The New Paltz Oracle by The New Paltz Oracle

New Paltz Oracle The

Volume 87, Issue XVI

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

HOUSING HOSTILITY

PHOTO BY MAXWELL REIDE

Village Housing Law Sparks Claims Of Student Occupancy Limitation Story on Page 3 | Editorial on Page 9

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

• Students Protest Drug Policy in Wake of Drug Arrest Ranking....Pg 4 • Former Gubernational Candidate Endorses Rogers For Mayor....Pg 6 • Changes To Campus Dining Announced For Next Semester........Pg 5 • Professors Union Recognizes Issues Among Adjunct Faculty........Pg 7

NEW PALTZ ORACLE THE

Abbott Brant EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kristen Warﬁeld MANAGING EDITOR _________________

Anthony DeRosa NEWS EDITOR

Jennifer Newman FEATURES EDITOR

Russell Hartman

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Melissa Kramer SPORTS EDITOR

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Maxwell Reide Holly Lipka

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS

Mike Sheinkopf CARTOONIST

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Nate Sheidlower Sam Manzella Karl Evers-Hillstrom Melanie Zerah Amya Pinka Michael Rosen Amanda Copkov COPY EDITORS

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About The New Paltz Oracle

The New Paltz Oracle is the official student newspaper of SUNY New Paltz. Our circulation is 2,500. The New Paltz Oracle is sponsored by the Student Association and partially funded by the student activity fee. The New Paltz Oracle is located in the Student Union (SU) Room 417. Deadline for all submissions is 5 p.m. on Sundays in The New Paltz Oracle office and by email at oracle@hawkmail. newpaltz.edu. All advertisements must be turned in by 5 p.m. on Fridays, unless otherwise specified by the business manager. Community announcements are published gratuitously, but are subject to restriction due to space limitations.There is no guarantee of publication. Contents of this paper cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the Editor-in-Chief. The New Paltz Oracle is published weekly throughout the fall and spring semesters on Thursdays. It is available in all residence halls and academic buildings, in the New Paltz community and online at oracle.newpaltz.edu. For more information, call 845-257-3030. The fax line is 845-257-3031.

Volume 87 Issue XVI NEWS

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PG. 12

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Incident: Drugs Date:3/5/15 Location: Shango Hall Report of odor of marijuana in area. Subject burning incense to mask origin. Smoke detector was covered. Matter referred to campus judicial. Incident: DWI Date: 3/8/15 Location: Old Main Driveway Subject processed for arrest of DWI. Vehicle impounded. Appearance ticket for New Paltz Town Court. SUNY New Paltz University Police Department Emergencies: 845-257-2222

Five-Day Forecast Thursday, March 12 Sunny High: 43 Low: 14

Friday, March 13 Mostly Sunny High: 46 Low: 31

Saturday, March 14 Rain High: 47 Low: 37

Sunday, March 15 Cloudy High: 45 Low: 26

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Community Controversy Arises Over Village Law Interpretation PHOTO BY MAXWELL REIDE

By Anthony DeRosa

News Editor | N02385288@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

At a recent SUNY New Paltz Student Senate meeting, Adele Ruger of the New Paltz Property Owner’s Association informed senators of a New Paltz Village Board housing law passed in January that she claimed would limit non-biologically related individuals to no more than three persons living in a single residency. According to Ruger, this occupancy limit was made possible in tandem with another law passed in 2013 that changed the legal definition of a “family” in the village zoning code. The current definition of “family,” amended April 29, 2013, reads as: “One person, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption, or not more than three persons not necessarily related by blood, marriage or adoption, who live together in a single dwelling unit and maintain a common household” (Village Code Section 212-5, Zoning Definitions). Prior to the amendment, Ruger said, the definition included the following text: “This definition shall not be construed to exclude a household which in every but a biological sense is a single-family.” “The previous definition of ‘family’ gave legal protection to individuals living and acting as a ‘family’ household but who were not blood related; notably students renting a house or apartment together,” Ruger said. “With the January housing law, these non-blood related individuals are made to comply to the three person occupancy standard.” An amendment to the village housing standards, the January law contains a clause stating, “occupants of dwelling units shall be responsible for compliance with the housing standards in regard to the following: 1. Limiting occupancy of that part of the premises which he occupies or controls to the maximum permitted by the housing standards” (Village Code Section 129-12, Housing Standards Compliance). According to Ruger, the language present in the clause grants the village legal authority to enforce the maximum occupancy limits as defined in the other chapters of the village code. Ruger said both the January law and the August 2013 definition change are intentional efforts of the village board to dissuade off-campus students from living in the village. “It doesn’t take much to see that these two recent changes happened during the current [village] administration,” Ruger said. “I believe what we’ll see is a selective-enforcement of this occupancy limitation targeted at

students living in the village in an attempt to reclaim the village for its long-term residents.” However, New Paltz Village Mayor Jason West denied Ruger’s allegations. “It has never been the intention of the village to limit student housing, not by a long shot,” West said. “Any interpretation that the laws in question are an attempt to get students out of the village is completely untrue.” West said that the change to the definition of “family” in 2013 was something that “fell through the cracks” during a period where many legal definitions were being reworked. West also said that prior to the current controversy over the definition change, there were internal village board meetings that discussed again reworking the “family” definition because “it did not fit New Paltz.” “The purpose of this definition is to avoid overcrowding of living spaces for health and safety reasons,” West said. “This recent confusion is proof that the current definition needs to be scrapped for a more appropriate one suited to the community. There are residencies [in the village] with the means to legitimately

house up to eight people and we will need provisions in the new definition to address that.” West said that he will be working with the village attorney and building inspector to draft a new definition of “family” for presentation to the village board within the next two months. “What the village administration says and what they do, are two completely different things. During this election season, [Village Trustee and mayoral candidate Sally Rhoads and incumbent Mayor Jason West] are downplaying any of the legislation that has to do with student rights and their choice of living with who they want,” Ruger said. “The question is, what exactly was the purpose of changing the definition of family? If [West] says it doesn’t work, it’s because he made it not work, along with anyone who voted for it. If the definition doesn’t work, why now have a law that says it must be followed? Follow the actions, and not the words.” Ruger was not the only one to criticize the village administration with accusations of a student targeting agenda. New Paltz Village

Thursday, March 12, 2015

mayoral candidate and owner of the Groovy Blueberry, Amy Cohen voiced her concerns with the village’s legislative action. “[The village administration] claim that these laws have been enacted under the guise of ‘safety,’ yet this is a Trojan Horse to create laws that, in essence, push students out of the village and into a Park Point-like facility,” Cohen said. “The new housing law which requires tenants to adhere to the occupancy requirements based on the definition of ‘family’ would apply to all adults, not just students. This law was passed by Jason West. If he says that the definition of family does not work why did he change to this? It is not very easy to change legislation, so why did he change it to something worse than it was before?” Mayoral candidate Tim Rogers also gave comment. “I don’t believe Jason West is lying. I imagine any confusion that was created was unintentional,” Rogers said. “I think the problem here is more so a disorganization in lawmaking which administrators need to be aware of so these conflicts don’t arise.”

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NEWS BRIEFS WORLD

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Drug Policy Protested Following On-Campus Arrest Data

ASTRONAUTS RETURN FROM 6 MONTHS ON SPACE STATION A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and an American landed in Kazakhstan on Thursday, ending the astronauts’ nearly six months aboard the International Space Station. The capsule carried Russians Alexander Samokutayev and Elena Serova and NASA’s Barry Wilmore. They blasted off for the space station on Sept. 26.

JAZZ MUSICIAN CANCELS VENEZUELA SHOWS AMID TENSIONS American jazz legend Wynton Marsalis has canceled concerts in Venezuela at a time of rising tensions between the two nations. The New York-based trumpeter and composer was scheduled to perform his “Swing Symphony” on Friday alongside the Simon Bolivar Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, the first of three concerts planned in Caracas.

BRAZIL, WORLD’S SHOWER CHAMP, GRAPPLES WITH DROUGHT During Rio de Janeiro’s long summers of sticky subtropical heat, Viviane Vargas says she needs not one, not two, but three showers a day to feel clean. The saleswoman is not alone: Surveys say Brazilians are the world’s most frequent bathers, taking on average 12 showers a week, putting rub-a-dubdub up there with soccer and Carnival as essentials of the culture.

MILITIAS SWEEP INTO ISLAMIC STATE-HELD TIKRIT Iraqi soldiers and allied Shiite militiamen swept into the Islamic State-held city of Tikrit on Wednesday, launching a two-front offensive to squeeze extremists out of Saddam Hussein’s hometown in a major test of the troops’ resolve. Compiled from the AP Newswire

Student protesters rally outside the HAB.

By Sam Manzella

Copy Editor | Manzells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

More than 30 student protesters gathered outside Haggerty Administration Building on Wednesday, March 11 at noon to advocate for a reform of SUNY New Paltz’s drug policy. The Students for Sensible Drug Policy at SUNY New Paltz organized the protest in the wake of the college being ranked as having the highest number of on-campus drug-related arrests in the United States in 2013, as well as a controversial award ceremony to celebrate the University Police Department’s (UPD) efforts to enforce the drug policy scheduled for Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. New Paltz currently has a two-strike drug policy; after two strikes, students can be expelled from the university. It is the only university of 64 others in the SUNY system with a two-strike policy. “Education, not expulsion!” was the rally cry of the afternoon, along with “I know my rights, why not you?” and “Why so many arrests?” Students held signs that read “Stop Expelling Students” and “Change The Marijuana

PHOTO BY SAM MANZELLA

Policy Now.” The protesters formed a circle and passed a megaphone around, allowing students to introduce themselves, share their personal stories and explain why they do not support the current policy. Sabrina Bode, a second-year political science major who helped organize the event, spoke about her experience with UPD. She said she was arrested and had a “disheartening experience” that almost forced her to leave the university. She explained that she was asleep in her room when UPD officers came into her room and pushed her onto the floor. “They acted harshly and brutally,” Bode said. “I was honestly very frightened for my safety that night.” Second-year Black Studies and psychology major Rookie Reynoso also spoke out against UPD’s actions. She said that UPD targets students in the Student Union Building, in classrooms and outside of residence halls. Residence Assistants, she said, do not inform students if UPD is en route to search their rooms. She claims that this lack of communication puts students in danger of arrest or penalty strikes.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

“Our two-strike policy should be reformed to a three-strike policy to give students more chances,” Reynoso said. Reynoso also brought into question the racial bias of drug arrests, calling the war on drugs a “war on race.” Other students followed suit, crying, “We’re not just a number!” “Rape and sexual assault are all over college campuses,” Bode said via megaphone. “We should be number one in those arrests!” Protesters claimed that they were not advocating to legalize marijuana on campus. Instead, they called for reform. Protesters distributed small pamphlets to passersby, which contained information about students’ legal rights in the event of a drug arrest on campus. According to Bode, the protesters at the event wanted to ensure that their peers “know their rights” and that fellow students and administration hear their voices. “Not enough students know about their rights,” Bode said. “We’re people, too, not just numbers. We need to be heard. We should [think of] ways to create better relations [between UPD and students].”

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Recyclemania Aims To Raise Sustainability Awareness By Sam Manzella

Copy Editor | Manzells1@hawkmaiil.newpaltz.edu

The New Paltz Recycling Club is currently holding its seventh annual “Recyclemania” tournament, which challenges residence halls to achieve the highest percentage of material diverted from landfills through recycling and composting. The winning residence hall will receive a $500 award for hall programming among other prizes. The competition lasts from Feb. 8 to March 28. Students can find up-to-date rankings and data for each residence hall on the webpage of the Office for Campus Sustainability. Recyclemania has evolved from its small start into a tournament at over 100 college campuses across the U.S. and Canada. According to the Recyclemania website, participating schools can compare their progress with efforts of other colleges and universities online and “use the results to rally their campus to reduce and recycle more.” Recyclemania also features different categories for competing schools, and schools who win in each category are nationally recognized. James Accordino, a fourth-year geology major and vice president of New Paltz Recycling Club, said that the club introduced Recyclemania to encourage recycling seven years ago. To spread the word, the club attends meetings for the Resi-

dence Hall Student Association (RHSA). RHSA student leaders then share the program with students in their respective residence halls. Club President Melissa Iachetta, a fourth-year geography major with a minor in environmental studies, meets with RHSA weekly during the tournament to announce the updated rankings. According to Iachetta, recycling rates in past years were calculated by campus facilities workers. However, Sustainability Coordinator Lisa Mitten was able to contact waste management contractors, who now weigh each hall’s recycling output each week to calculate data. Last year’s competition used a simple equation of pounds of recycling per resident per hall to calculate rankings among residence halls. Iachetta described the previous equation as “recycling plus organic [waste] divided by total hall count.” However, the old formula did not factor landfill waste into the equation. The club now uses a new formula of “recycling plus organics divided by recycling plus organics plus landfill [waste]” to calculate statistics. This, Iachetta said, gives the club a diversion rate in percentage form and allows the club to assess how much waste is diverted from landfills. Iachetta praised this new formula and explained how it gives more perspective into dif-

ferent facets of New Paltz’s sustainability efforts. She said that halls can recycle mass quantities of waste, but if halls produce significantly more landfill waste, the actual diversion rate can be quite low. Iachetta explained how different halls use different tactics to compete. According to her, Crispell Hall’s hall government took a nod from last year’s winner, Esopus Hall, and split their hall up into separate wings. Members of RHSA will target each wing individually and create a mini-competition to recycle the most waste inside Crispell. The winning wing receives a prize of some sort. Iachetta described these tactics as “motivation for [students] to do more.” Iachetta also spoke about one of the Recycling Club’s current mini-challenges within Recyclemania. She described the 3R Challenge, which is a social media challenge that invites students on campus to post Instagram photos of themselves reducing, reusing or recycling waste and to tag their respective residence halls. The residence hall with the most tagged images will win a $75 giftcard to Carry Out Kings to supply food for hall events. According to Iachetta, the tournament’s spirit of friendly competition helps to make students “more aware” of recycling and sustainability.

Campus Dining Changes Slated For Next Academic Year

By Nathaniel Sheidlower

Copy Editor | Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The SUNY New Paltz campus continues to evolve and expand and this evolution is spreading to students’ access to on-campus dining. The Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) Board met for their monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 11 to discuss and vote on some of these changes. New meal plans offered to students and faculty for the 2015-16 school year were approved by the board and will be the base for next year’s CAS budget. Meal plans for the 2014-15 school year cost students $1,838, whereas the new plans will cost $1,930 — a five percent increase of $92. According to Executive Director of CAS Steve Deutsch, the increase in cost is needed to support the new dinning outlets that will be coming to campus. The Platinum Carte Blanche plan — the only plan available to first-year students — will still offer unlimited meal swipes at Hasbrouck Dinning Hall (HAS) and Dining Dollars will increase from $50 to $200. The current Platinum 14 plan will become the Platinum 12 plan, decreasing HAS swipes to 12 per week but increasing Dining Dollars from $200 to $500. The Platinum Five will become the Platinum Seven, offering two ad-

ditional weekly HAS swipes and $900 Dining Dollars — $170 less than the five plan. The all-new meal plan that Deutsch believes will be very popular with upper classmen is called the Ultimate Flex Plan. This plan contains no swipes at HAS but students will have the full $1,930 available Dining Dollars. Additionally, the commuter plan — where commuter students can deposit money to be used as Dining Dollars that the university credits with an additional 10 percent of the deposited amount — currently does not allow for that money to carry over into the next semester if unused. Under the new plan, that money will accumulate over the course of multiple semesters. The new meal plan cost of $1,930 will still be less than the 2014-15 cost at all other SUNY campuses, according to the board’s presentation. Student Sen. and fourth-year political science major James Auer serves as a student representative on the CAS board and is “dissatisfied with the way CAS went about this process [of presenting the new meal plans].” “[CAS] purposely held this vote at their March meeting to decrease student input,” Auer said. “Had they presented the proposals at the February meeting, there would have been time to

gather student opinion before the vote.” Brienna Perez is a third-year philosophy major and commuter who does not currently have a meal plan. She said she would be open to getting one, possibly the commuter plan, because “it would be nice to eat at HAS while on campus.” However, she said commuter students should receive a larger credit when they put in money because they have other expenses, such as gas. The credit acts as incentive to use some of that gas and come eat on campus, she said. The board also heard proposals for fiveyear food, beverage and vending contracts from the schools current provider, PepsiCo, and their competitor, Coca-Cola. They will vote on the contracts at their April meeting after spending the month carefully reviewing each proposal. New on-campus dining outlets opening include: a 120-seat café in Ridgeview Hall, a new licensed Starbucks that will replace Backstage Café, a Peet’s Coffee & Tea that will be located on the top floor of the newly renovated library and a 4,000 square-foot “Panera Bread style” café called Element 93 that will be in the new Wooster Science Building, according to Deutsch. Additionally, Jazzman’s Cafe will be removed from the Jacobson Faculty first floor, he said.

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NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL

FERGUSON CHIEF RESIGNS IN WAKE OF FEDERAL REPORT The police chief in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson resigned Wednesday in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report prompted by the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer.

DEMOCRATS STAND BY CLINTON, WITH SOME RESERVATIONS Democrats closed ranks around Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday after her public explanation of her email practices - yet party officials in important election states appeared resigned to the prospect that her allbut-certain presidential campaign will be saddled with drama and controversy.

VOTE FOR FIRING SQUAD SHOWS ANGER WITH DRUG SHORTAGES

A vote by Utah lawmakers to bring back executions by firing squad is the most dramatic illustration yet of the nationwide frustration over bungled executions and shortages of lethalinjection drugs. Utah and several other states are scrambling to modify their laws on the heels of a botched Oklahoma lethal injection last year and one in Arizona in which the condemned man took nearly two hours to die.

US WORRIES ABOUT IRANBACKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ Iran is playing a helpful role against Islamic State militants in Iraq now, but once the extremists are vanquished, Tehran-backed militias could undermine efforts to unify the country, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey told lawmakers that any move to counter IS is a `positive thing.” Compiled from the AP Newswire

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Teachout Endorses Rogers For Village Mayor By Melanie Zerah

Copy Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

New Paltz Central School District Board of Education member and candidate in the Village of New Paltz mayoral race Tim Rogers is now being endorsed by Associate Professor of Law at Fordham University and Democratic Party nominee for Governor in the 2014 election Zephyr Teachout, who received 90 percent of the vote in New Paltz. “Tim is serious, careful, committed and extremely intelligent. I believe he will make a great mayor, because he brings a great blend of skills and values to the job, and leadership requires both,” Teachout said. “Fundamentally, he’s a great public servant, with a wonderful public spirit and an equally deep commitment to learning and the unsung, nitty-gritty work of making things work.” Rogers is a property owner and community servant with posts on the Town Planning Board and Board of Education, which according to New Paltz Town Councilman Dan Torres, “are very demanding positions.” A popularly shared view by many supporting residents of the community, village resident Kamilla Nagy said that Roger’s extensive experience and well-roundedness adds to his positive attribute of finishing what he sets out to start. Teachout announced her official endorsement of Rogers at a public event on Tuesday, March 10, at Shea O’Briens on 127 Main St. At the event, Teachout said that Rogers is “a true professional,” easy to work with, manages well and cares about the values which New Paltz residents hold, including energy renewal policies and education policies. According to Teachout, she and Rogers have a shared vision of a renewable energy future, a more open and fair democracy and an education system that serves all of students and treats them like individuals, respects teachers and provides adequate funding. “I believe many of the most important decisions are made locally, and that local power is the bulwark of democracy,” Teachout said. “A mayor can support all of these goals in his or her daily work — it’s hard work, but it’s critical, and Tim will be a wonderful leader.” Rogers and Teachout met over half a year ago, when he volunteered for Teachout’s campaign long before most New Yorkers even knew there was a campaign. Teachout said that she and her campaign manager both noticed he was extremely responsible, effective and creative. According to Rogers, he spent many

Rogers and Teachout at the March 10 endorsement event.

hours supporting Teachout’s campaign last summer, which included collecting signatures for her to get on the Democratic primary ballot and organizing the event for her to visit New Paltz back in the Fall. “Zephyr resonates with so many people because of her sincerity and pure intentions. It’s apparent she cares deeply about many of the issues our community cares about. She works on important issues for the right reasons,” Rogers said. “She encourages me to believe that politics matter and should be accessible to regular people who want to serve and try to good for the whole community.” Present at the event on March 10 was Torres, who spoke first expressing his support of Rogers for mayor. “The Village of New Paltz is only about 6,000 people populated, but in many ways it is a microcosm of what we want our world to be,” Torres said. “If there’s someone I want to see lead this community and continue the village to consist of Main Street and local business, it’s Tim Rogers.” According to Torres, Roger’s strength is that he cares about the “nuts and bolts” of poli-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN TORRES

tics and not just what is most attractive. He is preoccupied with what is important and his experience in this area shows in his performance in past positions. During his speech, Rogers touched upon issues such as following through on more renewable energy and green initiatives, as well as New Paltz’s lack of partisan disagreements. Rogers also gave honorable mention to the accomplishments of civic activists such as New Paltz Village Mayor Jason West, who worked hard to support gay marriage years ago, along with New Paltz Town Supervisor Susan Zimet who challenged the building of a Walmart in New Paltz many years before that. “I’m running for mayor because I support our tradition of being an activist community,” Rogers said. “There is significant amount of room for improvement regarding management within our local government. We need to work in conjunction with our village employees who do a fantastic job, but would appreciate higher quality support from the village board.” Rogers’ speech was followed by questions from residents of the town, village and neighboring towns who attended.

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New Paltz town resident Rhett Weires brought attention to the issue of miscommunication between board members. “As reported in the paper up until last month, there has been difficulty with communication with Susan Zimet and Mayor Jason West,” Weires said. “How do you envision yourself communicating with the supervisor and on what issues do you think you could see the village and the town working together?” Rogers responded. “We don’t necessarily have to sit at the table and come up with a solution immediately. I believe in incremental steps to come up with solutions. I think committing to an ongoing dialogue is one of the most important things when you are meeting with someone you might not agree with,” Rogers said. “Looking towards the end result, trying to achieve things in increments by agreeing and building upon that is the goal.” Roger’s opponents in the mayoral race include incumbent Mayor Jason West, Groovy Blueberry owner Amy Cohen and New Paltz Village Trustee Sally Rhoads. The election will be held on May 5.

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Adjunct Week Brings Visibility To Contigent Faculty By Kristen Warfield

Managing Editor | Warfielk1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Contingent faculty and their supporters nationwide walked out of classes Feb. 25 in protest of job insecurities, low wages and unequal working conditions that affect the adjunct professors of the higher education system. The catalyst of these movements was National Adjunct Action Week, Feb. 23-27, meant to recognize adjunct staff members around the country faced with these contingency issues. At SUNY New Paltz and other New York State schools, staff is prohibited to partake in demonstrations under “The Taylor Law” — a state legislation that limits active protest by public employees in their workplaces. In a lawful alternative to National Adjunct Walkout Day, the New Paltz Chapter of United University Professions (UUP) union participated by coordinating a display of over 100 headshot photos of the adjunct staff of the college. UUP Chapter President Peter D.G. Brown said the display’s mission was to promote campus-wide awareness of the “largely invisible” population of staff that output full-time work for part-time pay and to facilitate questions from colleagues and students. “Its a national problem — but it’s also here at SUNY New Paltz,” Brown said. “We’re talking about a lot of people who don’t have the academic freedom that comes with tenure.” According to a 2012 report by The Chronicle of Higher Education, colleges across the nation have undergone shifts in employing professors — to where nearly 70 percent of instructional faculty at colleges in the U.S. are off the tenure track. An actual percentage of classes taught by adjuncts at the college has been refuted between

Brown and SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian; Brown cited that adjuncts teach 55 percent of this semester’s courses, while Christian said it remains at a less than 30 percent rate. Efforts by The Oracle to confirm exact numeric data were not returned by the Office of the Provost in constraint to print deadline. The average adjunct stipend per three-credit course is $2,987, according to The Chronicle report. At SUNY New Paltz, the starting stipend for adjuncts is $3,100 for a three-credit course. According to Christian, if an adjunct faculty member teaches two courses or more in a semester, they qualify for full health benefits, as a full time faculty member does. In terms of adjunct salary rates, he cited a market study seven years ago that recognized low adjunct salary rates, which prompted an increase in adjunct pay. “You may read the rhetoric here and there that we have not increased adjunct salary but that’s absolutely not the case,” Christian said. “We’ve increased adjunct faculty at the same rate that full-time faculty receive.” For some adjuncts, this pay stipend may not be an issue because they have alternative jobs in their fields — but those who rely solely on teaching are dealing with poverty-level wages if they can only teach two courses a semester, Brown said. The 2015 Office of Federal Register Poverty Guidelines states that any single-person household with an income of less than $11,770 per year is classified within the poverty threshold. If there is only one source of income supporting a family of four, an adjunct professor at starting wages would have to instruct nearly eight three-credit courses per year to graze the poverty guideline of $24,250.

Brown said the pay rates cause some professors to seek more teaching positions in the area, which in turn may not allow for them to provide flexible office hours in which they can assist students for each class they instruct. “Most adjuncts need to have other types of employment — either a full time teaching job somewhere else like a high school, or other adjunct jobs which means they’re running off after class to [teach elsewhere],” Brown said. An adjunct faculty member who wishes to remain anonymous shared experiences of contingency at the college with The Oracle, citing that while the teaching aspect is very worthwhile, there are downfalls to the position. The source said that while tenure track and lecture faculty have offices, some departments offer no adjunct office space — or if they do, they are shared among all adjuncts in the department. This makes it hard to speak privately with students and often times have to go out in the hallway to meet, she said. “My department is actually fairly nice to their adjuncts compared to some others here, but I would not say that we are included in the department,” the source said. “We are not on the department mailing list and so often we are forgotten when department activities are scheduled.” This professor typically teaches 12 credits per semester and does not have another job outside of her position at New Paltz. Though it is not her intention to support a family off of her wages, those who depend on these wages would not be able to, she said. “An argument that you hear when adjunct issues arise is that these are not meant to be fulltime jobs so they are not meant to earn a full-time wage,” they said. “The economy has been very

bad and many adjunct positions have been cut. When things were at their worst they would call the adjuncts in and say that they might have to fire many of us. It leads to a climate of accepting any treatment because we are afraid of losing our jobs.” Yvonne Aspengren, who has taught German at the college as contingent faculty since 2002, said these factors elude to a disconnect in inclusiveness. “These staff members go largely unrecognized,” she said. “There’s a sense of invisibility and of not being part of the campus community.” On Friday, May 1, UUP will continue their long-running, now national advocacy movement “Mayday 5k,” pushing for an increase in adjunct starting wages to $5,000 per three credit course for all adjuncts in the United States. “The administration here doesn’t see fit to raise that really low pay,” Brown said. “We spend millions of dollars on athletics and University Police, but not a whole lot on academic structure. They’re trying to do education on the cheap — and the students are the ones who are primarily getting hurt.” On the opposite side of the spectrum, President Christian said a pay increase for the adjunct staff is uncertain in the coming year, being that such changes would be a huge expense to cover. “Those conversations about an increase in adjunct salary from $3,100 to $5,000 ignore the reality that that is a $1.6 million price tag,” Christian said. “I’ve never heard anybody make a compelling case for how I would explain to tuition paying students and parents and to legislators why we would be paying adjuncts $5,000 a course when community colleges in the region are paying a lower $2,400 per course.”

Senate Talks Possible UPD Oversight Committee By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The 59th Student Senate met on Wednesday, March 11, to discuss on-campus issues such as student election guidelines, housing handbook text and the formation of a University Police Department (UPD) oversight committee. The meeting started off with Student Association President Osato Okundayne reminding the Senate that a memorial for Sodexo employee Precious Newkirk will be held Thursday, March 12, outside Hasbrouck Dining Hall. Newkirk passed away in a car accident last week. The senate then discussed new election guidelines that should be put into the bylaws.

The Senate was in unanimous agreement that vandalizing another candidate’s poster is to be outlawed. The topic of slandering was then brought up. While it is difficult for the senate to enforce outlawing slandering, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Governance Jordan Taylor suggested the rules should at least be stated. The concerns of multiple E-board candidates running together, campaign finance and campaign materials were also discussed. Sen. Brienna Perez brought up many issues concerning the transgender community. The first of which was a proposition for a rule that at the beginning of any ceremony or meeting on its first meeting, people should be beholden to present their preferred gender pro-

nouns, he/she, his/her and they/theirs as a part of their introduction. The senate voted to both pass and co-sponsor this. Next was the issue of the way the transgender community is represented in the Campus Housing Handbook. Perez proposed that the terms “gender identity” and “gender expression” be included in the grouping of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity students in the Campus Housing Handbook. This was proposed so the transgender community will be represented in the handbook when issues of discrimination and sexual assault are mentioned. The last discussion was the potential creation of an oversight community for the UPD. Student Association President Osato Okun-

Thursday, March 12, 2015

dayne noted a remark that SUNY New Paltz President Donald Christian made: that the committee would not be qualified and not be trained. The senate discussed that the committee, which would consist of student and faculty of the SUNY New Paltz campus, are intelligent enough to understand basic policing and it would not be difficult to institute basic training for the committee. “The faculty, student and staff would be trained for these positions, so that should not be a concern,” Okundayne said. The oversight committee would listen to complaints about the UPD. The oversight committee and UPD committee would be two separate entities.

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THE GUNK Th ursday, m arch 12, 2015

josh foxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clean energy

future Story on page 2B Photo by maxwell Reide

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FEATURES The Fox Who Fought Fracking josh fox brings grassroots tour to new paltz

By Jennifer Newman Features Editor | Jnewman46@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

It ends where it begins: with the strumming of a well-tuned banjo. Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning filmmaker and environmental activist Josh Fox sits backstage at the SUNY New Paltz campus warming up for the latest stop on his Solutions Grassroots Tour, sporting a grey Yankee baseball cap, thick-framed black glasses and some well-earned three o’clock shadow. For one of more than 15 stops in the state, Josh Fox teamed up with Zephyr Teachout, who ran for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of New York against Andrew Cuomo, to provide New York communities with ways to reduce consumption while raising awareness. The event, “A Solar Home Companion,” encompassed many aspects of Fox’s award-winning documentary, “Gasland;” his own musical skills highlighted the grassroots issue of hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique in which rock is fractured by a hydraulically pressurized liquid made of water, sand and often undisclosed chemicals, a process recently banned in New York. “We put out a call all around New York after the statewide ban on fracking,” Fox said. “We wanted to move as quickly as possible to figure out the most responsible way of getting off of fossil fuels.” The event, hosted by SUNY New Paltz, SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force and the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), combined storytelling, music and a preview of Fox’s new film on climate change, with community outreach to look at the impacts of fossil fuel development and provide options for developing renewable energy. March 10 was the second time Fox has spoken at New Paltz. Both times he nearly filled the Lecture Center with community members and students, a fact which Fox described as a crucial part of climate change action. “The soul of this is about organizing,” Fox said. “It’s about getting people together in smaller groups on their own to take control of their future. I’m here because I believe we haven’t won yet. We can’t say we have won [in the state] and ignore the issues of climate change.” One ‘New Paltzian’ and environmental activist, Rosalyn Cherry, agreed, highlighting the

importance of education on alternative energies. “I think the key to all of this is awareness,” she said. “To really understand that solar and renewable energy is a real option. I think we all need to have our focus on the possibility of renewable energy.” According to Fox’s presentation in coordination with renewable energy expert Tim Woodcock speaking for Frack Action, New Paltz is capable of making a large impact on reducing consumption by switching to clean energy sources. If one percent of New Paltz residents switched to renewable resources, 1,218 tons of CO2 would not be emitted in the atmosphere, and $58,869.23 would not be given to fossil fuel companies, but rather to local solar, wind and renewable energy companies, he said. “If we’re gonna say no, we have to say yes,” Fox said. “We can’t say we’re banning [fracking] and say [energy solutions are] someone else’s problem now.” Fox said he aims to revolutionize energy on the grassroots level. Toward the end of the presentation, twelve community members and students from the audience volunteered to spearhead efforts in New Paltz for renewable energy alternatives. “New Paltz is super progressive — New Paltz is awesome,” Fox said. “It is the soul of this; local organizations.” SUNY New Paltz Assistant Professor of Biology and coordinator of the event Michael Boms said it is not enough just to say what forms of energy should not be used, but also to give multiple alternative solutions, focusing on anything that is non-polluting and renewable. “We’re not going to focus on just one,” he said. “We can’t have just one. It’s important to know that if we don’t decide on what our future alternative energy source is, who knows, fracking may come back. He added that it is especially important to focus on renewable energy in a progressive town like New Paltz, with environmental policies recently put into action including a villagewide plastic bag ban. “Someone’s got to do it somewhere,” he said. “New Paltz back in the ‘60s and ‘70s was a center for these ideas. We’re trying to bring back awareness in the Hudson Valley.” New Paltz Town Councilman Daniel Torres attended the event in support of these local environmental actions, noting he was always a

Josh Fox and Mary Doherty play at New Paltz event.

big fan of Teachout and Fox. “They’re very progressive,” he said. “I’m happy they’re taking their act on the road and talking about issues that aren’t talked about enough.” New Paltz Project Coordinator for NYPIRG Eric Wood said he was pleased with the amount of students that came to the event. “Students have always been at the fore-

Thursday, March 12, 2015

PHOTO BY MAXWELL REIDE

front of successful social movements, such as civil rights and the anti-Vietnam War protest,” he said. “Seeing so many students coming to an event to fight climate change gives me hope that this social movement will be just as successful.” Fox finished the evening with a duet with musician Mary Doherty, a SUNY New Paltz alumna, with Fox on the banjo and Doherty on acoustic guitar and vocals.

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A Peek Beyond The Horizon A LOOK AT PARKING PLANS AND REALITIES ON THE NEW PALTZ CAMPUS

By Nathaniel Sheidlower Copy Editor | Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu Most things brought from home to school ﬁt in a backpack, a purse or a pocket. Notebooks, makeup, laptops and textbooks; all are easy to carry on person throughout a day at school. A car is not. Students and faculty who commute to SUNY New Paltz with their own vehicle need somewhere to leave it for the day; hence the magical invention of parking lots. Part of the Facilities Master Plan for SUNY New Paltz is to eliminate the majority of parking lots located within the interior of campus and have parking on the periphery and expand lots already on the exterior. With the exception of the large faculty lot outside the Student Union Concourse – the removal of which may not happen for some time and has not yet been planned out or funded – this plan has become a reality.

According to Facilities Management Assistant Vice President John Shupe, the purpose of this is to create a pedestrian friendly campus. This means preventing people from driving all throughout campus, often quickly, to ﬁnd a parking space. The West lot, located next to the Athletic and Wellness Center, was originally a resident student only lot but was opened to commuters last semester. With the addition of the Wallkill lot on the South Side Loop and the expansion of the Rt. 32 lot, there are currently 3031 spaces on campus with 250 unavailable due to construction, according to Shupe. Shupe said that the majority of spaces on the interior of campus and close to the buildings are handicap designated spaces. Although unlike commuter, faculty/staff and resident parking permits, handicap passes are issued by local municipalities. Shupe said this means that the university cannot monitor who has one and in turn, who parks in those spots, legally.

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Further expansion plans for the Rt. 32 lot are also underway. In December of 2013, the university purchased the property at 82 Rt. 32 – the second house on the south side of the Rt. 32 lot, before the University Police station. Director of Facilities Design and Construction John McEnrue said that the property will soon undergo a feasibility study to help determine a practical and sustainable way to expand the lot to behind the house. McEnrue said the house itself will remain for any number of uses from ofﬁce space to housing guest lecturers. Parking spots next to the new science building will become available when construction is complete. A new service entrance from Plattekill Avenue will also open with the new building, according to Shupe. In keeping with the eco-friendly goal of the Master Plan, parking lots are being equipped with bioswales.

These are all natural water draining and filtration systems, according to the plan. They will recycle rainwater and filter out pollutants for surrounding agriculture. McEnrue said that when it rains, flat concrete surfaces such as parking lots are at risk because the water slowly seeps into the ground through the concrete adding pollutants and eroding the lot itself. Bioswales will help alleviate some of the water and the risk to the lots and the plants. Fourth-year communication disorders major and commuter Kelly McErlean said she has a very difficult time finding a spot after 10 a.m. “If you have class at 11 a.m., it is impossible to find a spot,” McErlean said. “I usually just go straight to the Wallkill lot near the gym.” Parking committee counts indicate that on a daily basis there are between 100-300 open spaces, according to Julie Majak, head of the committee.

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Finally Fish In The Water PROFESSOR INFORMS COMMUNITY ABOUT CONSERVATION RESEARCH

David Richardson, assistant professor of biology, highlights local preserve ecosystem.

By Amanda Copkov Copy Editor | Copkova1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu The Shawangunk Ridge: a frequent destination for many hikers, swimmers and travelers alike. Much loved for its various hiking trails, cliff-side views and clear waters — or what used to be clear, at least. For decades, the Mohonk Preserve and the lakes and ecosystems within it have been the subject of much environmental research and data collection. The Smiley family, for which Smiley Art Building is named, collected data and observations as well as species and weather data for over 100 years. With the help of scientists and researchers like SUNY New Paltz’s David Richardson, assistant professor of biology and a research associate at the Mohonk Preserve, the preserve has gained more insight into the environmental factors that affect its lakes and ecosystems everyday. In a lecture given by Richardson on Feb. 26 in Lecture Center 102 entitled “The Secrets of Sky Lakes,” he outlined three important parts of his research: acid rain and lake acidity, biological changes of the preserve and Mohonk’s lakes and climate change. Richardson spoke to not only students and faculty of his research, but many people from surroundings communities like Poughkeepsie and Rosendale as well.

PHOTOS BY DAVID KHORASSANI

“[The sky lakes] are really important from a recreational and conservational perspective,” Richardson said. “We can learn about preservation and we can see the bigger picture. We see how the world works, how the climate is changing and what it says about our ecosystems.” Richardson explained to his audience that the northern Shawangunks are a largely-protected area, spreading across Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve for at least 50 miles. He also explained that the Ridge has stayed intact over the years despite damp weather conditions because it is made of quartz conglomerate, a type of rock that is resilient to erosion. Richardson said that fossil fuels such as sulfur and Nitrogen, which are emitted into the atmosphere while driving, have caused a low pH rain, producing acid rain and causing problems for forests and aquatic systems. The acid rain would flow into streams and rivers, which is detrimental to fish and amphibian populations, according to Richardson. With the acidic rain also came new species of algae and much higher algal production. While new species of moss and algae were being introduced to Minnewaska’s ecosystems, so were different species of fish — a surprising addition considering there haven’t been sightings of fish in the lake since 1902. In 2008 and 2009, there were sightings of golden shiners, a common type of bait fish. Richardson said he and his team had reason

to believe that fishermen introduced the bait fish into the water in hopes of catching other fish, not knowing that the lake was uninhabited. He also said the fish were able to sustain life and procreate because of the difference in the pH levels from acid rain. Soon after the golden shiners came a population of large mouth bass — about a 60 percent increase of bass, according to Richardson. He said that in 2013 there were approximately 15,000 golden shiners, but after the introduction of the bass, there were a total of zero in 2014. Another new species that found itself in the Minnewaska waters as of summer 2014 were leeches — thankfully not the blood sucking kind. Richardson explained that this particular species of leech feed on small worms and insects, and only attach themselves to human (and animal) flesh to transport themselves from one location to the next. “This is all really important from a recreational and cultural perspective,” Richardson said. “We learn how the biology, ecosystems and food webs work — especially when new species are introduced.” Aside from biological changes, Richardson also talked about the climate changes in Mohonk’s lakes. He said that Mohonk has one of the largest, most frequent and consistent records of temperature data, with the day of stratification get-

Thursday, March 12, 2015

ting earlier in the spring each year for the past 40 years. This means that there will be and has been less ice cover each year, which is a clear indicator of climate change, according to Richardson. “By 2063, we estimate that the lake will be stratified for 365 days of the year, meaning that there will be no ice cover whatsoever,” Richardson said. Erin Hoagland, a stewardship and land planning associate for Dutchess Land Conservancy, attended the lecture with her father, Glenn Hoagland, the executive director of the Mohonk Preserve. Both said they were most intrigued by the information Richardson gave about lake stratification. “[Richardson] presented a variety of information with different stories about each topic which was really engaging, rather than just showing data,” Erin Hoagland said. “The lecture was a really good refresher on aquatic ecosystems and how they work, and it was a good overview for people who don’t know about the topic.” Overall, both said they enjoyed the lecture and found the topics interesting, especially since they work in the field of conservation. Like Richardson, the Hoaglands find conservation to be very important in our society. “The environment has so much purpose for our community,” Erin Hoagland said. “The health of our ecosystems makes for a healthy community.”

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The Veterans’ Project

DRAMATIC PLAY ILLUSTRATES VETERANS’ STRUGGLES By Karl Evers-Hillstrom

Copy Editor | Kevershillstrom@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Coming back from war is challenging. Even when a veteran arrives home, they often cannot completely escape the battlefield. Veterans have to overcome various issues, including but not limited to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), injuries, substance abuse, hypervigilance and suicidal thoughts. The March 10 showing of “The Veterans’ Project: Leaving Theatre” at Parker Theatre highlighted all of these issues, artfully demonstrating them in a play performed by veteran and civilian actors actors. The approximately 20 minute play was written collaboratively by the cast and producer Fay Simpson, and portrayed the struggles that haunted veteran Alice Cheng, played by actress Hwalan Shub. When the show was finished, Simpson and the cast members invited the audience to help answer questions regarding veterans’ issues, and even come on stage to speak with the characters in the play. The event not only served as a performance for all to enjoy, but an open discussion on troubles faced by veterans around the country. The play began with a combat scene, where a group of soldiers are engaged in battle. An explosion goes off with a booming blare, sending all of the soldiers to the ground. As the aftereffects cleared, it became apparent that one of the soldiers, played by actress Brenna Palughi, was hit by the blast and lost her leg. Following this event is the withdrawal of the soldiers as they are finally able to go home. Before they leave, an attendant asks them if they would like to stay an extra month for psychiatric treatment, or take a pamphlet and go home. The choice was obvious for the veterans: they wanted to get home as soon as possible, even if they were not yet mentally stable. All of the soldiers tried to live their lives normally after coming home, but they could not free themselves from the memo-

ries of war. The veterans, including Cheng, were depicted as going about their day normally, until loud sounds set off their PTSD, sending them into combat positions they were so used to. Cheng later finds herself at a bar and is hit on by a male stranger. She reacts violently, assaulting him with her fists and hitting him with a chair before being restrained. When Cheng became violent and lost control of herself, the scene became slow-motion. All of the actors slowed their movements down to a crawl, as atmospher-

After her appointment, she finds her comrade who lost her leg. Cheng feels intense guilt about her soldier’s injuries, and blames it on herself, as she was the commanding officer who ordered the soldier into position. On drugs and alcohol, feeling that she has let her friend and comrade down and with nowhere to go, Cheng decides that she has no options. She raises a gun to her own head, as all of her fellow soldiers symbolically line up behind her, raising salutes in the same way she raises her weapon.

A scene from“The Verterans’ Project: Leaving Theatre”

PHOTO BY KEADY SULLIVAN

ic sounds emphasized the situation, which made the violence seem heavy and compulsive. After being arrested, Cheng is sent to a psychiatrist at a veteran’s hospital (VA). He is not very respectful and asks her to speak about her experiences by rating them on a scale of one to 10. He is completely unaware that Cheng was affected by depleted uranium, meaning she could not have children. Cheng does not come out of the appointment feeling any better. She leaves with prescription drugs that are supposed to help her. Cheng also does not know where to live, as she has not yet found a home.

At this shocking moment of climax, Iraq Veteran Jennifer Pacanowski walked in front of the crowd. “Stop the show,” she said. After stopping the play and giving the audience a few seconds to collect themselves, Pacanowski asked an important question to the crowd. “What is happening here?” Pacanowski said. “Are there any moments along the way where things could have turned out differently?” Several members of the audience addressed problems with the way Cheng was treated right from the start, such as being

Thursday, March 12, 2015

allowed to leave for home without getting any psychiatric treatment. The audience also found that the psychiatrist who spoke to Cheng did a poor job and left her feeling like she had no support system. Bruce E. Brown, former Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, could sympathize with the feeling of guilt Cheng felt about her comrade who had lost her leg. “When you are a squadron leader, you are in control of the lives of your soldiers, and responsible for anything that happens to them,” Brown said. Brown talked about how difficult it is for a commanding officer to see soldiers die or suffer injuries, especially since most of them are very young. After audience members were finished giving their thoughts, the play was rewound to create a better result for Cheng. The psychiatrist focused on getting Cheng a place to stay and invited her to his support group where she could talk to other veterans about her problems. Cheng was then able to deal with the guilt she felt about her comrade’s injury. She was given help in many ways, not with simple prescription drugs that only compounded her problems. “The Veterans’ Project: Leaving Theatre” was an amazing experience, shedding light on a problem that many know nothing about in theatrical fashion. Even though the performance did not feature a set, the dramatic sound effects and professional characterization made every scene seem very real. The way in which they were able to depict the effects of PTSD was nothing short of amazing. Veteran suicide is an ongoing phenomenon in the United States, as a report from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that roughly 22 veterans commit suicide a day on average. “The Veterans’ Project: Leaving Theatre” revealed that there are many factors that play into that statistic and that there are better ways to treat veterans so that they can live healthy lives after serving.

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A JOURNEY OF PHOTOGRAPHS

PHOTOGRAPHER SHARES WORK AND LIFE STORY By Amya Pinka

Copy Editor | Pinkaa1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

On Wednesday, March 11, photographer and professor Curran Hatleberg presented his work to students and faculty in the Lecture Center to entice the beauty of the unknown in photography. Hatleberg, 33, originally from Washington D.C., currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. He teaches photography at the International Center of Photography and Norwalk Community College and road trips and photographs America while on breaks. His presentation entailed anecdotes of the journey he took to stand where he is today while presenting and explaining the stories behind many of his photographs. After flunking out of college, he was unsure of what direction he would take in life. He knew he would never sit in an office day after day as his parents did, so he took up art. He went back to school and after earning a degree and he grew to resent and hate painting that confined him to the studio for so many hours during his undergraduate years. Next came photography. “I was liberated from the studio burden as a photographer,” Hatleberg said. Even though he now had his degree, Hatleberg was still uncertain about what to do next. So he packed up his car with the goal of eventually ending up in Maryland. “Risk without clarity or control fueled my practice,” he said. Hatleberg was on a road trip that had no end. He photographed what he saw while on the road. He did not constrict himself in terms of region because of intuition and the desire to see the unknown. He said that he would visit sites he had previously romanticized from books or movies in his head. If they were not as he imagined, he simply packed up and moved on. On these trips he was looking for something that was missing, but he didn’t know what it was. He felt he was on the verge of something very important. While driving through different cities and towns, he developed a deep love for and fascination with America. He was interested in America not geographically, but psychologically. His photographs are a contradictory

PHOTO BY CURRAN HATLEBERG

balancing act, for example being beautifully sad. Hatleberg described his photographs as “unearthed realities.” He said that most pictures are of strangers based on chance. “Strangers help us un-key what is meaningful,” he said. Being on the road for so long, however is not always easy for Hatleberg. He said it is easy to become depleted and wounded working on the road. “It’s the most depressing, hardcore thing to do because you’re alone. I never know when the next picture will come,” Hatleberg said. With a mere smile, he said he has intense pleasure not knowing what a picture will be. He talked about the hospitality that strangers have offered him, from sleeping on someone’s couch for a week and never seeing them again

to stories people have shared with him. Hatleberg wrapped up his presentation with what he hopes to accomplish with his photographs. He wants to shift the conversation of his photographs from themes of landscapes to the social context. Raechel Manzler, a second-year visual arts major, found Hatleberg’s work very raw. “He has a snapshot quality to his photos that revealed a realness about the world,” Manzler said. “He also mentioned that he doesn’t like to do a lot of work in Photoshop which I thought was very cool because today people have become focused on manipulating images to make them up to society’s standards.” Hatleberg said he likes to use a visual form that makes it hard for a viewer to resolve the picture. His photographs contain a visual

Thursday, March 12, 2015

stability where all the components are vying for the audience’s attention but are equally important, so the viewers eye keeps moving around the picture. According to Hatleberg, he really wants his pictures to show not what is happening, but rather suggest what might be happening. “I like when a photograph implies a narrative but ultimately withholds it,” he said. Unlike journalism, which gives up the who, what, where, when and why, Hatleberg is more interested in asking questions. He enjoys the open-ended quality of a picture. “The ambiguity is amazing because it welcomes this sort of greater interpretation and invention from the viewer,” he said. Hatleberg does not seek to provide his audience with facts. Instead, he uses his photography to capture a single moment and leave the rest unknown.

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Show Stopping Performance THE TROJAN WOMEN WOWS AUDIENCE AT PARKER THEATER

By Sage Higgins

Contributing Writer | Higginss1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Trojan Womenâ&#x20AC;? was as phenomenal as it was heartwrenching. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Trojan Women,â&#x20AC;? written by Euripides (adapted by Ellen McLaughlin) and directed by Nancy Saklad, was SUNY New Paltzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst Mainstage performance of the semester. According to the Mainstage productions page on newpaltz.edu, â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Trojan Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a classical ancient Greek tragedy that relays the horrors of war as told by the women who survive the ploy of the Trojan horse and the battle of Troy.â&#x20AC;? The basis of the set was simple but effective, which made the lighting and the graphics truly shine as a masterpiece of their own. What really intrigued me about the set was how the entire ďŹ&#x201A;oor of the stage was covered in sand. It heightened the feel of the setting as you watched the sand fall off of clothing, out of hair and

how the sand would be kicked up during a dramatic exit. It gave the play a more lifelike feel. The musical aspect made the play more movie-like, dramatizing the lines. I also enjoyed the visual aspect of the costumes and how unique they were to each character. I was able to get a front row seat on the left side of Parker Theater, which is a thrust style theater. My seating made the play that much more intense because I was right in the action of what was happening; at some moments of the play, the actors stood mere inches away from me. The cast as a whole worked together very well and each individual was able to shine no matter how short or how long their stage time was. The women in this play brought a unique aspect to the performance. They were all truly dedicated to their craft and their purpose of contributing to the whole of the play. According to the directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notes,â&#x20AC;&#x153;while the named Trojan and Greek

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characters take us back to the ďŹ fth century B.C., each woman of the chorus evokes the victims of a particular genocide in the past one hundred years.â&#x20AC;? One scene I enjoyed was a scene toward the end of the play with Andromache, played by Alicia Dee Leduc, and Talthybius, played by Eric Hibschweiler. The last hope for all of these women was the son of Andromache. It made me feel lighter knowing that these women had something to help them have some hope for the future. But in the end, the baby is taken away by Talthybius and killed. Watching Andromacheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heartwrenching performance of a mother losing her child resonated with me long after the play was over. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always astounded by the work of the SUNY New Paltz theater community. The next Mainstage production is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Much Ado About Nothing,â&#x20AC;? written by William Shakespeare and directed by Frank Trezza, running on April 16-19 and April 23-26 in McKenna Theater.

PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

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The Deep End

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THIS WEEK IN

THE DEEP END Raine Pultz Major: Visual Arts

Year: Fourth

Inspration: Adam Phillips, Bryan Lee O’Malley, the sound of distant electronic music, nostalgia for video games I wasn’t alive to experience when they actually came out.

“The immaculate conception of the manifestations deriving from my imagination are rooted in a few key sources, which can be concisely described as thus: I just sorta do a bunch of stuff with art, I like trying everything. My most favoritest thing to do is 2D animation.”

Photos courtesy of Raine Pultz| Captioning by Maxwell Reide

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Editorial

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A Neighborhood Divided

CARTOON BY MIKE SHEINKOPF

In the past few weeks, multiple claims have run rampant regarding certain village laws that would supposedly limit the number of non-biologically related individuals legally allowed to occupy a single residency. We at The New Paltz Oracle understand how these new laws can be seen as an application of the village’s discontent with students living within the village vicinity and their power to respond with action to curtail the occurrence of this. The student population rightfully believes that we are a significant component of the village community, so the seemingly “us vs. them” view the village often conveys is both confusing and unwarranted. Being that part of this new law has the potential to impact students who wish to live with their friends off campus, it is a law that hinders – not aids or assists – a portion of the village population. In an effort that appears to decrease

the amount of students, who are an integral part of the village community, that live in the village is an endeavor of a Village Board that does not care about their community as a whole, but a select group of residents that do not wish to coexist with their student neighbors. While noise, litter and loitering are all concerns any community may face, decreasing the number of non-related individuals who may live together in one housing unit does not seem to be the answer; as such occurrences can take place by any number of individuals, in any location, student or non-student. SUNY New Paltz has been a college since 1828. It can be assumed those who live in the village moved here after the fact. It can then be concluded that village residents willingly moved into a college town. Like every college town, there are student residents within the community who live, eat,

shop and partake in nightlife. Pigeonholing student residents of the village as troublesome and creating legislation in response to this, does nothing but foster resentment toward the village and the village government. If this is not the view the village and Village Board has toward the students of SUNY New Paltz, the lack of communication from the board to the student population is not a clear indication of this. Rather, it implies the opposite – the village does not care about students. Creating and changing laws that can directly impact students living in the village yet not having nor seeking a student voice in these decisions illustrates this. We urge the Village Board to consider the students and young residents of the village community when passing legislation that can affect them and may even be passed in response to their presence. While we often encourage students to play their role

Thursday, March 12, 2015

in the village community and become more active in local government, we believe it is local government’s duty to provide a level of transparency. The local New Paltz government, if striving to be fair and a representation of needs and desires of their community in its entirety, needs to more actively seek and acknowledge students as essential members of the New Paltz community. Editorials represent the views of the majority of the editorial board. Columns, op-eds and letters, excluding editorials, are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The New Paltz Oracle, its staff members, the campus and university or the Town or Village of New Paltz.

10 oracle.newpaltz.edu

Opinion

op-eds

Dear SUNY New Paltz Community, The Oracle recently reported and commented on SUNY New Paltz’s No. 1 rank on Project Know’s list of on-campus drug arrests. We believe our rank on this list is abhorrent. While we believe that UPD plays an integral part in keeping the community safe we believe it should shift its focus from marijuana to violent crime. SUNY New Paltz is the only school in the SUNY system with a two-strike policy when it comes to marijuana. SUNY New Paltz can learn from other schools in regards to helping students and reducing the harms of drug use. When it comes to alcohol and other drugs, the only information that can be found on the SUNY New Paltz website is a list of offenses and subsequent pun-

ishments for such offenses. Meanwhile, Brown University’s Health Department website (http://bit.do/browndrugpolicy) outlines different categories of drugs, the effects of each drug, and emergency contact information for those seeking medical attention. While Brown is not condoning drug use, it is providing students with vital information that could be the difference between life or death. The front-page article quoted Police Chief David Dugatkin, saying, “We are permitted to patrol inside the residence halls but not inside the rooms. You still have a right to your privacy. The only way we can enter is by law or if a college official believes there is a true health and safety risk. We as officers patrol our community just as any other police department anywhere else in the world.

A SUNY Voice for Tim Rogers

ties of public finance, to how best to care for our built and natural environment Tim is well-suited to advise and guide the community. Tim cares deeply for New Paltz. Anyone who knows Tim will already be familiar with this fact. In a sense, Tim is already delivering on all of his campaign promises. Tim fights for quality enforcement of the code of ordinances, dedicates thousands of hours of financial analysis for the New Paltz Central School District, and is indisputably the single most powerful lobbying force standing up to the town and village governments through journalistic submissions and public comments. By electing Tim Rogers, we would simply be imbuing him with the authority to more fully pursue the agenda he’s been fighting for all along, and, what I believe is ultimately best for the community. For these reasons, I am voting for Tim Rogers for Mayor of the Village of New Paltz, and urge all parties to do the same. For more reasons, visit electtimrogers.com, or visit his campaign facebook, Elect Tim Rogers.

A productive relationship between the college and the village government will help realize some of the most important goals shared by each. By contrast, maintaining the broken status quo will continue to see issues such as inadequate street lighting, subpar off-campus housing and the dearth of alternative energy solutions in our community remain unadressed. For this reason, I urge my fellow New Paltz graduates and students to vote Tim Rogers for Mayor of New Paltz. I have known Tim for about two years, first as political acquaintances during my time working directly with the Village Board, and now as friends. Throughout our relationship, a few things have become increasingly clear: Tim is an intensely analytical person. In making decisions; from what his kids are eating for dinner, to how best to execute capital projects for the New Paltz Central School District, Tim takes all angles into account. In addressing the effect of a given public initiative, it is rare that any impact gets by Tim unconsidered. Tim has a wealth of experience and knowledge. Tim’s advanced education, experience in relevant industries, and public service track record make him qualified to execute the analysis for which he has such passion. From the complexi-

We patrol because part of our job is to ensure safety.” In spite of this statement, students do not get the feeling of safety when officers patrol the halls and the feeling of privacy certainly feels diminished. A quick check of the UPD Police Log will show that most responses are regards to the odor of marijuana, with the majority of them turning up inconclusive or “unfounded.” Many students are left feeling that UPD is simply looking for people with marijuana. If UPD wants to maintain a “tough on crime” stance it should be focused on combating sexual assault. If UPD were to shift its focus to violent offenses it can foster greater trust, and ultimately better relationships, within the community. How will campus policy change now that medical marijuana is legal in

Thanks, Will Raphaelson Legislative Aide Office of Assemblymember Kevin A. Cahill

Thursday, March 12, 2015

The New Paltz Oracle

New York? There will be a SUNY New Paltz student who is going to be prescribed medicinal marijuana for their ailments. Will their academic livelihoods be threatened just because of their medicine? In short, we feel that a lot can be done to reduce drug-related harm and improve the relationship between UPD and the student body. This is why we recommend that SUNY New Paltz take a stance similar to Brown University’s approach to drug use as well as focus efforts on violent crime. These efforts will create a better and safer environment for SUNY New Paltz. Sincerely, Thomas Savidge, Jared Nelson, Austin Ferris, and New Paltz SSDP

The New Paltz Oracle

SPORTS

oracle.newpaltz.edu

The New Paltz Oracle

Men’s volleyball hosts No. 10 New York University on Thursday, March 12.

