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Volume 87, Issue XIX

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Thursday, April 9, 2015

WILMO - WRONG

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONOFCHANGE.ORG

Court Rules In Favor Of Planning Board In Wilmorite Lawsuit STORY ON PAGE 3 | EDITORIAL ON PAGE 9

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE

• Neighboring Community Handles Conﬂict Over Pledge Reading.................Pg 4 • Bevier Hall To Close For Renovations Next December......Pg 6 • New Living Learning Community To Be Offered This Fall...........Pg 5 • Senate Hosts State Of The Campus Event................Pg 7

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

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Volume 87 Issue XIV NEWS THE DEEP END

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Incident: Suspicious Activity Date: 4/1/15 Location: Hasbrouck Dining Hall Subject makes threatening remarks against school. Comments made were threatening and alarming by those that heard conversation. Subject mirandized. Incident: Trespassing Date: 4/2/15 Location: Student Union Subject in violation of an order of protection. Pending further investigation. SUNY New Paltz University Police Department Emergencies: 845-257-2222

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Saturday, April 11 Partly Cloudy High: 59 Low: 43

Sunday, April 12 Sunny High: 69 Low: 40

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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.

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Monday, April 13 Partly Cloudy High: 71 Low: 44

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Court Rules In Favor Of Town Planning Board In Park Point Lawsuit By Melanie Zerah

Copy Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

On March 17, New York State Supreme Court of Ulster County Justice Michael Melkonian upheld the Town of New Paltz’s right to approve site plans based on financial impacts to the community, rejecting Wilmorite Incorporated — a real estate company which develops, finances and operates upon real estate — and their proposed 256-unit SUNY New Paltz dormitory project, Park Point, to be built on town land on Route 32. The lawsuit began when the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) granted Wilmorite a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for their plans to build the dormitory at Park Point — prompting the New Paltz Town Planning Board to reject the plan on the basis that the tax-break the PILOT allowed was unfair to the town. Wilmorite, the SUNY New Paltz Foundation and Park Point New Paltz LLC then filed an Article 78 lawsuit against the New Paltz Planning Board for denying Wilmorite the right to build under the PILOT agreement. The New Paltz Planning Board in turn filed a lawsuit against the Ulster County IDA for the implementation of the Category 5 classified tax break. According to the Decision and Order statement released by the Supreme Court of Ulster County, the project sponsor of the Park Point Project applied to the planning board for site plan and subdivision approval in 2010. The proposal itself was the result of SUNY New Paltz’s inability to fund construction of student housing within its budget, the statement said. The IDA approved the 25-year-long PILOT plan last April. According to the Decision and Order, under the plan Wilmorite would only pay taxes costing between $450 and $750 for each of the 696 student housing beds at Park Point in the first year, a fraction of the amount of the property tax that would be paid to the town without the PILOT agreement. “We are very pleased with the court ruling. The town board has been very clear about the impact the Wilmorite project would have to our community in regards to police, fire and rescue,” New Paltz Town Supervisor Susan Zimet said. “We support the findings of the judge. The decision was very thoughtful and the judge expressed a deep understanding of the impact on the local communities, especially in a tax cap environment.” According to the New Paltz Times, Judge Melkonian said that the planning board is obligated under the State Environmental Quality

A conceptual digital rendering of the Park Point housing complex.

Review Act (SEQRA) to determine the fiscal impact of the PILOT granted by the IDA upon the town, the village and the school district. The planning board concluded that the revenues coming to the town and school district under the PILOT were insufficient to maintain local services. Despite these findings, the IDA granted Wilmorite the PILOT agreement, prompting the town to file the lawsuit on the grounds that their findings were not justly taken into consideration. “We understand that SUNY believes that they need more housing and we are not against the college growing in any means whatsoever. SUNY New Paltz is critically important to the community,” Zimet said. “However, it is not fair to do it on the backs of the taxpayers and the people who live in the community.” According to The Daily Freeman, the New Paltz Town Board said that at the full $53.4 million assessment for Park Point, annual tax payments would be $237,013 to the county; $385,023 to the town; and $1,058,282 to the school district; but that under the PILOT deal, those figures would be only $73,629,

$119,609 and $328,761, respectively. SUNY New Paltz Media Relations Manager Melissa Kaczmarek said that the college remains committed to the critical need for safe, proximate, high-quality apartment-style housing for students, faculty and staff. According to Kaczmarek, SUNY New Paltz is at the bottom of SUNY comprehensive colleges in the number of beds per student and will continue to explore available options to address the shortage of housing in New Paltz that has been “longstanding and critical to the educational interests of current and future students.” The planning board is currently in the midst of creating a “moratorium” on student dormitory housing projects that apply for a Category 5 tax break. The process calls for the planning board to review how they can create a law that will balance the need for student dormitory housing with the economic impact on the community. When asked if the college will be acting in conjunction with the planning board to find a solution, Kaczmarek said, “Until we learn more about the town’s plan, we are unable to comment.”

Thursday, April 9, 2015

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWPALTZ.EDU

“The town board asked the planning board to invite the college to join with the town to review and study how we can come up with a plan to allow the college to build the housing they need, while respecting the needs of the taxpayers of New Paltz,” Zimet said. In the SUNY New Paltz 2014 State of the College address, SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian said that even with the tax break, Park Point will be the largest taxpaying unit in New Paltz. Christian said that this reinforces his view that the project is good for meeting the college’s critical housing needs as well as being beneficial for the community, compared to alternatives that could have been pursued. In the address, Christian described those in opposition of the project to have highly exaggerated the negative impacts Park Point would have on the community. “We aren’t against the Wilmorite project, we are against the Wilmorite project getting tax breaks and not paying [the full amount of said] taxes. That is not being anti-student, that is being pro-taxpayers, of whom we are elected to represent in our community,” Zimet said.

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Orange County School Apologizes Over Arabic Pledge Reading

AFGHAN SOLDIER KILLS 1 US SOLDIER, OTHERS INJURED An Afghan soldier shot and killed a U.S. soldier and wounded several others Wednesday before being shot dead, the first so-called “insider attack” to target NATO troops since they ended their combat mission at the start of the year. The shooting happened after Afghan provincial leaders met a U.S. Embassy official at the compound of the Nangarhar provincial governor in the city of Jalalabad. All U.S. Embassy staff were accounted for and safe, the diplomatic mission said. IRAN SENDS NAVY VESSELS TO YEMEN, RAISING STAKES Iran dispatched a destroyer and another naval ship to waters off Yemen on Wednesday, raising the stakes amid a Saudi-led air campaign targeting Iranian-backed Shiite rebels fighting forces loyal to the country’s embattled president. The Iranian maneuver came as the U.S. deepened its support for the Saudi-led coalition. ISIS RELEASES OVER 200 CAPTIVE IRAQI YAZIDIS The Islamic State group released more than 200 Yazidis on Wednesday after holding them for eight months, the latest mass release of captives by the extremists targeted by U.S.-led airstrikes and an Iraqi ground offensive. NKOREA DEPORTS AMERICAN FOR “PLOTTING” North Korea has deported an American woman who frequently visited the country over the past 20 years, accusing her of engaging in “plot-breeding and propaganda.” North Korea’s state media said Wednesday that Sandra Suh had traveled to North Korea “under the pretense of `humanitarianism,’” but that she had secretly produced and directed anti-North Korean videos and photos because of her “inveterate repugnancy” toward Pyongyang. Compiled from the AP Newswire

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TIMES HERALD RECORD

By Jennifer Newman

Features Editor | Jnewman46@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Locals are divided over an apology issued by Pine Bush High School in Orange County after the school received complaints because a student recited the United States Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic as part of a series during foreign language week. Following the reading, some cars in the parking lot of the school sported the words, “We live in America. Speak English.” Other cars had American flags on the roofs. A statement from the district apologized “to any students, staff or community members who found this activity disrespectful” and said the reading was intended to “promote the fact that those who speak a language other than English still pledge to salute this great country.” Jean Gilmore, a former English teacher at Pine Bush High School, said the district never should have apologized. “The pledge is the pledge — no matter what language it’s said in,” she said. “The people in the community making nasty comments are allowing stereotyping by their assumption that all Arabic speakers are terrorists.” After the apology from the district, many alumni of the high school began letter writing campaigns to express their diverse opinions and anger over the situation. Pine Bush High School 2011 graduate

Pierce VanDunk spearheaded one of the letter writing campaigns, encouraging fellow alumnus of the district to speak out against the apology. In his letter, VanDunk said that as a minority and as an older brother of two current students in the district, he was dismayed by the fact that the district is allowing outside community pressures to impinge on student’s rights to a culturally competent education. VanDunk was upset by the apology of the school and the district’s subsequent decision to “only recite the Pledge of Allegiance in English as recommended by the Commissioner of Education.” Pine Bush Central School District officials told the Times Herald Record there were no plans for a high school assembly after the controversy created by the reaction to the pledge reading. Following the controversy, a group of veterans attended a Board of Education meeting to express their viewpoints on the decision. Some said they believed reciting the pledge in Arabic showed a lack of respect for veterans, according to a Times Herald Record article. “I’m not bashing the students — it’s a learning curve for everybody,” Raymond Thurse, a Desert Storm-era veteran who lives in Middletown, said during the board address. “But why would you pick the Pledge of Allegiance? You could have

Thursday, April 9, 2015

picked something else. Why would it have to be that?” Three years ago, parents in Pine Bush filed a lawsuit against the school district saying alleged anti-Semitic bullying had happened there for years. VanDunk said the diversity issue at the school runs deep and the pledge apology demonstrates another instance where the district has shown a lack of support for diversity. “I’m annoyed that the school basically allowed itself to get bullied by some of the families in the district,” he said. “I think a lot of people, especially people that are seeing this in the news and don’t actually know Pine Bush, are misreading the situation and getting the impression that the school district is this backward, suppressionist institution. I don’t want to suggest that the school district is evil and is out to get Arabic-speakers, but I do want to say that the district really displayed its lack of backbone in this situation.” Gilmore said from here she thinks the school needs to encourage diversity in order to promote unity amid the situation. “I don’t know what they can do to get their credibility back except allow more things like [the pledge reading] and stop being scared of a narrow minded, provincial community,” Gilmore said. “The school district is there to educate a community and in my opinion, should continue to champion diversity in every way they are able.”

