passionate and soulful concert to to an
enthusiastic crowd last Thursday at RIT’s Gordon Field House.
Page 12
A&E
‘Time is making fools of us again’
Thursday, November 18, 2010
By Becky RosenBerg
A&E Editor
I’ve been waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter since I turned 11 years old. It’s a running family joke that my parents surreptitiously stole the letter and hid it in
the attic to prevent me from learning the truth about my magical heritage. Maybe 21 years old is too old to be holding out for a letter from a fictional school, but since
when do fantasies have to be rational?
I had moved to New Jersey from my home in New York City — I was in a place I knew nothing about and had no friends — when my mom insisted that I try to read
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The 309-page book was intimidating. It looked me in the face and boasted words I didn’t know or understand. Yet somewhere
between Mr. Dursley leaving for work at Grunnings and Dumbledore setting a baby Harry down on the stoop of Number Four Privet Drive, a piece of my heart was taken
captive. The little boy with black hair and glasses became my friend.
The new world that Harry discovered became my refuge. I traveled to Diagon Alley with the half-giant Hagrid and whirled down in a rickety cart, into the depths of
Gringotts Wizarding Bank. I raced into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King’s Cross Station with the redheaded Weasleys and traveled on the Hogwarts Express to
a school with characters I would come to know and love.
And so my obsession began. Obsession may be a strong word — I guess it could be considered a fascination, a passion. For the next nine years my connection to Harry
and his world of magic grew. It was as if the magic of the books had seeped off the pages and into my veins.
I once overheard my dad talking to my mom after a particularly stressful week of SAT preparation that involved screaming and shouting that rang through the house,
followed by me slamming and locking the door to my room. I didn’t sob, I didn’t call friends or go on the Internet. I went straight to my bookshelf, grabbed “Half-Blood
Prince” and commenced to read into the depths of the night.
At one point over the next few hours I unintentionally eavesdropped on my parents conversation. “You know, is it healthy for her to read the same book over and over
that many times? She treats those books like drugs, whenever she’s depressed or upset she turns straight to Harry.” My mom retorted back, “At least her drug is a book,
rather than you know, real drugs.” I couldn’t help but start laughing, and they heard me and started laughing as well.
The Harry Potter series is my childhood. Harry, Ron and Hermione taught me about friendship. Every life lesson I needed to know, I learned from Dumbledore. Fred
and George showed me the strength of laughter and Hagrid demonstrated the strength of heart. The Weasleys displayed the importance of family. Dobby’s free spirit and
perseverance expressed the power of loyalty and courage.
As soon as the film comes out, I will head over to Regal Cinema along with other UR students, as fans across the globe flock to movie theaters clad in Gryffindor house
colors, draped in wizarding robes or scarred with lightning bolts on foreheads for the midnight premiere of part one of the final installment of the series, “Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows.”
I don’t expect the films to provide an accurate reflection of the novels. That is unrealistic and would set me up for disappointment. The movie is the chance to watch the
action I have built up in my imagination play out on the big screen. It is a chance to relive the experience that I had when I read the book for the first time.
Growing up with the Harry Potter books has made me an obsessive fan as well as a young woman who loves to read and write. With Harry, I’ve cried many tears, laughed
until my stomach ached and shook with fear through all of his adventures. I still hold out hope that one day I will open my mailbox to find a very delayed letter from Hogwarts waiting for me.
Rosenberg is a member of
the class of 2012.
A&E
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The best of the Harry
Potter franchise
By Will Penney
Copy Editor
BEWARE OF SPOILERS. Our generation has grown up alongside Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley — their adventures in both the film and
book series have defined an era. J.K. Rowling created a story to which everyone
could seemingly relate — the final two films alone are predicted to gross over $1
billion. Harry’s story has been translated into 69 languages and has sold over
400 million books worldwide. And Friday, Nov. 19, “Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows: Part 1,” the first half of the final installment, premieres.
To kick off the celebrations, I have created a list of my three favorite novels
and films, respectively. The choices weren’t easy, and after much deliberation I
chose the following:
Books
3.) “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
This book was J.K. Rowling’s first novel to break the 400-page barrier. In fact,
coming in at 734 pages, it nearly doubled the length of any of the preceding books.
Thankfully though, it was not just filled with fluff — every page is action-packed.
From the Quidditch World Cup to the Triwizard Tournament, Rowling really
demonstrates her writing prowess for the first time with “Goblet of Fire.” In addition, Harry develops both as a man as a wizard: He shows off his true magical
abilities, without the aid of Hermione or Ron, in the three dangerous tasks of
the tournament. In the end, Harry is captured by Lord Voldemort and watches
him rise to his full power once again. This novel sets the stage for the following
three books and shows us Harry as we had never seen him before.
