The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 82, Issue 10

STORY ON PAGE 6

SEE STORY ON PAGE 3 EDITORIAL ON PAGE 9

INSIDE THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

In approximately two years, the Town and

Village of New Paltz could potentially merge

into a single body of government, altering the

way local services and departments are run.

According to Village Mayor Terry Dun-

gan, town and village municipal boards will

be receiving recommendations on a possible

Fairweather Consulting after a year-long study

is completed sometime this July.

range of options that could be voted upon by

the public, which include cooperative agree-

ments between town and village departments

and complete municipal consolidation.

“It’s something that comes up periodically

and it’s coming from people that are concerned

about the costs,” Dungan said. “There’s a con-

cern of redundant taxation and if we just had

one government, things would be simpler.”

According to Dungan, once the Fair-

weather Consulting study is complete the

Town Board or Village Board of Trustees

-

ommendations or the public could petition for

a change.

Dungan said the consolidation of the town

and village has been a widely discussed topic

over the past 20 years, and the elimination of

the village government was previously put to a

public referendum.

Although the option was defeated during

in 2011.

“You [wouldn’t] have a village anymore

-

sibility for it,” Dungan said. “So, I guess one

lives in the town has no voice in the matter. It’s

the option of a coterminous town and village,

which would allow the village to annex the en-

tire property of the town and share its borders.

If this option were decided upon, Dungan

said the village would be responsible for gov-

erning the entire area.

“You can dissolve a village but you can’t

dissolve a town,” he said. “So, there’s one day

a year when the village board meets as the

that the town has to do, but other than that, it

functions as a village.”

Dungan said he is in support of this meth-

od because he believes village government is

and your town highway superintendent are

all independently elected,” he said. “If they

don’t get along well, your town functions very

badly. With a village, you have your mayor,

your board of trustees and that’s it. Every-

body under them is a hired professional, and

they do what the board directs. It’s much more

straightforward and things happen as they are

supposed to.”

According to Town Supervisor Toni Ho-

-

dergo full consolidation there would be only

one board, and either a mayor or a supervisor

would exist depending on the form of govern-

ment selected.

She said both a cooperative agreement

and consolidation of some town and village

structure of two boards, a mayor and a super-

visor, but each could still have the potential to

save money.

“There are currently four full-time and

two part-time staff combined for both depart-

could be done by less staff and there is a sav-

ings. Consolidating highway and building de-

partments are on a larger scale and also have

potential [for savings].”

-

solidation, include a reduction in bureaucracy,

town and village services.

If consolidation were to occur, Dungan

said the town and village could share a pur-

chasing department and could enjoy greater

purchasing power.

supplies and services could be less expensive

that way,” he said.

Dungan said there has also been discus-

sion of consolidating the highway services

in New Paltz, so that the Town of New Paltz

Highway Department could manage the vil-

lage streets.

“The state is actively encouraging the

reduction of the number of municipal govern-

ments,” she said. “To this end, the state offers

grant funding for studies and is offering three

years of enhanced state aid to any govern-

ment consolidations. In these economic times,

[that’s] a big incentive.”

After interviewing a consultant responsi-

ble for over three-dozen consolidation studies,

Dungan said he was told in almost every case

when changes were made to municipalities

that there was very rarely full consolidation.

Dungan said he doesn’t see the topic of

a possible merger or consolidation greatly af-

-

nal decision and implementation would not oc-

cur for a few years. And if New Paltz were to

eventually have a coterminous government, he

“Whomever you elect needs to be some-

one who is going to manage it well,” he said.

“Whether it’s a small village or a large village,

really the issues are the same. I’m sure it will

come up in the discussions. We’ll really have

to wait and see.”

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The New Paltz Oracle Pg 3NEWS

By Maxim AlterA&E Editor | [email protected]

Town and Village Contemplate Consolidation

Mayoral Race Candidates Start Their Engines

Nine people have expressed interest in be-

coming the next mayor of the Village of New

Paltz after elections are held in May.

Current Mayor Terry Dungan said that al-

though three of the nine people who have ex-

pressed interest in the position have not done so

be the largest in recent village history.

“It’s not common;; it’s New Paltz,” he said.

“We are a particularly opinionated community.

Different people who have considered running

have different things that have gotten them up-

-

cumbent and other village business owners and

-

Democratic blogger Jeremy Blaber an-

nounced his candidacy in an Aug. 17 post on his

blog called blabernews.blogspot.com, which he

Although Blaber was not a resident of the

village at the time he announced his candidacy

– which is a requirement to be able to vote in

the election – he said he plans to reach out to

“I plan to run a very aggressive race to be-

come the village’s next mayor,” he said.

said she has served on different boards and

groups in the area, has also publicly announced

her intention to run for the position of village

mayor.

she sees the position as a consideration for part-

-

ence on different boards and an understanding

of “the basics of budgets,” in addition to her

next mayor of the village.

“Challenges in the village require sus-

tained and concentrated effort,” she said. “I

[be] strong enough to initiate changes necessary

for New Paltz’s continued growth.”

the incumbent Dungan, who said he is running

for the same reasons he did nearly four years

ago – to ensure that the village is “well man-

aged.”

In 2007, Dungan defeated former Mayor

Jason West for the position. The mayor said that

he would continue to better relations between

the village and the Town of New Paltz, which

Dungan said major challenges the next

mayor of the village could face are related to

environmental issues and the economy, having

a reasonable level of service without increas-

around.”

economic circumstances at home,” he said. “We

just can’t increase the budget.”

According to Dungan, any village resident

18 years of age or older is eligible to vote at

the polling place in Village Hall. The elections

Board of Elections. Anyone registered and eli-

gible to vote in the village can run for mayor.

Dungan said mayoral elections are held every

four years, and three seats on the Village Board

of Trustees will also be up for grabs this year.

Those interested in running for mayor

percent of the voters who cast their ballots in

the last election, Dungan said. This process will

begin in March.

By Julie MansmannEditor-in-Chief | [email protected]


The New Paltz OraclePg 4 NEWS

Appeals Approved in Student Senate

The 50th student senate approved two appeals at its Nov. 30 general meeting.

The legislative body approved an appeal made by Student Association (SA) President Jennifer Sanchez regarding Mr. New Paltz: A Male Beauty Pageant, an event aimed to raise money for The Pakistan Relief Effort.

Sanchez explained that she planned to appeal before the Programming Board on Wednesday for event funds in hopes that she would have a clear idea by then of how much money was going to be spent and have the paperwork in a week in advance. But due to Thanksgiving break, the Programming Board meeting was rescheduled for Nov. 29.

“I didn’t meet with my candidates. I didn’t even know who my candidates were until [Tuesday] so there’s no way I could have presented for the Programming Board

[on Monday],” said Sanchez.-

ipate in the pageant on Tuesday and Sanchez said she would need $45 for media technolo-gy, and an additional amount for decorations for the events and props for candidates.

The senate voted to reimburse Sanchez as long as she does not spend over $300 with the stipulation that she provide a clear ac-count of how she spent the money.

The legislative body also approved an appeal made by Recycling Club President Lauren Brois regarding funds to provide food at the club’s Dec. 7 Sustainable Craft Fair.

In an effort to provide food at the fair from local vendors that have at least some local and organic ingredients, Brois said the Recycling Club’s line item requested $202.64 to spend at Main Course and Rock da Pasta.

The $202.64 was originally rejected by the Budget and Finance Committee.

“We are just appealing the denial be-

cause we feel that offering free food really makes an event have a lot more people go to it,” said Brois.

Because they are expecting about 200 people to attend the event, instead of the original request, Brois appealed for $202.64 to get pizza for the event “maybe from Rino’s because they have some green business tech-niques.”

Vice President of Finance Youssouf Kouyo said he denied Recycling Club’s orig-inal request because the fair was expected to be a big event and including food might have been “messy” and not everybody would be able to get food.

Although some senators agreed with Kouyo, the club was approved the funds to get pizza for the event.

The next general student senate meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 7 in Student Union 418.

By Pamela VivancoCopy Editor | [email protected]

NewsBriefsNational

House Republicans have temporar-ily blocked legislation to feed school meals to thousands more hungry

children.

Republicans used a procedural ma-neuver Wednesday to try to amend the $4.5 billion bill, which would give more needy children the opportunity to eat free lunches at school and make those lunches healthier. First Lady Mi-chelle Obama has lobbied for the bill as part of her “Let’s Move” campaign

to combat childhood obesity.

*****

Sponsors of California’s same-sex marriage ban on Wednesday asked one of the judges from the appeals court panel that will hear arguments on the measure’s constitutionality next week to remove himself from the case.

Court of Appeals in San Francisco, lawyers for Proposition 8’s support-ers said Judge Stephen Reinhardt’s “impartiality might reasonably be questioned” because his wife heads the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

*****

Nearly 50,000 prison inmates claimed more than $130 million in tax refunds this year without providing any wage information to the IRS, a government investigator says in a report to be

released Thursday.