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LGBTQA Living Learning Program Opens In Lenape By Sam Manzella

Copy Editor | Manzells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Last week, an email from SUNY New Paltz Coordinator of Housing Operations, Rafael Calderon, announced a new living learning community coming in the Fall 2015 semester — the Rivera House LGBTQA+ Living Learning Community. The program consists of 10 rooms with three-person suites in Lenape Hall. According to Calderon’s email, the new community was named after Puerto Rican and Venezuelan-American transgender activist Sylvia Rae Rivera, a well known activist for the rights of LGBTQA+ youth of color. Rivera House is open to any students who identify as LGBTQA+ or allies and have not moved off campus. According to the Rivera House application, students who join the living learning community will work with activists on campus and in the New Paltz community to fight racism, sexism and homophobia. Additionally, students will be assigned peer mentors in an LGBTQA+ program and enter a welcoming network of students, faculty and community members who share their passion for social justice. Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

(WGS) Professor Jessica Pabón, the faculty advisor for the Rivera House, explained that the project was in the works before her arrival on campus during the Fall 2014 semester. Pabón, who has previous experience in student affairs and an interest in justice for marginalized groups, instantly volunteered to help with the program. “I don’t know exactly where the idea originated from, but I remember it being thrown out at a committee meeting and me being like, ‘Oh, I want to do that,’” Pabón said. According to Pabón, the plans for Rivera House students are still in the works. Students, she said, expressed their desire at a committee meeting to be part of the planning process, which she welcomed with open arms. Pabón hopes to have queer author Sassafras Lowrey, who wrote the critically-acclaimed anthology “Kicked Out,” which documents narratives from LGBTQA+ individuals, speak during the lecture series. Pabón is also currently working on developing an overall theme for the programs during Rivera House’s inaugural year. “I want to focus on a healthy living theme in terms of surviving as an LGBTQA+ person,” Pabón said. “With all the statistics about

suicide, depression and anxiety [among this group], and the pressures of college, I just feel like this is a good theme for the first year.” Pabón also wants to pair incoming firstyears up with upperclassmen in the program who “know the lay of the land,” she said. She hopes that students who are involved will suggest more ideas for guest speakers and relevant programs or activist projects. “[This program] isn’t just about living, but also about the learning component,” Pabón said. “I want students to develop a campaign of some kind and work on that together.” Additionally, Pabón expressed her hopes that Rivera House will transcend the university’s WGS program. “[Even though] it’s coming out of WGS, I really hope that students in other majors or students who have not yet declared will be a part of it,” Pabón said with a smile. “It’s not just for [WGS] majors.” There are only 30 beds available in the Rivera House LGBTQA+ Living Learning Community. Students can submit their applications to join the community to Pabón by April 12 via her email, pabonj@zmail.newpaltz.edu.

Professor Stella Deen Appointed Interim Provost By Monique Tranchina

Contributing Writer | Tranchim1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Stella Deen, accomplished writer and professor, was appointed the interim provost of SUNY New Paltz following the announced retirement of current provost, Philip Mauceri. Deen explained that during her experience teaching at the college, she has seen the potential for positive change in the academic departments to work with more mutual efficiency. Deen said she is concerned about the quality of collaboration between faculty, students and administration. “Faculty do not benefit enough from one another’s expertise because they do not have many opportunities to collaborate as teachers. For a long time I have wanted to see faculty explore a topic or a question by coteaching across their disciplines,” Deen said. “Students want to make connections across different disciplines; I think it increases their understanding of each discipline and reinforces their sense of the relevance of what they are learning.” Deen has qualifications and the necessary experience from previously held posi-

tions that will enhance her ability to oversee the complex workings within departments and potential issues that may arise among students, faculty and administration. Though the similar jobs of interim associate provost and dean of the graduate school from 20102011 have prepared her for a more expansive executive role, she said that her time focusing on teaching has humbled her perspective about the classroom. “My teaching and previous administrative positions have prepared me well. Essentially, I have had the opportunity to understand the college from different perspectives,” Deen said. “I love teaching and the opportunity it affords to get to students individually. Having a concrete sense of students’ backgrounds and their daily lives provide an important perspective on questions about how to improve the quality of their education.” “Deen brings to this position a strong scholarly and teaching background as well as significant administrative experience,” Mauceri said in regard to her abilities. “I am confident that she will work during this interim period to ensure that our students continue to

have a solid foundation in the liberal arts.” Deen also served as the chair at the Liberal Education Ad-Hoc Committee from 2011 to 2012. According to Deen, this work influenced her beliefs about how students learn best. The increasing applicant pool of students seeking opportunity for aftergraduation employment and overall success benefits from her favorable understanding of students, Deen said. During her development as a teacher and administrator, Deen noticed how the college has changed and improved. “Probably the biggest improvement I have seen is increased and effective communication across divisions and between the college and interested communities beyond it,” Deen said. “Much more than in the past, administrators seek faculty perspectives and ideas; and conversely, faculty have a much better appreciation for the work of staff and administrators.” Deen shared her own keenness for learning within the new position. “I am sure when I turn in this direction I’ll start out as a follower rather than a leader,” Deen said.

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OFFICER DIDN’T WARN MAN BEFORE HE SHOT HIM 8 TIMES An eyewitness whose cellphone video put a South Carolina police officer in jail on a murder charge said Wednesday that he did not hear the white officer give any warning before he fired eight times at the back of a black man who can be seen in the footage running away before he falls to the ground. TSARNAEV GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES IN BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted on all charges Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombing by a jury that will now decide whether the 21-year-old should be executed. The former college student stood with his hands folded, as he listened to the word “guilty” recited on all 30 counts against him, including conspiracy and deadly use of a weapon of mass destruction. Seventeen of those counts are punishable by death. BALTIMORE POLICE OFTEN SURVEIL PHONES AMID US SECRECY

The Baltimore Police Department has used secretive cellphone surveillance equipment 4,300 times and believes it is under orders by the U.S. government to withhold evidence from criminal trials and ignore subpoenas in cases where the device is used, a police detective testified Wednesday. SENATE CREATING SECRET ENCYCLOPEDIA OF US SPY PROGRAMS Trying to get a handle on hundreds of sensitive, closely held surveillance programs, a Senate committee is compiling a secret encyclopedia of American intelligence collection. It’s part of an effort to improve congressional oversight of the government’s sprawling global spying effort. Compiled from the AP Newswire

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Bevier Hall To Close For Renovations In Dec. 2016 By Amanda Copkov

Copy Editor | Copkova1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Starting in December of 2016, Bevier Hall will be closed to undergo renovations. The residence hall, located at the edge of South Manheim Blvd. and South Side Loop, will reopen in August of 2017. According to SUNY New Paltz Director of Facilities Design and Construction John McEnrue, the Bevier Hall reconstruction project was postponed to Dec. 2016 from Dec. 2015 due to a lack of funding. SUNY New Paltz Coordinator of Housing Operation Rafael Calderon said the college had to wait three years to renovate the second residential housing project in LeFevre Hall, which in turn pushed back the date for the renovation of Bevier Hall. “There has been a plan in place since 2010 to renovate a building every two years,” Calderon said. “The first building to get done was Crispell in 2011. The economy going kaput stalled the timeline because the governor had to slash the SUNY budget.” Calderon said that unless the economy takes “another nosedive,” the plan is to renovate a residence hall every two years until each has updated. McEnrue said that Crispell, LeFevre and Bevier Halls were renovated first because they are the first buildings that can be seen from the road. Updating these residence halls and making them more aesthetically appealing could make SUNY New Paltz a better prospect for potential students, he said. Bevier Hall is also electrically and mechanically outdated and does not currently meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, McEnrue said. McEnrue also said the Hasbrouck quad suite-style residence buildings — Bevier, LeFevre, Crispell, Deyo and DuBois Halls — were in worse shape than the residence halls located on the Parker Complex — Scudder, Bliss, Gage, Bouton, Capen, Shango and College Halls. McEnrue said that Bevier, like Deyo and DuBois halls, has underutilized space in the central halls outside the existing suites. “The new design, similar to Crispell and LeFevre Halls, will envelop this space to within the student suites themselves making them more pleasant; homey, if you will,” McEnrue said.

