The Statesman: Volume 57 Issue 8

The Statesman informing stony brook university for more than 50 years Monday, October 21, 2013

Volume LVII, Issue 8

sbstatesman.com

Consul General presents ideals and limits of “Chinese Dream”

Rape reports increase at Stony Brook

By Will Welch

Assistant News Editor

By Chris Woods Staff Writer

Ambassador Sun Guoxiang, the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in New York said that the “Chinese Dream” is “by no means a nationalist, nor an aggressive imperial dream” during a special lecture at Stony Brook University on Friday, Oct. 18.

“The rise of China is an opportunity, not a threat, to the rest of the world,” Sun said. “It will not only bring benefits to its own people but people all over the world; China cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, and nor can the world enjoy prosperity without China.”

An ambassador for over thirty years, Sun spoke about the “Chinese Dream” and what it means for both China’s emerging position as a global power and Stony Brook students, who he described as potential ambassadors in China-US relations.

But a question and answer session and subsequent interviews revealed limits to the ideology he emphasized in his lecture.

Sun navigated and challenged questions concerning China’s stance in the East and South China Sea territorial disputes, freedom of the press, China’s one-child policy, China’s environmental impact and China’s trade relationship with

ANUSHA MOOKHERJEE / THE STATESMAN

Chinese Consul General of New York Sun Guoxiang says that the Chinese dream is peaceful and beneficial for both China and the rest of the world.

African countries.

Of these, the most lengthy and controversial subject was China’s stance in the highly contested East and South China Sea disputes.

China is currently competing with Japan over the Senkaku (Japanese)/Diaoyu (Chinese) Islands in the East China Sea, and with the Philippines in the South China Sea. Sun said that China has sovereignty in both areas and that recent international claims that China is the “trouble-maker” are untrue. He said that “until the 1960s, there had not been any issue with the South China Sea,” and that only after oil and natural

gas resources were discovered in the 70s did other countries begin challenging China’s sovereignty.

He said that, while “China is the victim here, in order to maintain stability and peace in the region, it has proposed to solve this issue through peaceful negotiation.”

He did not, however, provide any definitive information on China’s military history in the area, such as its infamous seizure of the Paracel Islands from Vietnam in 1974.

Sun positioned China as mostly innocent in its dispute with Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which was reignited last year when Japan attempted to buy the islands

would also mean higher tuition.

Vice President for External Relations Elaine Crosson also believes that defaulting would have a significant effect on New York’s state government and thereby Stony Brook, which receives a significant portion of its funding from the state.

When interviewed last week, she said, “there is no immediate impact so far of the 10 day shutdown, but we will feel an immediate impact from the default.”

Stony Brook’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps usually has trainers from Hofstra University come to campus three days a week, but has not been able to since the government shutdown.

ROTC Public Affairs Officer Brian Wang Chung said that the trainers have not been able to use the government vehicles assigned to them, preventing them from driving to Stony Brook. “They have been trying to teach a class over Skype, but it’s a logistical

nightmare,” said Chung.

Chung is required to attend the Leadership Development and Assessment Course next summer, but the government shutdown affected his training for the course.

“It’s important for us because you know if you do well in it, it determines your future branch choices in the army,” he said. “We are kind of ill prepared for LDAC next summer.”

Chung and the other cadets may encounter the same situation if the government shuts down again in January.

John Rizzo, professor of Economics & Preventive Medicine and chief economist at the Long Island Association, said the debt ceiling deal is just a way to kick aside the issue for a few months.

“What we need is a longer term commitment to solve this issue than just a few months.”

According to Rizzo, a recession would cause increased unemployment, which means

from their disputed owners, the Kurihara family.

The ambassador cited China’s discovery of the islands during the Ming dynasty as evidence of its sovereignty and that Japan definitively relinquished its ownership claim in its postWorld War II treaty, the Potsdam Declaration.

The Japanese government dismissed this argument, which cited the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951 as evidence that in renouncing areas including Taiwan, it kept the Senkaku Islands.

Continued on page 6

Debt ceiling deal may come at a cost to Stony Brook students

By Nujbat Meraji Contributing Writer

President Obama signed a deal this Wednesday to end the government shutdown and allow it to continue borrowing money until Feb. 7, 2014. The deal ended a standoff that could have affected the global economy, including Stony Brook University.

SUNY Distinguished Professor of Political Science Jeffrey Segal said this means nothing will change for Stony Brook.

But the deal is temporary and the United States may face the same situation of government instability next February. The government is only funded through Jan. 15.

“If the government defaults on its debt, we could fall back into another recession which would hurt funding for all public institutions,” Segal said, adding that falling back into recession

PHOTO CREDIT: MCT CAMPUS

President Obama signed a debt ceiling deal last week.

children education investment will suffer.

“We have all just gone through a recession and the impact on the university was felt in many different ways. So I think we would brace ourselves for more of what we just endured since 2008,” Crosson said.

More rapes were reported last year on Stony Brook University’s campus than in any previous year since 2006, according to a security report released by the University Police Department last month.

The 17 incidents in 2012 are nearly double the seven reported in 2010.

UPD Assistant Chief of Patrol Eric Olsen said the victim in every reported case knew the assailant and that alcohol was involved in most cases.

He suggested the higher number was not a sign of a more dangerous campus, but that victims are becoming more willing to report sexual assault. “We always encourage people to report that crime,” he said.

The Statesman was also able to obtain data for as far back as 2006: 10 rapes were reported in 2006, five in 2007, four in 2008, five in 2009, seven in 2010 and 13 in 2011.

Though the UPD is taking no new action to address the increased reports, it hosts a Rape Aggression Defense class that is part of a national program started in 1989.

Other numbers from the document show a decrease in reports of robbery, assault, burglary, car theft and arson, and a fluctuation in liquor, drug and weapons-related arrests and referrals. Olsen said some of the decreased numbers could be a result of a partnership with campus residences.

“We’ve increased patrols over thanksgiving break and we’ve worked well with campus residences to improve the community,” he said.

The most common offenses on campus are liquor violations, followed by drug violations, burglary and rape.

The crime statistics for 2012 are available on the UPD website listed as the 2013 Clery Annual Security Report—a report all college campuses receiving money from the federal government are required to release by the Clery Act. The Clery Act was passed in 1990 after Jeanne Clery, a freshman at Lehigh University, was raped and killed in her dorm in 1986. The backlash against unreported crime on college campuses led to the passage of the law, which requires universities to release a crime report every October, maintain a crime log of the past 60 days and warn the community of crimes that threaten the safety students or employees.

Southampton, Manhattan and Korea reported no crimes on their campuses in 2012.

News

Arts

Opinions

Sports

A Stony Brook professor has a treatment for C. diff.

SBU is one of 50 campuses ranked by complex.com

SBVAC is currently funded by the student activities fee.

Women’s soccor won a 2-0 victory over Binghamton.

MORE ON PAGE 3

MORE ON PAGE 7

Poop pills offer cure for deadly infection

SBU campus ranks seventh ugliest in US

Changing SBVAC’s funding for security MORE ON PAGE 11

Seawolves cinch playoffs spot MORE ON PAGE 16

2

Advertisement

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Statesman

Centara thai cuisine featuring authentic Thai and vegetarian cuisine

Centara

1015 Route 25A, Stony Brook

thai cuisine

(631) 689-2135

Across from the Stony Brook train station and next to 7-Eleven

Lunches start at $7.95

●

Dinners start at $9.95

Free S With oda Lunc h

366-4440

HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 10 AM to 9 PM Sunday 10 AM to 6 PM

FOURTH WORLD COMICS 33 Route 111, Smithtown, NY 11787 (Uncle Giuseppe’s Shopping Center)

NEW AND BACK ISSUES STAR TREK • DR WHO • TOYS • STAR WARS SCIENCE FICTION • POSTERS • T-SHIRTS JAPANIMATION • VIDEOTAPES • MODEL KITS MAGIC: THE GATHERING • ROLE PLAYING GAMES

10% DISCOUNT W/VALID STONY BROOK ID CARD

Don’t miss Long Island’s SCARIEST haunt!

TWO WEEKS LEFT

OCTOBER 4 – NOVEMBER 2 6 13 20 27

M

T

W

T

F

S

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

1

2

NOV

OCT

S

$25 ADMISSION

FOUR YEARS IN A ROW

CARCASS

Voted 1 ON LONG ISLAND, #

Use coupon code CARCASS. Not valid Fridays or Saturdays.

CARCASS

$30 At the Door. Buy online for the best price.

#hauntedplayhouse

Call 631-286-1133 or go to www.gatewayshauntedplayhouse.com

NEWS

Poop pills offer a cure for a potentially deadly infection

By Kelly Zegers Staff Writer

A new, unusual method of treating Clostridium difficile (C. diff ) infection was developed by University of Calgary professor Dr. Thomas Louie, who teaches microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, C. diff infection is caused by a germ that affects

people with weak immune systems or those who had “good” digestive bacteria that were killed by antibiotics. The C. diff germ grows in the intestines and causes diarrhea.

When antibiotics to treat C. diff are ineffective and the infection returns, patients may be directed to try non-standard treatments. One of those methods is a transplant of fecal matter from a close family member that has healthy bacteria.

Louie adapted that method— now patients can receive treatment in the form of capsules, being widely referred to as “poop pills.”

In reality, according to Louie, the pills are made by processing healthy feces until it contains “only bacteria,” then concentrated inside three layers of gelatin capsule, allowing the pills to travel past the stomach into the small intestine.

Louie sees this as an

advantage as the method “does not involve invasive and more costly procedures, and is more comfortable for patients.”

The University of Calgary reported that the treatment was 100 percent successful in preventing the recurrence of C.diff infection in each of their 27 patients.

The idea of “poop pills” might seem outrageous or comical, but it is a development in eliminating an infection that, in serious cases,

can lead to death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C. diff infection is “linked to 14,000 American deaths each year.”

Newsday reported that Simons Chair of Medicine Dr. Vincent Yang, who specializes in internal medicine, said that Stony Brook will definitely consider the pills and believes there is “a lot potential in this method to treat C. diff.”

Women's health day addresses sexuality and relationships ByKayla Jimenez Contributing Writer

Women from all over Long Island gathered at the Melville Marriott Long Island hotel on Saturday for Stony Brook Medicine’s Women’s Health Day Conference, which included seminars with names like “Bosom Buddies” and “Out of the Closet and Into the Mainstream.”

The Marriott Hotel’s second floor contained check-in areas and tables for varicose vein consultation and free cholesterol screening. Around the corner, three rooms were set up to accommodate various doctors, physical therapists and experts in health fields from Stony Brook Medicine as they prepared to address their taboo topics.

The director of the event, Yvonne Spreckels, said she was inspired “to [give women] topics that they wanted to know about.”

“It’s because men don’t listen,” she said. “Women are interested in learning about their health and want to talk to doctors without having to pay for it.

Men would rather look things up on the internet than come to a conference.”

