The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 82, Issue 9

STORY ON PAGE 7

SEE STORY ON PAGE 3

INSIDE THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

Crispell Hall will be shutting its doors for upgrades this winter, forcing some resi-dents to seek new housing.

According to Director of Facilities Design and Construction John McEnrue, a $12.5 million renovation for Crispell Hall

four Hasbrouck residence halls scheduled to undergo construction.

Changes to the hall will include im-proving the suite layout, replacing the heat-ing and plumbing system and rewiring the building electrically, McEnrue said. Dormi-tory Authority of the State of New York and Architecture Plus, the consultants hired to design the projects, will also make updates to telecommunication lines to utilize wire-less technology.

McEnrue said the construction should not hassle housing plans for Crispell resi-dents who are currently in the process of choosing new dorms, however.

“Most of the students living in Crisp-ell Hall this semester are either graduating in December, planning to move off campus in the spring or transferring,” he said. “The few occupants that do plan to live on cam-pus next spring will be moving to other resi-dence halls.”

According to Director of Residence Life Corinna Carracci, all students living in Crispell were informed before the start of the semester they would be required to relo-cate into other buildings.

Carracci said students should not face a shortage of housing options and will be able to transition to new dorms with ease.

“We usually have about 200-220 stu-dents who do not come back in the spring semester for various reasons,” she said.

learn from it and adjust as needed to accom-modate students and their needs.”

Students living together in Crispell may choose from open triples and doubles in other halls, Carracci said, but there are no guarantees roommates will remain living together.

According to John Shupe, assistant vice president for Facilities Management, upgrades to Crispell and other Hasbrouck complex dorms are a necessity for SUNY

New Paltz because of major water leaks, bad plumbing, electrical capacity issues, ex-posed asbestos in the ceiling and poor ven-tilation.

“This is a really important and aggres-sive project from a scheduling prospective,” Shupe said. “The building will look com-pletely different when completed includ-ing a new façade, metal peaked roof, larger bathrooms and better services for the stu-dents living and visiting the building.”

Because Crispell was completed in 1967, McEnrue said, the building’s utilities have needed constant repair, making an up-grade vital.

McEnrue said other additions planned for Crispell include a new sprinkler system throughout the hall, new facility upgrades better suited for residents with disabilities,

redesigned pitched roof and a “refreshingly new” student lounge and lobby.

According to Jennifer Jerussi, a resi-dent assistant (RA) of Crispell, even though the building will be closing for the spring, her RA duties and compensation will not change.

“Myself as well as the rest of my staff have been placed in RA openings around

campus,” she said. “I will be in Bouton next semester, but I will be returning to Crispell in the fall.”

Jerussi said she was made aware of the incoming construction when she was hired in the fall, and has been planning for the move ever since.

She said she is excited for the new reno-vations and was not upset to learn she would have to work in a new hall for a semester.

“I think it is great that [the administra-tion] is trying to update the campus,” she said. “I think the remodel of Crispell is ex-citing and it will be awesome to get to go back next fall and live in a brand new build-ing.”

Crispell RA Christine Retta said hear-ing about the planned construction left her feeling worried about her future.

After becoming aware of the renova-tions through bulletins on the SUNY New Paltz website before she became an RA, she

-tions were.

“I was extremely upset when I heard about the construction,” she said. “I’ve lived in Crispell for the past two years and it’s the only home I’ve known in New Paltz, so the idea of moving out kind of depressed me.”

Retta said she is now no longer appre-hensive about leaving Crispell and looks forward to working with a new group of people when she transfers to another build-ing. She will still keep her job as an RA and

According to Shupe, work on Crispell will end by August 2011 and the next reno-vations are planned for Deyo Hall in 2013. He said the three remaining Hasbrouck halls are scheduled to follow each year after that.

In order to better accommodate students who want to live on campus, Shupe said the construction of a new residence hall is scheduled for 2012.

Shupe said break periods are planned between each construction because resi-dence hall projects receive no state support and contractors will be working two shifts.

“The operation, maintenance and reno-vation costs are fully funded by student housing fees,” he said. “We would like to renovate quicker, but that would increase student housing fees too much.”

For those wanting to learn more about the construction and remodeling of Crispell and other Hasbrouck halls, an hour-long pre-sentation is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 6 at 12:15 p.m. in the Lecture Center.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The New Paltz Oracle Pg 3NEWS

By Maxim AlterA&E Editor | [email protected]

Crispell First in Line for Remodeling

PHOTO BY LAURA LUENGASCrispell Hall, which was built in the 1960s, will begin to be renovated in December and will be completed in August of next year.


The New Paltz OraclePg 4 NEWS

Senate Rejects Appeal, Discusses SEIs

The 50th student senate denied an ap-

peal, discussed potential Conferences fund-

ing line bylaw amendments and discussed

changes it would like to see implemented

into Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEI)

forms at its Nov. 16 general meeting.

The legislative body rejected a $108

appeal made by Amnesty International

President Samantha Kossin. Last week, a

political science professor and Amnesty In-

ternational advisor spent $108 on pizza for

attendees of a movie screening hosted by

the club, Kossin said.

Kossin said she informed the advisor

that in order to be reimbursed by SA, cer-

that despite the information given by Kos-

sin, the professor proceeded to buy the piz-

za and the appeal was denied.

After the appeal, Vice President of Aca-

demic Affairs and Governance Caitlin Ryan

asked the legislative body for suggestions

on questions it would like to see on an SEI

draft made by Academic Affairs. According

-

nal draft of SEIs and present it to the SUNY

New Paltz faculty. Among many other sug-

SEI draft include a question on a profes-

sor’s attendance, a question on whether or

not a course’s syllabus informs the student

of how they will be graded throughout a

course and whether or not professors use

Ryan said she would make sure the

suggestions provided are taken into consid-

eration when revising SEIs.

“I am really happy that we have sug-

gestions because a lot of the time in these

meetings, and I don’t know if the faculty

does it on purpose, but they kind of take it

into the faculty realm,” said Ryan.

Ryan also initiated a discussion regard-

ing potential bylaw amendments for Con-

ferences which the legislative body will

continue to discuss throughout the semester.

Sen. Megan Grieco presented a draft that

she, Sens. Kossin, Marc Pottak and Chris

Thurston worked on regarding the funding

for student presenters and attendees of con-

ferences. The potential bylaw amendment

said presenters or Tier 1 applicants should

be given precedence over attendees or Tier

2 applicants if they are requesting funding

for the same conference.

legislative body will discuss whether or not

Conferences should be split into two lines--

one for Tier 1 applicants and one Tier 2

could be avoided.

Ryan said elections for senators will be held

on Dec. 7 to 9.

Vice President of Finance Youssoff

Kouyo said he is organizing a workshop to

paperwork such as line item budget forms.

There will be three sessions planned for dif-

ferent times on Thursday, Feb. 4. If a club

has a line item, it is mandatory to attend one

of the sessions. Sign-up sheets will be avail-

During his report, Vice President An-

thony Lino announced that the music festi-

val is scheduled for Dec. 5 from 5 to 9 p.m.

This year’s concert is titled “New Paltz

Winter Fest” and will feature local artists

like Adir Cohen, Arielle Lindstrom and The

Notion Stompers.

-

ing will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 30 in Stu-

dent Union 418.

By Pamela VivancoCopy Editor | [email protected]

NewsBriefsNational

House Democrats have re-elected

Congress.

The closed-door vote — 150 for Pe-

losi and 43 for Heath Shuler of North

Carolina — lets the California con-

gresswoman shift from House speaker

to minority leader in January, despite

concerns by some Democrats that the

party needs new leadership after suffer-

ing huge midterm election losses.

*****

Prosecutors say a rural Wisconsin man

blasted his TV with a shotgun after

the Stars” routine, sparking an all-night

standoff with a SWAT team.

According to court documents,

67-year-old Steven Cowan of the town

of Vermont in Dane County became

enraged while watching Palin dance on

Monday evening. He felt Palin was not

a good dancer.

*****

Science Guy,” collapsed during a Cali-

fornia speech, then got up and contin-

ued his presentation.

The Los Angeles Times said the 54-year-old Nye apparently fainted

on stage Tuesday evening in front of

hundreds of people gathered at the

University of Southern California.

responded, but it’s unclear if Nye was

treated.

