March 20, 2013

DON’T GET COMFORTABLE

AFTER CLOSING LAST SEMESTER, MANHATTAN CAMPUS PUT ON THE MARKET

BY UNIVERSITY PG. 4 Torch photo illustration/Anthony O’Reilly.

News

SGI Election Results The results of the 2013-14 SGI Executive Board elections were announced; Mark Benavides lone victor of SAIL ticket.

News pg. 3

“Think Outside. . .”

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Michael Cunniff, Editor-in-Chief Nicole Valente, Managing Editor Jessica Lise, General Manager

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anthony o’reilly Entertainment Editor News Editor marion gendron kristen farmer mitchell petit-frere Co-Chief Copy Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor jim baumbach diamond watts-walker Special thanks to Richard sarah yu Art Director Co-Chief Copy Editor Advisor Rex Thomas for assisting in the design of the Torch kieran lynch

Features Editor

peter long

TV House of Cards The Torch reviews the Netflixexclusive series, House of Cards.

Lifestyle Pg. 13

Features Student’s Veterans Association Learn about the student group made up of student veterans

Lifestyle Pg. 12

Sports Dancing Shoes Johnnies get some home cooking to open tourney

Sports Pg. 17

Illustrator’s Corner

opinion pg. 7

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Pope Francis celebrates his installation mass at St. Peter’s Square, located a short walk away from St. John’s Rome campus.

Think Outside...

News

3

Lizzy fires FUEL to SGI romp

Sheehan voted president as her party takes 6 of 7 board positions Christopher Brito Assistant News Editor Lizzy Sheehan, head of FUEL’s ticket, edged past SAIL’s candidate and current treasurer Elaine Vasquez-Jorge by 666-607 votes in the presidential part of Student Government, Inc.’s elections, headlining a near-landslide for FUEL. Mark Benavides, campaigning for the VP position, was the sole member from SAIL’s ticket to be voted in.

“This is surreal, I can’t believe it,” Sheenan, the current SGI secretary, said following the announcement of the results. “I probably won’t believe it until tomorrow.”

“I’m excited to work with Mark, I’ve known him since freshman year so I think we’ll see really great things from student government next year.”

Sheenan’s victory was accompanied by a near sweep by FUEL, installing six members from her ticket into SGI Executive Board including: current Vice President Oscar Diaz for secretary, Emily Bargabos for treasurer, current Junior Senator Johann Kerr for Senior Senator,

current Sophomore Senator Jenny Rankin for Junior Senator and Mike Yu for sophomore senator.

Those elected will take their respective decisions on May 16.

“I’m just so excited that so much of my ticket won,” Sheehan said.

“They worked so hard and they’re so innovative and dedicated group of individuals so I’m really excited because I think were going to do great, great things next year.”

FUEL’s campaign vowed that their extended experience in SGI would benefit the student body by “taking a step forward without any back” and would help make the most out of the “St. John’s experience” for students by implementing ideas such a charger-rental program and an increased alumni relationship.

As for SAIL, its lone victory in yesterday’s election sits with Mark Benavides, the organizations committee chair and the new vice president of SGI. “The vice president position is one of the greatest mediums of change within SGI and that’s really what I want to bring: change, restructure, reorganize and empower the student organizations

TORCH PHOTO/ CHRISTOPHER BRITO

Members of FUEL embrace as the results of the elections are announced

on campus,” Benevides, who edged FUEL’s VP candidate Margaret Gander 657-616, said.

Although he had some disapproving remarks of Sheenan’s tenure as secretary during the debate last Friday, yesterday, he said he considers her a “wonderful secretary” and that “we have no other plans other than working towards a common good of helping St. John’s.”

While he was disappointed that the

other members from his party weren’t voted in, Benavides believes in the group that won the election that had 1,273 voters place their ballots, according to Associate Dean for Student Development James Salnave.

“I do believe the SGI board that was elected with proper guidance and proper structure we will be the most successful e-board in Student Government, Inc. history,” Benavides said.

Fr. Maher named president of Niagara Mitchell Petit-frere Sports Editor

Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., vice president for mission and student services was named the 26th President of Niagara University on March 13.

Maher has been tenured at St. John’s administrative work that Levesque has since 1990, serving as campus minister already begun. to the department of athletics, vice “The first order of business is to president of University ministry, vice sort of build on what he’s [Levesque] president of student affairs and executive established,” Maher said. director of the Vincentian Institute for “He’s built terrific academic Social Action until programs, hired being appointed a terrific senior vice president for team, deans and I think as a Vincentian mission and student faculty.” instiution, that’s what we services in 2011.

However, “It will be Maher has a really have to be focused tough [to leave St. two-fold, longon...How can we build John’s],” Maher term vision for said. that a bridge to the world of Niagara “I’m very he hopes to the poor so that there is achieve in the grateful to Father Harrington, the years traffic both way? Part of coming Board of Trustees that involves it is done by providing and all the people broadening both I have worked a local and global [academic] access to with because influence.

I’m incredibly “How do students who may not well-prepared for we deepen have access because of this opportunity. the mission in There’s great terms of serving their economic status. sadness in leaving, the larger - Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., community but there’s great that current vice president for lives in poverty excitement about mission and student services on and what lies ahead.” being Maher will be his appointment to President of able to attract replacing current students Niagara University. more Niagara President that come to Rev. Joesph L. Niagara both Levesque, C.M. on nationally and Aug. 1. Levesque announced in January internationally,” Maher explained. that he would resign at the end of the Maher was explicit in detailing current academic year. his ambitions towards focusing a Maher’s first objective when he great deal of his future efforts on takes office in August is to continue the helping underprivileged prospective

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photo courtesy of external relations

Fr. James J. Maher

students.

He expressed his desire to follow in St. Vincent DePaul’s footsteps in “building a bridge to the world of the poor.”

“I think as a Vincentian institution, that’s what we have to really be focused on,” Maher explained.

“How can we build a bridge to the world of the poor so that there is traffic both ways? Part of it is done by providing [academic] access to students who may not have access because of their economic status.”

Maher’s visions for the future of Niagara are similar to the types of aspirations that St. John’s had in the early 90’s when he began his tenure at the University.

He highlighted the institution’s ability to provide opportunities to students of low economic standing, citing it as the “marvel and miracle of St. John’s.”

When asked if he would ever be open to returning to St. John’s, Maher said that “it wouldn’t be up to me.”

Whether he returns to the University or not, St. John’s has left an indelible mark on Maher.

“I’ll always take the experience I’ve had here at St. John’s with me, and it’ll help make me a better President.”

Read all of our articles online at torchonline.com. Make sure to follow us on Twitter @STJTorch for breaking news

4

STJ to sell Man. campus Briefs Torch

Hirst maintains money will be reinvested in academics Anthony O’Reilly News Editor For the second time in a matter of months, Manhattan students found their future unclear after the University announced last Thursday that it would put its Manhattan campus up for sale.

Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer Martha Hirst told the Torch the anticipated revenue from the sale would be used to “enhance financial aid, support endowment, put money back into student programs and put money back into the school of risk management.”

The campus was closed for the latter part of last semester after sustaining damage from Superstorm Sandy.

Many students at the time expressed dissatisfaction to the Torch at how the University handled the temporary relocation of students to the Queens campus.

Now they’re being told to prepare for another move.

“The students at the Manhattan campus have had a rough year already,” senior Vashti Little said. “Beginning with the way that the school handled the Hurricane Sandy situation for us in the worst way possible.”

Although she says she’s okay with the campus being put up for sale, Little feels betrayed in the way the information was distributed to the University community before giving the Manhattan residents a

heads-up. The news was delivered in a University-wide email.