The Treasury inspector general for tax administration stops short of saying the refunds were fraudulently claimed. It does, however, say the Internal Rev-enue Service should investigate further.

International Briefs on Page 5

PHOTO BY LAURA LUENGAS

Two appeals made by Student Association President Jennifer Sanchez and the Recycling Club were approved by the student senate.

Judicial Board Suggests Bylaw Amendments

The campus judicial board recently made suggestions to the student senate re-garding possible bylaws to avoid appeals similar to ones that were made over the past few weeks.

These suggestions were made in hopes of resolving problems and miscom-munication over budgeting for conference

raised for charities.“There haven’t been any bylaw

amendments passed yet,” said Chief Jus-tice of the Judicial Board Travis Nanek. “It has to be approved by the whole sen-ate.”

Discussion was sparked in regard to the conference budget after two separate groups, each planning to attend the 2010

American Speech-Language-Hearing As-sociation Convention, presumed they had the entire maximum $1,800 per confer-ence limit to utilize.

Nanek said a major cause of the dis-crepancy was the lack of a Vice President

board still thought of ways around it.“The judicial board had suggested …

that the senate possibly think of another line in the budget to deal with presenters and non-presenters,” he said.

There’s currently only one line, but implementing another would allow for each group to have a different limit.

The second appeal that bylaws have been in talks about is the problem that arose with charity funds raised by Invis-ible Children.

Suggestions were made to perfect the procedure to ensure that money is still

there in the Student Association’s posses-sion if anyone quits, and clarifying who it will be sent to. They also wanted to allow the actual organization to communicate with the charity.

“[The judicial board suggested] to al-ways make sure that a letter is in the busi-

out to and how much money,” Nanek said, “and this will be sent with the money. We have a dispersing agent who’s supposed to be sending these things out, but how’s she supposed to send it out if she doesn’t know where to send it?”

Although these suggestions have been made, the amending of appropriate bylaws is ultimately up to the senate, with the writing being a very meticulous process.

“One word can change the entire meaning of a bylaw,” SA President Jenni-fer Sanchez said.

By Pete ThompsonCopy Editor | [email protected]

At the last Council of Organizations meet-ing, held on Monday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Student Union (SU) 62/63, feedback was re-ceived on the drug policy.

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Caitlin Ryan began by inquiring whether or not the council would be interested in looking at legislation under analysis by the Student Association (SA) to create a system of checks and balances. She then addressed the legislation recently passed by senate discussing

-tives for any opinions, questions or concerns.

“As the policy stands right now,” she said, “…we have the most strict standard in the SUNY system.”

According to Ryan, SUNY New Paltz updated its one-strike policy for marijuana in the 80s, but still remains more strict due to the school’s reputation.

“[Rather than your personal or moral

stance,] think about how you want the school to view doing drugs,” Sen. Marc Pottak said. “[Tell us] what you want to see the policy be-come and we’ll try to come to a middle ground on it.”

The general consensus found the New Paltz exclusive two strike rule to be fairly harsh, and many believe it should either be the same as other schools, or possibly have a strike substituted for community service.

Once the discussion ended, Council Chair Shayna Bentley said that Winterfest will be tak-ing place on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Student Union’s (SU) Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). The festival will feature a number of lo-cal town and campus musicians and slam poets.

“It will be a nice intro to a lot of genres of music,” New Paltz Comics Unleashed rep-resentative Kevin Kleeman said. “We’re really making it all for you, so please come check it out.”

SA President Jennifer Sanchez was next to address the council, informing all that her Paki-stan relief effort, the Mr. New Paltz fundraiser,

will be taking place on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 9 p.m. in SU MPR. Anyone can attend, and she is still looking for any willing participants. This will entail a talent, swimsuit, formal dress and orange and blue segments.

After Coakley’s reminder, Bentley ad-dressed the council again, informing that she’ll be meeting with the two club sports advisors to make stronger connections, and that a roster will be required for any SA funded trips. This will entail a full list of names, phone numbers and banner IDs.

-ing the upcoming car sharing program on cam-pus. This addition will provide students with the opportunity to rent a Toyota Prius or RAV-4 by signing either out online.

Vice President of Finance Youssouf Kouyo reminded all representatives of the mandatory paperwork training sessions he’ll be holding. These will take place on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. or 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Fri-day, Feb. 5 from 4 to 5 p.m.



WorldBriefsInternational Two more walls have given way inside Pompeii’s 2,000-year-old archaeologi-

-day — the second collapse at the popular tourist attraction in as many

days.

latest collapses, saying they only concerned the upper parts of two walls that had no artistic value. But the

repeated damage at one of the world’s most important archaeological sites is proving an embarrassment for Italy, and giving credence to accusations that the entire ancient city is in a state

of decay.

*****

The retired British couple were sail-ing the world on a 38–foot yacht that represented most of their life savings when Somali pirates captured them last year, demanding the sort of huge ransom a multimillionaire or a multi-national company might cough up.

The fact that Paul and Rachel Chan-dler couldn’t pay a big ransom helped stretch out their ordeal 388 agoniz-ing days — until Sunday, when they were released thin and exhausted, but smiling. It was one of the longest and most dramatic hostage situations since the Somali piracy boom began several

years ago.

Compiled from the AP Newswire

NYPIRG Targets Phthalate-Laced ToysNew York Public Interest Research Group (NYP-

IRG) chapters from the SUNY New Paltz and Purchase College presented the group’s 25th annual “Trouble in Toyland” report, which found that unsafe toys are still available for purchase in many American stores.

The group presented its November 2010 toy safe-

right before the beginning of one of the busiest shop-ping seasons in America.

NYPIRG members like Ilana Wexler, a third-year sociology major with a concentration in human servic-es, hope the report will “call for higher regulation in the toy industry.”

This year’s report emphasized two toxic hazards that were mentioned in the U. S. Congress’ 2008 Con-sumer Product Safety Improvement Act that was put into effect this year.

NYPIRG’s annual report revealed the results of laboratory tests conducted by the United States Public Interest Research Group on toys for toxic chemicals,

tips to consumers about shopping safely. The report listed a few toys that contain or are sus-

pected of containing harmful chemicals or pose a threat to a child’s welfare.

many children’s products, such as the Dora the Explorer backpack, that contain phthalates, toxic chemicals used as plastic softeners that can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled or ingested. Some of the chemical’s ad-verse health effects include early onset puberty in girls and lower sperm count in boys, according to the report.

These issues were addressed in 2008 with the

overhaul of the Consumer Product Safety Commission

(CPSC), a federal agency established during adminis-tration of then-president Richard Nixon, according to the report.

The report said the act expanded CPSC’s budget and endowed it with more power to issue recalls of products and hold corporate wrongdoers accountable. Within the last year, CPSC has recalled more than half a million toys for violation of the lead paint standard on children’s products, which was banned in the Con-sumer Product Safety Improvement Act according to the report.

“The CSPC is doing a good job under its expand-ed authority,” said Ryan Long, the project coordinator for the SUNY New Paltz chapter of NYPIRG. “But there is still more work to be done, especially when it

comes to eliminating choking hazards and regulating tens of thousands of chemicals that are in toys that our children play with every day.”

NYPIRG has announced the circulation of a peti-tion to the CPSC to expand small parts tests to better protect toddlers from choking.

In 2009, as a result of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a ban was put in place on toys and children products that contained more than 0.1 per-cent of phthalates. Despite the ban, however, NYPIRG found children’s products that contained concentrations of phthalates up to 30 percent. The report found this to be a concern because children are particularly vulner-able to chemicals that could affect proper development.

NYPIRG presented Trouble in Toyland in hopes of increasing public awareness about toys that have been labeled unsafe for children as well as which local stores have been selling these toys.

“What we are trying to do is come to the point where this [CPSC] is no longer needed for the protec-tion of children,” said Kevin Stump, the project coor-dinator for the Purchase College chapter of NYPIRG.

Stump and Long found questionable toys in a few stores in Fishkill, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie and White Plains.

Long found the toyset Baby’s First Train-Lok-mock Train and Building Blocks in Enchanted Toys, a toy store in New Paltz. Stump found three questionable toys in six stores. One of those toys was Fisher Price’s Let’s Get Building! Construction Play-set, which was found in Toys”R”Us and Target, both located in Pough-keepsie, and Walmart in Fishkill.

NYPIRG’s “Trouble in Toyland” report has of-fered safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children for a quarter of a century, and have led to at least 150 recalls and other regulatory action over the years, said Long.

By Jaleesa BaulkmanContributing Writer | [email protected]

PHOTO COURTESY OF WAKEMEDVOICES.ORG

NYPIRG’s “Trouble in Toyland” report found that the Dora the Explorer backpack contained phthalates.

