NEW PALTZ ORACLE THE
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TAKING HOME THE WIN
PHOTO COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Volume 88, Issue XX
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Win Over New York Voters in Primary STORY ON PAGE
3 - EDITORIAL ON PAGE 9
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE OF THE NEW PALTZ ORACLE
• Non-Essential NY Employee Travel to NC Banned ......Pg 4 • Senate Addresses Concerns Over Springfest Tickets ...............Pg 6 • Village Budget May Include Mayoral Pay Raise ............Pg 5 • The New Paltz Oracle’s Student Voice ....................................Pg 8
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S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K
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NEWS
The New York Primaries 2016
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Winners
Democrat
Republican
• 1,054,083 votes • 58.0 percent • 139 Delegates
• 524,932 votes • 60.4 percent • 89 Delegates
Donald Trump
Hillary Clinton
PHOTO COURTESY OF PEOPLE.COM
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Results Compiled from The New York Times
Democrat Bernie Sanders • • •
763,469 votes 42.0 percent 106 Delegates
PHOTO COURTESY OF HUFFINGTONPOST
By Melanie Zerah
Republican Ted Cruz
News Editor | Zerahm1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu With Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both coming in with landslide victories, the winners of the New York Primary for the 2016 presidential election have been determined. Clinton swept Bernie Sanders with 1,054,083 votes against his 763,469. On the Republican side, Trump received 524,932 votes while John Kasich earned 217,904 and Ted Cruz pulled in a rough 126,151. Many New York supporters of the losing candidates feel discouraged and are preoccupied with speculation for who the nominee will be. According to The New York Times, Sanders’ loss in New York is extremely detrimental to his chances of getting the nomination and although his victories in states like Michigan were impressive, his path may lead to a loss in the pledged delegate race and therefore the nomination. “On the democratic side it’s pretty clear, there is no real path to the nomination for Sanders, but I am not sure that there has been for a while,” said Political Science Department Chair and Associate Professor Jeff Miller. “So on the democratic side, I think it has been pretty clear for a while that Clinton is going to be the nominee.” Miller said that he expects Sanders may take his delegates to the Democratic National
• • •
126,151 votes 14.5 percent 0 Delegates
PHOTO COURTESY OF NYMAG
Convention in August to enforce the changes he would like to make if he were president at the Democratic National Committee, and therefore may have a spot in Clinton’s cabinet. According to Miller, if Clinton gets the nomination, it will be important for her to gain the enthusiasm Sanders’ supporters had for him. “For the Republicans, it seems difficult to stop Trump at this point, but there will probably be an attempt to do so at the Republican National Convention or to bring in an outsider candidate,” Miller said. A Republican or Democratic Convention for the presidential election requires all delegates of their state’s primary winner to vote for that candidate. If Trump fails to collect 1,237 delegate votes at the Republican National Convention for each state he has won the primary in, a second convention will be held and may lead to some Republican delegates moving to vote for Cruz or Kasich. Miller reported that if the Republican National Convention does not move to a second ballot, Trump will receive the nomination. If he comes in under 1,237 votes however, Miller said that there is a possibility for someone else to win the nomination. “But you know that would split the Republican party and make some people angry in a semi-permanent way,” Miller said. “What
Republican John Kasich • • •
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHNKASICH.COM
happens in the future concerning how permanent that split is, will probably depend on how they handle it. Giving the nomination to someone other than Trump might make it more permanent.” Second-year political science major and Lance Corporal of the United States Marine Corps David White said Clinton’s win was a disappointment to him. White also said that the New York requirement for an eligible voter to have registered with a party affiliation, not including independent, by October 2016 to vote in the primaries is extremely limiting. “Hopefully Bernie lasts long enough to take votes from Hillary,” White said. “But honestly I’ll vote for Gen. Mattis if he is on the ballot because rumor is a bunch of wealthy Republicans are ready to back him to run independent against Trump and Hillary.” Gen. Mattis is the head of Central Command in the Middle East and North Africa and a well-respected Marine. Miller said that Trump’s political views and policies that seem to land anywhere sets him apart from the traditional Republican candidate. His presence will be harder for the Republican party to bring these “parts that don’t fit” together and keep them under one roof. “I was in California recently and I had spoken to some Trump supporters and asked them who they would vote for if Trump lost,” Miller said. “And these people said that they
Thursday, April 21, 2016
217,469 votes 25.1 percent 4 Delegates
may support Bernie in that situation.” Miller explained that these Trump supporters simply want a presidential candidate who is less issue oriented and more anti-establishment. Miller said these supporters do not put importance on loyalty to particular candidate or party. Miller said even the Republican party itself and right-wing media outlets such as Fox News have been pushing messages with anti-establishment rhetoric against Obama and Obama’s “that government doesn’t work or it doesn’t accomplish anything.” The New York primary has caused voters to express dismay towards the New York voting system. According to a press release by New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) concerning potential voter registration irregularities: “Charges of potentially disenfranchising purges of voters have been reported in Brooklyn affecting more than 100,000 voters. While these numbers could reflect a proper yet delayed purge of voters who have died or moved, confidence in the electoral process is essential for public confidence in election results and our democracy.” With 18 more states to vote in the Republican primaries and 16 in the Democratic, the 2016 presidential race is starting to narrow down as the general election approaches.
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NEWS BRIEFS WORLD
UP TO 500 FEARED DEAD IN MEDITERRANEAN SHIPWRECK LAST WEEK
As many as 500 people are feared dead after a shipwreck last week in the Mediterranean Sea, two international groups said Wednesday, describing survivors’ accounts of panicked passengers who desperately tried to stay afloat by jumping between vessels. The disaster happened in waters between Italy and Libya, based on accounts from 41 survivors who were rescued Saturday by a merchant ship, according to the U.N refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration. \
OBAMA PUSHES SAUDIS, GULF ALLIES TO STEP UP IRAQ AID With fresh friction wearing on an old alliance, President Barack Obama pressed Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf nations on Wednesday to step up efforts to defeat the Islamic State group and help rebuild war-torn Iraq. Obama huddled privately with Saudi King Salman at Erga Palace as Defense Secretary Ash Carter appealed to other Gulf nations for more economic and political support for Iraq, echoing themes Obama planned to emphasize personally in talks with Gulf leaders at a regional summit. ECUADOR DEATH TOLL KEEPS RISING AS NEW JOLTS CAUSE JITTERS A magnitude-6.1 aftershock Wednesday sent babies crying and sent nervous residents pouring into the streets, fearful of yet more damage following the deadly earthquake over the weekend. The pre-dawn jolt was the strongest aftershock yet since Saturday’s magnitude-7.8 quake that killed more than 500 people. Some people in Portoviejo abandoned their homes, even those with no apparent damage, and headed to a former airport where temporary shelters have been set up. The government said the number of known dead stood at 553, but officials expected more bodies to be found. WHO: DIABETES RISES FOURFOLD OVER LAST QUARTER-CENTURY British Prime Minister David Cameron has called Queen Elizabeth II “a rock for our nation” as the monarch celebrates her 90th birthday. The queen is spending the day at Windsor Castle, near London, with her family. Compiled from the AP Newswire
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Cuomo Reacts to Controversial North Carolina Law By Rachael Purtell
Copy Editor | Purtellr1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state of New York have followed Seattle, San Francisco and New York City in placing a ban on all non-essential public-employee travel to North Carolina in response to the passage of a controversial law criticized for being anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimatory. “They are probably responding to what they see their constituencies wanting, which lawmakers should do,” said Political Science Department Chair and Associate Professor Jeff Miller. “There’s always a tension in democracies between what the people want and affording each individual basic protections that we see in the constitution. If you’re a purely democratic state and everything that people want people get then that results in overriding individual rights which we think are pretty important so the Bill of Rights in a liberal democracy like the United States protects those rights.” According to Miller, laws like this are often passed as a result of the tension he described. Although he believes the law may be overturned, he expects that it will be handled at least at the circuit level of the court system. From there, the courts may invalidate the law, send the law back or send the case back to a lower court. “My instinct is to say that in the short term it’s not going to be changed. It may be overturned in the courts if it faces significant challenge, but that’s going to be more than a year or two off,” Miller said. Miller said that he does not believe that North Carolina will respond to economic boycotting efforts because they are not robust enough to be effective. Several lawmakers in North Carolina have also released statements saying that they will not be blackmailed into changing the law. Third-year photography and art education major and public relations officer/event coordinator for New Paltz Pride Connor Henderson believes that sentiments and attitudes towards the LGBT community are much different in southern states such as North Carolina than here in New York. “How much support they have as well as the opposition they have kind of scares me,” Henderson said. “There was the bathroom law and at the same time, North Carolina repealed the law that protected same sex couples from discrimination; not only are they making new laws but they are taking away progressive laws made in the past.” The law in question was passed a few weeks ago in a special session by the State’s Legislature and then immediately signed by Gov. Pat McCrory.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WSKGNEWS
According to The Two-Way, the law blocks local governments from passing anti-discrimination laws to protect the LGBTQIA+ community. The law also bars transgender people from using single-sex restrooms and changing rooms that correspond to their gender identity. “There have been claims made about things happening in bathrooms by trans people or people with different gender identities, but if you look at documented cases there’s nothing there to prove that there needs to be a law,” Henderson said. Henderson referenced cases in other institutions such as the Penn State football scandal and sexual abuse allegations within religious institutions and pointed out that there was no response to create a new law after these events. “There are no laws saying we’re not going to let kids go to church and we’re not going to let kids play sports because that would be crazy, obviously,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any real, true reason to make a law like this other than people don’t understand people who are different from them and want to discriminate against them.” In response, Cuomo issued an executive order effective immediately that requires a review of all requests for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to North Carolina and bars any such travel unless it is necessary for enforcing state law, meeting contractual obligations or in the interest of public health, welfare and safety. New Paltz Town Supervisor Neil Bettez said he agrees with Cuomo’s decision. “I think it’s the right call,” Bettez said. “I think we should use every means possible to show how disgusting and apprehensible this law is.” Cuomo also issued a similar order last year in response to a “religious freedom” measure enacted in Indiana and later reversed said order when the law was amended.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
According to Miller, reasons to impose a ban like Cuomo’s such as to effect change or send a political signal. Governments also make orders like this in order to “keep their hands clean” or to expose the issue in the first place, but given this issue’s popularity, Miller does not believe this is the case. “There are a number of different reasons you might boycott something or propose a ban like Cuomo does, you can boycott because you want to have some sort of effect on a law and that’s certainly what Cuomo’s official stance is,” Miller said. “You can also be signaling your political position to other people and the context of what your political ambitions might be for the future.” According to Miller, bans and boycotts have different results. Boycotts have a certain effect, whereas bans, like Cuomo’s, send a signal. Miller said Cuomo is sending a signal to New York Democrats. Bettez expects that North Carolina officials will amend the law in the near future. “I can only think that this is a mistake on their part and an embarrassment to their state, their state is better than this,” Bettez said. “I would be embarrassed if my lawmakers passed this law.” Henderson has faith that people are genuinely accepting and understanding of those that do not fit into the standard heteronormative binary that he believes our country is built upon. “We live in a time where most people realize that people are different from them and you just need to accept them for who they are and what they want to do,” Henderson said. “Our country has already been through a civil rights movement and is still in the middle of another civil rights movement; hopefully people are learning from the past and don’t want to see this type of discrimination happen again.”