“I just would have preferred that the residents be given information about it before the rest of the student body,” she said. “They owe that much to us.”

“That probably would’ve been a good idea,” Hirst responded. “If I thought of it, I would’ve done that.”

John Kenny, president of the economics and finance society, said he feels the potential sale diminishes the reputation the University had in having a campus in the city that never sleeps.

“I was disappointed when I first found out,” he said. “I think that having a building in Manhattan carries a lot of prestige with it, especially having such a prime location in the Financial District a block from the World Trade Center.”

The University’s announcement that its putting its Manhattan campus on the market comes on the heels of the Torch reporting that Robert Wile, chief of staff to the president, had been given $350,000 in interest-free loans from the same fund where students’ tuition dollars are deposited.

Hirst said students who were outraged by the University’s use of their tuition dollars should not make any connection between that and moving to sell the building that houses its Manhattan campus.

“There’s no basis for that suspicion,” she said. “This is a matter we’ve been looking at, on and off, for a long time.”

Kenny, however, maintains that suspicion.

Compiled by Anthony O’Reilly “The timing of the announcement News Editor of the sale is very curious, in light of all the other things going on with the administration, financially and otherwise,” he said.

The sale will be handled by the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield to help identify a buyer, according to Hirst.

Hirst cited historic highs for the commercial real estate market in downtown Manhattan as the reason for putting the campus up for sale.

“The experts tell us this is a great Professor Frank Camerano, head of time to put this property on the market,” the Health Services Administration proshe said. gram, died on Tuesday morning. Camer“I think we’re going to be able to ano was a professor in beginner and adgenerate lots of revenue...it’s going to vanced health care administration courses be substantial.” and was also an alumnus of the UniversiA corporate realty sign had been ty.

Camerano spoke Monday night at the spotted in the window of the campus American College of Healthcare Execushortly after the repairs following tive’s Spring Healthcare Panel.

Hurricane Sandy were completed, Dominic Scianna, associate vice sparking rumors that the campus was president of external relations, issued a for sale. statement on Camerano’s passing.

At the time, and reaffirmed in a “We were saddened to hear of Profesrecent interview, Hirst said the sign was sor Camerano’s passing,” he said. “The there only to market rental space in the entire St. John’s community extends its building. sincere condolences to the Camerano St. John’s opened the building in family during this difficult time. He will June of 2001, after merging with the be missed.”

College of Insurance.

Hirst told the Torch the University would still maintain a Manhattan campus, but that it was too early to tell where it might be located.

Hirst expects all current operations to continue at the 101 Murray Street location “through most of, if not all of 2014.”

Health services prof., STJ alumnus dies

Christians talk LGBTQ issues Sarah yu Co-Chief Copy Editor

With the idea of a student-run gaystraight alliance being recognized more prominent than ever, the InterVarsity Christian Club invited students to participate in “The Homosexuality Discussion; Let’s Elevate the Conversation.”

The group also invited Tom Richter, pastor of New Hope Church in Jamaica, to lead the discussion. Richter believes in the traditional Christian view of homosexuality, but said it was important to take into consideration the perspectives of the other side when discussing the sensitive topic.

“Both openly gay people and Christians both feel that they’re just being dismissed simply because this affects the deepest part of who they are and they feel they’re being written off,” Richter said.

Adrian L’Esperance, co-president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and member of the men’s soccer team, said while the discussion was controversial, he felt it necessary to clear up any misapprehensions one side might have of the other.

“It was kind of almost a risky move on our part as InterVarsity Christian Fellowship because I knew we were being pulled into a political struggle,” he said.

“Both sides have misconceptions

Torch photo/ sarah yu

RecycleMania continues

The University has been taking part in an eight-week recycling competition between 600 other universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada in which students learn about the benefits of recycling by getting involved.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the recycled material is collected and counted by number of bags, before it is eventually picked up NYC sanitation department and a private carting company. The Office of Sustainability, who moderates the program, campaigns three days a week in Marillac, D’Angelo Center and Montgoris and uses this program as a way to evaluate how efficient every building is on campus with the waste au-

Pastor Tom Richter spoke to the InterVarsity Christian Club

of the other side. Once we start to clear those up, and then we can actually start working on the issue.”

Richter hoped that in starting a discussion of homosexuality between Christians and gay people, people on both sides would be able to understand where the other is coming from.

“The only way to respect one another is to get to know one another and go beyond categories and treat people like the long stories like they are,” he said.

“People feel like it’s inseparable from who I am, my identity and that’s where this intensity comes from.”

When it comes to talking about the controversial issue, he said it is important that both sides remain completely honest when discussing their own perspective.

“Don’t ask each other to deny the deepest part of who they are,” he said.

“Come to the table honestly and

then say, ‘There are places where we’re going to partner and places we’re going to diverge.”

Junior Alice Wong said she believes Richter was able to lead a balanced discussion on the topic, taking into consideration both sides of the argument.

“His interaction with the crowd kept everyone engaged and helped us better understand this controversial issues from all perspectives,” she said.

“Pastor Tom’s message was thought provoking, powerful and respectful to all that were there.”

L’Esperance said that the conversation wouldn’t necessarily get rid of the conflict, but hoped it’d clear up any misunderstandings one side had of the other.

“There will still be conflict, but that doesn’t mean that one person is better than the other,” he said.

Free tickets to Women’s NCAA tourney game

Student affairs and RedZone will be providing complimentary tickets to the women’s first round NCAA game vs.

No. 7 Dayton to the first 400 students to arrive at the Johnnies Club event on Sunday at 1 p.m. The No. 10 seed Red Storm tip-off at 2:35 p.m.

It’s the first time Carnesecca Arena is hosting the women’s tournament, and the fourth straight appearance for the women’s team in the Big Dance.

The St. John’s-Dayton clash will be the second of the day Sunday, after No. 2 Kentucky takes on No. 15 Navy at 12:05 p.m.

Think Outside...

National

Argentine elected new pope

Celebrates installation mass with political delegates

because of his work with poor people and strides towards peace.

The name was a fit, considering the current Pope also lived and worked Recently inducted Pope Francis from diligently with the less fortunate while he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Argentina celebrated One hundred his installation mass in and thirty-two front of thousands of “I want to ask you official delegates faithful followers and political and spiritual a favor...I want to ask from around the world attended, leaders, professing his Vice desire to help those you to walk together including President of the most in need. and take care of one United States The 266 pope don’t Joe Biden and in the Catholic another...And Church’s history and forget that this bishop A r g e n t i n e President Cristina first elected pope Fernandez. who is far away loves from Latin America On Friday, gave his first mass you very much.” he’ll begin to to 150,000-200,000 - Pope Francis at his meet accredited in attendance, not ambassadors to counting the televised installation mass. the Holy See audience, according to and commence the Associated Press political conversations. report.

Also in attendance was Bartholomew Francis, the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics said on I, the head of the world’s Orthodox Tuesday that he will open his arms and Christians, who was the first patriarch protect all of humanity, but “especially from the church situated in Istanbul to the poorest, the weakest, the least sit through a papal mass initiation in important, those whom Matthew lists in nearly 1,000 years.

“I want to ask a favor,” Francis, the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the 76, told the crowd Tuesday during the ceremony. “I want to ask you to walk sick and those in prison.”

The Pope, formerly known as together, and take care of one another.”

“And don’t forget that this bishop Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, took the who is far away loves you very much. name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi Pray for me.”

Christopher Brito Assistant News Editor

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Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

Pope Francis

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5

Stubenville players sentenced After social media intervened and posted the picture of the victim in August, two Ohio high school football players were charged on Sunday with raping a 16-year old girl at a party.