Council Talks Policy and PageantryBy Pete ThompsonCopy Editor | [email protected]



Union Urges College to Utilize Reserves

Members of the SUNY New Paltz chap-

ter of the United University Professions (UUP)

recently called for college administrators to uti-

lize reserve funds in order to save faculty posi-

tions and curb cuts that could be introduced as

New Paltz UUP Chapter President Richard

Kelder and Vice President for Academics Peter

Brown were joined by the secretary of the state

branch of UUP, Eileen Landy, and other union

members last week when they released their

-

ning process. In their seven-point statement,

UUP members said administrators should do

everything in their power to avoid elimination

of programs and personnel as they take sugges-

tions and make decisions on how to reduce the

college’s economy in light of the shortfall.

Kelder said cuts in state support have led

to academic programs being phased out and

jobs to be lost at schools like SUNY Albany and

SUNY Geneseo, and he hopes similar choices

will not be made at SUNY New Paltz.

“Public higher education is a public good,

and it is under attack,” Kelder said.

Brown said the school could keep “every

single program and employee here” if they used

millions of dollars in reserve funds stored in

over 400 accounts.

Though he said he does not know how

much funding is available and if that money

could legally be used, Brown said the time to

use “rainy day” funds for emergencies is now.

“It’s not only raining, it’s pouring,” he

said.

However, Vice President of Finance and

Administration Jackie DiStefano said cash bal-

ances and all related revenue and expenditures

are maintained in individual accounts for sepa-

rate activities and purposes to comply with cer-

tain policies and mandates.

DiStefano said administrators believe UUP

members and others are focusing on the cash

balances that exist at a given point in time in a

myriad of accounts that comprise the school’s

Income Fund Reimbursable (IFR) Fund, State

University Tuition Reimbursable Account (SU-

the Core Instructional Budget Stabilization

Fund.

-

es. DiStefano said administrators feel that using

these funds as a long term solution to the budget

imbalance would be “short-sighted.”

“We respectfully disagree with the union’s

opinion that cash in every IFR and SUTRA

account should be used to ‘stabilize’ our core

irresponsible.”

According to DiStefano, the UUP mem-

bers are referring to the $6.2 million in central

cash balances available in the IFR and SUTRA

funds that are managed in accordance with

-

tions. All accounts also have a campus manager

and signatory.

The SUTRA fund is a “special fund” dedi-

cated to campus operations funded from and

in support of tuition revenue collected from

our summer session programs, school of edu-

cation contract courses and fees received for

students to participate in the overseas academic

programs, DiStefano said. She also said the

IFR fund is a self-supported fund dedicated to

funded from revenues generated by these pro-

grams and student fees. These funds are spent

revenue is generated, she said. IFR accounts

include technology, course, health, application

and late payment fees, among others.

Brown cited some IFR accounts as being

earmarked by administrators for certain pur-

poses, who he said would “rather see us cut

personnel” than use these funds. He said he

feels administrators should be more forthcom-

ing about how these funds can be used and how

much money is available.

“This information should be made public,”

Brown said. “There are a number of ways these

funds are used, but this is not totally clear to

us.”

But DiStefano said students have a right

to have those funds designated for the purposes

they were told they were for, and they should

not to be diverted into the college’s core operat-

ing budget.

The administrator said members of the

campus community should remember that these

kinds of cash reserves are available “one time”

in that once these funds are spent, they are gone

and without replenishment.

“It is not a source of cash that can provide

a sustainable or ongoing ‘plug’ in the gap be-

tween revenue and expenses. And as our reve-

nue continues to diminish, so does our ability to

generate reserves,” DiStefano said. “We must

take action to reduce our expenditures.”

The level of these balances is reviewed by

the Middle States Commission as part of the

that is underway at SUNY New Paltz. DiSte-

fano said a review of guidelines, policies and

procedures from other educational and business

sources, including the National Association of

-

tion in conjunction with guidance from inde-

pendent auditors and bond rating agencies sug-

gest that an appropriate level of unrestricted net

cash reserves would be 25 percent of operating

expenses or the equivalent of three months of

expenses. If this percentage were to be applied

to SUNY New Paltz operating expenses, DiS-

tefano said a reserve of approximately $18 mil-

lion should be maintained.

DiStefano said administration does not

hold excess cash balance that can be spent with-

out great thought, and that heavy considerations

should be weighed when deciding if dipping

into this funding is necessary.

“Maintaining adequate reserves is essen-

“It is critical that a campus maintain adequate

-

ity and the sustainability of the programs we

provide.”

However, members of the union said they

not to invest in the future of public education, a

serious situation affecting the future of SUNY

students developed and this funding should be

considered.

“SUNY is being attacked across the state,”

Landy said. “New Paltz is one symptom of a

pretty bad disease.”

Members of the union at SUNY New Paltz

will be sending a letter to Interim President

Donald Christian with questions and concerns

regarding the budget planning process, which

was signed by multiple departmental chairs and

faculty members. Administrators said the cam-

pus community can log on to budget.newpaltz.edu throughout the academic year for updates.

By Julie MansmannEditor-in-Chief | [email protected]

7 Key PointsThe UUP New Paltz Chapter

Budget Statement Written by the Executive Committee

1. In the short term, SUNY should draw on its reserves to stabilize the

university system.

2. New York State urgently needs to reserve underfunding SUNY

and increase the state’s support for

public higher education.

3. Accessibility to SUNY and diversity should be maintained

through a tuition policy that does

not shut out students of color and

-

cants, whose numbers have drasti-

cally decreased in recent years.

4. New York State needs to re-establish a fairer, more progressive

tax structure, so that the wealthiest

citizens once again pay their share

of responsibility pay their share of

responsibility for the public good.

5. At the federal level, we need to realign priorities to strengthen the

support for public higher education

across the country.

6. We need visionary leadership for the SUNY chancellor and the

Legislature, which should strongly

support, rather than undermine

SUNY’s mission.

7. In view of the recent program cuts at SUNY Albany, we need to

the humanities for a liberal educa-

tion by restoring and strengthening

programs in foreign languages, the

classics and philosophy.

“New Paltz is one symptom of a pretty bad disease”

— Eileen Landy

New York has become the latest state among many to ban stimulant-infused alcoholic beverages like the popularized Four Loko.

The ban stems from cases of alcohol poisoning at institutions such as Ramapo College in New Jersey and growing concerns over the prevalence of Four Loko, popularly known as “blackout in a can,” being consumed by underage drinkers.

Four Loko and similar products contain about 12 percent al-cohol by volume, the equivalent of about three cans of beer. The products also contain caffeine, taurine and guarana which, along with the alcohol, create a potent, synergic beverage.

According to a study by the Food and Drug Administration, consumption of chemical stimulants such as caffeine and guarana mask the effects of alcohol, a depressant, on the body. This can cause consumers to think they are less intoxicated than they ac-tually are, leading them to continue drinking even if their blood alcohol content is already at dangerous levels.

The New York State Liquor Authority mandated an end to dis-tribution of the drinks to stores after Nov. 19. Stores will no longer carry the beverage after Dec. 10, and stores found with the drink after this date will be penalized.

Mixing alcohol with caffeine and other stimulants isn’t a re-cent trend, however. Mixing energy drinks such as Red Bull with alcohol at bars is common, and beverages such as Irish coffee have long been popular.

Peter Haughton MD, director of the University Health Service at SUNY New Paltz said he agrees with the ban.

Haughton said companies that combine alcohol and stimu-lants are primarily concerned with making money and likely do not value the safety of underage drinkers.

“You still have a developing brain in your teens,” Haughton said. “Alcohol is toxic to the brain. [Why] would [you] want to add a toxin to a brain that is still in the developmental stage?”

Haughton believes protecting underage consumers from these products is a larger concern than the loss fans of the drinks will experience.

“As a civilized society, our role is to focus on and protect young people,” Haughton said.

Second-year undeclared student Audrey Brand is unhappy with New York’s recent ban, but said that due to abuse of the drink, she understands why it was put in place.

“I think that it sucks,” Brand said. “But I guess we deserve it as part of the general group that is using it so stupidly.”

Vijay Buddiga, a second-year international relations major, said although he’s had some bad experiences with Four Loko, he doesn’t believe it should be banned. Buddiga believes that by ban-ning the drink, people will just acquire it through other means, such as buying it in other states, and abuse of the drinks could get worse.

“When people drink one or two of those, they get [intoxicated] and do some terrible things, but I don’t think it should be illegal,” he said. “The more it’s criminalized, the more dangerous it is.”

Buddiga also believed the drink was a fad, and if it hadn’t been banned, its popularity would have eventually died out.

“It’s a lot of hype, and it’s a new thing … Four Loko would have died out solely on the fact that it’s a terrible drink and some-thing would have beaten it,” Buddiga said.

Emily Mocha, a second-year English major, said she thinks the makers of Four Loko should change the recipe of the product so that it is less dangerous, and remarket it. However, she also said she feels it is the responsibility of the consumers to be cautious when consuming alcoholic beverages, especially synergistic drinks like Four Loko.

Haughton said that while drinking alcohol in excess is a bad idea, drinking in moderation or drinking socially is acceptable.

He said he believes beverages like Four Loko increase the prevalence of binge drinking, which is why he supports the ban.

