20
Senior Convocation welcomes 2014 class; Eizenstat receives honorary degree Students gathered in the Scanlon Banquet Hall on Thursday, September 19th for Senior Convocation, a welcom- ing event for seniors that fea- tured several special guests. The event began with re- marks from Brittany Moniz, senior class president, who re- minded the senior class that it’s not too late to make a difference on campus and try something new. “We have only eight months until graduation next May, but we still have eight months to make a difference, make a friend, and make up our minds,” Moniz said. Noting the success of the annual Mr. Westfield pro- gram, which raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Moniz recounted her pride in working with the 2014 class council. She named the senior stu- dents who participated in the Mr. Westfield shows and then called Peg Wheble, Develop- ment Officer from the Make-A- Wish Foundation, to the stage. On behalf of the Class of 2014, Moniz presented Wheble with a $6,000 donation. The Class aims to donate an additional $6,000 by the end of the academic year. Maddy Cahill, professor of Communication, delivered re- marks as the faculty speaker. Her words encouraged stu- dents to fill their remaining time at Westfield State with things that are most meaningful to them, whether it is spending time with relatives and friends or reading a good book. After briefly greeting the senior class, President Dobelle and Jack Flynn, chairman of the board of trustees, awarded Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat an honorary Doctorate of Pub- lic Service degree. Ambassador Eizenstat’s ex- perience in government and international affairs includes: Chief White House Domestic Policy Adviser to President Carter; U.S. Ambassador to the European Union under the Clinton administration; under- secretary of state for economic, business and agricultural af- fairs; and deputy secretary of the Treasury. Additionally, Ambassador Eiznstat wrote a book that was published last year entitled “The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the Unit- ed States.” Now, Ambassador Eizen- stat serves as an attorney of international law at Covington & Burlin LLP in Washington, D.C. In an interview with Voice staff, Ambassador Eizenstat stated, “public service is the no- blest occupation.” After a lifetime of work in law and politics, the ambassa- dor shared his perspective of the current state of U.S. affairs regarding the competitive glob- al economy. During his Convocation speech, he highlighted the chal- lenges of living in a globalized world and the employment fig- ures for individuals with vary- ing levels of education. “It is important to stress that there is an almost perfect correlation between levels of education and unemployment rates and earnings.” No need to worry, Seniors; Brittany Moniz Managing Editor Class of 2014 presents $6,000 to Make-A-Wish and Westfield State recognizes Ambassador Eizenstat with Honorary Degree for Public Service In this week’s issue Campus pages 2-5 Univ. Hall dedication “Simple Serving” section Student Gov. meeting Op-Ed pages 6-10 ‘The Conservative View’ ‘From the Editor’s Desk’ ‘Gentlemen’s Weekly’ A&E pages 11-14 Phish concerts ‘Gail’s Guidance’ returns Album reviews ‘Knowing to Cook’ Sports pages 15-17 Owls Football Lady Owls’ Soccer ‘Overthinking It’ F RIDAY , S EPTEMBER 27, 2013 The Student Press of Westfield State University V OLUME V, I SSUE II WWW . WESTFIELDVOICE . COM FREE OF CHARGE see MONIZ on page eighteen PHOTO BY DAVE FRIED FOR THE WESTFIELD VOICE President Evan Dobelle (left) looks on as Stuart Eizenstat receives his honorary degree and sash from Liz Preston, Vice President of Academic Af- fairs, and Marsha Marotta, Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

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Page 1: September 27, 2013

Senior Convocation welcomes 2014 class; Eizenstat receives honorary degree

Students gathered in the Scanlon Banquet Hall on Thursday, September 19th for Senior Convocation, a welcom-ing event for seniors that fea-tured several special guests.

The event began with re-marks from Brittany Moniz, senior class president, who re-minded the senior class that it’s not too late to make a difference on campus and try something new.

“We have only eight months until graduation next May, but we still have eight months to make a difference, make a friend, and make up our minds,” Moniz said.

Noting the success of the annual Mr. Westfield pro-gram, which raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Moniz recounted her pride in working with the 2014 class council.

She named the senior stu-dents who participated in the Mr. Westfield shows and then called Peg Wheble, Develop-ment Officer from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to the stage.

On behalf of the Class of 2014, Moniz presented Wheble with a $6,000 donation.

The Class aims to donate an additional $6,000 by the end of the academic year.

Maddy Cahill, professor of Communication, delivered re-marks as the faculty speaker.

Her words encouraged stu-dents to fill their remaining time at Westfield State with things that are most meaningful to them, whether it is spending time with relatives and friends or reading a good book.

After briefly greeting the senior class, President Dobelle and Jack Flynn, chairman of the board of trustees, awarded Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat an honorary Doctorate of Pub-lic Service degree.

Ambassador Eizenstat’s ex-perience in government and international affairs includes: Chief White House Domestic Policy Adviser to President Carter; U.S. Ambassador to the European Union under the Clinton administration; under-secretary of state for economic, business and agricultural af-fairs; and deputy secretary of the Treasury.

Additionally, Ambassador Eiznstat wrote a book that was published last year entitled “The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the Unit-ed States.”

Now, Ambassador Eizen-stat serves as an attorney of international law at Covington & Burlin LLP in Washington, D.C.

In an interview with Voice staff, Ambassador Eizenstat stated, “public service is the no-blest occupation.”

After a lifetime of work in law and politics, the ambassa-dor shared his perspective of the current state of U.S. affairs regarding the competitive glob-al economy.

During his Convocation speech, he highlighted the chal-lenges of living in a globalized world and the employment fig-ures for individuals with vary-ing levels of education.

“It is important to stress that there is an almost perfect correlation between levels of education and unemployment rates and earnings.”

No need to worry, Seniors;

Brittany MonizManaging Editor

Class of 2014 presents $6,000 to Make-A-Wish and Westfield State recognizes Ambassador Eizenstat with Honorary Degree for Public Service

In this week’s issueCampus pages 2-5Univ. Hall dedication

“Simple Serving” sectionStudent Gov. meetingOp-Ed pages 6-10

‘The Conservative View’‘From the Editor’s Desk’

‘Gentlemen’s Weekly’A&E pages 11-14

Phish concerts‘Gail’s Guidance’ returns

Album reviews‘Knowing to Cook’

Sports pages 15-17Owls Football

Lady Owls’ Soccer‘Overthinking It’

F r i d a y , S e p t e m b e r 2 7 , 2 0 1 3

The Student Press of Westfield State UniversityV o l u m e V , i S S u e i i w w w . w e S t F i e l d V o i c e . c o m F r e e o F c h a r g e

see MONIZ on page eighteen

photo by daVe Fried For the weStField Voice

President Evan Dobelle (left) looks on as Stuart Eizenstat receives his honorary degree and sash from Liz Preston, Vice President of Academic Af-

fairs, and Marsha Marotta, Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Page 2: September 27, 2013

page 2 The Westfield Voice

University Hall ribbon-cutting marks continued campus improvements

Joshua ClarkEditor-in-Chief

The big, brick behemoth standing next to the Ely Li-brary/Campus Center and Lammers Hall was dedicat-ed last Thursday.

The building has been open since the beginning of the year, but this ribbon-cutting made the opening official.

The state-of-the-art res-idence hall is the first to be built on campus since New Hall in 2005.

The total cost of the project amounted to $59 million.

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors live in suite-style housing with a variety of amenities.

Each individual suite contains a kitchenette, full bathroom, and study area, among other conveniences.

The kitchenette in each individual suite lacks a stove; however, full kitch-ens are located within study areas on each floor.

University Hall also fea-tures meeting rooms, con-ference rooms, game areas, a modern laundry room, and the offices of the Resi-dence Hall Association.

Residents living in University Hall have been quoted as very happy thus far.

Problems in the begin-ning of the year, such as wireless internet and in-sects, were worked out prior to the dedication ceremony.

In a press release, uni-versity president Dr. Evan Dobelle said, “I am pleased to present ‘University Hall,’ whose name and dedication reflects its historic place as the first building dedicated since Westfield State be-came a university.”

Construction began in 2011. The framework was up before the end of the 2011-2012 academic year, with the vast majority of the project completed with-

in the last year.Projects like this are

not over for the campus. During the dedication, it was announced by State Rep. Brian Ashe (D-Long-meadow), a Westfield State alum, that an academic building was being planned for the area next to Wilson Hall.

This building will be connected to Wilson Hall by an annex, with the details to be worked out by archi-tects and university consul-tants over the next year.

Along with the construc-tion of this annex, Parenzo Hall and Bates Hall will be getting air conditioning installed over this upcom-ing summer. Additionally, preliminary renovations will begin on Juniper Park. School.

Before the University Hall dedication ceremony, the Board of Trustees met in the hall’s conference room. Their main topic of discus-sion was the approval of the new academic annex.

Jerry Hayes, university consultant, and Bob Kerst-ing, chairman of the Special Committee on University Planning, gave presenta-tions concerning the new annex.

SCUP, as the commit-tee is known colloquially, approved the plans at their last meeting.

The All-University Committee met on Sept. 18 and listened to the presen-tation.

They agreed with SCUP and approved a motion that ordered their chair, Prof. Ted Welsh of Mathematics, to write a letter to Dr. Do-belle expressing their sup-port.

While projects on this campus are always ongo-ing, the new construction will not cease until about 2018. The University Hall dedication is just the begin-ning of more campus im-provements to come.

News from other schools

The Daily Collegian,Univ. of Mass, aMherst

UMass student, 25-years-old, is challenging USA Rugby rule that prohibits him from playing because he has been out of high school for more than five years; during that time he was serving overseas in the Marine Corp.

Springfield Student,springfield College

Springfield College recently added a Starbucks to its campus and replaced the plates in the Cheney Din-ing Hall with larger, rect-angular plates.

The Clock,plyMoUth state University

PSU hosted its first Sidore Lecture of this year with the speaker Zak Stein, co-founder of Lectia Inc., a nonprofit organization.

The Huntington News,northeastern Univ.

Martin J. Walsh of Dorchester was the winner of Tuesday night’s mayoral primary. Pulling ahead of John Connolly, the pre-dicted front-runner, Walsh won with a total of 20,838 votes, according to the City of Boston.

The Daily Campus,University of ConneCtiCUt

UConn Board of Trustees is going to decide whether or not to approve a new recreational facility, which would be paid for in stu-dent fees. The fee could be as much as $250 per semes-ter beginning in 2016.