Two members of Steubenville’s “Big Red” football team, Trent Mays, 17 and Ma’lik Richmond, 16, were found guilty of sexual assault after witnesses to the crime said the girl was unconscious.

May was additionally charged with taking and sending the picture of the girl to other people after the crime.

Judge Tom Lipps required Richmond to serve one year in a juvenile detention facility and May for at least two years.

Both are required to register as juvenile sex offenders.

The case was brought to life after a picture and video from the party surfaced online.

Anonymous, the infamous hacker/ activist group, publicized the picture of the teens carrying the rape victim and organized protests accusing the town known for its “Big Red” football team of protecting its players.

“This does not define who my daughter is,” the mother of the victim said in a statement to the deliquent teens. “She will persevere, grow and move on. I have pity for you both.”

Ohio Attorney General DeWine State said forensic analysts searched through more than 396,000 text messages, 308,000 photos/pictures and 940 video clips from cell phones as part of the investigation.

Cyprus awaits EU bailout

Law makers from Cyprus, one of the European Union’s members, rejected a proposal yesterday to seize people’s bank deposits in order to secure a bigger bailout and prevent the fall of their country’s banks, according to the Associated Press.

While the decision left the country in economic jeopardy, Cypriots expressed jubilance outside their Parliament when they realized their leaders had dismissed the bill.

The country needs 15.8 billion Euros, approximately 20.4 billion in USD, to bail out its indebted banks and go up to par with government finances.

“This is not the end of the process, but instead kicks off a further round of negotiation,” said Alex White of JPMorgan on Tuesday to the AP. “The Cypriot authorities wanted to conduct the vote so that they could reaffirm the extent of their difficulties to the Europeans.”

The European Central Bank vowed to do whatever it takes to protect the euro.

It has a plan in place to buy the government debt of any countries that fall into financial trouble, provided they ask for help.

The plan that was rejected Tuesday wielded 36 votes against, 19 abstentions and one absence.

“It was not possible for the Cypriot

parliament and its people to accept such an unfair, disagreeable and one-sided proposal,” Education Minister Kyriakos Kenevezos said on Greek state NET television yesterday.

“Now we are faced with very difficult developments ... No one must panic because panic never helps solve any problem

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

The senate delayed an important vote on access to guns

Sen. delays assault weapon ban vote

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

The island of Cyprus

President Obama and Democrats’ Newtown-inspired move for a guncontrol law took a major hit yesterday after the Senate delayed to approve assault weapons restriction for the floor next month, according a report by the Associated Press.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from Nevada concluded that the gun-ban legislation would fail to pass and overcome Republican opposition attempts to block Senate from even considering the issue for the floor.

“I’m not going to try to put something on the floor that won’t succeed. I want something that will succeed. I think the

worst of all worlds would be to bring something to the floor and it dies there,” Reid said.

Nearly fourth months after the gory massacre in the elementary school by a deranged assault-type weapon user, the bill would have restricted sales of guns like the one used in the tragedy.

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said Obama is not giving up on the assault weapons ban being added as an amendment.

“We’re going to work on this,” McDonough said in an appearance on CNN. “We’re going to find the votes. It deserves a vote.”

Editorial Board XC

MICHAEL E. CUNNIFF Editor-in-Chief

Illustrator’s Corner

NICOLE VALENTE Managing Editor JESSICA LISE General Manager ANTHONY O’REILLY News Editor

FLAMES OF THE TORCH

A look back and a look ahead

In keeping with a somewhat odd Torch tradition, this is the last issue of the current editorial board.

This doesn’t mean that it’s the last issue of the year, just that this issue spells the end of Editorial Board XC, and our next issue on April 3 will begin the reign of Editorial Board XCI. We’ve barely had a second to catch our breath during the 20 issues (plus Courtside) we’ve produced since we took over in last March, so we wanted to take this opportunity to go over some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the past 12 months.

The biggest thing we’ve advocated for, no matter the subject, is transparency. We’ve demanded it of everyone from Student Government, Inc., all the way up to Rev. Donald J. Harrington, president of the University. We resolved to ask the tough questions, and to keep digging until we got answers.

We haven’t gotten all the answers, especially from Harrington as it relates to all of the questionable expenses associated with him and his chief of staff Rob Wile. We don’t know whether the Board of Trustees is taking its internal investigation seriously, or if the trustees are simply pawns of Harrington’s.

We’re using the term ‘we,’ but not because the Torch is a monolith. This editorial board is different than the one we just elected Monday, with different priorities and different style. But what won’t change is the tenacity and diligent reporting you’ll see in the Torch about this issue, or any other major issues that pop up at St. John’s.

Another issue that we’ve covered in depth is the push for a gay-straight alliance on campus. Led by the College Democrats, the movement for equality on campus seemed to be gaining steam rapidly, with an online petition garnering close to 500 signatures. One can be encouraged that there have been and will

continue to be meetings with Dr. Kathryn Hutchinson, vice president of student affairs, but change does not come quickly – especially at St. John’s.

We’ve done our best to shed light on these issues and hold people like Hutchinson and Harrington accountable for the actions they make and the positions they take. At the end of the day, however, there’s only so much the Torch, or any media organization for that matter, can do.

We can expose how Wile was given reportedly interest-free loans taken from the University’s general fund, which includes money taken from tuition. We can talk to dozens of gay people who say they don’t feel like there’s a place for them at St. John’s.

But we can’t do it all.

Whatever change comes to St. John’s will come because it’s demanded by students, faculty and alumni alike – not because of something written in the Torch. ________________________________ As with any group ceding power, we hope that we have had a positive impact on the school and the community. We are truly proud of the work we have done and we have faith that the Torch and its readers will continue to promote the ideals we championed this year.

We’d like to give our sincerest thanks to the people who have helped us along this year and the people who brought their stories to light.

We also know there are so many more stories to be told and we’d like to encourage students, faculty, and alumni to reach out and help us tell these stories. There are still so many stories we were never able to tell and wish we could have.

We know that there is a lot of great things in store for this next editorial board - keep reading!

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

Mail letters to: The TORCH, St. John’s University 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439 Submit letters via e-mail at: torcheic@gmail.com

expressed in editorials, columns, letters or cartoons are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or administrations of St. John’s University.

TO CONTRIBUTE

All are welcome to contribute to the Torch.

Please include your full name, year, and college (or department). Letters have a limit of 500 words and may be edited for content, grammar, or space. Unverifiable or anonymous letters will not be published.

All letters are subject to the approval of the Editorial Board of the TORCH.

TORCH ILLUSTRATION/ EDWARD WARRICK

Campus sale contradicts STJ mission While the St. John’s community started to wrap its head around the constantly updating reports and allegations of questionable dealings of upper administrators, the University dropped another bombshell, announcing that the Manhattan campus would be put up for sale.

Even if all of the allegations of institutional corruption cast doubt on whether the University was living up to the first two parts its “Catholic, Vincentian and Metropolitan” mission – the mission all students are inundated with during orientation – with a campus in the heart of the Financial District, St. John’s could credibly say it lived up to the latter part.

Now, the prospective sale of the campus has put a serious dent in the school’s metropolitan credentials, and more importantly has exacerbated every problem students have with St. John’s right now.

They don’t think the administration is looking out for them. They don’t feel comfortable speaking up. And there’s a prevailing feeling – both from students and alumni – that academic standards are slipping even as the higher-ups pad their wallets.