International Briefs on Page 5

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Caitlin Ryan asked for input from the student senate for a draft of new SEIs.

mynew-paltz.edu

my.newpaltz.edu


World

Briefs

International

*****

Compiled from the AP Newswire

Council of Orgs Creates New BoardBy Pete Thompson

[email protected]

Testing Keeps New Paltz on the AlertBy Pamela Vivanco

Pvivanco57newpaltz.edu

A 19-year-old was arrested earlier this month on multiple charges after an investigation of a series of alleged thefts on the SUNY New Paltz campus.

According to University Police Chief Ray Bryant, Julius Judd faces a number of charges including burglary, petit larceny, grand larceny, trespassing and criminal impersonation.

Bryant said Judd had allegedly com-mitted thefts of students’ unattended knapsacks and laptops in both Hasb-rouck Dining Hall and the Sojourner Truth Library (STL).

“There were quite a few altogether that we believe he was responsible for,” said Bryant. “Just before we made the ar-rest, I put an advisory out to all students, advising them that we’d had thefts in the dining hall [and] to protect their prop-erty.”

Mary Ritayik, investigator for the university police force, said Judd had been arrested on charges of four cases of theft. There are also nine additional lar-ceny cases that are still open and “may or may not” have been committed by Judd, she said.

According to Ritayik, there were 10 incidents of theft in Hasbrouck Dining Hall between Sept. 24 and Oct. 24.

“And in the library, there were three in that time period,” said Ritayik.“But it was like the same days, we’d get three larcenies all within two hours at dinner time in the dining hall. So we were like, ‘somebody just went in here and ran-sacked cubby holes.’”

After noticing a “spike” in thefts, Ritayik said, the department took up the investigation. Through a combination of student tip-offs and video footage of Judd making a purchase with a credit card stolen from the bag of one of the

and arrested.Ritayik, who had been following

the investigation, was the one to contact Judd about his impending arrest.

“I spoke to him on the phone,” Ritayik said. “We got a warrant for him when we found out it was him. And he was out of state, so we had to call him and let him know that ‘you have a war-rant here and you need to turn yourself

in.’”Ritayik said Judd turned himself in

and was taken to jail. She said he was later bailed out, but now awaits a court trial.

“I don’t know where it sits right now,” said Ritayik. “He has been charged, but it hasn’t gone to court yet. I don’t even know if he pled guilty or if he pled not guilty or if there’s a plea on the table . . . It takes a couple of weeks.”

Judd was contacted, but was not available for comment.

A number of media outlets have re-ported Judd’s address to be 215 Main St. in New Paltz. But according to Bryant, Judd “didn’t really have a place” at the time of arrest and had been evicted from the Main Street address. Bryant also said Judd was a former student at SUNY New Paltz.

While Bryant said Hasbrouck Din-ing Hall has installed cameras by the cubby area as a result of the thefts, the li-brary also continues to take precautions. According to Donna Provenzano, a night and weekend supervisor at STL, the li-brary monitors “all over” the library.

“We also have put down signs to be very aware and not to put anything down that is of value or anything and leave un-attended,” Provenzano said. “Like I tell students all the time, if I see them with laptops, I just say, ‘be very aware of your surroundings and don’t leave anything behind.’”

For some students, the recent thefts have been a wake-up call to careless or worry-free behavior.

Student Association Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Caitlin Ryan said she rarely worries about being a victim of theft. Ryan, who is from Queens, feels very safe in New Paltz.

“I’ll go to the library and just leave all my [stuff] out on the table and leave . . . and go to the bathroom and come back,” Ryan said. “But if I have my laptop, I usually pack up my laptop and bring it with me. But anything else, I’ll leave out, which is probably not the best thing.”

For others, the thefts are an alarm-ing reminder that outsiders can come on campus and appear as a student while taking advantage of those who live there.

Bryant explained that the balance

to maintain throughout all facets of society.

“As a police chief, as an indi-vidual responsible for the safety and security of students, faculty, staff and visitors in the geographical area of this campus, I would love to see razor wire,

-erywhere,” said Bryant. “As a citizen, I do not want to live that way.”

But some, like Ryan, refuse to let the incidents affect the way they view the campus and the community.

“It’s a reality, things like that will happen. But what I love about New Paltz is that I don’t think the majority of peo-ple here are like that or the majority of community members are like that,” said Ryan. “And so, it’s something I’m cau-tious of, but I don’t let it dictate my life because I do like the fact that it feels like a safe place here and it feels like we’re a community.”



By Justin McCarthy

News Editor | [email protected]

Series of Thefts Lead to Arrest of Non-Student

SUNY New Paltz

On-Campus Property

Burglary Statistics:

2007: 132008: 102009: 12

2009 Annual Security Report

Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) is currently gearing up for the introduction of a car-sharing program for students next semester.

to work on the project, CAS began discussing car sharing programs and eventually signed a contract with Connect by Hertz. The program allows participants to sign out a car on-line depending on availability.

“It’s very similar to the Zipcar program,” O’Leary said. “This is a popular program at larger universities, and my main goal is to make it work in the best way for this school.”

To participate, students would log in with an account that must be created prior to signing out a car on connectbyhertz.com, O’Leary said. There, she said participants will be able to choose a date and check the time and availability for signing out a car at the SUNY New Paltz location. Waiting lists will

available at a participant’s desire location.At SUNY New Paltz, O’Leary said students will have

the option of borrowing the larger Toyota RAV4 or the hybrid

Second-year art major Erin Healy said she thinks stu-dents who can’t bring their car to New Paltz or can’t afford one may be interested in these options.

“For certain people who can’t get their own car, whether it’s because of money or something else, this could be really convenient,” she said.

According to O’Leary, students will have the chance to borrow these cars at hourly rates, depending on demand. Af-ter registering for initial membership and paying a $25 ap-plication fee, participants will choose one of three options: Connect, Connect 50 and Connect 125.

Each of the different accounts is geared for taking the car out more or less, O’Leary said. She added that one would choose the one that best suits the amount of times they think

they will want to sign out the car. “You would pay as you need the car hourly,” she said.

“Each plan is designed to lower your rate per hour if you are using the connect program more often.”

The rates range from $8 to $10 per hour, and the rate is dependent upon which Connect account a member have, ac-cording to O’Leary. Students will also be required to pay all fees before they can access the car.

If students are going to be late, they’ll be charged the full booking feeand additional over-run charges. These charges will be calculated in 15-minute increments, in addition to the late-fee charge of $50.

Although she said some students will show interest in car-sharing, Healy said others may not want to pay hourly rates when other forms of temporary transportation are avail-able.

“I feel like many people might not use [the program] be-cause there are taxis in New Paltz,” she said.

Those who do choose to borrow a vehicle through the program would be given a “Connect card” that acts as a per-sonal key to the car. A fuel card is also included as a method

of paying for the vehicle’s gas. In addition, a “never lost” in-car GPS system will be installed in both cars.

After having applied and been accepted to take on the job of being a student contact between Hertz and CAS, O’Leary is now working with CAS to develop a marketing calendar and strategies for reaching out to the student body about the program.

First-year students, who are not permitted to have cars on campus, said they look forward to learning more about this

Anne Concepcion said they still have concerns about Con-nect by Hertz.

“I know how much of a pain it is for me to run errands without a car, and I am the type of person who would rather walk than depend on a bus,” she said. “However, I feel like this might be a hit or miss type of thing because with cars, there is always an increased risk of accidents.”

among those most attracted to the Connect by Hertz options at SUNY New Paltz. However, she also said students living on campus who may want to leave their cars at home or those off campus who need transportation for tasks like grocery shop-

Citing herself as an example of a student who has a driv-er’s license but not a car, O’Leary said the car-sharing pro-

of vehicles on campus and help students get around the area more easily.

“At times it would be nice to have a car,” she said. “This option can give students more independence;; it’s nicer than having to always ask someone for a ride.”

Hertz will be sending a representative to join O’Leary for a question and answer session about the program at the next Council of Organizations meeting. A launch of the pro-gram at SUNY New Paltz has already been planned for next semester, and students will have the opportunity to register with Connect by Hertz at an enrollment drive slated for early February. The cars will arrive on campus in January.



By Julie Mansmann

Editor-in-Chief | [email protected]

Students who pay to use the Connect program will have the option of renting a Toyota RAV4 or the hybrid Toyota Prius.

