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February 3, 2012 issue of Reporter Magazine.
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02.03.12 reportermag.com
Why We Cheat
Honing Your Study SkillsStudy smarter, not harder.
Survival of the FittestHow HvZ became a wellness course.
What makes us cheat, and how does RIT respond?pg 16
pg 18
pg 25
Reporter Magazine is published weekly during the academic year by a staff comprised of students at Rochester Institute of Technology. Business, Editorial and Design facilities are located in Room A-730, in the lower level of the Campus Center. Our phone number is 1.585.475.2212. The Advertising Department can be reached at 1.585.475.2213. The opinions expressed in Reporter do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute. “The one guy I’ve been following fpr a couple of months... I have no idea who he is.” - AR Letters to the Editor may also be sent to [email protected]. Reporter is not responsible for materials presented in advertising areas. No letters will be printed unless signed. All letters received become the property of Reporter. Reporter takes pride in its membership in the Associated Collegiate Press and American Civil Liberties Union. Copyright © 2012 Reporter Magazine. All rights reserved. No portion of this Magazine may be reproduced without prior written permission.
PleaseRecycle
A DIVISION OF RESPECT
During his annual State of the Institute address earlier this week, President Destler announced that the Women’s Hockey team would be making the move from Division III to Division II competition (see “Women’s Hockey Goes Division I” pg. 5). With the move, they will join the Men’s team as RIT’s sole representation in the Division. It’s a move that couldn’t come soon enough.
For a school that prides itself on its devoted hockey fanaticism, it’s pretty astonishing how little regard the population has for the women’s team. Over the course of last week, the tension built as RIT geared up for the first Men’s hockey home game of 2012. All across campus students could be heard griping about how long (a full seven weeks) it had been since the last game – never mind the fact that the team’s female counterparts had played four games in Ritter Arena since the New Year.
It’s not as if the Women’s team is composed of athletic slouches. Last year they finished as the #2 team in the nation after a heartbreaking loss to the Norwich Cadets last March. This year the team is on track for a repeat performance, though hopefully with a happier ending. Plus, a women’s hockey game at Ritter is completely free. No pesky $5 tickets here.
There is, of course, token appreciation for the Lady Tigers. Every season, there’s that one game designated for attendance by the rabid Tigers fans. And sometimes, when the ladies are on a roll in the playoff, the school deigns it appropriate to support the team — though they are still playing an obvious second fiddle to the men.
Maybe with the divisional upgrade, with more games against tougher opponents, some of the stigma against the women’s team will fade. Besides, with their new, busier schedule, there’s sure to be a pair of Division I hockey games filling the forthcoming Gene Polisseni center almost every weekend.
James A. Arn EDITOR IN CHIEF
EDITOR IN CHIEF James Arn
MANAGING EDITOR Brendan Cahill
COPY EDITOR Nathaniel Mathews
NEWS EDITOR Vasia Ivanov
LEISURE EDITOR Evan Williams
FEATURES EDITOR Alex Rogala
INTERIM SPORTS EDITOR Brendan Cahill
VIEWS EDITOR Brett Slabaugh
WRITERS Stephanie Beach, Nick Bovee, Kayla
Emerson, Nick Gawreluk, Victor Group, Nolan
Harris Jr., Nilan Lovelace, Peter LoVerso, Steven
Markowitz, Evan Williams
ARTART DIRECTOR Bradley Patrie
SENIOR STAFF DESIGNER Lauren Bolger
STAFF DESIGNERS Natalie Talis, Brittany Colton
PHOTO EDITOR Juan Madrid
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Neal Danis
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Brett Carlsen,
William Ingalls, Joshua Kuckens,
Max Hautaniemi, William Palmer
STAFF ILLUSTRATOR Justyn Iannucci
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Amber Gartung,
Zac Retz, Justine Raymond, Kayla Tucker,
Dan Alsheimer
CARTOONIST Justyn Iannucci
BUSINESSPUBLICITY MANAGER Anna Hazelwood
AD MANAGER Julia Morrow
BUSINESS MANAGER Lia Hoffmann
PRODUCTION MANAGER Nicholas Gawreluk
ONLINE PRODUCTION MANAGER Jake DeBoer
ADVISOR Rudy Pugliese
PRINTING Printing Applications Lab
CONTACT 1.800.970.5406
Rochester, NY--1/28/12--A figure skater performs in between the 2nd and 3rd period of Saturday’s game between RIT and Mercyhurst. photograph by Joshua Kuckens
NEWS4. News DeskWomen’s Hockey to go DI.
6. Dr. King’s Legacy Honored at RITMartin Luther King Jr.’s work remembered.
9. Rochester After Kodak’s BankruptcyHow Kodak restructuring will affect RIT.
LEISURE10. ReviewsA shooter preview and a new album.
11. At Your LeisureSacralgia strikes again.
13. The Art of RhymeRIT’s Freestyle Friday.
15. So a Teenager and a Tiger Walk into a BarComedy showcase at Boulder Coffee.
FEATURES16. Why We CheatWhat makes us cheat, and how does RIT respond?
18. Honing Your Study SkillsStudy smarter, not harder.
SPORTS22. RIt Hockey Versus MercyhurstThe Tigers take first in AHA standings.
25. Survival of the FittestHow HVZ became a wellness course.
VIEWS26. Word on the StreetIf you were a supervillian, what would your evil sceme be?
29. SOPA OperaThe continuing saga of anti-piracy legislation
30. RingsBiting off more than you can chew.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 02.03.12 | VOLUME 61 | ISSUE 17
cover illustration by Zac Retz
4 News | 02.03.12 5
BEYOND THE BRICKS compiled by Steven Markowitz & Vasia Ivanov | illustration by Dan Alsheimer FORECAST compiled by Evan Williams
Megaupload Shut Down by FBI
On Thursday, January 19, the FBI and the Department of Justice shut down popular file sharing website Megaupload.com. New Zealand police arrested Megaupload founder Kim Schmitz (known as Kim Dotcom) and four others, all of whom have been charged with felony copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit money laundering and racketeering. Though the company’s website listed hip-hop producer Kasseem Dean (known by the stage name Swizz Beatz) as CEO, Dean’s lawyer states that he had never officially taken the position.
Copyright holders claim Megaupload has cost them around $500 million in lost revenue, while producing $175 million in criminal profit. Schmitz made $42 million off the site in 2010, and was denied bail due to available funds and known false identities.
Critics of the arrest claim that the U.S. should not have the power to arrest foreign citizens over copyright laws, and that Megaupload technically only offered online storage that people could use however they chose. A statement from the company pleads its innocence: “The fact is that the vast majority of Mega[upload]’s internet traffic is legitimate … If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue.”
The site had 150 million users and approximately 50 million hits per day before it was shut down.
BRICK BEAT by Steven Markowitz
Women’s Hockey Goes Division I
During his State of the Institute Address on Wednesday, January 25, RIT President William Destler announced that the Women’s Hockey Team will officially be moving from Division III to Division I.
