Mens hockey dominates on costume night
OPINION
Trumps third term talk sets bad precedent
Cardinal Creative: Brayden Munn
Munn builds his future through experimentation in painting and music
BY ADAM BLANCHARD Staff Writer
Not all artists know what path they wanted to take since childhood, even if their influences have always been present.
While growing up in Bloomingdale, Junior at SUNY Plattsburgh Brayden Munn’s uncle was a cartoonist, featured in the New Yorker magazine. His grandfather would leave a lasting impact on Munn.
“He was actually a helicopter paramedic,” Munn said. “But he was a super talented artist. He was a musician, too.”
Seemingly following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Munn would also learn to play multiple instruments prior to discovering his love for art. Having taught himself to play the drums and taking piano lessons for over 10 years, Munn began to love the arts.
He explored other media, finding a passion in portraits, specifically caricatures. Having experimented with many different materials like graphite, charcoal and acrylic paint, Munn would find oil paint to be the most pleasing to use.
“I used to do grotesque, cartoon sort of portraits,” Munn said. “And now it’s transitioned to where I’m doing realism portraits.”
In addition to being musically inclined and artistically trained, Munn let his creative mind run wild and had created a language system inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”
Munn had not always thought about pursuing art as a career, but only decided after Susan Hoffer, an adjunct professor at North Country Community College, recommended him to come to SUNY Plattsburgh.
“I started at North Country actually, and I was studying to be a teacher, not even art,” Munn said. “And even before that, I was trying to be a music major.”
Now having studied art for over a year collegiately, Munn has refined his craft developing a unique approach to painting that saves him time.
“I’ll set up a scene or I’ll find a scene, but usually I’ll set things up so that I can be intentional,” Munn said. “I’ll take a good photo with a digital camera, and then I like to project the photo onto my canvas. I could draw it on there, sort of traditionally. I could use a grid method, I could go free hand, but I found, sort of through trial and error, there’s really no shame in using the projector.”
Munn avoids doing sketches as well, preferring to go straight into the painting process. Munn’s choice of medium leaves room for mistakes to be fixed as he paints.
“Because of the way that I work, I have a lot of room to make mistakes and the oil paint is pretty forgiving,” Munn said. “And at the end of the day, I’m still gonna learn from it.”
Much of Munn’s inspiration is drawn from the old masters of art. He is deliberate in his art style, making his works reminiscent of older pieces. John Singer Sargent is his favorite artist.
Munn is working on a series focusing on people and their most valued possessions. He uses diptychs, a style of painting that uses two canvases, in order to draw attention to the two subjects. Munn submitted one of the pieces to the Best of SUNY Art Exhibition in Albany in hopes of having it displayed and recognized.
“The separation is what is supposed to drive the message home,” Munn said.
In the future, Munn aims to be a gallery artist, but he is not averse to becoming a teacher in the future.
“I’ve got lots of family that are teachers, so I’m not opposed to teaching, that’s what I was originally planning to do,” Munn said.
Having discovered his love for art so recently, Munn said that he encourages others to reach for their dreams. He hopes that others welcome the gift of art into their lives and get the most out of it.
“I think anybody could be a creative,” Munn said. “They just have to entertain whether they want art in their life or not.”
SA swears in 3 new members to open positions Student Association
BY GRANT TERWILLIGER News Editor
The Student Association approved students for Public Relations, Associate Justice and representatives for many different boards in the senate meeting Oct. 29.
Sophomore sociology major Catherine Acosta was voted in as the coordinator of public relations in a unanimous senate vote. Acosta’s prior experience in public relations comes from high school, where she decided to make a club as a place for students to stay engaged and have somewhere to go to socialize.
“I decided, with a couple friends, to make a sort of safe place for people,” Acosta said. “We coordinated with staff and we made event signs and flyers and we went around advocating.”
Acosta said that she is looking forward to working with the SA and bringing more visibility to the association. Acosta said that she has never worked with a group as large as the SA, but is looking forward to learning more.
“I feel like I am the most open person I know to just learning and hearing people well and listening. I know that everybody here has more experience than me, and so I’m more than grateful to just hear what everybody has to say and receive everybody’s advice,” Acosta said.
First year Lila Degracia is a first generation student looking forward to majoring in Political Science in the near future. Degracia was approved as associate justice in a unanimous senate vote.