Hertz Connects Students with Rental Cars

Campus to Get Toilet Stalls for One and AllSUNY New Paltz administrators have announced the future

implementation of gender-neutral facilities on campus.The project, according to Architect Designer Micheal

break and, at the latest, sometime this summer.The change for gender-neutral facilities has been in the

works for quite some time, beginning with efforts made by for-mer Student Association (SA) Executive Vice President Abe Uchitelle. Uchitelle wrote legislation for the project and met with directors on campus.

Current SA Executive Vice President Eve Stern picked up the project during her term by collecting data on gender-neutral bathrooms and calculating estimates for the project.

“It’s important for SUNY New Paltz to get on board with gender-neutral bathrooms as many other SUNY schools have already done so,” Stern said. “Gender-neutral bathrooms create a safe, comfortable environment, not just for the LGBTQ com-munity, but for everyone in the New Paltz community. It sends a

message to our community that we are tolerant, welcoming and conscious of gender issues.”

John McEnrue, the director of Facilities Design and Con-struction, recognizes the need for gender-neutral bathrooms as a way to allow everyone safe usage of school facilities.

“SUNY New Paltz recognizes the need for gender-neutral facilities,” said McEnrue. “All people should have the right to access public facilities without fear of ridicule or judgment, re-

Implementing gender neutrality and still keeping in line with building codes can pose a challenge to the project, however.

The simplest way to implement these changes, Weatherly said, is to take current single-occupant facilities and convert them through signage into gender-neutral bathrooms. For build-ings that only contain multi-stall bathrooms, SUNY New Paltz must make sure any new gender-neutral facilities installed would

-ture count in a building per code will not take away any toilet

confusing, but is really designed to make a restroom available when needed.”

To Stern, the campus reception of these facilities poses its own set of issues. She thinks the students on campus who would

change, which is a problem with any new idea.”“Some people may think gender-neutral bathrooms only af-

to themselves, as well as many people who are not conscious of the idea of gender neutrality,” Stern said.

Queer Action Coalition, thinks that while the gender-neutral bathroom project is a step in the right direction, it falls short of a larger goal.

“Beyond this new policy, I think that more attention needs to be paid to the diversity policy on campus, which is quite lack-ing in comparison to other schools,” Pine said. “Some universi-ties even offer gender-neutral housing;; something which many have fought for on this campus, but it has been a losing battle.”

By Samantha Huertas

Copy Editor | [email protected]

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM



New Paltz and Purchase UPDs to CollaborateSenate Chair Terrell Coakley and other stu-

dents have been looking into methods to improve student-police relations at SUNY New Paltz.

Coakley and other members of the Student Association (SA) executive board (E-board) de-veloped the idea after attending the State Univer-sity of New York Assembly where they met other SUNY school representatives. After meeting with representatives from Purchase College, the E-board believed relations between students and police were “a lot better” than relations at SUNY New Paltz.

One way Coakley said he hopes to improve the current relationship between students and po-lice on campus is to organize a conversation be-tween SUNY New Paltz University Police Chief Ray Bryant and the Purchase Police Chief Joseph Olenik.

“I feel like it would be great to get another perspective of a university that seems to have bet-ter communication between people on campus and those put in the power to protect and serve,”

Coakley said.SA Vice President of Academic Affairs

and Governance Caitlin Ryan, who attended the SUNY Assembly, said that Purchase Stu-dent President Nico Marceca has been making progress in improving relations.

“[Marceca] set up meetings between the chief of police of Purchase and gave us advice on how to improve relationships with our depart-ment,” Ryan said.

has been in law enforcement for 25 years, said he did not see many problems between students and police on campus. However, he said he thought a meeting or conversation between the two chiefs was “an interesting idea.”

Coakley said students at Purchase have some say in who is hired to the police staff, which is an example of the relationship the Purchase student

at Purchase, said the average relationship between police and students was “non-contact” oriented.

“The police don’t go out of their way to in-

teract with the general student body,” Zankowsky said. “They are pretty lenient about small things.”

Melideo said he believes New Paltz and Purchase have similarities, but have differences

student population is similar at both schools, Pur-chase’s crime comes from off-campus visitors. He also said Purchase’s proximity to New York City affects its crime rate.

However, Zankowsky said the New Paltz student body may prefer what he described to be a more relaxed attitude of the cops on his campus.

“New Paltz students might like not getting hassled as much,” he said.

Ryan said organizing a potential meeting between Bryant and Olenik would be “a different tactic” for examining student-police relations in New Paltz, and the potential dialogue between the police chiefs would be helpful.

According to Ryan, important issues sur-rounding student-police relations have been dis-cussed for a long time.

strides while there are others who aren’t,” Ryan said. “Those who aren’t give the rest of the depart-

ment a bad reputation.” Melideo said that while he has never had

problems with students, he believes that younger cops are more aggressive and are actively look-ing for criminal conduct - something he believes is visible across law enforcement.

“Realistically, everyone tries to do a good

body,” Melideo said. Melideo added that most complaints the

other members of the community or town.“I would say that I haven’t had a complaint

against me by a student in a long time, if ever re-ally,” said Melideo.

Though the meeting between the chief has yet to be scheduled, SA is hosting a “Know Your

students “basic rules to remember in police situ-ations” and a lawyer will be available to answer questions.

By Andrew Wyrich

Sports Editor | [email protected]

My first choice:SUNY Rockland

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-out competition to raise awareness and money for cancer research on Nov. 20.

Knockout Cancer with Relay for

one another in a basketball shootout. To register, each player must donate $2, adding up to $8 per team. The commit-tee hopes to raise over $100 in all. Ac-cording to the event’s Facebook group, the winners of the competition will be awarded “awesome” prizes.

The competition also didn’t require funds to organize, according to Jess Abrams.

“We didn’t have to put any money into the event, so whatever we make will be put towards future fundraising activi-ties as well as the actual relay event it-self,” Abrams said.

As of yet, only a few teams have signed up for the competition so far, but Abrams said she anticipates many last minute registrations.

Those who wish only to be specta-

tors have the opportunity to donate $1 at

staff will also be involved with the event

The knockout competition will be the last event the committee puts on this semester, but next year, numerous others are planned. The “highly anticipated” Cuties for a Cure Auction will be held on Feb. 19 and a scavenger hunt is planned to be held in March. The actual Relay

If the upcoming knockout competi--

velopment Alicia Paczkowski believes

for the near future.“Hopefully it goes well and we can

do it annually,” Paczkowski said.The knockout competition will take

place from 1 to 4 p.m. this coming Satur-day in the Elting Memorial Gym. Those who have organized the event such as

spend a few hours and raise awareness and funds for a great cause,” Abrams said.

By Ryan Patrick Hanrahan

Copy Editor | [email protected]

Shooting for a Cure

The GUNK

Ph

oto

pro

vide

d b

y Jack W

ad

e

Theatre Department takes on farcical comedy

in fi nal fall production,

FLOWRecycling club shows award-

winning documentary CLOTHESLINE ART SHOW

Students fi nd new way to display work

STUDENTS BREAKING RACIAL BOUNDARIESClub attempts to integrate

diversity on campus

PLUS...

The GUNKThe GUNKThursday, November 18, 2010

PLUS...PLUS...

AND MORE!

‘NOISES OFF’Story on page 6B

I’ve been an English major for about three years now and, to put it bluntly, I’m beginning to grow tired of reading. After taking at least three

semester I had to read at least two books a week. That’s really not humanly possible for the average college student, no matter what you say. But, aside from complaining, I’ve read some incredibly life-changing books that remind me of why I love English so much.

So, I’ve attempted to create a top four list of the best assigned books I’ve read so far at SUNY New Paltz.

BOOKS REVIEW

Literature to Long ForFOUR BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING REGARDLESS OF MAJOR

2B | FEATURES The New Paltz Oracle


Although the book jacket may tell you this story is about Willie Stark, War-

ren’s representation of New Orlean’s gov-

really about Jack Burden, the novel’s nar-rator. Through the rise and fall of Stark, we learn about Burden’s past and his three stages: Brass-bound idealism/solipsism, The Great Twitch/determinism and the Spider Web. I can’t really explain these in less than 200 words, but I overheard people talking about the spider web con-cept, where I then chimed into their con-versation - which is exactly what the web applies. This probably makes no sense, so you should just read the book. It’s a good 700 pages, but it is one of the best books I have ever read. Hands down.

