The Statesman Volume 57 Issue 26

Monday, May 5, 2014

Volume LVII, Issue 26

sbstatesman.com

Stony Brook University to break ground on student dorms in June

By Olivia Burne

Village Times Herald Reporter

A copy of this article first appeared in the Village Times Herald newspaper.

This reprint is used with permission.

JISOO HWANG/ THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook celebrated its 25th anniversary of the Roth Regatta on Friday, May 2, 2014.

Check out The Stateman's coverage of SBU's famous tradition at sbstatesman.com.

SBU Women’s Basketball coach Beth O’Boyle resigns

By Joe Galotti

Assistant Sports Editor

On Monday, April 28, the Stony Brook Athletics Department released the news when they announced Beth O’Boyle has decided to resign from the position of head coach of the Women’s Basketball team, to take a head coaching job at Virginia Commonwealth University.

O’Boyle has held the position since April 2011. She took the Seawolves from a four-win team during the first year of her tenure to a 24-win team this past season.

During the 2013-2014 season Stony Brook finished second in their conference with a record of 13-3 in America East play, and received a bid in the WNIT.

She recently received the honor of being voted the 2014 Met Writers Coach of the Year.

Interim Director of Athletics Donna Woodruff released a statement about the resignation through a press release.

“In a short period of time, Coach O’Boyle helped the women’s basketball program to achieve great things here at Stony Brook, and I want to sincerely thank her for her efforts and wish her well on her future endeavors,” Woodruff said.

“Our Seawolves women’s basketball program is truly on the rise, and we look forward to finding the right head coach who will ensure that we continue our upward momentum.”

Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Thomas Chen said the department had no further

comments or information to give at this time.

O’Boyle will be formally introduced as VCU’s head coach in a press conference at the Siegel Center tomorrow at noon. She will be the team’s third head coach in the last four seasons.

The Stony Brook Athletics Department also said in their press release that the university will now begin a nationwide search to find O’Boyle’s replacement.

There is always the possibility Stony Brook could fill the position from within the organization. Todd Mitmesser has served as an assistant coach the last two seasons, and could be a candidate for the job.

on Stony Brook University’s campus have interfered with some current students’ personal space at the Staller Center for the Arts.

Junior theater major Christopher Stratis was hanging lights in one of the Staller Center’s theaters to prepare for a matinée show when stragglers from a tour group wandered in. They pulled at the doors, causing a commotion.

The show went on, but Stratis was not over it.

“I’ve spoke to several tour guides and told them not to come through this hallway,” Stratis said, “but I think there’s a lack of communication between the theater department and Student Affairs.”

As part of the tour, tour guides lead prospective students and their families through Staller’s theater center. The Staller Center’s lobby is a wide-open space for the group

David Vertsberger reporting to this story.

contributed

Prospective student tours disrupt academics on campus

By Cassandra Maddox Statesman Intern

Tours for prospective students

JESUS PICHARDO / THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook's Office of Undergraduate Admissions is in charge of campus tours, which sometimes disturb current students.

News

Arts & Entertainment

Continued on page 5

Stony Brook University will be breaking ground on a two-building, 759-bed residence facility on campus for students in June, bringing the on-campus bed count to 10,300 and making Stony Brook the largest on-campus housing in the State University of New York system.

There will also be a 60,000-squarefoot dining facility built along with the two residence halls on John S. Toll Drive, between the Charles B. Wang Center and Mendelsohn Quad. The project will include dining options on the ground floor with suite style, single-occupancy bedrooms in the upper floors of the two planned buildings.

"We have had constructive conversations where we discuss many ideas, including opportunities to partner with private developers," SBU spokesperson Lauren Sheprow said in a statement. "These discussions include the feasibility of building on the campus and off and a variety of business models."

The off-campus housing option Sheprow mentioned includes working with local developers to build apartment-style housing in properly zoned areas — away from single-family neighborhoods.

The campus dorm, whose inception comes from the university's master plan, will come after months of court cases and complaints from residents over university students living in off-campus housing due to a lack of on-campus options. The most recent complaints resulted in the break-up of a large college party in a Stony Brook Road house on April 12 and the subsequent arrest of three non-students for disorderly conduct.

Seven on-campus clubs are currently suspended and under review due to their participation in the party.

Another includes the recent Town of Brookhaven court victory against North Shore Designs, owner of the

house at 150 Christian Avenue.

North Shore Designs owner Steven Graziano was present in court, as was his lawyer, Raymond Negron. North Shore Designs was found guilty of 15 charges, including eight counts of illegal occupancy and four counts of building and making alterations without a permit.

There were also violations of creating unsanitary living conditions.

According to Negron, the convictions will be appealed because his client did not "act in a manner to support criminal conduct" because the tenants made the makeshift bedroom, changed the doorknobs and removed or destroyed several smoke detectors.

"The court caved into Political pressure and ignored a basic principle of American jurisprudence to appease a small group of people who have banded together to form an organization that wants their neighborhood free from persons they do not approve of," Negron said.

North Shore Designs was ordered on May 1 to pay $28,000 in fines.

He faced up to $51,000 in fines for the 15 convictions. Another 120 houses in Brookhaven Town are also under investigation by the town's law department. According to the town housing code, no more than four unrelated people can live in a house.

The Stony Brook Concerned Homeowners has been active in raising awareness about illegal offcampus housing, where landlords provide student housing that violates town code. One of the association's founders, Anthony DeRosa, has been working with SBU's communications department and said that the planned dorm "will relieve some of the pressure from some of the students who are renting off-campus" but said that there should be more housing options.

"My suggestion to the university has been to build apartment-style housing, not dorm-style housing," DeRosa said. "That might encourage some students to still seek housing on-campus."

The on-campus facility is expected to open in 2016.

PHOTO CREDIT: SBU

Stony Brook is expected to start construction on a new student housing facility this summer starting in June.

Opinions

Sports

Allison Zelnick: from the pool to the court

Science playwriting contest winners

#graduateschoolproblems

SBU extends Pikiell through 2018-2019

MORE ON PAGE 3

MORE ON PAGE 8

MORE ON PAGE 11

MORE ON PAGE 16

Former swim team captain reflects on pool closing.

Playwrights delve into new scientific subject matter.

Housing for graduate students is too expensive.

Men’s Basketball coach recieves contract extension.

2

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NEWS

SBU Muslim students relieved as NYPD surveillance programs ends

By Kelly Zegers Staff Writer

The New York Police Department decided to end a surveillance program, known as the Demographics Unit, that began in 2003 to monitor Muslim communities after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including Stony Brook University’s Muslim Student Association.

NYPD officers visited the Stony Brook MSA website, but “did not find significant information posted on their web sites, forums, blogs and groups,” according to a Weekly MSA Report from the NYPD that the Associated Press uncovered.

That November 2006 report, labeled as “secret,” showed that online activity from Muslim student groups at other schools such as SUNY Buffalo, New York University, Rutgers, Columbia and Yale was also monitored.

NYPD informers also infiltrated Muslim student groups on campuses, but ultimately, the program as a whole did not generate leads from the information gathered, according to The New York Times, while the crux of the program covertly sent detectives into Muslim neighborhoods to gather detailed information on where people met, ate and shopped, along with what people said.

PHOTO CREDIT: MCTCAMPUS

A New York Police Department surveillance program used to monitor Muslim communities after Sept. 11, 2001 has also affected Stony Brook University students.

Sanaa Nadim, chaplain of SBU’s MSA, said it was “disheartening” and “a shock” to learn of the surveillance of students she called “the best people of their generation,” some of which have moved on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers and “some of the most successful figures.”

I don’t think they really deserved that treatment,” Nadim said. She said that citizens of a free society get hurt by learning of

such surveillance in the “country of liberty and justice for all,” while there are third-world societies that are mocked for being police states.

Nadim said she understands that law enforcement need to protect and maintain safety, but that it should not “paint with one brush” the Muslim community.

It is necessary to differentiate the community of those who have a relation with God to become righteous citizens from those

who interpret scripture and act in violence, she said.

Ultimately, Nadim said the disbanding of the program is a “wonderful step forward by law enforcement” in building a bridge with the Muslim community and establishing trust.

To deal with the stigmas of Muslims that may arise, Nadim said she does her best to educate students on that they are at one of the most diverse universities in

the world, with an administration that has been “very supportive” in resolving issues.

Three students from SBU’s MSA offered their reactions to the ending of the NYPD’s spying on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject.

One student said that he thought, not speaking for the entire Muslim community, that the surveillance “was just a matter of fact.” Though nothing needed to be hidden, he felt “strained” when the program was running and now feels “easier” that it is gone.

“We all know if we’re doing something good or something bad,” said another student.

“We’re like every other American out there.”

A third student added that although there was nothing to hide, the monitoring was “unfair” as it felt as though students had to “walk on eggshells” in fear of being singled out for their religious affiliation.

Nadim said that while she understands why the program existed, there are ways to achieve safety without singling out the entire Muslim community and to learn from times in history when people were targeted as communists or for being Jewish.