With the exception of the D’Angelo Center, classrooms for most students are shockingly out-of-date. Marillac looks like an old high school building

and St. John’s Hall is either freezing or scorching, depending on the season. And when students go to a professor’s office hours, or for an advisement meeting, they sit in cramped spaces smaller than the desk of Father Harrington’s secretary.

Rather than modernize spaces for either students or professors with the perennially increasing tuition students pay, Rev. Donald J. Harrington, president of the University does things like hand out six-figure, reportedly interest-free loans to his already overpaid chief of staff Rob Wile with students’ tuition money. While students shivered during philosophy class, Wile lived the high life, spending hundreds on liquor and fancy dinners that were billed back to the University by Cecilia Chang.

And while a professor hastily cleared a space so his pupil could sit and chat after class in the space that constituted his or her “office,” Harrington and Wile lived a 1 percent lifestyle on trips to Asia and Hawaii.

Harrington certainly enjoyed a lot of perks for a president of a university that claims to be Vincentian, and for a priest that took a vow of “poverty.” I wonder how many people living in actual poverty get to go on vacation to Turks and Caicos on their employers’ dime, as Harrington did. I wonder if the money spent on that trip could have been spent on fixing the crooked St. John’s crest at Taffner.

St. John’s students, faculty and even other administrators asked themselves and each other those same questions as more and more details of Harrington and Wile’s questionable expenses emerged.

They stopped talking about those things – and not for the reasons Harrington would want – last Thursday, when St. John’s COO Martha Hirst announced via email that the Manhattan campus will be sold off. The cited reason is the apparently

booming Manhattan real estate market, which even if true is a terrible, awful reason – one that would only make sense if St. John’s was viewed as a for-profit corporation, not a place to provide a “Catholic, Vincentian and Metropolitan” education.

The Manhattan campus, just like the Staten Island, Queens, Oakdale, Paris or Rome campus, shouldn’t be treated as some sort of commodity, to be bought and sold according to the whims of the market. If anything, St. John’s should be expanding its footprint in the city, despite its bottom line, because that’s what would be best for its students.

Think about it – in its current location at 101 Murray St., the Manhattan campus is the ideal place for a business student.

It’s not a stretch to say that it is in perhaps the best physical location for a business school in the entire world.

It’s a huge selling point for the school to have a building right where people want to work, and would be a huge leg up for students who would live right down the street from potential employers.

Instead, most Tobin classes – undergraduate and graduate – are here in Queens, even as building space on the Manhattan campus goes unused.

Not to worry, however. The University will maintain a footprint in Manhattan, by renting an as-yet unknown place in the city like a young college graduate trying to make ends meet. It’s an incredibly shortsighted move – leaving a great, permanent location in which the St. John’s brand could gain legitimacy and prestige for a temporary locale of which the University literally has no ownership.

Last week, we learned that Harrington, for some bizarre reason, uses NYU as a basis for comparison when measuring St. John’s academically, according to a

professor contacted by the Torch.

That’s crazy. We’re closer in stature academically to Queens College than NYU. If the school is serious about being competitive with NYU, having a business school in the city is a great way to start. Instead, we’re getting rid of the building that could, and should, be that school.

Some might say we’ve been really hard on Harrington for everything that has gone on through this whole Chang saga – the trip to the Caribbean, the nightclubs and Las Vegas trips charged on Wile’s credit card and the general lack of control and oversight he had over Wile and Chang.

But the anger of students and faculty toward him is no longer about Chang.

Harrington, in their eyes, is motivated not by the best interests of his students or what would be best academically for St. John’s, but by the almighty dollar, like so many others.

That’s the perception of Harrington since the NY Mag report hit, fair or not, and nobody within the University or outside of it has done anything to combat that. Whether he gets a chance to repair that image, well, that’s up for the Board of Trustees to decide.

Michael E. Cunniff is a senior journalism major who is finally stepping down from his all-powerful EIC position. He could not be more proud to be handing the paper over to this new board - but they better be prepared for his input for at least the next three issues. He can be reached at torcheic@gmail.com, because he’ll probably continue to check it, and on Twitter at @Mike_Cunniff.

Think Outside...

Lifestyle

9

STJ veterans get a voice PAIR OF MILITARY STUDENTS FORM GROUP TO HELP VETS EASE INTO UNIVERSIT Y LIFE

SHANNON LUIBRAND Assistant Features Editor

When Gus Garcia, 23, stepped on St. John’s campus after spending years away from a classroom, he was alone and uncomfortable. Although he was just a few years older than his fellow freshmen, he felt like he had little in common with students coming right out of high school, while he was coming right out of the Marines Corps.

It wasn’t until sometime later, when Garcia was able to connect with some fellow student veterans on campus, that he finally started to feel like a contributing member of the St. John’s student body.

Pointing to the table in the back of Marillac Hall, where he used to meet his other student veteran friends, Gus reminisced about those connections he made, “We just clicked.”

He explained getting to know other veterans on campus made him feel more at home and helped with his transition from the military to school.

“When I first came here I came to school and left,” he said. “Now I have some friends, not just veterans; you get back into the flow.”

With over four hundred undergraduate and graduate student veterans at St. John’s, Garcia was not the only one who

felt the lack of a veteran community.

Jerry Ojeda, 37, is a disabled veteran who served in the U.S. military for 10 years. On 9/11, he was one of the first responders and began serving in Iraq when the war began in 2003.

Ojeda and Garcia, along with six other founders, teamed up. Their purpose, now detailed in their constitution is, “to provide a venue for cohesion, support, interaction and knowledge for all veterans, past and present, aboard the University so that they may be empowered to succeed in their transition from military service to their educational endeavors.”

Thus emerged, the St. John’s Student Veterans Association (SJSV).

“There were veterans that would come up to me and say, ‘Hey would you want to start a organization?’ and so forth and I was very much interested,” Ojeda said. “Because when I first joined the school, I was pretty lost.”

Ojeda, now the president of SJSV, faced a lot of obstacles when re-entering academia after eight years away from a classroom.

“For two semesters, I thought the only place you could print was the library,” he said. “I thought the only dining facility was in Marillac. Until, I started hooking up with other veterans.”

Ojeda wanted to change his experience first coming back to school for future student veterans at St. John’s. He

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S

Jerry Ojeda, president of St. John’s Student Veterans Association.

was thrilled with the support he received from faculty and administrators. Together, they were able to form a community at St. John’s where student veterans would feel welcomed, understood and are able to restore the military comradery they crave.

Although it has only been two semesters, SJSV has hit the ground running.

So far this semester, they have put on several events such as resume building and career networking. Throughout the semester, they will also be having transcript workshops and even faculty discussions.

Ojeda explained that many veterans entered St. John’s not accustomed to technology used by students on an everyday basis. SJSV is there to help veterans with things like operating St. John’s Central, Blackboard and even their St. John’s email accounts.

SJSV wants veterans to understand the benefits they receive because of their service. With programs like the G.I. Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program, many veterans do not even realize they are eligible for a free education.

“Basically our tuition is covered,” Garcia, now SJSV Vice President, said.

“Every month we get an allowance to come here.”

This May, Garcia will be studying abroad in Italy. That is something that many student veterans do not even know they are eligible for. He hopes SJSV can help keep student veterans stay in the loop on programs that he thinks they should be taking advantage of.

“A lot of veterans don’t know about the benefits that are out there,” he said.

“There’s a lot of scholarships [and the] study abroad program.”

Both Ojeda and Garcia reiterated that SJSV is open not only to student veterans, but also to professors that are veterans, students considering the military, students who have parents in the military and even to those who are supporters of the military. Currently, they have about 30 to 35 members that show up to general body meetings on a regular ba-

sis.

“This semester, we have seen a really good amount of participation,” Ojeda said. “We have had our meetings with some good substance.”