“It has to go,” he said of the drinks.



By Ryan Patrick Hanrahan

Copy Editor | [email protected]

Stimulant-infused alcoholic beverages like Four Loko are not avail-able for purchase in New York State after Dec. 10.

New York Bans ‘Blackout’ Beverage

NYS Coastal Sea Levels Projected to RiseA new report from Sea Level Rise Task Force predicts sea

levels could rise more than four feet in New York State coastal areas over the next 70 years.

In its report, the Sea Level Task Force announced that New York Harbors has experienced a sea level increase of 15 inches within the past 150 years. Since the 1960s, harbor gauges have risen four to six inches.

According to the report, “sea level rise will have dramatic implications for New York’s coastal communities and their natu-ral resources.” The report also said that sea level rise affecting the Lower Hudson Valley and Long Island is projected to be two to

century.“However, rapid melt of land-based ice could double these

projections in the next few decades, with a potential rise of up to 55 inches by the end of the century,” the report stated.

Sociology Chair Brian Obach said that although little can be done at this point to prevent at least some rise in sea level, “we can take action now to try to prevent further increases in the distant future, but what will happen in the next few decades is already in motion.”

The report also found that utilities and infrastructure systems which modern society relies on like sewage, stormwater, fuel storage and solid waste management and transportation make

such areas vulnerable to rising sea levels.“We have hundreds of miles of coast line and the Hudson

River estuary which is also affected by sea level change,” said Obach. “Many of these areas are highly developed--like New York City and Long Island--which makes us especially vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges in coastal areas.”

Obach said there are many steps students can take in their personal lives to help prevent climate change, but the scale of the crisis New York faces is going to require more than personal life-

style changes. Political action is required in order to change the policies that promote overconsumption and ecological destruc-tion, he said.

“Anything that you can do to use less energy helps--turn off your computer when not in use, don’t leave lights on, walk or bike instead of driving, buy less crap that you don’t really need anyway, stop eating meat, recycle,” said Obach.

Recycling Coordinator Lauren Brois agreed with Obach and said taking steps to directly decrease the creation of unnecessary greenhouse gases or reducing one’s “carbon footprint,” which is the amount of greenhouse gases produced by individuals or groups will help prevent global climate change.

Brois said one way to do this is by recycling and using less.“By reusing something many times you can save energy. For

example, one reusable coffee cup takes less energy to make than many paper cups, and lessens the need to harvest trees for the paper,” said Brois. “Reduce: Use less stuff and save energy … Recycle: by purchasing recycled materials you can prevent the use of new materials, which need to be mined/harvested from the earth. Using recycled materials thus prevents ecosystem disrup-tion.”

Although Obach recognizes that there are many groups on campus doing work to reduce ecological impact, he said those who are not striving to be part of the solution are part of the prob-lem.

“This is a problem that will not go away and its impact will be devastating. It cannot be ignored,” he said. “Get involved.”

By Pamela Vivanco


PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR.COMSea level rise is projected between one and two feet by the end of the century, a new report from Sea Level Task Force said.



Town of New Paltz Passes Final 2011 BudgetThe New Paltz Town Board passed the

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“[The other board members] accepted that,

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By Justin [email protected]

ATTENTION STUDENTS!!!

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Students compete for a place on the New Paltz Slam Team at the

The GUNKThe GUNKThursday, dECEMBER 2, 2010

GRAND SLAMStudents compete for a place on Students compete for a place on the New Paltz Slam Team at the the New Paltz Slam Team at the

GRAND SLAMGRAND SLAMStory on page 6B

THE MIAMI THEATRE

PLAYERSStudents put on the

Broadway “Peanuts” classic

PLUS...

AND MORE!

The Taj Mahal will be coming to SUNY New Paltz in the form of a dinner with the South Asian Cultural As-sociation (SACA). Sticking to their annual event, the or-ganization will be holding “A Night at the Taj Mahal” in the Student Union (SU) Multi-Purpose Room on Friday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.

With the Taj Mahal as their theme, the room will have various decorations, as well as information about the mausoleum. The event will offer authentic Indian food provided by New Paltz Indian Restaurant. There will also be a number of performances, including a skit, Bollywood dancers and a fashion show, modeling cultural and tradi-tional clothes of the area.

This year in particular will hold more people, since

will be held in the SU instead of the College Terrace.

Sushma Kasinathan, a fourth-year biology major and the current president of SACA, is excited about the upcoming event. She said the organization is a way for stu-dents of South Asian descent to come together and display their cultures.

Although the organization is for everyone, it is predomi-nantly Indian and Pakistani. However, Kasinathan said that other students come to meet-ings just to learn about the cultures.

“I had always been inter-ested in my culture,” she said. “I grew up in a predominant-ly white neighborhood and

Indian culture.”The dinner is sponsored

by the Asian Studies depart-ment, Jam Asia and Indian Hawks, which is an organiza-tion for Indian graduate stu-dents. Anyone who is interest-ed can attend the free dinner, but with limited food, it will

basis. “Overall the events we’ve

had were very successful,” -

jor Tarun Behl. “It helps allow the New Paltz campus to see South Asian culture repre-sented through music, culture, dancing, etc.”

The organization will also continue their meetings next semester every other Thurs-day, usually in rooms 408 or 414 of the SU at 8 p.m.

EVENT FEATURE

Spicing Up New Paltz SOUTH ASIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION TO HOLD ANNUAL DINNERBy Zan StrumfeldFeatures Editor | [email protected]

Right before I left for Thanksgiving break, I real-ized I had a whole bundle of brown bananas. What better way to contribute to Thanksgiving dinner than the best banana bread ever made? So here’s:

Banana Fanna Fo Zanna

You’ll need:

1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 eggs4-5 mashed overripe bananas 1 cup chocolate chip morsels

Get ready to make the greatest thing in the world by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan (glass or metal). In a large bowl, com-

mix the butter, brown sugar and eggs. Then stir in the mashed bananas, until blended. Stir banana mixture into

the chocolate chips, but save some! Only eat a couple also, cause I know you just did. Pour the mixture into the greased loaf pan. Then, best part: sprinkle the re-maining morsels on top of batter. Bake in the oven for 65-75 minutes, or, if you’re anxious because the smell

the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done! Let it cool for a few minutes and then devour!

2B | FEATURES The New Paltz Oracle


HOT OFF THE FRYING ZAN

By Zan StrumfeldFeatures Editor

[email protected]

PHOTO BY ZAN STRUMFELD

Last year, South Asian Cultural Association held its annual dinner with the theme of Bollywood Through the Ages.PHOTO COURTESY OF SUSHMA KASINATHAN

Stacy Mazzara was checking her

Facebook when she noticed the adver-tisements on the side of the page relating

to her interests. Mazzara, a second-year

communication and media and Spanish

major, regularly checks her Facebook

with her friends.

“It has been recently occurring over

the past year,” she said. “I get advertise-

ments for things like Mando Books in

New Paltz and sushi, and anyone could

look at my Facebookthat I go to SUNY New Paltz and that

my favorite food is sushi.”

According to Facebook.com, it is home to over 500 million users who

spend 700 billion minutes per month

logged on sharing information.

advantage of social media,” said Judith

Halasz, a sociology professor at SUNY

New Paltz. “They can call information

that users wouldn’t normally share with

advertisers.”

Although the nation may be begin-

ning to fear what Facebook is doing is an invasion of privacy, some on campus

Mazzara does not think it is an inva-

sion of privacy.

“I don’t feel like my privacy has

been invaded, possibly because the ads

that show up on my account tend to be

pretty impersonal. Sometimes ads even

pop up that relate to research I did for

a class and have nothing to do with my

own personal interest,” said Mazarra.

Robert Miller, a professor in the

communication and media department,

also agreed it is not an invasion of pri-

vacy.

“People are inviting advertisers on

their pages based on what they put on,”

said Miller.

However, Halasz disagreed and

said advertising was never Facebook’s original intention. Facebook is a social network intended to bring family and

friends together through status updates,

photos and applications.

With all of the information they pro-

vide, users have the ability to control

their privacy settings.

-

vate, Facebook is sharing your informa-tion with an entity that you don’t know,”

Halasz said.

Miller urges users to be careful with

the information they put out.

“People need to be aware of what

kind of information they’re releasing,”

said Miller. “They have to start making

decisions about what they put online.”

Second-year undeclared major Juli-

anne Moore has also recently found out

that the advertisements on her page are

based on her interests.

“I would always notice them on the

side and think ‘Hey, I like that’ but never

thought too much about it,” said Moore.

“After awhile, I became suspicious

about how advertisements always per-

Facebook ‘sees’ what you like.”

The more people use the Internet,

the more advertisers are likely to target

consumers through it.

Miller does not feel it will have an

effect on people’s use of the Internet.

“Ads will not attract people to social

networks. Ads are attracting people who

are already there,” said Miller.

Both Moore and Mazzara agree they

will continue using Facebook and the Internet as well.

“I actually think it’s a good idea

to have advertisements on the side of

Facebook based on what you like,” said Moore. “If it’s something you like you

will be interested and notice it.”

TREND FEATURE

Facebook Advertising Raises ConcernsSUNY NEW PALTZ STUDENTS AND FACULTY DISCUSS THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE INTERNET


By Bianca MendezContributing Writer | [email protected]

UPGRADE YOUR CAREER – ONLINE. ON-SITE. OR BOTH.Hofstra’s M.S. in Computer Science is a flexible program designed for working professionals. If you are a software engineer, software developer or computer science professional, Hofstra University’s Master of Science in Computer Science pro-gram is designed with you in mind. Improve your skills and advance your career while accommodating your demanding schedule. Take classes online, in the classroom, or do both. Our program offers maximum flexibility and challenging course work in areas such as medical informatics, cyber security, data mining, and mobile computing.

Our graduates have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs, continue their education in doctoral studies, or pursue successful careers in software engineering and project management, database administration, and systems and network administration and security analysis. Hofstra alumni are currently work-ing in software manufacturing, health care, communication, banking and financial services, government organizations and research laboratories.

! Find Out More Graduate Open House January 12 @ 6 p.m. hofstra.edu/grad-day

find your edge®

The New Paltz Oracle FEATURES | 3B

BEARD EXPERIMENT

Scruff Times No More


NEIL PICKUSRAY VASSAR-SEMANCHIK

SEAN BAILEYFRANK GREENAWAY JOHN MICHAEL CASTILLO

TYLER PRINCE-GARDINER

FIRST FOUR PHOTOS BY CHRIS THURSTON. LAST TWO PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NEIL PICKUS

No Shave Novembeard: FINAL RESULTS

The second annual pet food drive hosted by Center for Heeling is taking place now until Dec. 31 in hopes to “keep pets at home and out of shelters,” accord-ing to the Center for Heeling’s website.

Last year, 1,500 pounds of food were collected and donated to local food pan-tries across Ulster County.

Susan Gleeson, owner of Center for Heeling and founder of the pet drive, has worked with dogs her whole life. Gleeson worked in veterinary hospitals across the Hudson Valley before starting Center for Heeling, a place where owners and dogs are encouraged “to build a strong bond, and healthy environment for both human and canine,” according to the business’ website.

Gleeson started this pet drive after noticing that families were having trouble providing food for their pets, especially during the holiday season.

“I know in this economy, people are struggling to feed their pets,” said Glee-

son. “My pet is a part of my family and I would be devastated if I couldn’t feed it.”

Family of New Paltz Food Pantry re-ceived pet food last week and according to director Kathy Cartagena, the food is already gone.

Kevin Koller, who runs Bark Place of Ulster in Highland, N.Y. with his wife, conducts training classes for dogs along with Gleeson. Koller and his wife agreed to make their business a drop-off location for the food after realizing the great need that families have for pet food.

“I know there are some people that are hurting,” said Koller. “They turn their pets into the ASPCA because they can’t handle them anymore.”

Gleeson said she wants to make sure that families do not have to choose be-tween feeding their pets and feeding their kids.

“I’ve had a few instances where food pantries have called me for a crisis and I’ve gone directly to the homes (to drop off pet food),” said Gleeson.

Rosanne Platoni, owner of Sue’s

Zoo in New Paltz, was more than happy to make her business a drop-off location for the pet food. With the large number of food drives in existence, Platoni thinks that the importance of pet food drives is not acknowledged.

“People don’t realize that pets need food too,” said Platoni.

Gleeson has worked with many peo-ple to make this pet food drive successful and has found that people come together in times of need.

“I’ve realized how much compassion people have for total strangers,” said Glee-son.

Food pantries only allow pet food on their shelves during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays because they lack extra room to hold the it all year round. Gleeson hopes to change that.

“I would love to be able to open a pet food pantry available all year round,” said Gleeson.

If you are interested in donating food, visit centerforheeling.com for participat-ing drop-off locations and pantries.

CLUB FEATURE

Heeling Animal HungerCENTER FOR HEELING TO RAISE MONEY FOR KEEPING PETS FED IN HOMES

4B | FEATURES

By Maria A. MatuaContributing Writer | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle

Center for Heeling has started its second annual pet food drive to help keep pets at home and not in shelters.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAXIM ALTER, PAMELA VIVANCO

ORACLE CHOSEN WINNER!

Since Harry Potter’s triumph over

campus have taken to arms in the real

to seek out and destroy seven horcruxes

starvation and child slavery under Harry’s

other people and at the same time have an

Wednesdays in Student Union 405 at 8

CLUB PROFILE

SUNY NEW PALTZ’S DUMBLEDORE’S ARMY STARTS MAGICAL MOVEMENT

By Pete ThompsonCopy Editor | [email protected]

other people and at the same time have an

Wednesdays in Student Union 405 at 8

FAMILIAR FACES

Annie Yu

Theresa Kilmer

AYTK

AY

TK

AY

TK

AYTK

AY

TK

AY

TK

Theresa Kilmer Supervisor of

Jazzman’s Cafes

...with Annie Yu

The New Paltz Oracle FEATURES | 5B

Wand Waving and World Saving

PERFORMANCE FEATURE

NEW PALTZ SLAM POETS DUKE IT OUT FOR A SPOT ON THE TEAM

While most people were heading home for Thanksgiving break, a congregation of over 150 students chose to stay on campus Tuesday, Nov. 23 and pile into McKenna Theatre for a night of spoken word poetry and serious competition.

After preliminary poetry slams on Sept. 22, Oct. -

pete for a spot on the 2010-11 New Paltz Slam Team, deciding who will go to the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) in April.

The competing poets were scored by a panel

-ets on both content and performance on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0. Of the scores each poet received, the high and low scores were dropped and the middle three were added together, giving the poet a total from zero to 30.

Some audience members voiced dissatisfaction with the scoring system, saying that it might be better

-el.” Slam Team coach and former SUNY New Paltz student Megan Falley said she disagreed.

“That’s not how a poetry slam works, ever,” Fall-

classic slam tag line, ‘the point is not the points, the

grading your poetry. It isn’t the olympics. There is no snobbish institution of poetry slam.”

Exceeding the three-minute time limit resulted in a penalty, reducing the offending poet’s score. The time limit, which caught many of the evenings com-petitors, was treated as a necessity and the audience was encouraged by the slam’s host Sean Gallagher to shout “Fuck, time” whenever poets were penalized.

The New Paltz Slam Team won the Wade-Lewis Poetry Slam Invitational last semester, beating out teams from around the country, including many Ivy

capable of succeeding again.

very little experience in slam, and I’m electric with the thought of introducing them to famous slam po-ets, exposing them to the scene, throwing them into

-tional competitions where they will meet hundreds of poets,” she said. “It will be like watching someone

After a second round, students Sabrina Adikes, Chris Milea, Breanna Metcalf-Os-hinsky, Jackie Wolozin and Karly Fesolwich emerged victorious, winning a spot on the team.

students James Warren and Kate Brady. To break the tie, Brady and Warren were put

on the spot and asked to perform a third poem.

Brady as the winner.“That tie with [Warren] was intense,” Brady said.

“[Warren] and I are the co-presidents of [Rap Poetry Music] this year, so it was a pretty crazy coincidence when we had to duke it out for the last spot.”

Attendees were also treated to an opening perfor-mance by featured poet Alvin Lau, who has won nu-merous accolades and been featured on two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. A self-described Chinese hip-hop Charlie Brown, Lau performed poetry that

-rience of losing hair during chemotherapy in “Love Song to My Hair.”

Falley commended all 15 of the competing stu-dents on their performances, and was regretful that the club’s budget would only allow for six poets to attend CUPSI.

“Hopefully with the growing success of the team we can request more budget money to widen the pro-gram in the future,” she said.

For those interested in following the prog-ress of the slam team in their upcoming com-petitions, information is located on the group’s

Facebook page.