“We’re the new kids on the block,” Nadim said, when really “one small minority took the microphone.”

Allison Zelnick: former swim team captain reflects on transition from the pool to the volleyball court

By Kyril Kotlovsky and Polina Movchan Contributing Writers

When Stony Brook University’s swimming pool closed in Fall 2012, many swimmers, including team captain Allison Zelnick, were left in disarray about their futures.

“How can I describe how we felt…anger, depression, betrayal?” Zelnick wrote on her blog. “We all understood what happened, but no one could suppress these feelings. At that moment, everyone on my team had to accept that they were now retired swimmers.”

The decision to close the pool and discontinue the men’s and women’s swimming programs came in two phases. The pool was initially drained in the summer of 2012 with the intention of renovation, thus cancelling the 2012-2013 season and redshirting the whole team. Zelnick described the pool as being, “old, and full of problems,” which hurt the school recruiting-wise.

The plan was to rent out external facilities so the team could keep practicing, with the intention of competing the following year.

However, when Stony Brook’s Emergency Relief Fund was cut in half—from $200 million to $100 million—the $10 million cost to repair the pool moved down on the university’s list of priorities.

A subsequent inspection from the National Collegiate Athletics Association revealed that the pool did not meet code and

safety regulations, requiring a completely new facility. This left the teams without a home turf for the foreseeable future.

In a statement to the student body, Stony Brook’s Office of External Relations wrote: “For swimming or diving studentathletes who choose to stay at Stony Brook, we will honor all current athletic scholarships and will continue to receive academic support and studentathletes’ welfare services. For any swimming or diving studentathletes who wish to pursue the opportunity to transfer to another institution, we will support their unconditional release.”

These developments also came during a difficult time for the program. Dave Alexander, the founder of the women’s swimming program at Stony Brook and coach of 32 years, died of cancer that same summer. The team had just made the jump from Division III to Division I the year before.

“There are swimmers who came here as freshmen who have never swam, and don’t know the legacy of Dave or the team,” Ellen Driscoll, Stony Brook’s assistant dean of students, said.

Although the team was aware of Alexander’s condition, they were distraught nonetheless. “I really felt like I needed to carry on his ideals as captain,” Zelnick said.

She described Alexander as “the glue that held the team together.”

Unable to swim for the first time since grade school, Zelnick said she was filled with a void. She had come off a strong sophomore

year, where she was named the team’s most valuable player and set school records for the 200, 400 and 800-yard freestyle relays.

“When I heard the news that my swimming career was over, I walked outside the sports complex and cried in the stadium parking lot for a good hour,” Zelnick said. “I felt betrayed. I had finally put my whole heart into swimming and it just seemed like it was ripped away from me. I had dreams where I was swimming and getting the cuts I wanted for months, and then I would wake up crying because they weren’t real.”

Zelnick ultimately decided to stay at Stony Brook.

“I was already a junior, and transferring in the spring would have meant losing a majority of my credits,” she said. “I wouldn’t be that great at swimming anyway, because I would have been out of the pool for so long.”

The following spring presented Zelnick with a new opportunity—during a weightlifting and running session in her junior year, she describes being recruited by volleyball coach Coley Pawlikowski, who offered her a spot on the Women’s Volleyball team.

“She said they had experiences with training new athletes,” Zelnick said. “She didn’t care if I had no prior experiences, and she was willing to train me at my own pace with no expectations. I said yes right away, even when she told me to think about it.”

Zelnick joined the volleyball

PHOTO CREDIT: FRANK L. FUMELLI

Zelnick, who was captain of the Women’s Swimming & Diving team, now plays for SBU's Women’s Volleyball. team with the understanding she would mostly be a bench player and could use her height and athleticism to help the other girls learn better defense techniques during practice. But she said she was simply thrilled to be part of an athletic program once again.

Zelnick’s new teammates recognized how difficult the transition from one sport to the next must have been for Zelnick.

“Taking on a completely new sport had to be incredibly tough and I think she handled it well,” captain Lo Hathaway said. “She tried her best every day to do something that had been completely foreign to her.”

Continued on page 5

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Monday, May 5, 2014

5

Campus briefing: USG judiciary rules on lawsuit Campus tours interrupt student life

By Arielle Martinez Copy Editor

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) senate was briefed in its meeting Thursday evening on a judiciary case in which two executive council members sued USG over its process for removing officials from office.

USG Vice President of Communications Mario Ferone and Treasurer Brian McIlvain sued USG in order to clarify whether USG officials can be automatically dismissed for falling below the grade point average minimum requirement to hold office.

This past semester, the USG executive council was notified that one executive council member and two senators had fallen below the minimum GPA requirement.

According to the USG constitution, executive council members must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, and senators must have a minimum GPA of 2.5.

The executive council voted not to impeach the senators and the senate voted not to impeach the executive council member.

However, an administrator inquired about whether the members in question could be automatically dismissed without impeachment.

The names of the students and the administrator in question were not made known to the judiciary because of the sensitive nature of GPAs, Chief Justice Sarah Twarog said. The judiciary brief states that the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act upholds the privacy of student education records. Ferone also declined to give the names of the students to The Statesman.

The judiciary ruled on April 19 that the only way in which an official can be dismissed by USG is through impeachment. Therefore,

any automatic dismissal not in the form of impeachment would be unconstitutional.

According to the USG constitution, an executive council member may only be impeached by a three-fourths vote of the filled seats of the senate, and a senate member may only be impeached by a three-fourths vote of the filled seats of the executive council.

The judiciary could not rule, however, on whether the university’s administration can automatically dismiss a member of USG for GPA infractions.

The judiciary cited the 2010 case USG v. Daniel A. Graber, which established that the executive council cannot create alternate disciplinary actions against a senator in lieu of impeachment.

At the Thursday meeting, the senate also unanimously voted to pass the Full Disclosure Amendment to the Election Bylaws.

The amendment, which was proposed by Sen. Gibryon Bhojraj, changed the deadline for submitting rosters for party coalitions to the same deadline for submitting petitions to run for office. It also set the deadline for submitting party bylaws to the same deadline for submitting forms of intent to run for office.

The election board must then send approved party bylaws to the vice president of communications or USG’s webmaster to be published on USG’s website and social media.

The amendment comes after the April 11 election in which every executive council candidate ran unopposed and all but two senatorial candidates ran under the Actual Party.

The text of the amendment refers to low voter turnout, a Statesman editorial titled “Unfair

Continued from page 1

MANJU SHIVACHARAN / THE STATESMAN

McIlvain and Ferone sued USG to clarify the process for dismissing USG officials. elections” and the fact that the USG Constitution does not mention the formation of parties as reasons for the amendment.

Bhojraj also proposed the Overloading Amendment to the Election Bylaws, which would have required party rosters to have a number of members running for a USG position that is less than the number of seats open for that position. Although the senate’s vote on this amendment was 7-52, the amendment did not receive the votes from the majority of filled senate seats needed to pass.

The senate passed two acts which established offices for the vice president of academic affairs and the vice president of clubs and organizations, thus giving the two vice presidents the authority to hire their own assistants.

The senate also passed an act that requires the Elections Board Chair and the Chief Justice to report their hours to the USG administrative director rather than the president.

Sen. Vincent Justiniano said that this will prevent the president from hypothetically withholding payment from the Election Board Chair or the Chief Justice in a case of conflict with either official.

to stand in while the tour guide speaks. Sometimes these families wander.

Alan Inkles, the director of the Staller Center, had only recently gotten a phone call about students’ complaints. Inkles guessed the issue could be attributed to a number of things.

“It may be an issue of sound...it may just be isolated incidents,” he said. Inkles agreed that disruption of ongoing classes in the Staller Center would be an issue, but does not mind where the tours in the Staller Center go. He wants visitors to have a good impression, admitting, “Sometimes I’ll jump in—we talk with them and talk about all of the shows here and student’s opportunities for free tickets.”

“The last thing we want is

potential incoming students to be negatively influenced in any way,” he said.

Senior Meghan Ames, a theater major student, said, “I have no problem with tours in Staller, just not where classes are going on.”

In one incident, Ames was rehearsing her lines in the Staller Center lobby when a parent stopped the tour guide to yell at and shush Ames. She approached the tour guide afterward but said the tour guide seemed “powerless.”

Now she is taking action.

“We’re getting a group of students together to put in a formal complaint,” she said. “We want to say that we’re not just kids who are pissed off. We are adults, and this is a serious problem.”

Director of the Campus Tour Program and Assistant Director of Admissions Lyle Wind could not be reached for comment.

Allison Zelnick: pool to court Continued from page 3 Hathaway also described Zelnick as a “very determined hard worker” who “always cheered everyone on and kept her spirits high for her teammates.”

The team struggled under firstyear Pawlikowski, starting the year at 4-10, but finishing strong with 12 wins in their last 18 matches.

“I was lucky that I wasn’t the only one getting used to a new coach,” Zelnick said. “I think the team made great strides in just the first year. Even myself, knowing nothing about volleyball, could still see improvements through everyone on our team.”