After lunch, keynote speaker Gail Sheehy approached the Stony Brook Medicine podium in Marriott's ballroom in an orange blazer and beaded necklace over a black ensemble.

“The center for disease control didn’t even have female rats,” she said, followed by a roar of laughter from the crowd.

While her speech addressed health of middle age women, Sheehy used pop culture as a way to gain the interest of all age groups in the room, showing photos of Miley Cyrus when addressing sexuality and dating, and Oprah and Meryl Streep to show “seasoned women.”

Sheehy noted that “dreams stimulate the brain and open up new ideas and imagination,” and told the story of a women who followed her dreams using singing as her motivation. She encouraged the audience to “find passion in work, relationships and spiritual life,” because emotional stability improves one’s sex life.

EFAL SAYED/ THE STATESMAN

Gail Sheehy speaks about dreams, health, sexuality and dating at Women's Health Day. While her talk was focused on middle-aged women, she advised college students to “seek more intimacy over quickie sexual

relationships” to get the most satisfaction.

Sheehy said young women should “think about what [they]

eat, and exercise every day. It will make them look and feel better and improve their mental health.”

“There are plenty of terrible stuff on both sides to go around,” he said, “but the real story is the hijack of [the Republican party] by fanatics.”

The truth meant to inform the public has instead, according to Bernstein, been replaced by a tendency of news organizations to “be subject to politics and ideology over problem solving.” But he did express his admiration for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s ability to educate the public well.

Looking back at Watergate, Bernstein said the most frightening moment was when he and Woodward realized John Mitchell, the United States Attorney General at the time, was involved in operating a slush fund.

Presently, Bernstein is a visiting professor at Stony Brook University because it agreed to let him teach courses in multiple disciplines. He will be here for the next two years.

“I’ve known for a while that I wanted to teach and also have known for a while that I did not want to teach just journalism,” he said.

By Chris Woods

The garden is located near the Research and Development Park Greenhouse and has worked to increase campus sustainability through local materials and lowering carbon-emissions linked to food transportation.

Ecosystems and human impact major Séamus Peterson is one of the EcoLeaders the who operates the garden as a planting assistant. He stressed how much of the construction relied on locally planted, bought or found materials, and highlighted the use of dead trees left over from Hurricane Sandy as compost.

“We dug up the site next to the greenhouse and raised thirteen beds, roughly eight-by-three feet. From there we used campus compost and some sterile soil the school had bought,” Peterson said. “The mulch is local. Stony Brook made it through wood waste they collected around campus. Especially after Sandy, when all the trees fell out.”

The garden’s proximity to the

Legendary journalist speaks at lecture series Stony Brook U's organic garden

By Ryan Wolf Staff Writer

Stony Brook students caught a glimpse into the American press through the eyes of worldrenowned journalist Carl Bernstein at the fiftieth “My Life As” presentation on Tuesday night.

Bernstein rose to national prominence in 1972 when he

and fellow Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward broke the Watergate Scandal story, which linked President Richard Nixon to illegal activities.

At the lecture, Bernstein discussed the government shutdown. This failure of the federal government, according to Bernstein, shows a failure of the news media to obtain “the best obtainable version of truth.”

KATE MUSTAKAS / THE STATESMAN

Carl Bernstein answers questions at the "My Life As" lecture.

Staff Writer

Stony Brook’s organic garden is closed for the season, but plans are already underway to reopen and expand it in 2014.

Student EcoLeaders worked with the Office of Sustainability over the summer to construct the garden, where they grew vegetables used in soups at the Student Activities Center’s food court. Director of Sustainability James O’Connor said that while the approaching winter has temporarily closed the project, work will continue between students and the department.

“We do have aspirations without a doubt to accelerate the organic garden in the early spring,” O’Connor said. “We've ratcheted down on the growth only because of the season—we'll soon be in late October.”

“But we have aspirations to continue. We still have students involved and will have them involved in the greenhouse, which is located next to the organic garden,” he said.

Continued on page 6

4

Monday, October 21, 2013

Advertisement

The Statesman

Hey, undergrads: we want your input about Stony Brook Athletics You are invited to participate in the Undergraduate Athletic Advisory Group. Join us to discuss the role of Athletics on campus, provide comments on Athletics initiatives, and be a sounding board for Seawolf spirit, pride and marketing ideas. You’ll also have the opportunity to discuss the current use of the Athletics Fee component of the Comprehensive Fee.

Ask me about Accident Forgiveness.

With other insurance companies, having an accident can mean your rates rise as much as 40%. But with Allstate’s Accident Forgiveness, your rates won’t go up at all just because of an accident. Don’t wait! Call me today.

Simon A. De Souza, MBA (631) 689-7770 215 Hallock Road, Suite 1 B Stony Brook, NY 11790 simon@allstate.com

Serving SUNY/SB students for over 30 years.

Congratulations class of 2014!

Attend any or all of the meetings. We welcome your input and constructive feedback, as well as your willingness to share what you’ve learned about the current state and future goals of the Department of Athletics with other students.

Advisory Group Meeting Schedule All meetings are held in the Indoor Sports Complex administration conference room.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013.................................... 5 pm to 6 pm Tuesday, December 3, 2013 ..................................5 pm to 6 pm Tuesday, February 25, 2014 ..................................5 pm to 6 pm Tuesday, April 1, 2014............................................5 pm to 6 pm

For more information regarding the Undergraduate Athletic Advisory Group, contact Matt Larsen, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, at 632-4516 or Matthew.Larsen@stonybrook.edu

Feature is optional and subject to terms and conditions. Safe Driving Bonus® won’t apply after an accident. In CA, you could still lose the 20% Good Driver Discount. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company: Northbrook, IL. © 2010 Allstate Insurance Company.

Stony Brook University/SUNY is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. 13100465

15-Passenger Vans Available

News

The Statesman

Under the microscope: researching the science of successful people

By Ruchi Shah

the National Science Foundation to conduct experiments that “intervene in the real world as it is occurring.”

His research team implemented his experiment in two mediums.

First, they worked with Kickstarter, a website where entrepreneurs post their ideas and ask for funding.

Initially, van de Rijt chose a group of projects on Kickstarter that were relatively small and equal in scale.

When the projects were chosen, they did not have any funding. The projects were then split into two groups. All of the projects in one group were given a small amount of money and the projects in the second group were left untouched.

Anticipated results show that the small initial endowment given

Staff Writer

Every other week Ruchi Shah, a biology major, will take a look at Stony Brook-related research and science news Successful people tend to gain further successes, though many wonder if these successes are a result of merit or other social factors.

Dr. Arnout van de Rijt, associate professor of sociology at Stony Brook University, is elucidating the social influences in success through his experiments.

To better understand the nature of success as something that is arbitrary versus something that is meritorious, van de Rijt received a grant from

CHRISTOPHER PIMENTO / THE STATESMAN

The results of Dr. Arnout van de Rijit's research have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

to select projects predicted greater future success.

Other random third parties were more likely to invest in the projects that already had a small amount of funding compared to similar projects that did not have funding.

This phenomenon appears to play a role in gaining signatures on a petition. Van de Rijt’s students chose some petitions on the website change.com that did not have any signatures.

After splitting them into two groups, the petitions in one group received a few signatures, while the petitions in the other groups were left untouched.

Van de Rijt is still waiting for results but anticipates that those petitions given a few initial signatures will ended up with many more signatures than the petitions left untouched.

This work is significant because it plays a role in all aspects of daily life, like donations, downloads, votes and reviews. Things and people that are already successful may to be more successful due to “sizeable feedback effects,” van de Rijt explained.

The next step in his study is to better understand the reason behind this phenomenon.

Using a team of sociologists, psychologists, economists and statisticians, van de Rijt plans to create a complete analysis of the nature of repeated success and the role of society in this success.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Theft

5

Police Blotter

On Tuesday, Oct. 8, a computer keyboard was stolen from Frey Hall by a male resident student.

The student was arrested.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8, a female resident student’s pocketbook was stolen. The investigation is ongoing.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, there was a break in at the cash register at the Health Sciences Center.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, a bike screen from the Bike Share Program was damaged at the SAC loop.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, a keyboard was stolen from the Javits Lecture Hall. A male resident student was arrested.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, a female commuter student reported to police that her pocketbook was stolen from the Student Activities Center.

Marijuana On Thursday, Oct. 10, three males were referred to the university for marijuana.

were issued referrals at Kelly Quad for marijuana.

On Sunday, Oct. 13, three referrals were issued for marijuana at Benedict College.

Campus On Monday, Oct. 7, a female commuter student reported to police that there was damage to her vehicle.

On Thursday, Oct. 7, a male commuter student reported damage to his vehicle at Kenneth LaValle Stadium.

On Friday, Oct. 11, there was damage to an exit sign in Lauterbur.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, there was a report of an individual knocking down exit signs at Hamilton College.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, a male commuter student was arrested for DWI on Circle Road and Kelly Drive.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, there was damage to an exit sign at Hamilton College.

On Friday, Oct. 11, two referrals were issued for marijuana.

On Sunday, Oct. 13, an exit sign was reported being ripped down at Eisenhower College.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, three males

Complied by Ashleigh Sherow

Campus briefing: USG senate halts transportation initiative

By Will Welch

Assistant News Editor

The Undergraduate Student Government Senate rejected a resolution supporting a new Friday bus route on Oct. 10 after senators repeatedly attempted to adjust its phrasing.

USG President Adil Hussain proposed the resolution, which would support an initiative USG has pursued since the summer.

Though the senators supported it, they disagreed on wording.

Some senators were concerned that the bus route would contribute to the ongoing offcampus housing conflict between students and local homeowners in surrounding residential areas.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Steven Adelson argued that

Meeting in Brief

• Approval of two new justices was tabled.

• A credential system for USG events was sent back to committee.

• A bus route resolution was voted down.

• Wages were passed for USG photographers.

• Older Students on Campus recieved a $121 budget.

the resolution did not contain enough proof that the route would be beneficial.

“This resolution would be much more credible to the transportation service if it included data,” Adelson said.

Executive Vice President Mallory Rothstein recommended sending the transportation resolution back to the committee to be rewritten, but Sen. Jawad Mourabet moved to end the debate, forcing a yes or no vote.

Five senators supported the amended resolution. Fourteen opposed it and one senator abstained, killing the effort.

Hussain agreed to re-introduce the resolution to the legislative review committee on Monday.

The Office of Transportation and Parking Operations, which will ultimately decides whether or not to implement a late night bus route, surveyed students on the issue last month.

A resolution would add the direct support of the USG senate to survey results, which have not been released yet.

Vice President of Student Life, Garry Lachhar, proposed a policy that would require staff and press to carry credentials at USG events, but it was sent back to the vetting and communications committee.

Senators debated for more than a half hour on whether or not it should be passed as an executive order, amendment to the USG code or as an amendment to the

Student Activities Board by laws.

Sen. Vincent Justiniano tabled a decision to approve two judicial candidates until the next meeting, when they would be competing with two other candidates for the three available positions in the supreme court.