2.) “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
The “Half-Blood Prince” brings us the concept of “horcruxes” — objects that
one can hide pieces of their soul in, so as to live forever. The idea of a horcrux
inspires Harry and Dumbledore to delve into memories of Voldemort’s past.
These insights into Voldemort’s history provide greater understanding of his
motives and desires, paving the way for “Deathly Hallows.” This book deserved
the second spot because of this dark and intense look into the life our antagonist.
In the end, Harry’s mentor, Dumbledore, is murdered, leaving the wizarding
world to look for another hero to step into his robe.
1.) “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
Harry succeeds in living up to Dumbledore’s example in this novel, while also
succeeding in killing his enemy. All the storylines are neatly wrapped up and
we’re left with a happy ending. However, the book isn’t good just because our
hero wins. One of the most emotional and interesting chapters in the entire
series is contained in this book. Harry is shown memories from his nemesis and
the man who killed Dumbledore, Severus Snape. Harry learns that Snape was
as important in Voldemort’s defeat as he was himself. The defeat of Voldemort,
Snape’s memories and the entire climax help earn this book the top spot.
Movies
3.) “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
Despite its poor child acting and its campy feel, this film would rank in the
top three for nostalgia alone. However, the sophomoric feel is appropriate — it
increases the sense of wonder as we experience the wizarding world for the first
time alongside Harry. The director, Chris Columbus, did a good job of translating
the characters and the magic experience into film.
2.) “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
This is the only entry in the series that was directed by Alfonso Cuarón (“Y tu
mamá también” and “Children of Men”). Cuarón certainly left his mark on the
series — the film stands out from the rest both stylistically and thematically. His
cinematography and editing work together flawlessly to bring Rowling’s third
book to life. Cuarón takes Harry Potter and transforms it from a book into a
true cinematic experience for the first time.
1.) “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
The movie both accurately depicts the story set out in the book, but also adds
interesting elements of its own. Unlike previous films, the movie contains many
strong elements that are not originally in the novel. For example, one scene
tells a touching story about Harry’s mother and a gift she gave to her professor.
David Yates also does a fantastic job creating a dark and moody film that suits
the gloomy plot. The film ends in heartache — Dumbledore’s death. However,
the viewer is left hopeful for the entire future of Harry Potter.
Penney is a member of
the class of 2012.
Page 13
The beginning of
the end
By Mark Lipstein
Opinions Editor
The upcoming release of “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows” Part 1
marks both an amazing and incredibly sad moment for our generation. It is
truly remarkable that, seven films into the series, this movie has garnered such
buzz and excitement, from around campus to around the nation and all over the
world. Harry Potter and many of its characters have become an enduring and
enchanting part of our legacy for children, adolescents and adults alike.
What remains nearly as magical as the story itself, though, is J.K. Rowling’s
own incredible story. A single mom, on welfare, wrote a long-shot children’s
story on an old typewriter and scraps of paper in 1995. She was rejected by many
publishers before finally being accepted for a small sum by a tiny publisher,
who advised her to keep her day job. The rest is history, with the sudden and
gigantic popularity of her books, J.K. Rowling’s story has become as much of
a fairytale as her books themselves. From a tiny, troubled manuscript came a
worldwide $7 billion entertainment empire on par with “Star Wars” and “Lord
of the Rings.” It is therefore truly amazing to look back from the height that is
this upcoming movie.
In many other respects, unfortunately, this film is representative of the beginning of the end — the last hoorah of the movie series and the Harry Potter
franchise.
For as long as the people of our generation can remember, there has always
been a new Potter title on the horizon. Whether it was a book, a movie or a
game, we have always had something exciting to anticipate. The release of this
film is the recognition that this anticipatory feeling is coming to an end. It is
truly sad to imagine a world where no element of the series is a surprise. Even
though we may know the simple plot of the books, much of the excitement in
the film lies in its creative interpretation of the books’ scenes, situations and
plot twists. This element has kept many, even the most hard-nosed readers of
the books, excited for movie releases. Unfortunately, even this is soon coming
to an end. But maybe — for a little while at least — happy childhood memories
spent reading and imagining Harry Potter will suffice.
I earnestly remember my first encounter with the books — it was third grade
and our teacher had announced to the class that we would spend the middle
of the day reading a new and exciting fantasy book. Naturally, I was at first
uninterested, but as soon as my teacher began delving into the story’s rich and
imaginative world, I was immediately hooked. I remember reading and anxiously
awaiting each new book and movie.