All The

King’s Men

by

Robert Penn Warren

Class:

American Literature I

General Honors I

Professor:

Harry Stoneback

I read this book in high school and absolutely hated it. Yet after studying many Hawthorne short stories in this class and really appreciating his style of writing and absolute brilliance when it comes to the craft of stories, reading this novel wasn’t as much of a pain the second time around. Since I knew the story, I could instead fo-cus on the aesthetic value of the piece, and wow, is this book amazingly well put to-gether. And there’s so much sexual imag-ery that I would never have cared to catch

though I still think that a good 30 pages or so can be removed, I am deeply surprised at how much I truly enjoyed this book. If you get a chance, try it again.

The Scarlett

Letter

by

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Class:

American Renaissance

Professor:

Andrew Higgins

When I was about 10 or so, I watched

my brother. I loved it, but it scared me. But

books like Hubert Selby Jr.’s “Requiem

out? This book is an absolute masterpiece. Once you get used to the dialect and writ-ing style, the horrifying story unfolds into the realities of a violent youth culture un-der a totalitarian society. I went in and out of having sympathy for the main character Alex, and by the end I basically just felt awful. Watching the movie doesn’t do the book justice, as it never does, especially because the endings are different.

A Clockwork

Orange

by

Anthony Burgess

Class:

General Honors II

Professor:

Donna Baumler

Ah. I had always wanted to read this book when I was younger but

never did for some reason. When it was

read it, I couldn’t wait. First thing I was shocked about was that Frankenstein is

was Frankenstein is actually just called

stein is the creator. Crazy. This book is eerie, taking the reader on a surpris-ingly sad journey. I never thought I’d sympathize with a monster as much as I did in this book. After reading, I

perfect - almost in the same category as

Frankenstein

by

Mary Shelley

Class:

Analysis & Interpretation

of Literature

Professor:

Jackie George

By Zan Strumfeld

Features Editor | [email protected]

A group of students have formed Students Breaking Racial Boundaries (SBRB), a club striving to erase ignorance through education.

The club began in the spring of 2010 when president and co-founder Lisa Pomerantz said she and a friend saw the SUNY New Paltz campus as diverse but with little integration.

“We wanted to create an environment where people can comfortably come together and meet people of different backgrounds, discussing pressing issues and even comfortably clarify per-ceptions about others,” said Pomerantz.

According to the club’s mission statement, the club supports “pride in one’s own racial back-ground, while aiming to heighten awareness for the need of unity as members of the human race.”

“We recognize that prejudice and racism only exist because of ignorance and a lack of knowledge about cultures other than one’s own,” said Pomerantz.

The club hopes to address the fact that rac-ism is still an issue in this country.

“We want to get more people to care about it,” Pomerantz said, “because so many are apa-

thetic and never think about it unless they are a person of color who experiences racism.”

Currently, the club is working on events that will better educate students. This semester, they hosted a large-scale event with Muslim Stu-dent Association (MSA) and Men of All Nations (MANU) on the Muslim Community Center in the city.

On Wednesday, Nov. 17, the club hosted an event called “Dating Outside the ‘Limits’” where they discussed the different aspects of interracial dating.

“There’s interfaith dating, intercultural dat-ing, endless possibilities,” said Pomerantz. “We want to address what it’s like to be this sort of couple.”

The event was mostly open forum while also discussing issues such as “weddings, raising kids, even in funeral practices,” Pomerantz said.

Other discussions for meetings include cul-ture, where Pomerantz said they will soon discuss the beauty of Africa. The club has held meetings about a variety of societal and political topics, such as the Arizona immigration laws.

SBRB is also trying to work with Latin American Student Assocation.

“Even if we’re not working on projects with other clubs, we make efforts to attend their meet-ings,” said Pomerantz. “Networking is key in this type of activism.”

Second-year economics major and Black studies minor Jaunia M. Coombs is the Council of Organizations representative and said she got involved in SBRB because there were no clubs on campus she felt addressed the issues of racism across all ethnic backgrounds.

“Club-wise, my main goal is to have a pro-gram that draws in a large majority of New Paltz students and faculty, in which we discuss the

things that separate us and what we can do to be-come a more united campus,” said Coombs. “I would like others to become involved by simply attending a program and bringing a friend, or two, to the next one.”

SBRB currently has seven E-board mem-bers but the amount of students in the group var-ies with each meeting. Their meetings are on se-lect Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Student Union 407. Next semester they will be more consistent with their meeting dates. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

CLUB PROFILE

Club Crusades Against IgnoranceSTUDENTS BREAKING RACIAL BOUNDARIES PROMOTE DIVERSITY ON CAMPUS


By Zan StrumfeldFeatures Editor | [email protected]

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find your edge®

SBRB recently hosted “Dating Outside the ‘Limits.’” PHOTO BY LAURA LUENGAS

The New Paltz Oracle FEATURES | 3B

BEARD EXPERIMENT

Scruff Times Ahead


NEIL PICKUSRAY VASSAR-SEMANCHIK

SEAN BAILEYFRANK GREENAWAY JOHN MICHAEL CASTILLO

TYLER PRINCE-GARDINERFIRST FOUR PHOTOS BY CHRIS THURSTON. LAST TWO PHOTOS PROVIDED BY RAY VASSAR-SEMANCHIK AND NEIL PICKUS

No Shave Novembeard: WEEK 3

To coincide with its water consumption demonstration on Thursday, Nov. 11, the Recy-cling Club hosted a screening at 7:30 p.m. in the CSB Auditorium of Irena Salina’s award-winning “Flow: For Love of Water” – a documentary on the world’s water crisis and the underlying greed behind it.

While asking the question of whether or not

groups and individuals “providing practical solu-tions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies [creating] blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround,” according to

.Recycling Club President and campus Re-

cycling Coordinator Lauren Brois said she chose “Flow” because it offers a lot more information on water than “Tapped,” her other option, while connecting to the audience. Although it sheds light on many truths of such a relevant world is-sue, it remains accessible and inspiring.

Nick DePalma had “a little exercise” in store, handing out a number of cups to various mem-bers of the audience. He continued to pass around

a full bottle of water, representing all the water in the world, telling each person to pour as much as they’d like, keeping the world’s population (or other cups) in mind.

In the end, one cup on display was full and the others held equal, miniscule amounts – the full one representing Ameri-ca, which blindly uses and contaminates an alarming amount every day.

“We can’t see other people,” he said, “[so] we really don’t have a concept of it.”

would take $30 billion to supply the entire world with water, yet three times that amount is spent annually on bottled water, which only contami-nates the supply.

the same requirements are not in place for bottled water. It continues to highlight the fact that Nestle pumps over 450 gallons per minute, while not paying one cent for it. At one point environmental lawyer Jim Olson claims, “Water is for survival, and who owns the water for survival owns you.”

This constant pumping, in turn, drains natu-ral supplies and bodies of water, eventually con-taminating their contents as the cycle resumes.

“Anytime you buy anything, you vote for it,” Brois said on the necessity of being an educated consumer. “You have to make sure anything you buy isn’t hurting yourself or others.”

Brois said she received a number of posi-tive responses from the audience, and felt it was a great, enlightening end to an environmentally conscious day on campus. The Recycling Club had about 487 water bottles set up in various spots in the Humanities area from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., ac-companied by a variety of signs. These signs said things such as “On average bottled water costs 900 times the amount of tap water” and “This year, Americans will spend $40 billion on bottled water.”

“People can interpret what we are present-ing and use the information to their own accord,” Brois said. “Even if people are saying it’s silly, or something [they] don’t understand the point of, they’re still thinking about something they other-wise wouldn’t have.”

As of yesterday, the Recycling Club has the Sojournor Truth Library’s lobby reserved for posters and signs regarding composting, trash and various other topics. These will remain up until Nov. 30. Meetings are held every Monday in Stu-dent Union 401 at 8 p.m.

CLUB FEATURE

Awareness FLOWs at Campus EventsRECYCLING CLUB HOSTS DEMO AND DOCUMENTARY SCREENING FOR STUDENTS

4B | FEATURES

By Pete ThompsonCopy Editor |

Water bottles on display in front of Humanities.PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW PALTZ RECYCLES

The New Paltz Oracle

Before talking turkey this

Thanksgiving, all are welcome to

sprint, stride or stroll through the

Family of New Paltz’s seventh an-

nual Turkey Trot on Nov. 25 at 9

a.m.