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Mayoral Pay Raise Discussed at Village Board Meeting
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NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL
3 OFFICIALS CHARGED IN FLINT WATER CRISIS; MORE PREDICTED
The Flint water crisis became a criminal case Wednesday when two state regulators and a city employee were charged with official misconduct, evidence-tampering and other offenses over the lead contamination that alarmed the country and brought cries of racism. For nearly 18 months, the poor, majority-black city of 100,000 used the Flint River for tap water as a way to save money - a decision made by a stateappointed emergency manager while a new pipeline was under construction. OFFICER’S SENTENCE IN STAIRWAY KILLING LEAVES DIVIDE, DISMAY
From the start, the case of a rookie police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man in a public housing stairwell never fit neatly into the national debate over police brutality and minorities. And Officer Peter Liang’s sentencing this week to probation and community service after a judge downgraded his manslaughter conviction left dismay and questions on all sides, particularly among police accountability activists who had seen the case as a sign of progress.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR
By Jack O’Brien
Features Editor | Obrienj2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The status of the mayor’s salary in the Village of New Paltz is once again at the center of public discussion on how much elected officials should make. However, unlike in recent years, a pay raise looks likely for the mayor. On Wednesday, April 13, the New Paltz Village Board discussed approving the 2017 budget, which would include a pay raise for Mayor Tim Rogers. Rogers currently makes $25,000 and is seeking a raise of $20,000, totalling $45,000. The meeting was preceded by weeks of community-wide discussion fixating on the proposed increase to the mayor’s salary. The conversation surrounding a pay raise for Rogers was met with unanimous support across the village board. According to Village Trustee Don Kerr, the board viewed the job as full-time as opposed to those who see it as a part-time position. “This job has always been more than 40 hours a week,” Kerr said. “I believe
the mayor is always looking for ways to reduce costs for the village.” Kerr cited Rogers’ involved management of village funding for the Millbrook Preserve and his work on the water issues facing the community as examples of his active leadership and cost efficiency. Kerr also stated that he thought the position was being underpaid, a view he has consistently held for previous mayors, including former mayor Jason West. Kerr believed that in both West and Rogers’ cases they were deserving of “full-time pay for the full-time position.” During his second term in office, West was engaged in a series of disputes with the village board regarding his salary. In 2012, West was approved for a salary of $35,500, a pay raise of $13,000. However, in 2013 he received a pay reduction of $13,000, back to a base-level salary of $22,500 after he requested a $13,000 pay raise. According to Kerr, the legal battle between West and the village board cost the village $51,000 in legal fees, includ-
ing a $12,000 settlement in February of 2015. Critics of the pay raise argue that the issue is another contentious point in the discussions surrounding village-town consolidation efforts. The consolidation proposal centers around the village and town of New Paltz becoming one municipal entity. Supporters of consolidation point to the town government led by town supervisor Neil Bettez as a reason to cut costs and combine efforts between the two boards. Currently, Bettez has a salary of $51,000 a year, $3,000 less than former town supervisor Susan Zimet made in 2015. Kerr said that he would not speculate as to how this decision would affect future consolidation discussions, but did say that “it has been the age-old question of New Paltz.” “The village is different from the town,” Kerr said. “That’s not to diminish the town [of New Paltz], but the village is unique.”
Thursday, April 21, 2016
A DECADE LATER, COPS PLEAD GUILTY IN KATRINA BRIDGE SHOOTING
Five former New Orleans police officers pleaded guilty Wednesday in deadly shootings in the days following Hurricane Katrina, abruptly ending a decade-old case that tainted an already scandal-plagued police force and reawakened memories of the chaos and devastation from the catastrophic 2005 storm. The case also spotlighted misconduct by federal prosecutors. THOUSANDS PUFF FOR LEGAL POT AT 4/20 PARTIES THROUGHOUT US
Thousands sent up a cheer and a collective plume of marijuana smoke at the stroke of 4:20 p.m. Wednesday in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. They gathered at the park’s “Hippie Hill” to toke up, eat and drink the afternoon away into the night. A plane dragging a banner encouraging attendees to “smoke weed” circled overhead, while unlicensed vendors set up tables and makeshift tents to sell all types and strains of bud, not to mention T-shirts, pipes and food. Compiled from the AP Newswire
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Your Student Senate Brief By Jonathon Perry
Copy Editor | Perryj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The Student Senate gathered once again to talk about their recent business. The ban the box proposal, according to Senate President Rooki Reynoso, has passed. Reynoso also proposed a fundraiser to help those in need after the Ecuador earthquake. Executive V.P. Kelsey Ryan continued the meeting with news of legislation passing to help suggest the divesting of fossil fuels on campuses. V.P. of Academic Affairs Nicole Striffolino brought up that elections for student senate will meet Monday, and V.P. of Finance Raquell Kissi noted that the club budget numbers for conferences were 3,239 and general programming was 10,517. Esoshani Borton, council board chair,
said the council of organization’s last meeting will be Monday. Paul Brown, Senate chair, said there are more students being accepted to classes, and classrooms are having more availability. Senate members Jay Brown and Adrianna Duimage brought up the debated Springfest ticket situation on campus. Brown said that planning for the next spring concert starts in September of the year before, and that the process for setting up and selling tickets has been the same for years. The change in artist popularity is reportedly what changed the demand for tickets, catching the booth off guard when tickets sold out in less than five hours.
The ticket day being only on Monday, April 18, was to prevent people from being turned away after waiting on line. With over 7,000 students at SUNY New Paltz, only 1,000 get to go. Duimage said that less than half of the student body wanted to go in the past, so they didn’t expect to have issues that day. With a budget of $16,000, the Senate can’t fund the amount needed to perform the solution of having a concert in a bigger venue or outdoors. The cost of the solution would warrant $35,000 to $55,000. The Senate is at the mercy of the school for potential funding or a long-term solution of building a bigger building to hold concerts.
The next order of business was to introduce the International Memory bylaw that Senate wants to present to the president of New Paltz. The New Paltz Student Association wants to establish and maintain institutional memory to keep a maintained record of its committee’s, chair’s and director’s responsibilities. The last order of business was to introduce a plan for SUNY New Paltz to extend its coverage of WiFi. The Senate agrees that this plan will increase the quality of life for students who will have hot spot coverage. The Senate will meet with administration to lay out the price quote and to present the plan to President Christian.
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Student Voice Opinion
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“Your opinion loud and clear!”
Farm Fest and Sustainable Agriculture! Students for Sustainable Agriculture is a club on campus that seeks ways to learn about perpetuating sustainable agriculture and learning about feasible healthy living. We have been visiting local farms, establishing relationships with the earth, transplanting in the greenhouse, working in the garden, attending Farmer’s Market each week and preparing for an exciting event called Farm Fest. The club is full of wonderful people, who just want to make the world a better place. I visited a Students for Sustainable Agriculture meeting last year with a vague idea of what they stood for, and soon my interest grew exponentially. I have learned so much about the planet, as well as how to improve it. The club truly has the best interest of the planet, people, and animals. Just from a year of being with the club I learned about climate change (Yes, it does exist.), compost, inconvenience of plastic bottles, how to grow my own food, and much more! I grew up living in Queens, so
I wasn’t taught about composting, the impact of plastic, or climate change too much. Students for Sustainable Agriculture gave me an opportunity to expand my knowledge about the environment, and I’m very grateful for all that I have learned from my peers, as well as mentors. One of my favorite activities to do for the club is the garden and greenhouse workdays. Now that spring has finally arrived, we are able to do them each week. So far we have been mulching and building around the beds. Soon we will transplant. Greenhouse days involve learning how to seed, germinate, and transplant veggies. So far, we have grown onions, peppers, watermelons, kale, and spinach. My experience at the garden work days is always happy and fun. This make me more confident in my abilities to produce food on my own and feel more independent. In the future I want to have my own garden, so these work days help out a lot! Any student can come, join, and help us. We have been trying to situate a fence
in the garden. It would beneficial utility, because it would keep critters out and maintain the status of the plants. An additional part of the club that I really love is the Zine Crew! We meet up to make zines about sustainability, garden work, and write ecofriendly stories. Some of us like to add our own agenda, such as feminism or about their political ideals, which adds a bunch of creativity. Our first zines will be shown at Farm Fest. Speaking of, Farm Fest is coming up this Friday on April 22! The event celebrates Earth Day and will be on the Old Main Quad from 12pm to 7pm. There will be multiple vendors, clubs, and activities. Some of the many fun activities will be mural painting, natural tie dyeing, face painting, and yoga. The vendors present will be selling delicious food and drinks. The clubs that will be attending the event are Printmaking Club, Outing Club, Tea Club, Recycling Club, NYPIRG, Oxfam, Ceramics, Sculpture, Frack Action, Eco Reps, and Global Medical Brigades. All these multiple happenings at Farm Fest will be
Are you a SUNY New Paltz student that has a strong opinion? Of course you are! Send in a “Student Voice” for publication* at Oracle@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu. * Space permitting. Submission does not guarantee publication.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
accompanied with live acoustic music! Sounds like a fun party if you ask me. So come on down and have some fun with us and express the love you have for the Earth on the mural that is waiting to be painted. The club meets weekly at 7pm in the Honors Center to discuss topics such as garden workdays, greenhouse days, farm visits, internships, and zine meetings. Hope to see you there! Emilia Wojcik Second-year, Psychobiology
wojcike1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The views expressed in op-eds are solely those of the student who wrote and submitted it. They do not necessarily reflect those of The New Paltz Oracle, its staff members, the campus and university or the Town or Village of New Paltz.
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What Divides Us?