By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Since losing to Div. III nationallyranked No. 6 Springﬁeld College by a score of 2-3 (25-17, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 8-15) on Wednesday, Feb. 25, the Men’s Volleyball team has played ﬁve matches and won all of them. The Hawks competed in the Cairn Tri-Match on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and won both of their matches that afternoon. First, the Hawks defeated host Cairn University 3-1 (20-25, 25-13, 25-19, 2522). Hawks third-year co-Captain Christian Smith and second-year middle blocker Steven Woessner led the team with 10.5 points each. Smith also led the team with nine kills and posted a .462 hitting percentage. Woessner hit for .667 and led the team with two aces. Hawks fourth-year setter John Lutjen also contributed by leading the team with 21 assists.

JUST KEEP WINNING

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION & MARKETING

Next the Hawks took on Brooklyn College and defeated them 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-14). The loss dropped Brooklyn College’s record to 0-15. First-year middle blocker Nick Denoncourt led the Hawks with 12 kills and 17 points. Hawks ﬁrst-year setter Mitchell Kennedy’s performance was also key to the win, as he led the team with 34 assists. It was announced on March 2 that Denoncourt was named the UVC Rookie of the Week for the period ending March 1. “Every conference win is a huge win, so naturally we were thrilled with our performance,” third-year co-Captain Kevin Nardone said. After a successful weekend, the Hawks continued their success by handing No. 3 Kean University their ﬁrst loss of the season as they defeated them 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-20) on Wednesday, March 4. This marked the third-straight season the Hawks defeated the No.1 ranked team in Div. III.

Hawks ﬁrst-year outside hitter Anthony Bonilla led the team with 12.5 points and a match-high 11 kills. Smith led the Hawks with 21 assists and posted seven digs in the victory. “It was a well-earned victory: a hard fought match that showed the team’s full potential,” Head Coach Radu Petrus said. The Hawks then traveled across the river to Poughkeepsie, New York where they continued their strong play, as they won both of their matches for the second-straight UVC Crossover. The ﬁrst victory was at the hands of No. 8 Nazareth College. The Hawks were victorious by a score of 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-11). Smith and Lutjen both led the Hawks with 15 kills each. Smith also led the team with 24 assists and 18 points. Lutjen was second in assists with 19 and his .682 hitting-percentage was a matchhigh. The Hawks topped off their weekend with a 3-0 (32-30, 25-18, 25-21) victory

Thursday, March 12, 2015

against host Vassar College. The win put the team’s record at 11-3. Smith was the star in the victory, as he led the team with 10 kills, 12 points and a .667 hitting-percentage. Lutjen contributed by leading the team with 19 assists and Bonilla had a match-high eight digs. “I think the overall intensity and playing as a team has helped us tremendously as of late,” Smith said. “We have a talented group of players and it’s just a matter of all of that talent playing together as one.” In the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Men’s Coaches Top 15 Week #7 Poll, New Paltz was ranked at No. 4. The team’s next match will be at home against No. 10 New York University in a conference matchup on Thursday, March 12. The Hawks defeated New York University earlier this season on Thursday, Feb. 5 by a score of 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-20).

12 oracle.newpaltz.edu

Sports

The New Paltz Oracle

Women’s Basketball Season Ends By Melissa Kramer

Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The Women’s basketball team was eliminated from the playoffs in a 57-48 loss to SUNY Cortland on Friday, Feb. 27. The Hawks, who reached the SUNYAC Tournament semifinals after a 7958 win over Buffalo State in the quarterfinal round, end their season at 18-9 overall with the loss after holding a 6-19 record in 2013-14. With a 27-23 Hawks lead at halftime, Cortland had a 54.2 shooting percentage from the floor in the second half. The Red Dragons finished the game with a 45-33 advantage over the Hawks in rebounding. The Hawks entered the SUNYAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, as they faced Buffalo State, the sixth seed, and Cortland, the second seed. The SUNYAC Semifinal and Final round were held at host and champion SUNY Geneseo’s court. Head Coach Jamie Seward said the Hawks did not play their best game in the loss to Cortland. “Sometimes basketball comes down to who makes shots, and unfortunately our shots didn’t go,” Seward said. “In spite of that, we put ourselves in a position to win and led most of the game. But they went on a run in the second half and we just weren’t able to respond to it, and that was what it came down to.” Three Hawks were awarded accolades at the season’s end. Second-year guard/forward Kit Small and fourth-year co-Captain Shannan Walker earned SUNYAC All-Conference honors. Small was named to the Second Team and Walker was named to the Third Team. Small led the Hawks in scoring this season, averaging 12 points per game. She finished in double-digit points in 15 of the 16 final games. Walker, meanwhile, wrapped up her collegiate career tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.1 points per game. She converted a team-high 57 three-pointers, shooting 33.5 percent from long distance. Walker ranked fourth in the SUNYAC in both three-point field goal percentage (33.5 percent) and threepointers made per game (2.1). For her career, Walker notched 132 three-point-

ers and dished out 188 assists, tied for eighth-most in program history. Second-year forward Courtney Irby was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament team. During the quarterfinal win against Buffalo State, she scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Irby averaged 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season. Seward said the elimination in the semifinals was disappointing because he wanted to keep the group together as long as possible. “It’s truly been a pleasure to coach this team, so it was certainly disappointing that we weren’t able to advance,” Seward said. “They have come to play hard every day and they get along really well. It was such an enjoyable year just because the team was so fun to be around.” Three Hawks will not be returning next season: fourth-year co-Captains Ashley Riefenhauser and Walker and third-year co-Captain Christine Rivera. Walker said next season’s team is going to try and stay focused and get back to the point where they left off this season. One of the primary goals is to keep the team atmosphere because it really helps build the chemistry they have on the court, she said. “We really had a lot of good things going for us,” Walker said. “We really came together as a team this season because everyone wanted what was best for the team, not what was best for themselves.” On their home court, the Hawks went 11-1 this season, another turnaround from their 2-9 home record last season. For next season, Seward said he is thinking about what the team has to go through just to get back to the position they were in. The Hawks are trying to think about what they need to do moving forward because they want to get started on it right away, Seward said. “We’re excited about the future and the foundation that this group laid,” Seward said. “The seniors are going to be truly missed, but they did a great job of establishing what New Paltz basketball is about. Anything that we’re able to build on from moving forward is going to certainly be a tribute to them.”

Women’s basketball eliminated from playoffs.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

PHOTO COURTESY OF ED DILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

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Orange And

Blues

Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

When you think of New York sports teams, you think of legendary championship titles and some of the world’s most talented athletes. However, New York has its fair share of less than spectacular teams. The Jets, Knicks and my favorite team, the Mets. Throughout their history, the Mets have fielded some of the most spectacular teams the game has seen, and some of the very worst. The 1969 Miracle Mets won the World Series despite being 100-1 underdogs, and the 1973 team made it back to the World Series despite being in last place with a month left in the season. The 1986 Mets were no underdog team. They dominated every team they faced all the way to their second World Series title. More recently, the 2000 team made it to the World Series despite a group of outfielders led by Benny Agbayani. Who? Exactly. Then there was the 2006 squad: the last playoff appearance for the Mets, who ran away with the division title. But the Mets have seen more bad years than good ones. In their first season, 1962, the Mets lost 120 games, the most by any team since the World Series started. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the team was so bad that the upper deck at Shea Stadium was usually closed, as no one wanted to see them. The 1993 Mets were awful both on the field and off of it, as many of their players found themselves in legal trouble. Then of course there is the team us Mets fans have been subjected to the past half-decade. I started following this team during the summer of 2008 and I couldn’t have picked a worse time to become a Mets fan. They haven’t had a winning season since. I have only witnessed the Mets as losers. But I have followed them religiously through these awful seasons, and despite all the disappointment they have brought me, I love them. And with all of the young talent they have collected the past few seasons, it looks as though all of my loyalty may finally be paying off rather soon. So with a bright future ahead, I am proud to start my inaugural column, Orange and Blues. Thank you for reading. Without further delay, let’s take a look at how the 2015 Mets may finally show a resurgence in the franchise. The Young Arms If the Mets are to be successful in 2015, it will be in large part due to their collection of young pitchers. The biggest story in their starting rotation this year will be the return of Matt Harvey after he had to undergo Tommy John Surgery in October of 2013, sidelining him for the entire 2014 campaign. The Mets have made it clear that they are going to keep an eye on

oracle.newpaltz.edu

Hope In Flushing

the amount of innings he throws this year. But management said that if the team finds themselves in playoff contention, they’ll let Harvey throw as much as the Mets need him to, so I’m not too concerned they’ll be too overprotective with their ace. Harvey has proven he can be in the conversation of the best pitcher in baseball in the limited time he has had in the majors. I look forward to seeing “The Dark Knight of Gotham” dominating opposing batters again. Harvey’s main sidekick duo will consist of Zack Wheeler and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom. Wheeler was nearly as hyped as Harvey when he made his debut in 2013. However, he didn’t initially transition into the major leagues as well as Harvey did. That being said, Wheeler showed a lot of progress the second half of last season. In 2014, his Earned Run Average (ERA) was nearly a full run less in the second half as opposed to the first. It looks as though a lot of Wheeler’s growing pains are behind him, and he looks primed to create a great 1-2 punch for the Mets at the top of their rotation. deGrom looks to continue the success he had last season. Hopefully he can avoid the elusive “sophomore slump” that many players find themselves in. The last two spots in the rotation will likely see quite a few faces. Jonathan Niese and Bartolo Colon are slated to fill those spots. Niese will never be the ace of a rotation like Harvey, but he is very reliable and it’s tough to find a better pitcher at the back of the rotation than him. Colon, on the other hand, was very inconsistent for the team last season. But, he was the only Mets starter to throw more than 200 innings last season proving his durability. It’s hard to expect that again though, as Colon will turn 42 in May and has the body of a sumo wrestler. If Colon’s age and weight finally catch up with him this season, the Mets have plenty of arms to fill the void. Dillon Gee, who will be pushed to the bullpen this season after proving to be an average starter for the Mets, will likely be first in line to take Colon’s spot. Noah Syndergaard is projected to be even more dominant than Harvey, but he had a very shaky season in the minor leagues last year. Syndergaard will more than likely debut this season regardless, and could be a big contributor. Rafael Montero is another young gun that can make an impact in 2015. He got some playing time in the majors last season and at times showed his potential, but he also struggled a bit and showed that he needs more time in the minor leagues. New and Much Improved Bullpen A large part of the Mets’ turmoil the past

few seasons has been their bullpen. But last year the bullpen, which was once a weakness, turned into a strength. Jenrry Mejia stepped into the closer role last season and promptly saved 28 games in 31 opportunities. Despite his strong performance, Mejia will take a backseat as Bobby Parnell will take over the closer role again after missing most of the 2014 season. Joining Mejia and Parnell will be Jeurys Familia, who was lights out setting up the 9th inning for Mejia in 2014. Carlos Torres threw nearly 100 innings out of the ‘pen last season while still pitching effectively, and Josh Edgin proved how tough he can be on left-handed batters. Vic Black was also very effective and he and Gee will round out the bullpen. The “If” Lineup While the rotation and bullpen ﬁgure to be very strong assets for the Mets, the offense is left with a bunch of question marks. The only big addition General Manager Sandy Alderson added to the team this offseason was veteran Michael Cuddyer. While a very solid hitter, Cuddyer has been very injury-prone the past few seasons and will turn 36 before Opening Day. The Mets have a notorious history of signing old players for a lot of money, then watching them get injured and hardly play for the team. But the key word you will notice with this lineup is “if.” If he stays healthy, he’ll be a great addition. If Curtis Granderson can show more power than what he displayed last season, then maybe the Mets won’t regret signing him to a huge contract. The right ﬁeld fence will be moved in before the start of the season, so hopefully the “Grandy Man” can knock a few more out of the park this year. Team Captain David Wright had arguably the worst season of his career last year. If he can bounce back, the Mets can say they have a star hitting in the middle of their lineup. If Wilmer Flores can continue the power stroke he had at the end of last season, maybe Alderson won’t look so foolish for not acquiring a shortstop. Along with the team looking for bounceback seasons and good health from some of their hitters, they also hope some of their batters can continue the success they had last season. Second baseman Daniel Murphy is their most reliable bat, as he has batted around .285 with some power and stolen bases the past few seasons. Lucas Duda had a breakout season last year. I don’t expect him to crack 30 home runs again this season, due in large part to his struggles against left-handed pitchers. But if he proves to be a solid cleanup hitter for the team and provides 20-25 home runs, I’ll be plenty

Thursday, March 12, 2015

happy. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud showed a lot of progress after returning from the minors last season. If he can build off of the success he had last season, the Mets will have another strong bat in their lineup. Then there’s Juan Lagares, who looks as though he is on the cusp of becoming a star. He won a Gold Glove Award last season and was a joy to watch in the outfield. He’ll be at the top of the Mets lineup this season and has shown he can hit for a good average, steal bases and can provide some power. Other than Lagares and Wright, who has always been great at manning third base, the Mets are a bit questionable defensively. Flores has yet to prove himself at shortstop, and while Murphy has improved at second base, his range is very limited. Duda is a bit of a liability at first, and d’Arnaud has a below average throwing arm behind the plate. The bench players will help the starting lineup’s defensive struggles. Final Analysis Last season the Mets gave their fans something we haven’t felt in a very, very long time, hope. Many of their young players showed signs of soon becoming the core of a great team. Something that is interesting about the team last season is that they had a 75-68 against teams not named the Washington Nationals. The Mets could’ve had their first winning season since 2008, and almost did so without Harvey, had it not been for the team in the nation’s capital. The Nationals ran away with the division last season, and went 15-4 against the Mets along the way. They are again projected to run away with the division, and with a starting rotation that is the best in baseball, it is hard to argue against that prediction. But I don’t expect the Mets to win the division this year anyway. If they are to make the playoffs it will be as one of the Wild Card teams. So will the Mets make the playoffs this year? Honestly, probably not. Teams typically have a transition year before competing where they are in the race for a while, but fade out towards the end. However, for the first time in a long time, I actually look forward to this season. There is every chance the Mets can play exciting baseball all summer long and play important games in September. However, watching this team the past few seasons has also made me cynical. Also, I know there is a very good chance a lot of things might go wrong and the Mets may endure their seventh straight losing season. But rejoice Mets, fans, because the suffering may not last much longer. The Mets may very well actually field a contender this season.

14oracle.newpaltz.edu Home Isles Advantage Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

At the Trade Deadline on Monday, March 2, New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow countered on a few moves to improve the team. The Isles acquired forward Tyler Kennedy from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional pick in either the 2015 or 2016 NHL Draft. Kennedy will be a decent addition to the third and fourth-lines, who puts a lot of shots on net. During the 2009 season, Kennedy won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has 76 games of playoff experience under his belt. He will ﬁt right in with a tough-as-nails Isles fourth-line. His Isles debut was postponed due to an upper-body injury that he previously sustained before arriving to the team. Kennedy tallied a goal and an assist in his ﬁrst game as an Islander on Monday, March 9. Speaking of fourth-line, the return of forward Casey Cizikas is huge. This reunites Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin as the smash-hitting, energetic line that the Isles need to continue to have. After goaltender Chad Johnson’s below mediocre performance in a 5-3 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Feb. 28, it was time for a change. I know backup goaltenders do not get nearly enough playing time as they should to stay consistent, but Snow just sensed something with Johnson’s performances this season that he did not care for. Snow acquired goaltender Michal Neuvrith from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Johnson and a 2016 third-round pick in the draft. Neuvrith will provide a solid backup presence. In order to be a true Stanley Cup contender, a team needs to have depth and skill at all ends of the ice. This includes backup goaltenders. Neuvrith was previously a starting goaltender for the Washington Capitals during the 2010-11 season. He compiled a record of 27-12 with a 2.45 goals against average. That season, he took his Eastern Conference leading Capitals all the way to

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Isles Add Depth the Eastern Conference Finals. Did I mention, he is only 26 years old? I can only hope he still has magic left

this past offseason. He only appeared in 15 games for the Isles and played a majority of his time with their mi-

Islanders look for contributions from new additioms.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER SLGCKGC

the Eastern Conference Finals four seasons ago. If he performs well, he could sign a deal with the team to give the Isles goaltending depth for seasons to come. Neuvrith is currently 1-1 in games he has played in for the Isles. In his ﬁrst game, which was a loss, the lack of shots throughout the game made it difﬁcult for him to get into it. I believe this is “new team jitters” and that he will be his old self with time. However, that is an issue with all backup goaltenders. They do not get nearly enough playing time to feel comfortable and to get in a zone, so I can only hope he does not feel that way about every game he will play between the pipes. Snow traded away forward Cory Conacher to the Vancouver Canucks. Conacher was acquired by the Isles

nor league afﬁliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers. I am very glad and content with Snow keeping the Islanders’ roster intact. Switching up a roster who has clicked and has the chemistry they are having at this point in the season is the worst move a General Manager can possibly make. There have been several bright spots for the Islanders this season, and the list can only expand. Captain John Tavares scored goal number 32 on the season against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, March 7. This marks a career high. He currently leads the NHL in points with 72. More bright spots include defenseman Nick Leddy signing a sevenyear deal worth $38.5 million with the

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Islanders on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Leddy was acquired on Saturday, Oct. 4 along with defenseman Johnny Boychuk, only a few hours apart. Locking up Leddy was a fantastic move by the team. Snow has shown the Islanders fans the team will be legitimate playoff contenders for seasons to come. The Islanders now have a solid and young defensive core locked up for many seasons. Leddy is signed through the 2021-22 season; Travis Hamonic signed through 2019-20 and Calvin de Haan signed through 201617 for just $1.97 million in average annual value. The experience and chemistry of this still “young” defensive group will only continue to improve over their years spent together. Another bright spot has been the goaltending of Jaroslav Halak all season long. Halak recorded his 33rd win on Friday, Feb. 27 in a 2-1 win against the Calgary Flames. This set a team record for wins by a goaltender in a single season. Forward Anders Lee was named NHL Rookie of the Month for February. He topped all rookies tallying 15 points last month. Lee has been a contender to be named Rookie of the Year with the numbers he is putting up this season. Kyle Okposo returned to the lineup after missing a month and a half with an eye injury. This will be the right piece that the Isles need back. Okposo was having himself a career season before going down with the injury. He will continue to be a sparkplug to the ﬁrst-line. The lead in the Metropolitan Division was a tight one about a week ago, but the are Isles currently one point back from the division lead. With a month remaining in the regular season, the Isles have a great shot at securing the top seed. Playing mostly west coast teams in the coming weeks will be a test of endurance. A Stanley Cup contender needs to be able to beat teams from both conferences. I still have a strong feeling they will come out strong and pick up more ground.

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Practical Grammar

Social Inequality in the U.S.

Introduction to Communications

Contemporary Literary Theory

Great Books Western

Women and Health

The American Civil Rights Movement

Interpersonal Communication

Aural Rehabilitation of Children and Adults

Rap and the Spoken Word

Social Psychology

Observations in Communication Disorders

Archaeological Field School

Sovereigns, Subjects and the State: Modern Political Thought

Introduction to Communication

Cultures of South America

Introduction to International Politics

Advanced Speech Science

Sociology of Families

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Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanism

SPORTS

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Women’s Basketball Eliminated From Playoffs PAGE 12

Predictions For Upcoming Mets Season PAGE 13

FAB FIVE

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