The group has been active in the community, assisting with Superstorm Sandy relief this past winter as well as putting on different events for its members that help raise awareness for different causes which include stopping violence against women in the military.

Ultimately, they want student veterans to know that St. John’s cares about them. The community is here to support them in anyway that they can and welcome them with open arms, they said.

“Unfortunately a lot of people have post traumatic stress disorder and stuff like that,” Garcia said. “It’s different from being around other service members and then being around eighteen year olds. Nothing knocking them, just a different environment. Different life experience.”

Tomorrow, the association is hosting an event called, “Angelversary,” which honors two fallen Marines that lost their lives during service. The two young Marines were also good friends of a member of the SJSV at St. John’s. The event will be held in the D’Angelo Center Living Room at 2 p.m.

In the near future, the organization has planned a trip to Washington D.C., where they want to visit the various national memorials. It also hopes to host many more events, get its name out on campus and continue to provide advice, support, direction and social interactions for student veterans at St. John’s.

“We put them on the path to success,” Ojeda said. “We are here to help veterans.”

He is confident that the organization will continue to flourish.

“We can never change what happened to us,” he said. “But, we can hopefully change the experience for others.”

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12

Netflix scores big with ‘House of Cards’

SAMANTHA ALBANESE Staff Writer

The Netflix exclusive series “House of Cards” is an intense, mind-game drama series about the inner-workings of American politics. Based on the 1990 U.K. series of the same name, there are continuing themes of power, political alliances, enemies and the mysterious workings of House Majority Whip Francis Underwood’s mind. Due to Netflix’s tactic of releasing the entire series at once, one can easily get hooked, provoking an all-night binge of back-room deals and the messiness of Washington politics.

Aside from the unethical manipulation used by journalist Zoe Barnes to establish herself as a reporter at the Washington Herald, and by Underwood to expose those who have betrayed him in order to move up the political ranks, it also shows the ethical side. Barnes’ coworker, Janine Skorsky, the chief White House correspondent for the Herald, is always digging deeper in a story no matter whose path she will cross. Her investigative journalism deepens when she and Barnes leave the Herald and join the online publication Slugline. By the end of the season, Barnes seems to turn against Underwood and use his leaked

stories against him with Skorsky and her former-boss-now-beau, Lucas Goodwin.

The exchangeable affair between Barnes and Underwood was, initially, mutually beneficial until it became too complex. Skorsky and Goodwin found out about the Barnes-Underwood affair on their own, and Skorsky confessed she once did the same with other members of Congress.

She warned Barnes that she would eventually get tossed to the side and it has the potential to ruin her career.

Underwood’s wife, Claire, also knew about the affair, and oddly enough accepts it, knowing that it would help his political career as long as Barnes continues publishing the stories.

Claire and Francis Underwood are the definition of a power couple. As director of the Clean Water Initiative, Claire is not only a strong, established woman herself and within her own career, but she is also strong enough to be supportive to her husband. Their intertwining strength allows them evoke schemes to help one another’s high-ranking positions.

The most intriguing characteristic of “House of Cards” is the breaking of the fourth wall. Within these personal moments in his quest to become Vice President, Underwood shares his worldly advice, plots for revenge, among other thoughts. Also, the text message blurbs shown on the screen are a nice touch. It’s also impressive how the show accurately exemplifies the importance of the media

PHOTO COURTESY OF OREGONLIVE.COM

Kevin Spacey stars in Netflix’s David Fincher directed drama “House of Cards”.

in politics.

Season Two of “House of Cards” is rumored to be in production, although it is uncertain whether director David Fincher, who directed the first season, will be

a part of season two. How that will affect the show, we’ll just have to wait and find out. However, all 13 episodes of season one are available to stream at your leisure only on Netflix.

Images from Pope Francis’ first days Photos Courtesy of OLIVIA CUNNINGHAM

13

JT returns Peace Month kicks off with Shout! with a whole new experience KORI WILLIAMS Staff Writer

DARNYCYA SMITH Staff Writer

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE The 20/20 Experience

OUT OF 5 STARS

After Justin Timberlake released his sophomore solo-album FutureSex/ LoveSounds he took a six-year hiatus and concentrated on his acting career, starring in several movies.

In a one-minute video he released on YouTube entitled “I’m Ready” he explains the gaps between his albums being necessary to “fulfill” his love to record music. The hiatus is now over, and Timberlake’s third album, The 20/20 Experience will be released March 19.

The 20/20 Experience is a flash from the past. The mid 60’s soul influences can be easily heard, exceptions are his second single “Mirrors” and “Tunnel Vision,” which sounds like they would fit well on his sophomore album.

On this record, Timberlake sticks to what he knows. Every single song on the album are written and composed by himself, Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon and Timberland with The Tennessee Kids as the backing band on “That Girl”. The Tennessee Kids will also play with Timberlake during his live shows this summer. 20/20 is fresh, none of the songs on the album sound repetitive and the average track time on the 10 song album is six minutes, considerably longer than other record Timberlake has done.

Regardless, all the songs on 20/20 blend together and captures you without you even realizing the unusual length.

His first single, “Suit and Tie” featuring Jay-Z, made its way to number four on U.S Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and has already gone platinum. He was invited to perform it at the Grammys and opt to have the footage premiere on national TV in black and white. He also shot the music video for “Suit and Tie” in black and white. After hearing the album it’s throwback sound, it’s understandable why he chose to do so.

The 5th annual Shout! Peace Concert, a part of Peace Month at St. John’s, took place yesterday, March 19, to bring awareness to a number of different social injustices throughout the world and act as a celebration to the end of the month and its activities.

The concert is centered on a number of different forms of social injustice including hunger and poverty, universal education and the quality of life for those in impoverished countries from the perspective of Catholicism.

Hosted by Victoria Serbes, president of the St. Vincent’s Society, and Andrew Scott, the night involved singing and dancing performances, slideshows, giveaways and raffles. The show also included student art provided by the Art Club.

The night began and ended in prayer and included performances from Scott, Cooper Ray, a public speaker and worship leader from Baton Rouge, LA., and the Nubian Gents and Feminine Fire dancers. The raffles held throughout the night were designed to keep the audience in their seats and one of the ways to keep everyone upbeat despite some of the topics discussed.

Ketienne Telemaque, the campus minister for social justice who organized the Peace Concert along with others, said that the concert and month as a whole is meant to enlighten students to the importance of social justice.

“We need to ignite the fire in stu-

PETER LONG FOR THE TORCH

Andrew Scott performs at the 5th annual Shout Christian Peace Concert.

dents to see social injustice and value humanity.” said Telemaque.

Peace Month began as just a week long incentive in its formation in 2009.

It sprang into life after the Students of the Americas, now named Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, held a peace march in Fort Benning, GA. Students were inspired to begin an SOA organization on campus which alongside other campus based groups such as the Catholic Students Community, Students for Global Justice and St. Vincent’s Society.

Serbes stated that the students felt a need to give involved and express the need for

awareness on social issues throughout the campus.

Other Peace Month activities include Swipe Away Hunger, Post-It for Peace, and the Free Hug campaign. Each event finds a different way give back and get students all over campus to get involved without spending much of anything, if not, just a few minutes out of their day.

In all the fun and activities it is not easy to forget the bigger picture in all of this. Imprinted on the back of all SOA t-shirts was a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “True peace is not merely the absence of tension but the presence of justice.”

TWISB: LiLo and Weezy Lil’ Wayne released from West Hollywood hospital after slipping into coma After a series of seizures that led him into a hospital over the weekend, rapper Lil’ Wayne was released from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood yesterday, his publicist said.