At first, it was the pure fantasy and imagination that enraptured me. In the
story, the existence of a wizarding world right under the noses of normal society
had given me the glimmer of hope that the world Rowling created was true. Talking about the books, playing in the backyard and dressing up for Harry and the
other characters with my friends made the story come to life. I was heartbroken
when Daniel Radcliffe won Harry’s role in the movies — I felt like it had been
stolen from me. But, of course, I went to see, and loved, all the movies. Even my
parents, in light of my enthusiasm, began to read the books and accompany me
to the movies. As every new book came out, I would spend countless hours in
bed, reading in awe and apprehension, not leaving my room until every single
page had been read.
As I grew older, though, the surprise and mysticism of Rowling’s story faded.
It gave way to the fact that Harry, Ron and Hermione’s experiences at school had
mirrored mine and many others’ experiences. Dealing with awkward romance
had never seemed so familiar as when I read of Harry and Cho Chang’s embarrassing interactions.
Friendships seemed so different through the eyes of Harry, Ron and Hermione’s enduring bond — so did dealing with authority after I had read of Harry’s
mischief and insubordination. The books and movies provided insight into the
challenges of growing up.
Many of us have certainly grown up and felt connected to the world and its
characters in various ways. The beginning of the end of the series may not be a
shock to many, but it is truly bewildering that, looking back, this film has been
15 years in the making.
Harry Potter has captured the minds of millions of readers and viewers alike,
and its creation stands as a testament to the infinite possibilities of our imaginations. And now it is truly starting to sink in that the series that has been a part
of millions of lives around the world is coming to its inspired and suspenseful
conclusion.
Lipstein is a member of
the class of 2013.
Design by Cheryl Seligman
Presentation Editor
and Becky Rosenberg
A&E Editor
A&E
Page 14
Thursday, November 18, 2010
GLO’s experiment gone wrong
by Jason Silverstein
A&E Editor
The Austin, Texas duo Ghostland Observatory frequently
draw comparisons to MGMT,
which isn’t exactly fair — it’s
not like either band has a lock on
the two-guys-messing-with-electronics act. In fact, the recent
release of Ghostland Observatory’s fourth album, “Codename:
Rondo,” marks the first strong
connection between the two
bands, since “Rondo” is the only
release to top MGMT’s baffling
sophomore slump “Congratulations” as the official “what the
hell were they thinking” album
of the year.
Up until this point, GLO
had carved out an entertaining
dynamic — producer Thomas
Turner crafted glossy dance
beats, owing greatly to Daft Punk
and glam rock sounds, for singer
Aaron Behrens to lay his highpitched bravado over. The two
never pushed their shtick to any
lengths of greatness, or outside
the shadow of their obvious influences, but their albums were
inconsistent, casual fun nonetheless.
There’s fun on “Codename:
Rondo,” too — about five to 10
minutes’ worth, depending on
your taste. If you always liked
the band’s routine electronica, or
never liked it, or just hoped that
they would experiment a little
more, there’s a song or two you’ll
enjoy here, and I mean exactly
one or two songs.
Personally, I only go for the
two straight-up dance numbers:
“Give Me the Beat” is a strippeddown, unabashed disco revival
that boasts Behren’s smoothest
vocal performance to date, and
“Freeze” is almost as good at the
same trick, with a more forceful
beat. GLO has never had a problem riding a great beat for a goodenough song, and that still holds
true for these tracks.
Everything else, meanwhile,
finds the band inevitably getting into experimental mode,
which isn’t wrong in itself, but
apparently it never occurred
to these two that simply “experimenting” a lot doesn’t help
when each experiment is a
Codename: Rondo
Ghostland
Observatory
Rating: 2/5
Listen to: “Give me the
Beat” and “Freeze”
failure.
With the other eight songs on
“Codename: Rondo,” you basically have a choice of which stylistic
indulgence you’d like to hear
GLO half-heartedly recycle. Is
the band worse at imitating LCD
Soundsystem with the low-range
grind “Time,” or at imitating
Gary Glitter’s arena rock with
the oh-so-cleverly named opener,
“Glitter”? Is Behrens, who seems
to be doing everything he can to
restrain and conceal his signature
yelping, less convincing at his
first ballad, “Mama,” or at the
fake British accent he brings out,
for some reason, in “Miracles”?
And really, which song is more
terrible: “Body Shop,” which runs
grade-level double entendres into
the ground, or “Kick Clap Speaker,” where a computerized voice repeats those three words again and
again over pedestrian rave thumping? So many questions, such little
incentive to keep listening.
GLO has run into these flaws
before — each of their albums
has had a few blatantly derivative
songs and at least one electronoise dud. But they’ve always
known better than to pursue
those sounds all the way through,
and “Codename: Rondo” marks
the first time they really just
sound like two guys messing
around with “cool” computer effects long enough to formulate 35
minutes of material.