The senate did pass wages of $10 per hour for photographers and videographers in the newly created USG media agency.

It also approved a provisional $121 budget for the mentoring club Older Siblings on Campus.

MANJU SHIVACHARAN / THE STATESMAN

Senator Jawad Mourabet moved to end debate on the transportation resolution.

MANJU SHIVACHARAN / THE STATESMAN

VP of Student Life Garry Lachhar wants credentials for staff and press at USG events.

MANJU SHIVACHARAN / THE STATESMAN

USG President Adil Hussain writes on a blackboard asserting the supplemental nature of his transportation resolution after the senate voted it down. He will re-introduce it on Monday.

6

News

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Statesman

Ambassador Sun answers tough questions SBU EcoLeaders grow green Continued from page 1

Continued from page 3

“The Chinese government’s position has been very clear,” Sun said. “And we hope Japan will return to its previous position so that the issue will not comprise the larger picture of China-Japan relations.”

He also notably admitted that China’s economic development has come at an environmental cost. “We have a high-energy consumption method, which has come at the expense of future generations,” Sun said. “Now, to protect the environment we have asked all our enterprises to use clean energy and modern technology so we can achieve harmony between man and nature.”

He cited one company’s threeyear environmental approval process as evidence of the Chinese government’s commitment, though he did not name the company.

In a later interview, Sun said that he supported freedom of the press, defining the media’s responsibility as showing “what is best for society.” However, he largely emphasized journalists’ roles in presenting positive stories, and did not touch on China’s strong censorship of both foreign and domestic media.

“When American newspaper correspondents are in China, of course you can see a lot of pictures,” Sun said. “Some good, some not so good, and correspondents should find some positive things to tell

vegetables’ destination ensured that transportation related carbon-emissions were kept to a minimum and the vegetables themselves remained fresh.

“A week after the plants really developed we would make deliveries to the SAC and to the kitchen, and bring roughly ten to fifteen pounds of veggies,” Peterson said. “We got plants from a local place and grew roughly ten different types of veggies herbs and that sort of thing.”

According to the Sustainability website, the garden grew lettuce, spinach, zucchini, squash, string beans, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and cilantro— “The classic variety,” Peterson added.

University advocates of sustainability, including President of the Environmental Club Sheri Bossong, welcomed the project.

“The organic garden is great, and a fantastic way to make Stony Brook sustainable,” Bossong said.

“Locally grown food is important for keeping our carbon footprint down, and ‘home grown’ food always tastes better.”

As to the future of the garden, O’Connor said that students would contribute to planning the reopening, which will hopefully expand to alternating vegetable growth.

ANUSHA MOOKHERJEE / THE STATESMAN

Ambassador Sun told a crowd that China's economic development will have lasting environemental effects. the people.”

“I always encourage the media to play a positive, active role in developing the relationship between countries,” he said.

Similarly, Sun was quick to highlight the positive effects of China’s one-child policy, listing China’s decreased fertility rate as a sign that it was working and should be kept for now.

He briefly addressed the policy’s effects on gender imbalance, despite figures showing that around 30 million more men will enter adulthood than women in 2020 because of the nation’s preference for boys.

“It’s about 50-50,” Sun said. “In the rural areas the males are more but in the cities, maybe girls are more.”

Sun also said he had a son but,

smiling, added that his wife would “prefer a daughter."

Stony Brook’s President Samuel Stanley approved of the lecture, describing Sun as eloquent in his responses and the questions as both “penetrating and important.”

“I think that's what he expects when he comes to a university like Stony Brook,” Stanley said.

“We expect people to ask tough questions, and I think that's what he was ready for.”

“I'm pleased that our students and faculty have been thinking about these issues,” he said.

The event was hosted in conjunction with Stony Brook’s Confucius Institute, which promotes Chinese culture at Stony Brook. More than 1700 Chinese students attend Stony Brook University.

“The products that we received from the garden were pretty remarkable, they were large in size and were used in the dining halls,” O’Connor said.

“So what we would like to do is take that model, where we're able to grow certain products in certain months.”

Peterson is likewise optimistic and said that “after the success of this year, the people above me are very interested in expanding it.”

“The plan is to expand it hopefully next year, but that’s still in the early stages of planning,” Peterson said. “I think it’s important to realize how feasible it is to do this on campus, and we can take a lot more advantage of this kind of procedure.”

PHOTO CREDIT: SBU OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

Peterson said lettuce, spinach, zucchini, squash, basil and eggplants are grown in the garden.

TFCU On Campus: A No-Brainer!

Teachers Federal Credit Union, Stony Brook’s on-campus banking services partner, offers a complete range of financial services to Stony Brook students, faculty, staff and their families.

It’s easy for parents to make deposits throughout the year to student accounts via direct deposit or online banking. Plus, you can bank at over 5,050 Shared Branches nationwide.

†

All Long Islanders Can Bank With TFCU! Stop by or open your new account online today!

Call 631-698-7000 or visit www.TeachersFCU.org † Subject to membership eligibility.

Convenient Locations Stony Brook University Student Activities Center Health Sciences Center Visit www.teachersfcu.org for hours

Campus ATMs • • • • • •

Student Activities Center (2) Health Sciences Center Administration Building Long Island Vets Home School of Dental Medicine Indoor Sports Complex

Easy Access • • • • •

FREE Checking + Dividends FREE Online Banking/Bill Paying FREE Mobile Banking FREE Telephone Banking FREE Visa® Check Card

facebook.com/TeachersFCU

twitter.com/tfcu

Merrick Now Open! Patchogue Coming Soon!

Amityville I Bay Shore I Central Islip I Commack I East Northport I Farmingville I Hauppauge I Holbrook I Huntington I Merrick I Nesconset I North Babylon I Oakdale I Port Jefferson Station I Riverhead I Rocky Point I Selden I Shirley I Smithtown I South Setauket I SUNY Stony Brook I Wading River

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SBU ranks as seventh ugliest campus in the United States

By Michael Ruiz Staff Writer

Students and faculty from 50 colleges around the country have found their schools on an “Ugliest” list, and Stony Brook University, along with four other New York campuses, made the top ten.

“I never wanted to go here,” sophomore psychology major Maya Perry said. “I applied only because it was a SUNY school. I came because it was cheap.”

Her friend, fellow sophomore psychology major Olga Leus, said the campus is so-so.

“I don’t think ours is terrible,” Leus said. “I guess I’m indifferent.

What do you expect? It’s a SUNY school.”

Three of the five New York schools that made the list’s top ten are SUNY schools.

But who made this list, and how did they compile this information?

Kathryn Henderson, a Rochester Institute of Technology graduate (number three on the list),

blogger and design critic based in Brooklyn, ranked colleges for complex.com based on location, planning, decentralization and “inappropriately mixed styles of architecture.”

So that is what got Stony Brook on the list.

When Ward Melville donated 478 acres in Stony Brook to a fledgling state college in 1958, he envisioned “a small liberal arts college with a colonial architecture in keeping with the Three Village area,” like nearby Historic Stony Brook Village and Three Village schools, according to a New York Times article from 2002 and the suburban legend.

The state quickly erected a bunch of boxy brown brick buildings and opened the new Stony Brook campus in 1962. In 1980, three years after Melville’s death, the spaceship-like hospital opened.

“Ward Melville would have rolled over in his grave,” a Setauket resident said, who declined to be named because he formerly worked

for the university.

It was not until Shirley Strum Kenny’s tenure as Stony Brook University’s fourth president that significant improvements to the campus aesthetic appeared.

As scaffolding popped up all over campus, so did new landscaping.

To the chagrin of administrators, so did skateboarders, who were drawn to the new pavement and sleek concrete. ”Truthfully, I don’t think anyone could have welcomed such large and massive construction in their backyard,” Kenny told the Times in 2002. “We have made serious efforts to ameliorate that antipathy.”

In spite of her efforts, the new and the old did not quite mesh well.

Some buildings look space-aged and high-tech, like the Wang Center and the renovated Javits Lecture Center, while others resemble a Cold War prisonscape, like the perplexinglynamed Ward Melville Social and Behavioral Sciences building. It quickly becomes clear on a walk across campus that Henderson’s

charge of “inappropriately mixed styles of architecture” is valid.

“It’s like day and night,” freshman computer science major Alex Green said of the new construction compared to the old.

“On some campuses I was awed when I walked on. This campus was bland.”

The new buildings, he said, add some life and color.

“It’s not as bad as it used to be five or six years ago, it was really ugly,” Perry said.

Five years before that, it was even worse.

“There has been a real effort to improve the environment at Stony Brook,” said Dr. Robert Frey, a longtime professor whose name appears on the newly renovated chemistry building, Frey Hall. “As someone who has been around the campus since the 70s, the campus has improved tremendously.”

Even some of the new construction looks strange and even out of place among the newest buildings. The orange and blue

Nobel Halls present a stark contrast to the nearby West Side Dining.

Functionality is also an issue.

“The new Kelly Dining [West Side Dining] is nice looking but it’s not efficient at all,” Perry said. “I didn’t even care how ugly old Kelly was because it worked. There was room to sit.”

The campus is still a work in progress, university President Samuel L. Stanley Jr has indicated in several appearances and interviews. New, green construction has popped up in recent years, and the new look seems to have a more focused aesthetic.

Millions of dollars in donations from wealthy alumni like James Simons and Glenn Dubin have resulted in some sharp new architecture which is slowly overtaking the “neo-penal” chic of the older buildings.

If the school keeps heading in the same direction, the mismatch will fade into memory, just like Melville’s vision of a sprawling colonial campus.

STATESMAN STOCK PHOTO

Older buildings, like Social and Behavioral Sciences and newer buildings like the Wang Center, landed SBU on complex.com's ugliest campus list. .

THREE ARTSY EVENTS

1) Late Night in the Gallery

Student Life is throwing another “Late Night in the Gallery” on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in the SAC Gallery. The open mic will feature music, dance and fashion.

2) Ven Conmigo

The Langmuir Resident Assistants will be honoring Latin American and Hispanic traditions on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 8:30 p.m. in the LDS Center. There will be Merengue, Tango and an appearance from the Stony Brook Ballroom Dance Team.

3) Native Voices

Epsilon Sigma Phi Sorority, Inc. is celebrating Native American culture on Friday, Oct. 25 in the Tabler Blackbox. There will be storytelling, speakers and dancers from Shinnecock and Eastern Delaware nations.

8

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Statesman

Arts & Entertainment

Campus Spotlight: Justin Starling raps his way to a career

By Marvin Fuentes

brother.

Described as a perfectionist by those close to him, Starling will hold off on revealing an idea for a beat until he feels comfortable sharing, it may be built upon later.

“He told me to never delete anything. If you make something,

just keep it because you never know what you can do to make it hot,” Kavar “Var” Foster, a freshman liberal arts major at Farmingdale State College, said.

He has produced for Starling since 2011.

There are natural drawbacks to the amount of time Starling

can give to his music career, as he continues his schoolwork.