The morning “trot” is an ap-

proximately 5 kilometer (or 3.1

mile) run, starting at the Water Street

Market, trailing down to Plains

Road and looping back around on

the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. All

proceeds go directly to the Family

of New Paltz.

“The money we raise buys a lot

of food and helps us out tremen-

dously,” Program Director Kathy

Cartagena said.

The annual event is sponsored

by a variety of local businesses,

with its headlining sponsors be-

ing New Paltz Health & Nutrition

Center and Feldman, Kleidman and

Coffey, each of which is donating

$1,500.

While Family of New Paltz has

been helping the community for

years, providing various support

groups, a food pantry, shelter and

a 24-hour hotline, the turkey trot is

the product of Suzanne Holt. After

moving to New Paltz from Brook-

lyn, Holt felt it necessary to imple-

ment such an event into the town.

turnout only brought about 300 run-

ners, but the event has been gaining

momentum and becoming more of a

big reunion spot where community

members bring their families to take

a nice run before the big holiday

dinner. She said last year’s turnout

was somewhere between 1,300 and

1,500 people, raising about $28,000.

“[We’re] very lucky to be in a

generous community where people

are aware of issues and poverty,”

Cartagena said.

Meant to be more of a fun run

than a competition, markers and

timers will be provided in approxi-

mate spots along the course, with a

sults will be provided.

There will also be a mashed

potato half-mile fun run for kids 10

and under. Each trotting tot will re-

ceive either a complimentary treat

or donated gift. This will begin at 9

a.m. with the 5k to start promptly at

9:30 a.m.

Early birds who have yet to

sign-up can do so at 8 a.m. Break-

fast will also be available, and any

who registered prior to Nov. 12 will

be able to pick up their T-shirts.

The registration form can be

found at www.newpaltzturkeytrot.com.

The fee until 5 p.m. the day be-

fore Thanksgiving at for runners 18

and under or 65 and over is $10, and

$15 for anyone 19 to 64. If register-

ing after 5 p.m. or on the day of,

entrants must pay a minorly raised

price of $12 for anyone 18 or under

and $17 for anyone 19 or older.

If long lines aren’t your thing,

you can get a head start by register-

ing the day before at Rock and Snow

from 12 to 5 p.m. You can also reg-

ister through www.active.com until 5 p.m. on Nov. 24. If interested in

helping and volunteering, e-mail

[email protected].

COMMUNITY FEATURE

HOLIDAY FUN RUN EVENT HELPS NEW PALTZ COMMUNITY


By Pete ThompsonCopy Editor | [email protected]

ners, but the event has been gaining

momentum and becoming more of a

big reunion spot where community

members bring their families to take

a nice run before the big holiday

dinner. She said last year’s turnout

was somewhere between 1,300 and

“[We’re] very lucky to be in a

generous community where people

are aware of issues and poverty,”

Meant to be more of a fun run

than a competition, markers and

mate spots along the course, with a

There will also be a mashed

potato half-mile fun run for kids 10

ceive either a complimentary treat

or donated gift. This will begin at 9

a.m. with the 5k to start promptly at

Early birds who have yet to

fast will also be available, and any

who registered prior to Nov. 12 will

The registration form can be

fore Thanksgiving at for runners 18

and under or 65 and over is $10, and

ing after 5 p.m. or on the day of,

entrants must pay a minorly raised

price of $12 for anyone 18 or under

If long lines aren’t your thing,

ing the day before at Rock and Snow

until

5 p.m. on Nov. 24. If interested in

helping and volunteering, e-mail

FAMILIAR FACES

Annie Yu: How long have you been at SUNY New Paltz and what brought you here?

Larry Carr: 1995, I started. I was asked by Beverly Brumm in the Theatre Department to come and teach

my dramatic writing class, and she asked the Chair of

English so I’d be covering both English and Theatre. I

lived across the street from Beverly in New Paltz.

AY: What is your favorite thing about teaching?LC: This is just a great place to be. It’s working with so many students who are interested in writing plays,

The caliber of students has gotten higher since I’ve

been here. I work with undergrads who are working on

a professional level in dramatic and creative writing.

AY: What do you like to do during your free time when you’re not teaching?

LC: Write. Cook. My wife and I travel around. We’re into Mediterranean cooking and eastern Mediterra-

nean, things like that. Moroccan. We go to Northern

California every year, which I really like. And New

England. We just go where we want.

AY: If you could meet one person in the world, who would it be and why?

LC: I’m very interested in talking to political lead-ers that both I agree with and don’t agree with so I

can see what they are about. I don’t have anyone in

their writing, I think there’s always a veil over politi-

cal leaders on a worldwide basis — people who have

held great power. And say, things like, “What were you

thinking?” I would be rude. (Laughs) Just kidding. I

would try not to be rude.

AY: Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, what are your plans?

LC: My wife and I go to New York City and we have Thanksgiving with a group of 20 friends we’ve been

meeting with since 1984. And we always bring the

same food so you know who’s going to bring the

sweet potatoes. And then when we come back on

Friday, we cook another turkey.

AY: If you had to pick one, what’s an accomplishment you’re more proud of than other ones?

LC: Just that I haven’t stopped my creative output. It goes slow and then it speeds up on different levels.

I don’t have one big accomplishment. I think it’s con-

tinuing to work with writers and getting my work out to

Larry Carr Lecturer in English,

Creative/Dramatic Writing

...with Annie Yu

The New Paltz Oracle FEATURES | 5B

ONLINE WINTER SESSION 2011

Classes start January 3rd

REGISTER NOW!

WWW.PURCHASE.EDU/WINTER

(914) 251 6500 [email protected]

Earn 4 credits in 3 weeks!

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Take a course from thecomfort of your home, abeach, or any location!

Town Talks Turkey

THEATRE FEATURE

Theatre Department Makes ‘Noise’PHYSICAL COMEDY AND RELATABLE CHARACTERS CONTRIBUTE TO LATEST PRODUCTION

In “Nothing On,” the play within the

The New Paltz Oracle6B | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By Julie [email protected]

The hilarity truly ensues when the inner-workings of this company start to unravel”

-JESSIKA KERIMIAN

“

MUSIC PROFILE

In the past few years, musician Jake Harms has lived everywhere from Marlboro to Minneapolis to Martha’s Vineyard. But a few months ago, in his hometown of Cold Spring, N.Y., he said he started to feel stagnant.

“Cold Spring was dead and cultur-ally blue-balled,” Harms said. “Every-body there is 50 and writes songs about their kids.”

While searching for a place that al-lowed him to play music at any time, he stumbled upon a New Paltz apartment on Main Street, where he said he was able to grow as an artist and boil out of his restlessness.

Now living in New Paltz for four months, Harms can currently be heard at Oasis Cafe, Snug Harbor, Slash Root and Cafeteria. Described by fans as “lyrically driven acoustic rock,” he said his music actually falls under

the category of pop. “I play pop but it’s confession-

al singer-songwriter stuff – a lot of words,” Harms said. “I think the real important part of it for me is being able to feel good about what I’m saying and that it’s resonant, not cheap or stupid.”

Harms said his initial impres-sion of the music scene in New Paltz was that it was “a little all over the place” in terms of style and artists. At

-mental of it for that reason, and un-able to pinpoint who “the tastemakers of the music scene” were.

He said seeing some of New Paltz’s most popular bands perform has given him an opportunity to be less criti-cal of himself and feel more free in his performances.

“Bands like Godchilla, they don’t expect much from you other than that you show up, shake your ass and have fun, and to me that’s what music really

is,” Harms said. “In a weird way, I’m more encouraged by that to do my own thing, which is a bit more demanding on the audience in terms of content, with-

Since settling here in New Paltz, Harms has been regularly treading in the open mic circuit, and has recently played shows set up by Adir Cohen, a staple of the New Paltz music scene.

He also performs with New Paltz-based band Nelsonvillains, of which he is a vocalist and guitarist. The band is currently recording an EP and scouting out venues both in and outside of New Paltz.

With a good turnout to many of his shows, Harms said he is appreciative of the many people that come out to sup-port local musicians in New Paltz.

“I had forgotten people being en-thusiastic and not weird and cagey,” Harms said.

Currently, Harms has released two

-bum, That Big Sad Thing (That You Can’t Quite Put Your Finger On), was recorded last winter. His more recent work, The Things I Missed When The Year Dried Up, was recorded in both Marlboro and New Paltz. Both albums can be downloaded for free at

Harms said since arriving in New

Paltz he’s recorded plenty of music, and while New Paltz is a bit of a small town

-ing his fan-base.

