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The sixth issue of fall 2014. The Campus Lantern is the student newspaper of Eastern Connecticut State University.
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Campus LanternThe student newspaper of Eastern Connecticut State University
The
Fall 2014Issue 6
The
November 13, 2014
Like the Campus Lantern on Facebook!www.facebook.com/EasternCampusLantern
Established 1945
Veterans Day, which falls on November 11th each year, originated in 1919 under the name Armistice Day. It originated in this year due to it being the first anni-versary of the end of World War I. Then President, Woodrow Wilson, was the first to establish this federal holiday. When creating this holiday and delivering a speech to make it official, Wilson discussed several attributes of veterans that made this day so easy to commemorate: hero-ism, pride, dignity, etc. Most people recognize these aspects of the day and these are a major reason why Veterans Day is so well received. Originally, the designat-ed ways to celebrate were with pa-rades and the closing down of busi-nesses so that those who wished to observe the holiday could do so without having to worry about go-ing to work or school after a certain time. In 1938, an Act was produced and put into place that confirmed the holiday legally. At this point in time, it was still titled Armistice Day. Initially, Veterans Day was only made so that World War
I would be remembered and grieved over, simply because it was the only major war of that time and it had just recently ended, so it was a heavy weight on many citizens of the United States’ minds. However, in 1954, the extent of World War Two caused Con-
gress to rethink this decision and ac-tually amend it so that the name of the holiday was now Veterans Day. Along with a name change, it was also estab-lished that rather than only grieving over and remembering World War I; it would be for any and all Ameri-
can veterans, no matter the war. That same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower also established a Veter-ans Day Committee so that planning for the holiday would run smoothly. Finally, after all was said and done, the first officially-recognized Veter-
ans Day was in the year 1971. Al-though there was much confusion over whether or not to make a solid day that coincides with the weeks of November for it to fall on, it was finalized so that it will always be on November 11th each and every year. Veterans Day, this year, just passed on Tuesday, and is ex-pected to have huge turnouts with parades, individual town meetings, speeches, etc. to honor those who have fought for the liberty of the country. Eastern hosted its own ceremony in the Student Center on Tuesday morning, inviting Cap-tain Carl Lahti, Commanding Of-ficer at the Naval Submarine Base, to speak to students, staff, and fel-low veterans. Turnout was high compared to past years, as many students passing through the Stu-dent Center stopped to listen to the poem that closed the service, John McCrae’s Flanders Field. Once the ceremony ended, many attendees stayed to chat over re-freshments about their experiences.
By Mariah BalestracciStaff Writer
Patrick Kmiecik / Eastern Connecticut State University
The Student Center The-atre was filled to the brim on Monday night, No-vember 10th, to hear Ash Beckham, of U p w o r t h y fame, speak to students about “Giv-ing Life to Your Truth.” The Ted Talks speaker was invited to campus by a coalition of organizations including CAB, the Intercultural Center, Stu-dent Affairs, and the Pride Room. Beckham has been touring colleges across the coun-try to witness the movement of diversity on college campuses, oftentimes occurring at a faster pace than Supreme Court deci-sions. She stated early on that those in attendance were allies just by being there and opening
themselves up to discovering their stories and struggles are more alike than different than one may think. Ash Beckham’s main pur-pose of her visit was to acknowledge that our diversity could be the very thing that makes us strong if we chose to share it with others. She framed her talk around the expression “Give Voice to Your Truth,” highlighting and explaining the vitality of each
word that makes up the sentence. Students lis-tened intently as she started with “truth,” identify-ing it as the fire that is inside of us; if we were to pinpoint what makes us tick, that would be our truth. Beckham related a story that captured the importance of owning up to our authenticity and what we stand for as individuals; for we can impact others’ lives, too. Next, Beck-
ham reminded the audience that this is “your” life, and that societal expectations should not hold any-one back from living the life they choose to live. Even when she came out as a lesbian, Ash felt as though she needed to succumb to the flan-nel wearing, softball playing stereo-type that the media portrays, even if that was not what she wanted to
Patrick Kmiecik / Eastern Connecticut State University
By Jessica DeFeliceNews Editor
Continued on page 3.
Taylor Swift made head-lines once again with the release of 1989, marking the beginning of her pop era as well as the next two years of domination and a world tour. However, Swift’s empire has no limit, as she has demonstrated by releasing an app, available for free in both the App Store and Google Play, called the “American Express Un-staged Taylor Swift Blank Space Expe-rience.” With the help of Blank Space’s music video director, Joseph Kahn, and the partnership with American Express, Swift expands the fictional world she satirizes in her latest single. The app, released on Tues-day after her video for Blank Space was leaked the day earlier, is an in-teractive story offering a behind the scenes look at the characters involved in Swift’s latest music video. Instead of watching the video in a linear way, players can explore other rooms of the mansion and follow minor char-acters to see how they add to the story during the song. Fans are also treated to over 40 hidden collect-
ibles throughout the 4 minute song, which upon completion, progress is saved until all objects are dis-covered throughout the next plays. Swift has always been known for giving her fans her all. In the promotion for 1989, she actively joined Tumblr and left heartfelt messages on Instagram, which only increased fans’ expectations. How-ever, with the recent backlash she faced from those who criticize her catalogue removal from Spotify, this app reminds fans that she has the best intentions to improve the mu-sic industry by making each listen-ing experience personal and plea-surable. While her music might not be available in the online streaming world, she demonstrates her worth by developing additional insights to her world, something that her fans truly care about and therefore buy her album without a second thought.
By Jessica DeFeliceNews Editor
Veterans Day: Then and Now
Ash Beckham Speaks at Eastern Taylor Swift Releases Music Video, App
2
NewsCampus Lantern
News Editor
T h eT h e
INDEX
C a m p u s T h eCampus LanternT h e
Page 2: News Page 5: Opinion Page 8: Expressions Page 11: SportsPage 3: News Page 6: A&E Page 9: Expressions Page 12: SportsPage 4: Opinion Page 7: A&E Page 10: Ads
2
Jessica DeFelice
INDEX
Page 2: News Page 5: Opinion Page 8: Expressions Page 11: SportsPage 3: News Page 6: A&E Page 9: Expressions Page 12: SportsPage 4: Opinion Page 7: A&E Page 10: Ads
Campus LanternT h eCampus LanternT h e
Editor-In-ChiefMAE EHRNFELT
Managing EditorERIC ADAMS
News EditorJESSICA DEFELICE
Opinion EditorDANIELLE PEREIRA
A&E EditorPETER BERRY
Sports EditorMILES WILKERSON
Advertising ManagerMEGAN DAVIS
AdvisorsEDMOND CHIBEAU
KEN DELISA
Eastern ConnecticutState University
Student Center Room 108B83 Windham Street
Willimantic, CT 06226#: 860-465-4445
Opinions expressed in The Cam-pus Lantern do not reflect those of Eastern Connecticut State Uni-versity, its administration, or its faculty. All published content is copyrighted, and reproduction requires the express written per-mission from the editorial board.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
On Tuesday November 4th, the 2014 Midterm Elections took place. The Republicans completely demolished the Democrats in all ar-eas. In the House of Representatives, there were 244 Republicans and 184 Democrats elected. As for the Senate, 52 Republicans were elected, while 44 Democrats. Two Independent candidates were elected as well. The governors who were elected across the country were mostly Republican too, with only 17 being Democrats. This was an expected turn-out, seeing as the Democrats have had most of the power in recent years, causing Republican voters to be angered enough to head to the polls this year and vote for their voices to be heard. The same thing happened
in the 2010 midterm elections as well: the Democrats lost entirely in the House and Senate to the Republicans. In addition to a major party split, and the Republicans doing so well at the polls, older, veteran candidates also beat out many of the younger candidates across the whole coun-try. The lack of young voters raises concern over how much voice the
younger generation poses in politics. President Barack Obama gave a statement on how the elections went by simply stating, “We got beat.” He went on to say that he takes full re-sponsibility for the Democratic Party not performing better as a whole. It is easy to assume these elections foreshadow what could happen in two years in the Presidency election.