Switching divisions is a two-year process: The first year is a probationary season, followed by a second probationary year with a full Division I schedule. The year after that, the team will officially be Division I. Currently, the school hopes to begin the process this upcoming fall, for the 2012–2013 school year.
One reason for the school to pursue the switch now is the recent expiration of a four-year moratorium enacted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) in August 2007, which prevented any school from pursuing Division I membership. The moratorium expired this past August, and since then RIT has been actively looking into the switch and its benefits — for both the athletic department and the community.
Destler stated in his address that the administration already has plans to cover the higher costs of running a Division I team. Besides these increased costs, the team will play 34 games a year instead of the current 25 games per year.
RIT believes that the switch will increase publicity in the media and gather greater interest among students and faculty, as well as giving the Women’s Hockey team the chance many students thought they deserved.
“This adjustment is long overdue,” says Student Government President Greg Pollock. “Our women’s hockey team has had a phenomenal track record, and this is what we have to show for it … we’re finally putting RIT on the map.”
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Obama’s Would-Be Assassin Pleads Not Guilty
Oscar Ortega-Hernandez pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, January 24 to the attempted assassination of President Barack Obama this past November 11. He will remain in custody until a set trial date.
Ortega-Hernandez allegedly drove up to the White House, rolled down his window and fired a few rounds from his assault rifle at the building before driving away. He later crashed on a bridge to Virginia and continued to flee on foot. He was arrested several days later in a Pennsylvania motel, where he admitted to hitchhiking from Washington D.C.
An FBI agent testified that the rounds found in the White House were from Ortega-Hernandez’s rifle, which was left in his crashed car. His fingerprints were found on the ammunition — but not on the gun — and Idaho residents identified the gun as belonging to Ortega-Hernandez.
Ortega-Hernandez claimed that he was car-jacked earlier that day by a man with a gun, and that he has never owned a gun.
When interviewed by a psychologist, Ortega-Hernandez was found competent and able to understand the allegations against him, and aid in his own defense. If convicted, he would face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
On Sunday, January 22, legendary football coach Joe Paterno passed away from complications from lung cancer. Paterno, 85, was the head coach for the Penn State football team for the last 45 years, but was fired last November due toallegations that he had not responded properly in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
Paterno died surrounded by his family at State College’s Mount Nittany Medical Center. Said the family in a statement: “His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled.”
In the wake of his death, several well-known figures spoke out in support of the affectionately known “JoePa.” Said former U.S. President George H.W. Bush: “He was respected not only on the field of play, but in life generally — and he was, without a doubt, a true icon in the world of sports.”
Joe Paterno Dead at 85
Skate for a CauseFrank Ritter Ice Arena (RIA, 02). 7 - 11 p.m. Come skate on the rink with the Women in Business organization as they raise money for local charities! Cost: $3.
Led Zeppelin Laser Show and Dave Matthews Band Laser ShowStrasenburgh Planetarium, 657 East Avenue. 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.That’s right: every Saturday this month will feature back-to-back laser shows, featuring the music from “the heaviest band of all time” and the jam band to end all jam bands. Cost: $9 for one show, $13 for both.
Student Government Super Bowl PartyGordon Field House and Activities Center (GOR, 24). 5 - 11 p.m. Come watch the Giants vs. Patriots Super Bowl rematch on multiple massive screens — free food and drinks provided! Cost: Free.
Conable Global Film Series: “Amistad”Golisano Auditorium, Golisano Hall (GOL, 70). 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. The College of Liberal Arts presents this gripping story of slavery, followed by a discussion of international films. Pizza and refreshments will be served. Cost: Free.
“Inside the Mind of the Recruiter: 5 Things to Know for a Job Search”www.rit.edu/co-op. 12 - 1 p.m. The Office of Cooperative Education presents an online webinar lead by Joe Keith, the Talent Acquisition Manager at Blackbaud — the leading provider of software applications to the non-profit industry. Keith will share insider tips and experiences from his career as a recruiter. Cost: Free.
Glass Flower SaleLobby, Student Alumni Union (SAU, 04). 2 - 5 p.m. The RIT Glass Guild will be selling beautiful glass flowers, just in time for Valentine’s Day! Cost: $10-$15.
“This is Not Cake”The Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. 8 p.m. Love the band Cake but can’t afford their continually rising ticket prices? Well then check out the cover band “This is Not Cake,” with guests Dan Coyle and Collin Jones. Cost: $7 for 18+, $5 for 21+.
6 News | 02.03.12 7
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by Nolan Harris Jr. | photograph by Max Hautaniemi
LEGACY LEGACY HONORED AT RIT
DR. KING’S
There is something about “that moment” — that certain juncture in time when a chance convergence of passion, intellect and artistry happens, and imparts inspiration to those sharing in that moment.
hat moment came to RIT on January 23, when the greater Rochester community and RIT’s college constituency gathered to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His legacy
was supported by several vanguards found in the arts via poet Joshua Bennett; noted dance choreographer Garth Fagan; and in the academy and social justice of public intellectual Dr. Cornel West.
Monday’s 30th rendition of RIT’s “Expressions of King’s Legacy Celebration” was, by all accounts, the most successful in the history of the program. Planned by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion team — in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts’ Philosophy, English, Communication, Sociology and Anthropology departments; the NTID Department of Cultural and Creative Studies; and the AALANA Collegiate Association — this year’s celebration drew an audience of nearly 2,500, its largest ever.
TT
Fagan, a Tony and Oliver award winner, kicked off the event with a few pieces from his company, Garth Fagan Dance, which is based in Rochester. The first piece the group performed was “Steal Away,” set to the spiritual of the same name, featuring men and women in common slave garb. While introducing the piece, Fagan noted his view that “slavery enslaves everybody” — those who are enslaved, and those who enslave. The group would also perform another piece, “Prelude,” led by a 60-year-old man who showed no signs of aging, in a wonderful display of athletic and aerial dance.
Though the official celebration did not get underway until noon on Monday, a special evening of poetry and spoken word was held the day before at NTID’s Student Development Center. It featured Bennett, accompanied by his sister Tamara, NTID’s deaf signing group “Dangerous Signs” and RIT’s spoken word group “Mental Graffiti.” RIT’s hard-of-hearing, Deaf and hearing community came together for a conversation with the poet, who has performed for the Obamas at the White House and on HBO’s “Brave New Voices.”
On stage on Monday, the poet performed
three of his popular pieces: “Ten Things I Want to Say to a Black Woman,” “Baleonoptera” and “Tamara’s Opus” — a piece dedicated to his sister. He would also tie in King’s legacy between the recitals, rhetorically asking: “What is King’s legacy if not an outpouring of love that orients [us] toward truth and justice?”
Rounding out the powerful triumvirate was West’s keynote address on the legacy of Dr. King. The author of 19 books, including his seminal, contemporary classic “Race Matters,” West is a graduate of Harvard University, and holds a graduate degree in philosophy from Princeton University. He has taught at Yale, Harvard and now Princeton, which he will leave for the Union Theological Seminary this summer. With all the signature style and verve that has come to define him, West proceeded to situate Dr. King within a rich tradition of leadership for the black freedom struggle, evoking Rochester’s own Frederick Douglass and others in the long history of black leaders.