“There’s a crowd all the time and it’s way better than trucking down to the city to play a show that’s kind of limp, where people are sitting down and kind of half-hearted,” he said. “[I’m] play-ing a lot of shows in one place for lots of people who are having fun and seem

here than anywhere else.”


By Maeve Halliday

Copy Editor |

Musician Jake Harms can be seen performing at open mics around New Paltz, including Oasis Cafe, Snug Harbor, Slash Root and Cafeteria. PHOTO BY MEGHAN ROBERTS

A Home For Harmony

Cold Spring Musician Finds Comfort in New

Paltz Music Scene

The New Paltz Oracle ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7B

With the help of third-year printmaking

major Anthony Tino, SUNY New Paltz stu-

dents gathered on Friday, Nov. 12 to show off

-

cally for them.

“I decided to create the show as an alter-

native to dealing with galleries in town and

because there is no student gallery on cam-

pus,” said Tino. “If we don’t have a gallery

we’ll just make it ourselves.”

Held in Student Union 100, the Clothes-

line Art Show included various pieces

submitted by students, which were hung

on a clothesline rather than displayed on

a wall. Works on the clothesline includ-

ed prints, paintings, drawings and pho-

tos. Video submissions were shown on a

monitor and included both live action and

stop-motion videos.

Tino, who conceived and organized

the entire show, said the event was not only

a presentation

of students’

work but entirely

student-run as

well.

“I’ve never

displayed any-

thing in a gal-

lery setting

before,” said

third-year geog-

raphy major and

art minor Ryan

Reutershan, who submitted two stop-

motion videos. “I found the show ap-

pealing because it’s being organized and

run by [us].”

In order to have their work considered,

students submitted pieces to an all student

panel, which decided on what art would and

wouldn’t make it into

the show. However,

every piece submit-

ted was ultimately

accepted into the

show.

At the event,

artwork wasn’t

the only attrac-

tion. Guests were

gallon keg of root

beer, plenty of food,

a performance from the band Giant Peach

and a guy walking around in an alligator

costume.

The idea of the event, according to

Tino, stemmed from a desire to create a fo-

rum where students’ work could be presented

without any hindrances.

“We can have shows like this anytime

and they can go anywhere,” Tino said.

Third-year geography major, Angela

DeVivo showed off an ink drawing and many

of her photos in the show and said it was a

wonderful experience for someone who is not

studying art professionally.

“I submitted because I do work on the

side of my studies and thought it’d be nice to

see it in a local show,” she said.

Tino hopes that future student-run events

will prosper and said there’s a future for more

clothesline galleries.

He said he hopes the event will inspire

more exhibits organized by students.

“I wanted something to spark campus

unity,” he said.

By Brian KearneyContributing Writer | [email protected]

ART FEATURE

Student Art Hangs In ThereCLOTHESLINE ART SHOW PROVIDES HINDERANCE-FREE FORUM FOR EVERYONE


We can have shows like this anytime and they can go anywhere”

-ANTHONY TINO

“

Get ahead with FLCC’s Online Learning.

No matter where you plan to spend your break, you can get ahead with online classes at FLCC this winter. With nearly 30 courses to choose from, it’s easy to get a few electives out of the way. FLCC’s Online Winter Session classes start December 13.

Learn more! Visit www.flcc.edu/winter for details.


Even little girls aren’t safe from the

show in the history of cable programming to kick off by blowing the brains out of an

AMC, this zombie apocalypse series based on the monthly comic of the same name is

Adapted from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel series, “The Walking Dead” is a television show that plays like an epic

it so successful is that each episode puts you into the mind of its characters, focusing

linguine, and hordes of monsters snacking on loved ones, the plot still manages to feel

sphere is gloomy and perfectly crafted to

star Galactica,” “The Walking Dead” has taken a fantastical plot device and made it

but with Frank Darabont, director of “The Shawshank Redemption,” taking the helm as executive producer, director and writer for the series, it’s no surprise that the level

character, major and minor, is portrayed beautifully by an amazing cast, and even some of the earliest scenes will tug at your

Lead character Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, is relatable because of

he struggles to understand his wife and be

hospital bed and is greeted by the end of the

As he battles his way through Atlanta,

myself shouting at my television screen in

can’t seem to wipe from my brain includes Rick’s horse being treated like a four course

when Rick and his new ally Glenn must

ceased zombie in order to smell dead enough to walk undetected through a crowded street

but rather poses questions like, how would you survive and who would you trust? There’s betrayal, there’s heartbreak and there are standalone stories that could exist

fect, interspersing long portions of dialogue

something long forgotten in the realm of

erated images are also used sparingly and

what you’re doing immediately and get

ised to keep things fresh, changing story

has the potential to rise from the grave that

FROM COMIC BOOK TO TELEVISION

TELEVISION REVIEW

By Maxim Alter

A&E Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 9B


Rick Grimes Andrea Glenn Laurie Grimes

WHAT’S NEXT ON?WHAT’S NEXT ONWHAT’S NEXT ON?Nov. 21: Episode 4 “Vatos”

Dec. 5: Episode 6 “TS-19”

In an episode written by Robert

Kirkman, creator of “The Walk-

ing Dead,” Rick’s excursion into

Atlanta to rescue Merle Dixon

and retrieve guns and ammo

becomes jeopardized when things

go awry. Back at camp, Jim

becomes unhinged while danger

lurks just around the corner.

COMING LATER...

AND MORE! But don’t get too

comfortable. Even though 13 more

episodes of “The Walking Dead”

thanks to stellar ratings, fans

will have to wait till fall 2011 to

see what happens in season two.

Bummer.

T.V. With A BiteAMC’S “WALKING DEAD” BRINGS A HUMAN ELEMENT TO THE DECEASED

Photos courtesy of amctv.com/walkingdead.

FROM COMIC BOOK TO TELEVISIONFROM COMIC BOOK TO TELEVISIONRick Grimes

MOVIE REVIEW

‘Due Date’ DeliversTODD PHILLIPS’ LATEST FILM PREGNANT WITH COMEDIC GOLD AND ABSURDITY


As I sat back in the theater, waiting with bated breath for the latest come-dic effort from “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips to begin, a thought crossed my mind: “Will this be as funny as ‘The Hangover?’ Can lightning really strike twice?” Admittedly, my inner cynic kicked in, say-ing that there was no way Phillips could follow up a movie so brilliant in its un-controllable comedic madness. To my sur-prise, “Due Date” turned out to be pretty much everything I wanted it to be.

The story follows high-strung architect Peter Highman (played by the con-sistently hilarious Robert Downey Jr.) as he attempts to make it home to Cal-ifornia in time for the birth of

child. Everything goes according to plan, until a chance encounter with aspiring ac-tor and destructive force of nature Ethan

mistaken for a terrorist, kicked off a plane

out a wallet and no way to get home, Peter is forced to take the cross-country road

trip from hell with Ethan to get to his wife in time.

Most of the humor comes from the absurd situations the pair repeatedly ends up in, or Ethan’s amaz-ing ability to screw up just when everything

This really helps the audience to stay capti-vated, as you really don’t know what’s going to hap-

pen next. I won’t spoil some of the more outrageous

tice with simple words.

the strength of its performances. Downey Jr. plays Peter like a normal man pushed to the edge of sanity for reasons he can’t understand. You get the feeling that ev-ery time Ethan says something stupid, or gets himself into trouble, Peter’s strug-gling with the urge to choke the life out of him. He starts to crack, and it’s hilarious when-ever he does. Con-versely, the best way to describe Ethan would be

He’s a hurricane of stupidity and

can’t seem to do anything right.

shows us that

there’s more to Ethan than pure moronic chaos. With every puppy-eyed glance, we learn he’s a lonely, well-meaning soul who’ll do and say just about anything to be liked. Like his character in “The Hang-

with Ethan even though he’s dumber than a sack of bricks. Trust me, by the end of the movie you’ll care about him, stupidity and all.

If there is one complaint I have with

nanigans Peter and Ethan end up in border on the ridiculous. Thankfully, these scenes are rarely played straight, which hinders my abil-ity to criticize them too much. Honestly, at some points I was laughing so hard I barely even no-ticed. The bottom line is, even if you aren’t a fan of Phillips’ earlier work, this is one movie every fan of com-

the performances alone make it well worth a trip to the theater.