University Hall is the first suite-style residence hall, housing more than 400 sophomore, junior, and se-

nior students.

photo by dave fried

Campus and community leaders hold the ribbon as WSU President ceremoniously cuts the ribbon for the

opening and dedication of University Hall.

The crowd gathers for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

photo by dave fried

photo by dave fried

Page 3: September 27, 2013

SGA holds longest and most active meeting yetRyan CaulfieldSGA Correspondent

page 3The Westfield Voice

On Sunday, Sept. 22, the fall equinox hit the campus of Westfield State Univer-sity making this the first fall meeting of the Student Government Association.

Taylor Fote, president, began her report with com-ments of praise for the Par-ent Family Day, which oc-curred last Saturday.

She thanked all those who came and helped make the event a success.

Fote’s next subject wasn’t so pleasant.

She reiterated an email that went out to all students by Dr. Carlton Pickron, Vice President of Student Affairs. The email was a report from the Sec-ond Congregational Church saying that inappropriate activities were committed behind the property.

A mess of alcohol bot-tles and marijuana residue was left leaving a sign of the offenders’ passage. Dr. Pickron added in the email, “[t]his is clearly not being respectful to our university or to yourself.”

Fote accompanied Dr. Pickron to the church and helped clean up the mess. She stated, “[i]t was hon-estly kind of embarrassing we had to clean that up be-hind a church.”

The madam president ended on a lighter topic by announcing the winner of the “Lifesaver of the Week” award.

The award is for sena-tors that the Executive Council has felt has taken their position above and beyond and helped out the campus community or Stu-dent Government in any-way.

The kicker is the trophy being a life preserver.

Ryan Losco won by helping fellow senators with election forms and talked with senators about

getting involved with first-year elections in Dickinson Hall.

Stone Koury, Student Trustee, talked about his meeting last Friday with the Chair of the Board of Higher Education. In the report, Koury says that meeting was about the on-going investigation of the president of the university and the foundation.

The meeting served as an inquiry about and speaking about the inves-tigation openly. Also what steps both parties have taken and will take. No ac-tions were carrying out at the meeting.

As a current Student Advisory Council of Massa-chusetts chairman, Koury said he would like to “find a path and goal for this year that we wont to take as SAC…and thank legisla-tors for the current promise that they made with us to fund higher education.”

Senator Joshua Clark presented the All-Univer-sity Committee report. He outlined what the commit-tee discussed in the last meeting. A change in the spring academic calen-dar and the new academic building being built on cam-pus was the main topics.

The committee received a letter from the Special Committee on University Planning that approved the new building project. Jerry Hayes and Bob Kersting gave presentations about the project all over the cam-pus.

Questions were asked and eventually a letter was written to Dr. Dobelle say-ing the All-University Com-mittee is in full support of the project.

The next meeting of the All-University Committee is at Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the Parenzo Boardroom.

Vice President of Stu-dent Life Rebecca Divico commented again on the bug issues in the residence

halls instructing all stu-dents to contact their resi-dence directors to handle the problem if curious little creatures are found.

She also announced a special candle vigil for the tragedy of Emily Gagnon, a 2013 alum, who passed away on a bicycle acci-dent in Ohio to ride across America for a multiple scle-rosis charity. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

The vigil schedule will be emailed to all students.

Next in the meeting was the extensive Food Services Committee report done by Tom Durkee. The commit-tee meets with the dining services staff every week. They discuss issues revolv-ing around all of the dining services offered on campus.

A brand new program the committee is trying out is called “MyFitness Pal.” Durkee says that there will be bar codes on each of the menus at different serving stations.

He added “You can take your phone and scan the bar code and your phone will track how many calo-ries you are consuming.” This could be a way to fight the horrors of freshmen fif-teen.

The New Hall Market-place is reporting to have had a steady start this year; it will have new items over the course of the semester.

He also reported Sodexo is going green with the com-pany “Green Pack” to help stop large waste and act smart with recycling.

Senator Steven Mail-loux brought up a startling question asking why have the lines in the Dining Hall have been depleted during significant rush hour times of the day.

Durkee responded by saying “[t]he Dining Hall is currently servicing way more people than their

see CAULFIELD on page 21

Editor-in-ChiefManaging Editor

Online Managing EditorLayout and Design Editor

Head Copy EditorOpinions/Editorials Editor

A&E EditorA&E Editor

Sports EditorAdvertising Manager

Faculty AdvisorFaculty Advisor

Joshua ClarkBrittany MonizChris MichaudAndrew BurkeNicholas SarnelliRace RughLyndon SeitzLewis PachecoJoey CooperLuis ArzolaDr. Glen BrewsterDr. George Layng

Publication PolicyAnnouncements and

ads for on-campus organi-zations are free of charge, printed as space allows and must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. the Monday before anticipated publication date.

The Westfield Voice will print “letters to the editors” if the author ap-proves that their letter ap-pears in print.

Be sure to include your name and email address.

Authors are asked to notify the editors if they would like to submit their letter anonymously.

The Editorial Staff re-serves the right to make grammatical changes, keep the letter as is, or not print the letter at all.

Submissions may be

submitted in person or by email at 5:00 p.m. the Monday before anticipated publication date.

The Editorial Staff re-serves the right to change any and all articles to fit grammatical and content specifications and to en-sure all facts are accurate and appropriate.

If there is an error in any article or letter, the editorial staff would like to be made aware. Please send the error in an email and we will publish a cor-rection accordingly.

If you wish to write for The Westfield Voice, you can submit your interest in writing or in an email to the editors. Writers may also visit the office in the Ely Campus Center, room 305 during office hours.

[email protected] views and opinions expressed

in The Westfield Voice do not reflect those of the newspaper, the editorial staff,

or the faculty, staff, or administration of Westfield State University as a whole.

The Westfield Voice is published every Friday during the Westfield State University calendar semester. The Westfield Voice is funded by a $16,000 line item in the budget of the Student Government Association at Westfield State University, which keeps it free of charge. The paper is also funded by revenues from advertising. Founded in 1947, the paper began as Westek, became The Owl in 1969, The Campus Voice in 1996, The Voice in 2003, and The Westfield Voice in 2008. The Westfield Voice has been in tabloid format since 2010. For advertising rates and information, please call 413-572-5431.

Ely Campus Center, room 305577 Western Avenue, Westfield, Mass. 01085

413-572-5431 office

Printed at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Massachusetts

Page 4: September 27, 2013

page 4 The Westfield Voice

Lydia GrossiVoice Intern

...And the “2013 Best Con-cept for Wellness Award” goes to: the “Simple Serv-ings” in the Dining Com-mons! If Westfield State students have not checked this must see/must eat area, they are missing out. This section is for everyone, not just students with aller-gies.

Allergies are very com-mon among some students that eat regularly at the Dining Commons. This new section provides foods that stay away from ingredients that contain milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, glu-ten, peanuts and tree nuts. In the past, some students with allergies have asked to have meals made specifical-ly for them. This, however, is no longer an issue.

All the food is primar-ily made from scratch and is both well-balanced and

delicious to eat. Although this section is more labor intensive and a bit pricier, accommodating students with specific needs is no problem. “As chef, I am in tune to make it work,” says Chef Morgan Clark. Not only is the new section in the Dining Commons ac-commodating, students are very appreciative of the new concept which developed in September of 2012.

If you thought this sec-tion was only for students who have allergies, think again. “Everyone is wel-come to eat at this station – it is not only for students with allergens,” says Maria Lees who is the Residential Dining manager. If you are a student who struggles with allergies or are just looking for a great lunch or even an outstanding din-ner, be sure to check out this unique new section, which provides an excep-tional meal to fill you up!

“Simple Servings” available in Dining CommonsStudents now have an option to buy food free of allergens

and can still enjoy a nice meal and dining experience

photo by jennifer miniter

photo by jennifer miniter

The new “Simple Servings” section of the Dining Commons gives students with allergies an alternative meal option without the concern. However, this is not just for students with allergies, any student that pleases can eat from “Simple Servings”

This new section provides foods that stay away from ingredients that contain milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts.

Page 5: September 27, 2013

page 5The Westfield Voice

Student Spotlightby Cory Garwacki, Voice Columnist

Joe GentileSouthampton, Mass.

Communications major

1. Where is your favorite place to hang out on campus when not in class? Why?My favorite place to hang out on campus when I am not in class is the Ely 3rd floor lounge because it is nice and quiet plus I have a beautiful view of the entire campus.

2. What has been your favorite class here at Westfield State? Why?My favorite class here at Westfield State has been Principles of Video Production because I enjoyed making creative videos.

3. If you were to host a dinner party with three of the most influential people in your life, other than family members, who would you like to invite and why? (They could be living or de-ceased.)1. Michael Jordan - I grew up idolizing him.2. Chuck Norris - Because it’s Chuck Norris3. Will Ferrell - I think he is the funniest guy so hav-ing him for dinner would be cool.

4. Your most recent “weird dream” was...? (Keep it clean!)My most recent “weird dream” was that I was the last person on Earth after an alien invasion (for some reason) and it was so weird that after a while, I de-cided to join the aliens and live on their planet.

5. Favorite television show to watch and why?My favorite television show to watch is ‘Family Guy’ because it is hilarious and I have enjoyed/watched every episode.

6. Where do you realistically see yourself in five years after college? Be as specific but brief as possible.I see myself having a good/well-paying job, maybe be-ing engaged, and having my college loans paid.

7. If money were no concern, briefly describe your dream vacation?My dream vacation would be a trip to Italy to go back to where my grandparents came from. Check out my family’s heritage, visit family/sights, etc.

7. Most important non-physical attribute in deciding to enter a relationship with a girl/guy (i.e. humor, honesty, sincerity, wealth, intelli-gence, etc.)?The most important attribute in deciding to have a relationship with a girl/guy is honestly because with-out it, the whole thing could be a lie and nobody likes being lied to.

If you or somebody you know would like to be featured in the Student Spotlight, please email [email protected]. We will also accept faculty, staff, or athlete recommendations.

Westfield State offers many options for campus housing

J.R. NiebVoice Contributor

Westfield State Universi-ty offers a variety of build-ings on campus for students to live in.

Leah Murphy, a sopho-more communication major at Westfield State Univer-sity said she lived in a dou-ble room in Dickinson Hall for the 2012-2013 academic school year.

“I like how everybody’s right near each other – you’re never alone, you’re always entertained,” said Murphy. “So it’s really fun.”