Zelnick’s expectations were exceeded when Pawlikowski called on her during a game against University of Massachusetts

Lowell on Nov. 8, 2013.

“I was so excited that I pretty much blacked out,” she said. “I can’t remember much, because I was so nervous that I wasn’t thinking straight.”

The Seawolves won that game, improving to 15-14, the only time all season they maintained a winning record.

As for swimming, Zelnick hopes to one day get back in the pool.

“Once I have a steady life situation, I will probably compete in masters swimming,” she said.

“I’d love to rejoin a club USA team and train. I know it will be nearly impossible to get back to where I was, but I would be happy just being a competitive athlete.”

A longer version of this story is avaiable online at sbstatesman.com.

Under the microscope: Stony Brook researchers using brain stem cells to repair damage

By Ruchi Shah Staff Writer

Every other week Ruchi Shah, a sophomore biology major, will take a look at Stony Brook-related research and science news.

When damaged, the brain has the incredible ability to repair itself and restore function. This regeneration of brain cells often happens through special populations of discrete neural stem cells that are found in the mature brain and are activated in response to damage.

Dr. Adan Aguirre, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at Stony Brook University, focuses on the population of adult neural stem cells in the subventricular zone. In particular, he studies the signals and and molecular mechanisms that cause the activation of the stem cells upon brain injury and allow them to migrate from the neural stem cell niche into the areas of damage and ultimately promote the repair.

The quiescent endogenous neural stem cells must be activated through activation of the cell cycle and continue their lineage: neural stem cells become activated stem cells, which subsequently become transient amplifying neural progenitor cells, which are the direct precursors for differentiated cells.

Normally, stem cells rarely progress through these steps.

According to Aguirre’s research, stem cells in the brain divide rarely during physiologically normal conditions, anywhere from once a year to once every three years. Aguirre’s next goal was to was to analyze how stem cell division and lineage progression occurs during normal conditions and after damage to the white matter of the brain via demyelination.

Demyelination is the removal of the protective blanket around neurons, called the myelin sheath and occurs in patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases like Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In order to test stem cell division and lineage, his lab group used several approaches to identify how the activation of the neural stem occurs upon demyelination. One approach was the use of the marker, BrdU, which is incorporated into the cells and can be visualized by staining methods.

Imagine the BrdU like a stain on your hands. If you only wash your hands once during the year, the stain will still be present at the end of the year. However, if you wash your hands every few hours, the stain will disappear in a few months.

This same premise is applied to BrdU in the stem cells. This protein is a marker for cell division and every

time a cell divides, the initial amount of BrdU gets diluted. Therefore stem cells that don't divide, quiescent cells, will have strong signal. However if the stem cells get activated upon injury, the BrdU signal get diluted.

When cells in a normal brain were tested after a year, there was a large amount of BrdU still present, meaning that there was slow division of the stem cells. However, when the brain was damaged via demyelination, the stem cells began dividing every 16 hours and the amount of BrdU was very diluted.

These results suggest that the damage induced the stem cells to divide and develop into transient amplifying neural progenitor cells that have the ability to migrate into areas of brain damage and promote repair. Aguirre and his lab are currently working to better understand the signals that relay the damage to stem cells, causing them to go through the steps to differentiation more efficiently.

The second area of focus of Aguirre’s research is to understand how the transient amplifying stem cells travel from their niche area to the area of damage. In his lab group’s initial studies, by infecting cells of interest with a retrovirus that fluoresces green, they were able to see that the cells began migrating to the area of damage in

about two weeks.

The next goal was to understand what signals cause the cells to migrate.

Through proteomic analysis, Aguirre found that Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) signaling is up-regulated when the

protein N-cadherin is highly upregulated as well and its levels go back to normal once the damage is repaired. Furthermore, when Aguirre overexpressed N-cadherin in cells, there were 20-40 percent more cells in the area of brain damage. These

PHOTO CREDIT: MCTCAMPUS

Adult neural stem cells migrate from the neural stem cell niche into areas of brain damage and promote repair. cells are migrating after damage.

However, increasing EGF signals to promote brain damage repair would not be an effective therapeutic option because EGF is an oncogene and its over-activation will likely lead to cancer.

To find a more effective target, Aguirre analyzed downstream targets of EGF signaling. He found that the

results suggest that N-cadherin signaling is directly involved in migration of transient amplifying cells to areas of brain damage, which ultimately promotes repair.

In the future, the findings of Aguirre and his team could be developed into therapeutic treatments for patients who suffer brain damage or other brain diseases.

6

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Science playwriting competition Spiderman 2: an insult brings winning works to the stage to 21st century movies

By Robert Cimino Staff Writer

Thomas Edison slumps over a tangle of wires and metal parts on his desk. Rattled by nagging confusion, Edison mutters softly to himself.

Direct currents lose energy over long distances. Where could he have gone wrong?

Nikola Tesla strides in. Edison, although hesitant, steps aside to let his longtime foe search for a solution of his own.

Tesla proposes the alternating current: a slipstream of electrons capable of switching directions. In a stubborn huff, Edison dismisses the idea.

He claims that Tesla’s time would be better spent perfecting the direct current.

Watching the sparks fly between two paragons of electrical engineering, the audience hangs on every syllable.

On Wednesday, April 30, the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics held a staged reading of the top four pieces selected in the 2014 SBU Science Playwriting Competition. This is the second year the event has taken place at the university.

Christopher Herzog, an associate professor in the CN Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, founded this celebration of the intersection

of theatre and science in 2010 at Princeton University.

Herzog is a former assistant professor at Princeton.

He joined the Stony Brook faculty in 2011 and took the playwriting contest with him.

“We organized this event to get more people interested and excited about science,” Herzog said. “It is for authors who might have never thought to write a play about physics and math, actors who do not ordinarily get a chance to perform in plays about science and also the audience who may have never voluntarily attended a physics lecture.”

With just eight actors, three scripts perched on precarious stands and an arsenal of imaginary props, the performance was captivating.

“Understanding,” by Colin West, a Ph.D. Candidate at the CN Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics claimed first place in the contest. “Searching for David,” by Bruce Futcher, a professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology took second.

“The Future Tells the Truth,”

by David Vazdauskas, a marketing strategist and playwright from Maine, took third and “Good Advice,” by Matt Von Hippel, a graduate student in the CN Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, received honorable mention.

The four plays explored diverse

concepts in science ranging from the fabled history of the world’s most famous electrical engineers to the plight of young scientists looking to elucidate their intimidating scientific vernacular to reach a broader audience.

The latter drove the narrative in “Understanding,” a chronicle of two scientists, Bill and Alan, who persuade a senator to help subsidize their space program.

Prior to entering the senator’s office, Alan proceeds to speak romantically about space , “the unknown frontier,” and likens himself and Bill, in an analogy, to Lewis and Clark.

“It’s such a perfect fit,” Alan said. “It’s not even an analogy, it’s like an isomorphism.”

Bill warns Alan not to use overtly mathematical or scientific terms when they sit down with the senator.

That could spell disaster for their space program prospects.This moment in the play proved to be a contextual zoom-out. It let the audience see the communicative barriers that science can create.

Beneath the jargon, there is a poetic passion in science that may surprise those not in the field.

By making this visible the playwriting competition, an event that champions the communication and celebration of science, was a success.

NINA LIN / THE STATESMAN

Colin West won the contest with his play "Understanding" and took home the $500 prize.

NINA LIN/ THE STATESMAN

West's 1950's play centered around two scientists seeking money for space exploration.

PHOTO CREDIT: MCT CAMPUS

The Amazing Spider-man 2 spent the majority of the film setting the ground work for future characters and films.

By Brandon Benarba

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

In 2009, Sony made the hasty decision to unnecessarily reboot the “Spider-Man” franchise in a despite effort to keep the right to the franchise. The end result was a rushed, sloppy film that showed a lot of potential, but never lived up to its name. While “The Amazing Spider-Man” never reached the level its title states, its sequel manages to make the first film look amazing.

I could just say that “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is worse then Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3” and end the review, but because I like to think I am more professional then that I’ll move on to the part where I go over the convoluted mess of a story.

Events pick up a few months after the first film, as Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) graduate from high school and plan to continue on with their relationship. As Peter’s adventures as Spider-Man continue to grow more and more he is haunted by visions of Gwen’s dead father, causing him to break up with Gwen out of a necessity to keep her safe.

Meanwhile, Peter’s childhood best-friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHann) returns to take over his deceased father’s company Oscorp, which is deeply enrooted in the boring mystery of Peter’s missing parents, and is also responsible for multiple technological advances that birth horrible renditions of classic Spider-Man villains.

This time around it is Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti) who get introduced to push Spider-Man to his limits and help bring the true hero out of Peter.

If that sounds like a mess that is because it is. The entire plot is an over bloated mess introducing too many characters without giving them any time to develop.

The audience is told that Harry and Peter are long-time best friends, which is weird considering that there was all that business with Oscorp in the first film, but it was never mentioned.