EYAL PRESS ADDRESSES ‘THE RIGHT THING’ By Jonathan Perry
Copy Editor | Perryj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The world has developed a stigma against people who speak out against questionable actions. These people are often depicted as trouble makers, whose choice to ‘do the right thing’ might land them in jail, without a job or humiliated for life. The next generation is entering a world filled with questionable actions all the time. Sometime in their lives, there is a likelihood that they may be forced to make decisions that betray their better judgement. However, there have been many individuals throughout time that have had the courage to stand up against their orders to follow their own hearts. Eyal Press, an award-winning journalist and author of ethical and social justice novels, gave a lecture in the Honor’s Center on Tuesday, April 12 to talk about the choices and hardships faced by these individuals who have rejected their duty and responsibility to remain true to their values. “Eyal Press has made debatable issues his specialty and his work transcends those familiar ways of thinking about conflict,” SUNY New Paltz President Donald P. Christian said. “His writing is intriguing and vivid, but also tests readers beyond their previously conceived notions of truth.” Press is also this year’s James Ottaway Visiting Professor of Journalism. He is teaching a course titled “Reporting on Divisive Issues.” Press’ father, who faced persecution for performing abortions, was used as an example to demonstrate the divisiveness of his father’s medical practice. Abortion is a highly contested issue, which frequently led to threats against Press’ father. The theme of divisiveness has been present through the actions of numerous individuals throughout history. A man named Paul Grueninger was a police border guard in Switzerland during World War II who disobeyed his duties,
for Jewish refugees to cross the border illegally so they had a chance for a future. The Germans found out, and the Switzerland authorities stripped Grueninger of his outfit and rank, forcing him to live his life in penury and disgrace. But he was not alone. Another individual named Avner Wishnitzer was part of an elite unit in the Israeli army that learned of Palestinian farms that were being burned and vandalized inexcusably. Regarding these acts as criminal, Wishnitzer refused to serve anymore. This opposition got him kicked out of the army and branded a traitor by his own country. “What I experienced was 10 times harder than the trials I have faced in the army,” Wishnitzer said. “When I risked my life for my country, I felt their presence like a wind on my back. But now, the wind is in my face.” Another ‘Whistle-Blower’ in the present day commonly known as Edward Snowden, released information from the National Security Agency he felt was a violation of privacy. The government charged him with the Espionage Act for leaking information and he was forced to flee the country after being branded a wanted man and traitor. Snowden is one of the most polarizing individuals of the present time, because he is regarded by some as a hero who courageously revealed corruption and others as a criminal who leaked information to enemies. Why does Snowden get a different treatment than other individuals did in the past? Press said the difference has to do with time. “Three or four decades ago, people were not as interested in issues that raised questions because things were often seen as ‘black and white,’” Press said. Future whistleblowers are divisive and polarizing figures for forcing attention to specific issues. Anyone who is a nonconformist to a cause is regarded as a ‘trouble causer’ to that structure of power they are challenging. Press referred to the scandal at Penn
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State University with Jerry Sandusky, the longtime defensive coordinator who sexually abused children. This was something that had been going on at that school for some time and nobody came forward. Press posed the question to the audience of whether or not things would be different if someone did come forward and how they would be viewed. “The divisive issues that are obvious expose the fault lines in our society,” Press said. “But sometimes it is the issues we think aren’t divisive that touch on the real double standards and hypocrisies we all want to believe are true.” Press went on to address the two types of approaches people normally take when making decisions in the face of questionable circumstances, the ‘objectivity approach,’ where individuals don’t take sides in fear of opposition, or the
Thursday, April 21, 2016
‘polarization approach,’ where individuals openly argue their opinions without fear of opposition. Press said that there is a third option. This option is presenting information while at the same time trying to grapple with the facts to make the argument stronger. It is important to hear people out and listen to their points of view while putting yourself in their shoes. Each aforementioned individual has wrestled with their duties while putting themselves in other people’s shoes to determine what choice they should make. “Nonconformity, is a result of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes,” Press said. “We have a responsibility to put ourselves in people’s shoes, displaying our resolve from that is a true display of courage.”
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An Inconvenient Lecture
MILITARY ACADEMY PROFESSOR DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE By Samantha Manzella A & E Editor | Manzells1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu Climatologist Adam Kalkstein shared his simple deductions from the latest scientific data: the earth is warming with devastating effects on the environment, and only intervention on a global scale can prevent further damage. Kalkstein, a professor of geology and environmental engineering at the United States Military Academy, spoke Wednesday, April 6, to a crowded room of science students in the Coykendall Science Building auditorium. The climatologist kicked off his lecture with a mission statement: his aim was to use scientific data to understand the reality of climate change. “I want to get rid of the politics and look at the science,” Kalkstein said with a grin. To verify the existence of climate change, Kalkstein pointed to data from
a 2006 Land-Ocean Anomaly Chart, which indicated that the earth is warming on average. According to Kalkstein, most reputable scientists agree with this conclusion. The real question lies in how much the planet is warming, how quickly the phenomenon is happening and what the cause of these changes is, he said. Kalkstein then tackled a more controversial aspect of this hot topic: is climate change a natural phenomenon, or is human interaction with the environment the primary cause of global warming? The climatologist gave a brief primer on the greenhouse effect, an environmental process many scientists attribute to the rise in recorded temperatures on earth. According to Kalkstein, the greenhouse effect happens regardless of human behavior. However, increases in carbon dioxide emissions from human activity have exacerbated the effects of the greenhouse effect.
Kalkstein cited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an internationally-recognized organization of climatologists, who claimed in a recent report that human responsibility for climate change is 90-95 percent likely. The climatologist noted that no conclusion can truly be 100 percent accurate considering the infinite amount of factors at play. “There is no ‘smoking gun’ in this situation,” Kalkstein said. The climatologist used data from around the globe to evaluate the effects of climate change on the earth’s land, weather and oceans. Kalkstein presented data that indicated climate change has not affected the frequency of hurricanes and tornadoes, contrary to popular opinion. However, it may contribute to their recent uptick in intensity, he said. The climatologist proved that flooding and droughts are on the rise around the
globe, with temperatures becoming more extreme and more erratic on average. Climate change also means bad news for the floating ice of the world, Kalkstein said: temperature increases have caused much of the floating ice in the arctic to melt, contributing to habitat loss for species like polar bears and rises in global sea level. But what can we do about these negative effects on the environment? According to Kalkstein, our individual impacts won’t do much good. Change has to happen on an international level, he said, with support from countries like China and India, which use more fossil fuels than any other countries on the planet. The climatologist urged students to push for policy changes that support the development of renewable energy sources and encourage international cooperation in solving global climate crisis.
Happily Here to HEAL
GROUP OFFERS BODY IMAGE SUPPORT By Monique Tranchina Copy Editor | Tranchim1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu Disguising eating disorders as an act of vanity is a popular way to shrug off serious mental health issues that can inhibit daily functioning. Since anorexia nervosa is the most lethal mental health disorder, with other eating disorders not far behind, it is important to spread awareness and communicate about issues that lie past an unhealthy body. Theresa Mandrin, a third-year Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies major, said that illnesses and disorders that are more complex to understand, like eating disorders, are still “surrounded by an overwhelming amount of stigma and stereotypes which cloud the truth.” Project HEAL is taking the initiative to spread the knowledge and create a comfortable group dynamic for people to share their stories. Members of Project HEAL emphasize
small steps, which requires patience, time and work, that can create waves in mental health activism. On Thursday, April 14, Project HEAL held a fundraiser at Murphy’s, where they collected $440 to support people going through inpatient and outpatient treatment. According to Isabella Spatola, a fourth-year psychology major, those who are not within a certain BMI will not be covered by insurance for treatment. Spatola hopes people afflicted with eating disorders can receive treatment regardless of whether they can afford it or not. “This is an issue because most, if not all, people that are struggling with an eating disorder need more treatment than what insurance will cover and that’s where the money we raise comes in,” Spatola said. While Project HEAL’s gala was an event to raise funds and serve anonymous people ex-
tra financial help, it also served as “a fun night out at the end of a stressful semester, a break from school, while supporting a good cause,” according to Alexa Giardino, a fourth-year sociology major. Students can contribute and distill cloudy truths by attending meetings. The leaders ensure a safe and confidential environment for everyone, whether they share personal strife or not. During meetings, members create open dialogue and educate each other with firsthand knowledge and facts from mental health research for healing purposes. “Getting rid of stigmas surrounding mental illness is a difficult thing to do, but I believe that it starts with education and an open dialogue,” Spatola said. Project HEAL offers the acceptance members have lost during emotionally difficult times. Austin Alvarado, a third-year political
Thursday, April 21, 2016
science major, said that eating disorders don’t discriminate regarding shape, size, or weight. People who have eating disorders can even hide it so that others can’t pick up on the issue. “The main reason to do away with such stigmas is because they hinder the scope of treatment and viability of what an eating disorders really are,” Alvarado said. “When it is limited as its been, you neglect to treat and realize the mass amounts of the populace who are affected by such a mental disorder, and fly under the radar.” If people are equipped with signs and symptoms of eating disorders, others can respond quicker, more efficiently, and maybe have more compassionately. Eradicating all negative associations and misinformation about mental illness is not possible, but with efforts spreading amongst the community, a movement in a positive direction is attainable.
4B oracle.newpaltz.edu ESK D Y COP KOFF: ES K COOOPY D F F: C KO O CO
Yesterdayʻs Brownies By Nate Sheidlower Sheidlon1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
One of the members of The Oracle shares their culinary chops with you. Bon appetit! Remember driving with the sunroof open? Shit just flyin’ out and only you to pause, reel it back and save the ride. Just a matter of time before conversations split off and send you side door bound. Sometimes you can’t partake. Let alone be near. But other times it’s just a favor away. Best to save your receipts and dodge the honey. And never munch. Better still with the Gatorade and aluminum before mining an apple. Go big or go home. Two in one plus a slice. Gotta say though, third period can only really exist after the gym. Brownies help with that. Mainly because they’re comfort food, but also because, when made properly, they’re proven to brighten your day. Step one in making brownies is getting ingredients. Esquire recently posted about using ingredients, but didn’t mention how or which to purchase. Slackin’. Anyway, remember to get them. Brownie mix, milk, eggs, maybe flour, a pan, maybe extra chocolate, vegetable oil, etc. From here, mix the ingredients correctly by following the directions on the box. They all got and if you’re reading this I’m guessing you can read those too. Ovens need preheating. Don’t forget this, as it’s a direct indicator you’re 72.8 percent more likely to forget to turn it off afterwards. Not good. Now, it is good to, how do you say, grease the pan. I like to use veggie oil. Add: Tbsp. of pure sugar cane Half tsp. vanilla extract Cup of brown sugar And then just slightly heat and stir that and you’re in good shape. Finally we get around to the baking. First, the tray of brownie mix goes in the oven. Then, the tray of brownies comes out. There might be sometime in the middle but it’s pretty much that simple so don’t screw this step up. It’s important. They’ll go down nice and easy and will have a nice rich flavor that just can’t be beat. But hey, I know brownies aren’t the healthiest of items. Finish your morning up with a nice bowl of fresh greens to balance it out.