Murphy also said she doesn’t like how she has to share a bathroom with other people because it gets crowded and weird.

Murphy commented that she would put air con-ditioning system into Dick-inson because the building gets very hot in the warmer months.

“I’ve been in Davis, the Old Apartments, and Lans-downe,” said Murphy.

“I’ve heard that Court-ney gets really hot, like re-ally, really hot year round,” said Murphy, regarding what she has heard about the other on-campus resi-dential buildings. “But be-sides that, it’s mostly posi-tive things.”

Murphy said the advan-tages of living on campus are that people are near the Dining Commons. In addition, Murphy also com-mented that “classes are all within walking distances; you can roll out of bed and walk to your classes, which is pretty sweet.”

Jackie McHugh, a ju-nior elementary education major at Westfield State said she lived in a double room in Lammers Hall for the 2012-2013 academic school year.

McHugh said she likes having people to do home-work with, to talk to and

be in routines with. “I like that it was pretty quiet, the people here are really nice,” said McHugh regarding the things she liked about Lam-mers Hall. “And there’s not a lot of building charges for damages.”

McHugh said that if she could change anything about Lammers Hall, she would have the Resident Assistants be in their rooms more often, especially in the later hours so they can enforce quiet hours past 11 p.m.

McHugh said she lived in Dickinson Hall during the 2011-2012 academic school year.

McHugh said she likes Lammers better than she likes Dickinson because Lammers is much quieter.

“You’re closer to your classes, you don’t have to worry about getting a park-ing spot before class, and you’re just closer to every-body,” said McHugh about the advantages of living on campus. “And I feel like it’s easier to make friends if you live on campus.”

“It can be expensive,” said McHugh about the disadvantages of living on campus. “And since you’re living near a lot of people, it can be loud.”

McHugh is now living in a double room in Univer-sity Hall for the 2013-2014 academic school year.

“I think it will be better because it’s a new building, so everything will be in good condition,” said McHugh about University Hall. “The layout looks really nice.”

Emily McNally, a ju-nior and communication major at Westfield State University said she lived in a double room in Courtney Hall during the 2012-2013 academic school year.

McNally said she likes living with other people be-cause she’s never alone and she has somebody to talk to all day. She said that

she liked Courtney Hall be-cause most of the students that live in that building are sophomores, so they were going through the same things that she was going through.

“I didn’t like that there were charges for destruc-tion that other people did and everyone got punished for it,” said McNally.

McNally said she liked Courtney more than Davis (where she lived the pre-vious year) because she thinks it’s cleaner and she has more room to live in.

Mike Geary, a senior communications major at Westfield State University said he lived in a double room in Seymour Hall (part of the Apartment Complex), for the 2012-2013 academic school year.

Geary said the Apart-ment Complex is different than the other residential buildings because students do not have to check in with an RA after 9 p.m. Geary said the Apartment Com-plex is more of a home-like environment because each apartment has a living room, a kitchen, and a bath-room. “I like the social life, you’re never really alone,” said Geary. “But sometimes that can be annoying.”

Geary said of all the three on-campus residen-tial buildings that he has lived in previous years, the Apartment Complex is his favorite because he and his friends can simply go out and sit in the living room, and they have their own bathroom and shower.

Geary said he and his friends have a refrigerator and an oven, which means that they can cook rather than walk to the Dining Commons.

Altogether, students that live on campus seem to really appreciate the style of living and the atmosphere of the Westfield State Uni-versity as a whole.

Page 6: September 27, 2013

Opinions &EditorialsFRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013THE WESTFIELD VOICE

The Conservative View: SNAP budget cuts will bring welfare reform, reduce food stamps abuse

Matt CarlinVoice Columnist

page 6 The Westfield Voice

Matt Carlin is a first-year political science major

and the conservative col-umnist for The Westfield

Voice.

Talking about a welfare program is a touchy sub-ject for both Conservatives and Liberals; either side has difficulty in addressing the issue slightly due to the same reasons.

Most Liberals will speak about the endless benefits to programs such as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutri-tion Assistance Program

more commonly known as food stamps, while the Con-servatives will counter the benefits with the negatives of the program.

There seems to be a bal-ance between the two, but first let us look back to Con-gress to see what has truly happened.

On Thursday the House voted to cut billions of dol-lars from SNAP in the new budget cuts for the next fiscal year, which starts in

October. Many House Republi-

cans called the measures a “much needed” effort to reduce unwarranted spend-ing in our already over in-flated budget deficit. From a personal standpoint I rec-ognize the value and effect that the program offers to those Americans who are in need of assistance, and as such I would disagree and oppose any attempt to fully destroy such programs.

That being said I would entirely support the mea-sure to reduce the budget; if you were to look closely at the actual cuts from the program, it helps reduce the potential abuse of the sys-tem by cutting out parts of the program that have com-monly abused loopholes.

The bill, which would cut 40 billion dollars from the program in the next 10 years, would require all adults between the ages of 18 – 50 to find a job or par-ticipate in a work training program in order to receive/ continue receiving benefits of the program. (As long as they do not have minors in their custody of course, in which case they would not be cut.)

A point of concern how-ever, is that by no means are the cuts to the program taking needing families off the program. This bill is de-signed to help motivate the recipients who, due to loop-holes have neither need nor intention of ever getting “off the system”.

The welfare program was created to provide sup-port for those in need and not those who are unwilling to go out on their own and work for a living.

A point on the bill that is of similar note is the time frame in which recipients are receiving benefits, from indefinite time frames to a

span of three months. The purpose for the reduction of the time for recipients is simply to make “getting back to work a top prior-ity” as House Speaker John Boehner put it.

Now fellow Conserva-tives will rejoice that our biggest dream for welfare reform has begun! This bill to decrease the bud-get will force beneficiaries of the program to undergo extensive and random drug tests, thus reducing the well known “drain” spoke of before.

As most Conservatives know, it has been the goal of every Republican since the start of welfare programs to regulate the recipients in order to prevent drug abus-ers from receiving tax dol-lars that they clearly don’t deserve.

This measure is prob-ably the most welcomed from the new bill because it is directly attacking one of the biggest abuses of the system to date, and once the abuses stop, the reduced funding (which was used to fund the abuses in the first place) will be accepted and a much needed measure in the end, financially and morally.

On Thursday, September 19th, the House voted to cut $40 billion from the SNAP program in the next 10 years. This will bring about welfare reform and make sure the right people are receiving aid. The beneficiaries of the

program will go be required to undergo drug tests, thus reducing abusers.

photo provided by breitbart.com

Page 7: September 27, 2013

page 7The Westfield Voice

The Liberal View: SNAP-backs and... hunger?Erika Hayden

Voice ColumnistThe 2009 Recovery Act’s temporary funding to reach more Americans via Supplemental Nutri-tion Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is sched-uled to end on November 1, 2013.

As someone who at-tends school full time and does not have a meal plan (which turns out to be more expensive than buying individual meals) I work part-time to man-age bills to afford an apartment that will re-duce student loan inter-est rates for my future, I am in the process of be-ing approved for SNAP or food stamps (EBT).

Averaging about 30 hours a week I am con-sidered part time, and the hours are not always available to reach full time or over time at that or realistically balance other aspects such as school in my life.

I do not receive holi-day or Sunday pay be-cause I work in food ser-vice, and I am not allowed to receive tips from cus-tomers.

I am not lazy; I am a student managing many of the difficult aspects that other families are going through at $8.50 an hour.

I am attending school to make a career and end my part time job.

I believe that as an American who pays tax-es, social programs that help me and thousands of others should not be cut back until I am able to reach my goals; especially something as important as food.

It is absurd to think that this is the kind of federal spending that is being slashed when de-fense-spending cuts could easily be taken out of our budget.

Even if the defense spending was cut and gave back to social programs that help veterans and serving members of the military to improve insurance, hous-ing, and education for indi-viduals.

Many I’ve met have fallen through the cracks and been neglected by poli-cies that were meant to im-prove the lives of those who volunteer their services at home and abroad in the military.

Of course there are peo-ple who will take advantage of the system, there will be problems with many, but cutting out families with children who earn mini-mum or similarly low wages that are already so dispro-portionate to the work and hours put in is repulsive.

Social programs are not damaging to the economy, but are often designed to be.

So many people twist hours and wages and tax claims because a slight dif-ference in income could al-low an individual to not re-ceive government help.

These individuals are likely to be still scraping by; this is a reality for mil-lions of Americans.

These individuals may be accused of taking advan-tage of the system, sure, but when the government subsidized program lacks motivation for the improve-ment of quality of life be-cause earning an extra dol-lar may disqualify them to be approved for a program like SNAP we cannot ex-pect reform to happen.

We must not be sur-prised when people don’t move up the economic lad-der because they will miss out on programs that im-prove their families who are already facing cuts left and well from the right.

When those who are ap-proved get a cut in spend-ing it can be detrimental to family life, which we know impacts so many factors of

the quality of life an indi-vidual or group may ex-perience.

According to the Cen-ter on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), by 2014, only $1.40 will be spent on a meal for an in-dividual on SNAP.

This is about a $5 bil-lion dollar cut. The CBPP also provided that, “These cuts will likely cause hardship for some SNAP participants, who will include 22 million chil-dren in 2014 (10 million of whom live in ‘deep pov-erty,’ with family incomes below half of the poverty line) and 9 million people who are elderly or have a serious disability.”

More than 50% of children living in the city of Westfield live below the poverty line.

Because of this, West-field and some surround-ing cities receive a grant to host a free summer meal program.

This is crucial be-cause many parents are working in the summer cannot provide a meal to their kids because they are not at school.

If a grant like this were to be cut similarly like SNAP, that help throughout the school year with reduced or free lunches for kids, how could we call this accept-able?

Beyond this, we as Americans need to pri-oritize spending cuts and determine what is or is not necessary. I know my situation is fortunate compared to most, but I struggle week to week.

When my bills are paid and my cabinets are empty, I expect my country not to tell me and thousands of others, “Let them eat cake.”

Erika Hayden is a sopho-more communications

major and the liberal col-umnist for The Westfield

Voice.

Page 8: September 27, 2013

From the Editors’ DesksOver the last week, I have heard a lot of compliments regarding the last issue of the paper, but also a lot of negative comments.

The compliments have come from various members of the school administration, faculty, and staff.