The Republican Party disagrees with how President Obama has been running the country. Republicans have hope to change the leadership drastically so that the actions made for the country reflect their values. As for Connecticut spe-cifically, incumbent Dannel Malloy, Democrat, was reelected, gaining 50.70% of the votes. He beat out both Tom Foley and Joe Visconti for the spot. Foley was predicted to win by many across the state due to similar reasons aforementioned. He did come out with 48.24% of the votes when all of the count-ing was finalized. The House of Representatives elected in Con-necticut were also primarily of the Democrat party. Although there had been much uproar from the Republican Party, Connecticut has been known for its liberal politics for quite some time, meaning the win was not much of a surprise.
By Mariah BalestracciStaff Writer
nationalpost.com
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping came to a historic deal on climate control, announcing that both the United States and China will cut back greenhouse emissions over the next two years. The United States has agreed to cut carbon emissions by 26-28% before 2025. China promised to aim to get 20% of its energy from ze-ro-carbon emission sources by 2030. China has also agreed to provide 800-1,000 gigawatts more of nuclear, wind, solar and other forms of zero-emission energy by the same year. The agreement came to fru-ition under the belief that being the two largest economies, energy con-sumers and the countries that emit the most greenhouse gases they “have a special responsibility to lead the global effort against climate change,” according to President Obama. Pres-ident Obama was in Beijing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Factories were closed and employees were given time off dur-ing President Obama’s visit. This was done in order to reduce car traffic and emissions in the city. The one-day of fewer emissions was noted by media through the observation of reduc-tion of smog and sighting of blue sky. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions believes that the
agreement is “an extremely hopeful sign”. Both President Obama and the Center for Climate and Energy Solu-tion hope that the announcement will encourage other countries to get in-volved. Historically, the United States and China have been seen as adversar-ies. The announcement brings forth the idea that the two can be partners. Despite the agreement, both sides will face difficulties in achieving their goals in the upcoming years. United States domestic policies could be a potential challenge. One of the biggest climate change deniers is the Republican Party, who just won majority in the Senate. There are fears that the party may attempt to stop the initiative. President Obama and his administration plan to con-vince the public to support the plan through speaking about saving on energy costs while offering incen-tives for developing solar and wind power in both countries. China’s anticipated zero-emission output will exceed all the coal-fired power plants currently in China, meaning that the country will have to rework many economic aspects to reach its goal During the APEC summit other agreements were made between the two countries. The other agree-ments included coming to an un-derstanding on how important the denuclearization of the Korean pen-insula is, an extension of student visas from one to five years and an exten-sion of short-term business and tour-ist visits from one year to ten years.
By Paige TunnicliffAssistant News Editor On Tuesday No-
vember 18th, Eastern’s chap-ter of Habitat for Humanity will begin its annual Shack-athon. Beginning at noon and ending at 6PM the fol-lowing day, students will live outside without access to their laptops, cellphones, or televisions. The experience is designed to simulate the life-style of a displaced person, while simultaneously bring-ing attention to the global epidemic of homelessness. In a country where upwards of 600,000 citizens are homeless on any given night, Habitat Humanity has done more than raise awareness of the is-sue. Since it was founded by Millard Fuller in 1976, the international or-ganization has built or repaired more than 800,000 homes. While its rendi-tion is much smaller in scale, East-ern’s Shackathon will do its part to continue the organization's mission. Despite being known as a charitable event, Shackathon has faced its fair share of criticism. This fact isn't lost on student coordina-tor, Kelvin Powell. "Some people think that it is a great way to help raise awareness for Habitat for Hu-manity’s mission, to help eradi-cate homelessness and substandard housing," he explained. "Others feel that the way go about trying raise awareness is mocking the homeless."
Powell referenced his first Shackathon experience last fall to explain the value of the event. "I complained the entire time, because it was a bitter 26 degrees at the low-est for last year. After I got back to my bed, I was so grateful for what I had," he said. "I then put into per-spective how a homeless man or woman would have liked to sleep in my bed for that one night, and ever since then, I have looked at my problems as being minuscule." Students looking to do-nate can contact Kelvin Powell at 203-394-8786. Proceeds from Eastern’s Shackathon will be do-nated to support local Habitat for Humanity building projects.
Habitat for Humanity/ Eastern Connecticut State University
By Peter BerryA&E Editor
2014 Midterm Elections
Climate Control InitiativesHabitat For Humanity’s
Shackathon
3
News Editor Campus Lantern
3
Jessica DeFelice
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Both the Senate and Con-gress may have moved into a con-servative trajectory after the most recent elections but the non-federal level part of our nation’s capital made very liberal moves. Voters opt-ed for Initiative 71, which will allow up to 2 ounces and 6 or fewer plants to be grown in the house, referred to as a “soft legalization”. All forms of drug paraphernalia and anyone over 21 in possession of up to one ounce are now legal as well. While Initiative 71 legalized many aspects of marijuana use, the sale and dis-tribution of cannabis is still illegal. Initiative 71 passed with 65% of voters in favor. The new rules will only apply to the three quarters of D.C. residents that do not live on federal land. The remaining quarter that live on federal land will remain under previous rules and regulations. Both Oregon and Alaska voted to make the sale of recre-ational marijuana legal, becoming the third and fourth states to do so.
Oregon passed Measure 91 with 51% of voters in favor. Measure 91 gives anyone over the age of 21 the right to buy or grow cannabis for recre-ational use. Control and regulation of the new market has been given to the State Liquor Control Commission. Alaska had previously tried to legalize marijuana in 2000 and 2004. The bill passed this time around with 52% of the votes, up 8% from 2004. According to the law, which will be passed in 90 days, the state will create a Marijuana Control Board. This board will be placed un-der the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Develop-ment. After this, the board will have nine months to develop rules and regulations for the sale of marijuana. While the legalization of marijuana became a reality in sev-eral states, Florida was not. Voters thwarted the bill, which would le-galize medial use of cannabis, with 58% of the votes. The other 42% of voters who were in favor will have to wait until the next elections to try and pass the bill again. The bill will need 60% of the votes to get instated.
On Tuesday, November 4, the Of-fice of AccessAbility Services (OAS) hosted an Autism Awareness event in the Betty Tip-ton Room. Peer-men-tors (OAS interns) who work with students on campus with autism and forms of social anxiety ran the event; tables were facilitated by the interns, a PowerPoint was presented, and two speeches were given throughout the event. Among the activities that were available for guests were arts and crafts, video games, and trivia. There were also giveaways, such as autism awareness t-shirts, and free food for participants. The main purpose of the event was to inform the Eastern com-munity on autism and to promote the services that the OAS offers. The OAS is located below Health Services on campus and its “services are de-signed to meet the unique education-
al needs of students with documented permanent and temporary disabili-ties such as AD/HD, ASD, learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, deafness and hearing impairments, blindness and visual impairments, and physical disabilities.” The office can be contacted at (860) 465-0189.
