VOL 94 : 08 october 19th, 2016 The independent student newspaper of St. John’s University
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FRENZIED TIPOFF
Performance cut short by chaos No injuries reported Desiigner: "I Love St. Johns" See the full story on pages 12 and 13
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Photo of the Week Managing Board XCIV
Suzanne Ciechalski, Editor-in-Chief Gina Palermo, Managing Editor Michael Ambrosino, General Manager Angelica Acevedo News Editor Bryant Rodriguez Opinion Editor Steven Verdile Design Editor Gina Palermo Photo Editor Isabella Bruni Chief Copy Editor
Troy Mauriello Co-Sports Editor Carmine Carcieri Co-Sports Editor Michael Ambrosino Entertainment Editor Erin Bola Social Media Coordinator Alyssa Dugan Social Media Coordinator
Directory Advertising (718)-9906756 Business 990-6756 Editorial Board 990-5652
Features 990-6444 News 990-6756 Opinion 990-6445 Sports 990-6445
Staff and contributors Sahn Choi Ariana Ortiz Shabib Afzal Daniel Garcia Rasheeda Campbell Nisha Busre Morgan Mullings Courtney Dixon Yves Nguyen Raven Haynes Kaylee Herndon Yenny Ng
Naomi Arnot Jonathan Manarang Carlos Ortiz Alexander Brewington Annastasia Marburger Keisha Raymond Brianna Pace Nick McCreven Derrell Bouknight Dylan Hornik Beatriz Da Costa Marybeth Gerdelman
Veronica Harris Sabrina Lau Emily Fisher Amanda Negretti Brittany Garcia Rachel Fondeur Lauren Finegan Shelby Warren David Rosario Elijah Angulo Carolina Rodriguez Samantha Scala
The Torch is the official student newspaper of St. John’s University. The Torch is written, edited, designed and produced by students of the University. All contents are the sole responsibility of the editors and the editorial board and do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of St. John’s University unless specifically stated.
To contact the Torch by mail:
The Torch, St. John’s University 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439
The Torch is typically published on Wednesdays and publishes approximately 20 issues throughout the academic year. Copies are distributed for free on campus and through mail subscriptions.
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The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk took place this past weekend at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park with many Johnnies taking part in raising awareness and funds for breast cancer.
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Laptop fee increase shocks students
University defends price hike, uses student survey to justify costs KAYLEE HERNDON
Staff Writer
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John’s students have had to pay. According to a survey of 3,853 freshmen and transfer students, conducted by the University in 2015, only 28 percent did not have a laptop before they acquired one from the University. “Please remember the University is subsidizing this. This is not fully charged to the students. They did not want to put the burden on the students... the President is clear on what we want to do to support our students,” Tufano said. “But with the way everything has changed...if 70 percent of students have their own laptop, why are we buying them another laptop?”
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if 70 percent of students have their own laptop, why are we buying them another laptop?
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What is surprising to many freshmen is the cost of the laptops for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Each of these classes only had to pay $400 for a Macbook or a $49 accidental damage fee for a Lenovo Thinkpad. “Oh my! I didn’t even know that!” freshman Courtney Dixon said. “The reason most people do the laptop, I assume, is to ensure t h e
percentages are fairly high of the number of students bringing their own device and that really drove the program…” Tufano was tight lipped about whether student reaction will lead to more changes to the program. “There are a lot of students that have opted out and we’ll see what happens,” Tufano said. “We’ll evaluate the numbers, we’ll look at the pricing of the machines and we’ll see what can be offered next year... not many students selected the surface. That was a little bit of a surprise so we’ll have to reevaluate that ‘cause if you’re not taking it, why bother? We might do something else or might make it two options.” The University website states that included in the laptop program, the Academic Computing Initiative, “the laptops that are part of the ACI program are robust systems that come with preinstalled software designed for the SJU environment. The laptops also have extensive warranty coverage which includes an extended manufacturer warranty for 4 years, as well as 4 years of accidental damage protection.” The programs included are Microsoft Suite and McAfee antivirus software. It does not include programs such as Adobe, Kidspiration, and other programs that will be needed for classes in various majors. These specialized programs are available to students in computer labs and classrooms. All students are allowed to keep their laptops over breaks and the summer and the laptops become their personal property upon their graduation. The only major difference is the vast price change compared to the price that the previous St.
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laptop’s safety, but now I am kind of wondering if it is even worth it.” “I’m very glad that I decided to bring my own laptop instead,” said freshman Alexis Gaskin. “That’s not fair that I’d have to pay more when the upperclassmen were paying less. It is not worth the money when I could buy my own Macbook for cheaper than a payment plan through the school.” Some upperclassmen expressed similar opinions on the matter. “I just don’t understand how we are being provided less and less yet tuition keeps rising,” sophomore Arianna Smith said. “If there was once enough money to provide each student with a laptop where is that money going now?” Senior Dylan Roake said, “One of the main reasons I liked about St. John’s was they gave me a laptop and provided me with a laptop shop if anything did happen to it. By making the freshman have to pay for their laptops, St. John’s is losing one of their prime recruitment tools.” There are still reasons to purchase the laptop from the University. Tufano said students pay “about 65 percent” less than the total cost of a laptop because of all the extras included, such as insurance and technical support. “If you have the University laptop, we can help you with it,” Tufano said. “If you bring your own we can only help you to a certain point. I can’t try to fix it because it is not a St. John’s device and if we break it, we are responsible so to speak...And a lot of people are using, as you know, smart phones and others...The
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One of the main reasons I liked about St. John’s was they gave me a laptop and provided me with a laptop shop if anything did happen to it.
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Pricing information includes additional costs of insurance, Microsoft Suite, and McAfee Security sales tax. Student discounts were applied when applicable.
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The laptop program offered by St. John’s underwent a dramatic change over the summer, to the surprise of many students. Freshmen now have to pay a fee every semester to retain their laptop, which will cost them roughly three times more over their college career than what the upperclassmen paid. Despite the increase, students say that buying a laptop from St. John’s still costs less than buying one from other sources. Joseph J. Tufano, Vice President for Information Technology, said the University has found through surveys that more students are bringing their own laptops, making the once popular program less of a priority. “So, when we looked at that, the University said that we would never abandon our students, but because so many students have laptops, we would look at possibly having students help offset the cost of the laptop program,” Tufano said. The decision, made around May this year, determined that freshmen have to pay per semester for their University-provided laptops. For the Apple Macbook Pro, a student has to pay $145 per semester; for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, a student has to pay $140 per semester; and for the Lenovo Thinkpad 460, a student has to pay $110 per semester. While this has come as a surprise to students, Tufano said postcards were sent out to incoming freshmen detailing the laptop program changes. The University’s website also lists the prices, as well as which academic programs advise which laptops fit them the best. “I wouldn’t say we did a press release but we put it [the prices] on the screens and everything, we put it on the website...It didn’t say a change but it clearly laid them all out…” Tufano said.
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Clown craze creeps onto campus Alleged clown sighting in Queens campus is another incident sweeping the nation Contributing Writer
According to Elizabeth Reilly, the director of Media Relations, the Office of Public Safety did receive one report of a clown near campus. However, after checking the security cameras the report was found to be inaccurate. Student Isabel Corey found the situation a slight exaggeration. “It was all blown out of proportion. People are making a big deal out of nothing.” Regardless, Reilly relayed safety tips to the Torch from Tom Lawrence, Vice President for Public Safety, for students to take into consideration while on and off campus.
Clowns are generally considered sources of entertainment and regarded as quirky, amusing entertainers for children, until a recent string of clown sightings have creeped people out across the United States. St. John’s University recently got a firsthand experience of the clown craze that has taken hold of the nation. On the night of Tuesday, Oct. 4, a threatening clown was rumored to be lurking outside the University’s gates one and six. Many students headed down to these gates, where • the clowns were said to be, hoping to see them for themselves and perhaps scare them off. •
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The much-talked-about clown epidemic started in South Carolina where numerous kids reported appearances of clowns attempting to lure children into the woods.
In fact, freshman Holly Allen was one of many who hightailed it to gate six. “I was anxious to see if the creepy clowns were really around campus.” Allen says. “It’s scary to think that some people have nothing better to do than dress as clowns and scare people.” Ultimately the clowns were not found outside campus gates.
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Be cognizant of your surroundings when walking off campus. Walk in with others whenever possible. If you are alone, do not walk with headphones on. Immediately notify 911 and Public Safety as soon as possible after an incident. If you observe any type of suspicious activity, immediately notify 911 and Public Safety.
Although students were reassured that there weren’t any clowns on campus, thoughts of the jesters did not escape from students’ minds. “I think the clowns are clearly people who are thirsty for attention,” says freshman Diana Daoud. “So the more people hype up the clowns on campus and social media, the more clowns we are going to see.” The much-talked-about clown epidemic started in South Carolina where numerous kids reported ap-
pearances of clowns attempting to lure children into the woods. Initially, it seemed that the incident would be a one-time thing. Ultimately, it was not. After South Carolina’s interaction with the clowns, multiple states around the country have cited clown sightings in certain areas. According to interviews given to The Verge, clowns have chased teenagers out of the subway, they’ve appeared in Walmart parking lots and they were even the cause for some Ohio school closings. St. John’s is not the only university to report clown sightings . Just recently, hundreds of Pennsylvania State University students heard of clown sightings around their campus and went on a clown chase immediately after. Videos were posted on Twitter of students searching for the clowns. The chatter about clowns has even captured the White House’s attention. According to Bloomberg’s reporter, Justin Sink, the White House’s Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, said, “Obviously this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously, and they should carefully and thoroughly review the perceived threats to the safety of the community.” PHOTO/FLIKR COMMONS
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SJU ranked second-to-worst in sexual health study ARIANA ORTIZ
Staff Writer
St. John’s second-to-last ranking on the Trojan’s Annual Sexual Health Report Card, which ranks universities based on availability of sexual health resources, was among the subjects of discussion at Monday’s Student Government Inc. (SGI) floor meeting. Frank Obermeyer, secretary of SGI, said he and another student recently met with Ms. Hanna Artiles-Straver, Director of Violence Prevention, “about sex ed and about the means of sexual health which went really well. Once we build kind of a repertoire of what other schools are doing, hopefully we can announce some changes.” St. John’s University was ranked 139 out of 140 schools on Trojan’s report, which was released last week. The only school behind St. John’s was Brigham Young University. Universities that made the top 10 include University of Georgia in first place, Oregon State University, University of Michigan and The University of Texas. At the SGI floor meeting, after Kenneth Shelton Jr. asked SGI if they are aware of the Trojan report, Obermeyer said, “We are 139 out of 140. We actually went down from last year, we were 135. So next year we are going to take BYU down.” The report analyzed 140 major campuses, taking into account criteria such as quality of sexual health information and resources available online, contraceptive and condom availability, on-site HIV and sexually transmitted illness (STI) testing,
PHOTO/TROJANBRANDS.COM
sexual assault programs and resources, outreach programs and student peer groups for sexual education. Elizabeth Reilly, the director of Media Relations, responded to the Torch’s inquiry on Trojan’s ranking of the University by saying, “It’s important to note that the Office of Student Wellness and the Student Health Center are available to our students who have any health concerns. “While the Student Health Center on campus does not provide clinical test-
ing for any illness, it offers referrals to resources in the community that would be available for our students,” Reilly continued. “In addition, the University is in compliance with all federal and state policies regarding sexual misconduct and consent.” The Trojan Sexual Health Report Card has been released every year since 2008, and data is analyzed by Sperling’s Best Places, founded by Richard Sperling, a researcher who is commissioned to carry out demographic and preference studies.
Sperling’s Best Places describes itself as a website which has been “analyzing data about people and places, and rating them for major publications” with the goal of providing “accurate and up-to-date information, in a useful and entertaining format.” According to St. John’s online Health and Wellness page, the University requires all incoming freshmen to take a course on “healthy relationships, sexual violence, stalking, and relationship violence” to help students “understand sexual assault and learn about consent.” The school offers student health services including a referral to local healthcare providers and a nurse practitioner available by appointment on weekdays. Students are in favor of increasing sexual health resources on campus. “Even in a Catholic school, everyone’s in college, they have to acknowledge the fact that we’re going to have sex,” said freshman Kelly Sullivan. “I think that it would be a good idea to make it more known that [sexual health resources are] available to people. Maybe like a talk on STDs or something like that.” “I feel like sexual health, even today, it’s kind of a taboo...I feel like we should be educated about it before college, and getting to college we should have education on this. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen any that many classes or information sessions about sexual health.” said junior Mahbuba Huq. Huq continued, “It’s definitely a health issue because it directly affects your health. Even if we could just get some info sessions out there, or something of that nature, then we can definitely bump
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Campus Recreation is hosting Fall Fitness Day which will include an hour of Black Light Spin, Black Light Zumba, Nutrition Seminar and Yoga. Trainers will be available for body fat, exercise advice and equipment help.
The New York Studies program is hosting a film screening of Brooklyn Castle. The documentary is about an inner-city school that becomes one of New York City’s best because of its chess team, however this is threatened by budget cuts due to the recession.
Date: Thursday, October 20 Time: 1-4 p.m. Location: Carnesecca Fitness Center
Date: Thursday, October 20 Time: 10:40 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Location: Marillac Room 238
Date: Monday, October 24 Time: 1:50-3:15 p.m. Location: DAC Room 407
PHOTO PROVIDED BY/STJOHNS.EDU
Pulitzer Prize winning NYT reporter, Alan Schwarz is visiting St. John’s to lecture on his 130-article series on concussions in sports, as well as A.D.H.D. and other psychiatric disorders from his journalism career.
Meet the Candidates Night
Date: Monday, October 24 Time: 5 p.m. Location: Little Theater
Fraternity and Sorority Life Night
Date: Monday, October 24 Time: 1:20-3:15 p.m. Location: President’s Room in Carnesecca Arena
Fraternities and sororities are taking part in performances for the St. John’s Community. Date: Monday, October 24 Time: 8-10 p.m. Location: Taffner Field House PHOTO PROVIDED BY/FLICKRCOMMONS/NIAID
You Good to Drive? The Little Theater is hosting an interactive event by NYS Troopers and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to bring awareness of drunk driving. Date: Wednesday, October 26 Time: 6-10 p.m. Location: Little Theater
Local candidates for state and federal offices will be at a public forum held on campus to discuss issues that are important to college students and the local community.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY/STJOHNS.EDU
The Relay for Life Survivorship Committee organized an event to invite and celebrate cancer survivors in the St. John’s community. They’re invited to come and enjoy tea, high tea assortment of treats and a buffet luncheon.
Date: Tuesday, October 25 Time: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Location: DAC Room 312
The author of the book “The Nordic Theory of Everything,” Anu Partanen is visiting St. John’s to discuss his book about the Nordic Dream becoming increasingly popular than the American Dream.
Academic Lecture Series: Alan Schwarz
Relay for Life Cancer Survivors’ Tea Party
Students that have registered to receive a flu vaccine can receive it October 25, for a fee of $5. If you have not registered for the vaccine, they are also available at New York City Department of Health. Call 311 for more information.
The Nordic Theory of Everything
PHOTO PROVIDED BY/FLICKR COMMONS/NEW AMERICA
Fall Fitness Day
Brooklyn Castle Film Screening
Seasonal Flu Vaccines
Reporting by ERIN BOLA, CHYNA DAVIS AND ANGELICA ACEVEDO Social Media Manager, Staff Writer and News Editor
Date: Monday, October 24 Time: 7-9 p.m. Location: DAC Room 206
Italian Night 2016 According to the University’s website, the Italian Heritage & Culture Committee of New York are hosting and celebrating culture and heritage. The theme is “Celebrating 40th Anniversary of IHCC-NY, Inc. and 70th Anniversary of the Republic Italy.” To attend, there is reservation requirement and donation of $5. Date: Tuesday, October 25 Time: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Location: Marillac Terrace
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Battle of the Buildings brings Johnnies together The annual contest took on the Harry Potter theme to see which dorm would be champions MARYBETH GERDELMAN
such as basketball, flag football and volleyball, but also included trivia games, tug-of-war, and a pie eating contest for those with a big sweet tooth. Approximately a hundred students came out to support the participants, the residence pathway was lined with arcade games, food trucks, a photo booth and a DJ for all to enjoy. “Battle of the Buildings was super fun to watch,” said freshman Emily Evans. “I especially enjoyed the tug-of-war.” From scoring touchdowns in football, to stuffing their faces with pie, the efforts that St. John’s students made to bring honor to their residence halls was undeniable, however St. Vincent Hall and the Townhouses finished out the day as the 2016 Champions of Battle of the Buildings. For students, like freshman Caylee Goldberger, who experienced their first Battle of the Buildings, competitive events like these only made their enthusiasm for the school grow. “It was great attending my first Battle of the Buildings,” Goldberger stated. “Seeing all those who came out to participate in the various games and activities makes me realize that we’re truly all winners.”
Contributing Writer
Signs were painted and displayed in Montgoris, T-shirts were made and teams were assembled - all that was left to decide was which team would win bragging rights for the year as the friendly competition that is Battle of the Buildings took place on Sunday, Oct. 16. A crisp fall afternoon brought out St John’s students living both on and off campus to participate in the annual event. Preparation for this SJU tradition began weeks in advance. The first order of business was to decide a theme. “Every year we decide on a new theme and what changes we want to make for a better experience,” said Claribel Azcona, Residence Life Director. “This year we went with the Harry Potter theme.” For the entire week leading up to the competition, Harry Potter themed banners for each residence hall that were creatively designed by the members of the Hall Councils were displayed in the dining hall for all students to admire. Anticipation continued to grow leading up to the day of competition. The afternoon centered around athletic events
TORCH PHOTO/SHELBY WARREN
Students cheered on the participants of the pie eating contest during the annual Battle of the Buildings event on the Queens campus.
TORCH PHOTO/SHELBY WARREN
TORCH PHOTO/SHELBY WARREN
TORCH PHOTO/SHELBY WARREN
Teams (far left) played against each other during a game of basketball. Students (middle) played a game of volleyball, which was one of the contests in Battle of the Buildings. Teams (right) chose their finest students to participate in the pie eating contest.
Making Strides for annual Breast Cancer Walk YVES NGUYEN
Contributing Writer
TORCH PHOTO/EMILY FISHER
Thousands of participants joined the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Oct. 16.
Thousands of participants, including St. John’s students and alumni, gathered at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, hosted by the American Cancer Society on Oct. 16. “St. John’s is an important sponsor and supporter, every year,” Fran Holzman, Survivor Leader, said. “It’s important that your generation push so the next generation doesn’t have to face this, cancer has no age or gender boundary.” St. John’s University had over 400 students registered to walk in the annual event. St. John’s support for Making Strides in Queens has a large role in garnering community excitement and funding for the event. “Getting people to come to these events can affect funding in Congress too,” Rosetta Garrett, ACS Cancer Action Network Lead, said. “We go to lobbying day every year to ask for more funding.” St. John’s supports Making Strides in more ways than walking and raising money. The University’s cheer team and pep band cheered on walkers at the start line. St. John’s also had sanctioned buses to
take students to the walkathon. “It’s good that they made it so easy to come,” freshman Emem Essien said. Various organizations all over campus registered to walk, including Student Government Inc. and different fraternities and sororities. “It’s important to get organizations involved because you can get more money donated than individuals,” Jennie-Lynn Martino, member of Gam Iota Sigma, said. Ryan Sullivan, Chair of the Service Committee, said, “my aunt worked at St. John’s, and she died of breast cancer, so it’s important to me. And once we created a service committee in SGI, getting involved here was a great way to give back.” Everyone at the walk had their own story, their own reason to walk. Some reasons people walked are that they know someone who has or had breast cancer and they want to help end breast cancer. Besides those reasons, St. John’s students walk because it supports the Vincentian message. “Living in a metropolitan city, there are so many people here affected by this disease. The St. John’s community is so orientated in helping people, so it’s important that we show support for something that affects so many people,” Andrew
Calvano, Interfraternity Council President, said. Frank Obermeyer, Secretary of Student Government Inc. underlines why taking part in the walk represents what St. John’s stands for when he said, “it’s important that we as St. John’s do this because we are meant to serve, it’s apart of our mission; fighting for people worldwide. It could help hundreds of thousands of people.”
TORCH PHOTO/EMILY FISHER
St. John’s students avidly participated in the annual walk to find a cure for cancer.
News: Politics 7
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Students watch second debate at St. Thomas More Church
TORCH PHOTO/ANGELICA ACEVEDO
The St. Thomas More Church was set up on Sunday, Oct. 9 to host the second presdidential debate watch party. Activities included political jeopardy, open discussion, pin-the-tail on the Democratic donkey or Republican elephant and a space to watch the debate live.
ANGELICA ACEVEDO
News Editor
Politics and religion intermingled on Sunday, Oct. 9 with a group of about 20 students that came together at St. Thomas More Church to watch the second presidential debate. The event is part of the PARTICIPATE 2016 program which is an annual initiative at St. John’s to “promote and increase greater civic awareness, engagement, and participation in the political process,” according to the University’s website. Victoria O’Keefe, Residence Minister for Social Justice, helped organize the event with “faithful citizen” as the theme of the night. “Being people of good will [and] being Catholics, we are called to participate in democracy. Our dual heritage is not only being American citizens but also faithful Catholics, and so we just want to create this space to invite people in, be a part of this community and take a live view of the debate.” The evening began at 6:30 p.m. in the church’s narthex with a game of political jeopardy, which was conducted by Andrew Keith, a student member of Campus Ministry. When asked why this event was significant to him, Keith said, “I’m very involved in the politics on campus...so I thought it would be a good opportunity to tie in my service faith and my politics.” A group of six students paired into teams of two to play the game that in-
cluded questions such as “who was the presidential candidate that won the popular vote, but not the Electoral College vote in 2000?” Two players in particular were avidly answering these questions; while the other players admitted that they didn’t know the answers to most of the questions by giving up a couple of minutes in. After the game, the discussion portion of the event took place with five more students that joined. A bowl that contained pieces of paper stating Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s policies for different issues was passed around between the students. The purpose was to have not just a “safe space,” but also a “brave space,” as O’Keefe put it, in order to analyze whether or not their plans would work. Topics ranged from Clinton’s plans to change immigration policy to Trump’s strategy to increase jobs. Most of the
TORCH PHOTO/ANGELICA ACEVEDO
Students playing political jeopardy at the second debate watch party held in the St. Thomas More Church.
students were vocal about their views on these topics, with opinions about the plans that sometimes favored them to the ones that were down-right against them, heard throughout the discussion. Afterwards, a short game of pin-the-tail on the Democratic donkey or Republican elephant ensued in the main entrance of the church leading up to the debate. Once the seats and the monitor were set, about 10 more students came to watch the debate. The debate started without Trump and Clinton shaking hands this time around, a foreshadowing of how hostile the rest of the debate turned out to be. CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, and ABC News reporter, Martha Raddatz, moderated the debate. Cooper didn’t hesitate to ask Trump about his comments that he made about women, this being the second question of the night. Raddatz asked Clinton about her speeches that were leaked by Wikileaks. There were bursts of laughter, shaking and bowing of heads and gasps heard in the crowd of students throughout the night, especially when Trump announced that he wanted to hire a prosecutor once he’s elected; and when Clinton responded to one of Trump’s comments by saying that he just doesn’t want to answer questions about his scandalous tape. Everyone was on their phones tweeting and snapchatting, as a way to express what was on their minds during the debate. Junior Savanah Venezuela came to this watch party after going to the Vice Presi-
PARTICIPATE 2016: Stay up to date on election events on campus Watch the Third Presidential Debate
The University will be hosting its last watch party for the third presidential debate on Oct. 19, at 9-11 p.m. in the DAC Sodano Coffee House. Before the debate at 9 p.m. there will be a brief discussion among the participants. Date: Oct. 19 Time: 9-11 p.m. Location: DAC, Sodano Coffee House
Politics As Usual? Let’s Talk About the Issues Part II
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TORCH PHOTO/ANGELICA ACEVEDO
Kristen Rozycki posing with cutouts of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Sunday, Oct. 9.
dential Watch Party on campus on Tuesday, Oct. 4, and had some thoughts about each candidate’s’ performance. “I think [Trump] kept this cool a little bit better, he wasn’t as aggressive as I’ve seen him in the past,” Venezuela said. “In light of the comments that were said Friday [in the 2005 tape], I don’t think he defended himself as well as he should’ve, I feel like it’s more important than he thinks it is.” Venezuela continued, “I think [Clinton’s performance] is much of the same as she’s been all along the campaign. It’s unsurprising how she performed today. I feel like she does a better job of responding to actual questions than he does, like he goes and attacks her a lo and she tries to stay on point.”
By Suzanne Ciechalski and Angelica Acevedo Meet the Candidates Night
The Vincentian Center for Church and Society is hosting “Politics as Usual? Let’s Talk About the Issues!” The topics that will be covered are immigration and “2016 as a Realigning Election.” Students can talk about these issues with faculty and eat some pizza on Oct. 20 from 5-7 p.m. You must register before attending the event.
On Monday Oct. 24, SJU is hosting an event for students to meet with and hear from local candidates in the Queens area. Topics of discussion will include issues that are important to college students, as well as issues important to the local community.
Date: Oct. 20 Time: 5-7 p.m. Location: DAC 128
Date: Oct. 24 Time: 7-9 p.m. Location: DAC room 206
Election Night Watch Party
According to the school website, there will be an “Election Night Watch Party” on Nov. 8 from 9-11 p.m. in which students can mingle and watch the election live. Date: Nov. 8 Time: 9-11 p.m. Location: DAC room 128
TORCH GRAPHIC/STEVEN VERDILE
8 Features
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A day in the life of ROTC students
From benefits to struggles, balancing two jobs isn’t easy
ALL PHOTOS/ROTC PR
REZA MORENO Features Editor Most people don’t know the difficulties ROTC students go through. From giving up their social lives and extracurricular activities, to having to change majors due to the program’s intensity, to trying to make a career for themselves within the army, a lot is sacrificed. St. John’s Army Reserve Officers Training Corps started in 1968. Today, there are 68 cadets in the program who strive for nothing but success. Instead of enlisting in the armed forces, many students join ROTC to achieve positions that are only available to those with degrees. One of these students is Elena Rudy, 21, who grew up watching her dad working in the government. Born in Orlando, Fla., she moved to Sicily, Italy and then to Germany and England. Her dad is now in Italy, where she goes back every so often. Back in high school, Rudy was recruited by colleges for track and field. She also participated in theatre, as singing and music are some of her passions. It was her dad that motivated her to take a look at ROTC when it came to deciding on a college. Now a senior at St. John’s, she is currently one of two biology majors in the program. Like many ROTC students, they see this opportunity as a benefit since they can graduate without the burden of student loans. Rudy applied for the Army ROTC National Scholarship, which she received from SJU. She called this a major “driving factor.” Being a biology student and an ROTC cadet can be very difficult at times, as some may not understand the sacrifices they make. However, the benefits can be rewarding. Rudy’s favorite moment so far was traveling to Bulgaria the summer after her freshman year thanks to the program CULP, which stands for cultural understanding and language proficiency. Through this experience, she was able to see a whole new culture and gained an opportunity to understand
a little more of what this world has to offer. In Bulgaria, she taught soldiers English, but Rudy wasn’t the only one to gain an experience like this. Each cadet in the program is able to travel to different countries. Junior Christopher Gabayan, 20, the other biology student was able to travel to the Philippines for a few weeks this past summer. From West Hempstead, New York, Gabayan joined Army ROTC because it was similar to a program he did in high school where he met his future friend and roommate, Nate Woodcock. On top of the heavy workload for Rudy and Gabayan, they both have other sets of duties that call for sacrifices, especially in their social lives. Rudy’s way of winding down is by ordering food and watching movies with her boyfriend who is also in the program. They are always supportive of each other. When she isn’t at home relaxing, she is seen at one of her favorite artist’s concerts, since her love for music goes off the charts. For all the ROTC cadets, Mondays and Fridays are their best days since they can sleep in and don’t have physical training in the morning. PT goes from 6 a.m. - 7 a.m., afterwards, some students might even have a 7:30 a.m. right after. Sometimes, around 6 a.m., you can hear the chants of the cadets during their PT. “During PTs it depends on what we will do, sometimes we’ll run, do a lot of body weight exercises,” Rudy said. Rudy, Gabayan and many other cadets use the ROTC building for hangouts and studying spots. It is their home on campus, as they all have a tight bond. A typical day for Gabayan is waking up around 5 a.m., followed by PT from 6-7 a.m. After he eats, he showers and prepares for his 9:05 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. classes. He then has to attend a meeting with ROTC during common hour. Once he finishes classes at around 5 p.m., he then attempts to go to the gym to train even more. He starts work around 8-9 p.m. and falls asleep around 12-1 a.m. And repeat.
Because Gabayan was a PA major, he couldn’t deal with the daily regimen. “One morning we ran four miles with 80 pounds on our backs,” Gabayan said. Rudy is able to manage schedules like this because she is able to prioritize. This is Rudy’s advice to all freshmen who consider joining ROTC. Rudy explains how she is not a partier, “We are not college kids, not the normal college kids.” Before Rudy’s workload got more complex, she was on the school’s track and field team at St. John’s, a part of campus ministry and traveled in a freshmen plunge program. She loves to partake in midnight runs when possible and she was secretary for We Are One 365 on campus her sophomore year. “[The] biggest thing learned and developed is that you can always do more,” said Gabayan, who is also president for We Are One 365 and part of Sigma Alpha Phi honors society. “College is about a time that students focus on their selves and skills of future career,” said Gabayan. “ROTC is about helping and mentoring other people.” In ROTC, seniority entails responsibility such as being a squad leader, like Rudy.This job requires mentoring seven to nine cadets and teaching them how to lead. Being in ROTC has helped these cadets become better students and leaders. Rudy recently applied to a physical therapy school at Baylor University in Texas where she hopes to go to graduate school. She will also be an active duty officer. Gabayan’s plan is to become commissioned and be a physician’s assistant under the military. Both cadets and students are not soldiers yet, but they work hard everyday to become something great. “One thing is I wish the school would help us out with simple logistics like rooming us together in the same dorms,” said Gabayan. “There are a lot more preferences to the athletes and [they] do great things, but we do things just as great and even better. We are not just playing ROTC.”
Features 9
torchonline.com
The Torch sits down with new deans
REZA MORENO SUZANNE CIECHALSKI Features Editor, Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO/MEDIA RELATIONS
Dean Norean Sharpe: Dean Sharpe comes to SJU all the way from Washington D.C., where she previously worked at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. She said she really focuses on meeting the needs of the corporate world by recruiting and retaining the best faculty, in an effort to provide the best education for St. John’s students--recruit and retain are two of President Gempesaw’s strategic priorities, which were discussed during the State of the University address last month. “One of my strengths is in forming new corporate and global partnerships. Thus one of my goals is to broaden the employment opportunities, as well as the overseas learning opportunities for our students - both at the undergraduate and graduate level.” Like Passerini, some of her objectives stem from technology. “Right now, we’re developing a new online MBA program, that I think is going to be fairly innovative,” she said.
Dean Katia Passerini: If you’re a student in the College of Professional Studies, you most likely received an email from Dean Passerini introducing herself last week. In an interview with the Torch, she said that the entirety of CPS, from its programs to its faculty, is what drew her to the job. She shared some of her goals for the college during the interview. One of the main things that Passerini wants to focus on as the new dean is furthering the use of technology within CPS. She wants to incorporate technology labs for specific disciplines such as cybersecurity, computer science and homeland security. She also wants to institute “lab to market” innovation labs for students to explore and use technology to develop ideas to bring to market. “Idea labs” are another innovation she wants to pursue, to integrate the various concentrations within CPS.
Another goal that she hopes to achieve is creating more graduate programs. During the interviewing process for her position, she said she noticed that many students wanted to stay an extra year at St. John’s. “[Students] asked during the interview, and that goes back to my goals, but it was really them asking, to create more graduate options, because they would like to stay an extra year or for a master’s program within CPS. The problem was the restricted options that they had, weren’t enough.” Currently, CPS only has four graduate programs. Passerini said she’s hoping to look at ways to shorten the path to graduate programs by creating accelerated programs for undergraduate students, called “three-plus programs.” These programs shave a year off of undergraduate study, while allowing room to choose a graduate program. Along with creating more grad programs, Passerini noted that she wants to incorporate more graduate programs online.
Sharpe noted other new master’s programs within Tobin, such as the MBA in advisory and assurance. A new MBA/JD combined degree program is also in the works, “As business and law have become more intertwined, and then you can think about corporate law, or patent law, or entertainment law, or environmental law where having a business degree and having a law degree might be incredibly powerful and useful,” she said. As she discussed the graduate programs, added, “Bringing that home to thinking about St. John’s, looking at the undergraduate programs, and seeing what innovative programming can be infused into the undergraduate program, thinking about global opportunities; how can we educate our students to have more of a global perspective?” Sharpe added that she would like to see the participation rate grow in Global Destination Courses. “One of my main focus points for raising
money is for global scholarships and global programming,” she said. The new dean said that during the interviewing process, she was drawn to SJU by the mission, as well as by President Gempesaw’s involvement. “He has the skills to realize his vision, to implement his strategic goals and improve the University” she said. “And that was important to me - the quality of the leadership was important to me.” She said the students that she met during the interviewing process impressed her as well. “I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the faculty and students at Tobin and I maintain that Tobin is a hidden gem,” Sharpe said. “I believe that with our new business school building opening this spring with state-ofthe-art facilities, and with our new scholars we have hired recently, the next five years will be a period of growth and expansion for Tobin.”
“As a professional and an applied school, clearly we need to be positioned to prepare the students to work in a remote environment, because that’s how we work today,” she said. “A lot of organizations today are becoming boundaryless.” Passerini said that continuing to incorporate students’ education interests into the Academic Service Learning program at SJU is another goal of hers. “A lot of these ideas I think are important to continue by having the faculty come up with initiatives like this,” she said. In November, she said new tenure-track professors will meet with the director of ASL to explore more opportunities. “To be honest, that’s the reason why I really came here, because of the service orientation.” So far, she said her time here has exceeded anything that she could have expected. “What really is contagious, is the passion that everyone here has for the institution,” she said. “I could not expect a better place
PHOTO/MEDIA RELATIONS
Dean Valeda Dent: Dean Dent is
PHOTO/MEDIA RELATIONS
no stranger when it comes to living in New York, being that this is her hometown.. Before landing herself on campus, Dent served as Dean and Chief Operating Officer for the Libraries at Long Island University. She also held administrative positions at Rutgers University and Joint Information Systems Committee in London, England. It’s her passion for research and development that makes her the perfect candidate for this position. “The main thing that attracted me to the position was the fact that St. John’s puts a lot of resources and they give a lot of attention into research.” Dent does research in rural Africa and spends most of her summers there. “The work of the university really seemed to align with my interest there and the libraries also have a really great reputation, nationally.” After being here for a month and a week now, she really wants students and faculty to be familiar with the special collections the university has, such as the
archives. “We often have scholars who come from great distances to read and learn more about those collections,” said Dent. “It makes this library more special than some of our peer institutions, who also have special collections, but not as special as this one.” Dent wants to see students and staff spending less time on activities that can be routinized, that technology can help with. She would like to have the library’s resources be more available and easier to see through mobile devices. Another goal she has in mind is to have less staff who spend a fair amount check out students so they can do something more meaningful with their time. “Book checkout can be done on ones mobile device,” Dent said. “I’m sure students will now appreciate this, they will be able to go to the stacks and check out an item right there.” She also wants to make the dean’s offices more welcoming. “One of the first things I did, which
didn’t have to do with technology is that I opened up these doors out here.” They have been known to be historically closed, but now that Dent is here, there is more space for both students and staff to interact. “You know if students need to drop by, faculty or staff or basically anybody can basically signify that the space is open, we’re open.” Dent’s real inspiration behind her career is her mother. Her mother is a public librarian and has been for 45 years, so she grew up surrounded by reading materials. “Reading is a very powerful concept,” she said. Her research also has to do with what those do when they don’t have access to these resources. Because of this she is passionate about the development on a global scale. If you ever stumble upon the library and need, don’t be shy from asking Dent for some help. “I basically work for the students.”
10 Features
torchonline.com
Check out Jack’s Wife Freda in SoHo
Why you need to try this “South African Israeli Jewish Grandmother Cuisine” CAROLINA RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer Whether you’re on Lafayette or Carmine Street, you’re sure to run into Jack’s Wife Freda. A person, yes – but in New York City, a dining staple. Jack’s Wife Freda first opened its doors in 2012 on Lafayette Street and has been welcoming customers with open arms ever since. Its owners, Maya and Dean, have poured their heart and soul into making Jack’s Wife Freda a cozy place for Upper East Siders and Downtowners alike. Before I go on to the most important part, the food, you may be wondering, “If the owners are Maya and Dean, why on earth is the restaurant called Jack’s Wife Freda?” Well, that’s a funny story. Jack and Freda are actually Dean’s mother and father. The restaurant’s website says, “Freda was an incredible host, gracious and warm, always having family, friends, and couple of strangers over – and always lots of food.” So, naturally, they chose to name their restaurant after her. I had been beyond eager to try this interesting, quirky place out after seeing it on countless social media sites and hearing nothing but rave about it. So, on one rainy, Friday afternoon, I dragged my friends from our school in Queens to Downtown Man-
hattan. It was, unsurprisingly, packed to the brim. People were standing, anxiously waiting, and so were we. Before we even got to stare in awe at the cute decorations that adorned the spot, a nice young man in cool glasses immediately came over and asked how many people were with our party. We were then quickly seated and given menus that had neat little drawings all over them. The items ranged from Matzo Ball Soup to Homemade Spiced Cheesecake. I immediately knew what I wanted- the Rosewater Waffle with a toasted baguette on the side. Yum! I usually drink water, but I decided to treat myself to a mint lemonade. My friends ordered the Jack’s Breakfast – two eggs, a grilled skirt steak, grilled tomato, fingerling potatoes and sourdough toast. This waffle was no Eggo waffle. It was light and airy and tasted like a garden. The toasted baguette was delicious too, and huge. The mint lemonade fizzled and tasted like equal parts lemon and mint. The cup had an illustration of Freda on it. The ambiance at Jack’s Wife goes unparalleled. If you weren’t a cool kid before walking in, you definitely are now. On top of that, the food is actually really good. New York Magazine described it best as, “South African Israeli Jewish Grandmother Cuisine.” So, next time you find yourself in The Village, make sure to say hi to Jack’s Wife Freda.
PHOTO/CAROLINA RODRIGUEZ
Yummy rose water waffle at Jack’s Wife Freda in SoHo.
Fall trend alert: Athleisure wear
Now you can roll over in a hoodie and sweatpants looking chic VERONICA HARRIS Contributing Writer Hoodie season is upon us. Cooler temperatures are making students all over campus trade their jean jackets for warmer sweatshirts. The fall season’s staples, the hoodie and the sweatpants, are no longer just for lazy days. They are now for everyday style. Athletic brands such as Puma, Adidas and Nike created athleisure collections for the fall season. Athleisure is athletic wear that combines style with comfort. Puma recently partnered with singer and fashion icon, Rihanna, to create FENTY Puma, a women’s athleisure line for the fall. It features breakaway track pants, sweatshirts with extra-long sleeves, furry slides and high top trainers. The line combines basketball streetwear with gothic style. Adidas released the new Z.N.E. hoodie and sweatpants this season. The hoodie is made with cold weather features, such as a two-layer hood and thumb holes in its sleeve cuffs. Its high funnel neck and tapered athletic fit appeals to male and female urban street-style lovers. Even the most popular sportswear brand
is embracing the athleisure trend. Nike refined their Tech Fleece collection by adding the half-zip sweatshirt and the tech knit bomber jacket to the existing Funnel-Neck Hoodie and the ape styles. Men and women alike can keep warm in these styles. Feel free to make this trend your own by adding bright colored running sneakers or a leather jacket. The athleisure trend is so versatile; anyone can pull it off.
PHOTO/ALLEN PARK
Blogger Aleali May (right) wearing adidas for her website. Rihanna (left) walking in Fenty x Puma.
Features 11
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“The One”: How an SJU love story began REZA MORENO SUZANNE CIECHALSKI Features Editor, Editor-in-Chief
They say that love happens unexpectedly. For St. John’s alumni Michael Cunniff and Nicole Valente, this couldn’t be more true. The two met while attending St. John’s, but it was an encounter outside of room 125 in the D’Angelo Center in the spring of 2012 that really brought them together. Now, four years later, these former students are engaged and preparing to begin the next chapter of their life as a married couple. DAC 125 used to be home to The Torch, and it’s where the couple spent much of their time; Valente as the General Manager and eventually Managing Editor, and Cunniff as the Sports Editor, and eventually Editor-in-Chief. Cunniff, from southern Massachusetts, explained how he first encountered Nicole during freshman year at St. John’s University. He says the two met at an honors college softball game, but Valente said she doesn’t remember a thing. “Mike swears he was taken with me at that point,” Valente said. The two of them laughed as they tried to explain their first encounter, which still seems to be a point of controversy. Valente has no memory of encountering her future fiance during the game, but according to Cunniff, there are pictures to prove it. “I remember speaking to her,” he said. “I remember to a substantial degree what she was wearing.” “Which there’s photographic evidence of,” Valente added. During his freshman year, Cunniff said he was interested in sports, and wrote a blog for the Torch. “So when I got to St. John’s, before I knew any better,” he said, chuckling, “I went to The Torch meeting freshman year, and the sports editor mentioned a blog.” I went home and found some stupid thing and wrote about it, so I was the only one who did that.” From there he started working more on the blog and other articles, later becoming the sports editor. Valente, on the other hand, didn’t get involved with the Torch until her sophomore year, after seeing multiple grammar errors in the paper. “I had read the newspaper and saw like four or five grammar errors on the front page or something horrible like that,” Valente said. “You know what, I’m just going to go and be their copy editor.” Despite having a theology class together freshman year, and being in the same group of friends since their Donovan days, it wasn’t until the two furthered their involvement in the Torch that sparks began to fly. In March of 2012, the two wrote a “Jack & Jill” column for the Torch, where they had to answer the question, “who should make the first move?” They said it was as if the two were telling the other what to do, as if it was geared toward each other. A true St. John’s romance evolved from there, complete with a first date at Coldstone - the quintessential SJU date spot. “Not at all surprised that they are engaged, nor was I when they started dating,” Terrence Cullen, friend and former News Editor of the Torch, said. “I’ve known them both about five years and they bring out the best in each other.” But while The Torch was significant in both their lives, both agreed that if it wasn’t for attending St. John’s, they would have never met so many amazing close friends, and more importantly each other. “We met some of the best people that we will ever meet,” Valente said. And it’s these people who remember the couple most fondly. “Nicole was my roommate during all four years at St. John’s, so I’ve been around since the beginning,” alumna Claire Dunphy said. “They’re two of the most casually brilliant and fun people individually and they’re such a great match for each other.” Kieran Lynch, the former Editor-in-Chief of the Torch and a friend of the two, said the couple complimented each other. “The two of them worked perfectly together,” he said.
“They were basically my Torch parents, giving the right amount of encouragement and room to grow. I have no idea where I’d be in my career if it wasn’t for them.” A former Managing Editor of the Torch, Mitchell Petit-Frere, said that while he thought Cunniff and Valente were total opposites due to their energies in the office, they were also the perfect team. “I think their closeness is a big reason why the Torch did so well during their stint as EIC and Managing Editor - the trust they had in each other put everyone else at ease.” The drive, intelligence and ability to work with others that their friends and fellow e-board members spoke so highly of has been transferred into their post-graduate life, which also had a deep impact on their relationship. After graduating from St. John’s, Valente, an Illinois native, chose to attend law school at the University of Texas at Austin. She recently graduated and is beginning a job as a firstyear litigation associate at a law firm in Manhattan. “I really liked the idea of going to Austin,” said Valente. “I knew it was a great school, plus great weather for a few years is a no brainer.” Cunniff, on the other hand, went down to Washington D.C after graduation to work as a news editor at The Washington Post Express. Despite the distance though, the two made it work, traveling to see one another and spending breaks together. “It was hard knowing I was going to be away from Mike, but I don’t know,” Valente continued, “Neither of us ever really felt like that was going to break.” “We knew it was going to suck going in,” Cunniff added.
Cunniff later decided to attend law school as well, and made his way back to Massachusetts to attend Harvard University. He’s still a student at Harvard, so the distance remains, but neither are phased. “We never were worried that we weren’t going to make it or that one of us wouldn’t follow through what we wanted to do for the other one,” Valente said. Being busy has always been a facet of their relationship. While in college, they said that their dating life consisted of a lot of “Netflix and chilling” before it had an underlying meaning attached to it. “Our dating life wasn’t separate from day to day life,” Cunniff said. This was particularly true when it came to The Torch, where the two spent much of their time. “Pretty impressive that they had this management position and the two of them were in charge,” said the Torch’s advisor, Jim Baumbach. “And then to keep their relationship really out of the newsroom and that’s an important thing.” Being their advisor his first year and their last for The Torch, Baumbach said he is excited for them. “I think they really compliment each other really well.” The two were really curious and excited to hear what their former advisor and longtime friend had to say. “There would be a lot of times Jim would call, and it would be one or the other that would pick up,” Valente said. “Because we were together.” It was New Year’s Eve of 2015 that Cunniff decided to pop the question on a skiing trip in New Hampshire. “He asked me to marry him, and I said,” said Valente. “I think I started crying for a little bit.” Now, four and a half years after meeting, they plan to get married in October on Valente’s parent’s anniversary in Cape Cod, Massachusetts where the Cunnifffamily used to have a home. “Once we started dating, absent circumstances, she was the one,” Cunniff said.
Desiigner’s mic cut
After Desiigner’s eventful performance, Johnnies in attendance took to Twitter to post their Tip-Off Reactions
TORCH PHOTO/JON MANARANG
In what was the most eventful and frenetic Red Storm Tip-Off in St. John’s history, the men’s and women’s 2016-17 basketball teams, head coach Chris Mullin, rapper J Cole and hip hop recording artist Desiigner took center stage at Carnesecca Arena on Friday night. But the night didn’t end exactly as planned. While St. John’s students, alumni and 25 plus local recruits filled the arena to its capacity to kick off the official start of the 2016-17 basketball season, the night took a chaotic turn in the middle of the headline performance by Desiigner. Desiigner, a 19-year-old whose real name is Sidney Royel Selby III, had his set cut short by the university after only a few minutes because he was encouraging the crowd to storm the court. What followed was a frenzied scene, with students rushing in from the stands as Desiigner’s microphone was turned off. When the lights came back on, Desiigner was ushered out of the arena by his security team, and the eventful night was over. A St. John’s spokeswoman said there were no injuries reported. “The University believed that the artist who performed at St. John’s Red Storm Tip Off created a potential crowd-control issue by inviting a sell-out crowd onto the court during his performance,” St. John’s said in a statement. “For that reason, the University made the decision to stop the performance to ensure that no one was injured. Our primary concern is always for the safety of our students and all who attend St. John’s sponsored events.” The University said no injuries were reported following the event. The hip-hop artist did perform his two most popular songs, “Timmy Turner” and “Panda.” But in an effort to inject life
into the crowd, Desiigner jumped into the RedZone section of the stands and he was pulled back onto the floor by security. Then he ripped off his shirt, leaped onto the DJ stand in front one of the baskets and encouraged everyone to come down onto the court. “This was obviously Public Safety’s worst nightmare, people ran out of their seats and tried to climb over the rails onto the court,” St. John’s junior Obaid Zia said. “Public Safety was pretty successful in preventing the mass exodus to the floor that Desiigner probably wanted.” “Since [me and my friend] were in the front, we got pushed all the way into the bars and basically trampled,” St. John’s student Alora Santoriello, who had VIP seats, said. Despite the effort from Public Safety to restrain the crowd, many people jumped over the scorers’ table on the bench-side and the lower tier was filled with people who were running down from the upper
“
“
CARMINE CARCIERI Co-Sports Editor
I love St. John’s. Thank you for turning up with me! You already know what time it is!
- Desiigner -
sections in order to be a part of the action. The dozens of people who were able to make their way onto the court surrounded Desiigner on the baseline as he continued to sing on top of the DJ’s table. “It was like a riot, people were everywhere breaking any control protocol security had
in place,” Zia said. “People were standing on their seats, in the walkways, over the rails; they even turned on the lights. Desiigner kept going even when the music was cut. It literally felt like a riot, he was like inciting rebellion against Public Safety.” Desiigner continued to pump up the crowd even though his microphone was turned off by moving his arms up and down rapidly. His security team escorted him through the tunnel and off the court. Following his departure from the floor, the public address announcer quickly got the crowd’s attention by instructing sections to leave at certain times and for everyone who was standing on the court to remain in place until the stands were cleared out. If Desiigner had any regrets about how the night ended, he didn’t reveal them. “I love St. John’s,” Desiigner told the Torch in a statement. “Thank you for turning up with me! You already know what time it is!” For some in attendance, the craziness of Desiigner’s performance did not dim the rest of the night and their overall experience. “It was pretty cool,” St. John’s student James Rubino said. “Desiigner was pumping everyone up and he was getting everyone excited.” “The performance was entertaining and exciting but above all it was hectic,” St. John’s senior Ryan Spencer-Arscott said. “It was definitely worth the attendance though.” The night kicked off with a moment of silence for the recent deaths of St. John’s students Arshell Dennis III, Tiarah Poyau and Karina Vetrano, and the social issues that have negatively impacted our country. A group of students in section four raised their fists, similar to the recent protests that were started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other NFL athletes. Shortly after, both the men’s and wom-
en’s teams were introduced to the crowd. Senior point guard Aaliyah Lewis, sharp shooter Federico Mussini, new recruit Shamorie Ponds, German forward Richard Freudenberg and senior forward Jade Walker all received rousing ovations. However, nothing could top Joe Tartamella and Chris Mullin’s entrances. Tartamella was introduced with his two sons, Brady and J.J. He also helped unveil the Red Storm’s 2016 Big East Championship banner and awarded St. John’s President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw with his very own Big East Championship ring. Second-year head coach, Chris Mullin, was also given a warm welcome from the fans as he walked onto the floor with Kanye West’s song “Power” blaring in the background. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and Mullin preceded by beginning a “We Are St. John’s” chant and thanking the crowd for their continued support. While the men’s team was warming up for a shortened scrimmage, St. John’s alumnus J Cole emerged from the tunnel to the shock of everyone in attendance. J Cole greeted Mullin and the men’s basketball roster before sitting courtside to watch the white team knock off the red team, 40-34. The scrimmage was split into two eight-minute halves with the white team featuring Shamorie Ponds, Bashir Ahmed, Federico Mussini, Tariq Owens and Darien Williams. Malik Ellison, who was dressed in sweatpants, was the lone player who did not participate in any drills or scrimmage activities. Ellison is battling a ‘minor injury’, according to the New York Post. Meanwhile, prior to his performance, Desiigner watched fellow Brooklyn native, Ponds, from the balcony behind the white team’s first half basket. He later was spotted on the court greeting the freshman point guard and the rest of the St. John’s roster.
TORCH PHOTO/EMILY FISHER
TORCH PHOTO/JON MANARANG
TORCH PHOTO/EMILY FISHER
TWITTER REACTIONS
Meet the friends of
2nd Annual Suicide Awareness Event
ROB
BELLA
KEVIN
KATIE
Rob is a happy guy.
Bella has a heart of gold.
Kevin is stressed all the time.
Katie gets sad easily.
He’s got a positive attitude and inspires his friends. Rob’s optimistic outlook is reflected in his work and his relationships.
S he is a caring and compassionate person. Bella always takes time to listen to and help others in her life.
He has trouble balancing time between classes, work, family and friends. Kevin doesn’t like to share his negative feelings with anyone.
Sometimes she feels alone and blue. Katie has trouble recognizing her strengths and worries that things won’t work out for her.
Have you ever felt like Rob?
Have you ever felt like Bella?
Have you ever felt like Kevin?
Have you ever felt like Katie?
TORCH PHOTO/IDALEA CINQUEMANI
ANDREA
MAX
NED
Jacob is an easy going guy.
Andrea is very proud.
Max has a temper.
Ned is very anxious.
He always goes with the flow and is well-liked by others. Jacob usually seems relaxed and carefree.
Her confidence and ambition help her excel in all that she does. Andrea successfully achieves goals she sets for herself.
He gets angry easily at his roommates, professors, family, and even friends. It’s hard for Max to sit down and talk to others about what is bothering him.
He becomes easily overwhelmed when a lot of work is due at once. Ned struggles to stay organized and worries that he won’t get it all done.
Have you ever felt like Jacob?
Have you ever felt like Andrea?
Have you ever felt like Max?
Have you ever felt like Ned?
The SJUOK? campaign and its characters were designed by student graphic design majors, including Rebecca Brooker, Idalea Cinquemani, Benjamin Hunt, Elizabeth Kohler and Michael Lagattuta who were under the advisement of Prof. Aaris Sherin, an Assistant Chairperson in the Department of Art and Design.
Student designers Michael Lagattuta, Elizabeth Kohler, Idalea Cinquemani and Rebecca Brooker pose with the SJUOK? backdrop.
St. John’s students sport SJUOK? shirts in support of the event.
KARLA REYES Staff Writer
An infuser water bottle was also given to those who donated. Large water tanks were placed around the perimeter of the Great Lawn where people could fill up their bottles. Each table also had fruits like oranges and strawberries to place in the water bottle. “I think the water bottle was a good touch because it gives you that first step to taking care of yourself,” said freshman Alexandria Lagon. “I’m an advocate for selfcare so I really liked the self-care station. I feel like I can maybe teach people how to look out for themselves.” Self-care methods are actions that positively affect emotional, physical, mental and spiritual health. According to a flyer distributed at the event, some methods of self-care include having a balanced diet, meditation, physical movement and even socializing. A helpful tip is to keep a self-care goal each week. The first step in preventing suicide is to know the warning signs. If you or someone you know has contemplated suicide you can contact the Center for Counseling and Consultation at 718-990-6384. The office is open Monday through Friday and is located in Marillac Hall in room 130. In case of an emergency you can contact Public Safety at 718-990-5252 or call 911.
On Thursday, Oct. 6, the Office of Student Wellness hosted its second annual Suicide Awareness Event on the Great Lawn. The Office of Student Wellness partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to host the event. The event was part of a new movement called SJUOK? It was developed with students to “increase awareness of suicide and its signs and symptoms and expand access to mental health treatment and resources,” according to the St. John’s website. SJUOK? utilizes a set of characters that
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TORCH PHOTO/KARLA REYES
Over 350 students were engaged and educated about the warning signs of suicidal behaviors and how to assist a friend in need
are tied to emotions and help give these feelings a persona. This is to aid in de-stigmatizing mental illness by making it more relatable. The characters are identifiable by color and shape, according to SJU’s website (http://www.stjohns.edu/student-life/
health-and-wellness/sjuok). Faculty and students gathered around four separate tables which highlighted important facts about suicide, including warning signs, how to respond when you know someone is in danger, examples of self-care and tips on how to help a friend. Some warning signs include perpetual feelings of sadness, loss of appetite, lack of coping skills, and statements of self-harm. “I think it’s better that I know the warning signs now because I know I’ll be prepared in that situation,” said freshman JoAnn Depestre. “Even if I can’t do something I can at least give them information so they can go to somebody who might be better equipped to help them out.” “Over 350 students were engaged and educated about the warning signs of suicidal behaviors and how to assist a friend in need,” said Dr. Manzo, Director of Student Wellness. There was a small registration fee of $1 which covered the cost of the Suicide Awareness walk. All the proceeds went to the New York chapter of the foundation. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a national non-profit organization that uses scientific research and education to help those affected by suicide, according to the foundation’s website (https://afsp.org/ about-afsp/). The walk raised over $1000 for the Foundation, according to Dr. Manzo.
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“Godspell” casts magic on SJU
The Chappell Players Theatre Group enchants and enthralls with new show ERIN BOLA Social Media Coordinator The beginning of Kanye West’s “Fade” echoes over an industrial back alley as a group of partiers spills out onto the stage. The revelry and drinking is soon interrupted by a newcomer, John the Baptist, who speaks of a Savior who will lead them to Heaven if they change their immoral ways. Thus begins the musical “Godspell,” performed by the Chappell Players Theater Group in the Little Theater. The musical is a sung collection of parables from the Bible, most of which were pulled from the Gospel of Matthew. The book for the show was written by
John Michael Tebelak, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. “Godspell” was first performed in 1971 and later premiered on Broadway in 1976. In the Chappell Players’ rendition of the show, the recently baptized followers of Jesus are distinguished with teal beaded necklaces and wide eyes, ready to absorb the teachings their newfound Savior has to offer. As Jesus shares the stories of the Bible with them, they scramble to both act them out and incorporate the lessons into their own lives. The cast often accompanied the ancient tales with multiple pop culture references, including one well-timed Donald Trump impression, to help keep the story
PHOTOS / RYAN DEFOREEST
relevant and engaging for the audience. Senior Bill Powell portrays Jesus with a refined air of authority. Often with his hands clasped behind his back, he commands the attention of his followers in his strong voice and infectious charisma. Powell also demonstrates an impressive vocal power in both upbeat songs such as “Save the People” and the slower ballad “Beautiful City.” Senior Brandon Lisama is able to perform as both John the Baptist and Judas by distinguishing his different acting choices between the two characters. As John the Baptist, he eagerly reinforces what Jesus is teaching with wide eyes and an encouraging smile. Lisama shakes and refuses to look Jesus in the face, however, when he transitions to the betraying Judas. Each character in the ensemble of Jesus’ followers stands out with their own unique personality. Although each ensemble member is given their own time to shine when acting out Jesus’ parables, the entire group is also able to complement one another and work together in the large company numbers. Freshman Savanah Sanchez worked on the production as a spotlight operator, and she was grateful to have “Godspell” as her first collegiate theater experience. “I really appreciate the Chappell Players inviting me and letting me participate in the theater program, which has always been a big part of my life and I was glad to be apart of it here at St. John’s,” she said. She also commented on how the musical helped to enforce St. John’s mission as a Catholic university. “I feel that ‘Godspell’ was a good first show of the season since it really represents
how important Catholicism is to much of the student body here.” “I thought the show was really amazing!” audience member Erin Shoul said. “Considering that they only put the show together in about three weeks, I think that the unity of the cast and crew was very impressive.” The show continues next weekend, with shows at 8 p.m. each night Thursday through Saturday. Tickets are available for purchase on the Chappell Players website.
Talented performers take over SJU
ELIJAH ANGULO Staff Writer
Over 100 students gathered in the D’Angelo Center two weeks ago as St John’s very own showcased their talents in the Performing Arts Concert. The collaborative show featured acts including the Chappell Players Theatre Group, Mixed Chorus, St. John’s Jazz Band and Voices of Victory Gospel Choir. The concert wasn’t a routine talent show, as vocals, saxophones and guitar solos left students and faculty speechless. The concert was held in the Sodano Coffee House and began at 8 p.m. as the Jazz Band took the stage. They performed three songs, similar to the other groups. One of these was a cover of “Fantasy” by the notorious band Earth, Wind and Fire. The band cultivated a feeling of balance between smooth flowing melodies and an upbeat energy that you could feel in your feet through the entire third floor of DAC. But it wasn’t just the instruments that carried that powerful sound, as the Voices of Victory Gospel Choir stole the show. Also accompanied by saxophone instrumentals, the choir performed hits such
as Vashawn Mitchell’s “His Blood Still Works” and “High Places.” The music was intended to be heard with ears and spirit, and most students gave the impression that the choir accomplished such. The Mixed Chorus did the same, but with a twist. The chorus carried an opera-like composure, singing popular hits including “Seasons of Love” from the musical “RENT” and “Jordan’s Angels” by Rollo Dilworth. The Chappell Players Theater Group, known for their work in the Little Theater, previewed their upcoming musical “Godspell,” which ended last week. Students also recommended others attend the play and future performances by all groups. “Anything that Voices does, tell people to go to,” senior Tahjia Gaskins said. “People need to come to Java Johnnies!” Java Johnnies is a series of performances in the Sodano Coffee house on the last Friday of each month in which students get to watch and enjoy free coffee, doughnuts, and board games. The Psychology major has experience herself in the arts as she has worked with the Chappell Players and Voices of Victory. Unfortunately, she was temporarily held back by a torn ACL, but doesn’t let it
stop her from enjoying performances. Accompanying her was junior Antonia Vina, who also urged students to enjoy the performing arts. “Anything that Remy does you should go see,” she agrees, referring to Remy Anton Martin, a member of Voices. In addition to the experienced talent, the show was star-studded. Voices of Victory is under the direction of award win-
ning composer Nigel W. Gretton. He has worked with Voices for 29 years. Gretton announced many upcoming events, including “Godspell” and multiple holiday performances around Christmas time. “Voices will be touring in Spain,” he said. “We will be doing five shows in five cities.” The Mixed Chorus is directed by award winning conductor Kim Oler.
PHOTO / KAYLA KNIGHT
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“Luke Cage”
RAVEN HAYNES Staff Writer
“Luke Cage” gives the classic super hero an edge just like in “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil,” but this time they put some black into it. Mike Colter gives an impressive performance as the main character of Marvel’s “Luke Cage”. Set in Harlem, this show tackles many issues in the black community such as racial profiling, gentrification and police violence. Each episode was thought out from Luke Cage’s first physical encounter to the shout out St. John’s received by the female lead, Misty Knight, played by Simone Cook. Mike Colter’s performance was constantly building with each appearance he made, whether it was talking about “coffee” or being a black man wearing a hoodie walking down the street. The representation that came from this show was extraordinary. Not only was the cast highly diverse, but it went beyond the basic diversity roles to give a
real world feel. The amount of black artist shown in this series was magnificent, when I heard the voice of Raphael Saadiq, I was hooked. With each mention of a black historical figure, reciting of black literature or reference to black culture, I smiled with pride. Every episode brought a better understanding to Luke Cage. I constantly wondered who he really was while I watched “Jessica Jones” and this show answered every question I had about him. Cheo Hodari Coker the creator and executive producer of Luke Cage knew what direction he needed to take to make this show different from the other Marvel shows. It wouldn’t be enough for him to be black, the character had to have a certain cool but sexy hero swagger that hasn’t been seen before. Even though he simplifies Luke Cage into a “bulletproof black man” he is so much more. As the series goes on, I can only see a positive future.
“Mascots”
MICHAEL AMBROSINO General Manager Entertainment Editor
When promoting his film “Neighbors” in 2014, director Nicholas Stoller once said in an interview, “…you know what’s better than one Homer Simpson? Ten Homer Simpsons.” I’d say that the characters who inhabit Netflix’s new original film “Mascots,” co-written and directed by Christopher Guest, are basically a bunch of Homer Simpsons. In other words, they’re very dumb. Most definitely not as hilariously dumb as the classic yellow character, but their sheer idiocy keeps the laugh meter reasonably high. “Mascots” follows a nutty assortment of individuals who are essentially competitive mascots. They gather at an event known as The 8th World Mascot Association Championship to compete for the gold trophy.
The film, quite choppily, follows each of them through the couple of hours before their big competition. Here is a fine, funny little movie that is deeply flawed but manages to hold itself up as an entertaining-enough means of escapism for viewers who have an hour and a half to kill. The film’s strengths lie in the characters. There isn’t much repetition going on here, as “weird” is the only thing this group of people have in common. One team of mascots are a struggling married couple. The husband, played by Zach Woods, has one of the best lines in the film, “My wife and I are doing this never-go-to-bed angry thing… so I’m exhausted”), while the rest of the characters range from a charming English man to a woman who specializes in some super-exotic dancing. It’s interesting to explore the personalities of these characters as the film builds to their third-act performances, which ends up being great fun. “Mascots” is now streaming on Netflix.
Movie review: “The Accountant” DAVID ROSARIO Staff Writer
There’s nothing about a title like “The Accountant” that suggests nonstop thrills and blood pumping action, but just as the main character is more than what he initially seems, the exact same can be said of the film itself. From director Gavin O’Connor, best known for his sports films “Miracle” and “Warrior, and a star-studded cast that includes Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons and Jon Bernthal, “The Accountant” tells the story of Christian Wolff, played by Affleck, a highly sought after intellectual who works as a certified public accountant by day but secretly makes his money using his skillset to work for criminal clientele. Part of what makes this film so great is how it successfully encompasses so many different genres without ever feeling tonally dissonant. At its core, the film is a drama about the extremely complicated life of this individual. Early flashbacks reveal that Affleck’s character was diagnosed with a form of high-functioning autism at a young age, and the movie doesn’t shy away from exploring the pathos that comes with this condition. His family doesn’t quite understand how to cope and even in his adulthood he’s just trying to find his own form of normalcy in a world constantly telling him that he doesn’t fit in. Aside from the drama, there is also a surprising amount of hard-hitting action that often feels reminiscent of sequences from the “Jason
Bourne” franchise, but don’t feel out of place in the context of this narrative. Ben Affleck has proved in past films that he’s capable of pulling off impressive stunts, but never more so than in this film. When the action kicks in, it’s relentless. Gavin O’Connor did a great job of filming the fights where the frenetic camerawork adds to the overall intensity of the film but you can still tell exactly what’s happening on-screen and who’s fighting who. All around, the performances in “The Accountant” are solid, but Ben Affleck especially stands out and has no problem carrying this move on his shoulders. He excelled at portraying the two dueling sides of this character, the calm, cool and collected public accountant as well as the hardened persona that comes out when he’s dealing with the criminal world. Anna Kendrick provides timely comic relief as Affleck’s love interest, while J.K. Simmons and Jon Bernthal are equally great as men on opposite sides of the law who have their own valid reasons to want to track down the elusive “accountant.” “The Accountant” takes its time setting up the larger story but by the end, it pays off in a big way. The story is structured nonlinearly, forcing you as an audience member to really pay attention to the smaller details and try to piece everything together when it’s all over. Big reveals that come in the third act feel earned because the movie up until that point does its job of introducing these layered characters and the immersive world in which they live. You won’t need to see this movie twice in order for it to make sense, but you’ll want to see it again because it’s just that good.
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Avenged Sevenfold’s “The Stage”
Famous heavy metal band’s new song comments on corrupt leadership MICHAEL AMBROSINO General Manager Entertainment Editor “Who is the crowd that peers through the cage... as we perform here upon the stage?” What a message, and what perfect timing, too! Is this the coming of a brand new album? This would be the band’s first since their relentless 2013 album, “Hail to the King,” whose “Acid Rain” still sends chills through my body every time I listen to it. According to Fozzy lead singer Chris Jericho, Avenged Sevenfold’s new song, titled “The Stage,” could very well be a teaser to a future album. Subsequently deleted, Jericho posted a photo to Instagram that essentially informed the world on the band’s new album, apparently titled “Voltaic Oceans,” and that it would be released on Dec. 9. The band has yet to comment on this – but, do they really need to clarify anything? Teaser or not,
Avenged Sevenfold simply premiered an amazing new song, accompanied with a music video that, in my gradebook, is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s mesmerizing, epic and beautiful. Listening to the eight-and-a-half minute-long “The Stage,” I was immediately brought back to the rapid-fire ferocity of the band’s terrific third album, and my personal favorite thus far, City of Evil, with just a few glimmers of the heaviness showcased in their fifth album, Nightmare. It’s really good stuff, with skillful drumming, a kick-ass guitar solo by Synyster Gates and a dead serious message.
Even if their lyrics fail to blow your socks off, it’s difficult to deny that Avenged Sevenfold knows how to write the living hell out of a song, instrumentally. And about that message – this is where the music video becomes slightly more captivating than the song itself. It sheds light on the meaning behind the lyrics, and ultimately presents something smart yet compelling and, in its own right, kind of scary. The video sees a group of average, every day people seated in a tiny theatre. When the curtains open up, we see puppets, controlled by an unknown puppet
master, act out some of history’s most cruelest acts of mindless violence. We’re taken through the days of Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, various wars and the Salem Witch Trials, to name a fair few. The audience goes bananas over this, laughing and playing along, sometimes deciding the fate of some of the poor puppets. When the music reaches its final, electrifying chorus, the curtains close and smoke fills the room, wiping the audience out of sight. The curtains open up again, and we see that very audience as puppets, controlled by the world’s powerful leaders, including the next possible leader of our country, Hillary Clinton. This isn’t the first time Avenged Sevenfold has gone dark and political in their music. “The Stage,” however, may be one of their darkest and most political yet, as it shows us the terrifying reality of the world we live in.
Best moments from The CW series
Sam discusses her three favorite moments from “Legends of Tomorrow” SAMANTHA SCALA Staff Writer After a long six month wait, the second season of DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow” finally premiered on Oct. 13th. Although it’s the second season of the show, not much knowledge of the first season is really needed to watch this season. Last season focused on characters that left the series, so this season will focus on an entirely new storyline. This season will focus mainly on The Justice Society of America, the precursors of the Justice League New characters include Nathan Heywood/Citizen Steel (Nick Zano), Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl (Sarah Grey) and various others. Meanwhile, the main villains this season will be the Legion of Doom—in which all characters appeared in other ‘Arrowverse’ shows, including Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash (Matt Letschner), Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) and Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller). Now, on with the premiere! These are the three things I enjoyed about the episode. *Spoilers ahead!*
On one hand, last season ended on a cliffhanger and a new character, Rex Tyler (Hourman), who warned the team not to visit a certain timeline—or else they’d all die. It also made me wonder if we’re actually going to see Rex Tyler again or not. But on the other hand, the opening scene was really cool. Even though we don’t really know Nate Haywood yet, it’s really interesting to see a historian try, and almost succeed, in breaking into the Mayor’s Office to talk to Oliver.
2. Sara and the Queen of France
I’d like to say I didn’t expect Sara to make out with the Queen of France, but sadly I was spoiled by this wonderfully hilarious scene in the trailers. It was just so amusing to see the Queen of France hitting on Sara and her just going along with it. It was even funnier because the rest of the team was fighting to protect the King of France, meanwhile Sara’s just too busy making out with his wife. It got even more amusing when Rip scolded Sara for seducing the Queen and
1. Opening Scene
I was a bit on the fence about how I completely felt about the opening scene.
PHOTO/COMINGSOON.NET
“Legends of Tomorrow” characters Atom, Rip Hunter, White Canary, Captain Cold and more.
Sara’s responds, “She seduced me!” It’s probably one of the best scenes in the episode and I simply loved it.
3. Mick
Last season, Mick and his entire story arc blew me away; it was probably one of the better parts of the season. He became more than just comic relief, and somehow he wiggled his way into my heart and has become my second favorite Arrowverse character, as Sara is my Queen and always will be. In this episode he continues to be his ridiculously funny self by drinking beer when explaining to Oliver and Nate what happened to the rest of the Legends, cracking inopportune jokes and just being the classic Heatwave we first met in “The Flash.” But he’s also changed so much; he doesn’t hesitate to go throughout history and save the rest of his team, his friends. He’s grown so much as a character, from simply a comic relief villain or just Captain Cold’s sidekick and I’m loving his development. I’m so excited to see what happens next with Mick. The season premiere of Legends of Tomorrow was truly great. It had just the right mix and humor and seriousness. Everyone acted wonderfully, the pacing was great and one of the final shots of the JSA was just amazing. I’m so pumped for the next episode which will air on the CW on Oct. 20th at 8 p.m. Be sure to check it out!
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19
To Mars or Bust? Maybe Why we should go to the Red Planet DANIEL GARCIA Contributing Writer Obama recently announced his plan to send humans to Mars by 2030. There are a few reasons why this is the correct path for us. Now while something like this is news for many, the smartest minds of our time have already said that reaching Mars is a necessity. This is the main reason why: the Earth is dying because we are killing it. We continue to burn fossil fuels and make no strides towards sustainable energy and we recently passed the point of no return in carbon emissions. The list goes on. To make sure that humanity exists for hundreds of thousands of more years, humans need to be a multi-planet species. We are exhausting our resources here and it will only get worse with globalization.
With how much technology is available to us, robotic missions are completely possible. Elon Musk, who is not only working on making sustainable and renewable energy, but is also spearheading the endeavor to make humans a multi-planetary species, has said that he believes getting to Mars is a probable outcome and the first launches will be robotic. That means that by the time our technology reaches a point to transport us there, it will be safe. The second argument against it is that the thinking there is stagnant. Humans would not have advanced or made world changing discoveries if it were not for taking risk. No Americas, planes, submarines or cars. Peter Thiel would describe those who want to make life better, but who are uncertain what the paths are, as “indefinite optimists.” You expect to profit from the future. You expect things to get better.
You don’t know how it will happen, you just think it will. You won’t take risks and that’s not how humans or technology advances. Reaching Mars will mean we’ve reached the outer limits of knowledge and technology. Our knowledge compounds if we continue to advance it, and Mars is the next natural step for us as humans. Getting to Mars will also be a safe haven if there is ever an extinction event on Earth. It is a step to incrementally im-
prove humanity’s chances of survival. If, in the future, we succeed in reaching and terraforming Mars and an extinction event happens, whether it is from war, depletion of resources or a natural catastrophe, we will have another planet to fall back on for life. Hopefully, if we are forced to live on Mars because of our own mistakes from mistreating the Earth, we’ll learn from those mistakes, so we don’t do the same to other planets. Learning from your mistakes seems like a harder mission than reaching Mars.
Preventing the colonization of Mars RASHEEDA CAMPBELL Staff Writer Although colonizing Mars would seem like a great achievement for humanity, I don’t think it would be a rational thing to do. Inventor Elon Musk recently told of his plans to colonize Mars and the rest of the Solar System through his company, SpaceX. After hearing about his ideas for colonizing the planet, I was impressed. However, I began to think about the many consequences that could occur after the colonization. There is already an abundance of risks that comes with space exploration alone. Imagine the many risks humanity could face while trying to live on Mars. Think about the number of lives that would be put in danger during the colonization process. It is possible that people could lose their lives because their bodies
may not be able to adapt to the new environment. People could also become ill because their bodies could be susceptible to certain unknown deadly diseases on Mars. I believe it is a big risk and will involve many sacrifices to colonize Mars. I don’t think it is worth it. I don’t think it is worth risking lives, and I definitely do not think it is worth spending millions of dollars on a project that may not even be successful. Instead of spending money on something that won’t happen until years from now and what might not even be successful, the money should be spent on helping people to live better lives on Earth. Also, think about the annoyance that would come with living on the Red Planet. We would have to constantly wear spacesuits to breathe and to protect us from dust and radiation. However, according to www.cnet.com Dr. Jim Logan, who spent two decades as a medical expert at NASA, stated that
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“There’s too much radiation for just hanging out in spacesuits and rovers.” In order for us to survive, we would actually have to live in a radiation shielding dome or underground. According to cnet. com “raising a family on Mars could weaken their bones and muscles so much they’d no longer be able to survive Earth’s gravity.” Aside from the potential dangers and risks living on Mars would bring to humans, also think about the potential damage humans would have on Mars. From
Flames of the Torch
This week, the Torch reported on Trojan’s annual sexual health report card. In the survey, sponsored by Trojan and conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces, St. John’s was ranked number 139 out of 140 schools surveyed. Typically, we don’t hear much about this report, aside from some talk on social media - but this week, Student Government Inc. (SGI) brought it up at one of their floor meetings, and discussed the University’s ranking. Being ranked second to worst on a list regarding the sexual health of colleges is no laughing matter. Frank Obermeyer, SGI’s secretary, made this point at the most recent floor meeting. He said that SGI has met with the director of Violence Prevention to discuss sex education and sexual health. He said that they hope to make some changes by
learning about what other schools are doing. Although St. John’s is a Catholic school and pre-marital sex is against the religion, it is a well-known fact that students are having sex. Colleges across the nation offer students access to free condoms, as well as testing for STD’s. At SJU, these are currently not options. Despite the University’s religious affiliation, a movement to provide students with these things is forming. We at the Torch support these efforts. Sexual health education is a necessity for all, and it is an unfortunate reality that its importance is undervalued in college campuses across the nation; students deserve an environment that fosters healthy attitudes toward sex. Proper sexual health and wellness education is key for all people; especially stu-
dents. It’s essential to a healthy lifestyle overall. We support more expansive sex education on campus. We also support providing students with support, such as STD testing, and access to contraception. The Torch commends SGI, especially Obermeyer, for starting to shed light on this topic. The conversation that has begun is a valuable one, and we applaud them for taking initiative and being open on such an important topic. College is designed to be a time when students find and use their voices. We believe that it is important for the student body to act reasonably, responsibly, and passionately in pursuit of change when change is needed. We hope to see their efforts continue, and look forward to seeing progression on this matter at St. John’s.
historical evidence we can see how humanity treats planets. Just look at how we treat Earth. From global warming to the frequent process of deforestation, the Earth is slowly dying by our hands. Who’s to say we wouldn’t treat Mars and any other planet in the Solar System the same way if we colonized it? To avoid bringing destruction and harm to another planet we should start caring more about the Earth and leave it as our one and only home.
EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Board of the TORCH. Columns are the opinions of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of the TORCH. Opinions expressed in editorials, columns, letters or cartoons are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or administrations of St. John’s University.
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Clown pranksters out of control nationwide NISHA BUSRE Contributing Writer Recently, people dressed as creepy clowns have been showing up all throughout the United States. There have been reports of clown sightings in Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and even here in New York. Sightings have been reported in Manhattan, Long Island and Queens. These creepy clowns have lured kids into wooded areas and caused lockdowns in Long Island schools. Overall, they have put a lot of people on edge. Even though it could be considered a disturbance of peace, dressing as a clown isn’t against the law. So far, there hasn’t been any serious harm caused, at least here in New York. However, it only takes one crazy person with bad intentions to put on a clown suit and hurt somebody. A young man in Pennsylvania was killed by someone dressed as a clown. In Texas, security footage caught a clown trying to break into someone’s house. A man who lives here in Queens called the police and reported a clown outside his home; the clown was making threatening gestures toward him with a knife. There haven’t been reports of clowns physically hurting anyone in New York, but they certainly haven’t been very well-behaved in other places around the country. At first, most people thought the clowns were funny. Now, it feels like a horror movie come to life. I had a few
laughs myself, but now I’m more afraid than anything. The first clown sighting I heard about was about a clown in the woods staring at people driving by, and I thought this was just a harmless joke to give people a spook. Soon after, I heard more about clowns with weapons. Some were even chasing people with bats. That got me a little afraid. I started being more aware of my surroundings. Before I get out of my car, I always look into all mirrors to make sure a clown won’t make a surprise attack. It sounds ridiculous, but it really is frightening to me. People dressing up as clowns and scaring people is just immature, and I’ve had enough. It started as a joke, but I think that the clowns are becoming increasingly dangerous, and they should be taken seriously by all. Luckily, authorities are taking the clown reports seriously, and some of these clowns have been taken into
custody for questioning. Hopefully, the creepy clowns will disperse after Halloween. I wouldn’t be too happy if I looked out my window on Christmas and saw a clown in my yard. Until then, watch your back and stay safe. It’s all fun and games until you spot a clown.
PHOTO/CASS ANAYA FLICKR COMMONS
Public’s reaction to Trump reveals bigger problem Audio has surfaced of Trump making demeaning comments about women and explicitly bragged about his right as a celebrity to sexually assault them, moments before greeting and hugging actress Arianne Zucker for a taped segment of “Access Hollywood”. The backlash has been swift and unforgiving, and the leaked audio has garnered a worldwide response. Many influential figures in the GOP such as Paul Ryan have chosen to distance themselves from Trump in light of the leak. While I am not dismissing the possibility of a Trump presidency, I will say that this may be the lowest point of his campaign. Trump is unapologetically himself, but we have all played a role in his candidacy. It’s time to ask ourselves: Of all the vile things Trump has said throughout this election, why is this the major turning point? Trump’s initial bid for candidacy was seen as a joke. Most of us were amused and in disbelief, we took joy in poking fun at his hair and his disproportionately small hands.
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But in his first presidential announcement So why was it not enough when Trump speech, he claimed Mexico and South put forth his Islamophobic, xenophobic, and America were sending drug dealers, crimi- downright racist policy proposals? nals, and rapists into the U.S. to wreak havWhat about the numerous accusations of oc. A bold proclamation which has served discrimination against black people in many as the basis for his restrictive immigration of his business ventures, or his inhumane policy proposals. views on refusing to allow in Syrian refugees The list of women Donald Trump has and immigrants seeking a new life? We all insulted and demeaned was lengthy years know when Trump speaks of closing borders before he even began his to potential threats, campaign. When Megyn he is not speaking Kelly took him to task for about immigrants some of his past misogylike his German-born nistic comments during Of all the vile things Trump grandfather Frederick an early GOP debate, he has said throughout this elec- Trump. waved her away with a disThis past April, the tion, why is this the missive comment about “imperial wizard” of major turning point? how “the big problem this a Ku Klux Klan chapcountry has is being politter endorsed Trump, ically correct.” as did David Duke, a As each day passes, former grand wizard more and more women of the KKK. Trump have come forward with their experiences refused to condemn the former. of being sexually assaulted and harassed by Millions of Americans knowingly jumped Trump. In 1989, his ex-wife Ivana Trump ac- on board “Make America Great Again” not cused him of rape. Their divorce was final- in spite of, but because of Trump’s approach ized in 1991 and entails a gag order which to our borders and promises of mass deporprevents her from speaking about their mar- tation. Racist Americans breathed a sigh riage. of relief when finally, a candidate appeared
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ARIANA ORTIZ Staff Writer
that would shun political correctness, and openly admit to prejudices while steadfastly implementing policies based on them. Many of Trump’s followers and supporters feel disenfranchised, and they grasp at his snake oil solutions, rooted in little more than bigotry, paranoia and Trump’s unwavering confidence in himself. What disturbs me, and what has disturbed me since the beginning of his campaign, is that this collective outrage did not exist in the face of everything he has said and vowed to do as president. It does not seem to exist for those who will be harmed the most by his policies. The tepid, almost nonexistent reaction from liberals and white allies who claim to be anti-racist speaks volumes. Ultimately, it belies a lack of empathy for people of color. Do I believe Trump’s comments about grabbing women by their genitalia were deserving of such backlash? Absolutely, the violent rhetoric he’s expressed toward women should not be ignored or excused. Trump’s bigoted rhetoric as a presidential candidate should inspire as large a response, as his entire platform is based on the violent misogyny and racism he expresses in his personal life.
Johnny U
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When cops are killed too SAHN CHOI Contributing Writer
In late 2014, protesters in New York City shouted, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? Now!” after the police killing of Eric Garner. Since then, the protestors’ wishes have certainly come true. On July 7, five Dallas police officers were killed by Micah Xavier Johnson, who intended to kill as many white officers as he could. A Baton Rouge, La. shooting left three officers dead on July 17; shooter Gavin Eugene Long viewed his actions as necessary to “create substantial change.” As recently as Tuesday, funeral services were held for two slain police officers in Palm Springs, Calif. Suspect John Hernandez Felix “wanted to gun down police officers because they wore the uniform.” Lesley Zerebny, one of the two slain Palm Springs police officers, had just returned from maternity leave after giving birth to a daughter four months ago. Now her daughter won’t have memories of her mother. Jose Vega, the other officer killed, was weeks away from retirement; he was working overtime when he was killed. His wife and kids said their final goodbyes Tuesday. There are valid concerns, on a case-bycase basis, regarding a police officer’s decision to use lethal force. Reform is needed in our legal system to rectify these concerns. That said, killing police officers is
not the right response. “Whenever those of us who are concerned about fairness in the criminal justice system attack police officers, you are doing a disservice to the cause,” said President Obama in a July 2016 press conference. A society that antagonizes those who serve and protect is harmful to everybody, not just police officers. Amid anti-police rhetoric, murder rates have gone up. According to the F.B.I.’s data on crime for the entire U.S., the murder rate rose nearly eleven percent across the United States in 2015, which is the highest increase in nearly half a century. Findings from a June 2016 National Institute of Justice study reported that rising crime could be linked to less aggressive policing that resulted from anti-police rhetoric; police are backing off of the diligent policing that once protected communities from crime because they fear any use of force — justified or unjustified — will be deemed a racially-charged attack that will put their career at risk.
The murder rate in the U.S.’s 30 largest cities is projected to rise by 13.1 percent this year, with nearly half of this increase attributable to Chicago alone, according to an analysis from the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law.
PHOTO/JOSEPH MORRIS FLICKR COMMONS
Instead of making broad, unfair generalizations about police officers — or even going as far as to kill them — the heartbreak and the destruction caused by the senseless violence in our communities must be recognized. The importance of police, society’s sole defense against this violence, must also be recognized. Then, and only then, can this epidemic of violence be put to an end.
Getting a value-centered education FR. PATRICK GRIFFIN, C.M. Special to the Torch Whenever I gather with a large group, particularly in N.Y., and identify myself with St. John’s University, several people immediately describe themselves or a close relative as an SJU graduate. These encounters frequently make me proud of our University and the contribution which we have made to people’s lives and our society. A professor is mentioned, a course is remembered, a kindness is recalled. People ask if this or that person is still at the University and then they tell a story which continues to influence their minds and hearts. During this past week, there were more incidents of this kind than usual because I was connected with more events. Two encounters in particular were special because they were so unexpected.
One of the worthwhile programs which takes place regularly here at SJU is the “Hot Topics in Social Justice” discussion which is sponsored by the Faculty Research Consortium of the Vincentian Institute for Social Action. This past Oct. 13, the topic was “Policing in Minority Neighborhoods.” One can understand why this would be a “hot topic.” The discussion was very respectful and informative. A young female officer of Puerto Rican descent spoke with her heart about the way in which she carries out her responsibilities and how important her Vincentian training at St. John’s has been for her. She insisted that her St. John’s education makes her a better police officer. This past Saturday, I was in a Hindu mandir as part of an SJU program aimed at inter-religious dialogue. When an Indian woman teaching music to small children discovered that our group was from
SJU, she told the assembly that her son had gone to our University. She maintained that the education and spirit which he received has made him a capable and sensitive guidance counselor for Indian children in the Hicksville school district. All the circumstances of our University contribute to making these kinds of witnesses possible. Everyone contributes to the character and spirit which forms our environment. Perhaps this is especially true of the entire student body. The great diversity of backgrounds and experiences which make up our population contributes greatly to the richness of the context and its challenges. The most important values are learned through contact and mutual respect.
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Clinton’s email corruption SHABIB AFZAL Staff Writer Despite my distrust and ideological disagreements with Hillary Clinton, I supported her in my article titled, “I’m (sort of ) with her,” published Sept. 7. However, after the WikiLeaks, I’ve changed my mind. Many of the leaked emails are standard. Some are revealing. Her campaign was “petrified that [she] is almost totally dependent on Republicans nominating Trump.” There are more humorous revelations, as well. Chelsea Clinton was referred to as a “spoiled brat” and Bill Clinton was “losing it” because his wife was losing to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. There are also leaks of her speeches, including one where she states the need to have “both a public and a private position” on certain issues. Additionally, Clinton’s campaign manager considered opposing the Keystone pipeline in order to distract from the email scandal; Clinton was “inclined” to support it back in Oct. 2010. All of this — on top of everything else that has been revealed — should be worrisome to everybody. Why has this received less outrage from the media than Trump’s comments? Probably because the most worrying of all of the revelations exposes the close ties Clinton has with the media. For example, Donna Brazile, former CNN commentator and current interim DNC chairperson, gave Clinton a question ahead of a CNN town hall. It makes sense that these revelations have not been receiving nearly as much coverage as Trump’s comments. After these leaks, it’s not an exaggeration to compare Clinton and her team’s corruption to the state’s manipulation of the media to cater to their image and needs. Even if you do agree with the policies that Clinton is proposing, it’s simply ignorant to say that Trump’s comments are more worrying. I previously stated that I reluctantly supported Clinton to prevent Trump from becoming president. But if having Clinton in office means even more distrust of our very flawed media — which is a possibility in light of these leaks — I cannot vote for her in good conscience.
22 Sports
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NICK MCCREVEN Staff Writer NCAA Men’s Soccer 10/15 BUTLER ST. JOHN’S
NCAA Volleyball 10/14
NCAA Women’s Soccer 10/15
Oracle/ITA Masters Consolation Final
1
DEPAUL
0
ST. JOHN’S
16 13 14
Andrew Watson (Memphis) 6
7(6)
2
ST. JOHN’S
1
CREIGHTON
25 25 25
Roberto Livi (St. John’s)
6
The Red Storm men’s soccer team took on No. 11/14 Butler on Saturday at Belson Stadium and came away with a 2-1 victory. Alistair Johnston scored St. John’s first goal in the 37th minute assisted by Mauricio Rivas. Butler fired back in the 64th minute with a goal from Lewis Suddick, but Johnnies goalie Andrew Withers saved three other shots in the second half to keep the game tied at one. This allowed the Red Storm to take the lead in the 84th minute with a beautifully placed goal from Harry Cooksley. This was a big win for the Johnnies having defeated a nationally ranked opponent and it will create a ton of momentum for their next match in Washington, D.C. versus Big East rival Georgetown on Oct. 22.
NCAA Volleyball 10/16
St. John’s women’s soccer snapped DePaul’s seven-game win streak on Saturday while handing them their first conference loss of the season with a 1-0 victory. Their defense played an exceptional match while goalie Diana Poulin grabbed her 10th clean sheet of the season, tying the St. John’s single-season record. Her impressive tally of nine saves was her best since the 2013 season when she stopped 10 shots versus Marquette. Samie Scaffidi scored a tremendous goal in the 70th minute to take the lead that would eventually result in the win. The Johnnies will face Xavier on Thursday and try to carry the energy from this big win out to Cincinnati with them.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME Goalkeeper Andrew Withers - 3 Saves Midfielder Alistair Johnston - Goal, 38’ Midfielder Harry Cooksley - Goal, 85’ Forward Mike Prosuk- Assist, 85’
PHOTO/ ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Sammie Scaffidi scored in the 70th minute.
ST. JOHN’S
21 22 25 19
PROVIDENCE
25 25 21 25
St. John’s volleyball faced up against Creighton in Omaha on Friday and lost in three straight sets for the first time this season (25-16, 25-13, 25-14). The Bluejays hit at a hot .356 clip led by Lauren Smith and Lydia Dimke. For the Johnnies, Gaia Traballi had six kills while Erica DiMaulo contributed 17 assists; the pair had solid outings for an otherwise tough defeat for the Red Storm. On Sunday, the Johnnies showed some real fight against another Big East opponent at Providence, but could not pull away the victory (21-25, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25). They made a late comeback but the Friars held onto the lead. SJU was led again by Traballi (13 kills, 10 digs) and DiMaulo (47 assists). Julia Cast also pitched in 11 kills and six blocks. The Red Storm (12-10) will head to Xavier on Oct. 20 for their next match.
4
Roberto Livi of the St. John’s tennis team made it to the finals of the men’s singles consolation bracket this past weekend. He was defeated in the first match of the tournament by top-25-in-the-nation Or Ram-Harel from Tulsa, but Livi didn’t let it get to him. He went on to win the next three matches on his way to the finals, defeating Nathan Boniel of Portland St., No. 117 in the country Guilherme Hadlich from Pepperdine, and Vinny Gillespie of Drake. Squaring off against No. 52 in the nation Andrew Watson of Memphis, in the finals, Livi was defeated but nonetheless had an impressive showing at the tournament.
QUOTE BOOK
“This result shows Robbie can play with top players from around the country and overall was a great experience.” - SJU Assistant Coach Cory Hubbard
McArdle inks deal with Toronto Rock DERRELL BOUKNIGHT Staff Writer
Former St. John’s lacrosse star Kieran McArdle is the most decorated player in the program’s history, nobody amassing more career points, assists and goals as a member of the Red Storm than the 24-year-old attackman. After winning Major League Lacrosse’s Rookie of the Year in 2014 as a member of the Florida Launch, McArdle has made headlines once again, signing a one-year deal with the National Lacrosse League’s Toronto Rock. Selected fifth overall in the 2014 draft, McArdle has made his mark as a professional player. He has been honored as a MLL All-Star team member in each of the past two seasons, with his one-year deal with the Rock being the first with the indoor lacrosse league. “This is going to be a great opportunity playing in the NLL for an organization like the Toronto Rock,” McArdle, a native of Ronkonkoma, NY, said. “Indoor lacrosse is something that I have little experience in but an looking forward to the challenge. The coaches and general manage have been very welcoming and are going to give me all the necessities to make it in this league.” While at St. John’s, McArdle’s work as a junior was perhaps most impressive. During a campaign in which he was named Big East Attack Player of the Year, McArdle was a unanimous conference first team selection and received Big East honors six times, according to RedStormSports.com.
In his junior season, he also scored 36 goals and recorded 49 assists, becoming the school’s record-holder for points and assists in a season. He also is the only player in program history to record 200 points, 100 assists and 100 goals in a career. At Connetquot High School in Bohemia, NY, McArdle played lacrosse all four years, earning All-American and All-Tri State honors during his senior year. He was ranked 64th in Inside Lacrosse’s 2010 Top 100 recruits, and finished second in Suffolk County with 112 points in 2010. In a press release shared by team Director of Communications and Lacrosse Operations, Mike Hancock, the Rock stated their excitement for signing McArdle and Tom Schreiber, who was picked up on the same day as McArdle. “Tom and Kieran are both world class players with an interest in playing the indoor game,” stated the press release. They are both highly skilled offensive players with as much interest as anyone. They have made a commitment to investing time to get ready for our training camp and have an opportunity to make our club.” In just three seasons in the MLL, McArdle has scored 110 goals. As a rookie, he scored 34 goals and recorded 15 assists for 49 points, leading all rookies en route to winning the 2014 MLL Rookie of the Year. After appearing in all 14 games in his second year, McArdle set a new launch record for points in a season with 65, according to floridalaunchlacross.com. In 2016, he followed up his sophomore
campaign with 33 goals, 18 assists and 18 ground balls. “The style of play is very different compared to the outdoor game and is going to take some getting used to,” McArdle said. “I am very excited for training camp
to start and can’t wait to get up there with the team.” The Rock begins its season on Dec. 29 on the road at Rochester, followed by their home opener on Jan. 14 against the Saskatchewan Rush.
PHOTO/TIMES LEDGER
Kieran McArdle has lived up to lofty expectations after being selected fifth overall in the 2014 Major League Draft. He has been named to the league’s All Star Game for the last two seasons.
Sports 23
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Poulin ready to complete SJU legacy KEISHA RAYMOND Staff Writer
Starting senior goalie Diana Poulin has created an impressive legacy as part of St. John’s women’s soccer team. She has won two consecutive Big East Goalkeeper of the Year awards and is looking to help the Red Storm return to the NCAA Tournament. As she finishes her final season of collegiate soccer, the Hauppauge, NY native reflected on where it all began. “I’ve been playing soccer since I was three or four,” Poulin told The Torch. “I played other sports but kind of found the one I enjoyed the most.” “The reason I became a goalie was mostly because of my brother. He was a goalie, and I always wanted to be one” In 2015, Poulin was named to First Team All-Big East, NSCAA First Team All-Region, NSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team and NSCAA Scholar All-Region First Team. She played a key role in helping the Johnnies win their first ever Big East regular season title, with a school record 11 shutouts. With all the success came heartbreak, as the team lost 2-1 to Boston University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament “(We’re) working on playing for the person next to you and really just trying to motivate each other that we could do better than last year.” Poulin is off to a great start this season
with a 7-3-5 record, 10 shutouts, a 0.44 goals against average, 52 saves and a spectacular .881 save percentage in 15 games. During her free time, Poulin likes to travel, go on road trips, listen to music and visit family. She is a big fan of war movies, such as “Band of Brothers” and “Black Hawk Down.” Her favorite TV show at the moment is “Pitch.” Sometimes her road trips consist of visiting her two siblings. “My sister plays a sport in college and I don’t see her as much but I tried to see her. She plays lacrosse at High Point University in North Carolina,” Poulin said. “My brother kind of lives on his own. So, I try and see them.” She considers her brother, Gary, as her role model because of his hard-working mentality and his love for soccer. Despite all the awards and being one of the key leaders on the team, Poulin is motivated to be the best she can be. “So this goes for soccer and anything else that I sort of do….even though you think you’re doing really well, there’s always something you can do to get better and do the best you can.” Even though last year’s team broke a few records and made it to the tournament, Poulin believes that this year’s team can be special due to the team chemistry and togetherness. “Even if things aren’t going our way we all enjoy spending time with each other,” said Poulin. “So I think that is definitely something special”
Off the field, Poulin is looking forward to finishing college in the spring and getting her degree as a finance major. She has plans to get an internship and maybe become a financial advisor. “I just want to be able to do something that I’m really happy about,” she said. Poulin is record-breaker but is also
humble, caring, driven and a determined player and person who wants to do her best and lead her team to victory. “I really enjoying seeing the process from my freshman year to my senior year. There were times I didn’t think I was improving. I have grown and certain parts of my game have really improved.”
NCAA Women's Soccer Goals Against Average Leaders (As of oct. 18)
PHOTO/ ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
1. Lauren clem, northwestern
.302
2. rylee foster, west virginia
.334
3. cassie miller, florida st.
.356
4. Christine Etzel, brown
.373
5. Jovani McCaskill, csun
.384
6. emily boyd, california
.390
7. Mikayla Krzeczowski, s. car
.405
8. diana poulin, st. john's
.437
9. Amanda Knaub, monmouth
.448
10. Kaela Little, notre dame
.454
(Source: ncaa)
Diana Poulin has had a stellar senior season for St. John’s, her .437 goals against average currently ranks eighth in the NCAA.
Softball holds 11th annual fundraiser BRIANNA PACE Staff Writer
PHOTO/ ST. JOHN’S SOFTBALL TWITTER
Head coach Amy Kvihaug addresses her team prior to their annual 100-out fundraiser softball game held on Oct. 5. The fundraiser has been held every year since 2006.
The St. John’s softball team hosted its 11th annual 100-out softball game on Wednesday, Oct. 5. The game is held to raise money for the program. Team Storm overpowered Team Red, 29-21. The game is held to give the girls a chance to practice situational work as well as raise much needed money for the program, according to head coach Amy Kvilhaug. The fundraiser gives a little bit more purpose to what would normally just be a practice. The team needed to raise the money for their trip to Palm Springs, California, over their spring break in February. There the team will compete in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic against the top schools in the nation. Some of these schools include LSU, Ohio State, UCLA, LIU and Arizona. There are a total of 35 teams, including St. John’s competing on Feb. 23-26. In order to meet the goal and afford the trip, the team needed to raise $6,000. Donations could have been made starting at $10 all the way up to $500. “It is my hope that we reach our goal to assist in our travel plans to Palm Springs,” Kvilhaug said in a press release. “This is a trip that is important to the program not only in the short term but for future development of where we want our program to be.” The 100-out fundraiser was started in 2006. Since then, the fundraiser has raised money to provide the team with equipment needed throughout the season. Such equipment includes a pitching machine and a V-Flex hitting system.
For the fundraiser, the St. John’s softball team is split into two teams where they play 100 outs. This helps the team practice in-game situations and prepare for their upcoming season. According to redstormsports.com, Team Storm was made up of McKenzie Murray, Madison Morris, Kaitlyn Wilkens, Kaitlin Mattera, Lexi Robles, Gretchen Bowie, Hannah Anderson and Brittany Garcia. Team Red consisted of Grace Kramer, Marissa Rizzi, Savannah Warren, Alyssa Rusch, Krystal Puga, Monique Landini, Laura Delgado, Lauren Zick and Natalie Giroux. Team Red powered over Team Storm in the first situation to make the score 6-4, but Team Storm came back fighting to take a 10-8 lead. Team Storm maintained this lead for the remainder of the fundraiser, finishing out with an eight-run win over Team Red. “I’d first like to thank our student athletes for compiling a database of donors and for actually conducting the event. Playing 100 outs is fun, but also challenging,” Kvilhaug said. “Our institutional advancement people also play an instrumental role in the administrative conduct of the event and we greatly appreciate their help. I’d also like to thank my coaching staff who helps brainstorm the ideas with me to run the game smoothly and efficiently.” “Lastly, we are thankful to our communications staff that promote the event and run all the behind the scenes items.” The Red Storm will begin their 2017 season in February. They will look to build off of a 2016 season that saw them make it to the Big East Championship Game.
SPORTS October 19, 2016 | VOLUME 94, ISSUE 08 |
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Turning Dreams into Goals St. John’s Alumnus, Tim Parker, joins the U.S. Men’s Soccer National Team DYLAN HORNIK Staff Writer
Ninety-nine percent of the world’s population will never understand the feeling that Tim Parker had last week. The U.S. Men’s Soccer National Team called upon him to join the roster just three days before their friendly against New Zealand. He was there Tuesday night, listening to the Star Spangled Banner draped in the signature red, white and blue uniform of Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad. While some might come out a little gunshy at a gigantic opportunity like this, Parker, just two years into his professional career, said he tried to go about it like every other 90 minutes of soccer that he’s played. “It’s an honor to be called in, so you don’t want to be starstruck when you get there because it’s just another soccer game and it’s just another day of training,” he said. “All in all you just have to take it and learn from the experience and make an impact.” Growing up in Hicksville, on Long Island, Parker probably never imagined
where his love for “the beautiful game” would take him. Gatorade named him the Player of the Year in New York during his senior season at Hicksville High School, and Parker chose to continue his career close to home. He appeared in 79 of 80 matches over his four years in Queens and helped the team win their latest Big East Tournament. His name did not show up on the stats sheet very often, but his play was recognized. He garnered All-Big East honors in his final two seasons. “[Head Coach Dr. Dave Masur] was a defensive-minded coach, so it helped me in terms of being disciplined and being positionally correct all the time and communicating to guys around me,” he said. “Then I learned a lot of other stuff from [Associate Head Coach] Jeff Mateo and [Assistant Coach] Ben Mallue on the technical side.” The Vancouver Whitecaps took Parker with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. From there, he rose quickly, eventually appearing in 15 matches in his rookie year. He says earning the
honor of being drafted that high is a true honor. “It’s something that I dreamed about as a kid and it’s really good to see that I’m getting some acknowledgment,” he said. That pick is paying off exponentially. While the Whitecaps are enduring a tough season in the MLS this year, they are steamrolling through the CONCACAF Champions League, thanks in part to Parker. He is the centerpiece of a defense that has allowed just one goal in Champions League play thus far. The MLS is aware of Parker’s talent. Last month, they named him to the annual “24 Under 24” list, which recognizes the best players in the league under the age of 24. “It helps to know that you’re being acknowledged for some of your accomplishments,” he said. “At the same time, it gives you something to reach higher for. That’s what’s in my mind.” He’s a mainstay for the Whitecaps, but Parker’s national team duties have been few thus far. Still, though, he said that he’s learned so much from the established players.
“Whether you’re in every camp or you get called in every once in awhile like I’ve been fortunate enough to, they make you feel comfortable,” he said. “They want you to feel comfortable because then you’re able to play your game.” “Playing your game,” as Parker said, is something that translates from college, to the MLS, to international play. “Training and playing with your national team is a different level, everything’s a little bit sharper and cleaner,” he said, “but I think you just try to do the right things.” Parker knows there’s an end game. He realizes that there’s always something to work for, and believes that his recent callup can serve as a glimpse of what is to come. “I would love to play in Europe and I would love to get a chance at a World Cup,” he said. “Playing for a World Cup and playing in Europe is, I think, the goal for any soccer player.” With all the honors he has, at just 24 years old, Tim Parker could reach those goals sooner than we think.