The compliments that came from the students were very well received. It’s always good to hear these things because it shows that I am doing a good job as editor-in-chief.

“This actually looks like a news-paper now.”

“Good job with the layout, it re-ally is easy to read and concise.”

“Your front page article is really fair and balanced; truly objective.”

“I actually like the new layout!”Trust me, they’re all much ap-

preciated.However, there were some neg-

ative comments from people who did not seem to understand that the headline was actually a true state-ment.

It is in fact true that the univer-sity’s accounting firm completed the special report commissioned by the Board of Trustees.

It is also in fact true that the Board of Trustees praised Dr. Do-belle.

Trustee Terrell Hill, a principal

at High School, Inc., had joked that if Dobelle wasn’t doing anything to make things happen, nobody would be talking.

Trustee Jack Flynn, board chairman, said that Dobelle has done more in five years than anyone has done in thirty.

Another had said “transfor-mational leadership is not for the meek.”

These quotations are a part of the official minutes of the meeting and were heard by all who were present, including the news media.

I know about that meeting and what was said because I was there in the audience, listening to the en-tire drama unfold.

The revealing of the special report, the questions asked of the accountant, the response from Do-belle, and the questions and com-ments that followed.

I can’t seem to understand why there is confusion as to why that headline would be appropriate.

The only thing I can do is ask of you, the reader, to go back and read last week’s front page article.

Form your own opinions, come to your own conclusions, and most importantly, do not feed into the rumors and extraneous statements that have been said by the news

media and the radical fringes of our student body and others who call for his resignation.

Sure, Dobelle and the trustees were summoned to Boston to talk with the Commonwealth Depart-ment of Education, but there was no action taken and there was sim-ply a dialogue between the groups present.

According to news reports, the inspector general came out and said that he had violated university policy and had inappropriately used funds for personal uses.

Is it a coincidence that the in-spector general’s supposed finding was also in the accountant’s special report?

There is nothing new that has circulated regarding this story, save for the piece ran by The Boston Globe last Friday, which was cer-tainly caustic in its reporting.

When the goal of a reporter is to run an angle or feed an agenda, it is very easy to fill in the blanks and create a story that fits a very one-sided view.

While I cannot sit here and ac-cuse the reporters of last Friday’s piece in The Globe of not doing their journalistic duty to research this article, I am accusing them of pur-posefully running an agenda while

reporting this article.I don’t think The New York

Times would sell The Boston Globe if it wasn’t selling newspapers and making a profit.

Sensationalism sells newspa-pers; these reporters are certainly doing their part to sensationalize this story.

Thank God The Westfield Voice is free; I can be truly objective!

My point here is just to read ev-erything objectively, just as I will do my part to write everything ob-jectively, and then form your own opinion based on facts and complete in-context truths.

Truth be told, I’m sick and tired of hearing, writing, or reading about this controversy.

However, it’s impossible for this to go away, so I think we need to be more cognizant of the actual de-tails of this story so that we can get through this with as little frustra-tion as possible.

Please send your ‘letter to the editors’ to [email protected].

Joshua Clark is a junior History major and the editor-in-chief of The Westfield Voice.

page 8 The Westfield Voice

Moniz: Focus on the good instead of the badBrittany Moniz

Managing Editor

Between President Dobelle’s fi-nancial review and the latest story of a Westfield State student’s ar-rest, it seems like nothing but neg-ative press for Westfield State this week.

I don’t mean to discount the sig-nificance of either of these events; however, we are letting these sto-ries overshadow and distract us from the great things that are hap-pening in our Westfield commu-nity.

For example, last Thursday was the ribbon-cutting of Univer-sity Hall, the newest residence hall on campus.

The opening of this building has alleviated a housing crunch that previously forced students to live in over-capacity rooms and at off-campus locations.

Later that same day, the Class of 2014 presented the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a $6,000 donation during the Senior Convocation cer-emony.

After two years of fundrais-ing and organizing the annual Mr. Westfield shows, the Senior Class is able to grant a child’s wish.

This past weekend, Parent Family Day brought more than 1,800 students, parents, and family members to campus to enjoy local vendors, Westfield State student performances, lunch, and an after-noon of Westfield State football.

Speaking of athletics, let’s not forget to mention the success of the fall sports teams on Saturday: women’s volleyball beat Worcester Polytech Institute with a 3-0 vic-tory; the Owls’ football team man-aged a 36-7 win over UMass Dart-mouth, and women’s soccer took a 3-0 win from Fitchburg State.

Also, the student-run WHIP Comedy Improv show took place Saturday night in Dever Hall and Stage. There was no shortage of things to do on campus this week-end.

During the week, students are working to start new clubs, such as the Electronic Dance Music club or the Relay for Life club, to volunteer at the Samaritan Inn homeless shelter with the Communication

Club, and to run for positions in student government.

Any visitor to campus will see the Westfield State community is busy with student activity in the residence halls, the academic build-ings, the athletic complexes, the Dining Commons, and the Campus Center.

Students are doing great things on and off campus; both the scho-lastic achievements and the victo-ries outside of the classroom are newsworthy.

Let’s hear more talk about all the great things happening here.

Brittany Moniz is the president of the class of 2014, a student ambas-sador, and the managing editor of

The Westfield Voice.

Page 9: September 27, 2013

page 9The Westfield Voice

Gentlemen’s Weekly: How to nail dates with your significant others this fallJosh Minardi

Voice ColumnistSo, while I was in the mountains last weekend, pondering on a few things that are going on, I passed many couples, enjoying the cool, autumn weather. This is when it dawned on me; this week’s article should be about romance in the fall.

Spring, it seems, tends to be commonly as-sociated with romance-the blossoming flowers mirroring the outbreak of budding loves. I disagree with this common idea.

Maybe it is because I love the fall, maybe it is because of the appeal of all things apple or pump-kin flavored, but I believe that autumn is the best season for many things.

This includes dates. The chill of winter fast approaching is conducive to cuddling, the leaves changing are an allur-

ing backdrop, and there is an ineffable, budding feel-ing during this time of year that leads to romance.

Whether it is a new crush, a day out with a long-time partner, and ev-erything in-between, here are my favorite fall date ideas. And yes, these are tried and true, from experi-ence.

First is going to the game. Which game you ask? The football game of course! We here at West-field are lucky to have such a great team.

Pageantry, excitement, even romance, can all be found in the bleachers at a game. Football games make excellent dates. They give you the comfortable side-by-side position offered in theaters, but with the op-portunity to stop and chat whenever you like. With ac-tion constantly happening on field, there will never be any lulls in conversations.

Pumpkin carving is a

timeless classic for dates. There is something oddly romantic about picking a pumpkin together, scoop-ing out the goo, getting cre-ative with a knife, and see-ing your pumpkin lit from within.

Begin by going together to a real pumpkin patch (no roadside stands please), picking out your gourds, and spring for the pumpkin (that’s for the guys).

Then, go back to your place to gut and carve up your jack-o-lanterns. After this, roast the seeds with your sweetheart, light the pumpkins, and sit on the porch under a blanket and admire your work.

Haunted attractions (such as ghost hunts/ghost walks or the local attraction “FrightFest”) are a superb fall date idea. Doing an ac-tivity that is slightly scary releases dopamine, which studies indicate can make you feel more attached to your date. Dates that in-

clude a pulse-pounding ac-tivity tend to lead to second and third dates. So if you are looking to win the heart of your crush, strengthen a current relationship, or just have a goodtime with your significant other, bring her to a haunted house or other spooky attraction.

State fairs (such as the Big E, which is in full swing) feature all sorts of wonderful sights, activities, and fun for couples.

Where else can you find livestock, carnival games, sideshow attractions and deliciously unhealthy food all in one place except at the state fair? If you can-not have fun on a date to the fair, consider a job as the chainsaw-welding zom-bie at the aforementioned haunted house.

In other words, if you have a pulse, you have this date in the bag.

Finally, best for last, is a hike/picnic in the country to enjoy the foliage. Watch-

ing the green leaves turn into a vivid array of or-anges, yellows, and reds is one of the most appeal-ing parts of autumn.

Pack a picnic, go into the country, and make a day of it. Better yet, get a room at a Bed & Break-fast or rent a campsite and make a weekend (or longer) out of it. Olde Sturbridge Village or the Sanford Covell Marina (beautiful place in New-port, a bit pricy) are two great Bed & Breakfasts.

These are just a few ideas for autumnal dates, but they show that au-tumn truly is the most ro-mantic times of the year.

Josh Minardi is a sophomore environ-mental science major, a writer for The Art of

Manliness, president of the Westfield State

Republican Club and a columnist for The West-

field Voice.

Advising program helps students who are “lost at sea”Chelsea Gilbert

Voice Reporter

There’s nothing worse than feeling alone when surrounded my many people.

Whether it’s because of your race, language, finances or the newness of a situation, we some-times feel alone.

Being a new student at Westfield State has been an alone time for me.

I came as transfer to a school where I had

no friends, had no idea how things ran, could not figure out where to put my plate after I had eaten in the dining commons, could not find the Mac labs and did not even know where the vending machines were.

No one understood me because I didn’t have the same accent, had not been in the same classes for two years and definitely did not stay in the same

hall with them because I was a commuter.

There were few clubs I could take part in because they were all in the evening when I should be on my way home.

How was I supposed to make any friends and feel at home in this place?

And it wasn’t just me, I soon found out that even people who lived on campus, had access to all these clubs

and activities still felt homesick at times.

I wasn’t the weird one. What is it about us then, which makes adjusting to Westfield State life so difficult?

If it weren’t for a friend who worked at the school, I probably would have gone home crying every day.

It is because of the advising program and the people that I’ve met there that made me re-alize that there is noth-

ing wrong with me. The support of the

friendly people there has helped me, and they are willing to help any-one else who needs it.

Maybe in time, Westfield State will be a place where everyone can feel at home.

There will be no one sitting alone, activities will cater to one and all and no one else will have to figure out where to put their plates any-more.

Page 10: September 27, 2013

The newest residence hall on the Westfield State College campus was officially christened on Friday, September 23. Though it has been open for stu-dents since the beginning of the semester, the ceremony made it official with a ribbon cutting cere-mony and the revealing of a plaque dedicated to those individuals who helped make the new dorm a real-ity.

The ceremony was opened by Dr. Arthur Jackson, the Vice Presi-dent of Student Affairs, with greet-ings to all those who were in atten-dance, including the president of the college as well as representa-tives from the Board of Trustees, the Massachusetts State College Building Authority, the student body and members of the WSC fac-ulty and administration.