By Paul NoelStaff Writer
By Mae EhrnfeltEditor-In-Chielf
On Wednesday, Octo-ber 22, the Eastern Connecticut State University English Depart-ment hosted the “English at Work” Panel. ENG 202, Intro to English Studies teaching assistants Mikayla Zagata, Ryan Bahan, and Jessica Link, moderated the panel. Panel-ists included Dr. Elsa M. Núñez, president of the university; Michael Palumbo from the Center for In-structional Technology at Eastern; Starsheemar Byrum, coordinator of Eastern’s Women’s Center and the Sexual Assault & Interper-sonal Violence Response Team (SAIV-RT); Christopher Drewry, Director of the Academic Services Center; and William Bisese, Direc-tor the Academic Services Center. The panelists were first asked was English studies means to them. Dr. Núñez and Polumbo agreed that the study of words is important in read-ing, writing, and transferring ideas from one person to another. When asked why they chose to study English, the panelists discussed professors and teachers who inspired them to follow their dreams. Bisese spoke of an academ-ic advisor who helped him find his passion for English studies in col-lege; coincidently, he was also moved to work in advising. Dr. Núñez
shared a personal anecdote from col-lege in which a professor helped her improve her writing in an English course so much that she took up an English major. Byrum explained that
English professors at Eastern helped her when she was feeling homesick in the beginning of college; it was that faculty-student relationship that inspired her to study English. The moderators then asked what the most important lesson that the panelists learned as Eng-
lish majors. Polumbo talked about the “superpowers” that he learned as an English major: the ability to convey messages and the power to learn and teach. Drewry stressed
that the English major teaches stu-dents to successfully read others’ points of views and articulate their own opinions. Bisese discussed the power of the written word and the importance of punctuation. Although each panelist is very successful in their careers,
there were still parts of the Eng-lish major that were difficult when they were in college. Byrum talked about the difficulty she had in Dr. Tapia’s “Modern American Gram-
mar” class here at Eastern. With a laugh, she said she still could not diagram sentences to this day. Although each panelist went into different careers, each of them still uses the skills they gained as English majors in their everyday lives. Dr. Núñez discussed how she
is given more opportunities because of her English skills; she is skilled at and enjoys writing, so she is a valu-able member of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. There was also a discus-sion of different career opportuni-ties that are available to English majors. Dr. Núñez mentioned that English majors are likely to be hired for marketing and advertising jobs because of their critical thinking and writing skills; she encouraged students to apply to entry-level jobs that may not suit traditional English majors. Drewry agreed that the op-tions are limitless for English ma-jors. On the subject of the idea that English majors will have low-paying jobs, he reassured students that some of the most financially stable people that he knows were English majors. The panel ended with in-dividual questions for each panelist. Dr. Núñez talked about how she went from being a linguist to being the president of a university; Palumbo discussed how he “moved up in the ranks” and became an editor in the publishing industry; Byrum spoke about how Eastern changed from when she was an undergraduate and her appreciation for the university; Drewry touched upon advice that he gives to English students in his work as an advisor; Bisese gave advice to students who may want to study Eng-lish in graduate school. Students in at-tendance walked away that night with a variety of stories that they could potentially apply to their own career.
By Mae EhrnfeltEditor-In-Chielf
Jennifer Boylan/Eastern Connecticut State University
Tom Hurlbut / Eastern Connecticut State University
do. However, since she does enjoy these activities from time to time, she shrugged her shoulders and moved on, exemplifying that this is her life and she can do what she wishes. Once you realize your narrative, Beckham encouraged those to “voice” it. While we all find our life dynamic and ever-changing, at each point of our lives we have the choice to be indifferent to the consequences that may come with articulating ourselves. Ash Beck-ham understands the importance of this when she discovered that she can change the situations she finds herself in, one by one, by just expressing her humanity and pos-sibly broadening others’ minds. In order to make this change in our society, Beckham end-ed her talk asking the audience to “give” others a chance. Just as some-one may judge you, you could un-knowingly be doing the same thing by assuming others are ignorant or unchanging in their ways. Ash re-minded us to smile and disarm as well as take that chance to interact. More information on Ash Beckham’s movements can be found at ashbeckham.com or join the conversation on social media by hashtagging #ashtag.
“Beckham”Continued from page 1
“English at Work” Panel
Autism Awarenessat Eastern
States Advance Marijuana Use in Midterm Elections
4
OpinionCampus LanternOpinion Editor
4
OpinionCampus Lantern
Danielle Pereira
Thursday, November 13, 2014
By Emily ShieldsStaff Writer
Things in College that Are Your “Best Friend”
By Emily Shields Staff Writer
Let’s Just All Be Friends
Hurley & the Guest Meal Policy
By Gabriela WrobelStaff Writer
www.thinkstockphotos.com
By Danielle PereiraOpinion Editor
Netflix-because many of us don’t have TV’s
Ramen noodles-because we can get a meal out of 10 centsTake out-because cooking is over rated
Having a bike or skateboard-because we hate walking to class
Board games, video games and ESPN-because there’s not much else to do
Red bull- because it gives you wings
Pop tarts-because a homemade style breakfast is too time consuming
Having a pet fish-because we get lonely sometimes
Febreeze-because our roommates don’t always do their laundry
Sites like easy bib or citation machine-because who actually memorizes how to do MLA/APA/and Chicago style?
Our phones-because no one wears watches anymore
Social media-because we miss our friends and like to know what everyone else is up to
A professional outfit-because one of our teachers, clubs or interviews will want us to look decent for once
Gloves-because this is Connecticut
For a few weeks now all I have been seeing on my Facebook newsfeed is political wisdoms and debates. This entire ruckus, of course, took place because of the gubernato-rial elections that occurred last week. It is quite usual that as soon as No-vember rolls around everyone is a political expert all of the sudden…even if they have little to no credible evidence to support their arguments. I’m sorry, but Fox News should not be used as a factual source of informa-tion if you plan on outshining all of your friends with your deep knowl-edge of our political system. With that in mind, I would like to say that I also do not claim to be well versed on the subject. As a matter of fact, I only know the very basics of the po-litical happenings, which is why I will not try to impose my political views on anyone in this article. Instead, I would like to talk about how we as a society treat each other and their po-litical beliefs. My mother always warned me that, “politics and religion are top-ics you should stay away from at all costs”. Although I do not completely agree with that statement and believe that everything can be discussed re-spectfully, I can see where she got this idea. People tend to get overly passionate and defensive over their views. They can go from “zero” to “out of control” very fast if they feel their beliefs are jeopardized. Why does it have to be that way? Why can’t we possess our own opinions and still respectfully listen to the other side of the argument? It has a little to do with pride and stubbornness and a lot to do with protecting our principles.
We are careful to make sure that the groups we belong to and the lives we lead are safe from being eradicated. This is a natural human instinct, sure. However, I do not think that this is an excuse for how people have been acting. We have taught ourselves plenty of social values, and we are not done learning. No, it is not okay to bash another person’s beliefs for all of Facebook to see. No, it is not okay to humiliate your opponent in front of an audience. No, it is not okay to belittle what another human being considers to be their view of how the world works. We are all entitled to our beliefs and we should act with a bit more class and humility towards others, even if their opinions may be different than ours. It is usually considered a positive quality to have your own opinions about things. There is noth-ing wrong with standing your ground.
The problem becomes when a coun-try of uninformed people is blindly following a political party without any consideration of the substance of their agenda. Whatever the dem-ocratic or conservative party can-didates state will never be a 100% aligned with what each one of their members believes. People should not agree with all points made by their political party simply because that is the easier thing to do. People should decide for themselves where they stand on a particular issue. Along with that, it is not a crime to agree with some opinions from the opposing party. The times of ridiculing the opposing side should come to an end, and instead Ameri-cans need to allow themselves the chance to get their information from various sources and come up with better, well-rounded solutions to some of our time’s biggest issues.
A friend and I had dinner at Hurley hall the other night and we got on the subject of guest meals. As juniors, we among many other upper classmen have chosen to opt for par-tial meal plans because we have kitch-ens. Between groceries and delivery, we rely on Hurley for those long days on campus or for quick take out. Those who have a 75 meal block or a 50 meal block like my friend and I get no guest meals at all. That means if our parents come up, or an out of state friend comes to visit, they can’t eat with us, unless of course they’re willing to pay for it. As a student who has a partial meal plan, by the end of the semester I don’t al-ways finish all my meals, in fact often times I find I have meals left over as do many other students. We don’t get refunded for meals not used nor do they roll over into next semester. Instead, we lose these meals and the money we paid for them. Last year I proposed the re-fund for unused meals or the roll over idea, but neither of these ideas have been implemented which I think is wrong. I also think that if the meals were paid for, then it shouldn’t matter
who eats them. As long as the student with the meal plan is present, they should be able to use their meals on guests whenever they want to. Now, you could argue that if you’re not using all your meals up, then maybe next semester you should downgrade to a lower plan or get rid of the meal plan altogether. But the truth is, it’s hard to judge which meal plan you might need, if the 75 block was too many maybe the next semes-ter the 50 won’t be enough. Or maybe the 50 will be too much but you rely
on having a meal plan because you commute. Either way, you should be able to use up your extra meals on guests if you find by the end of the semester you have a lot left. Either that or you should get refunded. Other students have expressed these concerns to me before and I feel it is important that the student opinion be heard. Hopefully in the future Eastern will find a way to make the meal plan policy more fair to stu-dents.