“I want to major in political science. The associate justice job within the student government would help me have a lot more experience for my future, and hopefully when I become a person of law,” Degracia said.
Finance major Jean Paul Weekes was unanimously approved as a student representative for the finance board. Weekes is a part of the American Marketing Association and said that he is excited to learn more about his position and gain more professional experience.
“I’m looking to get some more experience in general in the finance world in terms of money management,” Weekes said. “I think I give good insight and the multiple meetings I’ve been to for the Finance Board, I was able to help them form decisions on other clubs and how to spend their money.”
Shana Wright was approved as a Student Representative for the Activities board in a unanimous vote. Wright has been interested in bringing activities to schools since high school and looks forward to doing the same as a student representative.
“I started the senior association to bring activities for seniors because we didn’t really get a lot of activities or get to do cool things at school,” Wright said. “I used to do fundraisers to raise money for activities like the senior trip.”
ADAM BLANCHARD/Cardinal Points
Brayden Munn stands in front of his artwork in the painting studio in the Myers Fine Arts Building.
ANYA KERN/Cardinal Points Student Association Senators vote on Oct. 29.
Plattsburgh’s 4th annual Black Solidarty Day
GRYPHON AKRIDGE-PHILLIPS/Cardinal Points
Bright Kontor Osei shows off his painting Nov 3.
ANYA KERN/Cardinal Points Maiah Vega-Reyes speaks at the My Culture, My Style open mic and fashion jam.
GRYPHON AKRIDGE-PHILLIPS/Cardinal Points
Bright Kontor Osei presents his work at his open presentation.
ANYA KERN/Cardinal Points
Isabella Patrocino at the open mic in Burghys den.
GRYPHON AKRIDGE-PHILLIPS/Cardinal Points
One of Bright Kontor Oseis works Nov 3.
ANYA KERN/Cardinal Points
A member of the Montreal steppers give an intro to stepping.
Cards’ 6 goals scares Spartans
BY KAMIKO CHAMBLE Sports Editor
The Plattsburgh State Cardinals men’s hockey team entered their game against Vermont State University on Halloween determined to bring home a win 6-1. In honor of the holiday, the exhibition game was also a special costume night.
Plattsburgh made a statement early in the game, setting the tone with aggressive forechecking, crisp passing and relentless pursuit of the puck.
After the fast-paced start, the Cardinals finally broke through late in the first period. First year defender Mike English broke out from deep in his own zone, threading a long, precise pass to sophomore Patrick Cole. Cole fired the shot past the Castleton goaltender, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans answered the first goal quickly. The team took advantage of a breakaway opportunity generated by a turnover at the blue line and scored to tie the score at one before the first intermission.
The Cardinals entered the second period organized. The Spartans wouldn’t find another opportunity to score and Plattsburgh was set up for a commanding second half.
STATISTICS
M. SOCCER
M. D’lppolito D. Perry, M R. Ashong, D MINUTES 1597 1387 1383 W. SOCCER
# S. Myers, M A. DeLaCruz, F K. Licita, M GOALS 11 5 3 # S.
In the middle frame, Plattsburgh quickly regained control. After making a crucial mistake in his own defensive zone, senior forward Riley Sutherland quickly passed the puck up ice to Cole, who then made a precise pass to sophomore forward Blake Hall, who was trailing. Without hesitation, Hall buried the puck to give the Cardinals the lead again and start an attacking rush that would continue for the rest of the game.
Gabriel Filion, a first-year forward, increased the lead to 3-1 just
over ten minutes later. He scored his first goal of the year by intercepting a ball and finishing cleanly in front of the net with fast hands.
Shortly after, junior forward Aaron Catron demonstrated how his defensive instincts could be turned into offensive play by swiping the puck from a Spartan defender in their own zone and scoring his first goal of the year to make it 4-1.
Filion struck once more as Plattsburgh kept up the pressure. Filion scored his second goal of the evening and gave the Cardinals a dominating 5-1 lead going into the third period after Cole passed the ball to senior Quinn Tavares, whose first attempt was stopped. With several forwards cycling in and maintaining momentum, the team made its depth clear. Having easy access to new legs kept up intense, offensive pressure on Castleton.
Senior Jake Sacratini took advantage of a rebound off the end glass, circled in front of the net, and lifted
a crisp shot over the goalie’s shoulder to give Plattsburgh a convincing 6-1 victory in the final period.