It seems that these characters

were simply an afterthought, only added to the film to meet some quota for making a bigger, more action packed film.

The actors do not fare much better here, as both Foxx and DeHann are terrible in their roles.

One of the best parts of the first “Amazing Spider-Man” was the strong chemistry between Garfield and Stone, and while that still very much exists here, their scenes are so far between and terribly written that it really draws away from their performances.

It is a visually and audibly fantastic film. Watching Spider-Man web his way through Manhattan has never looked so acrobatic.

The fight scenes start off strong with Electro’s debut battle in Times Square being the highlight of the entire film. Electro, who is essentially the living representation of electricity, looks great with tiny details really showcasing the strong visual effects of the film.

In its 144 minute run time, a large portion of this film plays out as set up not just for the inevitable “Amazing Spider-Man 3,” but to build an entire franchise of SpiderMan films much like Marvel studios has done with their movies.

The strength of the Marvel films is that while they do set up future films, they also are capable of standing on their own as good, if not confident films. “Amazing Spider-Man 2” barely manages to tell a story, and has very little character and heart. If anything, this film is more in line with a giant trailer for the rest of the films rather than a movie itself.

“Amazing Spider-Man 2” represents the worst of the Hollywood mindset.

Films made using popular brands in order to create franchises to capitalize on those fans, all the while disregarding the source material that made those brands in the first place.

All visuals with no substance, “Amazing Spider-Man 2” is a insult to the cinematic standard of today.

As someone who grew up loving Spider-Man, and more importantly loving film, this movie has done the impossible. It made me not care about Spider-Man anymore.

Arts & Entertainment

The Statesman

Monday, May 5, 2014

9

Press start to continue: Campus spotlight: Desi K. Robinson a look at mobile gaming advocates for accessible healthy food

By Krysten Massa Contributing Writer

PHOTO CREDIT: MCT CAMPUS

Mobile games, like "Clash of Clans," are largely noncommittal, making them perfect for students on-the-go. it is easy to check up on and improve your village once or twice a day Staff Writer without devoting too much time to playing the game.

Technology has come a long One of the earliest app games way from the days of the original released, "Unblock Me," is nothing black and white Nintendo Game more than a time-killing puzzle Boy. Now, we have smartphones game. Sharpen your mind by solving with processing power greater these increasingly difficult puzzles, than the equipment on NASA’s of which there are thousands to first shuttle launch. complete. On a board filled with These phones provide endless blocks of varying sizes, the aim is to deviation and entertainment with push the only red block through the easy Internet access, quick social goal. This is another great mobile media updates and droves of new game because it has simple gameplay, software from app stores. But is the but offers an intellectual challenge.

Internet and communication all There is no commitment to playing there is to these high tech phones? as any level you have progressed Of course not! There is a long, diverse through can be paused at any time. list of games offered for every mobile The ultimate party app game, device, and the following titles are "Spaceteam," is a game that up to great for quick bursts of personal seven people can play. playtime or partying with friends.

Once every user downloads the Supercell developed a fully game on their individual devices, customizable tower defense game "Spaceteam" challenges each player named "Clash of Clans," where the to band together and safely bring player becomes stronger in real-time. their shuttle home from the depths of Players construct new buildings that space. Each device is responsible for range from defensive cannons and a different control panel on the ship archer towers to gold mines and elixir and will be given individual tasks to drills. These mines and drills provide complete in order to continue flying the resources needed to keep building the shuttle safely. while the cannons and archers defend Some orders will not correspond your base from incoming attackers. to the same control panel they are Other players will invade your village given on and players will be required seeking your resources, just as you to verbally tell the group the task that can attack them for theirs. needs finishing until the user with the There is a single player campaign, appropriate panel does so. but the multiplayer aspects of this Players are responsible for yelling game are what make it addictive. out these orders while listening for Because you generate resources and the ones they must complete, which construct new buildings in real time, provides for very loud, hysterical

By Dylan Palazzo

.

Desirée K. Robinson came to Stony Brook University Old Chemsitry 370 on Thursday, April 24 during Earthstock to talk to students about her work as a lifestyle reporter and give students tips for healthy eating. The talk was sponsored by the Sustainability Studies Program.

She wore a green knee-length tight skirt with green stockings, a light pink lace tank shirt and hot pink strands in her hair.

Robinson is a health and lifestyle journalist and the creator, producer and host of the radio show “Women in the Making: Tomorrow’s History Today.” It is a radio show that focuses on the ideas and perspective of "today’s girl."

Robinson grew up in the Bronx.

Like many others from similar upbringings, Robinson dealt with the bleak feeling of never rising above the reputation of her neighborhood.

“As I began to grow, I was able to experience life on much broader terms,” she said.

Robinson was one of the first people in her family to go to college.

She received an M.B.A. in media management from Metropolitan College of New York and a B.A. in communications from the University of Hartford.

After college, in 2005, she lived with a family in Ecuador where she taught English and dance and worked at a TV studio. She described the country as a “wonderful place of color and people.”While in Ecuador, Robinson struggled with high blood pressure and gained weight.

“I was literally a walking stroke,” Robinson said.

Noticing her weight gain, game play. Failed tasks damage the ship, and when enough errors are made, the game ends in failure.

For something a little more time consuming, "Brave Frontier" is a cross between "Final Fantasy," "Pokémon" and "Digimon." Players are introduced to an element system which includes fire, water, earth, lightning, light and dark. Intuitively, each element is weak and strong against another and has various types of characters which can be added to your team of up to five characters.

Robinson adjusted her diet to match that of the Ecuadorian locals, which includes fresh, organic food.

Today, 140 pounds lighter, Robinson is an advocate and product of a healthy lifestyle. Following the weight loss, Robinson created the kidfriendly cooking program “What’s Cookin’ in the World, Miss Desi?”

The goal of the show is to address childhood obesity and help children understand international culture and food in a more comprehensive way.

Robinson encourages children to grow their own vegetables. She said that if children grow and cook their own vegetables, they are more likely to eat them.

Another contribution that Robinson made to the food justice movement is the creation of DeVyne Crown Farm, which is operated from her home in Corona, Queens. She refers to herself as an “urban belle.”

“Farming is the answer to everything,” Robinson said.

Robinson even urges people in

urban areas to start their own farms and begin raising their own crop and stresses the importance of children growing and cooking their own food.

She is incredibly proud of the vegetables she grows and refers to them as her “babies.”She likes to “spread the wealth” and bring her fresh vegetables to everyone. In 2012 the DeVyne crown farm gave away over 100 pounds of fresh produce.

Robinson believes that the food problem in America stems from legislation. Healthy food, she said, is much more expensive than cheaper, unhealthy alternatives.

“Why is good food a privilege for some and not a right for everybody?” she asked.

Robinson, who was unable to comment before the publication of this article, wants to affect change, and do so while being a “fly diva.”

Her future plans involve working on TV. Though she has not quite figured out all of the details yet, she is ambitious.

JESSICA DESAMERO / THE STATESMAN

During Earthstock, Robinson promoted a healthy lifestyle and the importance of eating organically.

These units can be caught by defeating them during quests and can be upgraded by fusing and evolving.

Heals, buffs and special attacks included, every character is unique and can come with different natures that directly affect their stats.

Build a team of your favorites and battle your way through a lengthy single player campaign. There are tons of multiplayer options, including arena battles, dungeon raids, a great friend system that allows gifting and an additional sixth character to add

Three Artsy Events

1) Sustainable Garden

The James College RAs and the Community Service Club will be planting a sustainable garden on Tuesday, May 6 at 5:30 p.m. outside the James College Main Entrance. The goal is to give back to the earth by using materials found around campus.

2) Movie Night

The Cardozo College RAs will be hosting a movie night on Wednesday, May 7 at 8:30 p.m. in the Cardozo Lounge. to blow off steam before finals. “Inception” will be the feature show for the night.

3) N64 Night

The Gershwin College RAs will be kicking it old style on Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. playing Nintendo 64. Players are invited to relax before finals.

to your team.

Of course there are many other mobile games not mentioned here, but these four stand out as exemplary cases in their respective genres.

Apart from "Spaceteam," these games are easy to progress through by playing in short bursts of free time that students might have while waiting on food lines or between classes. Because each game has a large amount of content, they can easily be time killers for as long as the player feels like playing.

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PHOTO CREDIT: MCTCAMPUS

Editorial: Why is the university not providing more graduation tickets?

As May 23 approaches, seniors are both excited and nervous to graduate. But many are also stressed about the limited amount of tickets we are given to distribute to family members on the big day.

Each Stony Brook student set to graduate receives only three tickets this year. Comparatively, students at SUNY Binghamton receive at least six and up to ten tickets, while SUNY Albany requires no tickets at all, meaning it does not limit the amount of guests students are able to invite.

Stony Brook should reconsider its ticketing policy, which is largely affected by the venue used to host graduation. The commencement ceremony is held in the Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, which has a maximum capacity of 8,136 people. The size of the stadium is extremely limiting and causes issues for graduating students.