TMZ, who first reported the incident, was bashed for falsely stating that Lil’ Wayne was on his deathbed. The web publication also falsely reported that his mother was flying to Los Angeles.

Mack Main, the president of Wayne’s record label, Young Money, Tweeted that Weezy was doing well. After all the commotion, Weezy took it upon himself to tweet to his fans and thank them for supporting him. “I’m good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love.”

Sources are stating that Weezy’s seizures were caused by a mixed drink commonly called “sizzurp”. Wayne’s not the only star using the cough syrup infused drink. Rappers including Drake refer to the mixture of candy, soda and cough syrup as “purple or drank” in their music.

His hospitalization comes on the heels of his release date for his new full-length album, I Am Not A Human Being II.

‘Parent Trap’ star Lohan heads to rehab instead of the clink for summer car crash Lindsay Lohan heads to rehab in exchange for to serving jail time.

Lohan agreed to serve thirty days of community service and spend three months in a rehabilitation facility for her summer car-crash last June. The once admired Hollywood actress pleaded no contest to lying to the police and reckless driving.

The Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney told the star, “A suggestion: Don’t drive. You’re in New York, you don’t need a car. ... This is it. If you violate your probation we’re not going to be having these discussions”.

Lohan has been struggling with drug and alcohol problems for years now and was ordered to spend time in rehab back in 2010 for a similar incident. Getting arrested for drunken-driving is not a first for the Mean Girls nor is community service. In 2011 Lohan was on put on probation for stealing a necklace.

Compiled by Destiny DeJesus, Assistant Entertainment Editor

14

Taking in a green New York City

HARRY SAUNDERS Staff Writer

From Dublin to Sydney, and China to New York City, the Irish diaspora and its cultural traces are found in every corner of the world. Go to any of the globe’s major cities and there will most likely be an Irish pub or two neatly hidden down a side street, usually crammed with tourists and focused on making a more than decent profit on extortionately-priced Guinness.

Of course, the one day of the year when everyone is Irish, no matter how tenuous their links to the country may be, is St Patrick’s Day, a holiday perhaps renowned more for its encouragement of heavy drinking than for its historic celebration of the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Nonetheless, last Saturday presented a perfect opportunity for New Yorkers to dress up in green and to spend the day bar hopping, as well as witnessing the world’s most famous St. Patrick’s Day parade that makes its way up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

In the United Kingdom, St. Patrick’s Day is a pretty big deal as well. With an Irish community somewhat comparable to New York City, and the close proximity to Ireland itself, the holiday is celebrated in a fairly comparable manner. However, the feel on the streets of London is different to that in Manhattan.

The geographical sprawl of the British capital means that a centralized parade in the same manner as that in NYC is difficult to achieve, and so the party mood is spread evenly throughout the city, there-

by diminishing the unified and communal atmosphere ensured through celebration in this part of the world.

The parade itself was impressive as always, and a huge turnout only enhanced the celebratory atmosphere. The promi-

nence of shamrocks and the color green was resonant of NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day parade one thinks of when they consider its representation in popular culture, so the day certainly scored highly in terms of authenticity.

TORCH PHOTO/SHANNON LUIBRAND

A pipe band marches up Fifth Avenue during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

In terms of bars and alcohol consumption, the day is exactly what a visitor to the city would expect. Green beer and Guinness on tap in every bar, and almost the entirety of NYC’s waiters and bartenders dressed up in green. While excessive drinking was prevalent, safety was obviously high up on the city’s agenda, with an enhanced NYPD presence ensuring the continued well-being of the revelers.

The significance of the festivities was even commented upon by New York City, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who visited the city during the holiday.

“The Irish are found in every borough, every corner of New York,” Kenny said at an official function. “In previous generations, they came heartbroken and hungry, in search of new life, new hope; today they come in search of opportunity to work in finance, fashion and film.”

This remark on the inextricable historical link between Ireland and the U.S. served to add a little poignancy to what many may forget is a day that has a deep cultural and historic meaning.

Ultimately, the day was a huge success.

The opportunity to experience an authentic St. Patrick’s Day in a different part of the world than I normally would was quite an experience, and one that I am thankful for. Like so many of the things I have down while here at St. John’s on my year abroad, it was an experience that I’ll never forget.

Harry Saunders is an international student from London, England.

Fighting high book prices online JON PEREZ Staff Writer

College is expensive. Plain and Simple. Any St. John’s student can tell you that there is a fee for everything. Tuition, meal plan, general fee and of course the recurring one, a book fee. At the St. John’s Bookstore, prices vary depending on the text book.

There are books that range from $4 to $150 and it is even more for law school books. Some students will see if they can rent the book they need for class, while others will look for their textbooks on websites like amazon.com or ebay.com.

“I used to [buy books on campus] but now I don’t unless they don’t sell it anywhere and need it urgently,” Cynthia Carranza, a junior, said. “Other than that, I just buy the books online or don’t buy them at all.”

However, hope is on the horizon at myBookcrate.com Founded in 2011 by 21-year old Pasadena native Erik Bogaard, myBookcrate. com is an online platform that allows college students to buy and sell their textbooks with other students on their own campus.

Their unique buyer seller interaction cuts out the middle man and allows students to meet in person whether it’s in a dorm room, a cafeteria or a certain meeting spot that only students would know

about.

While there is a lot of skepticism when dealing with meeting another person you’ve only met online, but Bogaard says that the students’ safety is myBookcrate’s highest priority.

Students who sign up must either use their school e-mail or connect through Facebook to confirm their enrollment in the school. Students who wish to meet to exchange textbooks are automatically connected through the website without swapping personal information and they can agree to meet in a specific location.

The payment isn’t made in person but through the credit payment on the website when the order is confirmed.

“We notify the students when to meet up,” Bogaard said. “Set it up and forget it.”

According to an article on www. studentpirgs.com, “The average student spends about $900 per year on textbooks … textbook prices are rising at about four times the rate of inflation.”

“What drives me personally is a true desire to fix a broken market, Bogaard said. “Ultimately it needs to change.”

Bogaard, who graduated from Boston University and majored in economics, created the website in January 2011.

He assembled a team and pitched a prototype, which eventually took on a life to itself.

“MyBookcrate is fighting against

a corporate entity, it takes a lot of patience,” he said College students have little money to begin with and the extra cost of books can be overwhelming. St. John’s students agree that this website has potential to be

a useful resource for students who are looking to buy and sell books at an affordable price.

“I would definitely be interested in a service like that,” Amy Rio, a senior, said.

TORCH PHOTO/KIERAN LYNCH

Textbooks can run a typical college student upwards of $500 each semester.

Sir’Dom plays hero for Johnnies Buzzer beater sends Red Storm to second round of NIT

KIERAN LYNCH

Features Editor The St. John’s men’s basketball team lived to see another day as Sir’Dominic Pointer made a last second step-back fade away shot to down Saint Joseph’s 63-61 in the first round of the NIT tournament at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. ST. JOHN’S

63

SAINT JOE’S

61

“He deserved a high point given the degree of how bad he felt for embarrassing our program and our school and letting his teammates down,” St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin told reporters after the game.

“It was poetic justice he hit the buzzerbeater.”

The Red Storm (17-15, 8-10) recovered from a 12-point deficit with 14:32 left in the second half to take a lead with 3:15 remaining toward the end of a 20-5 run. The last minute came down to the wire as Ronald Roberts Jr. hit two free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining to tie the game at 61-61.