In goal, junior Dominik Bovan made a strong statement in his first season as the team’s full-time starter. Bovan exuded a calm composure throughout the night, making several critical stops early to keep the game tied before the offense found its rhythm. He finished with 22 saves on 23 shots, earning his first win of the year while establishing a foundation of confidence that will be vital for Plattsburgh’s success this season. With the goal of extending their winning streak and maintaining their supremacy on the home ice, Plattsburgh will try to bring this energy into their home game v.s. Oswego State next week at 7 p.m.
Dropped set doesn’t deter Cardinals
BY CHRISTIAN TUFINO Staff Writer
The SUNY Plattsburgh Cardinals women’s volleyball team picked up a 3–1 victory over the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs on Halloween night. After dropping the first set 18-25, the Cardinals regrouped and found their rhythm battling back to win the next three sets 27-25, 25-23, and 25-22. The team refused to let its early mistakes haunt them as junior outside hitter Iris Mulvey led the way with 14 kills and 16 digs leading the way for a steady match. With the win, Plattsburgh improves its record to 9-14 overall, and 2-6 in SUNYAC play.
Several Cardinals stood out as big contributors that night. Following that Junior Darby Collyear with 8 kills and Junior Liya Girma with 6 kills. Freshman Emily O’Brien facilitated the team’s attack and dished out 15 assists and Sophomore Anabella Almeida recorded 13 assists. On the defensive end, Grima led the team with 19 digs. Mulvey added 16 digs and Senior Bridget Ryan recorded 14 digs to anchor the defense. Senior Kyleigh Ganz recorded the teams sole block.
Iris, Girma, Bridget, Anabella and O’Brien are determined to bring Plattsburgh a victory. Iris has already scored 215 kills and 220 digs which dwarfs her previous seasons stats of 127 kills and 57 digs. Girma recorded 259 kills and 221 digs so
far this season already passing her 2024 season stats of 214 kills and 219 digs.
Bridget has recorded an impressive 360 digs this season passing her previous seasons record of 219 digs. Anabella has a recorded 392 assists overshadowing her previous seasons record of 209 assists. O’Brien in her first season has already recorded 386 assists showing her undeniable impact on the team.
Leading Morrisville’ s offense Sophomore Isabella Eskierka achieved 15 kills and 2 blocks followed by Sophomore Samantha Siedlecki who recorded 11 kills and 2 blocks. Creating chances for their team Freshman Keely Shearer had
19 assists and Sophomore Cassandra Bellmore had 14 assists. Defensively, Morrisville Senior Kayla Sheasby achieved 18 digs followed by Eskierka recorded 12 digs and Bellmore provided an additional 10 digs. This win set a tone of resilience for the season as through teamwork and grit the Cards were able to pull out a 3-1 win.
Provided by EMMA DEO
Senior forward Colin Callanan recieves the puck Oct. 18.
Provided by EMMA DEO
Junior outside hitter Liya Girma bumps the ball Oct 24.
Third term talk must stop
BY SOPHIE ALBERTIE Opinions Editor
President Donald Trump will not be running for a third term. He reached this conclusion in a statement to the reporters accompanying him on an Air Force One flight to South Korea Wednesday, Oct. 29
“I have the highest poll numbers that I’ve ever had, you know, based on what I’ve read I guess I’m not allowed to run, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
“I’m not allowed to run, it’s too bad, but we have a lot of great people.”
The topic of Trump running for a third term in the presidential election, and directly doing so against the 22nd amendment, was a conversation for a surprisingly long amount of time before this interaction. Steve Bannon, former chief strategist to the president, mentioned that there was an active plan in place for Trump to achieve this goal only a week prior to said claim being shut down.
“Trump is going to be president in ‘28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that.” Bannon said. He then continued to say that there were many different alternatives to upholding the 22nd
amendment, which states that no one person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.
“At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is, but there is a plan, and president Trump will be the president in ‘28,” Bannon said.
A video was posted to the president’s Instagram account which showed him standing at a podium that reads “Trump 2048” before advancing on into an infinite number of years. The clip has since been deleted following Wednesday’s statements.
This attitude has persevered as early as his first election run in 2015. In front of the podium he tells the press that he will never leave the race before he is even elected president. Fast-forward to 2020, Trump told advisors that he would refuse to leave the office on former President Joe Biden’s inauguration day.
Of course, he was gone for four years. Since his return, he has continued his claims in passing about his desire to run again, and for as long as he can remain in office.
Objectively, why should any president be stopped from running for a third term?
The answer connects more to the benefit of society than it does
a corrupt politician having all of the power. The 22nd amendment was first prompted by Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency. Roosevelt was a Democrat who ended up serving four terms in office from 1933-1945. This should not have happened, despite the people wanting him to be there. A presidency should not run longer than the allotted time stated in the constitution for any reason. The same set of standards can and should be applied to the predicament of Trump wanting to stay in office for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, the line is crossed over from democracy into authoritarianism.
No matter how badly MAGA fans think they might want this, any overstepping of the constitution is bound to limit the country and any progress America might make moving forward under the same presidential rule for longer than previously stated.
New Vogue article unleashes wave of pick-mes online
BY SOPHIE ALBERTIE Opinions Editor
I’m glad Chante Joseph brought this up.
The article “Is having a boyfriend embarrassing now?” was published in the opinions section of Vogue Thursday, Oct 29. The response across social media from other women has been major: Perhaps even more embarrassing.
Self proclaimed lover-girls are scrambling to make their man the exception to this conversation. “Sorry Vogue,” one post reads, “but having a boyfriend is only embarrassing when he’s a loser.” That makes two of you girl, the projection is real. I say conversation because it was never a rule, one thing the romantics would know if they actually read Joseph’s piece. Instead, most reactionaries have simply taken the admittedly polarizing headline at face value.
I’m surprised by this unconvincing army and the lack of literary comprehension. They jump to validate a man as another way to validate themselves.
Here’s my question: Does he watch the videos of you defending him with your life? A performance needs an audience and you need a job, especially when the stage is laid with a patriarchal foundation. Perhaps “you are your own voyeur,” or whatever Margaret Atwood said in “The Robber Bride.” Love and relationships are beautiful wondrous things, but the prospect of having someone to claim should never have been an accomplishment. Joseph says this, very gently. Tying the statement to the point of a newfound era that comes from decentering romantic love from one’s shelf of trophies.
Let’s erase the narrative of man-hater. It’s 2025. Put your phone down, we as a society are allowed to talk about slightly unconventional perspectives in this house.
Tim Robinson’s ‘Friendship’ wickedly weird
BY SOPHIE ALBERTIE Opinions Editor
Pointless, indecipherable fun is the new wave.
Tim Robinson’s “Friendship” is a ridiculously meta roller coaster ride through masculine friendships. Robinson stars as the inept Craig Waterman, a guy who is encouraged by his wife, Tami, played by Kate Mara, to just get out there and make a friend. From there, Waterman meets the charismatic Austin Carmichael, played by Paul Rudd, and the two set off on a series of adventures.
There is one major issue: Waterman can’t hang. Will this bromance survive the waters of social awkwardness, or is his life ruined? In addition, other honorable mentions for his sub-par life include a dissatisfied wife and a bored teenage son, each adrift in their own little worlds while Waterman watches from the sidelines.
This is a film that explores social politics with the hilarity of a sketch show, which makes sense given Robinson’s work on SNL and his own sketch show titled “I think you should leave.” Viewers will walk away questioning how relationships can make or break
their own lives, but the journey to find the hidden motifs and depth in this film is completely bizarre.
Even so, the whole thing works. Directors like David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman have taught movie goers that the surreality of their work doesn’t make the movie bad, if anything it makes films more intriguing. There are scenes in this film that call for laughing out loud from both uneasiness and funny one-liners.
No creative choice is really wasted, despite the repetitive character behavior and dialogue. Every moment is clever and unexpected, which guarantees for an edge-of-seat experience in more ways than one.
If there’s one thing that Robinson knows, it’s how to play up dry humor and wacky interactions in unexpected ways.
This movie is an objective three and a half stars, but it earns perfection in the heart and soul for the comics and sardonics of the world. Please, watch this movie if you’re looking for something steeped in self aware ridiculousness.
Email SOPHIE ALBERTIE cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
SOPHIE ALBERTIE
Email SOPHIE ALBERTIE cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
Via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald Trump speaks at his 2024 inauguration.