King was, according to West, “a revolutionary Christian” who loved all people, especially “the least of these … when you really love the poor, you can’t stand the fact [that] they are treated unjustly — you loathe the fact that they are treated unfairly.” West also mentioned Dr. King’s low approval ratings with the American public at the time of his death — suggesting that standing up for what one thinks is right is not always met with quick approval by one’s peers.
Each of the noted guests helped make RIT’s 30th anniversary celebration of Dr. King’s legacy a special one. The arts were on full display and spoke to the powerful contributions of African-Americans to American culture, and indeed to the great art of the world. West’s oratory was a soaring and uplifting message of hope and a memorial for one of America’s most progressive leaders of human and civil rights. More than that, it was a challenge to the younger generation, as King “wanted young people to use their success for something bigger than themselves,” said West. It seems sufficient to say that West inspired those in attendance to that very cause — something King could truly be proud of.
Cornel West speaks to a crowd of around 2,500 on January 23, for the “Expressions of King’s Legacy Celebration.”
9
When a company that was once one of the largest in the world f iles for bankruptcy protection, change is often inevitable within its affiliated organizations. As such, when film giant Kodak filed for Chapter 11 business reorganization, the general mood at RIT filled with uncertainty — now what?
While this move has been expected for some time, it was still jarring when the news finally broke on January 19. The company has declared that it is unable to pay its debts, and is now legally allowed a period of time to reorganize its assets in order to raise enough capital to repay its investors and become profitable. The company has until February 15, 2013 to produce a viable reorganization plan. The path that Kodak is going to walk for the next several years is one that has the potential to heavily inf luence RIT and the greater Rochester community.
RIT first became involved with Kodak in 1892, when George Eastman donated $5,000 to Mechanics Institute, the forerunner of RIT. Eastman also served several years on the Board of Trustees, and even as Chairman of the Institute. As a gesture of good will, the film giant later donated money for the Eastman Kodak Quad on campus. In the subsequent years, thousands of students have gained co-op experience through the company, and thousands more have found a career there after graduation. Over the years, hundreds of former Kodak employees have served in faculty positions at RIT.
Kodak’s resources will no longer be what they once were, and the coming years will
almost certainly see the cessation of a number of scholar programs. RIT Motion Picture Sciences Program Chair David Long first came to Rochester in 1997 to work for Kodak, and was put through Kodak’s Imaging Science Career Development Program (ISCDP). ISCDP allowed him to work at Kodak as a career while simultaneously being given the resources required to complete a relevant Master’s Degree. This program has since been cut from Kodak for monetary reasons.
“It was a program of growth, not survival,” explains Long. “In this sort of situation, programs of growth require far too many resources and are the first things to get cut.” Long predicts that RIT students will continue to get internships and co-ops with the company, but notes that many departments have shrunk significantly, and monetary responsibility is an enormous priority at the moment. He emphasizes that the company needs to be smaller and more maneuverable, and able to change with the market.
Mobility would be a new concept for the film giant; since its inception, personal cameras and film have sustained the corporation, fueling research and development into a vast array of technologies — including the digital camera and the organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The company sold these inventions, however, and continued to rely on film as the monetary backbone of the company. Even now, one of the most profitable departments at Kodak is the motion picture film division, driven by the widely expanding number of movies being produced. The motion picture
industry is also in the process of switching to digital, however, and the department will once again have to adapt.
However, thanks to its enormous patent portfolio and history of innovation, Kodak still has a number of opportunities to press forward with. It has already announced a partnership with Natcore Technologies, a New Jersey company with whom the corporation plans to retrofit its film machines to instead produce thin-f i lm solar cel ls . Kodak ’s engineers are renowned for being able to lay down chemical layers on film — a process integral to the photography industry — and this ability has applications in industries from aerospace engineering to digital security. If this idea is successful, it may well become a backbone upon which Kodak will build itself back up.
Former employees, like Long, hope to see Kodak implement the technologies it has developed over the years, and allow more freedom to individual div isions within the company, something which would be beneficial for the Rochester community.
The changes to RIT will be minimal in the short term, aside from a decrease in co-ops available to students. But in the long term, there will be no shortage of companies needing engineers in the Rochester area. The factory infrastructure built by Kodak over the decades will likely continue to operate, even if it is sold off. An unfortunate side effect of this is that Kodak may divest until it is unrecognizable as the corporation it currently is — a Kodak in name only.
by Peter LoVerso | illustration by Amber Gartung
WANT TO EARN 1-2 CREDITS IN 3 WEEKS?
SIGN UP FOR THE RITZ DINNER!COURSE #0519-554-01/02
Must be able to attend: Wednesday’s class 4-6pm (weeks 1-3)Off-campus training on Tuesday, March 20th OR Tuesday, March 27th
RITz Dinner on Saturday, March 31st
PLEASE CONTACT TRACEY AT [email protected] IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
RITZ SILENTAUCTION
THURSDAY, MARCH 15TH, 6PM - 9PM
LOVIN’ CUP AT PARK POINT
10 Section | xx.xx.xx 1110 Leisure | 01.20.1210 Leisure | 02.03.12
aylat your leisure
by evan williams
by Justyn Iannucci
Wit h a nu mber of u s enter i ng t he professional world in the next few years, or months, the risk of a potential employer delving into your social network profiles to better “get to know you” is going to increase. And while I whole heartedly disagree with the practice of employers digging up dirt via social networking sites, it happens, and it just might happen to you. And let’s face it; your profile is definitely Not Safe For Work.
First of all, there are probably just a few too many photos of you sans pants and/ or shirt. You don’t remember how you lost them, or what happened that night, but you are tagged all to hell from the weekend of your roommate’s 21st. Not a good look. And don’t even get started on that Halloween your cousins from Penn State came up to visit. That was pure anarchy; the comment section actually made your aunt cry. But your profile is like your baby: it reflects all of your hopes and dreams and you track your progress in life through it. So instead of deleting or untagging all those beloved memories, just make a new page that shows your potential employers that you’re the mature young professional you want them to think you are.
Wear a suit in your profile pic. Smile. Brush your hair. Take lots of pictures with your mom and grandpa Sensebaugh. Only like things that your employer won’t find objectionable. “Texts From Last Nighvt” and “Is Anyone Up” probably won’t go over so well, unless you plan on working somewhere awesome. Your favorite books should be by Ellison and Hemingway. Your favorite movies should be adaptations of Ellison and Hemmingway. And “Jaws.” “Jaws” is dope.
Sure you could just change your privacy settings; and yeah, it’s a lot of work, but that’s a small price to pay knowing that you’ll be living a digital double life that’ll keep you image sparkling clean in the eyes of your future Human Resources department. You’ll have the best of both worlds and no one will be the wiser. And go ahead and friend your friends’ fake profiles too, rebuilding your network. Just make sure you don’t friend the real you. That kid’s a horror show.
reporter recommendscomic
word of the week
Sacralgia n.Pain in the sacrum, the bone located at the base of the spine in the center of the pelvis.