That’s when Pointer proceeded to take the ball the length of the court

PHOTO COURTESY OF RYAN SAMSON

Sir’Dominic Pointer celebrates with teammates after hitting a buzzer beater. before taking an off-balance jump shot with my teammates was even better.” before the buzzer sounded. The points The Red Storm fell behind immecounted and the Johnnies saw their sea- diately as the Hawks took a 6-0 lead to son get extended, while the ever-living open the game. St. John’s failed to score Hawks (18-14, 8-8) bowed out into the a basket until more than three minutes night. into the contest and only grabbed one “I never hit a shot like that in col- more lead, at the 12:07 mark, before the lege,” Pointer told reporters after the aforementioned 3:15 mark comeback at game. “It just felt good. To celebrate it the end.

Sophomore Phil Greene and freshman Chris Obekpa were benched to start the game because they were late to the team meal earlier in the day.

Freshman Christian Jones and freshman walk-on David Lipscomb started in their place. Lipscomb saw four minutes of action in the first half of the team’s loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament.

Pointer finished with another allaround standout performance of 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Freshman JaKarr Sampson led the team with 16 points, while Greene added 10.

Carl Jones scored a game-high 21 points for Saint Joseph’s, while Langston Galloway contributed 16 points.

The victory was the first in the postseason since 2003 for the St. John’s program.

“Tonight’s win was a total team effort by our young Johnnies,” Lavin said in a press release. “I’m really proud of our kids’ resiliency and resolve in finding a way to get a welldeserved victory. By advancing to the next round of the NIT, our young team will continue to gain valuable postseason experience.”

The team’s journey continues with a match-up against No. 1 Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena on a date TBD.

Lax scores statement win

MATTHEW WOLFSON

Assistant Sports Editor

The rain may have subsided an hour before the game began on Tuesday afternoon, but Hofstra couldn’t stop the St. John’s lacrosse team from raining on the Pride’s parade after crawling out of a 3-0 first quarter hole.

The Red Storm (5-2, 1-1) earned its first home victory ever against No. 7 Hofstra, scoring five goals in the second half and eventually winning 7-6.

St. John’s head coach Jason Miller was proud of his team’s performance against the imposing local foe.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Miller said. “I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Hofstra and the job they do

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The lacrosse team’s home win over Hofstra was the first in program history.

there.”

The Pride (5-2, 1-0) scored three goals with over nine minutes still remaining in the first quarter, but Coach Miller didn’t let his team get discouraged.

ST. JOHN’S

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HOFSTRA

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“I told the guys, ‘We’re doing really good things, we just caught a bad break,” he said of the early deficit. “So I told the guys, ‘Just keep playing, we’re doing good things out there, just got to pick up our energy level and pick up some ground balls.’”

The biggest contributor in the St. John’s comeback was junior attackman Kevin Cernuto, who added three goals, two of which tied the score at four and at five, and finally, the game-winner, putting the Johnnies up 7-6 with four minutes left in the game.

“We knew coming in that it wasn’t going to be easy,” Cernuto said. “We played as hard as we could and it worked out. We knew we could pull it out.”

Coach Miller was pleased with Cernuto’s persistence.

“He does what he does every game,” Miller said of Cernuto. “He goes really hard to the rack. I though their guys did a really good job on both of our attackman all game long, and it really just turned into a numbers thing after a while. He just kept going and going, and finally caught a break.”

The unsung hero was junior attackman Kieran McArdle. Despite being unable to connect on any of his seven shot attempts, the All-American was able to dish out four assists.

“McArdle: best attackman I’ve ever played with,” Cernuto said. “He’s as good as they come and he’s an excellent feeder. The way he sees the field is incredible, and he can finish just as good.

So me and him working together are just absolutely deadly.”

With an upcoming three-game road trip starting at Robert Morris on Saturday, Coach Miller was happy to get this win under his belt.

“We play a good schedule,” Miller said. “We play good teams, we fight hard, we work hard, we’re prepared. So if we keep putting ourselves in good situations, eventually we’re going to get a couple of them.”

17

WBB earns home NCAA tourney game

KYLE FITZGERALD

Staff Writer The St. John’s women’s basketball team will be playing in its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament after receiving an at-large bid.

The No. 10 seeded Red Storm (18-12, 11-5) will face off against No. 7 seeded Dayton at Carnesecca Areana on March 24.

The Johnnies finished the regular season strongly, winning eight of their last ten. Their good run of form began after an early February loss to Connecticut.

After that loss, at 10-10, the Red Storm’s hopes for a bid to the big dance seemed marginal, as they needed to win a majority of their remaining games to have a chance at a bid.

St. John’s head coach Joe Tartamella and his determined team believed the Connecticut loss would be the perfect game for them to turn the corner and make themselves contenders again.

“The UConn game showed us what we can do and gave us some confidence,” Tartamella said. “Then we were able to rattle off six in a row and from that point forward and hold our own at home and that run contributed to a better focus and chemistry on our team.”

Seniors Nadirah McKenith and Shenneika Smith, who were both named to the All-Big East First Team, will lead be expected to lead the Red Storm against Dayton.

McKenith, who became the all-time leader in assists at St. John’s this season, is one of the most efficient shooters on

the team, averaging 41.3% from the field this season. She’s also the team’s leader in assists, averaging 5.5 a game.

“I’m very excited to play in my final NCAA tournament,” McKenith said.

“It’s great to play at home in front of our

family and friends.”

Dayton have two losses on the season coming into the tournament. They swept the Atlantic 10 during the regular season, but were upset in the semifinals of the A-10 tournament by St. Joe’s.

Similar to St. John’s, this will be the Flyers’ fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

The Johnnies will square off with Dayton on Sunday at Carnesecca Arena.

TORCH PHOTO/DIANA COLAPIETRO

Carnesecca Arena will host first and second round NCAA Tournament games this month starting on March 24. .

2013 BASKETBALL TORCH PHOTO/DIANA COLAPIETRO

CHAMPIONSHIP Division I Women’s Basketball First/Second Rounds St. John’s University (New York), Host

7 Dayton 10 St. John’s

Kentucky 2 Navy 15

CARNESECCA ARENA - MARCH 24 & 26

TORCH PHOTO/DIANA COLAPIETRO

18

Baseball sweeps Holy Cross

Postive signs for Blankmeyer’s club after rough opening weeks to season STEPHEN ZITOLO Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The baseball team will begin Big East play on March 22 when they face Pitt.

The St. John’s men’s baseball team swept Holy Cross in a double-header on Sunday, as Saturday’s game was originally postponed because of snow.

The Red Storm (6-11) won the first game 8-3 and the second 12-8 over the Crusaders (2-13) at Jack Kaiser Stadium.

The snow delay came with St. John’s trailing Holy Cross 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning. James Lomangino started the game for the Red Storm, giving up two earned runs in three innings.

With the game being resumed on Sunday, Lomangino was relieved by Ryan Horstman the following day.

Horstman was dominant in 5.1 innings of relief, striking out six and only allowing one hit. The Johnnies’ offense would continue to control the game in their home ballpark, scattering 14 hits for eight runs carrying over from the game from Saturday. The offensive performance was impressive all-around for the ballclub as five separate players each had an RBI. “Our bats are beginning to wake up because after our trip to the south we have been able to see live pitching,”

manager Ed Blankmeyer said. “Before we went down there we weren’t able to get to get out on the field because of how cold it had been here and hitting in a batting cage is just not the same as facing live, in-game pitching.”

In game two of Sunday’s twin bill senior Sean Hagan got the start for the Red Storm, giving up six earned runs in four innings.

“I felt as though I left in Hagan too long today, he has been struggling so far this season and he is going to be important to our success this season,” Blankmeyer said.