Families are diverse, and not all of them are made up of two children, a mother and a father.

Students have step-parents, lots of siblings, grandparents—and they all want to celebrate milestones as important as college graduation.

Many travel across the country, even across oceans to come to the event and it is difficult to turn away the people who have supported you and your education throughout the past four years.

Viewing a livestream of the ceremony online or watching it across campus in Frey Hall is a poor substitute for actually attending it, especially since this is first come, first serve.

After investing so much effort and money into receiving our degree, the least the university could do is accomodate us better on our last day here. Beyond the financial aspect, the university celebrates first generation students and graduates.

Because of the significance of this milestone, turning away family members from graduation can be more than upsetting.

Why doesn’t the school turn to viable alternatives? Winter commencement is split, with the sciences graduating in one and students of the arts graduating in the other. Or maybe even hosting it somewhere else, like other schools do could be an option - NYU has theirs at the Yankee Stadium, and their student body is comparable to ours at 50,000 students.

One thing is for sure - the year-end tradition of scrambling for tickets is not the best memory to hold at the end of your collegiate career.

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 your piece to 250-300 words.

Opinions

The Statesman

Monday, May 5, 2014

11

a long way #gradschoolproblems Earthstock from saving the world

Graduate student housing is too costly for students

By Atulya Prasad Contributing Writer

This is the first article in a short series looking into the various problems that face graduate students at Stony Brook University.

This is an exciting time for research at Stony Brook with the “transformative” Simons Gift.

Ambitious plans have been made to expand the faculty at Stony Brook.

This would also mean an expansion (even if modest) of graduate student enrollment, raising the question: where will they live?

Currently, there are three locations on campus that house graduate students: Chapin Apartments on East Campus, Schomburg Apartments; and Block G of West Apartments. Of these, Chapin is the only apartment complex that houses graduate students with families.

Demand for on-campus accommodation has been consistently high. However, the increasing cost of maintaining Chapin means that rent has consistently gone up in the past, and the administration predicts that this trend will continue.

Of the three offerings, Chapin remains the most affordable to a majority of graduate students and is popular among our international students, whose chief concern is ease of access to the campus.

Schomburg is also popular among single graduate students, while West is used by graduate students largely as temporary accommodation, before they move to other spaces in Chapin, Schomburg or off-campus.

As part of planning for the future, the university recognized the need for more graduate student housing. A task force was constituted by the University Senate and charged with investigating the need/demand for graduate and professional (medical and dental) student housing.

As part of collecting data to this end, the Stony Brook Center for Survey Research, and an independent outside agency, Brailsford and Dunlavey, Inc. put together two separate reports in 2007. At the time, the most common housing arrangement graduate students had been to rent a room in a house with other graduate students and/or professionals.

The median monthly income at the time for graduate students living on-campus was $1,200 while that of students living off-campus was $1,400. Unsurprisingly, 63 percent of graduate students on-campus and 74 percent off-campus felt affordability was the most important factor in their decision of where to live off campus.

As older professionals, graduate students both on- and off-campus made (and continue to make) the ability to study in the privacy of their own space a priority. In addition to examining current needs at the time, the report also queried willingness to live on-campus in a new complex.

Among graduate students already living on-campus, much more than half said they would be willing to live in a one bedroom apartment costing $800, a two-bedroom apartment costing $1,400, or a single room in a

ANUSHA MOOKHERJEE / THE STATESMAN

Schomburg Apartments are avaliable to graduate students. two bedroom apartment. Graduate students living off-campus at the time showed similar willingness to live on campus at those proposed rents.

This data is further strengthened by a second survey conducted in 2011 to gauge interest in an on-campus residential complex. Among graduate students, only about one-quarter of graduate students reported paying more than $1,000 per month in rent.

About half reported earning less than $2,000 per month. This reflects the reality of graduate school.

Graduate students more often than not tend to be making their way through school. Ph.D. students in the sciences and engineering tend to be better funded with federal, state or private research dollars than our counterparts in the humanities. There is data that has been reported in these surveys that a majority of students in the humanities and social sciences find it difficult to meet their monthly housing expenses.

To meet future demand, the university began planning a housing complex aimed at graduate and professional (medical and dental) students, and medical residents. While this complex was aimed to provide higher quality than any other graduate student accommodation on campus, the rent was projected to be upwards of $1,450 per month.

Based on the above data, a majority of students would not be able to afford living there, effectively not solving the question of housing. While this

University Senate.

We also brought a resolution to the floor of the GSO Senate asking the University Senate to convene a committee to investigate and plan for student housing. Our sustained effort saw the University Senate pass a resolution and form a joint SenateAdministration committee to look at housing for students, professionals and junior faculty, with representation from student groups.

This committee has begun looking at various options, leaving none off the table. The GSO continues to insist that all plans keep in mind the need for affordable housing and the limits of affordability for graduate students.

Recently the Three Village community has also shown some hostility toward students and the university, which has added to the on-campus housing issues. One of the community groups, the Concerned Homeowners Association, has launched a petition asking the Town of Brookhaven to impose a moratorium on all rentals in the Three Village area.

This will adversely affect graduate students who largely live in the town and drive to the university. While the university does not have control over the housing market, as the largest organization in the area it is incumbent upon the administration to engage the community in a positive manner and address some of their concerns.

We have also been pushing for the university to highlight contributions of graduate students

“Recently the Three Village community has also shown some hostility towards students and the university, which has added on to the on-campus housing issue.” project has been put on hold due to budgetary issues with the state, it shows that the compromise between affordability and availability is yet far from being achieved.

While we at the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) understand the significant costs of developing New York State land within the confines of state regulation, there is a need for new thinking to move closer to a solution.

In light of this project, the GSO ramped up advocacy for quality, affordable housing for graduate students. We successfully brought this to the attention of Graduate Council, a standing committee of the

to the community. For example, students from the Music Department teach and perform at local churches, and students from Biomedical Engineering and Math volunteer at local schools, to cite some examples.

When it comes to housing for graduate students, the status quo cannot be maintained anymore. At the GSO, we intend to continue our advocacy to ensure that graduate students can afford to live in a house of bricks, and not straw, waiting to be blown away.

Atulya Prasad has been a GSO Senator for the Biomedical Engineering Department since Fall of 2009.

By Tejen Shah Staff Writer

Whether or not we choose to acknowledge it, climate change is real. It has been scientifically proven that the world as we know it today will morph into something almost unrecognizable in the foreseeable future. Earth will become a hotter, more hostile planet.

Most of us that are alive today will be long gone before any detrimental effects manifest themselves and because of this, we find it hard to muster up the drive to actually take action.

What we do not realize, however, is that those closest to us—our children and grandchildren—will be left to clean up our mess. A mess that we inherited from the generations before us.

We cannot let the planet we love die. Thankfully, here at Stony Brook, it is a priority to educate students and staff alike about the necessity to

“We cannot let the planet we love die.

Thankfully, here at Stony Brook, it is a priority to educate students and staff alike about the necessity to strive for a greener future.” strive for a greener future. The Earthstock celebration this past week aimed to do just that, but was it successful?

The Earthstock event is a celebration of planet Earth.

During the week-long event, organizations and clubs gather at the Academic Mall to spread “green messages.” They distribute plants, educational pamphlets and apparel that all serve as friendly reminders to help save the planet.

The event ran smoothly and

the school could not have picked a more picture-perfect day to hold it. The sun was out and there was not a single could in the sky. Students were up and about, listening about how to make this world a better, cleaner place, taking everything in as if they were in a class. Despite its perceived success, it seems to me that Earthstock is simply set up for failure.

While I was walking down the Academic Mall, a young lady approached me holding a flower in a soil filled Dixie cup and asked me if I wanted to save the environment. Naturally, I said something along the lines of, “Sure, why not?” She gave me the flower with a huge smile on her face and before I knew it, was out of my sight.

Immediately I was thinking about what in the world I was supposed to do with this plant and how it was supposed to help me save the environment. The girl, despite her genuine intentions, left me absolutely perplexed as to what her goal was in giving me the plant. Did she think that by simply giving me the flower, she was helping the environment?

Unfortunately, much of the Earthstock celebration was more or less the same.

It seemed as though it was more of an attraction rather than a true honoring of the Earth and Earth Day. Climate change cannot be reversed. It can only be limited.

So shouldn’t we commence the effort to curtail this chaos before it gets even worse? What better place than a college campus to start saving the world?

The first step in making the Earth greener is obviously educating the public as to how severely our planet needs its most intelligent and diligent inhabitants to curtail climate change.

I would find it safe to say that most of us here at Stony Brook know by now what state the world is in. Thus, I feel as though educating people about environmental sustainability, in an institution in which a majority of the people are well-informed, is essentially useless. We already know what we need to do. Now it is just a matter of doing it.

BOREUM LEE / THE STATESMAN

Earth Stock is an exhibition of many traditions.

12

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Sports

Monday, May 5, 2014

Ranking systems confuse more than inform

By Andrew Eichenholz Staff Writer

In every sport on any level, from little league to the pros, fans want to know who the best teams are and who is dwelling in the cellar.

Heading into every matchup, there has been a phenomenon where all the people in the stands need to know who is going to win beforehand, whether it is because they want to cheer for the favorite, underdog, or just do not understand the game enough to recognize who is on top.

Sitting in the stands to witness just how great certain athletes are at their craft is never at the top of the priority list, and if a team does not win, they are thought of as being "bad," plain and simple.

This is something that has become more and more noticeable over time in college sports, specifically in the ranking system.

With coaches picking their list of the best teams in the country weekly, computers generating their opinions and outside newspapers and magazines doing the same, teams and studentathletes are judged by the numbers in front of their team's name. How many fans look at the end of the year All-Conference teams and All-Conference Academic teams which represents arguably a bigger accomplishment? Not many.

The 2014 America East Women's Lacrosse season has shown something that has left onlookers confused. Stony Brook took home the conference title last season, and although coming back with a set of young guns, still looked to be the easy favorite to dominate.

For all intents and purposes they have been the best team in the conference all year, leading the

country in scoring defense behind the performance of Tewaaraton nominee Frankie Caridi in goal.

The senior has followed up a terrific junior season in which she led the country in goals allowed per game, and has anchored arguably the most stout defense out there.

Throughout the season, the Seawolves have floated around the second tier of the rankings, from the neighborhood of the top 10 to currently not even being in one of the rankings as the America East tournament commences. The problem with this? The Albany Great Danes are not only ranked, but by virtue of being ranked No. 19 in the coaches poll, coaches feel that they are better.

Does that make sense when Stony Brook handled them with relative ease just a few weeks ago?

Not really.

Penalizing a team for losing to a Vermont team who needed to win to make the conference tournament does not justify such drastic ranking changes. This doesn't necessarily show a problem with the current rankings, as this sort of thing can happen in any sport, but a flaw in the system.

If Stony Brook fell to Vermont earlier in the year, would Stony Brook have fallen further in the RPI computer rankings (currently No. 16 to Albany's No. 18)?

Another problem with this whole deal is that there are so many different rankings. In the end, the RPI is what is going to actually mean something come tournament time. The other systems just cause trouble.

When the No. 1 seed in a conference tournament is either unranked or ranked lower in multiple polls compared to the No. 2 seed in the tournament,

they are going to be upset. This is unfair to Albany, as Stony Brook now had bulletin board material to fire them up, and a coach that has a special talent in firing up his group in Joe Spallina.

By the score of 7-1, Stony brook convincingly beat Albany in the championship game, begging the question of how Albany could have been ranked ahead. The Vermont game very possibly cost Stony Brook a chance to host a round in the NCAA Tournament, and for what, a meaningless game?

At the end of the day, what do the rankings do in any sport besides providing context for a game?

One can argue that media outlets need to know who the top teams are to schedule televised events and coverage, yet if they are good at what they do, analysts should be able to identify the best teams without putting a number next to their name.

Every coach heads into a game with some form of an idea regarding how the contest is going to go.

They will know if it’s a game they should win, should lose, and every factor in between. They do not need other coaches or a computerized program to tell them if they “should” win.

All they care about is that their kids go out there and perform to their potential every time they step out onto the field, rankings go out the if they do not and anything can happen.

All things taken into consideration, chasing a number next to a school name makes little sense when the true hunt should be for playing to the best of one’s ability. Will that change?

Probably not, but one could only hope.

day of Hecker’s surgery, he placed fourth in the NCWA Northeast Regional Championships at the University of New Hampshire, qualifying for nationals.

The injury prevented him from competing in qualifiers during his senior year in high school.

“I never went to a tournament where I had to qualify,” Hecker said.

“So this was sort of my redemption.”

Hecker was a varsity member of his wrestling team for all four years of high school, as well as a runner on the cross-country and track teams.

However, he has been dealing with another problem, asthma, since his sophomore year.

As an athlete in some of the most lung-intensive high school sports, the problem only intensified.

Now Hecker visits a pulmonologist for shots every two weeks.

He takes two nose sprays, two pills and carries two inhalers with him.

But he is still competing. In fact, living with asthma is one of the reasons why Hecker came to Stony Brook as a respiratory care major.

Hecker aspires to become a respiratory therapist when he graduates. He hopes to work with patients who have lung disorders.

“I’d like to help somebody where I have the same issue,” he said.

He chose Stony Brook because it is one of the few schools he found with a respiratory care program, backed by the reputation of Stony Brook Medicine.

The wrestling team, started just last year, was the final selling point.

Though he recently joined the Residence Hall Association as a representative from Eisenhower College, most of Hecker’s schedule is devoted to wrestling and academics.

“Honestly, I just want to keep wrestling,” he said.

And keep wrestling he will.

Stony Brook Wrestling's Austin Hecker personif ies perseverance

By Will Welch

Assistant News Editor

Austin Hecker says of himself, “I’m the kind of athlete that doesn’t really stop.”

True enough, considering the health problem he has overcome to compete with the Stony Brook Wrestling Club.

Hecker, a 125-pound freshman, was one of seven members of the 30-person team to compete in the National Collegiate Wrestling Championship in Allen, Texas last month.

Though he lost his first and only round, just being there was a triumph.

Hecker tore his ACL during his senior year at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, NY, a potentially devastating injury for most athletes.

The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the three major ligaments in the knee and is essential for proper knee function.

Recovery can take up to a year or more, but almost a year to the

The Statesman

Crespo leading wrestling

club on and off the mat

By Zach Rowe Staff Writer

Being the president of any club sport is a tremendous task.

Factor in the many logistics to keep track of, along with a great deal of planning skills and leadership needed for the role, on top of actually playing the sport.

That is what makes Jonathan Crespo’s accomplishments even more impressive.

Crespo is the freshman president of the Stony Brook club wrestling team, one of the youngest presidents of any club team.

What’s more is that unlike a club sport like soccer, club wrestling is the only wrestling team at Stony Brook, leaving Crespo in charge of the face of Stony Brook wrestling.

“Its a lot to learn, but its good because I get to step up and progress through four years of the program,” Crespo said about being the freshman president of the club.

Under his first year of guidance, the Stony Brook wrestling team has had quite the year.

Just this year, Stony Brook wrestling attended 12 different competitions, included the NCWA championships.

They faced a variety of NCAA wrestling teams, such as Rutgers, University of New Haven, College of Mount Saint Vincents and Cortland, and performed admirably against the competition.

They traveled all across the country to wrestle, attending competitions in Texas, New Hampshire, Georgia and New Jersey.

Their highlight of their season came on the first of December.

This is when the team headed to Madison Square Garden to compete in the Grapple at the Garden, facing off against Westchester Community College.

“It was unreal, being there on the biggest stage on the east coast, coming out with the fireworks and everything, the entrance, it really felt like I was

part of a team here,” Crespo said about wrestling at MSG this year.

For many wrestlers, the sport quickly becomes one of the most important things in their life.

“It’s like the biggest experience so far of my college experience.

I got the chance to wrestle in college, which I didn’t think I would get,” Crespo said about what the wrestling program meant to him.

Being such a young leader has its advantages.

Crespo has four years to develop, both as a collegiate wrestler and a leader of the club.

“I’ve definitely become accustomed to wrestling in college competition and see myself getting better every step of the way,” Crespo said about how he’s improved as a wrestler.

“I look forward to becoming an even tighter team and a more recognized program.”

“He’s improved more than anybody else. Crespo’s only wrestled about three years in high school, so the difference between him and everybody else is that the other guys have wrestled for longer and have developed a lot of bad habits, unfortunately, coming from all these different programs," head coach Shaun Lally said.

"So now we can work with more of, not so much a blank slate, but more of an empty slate that we can paint the picture we want. He’s very receptive, his wrestling I.Q. is very high.”

Coach Lally was very verbose about his admiration of his president.

“He means everything, he’s the president of the wrestling club," Lally said.

"His leadership has been immense. He takes care of all the logistics and paperwork, all the duties the president has to take care of."

"He’s been a good role model for other guys on the team. He comes to practice on time, only leaves when he as to for school.

He works hard in the room.

He’s the model of what you want,” Lally said of his club’s president.

America East Lacrosse Championships Results Men’s Lacrosse Semifinals #3 UMBC 16 #2 Binghamton 10 #1 Albany 17 #4 Stony Brook 16 OT Finals #1 Albany 20 #3 UMBC 11 Women’s Lacrosse Semifinals #1 Stony Brook 13 #4 New Hampshire 5 #2 Albany 12 #3 Vermont 8 Finals #1 Stony Brook 7 #2 Albany 1

The Statesman

Sports

Monday, May 5, 2014

15

Baseball slips early, takes final two in series with Maine

By Cameron Boon Assistant Sports Editor

The Seawolves baseball team came into the series with a one-game lead over the Hartford Hawks in the America East with three weeks before the conference tournament. After slipping in game one 2-1, Stony Brook was able to salvage the series and a share of the lead by taking the nightcap Saturday 11-3 and the Sunday game 4-1.

Alex Calbick started the scoring for the Black Bears in game one when he homered to right field off Seawolves starter Frankie Vanderka in the top of the fourth.

Vanderka let up seven hits on the day, while only striking out two batters as he battled for six innings.

Maine then doubled the lead in the next frame. Luke Morrill started the top of the fifth with a single to left field. Two batters later, he was on third when Sam Balzano singled through the left side, scoring Morrill and making it a 2-0 game.

Stony Brook would try to rally in the bottom of the sixth, but only cut the lead in half. Kevin Courtney started the rally with a single to right field with one out. After Cole Peragine struck out, Courtney was able to steal second while the next batter, Casey Baker was at the plate.

This was the start of Baker’s Rookie of the Week worthy series, as he roped a double down the left field line, making the lead to 2-1. “Casey has been terrific for us,” coach Matt Senk said. “He has been as clutch as anybody on the team.”

The Seawolves were not able to score again on Maine starter Tommy Lawrence, as he held the Seawolves to the lone run while claiming seven strikeout victims.

Game two was the complete opposite for the Seawolves, as the offense unloaded for five in the first, and eleven in the game.

Cole Peragine scored Kevin Krause and Robert Chavarria, putting Stony Brook up 2-0.

Courtney then scored on a wild pitch, and Peragine was driven in by Baker’s RBI triple, making it 4-0.

Johnny Caputo’s sacrifice fly to center then made it 5-0.

But they were not able to stop the bleeding for long.

The Seawolves were able to put three more on the board in the bottom of the second, with two RBI singles by Krause and Peragine.

Baker’s sacrifice fly also added a run in the inning, making it 8-0.

Peragine and Baker both finished with three RBI’s in the second game, and the Seawolves, after adding one

in the fourth and two more in the fifth were on their way to a victory, up comfortably 11-3.

Other than that inning, it was a good day for the Seawolves offense and their starter Brandon McNitt.

He improved to 5-1 on the season by striking out seven batters and only walking two.

Game three started just like game one did, with not a lot of offense, for the Seawolves at least. “We came out flat,” coach Senk said.

The Black Bears were able to put a lot of pressure on Seawolves, loading the bases in the second, third and fifth, all with one out in the inning.

Starter Tyler Honahan stayed composed, however, and worked out of the jams. He walked two of the three base runners aboard in all three innings.

Honahan worked out of them calmly, including striking out the final two batters in the third and the fifth. These were four of his nine strikeouts on the day.

“It’s hard enough to get away with it one time, never mind three,” Senk said.

Steven Adam broke the ice in the sixth, with a single to left field, scoring Scott Heath and putting Maine up 1-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, Jeff

BASIL JOHN/ THE STATESMAN

Honahan struck out nine for his sixth win of the season.

Gelinas was working a no-hitter but Kevin Krause broke that with a oneout double that landed five feet below the top of the fence.

Casey was then clutch again.

Baker singled in Krause to tie the game with a hard grounder up the middle. “Tying the game helped the momentum shift,” Senk said.

Cole Peragine then gave the Seawolves the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth, when a line drive to center field was just out of the reach of center fielder Colin Gay,

and bounced over his glove to the center field wall.

Krause and Courtney both scored on the play, and Stony Brook had the lead 3-1. Baker was the next man up, and he put an exclamation point on his sensational weekend with another triple, scoring Peragine and making it 4-1.

Cameron Stone then came in to get the final three outs in the ninth for his eighth save of the season, ensuring the Seawolves a top spot in the conference at the series' end.

Kameron Mitchell can make the leap to the starting one spot, and with how actively the Seawolves have pursued point guards to bring in, one can only assume that they are not interested in trying to mold Ahmad Walker into a hybrid point-wing, just like the former Syracuse Orange star Michael Carter-Williams.

Woodhouse will have to sit out the coming season, but still has two years of eligibility remaining.

Come the 2016 season, Woodhouse will be battling it out for the point guard spot with Thrower and Puriefoy, which will make for quite the storyline in a year.

This will give Stony Brook’s newest addition lots of time to learn coach Steve Pikiell’s schemes and polish his craft.

“I just want to work on getting faster and stronger. Becoming more aggressive, creating shots for other people. Being able to get in the lane and kick out or make the dump off pass,” Woodhouse said.

“I’ve been playing man defense basically my whole college career here so it won’t be that big of an adjustment."

Woodhouse is not known for his defense, even admitting it is a weakness of his at this point, but the year off could alleviate these conerns.

One of Woodhouse’s most valuable skills will be his shooting. The former Lancer shot just 27 percent from behind the arc in his freshman year, a number he jumped to 37 percent on 131 tries this season.

This clip would have led the Seawolves among players who attempted 100+ threes.

This long range marksmanship could be huge for Stony Brook, having struggled against zones this season.

Of course, the Seawolves had great shooters, but the team’s offense prioritizes free throws and near-basket finishes before threes.

If Woodhouse is given the freedom, he could help big time in exorcising the demons of Stony Brook’s past.

“I want to keep improving my jump shooting because it makes my game better, it opens up more things for me and my teammates,” Woodhouse said.

“The jumpshot pretty much opens everything so I want to keep improving on that.”

Another asset of Woodhouse’s is his playmaking ability, vaunted by many who have watched him over a couple of seasons at Longwood. 39.1 percent of Woodhouse’s possessions ended in an assist on a team that went 8-24 this season.

A large portion of Stony Brook's struggles were due to turnovers, a killer in an offense so predicated on strong entry passes and crisp eas-west movement.

What he can do with the likes of Jameel Warney on the floor alongside him should give Seawolves fans reason to be excited about this pick-up.

Although it will be a year before we see Woodhouse step on the hardwood, this move has the potential to be a tremendous positive.

While the coaching staff decides who will man the backcourt this year, they have an ace in the hole for seasons following.

Softball takes two out of three Men's Basketball's backcourt rebuild continues with addition of Woodhouse

By Zach Rowe Staff Writer

This weekend, the Stony Brook softball team went up to Binghamton to face off against the Bearcats in a three-game series.

The Seawolves won two of the three games, clinching the America East regular season title in the process.

The Seawolves swept Binghamton on Friday, winning an extra innings pitching duel 1-0 followed by an offensive battle 16-10, then lost on Saturday 6-4.

The first game was marked by a masterful pitching performance

by Stony Brook starter Allison Cukrov, who carried a no-hitter through six innings, allowing the only Binghamton hit in the seventh.

She ended up carrying the Seawolves through extra innings, completing the complete game shutout with two consecutive strikeouts in the eighth.

The offense was able to find its one run in the eighth, when Kellie Reynolds was able to reach base on a walk and score following a sac bunt, passed ball and single.

The second game was the opposite type of contest, with both teams putting up runs with ease.

The Seawolves seemed to break the game open with an eight run fifth.

This was highlighted by a Jessica Combs three run shot, threatening Binghamton with the mercy rule.

Binghamton answered right back with seven runs in the fifth on an outstanding two-out rally capped by a Jessica Bump grand slam.

Sallen left after the inning, with the Seawolves nursing a

three run lead.

Cukrov came in to shut out the Bearcats yet again mere hours after her extra innings shutout performance.

Olivia Mintun went 2-of-4 with one run scored, Alexandra Pisciotta added two hits of her own and Bria Green led the team with four walks on the day.

The third game turned out to be a tough loss for the Seawolves, as they fell 6-4.

Sallen had her second poor outing of the weekend, allowing four earned runs in four innings.

Stony Brook defensive errors gave up an unearned run, and that was too much for the offense to compensate for.

The Seawolves were only able to put up four runs in one inning, and were shutout for the rest to end their regular season with a loss.

Combs continued her hot batting, going 2-for-3 with a couple of RBI's. Green and Zeilman both failed to register hits.

The team finished with a 3216 record, 15-2 in the America East, the latter being a best in program history.

With the season behind them, the softball team now looks to the America East tournament, stationed at Stony Brook, much to the delight of the Seawolves.

The double elimination tournament spans three days beginning on May 8.

Stony Brook opens up against UMBC, who they have beaten twice in their two meetings on the season, albeit both by close margins.

They will then play the winner of Albany and Binghamton on Friday morning at 11 a.m.

David Vertsberger contributed to this report

By David Vertsberger Assistant Sports Editor

The search for the Seawolves’ next starting point guard has extended its reach to Longwood University’s Lucas Woodhouse, who, as of earlier this month, is transferring to Stony Brook.

“I’m just looking forward to playing in front a nice crowd for a winning program about 30 minutes from my house. It’s perfect honestly,” Woodhouse said. “A dream come true.”

The 6-foot-1-inch Huntington native put up averages of 11.5 points and 6.7 assists in 33 minutes per night for the Lancers this season.

After announcing live that he had the intention to transfer on WMLU – Longwood’s radio station – Woodhouse said Stony Brook made a push for his talents.