Features
The New Paltz Oracle
Buzzing Too Close
EXPERTS SPARK LOCAL DISCUSSION ON ZIKA By Kristen Warfield Editor-in-Chief | Warfielk1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu They’re small, pesky and will make an estimated 4 million people sick by the end of this year. The aedes aegypti mosquito, better known as the blood-sucking culprit behind the Zika Virus, has sent global health officials rushing to understand more about the outbreak that began in Brazil last year and has since spread to 52 countries. And despite the belief that New Yorkers may dodge these bugs if they limit their traveling, the truth is they likely exist in our own backyards right here in the Hudson Valley. In light of Zika causing global alarm as it reaches a pandemic level, the Latin American & Caribbean Studies Program at SUNY New Paltz presented a roundtable discussion about the virus on Wednesday, April 6. Faculty experts on Latin America, Biology and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality covered three of the largest concerns the virus has caused so far: travel restriction, reproductive justice of women and insect control. The program kicked off with Benjamin Junge, an Anthropology and Latin American & Caribbean Studies professor who recently returned from a trip to Brazil earlier this year. At the virus’ epicenter, Brazil alone has garnered between 500,000 to 2 million cases of Zika since the outbreak first began last year, Junge said. The virus itself rarely causes death; 40 percent of people who have it never show symptoms. Those who do experience fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes. By following advertised precautions such as wearing long sleeves and applying insect repellent, Junge returned to the states from Brazil Zika-free. “One thing I do not want to do is instill panic about travel to Brazil,” Junge said. “If you were planning to go to the Olympics, by all means you should still go. Interest in tourism perpetuates the notion that Rio is a risky place, and there’s a lot of work we have to do to reshape this.” This sentiment comes as many Americans cancel travel plans in fear of contracting the virus, not only to Brazil but to other affected countries. Brazil is set to host the 2016 Olympic Summer Games from
Aug. 5-21 in Rio De Janeiro, where an expected 10,500 athletes from 206 different countries will compete. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued travel warnings for pregnant women because, as scientists declared just last week, Zika is in fact the longspeculated cause of microcephaly, a condition resulting in abnormal head size and developmental delay in some PHOTO BY FLICKR USER GLOBAL PANORAMA babies born to mothers with the illness. lying around, such as inside a bottle cap Meg O’Sullivan, a professor from the or discarded plastic bag, serves as prime Women’s, Gender and Sexuality program, breeding ground for the aedes aegypti said there has yet to be an institutional mosquito and its cousin the aedes albopapproach to help women in the affected ictus. countries aside from telling them to not “These two are really insidious vecget pregnant. tors that want to bite people,” Haselton “In my estimation, the ways these said. “Places with poor sanitation and acgovernments have been paying attention cumulation of water allow them to breed to the outbreak has not been friendly to rapidly.” women and their reproductive justice,” Both of the species responsible for O’Sullivan said. “I don’t think the answer Zika transmission in the Southern Hemiis ‘don’t have kids’ or ‘get an abortion.’ I sphere also reside here in the U.S. as north would like to see more medical research, as the Hudson Valley, Haselton said. generally wherein a vaccine could be de“It is not likely that these New York veloped.” mosquitos carry the virus, but, in theory, O’Sullivan noted that many Ameri- if enough people became infected and cans bring up the conversation of making provided a stable reservoir, transmission abortions legal where they are now not, or could arise,” Haselton said. starting programs to provide women with Despite the lack of risk in the immebirth control who live in areas where it is diate area, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has apnot readily accessible or affordable. Giv- pointed a Zika Action Plan for New York ing our own suggestions, she said, some- State that is stepping up how we should times do not align with the cultural values keep the bugs at bay. Both species have of women in those countries. been known to exist in New York City for “I would argue that this burden is be- years, and now with increased conversaing put on women, to simply not get preg- tion of the virus, the state is looking to nant, because there has been no system- heighten precautions to limit the presence atic, governmental approach,” O’Sullivan of these insects. said. “Birth control would provide an avThe plan includes distributing larenue of protection, but some women will vicide tablets to then place in permanent still have this want for a child.” stagnant water sources like ponds; special The source of the virus, though minis- monitoring of aedes mosquitoes to idencule, has spread so rapidly due to the mos- tify possible Zika transmission and handquitoes’ ability to live in close proximity ing out Zika protection kits to pregnant with people. Aaron Haselton, chair of the women that include educational materials, Biology department, explained that even insect repellant, condoms and larvicide the smallest amounts of stagnant water tablets.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
The New Paltz Oracle
5B
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT oracle.newpaltz.edu
Parading Through History
THEATRE DEPARTMENT STAGES AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL By Jess Napp
Copy Editor | Nappj1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
It was the trial of the century that shook a nation and left Americans contemplating the meaning of justice. On April 7, the tumultuous story of The People v. Leo M. Frank took center stage in McKenna Theatre. In Catherine Doherty’s directorial debut at SUNY New Paltz, she brought to life the award winning Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown musical “Parade.” The show ran for eight performances. Then on Sunday, April 17, the cast and crew transported their last crowd to Atlanta, Georgia in 1913. The emotionally charged production brought social and political issues to the forefront of the theatre. “It’s strikingly relevant to issues now,” Doherty said. “‘Parade’ is very producible, it has the right size cast, opportunities for students of color, beautiful music and topical issues.” “Parade” divulges the poignant true story of a native Jewish New Yorker named Leo Frank living in Georgia with his southern wife, Lucille Frank. The climax of the tale occurs when Leo is accused of the murder and rape of a young girl, Mary Phagan, who worked in his pencil factory. From then on, viewers witness the heart-wrenching trial and the themes of Anti-Semitisms, post-Civil War America, racism, corruption and much more. According to Doherty, this is her second year teaching in the department of theatre arts. She received the directorial role due to her vast experience in directing large-scale musicals, her contractual
Kyle Marra takes center stage as Leo Frank.
obligation to direct a production and her great interest in “Parade.” Auditions were held for two nights in January, callbacks followed on the third day and rehearsal started in mid-February. Doherty said the process consisted of learning the music, staging, choreography, putting it all together and repeating the ritual. “I preach and teach student actors the importance of being as truthful as possible in the telling of stories,” Doherty said. Third-year history major Kyle Marra played the lead role of Leo Frank, and he attests to the struggle of playing a real person. He found the content challenging because of its heavy nature. However, the importance of remaining true to the
character pushed him to do justice to Leo Frank and his story. “There were many times in this rehearsal process and even in performances when I would think to myself ‘this actually happened’ or ‘who I am right now was a real person,’” Marra said. The complexity of this production went beyond the dense material that the actors worked with and permeated through every aspect of “Parade.” A huge automated turntable forced the crew to build up the surface of the stage. The set itself stood two stories tall with a grand staircase leading to the second bridgelike level. Doherty said the complex light and sound design had to accommodate 25 voices singing at different times and
Thursday, April 21, 2016
PHOTO BY JACK WADE
places. Approximately 300 pieces of costuming contributed to the realistic setting in the turn of the century American south. “It took a village to put this show together,” Doherty said. Third-year theater major Maria Coppola assisted with the choreography and wardrobe crew. She worked backstage for the entirety of the show but on the first night of dress rehearsal she found some time to sit in the audience and watch a few numbers that brought her to tears. “I think the actors, along with the overall design of the show, told a truthful story,” Coppola said. “It allowed audiences to hear about the lives of real historical figures and events that are so crucial yet rarely discussed in history classes.”
6B oracle.newpaltz.edu
Arts & Entertainment
The New Paltz Oracle
Springfest 2016 Preview
THE SCOOP ON THIS YEAR’S CAMPUS CONCERT By Melissa Kramer
Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The artists have been announced and tickets are now gone for the 2016 SUNY New Paltz Springfest. A$AP Ferg, Joey Bada$$ and NYCK Caution will play in Elting Gym Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert ran out in less than four hours on Monday, April 18 — their first day of sales. Only 1,000 were available. Vice President of Programming at SUNY New Paltz Student Association Programming (SAP) Goldie Harrison said the only day Elting Gym was open for availability was April 30. The SAP Board worked with their concert agent, who sent them a list of multiple genres. From there, they picked the top names of each genre. Once that was put together, a pre-survey was released to cast out student’s genre tastes in the fall. The artist survery came shortly after. “We said those results are what we were going to use when it comes to a deciding factor if we have two people who have the most votes and they are of different genres,” Harrison said. “We were going to chose the genre that won the pre-survey. I was reading Yik-Yak and saw a lot of students were really upset. We gave the students the opportunity to vote. We want to hear your voices.” Directly after the artist survey results were analyzed, Chance the Rapper, who garnered immense popularity through the vote, as well as The Front Bottoms were already booked for previous obligations. During the negotiation process, as
a result of scheduling conflicts of artists, the board decided to take a look at last year’s survey. “We really do try to use the students’ votes to pick who we want,” Harrison said. “But it just never goes as smooth as we planned because artists are busy and everyone wants them. This is the prime college concert time in April.” Last year’s blending of genres led to clashing between audience members and one of the artists. “The last two years we mixed genres and then we realized that it is such a split that one artist usually ends up benefiting more than the other,” Harrison said. “If we do mixed genres, we can’t just have two different artists, we have to have three or four, which New Paltz can’t afford.” This year, SAP gained $40,000 more in funding for their budget. However, they were strongly urged to hold a fall event and to hire a comedian, something that no other student club could put on. With the budget increase, the board had enough money to afford four artists of different genres. Harrison said last year’s incident and a split of funds is what changed her mind. “My intentions were to have at least four artists this year of all different genres, so we can have a mixed crowd,” she said. “You can’t really boo someone off, because you have three other acts. It isn’t just split. However, Student Association made a stipulation that the board had to have an autumn event because we had too much money. We were basically forced into spending the money on
something besides the concert, when our original intention was to have a music festival kind of concert.” Brendan O’Brien, advisor of SAP, said the board needed to put on an event of any kind that fits the criteria of being open to the entire student population. Another effort this year was to get ticketing available online, rather than the old-school pen and paper method which occurred last year and prior years. Due to administrative restraints, the funding for the technological capabilities were rejected. A proposed idea was to have tickets ready through my.newpaltz.edu, which would make the ticket process easier, especially for those students who live off-campus and commuter students who cannot come during the ticketing times in-person, Harrison said. O’Brien said there are companies out there who host services for a variety of universities such as Northwestern and Penn State. These services aid with stadiums of 20,000-25,000 people. “It needs to have a longer conversation,” O’Brien said. “The way that all institutions work is that you can’t walk into an office and demand something happen and then expect it in two weeks. What I would hope for future boards to do is to start the conversation in August when they get back. It might be a service that all clubs can use. It takes initiative at the very beginning for an association to push forward.” O’Brien also suggested to the students who are not necessarily happy and returning next year should really
Thursday, April 21, 2016
look into participating as a volunteer to see how these things really work and then run for these elected positions as a senator or a vice president to be able to make these decisions. This includes running for a position on the SAP board. “A lot of it starts with dialoguing with your board early and often,” he said. “If the average student’s first and only interaction is with buying a ticket and it’s a negative reaction, that’s a shame. I understand their frustration, but it doesn’t recognize the hard work that went into these days, to get these tickets off the ground to even have a show. Without the students that are here working for it, there is no show, and you have nothing.” In addition, he aided students to get involved in their student boards. “The more students address this issue with the association, the more inclined or the more of a priority it might be for the future,” O’Brien said. Another addition to this year’s concert will be the introduction of an SAP Snapchat to show students what it is like who are not volunteering and who is not involved, to see how it is like setting up the stage, green room and when the artists arrive. Also introduced for the show will be a “blacklight” theme. “My goal when I got into this position last year, was to try to build a community to make the Springfest something that people look forward to,” Harrison said. “I want it to be something that everyone relates to. It has been this distant spring concert thing that no one cared about for a long time. I am really trying to make it a part of New Paltz culture.”