President Vicky L. Carwein spoke first and explained how this

Ceremony makes ‘New Hall’ officialproject was three years in the mak-ing. She said that she was happy everyone involved in the project felt that it was completed on time.

“Not only are we proud,” she said. “Be relieved at the completion of this project.”

Dr. Carwein went onto explain that applications for the 2005-2006 academic school year went up by 20% since last year, the highest en-rollment in the history of Westfield State College.

She also said that the class of 2009 was the biggest freshman class ever to be admitted to the school. With the addition of the new residence hall, which has not yet been named, the college was able to admit 200 extra students who otherwise would not have been able to attend because of the lack of housing, Dr. Carwein added.

The Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Gina Golash, spoke next about the humble openings of West-field State College in the mid 19th century when it began as a Normal School. Golash explained that this new hall is a much needed “home away from home” for students who are fortunate enough to live in the New Hall.

“May you study hard, sleep well, and make many friends with-in these walls,” she said.

Matt Curren, president of the Student Government Association, spoke next and said that he was pleased with the New Hall, “This residence hall is a charming, invit-ing, atmosphere, but much more. It’s also a place where students can gather, and be together.”

Curren was followed by Dr. Kurt Steinberg, a representative from the Board of Higher Educa-tion, who said that this new build-ing is a “proud accomplishment and testament to the college com-munity, with all the planning, dedication, and steadfast resolve. Congratulations to all who live and work here.”

Senior Project Manager, David Baie, spoke next and said that the dedication to the construction of this new building is a “great mile-stone between the Building Author-ity, and Westfield State College.”

Baie mentioned that the project team was composed of dedicated professionals, who worked coop-eratively, and that it was a great privilege to work with the student body and the Board of Trustees on

this project.“It’s a highlight of my profes-

sional career to welcome you here,” he concluded.

Sheila Keator, the treasurer of the Massachusetts State Col-lege Building Authority, came last and spoke of the members of the building authority, saying that get buildings done “on time, and at or under budget.”

Keator commended her col-leagues, saying that when members of the Authority show up for work they “leave egos at the door, roll up the sleeves, and get to work.”

Keator explained that the new building was not paid for by tax-payers, but by the students who pay the fees with their tuition.

After the speeches concluded, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held, with many members of the design team present.

Following the ribbon cutting, the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to the workers involved with the project was revealed in the front lobby.

After the festivities, students were available to provide tours of the new building to anyone was in-terested.

This article was published in the October 3, 2005 issue of The Voice.

Interested in other articles in ‘The Voice’ Vault?Schedule an appointment with a member of the editorial staff and

you can peer into almost fifty years of newspapers and journals from Westek to The Westfield Voice!

Contact [email protected] to schedule an appointment!

From ‘The Voice’ Vaultpage 10 The Westfield Voice

Kevin FitzmauriceVoice Reporter

Courtney Hall opened its new-

ly built doors to students on Sept.

5, ready and waiting.

For the first few weeks of

school, so were the students.

Henry Humphreys, Resident

Director of Courtney, said the

new building was “not 100% to

move into, the bugs still need to be

worked out.”

Among these bugs were the

laundry room, the exercise room

Courtney Hall ‘works out bugs’

Denise PennaOwl Contributor

and screens in the room.

The delay in using the laundry

room was caused by a delay in the

hookup of the gas line to the dry-

ers.

The exercise room equipment

has arrived, but flooring the room

still has to be installed.

Screens were installed the sec-

ond week of school.

Courtney rooms do have phone

jacks, but until the phone strike

has ended, installation will be de-

layed.

Humphreys says that while

Courtney was being constructed,

he could not visualize what it

This article was published in the Sept. 25, 1989 issue of The Westfield State Owl.

would look like.

“My expectation was to create

something on this campus that

did not exist before,” Humphreys

said.

“Basically (I wanted) a build-

ing that has a strong sense of com-

munity and a focus on learning

and for there to be an enjoyment

of the hall and not to destroy it.”

Humphreys wants students to

take pride in enjoying the hall and

not destroying it.

This semester, there have been

twelve alcohol related incidents in

Courtney.

Though this is not a large num-

ber, Humphreys says that “any

alcohol incident that requires my

attention, I consider being major.”

The full capacity of Courtney

Hall is 433.

Currently, there are 30 vacan-

cies that Humphreys says should

be filled within the next two

weeks.

Page 11: September 27, 2013

Arts & FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013THE WESTFIELD VOICE

Phish announces their first fall tour in three years

Jessica ThelenVoice Reporter

Seminal rock band Phish will head back on the road after an extreme-ly successful, fun-filled, musically exhilarating Summer Tour for their first Fall Tour in three years (the last Fall Tour took place in 2010).

This year marks Phish’s 30th Anniversary, and what better way to mark the occasion than a twelve date East Coast Fall Tour?

Tickets are still avail-able for a few dates, so get yours while they last, because this Fall Tour is surely to be reckoned with, if this past Summer Tour is anything to go by.

This summer featured some of Phish’s best, most experimental jams of re-cent years (July 31st’s “Tweezer”, for example), the debuts of new songs penned by bassist Mike Gordon (“Say Something” and “Yarmouth Road”), new, notable covers (Ap-ples In Stereo’s “Energy”), and bust-outs of long awaited, rarely heard tunes (“Esther,” “Brian And Robert,” “Destiny Un-bound,”), as well as new

life being breathed into old favorites (“It’s Ice,” “Moma Dance,” “Harry Hood”).

So, if this Fall lives up to its expectations, we’re in for a wild ride.

I am lucky enough to be attending three of the twelve Fall Tour shows, and can’t wait to see what my favorite band has in store.

This year’s Fall Tour begins with three sold-out shows (October 18-20) in Hampton Coliseum in Virginia (known by Phish ‘phans’ as The Mothership: Phish played their 2009 reunion shows here).

The tour continues with a show on October

22nd at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York.

Currently, tickets are still available for this show.

Next, Phish plays a sold-out show at Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Fall, New York on October 23rd.

After this brief New York stint, Phish will re-turn to one of their fa-vorite venues, Worcester, Massachusetts’s DCU Center (formally titled the Worcester Centrum) for shows on October 25th and the 26th. The show on the 26th is sold out, how-ever, tickets for the show on the 25th are still avail-able.

On October 27th, Phish will play the XL Center in Hartford, Con-necticut: tickets are still available.

After Hartford, Phish will be traveling to Penn-sylvania to play a sold-out show on October 29th at The Sovereign Center in Reading.

To close out their 2013 Fall Tour, Phish will be playing three sold-out shows at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall in Atlan-tic City, New Jersey.

These shows will take place from Halloween to November 2nd.

As of now, no plans for a New Year’s Eve Run have been announced.

photo from the wikipedia.org article on the discography of phishPhish, above, announced their first fall tour in three years. The band has a huge follow-

ing; tickets for their shows are practically sold out before they’re available.

Entertainmentpage 11The Westfield Voice

as of Sept. 24 2013

Top 10 Singles1. Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball2. Katy Perry - Roar3. Lorde - Royals4. Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines5. Avicii - Wake Me Up6. Jay-Z - Holy Grail7. Lady Gaga - Ap-plause8. Eminem - Berzerk 9. Drake - Hold On, We’re Going Home 10. Lana Del Ray - Summertime Sadness

Top 5 Albums1. Fuse - Keith Urban2. Kiss Land - The Weeknd3. B.O.A.T.S. II #ME-TIME - 2 Chainz4. Crash My Party - Luke Bryan5. The Electric Lady - Janelle Morae

Top 5 Movies1. Prisoners2. Insidious Chapter II3. Instructions Not Included4. The Family5. Battle of the Year

Upcoming DVDs1. The Croods2. This is the End3. Abandoned Mine4. 100 Bloody Acres5. Dead Before Dawn

Page 12: September 27, 2013

page 12 The Westfield Voice

Lyndon’s reviews: Stay away from these albums!Lyndon Seitz

A&E EditorArt vs. Science: Magic Fountain – This is an al-bum by a dance band that confuses me greatly. On the one hand, there is a small amount of charm in these five songs, and they work well for brief periods. Still, I get the impression that they want to be Daft Punk, and they aren’t Daft Punk. The repetition here can be-come agonizing, and the lyrics are tolerable at best, and horrific at worst. This band basically throws everything they know against a wall and sees what sticks. Unfortunately, we also hear the stuff that doesn’t stick, and for that reason I can’t recommend them.

Acid Elf: Bruvs Acid EP – The first track is just basic slow rock music with half singing and half screaming, with very little

to offer the listener. The second track is the same, but without the scream-ing (to its benefit). The third track is most easily described as strange, add-ing haunting noises into the mix and what I believe is an organ. It is not at all enjoyable. The last track is the strongest, and goes in a slightly different direction with some punk influences, but it isn’t enough to save the EP. It just isn’t worth it.

Adrienne Frailey: Definitely – Here is music featuring strong female vo-cals and a more basic musi-cal accompaniment (think of Adele except toned down a bit).

Also, a lot of the lyr-ics seem forced in order to rhyme to a distracting de-gree, which makes it hard for the listener to appreci-ate the vocals, which are wonderful when allowed to flourish. The second half of

the album (which I should note is a very long one, running a good deal more than an hour, with a lot of the songs being similar) is the stronger, so it might be best for those interested to check out some songs from there. Still, it isn’t mind-blowing, merely above av-erage. There are a lot of art-ists like this, and so I have reservations about recom-mending it.

Affaa: For The Wick-ed – This is the type of metal that people make fun of and also may perhaps be slightly satanic, depending on the interpretation of the vocals (which is all to focus on, the music has nothing special to offer here, al-though it seems more syn-thesized than I expected).

The vocals try to sound scary on most tracks, but half the time they come across as drunken (and not even drunken and interest-ing). This album is indeed

for the wicked, as it would truly be justice served to force those who deserve it to hear the thing. Avoid this album. Avoid this al-bum like the devil itself.

Aficionado: Aficio-nado – What we have here is standard pop-punk some of you probably liked in your early teens until you found music that suits your tastes better and have lyrical themes that haven’t been beaten to death al-ready. There are dozens of bands that play this kind of music, some better, some

worse. Occasionally the vocals improve, and the fe-male vocals in a few parts add a little something ex-tra, but that doesn’t make them stand out. I would say this band has little to of-fer most people. The time and money are better spent elsewhere.