Danielle Pereira/Campus Lantern
Calming the Real World Worries
We have all been there. Family or friends we haven’t seen in a while ask us the dreaded ques-tion: So what are your plans for after college? Our hearts start to beat a little harder and worried thoughts may fast set in. Even if you do have a “plan” it’s natural to feel nervous about the unknown. Being in my junior year these feelings are all too real to me these days. I often feel like we are made to fear life af-ter college by constantly being told about how bad the job market is or that these days at college are the best days of our lives. Yes, I’ve had an amazing time in college so far, but I know life will only continue to get better after school is done and more and more independence is gained. There are some things that make me feel better when a mini quarter life crisis may be setting in, and I want to share them because I KNOW that many other students feel the same way that I do.
-BREATHE: Relax and know that if you are taking proactive steps for your future everything will work out in the end. There is no use in constantly being in a state of chaos and worry, (though a little is fine).
-Talk to your friends: Sharing your feelings and realizing you are not alone in this fear of the real world will help calm some worries.
-Make your resume perfect: Ac-complishing little tasks like perfect-
ing your resume and viewing all of your accomplishments will make you feel more prepared than you though you were.
-Internships and Extracurriculars: Looking for opportunities that may lead to a job after graduation is a great way to be spending your free time while in school.
Realize that when you get out there into the world you may have to eat ramen noodles for a while and you might not even be able to afford a new pair of socks, but you’ll be do-ing it on your own. It will be an ex-perience that will shape the person you become and you will one day be grateful for those days right out of school. You have the whole world ahead of you with nothing holding you back but yourself.
www.wikipedia.org
5
OpinionCampus LanternOpinion Editor
5
OpinionCampus Lantern
Danielle Pereira
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Let’s Just All Be Friends
www.thinkstockphotos.com
By Danielle PereiraOpinion Editor
Roving Reporter: What Social Networking Site
Do You Use Most Often?
Death with Dignity Debate On November 1st, at twenty-nine years old, Britney May-nard decided to drink a lethal dose of medication to end her life. Di-agnosed with an inoperable brain tumor a year ago, and a horrifically painful death looming over her she made the courageous decision to move to Oregon. It is in Oregon where “death with dignity” exists. She did not want to have her family watch her go through the last stages of a disease that would leave her possibly paralyzed, unable to speak, and in pain. Death with dignity was the answer, “medical aid in dying” or as some call physician assisted suicide (cnn.com). Though that last name seems sort of inaccurate as the people choosing this option for end of life do not want to die, but realize it will happen anyway, in a drawn out torture as their body’s let go on their own. Due to Maynard being so public with her decision to end her life, a debate has been fueled whether or not death with dignity is ethical. Personally, I feel some-one who can make the decision to end his or her life that has been taken hostage by a terminal illness is nothing but an inspiration. Being in a situation like that is unimagi-nable and terrifying. Therefore, the fact that others who have never seen firsthand the struggles of fighting a losing battle like Britney Maynard, feel they can call her and others a coward is absolutely disgusting.
How can you be a coward for making such a difficult decision? This is not a choice any of the hundreds of people a year thought they would ever have to make, but life is full of unexpected circumstances good and bad. When faced with a debilitating and never ending illness, having the strength to pass away on their own terms instead of what their body has in store for their last days is amazing, and they should never be criticized for that de-cision. Currently Oregon, Wash-ington, and Vermont are the only states with a Death with Dignity law in place. “These laws allow mentally competent, terminally-ill adult state residents to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication to hasten their death” (deathwithdignity.
org). These laws should be passed in all states, as every citizen should have the right to choose how they want to spend their final days. One source that allowed me to see more clearly the circumstances of individuals in this situation is the documentary “How to Die in Oregon”. Available to stream on Netflix, this film follows people in the journey through the stages of their illness and contempla-tion of aid in dying. Though hard to watch through inevitable tears, it is a raw and important in showing that death with dignity is not taking the easy way out. In a country that stands on freedom, shouldn’t we be free to choose how our life ends if faced with unbearable suffering? I think we should.
www.pewforum.com
By Megan DavisAdvertising Manager
6 On-Campus Places to Visit When You’re
Overwhelmed
Whether you are a fresh-man or a senior in college, you al-ready understand how stressful being at school can be. Around this time of year, professors are throwing papers and exams in our faces, to cram it all in before Thanksgiving break and fi-nals. We are somehow at the point of school where we have about a month of classes left. I know everyone is thinking, where has the time gone? Most would think this is the easy time, seeing as though there’s only a few weeks left of school, but instead, it is the exact opposite. It can be dif-ficult to catch a break and just relax. Even if you are extremely busy, make sure to take time for yourself. There is no need to be overwhelmed. Luckily, there are several locations on campus that can help relieve stress. Make sure to visit whenever you are feeling over-whelmed, you will not regret it.
Student Center Take a break from all the craziness! In-between classes, make sure to visit the student center. Go alone or meet up with friends. While you’re there grab a coffee, a snack or even lunch. To make things more exciting, sit at one of the tables or in the super comfy colored chairs and start people watching. If you have a while before your next class, ask a few friends to join you and play a game of pool.
LibraryIf you need a quiet atmosphere, make sure to stop by the library. Instead of being in your dorm room deal-ing with loud roommates, take a trip to the library to study. If you need a break from studying, read a book for
leisure and just enjoy the quiet at-mosphere.
GymA lot of people will let their stress build up. Instead of letting that happen, head to the gym to let out steam. Running on the treadmill or lifting weights, not only helps you stay healthy, but helps get your mind off things.
Favorite professor’s officeUsually you would go to you mom, dad, or any other family member. Most likely that is no longer a con-venience. Instead, the next best thing is visiting your favorite profes-sor. If you have a break, stop by your favorite professor’s office and have a nice talk. They know what you’re going through if you are stressed out with school, and would love to help you relax.
Writing centerYou may be stressed out about a term paper or even a shorter as-signment. No need to worry about it too much when there is help read-ily available. Visit the writing center to have a writing tutor go over your paper with you. Not only will they revise it for you, but they will give you great suggestions.
Your bedHaving such a busy schedule and being stressed can also make you extremely tired. If you live on cam-pus, head to your room after class and take a well needed nap. We all need one sometimes. If you are caught up on sleep and just want a break from school, jump in bed and relax by watching your favorite TV show on Netflix.
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All images courtesy of Danielle Pereira/Campus Lantern
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“Probably Tumblr!” -Sydney Sullivan
“Definitely Tumblr.”-Kailey Cassidy
Are you interested in writing for the Campus Lantern? Send an email [email protected] or stop by a
meeting Wednesdays at 3 in the SGA suite!