War of the WordsThe New Paltz Oracle6B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTO BY BRIAN J. KEARNEY

By Maeve Halliday


THEATRE FEATURE

In the opening to the musical comedy “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” the au-dience is made aware of the titular character’s

Gondek, a second-year undeclared major por-traying Charlie Brown during The Miami The-atre Players’ November production of the classic

“I felt that I could experiment and try dif-ferent things in terms of acting, and I didn’t feel

“[The Miami Theatre Players] are different be-cause the group creates an environment where everyone has a voice and anyone can help par-

ted students can work together on something that

With cheers and laughs, the entirely stu-

mester in Parker Theatre, ending their fall 2010 production of the “Peanuts” comic strip-inspired

With lyrics and music originally written by American composer Clark Gesner and characters created by cartoon-

A Good Man, Charlie Brown” follows Patty, Schroeder, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the gang on a normal day while

ure out whether or not he is,

According to Director Annette Storckman, the group chose the play because it was a good transition from their previous production of “The

while it shares a similar feel and style, she said it gave the group the opportunity to do something

Funded entirely by the Student Associa-tion and produced outside of the Department of Theatre Arts, Storckman said the production was surprisingly easy to put together with only her

“I marvel at everyone’s professionalism,”

I have been a member, have been very collabora-

The show and all those who partici-pated have continued to receive excellent feedback since the last performance date, Storckman

the actress who p o r t r a y e d Lucy in

the original Broadway production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” even came to see the

Storckman said the cooperative and coordi-nated efforts of the cast and crew helped the play

group was only able to obtain rehearsal space in Parker Theatre for two days due to schedul-

applied for the rights for “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” the moment it was voted in, they did not receive rehearsal materials until about

“We were working with downloaded

ing as soon as we got the materials,

Assistant Director Sam Grossman said joining the the-

atre group can provide a great release from the stressful life of a

college stu-

dent, which is why members range from a va-riety of different majors and minors, rather

As a secondary education English major, Grossman said he immediately became attracted

“Although all students are allowed to try out for the main stage performances that are put on by the theatre department, I felt intimidated as an incoming freshman and Miami was the stress-

Even if a participant does not have training or much knowledge in the craft of performing or theatre, Storckman said anyone is welcome to

No matter what the challenges, Storckman said she has enjoyed working with her fellow group members and watching them build upon

“It is the most rewarding experience to give them some tools and watch them thrive in their

It is, again, extremely rewarding to see all of us students bringing the things we

have learned and are passionate

After a vote from the entire group, The Miami Theatre Players’ next production will be “Spring Awakening” and is aimed for some


By Maxim AlterA&E Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7B

ted students can work together on something that

With cheers and laughs, the entirely stu-

mester in Parker Theatre, ending their fall 2010 production of the “Peanuts” comic strip-inspired

With lyrics and music originally written by American composer Clark Gesner and characters created by cartoon-

The show and all those who partici-pated have continued to receive excellent feedback since the last performance date, Storckman

the actress who p o r t r a y e d Lucy in

ing as soon as we got the materials,

Assistant Director Sam Grossman said joining the the-

atre group can provide a great release from the stressful life of a

college stu-

No matter what the challenges, Storckman said she has enjoyed working with her fellow group members and watching them build upon

“It is the most rewarding experience to give them some tools and watch them thrive in their

It is, again, extremely rewarding to see all of us students bringing the things we

New Paltz Players Perform ‘Peanuts’STUDENT-RUN GROUP CLOSES CURTAIN ON “YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN”

MUNAUD.ORG

Every piece of art starts out as an idea, and for second-year student Sebastian Bauer, the journey the idea takes is more important than the destination at which it ends.

For Bauer, a metals major, art is something he said will always be important to life. His art-work will always be the constant in his ever busy and changing lifestyle.

When he is not rock climbing or bik-ing, Bauer spends most of his nights in the studios on campus working on his latest artistic endeavor.

“[Art] is an aspect of my life that I’m most serious about and will be something I can dedicate myself to,” Bauer said. “You are con-stantly doing new things in your life, but every-one has a part of their life they don’t want to half-ass and art is one of the things I am hands down serious about.”

But despite these works being the anchor in Bauer’s life, he said he cares more about the way

Recently he discovered that his biggest strength artistically has been the process in which a piece of work is made.

In many of his painting classes this year, Bauer said he deconstructed his paintings to add

product. This included a collage project he had -

ment, Bauer was told to select a word and mount it on something. He said instead of thinking about what word he wanted and how he wanted it to be presented graphically, he thought more about how he could con-struct the word, which ended up be-coming a 3D-like image.

“Logic would seem ‘here is my end result, how do I get to that?’” Bauer said. “I have an idea of that, but I feel it’s more important to realize how to get to that end result in a different way.”

Going with his process-oriented style, he took ten technical drawings he had created and photocopied them. After this, he would adjust different proportions and would use them to make different abstract landscapes.

Bauer believed the newly formed collage

pieces of his own drawings, so he could see how each one was altered.

“I think that the shapes and forms in my abstract art are very personal to myself,” Bauer

said. “I approach a project often with not ‘how can my end result be dif-ferent,’ but rather ‘how can the pro-cess of making it be different,’ I think that leads to a unique end re-sult in itself.”

This discov-ery of an interest in the process of making art led him to change his

major to metals, and was recently accepted into BFA metals program.

his grandmother would give him “big 10 ft. long rolls of paper” that he would draw large “Marvin the Martian” comics on.

Besides spending hours drawing on large

rolls of paper Bauer remembered being fasci-nated with Legos, oftentimes building differ-ent things modeled after what he would read in books.

“I remember I read a book once, it had a castle in it, and I decided to get the in-dividual parts and build the castle on my own,” Bauer said.

Bauer feels that his attraction to Legos and the technical side of art are not surprising consid-ering his interest in math and geometry.

As for the future, Bauer continues to work on different projects.

His most recent project is in response to an “odd fact” he learned about Heinz Ketchup. Bau-er said that Heinz has created a “perfect” ratio of salt, protein and sugar and because of this “your body loves the stuff.”

After learning this, Bauer decided to make a “pseudo-sacred” shelf for the Ketchup.

“It looks like it would be for something cov-eted,” Bauer said. “It has some negative space that the ketchup rests upon.”

Bauer hopes to continue his artistic life-style, and allow the process and journey to dic-tate his course.

“Ideally, I’d have my own studio, but other opportunities can present themselves,” Bauer said. “I’m going to take it as it comes.”

By Andrew WyrichSports Editor | [email protected]

ART FEATURE

Embracing the Artistic JourneyMETALS STUDENT SEBASTIAN BAUER BUILDS UPON THE CREATIVE PROCESS


The New Paltz Oracle8B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I approach a project often with not ‘how can my end result be different,’ but rather ‘how can the process of making it be different’”

— SEBASTIAN BAUER

“

Sebastian Bauer, a metals major, recently discovered his passion the artistic process. PHOTO BY LAURA LUENGAS

MUSIC REVIEW

Haters Gonna Hate, But Kanye’s GreatRAPPER KANYE WEST’S NEWEST RELEASE SAVES RADIO, FOR NOW


Pop music is stale. Who will save it?Lady GaGa? Lady GaGa is a bad singer-

songwriter in the vein of Vanessa Carlton, traipsing around in a better wardrobe with a better stage presence, singing songs that are just as cookie-cutter as that “I would walk a thousand miles” travesty.

Jay–Z? Too rich. Too disconnected. Yeah, “Empire State of Mind” is awesome, but prob-ably not if you’re from California.

Eminem? He’s like the opposite of the Hulk. We only like him when he’s angry.

Justin Timberlake? Missed his shot to become the new King of Pop. Didn’t his last album come out in 2006?

Justin Bieber? One day. Right now, he’s too young for anyone to take him seriously.

Who, then? Who will make the ra-

dio listenable for the next six months? I have an answer for you:

Kanye West.Now before you continue, forget about

Taylor Swift. Forget about all of the TMZ gar-bage you’ve heard about West. Forget all of the G.O.O.D. Friday songs West has put out over the past couple of months. Forget that one song calling for “a toast to the douche bags.” You’re letting stuff that doesn’t matter get in the way.

Now listen, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is the best album that will come out this year. Hell, it might be the best album that comes out next year, too.

On Fantasy, West weaves a narrative of dreams and nightmares, winning and los-ing, life and death, love and sex, revolu-tion and survival through 13 tracks that combine pop culture with the ups and downs of relationships and a fear of the future.

Throughout the album, West plays with juxtaposition and your own expecta-

tions of words. For instance, most people know “Runaway” as the song that has the infamous “toast to the douche bags” line. But did ev-eryone who writes that track off actually listen to it? It works alone, but even bet-ter in the context of the album. Alone, it is simply an apology. West is not celebrat-ing douche bags;; he’s grieving for his own douchebaggery!

The narrative of the album is important to remember when lis-tening to West. For as many single-worthy songs as he may put out, everything has served as a part of a larger whole. West has grown through his music. There’s the obvious mini arc of College Dropout to Late Regis-tration to Graduation. And while that last album serves as a celebration of his successes to that point, he followed it up with 808s & Heartbreak. To continue with the college metaphor, maybe 808s was a realization of what the real world has in store for every-one. For West, 808s may have been a record of self-examina-tion about how his success has

robbed him of something. On this album, we are introduced to West’s

Fantasy from the get-go. Nicki Minaj delivers a monologue that focuses on the “sick addiction”

propagated through the media about celebrities. The song that follows is the highest point on the album which is to say that it’s all downhill for West from there on out, thankfully the same can’t be said for the listener. He makes a deal with the devil in this song that informs the entire rest of the album. He seemingly trades fame and riches for the ability to have a lasting, meaning-ful relationship with a woman.

The real relief about this album is that it doesn’t ever sound like what many detractors of Drake and similar rappers would call “emo rap.” There is a ton of emotion here but West goes hard the whole time. He has mastered the art of being vulnerable while still being very strong. The du-ality of the album informs everything.

One thing that is very different from his last two outings is the amount of guest spots. There are multiple appearances by Jay-Z, Pusha T, Rick Ross, Minaj and surprisingly Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame, as well as one-off performanc-es from John Legend, Raekwon and KiD CuDi. Fortunately, the album never feels crowded. This might be because no song is shorter than 4:17 but all of the guests are not themselves in this con-text. (Bon Iver fans won’t even recognize Ver-non’s voice on “Monster.”) Instead, they serve the purpose of furthering West’s narrative, of il-lustrating his ideas. Chris Rock shows up for a bit also, but even he is a character. He isn’t Chris Rock. When West doesn’t outshine his guests, it doesn’t take away from the quality of the record. When is the last time anyone could say that abouta hip-hop record?

This record hits you everywhere it needs to: the head, the heart and the ol’ general and his

it is that there’s something for everyone. Need some introspective headphone hip-hop? West’s right there listening to the other ear bud. Need to get psyched to go out? West’s driving the party bus. Need to have your faith restored in hip-hop, nay, music in general? West is behind the pulpit, up in the choir loft and in the back getting drunk off the sacraments.

He’ll make you believe.

By Pierce LydonManaging Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 9B

shot to become the new King of Pop. Didn’t his last album come out in 2006?

Justin Bieber? One day. Right now, he’s too young for anyone to take him seriously.

Who, then? Who will make the ra-

On Fantasy, West weaves a narrative of dreams and nightmares, winning and los-ing, life and death, love and sex, revolu-tion and survival through 13 tracks that combine pop culture with the ups and downs of relationships and a fear of the future.

Throughout the album, West plays with juxtaposition and your own expecta-

tions of words. For instance, most people know “Runaway” as the song that has the infamous “toast to the douche bags” line. But did ev-eryone who writes that track off actually listen to it? It works alone, but even bet-ter in the context of the album. Alone, it is simply an apology. West is not celebrat-ing douche bags;; he’s grieving for his own douchebaggery!

The narrative of the album is important to remember when lis-tening to West. For as many single-worthy songs as he may put out, everything has served as a part of a larger whole. West has grown through his music. There’s the obvious mini arc of College Dropout to Late Regis-tration to Graduation. And while that last album serves as a celebration of his successes to that point, he followed it up with 808s & Heartbreak.with the college metaphor, maybe 808s was a realization of what the real world has in store for every-one. For West, 808sbeen a record of self-examina-tion about how his success has ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLOGSPOT.COM

LATEST HARRY POTTER FILM EXCELS ABOVE THE REST

David Yates must have received some extra help on his wingardium leviosa spell, because the level of quality for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hal-lows: Part 1” has certainly risen.

I have always been an avid fan of Harry Potter. The series has grown up with me, and I can’t think of anything else that has truly captivated me as much as the magical world of Harry Potter. I remember being

ing it with my grandmother, and anxiously awaiting the release of the seventh book all those years ago. That being said, the movies have been

something that I have always struggled to truly enjoy. Each movie has its pros and cons and I have

childish fun and almost word-for-word adaptations

rected and has its own identity.

struggle and fall into the wrong direction. “Goblet of Fire” has its redeeming moments, but is over-all pretty lackluster. “Order of the Phoenix” has a pretty cool ending but fails to really capture the feeling of the book. “Half-Blood Prince” mixes humor with the impending doom pretty well but fails to recognize the deep connections and intri-cacies that Voldemort’s past has. “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” changes all of that.

the series (even trumping Alfonso Cuarón’s “Pris-oner of Azkaban”), and while only being half of a

chise. Each predecessor in Harry Potter’s nine-year cinematic lifespan – except for “Azkaban,” – has left me feeling empty because of the

Each novel gave the directors so much potential to create an epic tale of tri-umph and tragedy, but they failed to convert that to the silver screen.

“Deathly Hallows: Part 1”

but completely overturns it. I

dark tone, and ability to have the audience truly feel the constant terror and oppression that Harry and the wizarding world are subjected to. The movie is more bleak, more dramatically themed and the most com-

his friends getting into mischief at Hogwarts. Yates uses incredible cinematography to capture

Part 1” is essentially about Harry, Ron and Hermione traveling through England in search of the Horcrux-es that hold pieces of Voldemort’s soul. The camera shots are long and oftentimes spanning across large landscapes, almost allowing the audience to believe they too are running across snow-covered forests and barren landscapes. The way many of the scenes are shot reminds me of “The Lord of the Rings” movies. Almost every scene fades to black while adding to

ence even more.

human element of the situation at hand. The movie opens with Hermione erasing herself from her par-ents’ memory to protect them. No other movie came close to something so depressing. Another scene that stuck out was Charity Burbage being murdered by Voldemort at Malfoy Manor.

Helpless and afraid, she reaches out to Snape as he sits across the table, calling him her friend. Snape, who has been cold-hearted and stone-faced through-out the entire series, actually shows a moment’s re-gret in his decision before ultimately allowing Volde-mort to kill her. This bit of emotion shows the inner struggle Snape is dealing with as he works for the Dark Lord.

The acting in “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” also sticks out like the tip of a wand after a lumos charm. Emma Watson (Hermione) essentially steals the show with her compassionate but commanding char-acter, and is the rock that holds both Ron and Harry together. Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) is actually scary – which is impressive considering some of the other

er movies in the franchise. While leading up to the

quite well. “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” is an outstand-

few novels.


rected and has its own identity.

struggle and fall into the wrong direction. “Goblet of Fire” has its redeeming moments, but is over-all pretty lackluster. “Order of the Phoenix” has a pretty cool ending but fails to really capture the feeling of the book. “Half-Blood Prince” mixes humor with the impending doom pretty well but fails to recognize the deep connections and intri-cacies that Voldemort’s past has. “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” changes all of that. “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” changes all of that.

the series (even trumping Alfonso Cuarón’s “Pris-the series (even trumping Alfonso Cuarón’s “Pris-oner of Azkaban”), and while only being half of a oner of Azkaban”), and while only being half of a

chise. chise. Each predecessor in Harry Potter’s nine-year cinematic lifespan – except for “Azkaban,” – has left me feeling empty because of the

Each novel gave the directors so much potential to create an epic tale of tri-umph and tragedy, but they failed to convert that to the silver screen.

“Deathly Hallows: Part 1”

but completely overturns it. I

By Andrew WyrichSports Editor | [email protected]

Top: Harry Potter with friends Hermione and Ron. Bottom: Voldemort PHOTOS COURTESY OF CRAZYTHEMES.COM

The New Paltz Oracle10B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMOVIE REVIEW

After a four-year hiatus since 2006’s The Life Pursuit, Belle & Sebastian reconvened in February 2010, quickly creating Write About Love. But the seven-piece group jumped too quickly into recording, releasing the album just eight months later. While fans could have pre-dicted the same catchy, upbeat rhythms and Brit-pop sounds off of The Life Pursuit and 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Write About Love is missing something: progress. Almost every song off of Write About Love has been heard before and done better on previous albums.

See, it’s important to understand Belle & Ti-

germilk, and the four albums after that can all

melancholy but intimate tracks, like “The Boy

Dear Catastrophe Waitressexplored their creative ambition. They proved they had so much hidden beneath their Scottish

The Life Pursuit. Yet this ambition did not con-tinue to rise.

Write About Love is still a good album for

material on a lighter note, being equally as catchy and fun. But, it’s completely missing that

-

song Jones loves to sing, but its dreariness drags

-

before bed and the promise of sleep / God in my dreams.” The song isn’t even that bad, but some-times one can forget their emphasis on the one

you’re singing it.--

off of Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

should have spent their time focusing on provid-

needed to present their next stage because even

strive to make improvements.This album is a fun listen, but nothing more

-

MUSIC REVIEW

Stale Songs Fail to SootheBELLE & SEBASTIAN FALL SHORT OF PREVIOUS ALBUMS WITH NEWEST EFFORTBy Zan StrumfeldFeatures Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |11B


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11-0697_GSE SUNY New Paltz Ad.indd 1 11/15/10 12:27 PM

Kim Marra

Women’s Cross Country ended it’s season on the right track, jumping up one place in the SUNYAC conference and moving up three spots at the NCAA Division III Atlantic Re-gional Cross Country Championships.

gional championships.“We had a really excellent season,” said

Cross Country Head Coach Mike Trunkes. “We have done a lot of great work this season and it sets us up to do even better in the future.”Trunkes and team members are in agree-

ment that this season was a drastic improvement from last season. Aside from the accomplish-ments the team has made as a collective group, individuals have also succeeded such as second-year Nichole Wischoff and fourth-year Danielle Harmon, who now holds the SUNY New Paltz

consistent runner over the past four years. She always pushes herself to do her best and has a

“Her and Nichole have been very back and forth this season. They are always push-ing each other to do better than the other, which sets a good ex-ample for the rest of the team and brings us as a group to the next level.”This season,

Trunkes said Wischoff and Harmon have had the most success run-ning Cross Country for New Paltz’s Wom-en’s Team. Both women clocked strong times throughout the entire season and their successes have pushed the others to improve themselves. Not only do they have this to drive them, but

they also are both gifted runners who are always willing to work extremely hard.Harmon attributed her success to all of the

hard work she put into the season. “I think that people

can be naturally fast, but I also think that that does not amount to much if you are not willing to work hard for what you want and get to where you want to go,” Harmon said. Working hard was

something Wischoff believed was impor-tant as well. “I have been

working really hard,” said Wischoff when asked the same question, “I

is what has made me better. If we all put in the effort we can put ourselves even higher in the

standings.”New Paltz’s main competitors every year are

the SUNYAC schools, and they are the schools that Trunkes wants to keep the most focus on now and in the future. “We are really proud and excited that we

were able to beat Brockport and Oneonta, who are both nationally ranked teams,” Trunkes said.

the top three for the championships this season and are all nationally ranked. Next season, we are looking to be more competitive with these teams.”Along with upping the competitiveness of

the team, Trunkes and his athletes are focus-ing mostly on the championship stretch for next season, and are looking to keep growing as a team.“I think that if everyone works really hard,

we can get to where we need to be. It takes com-mitment and time, but we have a young team, and I think that if everyone buckles down, we’re going to be able to just run,” Trunkes said.