But he still tries to make time for performances or radio interviews for his newest project called “The Chase,” which he released in August 2013.

“I thought he was just making beats at first,” Demetrious said.

“He’s like Peter Parker because he’s just a normal guy, but he puts on that suit, and it’s like, ‘who is that guy?’ That’s Justin and JUS.” The 12-track album is Starling’s first tape composed of original music. Together with Demetrious, and his producer, Foster, Justin worked on the tape for over a year.

It cost Starling about $1,000 for mixing and mastering, but that includes cost cut by doing the writing, producing and recording himself. Saving money was also part of the reason for making original music as opposed to sampling other artists’ music.

“That’s why I’ll always support him. I don’t know of no 19 year old kid that’s just ‘okay I’m gonna devote $1,000 of my hard earned money for this mixtape and hope that it makes money,’” Demetrious said.

The question of Starling profiting from “The Chase” is uncertain because it was initially released for free on hip-hop mixtape websites like Datpiff. But it was also offered on Bandcamp, a site generally used by new or indie artists to sell music, the profits from which go directly to the creators.

Cee Lo Green, Bloc Party, Friendly Fires) and Giles Martin (son of Beatles producer George Martin).

McCartney uses all of these modern musical productions as a springboard to make his classic style of writing come alive. Opener “Save Us” is a great romp with hand claps and McCartney’s prominent bass guitar playing. Love is the answer “In the Heat of Battle” according to McCartney, but not something so complex. “Alligator” asks for a place McCartney can rest his bones with “a conversation not too deep” with reverse loops of organs and rocking guitar parts. “Queenie Eye” is a strange but bouncy pop tune that notes the fame game being a hunt from “dogs and bitches” and a warning to be careful what you wish for.

“Appreciate” follows a hiphop drumbeat and McCartney’s wooing as an eerie background for a funky, electric breakdown during the chorus. It is one of the best tracks, but it is also very strange, sounding more like Bowie than McCartney. There is a rocking song (“I Can Bet”), a Wings throwback (“Everybody Out There”), and great ballads (“Hosana,” “Early Days,”) making this a standard McCartney record.

What makes it so interesting is the musical backing to it. Electronic loops, fuzzed out guitars and altered vocals are something McCartney may have tried during his time in The Beatles, but he has always remained in the traditional pop

sense on his solo albums. He has been experimental on certain areas of his solo albums, but he has been pretty straightforward on his most popular songs. Here, he sounds like he has been listening closely to pop music from the last 10 years and thought he should give that style a try. He has the right to, of course (anyone who wrote “Let It Be,” “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die” and “Maybe I’m Amazed” has the right to do whatever he wants),

but it is amazing how seamlessly he does it. Other artists of his era, like The Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan, shove off modern music and stay in their own lanes. McCartney has the talent and the spirit to go a little bit further. His voice, though aged, still sounds wonderful and he fits into almost every song without struggle.

McCartney is a master of love songs and, in his own words, “most people I know, who aren’t cynics, like them.” Here is the only problem

Staff Writer

The crowd hollers and claps as his band huddles in preparation for the first performance of the night at the 2013 Seawolves Showcase. He asks the audience to come up in front of the stage, then his band begins playing the melody for “Nighttime” from his album called “The Chase.”

It was another performance for Stony Brook University student and aspiring rapper, Justin Starling, who goes by the stage name JUS. For Starling, performances like these are important stepping stones for creating buzz around his music career, which he must balance alongside school life as a sophomore business major with a music minor.

“I’ve been doing this for five years now and I’m sticking to it.

It is literally the chase for your dreams, it’s the chase for your desires,” Starling said about the meaning of his project.

His interest in music can be attributed his brother Demetrious, who had a past in the music industry as a producer before becoming a police officer for the NYPD. Demetrious gave Starling his start in 2009 as a freshman at Half Hollow Hills High School East, giving Starling a 49-key midi keyboard that he still uses and a music program called Reason.

Since then, Demetrious has been supportive through his input on tracks and opening doors for his

JESUS PICHARDO / THE STATESMAN

Starling balances his studies with his budding music career.

“I wanted to put it out for free, and if they like it, I appreciate that because that’s a big step. But if they want to take it another step after they like it and support it, I give them that option too,” Starling explained.

Starling has worked to create his own buzz through social media, including his Youtube channel, StarlingProductions7. He has learned that record labels look for artists with their own fan base before offering a deal. However, he feels content to stay independent, build his brand for now and keep his musical freedom. Still, that online presence has translated to opportunities like opening up for well known rappers Meek MIll, Fabolous and French Montana at Westbury Music Theater through an independent music label Starling had previously been affiliated with.

But with buzz comes comparisons to other artists. For Starling, that rapper is Drake, whose distinct raspy voice has been the subject of comparisons to Starling's own voice. For his part, Starling says he is taking it in stride as a new artist who will inevitably be compared to someone people are familiar with.

“I’m just like ‘I know you don’t mean anything by it,’ but me trying to make it as an artist, you can’t be mini-person or a comparison. You’ve got to be your own artist,” Starling said. “I feel like if they listen more, they’ll hear the differences.”

with Paul McCartney: you can love him or just not care. He knows where he fans are, and knows that people are not into mushy stuff too much. You may like one or two of his songs, but you would not buy a whole album. So those looking for a break in the McCartney songwriting formula will not find it here. But if you are a McCartney, Wings, Beatles, or just a good time music fan, “New” is a bright album from one of music’s greatest contributors.

"New" keeps true to Paul McCartney's classic style of music

By Jon Winkler Staff Writer

Paul McCartney is one of the most recognizable faces and voices in music, as well as the world. He was a part of a cultural revolution disguised as a quartet from Liverpool. He continued to be a flagship for pop-rock music through personal and emotional tunes via Wings and his wife, Linda. He is a composer, humanitarian, husband, icon and staple in music history.

Now take all of those accolades away from him and what is at his core? McCartney, without the mythos and grandeur, is a pop star at heart. He likes love songs more than anything else, and he has been making stone cold classics for over 50 years. So, in 2013 at the age of 71, who does Paul McCartney want to be in the music world? Simple: himself.

On his 24th studio album, and his first of original material in six years (last year’s “Kisses On the Bottom” was him covering pop standards and jazz tunes), Paul McCartney has inserted his storytelling, wit, heart and soul into modern pop music for the fifth consecutive decade. He did not do it alone, of course: the appropriately titled “New” features production and songwriting credits to Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars), Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, The Vaccines), Paul Epworth (Adele,

PHOTO CREDIT: MCT CAMPUS

Paul McCartney's new album, "New," is his first original studio release in six years.

The Statesman

Arts & Entertainment

Monday, October 21, 2013

9

Press Start to Continue: Pokémon makes a comeback on 3DS

By Dylan Palazzo Contributing Writer

I f y o u ’r e like me, having grown up with the initial release of the everpopular Pokémon series, then you know firsthand how much fun the portable games are. The first installments, Red and Blue, were released back in Sept. 1998. Fifteen years have passed since then, and with the production of Pokémon X and Y, we can finally enjoy all 718 Pokémon in thrilling, high quality 3D. Pokémon X and Y were released Saturday, Oct. 12 for the Nintendo 3DS, and has brought 69 new Pokémon into the series, which is the smallest number of new Pokémon in any new release. In addition, there is a new Fairy type category of Pokémon, unique starter Pokémon, Life and Destruction themed legendary Pokémon, the new Mega Evolution, more than seven hundred different 3D models for all Pokémon forms and gender variations and an overall streamlining of gameplay for the experienced player.

The most notable addition to the Pokémon universe in these games is the new Fairy type, which provides something that is finally effective against Dragon types apart from Ice and other Dragons.

The Fairy type is weak to Steel and Poison, resistant to Dark, Bug and Fighting, immune to Dragon, and effective against Dragon, Dark and Fighting. A new type has not been introduced since Dark and Steel in the second generation, Gold and Silver. Not only are there new Pokémon who are Fairy type, but older Pokémon have been acknowledged and changed to include this new type as well.

In each game, the player becomes

immediately familiar with the “trash Pokémon,” or the Pokémon that appear most frequently and are the least desirable. What is great about the 69 new Pokémon is that each one is unique, well-formed and appealing, providing no new “trash Pokémon,” and this leaves the player with the appropriate desire to “catch them all!”

Gameplay is how it has always been, with the addition of true three-dimensional movement with the joystick on the 3DS. Graphically the game is stunning; we have been waiting a long time to see our Poke-pals in 3D rather than as 2D sprites, and X and Y do not disappoint. Camera angles change as we explore to emphasize scenery, all of which are visually impressive.

A new non-permanent evolutionary stage has been added in X and Y called the Mega Evolution.

After gathering certain key story items, 26 different Pokémon have the ability to Mega Evolve. This evolution occurs only during battle while the Pokémon is holding their unique evolutionary item, and the evolution provides stat bonuses and ability changes. Keep in mind these evolutions are in-battle only and your Mega Pokémon will return to its original form after the fight.

Also, you can only Mega Evolve once per battle.

If any readers enjoy min-maxing their Pokémon’s stats, then they know about EVs, or Effort Values.

These were hidden stats in every game that influenced the rate at which Pokémon gained stat points as they leveled. In each game, if you were interested in die-hard training, you had to keep track of these values on your own. Now in X and Y, EVs are awarded through fun mini-games, can be earned passively with new Punching Bag items awarded from those minigames and players are provided an

intuitive chart that details these previously hidden statistics. This change is huge for experienced players and makes competitive training significantly easier.

Two other significant gameplay changes that benefit the veteran player were the Experience Share item and Technical Machines.

The Exp. Share is now a Key Item (limited to protagonist use) rather than a Hold Item (item able to be held by a Pokémon). Instead of giving the item to the Pokémon needing experience, the player can toggle the item on or off as a whole. Turning it on provides half of the full experience to the battling Pokémon, and the other half to each other Pokémon on your team individually. The change to Technical Machines (TMs) is similarly streamlined, where rather than having them be consumable, we have unlimited uses of any one TM. Little details have been changed logically as well, such as Electric types being immune to Paralyze, Grass types being immune to status spores (Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder) and Ghost types becoming untrappable in battle by any means.

what is conventionally done at the university.”

In a culture where talking, or even writing about yourself, is almost considered snobby, Zucker’s students were mostly English majors at the university who were not entirely sure

about using themselves as the main subject for their writing. There were some non-traditional students in their 30s and 40s. One girl attended the first class and convinced her mother to enroll in the class with her.

On the first day, all but about 12

It is worth mentioning that the starter Pokémon for this generation have unique typings. The Grass starter, Chespin, becomes Grass/ Fighting; the Water starter, Froakie, becomes Water/Dark; the Fire starter, Fennekin, becomes Fire/ Psychic. Finally, the Fire starter does not evolve into Fire/Fighting after three generations.

Keep in mind players can only trade Pokémon between the Black/ White and Black2/White2 games to X and Y; if you have Pokémon from earlier games that you want to move to X and Y, you need to trade them up to Black and White first.