Lyndon Seitz is a senior english major, editor-in-

chief of Persona, the Liter-ary Journal at Westfield

State University, and one of two A&E editors of The

Westfield Voice.

photo from adriennefrailey.com photo from undergroundmusicunites.com

Gail’s Guidance“Gail’s Guidance” is written by our advice columnist who shall remain nameless. If you are interested in having Gail solve your problems, slide your anonymous question under the door to The Westfield Voice office in Ely 305 or email them to [email protected].

Dear Gail,

How does one go about asking his or her roommate to wash his or her dark-colored sheets (especially after explicit activity) and spray odor eliminators so his or her body odor does not linger within the room?Dear Disgusted Dorm

Dweller,

First of all, ew. Why the gruesome stains of coitus surrounding not only his or her living space, but also her sit-ting and sleeping place, do not bother your room-mate is beyond the both of us.

Perhaps he or she is unaware of this speckled art project that is their mattress and needs for it to be brought to his or her attention.

Although it can be horridly awkward, em-barrassment can some-times prompt an indi-vidual to adjust his or her bad habits and pay attention to their vulgar-isms. If you’re afraid to vocalize the issue regard-

ing the odors within your dormitory, then perhaps you can drop hints that are both subtle and fra-grant by purchasing your own can of odor elimina-tors. This will allow you to will the scent of the room to your liking and eliminate or at least mask the source of your gag reflex – killing two birds with one stone.

Another option you might consider are Glade Plug-ins, as they per-form the same function as scented candles but are not a fire-hazard that is banned from residence halls. Sure, this will cost you a few extra dollars, but I think this is prefer-able to living the rest of the school year constant-ly nauseated by your roommate’s putridness.

Sincerely, Gail

Dear Gail,

I am a freshman and have little to no friends right now in school. How can I make friends?

Dear Friendless Fresh-man,

The absolute best way to make friends in college (if you haven’t already) is to get involved in some-thing. One thing that is sometimes difficult for students to understand is that, when in college, friendship will not come crawling to you.

You, yourself, have to seek it. Clubs, teams, and other organizations exist on campus for a reason. The idea behind these groups is essentially to unite individuals with a common purpose and to bring together those

with similar hobbies. In addition, Friendless Freshman, I advise you to give yourself time to adjust.

Friendship isn’t al-ways something that simply presents itself to you – it takes time to develop: days, weeks, and possibly even se-mesters.

So give yourself time to connect, get involved, and keep an open mind, Friendless Freshman.

The academic year is still very young.

Sincerely, Gail

Gail is a sopho-more english major and a columnist for

The Westfield Voice. Letters to Gail’s Guid-

ance are anonymous and are deleted upon

completion.

Page 13: September 27, 2013

page 13The Westfield Voice

Knowing to Cook: The fine art of sandwich makingRyan Cashman

Voice ColumnistFor nearly ten years, I have tried to convince my father to open a sandwich shop.

There is a small red farm stand at the top of our street that has been for sale for eight years, that I think is the perfect location.

Unfortunately, the convincing has not been successful.

In my opinion, my fa-ther makes the best sand-wiches.

I have eaten many a delicious sandwich over the years, but none com-pare to the level of excel-lence of an improvised

Dad Sandwich. As I grew older and my

taste buds developed, my father began to experiment with flavors and ingredients he thought I might enjoy.

One sandwich I dis-tinctly remember is “The Stovetop”, which consisted of sliced chicken, onions, peppers, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and bal-samic vinaigrette squeezed in between two grilled slic-es of ciabatta bread.

He started by throwing the chicken, onions, and peppers into an oiled frying pan and cooking them un-til the onions and peppers were near charred.

Then he buttered our stovetop griddle and slapped on the ciabatta bread, toast-

Dad’s Sandwiches #1The Pre-game

Ingredients:--1 egg--2-3 slices deli roast beef--2-3 slices deli turkey--Red onion--Kaiser roll--Butter--Salt and Pepper (to taste)--Spicy brown mustard (optional)

Instructions:1. Slice your desired amount of onions and set them aside.

2. Crack egg into bowl, and then break the yolk.

3. Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan, set on the stove to medium or high heat. Then fry the egg.

4. Once the egg is fried, set it aside on a plate

and wrap it in alumi-num foil to retain the heat.

5. Re-oil the pan then add the roast beef, tur-key, and onions. Cook until the onions are soft and pliable.

6. Butter a stove top skillet (or a small frying pan if you do not have access to a skillet) and toast the kaiser roll.

7. Once the roll is toasted add in the roast beef, onions, tur-key, and egg.

8. Optional: add spicy brown mustard as a condiment.

Ryan Cashman is a sophomore communica-

tions and theatre arts double major and the

food columnist for The Westfield Voice.

ing it until golden brown.He then threw the

cheddar on one half of the bread.

Once the cheese had melted into the bread he splashed a little balsamic vinaigrette over the chick-en, assembled the sand-wich, and served it to me on a plate with a pickle and potato chips on the side.

Needless to say it was divine.

Sandwich making, like all other areas of cooking, is an art form... a very deli-cious art form.

So without further hesi-tation, I give you the first installment of Dads Sand-wiches: “The Pre-Game.” The name speaks for itself.

Buona Tavola!

Page 14: September 27, 2013

page 14 The Westfield Voice

Sets and the City: Interview with Alex Whitelaw of solo band ‘Sexy Girls’Rachael Lentz

Voice ColumnistSexy Girls. You’re inter-ested, right? Well, that’s exactly what 21-year-old Alex Whitelaw, the creator of eccentric indie band Sexy Girls is aiming for.

The one-man-band gives off that eerie 2 AM feeling that you might be the only person left awake in the entire world. With influ-ences from The Strokes, the Born Ruffians, and bossa nova, it is guaranteed to have a unique and intricate sound.

There’s something to be said about the simple lyr-ics that are accompanied by extremely complex in-strumentals—which I must note are performed and recorded solely by White-law himself. Whitelaw con-veys the same feelings one might feel when listening to the haunting sounds of The Smiths without sound-ing overly morose.

Rather, he creates the same relaxing, almost trance-like vibe that Bon Iver gives off.

Originally of Seekonk, Massachusetts, a student at RIC for a brief period of time and now an undergrad at UMass Amherst, the am-bitious yet boyishly funny musician is definitely a guy worth checking out.

Previously in Mas-sachusetts band Turkey Shoot featuring the locally known Cole Wulleimer of Kid Mountain, and a mem-ber of two other short-term music projects, Sexy Girls may just be Whitelaw’s best and most innovative experi-ment thus far.

The English major spends an average of 30 hours a week as a chef at Bertucci’s in Amherst, Mas-sachusetts in addition to his studies and focusing on his music career. “I wanna be famous,” Whitelaw told me. “I wanna be in a tour-

ing band, and if I could just make like thirty thousand a year off of that, then that would be my whole life. I would just like to make art, anything in that area. Or I would like to be a writer.”

He then jokingly added “but writing a book is hard.” For such a busy guy, I was lucky enough to score an interview over the phone with him briefly this past weekend.

R: Where does the name Sexy Girls come from?

A: Honestly, when I first started writing for it I was going through a lot of weird relationships with girls and breakups. I thought that most of the songs that you’re ever gonna hear in your life and like are gonna be about someone impor-tant to you. Something will attract you about them. A lot of songs are gonna be about attractive girls…why not dedicate a whole band name to them?

R: With a name like Sexy Girls, you must’ve had some funny experiences. What would you say is the strangest thing that’s hap-pened to you thus far as a musician?

A: Not really, it’s kind of just worked out like a marketing ploy, kind of like the band Free Beer. I guess there’s a band called Free Beer and they usually sell-out because people show up because of the flyer.

R: I know that you have a history of working with music. What made you de-cide to go solo?

A: Um, I like to have creative control I guess. It was a way of practicing and making songs. I used to not be able to finish my thought process in making songs. Other people would influence me too much and it would get distract-ing. Sometimes when you write songs there’s a spe-cific place you wanna go

with it. You have a lot more freedom and you don’t have to impose your opinions on other band members.

R: Do you miss working with other people? Or do you consider yourself more of a lone wolf?

A: Sometimes I miss working with other people. Sometimes I wish that I could play chords and have somebody drum so that they could write the drum part so I don’t need to. And its always nice to have the live energy when you’re cre-ating something. Me and Brenden (Brenden McCabe, currently a freelance drum-mer who attends Mass Art in Boston) used to sit and play our instruments and just come up with album after album because every-thing would just flow.

R: So, what other for-mer projects were you a part of?

A: Oh, I was in Turkey Shoot, Sexy Girls, a band called Two Guys with a friend of mine. And, oh! I had a solo project called Friends with Wolves but I dropped that for Sexy Girls.

R: I know you do all of the music for Sexy Girls yourself. How difficult is that?

A: Yeah. Sometimes its frustrating because I feel limited because I know that I may not play an instru-ment as well as someone else I know. At the same time I do like it, though, be-cause its not like I’m trying to break off and show how good I am with an instru-ment, I’m just doing what fits the song.

R: What is the process like?

A: It can suck (laughs). Sometimes you’ll write a bunch of chords and you’ll have, like, a whole song fig-ured out and when you go to add a bass line or some-thing to it, it just won’t quite work out the way you

wanted it to sound. But on the other hand it can be awesome because you’ll be-gin to play things you never thought you could. It can all come together and sound perfect.

R: How often are you working on your music?

A: Um, I have no idea. Whenever I’m not working or at school I’m working on my music. I’m never not working on it. I’ll even be in class and writing notes. Anytime I have a phone handy or a notebook] I like to try and remember the ideas I’d like to use.

R: Who would you say your main influences are?

A: Um, The strokes, musically. Born ruffians, mainly Luke Lalonge and his song writing. Bossanova music for its chords.

R: What inspires you to write the type of music for Sexy Girls?

A: I don’t know, I ini-tially love the songs for their music, for its unique-ness and chords. I love go-ing back and listening and thinking ‘oh there’s a weird string he plays right there’, and hearing the unique touches they add. I think it gives a song more depth. Makes it more fun to unfold and listen to.

R: How would explain

sexy girls in your own words?

A: I love soundscapes so I always have like… noises in the background along with all of my chords. I really like when a song is structured but there’s a cer-tain sloppiness to it at the same time. Uh, I can’t re-ally describe it. Maybe surf/rock if it was mixed jazz and garage-rock type sounds. I actually love garage rock.

R: What piece would you say represents Sexy Girls the most?

A: Uh… Beware of the Wolves or the Last Castle Song. Beware of the Wolves actually isn’t up anymore.

R: How do you feel about performing live?

A: I love shows. If I could play a show every night that would make me happy. I would do that for-ever. Until I’m like 30…no one really wants to do it then (chuckles).

R: Since you do all of the instruments yourself, how do you work that out when you play a gig?

A: Well right now I just put together a bunch of kids I found on craigslist that also go to my school to be my “live band”. But before that it would be friends, or

photo contributed to the westfield voice by writer

see LENTZ on page 18

Page 15: September 27, 2013

Owls SportsFRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

THE WESTFIELD VOICE

Upcoming Owls Athletics EventsSaturday, September 28th

W XC at Elms College Invite 11:00 a.m.M XC at Elms College Invite 12:00 a.m.W VBall vs Clark University 1:00 p.m.W Soccer vs Bridgewater State 1:00 p.m.M Soccer at Bridgewater State 1:00 p.m.W Golf at Middlebury College Invite 1:00 a.m.W VBall at Babson College 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 29thW Golf at Middlebury College Invite 9:00 a.m.

Tuesday, October 1stW Soccer at Trinity College 3:00 p.m.Field Hockey vs. Brisgewater State 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 2ndM Golf at Elms College Blazer Invite 10:00 a.m.W VBall vs Worcester State 7:00 a.m.

UMass Dartmouth goes down without any trouble last Saturday, 36-7

Matt StoverVoice Reporter

Westfield came to play against UMass Dartmouth on their pursuit of grabbing their first win in the newly established Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Confer-

ence (MASCAC). The Owls kept the momen-

tum from last week’s win against the Western New England Golden Bears by scoring 36 points on the Corsairs.

Westfield began scoring quickly after the defense forced a three and

page 15The Westfield Voice

The Owl’s football team runs out onto Alumni Field for their game against UMass Dartmouth on September 21st. The team won 36-7 and now sports a 2-1 record. They hope to carry this momentum into their game against Plymouth State on October 5th and continue their hot start.

Scores of Past Owls Athletics EventsThursday, September 19th

Men’s Golf at MCLA Invitational 3rd PlaceW VBall vs Bay Path College W 3-0

Friday, September 20thM XC at Jim Ryun Invitational 1st PlaceW XC at Jim Ryun Invitational 1st Place

Saturday, September 21stW Golf at Mount Holyoke Invite (no score)Football vs UMass Dartmouth W 36-7W Soccer at Fitchburg State W 3-0W VBall vs. Wheaton College L 1-3 (at WPI in Worcester, Mass.)Field Hockey vs. UMass Dartmouth L 2-4W VBall at WPI W 3-0M Soccer vs. Fitchburg State L 0-2

Sunday, September 22ndW Golf st Mount Holyoke Invite 13th Place

Tuesday, September 24thM Soccer at Elms College 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 25thW Soccer at Smith College 4:00 p.m.

out for the Corsair offense. Quarterback Erik Washburn

hit Kevin Nicol in the end zone on a 36-yard pitch and catch which gave the Owls an early 7-0 lead.

The Owl’s defense continued to look impressive, stopping the hard to contain read-option that UMass featured throughout the contest.

The Corsairs’ quarterback, Trent Barneys, had little to no time making decisions on where he was going with the ball due to the pres-sure of the Owl’s defensive front.

Quarterback Erik Washburn left the game in the second quarter with an apparent shoulder injury after taking a huge hit while try-ing to avoid pressure. He would not return.

Senior quarterback Tim Rich came into the game and immedi-ately had his presence felt. Rich’s first drive was capped off by a 59-yard quarterback keeper which gave the owls a 14 point lead with just under 14 minutes left in the first half.

Westfield’s Kane Terrilli was quite impressive on Saturday. He returned the second half kickoff to the end zone, an 87-yard return, to make it 33-0 Westfield.

Terrilli also caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Tim Rich.

UMass was able to get on the board late in the game, making the final score 36-7 Westfield.

This is the Owl’s second con-secutive lopsided win. They have scored 69 points while only giving up 14 at home this season.

Westfield’s defense has had ex-cellent performances in consecutive games, showing to be the strong point of the team in the early part of the season.

The offensive side of the ball has been able to match the produc-tion of the defense and capitalize off of turnovers. They have also not committed a turnover in the past two games.

The Owls look to continue their impressive season Oct. 5, at Plym-outh State.

photo by david fried for the westfield voice

Page 16: September 27, 2013

page 16 The Westfield Voice

If you went to an Owls Ath-letics event and have opin-ions, we want them! Email [email protected] to have your opinions of the

games in the paper!

Mickey CurtisWSU Athletics Dept.

Dear Editor,When applying to colleges many

students take sports into consid-eration. The camaraderie of orga-nized sports can make for a seam-less transition into a new place, let alone a new school.

When I applied to Westfield State I was aware that there was no tennis team. I was okay with that because I thought there was a club in place of it. I come to find out that the tennis club no longer exists. I heard it was removed from the list of clubs because “there aren’t enough courts at Stanley Park,” stated a sophomore.

The interest rate for a tennis team is sparking, and there is a resolution to not having enough courts. There are four extra courts down the street on the corner of Greylock and Russell road, which is 2.3 miles away from campus, and is just a 5-minute drive. They have several courts there that our stu-dents could utilize for practice. Up-perclassman and I have no problem with car-pooling a few players over to the courts for practice.

I remember in high school some

schools such as Newton North High School would have the Junior Varsity and Varsity players prac-tice separately. This is not ideal, however, it would strengthen our college. Most colleges have a tennis team. Westfield State University is a wonderful school, but we are lacking a tennis team.

A tennis club would even be ac-ceptable for now since it is hard to establish a team. If students were familiar with a tennis club, they could spread the word and get more players.

“Tennis is a lifelong and major sport played worldwide,” Freshman Catharine Paiva said.

It creates diversity and builds strong friendships. Tennis would also shape our school to make it better rounded. The more options of sports students have to pick, the more they get involved.

Thinking globally, tennis could decrease our obesity rate as well. It is not a difficult contact sport, however once an individual grasps the basic concepts, the rest comes easy.

Also for students who cannot af-

ford to pay for the wellness center can play tennis for free. Once the equipment is paid for there are no additional costs. The wellness cen-ter must be paid for per semester; tennis equipment does not have to be.

Our school has several sports such as baseball, football, volley-ball and softball. Tennis does more for the body than most sports. Since tennis requires alertness and tacti-cal thinking, it can generate new connections between nerves and create a lifetime of continuing de-velopment of the brain. Scientists at the University of Illinois report-ed this.

Also, according to Dr. Jim Gavin, author of “The Exercise Habit,” tennis outperforms most sports since it develops positive personality characteristics.

Although it is an intense sport, it is not always about winning, but about establishing a strong friend-ship with the opponent. Tennis is a crucial sport, and it should be of-fered here at Westfield.

Respectfully,Kylie Isenberg

The Westfield State University men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished first in the Jim Ryun Invitational held Friday eve-ning, Sept. 20, in Lakeland, Fla.

Letter to the Editor:Tennis Should Be An Option For Students At Westfield

The Westfield women placed seven runners in the top 17 to cap-ture first place in the 10-team invi-tational with 50 points. Pasco-Her-nando Community College placed second (73) followed by Florida Southern (91).

Junior co-captain Jenn Holley

Westfield State XC Finishes First In Florida Invitationalwas Westfield’s top runner, placing fifth with a time of 21:14.90 on the 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) course. Alec Slamal of Florida Southern crossed the finish line first in 20:35.70.

Westfield Junior Olivia Mar-shall finished eighth in 21:30.20, followed by Freshman Ashley Dow Romano (10th), Sophomore Mi-chelle Kelleher (13th), Freshman Jenn Asci (14th), Freshman Lori Merlo (16th) and Freshman Taylor Surrette (17th).

The Westfield men placed five runners in the top 11 to score 33 points, outdistancing Southeastern University (43 points) and Florida Southern (65) for the championship in the seven-team meet.

Ben Parzich, a 6-7, 183-pound freshman from nearby Agawam, was the Owls’ top runner, plac-ing fourth with a time of 27:24.90 on the 8,000 meter course. Florida Southern’s David Tomchinsky won the individual title with a time of

26:49.80.Westfield Junior Steve Connol-

ly finished sixth, followed by Senior Mike Kelleher (8th), Freshman Chris Williams (9th), Sophomore Tim Shea (11th), Sophomore Mike Skelly (13th), and Freshman Derik Noland (17th).

The Men’s cross country team has now finished first in two of their three meets. They also won the Smith College Invitational on Sep-tember 7th. They finished fourth at the Franklin Pierce Invitational.

The Jim Ryun Invitational was the first win for the women’s team this season. They finished sixth and fifth in the Smith College In-vitational and the Franklin Pierce Invitational respectively.

Both teams race again at the Elm’s College Invitate on Sept. 28th, hoping to repeat their domi-nance of the past weeks race. The women’s team races at 11:00 a.m. and the men’s team races at 12:00.

Both Men’s and Women’s XC teams won the Jim Ryun Invite in Florida, marking the first time this season that both teams won their race

photo by david fried for the westfield voice

Do you attend athletics events?

Well, take some photos!

Send your photos to thevoice@westfield.

ma.edu then look for your photos in the

next issue.

Thank you for your interest in contribut-

ing to the paper!

Page 17: September 27, 2013

page 17The Westfield Voice

Overthinking It: Miguel Cabrera vs. Mike Trout; traditional baseball vs. the new age

Joey CooperSports Editor

see COOPER on page 21.

Joey Cooper is a senior communications major

and the Sports Editor for The Westfield Voice.

The American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) race is identical to the 2013 hunt for AL supremacy. Traditional baseball versus the new age of baseball.

Miguel Cabrera, third basemen for the Detroit Tigers and Mike Trout, outfielder for the Los An-geles Angels find them-selves in the middle of the dispute featuring two di-verse styles of play.

Cabrera’s 2013 totals have the overwhelming majority declaring his second consecutive MVP award.

Arguments residing on Cabrera’s side will note his home run (HR), runs batted in (RBI), and on-base percentage (OBP), all on a division winning team in support of his candidacy for the award.

There are 54 outs in a game team’s are respon-

sible for and Cabrera advo-cates will make no mention of the 27 outs on the defen-sive end of the diamond.

This stance is abolished in Mike Trout’s league leading total wins above replacement (WAR) of 10.1, where Cabrera comes in fourth with 7.6, per Fan Graphs.

The metric that at-tempts to calculate a play-er’s total contributions both in the field and in the batter’s box demonstrates a clear winner, axing the entire case of Trout’s sub-.500 team pertaining to his efforts.

Los Angeles’ pitching ranked 23 in all of baseball with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.22, 699 runs (R), and third in walks allowed.

Cabrera is strategical-ly placed in between Torii Hunter .299/.331/.451 and Prince Fielder .283/.365/.462 eliminating the strategy of directly pitching around the reigning MVP.

In the Angels most re-

cent game, Trout is “pro-tected” by late July call-up, non qualified hitter Kole Calhoun and Mark Trumbo .237/.296/.465.

Since the All-Star break, Trout in 250 plate appear-ances has amassed 53 base on balls (BB), .346 batting average (BA), .496 OBP, and .581 slugging (SLG). The number that especially sticks out of this worthy sample size is his OBP.

When the prospect of an OBP of .500 comes into play, names like Ruth, Wil-liams and Bonds come into comparison.

In a season Trout, 22, wasn’t supposed to get bet-ter, he did. With consis-tent patience at the plate, Trout’s sophomore cam-paign features smarter at bats seeing an increase of 4.4% BB, strikeout percent-age (K%) down 3.6%, along with increase OBP, SLG and weight on-base average (wOBA).

Trout leads the AL in walks, and leads all of

baseball in average true distance on HR with 419 feet per.

If September base-ball is part of one’s crite-ria, Cabrera has accumu-lated .227/.393/.318 in the month.

Cabrera is a liability at the short corner sporting a defensive WAR -1.3, per ESPN, totaling his defen-sive efforts below that of a replacement level talent. The third baseman is al-most at the bottom of base-ball with -14.8 in fielding and positional adjustment combined above average (DEF), per Fan Graphs.

Trout’s contributions on the base path further sepa-rate his total value from Cabrera. Runs above av-erage base running (BsR), has Trout fourth in all of baseball with 8.0, with 33 stolen bases (SB).

The MVP candidacy in its entirety is flawed in re-spects to Trout’s 2013 cam-paign. He suits up for an inferior team, he isn’t pro-

tected in his lineup, along with his base running and fielding being eliminated from the discussion.

The slit grasp Cabre-ra holds over Trout offen-sively shouldn’t be enough for voters to sway in favor of his total value.

Counting statistics like the RBI, coined in 1879 by a Buffalo based newspaper, are both am-biguous and archaic.

These traditional stats lack context, stand-ing alone, scouts cannot fully understand what they’re looking at with such inadequate data. Percentage statistics are more likely to provide a clearer examination of a player’s worth. Quantita-tive numbers that repre-sent findings are not use-

Lady Owls’ soccer blank Fitchburg State, 3-0Ryan Sances

Voice Reporter

The Westfield State women’s soccer team got off on the right foot in con-ference play this season defeating Fitchburg State 3-0 in their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener on Saturday, Sept. 21 in Fitchburg.

Freshman Hannah Zannini opened the scor-ing for Westfield with her second goal of the season at 23:21 of the first half.

The Owls extended their lead in the second half when sophomore Ash-ley Bovat notched her sec-ond goal of the season at 52:16 min in the second half.

Freshman Amanda Ray closed out the scoring for Westfield, scoring the first goal of her collegiate career at 85:19 of the sec-ond half.

Senior goalkeeper Jess Habif posted the shutout for the Owls with perhaps her most important stop coming on a penalty kick

early in the game to keep the score tied 0-0.

Also contributing on the score sheet for the Owls were senior Lauren Marshall with a pair of as-sists and junior Amanda Grant with an assist.

Overall the Owls out-shot Fitchburg 22-8.

With the win the Owls improve their overall re-cord to 4-3-0 (as of Sept. 24) on the season.

The Owls will play Bridgewater State Satur-day, Sept. 28 on Alumni Field at 1:00 p.m.

photo by mickey curtis for the westfield voice

Westfield State first-year Hannah Zannini scored the winning goal against Fitchburg State. The Lady Owls won that game 3-0 to bring their record to 4-3. Their next game is September 28 at 1:00 p.m. on the

Alumni Field.

Page 18: September 27, 2013

page 18 The Westfield Voice

News and CampusMONIZ, page 1Ambassador Eizenstat ex-pressed confidence in your futures when he concluded, “the degrees you will earn at Westfield State Univer-sity will serve you well.”

Senior Convocation lasted a little longer than an hour, but the speakers of the evening offered words that will follow students into the future.

The evening concluded with a musical performance by Tim Hockenberry, pia-nist and vocalist who was a contestant on America’s Got Talent last year.

CAULFIELD, page 3equipment can accommo-date right now.”

The staff at the din-ing commons is trying to receive more equipment to fix the issue and open more lines but some university staff members are not in favor.

DJ Maurice, who plays on Friday’s in the Dining Hall, is getting great a re-ception; however, requests are being made to lower the volume of the music.

He might be relocated from the corner of the trash area of the hall, to the couches by the windows.

Following Durkee’s re-port came a huge conun-drum for many of the SGA members, well the commut-ing members anyway.

Tom Durkee said he no-ticed a lot of students who don’t have the stickers for the main lot on their cars are getting away with it and blocking those who have the right parking sticker.

SGA Advisor Drew Dalesandro responded on the problems saying, “[i]t’s actually a case with public safety we run into.”

He continued by adding that “ticketing isn’t there highest priority, but they will get there as soon as possible.”

The Commuter Council

and Class and Hall Reports closed out the longest meet-ing of the year so far.

Luis Arzola, Commuter Council president, said the council is going to start an agenda about making park-ing for commuters more convenient.

Arzola closed by say-ing, “come the meetings and bring your commuter friends” while he said this he also pointed out Senior Adam Lamontange, who is a commuter on campus, to come to the meeting.

Sophomore president Ryan Losco motioned to ap-point Mikayla Culley as a SGA representative from the Class of 2016 for the 2013/2014 academic year, the motion passed unani-mously.

One particular closing announcement, made by Stone Koury, praised the newspaper, calling it “revi-talized.”

SGA members who were missing at opening roll call were Amanda McCarthy and Richard Darrach. Dar-rach arrived late and was present at the closing roll call.

The next meeting of the Student Government As-sociation will be Oct. 1st at 5:30 p.m. in the Peter Maz-za Student Government Room in the garden level of Ely by Dunkin’ Donuts.

Arts & EntertainmentLENTZ, page 14any musicians I knew. I would ask if they wanted to jump in and play a show.

R: Do you have any up-coming projects for fans to look forward to?

A: Uh, Yeah! Satan’s Hand is gonna drop soon. Brenden McCabe designed the album cover. I actually put a lot of money into it. Everyone should look for-ward to Satan’s Hand.

R: Have you gotten any awards or deals yet? Had your “big break?”

A: I’ve been on a few

music blogs… other than that no one really gives a shit about me (laughing). A rapper I really like follows me on twitter, “Captain Murphy”. That may not be because of my music though (laughs).

And for some reason when my Facebook was around I would have like 20 new people from India fa-voriting me each day. Or on Bandcamp you can see how people found you. I noticed a lot of people were just typing “sexy girls” into the Bandcamp search engine. Kinda creepy, but at least people find my music.

R: Is there anything else you’d like the world to know about Sexy Girls?

A: Uh………….”long pause”. I listen to a lot of rap music. Anything is pos-sible (chuckles). Don’t re-ally put that, please (laugh-ing again).

R: Where is your next show?

A: My next show is in Middleboro, it’s actu-ally the first show with the band I have now. It’s gonna be Friday October 4th at a private venue.

Were you on your high school’s yearbook staff? Interested in starting Westfield State’s yearbook back up again?

[email protected]

to indicate that you’re interested.

TekoaThe Student Yearbook at Westfield State University

GETOUTYOURLAPTOPS

The Voice is online!

Visitwestfieldvoice.

com today!Updated every

Friday!

Page 19: September 27, 2013

Aries(March 21 - April 20)

You should set high goals for yourself. You probably

won’t get even close to achieving them, but those

high goals make you go higher than ever before. You will succeed by some

standard.

Taurus(April 21 – May 21)

Wear a cool hat. People might say something about your cool hat, and then you can respond and impress them in a way other than your cool hat. You’ll make friends this way, the stars think.

Gemini (May 22 – June 21)

Things are going to go fantastically for you; do we even need to say it? It is as if the universe keeps aligning itself in your favor. Keep up whatever you are doing, it can only help you.

Cancer (June 22 – July 22)Take measurements of every area of your life and notice where

you are weakest. Your weaknesses will certainly

bring you down. Know how this will happen so

you can prepare.

Leo (July 23 – August 23)

Try to cook up some new things in life if you are hungry. The more you make, the more

experience you will have to share around with the

world about you.

Virgo(August 24 –

September 22)You are in no way being lied to right now when the stars say they are always telling the truth. Believe that your lucky scarf will save you yet again. Always

believe in the scarf.

Libra (September 23 –

October 22)Yes Libras, it is ok to wear a pair of fluffy pink slippers to work (with a few exceptions of course). You will come across as bold and intimidating, which is what the world needs right now.

Scorpio(October 23 – November 21)

Write in a notebook every little thing that comes into your mind, no matter how insane it may seem. After this, you will want to try and show every person you love this notebook, to show them how much you think about them. Believe the stars, this is a good idea.

Sagittarius(November 22 – December 21)

Isn’t it strange how you always lose your keys when you need them? Perhaps this is a sign that you should pursue a new path in life.

Capricorn(December 21 –

January 20)Your romantic life may not be going so well, but that might be only because of the approach you are taking. Perhaps you are being too aggressive and need to just take a break for a while.

Aquarius (January 21 – February 19)

You might find that you are being extra sensitive this week, and that there

are different ways to offend people than the ones you are aware of. The stars hope you use

this knowledge for good, and not for evil.

Pisces(Feb. 20 - March 20)

What types of things make your heart pound? Are these the things you want to make your heart pound? Only you can change the answers to these questions, and the stars are willing to help.

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TLCWILL SMITH

WU-TANG CLANWYCLEF JEAN

Horoscopes

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