Peter Berry
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Arts & EntertainmentCampus Lantern
A&E Editor
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Thursday, November 13, 2014
By Miles WilkersonSports Editor
Director Richard Lin-klater has created a spectacular film about the experiences of an average boy growing up in America. “Boy-hood” was shot over a period of twelve years, making it highly ex-perimental and visionary in scope. The film was distributed IFC, which paid $200,000 per year over the course of the film’s shooting. The film runs nearly three hours, but makes artful use of that time. The story revolves around Mason Evans (Ellar Coltrane) and his evolution from childhood to young adulthood. Over time, the audience watches Mason grow as a person and develop as a character, developing sympathy for his struggles and under-standing of him as an individual. The main character goes through a variety of difficulties, including a difficulty dealing with his parent’s separation, a string of alcoholic stepfathers, and the difficulties of deciding what he wants to do with his life. Throughout the film, Mason goes through a great deal of character development and actualizes himself as a full-fledged
human being. We see Mason’s grow-ing passion for photography, his difficulties with girls, and his inter-actions with other young people. His evolving relationship with his older sister Samantha (Lore-lei Linklater) and mother Olivia (Pa-tricia Arquette) is chronicled as the family moves to a number of cities in Texas. Samantha also struggles with her own growth into adulthood, and Olivia goes back to college in order to obtain a better life for her fam-ily. Though the film’s cast is mostly made up of up-and-coming talent, A-Lister Ethan Hawke played Mason’s father, Mason Sr. Hawke plays an affable, involved, yet still somewhat distant paternal figure who moves back from Alaska to be with his chil-dren. Mason Sr. postpones his musi-cal ambitions and slowly grows out of his bachelor lifestyle in order to be more involved in his kid’s lives. Hawke’s character takes his children on periodic bowling trips in order to maintain a connection with them. Boyhood explores the complexities of growing up without being didactic or preachy. The film also deals with topical issues such as the Iraq War
and the election of Barrack Obama, putting the lives of the characters in a broader context. The film deals with topical issues such as the election of Barrack Obama and the Iraq War. By documenting the growth of all the characters in a truly novel way, “Boy-hood” successfully breaks the mold of coming of age movies and sets a new standard for independent films. All of the camera angles
used in the camera’s shots are well thought out and are obviously care-fully planned. The cinematography of “Boyhood” is capturing, and will likely influence coming inde-pendent film projects in the future. Boyhood is a kind of time capsule of the first few decades of the 21st century that everyone should see. The film has the distin-guished position of achieving a
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What’s there to say about the “Walking Dead”? The zombie epic has been a series of comic books since 2003, it became an overnight TV sensation in 2010, and it has al-ready been renewed for a sixth sea-son. Last season was the most consis-tent and the most entertaining since the show’s incarnation, but this new season is on track to best last year’s. WARNING: Major spoilers follow. Season five’s opening epi-sode, “No Sanctuary”, was a grim reminder that not all human survi-vors follow the same principles as Rick Grimes and his ragtag family. Terminus, a group of cannibals led by a surprisingly charismatic man named Gareth, systematically drain their ‘meat’ of blood in one of the most violent and bloody scenes of the show yet. Before they get a chance to gut our protagonists, Carol (who hadn’t been captured) draws herds of walkers to take down the cannibalistic colony. Though Gareth was clearly not killed during the at-tempt, Rick and co. make it out and reunite with Carol and Tyreese. The next episode, “Strang-ers”, introduces Father Gabriel: a priest who has somehow managed to survive the apocalypse without kill-ing a single walker. Throughout the episode, it is clear that Bob is hiding his bite mark from the group, specifi-cally his newfound love interest Sasha. Bob is captured by Gareth and other survivors of Terminus, who proceed to feed on his leg. Bob laughs at this in the beginning of the next episode, proclaiming that he was bit, and
that Gareth was eating tainted meat. At this point, many fans were worried that Gareth would be-come the new Governor: the token “bad-guy” character. Season four proved that the Walking Dead was smarter than the typical good guy vs. bad guy dichotomy, and no one wanted to see Gareth dragged out for entire season like his poorly writ-ten predecessor. Thankfully, Rick’s group resolves their differences quickly by surrounding the canni-bals and brutally murdering them. Unsurprisingly, every member of the group was on board with this: There was no endless debate, no split com-mittee, just a uniform plan to end a threat before it could hurt others. At this point, the group is separated: Beth has been missing since season four, Daryl and Carol left the group to find her, and Glen and Maggie leave with Abraham’s group on the road to DC. The fourth episode, “Slabtown”, shows that Beth
is alive and surviving in a brutal hospital with a group of survivors. Those in charge care little for the workers under them (Beth included), and are not above violently raping those they deem worth their time. With the cannibals, the rape, and ca-sual murder, season five is on track to be the most brutal and bloody season of the show’s tenure on AMC. These horrifying acts blend surprisingly well with the characters and their de-velopment: Sasha and Tyrese have a strong bond that is being tested, Mag-gie and Glen are as tight as ever, and it’s great to see Daryl and Carol back after such a long separation. This sea-son so far has been both powerful and heavy, and fans can’t wait to see where the split-up group is headed. “The Walking Dead” airs on AMC Sunday nights at 9pm.
Taylor Swift first entered the music scene in 2006 with her self-titled album and hit single “Our Song”. Her success did not end there, as her pop-country music and style became even more popular with her release of albums “Speak Now”, “Fearless”, and “Red”. Taylor was quickly becoming America’s sweet-heart, and everyone loved it. No matter what, there was always a Tay-lor Swift song on the radio that you could sing obnoxiously loud with your friends when you were in the car. It is therefore not surprising that Swift has begun breaking records. Swift’s fifth and newest album 1989 was released in late October. The al-bum sold 1.287 million copies in its first full week, enough for it to instant-ly go platinum and break Eminem’s long-standing record as fastest-selling album of the decade – previously “The Eminem Show” in 2002. This is good news, not one album of 2014 has gone platinum yet. The music indus-try has been in a lull since Beyoncé’s and Lorde’s album releases in 2013. This is Taylor Swift’s third album to sell over a million cop-ies in its first week. Even more im-pressive is that after only a week, 1989 is the second best-selling al-bum of the year - first is the Fro-zen Soundtrack which has sold 3.2 million copies so far this year.Taylor Swift also made the deci-sion to keep 1989 from playing on streaming services, and has re-moved all her albums from Spotify.
This has likely helped in the sale of more albums – if it is not on the internet, fans are more likely to go out and buy the album instead. Regardless of whether or not you like Taylor Swift’s music, it is easy to recognize that she is extremely successful and is a pop-music force to be reckoned with. She has done wonders for the music industry, and with such a large fan base, it is certainly not surprising that she has reached this level of success.
100% on MetaCritic, and has been given awards at numerous film events such as the Berlin Interna-tional Film Festival and the Se-attle International Film Festival. Overall, “Boyhood” comes highly recommended and receives five out of five stars on my rating scale.
“Boyhood” Pushes The Envelope, Reinvents A Genre
By Evan OrtizStaff Writer
Fear The Living, Not The Walking Dead
http://www.blastr.com
By Christy AllenStaff Writer
Spotify Killer: Taylor Swift Breaks Records & Industry
Trends
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Peter Berry
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Arts & EntertainmentCampus Lantern
A&E Editor
Thursday, November 13, 2014
On Friday, Novem-ber 7th, Nicki Minaj released a lyric video for her new single entitled “Only” .The video, which features animated ver-sions of Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown, is causing an uproar on the internet because of imagery that some are considering anti-Semitic.The video portrays Nicki Minaj as a dictator sitting on a throne with red flags behind her. The flags bear a black and white in-signia representing Minaj’s re-cord label Young Money. The Image bears a striking resem-blance to the infamous Swat-stika. Throughout the video, there are images of bombs ex-ploding, tanks and machine guns, and lines of soldiers clad with the Young Money symbol. Minaj is a feminist icon and usually an advocate for social justice. In a 2013 in-terview, for example, she made it clear that she was an ally to the LGBT community when she stated she was a “girl with [a] vagina.” The interviewer looked at her confused and asked, “As opposed to a girl without a va-gina?” With a straight face, Minaj replied, “Right.” This in-stance was just one of the many times in which Minaj made a stand for marginalized com-munities; however, the “Only” video seems to be a step back.
“This video is insensitive to Holo-caust survivors and a trivialization of the history of that era,” stated Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry (www.nydailynews.com). With all of the negative backlash surrounding the video, Minaj made a statement on Twit-ter on Tuesday: “Both the producer and person in charge of oversee-ing the lyric video (one of my best friends and videographer: A. Lou-cas), happen to be Jewish. I didn’t come up with the concept, but I’m very sorry and take full responsi-bility if it has offended anyone. I’d never condone Nazism in my art.” Still, the video’s direc-tor, Jeffrey Osborne, “has said that he will not ask for forgiveness for its content and admitted to being in-spired by Nazi emblems” (www.roll-ingstone.com). Hopefully Osborne can learn from Minaj’s willingness to admit that art can be problematic. It is important to step up to the plate and apologize when art may be offensive, especially to marginalized groups.
Evan OrtizStaff Writer
Nicki Minaj Video Causes Controversy
The Foo Fighters, who need no introduction, are back with their eighth studio album. “Sonic Highways” feels less like a rock record and more like a rock experi-ment, but it’s not exactly an experi-mental rock record. Confused? Don’t worry, the concept behind this al-bum is simple. The band has always tried to make music interesting with new and different approaches on the recording process. For this re-cord, the band visited eight cities with strong musical histories and recorded one track per location that captures that musical environment. The album opens with a heavy and hard rock track that is un-deniably the Foo Fighters. Recorded in Chicago, “Something From Noth-ing” works with simple chord pro-gressions that really bring lead gui-tarist Chris Shifflet to the forefront, setting the stage for his powerful presence on the rest of the album. It also presents the band’s willingness to abandon traditional song structure on this album for the sake of musical ex-pression. “Something From Nothing” seems to run from verse to chorus to verse, but drops that verse in favor of multiple bridges, a new chorus, and a complete change of instrumentation. “The Feast and the Famine” continues to accentuate that amazing Foo sound while also experimenting with an odd time signature that feels off-beat for almost the entire song. “Congregation” and “What Did I Do?/God As My Witness” bring an almost
out-of-place country/western feel to the otherwise rock record. While the guitarists are strong, as always, bass-ist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins seem to be at their peak as well. “Outside” is probably their best work as a rhythm section on this album, but that is up for debate. “In The Clear” is the al-bum’s low point, and I’m not ex-actly sure how/why it found a place on the record. Every other track is so unique that the simplicity of this song sticks out like a sore thumb. The structure is very standard, the lyrics aren’t memorable, and the riff sounds like the one from “Congregation”. The track feels like a B-Side from 2011’s Wasting Light, but the or-chestra that appears in the song does give this track something to listen for. Musically, the end of the album is its highest point. “Subter-ranean” opens with a haunting verse and acoustic guitar layered atop the waning riffs of Shifflet and Smear. It’s mellow and almost depressing, but the riff hits the listener with a silver-
lining that is incredibly uplifting. And just when I realized that I didn’t want the song to end, it fades into “I Am A River”. In the song, each guitar danc-es around a melodic and invigorating riff that truly captivates. It sounds almost mystical, and it is definitely the way this record needed to end. “Sonic Highways” draws inspiration from everywhere: eight different cities, the musicians’ var-ied and unique musical interests, and even moods and musical themes from the Foo Fighters’ previous records. Does it make for a strong album? No, but I don’t think the band was going for another “Wasting Light”. This is a prime example of a band making music because they love it, not because they need to top their last record. So if you’re going into this album expecting a great rock record, you’ll be disappointed. Fo-cus on the experiment, the musical creativity, and the band’s willingness to move beyond their comfort zone, and then you will love this record.
Foo Fighters Album Review: “Sonic Highways”
http://therockrevival.com
By Mae EhrnfeltEditor-in-Chief
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Mul-tiplayer Let me start off by saying that if you want a review of the cam-paign of the new Call of Duty game, stop reading this article. I recently purchased the latest installment of the Call of Duty series and jumped right in to the online multiplayer world. This Call of Duty is vastly different from past installments. In terms of mobility around maps, the new exo system allows your player to use a sort of jetpack boost to jump and burst your way around the map. Think of Xbox One’s Titanfall in terms of how to maneuver around the maps. Call of Duty also made modifications to the create-a-class option and also has brand new score streaks such as the Vulcan laser which is a laser that shoots down from space immedi-ately perishing anyone in its path or the goliath which is a large super suit of armor with a heavy machine gun attached to it. Along with some new guns and interactive maps, the “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” multi-player mode is a breath of fresh air
to this laboring franchise. Yes, games like “Destiny” and even the new first person mode in “GTA V” will take first-person shooters to new heights, but Call of Duty is still the standard in its genre. This game is worth a buy and you won’t be disappointed with the multiplayer like past versions.
Halo: Master Chief Collection Can I say how exciting it is to play “Halo 2”again? It may be the greatest thing to ever happen in video gaming history. Yep, the big boys over at Bungie decided that Xbox One should not go without some Halo ac-tion. Instead of waiting another year for the highly anticipated “Halo 5: Guardians”, Bungie decided to take Halo’s 1-4 and re-master them. For those of you who are not big into video games (although if you are not I have no idea why you are reading this article), to re-master something in video games logic means to make the game look a lot more realistic. So, to play the first Halo ever in 1080P on Xbox One is kind of insane. The “Master Chief ” collection is a must own for any Halo fan simply due to the fact that you can play any game
mode in any of the four Halo’s. The campaigns are untouched and still lovable and the multiplayer is a beau-tiful reimagining. Now they just need to fix the matchmaking so the mul-tiplayer can run a tad bit smoother.
The Crew Beta On December 2nd, Ubisoft will release their highly anticipated online racing game The Crew. The Crew is an open world racing game that allows you and your friends to travel the United States and all over the world to challenge rival crews to prove who is the best behind the wheel. Luckily for me, I was able to get a hold of a key for the closed Beta that took place on November 6th to November 10th and let me say that this game is about to change the rac-ing genre. After running through the first two missions, you are able to choose your first car. With the se-lection of a Mustang, Camaro, 370Z and a Challenger, I had to pledge my loyalty to Ford and go Mustang. The handling of the car is obviously the most important component of a racing game and let me say that al-though The Crew’s handling is a tad stiff, it is manageable enough to get you through the game. Since I was only able to reach level 10, the game left a lot to be desired. I am interested to see how smoothly the online rac-ing lobbies run and I also would like to know if the cars can be painted or
By Eric AdamsManaging Editor
Eric Adams’s Gaming Corner
customized even further. In terms of graphics and scenery, this game is a 10 out of 10. I was able to make it from Detroit all the way to Las Ve-gas and it was a true spectacle even in video game mode. When the game releases on the 2nd, I plan on purchasing the game and taking my talents all over the world. If you like racing games then this game might just be the game you have been wait-ing for. Move over Forza and Need for Speed, The Crew is coming.
Megan Davis/Campus Lantern
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ExpressionsCampus Lantern
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Fencing Tournament at Smith CollegePatrick Kmiecik
Gallivanting through intergalactic galaxiesI sit, stiltedAbsorbed in this world I have never been tooOr will have the chance to go toAs our reality remains based on predictable algorithms It is here – where the beauty of televisionComes forthScience fiction mixed with animationSwimming through creativityStationed in certain time slots Saturday morning cartoons may have endedBut these memories I have not forgotParenting tips with Dr. Lipshiz followed by Tito’s wisdomAs I pull for Doug to win over Pattie Mayon-naise Those days have not left meMy inner child is still pure
Free from judgment that “Oh it’s just a kid show”No RecognizeTheir underlying messagesTheir depthTheir concepts Studio sets don’t always equate intellectJensen Ackles is not perfect Expand your brain, accept other outletsMediums of expression Cartoons areLegitimateTrilingual, understandable in all languages (even when lost in translation)But most of allCartoons areUniversal
CartoonsBy Zach Watson
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ExpressionsCampus Lantern
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Three semesters in and you’ve publishedAbout a dozen (or so) of my poetryRanging from mediocre to extraordinaryAnd for that I thank youSincerelyFor giving light to poems now electricPreviously dimly lit
Thank you againIt is truly appreciatedYour support does not go unrecog-nizedEveryone involved with the paperYou rock, you rule *high five*
Thank You Campus LanternBy Zach Watson
The dim fluorescent lighting that makes me squint,The draft that seeps through a penetrable window sill,The old attic apartment is far from home,The cracked, moss covered sidewalks of my Willimantic apartment remind me that I am in a foreign place,The fact that the street lights bleach the sky of stars reminds me that I miss the comforts of home.The fact that the shower nozzle has a temperature limit and that city water tastes different on my tongue,That the concrete maze of urban streets has massacred the once erected trees,Or the smell of grease in the air wafting over from all the fast food conglomerates nearby,Sometimes I miss the comforts of home, The smell of fresh pine under a sea of stars in my backyard,The little portable fireplace we bought for the living room that I lay next to with the cat,The sound of the tea kettle boiling and the smell of lasagna baking in the oven,The trees that hide us away from the busy world,This is what I call the comforts of home.
The Comforts of HomeBy Emily Shields
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Thursday, November 13, 2014
Here’s a picture of bee-ver
Wishing you a dam good weekend!
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SportsMiles [email protected]
Campus LanternSports Editor
Thursday, November 13,
By Zachariah HandSeior Staff Writer
NFL First Half Review
Warriors Basketball is Back
By Nick AconforaSenior Staff Writer
ral that eventually led to a devastat-ing 24-3 home loss to the Cleveland Browns in the first game of Week 10. After the Bengals hot streak ended, the Dallas Cowboys were the next team up to be considered the NFL’s best. Despite a week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas showed a great deal of ability, get-ting off to a 6-1 start with a 30-23 win over the Seahawks in Seattle serving as their signature victory. All was go-ing well for Dallas until week 8, when the 2-5 Washington Redskins came to town for Monday Night Football. Many believed that Dallas, fresh off a ten-point victory over the division rival New York Giants, would again roll. But as is usually the case with the NFL, the unlikely is entirely plausible. The Redskins would win the Monday Night game 20-17, due in large part to an injury to Cowboys quarter-back Tony Romo that forced him to leave the game. Dallas would lose to the Arizona Cardinals at home the following week by a score of 28-17. After the Cowboys loss to the Redskins, it was the Denver Broncos turn to take a spot at the top. Holders of a 6-1 record to that point, the defending AFC champions had thus far taken care of business, with
Warriors Reach LEC Championship to Cap Successful Season
By Alyssa McLaughlinSenior Staff Writer
It may be hard to believe, but we are now more than halfway through the 2014 NFL regular sea-son. It seems like just this Thursday the defending Super Bowl Cham-pion Seattle Seahawks opened the season with a dominant win at home against the Green Bay Pack-ers, looking every bit as dominant as they had during their champion-ship run. But in reality, that game was long ago, and the Seahawks have become humanized after loss-es to the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams on the road, and a loss to the Dallas Cowboys at home. Since then, several teams have claimed the title as the NFL’s best, with seemingly a new con-tender taking up the mantle every week. At first it was the Cincinnati Bengals, who got off to a roaring 3-0 start behind one of the league’s top defenses and an offensive unit lead by wide receiver A.J. Green, running back Giovani Bernard, and fourth-year quarterback Andy Dalton. The Bengals managed to remain the NFL’s last unbeaten team in 2014, before being embar-rassed by the New England Patriots 43-17 in week 4. That loss started the Bengals on a downward spi-
their only loss coming in Seattle at the hand of the Seahawks. Many of their wins had come against respect-able competition such as the India-napolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, which lead many to peg Denver as the NFL’s best. But like the Bengals and Cowboys before them, the Bron-cos would not hold the title long. In week 9, Denver traveled to Fox-borough, Massachusetts for a game against the New England Patriots, last year’s AFC runner up. Despite a high-powered offense and one of the league’s most highly regarded de-fenses, Denver was crushed by New England 43-21, ending their short reign as the Super Bowl favorite. Following the events of week 9, two teams currently stand out in the NFL: The Patriots and the Cardinals. The Patriots have won 5 straight after being blown out 41-14 by the Kansas City Chiefs in week 4, with their recent thrashing of the Broncos and week 5 embarrass-ment of the Bengals standing out as key wins. The Cardinals have flown under the radar, with their only loss coming against Denver in week 5 in a game that starting quarterback Carson Palmer was knocked out of due to injury. Along with these two
teams sits a dark horse contender for the league’s best team, the India-napolis Colts, who have scored the most points of any NFL team in 2014. However, the Colts have struggled against good competition, being beaten by the Broncos, Philadel-phia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers. If the first half of the NFL season is any indication, there is no true number one team in the NFL, and any team can beat any other on any given date. The only time when being regarded as the best team should matter is in Febru-ary, after the Super Bowl is played.
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State Uni-versity women’s volleyball team defied the odds this season. With a roster full of underclassmen, their high energy and sharp skills made each team watch in disbe-lief. Ranked 5th in the Little East Conference preseason poll, the conference underdogs charged to a 3rd place finish with a 5-2 re-cord. The Warriors battled their way to their first LEC Champion-ship since 2007, but fell to Western Connecticut State University 3-1. “We were an underes-timated team,” notes senior Al-lie Henry. “We told ourselves that we could persevere through it all.” While the Warriors have had a steadily improving volleyball program, this year’s team has com-pletely changed the face of East-ern volleyball. With a roster full of youth, finishing the season 17-17 is a testament to their hard work and dedication. However, head coach Megan Droesch gives insight about a few of those wins. “For some of those teams, we may have caught them off guard,” states Droesch. The Warriors proved that often by brick-walling very strong offensive teams. Blocking at the net was very successful and key to the Warriors’ strategy this season. “It sparked the momentum for us,” notes 6-foot-1 freshman Han-nah Koehler. “Especially with a stuff block, it shut them down and gave us an even higher en-ergy level.” Eastern led the con-ference in blocks, as well as kills and assists as the season came to a close, showing they were a threat both offensively and defensively.
Flipping the script and swinging the momentum was also essential for the Warriors throughout the season. With a roster of fresh and youthful players, their high energy and fierce intensity took many of their oppo-nents by surprise. Eastern’s intensity and hard work faced the ultimate test in the final weekend of the season. The smart, sharp skills of the War-riors shocked the Little East Confer-ence this season, and they were de-
termined to finish what they started.
With a strong come from behind win over Plymouth State in the quar-terfinals, and a sweep of rival Keene State in the semifinals, the Warriors proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Making the LEC Championship for the first time in 7 years, the War-riors fell just short of capping off the season the way they wanted to. The Colonials got revenge and Eastern looks to continue the same success next year. Losing just one senior, Allie Henry, The Warriors will return the same roster, with more experience and a deeper desire for the LEC title.
The weather may be get-ting colder, but the Francis E. Geissler Gynasium is heating up. Eastern men and women’s basketball begin their seasons this weekend. Both teams will play Newbury College to begin the annual Eastern Tip-Off Tournament. The women will play at 1pm and the men at 5pm. Last season the Eastern women’s basketball team lost in the conference semi-final. However, this year they return three seniors, includ-ing Kristina Forsman, who is coming off an ACL injury. Senior Shannon McCourt is also coming off of shoul-der surgery. Both McCourt and Fors-man along with senior point guard Taylor McBride are looking to take their team to the next step. The team’s last appearance in the NCAA tourna-ment came back in 2010-2011 when Eastern lost in the second round to Amherst College. Eastern also re-turns junior Jill Ritrosky and sopho-more Jordyn Nappi, both whom put up great numbers last season. The men’s basketball team hosted the conference tournament last season after an undefeated regu-lar season conference record. In the championship game vs Rhode Island College, the Warriors were shut down offensively. However, Eastern did get an at-large bid into the NCAA tour-nament. After winning in the first round, the Warriors were beat in the second round by Plattsburgh State. This season, the Warriors only return one senior, Brandon Yarborough, who has been a leader for the Warriors since he stepped on campus his fresh-man year. They also return Trachone Preston, one of the premier guards in
the conference. By his side will be junior Kevin Leumene and forward rebounding machine Hugh Lindo. There will also be two other games played Saturday. At 3pm, the women of Wesleyan Uni-versity will take on Framingham State. At 7pm, the men of Purchase College will play Colby College. The two losing teams from the women’s games will play at 1pm Sunday af-
ternoon and the two losing teams from the men’s games will play at 5pm Sunday evening. The win-ning teams will play in the women’s championship at 3pm and the men championship at 7pm. The War-riors will also play at home the week after the tip off tournament. The men will play Wednesday evening and the women Thursday evening.