The New Paltz Oracle
Arts & Entertainment
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7B
Dancing With the Arts
DORSKY HOSTS STUDENT PERFORMANCE ART EVENT By Holly Lipka
Photo Editor | Lipkah1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
Students responded to artwork in the Dorsky Museum with music, experimental sound, performance art and interpretive dance in the third rendition of Art Collides on Sunday, April 2. Each of the eight students participating chose a specific piece currently displayed at the Dorsky to react to. Some students chose artworks from Andrew Lyght’s “Full Circle” exhibition which merges all distinctions between paintings, sculpture, digital photography and installation. Other students chose work from artists like Joshua Vogel, Kathy Ruttenberg, Courtney Starrett and Susan Reiser and Morris Huberland. Musical interpretations of the pieces included original compositions and improvisation. Jeff Starace, a graduate music therapy student, composed a technical piece on the piano inspired by Joshua Vogel’s 2015 Wooden Spoons. Starace interpreted the spoons us-
ing a method of composition called serialism, which uses a series of notes in a particular order to build up a whole piece of music. He used the length of the spoon handles to decide the duration of each note and the color of the spoons to represent the rhythm. He began playing the spoons from left to right then right to left, allowing the audience to follow along as he played. Vogel attended the event and enjoyed Starace’s interpretation. “I think the whole idea of layering music to a sculpture is a phenomenal idea,” Vogel said. “I think artists communicating in that way is fresh and fun.” Johnny “Stickerboy” Owens, a BFA printmaking student, played a guitar piece reacting to Kathy Ruttenberg’s piece called “Mysterious Lagomorph,” from 2015. Owens said he makes art about power dynamics. When he saw the rabbits on Ruttenberg’s piece, he thought about the predator and prey relationship, which inspired his song.
Josh Kinney, a second-year jazz studies major, has been doing Art Collides since it started in April 2015. This time around he composed and also improved on his tenor saxophone in reaction to Lyght’s 1976 “Flight Kite/Linear Dimensions.” Steven Roberts, a third-year music composition major, composed a dynamic musical number also inspired by Lyght’s 1976 “Flight Kite/Linear Dimensions,” that embodies Lyght’s childhood as a kite maker in Guyana — a small South American nation. A trio played an upbeat piece with a toy piano, a snare drum and a wooden block while dancers wearing bright colors jumped around the artwork in flowing movements. “I wanted to capture a sense of innocence and feeling free,” Roberts said. Lyght also came to the event, and thought Roberts’ interpretation was original and created a good combination of art, dance and music. Brian Sarco, a third-year media manage-
ment and astronomy double major, composed an electronic musical piece which encapsulates portability and change through the use of organic, autonomic sounds. He used a lot of 30 second notes because the piece he reacted to, “Painting Structure 001-060-52413” by Lyght used 32 bamboo rods, he said. Other student performers included Aidan Kohler, Darren Lyons and Lady Peña. Hannah Schaming, a third-year art history major and one of the Dorsky Museum ambassadors said Art Collides started as a way to get students involved with the museum that may not have been involved in the past. “We thought performative reactions in the museum would let different student voices, not just the art students, be heard in a gallery setting,” Schaming said. Schaming said artists also want to come and see the various reactions to their pieces. Students, faculty and local art connoisseurs can check the Dorsky’s website for future events at newpaltz.edu/museum.
An Evening of Slam Poetry
ACCLAIMED SPOKEN WORD ARTIST PERFORMS ON CAMPUS
By Erica Ascher
Staff Writer | Aschere1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
Students gathered at the College Terrace for an evening of poetry by award-winning spoken word artist Lacey Roop on Sunday, April 8. Roop performed numerous pieces of her work with topics ranging from personal stories to politics to sexuality. She stood up in front of the audience dressed in all black with blonde dreadlocks flowing down her back. Roop read mostly from memory and incorporated ambient sounds, hand clapping, stomping and other hand movements into her performance. Her powerful poetry and slight Southern accent pounded the room as she enunciated each word into the microphone. She read two of her most well-known works, titled “Dear Rick Perry” and “Shark Boy.” Roop began writing slam poetry while
she was a business major in college. One day, she was studying for a macroeconomics exam in a coffee shop during an open mic night. She found herself fascinated by the bravery of performers, who stood up in front of the crowd and read their personal stories. She was inspired and started writing her own poetry. Soon enough, Roop performed at that same coffee shop and received several compliments. Roop informed the audience that the majority of her poetry is inspired by experiences in her home state of Mississippi. “My writing is a collection of moments and memories — that’s what we are made of,” Roop said. Between her readings, Roop would tell some stories, including ones about her childhood and her wife. After some of Roop’s readings, the audience was unsure if they should clap, snap
their fingers or laugh. Roop announced that she accepts all reactions. Amalia Velazquez, a fourth-year early childhood education major, attended the event because of her love for slam poetry. Her favorite reading of Roop’s was about bees because “it focused more on bees, existence and what it means to be a person.” Students reacted positively to Roop’s poetry and wanted to hear more. Nicole Santa Maria, a second-year criminology major, is part of the Student Association’s (SA) Union Programming Council that helped organize the Roop event. Santa Maria explained how the council attends the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) conferences each year to find performers, diverse speakers and events to do on campus. “We found out about Lacey Roop at the NACA conference and wanted her to perform
Thursday, April 21, 2016
here badly,” Santa Maria said. Santa Maria’s favorite part of Roop’s performance was the stories about her wife, a psychologist who works with young children. Roop also read some poems from her published manuscript titled, “And Then Came The Flood.” The story behind the name comes from a time when she continuously had an imagery of water. A few years ago, she came home from an event, called Queer Bomb, to find her washing machine had flooded. That’s when she knew what to title her collection. Roop had three points of advice to aspiring writers: read everything because there’s so much to read and be inspired by; be receptive to criticism and know your own intentions. “You have to read the things you don’t like to figure out what you do like,” Roop said. “Your inspirations are endless.”
8B
The Deep End
oracle.newpaltz.edu
The New Paltz Oracle
THIS WEEK IN
THE DEEP END
S O P H I E Major: Ceramics
C O R N I S H - K E E F E
Year: Fourth
Inspriation: Ron Nagle, Jesse Wine, Anton Reijnders “The way we as a society think about inhabiting space and interacting with objects has been rapidly and irreversibly forced into change, as we increasingly participate through non-physical dimensions of representation. The ceramic object, in this new context, becomes a conflation of contemporary values - its peculiar materiality and record of touch serving to confound our understanding of the thing which we are less and less often experiencing face-to-face. “
Photos courtesy of Sophie Cornish-Keefe. Captioning by David Khorassani
The New Paltz Oracle
Editorial
M ake I t C ount
Presidential Candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump each won their party’s presidential primary in New York this week. At SUNY New Paltz, students waited in a line that stretched out the door of the large polling room to exercise their right to vote. For many, this primary marked the first time they were able to do so. The amount of students that came out to vote on Tuesday was of the same capacity of students that waited in long lines for Springfest tickets the day before. The fact that our fellow young people are as excited about voting as they are to see popular musicians perform at our annual spring concert is an encouraging sight. To the dismay of Bernie Sanders supporters at SUNY New Paltz, the loss Tuesday is starting to bring feelings of discouragement to once very enthusiastic and young New Yorkers. We at The New Paltz Oracle applaud all who waited at least 40 minutes to vote on Tuesday, and urge young New Yorkers who vivaciously support Sanders to hold onto hope and not stray from political involvement due to his loss. With social media’s rapid rise in the past five years, it’s clear many college students and young adults have been extremely involved in the election and show their awareness of pressing issues in an impressive way. Although “their guy Bernie” may not get the Democratic nomination, Sanders supporters can still vote in November’s general election for an independent or Green Party candidate who is in line with their views. Researching the policies and goals of these underdogs is a way to see who may be representing your views. And if you wish to stick with the Democratic party, look into Clinton’s platform to see if it’s worthy of your vote. This election will determine the future of this country for young adults entering the workforce, and it is exceedingly important for people to remain involved in shaping this future. New York is one of only 11 states
oracle.newpaltz.edu
9
CARTOON BY STEFANIE DIERS
that have closed primaries. This means that you must be affiliated and registered with a political party in order to cast a vote. To cast a vote in the primaries for a different political party than which you were previously registered, you would have had to make the change by Oct. 9. Over these six-plus months, the presidential race really begins to heat up and opinions often develop/change during this time. However, because they already missed the October deadline, many were unable to vote in their intended party’s presidential primary this year. Furthermore, people who are less politically active tend to pay little attention to campaigns until the time to vote approaches. Consequently, those who become interested in voting late in the game are then excluded in the primaries. We at The New Paltz Oracle think closed primaries create a restrictive vot-
ing environment due to these harsh deadlines, therefore discouraging many to vote – even in general elections. We believe automatic registration, a reform that dramatically increased voting turnout in states like California and Oregon, is a groundbreaking form of modernized voting that encourages political involvement. New York should adopt this reform and register citizens to vote upon granting their driver’s license. Those who choose not to get a driver’s license should still follow their civic duty and register to vote. Voting is a civic duty that should be easier for citizens to fulfill. With a less complicated process, voter turnout and political participation could increase. During a time of social revolution and political youth involvement, remaining informed and coming out to vote in
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the general election is imperative. Even if you were not able to vote in the primaries, cast your vote in the general election. And if you are not yet registered, get online to New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles website to do so before the Oct. 14 deadline. It may not always seem like it, but every vote counts. 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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The controversy over the cancellation of a debate that was to feature conservative Cliff Kincaid brought to mind a relatively old (1991) quote from a well-known liberal attorney, author, and professor named Alan Dershowicz, who back then was so disturbed by the lack of respect for free speech in certain liberal circles he’s on record as saying: “Political correctness is the most serious issue on college campuses. We are tolerating, and teaching, intolerance and hypocrisy” (James Warren, “Drawing Laughs,” Chicago Tribune, April 14, 1991, section 5, p. 2). Things didn’t change much from 1991 by 2005. Indeed, the intolerance of the ever-so-trendy “politically correct” mob just seemed to have gotten worse (power may have gone to their heads). That motivated a libertarian syndicated columnist named
Opinion
Op-Ed
Nat Hentoff to pen a piece titled “College no place for closed minds” (Chicago SunTimes, Sept. 15, 2005, p. 45). Some of the points he made: 1) even some mainstream educational groups (which Hentoff lists) expressed concern about the widespread intolerance and hostility on many college campuses towards conservative speakers, ideas and values; 2) liberal college professors outnumbered conservative professors by a 5 to 1 ratio; 3) in some classrooms on various college campuses “conservative students are intimidated into silence, ignored or occasionally ridiculed” by narrow-minded liberals; and 4) “indoctrination---instead of free inquiry--- ... characterizes much of higher education.” According to an article in Washington Monthly magazine: “62.2 percent of professors self-identify as liberal, compared to
19.7 as conservative ... 9.4 percent of faculty members say they’re ‘extremely liberal’” (Kevin Carey, “Tenured Moderates,” Washington Monthly, Jan./Feb. 2010, p. 52). And according to an article in The New York Times: “It’s certainly true that professors are a liberal lot ... [A]bout half of the professors identified as liberal, as compared to just one in five Americans over all ... [Among academic] social scientists, for example, there were 10 Democrats for every Republican ... There’s no doubt that in terms of overall curricular content and campus culture, most colleges and universities do skew more to the left than to the right” (Neil Gross, “The Indoctrination Myth,” The New York Times, “Sunday Review” section, March 4, 2012, p. 12). Closed-minded, intolerant, ignorant liberal bigots who believe it’s okay to discrimi-
Thursday, April 21, 2016
The New Paltz Oracle
nate against conservatives and “politically incorrect” speech exist, and many of them are unfortunately found on college campuses, where they are using their influence to try to insinuate their questionable values into others. Hopefully students are aware of all the one-sided, liberal propaganda they are manipulatively being exposed to. But I fear they are not. It would be nice to see students pushing for intellectual diversity on their campuses, and maybe even affirmative action for hiring a true minority on college campuses: conservative teachers. Until that happens, liberal college professors and liberal students will feel free to continue to try to take advantage of others. That needs to change. Wayne Lela Wlela@yahoo.com 630-964-4678
SPORTS
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SPORTS The New Paltz Oracle
NCAA
BOUND
PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA
Hawks’ third-year middle blocker Steven Woessner prepares for a spike.