The New Paltz Oracle Pg 11SPORTS

ON THE RIGHT TRACKBy Cat Tacopina Staff Writer | [email protected]

Robert Bruley

LEADS TENNIS TO THE TOP

Page 13

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW PALTZ SPORTS INFORMATION

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

“We have done a lot of great work this season and it sets us up to do even better in the future”

— Mike Trunkes



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Quidditch Flies Into SUNY New Paltz Muggles, can prepare to man their

brooms now that Quidditch is coming back

to New Paltz.

Potter Fan Club at SUNY New Paltz, is

planning on re-introducing a competitive

Muggle Quidditch team next semester.

“We wanted to bring it back, especially

since College Quidditch is becoming more

recognized,” said founder and president

of the New Paltz chapter of Dumbledore’s

Army Beverly Schreiber. “We’re really ex-

cited about it.”

In the wake of the “Potter mania” that

has swept the world in the past few months

Universal Studios, SUNY New Paltz fans

will soon have a chance to show their skills.

Schreiber said that the school had a

Quidditch team a couple of years ago, but

the team has since disbanded.

Muggle Quidditch (also known as

“Ground Quidditch”) has picked up plenty

of momentum since its creation at Middle-

bury College in 2006. The game has since

been featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, ESPN Magazine and CBS. In 2010, the fourth Quidditch World Cup

was hosted by the International Quidditch

Association in New York City with 46

schools in attendance, 20,000 spectators

and 757 athletes represented in total.

The World Cup was taken by Middle-

bury College for the fourth year in a row,

but neighbor Vassar College was able to

obtain fourth place out of the 46 schools.

Of course since all of the players at

New Paltz are muggles, Quidditch cannot

imagined more than a decade ago. As in

two beaters and a seeker. The only differ-

ences are that players, while they do have

broomsticks, run on the ground with the

broomstick in between their legs and the

a person. The snitch in Muggle Quidditch

is a student, usually a cross-country runner

who is allowed to run anywhere he or she

wants and is the only person in the game

allowed to do so. The snitch dresses en-

tirely in yellow and the game is over once

the seeker from either team playing catches

up to them and tags them. Once the snitch

is tagged, the game is over.

While New Paltz’s soon-to-be team will

probably not be seeing the New York City

tournament anytime soon, it is certainly the

goal for the future.

“We want to start by having all-campus

tryouts next semester,” said Schreiber.

“We’ll play within the campus to start, but

we would like to play Vassar soon and ul-

timately get to the World Cup in New York

City.”

Dumbledore’s Army is hoping that stu-

dents join the team, and are already think-

ing of ways to get people involved.

“We’re going to try as best we can to

“I would really like to have members of the

club walk around with broomsticks for the

day so that people will take notice.”

Despite this, the club may not need to

do much to get people involved, let alone

already brimming with excitement over the

possibility of a Quidditch team.

“I know the school had one a couple

years ago, and I always thought it was cool

watching people running around on the

Quad with broomsticks,” said fourth-year

art education major Mimi Grossman. “It

would be really fun to see it come back.”

First-year undeclared student Lauren

Levin already has plans to try out.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Levin said.

“Count me in!”

By Cat Tacopina Staff Writer | [email protected]



pointed to the position in 1998 and is the most successful coach in

high school’s tennis team, and described tennis as a “huge part of

ByAndrew Wyrich [email protected]

Bruley Brings Tennis From Worst to First


The New Paltz OraclePg 14 SPORTS

Gene Ventriglia’s 1965 New Paltz Men’s

Soccer team won an NCAA regional title, dur-

ing what he called the “golden age” of New

the sidelines hoping to coach his former team to

another one.

Ventriglia, who coached West Point for 25

years before coming to SUNY New Paltz, was

appointed by Athletic Director Stuart Robinson

when the Men’s Soccer team starts next season.

“My interest in coming back here is stron-

ger than just being a coach,” Ventriglia said. “I

feel like it’s coming home.”

Robinson said that Ventriglia was appoint-

ed to be the coach, instead of going through an

entire hiring process, to make sure the recruit-

ment cycle was not hindered for the coming sea-

head coach has shown that he has been success-

“My expectation is that he is going to bring

us stability and share the knowledge of the sport

Besides coaching at West Point, Ventri-

glia’s coaching record includes a 233-33-15 re-

cord as the head coach of the New Paltz High

School, Goshen High School and Highland

High School Boys’ Soccer programs.

Ventriglia said while at the helm of the

Highland High School program, he coached the

team to two state championships, and in 1984

the team went 24-0.

In 1985 Ventriglia was hired as the head

coach to start a Women’s Soccer program at

West Point.

already begun thinking about his plan for the

team’s future.

“The team has all the ingredients, we are a

to play faster and share the ball.”

he will push the team in training sessions, and

-

ter handling of the ball. He said that he will start

something similar to a game. He hopes that this

keep the game small in the minds of players.

Ventriglia immigrated from Italy to play

when he started playing in America. He said that

his time on the team shaped him as a person and

he hopes to inspire his players in the same way.

“I always felt a need to do the same,” Ven-

triglia said. “We want to win championships,

Ventriglia said that he will stress that play-

his teammates and coaches did for him when he

played.

“That’s my job, taking all of those things in

not just about soccer. I hope in the end that I

made a little difference.”

The coach of the 1965 team Ventriglia

played on, Al Miller, is someone Ventriglia

remembers fondly and hopes to emulate as he

coaches going forward. Ventriglia said the team

was focused, committed and had a sense of

team.

“[The sense of team] is paramount, you

cant win without it,” Ventriglia said. “That is the

kind of atmosphere I want to create.”

Part of this atmosphere will be getting

players to recognize the opportunity they are re-

-

team will succeed.

Ventriglia called himself a “hands on

the game. He said that throughout his coaching

career, he has stressed that he doesn’t want to

“I don’t like to kill a special gift a player

has,” Ventriglia said. “I want them to be them-

Despite all of his coaching, he realizes that

there is only so much he can do, and that the

team is likely to make mistakes.

“They are young men, they are going to

make mistakes,” Ventriglia said. “I don’t want

them to be afraid to make mistakes though.”

As for next season, Ventriglia hopes to con-

last season was the best record the program has

had since 2004, and the team fell out of confer-

play.

the tools and we should be good, I can promise

you that.”

By Andrew Wyrich [email protected]

Ventriglia Aims For Victory

Ventriglia coached at West Point for 25 years before becoming the New Paltz Men’s Soccer Coach.



The Future of the Field

With the Winter Meetings right around the corner, the base-

different teams and more than likely a blockbuster trade no one

Lee or Carl Crawford, Mets fans will potentially see small pack-

the glaring holes our team has – likely meaning any real chance

The Mets can use this year as a stepping stone towards a

to harness the strong points of his 2010 season, and continue to grow in this coming year, there is no reason to think that he won’t

year and became a strong candidate for a middle of the rotation

of his rookie year, but showed glimpses of becoming a steady

Dunn like power, and could become a strong presence in the

September and showed that he has the ability to slap singles and

Besides these players growing next season, the Mets will

While 2011 seems like it will be a season of mediocrity, it

FLICKR.COM FLICKR.COM

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ENDS 2010 FALL CAMPAIGN: PAGE 11

PHOTO BY LAURA LUENGASSIDE PHOTOS COURTESY OF STOCKTON PHOTO

A Look Into The Mets’ Promising Future

PAGE 15

Gene Ventriglia Set To Coach Men’s Soccer

PAGE 14

WHAT’S INSIDE

FINISH LINE

DUMBLEDORE’S ARMY PLANS

QUIDDITCH TEAM

PAGE 12

Documents

The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 82, Issue 10