The only real downside to X and Y is that the 3D in certain cases causes visual lag. Some battles get slightly choppy rendering the

models and effects. This can be avoided by turning the 3D off, but you’ll miss out on the literal depth in battles provided by the 3DS. There are a significant amount of other small additions to the game that would run this review ragged, so I’ll leave you to explore and find them for yourselves. If you used to love the series but fell off the bandwagon sometime after Gold/Silver, this is the game to get. If you’re currently still a Poke-fan, this is the game to get.

Finally, the fictional creatures of our childhood appear to us in 3D with refined gameplay, fantastic environments and superb visuals.

Do not miss this newest addition to the Pokémon series. You will not be disappointed.

POKEMON.COM

Pokémon X and Y is now available for Nintendo 3DS.

AMH NETWORK

Gogoat (left) and Pancham (right) are two new Pokémon introduced in the new games.

SBU professor creates safe space for Portuguese students

By Chelsea Katz

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

A conflicted Marilyn Zucker stood in front of her “Autobiography” class at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. It was Yom Kippur and according to the Jewish tradition, the day was meant for her to be seeking repentance for her sins, not to be in class.

But she could not shake the idea that she had to be there for her students. She started to tell them a bit about her dilemma. When she stopped, they started to inquire more. She later called it the turning point in her class.

Zucker’s class on writing autobiographies last fall at the University of Lisbon in Portugal turned to open forum through writing as the students realized their own self-worth. Back in Stony Brook, she is a Provost Outstanding Lecturer in the Writing and Rhetoric Program. This was the writing program’s first academic venture overseas.

“The first thing that I took away was the incredible exuberance of these students,” Zucker said.

“Their incredible willingness to do something they hadn’t done before that was also not in the scope of

CHELSEA KATZ / THE STATESMAN

Zucker taught "Autobiography" at the University of Lisbon.

students came in anticipating a class on American literature. There was no class in American literature that semester- at least none that Zucker was offering.

“I said to them ‘This is what the course is about,’” Zucker said. “I talked a little bit about identity. I talked about memory. I talked about the construction of memory from how we remember things, accuracy, inaccuracy- these kinds of things.

And, um, said that’s what we were going to do.”

Some left. Others chose to stay and got started with their first lesson and liked that dose of the class.

Their first in-class assignment was a 10-minute free-write.

“When I started I found the free writing really interesting and that was what really made me stay in the class,” Ana Morais, a student in the class, wrote in her final cover letter for the class. “There was just something about writing for 10 minutes without stopping that relaxed me and when I actually looked at what I wrote I liked it and wanted to write more.”

Soon after, the class was reading autobiographies of the likes of Bob Dylan. They started to write about their own lives. One time, they wrote stories inspired by American political

songs and they brought in political songs in Portuguese. Another time, they wrote about different places in Portugal that are deserted in the winter and bustling in the summer.

“I believe that the point when I felt the most vulnerable was when I had to wrote my first essay on my father,” wrote student Mariana Vagos. “It was the jackpot. I got hit right on the wound.”

Amidst the new found sense of self that her students were acquiring, Zucker kept in mind that she wanted to promote the classes while in Portugal- so she contacted the U.S. ambassador to Portugal’s wife. Soon her story had floated around to Sandy Gageiro, a Portuguese radio journalist. Gageiro came to the class with microphones and last June, her half-hour segment went to air, months after Zucker left the country.

At the end of the class, students were required to complete a 15-page “collage of self,” which contained their own revised stories and reflections on class readings. Zucker would see some of the pages but not others. Overall, they reflected a more accessible collection of studentsstudents who felt like they mattered.

“I was knocked out by the pieces that they wrote- knocked about by some of them,” Zucker said.

OPINIONS The Statesman informing stony brook university for more than 50 years

Editor-in-Chief ............ Deanna Del Ciello Managing Editor ........... Emily Heller Managing Editor ............ Kevin Lizarazo Managing Editor ........... Christine Powell News Editor .......................................................... ..Rebecca Anzel Sports Editor .............................................................. Mike Daniello Arts & Entertainment Editor ......................................Nicole Bansen Opinions Editor ...........................................................Keith Olsen Multimedia Editor ............................................................Nina Lin Copy Chief ................................................................ Maria Plotkina Assistant News Editor.................................................Giselle Barkley Assistant News Editor............................................. Hanaa' Tameez Assistant News Editor...................................................Will Welch Assistant Sports Editor ........................................... Catie Curatolo Assistant Sports Editor..................................................Joe Galotti Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor................... ...Chelsea Katz Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor.................Brandon Benarba Assistant Opinions Editor ..............................Anusha Mookherjee Assistant Multimedia Editor...........................................Basil John Assistant Multimedia Editor...................................Yoon Seo Nam Assistant Multimedia Editor....................................Jesus Pichardo Assistant Copy Chief..............................................Briana Finneran Archivist ................................................................ Marley Solomon Business Manager ............................................ Frank D'Alessandro

Copy Editors Andrea Baatz Karina Biacan Nicole Kohn Arielle Martinez Rachel Siford Caroline Smith Iantha Stewart Jessica Tuite

Contact us: Phone: 631-632-6479 Fax: 631-632-9128 Email: editors@sbstatesman.com Web: www.sbstatesman.com The Statesman is a student-run, student-written incorporated publication at Stony Brook University in New York. The paper was founded as The Sucolian in 1957 at Oyster Bay, the original site of Stony Brook University. In 1975, The Statesman was incorporated as a not-for-profit, student-run organization. Its editorial board, writers and photography staff are all student volunteers.

New stories are published online every day Monday through Friday. A print issue is published every Monday during the academic year and is distributed to many on-campus locations, the Stony Brook University Hospital and over 70 off-campus locations.

The Statesman and its editors have won several awards for student journalism, and several past editors have gone on to enjoy distinguished careers in the field of journalism.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sbstatesman.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in columns or in the Letters and Opinions section are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Statesman.

The Statesman promptly corrects all errors of substance published in the paper. If you have a question or comment about the accuracy or fairness of an article please send an email to editors@sbstatesman.com.

First issue free; additional issues cost 50 cents.

SOPHIE CARR / THE STATESMAN

Editorial: censorship of student media blah blah Rarely do most public universities have public relations as sophisticated as Stony Brook University’s. The typical university might market their news and events through student workers overseen by an administrator a scant few years older than their staff. If the university has a little more oomph to its name, it could even entrust a PR firm to handle what media presence they might have.

“However, how far is too far when it comes to withholding information that the student body needs?”

As a flagship school to the country’s largest public university system, there is little wonder, then,

that PR functions span across several departments within SBU. From the Athletics department, to the University Police Department, even to the university’s official Media Relations office, there is little doubt how well oiled the school’s public relations machine is.

Put it into practice. Ask about anything remotely controversial.

Play a well-meaning, if slightly obtuse, joke on the university during a homecoming game.

Watch most sources disappear and all official venues of contact dry up. Lucky winners might even find an email or two in their inbox detailing what the organization should or shouldn’t do - as if students cannot be trustworthy journalists of any caliber.

Arguably, this is proof that the university’s PR is working.

As journalists, it is the job of Statesman writers and photojournalists to get behind the spin and dissect it for their readers. However, how far is too far when it comes to withholding information that the student body needs? Knowing the name of the police officer that struck Brianna

Bifone last semester is not about satisfying curiosity, it’s about holding the police accountable for their actions. Knowing the student desperate enough to jump off the Chemistry building last spring gives a face and a name to the issue, and helps others to recognize the same signs in their friends and colleagues. So how is it that such information was never released to the general public? Why are people denied information that is ours to have, by right?

University media relations walk a fine line between getting information out and keeping information in. Ultimately, it is not their job to read minds and offer pertinent information at a snap of a finger. But conversely, it is also not their job to deny pertinent information to those that seek to inform the student body in a timely and respectful manner.

To do so will only harm the university’s image in the long run and undermine the many positive aspects of the school overall.

SincerelyThe Editorial Board

Have a response to an article that was published in The Statesman?

Email a letter to the editor to editors@sbstatesman.com. Please limit piece to 250-300 words.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, October 21, 2013

11

New proposition: Changing SBVAC's funding to provide future security

By Anusha Mookherjee Assistant Opinions Editor

The Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corp (SBVAC) is an organization as old as our university.

As an agency that does not receive any funding from transporting patients, the service is constantly in tough financial situations.

The ambulance service provides services to both on campus students and the surrounding community.

Currently, a portion of the SBVAC budget comes out of the student activity fee.

A recent vote during the USG Senate meeting called for an independent source of funding from the undergraduate student body, that would not be affected by the nature of the activity fee.

Currently SBVAC has a total of expected expenses of around $298,000 and makes an expected income of $300,000. $164,000 of the expected income comes from USG. That is about 10 percent of our student activity fee that is going toward the ambulance service, or about $9 from each student. The vote that passed in the USG senate is pushing for a new line in student tuition or our medical fee for SBVAC.

But in order to enact this type of change, the New York State Senate would have to pass enabling legislation to effectively give USG and the university permission to change the funding method.

The justification behind changing where SBVAC's funding comes from is that the USG student activity fee is not an entirely safe source of funding, especially when the fee itself goes up for a vote on whether

“Whether or not we like how the organization is run, the services and quality it provides is very unique and vital to this campus.” it should be mandatory or not.

This is something that could be extremely beneficial to the student body, especially when their largest complaints are issues like the musical guest the school gets. Nine

dollars is not that much to be adding to our school fees, especially when we already pay for things that do not actually come back to us.

Getting rid of SBVAC would be a terrible option. One ambulance ride from an agency that can charge would cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. To have a 24-hour service, free to students, is a privilege for most. SBVAC is also contracted by SBU Athletics to provide services for many sporting events. Because of the vital services SBVAC provides to every student on this campus, making sure this legislation passes at the state level should be a priority for the university.

With a massive disconnect between what the administration does and the student body, it seems as if the interests of the student body are always put second to the development of the reputation of SBU. For anything to pass at the state level, there needs to be a massive push on the part of both SBVAC and the administration. Administration likes to preach safety and students first, and if they had any way of proving so, this situation would be one.

There is no questioning the presence and importance of the company, but the school needs to recognize that in the long run, this

USG SENATE

A breakdown of the expected income figures for SBVAC. is beneficial for everyone on campus.

It is hard sometimes for students to take the ambulance corp seriously because it is student-run. I myself have been screamed at by its new leaders for asking simple questions.

Yet this rough exterior needs to be ignored when raising support for something this important. Whether or not we like how the organization runs, the services and quality it provides are very unique and vital to this campus.

This past spring, SBVAC was voted best collegiate ambulance

agency in the country. Although we may have personal biases against them, I would rather pay just a few extra dollars, rather than hundreds, if I was in need of an ambulance.

As this story continues, administration, SBVAC and the student body need to back this legislation and push it forward.

To bring more stability to the SBVAC finances, and to the minds of students in having this service, administration needs to do what it can to lobby for a stable source of student funding for the organization.

support to those affected by breast cancer. I am a very strong believer that Facebook statuses are of little public service. It would be entirely different if we were not all very aware of breast cancer and

breast cancer awareness is largely personal. I am of the very strong belief that October should be expanded to be an awareness month for all types of cancer.

Although breast cancer is very prevalent in our society and it still an awful disease, in the Western world there is a considerably high survival rate of about 80 percent for those treated for breast cancer.

If you have taken cancer biology, you know that the advent of Herceptin has actually made the type of breast cancer caused by HER2 dysfunctionality curable.

I think that breast cancer awareness, and donating to breast cancer specifically, does a great disservice to the advancement of cancer research overall. My father died of a very rare cancer, and rare cancers are historically unfunded, despite the fact that all cancer is terrible, and that no one type should be held in the regard of more or less so. With this in mind, I encourage fundraising and donations to many organizations known for the advancement of cancer research overall, including the American Cancer Society, their offshoot of Relay for Life and my personal favorite, Sloan Kettering.

I also urge that volunteering at the hospital is rewarding for anyone, whether or not you are pre-med.

Cancer is awful. No one is denying that. Charity is good. I am not denying that either. However, I sincerely hope that as a society and as a school we will start to be smarter about how we go about involving ourselves monetarily in the latter. I think that despite most of us being young and cashstrapped, we could really do it right help the community, both local and global.

Breast cancer awareness: beyond the pink ribbon

By Hillary Steinberg Contributing Writer

Let me start out by being amazingly clear on this. I, in no way shape or form, remotely support cancer as a disease. It’s an awful, devastating thing to happen. My father died of cancer when I was seventeen after having it for five years and his mother had breast cancer twice, so in absolutely no way am I trivializing it.

However, it is now Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I feel we need to address the fact that breast cancer has been reduced to a fad in our society. I want to address this even though I know my opinion will be considered unpopular.

My first issue with breast cancer awareness stems mainly from the organization most famous because of it, Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I am not trying to diminish the contributions that have been made by the group, but I have

major problems with how they organize and present themselves.

Through polls, it is considered in public opinion to be one of two of the most trustworthy charities (the other being St. Jude).

However, I feel this trust has been largely taken advantage of.

In 2010, the CEO of the company gave herself a 64 percent raise, leading to her making $684,000 annually. This is considered to be extremely high by any charity.

The new CEO, as of June 2013, vowed to take a salary cut, but has yet to release the numbers.

Considering the fund’s foundation is touted as cancer research, as seen from their own taxes, Susan G. Komen only donates 20 percent of what it raises to breast cancer research.

That is an astonishing statistic, especially when one takes into account that they have come under fire several times for using misleading statistics in their advertisements.

Susan G. Komen also made the

PHOTO CREDIT: MCTCAMPUS

The pink ribbon represents the struggle against breast cancer. Due to its high visibility, it is instantly recognizable.

unpopular and obviously political choice to stop donating to Planned Parenthood. This causes a lack of accessibility for many lower class women who were looking to Planned Parenthood as their primary option for early prevention. A common response might be that there are other breast cancer organizations and that this can not be the overriding problem with donating.

That would be true if Susan G. Komen was not known for trying to monopolize “pink,” the “pink ribbon” and literally the word “cure.” They have sued over 100 small charities for trying to use any combination of the terms after they were trademarked in 2007. So if someone is buying any of the multitudes of products with the pink ribbon on it, you are supporting a charity that has at best a lukewarm reputation, and at worst is corrupted.

One of the other major problems with breast cancer awareness is tied to this. In our modern society, many of the ways we “raise awareness” do very, very little to support people affected by these issues. Now that I know that Susan G. Komen donates so little of their profits to breast cancer research, I also know that in the end buying a Mike’s Hard Pink Lemonade is not helping someone who is suffering.

To be clear, I am 100 percent on board with hands on fundraising and community service. Most of the manners of “raising awareness” we associate with breast cancer awareness are not those things. What upsets me most is possibly the rashes of statuses on Facebook, saying what color your bra is or where you put your purse, proclaiming

“So if someone is buying any of the multitudes of products with the pink ribbon on it, you are supporting a charity that has at best a lukewarm reputation, and at worst is corrupted.” early prevention.

However, breast cancer awareness is literally a trend in our society, and it makes us feel good about ourselves. Awareness only needs to be applied to issues that are not in the public eye. For a great example of a terrible disease with far less awareness than it deserves, I recommend you check out Charley’s Fund, which raises funds to support research to fight Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The fact that we have made breast cancer a public domain makes it far harder for women who have lost their breasts but are still held by the taboo, or for men who have breast cancer, who actually have a far lower survival rate.

Finally, my last issue with

12

The Statesman

Advertisement

your options Monday, October 21, 2013

expand

Adelphi University graduate programs prepare you to advance in your academic and professional life.

With our main campus, just 23 miles from New York City, and four other convenient locations, our innovative programs and flexible scheduling accommodate your goals. our Graduate proGrams incLude: > Business > creative arts > education > HeaLtHcare > psycHoLoGy > science > sociaL work We also offer a new, fully online M.S. in Nutrition.

As of Fall 2012, 93 percent of Adelphi students who earned a master’s degree held jobs related to their area of study.

Learn more at our Graduate open House.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2013 10:30 A.M.–1:00 p.M. To register, visit admissions.adelphi.edu/graduate-events.

Learn, then lead.

Whether you want to teach math and science, work with special education students, lead in K-12 or higher educational settings, or obtain dual certification in a number of specializations, Hofstra offers graduate programs and advanced certificates in more than 40 areas, including: • Applied Behavior Analysis • Family and Consumer Science • Literacy Studies • Mentoring and Coaching • Special Education • Elementary Education • STEM-Elementary Education • TESOL & Bilingual Education • Educational Leadership • Sports Science • Technology for Learning • Physical Education and Health Education • Four doctoral programs Programs offered entirely online include: • Educational Technology • Gifted Education • Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies Convenient evening classes and scholarships are available.

Find out about these graduate programs and more at a Graduate Open House, Sunday, November 24. hofstra.edu/gradteach

Ad_SOE_Nov24GOH_StonyBrook.indd 1

10/17/13 12:13 PM

The Statesman

Freshmen bond over disdain for required reading

By Sophie Carr Staff Writer

The term “freshman year” has the tendency to elicit the response of a sort of pained laugh. This occurs not only for current university students, but also for anyone who attended their first year of college. The phrase has become a subject of suppressed memory, and apparently, even hysteria. Because of this expression’s association with crippling discomfiture and inexperience, an entire year’s worth of recollection eventually becomes horrendously funny. If there were any appropriate motto to subscribe to when entering university, it would be to just laugh through the grief- nervous, restrained laughter.

And of course, Stony Brook University likes to dab salt in the wound that is freshman year by assigning a “First-Year Reading” to all incoming students. The “FirstYear Reading” is an annual book selected for the incoming freshman class to read as a collective student body. The novel’s theme and overlying message is expected to be a topic of conversation throughout the rest of the school year. The tradition, which apparently dates back to the year 2001, was created for the sole purpose of consolidating the undergraduate student body and creating an enriching freshman experience.

Naturally, every freshman student abhors this assignment.

The chosen novel of this year, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman, drove virtually every first-year to complain and protest.

Oddly enough, this is not entirely due to the book’s content. From what I have gathered, an array of students found the book to be enthralling and generally a good read. Others voiced it to be tedious dross, and most of the student body has yet to complete the first chapter. Apparently, this has become a patterned phenomenon for every incoming freshman class since time immemorial (still 2001which, if you give it some thought, is truly ancient). I even asked my sophomore suitemates about their “First-Year Reading,” and a unified grouse permeated the room, which was then accompanied by jocular quibble over which part of their Commons Day was truly the most painful.

Words I will never forget hearing upon my first stay here: The subject of the First-Year Reading was announced during orientation.

When asked what that was, my “fellow” tour guide described it as an ailment of the Stony Brook freshman body (I knew I had picked the right school).

Even so, a low murmuring whinge persisted during Commons Day last week- also known as our “Conversation With The Author.”

Needless to say, the event was compulsory for the entire freshman class- resulting in an impacted

program, so much so that much of the freshman class was flocked to the SAC Auditorium for an alternative live viewing of Anne Fadiman’s speech. The presentation bordered on two hours, and had even prompted a few students to attempt a great escape, though most were caught and simply told to go back to their seats. Despite these ventures, her lecture was surprisingly charming- and she even seemed genuinely interested in speaking with us after the program.

“I am grateful for your sacrifice,” she expressed (though not wildly essential to her speech, I’m sure it pacified those few remaining students still embittered from the summer assignment). Anne Fadiman’s lecture largely consisted of her impressions in personal growth and the idea of becoming a ‘cultured Stony Brook student.’

She polished off her talk with a few parting maxims, such as “Life is full of surprises” and “love chooses you.”

As pleasant as this all turned out to be, it still does not hide the fact that every freshman has felt disdain for this project in some way or another. And yet, the mere mention of the “First-year Reading” evoked a lively conversation within my suite- everyone lamenting and bemoaning, but most importantly, laughing.

The Undergraduate College Advisory provided this bold objective of the First-Year Reading in their “Author Visit” webpage: “Over the course of the fall semester, we engage in a dialogue about the book. Through a variety of events and activities, including a visit by the author on Undergraduate College Commons Day, incoming freshmen have the opportunity to explore this book with their peers, instructors, and the broader campus community.” And what a dialogue it has been! One filled with expletives, aggravation and even allusions to malady.

Perhaps it is the fact that this project embodies so much of what a freshman year is known for: forced experiences with people whom initially seem distasteful, yet a result of enjoying yourself despite everything else. Like being stranded on a deserted island, it is possible to grow closer to the people around you just by sharing a common experience: misfortune. Perhaps the assignment that is “The FirstYear Reading,” in a way, achieves its objective. What better way to unite the student body than through grievance?

The Stony Brook freshman class is, remarkably, unified through speaking a common dialogueone rife with complaint. This is usually how friendships are formedthrough shared dislike! It’s better to carp together than alone, and usually some sort of consensus is needed for distrusting something. The pain of freshman year has only begun- we’re going to need something to laugh at.

Opinions

Monday, October 21, 2013

13

USG's focus on the students continues to impress

By Nividetha Obla Contributing Writer

We started off this year with the fall “Back to the Brook” concert, with Mac Miller and The Cataracts performing. It was a pretty good concert (despite the minor issue of moving the audience farther away from the stage) and the music was modern in the sense that when I found out the artists’ names, I knew who they were and what their music sounded like. I don’t even remember who came last year for the fall concert because I did not recognize them at all.

Most recently, USG held a comedy show featuring Demetri Martin. For those of you that went, that show was spot-on entertaining.

His unconventional stand-up style that utilized dead-pan one liners and drawings on a large note pad provided the perfect escape from the stress of midterms for a good hour. The event itself was unique, in my opinion, because it was a comedy show. It was different –

the setting was new, the show was something I did not expect, and it was a lot of fun.

Now, it’s usually quite difficult to say anything positive about politics – we’re finally past a government shutdown, and as a student, I have nothing kind to say about either political party, not that I have been paying a lot of attention. But when it comes to USG, I tend to care a little bit more, because what they do affects how my campus experience is and how much I shell out to pay for tuition.

And I think they’re doing a good job. Granted, we are only two months into the semester, but I’m actually having fun. The fall concert was impressive, the comedy show – a success in my eyes. Another concert has been announced, and it has been announced that “Taking Back Sunday” will be performing. It’s refreshing to see a rock band come to Stony Brook.

We have such a large student body, and USG is finally recognizing that a good number of us might not like

MAX WEI / THE STATESMAN

Mac Miller's performance last September was heavily attended.

rap music. I like having another option; I like that they’re branching out and bringing different acts.

I’m praising USG for focusing on the student body. Yes, it is their job to address the needs of the students to the university, but I feel like they have been very involved, more so than USG was last year.

At the end of last semester, USG paid attention when students started complaining about the absurd amount of money they got charged for not throwing their garbage out before moving out. At the beginning of the fall semester, everyone was in an uproar on the price and portion size of the meals offered on campus. USG held an open forum with students and FSA on September 18, 2013 to address some of those issues and to show FSA how the students themselves felt. I thought the greatest initiative was the focus on transportation.

So many of us use the buses to get off campus on the weekends, especially those living in West and Chapin, and improving that system would make life on campus a lot easier. Getting that coach bus system running from here to the city? That would be golden.

There are so many events going on this semester, and I feel like each one is bringing the school community together. I think that USG is listening to what students have to say about issues that affect us, like campus food, and they’re trying to do something about it.

They are doing what we elected them to do – they’re representing the students to the administration.

So here’s to you, USG. You’re doing a good job. I hope you keep it up.

"Weed out" classes are unfortunate, but necessary

By Tejen Shah Staff Writer

No matter how we boil it down, it is extremely obvious that Stony Brook University is primarily a science school. Despite the university’s most sincere efforts to promote other academic concentrations, which are also among the most prestigious programs in the nation, the path that an overwhelming portion of the student body chooses is a physical or biological science. Out of the five most popular majors at our university, there are four science majors that consist of thousands of people. The numbers are somewhat staggering. The number of science majors presents obvious problems: extreme competition and running the risk of making the school seem one dimensional. So how does the school handle this overcrowding?

It makes introductory level classes that are geared to make young minds want to quit and choose another career or major altogether.

At first, you might say that purposely making a class harder than it needs to be just so that some people either flunk out or change their minds is unethical.

You might say “wait, that’s not fair” or “they can’t do that,” and you know what, you would be 100 percent right. It is not fair. Survival

of the fittest in a classroom setting sounds like something straight out of a social Darwinist horror movie. The sad part is, however, it

“I know that sometimes we all think that life is not completely fair. And to be frank, it is not.” is completely justified.

Let us think about the overwhelming number of pre-med underclassmen at Stony Brook. It seems like at least one out of every two people you ask, whether they are majoring in health science or art, are on the pre-med track, but as the students get older, the numbers dwindle down. Why? Because of the so called “weed out classes.” As unethical and morally wrong that it may seem to make the sole purpose of a class to get people to want to give up, it is even more wrong to not create that separation between those who

can carry on with the ridiculously grueling yet ultimately highly rewarding science program at Stony Brook, and those who cannot. Also, because it is extremely difficult to succeed in something you do not enjoy, the “weed out method” allows students who originally planned on becoming doctors, engineers or scientists out of high school to realize, “hey, this might not be for me. I should do something I can actually enjoy so that I can succeed.”

I know that sometimes we all think that life is not always completely fair. And to be very frank, it is not. We all are born differently in different homes, to different families, backgrounds and religions and thus we each have our own advantages and disadvantages. But, the journey we are on here in college, although it may seem treacherous and unforgiving, especially in the classroom, is one in which we will turn our weaknesses into strengths and our strengths into weapons.

So, is “weeding out” morally wrong? Yes, but it is also necessary given the nature of our school. For some, this competition brings out the best. Others get overwhelmed and need a little extra boost to get them over the stresses of competition. But, nonetheless, we are all in this together.

14

Monday, October 21, 2013

Earn 3 Credits In 3 Weeks

Winter Session 2014 January 7 to January 25

Attending Stony Brook’s Winter Session allows you to fill in missing courses, try something new and different, or speed the progress to your degree.

Winter Session is the most productive way to spend your break: • • • •

Stay on track for graduation Fulfill your DEC requirements Lighten your load for future semesters Choose from over 100 courses in more than 20 subjects

Sports

The Statesman

Volleyball defeats Hartford

By Sanjay Jonnavithula Staff Writer

The Stony Brook Seawolves were able to successfully defeat the Hartford Hawks in four sets (25-16, 26-24, 24-26, 25-21) on Sunday afternoon.

It’s the Seawolves’

They were leading the second game as well before Hartford came back to tie it up at 24-24, but the Seawolves’ prevailed with a kill from Fletcher securing the victory.

Unfortunately, the Seawolves dropped the third game by a score of 26-24, a devastating loss as Stony Brook had the opportunity to secure the match victory during the game.

However, the Seawolves were

Pritchard this year, at 4-0, which is comforting knowing that there are five more home games left to play.

The Seawolves are set to travel to play Seton Hall on the road, but are returning home for a big conference matchup against U of Maryland: Baltimore County on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Pritchard.

Stony Brook's next game is Tuesday, Oct. 22 at Seton Hall.

JESUS PICHARDO / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook improved to 11-12, 5-2 in conference play after Sunday's win. eighth win in their last 10 matches, leaving them on a surging hot streak.

Senior Kaitlin Costello led the way with her third consecutive double-double (10 kills, 14 digs).

Melissa Rigo led the team with 12 kills, while Stephanie McFadden and Kathy Fletcher each had 11 kills.

Hannah Dolan had 41 assists; her eighth time having 40 or more.

Stony Brook came out of the gate strong, dominating the first game by going on an 11-1 run and leading by as much as 11.

able to come strong in the fourth game, securing the match by a score of 25-21.

When asked about her team’s performance, coach Coley Pawlikowski responded with, “I think [in] game 1, we were really disciplined; we did a really good job of just controlling our side of the net. When we went away from that in [games] two and three, we struggled a little bit, but we were able to rebound, which was big for us. We did a good job of just understanding what our game plan was, and getting back to basics.”

When asked if her team was nervous after dropping the third game, coach Pawlikowski replied, “No, a big thing we stress is confidence. We want our team to play confidently all the time.”

The Seawolves had six aces compared to the Hawks’ three, and 10 blocks compared to Hartford’s 7. The win keeps Stony Brook undefeated at

KEY STATS

Melissa Rigo- 12 kills, Stephanie McFadden11 kills

Kaitlin Costello- 10 kills, 14 digs

Kathy Fletcher- 11 kills TEAM STATS

55 kills, 63 digs, 10 blocks

Stony Brook 11-12, 5-2 AE

Hartford 8-15, 2-5 AE

For information visit

• Fulfill your core requirements

stonybrook.edu/winter

• Lighten your load for future semesters

Enrollment begins November 4.

• Stay on track for graduation

I have been providing legal services to clients who are seriously injured in automobile or other types of accidents.

1-800-582-8089 or 631-342-0687

See your Academic Advisor NOW! • Easy enrollment for visiting students you knew IfIf you knew that at 17 weeks

Stony Brook University/SUNY is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. 13061390

your baby was sucking his thumb, would you still abort Need help? him?

Call 1-800-395-HELP (4357) www.aaapregnancyoptions.com

August 20, 2012

Sports

The Statesman

Men’s tennis wraps up fall season at ITA Regional

By Andrew Eichenholz Staff Writer

In the last and perhaps most difficult test of the fall schedule, the Stony Brook Men’s tennis team drove around the Long Island Sound up to Yale University for the ITA Northeast Regional.

Facing off against the best players from the northeastern United States, the Seawolves were up against stiff competition from the likes of Columbia University, Harvard University and St. John’s University.

Without the entire team being selected to make the draw, two members of the team played in the qualifying draw, attempting to claw their way into the main draw.

Sophomore Marcelo Locatelli and freshman Alexandre Felisa both needed two wins to advance

into the main draw, with the Felisa doing just that.

After Locatelli dropped a tight straight setter against eventual qualifier MJ Every of St. John’s, Felisa came up against St. Bonaventure’s Eduardo Irizarry, who he quickly ousted in straight sets.

When facing seeded Dan Davies of Princeton University, Felisa clawed back from a set down to out-do the Ivy Leaguer 7-5 in the third and final set, propelling him into the main draw.

Joining sophomore Jose Morales and freshman Raphael Termat, both teammates, in the main draw, the trio faced a tough test against the best college players in the area.

Playing Penn, Binghamton and Buffalo players respectively, each Seawolf made a tough battle of it, taking the first set

in each match before falling to their opponents.

In doubles action, the Seawolves had two doubles squads, with Morales teaming up with Locatelli, and the freshman duo of Termat and Felisa.

Both fought against tough teams, with the duo of Morales and Locatelli falling against a seeded duo from Brown, and Termat and Felisa dropping a contest against Marist.

Done for the fall season, Stony Brook returns to action in 2014, opening their season against familiar foe ASA College at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Feb. 3.

For those looking to catch a glimpse of the team on campus, the first home match of the spring schedule is on April 2 against local Hofstra University, just steps away from LaValle Stadium.

Strong Fall-Ending Performance for Women’s Tennis

By Andrew Eichenholz Staff Writer

Heading up north to Cambridge, Mass., the women’s tennis team contested the ITA Northeastern Regional at Harvard University over the weekend.

With five players invited, the Seawolves had four singles players and two doubles teams in the mix. Attempting to qualify for the main draw in singles were two freshmen, Nadia Smergut and Adey Osabuohien.

The duo looked to join the main draw with junior Polina Movchan and sophomore Jackie AltanSarnai.

After Osabuohien dropped a tough match against Nicole Chis of Farleigh Dickinson, Smergut dropped the first set against Hannah Liljekvist of Seton Hall.

After fighting back to get up a break in the second set, Liljekvist retired, putting Smergut one win away from the main draw.

She did not disappoint, toughing out a third set against Mariam Zein of Rutgers.

In main draw action, all three Seawolves started off well, with Movchan winning against Alana Prinos of Providence, AltanSarnai advancing and Smergut beating Ioana Alecsiu of Columbia.

Advancing into the round of 64, the Stony brook trio had a tough road ahead of them, with both Movchan and AltanSarnai facing seeded players.

After they both dropped tough matches against stiff competition, Smergut played Amanda Lin of Harvard.

Playing great tennis, she

Monday, October 21, 2013

15

Women's rugby crushes Fordham 81-0

By Jason Mazza Staff Writer

Seawolves are on the rise athletically recently. Perhaps no team, however, is rising as fast as the Women’s Rugby club.