By Melissa Kramer
Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The No. 1 men’s volleyball team has advanced to the 2016 NCAA Div. III Tournament after defeating second-seeded and No. 4 Stevens Institute of Technology for the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship in the Hawk Center. For the second time in program history, the Hawks earned the UVC Title. They swept the Ducks 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-20) on Sunday, April 10, increasing their overall record to 30-2. This was their first 30-win season since 1987 and fifth, overall. Hawks head coach Radu Petrus said the weekend featured great competition. “It was nice to win in three sets, which was better than four or five,” he said. “Our players were motivated to play well. Our fans helped us keep the excitement. They enjoyed each point.” Hawks fourth-year co-captain Christian Smith the 2016 UVC Player of the Year, added to his haul of postseason awards by earning UVC Tournament MVP honor. Fourth-year outside hitter Andy Fishman and fourth-year co-captain Kevin Nardone joined Smith on the All-Tournament Team. Nardone defended a match-high and seasonhigh-tying 15 digs in the victory. The Hawks, who have yet to lose to an NCAA Div. III team this season, became just
the fifth team in program history to reach the 30-win plateau, as New Paltz won at least 30 matches from 1984-87. Hawks second-year outside hitter Anthony Bonilla completed the double-double with 12 kills and digs, respectively. Smith dished out 32 assists. Stevens was limited to a season-low .075 hitting percentage (27-19-106). To get to the finals, the Hawks also swept fourth-seeded No. 9 Nazareth College 3-0 (2522, 25-22, 25-21) in the semifinals the day before. The teams kept the score close in the start of the opening set. The Golden Flyers held a slight 10-9 edge, but the Hawks collected three consecutive points off Nazareth’s errors to regain the advantage. After falling behind, 15-13, two Nazareth attack errors and a pair of kills by fourth-year middle blocker Christopher Husmann put New Paltz ahead once again, but the Golden Flyers followed up with a kill to tie the score at 17-all. Both teams traded points in the second set to level the tally to 21-all before New Paltz pushed a 4-1 burst to close the set with a 25-22 win. Similar to the first set, the teams traded points until a Golden Flyers’ attack error and kills by both third-year middle blocker and opposite Jake Roessler and Fishman put the
Hawks up, 16-13. However, Nazareth rallied with three consecutive points to even the score. It was a back-and-forth battle until the end of the middle frame, but New Paltz would jump ahead 24-21 on a kill by Fishman, before Woessner floored the set-winning kill to lead, 2-0, heading into the third frame. The final set saw a close score. New Paltz ultimately took an 18-15 advantage with three unanswered points and forced the Golden Flyers to take a timeout. Coming out of the break, Nazareth tried to catch the Hawks, slicing the deficit to 22-21, but would not be able to get further as New Paltz recorded the three points it needed. Individually, Husmann hit .769 (10-0-13), floored 10 kills and added one block assist. Third-year middle blocker Steven Woessner also recorded 10 kills and hit .692 (10-1-13) for the match. Smith tallied a match-high 36 assists, six digs and two blocks (one assist, one solo) for the match. It was announced on Monday, April 18 that five members of the Hawks team have earned 2016 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Div. III All-America honors. Fishman, Husmann, Smith and Woessner were all named to the AVCA All-America First Team, while Nardone was named AVCA Honorable Mention All-America. More honors were revealed on April 20
Thursday, April 21, 2016
when Petrus was selected as the 2016 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Div. III Men’s National Coach of the Year. Assistant coach Tony Bonilla was named the 2016 AVCA Div. III Men’s National Assistant Coach of the Year. The Hawks will be making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. New Paltz, whose other UVC title came in 2014, have advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in each of its previous two appearances. They will next take on No. 15 Wentworth Institute of Technology in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Div. III Tournament on Friday, April 22 at 12:30 p.m. at Nazareth College in Rochester. Last season, the Hawks fell to Stevens in the semifinals of the 2015 NCAA Div. III Tournament 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 13-15). To prepare for this year’s first-round matchup, Smith said the team has had competitive and productive practices during the last two weeks. This included working on minor details to their game and playing a lot of six-on-six in order to stay in rhythm, he said. “We are going to do our best to represent New Paltz up at the NCAA Tournament and hopefully bring home a national championship trophy,” Smith said. “There’s only one SUNY New Paltz.”
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Baseball Improves Conference Record By Michael Rosen
Copy Editor | Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
The baseball team has won five of their last eight games and currently sit in third place in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) standings. First the Hawks swept a three-game series against SUNY Fredonia from Saturday, April 9 to Sunday, April 10. “We knew Fredonia was going to be a team that was going to battle with us for a spot in the playoffs and in the playoff push,” Hawks head coach Matt Righter said. “We thought that if we could win that series, then that would be really helpful going down the stretch in case we dropped a game. Now that we swept Fredonia that makes it a little easier for our last push in the season.” In the first game, second-year pitcher Conor Donachie picked up his fourth win of the season by pitching six innings, surrendering two runs on five hits while striking out four. Fourth-year co-captain Andrew DiNardo picked up the save by giving up no hits in the last two and one-third innings of the game. Fourth-year co-captain Tyler Bell led the offense by going 2-for-3 on the day with a double and two RBIs. First-year shortstop Ryan Frost also went 2-for-3 with two doubles. The Hawks started the following day with a 4-0 victory over the Blue Devils. First-year pitcher Justin Stybel improved his record to 2-0 after hurling five scoreless innings and surrendering just four hits. Secondyear pitcher Ryan Votypka picked up his first of two saves on the day by throwing a perfect two innings to seal the win. First-year third baseman and shortstop Danny Campbell drove in the first two runs with a double to left field in the second inning. Fourth-year first baseman Chris Baltera drove in a run in the third with a bloop hit just beyond the first base bag. Second-year second baseman Anthony Pantano then hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his second of the season. The Hawks completed the series sweep with a 4-2 victory, which proved to be closer than the previous two games. New Paltz scored two runs in the third inning on RBIs from second-year center fielder Jake Williams and third-year first baseman Anthony Diana. Fredonia would cut the deficit in half when Blue Devils fourth-year shortstop Kyle Sherman drove an RBI single to rightcenter field to make it a 2-1 game. DiNardo and Hawks third-year co-captain Taylor Anderson both drove in a run in the eighth inning to make it 4-1. Those two runs
would prove to be important. Fredonia would load the bases with one out in the ninth inning, bringing the potential game-winning run to the plate. With Sherman at the plate, Votypka got him to hit a groundball to the shortstop, but the Hawks could not turn the double play and a run came across to make it a 4-2 game. Then with runners at first and third and two out and the potential gamewinning run still at the plate, Votypka induced a fly ball to left field to seal the sweep. Fourth-year pitcher Christian Huertas started the game for New Paltz and pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up just one run on seven hits while striking out four. This is the first time the Hawks have swept a SUNYAC series since they won three-straight against SUNY Plattsburgh in April of 2013. Then on Tuesday, April 12, New Paltz defeated Bard College 4-3 in a nonconference matchup. After giving up the lead in the eighth inning, the Hawks came back to score two runs in the ninth to take the win. “We did not play as well as we could have against Bard,” fourth-year co-captain Brett Wisner said. “Yet we still got the win with our backs against the wall in the last inning, which is always a positive.” With the Hawks up 2-1 and runners on first and third with one out, Raptors first-year shortstop Preston Gittelson bunted and he would reach second base on a throwing error as both runners came around to score to give Bard a 3-2 lead. After Frost flied out to right field to start the ninth inning, two walks and a hit loaded the bases for New Paltz with only one out. Williams hit into a fielder’s choice to tie the game, and then a throwing error by Bard would give New Paltz the 4-3 lead. Second-year pitcher Kevin Montefusco started the game for the Hawks and allowed just one unearned run in four innings of work. Wisner came out of the bullpen and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one base runner on a walk. Second-year pitcher Luke Christy picked up his first save of the season by throwing a perfect ninth inning. Pantano led the offense by going 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored, while Williams and second-year catcher Spencer Brown each had an RBI. The Hawks would then continue SUNYAC play as they traveled to SUNY Oneonta for a three-game series from Saturday, April 16 to Sunday, April 17. Saturday saw New Paltz lose two very tough games. In the first game, the Hawks held a two-run
The baseball team looks on eagerly from the dugout.
lead over Oneonta going into the bottom of the ninth inning. But two singles and a walk would load the bases with one out. Red Dragons second-year designated hitter Donald Geloso then drove a two-run single to right-center field to tie the game at 4-all. Christy got the next two batters out to send the game to extra innings. Neither team could push across a run in the 10th inning, but in the 11th, the Red Dragons would win the game on a walk-off double by fourth-year second b aseman Matt Mastroianni. Donachie started the game for New Paltz and gave up just two runs in five and two-thirds innings of work. Second-year outfielder Nick DePietro and Williams each collected two hits in the game. Williams, DiNardo and Bell each drove in a run for the Hawks. Later that day, New Paltz lost 1-0 to Oneonta. The Red Dragons scored their lone run of the game on a fielder’s choice in the second inning. Stybel pitched all six innings in the game and allowed just one run on one hit while striking out four. “The two games on Saturday were extremely tough,” Wisner said. “They were heartbreakers and we could have gotten wins in both of those games.” New Paltz responded the next game by defeating Oneonta 6-4 to avoid the sweep. With the game tied going into the seventh inning, Williams broke the tie with an RBI single and would later score in the inning on a wild pitch to give the Hawks a 5-3 lead. Each team scored a run in the ninth inning, but New Paltz held on for the win.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA
Second-year pitcher Brian LoRusso picked up the win in relief by pitching two innings and surrendering just one run. DiNardo earned his third save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth inning. Wisner also came out of the bullpen and hurled two and one-third scoreless innings of relief. Williams led the offense by going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Pantano and Bell also knocked in runs for the Hawks. “I think it was huge,” Righter said. “If we were to lose all three to Oneonta, I’m not sure what our guys would be thinking. It was good for our psyche, but also good as far as the standings go. That was a very important win.” On Tuesday, April 19, New Paltz dropped a nonconference game to Ithaca College by a score of 10-4. The loss dropped the team’s record to 16-12-2. The Hawks will next play five nonconference games, starting with a doubleheader on the road against NYU on Friday, April 22. The team will then finish their season with three games at home against SUNYAC opponent The College at Brockport from Friday, April 29 to Saturday, April 30. Righter looks for his team to continue to do what they’ve been doing in preparation for that Brockport series, and also show teams that their strong season is not a fluke. “We need to gain momentum going into that Brockport series,” Righter said. “But I don’t think I need them to do anything different than what they’ve been doing. We just have to go out there with the mindset to get the job done and take care of business.”
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SPORTS
Softball Continues SUNYAC Play
By Anthony Mitthauer-Orza
Copy Editor | Mitthaua1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
Over the past few games, the softball team has managed to break a program hits record and get past the .500 mark in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play by defeating some tough opponents. The Hawks recently defeated SUNY Plattsburgh, Brooklyn College, SUNY Fredonia and Mount Saint Mary College. On Friday, April 8, New Paltz split a doubleheader against SUNY Plattsburgh, where New Paltz jumped out to a 7-1 lead after the first two innings of play and held on for an 8-5 win. In the top of the first, fourth-year pitcher Katie Rutcofsky drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Hawks on the board. During the Hawks’ next at-bat, third-year infielder Nicole DeCosta drove in two more runs with a double down the left-field line. The Hawks added to their lead in the second inning after second-year third baseman Alexa Mastando came home following an errant throw on a successful double steal. Second-year left fielder Julia Perhacs pushed across another run with a double down the left-field line before DeCosta made it a 7-1 ballgame with a two-run home run to left center two batters later. New Paltz ended up scoring one more run off an error to finish the first half of the doubleheader. In the second game, Plattsburgh jumped out to a 6-1 lead and ultimately set the tone for the game, as the Hawks were unable to make a comeback in an 11-6 loss. Five days later, the Hawks went up against Brooklyn College, where the Hawks hit a program record of 26 hits and third-year center fielder Fallon Spriggs hitting for the cycle. Spriggs went 5-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs, three runs scored, a double, a triple and a home run as the Hawks beat the former record of 23 hits set in 1998. Every Hawk starter registered a hit in the game, and every New Paltz studentathlete that stepped up to the plate scored at least once. Beyond Spriggs’ notable performance, fourth-year catcher Jordan Fiore had a career day, going 4-for-4 with six RBI,s three runs scored and three doubles. Fiore becomes just the third person in program history to hit three doubles in a game, matching the program record.
Despite the second game of the doubleheader being cancelled, DeCosta said she was pleased with the team’s performance and expressed her gratitude toward the record performance. “I think we did exactly what we were supposed to in this game,” she said. “We hit and played very well defensively. Granted they were not the best matchup talent wise, I still think it was a good experience for some to rebuild some confidence and then take us into a big weekend against [SUNY] Fredonia and Buffalo State. It’s pretty cool to hear that we broke the hits record. This team I believe is one of the best teams in New Paltz softball history, so it’s good to see some things happening even if it is in a game like Brooklyn.” The Hawks took their momentum into their doubleheader matchup against SUNY Fredonia on Friday, April 15. Rutcofsky pitched both games of the doubleheader at home, only allowing a total of one earned run as the Hawks swept the Blue Devils by scores of 2-0 and 6-2. The first game saw all of its scoring come in the second inning as second-year right fielder Danielle Bruno laced a two-out single down the third-base line, allowing Rutcofsky to score. Bruno reached third following a passed ball and a throwing error, and an error during the next at-bat allowed her to score to push the margin to 2-0. In the second game, Fredonia jumped to a 1-0 lead, but New Paltz quickly answered and never looked back as Fiore, DeCosta, Rutcofsky, first-year second baseman Shannon Fee and first-year shortstop Taylor LaFrance all scored runs. The following day, the Hawks extended their win streak to four games in the first game of a doubleheader against Buffalo State. The sixth inning was huge for the Hawks as Perhacs led off the inning with a double to left center before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Rutcofsky then singled up the middle to drive in Perhacs before DeCosta moved her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Rutcofsky ended up on third following a fielder’s choice during the next at-bat, and she came across on a fielder’s choice the very next play to put New Paltz on top, 3-2. The Hawks ended the game with a double play to the third baseman in the top of the seventh, which sealed the win.
In the second game of the day, Buffalo State’s bats came alive, as they scored six runs off of 10 hits to split the series. DeCosta said the team had a very accomplishing weekend despite the loss in the final game against the Bengals. “Going into the weekend against Fredonia and Buffalo, we knew we had to at least take three games and we did that, so that was a positive on the weekend,” DeCosta said. “I think we learned a lot and also realized what we need to work on as SUNYAC play continues. Moving forward, we hope to carry that momentum through the remainder of our games and continue to keep the ball rolling and winning more games.” After two postponements, the Hawks finally went up against SUNY Oneonta in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 19. Although New Paltz could not win either of the games, there were some notable performances by the players. Rutcofsky and DeCosta each drove in a run in the first game to tie the game at 2 all. It wasn’t until second-year right fielder Cori McFall hit a go-ahead double in the seventh to give the Red Dragons the 3-2 win. In game two, the game was called after five innings after the Red Dragons scored eight unanswered runs, with six of them coming off a pair of home runs. DeCosta looks for the Hawks to learn from their mistakes in their next conference matchups against The College at Brockport and SUNY Geneseo. “I don’t think we necessarily played our best softball against Oneonta,” DeCosta said. “However, it is a learning experience and something we can move forward with. Knowing that we can’t give runs away to other teams and that we need to put the ball in play a little bit more, I think we can build off of this and move forward when we take on Geneseo and Brockport this weekend, where we can hopefully sweep both teams.” The Hawks split a doubleheader with Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday, April 20. With an overall record of 13-12 and 4-4 conference tally, New Paltz will next participate in doubleheaders against The College at Brockport and SUNY Geneseo on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 where they can improve their fifth-place standing and make a potential playoff run as the season’s end nears.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
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ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:
Anthony Bonilla SPORT: Volleyball YEAR: Second MAJOR: Mathematics HOMETOWN: New Paltz, New York H OW DID YOU FIRST START PLAYING VOLLEYBALL? Some of my earliest memories were around a volleyball court. My dad was coaching both the men’s and women’s teams here at SUNY New Paltz when I was younger and I remember him putting my sister and I into the ball carts and how I would always run after the balls flying around the gym. I guess playing the sport after all that was just a given. OUTSIDE OF VOLLEYBALL WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO?
Honestly almost all my time goes into playing volleyball or training for it. With the little free time I have left over I hang out with friends, play video games and write computer science codes. WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST ROLE MODELS? As cliche as it sounds, my dad is my biggest role model. He has always supported me, coached me and given me opportunities to play the sport I love while growing up in an area where it’s practically nonexistent. The drive to live up to his past successes, and maybe one day surpass him, keeps me going.
ARE YOU A FAN OF ANY TEAMS? What’s funny is that for most sports teams I am never a huge fan of the local teams around. I support the Cincinnati Bengals, San Antonio Spurs and for volleyball I am a fan of the Polish men’s team and the Russian women’s team.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS? I have two different colored knee braces; the gray one always goes on my left knee and the black one goes on the right. Also when we warm up before a game, I never pass the ball without pushing up my sleeves first. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS MEMORY? Starting in my first ever college match really stands out to me. The over-bearing pressure, the crowd’s excitement and my first chance to ever represent not only my school but also my hometown made it so exciting for me.
DO
YOU WANT TO BE ...