The front entrance of Bevier Residence Hall.

McEnrue also said that Bevier will receive upgraded heating, ventilating, air conditioning, electrical support and wifi throughout its facilities. Upgrades in the residence hall will also include a new elevator, enhanced student lounge space and overall lighting improvements. Calderon said the reconstruction of this residence hall will be a “complete overhaul” in that the roof will be completely redone as well as its entrances, windows, floors and bathrooms. Similarly to LeFevre Hall, the improved Bevier will have its main entrance leading up to the main level/first floor and down to the basement where the lounge, kitchenette, laundry rooms and study areas will be located. This is different from Crispell Hall in that there is no direct access from the main entrance leading down to the basement. Students living in Bevier have also noticed that their living quarters are in need of renovations. Alexis Polokoff, a second-year sociology major, said that it is a “known fact” that

PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

there is asbestos throughout the building. “That’s definitely not a healthy living environment to be in as far as health and safety are concerned,” she said. Megan Carbia, a second-year political science major, said she noticed that the ceilings in her second-floor suite are rotting, the carpet in the halls is ripped, there are broken lights and the stairwells are in poor shape. Both Carbia and Polokoff expressed the inconvenience of needing an access card separate from their New Paltz Student ID card to gain access to the building, their suites, as well as their individual rooms. “The fact that I can use my ID card at the gym, at the dining hall and to do everything else on campus except get into my dorm is ridiculous,” Carbia said. Polokoff added that the additional card has not made a difference in health and safety, especially since other Bevier Hall residents, including Carbia, have noticed that the main scanner to the front entrance has broken several times throughout the semester.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

“You don’t even need your card to open the door,” Carbia said. “You can just pull it open most of the time.” McEnrue said that come next fall semester, Bevier Hall residents will only need their student ID cards to get into the residence hall as well as their suites and individual rooms. He also said that students who choose to live in Bevier Hall during the Fall 2016 semester will be informed by Residence Life prior to moving in that they will need to move again come that December. “We usually lose over 250 people between fall and spring because they graduate, go study abroad, student teach, transfer, fail out [or otherwise],” Calderon said. “Many of the people leaving will be from Bevier because I will put all international students that come here in the fall, that will only be here until the end of the fall, in Bevier. We then get about 150 new students that come in the spring. The hundred or so leftover vacancies will cover the rest of the people that will be displaced from Bevier.”

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Senate Speaks At State Of Campus Address By Nathaniel Sheidlower

Copy Editor | Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

On Wednesday, April 8, the 59th Student Senate met in the Coykendall Science Building auditorium to present the State of the Campus address to those in attendance. Only 10 student senators were initially present at the event. It was decided the meeting would begin despite the necessary quorum of 13 student senators for meetings to take place. The meeting, sponsored by the Student Concerns Committee, began with talk of the upcoming Student Association (SA) elections to be held from April 28-30. This round of elections will fill all senate seats and all seats on the executive board, along with amendments to the SA constitution and a referendum to pass the activity fee. The activity fee requires each student to pay money to the SA to fund clubs and events on campus for the next two years. The referendum, if passed,

would make this fee optional and it was mentioned at the address that if a sizable number of students opt out of paying the fee, club and event funding would be cut. There was then discussion on the raising of tuition. The current SUNY arrangement raises tuition by $150 a semester. The Student Senate has passed two pieces of legislation: one condemns the SUNY 2020 program and the other is against the START-UP New York program, which provides tax-free zones for businesses around SUNY campuses. Senators noted that while this plan was intended for small business, they fear that larger corporations will “abuse it.” According to SA, SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Purchase are currently the only two schools to pass legislation against the tuition hikes, while SUNY Oneonta is the only school to pass legislation supporting the hikes. SUNYs

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Buffalo and Stony Brook also support the hikes but have not yet passed legislation to that effect. SA Executive Vice President Jesse Ginsberg presented a plan to create a University Police Department (UPD) oversight committee. He noted this type of committee is present in New York City, Oakland, California and the state of Michigan and requires a police oversight committee at all of their state colleges. According to Ginsberg, current issues that would be resolved by this committee include the fact that the Chief of Police has total discretion to accept or disregard advice from the community, UPD handles investigations into their own officers and policies and since there is no third party to address misconduct by UPD, they are the only body who take reports of this kind. Students do not feel comfortable coming forward, Ginsberg said. Cait O’Connor, who plans to run

for a senator seat in the upcoming elections, and Sen. Christine Rivera spoke out against sexual assault. O’Connor presented statistics she gathered as a senator last year that showed our schools on campus drug arrests are considerably higher than arrests for sexual assault and other crimes of that nature. If elected, she plans to present legislation next semester that would push to purchase date-rape drug testing kits and provide them to any student who thinks they may have been sexually assaulted and/or drugged. She noted that these kits cost only $4.77 for a pack of three. Other presentations were given by Sen. Rookie Reynoso, who spoke about the state of the African American community on campus, Sen. Brienna Perez, who discussed the arbitration clause of our student contracts and Sen. James Auer, who laid out the changes that the Campus Auxiliary Services Board are making to the meal plans.

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A Reaction To Hate FILM INSPIRES HEARTFELT DISCUSSION

By Amanda Copkov Copy Editor | Copkova1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The room was dark, but throughout it glistened the eyes of many who started to shed tears. The crowd watched the screen as the unconscious body of a small, blonde boy lay in the Poudre Valley Hospital bed attached to tubes and IVs; 21 years old with a mouth still filled with braces; blood dry from the gashes on his face from days earlier. Friends read old letters and couldn’t hold back their sobs. A proud mother told of her heartache as she tried to be brave for her son. A solemn father sat with regret and wished he could tell his first-born how proud he was of him and how much he loved him just one more time. Matthew “Matt” Shepard was a gay youth during the 1990’s. He lost his life to a hate crime in the dark, vast fields east of Laramie, Wyoming, where no one could hear his cries for help. Matt Shepard sighed his last breath of air at 12:53 a.m. on Oct. 12, 1998. On Monday, April 6 in the Lecture Center, SUNY New Paltz’s REACT to FILM chapter showed the powerful feature documentary of Matt Shepard’s all too-brief life, entitled, “Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine,” directed by his close friend, Michele Josue. The film revisits the shocking case of Matt Shepard, a young gay man who was tortured and murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in United States history. Throughout the film, friends and family continue to say that Matt had too much faith in people. This was a quality that everyone loved about him –– the quality that made him so good –– but his trust was not deserved by all. Shepard’s murderers, Aaron

McKinney and Russell Henderson, saw him across the room at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming. The two pretended to come on to Shepard and convinced him to leave with them. Planning to rob him of whatever money he might have had, McKinney, 22 at the time, and Henderson, 21 at the time, tied him to a fence, beat him with the butt of a pistol and left him to die on a cold October night. This notorious anti-gay hate crime sparked a nationwide activist movement. Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis, founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation, whose vision is “to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance” and whose mission is to “empower individuals to embrace human dignity and diversity through outreach, advocacy and resources, affecting positive change,” according to their website. Much like the Matthew Shepard Foundation, REACT to FILM is an organization that inspires young people to engage in the real issues of today through film. Alexis Walker, a fourth-year communications major and coPresident of SUNY New Paltz’s REACT to FILM, said the mission of the organization as a whole is to spark awareness and start conversation among peers. “It’s good for the campus because it’s something different and it makes a change,” she said. “This issue [of anti-gay attitudes] is a tough one to swallow, but being aware helps everyone.” Walker said the most inspiring part of the film was when Josue, the director of the film and Shepard’s close friend, spoke to Father Rogers, a priest from Wyoming who knew Shepard as well as McKinney and Henderson. Something that Rogers said

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTSHEPARDISAFRIENDOFMINE.COM

that stuck with her was when he said, “There are just some things that you need to keep being angry about and that you shouldn’t completely let go of.” Guy Visk, a program assistant at the Migrant Education Program on campus and a resident of New Paltz, said what Father Rogers said to Josue stuck with him as well. “This horrible thing that happened created an opportunity for people to open up their hearts and their minds,” he said. Visk said he enjoyed the personal perspective of the documentary and said that it was the best representation he had seen of Shepard as a person.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

“You can read about something or have someone tell an account of what happened, but to see something is very different,” he said. “We need to see the people and know them not as symbols of a hate crime. The breathing person is who is important, not the image.” Walker, along with fellow coPresident and fourth-year marketing major Christina Waterman, agreed that New Paltz has a strong LGBTQ community and it is important to show how brutal these acts of violence can be. “Gay rights are more accepted now, but there is still a lot to fight for against violence and prejudice,” Walker said.

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The Fight On Facebook NEW PALTZ ALUMNA ANALYZE COMPETITION ON SOCIAL MEDIA By Nathaniel Sheidlower Copy Editor | Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu Every battle has its own ﬁeld and one of these growing in popularity among social competitors is Facebook. The social networking site has become a platform for intrasexual competition among many people worldwide, according to SUNY New Paltz alumna Amanda “Mandy” Guitar. Guitar is currently a doctoral student in the anthropology department at SUNY Binghamton. Her recent research, done with the help of SUNY New Paltz alumna and adjunct professor of evolutionary psychology Rachel Carmen, focuses on this competition between those of the same sex on Facebook. Her talk, “Facebook Frenemies and Selﬁe-Promotion: Intrasexual Competition in the Digital Age,” given at SUNY New Paltz on April 6, was part of the Evolution Studies Program EvoS Seminar series and presented the idea that people use Facebook

to promote themselves, manipulate competitors and manipulate potential mates. “Facebook is a platform for displaying honest and dishonest signals to potential rivals or potential mates,” Guitar said at the start of her presentation. One example of self-promotion Guitar discussed was the use of selfies, or a picture of a person taken by themselves. She said this type of self-promotion is less direct, less obvious and more commonly associated with women. Guitar listed a few physical characteristics of women that men find attractive: elaborate curves, a thin chin, large eyes and fat lips (a.k.a the “duck face”), are a few features that are either exposed or often created by the selfie. She said the very common downward angle of selfies brings out some of these details, causing the person to appear more attractive, quoting celebrity and frequent selfie poster Kim Kardashian as saying, “Know your angle.”

Another example of competition on Facebook that Guitar spoke of was manipulation of competitors. One type of this manipulation is keeping tabs on rivals by becoming their friend, or in reality, their frenemy. While both sexes have been found to do this, Guitar mentioned that it is another type of indirect competition and thus more popular with women. “Females at the top of their hierarchy will rely on social connections to remain at the top,” Guitar said. According to Guitar many people use Facebook strictly for surveillance on rivals, mates or family members, citing a 2007 study that revealed 60 percent of college students use Facebook for this purpose. Guitar called this type of monitoring direct competitor derogation. It is the direct form of this competition and can lead to harmful posts, known as cyberbullying. Indirect derogation is negative gossip and shunning, where a person may receive few

to no “likes” on their posts or negative gossip. Towards the end of her talk, Guitar showed a few screen shots of Facebook. She revealed the “see friendship” feature, which allows users to view all interactions between themselves and a friend of theirs. What many audience members were unaware of, however, is that this tool can be used to track the relationship of any two friends of a user. This is a method of surveillance offered by the site. Maureen McCarthy is a third-year psychology major who does not use Instagram or Snapchat and doesn’t often take or post selfies. Although she does not partake, she said the analysis of selfies presented in the research was fascinating. “Her talk really spoke to the population here,” McCarthy said. “I never thought of selfies in such a scientific way, but it was very interesting.”

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Produce: Perfected or Poisoned?

DOCUMENTARY UNVEILS HORRORS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

GMO documentary highlights health dangers of practice.

By Jessica Jones

Staff Writer | N02603338@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

When Jeremy Seifert asked the public about GMOs, the overwhelming response was: “What the hell is that?” To better understand what he was feeding his kids — Finn, 8, Scout, 6, and Pearl, 3 — Seifert, one of the directors of the 2013 documentary, “GMO OMG,” canvassed the country to get answers about possible ramifications of GMOs. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genes have been altered to produce a desired trait by way of deletion, insertion and mutation. Genetically modified crops constitute 85 percent of processed foods in the U.S. For example, strawberries not labeled organic most likely contain the DNA of fish, which allow the strawberries to be frozen and remain fresh. New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) of SUNY New Paltz held a screening of Seifert’s resulting documentary film “GMO OMG” on Tuesday, March 31 in the Student Union to help push legislation to mandate GMO labeling of food in the U.S. Lauren Crawford, fourth-year international relations major and NYPIRG member at SUNY New Paltz, said they hosted the film screening because so many students are “ignorant on the subject mat-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GMOFILM.COM

ter of GMOs.” She said she supports the hypothesis that there is a “myriad of potential health and environmental risks” associated with GMOs that have not been tested for by the U.S. government. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed GMOs to be safe for consumption based on a three-month study on rats, which was not peer-reviewed. Gilles-Eric Séralini, professor of molecular biology at the University of Caen, France and the president of the Committee of Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), conducted a two-year study of GMO consumption on rats and found results in 2012 that conflicted those of the FDA. The film reported that Séralini’s rats were afflicted with kidney, liver and mammary tumors after ingesting GMOs throughout their two-year life span. Estrogen levels doubled in male rats and their pituitary glands were harmed. These findings “erupted through Europe,” but in America all was still silent. The first genetically modified foods were placed on grocery store shelves in the U.S. in 1994. The European Union mandated labeling of all GMO food products, including animal feed, in 1997, according to the film. When Eddie Thomson, a third-year

accounting major at SUNY New Paltz, was asked about his thoughts on GMOs in his food, he said “they scare the shit out of me.” Thomson said he looks for foods in the grocery store that do not contain GMOs, but always finds a limited selection of brands that directly state that their products do not contain GMOs. “GMO OMG” chronicled Seifert’s trip to Norway to see the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. What Seifert called an insurance against extinction, in a country where GMO production is illegal exists in white caverns of cold, dry rock behind locked metal doors. Svalbard is home to tens of thousands of seed varieties, none of which have been genetically modified. In the U.S. there are approximately 165 million acres of crops created with GMOs. The family farm that once predominated the U.S. is no more — less than two of the U.S. workforce is composed of small-scale farmers. Huge conventional farms using genetically modified seeds have taken over. Monsanto, a sustainable agriculture company, has largely supplied these seeds to conventional farmers who claim that organic farming methods would not produce enough crop to feed the country. Chelsea Rusinek, a fourth-year visual arts major, believes that GMOs have “potential to be a good thing,” but that they

Thursday, April 9, 2015

also have the potential to ruin free market and democracy for small organic farmers. When Seifert went to Monsanto headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, he was immediately escorted out of the building. Before his visit, he had called multiple times in attempt to learn the details of GMOs. None of his calls were ever returned. The Rodale Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt organization dedicated to pioneering organic farming methods, has 30 years of peer-reviewed research which supports the notion that organic farming techniques can in fact match the yield of conventional farms. Their research, the Farming Systems Trial, has also found that organic farms outperform conventional farms in times of drought and environmental stress. Traveling the world in pursuit of answers, the only thing that Seifert was able to successfully conclude through the making of “GMO OMG” was that people are altering the world around us mostly for proﬁt. NYPIRG will be hosting a follow-up event to the screening of “GMO OMG” on a date to be announced. There a SUNY New Paltz nutritionist will teach students how to make healthier choices in the grocery store by avoiding foods containing GMOs.

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Bodily Photography PHOTOGRAPHER’S SNAPS PRESERVE THE PAST By Karl Evers-Hillstrom

Copy Editor | Kevershillstrom@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

For photographers and artists alike, inspiration comes from all kinds of sources and can shape their body of work. Renowned photographer and Bard College at Simon’s Rock professor Tanya Marcuse visited New Paltz to present her work and artistic process to photography students on Tuesday, April 7. Marcuse is intrigued by the human body, and that interest drives her to create photos that express it in new ways. From 2002-04, Marcuse created a series titled “Undergarments and Armor.” which depicts photos of both historic pieces of armor and old-fashioned undergarments. Marcuse described the armor as a “sculpture” or “carapace” of the body, comparing it the shell on a turtle. Marcuse went on to create “Wax Bodies” from 2006-08. Marcuse traveled to Italy and photographed the wax anatomical figures in La Specola, a small museum in Florence, and the Josephinum in Vienna. These models were created at the end of the Enlightenment in the late 18th century. The models portrayed dissected deceased people, with their organs, blood vessels and bone structure visible, and were created to help medical students understand what the human body truly looks like. Marcuse described the lighting in the display areas as “terrible.” Fluorescent lights occupied the ceiling in rows and bounced off of the glass cases in which the wax bodies were kept. Marcuse still had to do what she could with the light. She wasn’t going to go all the way to Italy only to give up. “I really tried to embrace the re-

flections, embrace the way the light would enter the subjects and become part of the photograph and stop fighting it,” Marcuse said. She also explained that at a certain time of day, for only a minute or two, a tiny bit of sunlight would enter the room through a slip in the curtain. She would wait until that one moment to take the photo. Marcuse was interested in wax models because they represented a preservation of things that cannot last. The only reason the wax anatomical models were made is because the human body will rot over time and therefore cannot be used. This led to “Bountiful,” a series detailing a collection of 20th century wax agricultural models housed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. Marcuse enjoyed the labels giv- Wax Bodies Nº42 en to various green bean wax models, such as “Refugee” and “100 Per Cent, Profit.” Her newest series, “Fallen,” is inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” “Fallen” is a set of garden photographs meant to emulate the chaos depicted in Bosch’s famous triptych. Marcuse makes arrangements of plants, fruits, insects, animals and whatever else she can find and lays it out to make it appear as a full garden. Marcuse collected fruit that had fallen beneath trees and started to decay and froze them in order to sustain their look, continuing the theme of preservation. She also borrowed some animals such as snapping turtles to use from her friends. Marcuse described this series as balancing two extremes. In “Fallen Nº 484,” the dead, rotten fruit contradicts the cicadas just starting to come out of their shells. Fallen Nº 484

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PHOTO COURTESY OF TANYA MARCUSE

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Manzella’s Spring Music Picks ROCKING NEW INDIE AND ALTERNATIVE MUSIC RELEASES

By Sam Manzella

Copy Editor | Manzaells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Spring is always a fun season for new music releases. This winter, I eagerly anticipated some new releases from a few of my old favorites...and now, with the ground thawing out and the weather warming up, I’ve found even more tunes to love from artists who are new to me. In the spirit of sharing, here are my top five new releases from spring 2015. Happy listening!

peace with the end of my favorite band’s career. Highlights include “No Room In Frame,” “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive,” “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life” and “Everything’s A Ceiling.”

“Medallion” - Lost Lander

“Kintsugi” - Death Cab For Cutie

I must preface this review: Death Cab is my favorite band. Previous albums “Plans” and “Narrow Stairs” carried me through depression and heartbreak in high school, and I bonded with some of my closest friends over the release of “Codes and Keys” in 2011. Bias is inherent, naturally. However, my love of Death Cab’s extensive discography has set the bar pretty high for their last studio album. “Kintsugi” is rife with classic elements of Death Cab’s extensive discography. Between romantic, poetic lyrics, slow and steady build-up in each track and a reocurring theme of heartbreak, this album is an enjoyable (if not predictable) end to Death Cab’s 15-year run. I’m a bit of an album purist, so I firmly believe that albums are best listened to all the way through in sequential order. This could not be more essential for this album. “Kintsugi” has a beautiful and very cohesive progression, which makes it a very smooth and easy listening experience. To all Death Cab fans: this one is a winner. Of course, no tracks could compare to “Cath” or “Transatlanticism” or “What Sarah Said,” but this album has helped me make

Lost Lander is a new discovery of mine, and I must confess that I am smitten. Upon first impression, Lost Lander sounded like a perfect mix of The Killer’s charged vocals and Ra Ra Riot’s creative instrumental effects. That first impression still holds true. “Medallion,” Lost Lander’s second studio album, is a fun, playful album to jam to. It has an awesome energy and is a fast, very easy listen. It’s the kind of sound that catches your ear and stays there for hours. My favorite tracks off of “Medallion” are “Gemini,” “Flinch,” and “Give It Time.”

there for me in the darkest of days and brightest of nights. In their 20 years of making music, Modest Mouse has gone from indie band extraordinaire to hipster culture phenomenon. Songs like “Float On,” “Dashboard” and “The World At Large” make frequent radio play to this day, and for good reason: Modest Mouse has mastered the cool and catchy yet still alternative rock vibe. “Strangers to Ourselves,” the band’s first new studio album in eight years, doesn’t disappoint. The album progresses into an almost ska-like, very upbeat sound, which makes it the perfect soundtrack for cruising in your car (or, alternatively, dancing alone in your dorm room). The band’s lyrical style, which varies from hilariously blunt to bordering nonsensical, keeps things interesting and fun. My favorites from “Strangers to Ourselves” include “Lampshades On Fire,” “Shit in Your Cut,” “The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box” and “Sugar Boats.”

“The Firewatcher’s Daughter” Brandi Carlile

“Strangers to Ourselves,” Modest Mouse

Oh, Modest Mouse, how shall I express my love for thee? Much like Death Cab For Cutie’s tunes, Modest Mouse’s music has been

Although Brandi Carlile is a new artist on my radar, she’s hardly new to the industry: “The Firewatcher’s Daughter” is Carlile’s fifth full-length studio album, so it is safe to say that she has ample experience as a singer songwriter. I love how her music defies categorization and appeals to lovers of many genres; Carlile’s sound lies somewhere between indie folk, soft rock and country music. The standout element of Carlile’s work is her soft, melodic voice. Paired with gentle acoustics, “The Firewatcher’s Daughter” is the perfect slow jam à la Fleet Foxes or Bon

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Iver. Her album has the perfect balance of slow, quiet acoustic ballads and country-rock anthems. My favorite songs off of “The Firewatcher’s Daughter” are “Wherever Is Your Heart,” “Wilder (We’re Chained),” “Alibi” and “Murder in the City.”

“Love Stuff” - Elle King

Elle King is a new-to-me artist whose smoky, trance-inducing voice suckered me into her music almost instantly. A quick Google search told me she emerged on the music scene in 2012 with a short EP. “Love Stuff” is her first full-length studio album, and it certainly delivers. Color me impressed. I wouldn’t hesitate to call her the Marina Diamandis of alternative rock. There’s just something about King’s voice that is absolutely captivating. Her raspy croan, reminiscent of pop artist Duffy or alternative rocker Amy Winehouse, hits the listener hard. King’s vocal range is impressive, and the catchy guitar riffs and fast drumming that accompany her vocals make for an awesome alternative rock listening experience. She sings of her experiences as an international heartbreaker, claiming she’s a tattoo lover, heavy drinker and most certainly not America’s Sweetheart. Highlights of the album include “Ex’s and Oh’s,” “America’s Sweetheart,” “Kocaine Karolina” and “I Told You I Was Mean.” ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

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Arts & Entertainment

When is Art a Crime? ANTIQUE DEALER FACES CRIMINAL CHARGES

By Melanie Zerah

Copy Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

An antiquities dealer and owner of Art of the Past Gallery on Madison Avenue in New York City, Subhash Kapoor, was arrested in Germany on Oct. 30, 2011 and extradited to India in July of the following year. Kapoor then faced charges of illegal exportation, criminal conspiracy and forgery, according to the Toledo Museum of Ohio’s Provenance Research team. Kapoor pleaded not guilty to trafficking $100 million in stolen artifacts. The artifacts are presumed stolen from ancient Indian temples. Recently museums in America, Australia, the Far East and Europe have began returning pieces they bought from Kapoor. One of the multiple international museums investigating the authenticity of the artifacts bought from Kapoor is The Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, which returned a Ganesha statue worth $245,000 that was purchased from Kapoor in 2006. This statue of the Ganesha, one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu religion, is among 63 objects which are currently under investigation at the museum for possible return to India. “He certainly conned a lot of people,” the Director of Toledo Museum Brian Kennedy said in a New York Times article. The Ganesha closely resembled photographs of an idol which was stolen from the Sripuranthan Village in Tamil Nadu, India. These photographs were from a copy of an Indian Police Report which the Toledo Museum received on July 18, 2013. American museums in talks with federal investigators concerning pieces they purchased from Kapoor include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. “The ones that could be suspect were looked into and at the moment we are convinced that they are O.K.,” Miranda Carroll, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles museum, said in a New York Times article. The federal investigation is entitled Operation Hidden Idol, of which began officially in 2012 after Kapoor’s arrest. Raids on Kapoor’s gallery in New York City as well as several warehouses where he stored Indian antiquities were executed. According to the New York Times, officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security

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MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK: Daniel Berk YEAR: Third-Year MAJOR: Communications HOMETOWN: Oceanside, NY

WHAT’S YOUR INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE? I’m a singer and it’s my instrument of choice because its the most natural for me. I’ve been singing my whole life, so it’s what feels the most comfortable

WHAT ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH MUSICALLY? I jam with friends, I’ve been recording a lot and working on my debut EP, I do open mics around town at the Cafeteria and events on campus, and just continuing to work on my craft daily.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES? I listen to all different genres, so I have a bunch of artists that really inﬂuence me. John Legend, Jason Mraz, Javier Colon, India. Arie, Tori Kelly, Bruno Mars, Carrie Underwood, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, Sara Bareilies.

WHO HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY? I’ve been listening to a lot of John Legend, Ed Sheeran and Tori Kelly lately.

WHAT’S YOUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE? I plan on pursing my aspirations of being a recording artist and continuing to write and record music. I also want to tour after college and collaboarate with as many musicans as possible

ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING MUSICIANS?

A statue of a Ganesha, a Hindu diety

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART

Investigations, of which are jointly directing the investigation, said they had seized tens of millions of dollars worth of objects that they believed were looted from ancient temples in India. According to Brenton M. Easter, the special agent in charge of Operation Hidden Idol for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, museums that have not yet been contacted for investigation who have purchased from Kapoor must anticipate contact. Stephan Jost, director of the Honolulu Museum, said in a New York Times article that the fact that these artifacts were stolen, makes them tainted art and

undesirable to have in their museum whose mission is not in accordance to such crime. Museums which exhibit beautiful artifacts from the past possess a positive connotation of the admiration for history. However, stolen artifacts lose this value, as they are not rightfully placed. It is on these grounds that all museums with artifacts from Kapoor are urged to come forward and return the artifacts to their respective homes in India Information from this article is credited to The New York Times, The Toldeo Museum Website, and Chasing Aphrodite, a website that monitors the Kapoor case.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Never give up and dream big! Just because being a professional musician is extremely difﬁcult, don’t let it intimidate you, keep working hard and you’ll achieve your goals. Also most importantly, have fun! It’s truly a gift to be able to express yourself musically, so never take that for granted and always have fun with it! CHECK OUT DANIEL BERK PERFORMING BY SCANNING THIS CODE WITH ANY SMARTPHONE!

YOU

WANT TO BE...

MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK? Contact Russell Hartman at Rhartman@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

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THE DEEP END

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THIS WEEK IN

THE DEEP END GOLDIE HARRISON

Major: Digital Media Production | Business Marketing Year: Third Inspriation: Tyler Shields, Christine Rivera, Terry Richardson, Annie Leibovitz, Jessica Lehrman, Nicholas Max, good music and love. “My passion for photography and filmmaking is indescribable. In a way, it brings me peace. I love to tell stories in creative ways and really bring life to an idea or concept. The best way I can express myself is through art. My style changes all the time, one day I’ll be into shooting live music events, the next day - landscapes. The art world is beyond complex, but once you’re in it, you’re in. You have this general understanding of the beauty to every piece of art out there. “

Photos courtesy of Goldie Harrison | Captioning by Maxwell Reide

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The Wilmorite Fight

CARTOON BY MIKE SHEINKOPF

The New York State Supreme Court of Ulster County ruled in favor of the New Paltz Town Planning Board last month in a lawsuit from Wilmorite Inc., the real estate developer behind the proposed Park Point off-campus housing complex for SUNY New Paltz students and faculty. The board had voted against the plan and stated that the project would have been approved under the condition that it would not be subject to the Category 5 Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) that the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) had approved for the project last April. The PILOT would have Wilmorite to collectively pay $522,000 to the town, county and school district for the first 25 years of the housing complex’s operative life instead of the annual tax payments matching up to the project’s $53.4 million tax assessment. We at The New Paltz Oracle are pleased to hear of this legal ruling and commend the town’s planning board for defending its residents. Under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the planning board is obligated

to take responsibiliy in determing possible fiscal impacts that projects such as Park Point will have on the community. We believe that although the planning board does not have the right to dictate the IDA’s tax break deciscions, they definitely have the right to disagree with the IDA. This is justified since the planning board found that the tax break would negatively impact the municiplaties of the town — including its police and fire departments. Wilmorite’s reasoning in filing an Article 78 lawsuit against the planning board was that they found their opposition of the plan to be “arbitrary, capricious, irractional, illegal and an abuse of discretion,” according to the Decision and Order statements released by the Ulster County Supreme Court. We feel that this lawsuit was both unnecesary and served as yet another stalemate in the already long-drawn process. Although the lawsuit has now been settled, we can assume that it is still going to be difficult for all parties involved not to hold grudges moving forward after

the fact. For the past few years, public figures and the planning company, Wilmorite, have made a spectacle of themselves due to their long-running disagreements on what they believe to be best for both the New Paltz community and the students of the college. This issue has unfolded and has unsurprisinglyresurfaced again since it is very complex with many stakeholders involved — including our college campus. At SUNY New Paltz, it is apparent that we have a need for more housing since many firstyear students are required to live in “triples” — three students to a dorm room that is only made for two people to live in. Though we understand that the opening of a new residence hall on campus this fall will alleviate some of the need for housing on campus, we do not think it will entirely fix the ongoing demand for housing. Moving forward, we at The Oracle hope that the planning board and Wilmorite will recover from any tension caused from this lawsuit and facilitate a healthy working relationship with each other if they plan to make any progress.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

As suggested by New Paltz Town Supervisor Susan Zimet, we also believe that a joint meeting is due between the planning board, Wilmorite and officials from the college to determine how each stakeholder in this project can work toward the goal of meeting both the needs of the town’s taxpayers and of our college community. In addition to this, we at The Oracle hope to see the college working in conjunction with the planning board to find a solution to this limited housing situation. 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.

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MELANIE ZERAH Copy Editor

Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

Rarely is it a part of daily routine to take the time to remind oneself of the surrounding energies which affect us internally. The “yin and yang” that reside in all aspects in life, commonly exempliﬁed as light and darkness, play a part in our internal well being. The consciousness of such a concept is seldom recognized in the busy and bustling lives modern people lead. Although some do not even subscribe to the importance of giving attention to this self-awareness, it affects those even still. Yoga offers grounding and awareness as a practice through physical activity. Created by the sage Patanjail, the eight limbs of yoga are made from yoga sutras, or the foundational values of yoga. The eight limbs consists of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. All of which have different functions in guiding the practicer of yoga or, the yogi, to reach inner peace and prosperity. The soul is the “I” and “me” in all personal expressions. It inhabits our physical body through

My name is Brienna Melodie Perez, (she/ her pronouns), a third-year, and a SUNY New Paltz Student Association senator in my third semester and am currently running as a write-in for the Village of New Paltz, Board of Trustees. As a senator for the past year and a half, I have represented students with a thoughtful and attentive open mind and have moved on Legislation that has ensured the well-being of students, and made motions that co-sponsored very sociopolitically aware events. This past semester however is what I am most proud of when telling anyone of my work on senate, and around campus. I have not only written, but passed seven pieces of legislation, of which ﬁve were unanimously voted to be cosponsored by the body. Of these 7 pieces, ﬁve were to empower a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment for the school, such as three Resolutions for some (clerically, not emotionally) minor changes to the Residence Life Housing Handbook, a Resolution for Inclusive Introductions that calls for the sharing of Personal Gender Pronouns (i.e. he/she/ they/ze) in SA (Student Association) and SUNY

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Sutras For The Soul actions that it commands. It is the essence of why we live and touche every part of our life. Being present in one’s own body is the only way to become fully aware of this soul. Pranayama, or the nature of prana, is the limb which relates to the breathing process of yoga and is essential in bringing the practitioner into the present moment. For every movement the body makes in yoga, it is matched by either an exhale or inhale. Breathing is an involuntary action, but it is brought into being a conscience movement through focus and intention. There is a deep mental concentration needed to perfect this process of breathing, therefore yoga practice usually begins with simply sitting and breathing. Meditation is the nature of prana, a discipline which has been lost by Western standards of yoga. It does not function as an aerobic physical exercise, and is therefore overlooked by those interested solely in the weight loss aspect of the practice. However, this is counterproductive in understanding what yoga is, as yoga began as sitting meditation.

About 5,000 years ago in India, movement was added to this meditation, thus the creation of yoga as we know it today. The nature of Prana is the simple understanding of this, and how yoga began its roots in breathing. Prana refers to the original principle of human life and the kinetic energies that guide the human soul through the cosmic journey of life; it is the “vital force.” Having an understanding of such a concept is beneficial to even those who wish to use yoga as a mode of weight loss, as it brings a purpose to the practitioner, a purpose beyond their aesthetic wants. As an art form, yoga takes not only the dexterity of the body, but also the mind making it extremely difficult to master. However, all principles of dedication and discipline practiced by those who first began yoga, flow into our lives even in the modern era. The phrase “Namaste” said after all yoga sessions reenforces this concept that the practice is based upon. The concept that everything is united, and that when humans are at peace with ourselves

internally and externally with light and dark, we are one. A belief exists that in each living organism there is a part of the universe that resides within them. Even in a small room of mats and yogis, when each yogi is breathing into that part which is considered cosmic, all the yogis in that space are one and thus Namaste is uttered at the end of the practice. Yet another example of why breathing is so important in yoga, some may be more ﬂexible and strong than others, but each yogi can breath, and this is the connecting force. This special connection between us and the ancient yogis who ﬁrst mastered the eight limbs illustrates the visible truth of humans: we are looking for peace and tranquility within ourselves.

New Paltz Administration, and ﬁnally, a Resolution calling for inclusive housing and restrooms throughout campus, especially now with the protection of yes-means-yes policies and uproar against transgender bathroom discrimination. My work on Committees such as Curriculum Committee, Student Concerns, UPD, and Transportation Implementation Committee are a testament to my cooperative abilities, patience, and focus. My greatest achievement on these committees was the cooperative action of drafting documentation for a Police Oversight Committee that will hear complaints and perform investigations in tandem with the department. Moving forward in a bid to protect students, I have written and passed with full co-sponsorship of the senate body a piece of legislation that I will deliver to the SUNY Student Assembly. This resolution calls for the abolition of the arbitration clauses placed within student handbooks as a judicial process and also calls for the formation of a network of advocates and counselors, because as the process currently stands students are waiving their 1st, 4th, and 6th Amendment rights in the

belief that our one legal advocate (who approves of this resolution) can provide all the legal aid students require. It is for the above reasons and the outcry and approval of many students that I also am running for New Paltz Village Trustees, against the non-student candidates: Don Kerr, Dennis Young, Jack Murphy, and Terry Dungan. I was asked by many residents to pursue this elected position with the understanding that I’m interested in not only graduating from New Paltz College, but also living in town and leaving behind much more than my name and face. I want to leave behind a legacy of change and empowerment of not just students but all those that ﬁnd themselves put in strata that they believe are subﬁelds of their capabilities. Especially as a resident and environmentalist, I look forward to working with leaders like myself in the protection and cleaning of our waters, the empowerment of our young students in the Central School District through education and activities, and the publicization of Distributed Energy Resource technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines. Of course, I will also serve as a

representative for people that are continually only seen as bodies and urge the community to be a leading voice for change, not only in our county, but hopefully the state and wider. I am obviously, as a low-income transgender woman, not one scared of change, but I am scared of people’s negative reactions to change. Change must be consensual, and compromise becomes a key in that. Please consider writing me (Brienna Parsons) in on the ballot this coming May 5 from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Firehouse. Thank you for reading all that I had to say and please continue reading the texts in this world. Your considerations and thoughts are always welcome and so I’m asking the editor to tack my email and social media addresses on the end here. Thank you again, I’d really do fabulous work as Village Trustee. Brienna M. Perez Briezy8melodie@gmail.com (845) 633-3390 SUNY New Paltz Student Association Senator N02619095@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

OP-ED

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Melanie Zerah is a ﬁrst-year journalism major who breathes on a regular basis and practices oneness with the ducks around the Gunk.

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SNAPPED STREAK

Men’s volleyball prepares for playoffs.

By Melissa Kramer

Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The Men’s volleyball team snapped their 17-match winning streak last weekend in a matchup with Div. III nationally-ranked No. 4 Springfield College. The Hawks played three matches in two days at the Springfield Invitational. On Friday, April 4, the Hawks defeated Southern Vermont College (25-23, 17-25, 25-21, 25-14). Hawks first-year setter Mitchell Kennedy recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 16 assists while chipping in four digs and one block assist. He led the Hawks in the kills category. Third-year outside hitter Andy Fishman followed with nine kills, hitting .571 and contributing five digs. Hawks fourth-year setter and defensive specialist Misa Garo led the team with 21 assists. The next day, host Springfield snapped the Hawks’ 17-match winning streak in five sets (2521, 24-26, 23-25, 25-19, 10-15). There were 34 tie scores and 12 lead changes throughout the match. Third-year middle blocker Christopher

PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

Husmann led the Hawks with 13 kills and seven total blocks. Husmann is the leader in hitting percentage (.497) atop the United Volleyball Conference (UVC). Fishman, second-year middle blocker Steven Woessner and first-year outside hitter Anthony Bonilla all tallied 11 kills for the Hawks. Fourth-year setter John Lutjen and thirdyear co-Captain Christian Smith dished out 26 and 22 assists, respectively for the Hawks. Later in the day, the Hawks took the final match of the Invitational against Ramapo College 3-2 (23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-8). Smith and Lutjen each finished with doubledoubles. Smith tallied 17 kills and 17 assists and led the team with 18 points. Lutjen finished with 10 kills and 35 assists. Woessner (11) and Fishman (10) also reached double figures in kills, while Hawks third-year co-Captain Kevin Nardone recorded 13 digs. Husmann was named the UVC Player of the Week on Monday, April 6. The Hawks remain at No. 3 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Men’s Coaches Top 15 Week #11 Poll, released on Tuesday, April 7. The following day, the Hawks defeated The

Sage Colleges 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-21) in their final home matchup of the season at the Hawk Center. Lutjen notched a double-double with a match-high 10 kills — hitting .643 — while delivering 18 assists. He also floored a match-best four service aces and chipped in three digs and three total blocks. Head Coach Radu Petrus said one of the reasons for the team’s success this season has been their setters, who have the ability to not only set the ball, but to spike, block and play all-around. The Hawks finished their regular season with a record of 25-4. As a team, New Paltz closed out their regular season as UVC leaders in hitting percentage (.332), assists per set (12.42), kills per set (13.34) and opponent kills per set (8.70). Petrus said team chemistry has developed because the program has grown up in the last few years. “We have a few players who play at a high level during practices and matches,” Petrus said. “The newcomers try to follow the top players. We are in a good situation. We will be even more experienced next year. Some freshman can go up

Thursday, April 9, 2015

to help the team. It takes time to develop good chemistry. They know each other and we don’t have any issues.” Entering the 2015 UVC Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the conference, the Hawks will have a first-round bye. They will next play in the semifinals against the winner of the Vassar College versus No. 6 Nazareth College quarterfinal game on Saturday, April 11 at 5 p.m. at a neutral site, Stevens Institute of Technology. If they advance, they will play in the finals the following day. Last year, the Hawks advanced to the 2014 NCAA Div. III Tournament, only to be defeated by Juniata College in the semifinals. Nardone said the team is preparing for the UVC Tournament the same way they have all year — with good practices, lifts and a tight mental focus on their upcoming opponents. The bye week gives the team more time to rest up and scout opponents, he said. “It is a nice reward for our hard work and success in conference play this year,” Nardone said. “We want to win our conference championship, and ultimately win the national championship. Those have been our only goals all year.”

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Tennis Serves Up Victory By Jack O’Brien

Copy Editor | Obrienj2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

On Friday, April 3 the New Paltz tennis team defeated Ithaca College 7-2. The road victory by the Hawks was against the reigning Empire 8 Conference champions. Only dropping two singles matches and sweeping their three doubles matches, the Hawks proved that they were ready to compete against their first post-Spring Break opponent. The win brought the Hawks’ current record to 11-6. The Hawks were scheduled to play at home against Union College on Saturday, April 4, but the match was postponed due to rain. That match has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m. The Hawks were propelled to victory over the Bombers by well-rounded efforts from each aspect of the team. The play of fourth-year coCaptain Devin Tracy and fourth-year co-Captain Jessica Schmidt resulted in a victory, 9-8 (7-5) at flight one. Tracy also contributed in singles play with a 6-0, 6-4 victory. First-year Brittany Grandville also fought back after losing the first set to pull out a tough three-set match win 2-6, 6-1, 10-6. Head Coach Rob Bruley has been very pleased with his team’s play so far this season. He

said both their wins and losses have been closely fought battles that have made him proud of his team’s grit and determination. “We’ve been practicing and preparing ourselves since the first day of winter practices back in February,” Bruley said. “We know Ithaca is a good team, so to be able to go there and win was a big deal for us.” Bruley also credited the Hawks on their serving this year, adding that it has been the best he has seen in a while. “Our singles game has always been strong, and so has our service game this year, too,” Bruley said. “Where I’ve been trying to improve our team is in the doubles game. If you can win a couple of the doubles matches, it takes some of the pressure off of the singles players.” Both Schmidt and third-year Laura Tierney had similar regards for the play of their team and an optimistic outlook for the rest of the season. “It was a great win for us because Ithaca won their division and will be going to the NCAA Tournament,” Schmidt said. “It was nice to be able to win against them.” Tierney echoed Schmidt’s enthusiasm about the team’s play against Ithaca. “We won all three doubles, and had a harder time in singles, but pulled through and won,”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ED DILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Tierney said. The Hawks’ home match against Stevens Institute of Technology was cancelled on Wednesday, April 8 due to wet court conditions and the impending forecast calling for more precipitation. The Hawks have three matches remaining

before the New Paltz Tournament on Saturday, April 25. They face SUNY Plattsburgh on Friday, April 17 at 6 p.m. Schmidt said if the team plays like they did against Ithaca, they should have a strong finish. “I think we can finish off successful and strong,” she said.

Softball Splits Doubleheader By Melissa Kramer

Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The softball team split a doubleheader in their first pair of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) games on Monday, April 6. During the first game of the day, the Hawks fell to SUNY Oneonta in a score of 6-1. First-year outfielder Julia Perhacs hit a solo home run in the top half of the first inning to plate the Hawks’ lone run of the game. She went 2-for-3 on the day and leads the Hawks in runs batted in (RBIs) with 12. Hawks second-year pitcher Taylor Corwin recorded the loss on the mound, going three innings and allowing seven hits and six runs, five of them earned. Fourth-year first baseman and pitcher Erika Traina pitched the final three innings, allowing one hit and no runs, while striking out one. Later in the day, the Hawks defeated the Red Dragons 4-2 in extra innings. First-year first baseman and pitcher Lauren Cappello homered in the top of the first inning to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. This was Cappello’s second home run of the sea-

son. She went 2-for-4 in the game. The Red Dragons tied it up at one in the home half of the inning thanks to an RBI single by second-year shortstop Marlene Cuevas. In the fourth inning, Hawks third-year outfielder Fallon Spriggs hit her third home run of the season to put the Hawks on top 2-1. Spriggs went 3-for-4 scoring two runs in the game. Later in the inning, the Red Dragons tied the game at two on a sacrifice fly by first-year outfielder and third baseman Ashley Lefebvre. The game remained tied and went into the eighth inning. Hawks fourth-year co-Captain Meg Brewer reached base with a single. First-year shortstop Samantha Colca went on to pinch-run for Brewer. Spriggs singled to advance Colca to second base. The next batter, third-year third baseman Nicole DeCosta singled to advance Spriggs to second base and Colca to third. With the bases loaded, Hawks third-year pitcher Katie Rutcofsky was up next and brought home both baserunners on a tworun single. In the bottom half of the inning, the Hawks

closed out the win with two Red Dragons base runners left stranded. Rutcofsky pitched all eight innings for the Hawks. She allowed two runs, both earned off of eight hits and struck out five. Head Coach Brittany Robinson said the team knew the series was going to be tough because SUNY Oneonta is one of the top teams in the SUNYAC conference. “We were really hoping to play our best game and get a win out of the series,” Robinson said. “We put everything together: the pitching, the hitting and we kept the defensive errors to a minimum.” Cancellations and postponements have been a trending theme this season. Originally, the Hawks were supposed to take on SUNY Cortland in a conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 7, but it was postponed to Wednesday, April 22 at 3 p.m. The following day’s non-conference doubleheader against Western Connecticut State University was cancelled as well. Brewer says the cancellations and change in

Thursday, April 9, 2015

schedule has been troublesome this season. “I think it will benefit the younger girls — you have to learn to always be ready to face adversity like a game in the rain or on a field that is muddy or not when you expected,” Brewer said. “It is also really going to help the team make the most of their time management, because it is hard to plan when to do assignments and study when your schedule is constantly changing.” The Hawks are next scheduled to play sixstraight home games beginning with SUNY Potsdam in a conference doubleheader on Friday, April 10 at Mary Gray Deane Field. Robinson said playing on their home field will be beneficial for the team, where they have played only once this season. “Getting a chance to finally play on our field, especially for the seniors is going to be a big deal,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll get good crowds out so we can get a lot of home team support. Hopefully the weather will hold out through the weekend so we can get the games in and move along through conference.”

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Baseball Slides In Standings

By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The baseball team lost all three State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) games against SUNY Oswego on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5. The weekend began with the Hawks losing the first game of a doubleheader by a score of 12-2. The score of the game through three innings had Oswego up 1-0. The Lakers then scored five runs in the fourth inning to go up by a score of 6-0. Some offensive bright spots for the Hawks included third-year shortstop Andrew DiNardo’s 2-for-4 performance including a double. Fourth-year co-Captain Mike Sparacino also went 2-for-4 and knocked in a run. Fourthyear pitcher Tyler Mitts pitched three innings in relief, surrendering just one unearned run. Later that day the Hawks were defeated by a score of 10-3. This was the

third time this season that the Hawks dropped both games of a doubleheader, previously losing on Saturday, March 14 against Heidelberg University and on Friday, March 20 against SUNY Cortland. Some offensive highlights include the performances of Hawks first-year infielder Jake Williams and third-year outfielder/catcher Taylor Anderson. Williams went 3-for-4 with a run batted in (RBI) and scored a run. Anderson had a 2-for-3 day and scored two runs. Head Coach Matt Righter praised the performance of those two players in the series against Oswego. “Positives against Oswego? Obviously not the outcome, but I thought we had some individual performances that were worth noting,” Righter said. “Williams hit the ball really well. We’ve played against the two toughest schools in our conference, Oswego and Cortland, but Jake is batting around .350. Anderson, someone who we converted from an outfielder to a catcher,

has not been perfect but he has done a nice job back there and he has really picked us up when we needed it.” The next day the Hawks lost to Oswego by a score of 10-0. The loss dropped the team’s record to 3-13. Sparacino got the lone hit for the Hawks on the day and Williams stole a base after accumulating a walk. Fourth-year pitcher Jesse Vahamonde pitched two and two-thirds innings in relief, surrendering just one run. On Thursday, April 2, the Department of Athletics, Wellness and Recreation announced that the Hawks would not be playing on their home field, Loren Campbell Memorial Field, for any remaining games of the 2015 season. The field has an unplayable surface and the Hawks will play their home games at Cantine Park in Saugerties for the remainder of the season. Coach Righter said not playing at home hurts in a couple of different ways. “Number one, it’s really difficult for our seniors who don’t get an op-

portunity to play at home,” he said. “I think they were looking forward to that quite a bit. Also, we don’t get to practice on that field because it’s not ready for a bunch of different reasons. When you don’t get to practice on grass, it really affects your playing approach when you play a game on grass. If you’re practicing on turf or in the gym, and then you go out and play on grass, you get different hops and different reads and it has shown. We’ve had five or six errors each of the past five or six games.” On Wednesday, April 8 the Hawks’ conference game against SUNY Oneonta was cancelled due to impending rain in the forecast. It will now be played on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. The Hawks will travel to Fredonia this weekend to play a trio of SUNYAC games against the Blue Devils. Their first game will be on Friday, April 10 at 3 p.m. and then the two teams will play a doubleheader the next day.

Lacrosse Record Drops By Michael Rosen

Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

The lacrosse team has lost threestraight games resulting in a record has drop to 2-6. On Thursday, April 2, the Hawks were defeated by No. 18 SUNY Geneseo by a score of 12-6. Hawks fourthyear co-Captain Carissa Citro and fourth-year attack Kelsey Healy led the team with two goals each. Fourth-year co-Captain Jackie Ulanoff notched 12 saves for the Hawks in the loss. The Hawks then lost their home opener at the hands of Buffalo State by a score of 16-7 on Saturday, April 4. Healy led the team with three goals and Citro was right behind her with two goals. Healy, Citro and second-year attack Melissa Wagner are all currently tied for the Hawks team lead

in goals with 15. Healy also leads the team with a .484 shooting percentage. The Hawks lost their third-straight game against SUNY Potsdam on Tuesday, April 7 by a score of 17-12. The Hawks currently sit at the bottom of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) standings, as SUNY Oswego is the only team that trails them. Citro led the team with four goals and Hawks fourth-year middle Lianne Valdivia was right behind her with three. Wagner and Hawks fourth-year attack Jackie Wilkom also contributed with two goals. Ulanoff tallied a season-high 14 saves in the match. The Hawks will start a four-game home stand on Saturday, April 11 as they face Div. III nationally-ranked No. 19 SUNY Fredonia.

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Thursday, April 9, 2015

SPORTS

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On April 7, the New York Rangers beat down the lowly New Jersey Devils in a 4-2 win at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and clinched the Presidents’ Trophy. The Presidents’ Trophy is awarded to the team with the best overall record in the regular season and guarantees the team home ice throughout their entire playoff run. The team worked all season to secure home ice in the playoffs, and Tuesday night’s win was indicative of how the Rangers have been playing all season. They attacked the puck and used their speed and precision passing to score goals and never backed down. Without a doubt, this is one of the best Rangers teams in the franchise’s history and it’s been a crazy road for them to get to this point. Unlike last year, when it was surprising to many that the Rangers made the Stanley Cup Finals, this year they are being picked by many analysts to go all the way. This is the ﬁrst time in a long time that the Rangers are favorites to win the Stanley Cup and if they don’t reach the Finals again and win, no one will remember that they had an amazing regular season. All that will be remembered is that they ﬁzzled out when it counted most. Now let me be straight: it’s going to be very hard for any team to beat the Rangers four times out of seven in a playoff series. They are a team built to withstand and succeed in the battles of the playoffs. Each of their four lines has the ability to score goals and make plays, from Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello all the way down to Dominic Moore, Jesper Fast and Tanner Glass. Their defense, as I’ve said before, is second to none in the league. Once Kevin Klein returns from his injury, their defense will be set for the playoffs. Sorry Matt Hunwick, you’ve played well but you are a seventh defenseman on this team. A defensive core consisting of Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal, Dan Boyle, Keith Yandle and

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Rangers Win Presidents’ Trophy

Rangers ready for long playoff run.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER DINUR

Klein will be extremely tough to get past. But even if someone does get by them, they have the best goaltender in the game to back them up. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been playing stellar in goal since his return and has been starting to regain his form after the vascular injury that kept him out for about two months. He has done it all in this league except winning the Stanley Cup. After last season’s heartbreaking loss in the Finals, I’ll never forget seeing the image of Lundqvist with his hands over his head in the Rangers locker room, simply destroyed that the Rangers hadn’t won the Cup. This year, you can be sure Lundqvist will not want a repeat of that feeling. This year, I feel like we are going to see a version of Lundqvist that we haven’t seen before. We are going to see him ﬁred up, focused and playing with more passion; doing all he can to bring the Cup to New York

City. The rest of the National Hockey League (NHL) should be scared. There has been a lot of talk about who the Rangers will play in the playoffs and who they match up well against. This is the first year where it doesn’t matter to me who they play. They have proved that when they are on, they are incredibly hard to beat. Whether they will need to play rougher or play with more finesse they will get it done. As it’s looking right now, the Rangers will either be facing the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators or the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs and each of those teams has weaknesses for the Rangers to exploit. The Bruins, while big and strong, aren’t nearly as fast as the Rangers and they can use their speed to exploit them. The Senators, while a faster team than the Bruins, don’t have much playoff experience yet and ultimately might not even get into the

Thursday, April 9, 2015

playoffs. But if they do, I feel their lack of playoff battles will hurt them. The playoffs are always more physical, and space is much more limited to make plays. The Penguins have shoddy defense and their goaltending situation is always an enigma come playoff time. But even with these weaknesses, no game is easy in the playoffs and each round will present different challenges along the way to the Rangers’ ultimate goal. This New York Rangers team has the opportunity to do something special. They have the chance to be remembered and spoken about in the same breath as Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Brian Leetch. If they keep up their level of play and don’t falter from their game of speed, precision and puck possession, the New York Rangers have a very good chance of holding that 35 pound piece of metal known as the Stanley Cup over their heads this June.

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SET FOR SEMIFINALS

Softball Earns SUNYAC Win

MAIN PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA

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Baseball Looks To Strike Back PAGE 13

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL PREPARES FOR PLAYOFFS : PAGE 11

UPPER AND LOWER PHOTOS COURTESY OF ED DILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

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