“When I got my release from the program here, [Stony Brook] reached out to me right away. They offered me a scholarship, wanted me to come,” Woodhouse said.

“I knew what this school was about, I know it’s a winning program, that’s why I wanted to go there.”

With seniors Dave Coley and Anthony Jackson graduating, Stony Brook is left with a big hole in their backcourt.

They have began filling it by nabbing Michigan’s Mr. Basketball, Deshaun Thrower.

Entering his junior year, Carson Puriefoy may also be in the running for the lead point guard spot, despite having assumed a sixth man role for the majority of last year.

It would be a stretch to think

Sports

Dominant defense helps SBU grab second straight conference title

By Andrew Eichenholz Staff Writer

Frankie Caridi, the Most Outstanding Player of the America East Tournament, said at the conference’s award ceremony Thursday night that her Defensive Player of Year Award for Women’s Lacrosse meant nothing.

All she wanted was to be on top, and she led the Seawolves to capture just that title in Stony Brook’s 7-1 win over Albany on Sunday.

“I said it and I meant it,” the senior Tewaaraton Award nominee Caridi said.

“This is all I wanted. Individual awards are great, but everything I get I can’t do without my team, my

defense, everyone in front of me, so this is the best thing for all of us.”

That defense which Caridi spoke of ruled the day for the Seawolves, containing a possession-based strategy employed by the Great Danes.

Much like Vermont did in the final game of the regular season against Stony Brook, Albany gained possession, and did not let it go.

As long as Caridi and company were on the field, possession did not mean a thing.

Quick collapsing on any moves the Great Danes made forced a lot of exterior passing and not a lot of aggression.

It is hard to take a shot from 15 yards out, where Albany was held, making it nearly

NINA LIN/ THE STATESMAN

The Seawolves won their second straight title Sunday.

impossible for them to score.

Sarah Martin of Albany scored early on to give the Great Danes the lead.

But they would not see the back of the net for the final 52:24 of the game.

Their only two goals were waved off for dangerous follow-throughs by midfielder Ariana Parker.

She was disqualified from the contest for the penalties.

Coach Joe Spallina said that although Albany's game plan made him nervous at times, the Seawolves were prepared.

“Our kids were prepared and it shows,” Spallina said.

“You have one goal [given up] against one of the highest scoring teams in the country.”

After 17:09 of scoreless action at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, the Seawolves broke the stalemate and never looked back.

Junior Amber Kupres scored what would end up being the game-winning goal just 44 seconds into the second half.

It was her 28th goal of the year.

“It gave us a huge boost of confidence,” Kupres said.

Stony Brook, led by freshman Dorrien Van Dyke at the faceoff “x” and junior Michelle Rubino controlling the draws did a much better job of possessing the ball.

Less turnovers led to more time of possession for the Seawolves.

It also gave their defense some

NINA LIN/ THE STATESMAN

Stony Brook will know their first-round NCAA matchup May 9. rest to ensure that whenever Albany had a chance, they would be ready.

With only 9:48 to go into the game, Rubino, who was named to both the All-Conference First Team and AllTournament team scored to give the Seawolves breathing room, opening the flood gates for Stony Brook.

In what was the lowest-scoring title game in America East history, Stony Brook scored five times in the final 10 minutes of the game to ensure the victory.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Spallina said.

“This was supposed to be a rebuilding year I’ve been told by a lot of people and this has

not been a rebuilding year, this has been a reloaded year.”

Stony Brook’s freshmen scoring phenoms Van Dyke and Courtney Murphy left their stamp on the game.

Van Dyke added a second goal and Murphy scored two of her own.

“It speaks volumes for all the freshmen that we’re leaning on so heavily that we were able to get a repeat here in the same kind of convincing fashion that we did last year,” Spallina said.

With their win, Stony Brook automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

The 26-team tournament starts on May 9, with the selection show May 4.

Men's Lax loses semifinals thriller Stony Brook extends coach

By Andrew Eichenholz Staff Writer

“If Lyle Thompson doesn’t get the Tewaaraton, that’s crap,” Stony Brook Men’s Lacrosse coach, Jim Nagle, said after a devastating 17-16 overtime loss against Albany in the America East semifinals at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Thursday night.

“He’s clearly earned it, he’s the best player in the country, showed it tonight.”

The Seawolves did not lose their final game of the season in front of a raucous home crowd of 1,683, but one of the leading candidates to receive the award for most outstanding college lacrosse player, junior attacker Lyle Thompson, stole it with little time to spare.

As the clock ticked down in regulation time of a long and exciting game, Stony Brook was on the verge of a massive four-goal comeback win over conference-favorite Albany when the Great Danes made a play that, quite frankly, no goalkeeper in the country could stop.

With 12 seconds left, the nation’s leader in points calmly waited for the Seawolves to flock to him behind the net, until he realized they were not coming.

“I had my hands free, I felt like I had three seconds there to get a shot off, and I kind of just put it where I wanted,” Thompson said.

Three seconds were all he needed, and the two teams were headed to overtime at 16 goals

apiece.

Freshman Kyle Rowe, who has been phenomenal all year for the Seawolves and was just the same against Albany, going seven of eight in the fourth quarter and overtime, won the opening faceoff of the winnertakes-all period.

After a series of passes, sophomore first team AllAmerica East selection Challen Rogers made a move to the goalie’s right, releasing a shot that was saved by Albany sophomore Blaze Riorden.

Mere seconds later, the door shut on the Seawolves’ season as senior captain Doug Eich, a player plagued by shoulder injuries, took a pass from none other than Thompson at point blank range and ended the contest.

One could say that in a season during which young men tried to find themselves in hopes of making the America East tournament, grown adults came out the other side of a truly thrilling game, albeit a loss.

“I was really proud of our team tonight, we’ve been struggling to be a team all year, and I thought at the most pivotal time, we showed that we were a great team tonight,” Nagle said.

Right out of the gate, Stony Brook showed flashes of what happened in a 17-7 loss at Albany earlier in the season.

Five different players scored in a strong first quarter for the Seawolves, who took a 5-2 lead into the second. Albany, the

leading offensive team in the country, was not going anywhere, dominating the middle 30 minutes with a score of 13-6.

Down 15-11 with momentum in favor of the great Danes, the curtains were close to dropping on Stony Brook’s tournament lives.

A pulse of defensive energy shot through the Seawolves, leading to an offensive surge with just over 10 minutes to go in the game.

Albany barely saw the ball during a 5-0 run for the Seawolves, which was started and ended by junior Mike Andreassi. 3:34 was all that stood between Stony Brook and the conference finals, but it was not to be, as pouring rain dropped following the shutting of the lights at LaValle.

Andreassi and sophomore Matt Schultz led the way for Stony Brook with three goals each.

Schultz, a leading attacker for the Seawolves all season long, tallied two assists as well in the loss.

Freshman Hayden Johnstone, who did not start until the middle of the season, proved his worth.

He contributed 13 phenomenal saves on 30 attempts against the Great Danes.

Nagle emphasized that this was not the last the America East will see of the Seawolves.

“We’re a young, young team, so we’ve got a lot of games to play,” he said.

Pikiell thru 2018-19 season

By David Vertsberger Assistant Sports Editor

According to a release by Stony Brook Athletics, head coach of the men’s basketball team Steve Pikiell signed a oneyear extension on Wednesday.

Pikiell is now under contract through the 2018-2019 season.

This comes after he led the Seawolves to their third trip to the America East championship in the last four seasons and their third straight 20-plus win season.

“Steve has always been an exemplary leader of our Stony Brook men’s basketball program, and I am thrilled to know that he will be leading our studentathletes to future success as we move forward,“ Interim Director of Athletics Donna Woodruff, stated.

Pikiell took the reins from Nick Macarchuk prior to the 2005-06 season, and has since turned Stony Brook into a dominant basketball force in the conference with his rugged style of play.

Defense and scoring inside are mainstays of Pikiell’s brand of basketball, one that has paved the way for a 70-29 record over the past three years.

In 2014, Stony Brook ranked 68th among 351 schools in points allowed per 100 possessions according to Sports-Reference, and fell a few buckets short of their first trip to the NCAA

Tournament.

Pikiell has received individual honor for his leadership, accumulating three America East Coach of the Year awards.

The program’s success under Pikiell extends off the court, with Stony Brook’s APR (Academic Progress Rate) over the past three seasons consistently finishing at a perfect 1000.

“I want to thank the entire Stony Brook University administration, especially Donna Woodruff and President Stanley, for their support each and every day as we continue to lead this program to bigger and better things,” Pikiell said.

“I look forward to being a part of Stony Brook’s bright future and continuing to give our University and surrounding communities, our fans and alumni a program they are proud to support.”

As the Seawolves focus on another run at their ultimate goal of receiving an NCAA Tournament bid, they have added assurance that the backbone of this program is here to stay, despite the recent news that Beth O’Boyle—head coach of the Women’s Basketball team— resigned to take a job at Virginia Commonwealth University.

With Pikiell comes success both on and off the hardwood.

And another year of that is invaluable to Stony Brook.