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK? Contact Michael Rosen at
Rosenm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
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Sports
The New Paltz Oracle
Lacrosse Looks to Finish Season Strong
By Anthony Mitthauer-Orza
Copy Editor | Mitthaua1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
With only four games remaining in the season, the lacrosse team is focusing on the long-term future of the program. Over the past few games, the Hawks dropped State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchups against Buffalo State, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Fredonia. New Paltz lost each game by at least 10 goals. Though the statistics have not shown desired results, Hawks head coach Liz Student discussed her pleasure of the team’s progress so far and how the rest of the season can only be beneficial for the players. “I think the cohesion this year is one of our strengths,” Student said. “We have a young group, and we don’t have any seniors. It’s not something where ‘the seniors are doing this’ and the ‘freshman are doing this,’ we’re just one team. It’s a great environment to grow and to play in. We have different people stepping up every day, working on leadership and that will help us moving forward.” On Friday, April 8, the Hawks went up against Buffalo State for a conference matchup, which had a close start, but wasn’t enough. The Bengals grabbed a 4-0 lead midway through the contest before Hawks third-year attacker Nicole Stackpole and second-year attacker Caitlyn Morris scored back-to-back goals to bring the score within two. The Bengals netted a pair
more before Morris retaliated with her second goal of the game with just 6:02 before halftime. Buffalo State followed with four unanswered goals to enter halftime with a 10-3 advantage. Buffalo State scored four goals in the second half, with a New Paltz goal courtesy of thirdyear co-captain Melissa Wagner who scored in between. Third-year goalkeeper Colleen Roemer made eight stops in the loss for the Hawks, while two Bengal goalkeepers combined for five saves in the win. Morris finished with two goals to lead the New Paltz attack, while Wagner and Stackpole each scored one a piece. Hawks second-year attacker Orlagh Brady scooped up five ground balls, while third-year midfielder Alexa Criollo caused two turnovers and controlled four draws. On Tuesday, April 12, the Hawks played their first home SUNYAC game of the season, as they fell to SUNY Potsdam by a score of 18-5. The Hawks had a hopeful start, as they got on the board in the first 1:21 of the game off an unassisted goal from third-year co-captain Nicole Gottschalk. However, Potsdam scored 10 unanswered goals to close the half and enter the intermission with a 10-1 advantage. New Paltz kept up the pace with Potsdam early in the second half, as Criollo quickly answered an early Bears goal with one of her own. Following another Potsdam score, Morris and second-year attacker and midfielder Colleen Jones netted back-to-back markers to draw within eight
at 12-4. The Bears wound up scoring six of the game’s final seven goals. Wagner, Criollo, Gottschalk, Morris and Jones all scored, while Wagner and Gottschalk each provided an assist. Roemer scooped up a game-high six ground balls, while second-year defender Kaitlyn DeTrinis caused three turnovers. Gottschalk said despite the loss, there’s plenty left in the season to really show what the team is all about. “We’ve definitely struggled a bit in the past few weeks as we entered conference play,” Gottschalk said. “We are working out all of the small issues and we are looking forward to everything finally coming together in our next few games.” For their final game of the week, the Hawks suffered a 15-4 setback against a tough SUNY Fredonia team on Saturday, April 16. New Paltz had a tough first half in the game as the Hawks were outscored 8-2. However, after the halftime break, Criollo scored just 24 seconds into the second half to bring the score within five. The Blue Devils answered with six straight goals, before Hawks second-year attacker Kelsey Aeberli registered her second goal of the day with 8:07 remaining in regulation to break up Fredonia’s scoring spree. The Blue Devils scored one final goal with 4:44 left to finish with a final score of 15-4. New Paltz falls to 3-9 overall and 0-4 in conference play with the loss and next hosts SUNY Oswego on Thursday, April 21, at 4 p.m.
PHOTO BY HOLLY LIPKA
Student said the last few games of the season can potentially be a huge turnaround for the team. “We made a few mistakes in some games and it hurt us,” Student said. “When you’re playing with the hardest conference in Div. III, there’s not much wiggle room for errors. We just have to keep playing and working toward the next game, but we also have to work for the long run. Despite what our record says, our program is moving forward and in the right direction because of how hard our players work on and off the field.”
Tennis Prepares for New Paltz Tournament
By Melissa Kramer
Sports Editor | Kramerm2@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
After a month off between matches, the tennis team resumed their spring season. The Hawks defeated Stevens Institute of Technology 6-3 on April 6 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hawks head coach Rob Bruley said the team played well, despite the inclimate weather. Third-year Olivia Ammirati and second-year Emi Lewis earned New Paltz’s only win in doubles play as the pair defeated their opponents, 8-5, in flight two but Stevens held a 2-1 lead heading into singles action. New Paltz won five out of six flights in singles play to win the match. Ammirati took the victory in flight one, 7-5, 7-5. Hawks second-year Brittany Grandville took flight two 6-1, 6-2, while fourth-year captain Laura Tierney won flight three, 6-0, 6-2. In flight four, Lewis fought a tough match against Stevens’ first-year Sydney Zoretic, but
ultimately ended up with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Hawks first-year Lindsay Haley took a two-set win against her opponent, first-year Jill Hadwen (6-3, 6-3) in flight five. The Hawks dropped a 5-4 decision against Union (N.Y.) College on April 9. Ammirati and Tierney fell 9-8 in a second flight doubles match. The Dutchwomen won the other two flights for a doubles action sweep. Tierney expressed her personal frustration toward the match. “If I had won my match with Olivia [Ammirati] we would have potentially won the whole match,” Tierney said. Despite winning four out of six flights in singles play, Union sealed the win as Ammirati fell to her opponent, 7-6, (7-2), 6-3, in flight one. In singles action, Grandville defeated her opponent, 6-0, 6-4, to win flight two while second-year Carol Tyson won flight three, 6-1, 6-0. Tierney took the victory in flight four, 6-1, 6-4, while Lewis won flight five, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. Third-
year Kirsten Delvecchio rounded out the line up in flight six, falling to her opponent, 6-1, 6-0. The match that was initially scheduled for April 8 and then rescheduled for Friday, April 15, against Ithaca College was postponed indefinitely, as announced on Thursday, April 14 by the Department of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation. Tierney said the team was disappointed because it’s always a very close match with good competition. The Hawks faced adversity in an 8-1 loss against St. Lawrence University on Saturday, April 16. With two ill due to food poisoning and one injured in warm-ups, the Hawks had to retire those respective matches. Tierney said St. Lawrence was a very strong team and was proud and fortunate that they were able to pick up a point. “I was also proud of Emi [Lewis], who was sick that day, stuck it out and gave her all in doubles and what she could play of singles,” she said.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
“She’s a tough one and exemplifies a truly dedicated player.” Next up for the 7-6 Hawks is the New Paltz Tournament, which will be held Saturday, April 23 on the North Tennis Courts. This year, the Hawks will end their season and play their all-doubles round-robin tournament against St. Thomas Aquinas (Div. II) and SUNY Cortland. In years past, more teams participated in the tournament, Bruley said. To prepare for next season, Bruley said the team will be working on improving their doubles teams, something that he credited as a weakness this year. “This tournament benefits the team and gives confidence going in if they get some good results,” Bruley said. “Doubles is all about chemistry. The more you play over a period of time, the better it is. We’re trying to make that right for next year and make another run in the conference championship and hopefully get to the final and get past Geneseo.”
The New Paltz Oracle
Orange And
Blues
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The defending National League Champion New York Mets did not exactly start this season the way they wanted to. The Mets currently have a record of 7-7, which is not great. But after a bit of a sluggish start, the Mets seem to have picked things up in the past week. While it is still very early in the season, there have been some things that had Mets fans concerned. The team started the season the same way they ended the previous season, facing off against the Kansas City Royals with Matt Harvey on the mound. While the Royals organization had a nice celebratory video for what the Mets accomplished last year, the team had to watch as the Royals raised their “2015 World Series Champions” banner. The Mets responded by losing their first game of the season 4-3. The next game in the series would force the Mets to watch the Royals players receive their World Series rings. This time the Mets came out victorious, as Noah Syndergaard pitched six scoreless innings while striking out nine batters. Neil Walker hit a two-run home run, his first as a Met, to give the Mets a 2-0 win and their first victory of the season. Then on Friday, April 8, the Mets won their home opener 7-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Jacob deGrom pitched very well, despite the fact that his wife was scheduled to go into labor at any moment. He would end up leaving the game early due to lat tightness, the same injury that caused Steven Matz to lose a significant amount of time last season. Not good news for Mets fans. Things got worse as the Mets lost their next four games, two to the Phillies and two to the Miami Marlins. In those four games, the offense scored six runs. It was like watching the team from last year before the trade deadline, when the offense was so abysmal that Eric Campbell hit fifth on a daily basis. Not only that, but losing series to teams in your own division is not acceptable even if it is April. Especially losing to a team like the Phillies that is in full rebuilding mode and likely will finish no higher than fourth place this year. Another cause for concern was the performance Matz had in his first start of the season during that losing streak. On Monday, April 11, Matz allowed seven runs in just an inning and two-thirds of work against the Marlins.
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Mets Rebound From Slow Start
Mets southpaw pitcher Steven Matz dials in.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR USER ARTURO PARDAVILA
However since that four-game losing streak, not only have the Mets won five of their last seven games but they have also dispelled a lot of worries about the team in the process. The most important improvement the team has seen is the offense. The bats have come alive in the past week after struggling against the Phillies and Marlins. The Mets scored at least four runs in six straight games after scoring just six in four games. The brightest spot in the recent offensive surge has been 23-year-old outfielder Michael Conforto. After a solid rookie campaign last year, Conforto is currently hitting .279 with seven extra-base hits. Most importantly, he has been placed in the threehole in the lineup and has flourished. Mets fans expect him to be the cornerstone of the offense for years to come, and it’s great to see him doing well early in the season. It has also been great to see Yoenis Cespedes heat up as of late. After being resigned to a $75 million contract, the Cuban-
born outfielder struggled out of the gate and was even booed by the Citi Field crowd during the series against the Phillies. He has been hitting much better since, and he is currently batting .291 with five home runs in this young season. Worries about Matz were also calmed after he pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday, April 17. He showed that he is a very young, but talented pitcher and one bad start does not change that. But the most impressive pitcher for the Mets thus far has been Syndergaard. “Thor” currently has an ERA of 0.90 and is striking out 13.05 batters per game. He won’t keep it up all season, but it’s great to see the flamethrower get off to such a hot start to the season. Also after dropping two of three games to the Phillies at home, the Mets responded by taking two of three against the Phillies in Philadelphia from Monday, April 18 to Wednesday, April 20. It seems a little cra-
Thursday, April 21, 2016
zy to get excited over the Mets beating the lowly Phillies, but it’s good to see the team respond well after a tough series and win the games that they should be winning. More good news came this week when it was announced that deGrom’s newborn son, who experienced some health issues after his birth, was able to leave the hospital and his health is improving. deGrom will also return to the mound on Sunday, April 24, so hopefully his lat injury is nothing serious. Unfortunately, there is one thing that still has Mets fans concerned and has not been resolved in the past week. Harvey has really been struggling this season. “The Dark Knight” currently has a record of 0-3 with an ERA of 5.71. On Saturday, April 16, Harvey got off to a great start by pitching a perfect three innings. But he then proceeded to give up two runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to the Indians. He is obviously still a very capable pitcher, but something has been off about him. Harvey’s next start will come on Friday, April 22 against the Atlanta Braves, who currently have a record of 4-10. Hopefully Harvey is just having a slow start, and getting a win against one of the worst teams in baseball could help him get things together. One last thing that has Mets fans concerned is the way the Washington Nationals have been playing. The Nats currently have a record of 11-3 and sit atop the National League East. Last year’s MVP, Bryce Harper, has gotten off to a terrific start this season. Not to mention that former-Met Daniel Murphy currently leads all of baseball with a .429 batting average. Washington may finally be living up to expectations, which is trouble for the Amazins. Even though it’s early in the season, Mets fans have already held their breath and subsequently breathed a sigh of relief multiple times. But it’s important to keep in mind that it is still early in the season and there is plenty of time for things to change. I am willing to guarantee that Harvey will not struggle the way he has been for the remainder of the season. The Nationals got off to a very hot start, and while they are a very talented team and will fight with the Mets all season for the division crown, they’re not going to have a winning percentage of .786 all season. But even though it is early, a win in April counts just as much as a win in September. Thankfully, the Mets seem to have figured out how to win games in April.
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