The club is on the verge of possibly their best season since

said.

If you've never seen them before, they play with 15 players at a time, but have a much larger roster.

In addition to local league play, women's rugby also has competed in Sevens tournaments (seven players on the field at once) over the past

COURTESY OF STONY BROOK WOMEN'S RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE

The Seawolves demolished Fordham 81-0 on Sunday. its inception in 1987, going undefeated and finishing atop the tri-state conference.

On Sunday, the team capped off their regular season against Fordham University at home on the campus rec fields.

In blowout fashion, Stony Brook beat Fordham 81-0, scoring consistently even late into the second half, sending a ball through the uprights just minutes before time ran out.

Even with very little on the line Sunday, Stony Brook was still managed to keep

couple years in Las Vegas.

Rugby is not only gaining ground on campus, but abroad as well. Next years' Summer Olympics will play host to women's rugby for the first time ever. Olympic competition is also played Sevens style.

Rugby has yet to join the NCAA stage.

However, judging by the significant momentum college club rugby has made over the past few years, its not crazy to say that NCAA sponsorship is in its horizon

COURTESY OF STONY BROOK WOMEN'S RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE

The women's rugby team has won six games so far this season.

NINA LIN / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook had five players in the ITA Northeastern Regional advanced to the round of 32 with a straight sets victory.

In doubles action, Movchan and Osabuohien dropped a first round contest against Boston College, while the team of Louise Badoche and Smergut took a tough, tight loss to the 14th seeded duo from the University of Massachusetts.

The women now have a few

months to wait before opening up their spring season, when they head to the home of the US Open in Flushing to take on ASA College of Brooklyn.

Opening up their home schedule on March 25, Stony Brook will be on home turf against Quinnipiac University, right next to LaValle Stadium at 3 p.m.

momentum going into the postseason and complete the undefeated season, finishing 6-0.

Women’s rugby may not be the first sport that comes to mind when you’re looking at clubs to join on campus, but senior captain Carmen Ng suggests otherwise.

“Women’s Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports on campus. We get lots of new players each semester and all are welcome to come try it out," Ng

Seawolves Scoreboard

A 6-0 season earned Stony Brook the honor of hosting both the quarterfinal and semifinal games at Stony Brook Oct. 26 at 12 p.m. on the Campus Rec fields.

Other schools that will participate in the postseason tournament will include Binghamton University and University at Albany from the North Division.

Molloy College will be the other representative from the South Division.

Football: Bye Week. Next game: 10/26 vs. New Hampshire 4 p.m.

Men's soccer: (10/16) Tie Binghamton 2-2 2OT, (10/19) Loss to UMass Lowell 3-2 Women's soccer: (10/17) Loss to UMBC 2-1 2OT, (10/20) Win against Binghamton 2-0 Volleyball: (10/18) Win against Providence 3-1, (10/20) Win against Hartford 3-1

Sports

Seawolves clinch playoffs with win over Binghamton

By Mike Daniello & Jason Mazza Sports Editor & Staff Writer

With their 2-0 victory over Binghamton Sunday, the Seawolves cinched an America East playoff spot. Sophomore Stella Norman and senior Larissa Nysch each scored for the Seawolves, who improved to 9-51 overall and 4-2-0 in the America East.

Stony Brook scored in the 40th minute when Norman scored on a free kick from 32 yards out. Norman later assisted Nysch at the 68:35 mark, to put the Seawolves up 2-0.

The Bearcats did outshoot the Seawolves 14-6, but could not get on the board. Junior Ashley Castanio made five saves four her fourth shutout of the season, and ninth career shutout. Norman had three shot attempts for the Seawolves.

It will be Stony Brook’s second consecutive appearance in the America East Tournament and sixth in the last seven seasons.

Nysch scored her ninth goal of the season, which was her 20th career goal, and she also reached her 49th and 50th points as a Seawolf. She is only one of six players in Seawolve's history with 50 points.

Stony Brook will host New Hampshire on Thursday at 7 p.m.

BASIL JOHN / THE STATESMAN

With their 2-0 win over Binghamton, the Seawolves have clinched the AE playoffs. in the team’s final regular season home game. The undefeated home streak ended for the Stony Brook Seawolves women’s soccer (8-5-1, 3-2-0 America East) team Thursday night in a double overtime loss to the UMBC Retrievers (9-4-2, 4-1-0 America East) The game was a disappointing loss for the Seawolves, who took an

early 1-0 lead in the 31st minute off a UMBC own goal following a free kick from Stella Norman. Scoring ceased until the 54th minute, when the Retrievers would even the score with a shot from Alexa Quaranta Coach Sue Ryan spoke after the game regarding the difference two halves made for the Seawolves.

"I thought we played well in the

first half, but we couldn't put two halves together. We couldn't find our rhythm in the second half and that really cost us, especially after they scored. We got flustered and started just kicking the ball away and not really staying with our game plan.”

For the second time in as many nights, bonus soccer was played in LaValle. With the men failing to

capitalize on several opportunities the previous night, the women looked to break the trend as they headed into over time. In two previous overtime contests this season, the Seawolves were 0-1-1.

The first overtime played just as regulation had ended, with no score but a distinct momentum advantage in the hands of the Retrievers. They would take six shots in total. The Seawolves, however, did have an opportunity when Murrer broke away with the ball but sent a shot left of the goal. Despite their best efforts, the game was sent into the second overtime.

Two minutes and twenty five seconds in the second overtime, Jessy Brown of UMBC received a cross from Meg Kowalski, sending it in from five yards out.

Coach Ryan spoke more about the loss post game.

“Obviously we want to get three points whenever we can, but we can learn something whether we win or lose, and we need to take the challenges we faced today and use them to fuel us going forward."

Stony Brook continues America East play this Sunday at Binghamton.

They return to playing at home on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. against New Hampshire.

Seawolves fall to UMass Lowell 3-2, tie Binghamton Maysonet to

By Mike Daniello &Cameron Boon Sports Editor & Staff Writer

The Seawolves fell 3-2 to UMass Lowell on Saturday.

They fell behind 3-0, and brought the deficit back to within a single goal, but the Seawolves could not complete the comeback.

Stony Brook has not won in four matches, falling to 5-7-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the America East. It was UMass Lowell’s third win of the year and first-ever win in their new conference.

The River Hawks' Wuilito Fernandes scored off a pass from Kevin Zapata in the third minute of the game.

They added another goal quickly, as Homero Morais scored off a pass from Eric Martin in the 11th minute.

The score remained the same until Morais scored again off of a cross from Zapata inside the right post.

Stony Brook got on the board in the 67th minute, as senior Will Casey took a shot that was originally stopped, but the rebound went to freshman Kofi Ramirez Osei-Tutu, who scored.

The Seawolves scored again in the 81st minute, as sophomore Martin Giordano passed to freshman Favio Sbarra, who lofted the ball over the goaltender, to make it 3-2.

Stony Brook had a few other opportunities, most notably in the 59th and 68th minute, but the shots were stopped by the River Hawks.

The Seawolves were also stopped in the 88th minute, as

sophomore Troy Manheimer’s shot was stopped by the River Hawks.

Stony Brook, however, did outshoot UMass Lowell 14-12 and 8-5 in shots on goal.

10 of Stony Brook’s 14 shots were taken in the second half.

Osei-Tutu scored his first goal of his career and Sbarra’s goal was his second of the season.

Stony Brook fell to 1-3-1 all time versus UMass Lowell.

It was their first meeting as Division I opponents. Stony Brook is currently in a three-way tie with Hartford and Albany for fifth place in the America East.

Jorge Torres scored early, and Keith McKenna scored in the second to tie it, but the Seawolves could not put together the winning formula, playing to a tie with the Binghamton Bearcats 2-2 on Thursday night at LaValle Stadium.

“We just didn’t play well enough to deserve the three points today” coach Anatol said afterwards.

The Seawolves were statistically dominated in the first half of the game, being outshot 8-3

by Binghamton and could not generate a goal after Torres scored his first of the season with 26:29 to go in the first half.

The ball was punched out by the keeper Stefano Frantellizzi and it rolled to Torres 30 yards out who put it home in the top left-hand corner.

The Bearcats would answer late in the half.

“We just didn’t respond well to their pressure” coach Anatol said, and that would lead to the goal by

New York Jets practice squad

By Mike Daniello Sports Editor

MANJU SHIVACHARAN / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook fell to 5-7-1 overall after their 3-2 loss Sunday.

Steven Celeste with 7:29 to go in the first half.

A long through ball took a bounce and Celeste chested it and put it hard and low into the bottom left corner of the net, past the reach of goalie Carlos Villa to bring the game even at 1.

Binghamton would be the first to score in the second half, as Ben Nicholson sent in a corner from the left side, and Robbie Hughes got his head to it, putting it home for his second of the year and giving the Bearcats a 2-1 lead with 41:13 to play in regulation.

“You can’t win games by letting teams score off of restarts and long through balls” coach Anatol said.

His team would answer 3:12 later, when Martin Giordano put in a low cross from just inside the right side of the box, and that found the foot of Keith McKenna, who scored his third goal in three games to tie the match at 2, and finish the scoring for the game.

The Seawolves would generate

a great opportunity in both overtimes, only to let both slip by.

The first was late in the first overtime, when a cross into the box could not reach the foot of Keith McKenna who already scored once in the game, and the scrum in front was cleared.

In the second overtime, with 7:50 left, Stony Brook had a corner kick from the left side.

Shane Wixted took it and it found the foot of Martin Giordano who had his shot cleared off the line by a Binghamton defender, and that found Alejandro Fritz.

Fritz’s shot was blocked in front and the ball was cleared away.

Binghamton would also have a great opportunity, as Derrick Ladeairous crossed a ball in and that was punched out by Villa, and arrived at the feet of Vlad Finn.

Finn would blast it right into the oncoming Villa from 10 yds out with just under a minute to play, and the tie was preserved for both teams.

Miguel Maysonet is on his way back to New York.

The former Seawolf signed on to the New York Jets practice squad yesterday. It is Maysonet’s fifth team since going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft in April.

Maysonet was on his way to work out with the Cincinnati Bengals, but received a call from the Jets, who had room to bring him onto the practice squad.

He initially went to the Philadelphia Eagles after the draft, but was around for less than a month.

He then signed on with the Cleveland Brows in May, but was released after spending training camp with the team.

Maysonet spent the preseason with the Browns rushing for 30 yards on 13 carries.

He also had 14 yards receiving on three catches. Maysonet then made the Indianapolis Colts, but was released 10 days later.

The San Diego Chargers then picked him up, but cut him 10 days later.

After a season-ending injury to running back Mike Goodson, the Jets’ depth chart at running back is pretty weak.

Bilal Powell is the number one running back, in front of Chris Ivory and Alex Green.

Maysonet finished his college career as one of the top FCS running backs and was also a Walter Payton Award runner up in 2012.