It had been only a week, but having to find his student ID and his keys every time he wanted to enter his apartment was becoming a real sacralgia.
first world problems
Perfectly good Saturday night and campus is like a ghost town. Really makes you appreciate the value of human life…
You started a heated argument on an internet forum. Ten angry posts later you realize you were wrong.
overseen & overeard
“Dude it’s so hard to Facebook stalk girls at this school. All their profile pictures are fucking Pokémon.”- Guy who’s probably seen those beach vacation pictures of you and your gal pals.
“Finishing your drink is like hitting the rev limiter on your straw.”-Automotive fanatic/ beverage enthusiast.
haiku
East End on Friday,
Not much going on down there.
Why so many cops?
quote
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”-Don Marquis
Creating A Fake Facebook Accountreviews
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ry 3
, 20
12
Lana Del Rey is a sultry songstress with a soulfully ‘60s-era voice. Described as a modern day Nancy Sinatra, Del Rey’s alternative musical style contains a mix between jazz, hip-hop, pop and cabaret. The former indie singer welcomes the new year with the release of her debut album, “Born to Die,” three weeks after the release of her self-titled EP.
While the album as a whole is fantastic and breaks away from the trend of sugar-induced bubblegum pop, its major downfalls are the instrumentals recycled throughout the majority of the album. When introduced in the album’s first song, the steady percussion line and subtle hints of hip-hop beats blend well, even with the occasional outbreak of something that sounds like a loon.
It is definitely a different and appealing sound that the composers of the album obviously took note of, but by the fourth song, “Video Games,” the repetitive sounds raise a question: am I still listening to the same song? Thankfully, by the fifth track, “Diet Mountain Dew” — a slightly remixed version of her original single — the beat picks up and all is right again. With a second listen of the album, it is clear that the recycled instrumentals bring the album together, into a single, fluent stream of thoughts of a young woman learning from her life decisions.
With the actual fluidity of the album in mind, Del Rey’s voice is mesmerizing, sensual and different. Where many of today’s female singers hope to belt out notes at the top of their lungs, Del Rey keeps it simple, crisp and lasting. Her alluring voice hums in the ear and will have listeners singing along, long after the album ends. As a bonus, the deluxe version of the album comes with four extra songs showcasing Del Rey’s range of alternative style and vocal variations.
DIG IT!
“Born to Die (Deluxe Ver-sion)” by Lana Del Rey
Album | Alternative | 1:06:05
by Nilan Lovelace
For fans of Nancy Sinatra, Amy Winehouse, Adele
Preview: Tribes: Ascend (Beta)
Video Game | FPS | Free
by Nick Bovee
DIG IT!
Most modern first-person shooters aspire to simulate realistic combat, with recognizable weapons and locations. “Tribes: Ascend” bucks this trend completely, taking place in a futuristic conflict between two armies. That’s about all you get for plot, since there’s no single-player mode and no intention of one being made. What you do get is a completely unique, fast paced style of combat.
“Tribes” games are known for their focus on what the game dubs “skiing,” or building and maintaining speed upwards of 200km/h. This causes gameplay to mimic old school arena shooters, like “Quake 3,” where mobility and reflexes are the keys to the game. The ski mechanics are generally well implemented, but every now and then, a snag in the level geometry will halt all your hard-earned momentum. This is a rare occurrence, but still one that needs to be addressed. These skiing capabilities also have a nice learning curve; where it’s quite easy to get to normal speeds. More skilled players will find that you need to work to get going fast, and if you’re willing to put effort in, you can go fast enough to outrun most projectiles.
In the default game mode, capture the flag, good control of speed will get you in and out of the enemy base before they even know you’re there. Although balanced around capture the flag, other game modes include the standard death match, and a mode dubbed “Rabbit,” essentially tag at high speed.
Developer Hi-Rez has taken a chance with the popular Free-to-Play model, and while players are not forced to pay to play competitively, it’s made quite difficult to unlock every class and upgrade without spending money or putting large amounts of time on the game. Like “League of Legends,” a popular game that operates on a similar model, it is possible to unlock options with either real money, or in-game credits earned through playing. The problem lies in every option being highly priced compared to the amount of points earned from playing normally.
While irksome, these issues don’t notably detract from the game, just the speed at which you unlock the more unique character classes. “Tribes: Ascend” manages to be a unique experience among many dull modern shooters, and shouldn’t be overlooked.
For fans of “Quake,” “Unreal Tournament,” “Shattered Horizon”
12 Section | xx.xx.xx
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A handful of students hoping to be the next Lil Wayne or Nikki Minaj, eagerly stepped up to the mic last week at CAB’s Freestyle Friday competition hosted in Ingle Auditorium.
After a long Week Six, in combination with the cold and cloudy weather, a crowd eagerly gathered in desperate need of quality entertainment. Recent RIT grad Naim Hakim, aka ConArtist, was brought in to host the event and run the turntables. Hakim recently released a new mix tape titled “WAS” through his new rap alias SupraNatural.
The competition started out with 10 performers, each allotted 60 seconds in the spotlight over two rounds. The panel of judges was looking mainly for originality, flow of the lyrics and overall crowd reaction. The crowd was in for a night of fun that would unexpectedly turn into a rap battle containing lyrics the performers’ mothers would be sure to frown upon.
In the first round, fourth year New Media Publishing major Damian Boyd, aka “Sauce Money,” wasted no time bringing energy to the crowd with his fresh cardigan outfit and entertaining lyrics. As the round progressed, many of the contestants showed they were mentally prepared and ready to take the stage. A few were hesitant to seize the opportunity, but were encouraged as one member of the crowd yelled, “It’s RIT; what’s the worst that could happen?”
The first girl to take the stage was fourth year Hospitality major Melanie Brown-Lane. Walking past Ingle while the competition was going on, she and a group of friends stopped in to watch. After being peer pressured to perform, to everyone’s surprise, she took the
The Art of RhymeRIT’S FREESTYLE FRIDAYby Nick Gawreluk | photographs by Neal Danis
challenge with ease and successfully rapped about not being a rapper. She also managed to weave the impending FreezeFest in her lyrics, singing, “My friends made me come down here to rap and that’s not funny, I just want to see Donald Glover and not pay money.”
As the second round began, contestants were focusing on either redeeming themselves or continuing their initial success. Arjun Patel aka “Stanky Chedda Mayne,” a first year Biochemistry major, eagerly took on his second opportunity in the spotlight. While his freestyle might have never stood a chance on BET’s “106 and Park”, he scored extra points with the judges by surprising everyone with some serious beat boxing skills. Another note-worthy performance came from fourth year Chemical Engineering major Israel Powell, aka “3rd”. Not shy to speak his mind, Powell proved to be one of the more consistent rappers on stage and quite the ladies man.
At the end of the night, the award for first place could have gone to a wide variety of contestants. While the votes were being tallied and the judges were meeting, Naim Hakim had the brilliant idea to quickly organize a head-to-head rap battle. The underdog was a hipster poet versus fourth year Mechanical Engineering major Bree Johnson, aka “BreezyFBaby”. Unfortunately, the poet was no match against “BreezyFBaby” and upon elimination was offered a condolence hug for his efforts.