There’s one song, though, where
the band does at least seem aware
of how this all must sound to other
people. “That’s Right” is a slice of
overtly dumb “rawk” comprised
only of three guitar chords, a onetwo drum beat and stunningly
idiotic lyrics (“Hey there sister I
got a little question for you/You’ve
got a pretty little thing that your
mama must’ve given to you”) —
only Behrens’s singing is digitally
slowed down to a computerized
croak, emphasizing the song’s own
stupidity and that of similar, less
jokey sex songs.
It’s a funny song on its own,
but like everything else on
“Codename: Rondo,” it doesn’t
feel at home on this album.
Probably because it doesn’t
make sense for this band to
parody minimalistic banality on
one song while fully embracing
it everywhere else.
Silverstein is a member of
the class of 2013.
Jason Silverstein • A&E editor
Junior Megan Leyrer and a very lucky piano will be in TOOP’s
“Hot ‘N’ Throbbing” this weekend (see Events Calendar, Page 2).
Legend: Staying classy
C ontinued from P age 11
off the stage. But when everyone
crowded toward the exit, there
was suddenly a voice coming back
from the stage.
“I know that you guys have
homework and everything, but
is it alright for me to do just one
more song?”
Again, no qualms. Everyone
who had nosebleed seats stampeded toward the front of Gordon to
hear Legend perform “So High”
and “This Time.” That time, he
was done for the night.
Legend’s concert, with no backup singers, bands, hype men or
dancers, was yet another testimony to the great nostalgia that
Legend offers the R&B and soul
world — that all an artist needs is
their talent and their crowd.
There wasn’t a moment that
Legend didn’t acknowledge his fans,
nor was there a moment when he
abandoned his gifts. In between
every song, he spoke to his fans
and continued to play a tune before
transitioning into the next one.
Every audience member felt as if
Legend were having a one-on-one
chat with them over brunch. And
when he took the time to shake as
many hands as he could after the
concert, one couldn’t help but feel as
if Legend were a close friend of their
family.
We can only hope that he isn’t
just a mirage of the golden days, but
a sign of things to return.
Nathaniel is a member of
the class of 2011.
Seven: Sinfully great
Courtesy of Wikemediacommons.com
Ghostland Observatory, who have independently released all their music, are famous for their trippy
live performances. It’s best to skip their new album and catch a concert, with or without drugs.
C ontinued from P age 11
reminding the audience that they
were dealing with demons.
The group as a whole carried
the performance, however. No
matter which dancer an audience
member might have chosen to
watch on stage, the experience
would have been satisfying.
In both technical skill and performance Louvre carries no dead
weight. Rehearsing 10-12 hours a
week can do that. “Our bodies do get
pretty beat up,” Louvre President
and senior Sami Johnson said. But
Louvre was founded on the principle
of creating “a small group of advanced, technically trained dancers”
to bring dance to UR.
A fledgling group in only its second
year, Louvre seems set to have an impact
on the campus, and one might already say
they have surpassed existing groups.
“Watching this group go from absolutely nothing to where we are now is
mind blowing and we intend to only
grow from here,” Johnson said.
Time will tell if Louvre can live up
to their full potential, as they didn’t
satisfy everyone with “Seven.” One
woman in the audience criticized the
music and choreography.
But she qualified her statement by
saying she is “used to watching the
Rochester City Ballet.”
Louvre certainly is not the Rochester City Ballet, but it might just be
one of the best ensembles at UR.
Mitchell is a member of
the class of 2013.
M ov i e T i m e s
UR Cinema Group
The Little Theatre
Friday
Hoyt Auditorium
Saturday
Salt
7:00, 9:00, 11:00
The Good Heart
7:00, 9:00, 11:00
Heartbreaker
Fair Game
Conviction
Nowhere Boy
Waiting for Superman
The Girl Who Kicked the
Hornet’s Nest
Playlist
10
songs to sample
By:
Will Penney
Copy Editor
•
•
Friday and Saturday
240 east avenue
Call for times (585) 232-3906
1. “Speechless”
6.
“You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth”
2. “Whistle For The Choir”
7. “Cold as Ice”
3. “NYC’s Like a Graveyard”
8. “Prelude/ Angry Young Man”
4. “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”
9. “Bizarre Love Triangle”
5. “Old Man”
Neil Young
10. “Put your Hands Up”
Benny Benasi and the Biz
Lady GaGa
The Fratellis
The Moldy Peaches
The White Stripes
Meat Loaf
Foreigner
Billy Joel
New Order
SPORTS
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Ringside Commentary
Best of all time?
BY Jerome Nathaniel
Features Editor
Whoever still thinks that size
matters obviously hasn’t seen
the Filipino phenomenon Manny
“Pac-man” Pacquiao at work. On
Saturday, the 5’6”, 147-pound Filipino slugger turned congressman
shocked his critics in yet another
annihilation of a naturally bigger
man.
This time, Pac-man pounded
the controversial power-puncher
Antonio Margarito, who had a five
inch height and 17-pound weight
advantage, in front of a crowd of
41,700 roaring fans in the Dallas
Cowboys Stadium, as well as 1.4
million pay-per-view buys. The
12 round beating was so severe
that Margarito needed to undergo
reconstructive eye surgery for a
broken orbital-bone on Tuesday —
a potentially career-altering injury
for any athlete. Meanwhile, Pacman spent his Tuesday performing
at a concert at Lake Tahoe, Nev.
for his adoring fans. The victory
improved Pac-man’s record to 523-2, while Margarito fell to 38-7.
While Pac-man’s victory was
about as lopsided as a kindergartner’s first drawing (one judge gave
him all 12 rounds, 120-108, while
the other gave him all but the sixth
round, 119-109, and the other 10
rounds, 118-110), the commentary
leading up to the fight suggested
otherwise.
Throughout “Pacquiao-Margarito 24/7,” a four-week documentary
of the fighters’ training camps
leading up to fight night, Pac-man’s
camp looked far less intense then
the trademark Wildcard Gym
workouts that he made famous.
Legendary trainer Freddie Roach
constantly complained about his
fighter spending more time on his
political career than boxing. Roach
had every reason to be concerned
— in the second episode, Pac-man
flies in from a congress meeting in
the Philippines, to Roach’s gym in
California, to a political showing
with Nevada Democratic Senior
Senator Harry Reid all in one
week. On the contrary, Margarito
was destroying his heavy bag and
boasting about how he was going to
embarrass the smaller man.
Fans also had every reason to
worry that Pac-man, who started
boxing at the age of 14 at the
minimum weight of 104 pounds,
and won nine different belts in
seven different weight classes (the
most in boxing history followed
by Oscar De La Hoya’s old record
of six weight classes), had finally
moved up too much in his quest to
conquer the Junior Middleweight
Division (154).
On top of all the distractions and
physical disadvantages, Margarito
had a lot to prove to the boxing
world, as well as to himself. Saturday’s matchup was Margarito’s
first match in America since having
his license suspended two years
ago for attempting to use plastersoaked hand wraps in his megafight against “Sugar” Shane Mosley
(Mosley knocked him out him in the
ninth round — the only man who
has been able to stop Margarito to
date). For him, a victory over the
greatest fighter of our generation,
and possibly of all time, would be
the sweetest redemption in front
of his large following of Mexican
fans.
But Pac-man proved that heart
defies nature. The scariest part of
it all was his continued demonstration of humbleness. For the man
that called him “punto” throughout
his training camp and mocked the
pride of the Philippines, Pac-man
admitted to holding off on him in
the later rounds. In the 11th round,
Pac-man even asked the referee to
stop the fight amidst another one
of his seven-punch combos. Indeed,
the Cowboys Stadium wasn’t too far
from a Roman spectacle that night
— I even found myself screaming
for more blood to be pounded out
of the already red and swallowed
carcass of Margarito.
“Boxing is not for killing,”
Pacquiao said in the post-fight interview. “I did not want to damage
him permanently. That’s not what
boxing is about.”
On an ESPN poll following
the fight, 90 percent of viewers
complained that the fight should
have been stopped early. But as
Margarito proclaimed, mirroring
many of the Mexican legendary
fighters who fought before him,
“We fight to the death.”
As usual, the next question that
every boxing and non-boxing fan
alike asked is “What would happen if he fought Floyd “Money”
Mayweather?” At this point, I’d
like to turn the question over:
Why does it still matter? Clearly,
Pac-man has proven that his career
far outshines that of Money. At
this point, Money needs Pac-man
more than Pac-man needs Money.
Pacquiao will certainly go on the
list of pound-for-pound greats like
Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray
Leonard — even exceeding them
on some lists.
On the contrary, Money’s impressive career will forever be stigmatized by his avoidance of a fight with
a naturally smaller man who he’s
already publically insulted, called
a “steroid user” and poked fun at
for being Filipino and allegedly
having dog on his menu. Whether
or not the fight happens won’t take
anything away from Pacquiao.
My only concern is if it is fair to
put a freak of nature in a hall of
fame with ordinary men. No matter how small he is, no matter how
he is always an underdog in every
single fight, my father has solved
the riddle of Pac-man in the frankest terms possible. Simply put, he’s
just extraordinary.
Nathaniel is a member of
the class of 2011.
Continued from Page 16
Each one learned and grew from
their memorable season.
“We beat numerous ranked opponents throughout the season,
including UAA Champion Chicago
[University],” Ross said. “All season
long we talked about working hard
and not letting down the other
10 people on the field, and it was
awesome to see how people took
it to heart and really worked hard
every day.”
The loss on Saturday marks the
end of a hall of fame caliber coaching
career for Gurnett. The women’s
soccer landscape has forever been
changed by his remarkable ability
to win games in his 34 years. The
team must now move ahead, hoping
create new legacies.
“Terry is someone who is irreplaceable,” Varin said. “Unless
you have had Terry as a coach you
can’t understand just how great
he is. He genuinely cares about
every single person on every one
of his teams.”
Manrique is a member of
the class of 2012.
Tourney: Season ended
Page 15
athlete of the week
Amy Woods
By Nate Mulberg
Staff Writer
Last year women’s basketball
team made it all the way to the Final Four of the
NCAA Tournament before
losing to Hope
College, 76-63.
This year the
Yellowjackets
opened up
their season
with a heartbreaking 53-52 loss to Medaille
College. Sophomore forward/center
Amy Woods stepped up big in the
game providing needed points and
boards.
Expectations are extremely high
for a Yellowjacket team that is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation
by d3hoops.com and has a number
of key returning players, including
senior guard Melissa Alwardt (13.9
points per game and 7.2 rebounds
per game last season) and junior
forward/center Jodie Luther (11.6
points per game and 5.7 rebounds
per game last season). A key to the
UR playbook is Woods (5.9 points
per game and six rebounds per game
last season).
The Yellowjackets had a difficult
time scoring consistently throughout the Medaille game, as the team
shot a combined 31.7 percent (20
of 63) from the floor. Woods, who
earned All-University Athletic
Association Honorable Mention
last season, was one of the lone
bright spots for the Yellowjackets,
as she contributed a double-double
performance with 14 points and 10
rebounds.
When did you start playing
competitive basketball?
I started playing competitively in
second grade. From there on out I
started playing [Amateur Athletic
Union] basketball.
What are your goals this year
for the basketball season, both
individually and team-wise?
Being a bigger contributor individually and being able to step
up when the team needs it is my
goal. Team-wise, we made it to
the Final Four last year and we
want to go back, win the UAA
and then hopefully win a national
championship.
How will the team keep from
Campus Times File Photo
being complacent this year
and stay motivated to improve
on last year’s Final Four finish?
I think the game against Medaille was kind of a wake up call.
We had trouble hitting shots and
it made us realize that we really
can’t take a day off in practice.
When you are ranked top five in
the country, everyone is coming
after you every game and you have
a target on your back. So we really
have to keep working hard.
What does the team need to
improve on to rebound from
the Medaille loss and hopefully get a win this Friday
versus Ithaca College?
I think we need to work on being
more patient on offense. We had
open shots and we played good
defense against Medaille, we just
weren’t hitting our shots.
What pressures come with
being ranked so high in the
pre-season national basketball poll?
It’s something that is really
cool that we’re there, but we can’t
really think about it because so
many people want to beat us. We
just have to play our game and
focus on winning each individual
game.
What are you studying at UR
and what do you see yourself
doing after college?
I am majoring in public health
and minoring in Spanish. I definitely want to pursue something
in the health field, or maybe go
abroad and use Spanish in something that I do.
Who is your favorite professional basketball player and
why?
I am a big Chris Paul fan because
he went to Wake Forest [University] and I am a Wake Forest fan.
I also like how he leads his team
really well.
What is the single best part
about being a member of the
women’s basketball team?
Definitely the friends that I have
here. All of my teammates are my
best friends here, and I know I can
count on them on and off the court.
I think that’s why we have been so
successful in recent years because
of how much we all get along with
one another.
Mulberg is a member of
the class of 2014.
This Week in Sports
Friday, November 19
•Women’s Basketball vs. Ithaca University at the Chuck Resler Tournament, 6 p.m.*
•Men’s Basketball vs. St. Lawrence University at the Chuck Resler Tournament, 8 p.m.*
SATURDAY, November 20
•Men’s and Women’s Swimming at Franklin & Marshall College, Washington & Lee University and
Carnegie Mellon University, 11 a.m.
•Men’s Cross Country at NCAA Championships, 11 a.m.
•Squash at St. Lawrence University, 2 p.m.
•Squash at Hobart College, 4:30 p.m.
•Men’s Basketball vs. Babson University at the
Chuck Resler Tournament, 8 p.m.*
Sunday, November 21
•Squash at Vassar College, 10 a.m.
Tuesday, November 23
•Women’s Basketball vs. Elmira College, 6 p.m.*
•Men’s Basketball vs. Nazareth College, 8 p.m.*
*denotes home competition
Stat of the Week
5
The number of DI opponents the women’s crew team beat in the Varsity 4 competition at the Braton- Frostbite
Regatta in Philadelphia this past Saturday. They finished 2:81 seconds ahead of Western Virginia University.
S p o rt s
Campus Times
Page 16
Results
Women’s
Basketball
(0-1)
Nov. 13: Medaille College
52-53 (L)
Men’s Cross
Country
Nov. 13: NCAA Atlantic
Regional Tournament.
The team finished in fourth
place out of 38 teams.
Women’s Cross
Country
Nov. 13: NCAA Atlantic
Regional Tournament.
The team finished in 15th
place out of 33 teams.
Football
(4-5)
Liberty League standings:
1. St. Lawrence (5-1)
2. Rensselaer (4-2)
3. Hobart (3-3)
3. Merchant Marine (3-3)
3. UR (3-3)
6. Union (2-4)
7. WPI (1-5)
Nov. 13: Hobart College
35-34 (W) [2 OT]
Women’s Rowing
Nov. 13-14 BraxtonFrostbite Regattas
The Varsity 8 finished
in fourth place out
of six teams.
The Varsity 4 team
finished in first place
out of five teams.
The Freshman 8 team
finished in second place
out of five teams.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Runners to take their talents to Iowa Women’s
By Brandon Manrique
Sports Editor
The men’s cross country
team lit up the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships
over the weekend, finishing
in the top five out of over 35
teams. The impressive finish
was enough to get them one
of the 16 NCAA championships at large bids.
“Our team performed at a
level that we knew we were
capable of,” junior James
Vavra said. “We ran a smart
race and stuck with the guys
that we needed to run with.
We knew going into the
meet who the teams to beat
were so we just had to run
accordingly.”
The team will rely on
strong upperclassmen to
catapult them onto the
national scene. Vavra, who
was the top finisher for the
Yellowjackets and took 18th
place at the race last week,
will be looked upon to lead
the charge.
UR will also need the guidance of senior Brian Lang,
who competed at nationals
last season in Cleveland,
Ohio. While he didn’t finish
in the top half last season,
his experience will give the
Yellowjackets that extra
boost.
“Our guys ran really well
this weekend, they stayed
calm and didn’t let the opportunity slip away,” Lang
said. “If we can do that
next weekend, we have the
chance to do something really special.”
Adding to the accomplishments at the Atlantic
Regionals, Vavra, Lang
and seniors Daniel Lane,
Craig Baumgartner and
Jon Pinto all received AllRegion honors for their top
35 finishes.
“I know the guys are excited about the bid to nationals, but as a coach I am most
pleased that they feel the
best is yet to come,” men’s
head coach John Izzo said.
“I have great faith that they
will rise to the occasion.”
Also making it into the
NCAA Championships was
junior Hillary Snyder, who
runs for the women’s team.
She was one of the lucky 56
that were not on a NCAA
qualifying team to make it
into the tournament.
She led the Yellowjackets
at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships, finishing in 12th place out of the
236 individual competitors.
soccer
upset in
NCAAs
CHristina HSU • Staff Photographer
The men’s cross country team took a fifth place at the
NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships last weekend.
The team behind Synder
finished in 15th place out of
the 33 teams that raced.
“I am very excited that
Hillary is getting a chance to
run at nationals,” women’s
head coach Barbara Hartwig
said. “It’s a great experience.
I am also glad she is a junior,
as you learn a lot that first
time and hopefully she can
go again as a senior. She ran
a smart race and closed really well.”
Manrique is a member of
the class of 2012.
Men end season in first round of playoffs
Men’s Soccer
(10-3-5)
UAA standings:
1. NYU (4-0-3)
2. WashU (4-1-2)
3. Emory (3-2-2)
3. UR (3-2-2)
5. Case Western (3-4)
6. Carnegie Mellon (2-4-1)
7. Chicago (2-4-1)
8. Brandeis (1-5-1)
Nov. 13: Medaille College
0-1 (L)
Women’s Soccer
(12-5-3)
UAA standings:
1. Chicago (6-1)
2. Emory (4-1-2)
3. Brandeis (4-3)
4. UR (3-2-2)
4. WashU (3-2-2)
6. Carnegie Mellon (2-5)
6. NYU (2-5)
8. Case Western (1-6)
Nov. 12: Western Connecticut
State University
1-0 (W)
Nov. 13: SUNY Oneonta
0-1 (L)
Men’s Swimming
Nov. 13: Union College
147-147 (T)
Kevin Howard won the 100and 200-yard backstroke.
He also won the 200-yard
medley relay with Sam
Wilshire, Adam Bossert
and Alex King.
Women’s Swimming
Nov. 13: Union
162-136 (W)
Stephanie Bolin won the
100- and 200-yard butterfly.
Cailee Caldwell won the 200and 500-yard freestyle.
Hannah Bazarian • Staff Photographer
Junior Tom Sorrentino gave UR a chance by playing solid defense in the midfield against Medaille College.
By Will penney
Copy Editor
This past Saturday Nov. 13
in Swarthmore, Penn., the
men’s soccer team’s season
was brought to a disappointing end. UR faced Medaille
College in the first round of
the NCAA Division III Championships and lost 1-0.
Even with four players
named to the All-University
Athletic Association team
(senior defender Misha
Carrel-Thomas and senior
midfielder Steve Welles were
named first team All-UAA,
while junior midfielder
Max Eberhardt and senior
midfielder Jimmy Parrinello
were given honorable men-
tions) the Yellowjackets
could not hold back their
opponents. Medaille scored
early in the seventh minute
of the game — freshman
goalie Mike Moranz’s only
miss of the game. Both teams
had four shots on goal, and
Moranz made his three remaining saves.
UR pressed hard late in
the first half and produced
four corner kicks within a
few minutes. Overall, the
’Jackets had 10 corner kicks
to Medaille’s two. In the final 10 minutes of the game,
UR kept up their aggressive
attempts for the tying goal.
Eberhardt shot from inside
the box with eight minutes to
go, but it was deflected.
Shortly after, Eberhardt
again attempted to score
with only two minutes remaining in play by heading
sophomore midfielder Jakob
Seidlitz’s corner kick, but
it was blocked. Despite the
teams best efforts, Medaille’s defense and sophomore
goalie Nick Kurtz prevented
all of their scoring opportunities.
The men’s soccer team
finished the season with a
record of 10-3-5. Medaille’s
record moved to 16-4-2 after
the match. This year was the
Yellowjackets’ sixth straight
showing in the NCAA playoffs, and the third consecu-
tive UAA Championship.
Head coach Chris Apple
was disappointed with the
men’s loss, but was proud
of their determination and
effort in the game and
throughout the season.
“The result against Medaille was terribly disappointing,” Apple said. “We
pressed and pressed to get
the equalizer and in the end
simply ran out of time. I
was extremely proud of the
boys for the effort they gave
and the way they represented themselves and the
university on the night and
throughout the season.”
Penney is a member of
the class of 2012.
By Brandon Manrique
Sports Editor
In what looked like a promising postseason, the women’s
soccer playoff run was abruptly ended in the second round
of the NCAA playoffs.
In head coach Terry
Gurnett’s final game, the
Yellowjackets were outmatched by a tough SUNY
Oneonta squad. UR was looking for revenge after losing to
Oneonta in their second game
of the season but was unable
to keep up.
“A second round loss in the
NCAA tournament was not all
we could have hoped for in our
postseason, but we played a
hard game and unfortunately
Oneonta was able to beat us,”
junior forward Ellen Coleman
said. “I wish we could have
put together a postseason
run worthy of Terry’s final
season, but we got cut down
a little early.”
The women started off
their postseason campaign
on Friday against Western
Connecticut State University.
With less than four minutes
into regulation, senior forward Brittany Huber passed
the ball into the box where senior forward Bridgette Varin
was waiting to score.
UR played strong defense
after the quick goal to keep
Western Connecticut’s offense at bay. UR allowed
one shot on goal, which was
blocked by sophomore goalie
Bridget Lang, who was getting
her first start in her postseason career.
“We scored very early in
the game, which was huge for
us,” senior forward/midfielder
Kirsten Ross said. “We have
been having trouble scoring
in the first half, and that
goal really helped us to gain
momentum early and control
the game.
The women had to clear
their minds for an early turnaround game against Oneonta
the next afternoon. The game
was tight throughout the first
half, with each team getting
scoring opportunities.
Midway through the second
half, Oneonta drove the ball
from end to end, breaking
down UR defense and eventually scoring the first and
winning goal of the match.
“We didn’t get the result
we wanted on Saturday, but
overall I felt that everyone
stepped up and gave a really
great effort this weekend,”
Huber said. “We all worked
really hard for each other and
for Terry. It was an emotional
weekend for everyone.”
Despite losing in the second
round, the season was not a
lost cause for the women.
See TOURNEY, Page 15