By Nick Fodera Staff Writer | [email protected]


Hangover?’ Can lightning really strike twice?” Admittedly, my inner cynic kicked in, say-ing that there was no way Phillips could follow up a movie so brilliant in its un-controllable comedic madness. To my sur-prise, “Due Date” turned out to be pretty much everything I wanted it to be.

The story follows high-strung architect Peter Highman (played by the con-sistently hilarious Robert Downey Jr.) as he attempts to make it home to Cal-ifornia in time for the birth of

trip from hell with Ethan to get to his wife in time.

Most of the humor comes from the absurd situations the pair repeatedly ends up in, or Ethan’s amaz-ing ability to screw up just when everything

This really helps the audience to stay capti-vated, as you really don’t know what’s going to hap-

pen next. I won’t spoil some of the more outrageous

ery time Ethan says something stupid, or gets himself into trouble, Peter’s strug-gling with the urge to choke the life out of him. He starts to crack, and it’s hilarious when-ever he does. Con-versely, the best way to describe Ethan would be

He’s a hurricane of stupidity and

can’t seem to do anything right.

shows us that

the movie you’ll care about him, stupidity and all.

If there is one complaint I have with

nanigans Peter and Ethan end up in border on the ridiculous. Thankfully, these scenes are rarely played straight, which hinders my abil-ity to criticize them too much. Honestly, at some points I was laughing so hard I barely even no-ticed. The bottom line is, even if you aren’t a fan of Phillips’ earlier work, this is one movie every fan of com-

the performances alone make it well worth a trip to the theater.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MOVIEDESKBACK.COMRobert Downey Jr. and Zach

An Emmy award-winning television writer, a rapper, an actor and a stand-up co-median came to SUNY New Paltz on Nov. 13 and they all have the same name.

Donald Glover. The night before his stand-up perfor-

mance on campus, the 26-year-old star of NBC’s “Community” played a show as Childish Gambino, his rapper alter ego, in Los Angeles.

“I like to stay busy,” said Glover. “When I was a kid, I always wondered why my mom was so busy ... [Now] I like living on planes.”

Despite his taxing schedule, Glover and fellow comedian Hannibal Buress were ready to entertain the students who attended the event in the Student Union’s Multi Pur-

pose Room. According to Student Activi-ties and Union Services Events Coordinator Brendan O’Brien, the show was sold out with approximately 300 students in atten-dance give or take a few absentees.

Buress, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and current 30 Rock scribe, opened the show with a short set. His comedy ranged from the colors of the chairs in the audito-rium to how much he wanted to punch his cousin at Thanksgiving.

Glover followed with an approximate-

warn the audience that this would be noth-ing like the kind of comedy many fans of his expect after watching “Community” or his Derrick Comedy skits. His comedy was actually much more akin to his rapping;; vulgar, pop culture reference-laden and

most importantly, hilarious.Glover touched on a number of subjects

from his days babysitting in New York City, encounters with bums, farting in public, his experiences living in a foster home and the “Donald for Spider-Man” campaign.

The “Donald for Spider-Man” bit fo-cused around the Internet’s desire for Glover to don the red, webbed and blue tights in the reboot of “Spider-Man.” The Internet was unsuccessful but it would have been a dream come true for Glover. He’s liked comics since he was a kid because he always “felt like a weirdo.”

Ultimately, his whole set built up to the one thing missing from most comedians’ routines: an epic poop joke.

After the show, Glover was on the move again, catching a ride back down to New

York City almost as quickly as he arrived in New Paltz.

Next up for Glover, a stand-up/music tour with himself called the I AM DONALD tour. (Beyoncé already used the I AM TOUR.)

-er of his “sleep when I’m dead” mentality while on the way to his car. “I’ll probably

Culdesac

“N****s wanna have some, all I want’s to have it all. They wanted something dif-ferent, n**** problem solved. Drunk off the high life, death is when I’ll sleep it off,” he said.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Quadruple Threat Comes to New Paltz“COMMUNITY” STAR DONALD GLOVER GARNERS LOADS OF LAUGHS

By Pierce LydonManaging Editor | [email protected]

The New Paltz Oracle ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |11B


Kristin Scheff

The Women’s Volleyball season came to an end on Nov. 6 when the Hawks fell to Cortland in the SUNYAC Volleyball

The team, which had previously been riding an eight-match winning streak, competed against Buffalo State and Fredonia before losing to Cortland. “We competed against them until

the third game where we got in a rut we couldn’t get out of,” Head Coach Matt Giufre said. “We competed, we just didn’t have enough and they played better.” Giufre, who has coached the Hawks

for nine years, has guided the team to 26 wins in each of the past seven seasons and has led his teams to the SUNYAC cham-pionships in the past three seasons. The tournament had many high points

for the Hawks, including a win against host SUNY Fredonia.

Giufre believed beating Fredonia was a big match for the Hawks.

loud and obnoxious,” Giufre said. “We had to equal their defensive ability … and doing that was hard … we were able to do that and I was proud of how our players responded to that situation.” After beating Fredonia in the semi-

mately lost the game.

a 28-11 record overall, and went 6-2 in the conference. The team also had a 10-0 record at home, keeping their home win-ning streak alive. Giufre said he thought the Hawks

excelled this season despite the team’s young roster. The Hawks had only two starters from last year’s squad return for the 2010 season, but Giufre said he was pleased with how the team’s season turned out. Second-year player Michelle Jacob-

son agreed and thought the team did well considering the roster’s relatively young group of players. “I think everyone stepped up and

worked hard and played together,” Jacob-son said.The Hawks played strong matches in

the middle of their season, including a sweep in a nine game home stretch dur-ing the Hawk’s Invite and SUNYAC Pool Play. Looking back on the season, Giufre

said he hoped to address the consistency the team lacked over the course of the season when the team plays next year. “It was bit of a disappointment not

making the national tournament, and we had some stretches where we played re-ally good volleyball, but we also had stretches where we struggled a bit,” Giu-fre said. The Hawks stumbled at the Welles-

ley Invite in October, but had a 12-game winning streak in September. They also

season, and started off the year with a 6-4 record heading into their home games. As for next year, Giufre said he ex-

pects the same as every year - to compete for a championship. “We have a great core group next year

that has been through a lot of ups and downs and a lot of big moments,” Giufre said. “They can rely on that experience to carry them through next year.” The Hawks will be losing fourth-year

students Dana Kindelmann and Stephanie Skrobach to graduation, but will be re-taining the rest of their roster. Despite losing Kindelmann, who was

recently named a 2010 American Vol-leyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Honorable Mention and Skrobach, Giufre believes the team will be strong next season. “As long as we work hard and keep

our cohesiveness ... my expectation is to be in the postseason,” Giufre said.


The New Paltz Oracle Pg 11SPORTS

SET FOR NEXT YEARBy Andrew Wyrich Sports Editor | [email protected]

Men’s Soccer Coach

WINS COACH OF THE YEAR

Page 13

COURTESY OF STOCKTON PHOTOS

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTSSPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLESPORTS



Hawks Players of the WeekAs Announced On Nov. 15

Behind Harmon’s performance in the 6K, New Paltz placed 13th out of 33 teams at the 2010 NCAA Division III Cross Country Atlantic Regional Championships Saturday afternoon at Fortin Park in Oneonta, N.Y. Harmon’s time of 23:24.6 eclipsed her former program record of 23:25, which she set last year at the 2009 Paul Short Invitational. She placed

Webb helped the Hawks edge Ramapo College on Saturday in Mahwah, N.J., notching two

200 breaststroke and the 200

times of 2:21.66 and 2:03.65, respectively, and clocked a

Danielle Harmon

Women’s Cross Country

Rob Webb

Men’s Swimming



After leading the Hawks to their best record since 2004, fourth-year Men’s Soccer Head Coach Eric Watson was named the SUNYAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year award by the confer-

Watson led the Hawks to a 8-9-1 record in 2010, and kept the team in playoff contention until the last day of

“It is always a good feeling to be rec-ognized by your peers,” Watson

is something that I share with the

The Coach of the Year award is decided by the coaches in the SUNYAC con-ference who nominate up to three coaches for

coach puts in their suggestion

and third place nomination, and the coach with the most points wins

In addition to the team’s record, Watson coached the Hawks to seven shutouts, which was as many as the team had in the previous

Watson said that he credits the award to the team for their hard work and dedication over his tenure as head

Fourth-year forward Dave Gardiner thought Watson deserved the award be-cause of the direction in which he led the

that looking back at where the soccer

program was when he was named head coach and what it has become shows the

“[The program] was not taken se-

went into every game and had a great

Gardiner said that Watson’s style of coaching was calm and collected, which

“He breaks the game down for us at practice and halftime and he explains to you what to do and doesn’t talk down

to you,” Gardiner

Watson also had the team

-ness, something Gardiner believes helped them suc-

A c c o r d i n g to Gardiner, Wat-son would have the team split up practice between

-

said that this led to the team “go-ing 100 percent”

-utes of a game, and allowed them to make good decisions as the

The last New Paltz soccer coach to win Coach of the Year is current Ath-

-son gained the recognition after his 2004

Despite the strong season and step in the right direction, Watson never thought of winning the award during the

“My goal all season long had been to make our team the best we could be,”

By Andrew Wyrich Sports Editor | [email protected]

Watson Wins Coach of the Year

Do you want to join The New Paltz Oracle? Come to our elections on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in Student Union 403!