First place ended up going to Brown-Lane, who was able to consistently engage the audience and truly epitomized what it means to freestyle on the spot. “I am not a rapper at all, I just walked in with my friends and they made me go up on stage,” said Brown-Lane. While it’s clear that these students should stick to their academic careers, Freestyle Friday offered a fun atmosphere for everyone who attended.
Chauncey McFalcon performs a 60 second freestyle in front of judges during Freestyle Friday. Chauncey's verbal prowess on stage led her to first place.
Mohamed Ahmed taunts Jonathan Dihz as he raps during Free-style Friday. Jonathan went on to win third place in the competition.
“If you had one opportunity, one chance, to seize everything you ever wanted, would you capture it? Or just let it slip?”
13
GOING OUTAND PLAYING MUSIC:
THAT'S WHAT I DO. I DON'T DO MUCH ELSE.
THE PULSE OF MUSIC
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, (FEBRUARY 4TH)
HANG OUT WITH WITRAT SNOWZILLA
ON THE GREEK LAWN
FRIDAY FEB 3RD, 1-5PMWITR’S CHILLIN’ AT THE
RAIL JAM
(585) 475-2271 | WITR.RIT.EDU
-DAVE GROHL{FOO FIGHTERS}
14 Section | xx.xx.xx 1514 Leisure | 02.03.12
Knock knock. Who’s there? The show. The show who? The sold out comedy show at Boulder Coffee you missed last Friday night. That’s a terrible joke. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME I’M NOT A COMEDIAN!
Not everyone is cut out for standup, but the performers at the Best of Boulder Coffee Comedy Showcase (presented by the Three Guys Walk into a Bar comedy troupe on January 27) were more than up for the task. Armed with an array of different styles and stories, the young comics, including one of RIT’s own, brought big time laughs to an intimate setting.
The far side of the dimly lit coffee shop was so crammed full of spectators that the woman collecting the five dollar cover was actually instructed to stop letting people come over to that side of the building; anyone else coming for the show would have to listen from across the shop.
The evening was hosted by Vinnie Paulino, a man who happened to look and sound a great deal like comedian Ralphie May. His job was to warm up the crowd and honestly, it was tough sledding at first. It’s not that he wasn’t funny, but perhaps his energy was a little much for the crowd right off the bat. Fortunately, they began to loosen up as he introduced the first comedian.
At just 14 years old and about 100 pounds sopping wet, it might have been easy to be let Austin Lafond’s appearance fool you, but when you kick off your set with a Holocaust joke, it becomes very clear that this isn’t a Disney channel audition. The crowd was still warming up, and Lafond couldn’t help but prod them for their reserved laughter. Next up was Brian Ball, who ended his set with an impression of Christopher Walken defending himself on the stand at a murder trial. However you think it should sound, Ball’s sounded better.
Jimmy LeChase was more of a storyteller than the previous two. He had a level of comfort on stage, seemingly amusing himself as much as the audience, treating his routine more like a barroom conversation than a performance. He also had no problem joking about his dead in-laws while his fiancé sat down in the front. How’s that for audience interaction?
Then came Nick Guadagino, a third year Advertising and Public Relations major at RIT. Guadagino, who has been performing standup
for roughly a year all around the Rochester area, was animated and pun-heavy. “I like to try and do stuff from a naïve perspective. I view something and then comment about it in a naïve way,” he explains. This attitude was shown in his clever and expressive performance, which included a crass ukulele song about genitals. “I like to try and be as silly as possible,” he says. “Steve Martin in one of my influences.”
Billy T. Anglin provided an excellent deadpan routine that was both self-deprecating and socially conscious. Wes Bauer presented a number of funny ideas and concepts, including a character named Rodney Cautionfield, who receives “an adequate amount of respect.” When asked about how he developed his style since he started in 2007, he says “I’ve learned to let my brain really work around an idea before I give up on it or commit it to the page.”
Headliner Jeremy Eli earned his extended time slot with a relaxed style that flowed seamlessly between bits for the audience, bits for his own amusement and inside jokes with the other comedians. It was like watching your funniest friends tell jokes. Only %way% funnier than your funniest friend. He was the final step to get the audience roaring and applauding like a proper comedy show.
They say getting on stage is 90 percent of standup, and for the performers on Friday, the last 10 percent was no problem.
So a Teenager & a Tiger Walk into
a Bar…by Evan Williams | photographs by
William Palmer
Kevin (last name witheld) laughs and claps at one of Nick Guadagninos jokes at the "3 Guys Walk Into a Bar" comedy show.
16 Section | xx.xx.xx16 Features | 02.03.12
17
Why We Cheat
ademic honesty is the hallmark of what we do at college.” says Dr. Heath Boice-Pardee, associate dean of Student Affairs. “When people start to dilute that, it starts to crumble the foundation of what we do.” This is his firm opinion, as one of the many people invested in RIT’s reputation for integrity. While it may not seem that individual students’ actions could reflect on the school itself, when students graduate
and still have not learned to give credit where credit is due, the Institute’s image could be hurt. While, in the past, universities considered imitation a compliment to the original author, much has changed since those days. Our reputation as students, and the reputation of our school, hinge on the respect shown to original thought.
Whether the importance of academic integrity has been less emphasized lately or the internet has allowed one more generational gap to manifest, the reasoning behind plagiarism trends and the appropriate response to them also deserve attention.
WHY WE'RE DISHONEST
Academic dishonesty covers a broad spectrum of activities, including outright plagiarism — essentially copying others’ work or not giving credit where due — actual cheating on tests and even self-plagiarism, where an author passes off old work of theirs as new. There’s no real ambiguity in how these actions are dishonest, yet for some reason it is still a common occurrence for students to step into the pitfall of forgetting to cite a source, or even intentionally pulling entire sections of a paper from the internet. When deadlines approach, according to academic honesty guidelines from the University of Wisconsin, stress runs high, and students may become more lax about the rigidity that proper citation requires.
Of course, deadlines aren’t the only thing driving our stress through the roof. A class can be just plain hard, and late one night, it might just feel worth it to hit up Cramster and copy down the answers for tomorrow’s homework. It’s only to catch you up — you know how to solve the problems, right? Or maybe someone else, struggling with a point to make for his next paper, might take a leaf (or maybe a paragraph) out of someone else’s book.
Perhaps there’s a different subset of pressure on students to look good at school. Parents could be pushing their children to get a good GPA and succeed no matter the cost, according to an article on Edutopia, and it’s tough to admit to parents that you might not live up to their academic expectations. If not that, then often students in the same class group together to do online homework or take home tests, and when that kind of resource presents itself, it can be tough to pass up.
But what’s actually scary is that many students don’t know that what they’re doing is unacceptable. In the internet era, accidental plagiarism has become an increasingly prevalent issue. Educating students on proper citation practices is a simple, if large task, but, with the rise of internet, defining what is common knowledge becomes increasingly difficult. Citing articles isn’t an issue, but what do we do about Wikipedia? Through some lapse on our part, many students view Wikipedia as both a reliable source, and one that doesn’t require proper citation. “[Wikipedia] is not a scholarly source”, says Boice-Pardee. At best, “it can take you back to the primary source.”
These pressures to succeed and stand out aren’t all restricted to students though. While actual plagiarism among academics may be scarce, self plagiarism is still prevalent enough to concern many professors. According to Dr. Patrick Scanlon, chair of the Department of Communication, when researchers do this, “they take a study, and split it up into ‘least publishable units.’” Known as salami slicing, this practice is used to gain more references in their CV. By getting more citations, “you get a longer CV, look more influential,” Scanlon says, “A lot of money’s at stake, so people will do dishonest things sometimes to get that grant.” If the punishment for student plagiarism is harsh, the repercussions for professors are often career-ending.
RIT'S REACTION
It’s pretty clear what would happen to a professor if a case for academic dishonesty could be proved against them, but for students, things are a different matter. In situations where academic dishonesty occurs, RIT’s policies are slightly more obfuscated. According to the Academic Honesty Policy, “Academic dishonesty falls into three basic areas: cheating, duplicate submission and plagiarism.” The consequences for this dishonesty are up to the professor, but can be a failing grade on that assignment, or even get failed for the entire class. Things get more complicated after the professor makes a decision and brings instances of cheating to the Academic Conduct Committee for the relevant college. With the exception of a few base rules, chiefly that an equal number of students and faculty serve on the committee, the proceedings are completely in the hands of the separate colleges. If either party is unsatisfied with how that proceeding comes out, it can be appealed, which is where Boice-Pardee comes in.
While not a voting member of the Appeals Committee, he’s part of the force behind streamlining the Academic Conduct Hearings, for everyone’s benefit. The way he sees it, “different students are being treated differently” depending on which college they belong to, rather than keeping a consistent “philosophy of conduct, and treating students fairly across the Institute.” When consistency is established, students should be better able to recognize the wrongs academic dishonesty implies, and the consequences that lay in store. This doesn’t mean hard and fast rules over academic dishonesty either. Many cases are legitimately accidents, and both Boice-Pardee and Scanlon view these as excellent chances to fall on the generous side of the line, and “use that as an opportunity to teach someone about their responsibilities as a writer,” says Scanlon.
The value of original research would be far more apparent to students if the value could be demonstrated. College may be geared towards imparting knowledge, but teaching students how to synthesize their own knowledge is still among its primary goals. If they could see plagiarism from the other end, as Boice-Pardee put it, “If they have an original idea and they publish it somewhere, I owe it to them to cite them. So I think it’s something that people really have to think about.”
by Nick Bovee | illustration by Justyn Iannucci
A"
17
18 Section | xx.xx.xx 1920 Features | 02.03.1220 Features | 01.27.12
Imagine you are in your car, just driving to the small diner where you usually get your morning
coffee. You turn on some music and relax while you take that familiar route, not having to
think about where to turn next or what street your destination is on. The drive is so familiar
that you barely notice your actions or how you got there. Something similar to this happens
when students study. They get to the bottom of a page in a textbook and realize that they have
no idea what they were just reading.
Students’ study habits have become an increasingly passive affair rather than an activity that requires action and energy. They do not realize how many techniques and resources are provided at RIT to help improve their skills. “[Students] kind of go on autopilot,” says Paula French, a student support specialist. “[They] just go through the motions.”
Over the years, professionals like Michael Cross, an academic services coordinator, have come to notice some of the common misconceptions students have when it comes the studying. “Many students just don’t know how to study, and many more do not seek assistance from their faculty or take advantage of tutoring,” says Cross. Students become so comfortable in their routines that they either don’t know when to ask for help or are too scared to. It happens all too often, he says.
Both Cross and French have come to see cramming the night before a test as an all-too-common occurrence. According to French, “A lot of students are unaware of what it means to study.” Memorizing information is very different than actually knowing it. Memorization can provide some short-term results, like good test scores, but the knowledge quickly fades over time. In order to understand the information, you need to put time into it.
When considering how much effort they devote to studying, students often forget to consider their overall health. Cramming for a test the night before and not getting enough sleep only puts more strain on you once you get to the testing period. You need to be at your best to work through an exam. As French puts it, “We want students to work smarter, not harder.”
The way students use this study time depends on their individual learning styles. There are those who prefer visual representations of information, others who like more audio-based learning and some who prefer to be more physically active while they study. No matter how a person learns, there are always ways to help improve their study habits.
Group sessions are one of the most common ways to prepare for an exam. In study groups, there is a network of support so that everyone has the best chance of learning the information in ways that make sense to them. “You can still be successful even if the faculty you have isn’t catering to your learning style,” says French. When you figure out what works best for you and use that to your advantage, learning becomes much easier and more natural.
When it comes down to the actual technique of studying, learning styles will come in handy. Being able to understand yourself in that way makes learning information much easier. The more comfortable you are with what you are doing, the better you will learn. If you
are unsure of the best study approach for your learning style, then there are a few other overall tricks that have proven very useful. An example of a simple study technique is studying material in the same type of environment that the test will be in or even at the same time of day that the test will be. Some other quick tricks include reviewing your notes quickly every day, reading or previewing your textbook before class and maintaining a weekly study schedule. You should account for when and how long you should be studying, as well as the amount of time you have to relax and enjoy other activities.
Another great way to get help is to take advantage of professors’ office hours. If asking questions in class causes too much anxiety, getting to know your instructors in a less formal manner might help lessen that awkwardness. Getting to know them as people outside of the classroom also makes it easier to ask them for help if it’s ever needed. “Your faculty are just human beings like you,” says Cross. “You should respect their expertise without being over-awed by it.”
Besides going to office hours, there are many other places to go for help on campus. Some of the best resources that RIT offers to its students go to waste. There are of course the well-known choices like the Bates Study Center in Gosnell Hall (GOS, 08). However, there are many other opportunities that students are missing that could potentially be the difference between a B and an A in a class. An example of this is the tutoring in math and physics that is offered in the dorms and the Student Alumni Union four nights a week. Some of the other services offered include the Disability Services Office and Writing Lab in the SAU, where tutors will revise your papers with you and help you do the best you can.
The best place to gather all of this study information and more is at the Academic Support Center, located in 2080 Monroe Hall (MON, 15). There they provide all sorts of workshops, tutoring and counseling if more specialized help is needed. They also provide one-on-one student success sessions that help cater to a student’s specific needs. The best part of all this, as Cross puts it, is that “all of this tutoring is absolutely free!”
There are so many resources and people on campus who are willing to help students to achieve their full potential. The only thing preventing this success is you. “At the end of the day there are only 160 hours in the week,” says French. “You need to try to learn how to maximize it as best you can.”
18 Features | 02.03.12 19
20 Section | xx.xx.xx 21
FROM THE ARCHIVESApril 2, 1982
21
22 Section | xx.xx.xx 2322 Sports | 02.03.12
23
The seven long weeks since the Men’s Hockey team’s last home contest created unequalled expectations for this game. To add to the excitement, the Tigers stood at 14-8-2 and the Mercyhurst Lakers at 14-9-3 overall: the two teams were at the top of the heap in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings. When the two last met in October, the Tigers walked away with a 2-1 loss, but this was no sure indication of outcome of the Friday, January 27 game.
At the Ritter Arena, the abrupt halt of trumpets signals the start of the game: as soon as the Pep Band is cut off, the scraping sound of blades on the ice takes over. Last Friday, it quickly became clear that these teams were geared up for a competitive, fast-paced game: there were two shots on goal for each team in the first two minutes. Each bench leaned in to survey the action centered around the goal — Mercyhurst’s goal, mostly. RIT’s shots came in bursts, giving them an early lead; a goal from fourth year Finance major Mark Cornacchia
was scored at 5:49. Though the cheers settled from deafening roar to a loud murmur, the Tiger’s defense showed no signs of slowing. RIT’s first penalty kill came and went, but even with the Tigers a man down, the Lakers could not get a shot through. RIT followed up as fourth year Biomedical Sciences major Jeff Smith scored a breakaway goal at 11:20. Mercyhurst noticeably picked up speed, as RIT fought through another penalty kill, but the Tiger’s defense was relentless and the offense was capitalizing on the extra puck time. At the end of the first period, RIT led 2-0.
Mercyhurst played competitively, but was unable to maximize on opportunities. With the first Lakers penalty, RIT’s Mike Colavecchia, a second year Business Management major, scored a power-play goal. Not ten minutes later, RIT did it again. Adam Mitchell, another second year Business Management major, scored another power-play goal. A Mercyhurst comeback was becoming less probable with each play.
Men’s Hockey vs .Mercyhurst:The Tigers take first in AHA standingsThe RIT Tigers salute the Corner Crew after defeating the Mercyhurst Lakers to take the number one spot in the Atlantic Hockey Association. (above)
Mercyhurst’s Kevin Noble takes out his frustration on RIT’s Brad McGowan at the end of Friday night’s blowout in which RIT doubled Mercyhurst in shots on goal (44-22). In the final two minutes, two Mercyhurst players were ejected for fighting.
Two fans run around the arena after RIT’s Cameron Burt scored the final goal of the game.
RIT’s Jeff Smith fends off Mercyhurst’s Patrick Goebel during RIT’s decisive victory.
by Kayla Emerson | photographs by Joshua Kuckens
Admirably, they did not lose spirit, and continued to play as fast as before. Close to the end of the second period, Lakers’ freshman Zac Frischmon scored a consolation goal: the team’s sole point of the game.
Just as in the October match, RIT was out-shooting Mercyhurst nearly 2-1. This time, though, the shots were on target. Mercyhurst switched goaltenders, leading to cheers of “Backup goalie!” from the easily-excitable Corner Crew. Successive Mercyhurst power-plays allowed their team to demonstrate some excellent passing as they attempted to score on the goal tender, fourth year Business Management major Shane Madolora. This proved to be an exercise in futility as Madolora and the Tiger’s defenders performed excellently.
Both benches were still standing, attentive to the last ten minutes of play — but Mercyhurst was looking increasingly frustrated. After fourth year Marketing major Cameron Burt scored the fifth goal of the game for RIT, a giant replica of Burt’s head made a rapid lap around the rink. The defeat became crushing. Tension between RIT and Mercyhurst flung players into a few late-game skirmishes, leading to three misconduct penalties for Mercyhurst, as well as a minor penalty for RIT. Once the melee ended, the referees issued Mercyhurst an astounding 42 minutes of penalties to count down in the last two minutes of play! The Lakers level of intensity towards the end of the game did not have the desired effect.
When the final buzzer sounded, the score was RIT 5, Mercyhurst 1. The Tigers played with focus and energy, protecting themselves during penalty kills and maximizing shots on goal.
The Tigers will be back in Ritter Arena on February 11 at 7 p.m. to face Canisius at the annual “Make the Rink Pink” game.
24 Section | xx.xx.xx 2524 Sports | 02.03.12
Zombies are rising and taking over the campus! All remaining humans are on the run, defendingthemselves with balled up socks and modifiedNerf guns. “A friend of mine,” recalls second year Game Design and Development major Michael Young, “was spotted in Gracie’s by three zombies and they [cornered him]. He only had a six-shooter and he had no idea whatto do. They charged and he shot one in the face, he jumped in midair, shot at one zombie,and threw a sock at the other.” Unless you’re this guy, chances are that RIT would quickly have become the first university with an all zombiecampus. But for the students who participate in the bi-annual game of Humans vs. Zombies(HvZ), RIT has a class to prepare students to fight off the living dead.
HvZ Bootcamp is a wellness course createdby RIT to let HvZ Club members know there are facilities on campus that could be used to better their performance. Enjoying its first quarter in session, the class is taught by two parkour instructors and personal trainers, Charles Moreland and Spencer Bills. HvZ Club President Lee Craigs, a fifth year ComputerEngineering Technology major, also assists with the class. During an average week of HvZBootcamp, students do a series of workouts that go well beyond simple sit-ups and pushups.According to Moreland, “The class does a lot of complex body exploration … We’re doing simple body movements and we’re putting themtogether to make our bodies stronger, more explosive, and more flexible — then we use it
to our benefit.” On Mondays, the class usuallyworks on movement, f luidity, and parkour based techniques, while Wednesday’s focus on more general fitness techniques.
Throughout the course, as well as the winterquarter, Craig holds mini-games to hone skillsand allow the students to put what they have learned to the test. In one such mini-game,
c a l l e d C o r p o r a t i o n , t w o o p p o s i n gteams — each containing both humans and zombies — must protect a set of boxes while quickly responding to flying darts. These gamestest the players’ skills, from staying aware of their surroundings during a pesky reload to maneuvering their bodies in creative ways. Students make use of quick movements, rollingdodges, and explosive jumps to make themselvesbetter combatants; both as humans and zombies.
When fourth year 2D Animation major Laura Davies was asked why she chose to take the class, she immediately mentioned her love for HvZ. Having worked as a moderatorand an original zombie (a player who starts the game as a zombie) in the past, Davies plansto start as a human in the upcoming spring game. Though the class has taught her valuablegame techniques she and Young cited fitness as the biggest reward. “The class is teaching me to be ready for anything,” says Davies. “If I have to run 50 yards at a moment’s notice, I can be ready to do that.” Young added that the class, “is definitely a fun way to start gettingin shape;” a sentiment echoed by Moreland and Craig.
Though the course was created for the purpose of improving HvZ players’ skills, Moreland looks at it as a way to help a different demographic of students incorporate fitness into a game that they already love. “Everybody wants to say that they can do something new; that they can climb walls or jump over obstacles. And then they can still use it to play HvZ.”
Laura Davies, Fourth Year 2D Animation, stands protecting her team's box during a mock HvZ game in the Gordon Field House.
RIT instructor Spencer Bills watches as HvZ class comes to a close and the students clean up their nerf darts.
by Nilan Lovelace | photographs by Brett Carlsen
WOMENʼS HOCKEY vs. ELMIRAFRIDAY, FEB 10
7:00PM
MENʼS HOCKEY vs. CANISIUSSATURDAY, FEB 11
7:05PM
co-hosted byRIT HOCKEY and ZETA TAU ALPHA
26 Section | xx.xx.xx 2726 Views | 02.03.12
WORD ON THE STREETIF YOU WERE A SUPERVILLAIN, WHAT WOULD YOUR EVIL SCHEME BE? by Neal Danis
“I’d take control of all of the world’s water
and sell it back to everybody.”“I’d take Destler’s weather machine.”
“I would make all currency into
cotton candy.”
“I would reverse all of the escalators
in the world.”
“Make everyone
think left is right.”
Doug Agyemang, Third Year | Mechanical Engineering Technology Fabian James, Third Year | Multidisciplinary Studies
Dominic Myren, 1st Year | Mechanical Engineering
Dominick Calsolaro, Fourth Year | Applied Networking (left)
Mitch Quartner, Fourth Year | Information Technology (right)
Kayla Bradley, First Year | Liberal Arts Exploration (left)
Nicholas Joerger, Second Year | Medical Informatics (right)
Tri Ngoyen, Third Year
Biomedical Science
“I’d make half of the clocks at RIT move forward 13 minutes on a Monday morning.”
“I’d make myself invisible and push
people off of longboards”
“I’d take over RIT and make Destler
my minion.”
WORD ON THE STREET
27
28 Section | xx.xx.xx 2928 Views | 02.03.12
SOPA OPERA: IT’S NOT OVER by Brett Slabaughillustration by Justine Raymond
You’d have to be living under a rock to have missed the massive uproar surrounding the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), two bills recently considered (and postponed) by the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. Both bills aimed to put an end to online piracy, though their shortsighted nature would have instead forced websites around the globe to severely censor their content under threat of governmental shut down. On January 18, blackout protests from thousands of sites around the web killed the momentum of the bills, but the battle for a free and open internet has not yet been won.
SOPA and PIPA were symptoms of a much greater disease. Essentially, it all comes down to sharing. As free people in a country like the United States, we love to make things, and we love to share what we, and others, have made. An early sign of this trend was the mix tape, which demonstrated our passion for creating new meaning out of other, smaller things. This idea exploded with the rise of the internet, and gave birth to things like memes and countless other varieties of innovative creativity. For the first time in history, ordinary people were collaborating with other people across the world to build a shared community of user-made content. They weren’t stealing other people’s ideas so much as using them as a platform to add to.
This terrifies the entertainment industry. They don’t see a unique culture of innovation and expressive creativity; they see screenshots and video clips from copyrighted franchises being used without permission. This is why they’ve been lobbying Congress for decades to stop this community of sharing. It started when they tried to illegalize mix tapes with the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992 — but that didn’t work as planned. They changed tactics when they pushed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998, which attempted to eliminate the ability of machines to copy movies and music.
Personally, I’m all for stopping online piracy. In an ideal world, the people who work hard to produce movies and music and video games would recieve compensation for every copy of their product enjoyed by a consumer. But the internet is an incredibly complex thing, and there’s no simple way to eliminate piracy without having serious repercussions on the rest of the web. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry doesn’t care about that. From their past actions, and more recent developments like SOPA, it’s clear that they will do whatever it takes to stop pirates — even if it means crippling the greatest source of true freedom ever developed.
That’s the truly scary part: SOPA and PIPA are bad, but they’re merely pieces of a much larger struggle that has been going on for decades. And if the industry lobbyists are still fighting for such brash, selfish legislation after all these years, when will they stop? The sad answer is that they won’t — not until they get what they want. That is why we must stay vigilant: because, even after SOPA and PIPA are long forgotten, there will be more plans like them.
In reply to the SOPA protests, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, Nev.) said, “There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved … I am optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks.” Those words are evidence enough that the motivation behind these bills is still prevalent in Congress. It might have a different name, or altered wording, or be split between many different bills, but this legislation will be back. The vocal voting public has already proven that we can stop these acts if we stand united. The message we must send is clear: we will not “compromise” with this censorship. The internet is a borderless bastion of intellectual freedom, and no country — least of all the U.S. — can be allowed to ruin that for the rest of the world.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.
30 Section | xx.xx.xx 3130 Views | 02.03.12
compiled by Victor Group
RINGS585 672 4840
All calls subject to editing and truncation. Not all calls will be run. REPORTER reserves the right to publish all calls in any format.
I was watching anime and a
Japanese principal fought a
bear. Where was
Destwler
SATURDAY 8:21 PM (from text)
There’s a perfectly good white sock sitting in the middle of the quarter
mile: another hipster art project?
MONDAY 2:02 PM (from text)
So apparently it seems there’s a wave of the
herps going around on campus. Make sure you keep that chastity of yours Rings, it’s a dangerous world out there.
THURSDAY 9:19 PM (from text)
Hey Rings, last night
was awesome. Have me
over again and I’ll do that
thing you like. ;)
WEDNESDAY 10:51 AM (from text)
The free gum-ball machine is broken, I turned
the knob once and like 40 gum-balls
came down. It’s like RIT is saying “Hey, here’s
your tuition back in gum!
WEDNESDAY 3:57 PM (from text)
This old man just
walked by me
and farted in
my face. He said
“excuse me,” but
I’m pretty sure
that’s inexcusable.
SATURDAY 3:53 PM (from text)
I’ve learned to never end an email with ‘Regards’ again because G and T are much too close to one another...
FRIDAY 2:23 PM (from text)
I went to lovin’cup Friday night.
Met a Cougar, who took
me to her den. She just released
me. I have a lab report to write!
SUNDAY 8:26 PM (from text)
THE PROVINCE S T U D E N T L I V I N G N E A R R I T
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WASHER & DRYER IN EVERY UNIT
RESORT-STYLE POOL
ON-SITE MANAGEMENT & MAINTENANCE
MOVIE THEATER WITH DVD LENDING LIBRARY
GAMING ROOM
like
fun lives here, so should you!
now.SECURING YOUR SPOT AT
THE PROVINCE
(THE HOTTEST COMMUNITY NEAR RIT)
dislike
MISSING OUT ON A SPOT BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL GONE.better hurry.
32 Section | xx.xx.xx
The RIT Counseling Center is offering services to students with Asperger Syndrome through generous grants from the Golisano Foundation and Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation.
If interested, contact the RIT Counseling Center (2nd floor of the August Center - AUG; 475-2261) and schedule a consultation session with Dr. Mark Miles or Dr. Laurence Sugarman.
Minding Anxiety Project (MAP)
ASPERGER SYNDROME
To facilitate anxiety
reduction and self-regulation of physiological arousal, MAP provides training in biofeedback. Using biological signals from the body to become more aware of when one is becoming
anxious, panicky, overwhelmed, or over-stimulated, the service helps students to learn techniques for reducing those signal and the “feeling” of anxiety as well as to develop self-control over behavioral reactions to stress.