“We were an un-derestimated team..We told
ourselves that we could persevere through it all”
“Following the events of week 9, two teams cur-rently stand out in the NFL: The Patriots and the Cardinals”
“The weather may be getting colder, but the Francis E. Geissler Gynasium is heating up. East-ern men and wom-en’s basketball be-gin their seasons this weekend”
Photo Credit: Jennifer Shuler
gamesloveres.com
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SportsCampus Lantern
Sports EditorMiles Wilkerson
Thursday, November 13, 2014
This fall marked the first head-coaching job for Megan Droesch. The UConn graduate did a tremendous job with the Eastern women’s volleyball team. Droesch led a team that consisted of one senior, three juniors, and thirteen under-classman. Although they had their ups and downs, the Warriors showed resiliency and a love for the game. After loses their final three matches of the regular sea-son, the Warriors entered the con-ference tournament with a few big question marks. What team would show up? Does their youth hurt them in the postseason? Can Allie Henry, the team’s only senior, lead her team deep into the conference tournament? All those questions were answered by Sunday afternoon. Tuesday November 4th, the Warriors hosted Plymouth State in the first round of the 2014 Little East Conference women’s volleyball tournament. As the three seed, East-ern was the favorite. After defeating Plymouth 25-14 in the first set, it looked as if Eastern was going to roll by the Panthers like they did earlier in the season. However, things changed quickly in the second set. Plymouth
capitalized on any Eastern error and took the second set 25-21 and the third set 25-18. In the fourth set, both teams were trading points until Allie Luppi and the Warriors made a remarkable play. After the ball was blocked and deflected by Eastern, Luppi had to chase down a ball near the gymnasium exit. After she saved it and kept it in play, Eastern got the ball back over and got the point. The Eastern fans erupted and gave the women the push they needed to win the fourth set 25-18. The fifth set was all Eastern. With momentum from the last set and the energy from the crowd, Eastern won the fifth and fi-nal set 15-7. Sophomore Adrianna Mihalek finished with 23 kills and Allie Luppi finished with 29 digs. With the win, Eastern was headed to the semi final Saturday afternoon. The Warriors played the Owls of Keene State College back in late September. The Owls won the match 3-1. Eastern got its revenge Saturday. In the semi-final at UMass Boston, the Warriors swept Keene State. The first two sets were decided by a combined six points and the Warriors wrapped up the win in the third set winning by eight. Mihalek kept up her dominant performance in the tournament as she led the team with 13 kills. Luppi and Amanda Ty-ler combined for 20 digs. With the
win Eastern advanced to the confer-ence championship game Sunday afternoon. Western Connecticut de-feated regionally ranked UMass Bos-ton in the other semi-final match. The in-state rivalry of Eastern and Western Connecticut headlined the conference cham-pionship game Sunday afternoon. Eastern swept Western earlier this season. That Eastern win marked the first against Western Connecti-cut in nearly four years. However, this game had much bigger stipula-tions. After splitting the first two sets, Western came out on fire and defeated Eastern in sets three and four by a combined total of 20 points. Western Connecticut was crowned the conference champs and awarded with an automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA tournament. Although the young Warriors team did not bring home a conference title, they still proved many people wrong. It’s not often a first time, young, head coach can have an influence on such a young team. Megan Droesch did just that. The Warriors proved that a young team with a lack of upper-classman can win and play together. The future is bright for Eastern volleyball and a conference cham-pionship may be coming to Wil-limantic sooner than people think.
More Eastern Volleyball AnalysisBy Nick AconforaSenior Staff Writer
A Look at MLB’s Biggest Free AgentsBy Zachariah HandSenior Staff Writer
Athletes and the Issues V: Dion Waiters, the National Anthem
By Miles WilkersonSports Editor
Following the San Fran-cisco Giants third World Series title in five seasons, Major League Base-ball has once again gone on hia-tus until spring. In the meantime, baseball fans will be entertained by football, basketball, hockey, and of course, the always exciting MLB offseason, a time when play-ers relocate and the foundation of championship rosters is first laid. As with any year, 2014 boasts a slew of star free agents, players capable of chang-ing the fortunes of a franchise, that stand above the rest. Here’s a look at where MLB’s top 5 free agents are likely to land for 2015: Jon Lester, Starting Pitch-er (Former team - Oakland Ath-letics): Prior to last season’s trade deadline, Lester had spent his entire career with the Boston Red Sox, winning two World Series titles. But in final year of his contract, Lester was traded to the Oakland Athlet-ics, who at the time were viewed as one of MLB’s best teams. Lester failed to help the Athletics win the World Series, as the team fell to the Kansas City Royals in the Ameri-can League Wildcard playoff game. Now he enters into free agency for the first time in his career as one of the premier pitchers in baseball. His 2014 numbers – 16 wins and a 2.46 ERA – have earned the soon to be 31-year-old a big deal, likely with a team searching for that one missing starter to step in as a leader on their pitching staff. The Chicago Cubs, on their never ending jour-ney to finally win a World Series after a 100-plus year drought, ap-pear to be in the market for a front line starter, and have the money to
spend this winter. Prediction: 6-year, $145 million with Chicago Cubs Max Scherzer, Starting Pitcher (Former team – Detroit Ti-gers): Scherzer has emerged as one of the best starting pitchers in base-ball over the past 3 seasons, posting a 55-15 record to go along with a 3.24 ERA, winning the 2013 Ameri-can League Cy Young Award in the process. Scherzer reportedly turned down a 6-year, $144 million exten-sion offer from the Tigers before the 2014 season began, seeking a larger deal. Scherzer was not as good in 2014 as he was in 2013, but his re-cent track record should be more then enough to land the 29-year-old one of the richest contracts in baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB’s biggest spender, will be look-ing to once again make a splash after the division rival San Francisco Gi-ants World Series win. A union of Scherzer and the Dodgers seems to
make sense. Prediction: 6-year, $160 million with Los Angeles Dodgers Hanley Ramirez, Shortstop (Former team – Los Angeles Dodg-ers): Ramirez had a down year in 2014 after a brilliant first full season with Los Angeles in 2013, playing only 128 games due to nagging injuries. But in an era of Major League Baseball in which the shortstop position is not re-lied upon heavily for run production, Ramirez is a premium player. The 30-year-old may not have the same ability as he did earlier in his career, but his track record and bounce back potential should have several teams interested. The New York Yankees, who are now without a shortstop due to Derek Jeter’s recent retirement, would be a good fit for Ramirez, who grew up as a big fan of Jeter and would no doubt relish the opportunity to be his successor. Prediction: 5-year, $100 million with New York Yankees James Shields, Starting
Pitcher (Former team – Kansas City Royals): Shields has been a consis-tent starting pitcher for nearly his entire career, but he has never been regarded as a star. He had one of his best years in 2014 for Kansas City, winning 14 games and posting a 3.21 ERA. However, he struggled greatly in the postseason, which may have cost him several million dol-lars. The Boston Red Sox are in dire need of a veteran starting pitcher, and the veteran Shields will likely not require a particularly long or expensive contract compared to his free agent peers. Prediction: 3-year, $50 million with Boston Red Sox Pablo Sandoval, Third Baseman (Former team – San Fran-cisco Giants): The “Kung Fu Panda,” as Giants fans have come to call him, is an interesting case. Sandoval is a competent hitter when at his best and a solid defensive player, but his health and fitness have become concerning.
Sandoval has always been a larger individual, but as he enters free agency reportedly seeking a 6-year contract, teams appear wary to in-vest such a large number of years in a player who has struggled to stay in shape. Despite these concerns, however, Sandoval should still find a solid market due to his switch-hitting ability and track record for clutch performances in the postsea-son. The Boston Red Sox are in need of a proven third baseman, and have some money to spend this offsea-son. Sandoval makes a great deal of sense for Boston. Prediction: 4-year, $82 million with Boston Red Sox
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“As with any year, 2014 boasts a slew of star free agents, players capable of changing the for-tunes of a fran-chise, that stand above the rest”
A tradition of games in professional –and even amateur- level sports has been the singing of the National Anthem before the beginning of a game. The Star-spangled Banner, written as a poem in 1814 by Francis Scott Key after the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British Congreve rockets dur-ing the War of 1812, was made the National Anthem in 1931. It is a staple of sporting events across the country and has been performed at numerous Olympic events where the US has won a gold medal. In recent news, in an away game on Wednesday November 5th, Cavs shooting guard Dion Waiters was absent for the singing of the National Anthem. Waiters claims that he was absent due to a “mis-communication,” but some credit Waiters’ Muslim faith as being a rea-son behind his absence, as Waiters According to ESPN, Waiters said that “[i]t was a big miscommunication… Big mis-understanding. I love my coun-try. I love the United States of America. I’d rather be here than
any place else. It was just a big mis-understanding on both parts.” This scenario is similar to Roseanne Barr’s infamous perfor-mance of the National Anthem at a San Diego Padres game in 1990. Her performance was widely criti-cized as being disrespectful and un-patriotic. President George Bush Sr. said that the performance was “disgraceful” and ratings for Barr’s sitcom went down tremendously. Whitney Houston’s rendi-tions during the First and Second Gulf War became top-twenty hits, but Christina Aguilera’s were widely ridi-culed as being sub-par. The song is in-credibly popular at sporting events of all types, and games that don’t feature the song are often seen as unimportant But some protest the song’s evocation of war and bloodshed, preferring the more placid “America the Beautiful.” Many do not appre-ciate the song’s focus on and glo-rification of war. The controversial nature of the Anthem’s content. Ul-timately, the Star-Spangled Banner is an influential song that will likely be the center of much controversy so long as it is a vital part of sports.