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STOCKTON PHOTO

“It is always a good feeling to be recognized by your peers, this award is something that I share with the entire team”

— Eric Watson



The 2010-11 swim season may only be four match-es in, but it’s already something team members will never forget.

Mullin “Leave it in the Pool” Hour of Power Relay for Pediatric Sarcoma research on Nov. 9.

The event derives its name from former Carleton College athlete Ted Mullin, who succumbed to synovi-al-cell sarcoma in September of 2006.

year swimmer Luke Meyers. “It was a lot of fun for all of us.”

-fore he died was about “leaving everything in the pool,” and the event was named after that.

The relay is a one-hour intensive practice where swim team members participate in continuous relays, swimming as hard as they can. The event was held from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and took place in the Elting Gym pool. New Paltz was one of the 134 groups to participate in the event, with 89 being collegiate groups that come from Divisions I, II and III. The other groups

came from club teams, high school teams and student-abroad teams. The relays are not only as a memorial to Mullin’s legacy, but also as a way to raise money for synovial-cell sarcoma research.

-ing a cure,” said Head Coach Scott Whitbeck. “This year, we made a donation of $245, which will amount to $2,450 due to each contribution being multiplied by ten.”

Whitbeck did not enlist New Paltz’s swim team just to raise money and awareness for sarcoma. He and as-sistant coaches Kevin Milkovich and Kristy O’Brien decided to sign New Paltz up for the event because they believed there was more to gain out of the event than just an intense workout. The coaches felt an experience such as this is eye-opening for the swimmers and some-thing one could never forget.

“I actually have a friend who swam for Carleton,

said.Milkovich agreed with Whitbeck, believing the re-

lay was important for the team. “I think it is something that gives the team a lot of

perspective,” said Milkovich. “It shows them that there

is something bigger out there for them to realize. We

who pushed them and got them to the collegiate level of swimming that they’re involved in right now.”

Milkovich’s feelings were shared by the team mem-bers, who thought the relay was a great way to start off the season.

New Paltz was not the only SUNYAC school to participate in the event. Teams from SUNY Cortland, SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Oswego also swam in the relay. Georgetown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Babson, University of Chicago and Carn-egie Mellon University also had participating teams.

The event attracted swimming groups from across the globe as well. Groups from Prague, New Delhi, Madrid, Seville and Copenhagen also participated in the event. Despite differences in time zones, everyone started and ended together, creating a unifying experi-ence amongst all of the swimmers.

“We (Milkovich) even came out of retirement to participate in the event,” said Whitbeck. “But in the end, we just wanted to do something fun that was also for a really good cause.”

By Cat TacopinaStaff Writer | [email protected]

Team Swims For A Cure

SUNY New Paltz 5” x 6.5”



Somehow They’ll Manage

COLLINS PHOTO COURTESY OF 7TRAINTOSHEA.COM MELVIN PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOTOBUCKET.COM BACKMAN PHOTO COURTESY OF METSZILLA.COM HALE PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR.

BOB MELVIN WALLY BACKMAN CHIP HALE CHIP HALE TERRY COLLINS

With the general manager meetings under-

uring out who will be leading the team for 2011 and beyond. Sandy Alderson and his new group

candidates and they have narrowed the list of second round interviewees down to four.

Terry Collins, Bob Melvin, Wally Back-man and Chip Hale will be called back to give one last push to Alderson and company and explain why they should be the ones to lead the Mets. Collins and Melvin are the perceived front runners. However, it has been reported that both Hale and Backman surprised Alderson with their strong interviews. Either way, the Mets should know who will be the man at the helm by Thanksgiving. Hopefully Mets fans will be giving thanks for their newly anointed manager.

TERRY COLLINS: Many believe that Collins will end up with the manager job for various reasons. Collins served as the Mets’ minor league coordinator last year, and has

received rave reviews for his work in the orga-

liken him to Mets fan favorite Bobby Valentine. While Collins is intriguing, and has ties to a few of the Mets players, he previously managed the Astros and Angels and has had mixed re-sults. After he was hired by the Astros in 1993, he led the team to three straight second place

Many question if Collins is the right choice to lead the current group of players, and while he is intriguing, I’m not completely sold on him yet. Collins is also favored by new Mets front

be the deciding factor of this search. Some believe that Collins is also being considered because of his intensity that he would bring to an otherwise stagnant clubhouse.

BOB MELVIN: Melvin is considered a front-runner for the job because of his previous managerial experience as the head coach of the

mixed records over the course of his manage-rial career- which includes high points and low

head coach in 2003. He led the Mariners to a 93-69 record, but the M’s narrowly missed the playoffs. The Mariners never recaptured the magic of that year, and over the course of the next year the team began a tailspin which ended in a 99 loss season in 2004. Melvin was let go at the end of that season, but soon signed on as

NLCS and narrowly missed a World Series

Mets hired Melvin as a scout (or as a potential

mid-season) last offseason, and he impressed the Mets higher-ups. “The Mad Scientist,” as Melvin is known as for the different (success-ful) lineup changes he concocts, could be a calm and collected manager that potentially would be the answer the Mets have been look-ing for. However, I see Melvin as more of a bench coach candidate than anything.

WALLY BACKMAN: Ah, Wally Back-man. Ever since his hiring last year to man-

Backman has garnered a cult-like following amongst the Mets fan base, while also be-

discussed. Some believe that Backman would bring the Mets an instant jolt of energy and intensity that would ripple down throughout the roster and revitalize the team. They often

who say that Backman brings the best out of his players and always has their back, and in return the team plays its heart out for him. Others believe that awarding Backman a major league job after a single season at A ball would be premature and irresponsible. Both sides of the argument are interesting and are certainly valid points. I would like to see Backman rise through the Mets minor league system over the next few years, and potentially overtake the manager’s position in the future. I think there is no question that Backman possesses the skills

to become a top notch manager, but I question his ability to jump from low minor leagues to the majors.

CHIP HALE: The dark horse, and my personal choice for the Mets’ managerial posi-tion Chip Hale, served as the Mets’ third base coach last season and instantly made a good impression on an otherwise disappointing team. It is said that Hale is motivated and energetic, and many see him as a future manager. The

to ask themselves is if that future is now. Hale

Backman has, but seems to be less public about it (you will know what I mean if you have seen Backman’s quite famous argument with an um-pire. Check it out on YouTube.) Hale started his

and slowly rose through it, winning at every

backs’ El Paso AA team had their league’s best

AAA team to a league championship. Besides his previous awards and success, Hale has something all of the other candidates have – a relationship with the current Mets roster. Hale is said to have a strong connection to many of the players on the team, which could go a long way in turning the Mets’ ship in a differ-ent direction. If I had to choose the Mets next manager, it would be Hale.

SPORTSTHE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO CORTLAND IN FINALS: PAGE 11

PHOTO BY LAURA LUENGASSIDE PHOTOS COURTESY OF STOCKTON PHOTO

Team Swims For A Cure

PAGE 14

Watson Wins Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year

PAGE 13

WHAT’S INSIDE

DOWN TO THE WIRE

EXAMINING POTENTIAL

METS MANAGERS

PAGE 15

Documents

The New Paltz Oracle, Volume 82, Issue 9