Freshman Ryan McCormick was called on to relieve Hagan and did the job, limiting the Crusaders to one run over 3.2 innings.

“I felt Horstman did a great job for us in relief today, his command was really on today,” Blankmeyer said. “Once McCormick was able to settle down he was able to really do a good job for us.”

Zach Lauricella continued his hot hitting from game one of the double-header, racking up two more hits and three more RBIs, totaling 5-for-7 the entire day with 6 RBI. The rest of the team didn’t let up on their production, either, as seven separate men drove at least one run in the second game of the double-header.

The Johnnies will take to the diamond again today on the road against LIU Brookyln.

Montez strikes again at GWU Invitational JOHNATHAN CORBETT Staff Writer The St. John’s softball team went 1-3 at the GWU Capital Invitational Tournament last weekend.

The Red Storm’s (6-20-1) lone victory was a 6-0 win against Akron on Sunday after losing to the Zips 14-1 on Saturday.

“One of the most valuable lessons that our team can learn as we head into Big East play is how to respond to adversity, which is what we were able to accomplish against Akron,” said St. John’s head coach Amy Kvilhaug. “I was proud of the way that our team came back from a tough opening day to respond with a win over a good team.”

Chrissy Montez was the Johnnies’ impact performer, recording six hits and nine RBI. Two of the six hits were home runs – she has six on the season.

The senior infielder’s best game came on Saturday in a 11-6 loss to Drexel. She went 4-4 with one home run.

Despite the weekend losses, Kvilhaug is confident heading into Big East play.

“One of our goals annually is to make the Big East Tournament and compete to be one of the top teams in our conference,” Kvilhaug said. “Lessons like the ones we learned this weekend about responding to adversity can only help us in our quest to meet those goals.”

The Johnnies will open conference play on March 23 when they travel to Pennsyl-

Weekend Results GWU Capital Invitational St. Johns 1, Akron 14 (L) St. John’s 6. Drexel 11 (L) St. John’s 6, Akron 0 (W) St. John’s 1, G. Washington 4 (L)

Standout Perfromers:

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Chrissy Montez continued her hot run of form at the GWU Invitational. vania to face Pittsburgh for a three-game set.

“Starting this week, everyone is 0-0 in Big East play, which is a message I have emphasized to the team,” Kvilhaug said.

“It was at the start of conference play last

year that our team really clicked and began the run to the Big East semifinals. Our hope is that we can continue to work on the little things to make a similar run this year and compete for a second-straight bid to the Big East Tournament.”

Chrissy Montez: 6-9, 9 RBI Yvonne Rericha: 5-9, 3 R Ashley Bezea: 7 IP, 3H, 0ER vs. Akron

Torch Sports

19

Storm

Cast

Leavin’ their Mark Parque signs with Cardinals Former All-Big East selection Jimmy Parque signed with the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals on March 19. Formerly a member of the Rockford RiverHawks, he batted .304 and batted in 7 RBI in 20 games.

Parque was a third team All-Big East Selection his freshman year in 2009 and ranks seventh all time in career batting average with .359.

STJ women’s soccer to play professional team

TORCH PHOTOS/DIANA COLAPIETRO

Nadirah McKenith (left) and Jamal Branch (right) have been the consistent floor generals this season.

A little respect, s’il vous plait It’s my last week as sports editor. I have mixed feelings, but I won’t get into those because you could probably care less about how I feel.

However, you should know that I’m not the only one with conflicted thoughts right now. The St. John’s athletic community, at this very moment, is doing its best to digest that, once again, the women’s basketball team has outshined this University’s hardwood heroes; aka Steve Lavin’s men’s basketball team (and please don’t bring up Sir’Dom’s buzzer beater. It was the NIT, man. Kudos to Dom, though. ‘Twas a beautiful shot).

While the men’s team lost their top scorer and five straight games until Dom’s LeBron-esque moment (yeah, I said LeBron, not MJ), the women have won eight of their last ten, all despite being without one of their most influential veteran players, senior Eugeneia McPherson, who suffered an ACL tear in November.

But what does this mean for St. John’s? How is the University community supposed to react to success and failure when they intertwine so perfectly?

It’s obvious that men’s basketball is the main priority on this campus, but

does the sustained success of the women’s program signal that there should be a bit more parity when comparing the two teams, or should we just sit on the sidelines of the NCAA Tournament for a couple of weeks, applaud Joe Tartamella and his team’s success, then focus our attention back to the men and Lavin’s recruiting pursuits once March is over?

Some say we should – but I don’t agree.

There’s a very fine line here. Unless the women’s program wins three straight national championships, men’s basketball will continue to rule St. John’s. And even if the women pull off a miraculous three-peat at some point in the near future, the men’s program will still receive more attention from media and fans alike.

There has to be a way to achieve a sustained support system for women’s basketball other than the many, but short-lived congratulatory messages they receive each year they qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

But how do we achieve sustained support when society states that men’s sports take priority over women’s?

Yeah, it’s a sobering truth – so how do we sidestep the issue?

Well, the first step is simply choosing to go out support the team. Slide off your couch, put on that trusty old red St. John’s t-shirt you got orientation week of your freshman year and take that tenminute walk to Carnesecca Arena.

They say the first step is the hardest, so once you physically get yourself to the game, the toughest part is over – at that point, when you’re inside the comfy

confines of the arena, everything will come together. I mean, you’ll be at an NCAA tournament game, for the love of Manchester United! If you can’t get hyped up for that, you’re not a sports fan.

Once you’re at the game, the rest is up to the team. But think about it: more fans=a better atmosphere. A better atmosphere=more adrenaline for the players to run on. More adrenaline for the players to run on=a better performance. A better performance=victory, sweet victory.

It’s simple math, people (not that I’m good at math or anything) – the more fans that show up to Carnesecca Arena on Sunday will increase the team’s chances of winning. And what increases fandom more than winning? Absolutely nothing.

When’s the next time we’ll see one of our basketball teams play on campus in the NCAA Tournament? Maybe never!

At this point, you should check your opinions at the doors of the arena, pop a squat in a red seat and enjoy watching history.

You’ve got one life, man (and woman)! Go and support Tartamella and co. on Sunday. And maybe, just maybe, the support you show this weekend will help generate more of the respect that a team that has reached four consecutive NCAA Tournaments deserves.

Mitchell Petit-Frere is a junior English and journalism double major who will dearly miss the departing members of the Cunniff-Valente Torch regime.

The St. John’s women’s soccer team’s spring season will begin on March 23 when the Red Storm will tackle Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. They will begin a brief road trip on April 6 when they head to Fairfield University.

Highlights of the upcoming spring season will include an alumnae game on April 21 and a game at Stony Brook on Apr. 27.

Blowin’ in the Wind

“

I’m very excited to play in my final NCAA Tournament. It’s great to play at home in front of our family and friends

”

-Nadirah McKenith

Headin’ this Way Red Storm home games

Baseball: March 19

Fairfield

3 p.m.

March 22

Pittsburgh

3 p.m.

Villanova

3 p.m.

Seton Hall

12 & 2 p.m.

March 20

Lacrosse: April 13 April 27

Softball: March 28

LIU Brooklyn 3 p.m.

Marquette

1 p.m.

SPORTS 20 March 2013 | VOLUME 90, ISSUE 20 | TORCHONLINE.COM

STAYIN’ ALIVE; STJ 63, SJU 61 PG. 16

DANCING SHOES

JOHNNIES GET SOME HOME COOKING TO OPEN TOURNEY PG. 17

PLUS: LAX UPSETS NO. 7 HOFSTRA PG. 16

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARRETT MILEY (L.) AND ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS